metamorphmaga | hunting unicorns

As spring approaches and the snow begins to melt, Jenny and Emma take to spending their free afternoons outside, practicing flying or doing homework on the lawn or just generally enjoying the sunshine. Their spot of choice is not, as such things go, all that far from the forest, and for Jenny it becomes something of a game: see if you can spot a unicorn. She never does, but she never gives up hope. Someday.

After about a month of this, Emma decides to leave the lawn early- she's finished her letter to her parents, and wants to drop it at the Owlery- so Jenny is left to her own devices. Bored, she examines the forest. It's only supposed to be unsafe at night, right? It won't hurt to go wander around a little in search of unicorns. She won't go very far.

And if she's lucky- unicorns.

Half an hour later, Jenny is deeply regretting her idea. She is completely lost, and the forest has gotten much darker and gloomier. She would go back, if she had any idea where to go. She's taken to making little piles of rocks, to attempt to mark her way; unfortunately, so far all this has told her is that she is definitely going in a circle.

The next time she re-encounters a pile, she branches out to the left instead. She's pretty sure she came from that direction, so maybe-

Cold.

Jenny is friends with Miranda. Miranda has been compulsively researching Dementors all year; she knows what it means, this cold, the screaming terror. But it's so much worse than anything ever, ever said it would be. She's frozen to the spot, unable to move, brain screaming in terror.

And then the Dementor appears. Slowly but visibly, it approaches her. Is it bigger than the books said they should be? She thinks it is. It's already looming and it's not even close.

Frantically, crazy with fear, Jenny does the only thing she can think of- she shifts away her mouth.

The Dementor stops, seeming to hover in place. Jenny stays frozen in place. The Dementor doesn't seem to be planning to Kiss her... but it's not moving, either, and she's still stuck.

Oh, God. Now what?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

metamorphmaga

She shivers. "Er. Better than before...? I think." She looks rather fragile, but she's at least not quite as deathly pale as she was the day before.

From:

parental_guidance

Emma immediately relocates to the bed and wraps her arms around Jenny. Hugs, lots of hugs.

From:

metamorphmaga

Snuggle snuggle.

From:

witch_please

Hugs are not Alli's thing. She shuffles awkwardly. "Sorry I wasn't here sooner," she mumbles. Believing crazy stories about Dementors at Hogwarts being defeated by a first year becomes much easier when faced with a seriously Dementored friend, and she has no idea what to do. Except chocolate, and that has clearly been handled. "Do you- want another hug...? Or something?"

From:

metamorphmaga

"It's okay," Jenny tells her. "It- feels long, but it hasn't been, really." The offer of a hug earns Alli a weak smile, at least. "I'm good for now, thanks," she says, managing about half a nod in Emma's direction, except that her head is rather blocked against Emma's shoulder.

From:

pleating

"I'll hug you too, if you want," says Karen. "And not if you don't want, because you are not supposed to be upset when Demented."

From:

metamorphmaga

"...hugs are good," Jenny mumbles. It's not quite a request.

From:

pleating

Karen clambers up into the bed to participate in hug.

From:

witch_please

Alli says nothing- no upsetting the Dementored friend- but looks slightly confused and sad. Okay, so she is not really a hug person, but still. No hug for her?

From:

metamorphmaga

Jenny notices her face. "You don't really hug!" she says defensively. "I thought you were just- You can join if you want."

From:

parental_guidance

Emma glares. Dementored friend!

From:

witch_please

Alli waits until Jenny returns to her snuggles and isn't looking at her, and raises her hands up to indicate not on purpose, sorry! to her glaring friend. Then she compromises and sits on a chair next to the bed and attempts to pat Jenny's knee comfortingly. (Mostly she just gets 'awkwardly', but hey, she's trying.)

From:

chanuphis

Miranda thinks the hug looks too crowded and also takes a knee to pat in lieu of participating.

"The Dementor is really and totally dead," she mentions. "McGonagall checked."

From:

metamorphmaga

Jenny flinches a little at 'Dementor' but 'dead' seems to help. "Thank you," she mumbles. "I didn't- I mean- thank you."

From:

chanuphis

"You're welcome."

From:

pleating

"It's okay, you're safe, she got it," soothes Karen.

From:

metamorphmaga

"Sorry," she gulps. "Was just scary."

Terror and powerlessness and sadness and fear and cold, cold, cold, cold.

Cling cling cling.

From:

pleating

Hug hug.

From:

chanuphis

Pat pat. Miranda can't believe they used to do this to people as a supplement to imprisonment.

From:

metamorphmaga

Hugs- and the rest of her chocolate bar- calm her down at least enough to release her death grip on Emma's arm. She looks around tentatively. "You're all okay, right?"

From:

chanuphis

"We're all fine. It was you and Professor Fisher who got it bad, we were totally okay after a couple Frogs and a night's sleep."

From:

metamorphmaga

Jenny looks at the far side of the room, where Professor Fisher can be seen to still be arguing- unsuccessfully- with a stern-faced Madam Pomfrey. "Yeah, he's been-" obnoxiously loud "-not taking it well, I think."