Tree Trouble Finished

Even though Maisy had a fast reaction, Constantine was the complete opposite. He'd seen the branch hurtle towards the ground with force, leaving the ground with a sizeable dip in it's wake. It was almost as if he'd jinxed it, stating that nothing would happen, only for everything to happen in the frame of a few seconds. Before he could process what had happened, he was pushed. He hadn't expected Maisy to push him, considering she had just clung to his arm like her life depended on it. The change of balance had visibly caught him off guard, and before he knew it he had stumbled and sprawled into a heap. From his place on the floor, he could register that the place they had been stood mere seconds ago had been crushed by a large, limb-like branch.

He'd long since broken out of his stunned stupor, scrambling to get to his feet. Constantine weakly attempted to rationalise the scenario, however there just wasn't a logical way that this could happen. His brother had been right, and he was a fool to ignore it. That wasn't the worst of it, though. He'd endangered Maisy's well being just so that he didn't have to be the bearer of bad news. Quickly dashing to Maisy's side, he attempted to usher her away from the willow, but the span of it's reach had been severely underestimated. "We've got to run. Now." Constantine shouted, with as much urgency as he could muster up. He'd pushed Maisy to the front of him, in an attempt to shield her from the relentless hammering of the tree.

Despite giving Maisy's hand a reassuring squeeze, he held tight, as if the tree could snatch her from right out in front of him. The Hufflepuff was spurred on, not wanting to slow the Slytherin down by sprinting a few paces behind. He could feel the branch sweep over them, narrowly skimming the hair on his head. There was a sudden heat on his cheek, but he payed it no mind. It was enough to force him into the fastest run he'd ever attempted, barreling forwards despite the fact his heart was almost leaping out of his chest. Constantine darted up the hill with little grace, falling onto his knees before quickly scampering back up again. The boy continued to run, even though the danger had long since gone, until the willow had vanished out of sight with a last bellow of anger.

Constantine slowed to a stop, letting go of Maisy's hand to fall onto his back. His chest was heaving, and he was sucking in air like a fish out of water. The Hufflepuff was tired, frightened, and confused. He didn't really know where to begin, so he didn't start at all, opting to catch his breath in greedy gulps. Constantine turned his head to Maisy, fatigued. "Are...you...alright?" He panted, clearly distressed that his negligence had caused such a severe backlash. The Hufflepuff reached for his own cheek, feeling a sting. The willow must've whipped him with it's 'barbs' as it flew past, cutting his cheek in a rather jagged manner. The wound wasn't deep, nor scarring, however the blood on his fingers was enough to make him blink in surprise.

Constantine kept his hand to his cheek, willing the blood to go away. It was a faint throbbing, now, nothing he wouldn't recover from. Still, his crimson stained face had made it look a little more barbaric than it actually had been. The Hufflepuff was rather lucky, actually. Constantine was glad he'd gotten away with just a scratch, compared to being bludgeoned to death. Although, he sincerely wished he had heeded his brother's word, for both of their sake's.

"It's alright, I'm fine. I'm fine." Constantine cooed soothingly, in an attempt to calm Maisy's obviously rampant nerves. He did look a bit of a mess, his hair tousled and uniform slightly more unkempt than it usually was, however he didn't want her to be sad about it. After a good night's sleep, and a hearty breakfast in the morning, he'd be right as rain. The Hufflepuff felt awfully guilty, making Maisy worry so much about him. "I'm in one piece, aren't I? And it's not just your fault, I'm equally as responsible, if not more so. You told me not to go any further, and I did. I was the one who provoked the willow, I was the one who didn't react quick enough, and I was the one who didn't tell you the truth from the beginning. It was reckless of me, and I'm sorry - but I really wouldn't have made it out without you, so thanks. " Constantine interrupted, tentatively placing his free hand on her knee. He felt like covering the wound with his hand would be better for the both of them.

"Are you alright? I didn't get a chance to check.." He prompted again, attempting to coax Maisy out of her robes and back into the open. Constantine was far more concerned with Maisy's well being, rather than the silly little scratch he had landed due to his own mistake.

Seeing Maisy so worked up over the ordeal was saddening, and it made Constantine rather downcast himself. There wasn't much he could do in the way of comfort - he couldn't offer to rest in the common room, because each had a different one respectively. Furthermore, he didn't want to send Maisy back, with even the slightest chance that those boys would be there. Constantine did feel guilty, like he should've told her as soon as he'd caught on, although his apologies wouldn't make anything better. At the moment, he just had to convince Maisy that it wasn't her fault.

"

Constantine's temper quietly boiled, a searing heat that made him frown. Despite it all, Maisy hadn't wanted to bring her tormentors any trouble. It hurt more than any of the events today, that someone would pick on a student so naive, yet so forgiving. Constantine wished he had enquired further about those boys, maybe then he'd be able to give them a taste of their own medicine. But then again, he'd feel awfully bad doing so - he'd probably just get himself in more trouble anyway.

"Well, as long as you're sure..." Constantine spoke, unconvinced. Obviously, they couldn't just saunter into the Hospital Wing, telling the staff how they'd almost got crushed by the particularly violent tree on the school grounds. But, the Hufflepuff could most probably think of a lie to get past it, Maisy being as clumsy as she was. Although, he wouldn't step foot in there himself; it was a lot more difficult trying to explain his own wound, considering there wasn't really a place he could do such a thing to himself.

Constantine laughed at Maisy's statement, quite glad she had cheered up, even if only a little. "I think you should've been sorted into Hufflepuff, you're a lot more kind and considerate of people than I am." He chuckled. Whilst relatively nice to everyone, he somewhat had a nasty streak for those who had wronged him. The Hufflepuff was jealous of the way Maisy could let things go so easily, a trait which he didn't possess in the least.