Insomniac's Lullaby [[Max]]

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October air brushed over her cheeks, rendering them a little pink as her legs carried her down out into the grounds. Technically, she'd never heard any rule that said she couldn't be out of her dorm before sunrise - and there was less chance she'd run into anyone, this way. Over the last two years, she had come to realise that this was the best time to run; before the rest of the castle was awake. Before the girls she roomed with would ask where she was off to. Before she got dragged into an evening library session. Before she could be stopped.

It was quite a recent thing, really. Emily hadn't taken to running at first, hating the way it made her legs ache for the next few hours, and hating even more the ever-present burning in her shins when she ran on pathways back home. But on the grounds, with the grass to cushion her foot-falls, and without the distractions of her home life, running was almost enjoyable. A soft flush settled on her cheeks as blood started rushing, the first few trees of the forest starting to appear in her line of sight. She'd never dared to go in before.

It's forbidden for a reason she would always remind herself, turning back towards the castle, or heading out towards the lake to stretch. But she was a third year, now - nearly an upperclassman she convinced herself, falling short a few hundred yards out. It didn't scare her. Emily wasn't scared.

Nothing in there would hurt her - would it? In her head, she ran through every creature that was known to the grounds - one sticking in her head the most. She'd heard there were werewolves in there. That one, she didn't understand. The full moon was two weeks gone, two weeks due; where would they go in the mean-time? Surely, there weren't werewolves in the castle during the day. There couldn't be. That wasn't safe. That was dangerous.

The witch tugged her headphones out of her ears, the depths of her breathing filling her senses for the first time all morning, small mists parting her lips with each she took, a few smaller steps almost convincing her to go forth. But she stood there, in the end, gawking at the forest - at the darkness, at the occasional snap of a twig.

But she wasn't scared.

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The fact Professor Jameson had not told Max off for wandering in to the supposedly 'Forbidden' Forest had been the opportunity the Gryffindor had played upon. The Bowtruckles he'd found - and that had been the subject of the first class - were his. Professor Jameson was not going to take over looking after them from Max. He was responsible for them. Not to mention, he'd made a friend in Buckle, the shy Bowtruckle that had taken a liking to him.

The only problem was that classes got in the way of caring for the animals, so Max had to get up early to go and care for them.

He'd already been down to the kitchen to pick up a snack for himself. He also picked up the Woodlice that the elves had been helpful enough to pick up from the Magizoologist in Hogsmeade for him. Tucking the vial in his pocket, Max hurried along out in to the grounds. He had good cover from the random runners of the school, so there was no worries for Max getting caught. The sun was just about peaking through the night sky, making it light enough to find his way down to the edge of the forest.

As he grew closer to the forest, Max noticed a girl standing by the edge of the trees. Max, being Max, moved to her side, his eyes trying to find what she was looking at. The forest was a beautiful place in the Gryffindor's opinion, but so many people misunderstood it.

"It's really not as scary as many people think, you know?" Max said, looking to the forest with a smile on his lips. "I mean, most people misunderstand it. But, if you respect it, nothing in there will hurt you." The boy explained - this was not unusual behaviour for Max, talking to anyone who'd listen.

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In the few seconds of letting her guard down, of staring at the trees - still so unsure, Emily found herself joined by another classmate. She was sure she recognised him - Care of Magical Creatures, she reminded herself, vaguely remembering how she'd listened a little too intently to a conversation between him and one of his housemates. Yes, that was the one. Recognising him didn't stop her startling at the sound of his voice, despite how gentle and assured he was.

Now she'd have to find a new time to run.

"I'm not scared." Quick to her defence, the young witch crossed her arms over her chest, a brow raised in the direction of the much taller boy at her side. "It's forbidden. Against the rules. As in, not allowed inside," she used as her cover, stuffing her small music player down the side of her top as she turned to look at him properly. Though, far from a do-gooder (not to say she didn't respect the rules, but there were certain ones she was prone to breaking) she didn't even manage to have herself convinced.

At that, Emily wasn't certain whether he was brave or stupid; what did he mean? Nothing could hurt her? Everything could hurt her. In theory, stumbling over a twig could do its damage, let alone the rest. She found herself swaying a little towards one over the other.

"What are you doing out here?" She had to ask, taking a small step away from him, crossing her arms, colder now she'd stopped running against the wind. "It's early."

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With the defensive mannerism that came from the witch, Max smiled to himself a little. He hadn't accused her of being scared, merely stated that it wasn't as scary as many people thought. So her defensive response had simply confirmed what she'd tried to deny. The continuation made Max let out a small chuckle. "It's only forbidden because most people can't understand the creatures inside. If more people could think about what they were doing, there would be no need for it to be forbidden." He said, quite sure on that. Very few people knew how to deal with the creatures inside the forest, and it was a shame.

"I'm allowed inside." Max countered to the notion of not being allowed inside the forest. Whether he was supposed to admit that, he wasn't sure. But Professor Jameson hadn't told him to stop his excursions. So Max had taken that to be permission. "If you're not scared, you could come with me. An adventure. It's quite good fun in the forest. If you know where to go, and what to look out for." Max added, giving a casual shrug as if he was talking about walking up Diagon Alley, not through the Forbidden Forest.

Probably much too calm for many people when talking about the Forest. But it was Max's second home.

Being asked as to what he was doing made Max look out towards the forest. "Well, I'm not dressed for running, so I'm sure you've already ruled that out." Max explained, because it was obvious that was what the girl was doing this morning. Pulling out the vial of (live) woodlice, Max held it up to the witch. "I have to feed the Bowtruckles. Well, they can feed themselves, but I like to come down each morning to make sure they're okay. And to bring them a treat. You know? Do you like Bowtruckles? I know you were in Care of Magical Creatures for the lesson, but I was too focused on the creatures to notice what everyone was doing!" He explained, rather quickly, and with a lot of enthusiasm for the subject.

Creatures would never be something Max wouldn't be excited over.