It was midnight and Cho strolled through the Forbidden Forest. She hadn't been here for a while. She used to come here often when she needed to think. Nobody ever comes here at this time of night and she was never disturbed. She always cast a protective shield around her which repels any unwelcome beasts.
She had became so familiar with the forest at night, but now she could see during her absence everything was changed. The grove where the unicorns used to rest was trampled and disturbed. Ancient trees lay fallen this way and that. Cho frowned. She could see that the old Forest had taken a turn for the worse. Suddenly, a twig snapped behind her. She whipped around...
"Students should be in the castle this late." Ginny said, standing directly behind the girl. Her arms were folded, and she didn't look happy. There was a look of annoyence in her eyes. She was now a teacher, and she had the unfortante fun of patrolling after hours.
"Oh! I'm not a student here!" said Cho. "I've...graduated a long time ago." She raised an eyebrow. "I didn't know teachers patrolled the Forbidden Forest...at least not when I was here."
Ginny looked carefully at the girl.
"No, teachers don't. Havn't for a while. But I do. I have since I was a second year student. After all, I am in charge of it." She said, slowly. She was stilly slightly annoyed, but if the girl didn't know she wasn't supposed to be here, there wasn't much Ginny could, or would say.
Cho's eyes widened. "You are in charge of the forest?" Then she became angry. "So how come the Forest is in such a horrible state?"
"In actuality, I also have three other jobs, m'dear. I'm Head of Student Affairs at the school, I'm on the Wizemagot, and I'm a part-time auror. I normally let the forest run itself, because the animals do it much better then me. I only take charge when things like this happen, unexplained." She said, anger flashing in her eyes. This girl didn't know her, but Ginny was one of the top ten most powerful people in the Wizarding world, and friends with everyone above her. Her anger could be a terrifying thing.
But her concern for her forest friends was more powerful. She had to find them, especially Moon. Her pretty Moonlight. That beautiful wolf. None of them answered her mental calls, which meant they couldn't. It ment they were not conscious. She couldn't leave the girl here though.
"C'mon, you can talk and walk at the same time, right?"
Cho resisted rolling her eyes at all these fancy titles, not very impressed. But what Ginny said concerned her. It seems that this destruction of the Forest is pretty recent, and not due to neglect. "Alright," she said, and fell into step with her. "So what happened?"
"Not sure yet. I'd normally ask Moon and the others, but I can't find them." Her voice, while stronge had a slight pinch of sadness to it. Moon was her first true friend.
She led the girl futher into the forest, towards caves that were set into a series of hills.
While Cho walked with her, she digested what Ginny had said. Moon? The wolf? That had a familiar ring. Ah yes, of course. Silver's sister. Silver had been her friend while she was at school. With a pang, she remembered how she'd died defending her from one of Aragog's spawn. Her defensive shield hadn't been strong enough, and the giant spider had caught her unawares. She had stopped coming to the forest after that.
She was jolted out of her memories when they came upon the caves. She had known the forest very well, but she had never ventured into them. Silver had always warned her off. She wondered why Ginny was taking her there.
Ginny whistled, lightly. She listened, but as she had expected, she didn't hear a single sound. The birds never sang in this part of the forest. Ginny walked with purpose towards the cave. She was always welcome here. The wolves knew he very well,considering the alpha-male had been her friend since she was 12.
"Moonlight!" She called, stepping into the main cave. It was dark, and her voice reverberated off the walls. She stepped back, her face anxious.
"Don't move a muscle." She said to Cho.
Cho stood, frozen. She can now sense magic inside the walls. Cho has the ability to feel magic when it's present. Of course, this being a part of Hogwarts, magic was everywhere. But this one was very strong, and definately Dark.
A blue ball of power came at Ginny's head, and she ducked, just in time, throwing one of her own in the direction the first had come. She heard it connect. Still, she wasn't safe. She cast a sheild over her and Cho.
"Come out with your hands up!" She shouted, angrily, her eyes flashing. She was angrier then she'd been in a long while.
Nothing responded to Ginny's summons. Cho cautiously cast her mind into the cave. Something gave her a huge shock and she withdrew hastily.
She stared at the cave. It was like nothing she'd ever experienced before. It was definately not human.