The Sacred Place
21 April 2026
After Classes
Colin felt that it was time.
He'd been long excited for this day! He'd had a grand time at the ball with Emily and Olivia. Christmas at Shephard House. Hogmanay shenanigans. The Werewolf Appreciation Day. And, of course, that day with Liam and Cursa last fall. Emily needed to know, and Colin was certain that she would be delighted! He wanted Emily to be the first person he showed this to, and so had chosen this day to bring her up to the sacred place, the stone outcropping up above the castle.
They'd run along through grounds for a while. "Emmi!" Colin broke away and dashed ahead for a bit! He turned and danced around the girl as she caught up! "Emm! This is me favourite spot! Up here! We're almost there!" The ground had risen steadily and already the panorama looking out over the Black Lake and Forbidden Forest was a feast for the eyes! The lightly overcast sky and the coolth of the breeze invigourated Colin!
Colin laughed merrily!
He took Emily's hand and dashed with her up the last stretch, and there it was. Like a worn rampart, a ruin of some ancient castle long destroyed, the stone outcropping loomed just ahead. It wasn't high. No more than six feet above the newly greening grasses and wildflowers. A small cleft in the stone revealed the shape of what appeared to be irregularly hewn steps. Perhaps some Hogwarts student had practiced his spell casting up here, as Colin and Liam had done hundreds of times, and carefully worked until he'd fashioned the rough stair.
The boy's unshod feet took lightly to the steps through long familiarity, but Colin remembered that, at least as far as he knew, Emily had never been up here. He slowed his pace and took her hand as they went up and onto the outcropping. "Isn't it bonny up here, Emmi? Look!" He turned and gestured out towards Hogwarts down below and Hogsmeade beyond.
He fell silent for a short while, deep in thought.
Pfft. He'd always found it queer that so many kids thought he was just some loud and obnoxious idiot. I mean, Colin thought. We do run through the corridors, me and Liam, and get into all kinds of things! But really, Colin was very much at home in the peace, the quiet, and the solitude of this place.
He crouched down a short way from the edge of the outcrop. The breeze tugged at his messy hair and his partly unbuttoned white shirt. "I come up here a lot," he began. "Ever since first year. Me and Liam found this place our first week." How to explain to Emily what this place meant to him, was what Colin was pondering. He was pretty sure she'd get it, even if he never said one word. Colin always felt calm and peaceful up here.
"I've only brought me absolute besties up here. Liam, naturally, and Cursa and Ciarán and Lorcan. Sophia. AngelFyre, of course." He turned his head towards Emily and looked up into her gorgeous hazel eyes. "And now you. It's time, lass." He took a deep breath and invited her to sit with him. "We call this the Sacred Place." The name said it all, really. It was a space set apart from the mundane world of classes and lectures and broom races and all the chaos of Hogwarts. "It seems like everything really important happens up here. When me and Liam started sorting out that whole hit letter thing from Aunt Agatha ---" his heart thudded, but he controlled the impulse. Not yet. "--- we were up here. When I thought Liam had been killed in the skirmish near home, I came up here and AngelFyre got me through it. When I got Liam back, we came up here. After Lorcan died, we came up here and sang for him. Whenever I have dream visions, I come up here to sort them out." Colin stretched his long arm around Emily's shoulders and held her close. He loved the scent of her hair. "For a long while, I've wanted to bring ye up here lass. I know now who the girl in my dreams is. I need to tell ye about that. And there's more. So much more to tell ye..."
Colin's voice trailed off, barely above a whisper. This was the place where hearts met and now was the time.
Interacting: @Emily Shephard
Mentions: @AngelFyre McCubbin
Keep your mind in hell; and don't despair.
Cursa McCoire
Rigel McCoire
The Sacred Place
April 21st 2026
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
@Colin McCoire
"Where are you taking me, Colin?" Emily asked impatiently. She kept pace with Colin, following behind him in skips as he led her to... Wherever he was leading her to! He'd been quiet for most of this mysterious journey. Uncharacteristic, to say the least. Something was up, Emily thought, and she was eager to find out what all the silent excitement was about with where Colin was taking her.
Every now and then, Colin ran off to release the bubbling energy he always had. It really was like walking a dog with Colin! Letting him run off for the hills and marshes before he circled back to Emily's side like the protective steed he was. Emily thought it was fair to say he was a mixed breed between a wolf and a collie. Collie McCoire! Ha!
The breeze picked up once they hit the face of a particularly large hill. They weren't even at the top yet but Emily was already enchanted by a spectacular view of the forest and the clouds that weaved between it and the rest of the castle grounds. She had spent so much time being down below, within the grassy playgrounds of the Forbidden Forest, that she lost track of what there was still to see and appreciate up above.
Sure enough, the paradoxical pair reached the top and Emily was stunned into an appreciative silence. The clouds had all but swallowed the surrounding mountains, the tops of the forest trees buoying above the misty border sewn between the valleys ahead. It reminded Emily of being in a ghost town of sorts. How exciting would that be! Perhaps there was one out there in the Wizarding World somewhere. That's something to prod Colin about! He'd know where to find all the coolest ghosties and ghoulies.
Emily giggled when the breeze tickled through her hair. The cool air never felt so good than right now, feeling it sifting through her brown strands like a bride's veil.
"I never thought to come up here for myself," Emily said, awestruck. "This would be a great spot for a picnic or for some spell practice in nicer weather...!"
She faced Colin and was almost unnerved by the serious, thoughtful look that was painted in his features. That wasn't to say that the boy didn't take anything seriously at all. He took plenty of things seriously, actually. Like broom racing. And family values. Even the sacred art of distinguishing poisonous mushrooms from benign ones was important to him.
But this was a look that Emily hadn't quite seen before. At least, not so strongly. That was enough to let Emily know that there was purpose behind him bringing her here so far away from the school grounds.
"It seems like everything really important happens up here," Colin began. He listed off all the things that had happened in his life, some of which Emily had never heard him speak off before. Liam dead? That deserved a very good explanation to just throw that out there out of the Book of Colin Lore! The same again with his littler brother, Lorcan. She wouldn't admit it out loud due to how terrible it would sound coming from her mouth, but she had half forgotten Colin had a little brother named Lorcan. There were so many McCoires to speak of, and only a very small number of them were left out of conversation. Lorcan on the other hand remained too delicate to roll off Colin's tongue, even to Emily.
His arm snaked around Emily's shoulder and she instinctively leaned into him. He was so skinny, yet he yielded so much warmth.
"And there's more. So much more to tell ye..." He whispered.
Emily let his words settle in the air. Colin was a boy capable of every emotion. He was more transparent than a glass cup. Emily smiled. That was probably what she liked the most about him. Beneath all the McCoire Bravado, he was emotionally intelligent.
"It's kind of fascinating, you know," she said finally. "The more you talk about yourself, Colin, the less I feel I actually know about you. It's like completing a jigsaw puzzle, but the more pieces there are, the more I feel like I need to go back and redo the puzzle so that I can understand you better. And I want to understand you, I truly do. I want to do it properly, so that you don't have to try and explain everything like you owe it to me."
She nestled further into his touch, smiling. "But I've all the time in the world to listen to you here and now, pet. So, talk to me. Talk to me, and I will listen."
Word Count: 786
Stats: Stamina: 8 | Evasion: 7 | Strength: 7 | Wisdom: 9 | Arcane Power: 8 | Accuracy: 8
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace |Calming Presence
Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself
iNPC = Casey Stone
The Sacred Place
Colin practically vibrated with excitement! For once, he wasn't up here dealing with some tragedy or trauma or even a serious question of existence! No, he was just --- here with Emily. The girl who held his heart in her hands. There was so much to say to her! And also to listen to what she had to say. But not just at this moment.
What he had to say to Emily first was something that really couldn't be said with words. Or rather, merely telling her the fact would be totally lame. This was why he and Liam had been practicing ever since they found out it was even possible! At first they thought it was the potion they'd been working on, but that turned out to be a touch anticlimactic. Liam had only managed to burn his eyebrows off whilst Colin had to pick bits of exploded cauldron out of his hair.
And in the end, it was never even the potion! They'd found out they could do this quite by accident and neither boy could contain his excitement trying to explain to the other what it was they'd discovered! Only to discover that they'd found the same thing out! And of course, Colin just had to tell Emmi all about it! But before he could do that, he decided as they sat together on the stone outcropping, he would show her.
The breeze ruffled Emily's hair which tickled Colin's nose.
Now was as good a time as any. He leaned into Emily, whose gaze was focused on the absolutely breathtaking world laid out below. Right. Colin's heart raced. And not just because the most beautiful girl in all Hogwarts was next to him! But the heart was the key. He just had to switch his mind from she who was good and beautiful over to her who was, well, none of those things. Old Aunt Haggy.
Agatha Auchincloss. That old hag turned out to be the trigger for him. What she'd done to hurt him. Even who she was. Colin's heart pounded. It was happening! He undid the buttons of his shirt, as if suddenly overheated. It wasn't that, though. He scooched back a bit, as if to stretch out. Emily didn't notice. Perhaps she was pondering what it was he had to tell her about up here. In this place.
His body shivered. And he felt it starting. Deep inside him. His eyes dilated and he winced from the bright sunlight diffusing through the clouds above. His fingernails hurt. He wanted to whimper, but then she'd turn to find out what was wrong! That would spoil the surprise, Colin reckoned, and he wanted this to be a happy surprise for Emily! So, he bore the pain of it with determination.
And at last it was done.
Colin silently wriggled out of his discarded kilt and shirt. He crouched down on his haunches and rested his snout on Emily's shoulder. The breeze ruffled Colin's fur, and he felt alive! The heart that beat inside his body was that of a wolf, but it was Colin's wolf. And whether boy or wolf, it belonged to girl the white wolf was now leaning against.
Colin gave Emily a quick lick on her cheek, waiting for her to turn to see.
Interacting: @Emily Shephard
Mentions: @AngelFyre McCubbin | @Meyra Lancaster | @Jun Mayumi Mochizuki
Keep your mind in hell; and don't despair.
Cursa McCoire
Rigel McCoire
The Sacred Place
April 21st 2026
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
@Colin McCoire
Silence settled over them like a soft blanket when their conversation faded to an end. Emily remained comfortably entangled in Colin's arms, the heat of his chest making her feel warm and bizarrely tingly... It must've been the hairs sticking up on his arms and prickling her own as they battled the cold air. The boy could benefit from wearing a jacket or something...
Emily's gaze settled on the gorgeous view before them. The sea of cloud slowly became a sprinkling as they divided and drifted away from each other, welcoming a new wave of sunlight that was cast over the valleys. It had the beauty of an oil painting mixed with the serenity of a dream. The fact that Colin was there with her made everything feel like heaven. She melted in her spot until she was practically slack in Colin's embrace. She didn't want to leave. All the time in the world, she had said, and it was true. Nothing mattered more to Emily right now than simply being here, with her new love blossoming slowly in her heart.
She felt Colin's heart suddenly pick up its pace beneath her cheek. Emily grinned. She was aware she had somewhat of an "effect" on her beloved companion. Although she couldn't help feeling curious on how long it took for Colin to get excited like this. Then the lad began to fidget underneath her until Emily loosened her hold on him. Right... Colin wasn't by any means a fella to sit around for long periods of time. The boy probably just wanted to jump up and stretch his limbs some.
Colin detached himself from Emily and began stripping open his shirt. Emily gave him the most perplexed look.
"You feeling okay, Colin? I hardly think this is the weather for..."
It was a good few seconds of Emily staring intently at him before she noticed the subtle tremors in his shoulders. As much as she was hoping it was because he was cold, she couldn't help the rising suspicion it was something else.
"What's wrong?" she tried again. "Colin, are you sick or something...?"
Colin bore the face of someone persevering through some kind of discomfort. Emily was on the verge of panicking when Colin changed. Literally. His fingers bearing claws, body sprouting fur and more fitting canines to suit the new look.
Emily was frozen in place with shock. It wasn't until Colin plopped his wolfy head onto her lap and lapped her cheek that she was jerked back to life again.
Her mouth opened and closed a few times as she struggled to speak. Colin was now a wolf, but remained very much himself.
"... No moon... You're a wolf... Outside of the lunar cycle!"
Emily sprung onto her feet and examined every angle of Colin, from his limbs right down to every strand of fur over his body.
"This is impossible! Incorrigible! Impossibly incorrigible! Incorrigibly impossible! By all magical laws of meteorology and lycanthropy, this can't be... I must be dreaming..."
Emily met Colin on her fours. "I want answers, with full elaboration! How is it that you can transform without a moon? Has this always been possible? What's trickery is behind this?"
Word Count: 532
Stats: Stamina: 9 | Evasion: 8 | Strength: 8 | Wisdom: 10 | Arcane Power: 8 | Accuracy: 9
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace |Calming Presence
Trust Yourself - Love Yourself - Be Yourself
iNPC = Casey Stone