"The Rules We Are Meant to Break"

Alex entered the so called forbidden forest, really why name a forest forbidden? It merely invites bored students to investigate why.

"If they named it the Boreing Forest then I am sure no one would come by" he muttered to himelf looking arpund the forest. He saw nothing out of the ordinary for the moment. But then he was still in the boreder of the forest, as he could still see the school grounds.

He didn't intend any trouble he just wanted to look around a bit and plus he was bored.. A part of him wanted a bit of ecitment, even if it ment breaking the rules of going into the infamous forest. He hadn't actaully gone into it before, surprisingly, but this was his last year at the school and he had sworn to himself to see it before graduation. He wasn't saying the place was harmless, and he had his wand out and ready of the need came that he needed it.

After walking deeper into the forest he got bored again, so he absently pointed his wand infront of him.

"Expecto Patronum!" he cast and a black bear bust from his wand and vanished deeper into the forest.

Cole found herself in the Forbidden Forest. How she got there was a rather embarrassing story actually. She had been practicing hurling a few Quaffles into the hoops and in her anger she had accidentally threw one that went a wee bit too far.

So, she was in the forest looking for the fallen Quaffle. It did occur to her to summon it, however, try as she might, it would not come. She figured it was probably stuck in the grasp of a tree.

She only meant to look for it in the borders of the forest but somehow she ended up deeper and deeper. She had it in her head to turn back to the castle and just face Lainey's wrath at the lost Quaffle but... well, she seemed to have lost her bearings. That is, until she saw a illuminating bear. A Patronus! She quickly looked around for the caster. Soon enough, she saw Alex Nighthook. "Nighthook!" She called out. "Am I glad to see you."

Alex blinked and turned around to see Cole Mars head his way, at first he thought the Ravenclaw prefect was out to bust him for stepping outof bounds, but then it seemed clear she was.. relieved to see him? Now that was odd.

He called his Patronus back to him and turned to face the Ravenclaw, " Hey Cole, whats eaten ya?" he asked with a joking smirk.

"I am shocked to see you out here, isn't going into the forest against some Prefect rule book or something?" he asked lightly, ignoring the fact it wasn't only in the prefect rule book but in the main one as well.

Cole blushed at his insinuation. It was against maybe fifteen different rules to be at the Forbidden Forest. It made it even worse that she was a Prefect. She decided to be a little bit daring, mostly because she was trying to impress him. "I won't tell, if you won't." She grinned.

She smiling sheepishly, she continued. "I was looking for a Quaffle. I - ah - may have thrown it a bit too far. I went looking for it. I didn't even notice I had gone so deep." She looked around suspiciously. "It's a strange place."

Alex smirked at her statment, "Mums the word" he said in amusment. Looking for a Quaffle? since he saw she didn't haave it with her he asssumed she hadn't found it yet. The fact she had thrown it so far was no surprise to him. The girl had quite a arm on her, the term "throwing like a girl" hardly discribled her.

"So... you went looking for a run away quaffle, and got lost looking for it then. and since I don't see you you with it you must not have found it yet." he summed up.

" Now I know Laniey Harper can turn into a Harpie when angry, so I will help you look for it, I am bored anyway. And no worries you arn't lost, the way out is that way" he said pointing behind him. "I have been walking though here a while now, haven't seen a quaffle as of yet, So I suppose it is further in" he said pointing into the darker part of the forest.

Cole nodded as he summed up what she said.

Cole smiled up at him as he offered to help her find the Quaffle. She had decided to give up, but with Alex's help. She might have more luck. "Thank you." Cole said sincerely.

"Lainey's not that bad." She felt the need to defend her friend. "But yes, I think my position as her Co-Captain may be in question. I mean, she's already angry at me."

Alex snickered and shook his head, "Never cross a Raven I always say" he said amused as he started heading deeper into the forest. Such was his goal anyway, besides at least this gave him a worthy excuse for going into the mysterious forest now. To help out in a search for a quaffle, that should roll afew professors eyes..

"So Cole, what direction did your mighty arm throw the poor Quaffle anyway?" he asked jokingly making sure it was even possible it could be in the direction they were heading.

"That's a very good motto," Cole remarked. She was walking along side him.

"It should have been there," Cole pointed at where she had came from. "But it isn't. I don't know. I think an animal might have gotten it or something." And she sincerely hoped it wasn't a snake.

"I had tried to summon it," Cole confessed. "But nothing."

He chuckled at her approval, "Thanks, but yes, Ravens are the most dangerous to cross as the have the brain power and patience to get revenge"

Alex thought about the information given to him, the fact a summoning spell wouldn't work told him it was either long gone and out of range. Or an animal resistant to magic was holding onto it. He was curious it is was the ladder, magical creatures always fasinated him.

"Hmm.. It is either two options, one it is long gone, or it is being held for safe keeping by something resistant to magic" he concluded for the moment. His theories anyway and it was better then nothing.

"So deeper we go then" he said and muttered a lumos charm to give them a little extra light to see up in the trees for the missing quaffle.

"So.. why is Captain Laniey angry at you in the first place?" he asked merely curious since she broughtit up.

"That we do," Cole chuckled slightly at his observation. She wondered if he was speaking from experience. Had he been on the wrong end of a Ravenclaw's wrath?

Cole nodded. His theory was just about spot on. She followed his suit and lit her own wand.

"Oh..." Cole blushed. Her and her big mouth. It's what got Lainey angry at her in the first place. She wondered if she should tell him the truth. It's probably all over the rumour system now anyway. She didn't really expect MacDougal to keep his mouth shut about it, or his little lackeys. Might as well tell Alex the truth before he hears a different story. She bit her lip. "I sort of made a bet with a Slytherin about the Ravenclaw-Slytherin Match."

Alex smirked, making bets with slytherins was always a daring thing to do... since the demanded the most "interesting" things if you lost.

"Ah, no wonder.. what was the bet if you don't mind me asking?" he asked having a hunch who the certain Slytherin was.. there rival Jericho.. Slytherin quidditch captain.

As the pair walked however something russled in the bushes near them.

"Oh it's stupid." Cole didn't really feel like repeating it to him. She hardly knew him, except for his name and that he was a good Quidditch Player. She was a little bit embarrassed, it was a really stupid thing to do.

Ergo, she decided to change the topic. "So was that a Patronus? That's amazing, I haven't quite mastered it."

Alex nodded getting she didn't really want to tell him, "yeah, it is, just got the hang of it last year. Once you get it though it is easy" he said with a shrug, afew other people in his year got it to.. so it wasn't like he was anyone special. Wasn't like he was Harry Potter or anything who got it when he was thirteen.

"I found they are handy to use to scout a head to" he said, he had been using it for that purpose before Cole showed up.

Another russle in the bushes and a second later and a small reptile like creature crept out into the opened.. It kinda looked a cross between a dragon and a Fox, it had a Fox like face and small dragon body.

Alex's eyes went wide, "Well what are you?" he asked the creature though not expecting a answer.

"How do you cast it so easily?" Cole asked interested. It was such an elusive spell. She had tried to master it, but only white sparks seem to emerge from her wand. "I mean, really. I can't seem to get it right."

It seems her happy memories were in short supply.

"Oh wow," Cole said quietly, not wanting to scare the creature. Generally, she liked animals. Just didn't like certain reptiles.

Alex shruged, "Once you master it it isn't so bad... just need a really good Memory and the right amount of focus" he explained... and looked sheepish after a moment. "I know I am not much help, making a patronus is different for everyone... some people have harder times on it then otheres. My advise is to practice try to find stronger feelings... think like that" he suggested.

As he looked at the small creature he held a hand out.. it might have been a stupid thing to do.. but he found the creature fasinateing at the very least.

"Never seen this one in care of magical creatures class... hmm what do you think?" he muttered to her also not wishing to spook the creature. Aside from quidditch, Care of magical Creatures was his passion.

"Yeah," Cole sighed, slightly disappointed by the lack of original advise. "I know." Practice, practice, practice.

"I think its cute, but you should be careful." Cole warned him, putting a hand on his shoulder to emphasize her point. She was usually brave, but the forest unnerved her.

Cole shrugged. "I don't know. I don't think I've come across the little guy in Magical Creatures either."

Alex nodded yet disregarded her warning, "Seems harmless enough" he said trying to move his hand closer to the animal before it scurried off.

However the animal seemed to smell something in the air and then ran off into the bushes.

Alex blinked then shrugged, "Ah well, perhaps we will see it again" he said getting up.

"Let keep looking a little further, couldn't have gone that far really"

"I don't know Alex," Cole looked around uncertainly. A cold chill made her shiver. He was right, it couldn't have gotten far. That's what worried her. They should have found it by then. The fact that they hadn't made Cole have a very bad feeling about this. "Maybe we should go back. I'll just face Lainey's vengeful wrath."

Alex laughed "Vengful wrath? and you say she is not a harpie " he said with a chuckle not serious. He though Lainey Harper was alright, a great quidditch player and captain, a nice girl... when not angry anyways.

"Come on Cole, wheres your sence of adventure?" he asked looking over his shoulder at her. There was a little voice in his head whispering she might be right... but he couldn't well admit that now..

"Just a little further, then we will turn back I promise" he added.

Wide uncertain blue eyes stared up at Alex. She bit her lip. She really shouldn't. The Forbidden Forest was named that way for a reason. But yes, where was her sense of adventure? "Fine." Cole caved in ignoring the bad feeling. If Alex was any other person, Cole would have pushed for her way. However, she had developed a little crush on the Gryffindor and for some reason she didn't want him to think that she was a prude. "Which way do we go?"

Alex grined. he knew Cole really wanted to go back, but his dare devil nature dared him to go on.

"Lets go a little further that way" he said pointing further a head of him. "Got a feeling about it"

Unfortunately for them, Alex was always attracted to danger, it made him a great qidditch player.. yet it also made a horrble person to go hiking with..

"All right." Cole nodded following the direction he was gravitating towards. It was only a bit further anyway, a few more minutes of null luck, then she would insist they go back.

Suddenly though she heard some rustling of bushes. She turned bu saw nothing. "What was that?" Cole asked her voice going slightly high.

Alex blinked and headed into the direction the sound was coming from, he didn't motion for Cole to follow him... just in case, he wasn't that reckless.

With his wand out he pulled back the leaves curious to what it was.

Cole followed him anyway. She wasn't about to be left out in the blue. Her breath caught in her throat as she struggled not to gasp aloud. Not far from them was a herd of mountain trolls. They were peacefully minding their own business not alert to their presence. That was exactly what "Alex," she pleaded under a whisper. "I really think we should go now." Trolls weren't really much of a threat. But a whole herd of them, that was something else. They really should leave before they figured out that there were strangers around. They were rather territorial.

Alex blinked and a rush of adrealine went through him at the site of the large trolls, though he nodded at cole. It was plan stupid to stay for no reason. But he did see something that could at least satisfy there curiousity.

By the foot of one of the trolls was the quaffle they had been looking for.

"Cole" he whispered as he pointed to the ball.

"Guess that is why it went so far away" he whispered in amusment as he backed away from the trolls camp.