The Cruelty of Fate | Ominis Gaunt Love Story

Chapter Four

"The Forbidden Forest." Poppy breathed, casting a glance towards her.

Tessa read the other sign out loud, "This area is declared DANGEROUS by order of the Ministry of Magic." She grinned, absolutely terrified. "If the first year is in there, we have to save him."

Poppy looked at her with blatant disbelief, "Do you know how big the forest is? And it's called Forbidden for a reason."

"That's why we have Persephone." The feline in question jumped into Poppy's arms and appeared to be questioning the price of a few mice compared to braving the forest. "If you don't want to, that's fine. But I'm going in there regardless."

The other girl scowled. "You Gryffindors and your courage. Your house couldn't have been known for sensibility? I'm going with you."

Tessa winked at her playfully, "There's that Hufflepuff loyalty."

The Forbidden

Tessa had never been near the forest never mind casually walking into it. The trees were grand and towering; barely allowing any light to escape through its branches. The forest was all shadows, making you think that something had moved, but there wouldn't be anything there. A few times as they walked on a poorly laid out trail, she could hear poachers yelling in the distance and a roar coming from an animal.

Persephone purred, jumping out of Poppy's arms as she started to go off trail. Both students followed her, pushing away ferns and different brush trying to keep track of the quick kneazle. Persephone didn't go far off trail, but led them to an area covered in webs and a cave entrance.

Poppy's frown deepened, taking in the scenery. Broken trees, dirt kicked up with no definitive foot steps, and a couple fangs lodged into the ground. The entrance to the cave had numerous danger signs, pictures of eight legged creatures, and a few suspiciously humanoid shaped bodies were suspended in the air in a web casing. None of them moved an inch.

What was more horrifying was the collapsed body that laid right outside the cavern. Hair that used to be blond was matted with a disgusting mixture of dirt and blood. He was wearing his school uniform, but it was in rough shape like he'd fought a troll. There didn't appear to be any obvious wounds on him besides the bump on his head and small laceration on his forehead. His eyes were open and unstaring.

Bile rose up in her throat, but she willed herself not to throw up. Poppy on the other hand wasn't able to, and she puked onto the ground. She wiped her mouth with her sleeve, looking at Tessa. "Merlin's beard...What is a first year student doing all the way out here?"

"That's a great question." Tessa observed, walking closer to the body. She was only a few steps away when a spider came bursting through the ground ahead of her. A surprised gasp escaped her and she brandished her wand. "Confringo."

Poppy shouted in fear, casting Incendio as a few other spiders appeared. They all clicked their fangs together as if excited for the upcoming meal. Tessa swallowed, trying to calm her breathing. She would freak out after she and Poppy survived.

"Get over here. Persephone, you too." Tessa snapped and casted Protego. "Do you think you'll be able to carry the first year?"

Poppy grimaced, "I'm sure I'd be able to, but it'd slow us down." She winced, "That sounded harsh didn't it?"

Tessa shrugged, looking around. More spiders were beginning to appear and the charm wouldn't last forever. "Unfortunately, it's the truth. Let's look for any wounds. We can at least tell Professor Weasley what we saw."