1900 hours. Clearing in the Forbidden Forest.


It was nearly the appointed hour for tonight's lesson.

Sylvain stood on the edge of one of the forest's largest clearings, a veritable field of trodden grass surrounded by towering trees. The canopy above the clearing had recently been trimmed to allow for moonlight to fall through at the right hour - elsewhere, the ground was covered in the weblike shadows of spindly winter branches. On either of his side, Creatures students from all years had come to join him under the full moon in the uniform cloaks and house scarves. It was the first time since the start of the school year that Headmaster Greyfriar would not be transforming on the grounds.

And it was for this reason that he felt safe inviting the classes to come and witness the dance of the mooncalfs tonight. They did not run the risk of a runaway werewolf.

"Bien!" Sylvain announced, tugging on his gloves as he addressed everyone in a gentle voice that carried well. "Soon, we will begin to see a herd of mooncalfs emerge from the burrows to perform their ritual. I ask everyone to find a partner and hold their hand, oui? Do not let go. We are deeper in the forest tonight than we usually might be, and you do not want to become lost."

The dance that the creatures performed would be nothing quite like a human dance, at least not in terms of force. They would trample the forest floor with enough strength to break stalks and branches and, should anyone get in the way, bones. He had already warned them of this but no doubt the more cocksure of pupils would come close to getting hurt (if not outright injured). Sylvain had warned the Infirmary ahead of time.

"After the dance," he continued, even as something beneath their feet began to tremble - the reverberation of heavy creatures treading ground in the distance, "you will be instructed to collect Mooncalf dung, which Professor Prewett will be able to use in the greenhouses as a rich fertiliser. Now, remember..."

Sylvain raised his eyebrows pointedly. "No loud noises, no sudden or violent movements. Do not interfere with the dance."

Zeta Pepper wasn't the only one attempting to blend in with the Care of Magical Creatures students. Word had spread about the rare occurrence and nocturnal adventure and there was a wave of regret from those who'd not picked the outdoorsy elective. She'd stuck to the back of the group, keeping her chatter to a whisper. It was better to beg forgiveness than ask permission in this case, but why not avoid both?

When they arrived in the clearing, from under her hooded school cloak, Zeta huddled in and stood on tip-toes to see.

The Forbidden Forest wasn't as forbidden as was advertised, but it didn't make it any less creepy to be out in it on the full moon. Rumors always ran wild about what lurked under the thick canopy, among the ancient gnarled tree roots. She couldn't help thinking of Lucinda and Greer, though, and the rough night they must be having..

She grabbed a partner as instructed.[1] How long would they have to wait?

Mooncalf dung! Zeta giggled before covering her mouth. Yeah, she'd be sneaking off for that, but to the castle where she wouldn't be handling any poop at all.

1.	Anyone who Zeta would like.

With a small rustle of one of the various bags of sweets she always carried on her, Akira popped a piece of chewing gum in her mouth, if they needed to be quiet she needed something smaller, not as noisy. Hubba Bubba Blueberry was the ultimate solution to this problem. She just needed to break off a piece and done, no rustling noises. No fuss. Her snacking could go on until midnight.

Although she wouldn't stay that long, she just wanted to see the dance. She wasn't up for any mess left after. She heard they were very cute and very very fluffy. Fluffy like a soft marshmallow, or cloud if you were into that sort of thing. She just wanted to see something cute! Its not like anyone would notice someone half their size and definately a second year sneaking in, how could they notice, why would anyone look down?

She placed herself lined up with someone as her partner, she heard rumours of Werewolves being in the forest, if she was to be attacked by one she knew the best plan. You don't need to outrun it, you just need to outrun everyone else. It was a very brave plan, and a very smart one. So she took the hand of her partner for the evening.[1]

She did make another small rustling noise though, hoping no one realizes she is there, why would they? There more be tonnes of other students with an unlimited supply of sweets and chocolates who shares them out. She took out a bag of marshmallows and tugging on the robes of the one infront she attempted to hand the bag over, whispering. "Take one pass it on."

1.	Anyone, especially if they like sweets.

Celene buried her face deep in her Slytherin scarf. She was certain that she looked ridiculous with her scarf up to her nose, and her head adorned with the furry green ear muffs she had received for the Christmas holiday, but then again, she hated being cold far more than she hated looking ridiculous.

Celene fought to keep the scowl of her face. Care of Magical Creatures maybe her favorite class, but she had not signed up for this. Classes belonged between breakfast and dinner. Everything after that was for studying and sleeping. Not for tromping out into the middle of the forest to attend class.

 Celene let out a dejected sigh into her scarf. Sometimes she wished she could blow stuff like this off. Go back to the squishy chair in Slytherin common room and drink tea. But she needed a good grade in this class. All her future plans depended on it. So she stepped a few feet closer so she could here what Professor Onuris was saying.

"I ask everyone to find a partner and hold their hand, oui? "

Cold sweat ran down Celene's spine. Partners? No. No way. Definitely not. Not happening. N.O. There was only one thing that Celene hated more than the fear of failing classes, and that was group work. "Perhaps if I stand very still, the Professor won't notice that I don't have a partner?" Celene thought to herself. She tip-toed to the side just out Professor Onuris' eye-line and awaited further instructions.

Kelvin wasn't sure why so many students who weren't in the class were out in the forest with the class. More so he couldn't understand why Professor Onuris hadn't at least said something about it.  Maybe they needed even more hands to collect enough dung for Professor Prewett.

Not that he was particularly looking forward to collecting any kind of dung.  One of the benefits of not taking herbology was not having to be up to his elbows in fertilizer.  He was looking forward to seeing the mooncalfs dance. He was a little disappointed they weren't in a larger field and wouldn't really be able to see the crop circles they left.  Or hear about it in the muggle news later.  He wondered if muggles had thought up aliens on their own or if some overworked wizard in some Ministry had suggested it as a cover story.

He glanced at Zeta when she took his hand, better than Kyson for sure.  "The hood isn't fooling anyone you know," he whispered since they were already feeling the ground shake from the mooncalfs.

"Master of disguise now, Kel?" Zeta whispered to her new partner. He was probably right, but she wasn't the only one who's snuck in. "What, is Professor Onuris going to give us detention for taking extra classes? It's like the opposite of skipping."

The ground had begun to rumble. Zeta covered her mouth to keep from mumbling some excitement. Then she caught site of Celene Oglesbee who everyone knew was one of the best creatures students at school.  They were in the same year and Zeta had bothered her for homework help before. She was a bit serious, but overall friendly. One of the good Slytherin.

"Psst. Oglesbee." Zeta tugged on Kelvin so she could reach and tap Celene's shoulder. "Hey, babe, have you seen these before? Are they cute?"

Zeta was imagining either lambs or minotaurs.

Rigel stood amongst the students who listened to the professor speak. He had already been eyeing that blue strand of hair buried in with brown when the professor mentioned partners. He smiled to himself, weaved through and bumped through students to get to this lovely girl.

He stood on her left side, reached down with his right and promptly grabbed her hand. Quite a nice fit and he felt a rush, the same rush that happened in the library.

“He said to hold hands and if you know me at all Ayla, I’m not one to disobey.” He smiled and gave a soft laugh.

He loosened his grip just in case she felt uneasy, he didn’t want to trap her. Honestly after he grabbed her hand he regretted it a bit. He liked this girl and didn’t want to be too forward to suggest ill mannered motives. He lost his smile just as he entered the reverie his actions provided him.

Kyson was amused by the collection of students that didn't actually take the class who were currently in attendance. He didn't blame them. This was bound to be an entertaining night. If he wasn't already taking the class he would have snuck in with them himself. He simply wondered how long it would take Captain Shirtless to realize he had a few too many students amoung him.

As they were instructed to find partners Kyson caught sight of Rigel making a beeline for Ayla and shook his head. Clearly he hadn't listened to his warning about the Hufflepuff. He was simply just going to have to let him figure out the hard way the girl was more trouble than she was worth.

Kyson moved to his own favourite person to torment partner with. He leaned into the Ravenclaw with a smirk, "I bet if you ask nicely the Professor will let you hold his hand." That was when Kyson noticed the person on the other side of Kelvin.

His expression twisted. One of the few things he had enjoyed since term started was the few classes he didn't share with Pepper and here she was encroaching on his territory, and stealing his go to partner!

"Oi! What the bloody hell Pepper?! You don't even take this class!" He made sure his voice was loud enough to carry across the gathered students, not to be drowned out by the approaching herd.

Ayla was on edge as she stood in the clearing with her friends. She hadn't even noticed that there was more students than there was supposed to be. It was hard to tell which of the seventh, fifth, fourth and third years weren't supposed to be there. Her mind was elsewhere, in another dark forest at nighttime.

She jumped a little when Rigel grabbed her hand. She hadn't even noticed he had joined her. She looked at him with a small smile. She moved closer to him and whispered, "I don't want to be here." When he loosened his grip on her hand, she tightened her own grip and pulled him closer to her, "I know it's stupid but the forest scares me."

"Psst. Oglesbee"

A tap on her shoulder. Celene spun around in both directions awkwardly, trying to locate the direction of the speaker. It was hard to see with her scarf pulled up to her eyes.

"Hey, babe, have you seen these before? Are they cute?"

"Zeta?!?" Celene asked, bewildered. Zeta's not even in this class, she thought. Why would she subject herself to a night out in the cold forest when she could be inside where it was nice and warm.

Celene whispered her answer to Zeta's inquiry. "Mooncalves are kind of cute, in a creepy sort of way. Their eyes are way to big for their heads. My Uncle Arty took me to see them once."

She fell in line next Zeta and Kelvin. Was a group of three allowed? Celene didn't know, but at this point she was willing to chance it. The only thing that could make this night more uncomfortable was if she got paired with a stranger.

He cast an eye over the heads of the gathering students as the rumble of stampeding steps drew closer.

            "Oi! What the bloody hell Pepper?! You don't even take this class!"

The professor smirked, shaking his head. It was Zeta Pepper - only this morning[1] did Ignan tell him to keep an eye on the SAWS leader, warning him of the Hufflepuffs and their bleeding hearts. Zeta was not alone in being the only uninvited person of course.

Some faces were familiar but, even in the dappled shadows of the forest, he could tell that there were quite a few who did not typically attend Creatures. Sylvain did not mind - as long as they did not get hurt, it would be an educational experience. And how often does one get to watch Mooncalves dancing on a full moon?

As if to punctuate that thought, the first of the pale and bulging-eyed creatures burst forwards from the trees on the other side of the clearing. It brought in its wake over a dozen others and the sound of their flipperlike feet was momentarily deafening: long, funny necks swaying here and there while the herd spread out, their smooth grey fur gleaming in the silver moonlight. They sounded braying trills at one another as they slowed down, circling, waiting for some unseen cue.

A sharp, playful Bark! cut through the soft trilling and Sylvain glanced further along the perimeter of the clearing to gesture at his border collie, Marcel. The dog quietened but continued to circle, obediently watching the pupils.

"The moon is nearly directly above them," he spoke in a soft but clear voice, addressing his class. "When they begin, do not step forward into the clearing or you may get hurt."

1.	9th Jan - Column in the Melancholy of Waste

He returned the strength of her grasp, having remembered hearing about an attack in a similar environment. Rigel wasn’t the type to accredit rumors, having much too many falsehoods ruminating around his name, he intimately learned how the grapevine was structured and its biggest roots used for traveling. A web he’d often use for power and manipulation.

“Hey.” Rigel drew her attention, looked in her eyes, not paying attention to the warnings the professor was giving the class.

“You’re okay. Just breathe, it’s never stupid,” he whispered matching her tense muscles with his right arm. He was practically hugging her.

“If you need to leave, I will gladly distract you till you feel better.” He remembered the structure of the crowd, how dense it was in front but to their left there was an opening. Always finding and knowing an exit was a force of habit for someone who grew up where Rigel lived and thrived.

“Say the word, I’ll unashamedly lead the way to your safety.”

He gave her a genuine smile, no flirting, no tension in his face. A pure sincere smile. He gave her hand a squeeze.

"I'll hex you again, Cavanaugh...!," Zeta hissed and made a two-finger snake-eyes gesture. "Mind your own business -"

But the growing shaking of the earth, Professor Onuris's warning, and the arrival of the mooncalves zipped Zeta Pepper's lip right up. She grabbed for Celene with a squeak and craned her neck to see.

"Oh my god." They were, as Celene had said, creepy cute: long necks, huge eyes, paddle feet and shimmering silver fur. Right, she remembered why she didn't take this class. There was an ignorant bliss not being familiar of all the bizarre and could-kill-you-creatures of the shadowy world.

It was in the hubbub of the mooncalves' arrival that Zeta saw Ayla and Rigel, hand in hand, shoulder to shoulder. For a moment it was more unsettling than the mooncalves. 'Ayla, dammit, you can't fix all the broken boys', Zeta thought! This would require an intervention. Realizing she was staring, she rolled her gaze back to the dance that was beginning.

"Master of disguise now, Kel?"

Kelvin rolled his eyes, "I'd do better than a hood. If I tried."  Opposite of skipping.  Sure.  He didn't think that's what the professor would put as a reason.  Wouldn't it technically be sneaking into the forest?  If she wasn't in the class, wasn't that exactly what Zeta was doing.  Even if there was a professor there with them all.  "He'd probably just have you collecting dung for detention anyways."  Kelvin hoped she'd brought work gloves.  He was going to make sure she had to stay and pick up shit with him.

His own smirk slide off his face when Kyson sidled up to him. [Seriously, how was this his life, Kelvin asked himself. Hopefully his blush at the idea wasn't evident under the moonlight.  Why couldn't the mooncalfs dance under the new moon?  And of course, Kyson had to loudly call attention to Zeta.  And himself.  And Kelvin by extension.  Seriously, his life.

But then the mooncalves were entering the clearing, and the professor was telling them to be careful and stay out of the animals' way.  The creatures were definitely weird looking. But then again most of the magical creatures were.  He wondered how much they would actually trample someone.  Maybe his partners could provide an example.

Zeta squealed and grabbed for Celene as the mooncalves entered the clearing. Celene tensed at the sudden contact, but then relaxed. It was only natural for Zeta to be nervous around such large creatures, but she had nothing to fear. Celene had positioned herself a safe distance away from the mooncalves. Safety around wild animals started with a healthy respect for  what they might be capable of.

Celene began to take notes, or at least attempt to. It was difficult to write by moonlight. 'Yet another reason why you have class inside!' she huffed under breath. She was interrupted, however, by a commotion next to her. Kyson, Kelvin and Zeta were getting into it. Celene flinched reflexively; they were being far too loud for her taste. She widened her eyes at the three of them and made a slicing gesture across her neck in warning.  She'd hoped they got the message before the group drew any unwanted attention, whether it be from Onuris, or the mooncalves.