| Details for Act IV |
| Summary: | Ripley wakes up after being betrayed, and Leander, feeling some pangs of guilt, escorts him back to the school. |
| Date: | October 2, 1937 |
| Location: | Forest Edge, Hogwarts |
| Related: | Et tu, Brute? |
| Characters |
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Forest Edge Hogwarts
The forest is dark and silent even during the day, large trees looming up high and clustered close together to create a claustrophobic environment. From time to time a sone light manages to find its way through the thick canopy to light a spot on the ground like a miniature spotlight suddenly appearing in an abandoned theatre. Take even one step off the few narrow dirt paths that crisscross the labyrinthine confines of the forest and thick undergrowth starts to pull at trousers or skirts. From time to time the silence is shattered by animal calls or barely broken by the almost inaudible murmurs of the leaves and branches swaying in a stray gust of wind. Light sources be they wands, lanterns, or other objects, necessary even during the day, barely seem to penetrate the murk amongst the forest's tree as if the shadows were swallowing the light.
After the two Prefects have walked back towards the school, Leander turns towards his brother, his face set in a worried grimace. He points his wand at him and mutters, "Ennervate," then sheathes the wand and waits for the other boy to come to, crouched a few feet away with his elbows on his knees.
Ripley begins to slowly stir and come to. His eyes open and little and begin to focus on what is right above him and he blinks several times. He starts to sit up but the cloak he is wearing is still holding him tight. He manages a bit to finally look over and see Leander, "What the heck? Why am I here? And why can't I move?"
Slowly, Leander nods, relieved. Thank goodness, Ria didn't screw up her memory charm. The boy holds up three fingers and meets Ripley's eyes. "Rip, how many fingers am I holding up?" He waits a moment for a reply, then goes on: "You don't remember? We were taking a run and you tripped over a root and went straight into that big rock over there." He motions towards the boulder nearby, then frowns. "From the sound your head made I was afraid you'd have a concussion."
"A run." Ripley says and tries to place it in his head. "A run, in my robes." He lifts a brow to his brother, "This some kind of trick? Why can't I move?" As he struggles in his robe a little more, he peers and says, "Three of the damn things."
Leander nods again, then shrugs slightly, willing to let it drop at that. He frowns when he realizes his binding spell is still active, and removes his wand, giving it a quick flick. The bonds immediately vanish. "Sorry, I remembered Madame Spleen saying something about keeping people from moving around in case of head or neck injuries during a Quidditch match." His fingers go down and he smiles uneasily. "Okay, good."
Ripley draws in a deep breath and moves a little bit as his body relaxes. He lays back against the ground some and looks to the sky for a bit. "I don't feel like anything is hurt." He stays still for a bit longer, "Why was I running in my robes… And you too. Something is up, Lea."
A momentary flicker of guilt passes over Leander's face, then he frowns. "You really don't remember, huh?" Pacing over to his twin, he stops when he's standing over him and points at the lake shore. "You told me you'd race me to the forest from over there, and the loser would have to make our bunks and do homework for a week." Sighing, he extends a hand down. "Shouldn't have taken you up on it, since I knew you were going to win, but you said if I was as quick with my legs as with my wand I'd beat you in no time." Summoning his acting prowess, he manages to look irritable as he says this.
Ripley blinks some and finally moves to sit up. He reaches out to use his brother to help himself up and onto his feet. He is still blinking and trying to get the cobwebs to go away. Then something strikes him and he gives a little smile, "She kissed me." He says, almost to himself and then looks to Leander, "Lea… She kissed me."
"What?" Leander stares at his brother for a moment, uncomprehending, before he suddenly realizes what Ripley is saying. He feels his stomach sink in his gut, thinking he knows now why the girl's hand was so clammy. His lips twist into a scowl. What was she thinking? "Rip, that's…" He shakes his head and starts going slowly towards the school, then looks back and motions for his twin to follow him. "She's dangerous, you should forget about her. Come on, we should head back. I'm still not sure your brain's in order."
Ripley gives a little chuckle, "You don't understand, Lea. SHE kissed ME. I was just sitting there and she did it." And most of the rest of the day is forgotten until something else comes to mind, "And I ran into Lucian after. We were talking and he used a shield on me. Knocked me back. Said that he's say I was attacking him or something." He shakes some more cobwebs out of his head, "But yeah… Ria kissed me, Lea. It was a heck of a kiss, too." He looks to his brother, "Why aren't you happy for me?"
"Oh," Leander says, processing this information slowly. He turns away from Ripley so that his twin can't see the scowl grow deeper and his skin grow redder with a flush of anger. After a moment he turns back and frowns. "I… Rip, it's not as if you've never kissed a girl before. It's not that I'm not happy for you, but I don't trust her. I think you should stay away, she'll just hurt you." He sighs, reaches up and scratches the back of his neck, and then starts off towards the castle again. "Come on. It'll be time for dinner soon. You hungry?"
Ripley rubs at his stomach, "Yeah. I am." As he catches up beside his brother and rests a hand on the other boy's shoulder, "How is Lois?" He asks and pats that shoulder some, "Tell you what… I will stay out of your doings with Lois and you stay out of mine with Ria. I can take care of myself."
Leander glances over at Ripley and grimaces, then looks down at the ground. "I… okay, fine, Rip." For whatever reason, he sounds solemn and downcast, but he continues ploddingly towards the school.