It's Not Too Dangerous... Right?

James didn't necessarily think of himself as a brave person or all that smart to be honest, but he really did want to know why the Forest was so Forbidden; he just wanted to learn that vicariously. Still, nevertheless, James found himself wandering closer and closer to the Forest throughout his first year, until one day he stood right at the outskirts, peering in.

He chewed his bottom lip, as he sat down by the Forest's boundaries, torn between just going in and staying put like a good rule-abiding student. Perhaps he could just say he did, but stay where he was... No.. He'd have to go in one of these days, or else his curiosity would eat him alive. For now, James just sat, and watched the Forest, waiting for his gumption to kick in.

Alli was walking on the grounds, wondering where Jasmine and Jude were when she saw a peculiar sight- a Gryffindor boy looking at the trees of the Forest. She giggled to herself and decided to approach him. This could be fun.

"So much for being brave," she snickered, waltzing right up to him. "You're not scared of a few trees, are you?"

She wasn't planning on going into the forest that day, but now was as good a time as ever, especially if it meant taunting a Gryffindork. "Alli Walker by the way," she introduced. She had no idea who the boy was, but from what she'd heard from Jude, some of the other students had been known to talk about her, so there was a possibility that he's heard of her before.

Sami walked calmly and stealthly to the Forbidden Forest. Terry had told her of her many adventures there, and after a year at Hogwarts, she was just dying for her own adventure. It being the early hours of the morning, she expected nobody to be awake to catch her sneaking in. The wind blew softly as she made her way to the tall and looming trees that made up the small forest. Her fringe blew to the side as she swept it away, not wanting hair stuck in her eyes. Imagine trying to see with that, she thought sarcastically.

'Once you get there for the first time,' Ri had explained to her one night in first year. 'You have the urge to run in the opposite direction. You also must make sure nobody can see or hear you. Especially Campbell. He gives out the harshest punishments,' she shuddered just as imaginary Terry did. 'But once you get in there, it's almost magical,' Sami snorted at the unintentional pun. 'Don't laugh. Anyways, you get there and it's all pretty, blah, blah. If you go in deep enough, you can catch glimpses of a bunch of cool animals. I svear I once saw a unicorn-' and then she fell asleep, ending the discussion.

Taking a deep breath, she took one step in front of the Forbidden Forest, But on that same step, the witch bumped and tripped over something. Two somethings for that matter.

Alli was in the middle of attempting a conversation with someone who would probably turn out to be a typical brain-dead Gryffindor when someone else bumped into them. She turned and looked at the girl with a raised eyebrow.

"Seriously?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. "And here I thought that Ravenclaws were supposed to be smart. Not smart enough to remember to look where you're going, obviously."

She wished Jasmine and Jude were here to witness this. Any hopes they'd had for some of the Ravenclaws being salvageable were clearly misplaced. "With that kind of coordination, I don't recommend going in the Forest. I doubt you'd make it out alive," she laughed.

Sami rolled her eyes at Allisons insult. She had heard plenty of her from fellow Ravenclaws over the years and hoped she wouldn't insist on coming into the Forest as well. She didn't mind Slytherins for the most part, but ones that lashed out at you, by instinct, were ones she tended to avoid. "I don't suppose it's my fault that Gryffindor boy here decided to camp out in front of the Forest like a dog waiting to be fed."

"I may not have perfect coordination, but at least I'm not reckless enough to be seen right in front of the Forbidden Forest," she stressed out the syllables, hoping to prove a point. The Ravenclaw stepped halfway into the shadows and waited. "Well. Are you coming?" She certainly didn't like the looks of her, but misery loves company so why not give it to her? Besides, she gave off the aura as if she had been in the Forest before, herself. Experience was always good, especailly in a life or death situation.

Alli laughed heartily. She was amused by this Ravenclaw, although she hadn't decided if it was a good thing or a bad thing yet. "Last I checked, there it was called the Forbidden Forest, not the Forbidden Lawn. There's nothing against the rules about standing here," she said, drawing out the syllables in the same way that the Ravenclaw had.

"I also find it interesting how you pick this exact spot to go into the Forest, when there's all this huge space to pick from," she looked pointedly at the Gryffindor boy, then back at the other girl. She'd heard a lot of things from just walking around the castle quietly, particularly about how this girl, Lami or Tami, whatever her name was, and her little crush on one of the Ravenclaw boys, how jealous she got when another girl talked to him. She wondered if the girl had already set her sights on another boy. Even if she hadn't, it would make an interesting rumor to spread around.

Alli crossed her arms across her chest with a blissful smile on her face. "Go on then. I've been in the Forest, I don't need to go again. I'm far more interested in seeing if you have what it takes," she said challengingly.

James blinked. He really hadn't expected company, but all of a sudden, the two girls that had joined him seemed to be at each other's throats.

"I'm not scared, just curious," James said to the first girl, who introduced herself as Alli. James continued to sit there, not at all wanting to get caught up in an argument with the Ravenclaw and Slytherin. He frowned at the dog reference that came from the Ravenclaw. What did he do to deserve that comment? James wondered.

"I'm James Wilson," James introduced himself, although he surmised that the two girls were far more interested in egging each other on, than knowing what his name was.

Alli got an idea and quickly weighed the options in her head. The boy seemed somewhat meek, which would make it easy to pull off, so she decided to go for it. "James Wilson, eh?" she looked at him, then put her arm around his shoulders and looked back at the Ravenclaw girl, evaluating her and inviting him to do the same.

"What do you think, James Wilson? Do you think she can go in on her own? Personally, my money's on no, but I think she might surprise us," she said as she continued to look at the girl.

"Point taken, Allison," Sami dully noted, not wanting to talk down upon her. Calling someone by their last name was considered a superiority complex in her house, and she didn't particularly want to start an arguement with the girl. "But you know kids nowadays, you see one person standing somewhere and they assume you're up to something." This girl was really bringing out the Slytherin in her, and she wasn't sure whether or not that was something to pride herself in.

The witch only half-listened to her statement about their position, wanting her to get to the point already. Standing in the same spot all day, waiting for her to finish, was not the ideal way to spend her morning. "Coincidences happen all the time and aren't questioned," Sami let that one hang, for the other girl to reply.

She raised an eyebrow at the girls blatant refusal. Perhaps she was scared? Or lying.. "I'm not sure I trust you enough not to go running to Campbell or Hamilton the moment I step in. I'd actually much rather you come with me," she said, hoping she wouldn't argue. But this is a Slytherin we're talking about here, she thought. It was bound to arise.

"Sami. And are you sure, James? You didn't look to eager a minute ago."

Alli rolled her eyes and yawned. She was a little offended that Sami thought she would run off to Campbell or Hamilton; she was a Slytherin, not a bloody Hufflepuff. "I should have known that you couldn't go in alone," she said, feeling a tiny bit disappointed that Sami had just destroyed her only shot at proving she wasn't as worthless as the rest of her house.

"Come on Jamesy," she said. "Looks like Auntie Alli is going to take you both on your first trip into the Forest. Maybe I'll even take you out for ice cream afterwards," she added mockingly, but not viciously so.

"After you, Sami. You're the conductor on this little train. Lead the way," she instructed.

James watched the girls go back and forth with their argument (for lack of a better word). He wondered how he had gotten sucked into this. He was only looking at the Forest to begin with, but it didn’t seem like he had much of a choice but to go in now.

He frowned at the nickname that Alli gave him but did not comment on it. If she had been in the Forest before, her knowledge could be vital to his survival, so he didn’t want to anger her and have her leave him behind at the mercy of whatever creatures lived n there.

He stood somewhat between Alli and Sami, not wanting to seem like he was picking sides or anything like that. Waiting for someone else to go in first seemed like a good option, so he hung back. He still had not forgotten Sami’s dog comment but it wasn’t going to stop him from finding some of the Gryffindor courage that he supposedly had inside of him. “Ladies first,” he said, staying a bit back and waiting for someone else to go in before following.

Sami snorted at the Gryffindors attempt at being a gentleman, "Baby." She stepped fully into the shadows of the Forbidden Forest, taking a few steps before turning around and motioning to come with her. She wasn't very worried about getting lost or running into anything dangerous while in these. When you have a friend like Terry Berbatov, you learn all the tricks and paths imaginable without even having to step a foot in. One, especially, being about a clearing only twenty or so feet inside of the Forest itself.

She took the time to admire the setting she was in. Light was beginning to trinkle above the treetops above, giving her a way to see where she was going. Certain features of each of the Ravenclaws companies were being illuminated by the Sun's rays. Despite this, it was still somewhat dark, leaving the third year open to stepping on invisible rocks and lumps of dirt.

"In a few minutes we might reach this one clearing my friend told me about," Sami repeated what Ri had told her years ago. "It's really cool."

Alli rolled her eyes and followed the girl in. She might not have thought much of the Ravenclaw, but she might feel a little bad if she went and got herself killed. "Come on Jamesy," she said to the boy again, following Sami inside the trees.

If Sami was talking about what Alli thought she was, then she wasn't impressed. Anyone who only made it that far in hadn't even been in the Forest, as far as Alli was concerned. She had something much more interesting.

"Change of plans, I'm the conductor of this train," she said loudly. "We're going this way," she said, turning and walking in another direction completely. She left it up to James and Sami if they followed her; she was more than capable of exploring on her own if they didn't want to come.

James frowned again at the nickname Alli had given him as well as Sami calling him a baby. She was quite possibly the rudest Ravenclaw he'd met, not that he'd met many of them. Andy had said they were an alright bunch for the most part. Maybe this girl was the exception.

"It's just James," he corrected Alli. "Not Jamesy, not Jimmy, just James."

He followed the two girls into the trees, not particularly wanting to be called a baby again. He was momentarily confused when Alli decided to go in another direction but it came down to three options for him. Leave, follow Sami, or follow Alli. Leaving seemed like a nice option, but the baby comment stuck in his mind, not allowing him to go that route. Following Sami would work, but she didn't sound like she'd been here before. Experience won out and James followed Alli. "Where exactly are we going?" he asked.

"You know where you're going, right? I dinna fancy meself gettin' eatin' by an Acromantula any time soon," Sami was a bit annoyed at the Slytherin changing their course completely, but didn't argue. After all, she looked like she knew what she was doing and if Allison did get herself and Wilson, perhaps, killed, she could always say she was provoked. Or forced her to. Though she wasn't keen on lying.

The witch noticed the Gryffindor boy was getting a little behind and sighed, turning back. Sami grabbed him by his shirt collar and began walking back towards the "conductor".

Allison laughed as she continued forward. "Come on kids, time's ticking away while you stand there babbling!" she purposely didn't answer Sami's question. She hadn't been in this particular direction before, but that was what made it exciting.

They were far off the path now, and they came to the final landmark that Alli was familiar with; a very shriveled old, gnarly tree that stood in the middle of a circle of bushes. She stopped suddenly and turned around to face the other two. She looked at James and said, "Pick. Left or right?"

James felt himself being tugged forward, and had to wonder why. It wasn't like it was falling that far behind, and he could walk properly by him self. Perhaps the Ravenclaw needed a Power Trip, James mused as Alli stopped suddenly. James had to put on the brakes full pace or else he would have collided into the Slytherin girl.

"Me? Erm..." He turned his head left and right, thinking that both directions looked as ominous as the last. "Ermm..." he repeated, before deciding on a direction. "Right."

"Fabulous, we'll go left then!" Alli said. She marched on along ahead, taking out her wand just in case. She didn't know any spells that would be able to help them in case something came along that felt the desire to consume human flesh. She did however know the Leg Locker curse, and if she cast it on either Sami or James, she would be able to make a faster escape and decrease her chances of death. "Come on," she encouraged. "You're not going to learn anything by lollygagging," she taunted. She was enjoying this probably more than she should, and she sincerely wished that either Jasmine or Jude were here to share this experience with her.

Sami rolled her eyes at the impatient second year and let go of the wittle Gryfiindor. It wasn't as if she were that strong. She followed obidiently behind Allison to the right, before growing weary of the younger students. Quickly and smoothly, she progressed to the front, stepping barely in front of the girl, falling into step with her. "I'm not too sure I want you 'leading' me, Allison," it was her way of saying: 'Listen, I don't like or trust you and I don't want to follow a little twelve year old around all day.'

"So where a' yer friends?" She randomly started a conversation out of nowhere, getting a little bored. So far she had seen nothing but a bunch of trees and stumps. Terry had made this out to be much more fun then it seemed. "I find it difficult to imagine ye, wi'out Parker and Delaware by your side." In fact, the Ravenclaw was curious as to why she wasn't with them. They were usually adjoined by the hip.

"Suit yourself," Alli said with a smirk. She really didn't have any idea where they were going, so if Sami was in the lead, she would be the first to die if they ran into something murderous. Then, if she needed to, she could trip the Gryffindor to make her getaway.

"Well then you don't have a very good imagination, considering that you're seeing proof of it right in front of your eyes at this very moment," she replied. "I'm not their mother, nor their babysitter. It's not my job to look after them."

She looked over at James to see how he was faring. "Holding up, Jamesie? I hope so, because I'm not taking you to the bloody hospital wing if you pass out or something."

James, having kept his eyes firmly on their surroundings for so long that his mind started to wander, was brought back to reality as he was addressed using the accursed nickname.

"I'm fine," he replied, in a rather short manner. He really couldn't see how all of this had come about. One minute he was sitting out side the forest, looking in, and the next, he was being dragged into the said forest, and looked on as a coward. He wasn't necessarily the bravest person in the world, but he was here, wasn't he?

James was secretly glad that Alli's Slytherin companions weren't there with them. He didn't like the look of that Jude fellow, and from what Andy told him, Jasmine was a real cow.

"Where exactly are we going now? Because I'm hungry" James told the two girls, hoping that he would get fed soon, and not be some monster's snack instead.

Erika was in the forest collecting samples of soil and plants when she heard the appalling sound of voices coming towards her. Not adult voices. Child voices. Children? In the Forbidden Forest? What part of Forbidden did they not understand?

She stood up and took out her wand, banishing all of her materials back to the greenhouses. She followed the sound of the approaching voices until she found their sources, specifically Miss Allison Walker, Mr. James Wilson, and Miss Sami Criss. She put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows at them.

"I don't want to hear any excuses, I don't want to know whose idea it was, I don't care. You three, turn around, now. You're going straight back to the castle and you will be joining me for a detention tomorrow evening in Greenhouse 2. Back to the castle, now," she commanded.

Alli groaned when she saw the Herbology professor in front of them. I should have seen this coming. Of course these bloody idiots can't keep their voices down to keep us from getting caught, she thought.

She sighed and turned around, rolling her eyes as she started to go back to the castle. Detention, just what she needed. Well, that was what she got for going with a Gryffindor and a Ravenclaw instead of Jasmine and Jude.

Sami stood straight, about to cry when the Herbology professor informed them of their detention. I knew it, I knew I should have come alone. Bloody Slytherin can't shut her yap.. She bit her lip, (a nervous habit) and nodded when appropriate. As soon as Mrs. Cooper stopped talking, she walked as quickly as possible back where they came from, making sure to brush up on Walker's shoulder. There was no way she was letting to second years see her at her time of weakness.

She all but ran back to the castle once she caught a glimpse of the sun, wanting to just curl up on her bed and sob. I'm such a wimp, she sniffled as she reached the passage where she had gone out.