The Sacred Place PV

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

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

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

Of course Emily Shephard would just have to watch! Colin's hoped for surprise transformation was ruined by Emmi's insatiable curiosity! He should have known, really. His fidgeting about would naturally attract her attention. She asked if he was okay or sick or something. He gave her a quick grin as he crouched there. No, not sick --- just madly in love! he thought. There was indeed nothing wrong with the boy at all.

Just Colin. And then ... just wolf.

And then it hit her! Colin was certain his Emmi was not expecting this. As his body twisted into its new shape, he thought --- this actually turned out okay! His plan was to spring on her the result of the transformation, but this turned out even more awesome! She got to see the whole thing. In the middle of the day! And! Without there being a full moon! Colin's body shook with woofy laughter as he watched Emily's mouth open and shut. For a moment the girl was utterly gobsmacked!

She was on her feet and checking him out! "... No moon... You're a wolf... Outside of the lunar cycle!" she cried, finally finding her voice again. Colin whuffed and made a couple quick play bows! He circled her quickly so that she'd have to keep turning to keep him in sight! "This is impossible! Incorrigible! Impossibly incorrigible! Incorrigibly impossible! By all magical laws of meteorology and lycanthropy, this can't be... I must be dreaming..."

Uwuufh! he replied. Nope! It was no dream! More like a dream come true for Colin. He'd often wondered how it was he and Liam were able to do this. He couldn't remember ever seeing or hearing of any werewolf able to do this. It's wasn't in any of his Dark Arts textbooks. He couldn't remember any of the older wolves talking about this or doing this. Certainly not Henry. Nor --- what was the boy's name now? --- Erik or something. Henry's age. Yurff! Colin exclaimed. This would require proper research!

Emily got down on all fours. Colin approached, snout to nose. "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?" Colin sniffed Emmi's face, then gave her a quick lick. If a wolf could blush, he'd be a red wolf right now! His heart certainly thumped, though! Emily was right though, asking questions that he himself desperately wanted to know the answers to.

Before this year, he'd never been able to transform like this. He'd tried. So many times! So many failed potion brewings! So much slugulus eructo practice to get those bad brewings out! And wait until he told her about Moonspeak! He wondered if she could learn that? Probably not, but she should still know about it! Colin wiggled.

After a while, Emily sat back, just staring at him. Just wolfColin. He felt so happy that he'd invited his Emily up here just for this brief moment! He thought it would be totally brilliant if she learned animagus! Maybe she'd pick matagot or zouwu! One of those would be fun to run around with!

Colin broke his long gaze into Emily's eyes. He nosed back into his kilt and crouched on his haunches for the journey back to boy shape. Colin reclined with his head in Emily's lap, stretching out his long limbs and his back. The warmth of the smooth rock felt good against his back and the Sun was warm on his skin.

For a long while, he remained still. His arms outstretched, he turned to look at the clouds drifting by in the distance. These were literally the best moments of Colin's entire life! Just --- being --- here with his beloved, surrounded by this gorgeous stretch of creation. Suddenly Colin's heart felt full. He sighed deeply. It struck him then that he wouldn't have too many more moments like this. He only had two more years at Hogwarts, after all.

He turned his gaze back towards Emily, her beautiful eyes. She was giving him the look. Oh right! he thought. All those questions! "Ye know, Emmi. This is the Best, right? Just being here with you, lass! Me and Liam have been practicing our transformations, and I wanted to surprise you!" If Colin and Emily ever had a future together, he reckoned she needed to know everything.

"Ye weren't dreaming lass, though I have to tell ye, it's a dream come true for me!" Colin laughed merrily! "Me and Liam have trying to find a way to transform like this for years! We thought we'd found an ancient potion hidden in some old Muggle legend, but when we tried to brew it, we just ended up hurling purple and green mucus! That took a bit of clearing out of the workshop! We tried another one, based on Wolfsbane, but we ended up in hospital for a whole weekend!"

Colin smirked at the memory. "Honestly Em, we should have tried that one on Sunday night so we could skive classes but ye ken Liam. The Ravenclaw would rather die than miss History of Magic! We even tried pestering Rigel for anything astrological that could help us. At first we thought he would laugh us off, but he actually took us seriously! He said something queer though. 'Astrologically speaking, the Moon is really always full in that her physical and metaphysical effects on Earth are always being felt. The phases we see from Earth are a function of the two planets' relative position with the Sun.' We didn't know what to make of that, Emmi. Then he told us that Lycanthropy is a disease, and really nothing more than that. He said he knows me and Liam don't see it as a curse, but, well, most folks still do."

Colin smiled. He reached up to stroke Emily's cheek with his left hand. He loved the feel of her skin! "I know you don't too, Em!" That was one of the best things about Emily Shephard! She just flat out didn't care that he was a werewolf. At all! "He said that the curse is Moonbound, and there's naught we can do with potion nor spell to change that. He must have heard about some of our potions trials. Oof. Anyway! He told us, and these are his exact words: 'the disease however... That remains in question. Diseases change. They evolve. Even magical ones. Who can tell what sorts of changes it might work on its victims?' And that was it."

Colin's brows knit as he thought about what his older brother had said. He had yet to answer Emily's questions, and if he knew his sweetheart at all well, he knew she'd not give up until he gave her a satisfactory explanation! "Well, first thing Emmi, this is no trickery! I've never been able to do this before! I was really surprised when it happened! It was like me first magic all over again!

"And I've never heard any other werewolf talk about being able to do this! Not Henry. Not Erik. Nor any of the older wolves that were here when I started school." He shook his head slowly. "I don't think it's always been possible either. Surely we would have found some record of it? It's not in any of our text books. Not in any family records. It's --- It's like this is something new, right? Can diseases even do that I wonder?"

What Colin really wondered was the answer to Emmi's first question. The one he left unanswered: How is it that you can transform without a moon?

Interacting: @Emily Shephard
Mentions: @AngelFyre McCubbin | @Meyra Lancaster | @Jun Mayumi Mochizuki