Creatures of the Forest

Christmas had come around quicker than Moon expected it to. The smell of chestnuts and fresh snow filled the halls of Hogwarts. The student choir sang carols every night and Hagrid dragged trees inside from the forest. First-years were allowed to practice their charms on the decorating of the taller trees that nobody could reach, and spelled snow fluttered down from the ceiling of the Great Hall. Hau, Mallow and her older brother, Ulu, bewitched snowballs to bounce off the back of Quirrel's turban one day. Rowlets filtered in all day to deliver red and green cards and parcels.

For Christmas, Moon received a long cloak that Lana had told her was an invisibility cloak. Hau had also stayed for Christmas, but Lillie and Gladion had gone home for the holidays.

It was all over very quickly, the students who had gone came back after the holidays and classes resumed as usual. Everyone was starting fresh again… except for a certain blonde who Moon began seeing less and less of.

Gladion seemed more down and distant than usual, face always buried in a book, even when walking to and from class. He visited the Room of Requirement more and more during class time, and even pulled himself off the Quidditch team. When Moon asked Lillie about her brother's strange behaviour, she always found a way to avoid answering.

"I don't know, he is an edgy teen," Hau had said dismissively when Moon had told him.

That night, Moon lay awake. After a few hours, she pulled out her wand and the Marauders Map.

"I solemnly swear I'm up to no good," she whispered. Gladion… Gladion… Aha! She frowned when she saw where his little name tag was located.

The Forbidden Forest… in the middle of the night?


Taking her cloak, map and wand, Moon crept out of the castle and into the forest. Knowing that she was invisible helped, but she was still terrified of the twisted trees, distant howls filtering through their high branches.

"Ow!" she hissed when she stabbed herself on a thorny bush. Dammit, Gladion, why is this the place you choose to spend your nights?

After a while of stumbling through the trees and shrubs, Moon heard a voice up ahead.

"…are you doing?" Gladion's voice was saying. Who is he talking to?

As Moon neared the clearing he was in, she could hear strange growls.

Snap!

She stepped on a stick, one of the ones that are only in movies with an extra loud crunching sound to yell to the villains THE HERO'S HERE, COME GET 'EM!

Everything seemed to go dead silent.

"Is someone there?" Gladion said cautiously.

Moon stuck her hand out of the cloak, calling out, "It's just me!"

"Moon?" he said as she fully emerged. "What are you doing here?"

"Looking for you," she said.

"Why?"

"Because we need to talk. You've been avoiding me. And everyone else."

Gladion looked annoyed and exhausted as he sat down on a fallen tree branch. He turned to his right and said, "Zoroark, you can drop the illusion."

Suddenly, five Pokémon materialised out of thin air.

"Whoa!" Moon exclaimed, jumping back. "Are these… your Pokémon?"

"Yes. Don't tell anyone they're here," Gladion replied.

A Lycanroc… that's the one that saved us in detention, Moon remembered. And he also has an Umbreon, a Zoroark, a Lucario and a… what the Arceus is that?

"Gladion, what is that?" Moon asked, pointing at a very strange looking chimera.

"It's called Silvally," he said. "Definitely do not tell anybody I have it."