Beginning of an adventure

[Catherine Dunham]

It was Saturday at dawn and too early for any student to be awake. It had been raining all night, but now the sky was clear and the early sun started to dry up the ground slowly, but effectively. The air was fresh and the birds of spring had started to sing in the trees, making everything seem to be so alive. It was a perfect morning, especially if you wanted to feel the best of what nature could give you.

Catherine might have want to enjoy this fine morning any other day, but right now, she had a very special errand to attend. Special to her, at least. Walking for quite a bit so she reached the other side of the lake, she started searching for the perfect place. This side of the lake was basically untouched since the students weren't allowed to be that close to the Forbidden Forest and also, it was quite a bit to walk for just some privacy. Catherine however, needed a place for absolute privacy and this would have to do.

Kneeling, she started digging with her hands, feeling the mood of the earth and made sure she didn't disturb any roots from nearby plants or trees. Not really caring about her appearance that morning because she wouldn't expect to meet anyone, she was wearing a transparent and loose-fitting dress and was barefoot. Catherine would've preferred to be naked but just in case a sneaky student followed her, she had that dress on. It was cold, but not too cold and the sense of freedom was wonderful.

When she had reached deep enough, something happened among the trees. A new energy was close, that hadn't been there before. If it had been something dangerous, the trees would've warned her, but if it had just been a bird or a small animal, the change wouldn't have been so drastic. No, it was something friendly, at least according to the trees. Looking around slowly, she couldn't see anything or anyone. But something was definitely watching her.

Ready with her wand, Catherine backed away a few steps towards the lake, so she could get a clearer view of the forest in front of her. A rapid heartbeat was the only sound that was heard from her as she observed the trees, listening and feeling for any sort of motion or threat.

[Gavril Romanov]

What a haggard person he had become.

Things were getting worse at the school and nobody seemed to be doing anything about it. Caira seemed to dismiss him any time he brought up his feelings of the subject. "Yes, Gavril, Dementors have been spotted in the Forbidden Forest, that's why we must prevent the children from going in there at all costs." Of course, the students were allowed in during Care of Magical Creatures lessons during the day time, but never outside of that class hour. Because Hogwarts has had a pretty bad track record of losing students as of late, the Headmistress was seldom in good spirits and frequently snapped at the professors if they inquired about what she was doing to prevent any further tragedy of befalling their beloved school.

He had been avoiding Alex lately, not really wanting to be around him in his current state. He couldn't help but feel an unbecoming paranoia about what was going on, like he could tell something was very wrong with the whole Dementors in the forest issue. He knew something much bigger was at play here, than just Dementors. Weren't they under Ministry Control anyhow? His time at Hogwarts hadn't been terribly long, but as he could already see what was going on, he wondered how many of the students were affected by this? How many of the professors? Surely he was not the only one with questions, but the murmurings going on in the staffroom didn't really reveal any answers for him.

He got out of bed early this Saturday, and dressed himself in some dark slacks, and a burgundy sweater with a black collar shirt popping out the neckline. His once brawny form now gaunt, laughed at him in the mirror with some clandestine underlining behind the horrific figure he saw staring back at him. He scoffed and shook his head, his now slightly longer hair mussed and still fresh from his pillow. He turned on heel, grabbing his black cloak and throwing it over his shoulders as he exited his quarters in search of a nice cup of tea.

---

In the still early morning hours, Gavril had succeeded in finding Hogwarts' finest English Black Tea, mixing a drizzle of honey in. The smell invigorated his nostrils as the scent/flavor tingled his senses. Feeling like a nice walk outside while he enjoyed his morning tea would help him develop his lesson plan further, he exited out of the front foyer and began to stroll around the grounds. He took in the glorious morning sights of the sun ricocheting off of the tops of the trees and glistening on the lawn with the morning dew. Everything was quiet out, and it had a serene ambiance about it all; a still life, yet with gentle movement. The Forbidden Forest, in this light, looked like no such place to be labeled as 'forbidden'. It looked as welcoming as it would in a muggle fairy tale; a place where a free-spirited princess would frolic and play with small, woodland creatures.

He had made his way around the grounds until the lake became visible. He paused for a moment as he took a sip of his tea, gazing across the lake, seeing a curious sight. He took a couple of steps further as his eyes came across the image of a scantily clad woman, for a split second he thought it to be a student, and she was digging in the earth. Suddenly, the woman jumped up and brandished her wand, backing away from the forest toward the lake. Instantly Gavril's heart pumped faster, prompting him to drop his cup and remove his own wand, making haste over to the woman he now recognized as the Herbology Professor, Catherine Dunham.

"Catherine! Are you okay?" His Russian accent was clearly present as he expressed his concern.

[Catherine Dunham]

She had been standing still for very long, so long that she no longer felt her own body but was just aware of the forest in fron of her. The unknown energy still there, but she only knew that something was there - not exactly where. Therefore, the surprise and panic when suddenly someone talked to her from the behind was enormous. With a high-pitched scream of pure fear, Catherine swirled around and was just about to attack the threat when she realized it was no other than Professor Romanov. Her heart had never pumped harder or faster, and with a heavy sigh she sat down - her legs giving up on her.

"If you wanted to gave me a heart attack, you almost succeeded..." Still breathing heavily, she looked up at him, a bit angry for letting someone scaring her that much and also very relieved that the energy probably had been him. "Sneaking on me, like that! You're lucky I didn't curse that bottom of yours..." She laughed, despite the situation, and tried to smooth her clothes as she got up.

It was then she realized that her dress was almost 100% transparent, and that most of her underwear and skin would be visible. Blushing furiously, she tried to cover herself with her hands as much as possible. Casually she tried, so he wouldn't notice that she had a problem with it - which failed immensely. The man was handsome enough for any girl to blush and Catherine felt like fourteen again, when she stood there, almost naked, awkward and caught off guard.

"So..." she said, her last shot to save the situation. "What are you doing here this very fine morning?"