Nov. 18: Night Prowlers – Forbidden Forest {Willa}

[Benji Fenwick]

Benji stared himself down in his small hand held mirror, checking every angle of his freshly trimmed face. Last time he was clean shaven, this time a little on the scruffy side, but neat. Maybe she had a preference. “Acceptable.” He mutter, and pulling a clean towel from his truck the boy began to vigorously dry his wet hair, reflecting on what he was about to do. Tonight he was taking Willa out to the Forbidden Forest to see the night blooms. Bonus: it was all his idea.

He could recall the moment in time he had issued the invite, still it seemed so long ago. They had already been to the greenhouses to see the small patch there, but tonight, tonight he felt different. As soon as he returned to his dorm that first night he had drafted a letter to his father. Willa made him feel like he wanted to try to overcome the ridiculous disability where females were concerned.

So he had written his father, pleading advice. And the old chap had panned it out for him perfectly. But that was just half the battle; he, himself only, would have to be there tonight, he would have to make it perfect. Now Benji stood at his window watching as the night grew darker. He ran a hand through his combed back hair, nerves etched in every fiber of his being. He couldn’t believe he was about to go into a nerve-racking situation willingly.

Nor that he had such high hopes for the night. Benji imagined he might be brave enough to hold her hand as they walked, or sit close to her as they waited for the blooms. “Yeah right.” He said wistfully, turning away from his vigil and shrugging on his coat. He was dressed much warmer this time, they would be venturing into the Forest, it was much colder there than the greenhouses.

He took one last look into his backpack, it was stuffed with everything his father had instructed him to bring along. Not one but two blankets, ‘In case she gets really cold.’ His father had said. Two goblets and a bottle of mead, ‘Nothing too strong.’ And some juice, she may not want any mead; though he might for his nerves. A small chess set, ‘In case things get stagnant.’ The newest edition of World Herbology, ‘You might need a topic starter.’

And a little set of Potions gathering equipment, not per his father’s orders. One never knew what they would run across in the Forest. With half an hour to curfew Benji departed his dormitory with lead in his belly but determination in his stride. He could do this!

Before he took his post outside the Hufflepuff entry he popped into the kitchen and begged unnecessarily for some warm scones. The elves were practically tearing up at his behavior and sending him off with more than he had asked. Maybe tonight would be a good night despite him. Or maybe, hopefully, because of him.

[Willa Robbins]

Okay. Okay. You can do this. Willa gave herself an affirmative nod in the mirror, tugging her wavy hair out of her scarf and giving another affirmative nod in the mirror, before she grabbed her gloves and headed out of her room. Trying very much to not be in her head about this. She and Benji were seeing each other outside of hours for the second time this week. The second time in as many days. It really - it really seemed like they were onto something here. Their conversation and time together had been so easy on Wednesday; true, she'd had to work a tad to get him to start opening up, but it was like that with many people, and he was still getting comfortable with her, as she was with him. It had been nice walking the grounds with him, sharing the excitement of the night blooms, smiling back-and-forth so comfortably. The Ravenclaw just made her feel at ease with herself, and it was so flattering to catch him staring; she'd been doing quite a bit of that herself lately, as well. How she'd gone so long without noticing him was truly a mystery - he was a good looking chap, and it wasn't as if when he and Arnie were together they were particularly quiet. But the past was the past, the thing that remained...was...what sort of future they could have?

She pinked at the thought, and so it was with a flushed face that she exited her common room with just a few questions - Hestia and Doc were cozy on the couch, tease tease teasing her about leaving - and nearly ran into the bloke she was meeting. "Oh! Hi!" she said, grinning up at Benji. Up close she was able to see how much thought he'd given to tonight. He was freshly showered, smelled great, and had trimmed the scruff she'd noticed growing the last few days. Her grin widened as she spied the backpack on his shoulders, and she raised a teasing brow. "What's all this?"

[Benji Fenwick]

All the air had been robbed from him, his vision a sudden tunnel of shock. He really shouldn’t have been so surprised to see Willa, but he was, he always was. She just made him fell... off kilt. So, momentarily he could do nothing but stare stupidly, nodding to her ‘Hi!'. Trying to regain some of the hesitant confidence he had been nurturing only moments before his…friend came barreling out of the Hufflepuff dorms.

Well not really barrel, he could never describe Willa as having barreled through something, but she had sure managed to catch him unawares. Mostly his own fault he guessed. “You look g-great.” Benji cleared his throat awkwardly, his mouth suddenly dry. “As you always do.” He added quickly, trying to get it out before he stammered. Alas, his voice cracked on the last word and he was doubly embarrassed. She would defiantly not hold his hand now, blundering fool was he.

Willa asked about his pack and Benji took a deep breath before answering. “Provisions.” He said slowly, pleased to sound more like his normal self. So he tried again, finding it easier to speak if he wasn’t looking right at her. “It may take a bit longer for the moon to reach high enough to shine on this particular patch. I wanted to make sure we were comfortable.” Well that just sounded positively lecherous.

'She don’t want to go getting comfy with you boy!’ A nasty voice in his head said, reminding Benji strangely of Filch. His watch began ticked and the Ravenclaws heart clutched painfully. It was now or never. “We should get going.” He said quietly, switching the watch off and offering her his arm.

228

[Willa Robbins]

Something was always going on within the mind of this boy - many somethings, if Willa had to wager a guess. He seemed to flip between overthinking before he spoke and second-guessing after, when she wished he would just...speak. Whatever was true to him, say without worry! It was what she tried to elicit by doing her best to make him comfortable with her, but her efforts, as of yet, apparently weren't doing the trick. Because his ideas were always great, and he never said anything devastating - or however he felt he came off - but time and time again his face would fall, his cheer would droop, and the Hufflepuff was left confused. Part of her wondered why she wanted to put such effort into making him comfortable - she hardly knew him, after all - but that voice was quickly squelched by the rest of her reminding the girl that it was simply the decent thing to do. Make new friends, give people chances, help however she could. It was just right.

And a bloke as kind and thoughtful as Benji should know to trust himself more, was all. She wanted to see that in him, because he was good. She just knew.

So as he spoke - complimenting her with a stutter and hitch he surely noticed more than she - the girl gave him a wide smile. A smile that only perpetuated as he showed just how thoughtful he really was. Benji had planned this out thoroughly, and had such little time to do it! Makes this...makes this really feel like a date. More'n your trek to the greenhouse, definitely. But Willa's worries about him - that uncertainty that seemed to plague him - were proving quite accurate, for better or worse. Starting to know him. So she gave a quick nod and took his offered arm, easily falling into step with him. "Thanks for sorting everything out, can't wait to see what you brought," Willa said, her smile and words genuine. "Where exactly are we going?"

[Benji Fenwick]

As soon as Willa took his arm Benji felt his body heat up, much the same way it had at their previous meeting when she had hugged him good bye. Thankfully his forever frayed nervous kept his hormones in check; he may have died if she had seen his body’s reaction. It was under control very quickly however and he was able to move them to the entrance without being too awkward. He was still becoming accustomed to having someone he was attracted to so close.

Benji managed a smile when she thanked him for his forethought. “I wanted to.” He said, feeling slightly weirded out by his own words. How much would she read into that? Well if she thought on it at all she would think he liked her, and she wouldn’t be wrong. He liked her a great deal in fact. He just couldn’t say it, if he said it, it would be real and she wouldn’t want anything to do with him. “Not too far into the forest.” He assured her quietly, holding the large oak door open for her to pass.

Once outside Benji pulled his hood up, burrowing into his coat, it was a nippy one. “Hope you don’t mind the cold too much.” He teased poorly. He was no good at this. So he stayed quiet from then on, leading her across the grounds and breaking the forest edge with some haste. He didn’t want to be caught after all. Once inside the forest he slowed their pace, casting frequent glances at the beauty next to him. “Once we past this curve of trees we will be able to see the grounds again.” He said lending his hand to help her over a large root. They had been walking for a bit into the forest and he didn’t want her thinking he was leading her too deep into the dangerous place that was, for a reason, off limits.

They passed a large grouping of old trees and like he had promised if they looked really hard through the trees, the edge of the Hogwarts grounds could just be seen. “See not far at all and almost there.” He said sending a smile her way before looking away quickly. He turned on his heel, making back into the forest through the low underbrush and tightly spaced trees. It was a little of a trek and Benji did his best to hold the more aggressive looking branches out of his dates Willa’s way, but it sure wasn’t for the girly girl short. It only made Benji more enamored with the girl next to him that she enjoyed this sort of nighttime prowl through the forest.

Suddenly, unexpectedly to someone who wasn’t familiar with the clearing, a field appeared. It was nestled among a large ring of thick trees and filled with the green buds of flowers yet to bloom. Benji searched the sky, there was only a small opening in the canopy of trees and the moon had not yet occupied the space. They still had a wait to go. He moved around the circle until he found the perfect nook between the roots of two trees to set out a blanket. Benji dropped his bag in the area, his nerves surfacing again. To cover his shaking hands he pulled out a thick blanket, laying it over the space perfectly before pulling the second cover from his bag. He clutched the material in his fist and looked to Willa. “Join me?” he asked offering her the warm quilt, his voice breaking again. He simply could not win for losing.

790

[Willa Robbins]

The way to the forest was a quiet one, the girl nodding at Benji's tease about the cold, although she was already huddling into her scarf, the chill of the night worse than she'd imagined. He was a fast walker, this Ravenclaw, and she had to work a bit to keep up with those long legs of his; but once they'd entered the forest - out of sight - he thankfully slowed his pace, and so on they went...

This was turning into quite the walk - not that the badger much minded the exercise, and she trusted Benji that he knew the way and that they'd see something spectacular, but this was the Forbidden Forest for reasons...as they went on, the canopy of evergreens closed in above them, the only light let through the rare sparkle of a star. As certain as her feet usually were in nature, this was quite a different experience altogether, and she was glad to have Benji surefootedly leading the way. She was able to follow him through the semi-darkness fairly easily, as he was holding things out of her way, often looking back to make sure she was close behind...

He'd never take you somewhere unsafe, the girl reassured herself, taking his offered hand with a smile as he helped her cross over a large root in the way of their path. "Sounds good - how'd you get to know the forest so well, anyway?" Willa prompted gently, as always wanting to find out more about her new...friend? They continued on their way, the trees and undergrowth growing thicker as they went deeper into the woods, and in their personal quiet she could hear the night sounds around them; dying leaves rustling in the undergrowth as they passed, or as critters did; the subtle whispers above them as owls and other birds of the night swept by, searching for prey; in the distance, a low rhythmic rumbling of heavy-hooves...

Benji's words brought the girl out of her reverie and she returned his smile as the trees abruptly ended, their feet in an open meadow, long grasses crunching underfoot as they entered it. Willa followed his lead, looking up at the sky, and through the stretching branches she could see the flickers of stars - but as of yet, no moon, which was what would give them the sights they were hoping for tonight. Gloved hands in the pockets of her jacket, Willa waited and watched as Benji set off purposely, wondering what the next part of his plan was. She didn't have long to think on it, though, as the Ravenclaw - showing just how thoughtful he was - tucked a blanket into a little nook between two stalwart trees, revealing another afterwards, which he held out to her. Willa - extremely touched, heart much warmer than the cold toes in her boots (really should've worn thicker socks) - gave him a sheepish smile before coming over, taking a seat on the blanket laid out where she could lean against a tangle of roots. "This is really great, Benj," she said, trying to quell the rush of feelings that shot through her heart as he settled in. It was just so nice to have a treat like this - fellow like him taking the time to make something like this happen for her? Unheard of! "Where's what we're keeping an eye on?"

[Benji Fenwick]

Every time Benji’s eyes slide to his non-date he thought two things, one: she was far too lovely, and two: there was little forethought in bringing her out in this cold! He wanted to apologize profusely as they walked but his nerves stopped him. She wasn’t complaining after all; probably just taking it like a champ. As they paused around the bend of trees near the edge of the forest, Willa asked about his knowledge of the forest and Benji smiled meekly, rubbing at his hood covered head awkwardly as they walked on.

A suitable answer came to him late; he felt if he answered it would be awkward. Time was all wrong now to try and be funny. But what if she thought he was just ignoring her? He wasn’t! If anything he was hyper focused on her. ‘Why does everything have to be so complicated?’ He thought as he unpacked the blankets, working up the nerve to ask her to sit with him. Thankfully it went off without a hitch. Benji swallowed convulsively as she came up to him, settling herself up against the roots.

 He sat next to her, as if on some sort of autopilot, draping the blanket over her form with a shy grin over her on how the night was going so far. She was too kind, really. He was an idiot. He drew his wand, casting a warming charm over the blanket. When she inquired about the activities for the rest of the night he opened his mouth and the most moronic thing came out. “I sneak out sometimes to explore the forest.” See, he was an idiot. Normal people didn't blurt out answers ten minutes later. “Um, well, you asked earlier.” He said, clearly uncomfortable with his feux pas.

Benji sat up straight, leaning rigidly next to Willa against a particularly painful knot of wood; he had been lingering near her after his little spell and completely lost his marbles because of it. He just had trouble functioning around her. It was easier when he wasn’t so close to her, or looking at her sweet face her pink lips. Benji took a deep breath, held it for a moment, then released it as quietly as possible. “This clearing. See.” He said simply, to answer her most recent question, sounding more like a caveman than an educated wizard.

He reached out and pulled a long stem down, holding the bulb in the beam of his whispered ‘Lumos’ for her to see before letting it spring back. He set the wand between them for light then took another deep breath before stretching his legs out and dragging his bag into his lap. “As you can see, it will take a while for the moon to make it through the canopy, so I…I ah.”

All was going swimmingly until he looked to Willa and caught her eye and completely lost his gull. Quickly he turned back to the bag, pulling out the first thing his fingers touched. “Chess,” He said placing the set between them, reaching in again, this time with a purpose. “or World Herbology?” he asked holding up the two for her. Might be better if he kept them occupied. There was plenty to do and eat, and drink for that matter. He could manage; he could do this.

[Willa Robbins]

Her question about the woods...went...unanswered? The bloke shot her a sheepish sort of smile at what she thought was an innocent enough question to be safe to ask, but as he continued on without giving her a word, Willa felt an uncomfortable needling in her stomach. Was the question too personal? He could have had many reasons for knowing the forest well, his wanderings due to things he was dealing with or something...the seventh year all at once wanted to chide herself for asking - as it seemed to have put him off - and not to, because how was she supposed to get to know him if she couldn't ask him anything?

Upon reaching the clearing, her counterpart seemed to gain a bit more of his confidence back, though, in finding a spot for them and asking her to sit. Willa was quick to compliment, hoping it would bring him out of his shell again, and was gifted with an endearing smile in return. She half wanted to shake him as he went on to show just how thoughtful he was by casting a warming charm over them - See?! Willa wanted to say. You've got nothing to be bashful about! Because this - this was a date, even if they hadn't exactly called it so. Out alone after hours, sharing a mutual interest, cuddling sharing a blanket under the stars...it was set up to be romantic, and despite the slight awkwardness of earlier, Willa was enjoying the time with him, and getting more and more comfortable with thinking of this as a date...

But she couldn't hide her confusion - a smartly quirked brow - as he failed to answer another of her questions? By answering the earlier one? Confusion melted into a smile as he clarified, and the girl gave him a nod, removing her gloves for a few moments to twist back her hair into a quick braid, fearing that the walk had made it muss more than usual. "Gotcha - you must be good at it, don't think I've ever seen your name in a report," Willa teased before bundling back up, and in shifting to get comfortable nudging her leg against one of his under the blanket. It was then she noticed that the Ravenclaw was sitting as if he had a broom strapped to his spine, and she waited for his next - wishing she didn't put him so ill at ease - which proved to be answer to her most recent question. Benji extended an arm up to grab a long stem with a dark bulb at the end, a rare late-fall blossom just waiting for the right moment to burst open. Now that she knew what to look for, as Willa let her eyes wander the clearing, she saw many such bulbs hanging from the trees... "It's going to be beautiful," she said in quiet excitement. He was then moving about, drawing her attention back to him, and she watched curiously to see what he had brought, smiling benignly as he caught her eye.

Benji just seemed so desperately forlorn whenever he felt he tripped up, a sad thing that pulled at her heartstrings. The Hufflepuff wanted him to know he wasn't doing as badly as he always seemed to think he was - sure, there was sometimes an awkward lull in conversation, but wouldn't a conversation be better if they were able to collect their thoughts and not just blabber about whatever popped to mind as she usually did? He had obviously put so much thought into their evening, especially given that it'd been on such short notice, and so what if there was a bit of quiet! They didn't know each other well, couldn't be expected to carry on like old mates! And besides, although she didn't know what he was like with other girls, and although it was mighty self-indulgent to think so, it was flattering to have this effect on him...

"You're going to have to go through the rules," Willa warned genially, "but I think chess would be fun!"

[Benji Fenwick]

Benji felt that being himself was sometimes exhausting. Just existing took it out of him. He felt he was constantly fretting, never quite settled; at least not in the presence of someone he was attracted to. And he was defiantly attracted to Willa, it seemed silly to deny it. Even if denying it helped him function more smoothly. As it was he simply blathered about.

He smiled to himself as she commented on his skill at avoiding being caught. “It is my life goal to never have my name on one of those slips.” He said jokingly. He was very poor at joking. His smile turned sheepish. He noted her prediction about the sight they would see when the moon rose but he didn’t want to say anything. He would mess it all up. It would be beautiful, she would see.

 

He looked over at her, all bundled up, as he shoved the Herbology journal back into his bag. She was the beauty he had the pleasure of beholding tonight. Benji blushed a brilliant shade at his thoughts, busying himself with setting up the chess set so she didn’t see. When he was done he quickly explained what each piece did and the basic rules of chess.

“The Queen is the most powerful player, naturally. Though you want to protect your King first, losing your Queen should not be an option.” He offered lastly as a friendly piece of advice. He glanced up at her then, struck by how close they were sitting. Benji swallowed thickly. “White goes first.” He croaked, his face going suddenly pale.

Was it considered polite to punch oneself in the face in front of a lady? He thinked not. Instead he reached back into the bag and pulled out the goblets and the mead. “I have juice if you prefer.” He said quietly, plucking the cap off the alcohol. He could use something to help take the edge off.

[Willa Robbins]

"Well, you're doing a great job so far," Willa replied with a smile to match his, relieved glad he'd responded so quickly. See? she wanted to tell him. Just talk to me! As talk turned to what to do until the blooms opened and chess was decided upon, the girl did her best to listen and take in all of his tips and all of the rules and all of the everything...but it was rather a lot, not really a simple game to explain, so she tried to keep the main bits in mind...you can at least remember what they're all called, can't you?

"Right - promise to not think any less of me if I forget a thing or two?" Willa asked with a wide smile after he explained. A smile she hoped was covering up her nerves, because what was she thinking? Going against a Ravenclaw at chess? He's going to think you're a dunderhead. She couldn't remember the last time she'd played! Maybe at some family holiday? But it would've been the muggle version then, and if memory served this one could get - ah - a mite violent. It might be something the Ravenclaws did in their Tower, but in the Hufflepuff den the game made no such appearance. Lots of other games did, surely, and lively conversation and food, but they didn't go for something as challenging as chess in their down time. And from the little time they'd spent together, she'd more than gathered that Benji was bright - unsure of himself, certainly, but still sharp, no hiding that. And not that she was slow by any means, but there was strategy and long-term planning involved in a game like this, a game in which she only sort of knew even the names of the pieces. At his instruction that white went first, and the white players being on the side nearest her, Willa sat straighter, trying to keep everything he'd just told her in her mind. Well...can't really move much of anything, yeah?

Before she could call on a pawn to move, Benji was moving about again - how much had he brought? - pulling out of his bag a pair of goblets and a bottle of something that apparently wasn't juice, given his words. He popped the cap off and the smell hit her and - Where did you get alcohol, Benj?

"Ah, sure, I'll have a bit of that, help warm up," she said with a light laugh. "Pawn to - Pawn to B-4."

[Benji Fenwick]

“Thanks” Benji said, sending her a nervous grin before he could become too nervous and not speak at all. It was a good thing he never got caught sneaking about, and Willa thought he was doing a ‘great job’ with it, there was nothing to be nervous about. It was just a conversation, and she seemed to be enjoying it, enjoying him, his company. There was nothing to be nervous about. He tried.

 No matter how much he told himself he could do this, to be calm, to be cool, to be like Arnie; he always ended up in the same terrifying place in his mind. He was a fool, uninteresting, incapable of holding a girls affections because he was completely inapt at communicating with them. Sure he explained the rules of chess easy enough, because he didn’t look at her the entire time, and he was so familiar with this game it was second nature. Apparently to Willa it was not a game she played often if her request was anything to go by.

“I could never think less of you.” Benji said instantly, quietly, so quietly he hoped she hadn’t heard. How embarrassing would that be! He blushed anyway, and his hand shook as he tipped a healthy measure of mead into each of their cups. He handed one to her before indulging in his own goblet, maybe a little too much, a stream bypassed his lips and landed firmly on his jacket front. He glanced up at Willa, blushing a deeper shade of red than before. That was it, he had well and truly mucked it up.

Willa Robbins would never see him as anything than a bumbling buffoon. If he was lucky, in time, maybe they could be friends. Once he got over the crushing feeling of wanting to kiss her but being too scared to much less hold her hand. Benji glanced down at the board as she hesitantly made the first move. “Pawn to G5.” He said quickly and confidently. Though he second guessed the move as soon as the piece slid into place. What was wrong with him? He never second guessed at chess.

“You know,” he began, discovering a ball of cotton lodged in his throat. He paused for only a moment before plowing on. “You know we don’t have to play if you don’t want.” Didn’t really seem like she was going to enjoy it and he was so far out of his mind he knew it would be a struggle for him to even concentrate enough to play chess proper.  “We could just…sit…” Benji trailed off sounding lame and boyish. Of course she didn’t just want to sit!

[Willa Robbins]

Willa was learning that sometimes it was hard to hear what Benji was saying, but that it was always worth trying to hear. At his instantaneous response of never being able to think less of her - and consequent blush and distracting mead-pouring - she couldn't help but smile again with the reassurance. He was just so sweet and endearing with all of this, wasn't he?

But Benji was so fast in making his piece move on the board that she felt her stomach twist - no matter what kind words he said, he'd have to dumb this game down for her, it wasn't a fair match and he'd know it in a minute when she hadn't yet made another move. That is, if he didn't think so already. So as he spoke again Willa brought her eyes from the board and up to his, feeling a glorious flood of relief wash over her as he went on. "Sorry to just be foiling all of your plans," she said with a little laugh, "but just sitting sounds...that sounds really nice, thanks."

She gave him a smile and settled back against the tree with her goblet, watching the stars and the boy and the buds. Even though they were in a clearing that was slowly but steadily lightening as the moon rose, everywhere else - namely, everything behind them and the treeline ringing the clearing - was dark. The deep, thick, dark of the Forbidden Forest. As they sat, Willa found herself wanting something to distract her from not the dark, but the noises lurking within it. She tried to stop herself from turning at every crack of a branch, tried to stop herself from thinking it wasn't a benign creature like the ones she and Johnny had run into in their home woods. Because these woods were warned against for not just one reason, but many. Some reasons being large and four-legged and vicious and some that didn't particularly like intruders and -

"Did you hear that?" she said under her breath after a particularly loud rustling, edging closer to the handsome bloke she was sharing the blanket with. "It sounded - it sounded closer than the others - what d'you think...?"

[Benji Fenwick]

Benji found it was slightly easier to look at Willa without mooning once he had a little liquid courage in him. He had been shocked as she agreed and thanked him for putting a very early end to their chess match. He had simply nodded his head, smiled softly, picked up the set, and tossed the bag to the side with the basket of goodies. Inside he was thrilled she didn’t think his idea of just sitting was horrid and seemed more than ready to agree to it. “Well, you are my plans for the night, so whatever you want to do is fine by me.” He said, his voice sounding mostly normal as he settled back against the roots with his mead.

He didn’t want to get completely pissed and make more of a fool of himself, but the alcohol was helping his shoulders not be so tense, it was nice.  He was able to focus on the body heat of Willa in such close approximation to himself and the fact that they were both covered by the same blanket without blushing too harshly.

Benji drained his cup and set it aside turning to Willa as she began to speak, her voice anxious. His eyes widened as she shifted his way. A part of him wanted to recoil at her nearness, the urge to touch her came upon him swift and strong and he couldn't do that.. Another part of him, , the part that ultimately won out, wanted to seize up and stop breathing. No amount of alcohol could have prepared him for the sudden change; she was so close.

With all his senses hyper aware he could hear what had her so on edge. She was right it was closer but it sounded like a relatively small forest creature, though even those could be dangerous. Slowly and with steadying breaths Benj was able to relax his muscles some, his jaw unlocked and he managed to speak carefully, trying to sound reassuring. “It doesn’t sound very big or threatening.” he didn’t need to be very loud given she was right up against him, so he found himself whispering. “We aren’t very far from the tree line, which means technically we are still on Hogwarts grounds. Besides the most dangerous things dwell deeper in the forest where they have jurisdiction.” He was looking down at her, her pretty face seemed a little fearful and he thought maybe he hadn’t helped by saying that latter part.

A sudden  urge to make her feel safe reared up in him, and as if on cue another rustle sounded, closer still. Benji picked up his wand on instinct, pointed it into the brush to his right, and mutter "Revelio" quietly but confidently. There was a squeak; he lit his wand with a low "Lumos" and gave an amused laugh at once. The abnormally large mole dropped to the ground upon release with a thump and scurried away squawking. Benji turned back to Willa with a grin, forgetting how close she was. The “See it was nothing.” died on his lips. In the light of his wand he was treated to all the facets of her beautiful eyes, the delicate curve of her mouth…

Hastily he looked away, catching up his empty cup and filling it again, only half-way. He wasn’t completely stupid, well that could be disputed. Leaning back on the root, incredibly aware of Willa’s body against his, he tried to be at ease. Well at ease as it got when one had to keep their hands awkwardly fisted against their chest to keep from comfortably placing his arm around her shoulder or worse a hand on her leg beneath the blanket. Benji tilted his head back, pointing to the sky. “Look the moons almost just right.”

[Willa Robbins]

The girl let out a light laugh at his words, feeling much warmer than the night would've permitted at them. "Well then, I should tell you I'm real easy to please," she said, grinning over at him. A comfortable quiet fell between them as both nature lovers took in their surroundings - that is, until she heard the noise. Her worry was met with a face looking just as frightened as herself, even though his words hinted that he was feeling otherwise. Benji sounded so sure about the whereabouts of the actual dangerous creatures, so why was he looking so put off? She nodded, leaning in closer to hear him - he was whispering - and couldn't help but show her increased worry as he went on. Willa simply felt so out of her depth - they'd come out her to look at the night-blooms, but she hadn't thought this through at all. And yes, he sure had, what with his pack of endless supplies, but they'd neglected to acknowledge the fact that they were not in charge here! Nature was, and nature was...unpredictable, at best.

There it was again, and Willa sat up straighter, looking around worriedly for the source. Not that you know what to do if you see anything. It was embarrassing, but true - she was a seventh year who had scraped through her O.W.L. in Defense, made it through the last years of the class with the help of her more talented friends. The spells sometimes stuck, but more often than not she just got preoccupied worrying about a time she'd actually have to use them, and now that this was such a time her mind was blank! Her time in Creatures should help, she reminded herself, since she did know a fair bit more about animals, but all she could think was how the professor told them never to enter the Forest without supervision! The wand in her hand, belatedly, felt like a dead thing detached from her, so different from when Willa was working with it for Charms or Herbology, or even Potions. It felt alive in those times, an extension of her.

Thankfully, it seemed her sneaking-out partner wasn't as lost as she was. Benji was gearing up, wand out and something actually being done with it. She jumped at the loud squeak that followed his spellwork, edging forward cautiously to see what the creature really was.

The perpetrator was a...mole. Who scurried away as quickly as if it'd been struck by lightning, once it was released from Benji's spell. Benji let out a great laugh and she turned to smile at him, the smile broadening as she saw his own, even as she felt so foolish about being scared by such a little thing. He looked like he was about to say something, but then he was once again tongue tied and looking away. The badger bit the inside of her cheek, wondering what exactly it was she did that set him off like this so often. Did he not want her to be so close, leaning back against his shoulder once he settled back in? If he didn't, he would've brought more than one blanket. She smiled at his words, trying not to think about it too much. "Just about..." She turned to look at him, his face silhouetted against the brightening sky, so close. There was a building bundle of nerves in her chest at being with him like this. This was, for all intents and purposes, a date, wasn't it? It really really felt like he liked her like that, and if her nerves at being close - when she was this close with Johnny she didn't feel like this - indicated anything, she liked him too. Because they were nerves of anticipation, of wanting to make a move of some sort...which if he looked to her he would totally see in her face, she felt...what do you want here, Benji?

[Benji Fenwick]

If his blush was anything to go by, his mind was defiantly in the gutter. He shifted uncomfortably, shooting Willa a grin. It really didn’t matter if she was easy to please, he would work harder than anyone to make her happy, to keep that perfect smile on her face. Benji almost knocked himself over with the conviction of his thoughts. Out of the gutter and into the fire, man he was already in so deep.

After their little incident with the night critter his date friend his Willa, settled back against him and he felt his chest expand. She must feel safe then, he had made her feel safe. Smugly he thought he sure had show that mole who was boss. She was relaxed against him and he did enjoy it even if he was very rigid. It was just to keep himself from reaching out and just holding her.

Benji was glad that the moon was close, it gave Willa’s face such a becoming glow, and sad because that would mean their night was almost over. Despite his foolishness the night seemed to be going okay, Willa seemed to like it except the fear of a monstrous creature.  And the way she was looking up at him, so close, and smelling so divine. It may have been him going insane from the adrenaline of the night but she looked so open in the moment.

Maybe, maybe, she did like him. Perhaps she felt similar about him as he had realized he felt about her. How could that be though? But wasn't it worth a shot anyway? He didn't know how much time had pasted but suddenly he seemed to have made a decision because Benji shifted, dropping his arms into his lap, bringing her that much closer, he was really going to… A spark of white caught his eye and the sixth years head snapped up. Disappointment and panic warred inside him. He had been that close to kissing Willa Robbins! Merlin help him.

“Look!” he said quietly but his voice was full of excitement. Quickly he got up, snagging her hand on the way. “Come look, its better up here.” He told her, glancing down at her face to see her reaction before looking out over the clearing. Where before there had been not but green stalks in a field now stood wild flowers; dozens of tall brilliant white blooms unfolding in the bright moonlight. It was almost as beautiful as the girl next to him. Almost.