what a find [fala, anastasiya, erebus]

[FALA ALINE ROUSSEAU]

He had been walking for what felt like days- in reality, it had been just been over a week. He'd survived on what he could in the forest- going as far to eat the rats and rabbits he had seen wandering about. He had been lucky that his path hadn't crossed that of the acromantula or centaurs.

He didn't know who he was or where he was from. He had no idea how he had came to be in the forest, but he did know that it was not his home.

Just beyond the density of the trees, he could see light at last. He staggered in his oversized clothes and drew his cloak closer to his lithe frame. And as he exitted the forest, he caught sight of a large castle. Was this... no, it couldn't be. But somehow it all felt so familiar.


Fala had finished all of the homework assigned for that day, and she’d fancied a walk by the forest. She knew she had to go right then, or it would become too dark, and one of the staff would likely tell her to go back to the castle. She didn’t like being told what to do, but she also disliked being punished, so Fala had gotten used to finding loopholes that would suit her.

There was something different about her walk that day. She’d injured one of her knees when falling through the trap door, but had been too stubborn to ask the nurse to heal it. It wasn’t that big of a deal.

Her feet stopped when she reached the edge of the forest, and she inhaled the damp air that emitted from between the trees. Fala had always wanted to go in there without staff supervision, to see things, to learn. But it was forbidden to enter without a professor, and she could not bear the idea of being expelled.

Not only would she run into difficulties later in her life, but she’d have to live with that man, her father, year round. This caused her to shiver, and her eyes lost their focus as she stared sightlessly into the trees.


Stasiya was doing as she always did-- she was wandering aimlessly on the school grounds, hoping to find something to cure her boredom. Like a vampire, night was her most active hours. She didn't do well in sunlight due to her albinism which caused her to burn severely unless she rubbed ointment on her exposed skin first. But this late in the day, it was perfect for an outing.

She didn't expect to run across a fellow classmate, but then again, she wondered if she should be so surprised when she saw it was Fala. The girl was not quite right, yet she made an interesting conversational partner. "I see you had the same idea as I," she noticed the limp, but chose not to say anything for fear of injuring the girl's pride.


Fala heard a familiar voice from nearby, causing her to blink and look over. It was Stasiya, a fellow Slytherin, and a girl that she could consider to be more than just an acquaintance. The tension eased from her shoulders, and she nodded to the other girl in greeting, “It’s the best time for a walk.”

One corner of her lips lifted and she brought her eyes back to the forest, “Ever wonder exactly what’s in there...?” A bug settled on the sleeve of her robes, and she brought it up to her lips before blowing at it, causing it to fly away. Fala didn’t much like bugs, and she liked bug bites even less.


Stasiya's eyes twinkled with the reflecting light as she inclined her head. "Most likely something powerful... which is why the teachers won't let us examine it," she heard a rustling sound coming from nearby, and her hand reached instinctively from her wand. Her red eyes narrowed, and she went still- whatever it was coming upon them, she was ready to curse it into oblivion.

But how odd. Out stumbled a disoriented looking boy. He was small and absolutely filthy. She was in a state of shock that she lacked the reflex when she noticed the boy give a little tremble and then collapse on the school's grounds.


Fala’s eyes narrowed as the other girl put into words what she’d been thinking. There was no doubt in her mind that most, if not all, of the staff wished to keep the students away from most things with power. Something about being too young to understand right and wrong, and the abuse of power. She would have scoffed, but then she also heard the rustling, and her hand was touching the handle of her wand in an instant.

Brows rose as she and Stasiya watched the boy come out of the forest, trembled and fell. Fala stood silently for a few moments before moving forward. This could be some magical creature, disguised as an innocent little boy, just to lure a student or two. Fala would not become some creature’s supper, so she kept her hand on her wand as she approached. “Hey...who are you?”


The boy didn't respond. Stasiya kept her fair distance away. If it wasn't for her stubborness, she'd have gone to get a teacher to help. As it was, she wanted to think that she and Fala could handle this on their own. "He seems to be breathing..." she knelt down and poked him with her wand. His clothes were much to large for him- they fit on him like a sack, she noted, and he wasn't wearing any shoes.

They were also very, very outdated. "This style of clothing hasn't been used in centuries... I wonder where he got them from."


She took in the boy’s appearance as well, her nose slightly wrinkled without her noticing. Fala couldn't carry him on her own, and carrying him together with Stasiya would be awkward. “D’you think we could levitate him all the way to the hospital wing?” Fala looked up when the other girl mentioned his clothes, “Not a clue...everything about this is just strange...” With the boy unconscious, they weren’t likely to get any answers. They would hit two birds with one stone if they brought him to the school; they would save him if he was in danger (though why she gave a damn about that she wasn’t sure), and they were likely to get some information out of the teachers or even Dumbledore.


Stasiya agreed that it was strange, but she couldn't shake the feeling that they were meant to find him whoever he was. "Levioso," she swished her wand and caused the boy's body to rise. She couldn't break her concentration, so she was going to put her faith in Fala to start walking towards the castle. With any luck, they would get him to the hospital wing with little interruption.