Whether it was required or not, Lachlan had foregone bundling up for this task. Strange perhaps to American onlookers as the weather was unforgiving in Scotland, but he was going to assume he'd need complete mobility. In place of a coat, several warming charms had been layered across his skin. Outside of the treeline, the crisp October breeze was manageable, but as he'd proceeded further into the forest...with the light properly obscured overhead, gooseflesh had taken hold of his arms and neck. The warming charms had been a preemptive strike on behalf of Lach's Southern nature. Common sense told him that without the sun, the conditions within the forest would be harsh. Pitch-black, nearly hypothermic.

As fog lay heavy on the ground, he found himself coming to a stop between some especially grotesque trees. It hadn't occurred to him to contemplate an exit strategy. If he were to set off a spell to alert someone, would it break through the thick foliage above? Were Professors present in the trees with them? To ensure safety? Not that he was concerned for himself. Ladies were entered into this competition. Ladies he happened to be quite fond of...

And his glasses? Those had been adhered to his face. There would be no complications of him needing to fumble around on the forest floor today. If this had the potential of turning into a life of death situation, Lachlan would not go down like that.

Withdrawing his wand, there was a nonverbal Lumos spell before his wand-tip flared to life. The light would attract enough attention without his voice, but there was no way to proceed further with no beacon. Was something supposed to jump out at him at any moment? Classic horror tactics 101. The scene was set...but Lachlan was ready.

The light emitting from your wand helps you navigate through the darkness but it also sends long, menacing shadows at your surroundings. The fog thickens as you move forward, the only sound heard is the one from your footsteps. In the light from your wand, you notice you can actually see your own breathing. It's definitely getting colder...

Suddenly, cutting through the silence is a loud scream. It pierces through the silence and causes the hair in the back of your neck to stand up. That wasn't just any scream. It was one deriving from real terror. Before you have time to react, the scream is heard again.

It's coming from further into the forest. Dare you push forward?

He'd pressed onward from his position between the trees, using his wand to illuminate the way forward. It seemed to him that the path ahead would be linear, with no cause to deviate into the surrounding darkness. But then again, that seemed too simple a task. Was the challenge to merely survive for however long? ....How far had he walked at this point?

Face set, Lachlan paused again, raking a free hand through his hair. The shifting shadows had a way of playing tricks on his mind. More than once, the American had thought he'd seen something menacing lurking just on the edge of his wand light, but after redirecting its beam...nothing had been there. No awaiting monsters. No evil meaning to do him harm. More than once, Lachlan had thought he'd felt a physical cold breath on the back of his neck, sending chills down his spine. His imagination? Paranoia? At one point, he'd turned to start walking backward, facing the way he'd come...but that had been a terrible idea, as his foot had caught on some raised roots, causing the boy to take a slight tumble down on his backside. Hissing in pain, it had taken Lachlan a moment to right himself. Now he would carry on with the dull throb. Too bad healing magic wasn't his area of expertise. There would be a bruise.

..................Was that a scream?!

Startled by the sudden shrill sound, Lachlan's wand slipped from his grasp, clattering to the forest floor where it promptly sputtered out. Cloaked in complete darkness, he did his best to soothe his own mind about this predicament. And it was a predicament, but...this was also a school competition for an important scholarship. His professors would not allow anything truly terrible to happen to him. There was no real danger of death.....This was a controlled forest... Suddenly, another scream sliced through the heavy silence. One that was more terrified and ear-splitting than the previous. Lachlan's mind knew this was meant for the competition. He knew that...but it only caused his paranoia to grow further. So much so that he'd just imagined something had brushed across his back. Phantom hands. Despite the numerous warming charms, the entirety of his body was one giant shudder from the penetrating chill.

Flexing and working out his fingers, as they were beginning to shiver, Lachlan leaned forward to retake his wand. Simple Lumos wouldn't work for him. He'd need Lumos Maxima. Gentle nature shaken, Lach couldn't quite muster the strength of mind to perform the spell non-verbally. With a soft, thick Mississippi mumble, it took a moment, but eventually...his light had returned.

And the screaming had continued...

Heart racing and adrenaline pumping, he fought against the desire to turn tail and run. He wasn't brave, but...he also didn't want to quit. Lachlan wasn't a quitter. That would've been against his morals. Unsouthern. So, with a deep breath and allowing no time to talk himself out of it, he sprinted forward. Perhaps that was the task. Saving someone. A decoy, surely, as no one would be placed in real harm's way. Lachlan refused to believe any adults would knowingly do that. A touch naive, this one.

It really is brave to risk that much light around you. Or... Was it a hasty decision? Either way, the choice to use a stronger charm helps you navigate through the forest as you push forward. It's easier to spot the roots now, to avoid falling over again but then again it also means it's easier to see you.

Following the sound of the screams will have you closing in on a small clearing. The fog is thicker here and the cold seems to grab a hold of any bare skin. As you approach the clearing you see something. No, not something. Someone.

A small child, around the age of 7 is on the ground, clutching her small backpack close to her chest. She's crying, she's screaming, she's... Not alone. A hooded, cloaked figure is hovering above her. It takes no notice of you as it reaches out a bony, rotten hand towards the child. It almost looks like it's... feasting on her.

You recognize this creature... Don't you?

Hasty decision. Let's go with that one.

In truth, not much thought had been put towards the decision to use a stronger version of Lumos. It was more a practical solution than an intelligent one. Lachlan couldn't see. With Lumos Maxima, there was now nothing he couldn't see. Of course, the reverse of this situation had not been fully considered. He supposed if something were to come after him, there would be no place to hide. Unless he chose to blind whatever it was with his wand light. In his limited experience, that had proven to be an effective method. Sometimes.

With every shrill, terrified shriek, the icy fist encapsulating his heart seemed to squeeze that much tighter. After another pause and some bracing, he aimed his wand around in an arching fashion, trying to get a feel of where the noise was actually coming from. However, the only thing he could do was continue forward. In the name of transparency, Lachlan was impressed with himself for not running at this point. His opinion on what a hero was and what the concept represented wasn't the best. And he'd definitely never considered himself that type of person. Someone who might foolishly risk their own lives for the sake of others, yet... In fact, the frightened sounds had only served to push him into a quick sprint. Urging his limbs to work harder in carrying him towards the distress.

Lachlan should NOT have done that. Chalk another one up for the aforementioned hasty decision making.

From the momentum of his running, he'd propelled himself out fully into a small clearing...where the fog seemed to coagulate around him. Like his mother's French onion. It was so thick that he was sure the lower part of his pants were soaked through from the condensation alone. It only served to add to his increasingly low body temperature. What warming charms? ....But he was not alone. There was a small child, no older than his cousin, Apollo. Putting them at about...Six? Seven? Not that age mattered in this instance, as....

Again, they weren't alone.

Lachlan had been so focused on the small child that he'd missed the hovering mass of darkness looming just overhead. Shifting his wand light to fully land on.....Was THAT a...but no, surely the professors would NOT place one of THOSE within this task. Of course, Lach had never been face to face with one, and for that reason alone, he was completely unprepared to withstand the onslaught of added cold pressing down upon from some unknown source. The pressure took his breath away and he, again, fought against self-preservation telling him to flee. Protect himself, first and foremost. If something awful was about to happen to this child, he didn't think he could handle baring witness to it. NOT that...Lachlan planned to allow that, but the fear was there, all the same.

What to do? WHAT TO DO? In his panic, the American boy had forgotten everything he'd ever been taught about these creatures....but once more, he was only considering the practical solution. Not the intelligent one. Fear had a funny way of shutting a person down in that way.

If the dementor didn't have hands, it couldn't reach for anyone, could it? Rushing forward, so that the spell didn't go wide and actually hurt this kid, he shouted, "DIFFINDO!" Phantom hands and Icy breath on the nape of his neck suggested that he was done with nonverbals for the remainder of this task, as his mind was too all over the place to properly concentrate. So, to him, going with something he knew, backwards and forwards, was the safest option.

The creature turns to you for a second before quickly disregarding your presence, deciding you pose no threat to it. No. You won't come between it and its prey. Besides, with the girl as an appetizer, you might be next for the main course...

The severing charm does not faze it, instead it draws closer to both you and the little girl. A strong smell of decay closes in around you, mixed with the fog it makes it difficult to breathe. Or is it the fear that is completely paralyzing you?

On the ground is the small girl, she's dropped her bright green backpack and latched on to your right leg. Her scream is heard yet again as you feel nothing but despair and hopelessness fill your chest... The only thing you feel is the girl around your leg, the only thing you hear is her scream, the only thing you see is the hooded figure before you, seemingly sucking out every ounce of happiness in your chest.

Is all hope really lost?

While the severing charm had been a knee jerk reaction at best, Lachlan could see now that it wouldn't be enough to save either of them. Had he meant for it to? Of course not. He wasn't too naive, but he had hoped, if not for just a moment, that the distraction might buy him some time to grab the child and escape. Funny how his mind kept revisiting the running option. Or was that still even an option at this point? With the cloaked creature descending on the both of them, Lach was going to...assume not. There were no alternative options for fleeing this scene.

And because of the proximity to the....this dementor, an unfamiliar sense of total despair had taken root in his chest. As if something had entered into his body, coiling and bleeding him of every spare ounce of warmth and contentment he had left. Never before had Lachlan felt so dispirited. So...powerless... Without realizing, moisture had been slowly gathering in the corners of his eyes. Unshed tears that were now starting to leak perilously down his face. In a matter of moments, his defenses had been stripped absolutely bare. He'd never truly experienced grief in his life. Save for the occasional death of elderly family members, there had been nothing for this thing to feed off of. But still, it was managing just fine in doing so, wasn't it?

He'd reiterate: he had NOT been prepared for this type of onslaught.

As if responding to his growing sorrow, Lach's wand light had started to sputter, giving the impression that it might extinguish itself at any moment. If he couldn't maintain his will to keep his own magic alive...all was truly lost. But the will and passion to live was still there, buried deep beneath wet, shimmering blue eyes and heartbreak. Heartbreak....Sparing a glance at the huddling girl, Lachlan released a shaky breath. This was clearly magic at play, but the legitimacy of it had convinced some part of his mind that this was all REAL. This was TOO real...

You'd think several moments had passed, but it'd merely been half a minute...

Eyes drawn back down to his flickering wand light, he was reminded...with sudden clarity...of patronuses. A patronus! What in the hell was wrong with him?! Of course, that would...work, but...he was rusty with that piece of magic. Since he'd never had any real cause to use it...Even without the dementor pressing down on him, suffocating his every sense...It....It would be nearly impossible to cast...............................but maybe...he didn't need to produce a fully corporeal one. If he could conjure something...anything...that could break its focus. Anything that would distract it and allow him to regroup...

Experimentally, Lachlan mumbled the spell, Expecto Patronum, trying to remind his mouth how to form the words. It'd been so long, but luckily for him, he had perfect recall. As for his happiest memory?.....Being told that he was going to be a big brother. Coralie...Thinking of her now seemed to fill him with an odd sense of desperation. That terrified little girl could've been Coralie. And his sister, so lovely, perfect, his best friend...would've been disappointed if he didn't pull himself together and 'stop being a girl, Lachie'...

Drying his eyes, only to narrow them seconds later... "Expecto Patronum!" With great effort, a bright, luminous fog pushed from the tip of his wand, hovering between him, the small girl, and the dementor. Buy him a moment, please.

The bright white light emitting from your wand creates a shield between you and the foul creature in front of you. The girl by your feet lets out another scream and lets go of your leg before scampering backwards, away from you.

But you don't have the time or energy to worry about her. The dementor in front of you seem even more interested in you, now that a happy memory fills you. It doesn't want to abandon you or give up. Its found its prey.

But what now? The bright light starts to weaken and falter. You better do something quick before the shield of light completely disappears and leaves you defendless.

Perhaps a stronger memory will help? Or can you risk casting the spell again using the same one? Maybe once more.

Focus...

Maintaining his sorry excuse for a patronus allowed for a small reprieve. The drowning pressure on his lungs lifted somewhat, and Lachlan inhaled a deep, substantial breath, mentally fighting against the sudden turn of his stomach. He was going to throw up. The urge was present and growing, but there wasn't time. If it happened, he'd have to spit it out and keep going...or die? The warmth disappeared from his leg...followed quickly by another chilling scream which had more of an effect since he was so close to the source. But somehow, Lach kept the brilliant fog steady. Never mind that it was quickly dissipating by the second.

When he'd begged for a moment, it'd literally only spared him a moment. Nothing more, nothing less.

Breathing through his nausea, Lachlan attempted to concentrate. The child was safe for now, so he only needed to concern himself with...with something stronger? A stronger memory? A stronger will to survive? If not for his sister, then for what? Frantically trying to recall any moment in his life that may have had a more powerful connection to his happiness, he took a uneasy step backwards. Lach was losing a grip on the weakest version of a patronus...The flickering had begun, much like when he'd been using simple Lumos, but it was also...very strange. It was similar to one of those no-maj television shows. The ones with holograms that would wobble and cut in and out. He knew it was only a matter of time...

There was no more time. He had to do SOMETHING.

But then it occurred to him, as the makeshift shield vanished altogether and the pounding pressure returned, that finding out he was going to be a big brother had nothing on when Coralie been brought home. Getting to hold her for the first time, and seeing her small, happy face. She'd been such a happy baby. And that had not changed as she's grown into a teenager. She was still such a happy person. The best person he knew...

Pushing the memory of holding baby Coralie to the forefront of his mind, Lach allowed it to fill him up as it had on that day so long ago, despite the dementor descending again. It was now or never, and there wasn't even a choice. This was him either living of dying, and he chose life. With a deep, steadying breath, he traced his wand in the spiraling motion, throwing everything he had behind this one spell. "Expecto Patronum!!" Feeling the sob in his throat as the magic worked through him, Lachlan knew without having to look that this time was different, and that it had worked.

The silvery runespoor erupted from his wand and he nearly fainted on the spot.

A bright light forming a runespoor suddenly bursts from the tip of your wand. It charges forward, head to head with a dementor for a brief moment before the dark creature falls back. Reluctant to leave its newfound preys behind it tries to fight the runespoor, testing its strength. But your conjured patronus stands its grounds and will not be defeated. The dementor finally falls back completely and disappears between some trees, completely concealed by the dark shadows again, leaving you and the young girl alone in the clearing.

Confidence and the happy memory grows within you and just when the dementor leaves the clearing; the little girl lets out a little yelp. Quickly, she grabs her backpack in both hands and scrambles to her feet. And then she starts to run. She isn't fast, in fact she is quite slow as she tries to avoid falling over the roots on the ground.

"Don't like the white dragon, don't like the white dragon, don't like the white dragon!"

Fast or not, she is determined to run. Away from you. Doesn't she know you just saved her life?

Either way, she's headed out of the clearing... Don't want her to encounter the dementor again on her own, do you?

The full-fledged patronus had taken everything Lachlan had, but as the magic continued to surge through his body, he could only stare in disbelief. Eyes glassy, transfixed and dumbfounded, the dementor raged against his wispy three-headed snake. There was an encompassing warmth rooting itself into his bloodstream, but after having spent - How long had it been since he'd entered the forest, again? It'd felt like hours - in this dark, damp place, it only served in causing his stomach to violently lurch. The nausea was still present. Terrified that his patronus might vanish prematurely, Lach forcibly bit back against the urge, splitting his bottom lip open in the process. It went unnoticed.

After the dementor vanished back into the looming darkness, he slowly sank to his knees, both hands flying out to brace himself against eating the ground. Everything hurt. His heart, his mind, his body...but before Lachlan could pull himself together, he was hurling up every bit of food he'd eaten for breakfast that morning, and then some. It was plain to see that the American boy wasn't used to these types of conditions. Life at Ilvermorny wasn't a crash course in Survival 101, like he'd heard it was here at Hogwarts. His school wasn't perfect, but he'd never felt unsafe. Or threatened. Right now? The threat was more than real. It was a dementor lurking just beyond his line of vision, it was that little girl he wasn't sure he trusted since he'd played enough video games to know it could be a farce, it was the plain and simple fact that he was too far from home....

There was a small sound at his back, causing Lachlan to...again, fall on his backside...from whipping his head around too quickly. Groaning at the renewed throbbing sensation, he glanced up just in time to see that..............the little girl...was...running. Why...was she running? Alarmed at her sudden rambling about white dragons...only to realize that she'd meant his patronus, he fought the strong desire to Incarcerous her. Knee jerk responses had not worked out well for him, and the small child was traumatized enough. As was he, in truth. So, getting to his feet none too gracefully, Lach began to slowly give chase.

Really?

"Stop. Running." He called after her, closing the gap between them since his legs were much longer. And due to his patronus disappearing, Lachlan tried to conjure enough strength of mind to recall his Lumos spell, but was eventually forced to use it normally. He'd been correct in thinking that his use of nonverbals was spent for this task. "It's dangerous." And the talking was going to draw more dangerous ...things to their location. He had to try and reason with her. Maneuvering the wand light around, for her benefit, as well as his own, he tried again. "Please."

Playing tag in the forest?

After collecting yourself, you chase after the girl, quickly closing the distance between you.

”Roots.” She mumbles to herself as she flies over some of them but her foot gets caught and she topples over. Rolling around she lets out a shriek as she sees how close you are. You and your wand, which she stares at with wide eyes. ”Don’t hurt me! I don’t like the big dragon with all the heads!” The girl clutches her backpack in front of her face, to shield herself from you. ”I’ll tell dad on you and he will take the scary stick away!”

Big creepy dragon? Scary stick? Oh, dear. At least you got her to stop running.

But what now? You and her have both faced a dementor, what could help now?

......Scary stick? Big dragon with all the heads...??

With every word spoken, it was becoming more apparent to Lachlan that this child was either 1) a deeply impressive knock off or 2) a No-Maj. Refusing to believe that on any plane of existence Headmistress Meredith Moxley, or his former Headmistress, Regina Hawthorne, would allow something of that nature. A No-Maj being dropped into a forest with no magic to protect themselves, with dark creatures circling....No, this was an illusion, but what type of illusion, he wondered. Whoever had conjured it had known what they were doing, with the way she was playing his heartstrings.

Probably his former Headmistress. She'd been an impressive, capable witch back then, and had probably only gotten more impressive, and capable, with time.

....Or, and Lachlan didn't want to consider this as she'd been latched onto his leg at one point, this was a government official in disguise - The Brits had something similar to the American Magical Congress, didn't they? The quickest way to creep him out would've been to reveal THAT to him. Either way, Lachlan was choosing to play along...since apparently, the more logical, rational parts of his mind were in full-functioning order. If only to distract himself from how terrible he felt...and his desire to brush his teeth and change his clothing.

There was a deep, steadying breath as he came to a stop just in front of where she lay. In truth, he was frustrated and annoyed, but would never allow himself to take that out on a girl. Even a fake girl. His manners were too deeply ingrained to allow it. "I'm not going to hurt you." Yes, they'd definitely nailed down the emotional aspect of this task. "I can use magic, but I'm not going to use it to cause you any harm." He was speaking slowly, trying to inspire a sense of calm with his voice alone. Lach had been told on more than one occasion that his rich Mississippi accent had the power to bend others to his will, but he'd immediately hated the idea of that. He would never condone stripping someone of their freewill.

As he continued to speak, his eyes lingered to their surroundings, his own paranoia spiking at the thought that someone or something was watching them. "And that dragon, as you called it, was protecting us from the dem-...the cloaked creature." She wouldn't know what a dementor was if she was questioning his wand and patronus. Most magical children knew what both of those things were by the age of five. And it seemed best to speak with words she'd understand, seeing as she was scared. "You should know that magic does more good than bad.......Are you hurt?" The question seemed important, because if she was panicking at the other spells he'd preformed, he didn't want to cast anything on her unless it was necessary. "I could help, but only if you say it's okay." His cheering charm was pretty potent.

That is a lot of information you give the girl. She lies, watching you, eyes widening when you talk of magic, dragons and cloaked creatures. The girl is shaking slightly, whether it's from the talk of magic or the dementor attack is unclear.

"I want to go home." She whimpers, burying her face in her backpack.

An encounter with a dementor is a lot to handle for everyone but maybe especially for a little girl alone in a dark forest. Somehow you need to get her calm and cooperating with you.

But how? So many options...

As he attempted to reason with her without the use of spells or enchantments, Lachlan could sense that he was only serving to push her further into herself. And the remnants of their shared traumatic experience. Without meaning to, he was only adding to her distress, but...he'd always thought that younger children were resilient to these types of ordeals. Then again, Lachlan was still of the belief that this wasn't really a child. Head swimming in response to his frayed nerves, he wiped at his sweaty face with a sleeve. He'd....gotten some vomit on his sweater. That was gross...

....Plan B? ...It was a working plan, and Lachlan disliked himself the more he considered his options. He knew....that he was going to be forced into doing something that he did not 100% agree with. And perhaps that was the real challenge here. Learning to do what was necessary for the sake of others, despite their wishes. It seemed a slippery slope to start down, but also clear that "the child" wasn't going to give her permission. What else was he supposed to do? Short of stunning this kid and physically toting her out of the forest - which he knew wasn't the solution, as this was meant to test their magic and skill - he had nothing.

.....

........Mm, actually...that was a lie. He had something, but it was borderline despicable. At first. However, the more the idea bounced around his headspace, the more practical an approach it seemed. Of the two, which was the more noble, gentlemanly pursuit? Maintaining someone's freewill?...or ridding them of something that was only causing distress? Not ridding, per se. Ridding suggested that he was going to Obliviate her, and that was not the case. No, there were other types of memory charms. Ones that were meant to alter and adjust, rather than remove...

Raking a frustrated hand through his hair, Lachlan offered the small girl a tired smile. He knew what he was going to do, but needed her to not look at him like that. Fake or not, she still appeared to be a terrified, upset child. So, taking a few deep, labored breaths, he turned away so that he was in profile to his target. Then he carefully aimed his wand so that she couldn't readily see what he was about to do. There was a whispered "Confundo."....and only then did he move closer to where she lay on the ground.

He need to focus for this next bit of magic to work.

Crouching down to the girl's eye level, he tried to dispel his own disgust at this situation. Illusions are real, Lachlan. They are real, and you need to pull yourself together...since he needed to craft a scenario that could've been supplemented for....their predicament.....So, in his mind's eye, he mentally laid down the ground work, that they'd been walking through the forest, looking for Scottish fireflies, but thick fog had rolled in the deeper they went, playing nasty, ridiculous tricks on their minds. But the shifting darkness had only been something completely harmless, such as thick tree foliage. Certainly nothing dangerous or life-threatening. They were fine and in good spirits, even though they'd not managed to catch a thing. How silly of them to how allow tree branches to trick them...

Exhaling, Lachlan tried placing the memory. Hopefully it would do the trick in easing her mind, until they were out of here and able to see professionals.

You seem to have successfully confused the girl with your first spell. She pushes herself up on her elbows and narrows her eyes at you when you crouch down next to her.

A false memory charm is very clever indeed and if perfected, very useful...

"What..." She trails off, eyes hazy for a second before looking at you again. "You have a little..." She gestures to your mouth before she rolls over on her stomach and stands up. Oops, missed a bit of vomit around your mouth there? Not to worry, there's only all of Hogwarts and most of your own school watching you.

Your charm however seem to have worked as she mentions nothing of dragons or magic. But how confident are you in the false memory you have implanted in her mind? How long will it last? Better start convincing the girl to leave the forest with you...

"The fireflies! Where did they gooo?! Stop being lazy, they're going to get away!" And off she goes again, running out of the clearing. Except she's not going the way you came but further into the forest.

Do you run after her again? Or leave the forest on your own before you face another dementor. Or something worse...

Whether he was humiliating himself with leftover vomit or not, an unknown pressure Lachlan hadn't realized was present in his chest lifted. Disappointment and uncertainty with his poor emotional state properly pushed aside, the false memory charm had worked. Considering it was one he was still in the process of perfecting, it did give him a substantial confidence boost. It was proof that his magic wasn't failing him; his brain had been. That he was smarter and more capable than this situation, and if his success wasn't enough to remind him of the fact, nothing would've been....

But then Lachlan realized she was...INDEED...running back towards the deepest parts of the forest. ....He'd already deceived her once. Was there really any turning back at this point? Lach would concern himself with self-loathing and regret at a later time. When he could afford to do so.

Shouting after her quickly retreating body, the American boy decided on red sparks via Vermillious. If he could convincingly fabricate the appearance of fireflies, then she should run back this way, yeah? He would need to stay ahead of her so the little girl didn't see his wand or the source of any magic. Besides, Lachlan knew he was on borrowed time. Who knew exactly how long the false memory would continue to root itself in her mind. As he'd thought before, children were resilient. There minds, equally so.

"Vermillious." Keeping his intentions with the sparks subtle and true, he raised his voice to the girl again. "They're this way! Do you see them?" His voice wobbled slightly, as he was still a touch dizzy from the puking fit from before, but he was so close to finishing this. He could sense it. An urgency that was driving him forward, more than his own desire to complete the task. "You're missing them..." Please, please....Follow me, child.

Was that a rustling sound of robes? Or something else? Your attention is divided as the girl stops and looks at the sparks.

"I am not missing them. You are!" She moves towards you and the two of you make your way through the fog, following the red sparks from your wand.

After fiddling with her memory, the girl seems to trust you again and slips her hand into yours as you leave the clearing. Slowly, you start to retrace the steps back to where you first heard her screams. The fog clears and the surroundings doesn't seem so dark anymore. Her hand squeezes yours as she happily follows your lead.

As soon as you step outside the tree line; the feeling of her hand in yours suddenly changes. You look down just in time to see the little girl has turned into a dummy, wearing the same clothes and the same green backpack as the girl had. You barely have time to react before a man reveals himself after removing a disillusionment charm.

"Mr. Wheeler, congratulations. You've successfully made it through this challenge." As he approaches, you can make out the Ministry of Magic badge pinned on his robes. He hold his wand in one hand, levitating the dummy next to you. "I didn't need to step in once. Well done." From his pocket, he reaches after an old jacket button and hands it to you. "This portkey will take you back to the stands. Well done." As soon as your fingers touch the button, you're whisked away to the stands. Far away from the Ministry official, the forest and the levitating dummy.

OOC: You are now allowed to post in the viewing area as well as look at the other competitors' threads. You made it through this challenge!

Unfortunately, there was a small child threatening to escape back into the darknes, so Lachlan didn't have the the presence of mind to care about rustling leaves. Him assuming that's what it was and all.

Seeing that he had the girl on board, however, he allowed himself a smile. He also shifted his wand around so that she couldn't quite see where the small lights were coming from. No need to shatter the illusion when she'd bought it so easily. And that wasn't a complaint, seeing as he didn't think he had much more in him today. "Very mature of you, ma'am." It was a default setting to fall back into his usual banter, but his companion didn't seem to mind as the "sparks" had enthralled her completely.

And she was holding his hand just moments after. Glancing down at her small frame, Lach found himself growing more irked by the second. This was fine, he wasn't going to shove her off or make a spectical of himself, but the emotional warfare wasn't appreciated. For the sake of the challenge, he'd deemed himself too sensitive. He was very sensitive, but something seemed very off here. Now that he wasn't preoccupied with chasing her down, as well as focusing on staying safe...It was the slowly dispersing fog, that had once been as thick as pea soup. It was the darkness lifting...

They needed to leave now.

Guiding her carefully back to where he'd first entered the treeline, Lachlan suddenly felt a lack of warmth in his hand. What?....Suddenly alarmed, because he thought something else was about to descend upon him, and had snatched the child just out of his grasp...his eyes landed on the dummy. Wearing the little girl's outfit. A dummy wearing the girl's clothes. It had been...a dummy all along...

He didn't know if this made him feel better or worse. For several seconds, he stood there silently staring, trying to puzzle through the strange feeling of outrage settling in his chest. It wasn't real. It hadn't hurt anyone...but he was still furious.

Startled by the sudden appearance of a person materializing out of thin air, Lachlan shoved his wand in his face; his first instinct to protect himself in anyway necessary...but then his blue eyes landed on the badge fixed to the man's robes, and he slowly lowered it.

What....in the hell was all this then? Portkey? Stands?...

Not uttering a single word, Lachlan simply took the portkey, eyes still glued to the floating dummy, before there was only darkness.