Campout Private + Hufflepuff Finished

Cynthia felt the flashlight leave her grasp as Professor Solomon launched it away from them and then smashed it into several pieces.  Cynthia wasn’t too upset with it being destroyed since she knew the reasoning behind it.  She still wanted to do whatever it took to help anyone and everyone, whether they were in trouble or not.  She wanted to set things right again.  “I think you’ve done enough,“ Professor Lear snapped.  Upon hearing the tone in his voice, she started to tremble a bit with fear.  She soon was able to shake it off as determination began to show through.  She was then instructed to stay behind someone who knew how to cast Lumos.

Cynthia looked around and saw her friend Sarafina with their wand lit with bright light.  She hurried over to them and lit Professor Lear’s wand.  He had thrust it into her hand and told her to avoid dying.  Cynthia couldn’t help feeling hurt by his words, but under the circumstances, she understood.  Perhaps they could talk about this after it was all over and they were once again back in the safety of the castle.  She muttered the incantation and, for a moment, nothing happened.  She said it again and after a second, the wand emitted a bright light as well.  Their wands shared the same core and therefore recognized Cynthia.  She sighed with a little relief that his wand had not rejected her.

Until now, James had not really realized how much danger they were all in.
James had seen the swarm of spiders coming, but he was still desperately trying to hold on to the hope that they weren't all that bad and if James could just communicate with them or something, they would all be okay. So far, it didn't look like it was going to happen. But, there is always that 1% of James that will never give up on anyone or anything.
James had lost the spider he had helped off of his head in the crowd of spiders now racing towards him.
James was running, but for some unexplainable reason, the spiders were faster. And that was saying something, because James was fast.
A sudden piercing feeling shot into his lower leg, and James let out a little yelp. Had he been bitten!? A downwards look confirmed this, and trying to brush the spider off, James started running faster, and with more panic rising in his throat. The scene in the Hunger Games when Katniss started getting stung by hacker-jackers entered into his mind briefly.
James felt sickening tickles rising up his legs and body, alerting him to the presence of more spiders on him. He saw a couple soon enough, and managed to shake them off, sending them into the air away from him. But then, he felt another nasty pinch on his arm and he shouted in surprise again. He brushed the second attacker off of him and suddenly, a feeling of dizziness started brimming over the adrenaline in his veins.
Venom… he realized.
The panic was more real than ever, but as he began to feel scared out of his mind, a bright light shone forth, keeping him in a conscious reality.
“To ME, everyone! TO ME!” a voice rang out.
James’ first thought was Professor Lear, but he thought the voice didn’t quite match. He couldn’t quite figure out how it was, but he couldn’t dwell on that now. His thoughts were all occupied on the two spider bites he now had (and he was sure this was no Spiderman incident) and getting to the light.
James for the first time, became fully aware and conscious of all of the panicked shouting and fearful screams echoing all around him. It was a nightmare. It sounded like the Maze Runner.
Sooner than he thought, he made it to the light, where he finally found it was Orion holding up the illuminated wand. James was panting out choppy breaths, looking around wildly, trying to look for movement. Actually, there was a lot of movement.
James squinted into the distance from where he had come, looking for the terrifying swarm of spiders that had been chasing him. He couldn’t quite tell if they were still chasing him or not, and his dizziness from the bites did not help. If they were, he pretty much had doomed Orion and Sarafina.
Sarafina was actually there with James and Orion, within their little circle of light. James had previously been with Reid, and he looked around worriedly for him, but could not catch sight of him through the darkness, which had recently become a whole lot scarier.
If James had noticed the spider who he had helped off of his head, he would have thought of Dart among all of the other Demodogs from Stranger Things.
James finally figured out that he should get out his wand. He reached down to pull out his wand and whipped it out, muttering a shaky Lumos. This was the first time he had attempted the spell, and as he expected, there was barely even a spark of light. Still, he kept his wand out, in case he should need to send out sparks or levitate something.
In the distance, he saw a bigger figure coming forward from the forest, which must have been Professor Lear, but he had someone over his shoulder.
James gasped as he realized that whoever that was must be really hurt, or worse, dead! Frightened eyes took up the majority of James’ face as he continued looking around.
Suddenly, Sarafina took off running.
“Sarafina!” James yelled after her. But in a moment, she had disappeared back into the darkness.
Grunting angrily, James started shaking his wand.
“C’mon! Lumos, you stupid thing!” It wouldn’t work, and he knew that.
More movement was sounding, and James could only use Orion’s shadow littered light. To look around. James wanted to stay as far away from the darkness as possible, so he found himself up against Orion’s back, putting them back-to-back.
James didn’t know what he was going to do. If anything came up to him from the darkness, he could only hope something would save him or by some miracle, he might be able to cast a spell that would actually be helpful.
This is a horror movie… James thought.

Ezekiel

Chaos would attract the Slytherin Ezekiel like a moth to a flame. Dangerous but bright, fly to close to the light and Ezekiel would burn up. Ezekiel would see the dancing lights break the darkness. Just light at the tips of wands bobbing in the tarry night. The Prefect would find the campout in chaos, the clearing had a few students hiding together. They seemed confused and concerned, a few of them had successfully cast the Lumos charm because the voices in the night had told them to do so. 

Some were afraid, it was obvious when one looked at their face, countenances twisted with worry and trepidation. A few of the girls were crying, their faces buried in the breast of their peers. "Where had the others gone?" One of the Hufflepuffs would ask, their meek voice hardly audible. "I don't know what is happening," said another. "I'm scared," said a third. "Me too," said a fourth. Terrified they might have been but they stuck together. None of them had run away, abandoned the rest to their fate. That was not their way it would seem. 

This was only a small collective of course, this was not all of them. Where were the rest? There were lights in the woods, not terribly far but the Lumos Charm only dimly illuminated the spaces that those Hufflepuffs shared. He would see their outlines. Their defensive postures. The fact that most of them were not alone. Again, it was not their way. The students clumping together, perhaps it was a survival instinct that they all shared. Some had brawn and others had a magical proficiency. They made-up for what the other lacked even if they did not realize. 

Some with wands in hand and others uselessly trying to cast the Lumos Charm. There was screaming and chattering, the sound of someone or something rushing through the woods screaming the Hufflepuff Prefect's name. Ezekiel would not quite make it to the camp but he was not far. He would hear something behind him to the right. A movement in the woods.

Lumos!

Roll: 13 (Success)

Ezekiel would cast the charm and the tip of his wand would illuminate a globe of light around him. The shadows would look perverse, twisted and writhing just beyond the dim glow of his wand. Did the others see it? Could they see it? If he looked back he would see someone there, hiding behind a tree alone. Her long silvery hair and pale skin would give her an ethereal appearance. She would peer around the drunk of the tree, her eyes mesmerizing. If she caught his gaze she would run away. Away into the dark.

Orion & Sarafina

Orion was steadfast, his heels in the ground and his wand a beacon of safety for those that could or would take it. Sarafina was loyal. Together they would try and expel the darkness. Orion would order the campers to him, a few complied. Some already armed with a Lumos Charm of their own, those that contributed only enhanced the sphere of light. They were safe in here, safe from the reaching darkness. 

Or so they thought. The darkness would not encroach on their magical light. Not at all but James was barreling towards them. He brought with him dangerous cargo.

James, Orion and Sarafina


James was running from a swarm of spiders. He had perhaps waited too long to run. James would run into Orion's light and doom them all. The swarm of spiders would come also, they unlike the living shade did not recoil from the light. 

They would come over James in a wave. He would of course try to shake them off, brush them away, do something to separate himself from them the encroaching horde.  Some would be flung off and they would fan out. They would continue to bite at James as well as fan out, their intent on Orion and those who shared in his light. The spiders would attempt to overcome him, two spiders would attempt to sink their fangs into the unfortunate Huffle. (Attack: 8, 20. Evasion: 15, 20.) One would inject their venom into his arm, it would feel as if a fire was set beneath his skin.

The spider friend he had made was among them however and a curious scene would be seen, one spider mounted upon the other and peeled the assailing spider from Jame's arm. The removal would not be smooth, in fact rougher than it otherwise should have been. A bit of Jame's flesh would be ripped away as the spider was liberated from his arm. James' arachnid savior/friend would tumble away with the assailing spider in some sort of mortal combat with one another. 

Some of the spiders would fall away, others skitter off. A fallen spider cannibalized by James' friend-spider.  Some of the displaced spiders would find purchase on the branches overhead, some on Orion and Sarafina. Four would hurry up Orion's leg and burrow beneath the layers of cloth before their fangs would sink into him. (Attack 5,15,8,10. Evasion 16,2,1,13) Two of the spiders would bite into him, one of the two's fangs would dive deeper than the other and Poison would cause his knees to feel weak. Why were these spiders so aggressive? Had they stumbled upon an egg-lair? He would have no way of knowing and at the moment he did not have the luxury of caring.

Orion was weak in body. He was not able to suffer the same amount of abuse as James already had. He would feel short of breath. His heart would be pounding, he would feel it beneath his ribs and in his neck. His sight was blurred. He would have to maintain the perimeter, maintain the light to keep the others safe but he was not going to last long.

Sarafina would also be inundated in spiders. Another four would attempt to overtake her, each of them the size of her fist if not slightly larger. Their thick, hairy legs would tickle and scratch as they made their way up her body. It would not be long before they found flesh and when they did they would bite down on her. (Attack: 16,8,11,3. Evasion: 9, 9, 7, 11.) Three of these spiders would inject their poison into the unfortunate first year. It would be a pain like she had never experienced before. A heat would wash over her. She would feel weak in the knees, she was not going to last. She would crumble to the ground, the poison threatening to take her breath away like it took her light. The Lumos she was maintaining would go out as she hit the ground with a *thud*. Her wand would roll out of her hand, landing several inches away from her. The girl would be misted in sweat, her breaths ragged and pained, she could not cry out even if she wanted to but those final moments before she lost consciousness she was filled with pain.

Serena

In a bloodied mess on the ground, Serena lay slumped over, a growing pool of blood below her. She was bleeding out. Solomon had lifted her tiny body, she was heavier than she looked but he was strong enough. His hands would tightly grip her as if he feared that someone or something would pull her away. He would turn around and look back towards the camp. Were the other kids all right? His mind was a buzz with the possibilities. Terrible realities where the rest ended up like Serena. (Saving Throw: 18.) The bleeding had abated for the moment. She was far from safe but she was not dead yet but he did not know how long she would be able to hold on. 

Solomon would rush through the forest, back towards the light. Despite his alleged age and appeared girth he would be faster than expected. His armor would clatter with each step. The shadows would reach out for him, he would not be able to defend but he would try to duck away. The darkness would scrape against the metal and leather he compulsively donned. Odd because he was not seen wearing any armor, he had dressed casually by all appearances. 

His feet would scrape against the uneven earth, his toe catch on a curled root. (Roll: 5) He stumbled and nearly droped Serena but he regained his balance before he lost his grip (Roll: 18.) He was trying to return to Cynthia, he had left her and Reed alone too long already. Reed was a nice boy but he was a terrible caster. Cynthia, nice girl like they all are but... she lacked sense. The Lumos was barely lit and it was his only guiding light, part of him prayed that he would be able to drag Serena back before the lights went out entirely.  

Cynthia
Solomon had given the little girl his wand, the Lumos Charm already lit. They shared a wand core and hopefully that would be enough for her to maintain a mediocre light. (Roll: 10) The wand would start to flicker after Solomon had relinquished his only defense into the young girl's hand and darkness would overtake her and Reid. She would repeat the incantation. She would have to try once more!

The light on the end of the wand would again give off a warm glow (Roll: 14). It was enough to give them a small beacon of safety. It was not much but it was something to keep the darkness at bay. She was not alone, she had Reid.

Reid

Reid would keep running towards Cynthia, the lone Huffle bathed in light. He would try again to cast Lumos. (Roll: 2) And he would fail. Through the woods he would hear Solomon gracelessly crashing through the brush. There was a scraping, the sounds of heavy breathing. The Professor was fatigued and he was fighting for his life. He could not fight back of course, he could only run. his arms were otherwise occupied. 


"Someone take her!" Solomon shouted as he ducked into the light, covered in blood. Most of it was not his own. His face was littered with scratches as was his arms and his knuckles were bloodied but that could not account for all of the blood that covered his front. His shirt clung to him, soaked in crimson. His shirt was torn, beneath his shirt was armor of some sort, his paranoia had done him well in this case. The breastplate was scratched deeply and had it been flesh, he would look a lot like Serena did right now. 

Serena was pale, she had lost so much blood. Deep gashes being the source. Her hands and knees were scraped as was her face from when she fell over. The girl was breathing but only barely. Solomon would thrust the unconscious youth into Reid's arms. They would make a great couple in his mind anyways.

"Where are the rest?" He huffed.

Notes:

• Serena remains unconscious. Her condition has not worsened (passed stability roll).
• Solomon is trying to carry her back to the camp.
• Cynthia feels bad. She was not able to maintain Solomon's Lumos but she was able to recast the charm.
• James was bit once by spiders. He is still OK, 100 damage of his 350 remaining health. He is suffering -3 evasion and -2 accuracy. He is also bleeding slightly.
• James has made a friend with one spider.
• Reid has taken 150 damage of his 300 health.  
• Roma did not post. She is uh... standing there. Yeah. >_>;
• Ezekiel was drawn by Roma's previous round casting. He has successfully cast Lumos and is near the camp but not in the midst of the chaos. He can see a pretty girl hiding, if he approaches or takes obvious notice she will start to run away from him.
• Orion maintains his Lumos.   Orion is attacked by a swarm of spiders. 100 damage taken from Orion's 200 total health.
• Sarafina maintained her Lumos. Serafina is attacked by a swarm of spiders. She was bitten thrice, since we still have starter stats she has only 100 health and this exceeded her remaining health.

What is it about death... that changes a person, or at least the fear of it. Is it the will to live? Or the fear of death that draws forth our strongest vestiges and forces us to thrash against impending oblivion.

It hurt, in fact, it hurt a lot his body stung all over as his friend drew in the innumerable horde of arachnids that rent flash and bone with poison. He should have ran when he had the chance but know her was faced with the consequences, he was by no means a hero, and had tried to play the part, and now he would die for his actions.

It felt like his veins had turned to ice the pain consuming him, but in those few moments where seconds became like aeons he stood frozen the scene before him a still life reflecting the weight of his actions. He could not afford to die yet, not while those who still leaned on him like the last iron beam in a crumbling mine, the aura of death cloying to ones senses. He could crumple, or he could become exceptional,what then would he choose? They say agony opens the mind. the nearness of death brings a clarity of thought seldom achieved otherwise. fate has led you deep into the valley of death itself where you looked into the Eye of God, and he laughed at you... and laughed again... and threw you carelessly back into the hell you walked out of and all the color drained out of the world. All the flavor dried up. And the burning, and the bondage passed unnoticed, meaningless held against the voice of God which flayed not your flesh but your bones.



Perhaps he'd lost it, but no longer could he stand in the freeze frame world pandering his fate. He didn't have time for fate any longer, only action, perhaps even his final action, but that would be enough to force him forward.

“Someone maintain the light! Reid get the girl”

arching his wand down towards the spiders as if bringing the very hammer of the fates downward the gavel that sentenced the world he cried out in the most commanding voice he could muster demanding his wand and every fiber of his being to perform. He loved his friends, but it was apparent he could not depend on them, not them, not his professor, not this school, nobody, he was alone in this darkness, and he would have to light the way for the others, even if he fell his final action might lead them to salvation. He could feel the tip of his wand leaping to ignition even before the he said the words, it resonated wit him and he with it.



He would roast these beasts alive and the whole damnable forest with it if need be, himself if need be, so long as those he loved got away. He'd brought this upon himself, but for some reason the fear was gone, burned away by determination and grim acceptance. His face a a stoic mask.

His wand lit up with a bright light, illuminating the area around him. It wasn't much to go with, but better than nothing. A small shuffle was behind him. "Hello?" He called back, heading towards where he had heard it from. "Who's there?" He asked, the light slowly illuminating a girl peering around the trunk of the tree. Her silvery hair reflecting the light of his wand. "What are you hiding from? Where are all the other Hufflepuffs?" He managed to end his sentence before the girl darted away from him, disappearing into the darkness. He attempted to follow but quickly lost her in the forest. He hurried back towards the campsite, hoping to find where some of the others had disappeared too.

As Ezekiel grew closer to the camp, something in his mind did not feel at ease. Like there was something out there, in the shadows, watching his every step. It gave him an uneasy feeling, but he needed to find professor Lear and the caster of the Periculum spell before too long. He saw the Hufflepuff students as he entered the camp. How they stayed together, the muffled whisperings of the ones who had cast the Lumos charm and the hurried running of the ones who didn't try to join the smaller circles. "Where has Professor Lear gone?" He asked one of the groups. Some claimed they hadn't seen him since the sun had set. Others, saying they saw him carrying a young girl who bared a resemblance to Serena. Ezekiel then tried to ask. "What all happened out here?" A harsh quiet fell over the crowd, no one knowing who should explain the situation.

It was black. Everything was black. Serena was sure she was turning her head and body frantically, looking around for some light. Any source of light. But she could not see anything. Her mouth opened and she called out into the darkness but... no sound was heard. The fear surged over her. She could not tell if she had gone mute, deaf or blind. It seemed like all three but nothing made sense to her anymore. She was fine, just a few moments ago. How could she lose all of her senses in one second? She was sure her body was screaming out loudly but it made no difference. 

In fact... she could not even feel anything. Had she lost her sense of touch too? Was she... dead? The thought occurred to her, filling her with dread. She lost her eyes, not that it made any difference, and tried to think back to what had happened but nothing made to mind. She could not think.

"Serena?" 

A gasp escaped her mouth as she suddenly opened her eyes to see buildings lined up in front of her, cobbled stones and people passing by. The sun was shining brightly, causing her to flinch slightly under its light. The clear sky was a beautiful shade of blue. She blinked a little, confused as to where she was or what was happening. 

"Hey, you okay?" 

She heard the voice again. It was clearer this time. It was as though the person was standing right behind her. Serena turned on her heels swiftly, almost crashing into the figure. She did not need to turn around to know who it was. She recognised that voice instantly. Despite the fact she hadn't heard it in a while, perhaps over a month, she knew who it was. Blinking, Serena looked up to see his familiar face. A look of confusion crossed it. It made no sense. She couldn't comprehend on she had gotten here or what was even going on. She simply nodded slowly. At least, she thought she was okay. The darkness had gone so... perhaps she was okay? The boy who towered over her smiled softly at her. She felt his hand on the top of her head, ruffling up her hair as his smile turned a little mischievous. The same smile Serena always saw on his face. The up to no good smile he donned often.

Serena's eyes wondered down to her hand as she felt his. He took her hand, gently tugging on it as though to lead her somewhere. She had no idea what was going on. They weren't friends, were they? What was even happening? 

And yet, everything about him seemed familiar. She had never been to this place with him and yet, somehow it all seemed familiar. Serena's opened her mouth to ask him where they were going, but ended up closing it without saying anything. Perhaps she ought to have asked what was going on. 

The boy looked over his shoulder back at her with that famous smile on his face. "C'mon, hurry up, it's cold. I'm thirsty for some butterbeer" He replied, tugging her hand gently as they walked. Serena blinked, walking behind him and allowing herself to be pulled along. Butterbeer? W-What? She suddenly realised where she was. It was the familiar streets of Hogsmeade. She recognised the picturesque village from the time she had left the castle with some fellow Prefects and explored it. It was a beautiful place. Her eyes fell onto Honeydukes, which was one of her favourite shops there. Serena did, after all, love sweets and chocolate.

The taller boy ushered her into a building she couldn't remember visiting before. Her eyes fell onto the sign outside, Three Broomsticks. He held her hand so gently. A gentleness that she had never expected from him or even known that he had. Serena looked around, standing at the entrance with a clear look of confusion on her face. "Hey, c'mon now, you'll draw attention to us if you stand there looking like that. Let's go sit over there." His voice whispered in her ear as she felt him lean over her, now behind her as he had held the door open for her and allowed her to go in first. Serena felt something over her shoulder as he spoke. Her eyes widened and she quickly looked down to his arm had wrapped itself around her. She couldn't bring herself to look at him so settled for looking everywhere but at him. With that, he moved her to the table that he had indicated to and sat her down. The boy sat opposite her.

Serena blinked, watching him. He seemed so comfortable in this environment. He ordered something - most likely butterbeer - as the waiter came up. The Hufflepuff looked up to see who he was talking to. Solomon Lear. She almost jumped out of her seat, confused why her Head of House was standing here taking their order. First years weren't supposed to be in Hogsmeade, were they? Yet he did not seem to question their presence.

Lear was wearing a fine suit of armour, sporting his jolly smile as always. There was a shiny pink apron tied around his armour, with cupcakes and smiley faces dotted all over it. It even had glitter and sequins in place of the eyes on the faces or the icing on the cupcakes. Professor Lear muttered something about young love as he walked off with a grin on his face, leaving Serena even more speechless than before.

Why was Professor Lear here? Heck, why was she even here? What was even going on? 

Questions plagued her mind as she watched Lear walk off. Her attention was drawn back to the boy opposite her when she felt his fingers gently brushed hair off her face. He tucked it behind her ear and smiled at her, just gazing at her in a way that confused her further. He looked... nice. It was strange. Why was he being so kind? 

She felt herself heating up under his firm gaze. Her cheeks tinged with pinkness as she suddenly averted her eyes to look elsewhere. Anywhere but at him. She heard his laugh, "You look adorable, you know that? Like a teddy bear..." She had no idea if this was a good thing or not but she stared down at her lap regardless. Her fingers playing with themselves nervously under the table. Her face was going to be as red as the Gryffindor colours soon...

Music started to play. A soft song erupted in the room. It sounded like violins were playing. Looking up, she looked around the room to see a piano. Behind the piano sat one of her closest friends, the Hufflepuff boy Reid. He expertly played the piano, somehow making the instrument sound more like a violin than the piano. It made no sense. The boy looked engrossed in the song he was playing. He was excellent at casting music, if nothing else.

Serena's gaze then fell onto a familiar couple. Two Ravenclaws that she recognised instantly. Her friend Ben sitting opposite her friend Bloom, who had hopefully washed her hands this time. They were eating pasta together, from a shared bowl and feeding each other. The Hufflepuff blinked at the scene in front of her. What even was going on anymore? Were all of her friends just chilling here?

Her gaze was obstructed by someone. Looking up, she saw a girl she had recently met and ended up becoming friends with instantly. A Gryffindor by the name, Reyna. The girl held out a bunch of flowers, which the boy took from her with a nod of gratitude. He then proceeded to then give them to Serena, "These look great, just like you," The smile on his face never faltering as he handed them to her. 

Serena did not have time to question this action. She took the flowers, blinking and staring at them. As she opened her mouth to ask him what was going on, she looked up to see he was talking to another friend of hers. Delilah from Ravenclaw. Reyna had disappeared it seemed. The Ravenclaw was holding a giant teddy bear, with a heart in it. Serena blinked, very confused. She watched the boy take it from Delilah and hand it over to her, "Although it's not as cute as you, teddy bear." 

This was getting weird. What the heck was going on? Why was everyone here? Why were they just giving him things and walking off? 

Without further ado, however, the next visitor appeared holding the drinks that they had ordered. Sebastian Cazarez came over, with his usual suave self, placing two glasses of what looked like melted butter and foam onto the table. Serena, after all, had no idea what butterbeer looked like so in her mind, the melted butter and foam drink was the butterbeer. He had a very cute smile on his face and said something she did not understand in what she could only assume was Spanish. The boy in front of her refused to let her attention divert, however. He snapped her back by continuing to talk about the teddy bear nickname and flowers, "...A rose by any other name would smell as sweet, no, teddy bear?"

Honestly, she had no idea what he was talking about. He seemed to be quoting something out of a muggle story but she was unsure of why. It was just a phrase she had heard around in school. She had been too busy staring at the Professor of History of Magic that she might have missed his segway into the words...

What the heck... Why is... And why, oh why, was he calling her a TEDDY BEAR? What the heck was going on?

This hurt her. Serena could feel a pain in her chest. Was it the cringe? Perhaps. Writing this certainly hurts me. 

Serena looked at the drink that the boy had pushed in front of her. She put down the flowers and teddy bear, sort of squished in between them both now and picked up the glass with both hands. It was warm and smelt a lot like butter. She took a sip. Bleurgh- It tasted like pure melted butter. As she moved the glass down, her eyes suddenly widened. The drink was red. A deep red. 

She dropped the glass, suddenly clutching to her chest. There was a pain in her chest that couldn't be described in words. The red liquid escaped from her lips. She could still breathe, the red liquid just started to drip onto the table in front of her and her clothing. 

Serena looked at the boy in front of her. He did not seem to notice. The smile on his face never faltered. He happily drank his own yellow drink. She tried to reach out to him, warn him something was wrong but she couldn't reach him. Her hand seemed to narrowly miss him. The other clutched to her chest tightly.

She felt like she was going to fall. As though she had been supported by someone strong up until now... As though she was suddenly in a pair of weaker arms and were struggling to support her. She felt as though she was relying on two tiny beams to hold her up. If they broke, she would be lost... But there was nothing she could do. She had to rely on them. There was no other option. She was hopelessly dependent.

Clutching her chest, Serena watched as her lap and the ground beneath her was painted red with the liquid escaping her lips. The chair she was sitting on had suddenly lost two legs. It relied heavily on the perfect co-ordination of the remaining two... If they failed, she would fail.

James should have known. He should have known this was going to happen! James had fled from the spiders in fright, leading them straight to the other Hufflepuffs.
James had run up to their little circle of light, gasping for breath, taking his wand out, swiveling around wildly, looking in every direction he could. And as a nightmare creeps upon one in their sleep, the swarm of spiders soon enough came back into James' field of vision. Terrified, he kicked at the dirt, trying to send them away.
USE YOUR WAND! USE YOUR WAND!!!
James fumbled with his wand, his palms all sweaty and his fingers shaking like heck. The spiders climbed up onto James' legs, and up further onto his body. He tried to shake them off, but it didn't do much, as he so unfortunately expected. 
The horrifying feeling of swarms of spiders crawling all over him and tickling him disgustingly sent constant heavy shivers and shudders down his spine, as he frantically tried to get them all off of him.
A sudden piercing feeling struck a blow on his arm, and James let out a yelp of surprise and pain, even though it wasn't so surprising that one had bitten him... or rather, it was surprising that only one had bitten him. James flung out his arm in reaction, but his eyes caught sight of something very much worth his noticing. The spider who he assumed had been the one to bite him was being pulled off by another spider. At least, that's what it looked like. James couldn't tell what was happening very well, because of the speed and scariness of the current situation, and because of the lack of good lighting. Of course, James was very grateful for the light he did have, supplied by Orion, but the sun would have been more preferable. 
The friendly spider tore the other one off and, James lost sight of them as they landed on the ground somewhere else.
And suddenly, out of the corner of James' eye, he saw someone else fall to the ground. It was Sarafina.
Oh gosh, oh no! James thought. Turns out, he also ranted out loud as well, but he didn't notice.
"Sarafina!" he shouted at her unconscious form on the ground. Plowing through the spiders as best as he could, James collapsed on the ground next to Sarafina, swiping away as many spiders as he could off of her.
"Oh gosh, Sarafina! Wake up! Please!" James shook her slightly, while swatting away spiders from both of their faces to the best of his ability.
Oh gosh, oh gosh, oh gosh! What do I do!? James thought rapidly and desperately. He knew he had to do something. It was really his fault that the spiders were all over the three of them now. Orion had been brave, holding up the light, calling everyone towards him. Sarafina had been really brave too, getting all ready to run out and help as many others as she could. Large tears were welling up in James' eyes. He could not and did not notice the action Orion was about to take against all of the spiders, and James, in a panic, tried the only other thing he could think of.
Still attempting to shake off the eight-legged arachnids, James stood back up, and weakly started running again. But he wasn't abandoning Orion and Sarafina like a coward. Of course, he didn't think anything of himself at that moment, except for how the other two were so brave and good compared to himself, but James turned around, proceeding backwards so he was still looking directly at the spider-y scene.
"Perriculum!" James shouted, trying the only spell he actually knew well. His intent was to keep shouting out that same incantation, annoying, agitating, and distracting the spider swarm, so that they would follow him and for the most part, leave Orion and Sarafina alone.
James kept casting the spell to the best of his ability, screaming out the incantation with determination and, if one could call it in a situation like this, passion as he walked backwards away from the other two, and into the forest. He would try to cast the spell successfully as many times as he could, but if one attempt did not work, he would not stress over it and continue with trying to cast another. Slowly, he would begin to turn around and continue running away, continuing to cast sparks at the spiders behind him over his shoulder.

Sarafina saw Cynthia, shouting at her to go to Orion and the others. She ran back to James and Orion. She quickly looked down and saw a black mass moving across the ground. What....SPIDERS. She hated spiders. She felt several sets of hairy legs climb on her feet. She tried to swat them off, but nothing was working. She was too stunned to cry out as one bit her on the arm. Another two repeated the manner and she stumbled backwards, not knowing what to do. Her vision felt foggy and she couldn’t focus on anything. She suddenly felt extremely hot. Her knees were weak. She knew she wasn’t going to last it. She tried to scream as she fell down, overtaken by a wave of pain. She wanted to to end. She desperately wanted a way out of it. She’d never felt that pain before. It was agonizing. Her wand rolled out of her hand as she hit the ground, and she found she didn’t have the strength to retrieve it. She gasped, scared, as the light in her wand went out. It was dark except for Orion’s continuous light. Maybe it would get better. She was pulled under by another wave of pain. Everything hurt. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to make it go away, or at least imagine it wasn’t happening. She let darkness overtake her feelings and thoughts as consciousness fled her.

“Could my time here get any worse?” thought Cynthia as she frozen suddenly on the spot.  She just wanted to cry, but she wouldn’t show her true emotions until this was all over and she could just get away from everyone and everything for awhile.  She thought that this was not the best way to start her time at Hogwarts.  For now, she would just have to do her best under the current circumstances.

She looked down at the wand she know held.  She felt bad for having to use Professor Lear’s wand which left him defenseless, but thought him quite courageous for relinquishing his only defense to her and heading off into the looming danger.  “Lumos!” she said with more feeling.  This time, the wand lit and didn’t go out a few seconds later.  She stuck close to Reid, who looked like he could use some help.  She wanted everyone to be safe and out of danger.  To do so, she would not back down from the task at hand.

Cynthia didn’t mind spiders, but these were the worse she had ever seen.  Since they dwelled in the Forbidden Forest, they were among the most dangerous creatures around.  She hoped she wouldn’t find any of them inside Hogwarts castle.  She shuddered at the thought before clearing her mind of such thoughts.  “Reid, I’m staying with you.  I want to help!” she shouted to Reid.