POTIONS
FORBIDDEN FOREST FORAGING PRACTICUM


Autumn was painted all the treeline that morning - leaves in shades of amber, rust, and gold carpeting the ground, damp beneath foot accompanied by the rich smell of rot and moss. Shafts of light filtered unevenly through the canopy, catching on drifting motes of dust and fog.

Professor Elliot Cox had waited just shy of the boundary, arms folded into the sleeves of his robes and his posture loose in a way that suggested familiarity rather than comfort. His gaze had moved across the gathered students, lingering only long enough to ensure they were upright, prepared, and - at least on the surface - sensible. Once it was time, he had turned toward the forest without further ceremony and begun leading the way, gesturing for the students to follow. A quiet ward had unfurled with a flick of his wrist, just in case, and helped unsure that their passage through the trees had been largely uneventful.

Largely.

A pair of watchful eyes had glimmered briefly from behind a hawthorn thicket before vanishing, something had skittered along a branch overhead, roots may or may not have buckled the path without warning - which he absolutely had not stumbled over - and Cox had altered their route once or twice away from darker denser paths when upon scrutinizing the bark of trees along the path. "Stay where you can see me,” he said without looking back. "If the forest decides it doesn't like us today, I'd prefer to notice before anyone becomes a cautionary tale or, as a former boss and professor of mine once called it, a red shirt."

They emerged into a small clearing ringed by ancient trees, the air colder here, the light muted and pale. The undergrowth had been gently pressed back, saplings bent into wider arcs as though guided rather than broken. At the center stood a low ring of pale stones that anyone not purposefully looking for it would overlook, arranged in a purposeful curve that Cox recognized instantly. That, more than anything else, had confirmed it. Cox slowed his pace, stopped and turned to face them.

"This glen will serve as the backdrop to today's Foraging Practicum," he began. "Not a survival exercise. Today's objective is ingredient harvesting and identification... responsible harvesting, to be clear. You are here to observe, forage, and document. Not to wrestle anything that can wrestle back." He gestured vaguely around them. "You may work independently or in small groups. Take note of what you find ans where you find it. Some ingredients will make themselves obvious. Others won't. If something hisses, snaps, bites, or begins glowing aggressively... you are to step away immediately." He let that settle before continuing. "You have one hour. Do not wander beyond the marked boundary," he rapped his knuckles against a nearby tree thrice and faint runic-like sigils flared briefly along the trees, "Which, in practical terms, means remain within sight of both the glen and myself. Do not harvest anything you, or anyone nearby, cannot confidently identify. Guesswork in the Forbidden Forest is how people lose fingers or end up in the Hospital Wing." His gaze swept the group once, slowly, and then to the trees beyond - certain her had noticed shifts and movement in the shadows.. "You may, of course, ask me to confirm an identification. I would much prefer that carrying or levitating any of you out of here in a hurry." Finally, he stepped aside, folding his arms again. "Try not to die," he added, tone almost fond. "I'll be nearby."

With that, the task was theirs.

OOC INFO & GUIDELINES

Hello, welcome, and thank you for coming

Throughout the activity, Professor Cox and The Narrator (or ~other~ accounts) may offer subtle clues, nudges, or IC commentary based on how your character(s) engage with the environment.



Because this is not a formal lesson, you may play as many of your Hogwarts RPG characters in your lineup as you feel you can reasonably manage. To consider your character(s) foraging 'successful' (even if IC they collect/harvest nothing), you need to incorporate at least three of the following moments naturally into your posts.


Moments:

1. Your robe hem, sleeve, or satchel strap snags on something...or absolutely nothing visible. It takes a second tug too many to free yourself.
2. You confidently step forward… and the ground is not where you thought it was. Not a fall (or is it?), just enough to ruin your dignity for half a heartbeat.
3. Despite being very sure you sealed your footwear properly, some sort of forest debris finds its way inside and causes mild - or more than mild discomfort - that you have to deal with.
4. A sudden breeze passes that disrupts and inconveniences you in someway
5. You're certain that mushroom/root/odd lump was not there a moment ago...but now it is. What do you do?
6. A low branch taps your shoulder, hat, or head with impeccable timing.
7. Oi, where did that root come from? In any case, it rose precisely where your foot landed...but to what end?
8. You realize something small has been watching you for a while and just might be able to make out what it is if you squint hard enough
9. For a brief moment, the air smells like something comforting or nostalgic.

OOC Completion Guidelines:

• Tick off at least 3 of the above moments of your choosing in your rp post(s)
• Please title your post with the number of the prompt(s) completed in your post
• You may complete more than one prompt per post if you wish, but ideally it would be nice to let your creativity breathe between each!
• Prompts may overlap and repeat between students
• None of these are designed to specifically put your characters in mandatory danger, discipline, or negative consequences
• Feel free to escalate only if you want to, keeping in mind that doing so may result in IC discipline or consequences - if you're not sure, please do not hesitate to ask me via PM!

Under the textcut is a list of possible potions ingredients your character may encounter here. This list is not meant to be comprehensive, but rather serve as a starting point and resource for those seeking additional clarification and direction for their RPing - please feel free to get creative!

Text Cut: list of ingredients likely to be encountered and harvested here - but not guaranteed

• acromantula fangs
• acromantula venom
• ashwinder eggs
• belladonna alba
• boomslang skin
• flobberworms
• fluxweed
• hippogriff feathers
• knotgrass
• leeches
• mallowsweet
• moonstone (naturally occuring fragments)
• shade fern spores
• spider/acromantula silk
• thestral hair
• unicorn hair
• valerian root
• various insects
• various mushrooms and fungi (including horklump, leaping toadstools)
• wiggentree bark
• wormwood

Have fun and if you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to ask

Foraging in the forbidden forest? If Kara Walsh was being perfectly honest, in the last three years she had definitely thought about the forest and her encounter as a naive first year. She was older now. Knew more spells and feeling more confident with her wandwork. Professor Feirgrund had been more than helpful in his guiding and counseling over the past couple years as well.

Listening to Professor Cox speak, she took a couple moments to take a few deep breaths, recalling the moments she first stepped foot in the forest. Taliesin Dane, Ariadne Rose, Professors Khanna and Feirgrund. Letting the nostalgic safety that the professors especially had provided that one morning preventing her becoming the acromantula's next meal. The eyes. The legs. The light warding it off.

She didn't know if she'd find any ingredients and she really hoped she wouldn't find herself face to face with an acromantula again. But this time, she'd be ready. Hopefully. She tightened her fingers around her wand, clutching it. Try not to die. Uh ... he was the professor? Surely he wouldn't let them die? Unless she did something stupid like venturing passed the marked area, but she liked to think she learned from her mistakes mostly

Foraging in the Forbidden Forest? Yeah, there was no way that Aurora was ever going to pass that up. She just… would have to have better luck in here than her parents had. And not be attacked by a chort the way her father had. Or kidnapped by acromantulas like her mom. She would be fiiiiiiine. It was the afternoon, Professor Cox was there, and so were a bunch of her peers.

She definitely wasn’t thinking of looming death as she followed the Professor. Nope. She was too excited looking at the forest around her and thinking about all the cool things she would forage for potions ingredients. Outside was her favourite place to be. If she had her way all lessons and activities would take place outside. Even in the winter since heating charms were a thing.

As the stopped at the glen, Aurora scanned the area while also listening to the instructions. They seemed pretty straight forward to her. Try not to die. Aurora certainly would do her best. Her chances of survival were high. She knew not to wander off. She also knew not to randomly stick things in her mouth. Anyway, even if something did happen there was a Professor right there. She knew that he was more than capable with this kind of thing, otherwise he wouldn’t have organized this outing in the first place.

Scanning the area once again, Aurora couldn’t help but be relieved that there were no acromantulas or other dangerous beasts lurking in the shadows. She did not want to have to deal with the kind of thing her parents had. They were both lucky to have made it out alive. Not wanting to dwell on that, she instead begin her hunt for the different forgeable items. This was the kind of thing she LOVED doing, and she was not going to let this opportunity go to waste; she was going to make the most of it.

As she walked, she noticed that there was a sizeable clump of mushrooms at the base of one of the trees nearby. She wasn’t a complete expert when it came to fungi, but she felt like she had a good grasp on the subject. She’d just check it out and see if any of it was good for potions ingredients. Though as she made her way over, she started to feel something in her shoe. Aurora blinked. She had been sure that nothing could get in there. She supposed that it just was different while in here. No matter, she’d have to remove it because it was too uncomfortable for her to complete the activity this way. The mushrooms would have to wait a moment.

Noticing a stump nearby, she took a seat and began clearing all the leaves and dirt out of her shoe. There. That’s better.

Cat was excited. Not only was this her favorite class, but it was occurring in the Forbidden Forest. Which was, by definition, forbidden. She was certain given that information that it would otherwise be very rule-breaky for her to explore it out of this setting. So, she was going to take full advantage of this opportunity.

Her excitement was fairly obvious, given how much she was bouncing on the balls of her feet as she followed Professor Cox and the other students into the forest. She tried to take in as much as she could, both visually and audibly, but she knew that there was simply too much. She’d have to take some time in class to observe extra.

As for now, she began her foraging. This seemed like the perfect task for her after a summer of extra reading (and the recent frantic search for an anti-beard potion). She was fairly familiar with potion ingredients. She began a slow lap around the clearing, not entirely sure where to look. That is - she wanted to look everywhere. She was careful to walk slowly, deliberately, specifically following the direction to not die. Still, somehow, as she stepped forward a root caught the toe of her shoe. A root that Cat was almost certain had not been there a second before. She knew. She looked.

A small squeak escaped her lips as she stumbled, turning as best as she could to land on her backside. As she did, something shiny caught her eye. Was that a unicorn hair?!

IDRIS WAS HERE!!! And ready for the Potions activity!

Dressed as recommended in the announcement that had gone up in the Common Rooms, the bouncy Gryffindor was there with Paul. He had greeted Professor Cox with one of his usual enthusiastic greetings, and then once it was time, went along with the group into the Forest. He, of course, wished his Dads E and D were there with him but he figured the Potions professor was just as capable to defend them if any Acromantulas showed up. Unless, of course, Cox chose to save himself. Which was why Id had a hand on his wand holster; just in case he needed to suddenly perform some brilliant piece of magic. But yes, the sixth year had every intention of keeping Cox in his line of sight. This was something easy to do even as the group stepped amongst a thicker clearing of trees. The chiller air made him shiver ever so slightly.

Now that they had all come to a halt, Idris began bouncing on the soles of his feet again. It wasn’t to keep himself warm, by the way. His gaze travelled around the clearing even as his hearing fixated on the professor’s words. Wrestle anything back? Id did not possess that kind of physical strength. And he had no intention to die, thank you very much! Not when there were so many languages to learn, cats/kneazles to meet and adventures to have with the boyfriend!

He momentarily eyed Kara, hoping that no Acromantulas would be drawn to her, especially if any of them had unfinished business with her from a few terms ago. He spotted Rory nearby, already getting started on things; his friend was always so efficient. Then there was the once-blue-bearded girl squeaking as he sometimes squeaked when he sang to Nes, Lady Fab and Catpuccino.

Buuut…

With a broad smile, he turned with gusto to face Paul. “Shall we work together, Paully? Or we can join Rory or one of our -” The Lion paused before finishing his sentence. Something had grabbed him by the back hem of the robe. For one heartstopping moment, he thought it was one of Kara’s acromantulas but that couldn’t be. There would have been terrified screaming and running if at least one of the creatures showed up. Looking over his shoulder, he couldn’t see what had caught him, not even if he squinted. “Our.’’ Tug! “Other.” Tug! “Friends!” TUUUG!

RIIIP!

The resulting rending sound told him all he needed to know about the fate of his robes as he pitched forward onto the forest floor. Well, it wasn’t how he expected to start this adventure off Oh, look. Was that knotgrass? The potential ingredient was just inches from his face.

Was there anything better than a potion activity in the Forbidden Forest?

Actually, yeah, loads of things.

But the point was, foraging for potion ingredients in the "Forbidden" Forest was pretty cool too. So obviously Nathaniel wanted to participate.

Though he thought it unlikely anything dangerous would happen while the professor was leading them deeper into the forest, Nathaniel still scanned the environment as they walked. Some skittering little footsteps just out of sight, a rustling of leaves above, but otherwise nothing of note as far as he could tell.

Finally they arrived at their destination. Instructions were given, etcetera etcetera, he understood the assignment and was more than capable and eager to get started.

The Slytherin moved into an area of the glen away from the other students who had started wandering. He eyed the ground carefully, both to assess where to step next and to search for any nearby ingredients. And soon, his methodical approach awarded him with the sight of a couple hippogriff feathers.

Nice.

But in the same moment he reached down to pick them up, a breeze snatched them instead, carrying them off and then dropping them just at the edge of the boundary. Not quite outside of it, but only just.

Oh for Merlin's sake.

For what it was worth, the forest remembered you, Kara Walsh.

The light shifted, catching on leaves that glimmered faintly silver before dimming again as clouds passed overhead. It was not the sort of shine that lingered but more a suggestion of it… as though something beneath bark and soil had once learned how to reflect natural light and never quite forgot.

Somewhere beyond sight, something tall shifted its weight, and a dull thud of earth that had been pressed and repressed over long years might have reached your ears if you were listening intently enough. The ground here felt older, cooler, threaded with stone that had known night far longer than it had known sun…

The air carried the unspoken suggestion of this way, the light - fleeting as it was - seemed to fall again and again on the same patch of forest floor like a spotlight



Aurora’s enthusiasm did not go unnoticed.

The mushrooms clustered at the tree’s base appeared, upon second or third glance, to be arranged less by some careful design and more by good timing. Roots had obligingly arched away, moss thinned where it mattered, and the space looked just right for a brief pause. When you sit to shake dirt from your shoe, the stump beneath you gives a small obliging creak like old wood settling as if accustomed to being sat upon..

It was then that the toadstools made their move. A faint hop here, a soft plip there, red caps shifting by inches at first and then by feet, taking advantage of the distraction to relocate to fresher ground and away from eager fingers. One might almost have sworn they’d been waiting for you to sit down.


The root did have impeccable timing.

It rose just enough, just when it needed to and when you landed, the forest seemed almost to exhale. Leaves from the tree rustled in what just might be quiet satisfaction. The shiny thing you had been pursuing caught the light once… then twice… then again, though not with the clean, silvery gleam one might expect were it, in fact, unicorn hair. This was a subtler shimmer, stretched rather than solid, glinting differently depending on how you moved. Unicorn hair would most certainly be blown away by the breeze, but this lingered under tight tension and drawn fine between bark and branch…

High above, where the canopy thinned into patches of sky, causing the shadows in your periphery to shift. Something altered its stance for a better angle, careful not to grant you the same courtesy. Or perhaps several somethings did. It was difficult to tell.


The forest apparently had opinions about your robes. Whatever caught the hem did so with decisive certainty - how curious. When the fabric tore and you met the ground, the earth met you with unexpected kindness, as if it had prepared for the impact - again, how curious.

At your side, a low mat of green shifted with the passing breeze, stems weaving over and through one another in delicate and intricate patterns. The leaves were small but resolute, spreading wide despite their height, clinging to everything and showing off dainty pink and white flowers.

Somewhere just out of sight, a low huff of breath stirred the undergrowth, followed by the sound of hooves turning away.




The greenery before you shifted again… but not because of the breeze. What had seemed no more than layered leaves and tangled stems slowly distinguishes itself, edges sharpening as color deepened into living green. Slender limbs uncurl from bark and moss, joints bending where twigs had no right to bend, their hue fresh and vivid, like new growth that had learned how to move.

Small dark eyes blinked as they fix upon the fallen feathers. A flurry of quick, precise scuttles, brief flashes of motion across the forest floor, and the feathers were scooped up in narrow, leaf fingered hands. Gleeful chitters accompanied the retreat as the little figures darted back toward the trees and only the absence on the ground marked where they had been.

Marina was absolutely prepared for this. She had her handy notebook. She had gloves. She had a satchel to keep things in. And she had BRAND NEW BOOTS, to hear every creak and crunch as she took on this rather interesting adventure — but as prepared as she was - still three steps in, her boots went deeeep into some harmless looking mud.

Yuck.

The second year stopped short, frowned before tugging her boot free. Nothing. Tugged again, sharper. Still nothing. And then it was as if there had been no mud at all. Marina straightened before muttering, “Suspicious,” and then immediately scribbled a note in the margin of her journal - HMMM. CURIOUS. Did the ForbiddEn Forest host some lovable ghosts?

And was Professor Cox aware???

Still, she moved on, carefully this time, eyes scanning the ground for anything that looked remotely harvestable. A cluster of pale mushrooms caught her attention near the base of an old oak, Marina crouched slowly, circling them without touching. “You weren’t here,” she informed the mushrooms. “I would have noticed. I notice things.”

The mushrooms, rudely, continued to exist.

Take it as an incredibly encouraging sign that Professor Cox had not yet felt the urge to intervene with anyone's exploration.

He remained near the heart of the glen, arms folded and one hip braced against the trunk of a beech, with his attention moving fluidly from student to student and then beyond them - tracking the subtle shift of shadow, the rearranging of leaves and branches, the sound of hooves lightly treading along the perimeter. In short: everywhere at once.

The light's peculiar fixation on one stretch of forest floor did not escape him, nor did the way Miss Walsh seemed to pause as if listening for something the rest of them could not hear. Miss Bay's predicament earned a brief knowing exhale through his nose as he made a small note on the edge of his parchment without looking down. Miss Webb's earned the slightest shift of his weight, but when she appeared to be collecting herself adequately, he allowed the moment to breathe on its own. Some lessons, after all, worked best when allowed to tighten their own spills threads. Another tumble redirected his focus, eyes settling on Mr. Grunt and the aftermath rather than the fall itself. Too much enthusiastic skipping, perhaps? Whatever the inciting incident, it had not dampened the boy's curiosity as his eyes were fixated on a Potion's essential. Then there was Mr. Hensley, who may be in the most, shall we say, educational pickle of the lot. Cox observed the feathers' unceremonious departure with a faint narrowing of the eyes as vibrant green leafy creatures that had revealed themselves just long enough to be unmistakable. "See to it that you put your House's cunningness to the test, Mr. Hensley," he remarked dryly, tone implying that this was not a rhetorical exercise.

Miss García Massey's boots disappearing into obliging mud earned her a sidelong look, fingers briefly pinching the bridge of his nose as though warding off a headache that had suddenly become inevitable. "Yes, suspicious indeed that you failed to notice such an expansive puddle before stepping into it," he noted mildly. "I suggest you wait until the conclusion of the activity to clean those off or else risk wasting time with Cleaning Spell every other step you take."

Ahem.

He straightened at last, attention returning to the group as a whole with a simple wave of the hand. Translation: carry on my wayward son.

The longer Cat looked at the shine, the more clear it became that it was not, in fact, a unicorn hair. A frown etched at her forehead as she rolled onto her hands and knees and then stood, moving to get a closer look. Unfortunately the trees apparently also chose that exact moment to rustle unhelpfully. The sunlight falling through the canopy was too… wiggly for Cat to get a good look at whatever it was she was trying to see.

It was also (perhaps, luckily) at that time that she heard several other commotions happening with other students. Cat took in a boy with ripped robes, then caught Marina scolding several mushrooms. She was about to head over to her friend and maybe try her hand at searching in that part of the clearing, when she felt someone tap her shoulder.

“Hmm?” She asked, turning to see who had bothered her required her attention.

… no one was there. Cat huffed, slightly annoyed, straightened her clothing, and took half a step forward when she felt another tap. On the same shoulder. She whipped her head around, glaring at nothing.

“Can I help you??”

A foraging potions activity to the forbidden forest, of course Mira was there, who wouldn't be? Something forbidden was always curious and exciting. She had thought her brother would come too, but alas he chose to remain in the caste. Mira had dressed after lesson instruction so she had on her eagle robes, boots, dragon hide gloves, braided still blue hair and a satchel slung over her arm for easy access luckily she was beard free. She listened intently to Professor Cox's instructive words because they were after all in a scary place were they usually weren't allowed to venture into. So Mira would definitley keep herself within sight of Professor Cox and within the boundaries of the activity.

Walking into the clearing Mira kept herself near Cat because it was best to be near a friend if a creature were to attack unexpectedly but merlin hoped that wouldn't happen or something else occured that she needed help with. She kept her eyes on the ground to see if she could spot any ingriedients as she walked and it was then that she felt a TUG! on the back of her robe hem that halted her movements. "Hey!" she barked out, looking over her shoulder and seeing nothing even if she squinted and stared for a long moment. Attempting to walk forward again she felt another TUG and shouted out "Cat,,,," before a TUG with even more force caused her robe hem to RIP and for her to make a nosedive right down on the ground with a sounding smack. "Ouieee!" Mira screamed out before looking around her eyes taking in the sight of several moving leeches just inches from her face.

Paul was doing better than ever these days, with classes helping keep his mind on the main game. Entering in the Forbidden Forest piqued his interest as he walked in next to Idris with the other students. He tried to think about Professor Cox's instructions, nodding. Of course, he would work with his boyfriend.

"Wait Id, don't tug so-" Riip. "Hard." Paul said, that's a huge tear in Idris' robes. "Well.... maybe Hermione or Rory could help mend that." He was fine in Transfiguration, but mending robes needed more experience.

Suddenly, he felt a sudden breeze pass, which paused his thinking. "Wait, did you hear that?" It sounded like hooves, but the breeze seemed to overcome his surroundings on where it could've came from.


Diego thought it would be fun to go inside the Forest... well, fun, wasn't quite the word he was thinking. Mostly out of interest with Potions. He walked with Kara. She seemed to be taking the walk well, "Everything okay?" He asked. Knowing their history in the forest back then, it was quite an experience from what he heard about it.

With him turning his head, he didn't see a low branch knocked him in the head.

THUNK

And down Diego went. Falling backward he could only see stars with what sounded like birds tweeting around his head.

x.x

SPOILER!!: The Narrator!

Quote:

Originally Posted by The Narrator

The forest apparently had opinions about your robes. Whatever caught the hem did so with decisive certainty - how curious. When the fabric tore and you met the ground, the earth met you with unexpected kindness, as if it had prepared for the impact - again, how curious.

At your side, a low mat of green shifted with the passing breeze, stems weaving over and through one another in delicate and intricate patterns. The leaves were small but resolute, spreading wide despite their height, clinging to everything and showing off dainty pink and white flowers.

Somewhere just out of sight, a low huff of breath stirred the undergrowth, followed by the sound of hooves turning away.

Very curious indeed.

But Id had momentarily put that out of his mind as he went sprawling. He expected to expect a barrage of pain, especially to the abdomen and elbows but this wasn’t to be. Still staring at the plant, he fully became aware that only one of his elbows tingled with a dull ache. Maybe he hadn’t landed as hard as he had anticipated. In the end, the Gryffindor was just thankful that he wouldn’t be out with an injury for the rest of the activity.

“How bad is it?” he asked unnecessarily as he sat up. He moved gingerly, double checking that he really had been hurt. “That bad, huh? We can ask Hermy!” His face brightened with a wide smile. “Will give me a chance to tease Jan about his girlfriend taking care of me since he’s not around. Not that you don't take care of me, Paully.” The sudden breeze caught his attention, as did the rustling of the greenery beside him. Idris looked down and had the pleasure to catch sight of lovely, interesting patterns that were being made in the process. The wind also stirred up the delicious aroma of freshly mown grass. It reminded him of home, both the previous and current homes. It also made him miss his mama. What he wouldn’t do for one of her warm hugs right now!

It was at that moment that he really took note of the colours he was seeing. Pink and white flowers! It was knotgrass indeed! Excellent!

“Hmm, hear what?” So enamoured Id was with his find that he hadn’t paid attention to anything else. He now tilted his head up at the Hufflepuff questioningly. “Do you think it was an acromantula?” he asked somewhat nervously, peering this way and that. But he could see nothing. Still, Id wasn’t able to shake the nerves. Perhaps if he and Paul focused on the task at hand? “Help me harvest some knotgrass? Don’t forget your gloves.”

The sixth year reached for his own, and in the process, surveyed his fellow students… some of which were also encountering some chaotic moments including Mira and Diego. Surely Professor Cox would help? The man who, by the way, was absolutely correct about Id's enthusiasm not being dampened!

The last tug and resulting RIP to her robe hem had at least freed her from whatever the hem of her robe had snagged on in the undergrowth. Touching her aching nose Mira feared that her nose might be bleeding, but luckily it just ached. Grabbing a vial from her satchel Mira collected the leeches nearby before straightening up on her feet and putting the vial in her satchel. In Cat's direction as well as Professor Cox if he had seen her nosedive as well as anyone else Mira called out "I'm okay, my nose took most of the hit. It just aches a bit." It wasn't aching so bad that she needed medical attention or couldn't continue the foraging activity.

After examining her robe hem that was ruined Mira walked forward scanning around herself for some ingredients to harvest, but also for potential trouble since she didn't want to land ungracefully on her nose a second time. Ahead something hairlike and white glittered on a bush. Getting excited Mira sprinted forwards, and stopped in front of the bush unsure if the white hairs she was eyeing were unicorn or acromantula. Just then she realized that something other than her aching nose was giving her mild discomfort with every step she took. Did she have a rock or something in her left boot even though she always took an extra minute or two to seal her footwear properly? Curious Mira unstrapped her boot and put her right hand down inside to feel around in her boot. Her hand soon enough connected with a rock and even some tree bark that she pulled out off her boot. Putting on the boot again she sealed the boot properly once more before turning her focus back on the hairs on the bush. Now what did the textbook say identified the creature hairs?

Naturally Professor Cox had to be snarky about it. And Marina had to seriously bite her tongue not to say something stupid in response. She liked to remain in his good graces, even though he had refused to tell her if he liked her gift at the end of term or not. Or maybe thats why he was being snarky right now - maybe he hated it.

So --- instead, she forced a smile and nodded.

Anyway.

Returning to her notes, the gryffindor was just about to scribble the suspiciousness of mushrooms and their origin story -- when a sudden breeze swept through the clearing, cold and sharp, lifting her hair directly into her face and flipping three pages of her journal at once.

Aaaand oh so very casually one loose sheet escaped entirely, fluttering toward the trees.

“Oh no you don’t,” Marina hissed, lunging after it and stepping forward with confidence that was immediately betrayed when the ground dipped unexpectedly beneath her boot.

Not a fall.

Just enough.

Enough that she spun and ended up half-hugging the tree.

She stayed like that for a full second, then glanced around, cheeks burning. “I am,” she announced, forcing a laugh, “having a very normal foraging experience.”

"Yes, in fact you can, Miss Webb," he called without raising his voice, gaze cutting briefly toward the space she'd been studying. “By staying on task on not dismissing something because it may not be the first thing you thought it was." In fact, she may have stumbled upon something more valuable and useful - certainly more difficult to collect. "Certain forest filaments are prized for reinforcement work. Others are harvested precisely because the creature they come from produces venom useful in advanced brews... Armadillo Bile Mixture among them. The Potion of Invisibility, too, if you’re feeling ambitious." He firmly nodded his head back towards the direction she had begun to move from. Circe help him - and the forest - if she and Miss García-Massey ended up in close proximity. "You'll want to be incredibly delicate in extracting it. Use tweezers."

His attention shifted as Miss Draguar announced her survival. "Good," Cox replied, though not entirely trusting the judgement of a second year. "Should your nose begin bleeding to any degree, even a drop, rather than merely complaining, you let me know immediately."

His eyes flicked briefly to the vial at her side where leeches she secured properly without even a hint of hesitation wiggled and writhed about - impressive, he had to admit. His gaze then shifted onward to the glittering white caught in the brush ahead of her. He said nothing about it.

A sudden breeze passed through the glen, cool and sharp, almost causing him to shiver. Cox's head tilted a fraction as hi arms folded across his front, keeping the shiver at bay, towards another usual pairing "Mr. Grunt, if it were an acromantula, we would all unfortunately already be aware of it. Focus on the knotgrass. Gloves on. You're doing fine." Then to Mr. Rocker, without looking, "And no, you did not hear anything you need to concern yourself with."

The other topics of interest - robes and interpersonal relationships - he respectfully ignored.

The also had the unfortunate pleasure of observing Miss García-Massey's audition for the Forbidden Forest's version of acrobatics. He then watched her cling there for a full, excruciating second -long enough to confirm she was uninjured. "Mmhm," he said at last "Yes. Perfectly standard."

His gaze drifted involuntarily to her satchel, where he knew the end-of-term gift had once been handed over. He had opened it, of course, and had been prepared for it to be a book of some variety. He had certainly not been prepared for the reminder that poetry existed and continued to have uncomfortable opinions woven into its prose about life.

And then came another, more robust, unmistakable sound of a skull meeting wood.

He pushed off the trunk of his tree with a quiet sigh, crossing the glen in long strides toward Mr. Melo-Dreamer, already snapping his fingers and flourishing his palms to disperse the small cluster of birds that had gathered with far too much interest. Were there crumbs clinging to the boy's robes from his last meal or had he simply decided to roll around in fish sauce and vanilla - a combination that made sense to those who knew. "Still with us, Mr. Melo-Dreamer?" Cox asked mildly, crouching to check the boy's pupils with unexpected tenderness for such coarse hands as his. He waved yet another bird away that was feeling a bit braver than the others - unfortunately with a bit of the boy's hair between its beak.