Chapter 4

The Forbidden Forest

Gajeel kicked a stone across the pathway and shuffled after the other students. He looked around the group, once again feeling out of place being one of the only sixth-years in the entire class. The younger students always stared up at him and Professor Gildarts seemed to think he knew all the answers simply because he was older.

But taking the outdoor class Care of Magical Creatures was a vast improvement than being stuck inside a stuffy castle all day long. Plus, his fellow sixth-year just happened to be a tiny, blue-haired Prefect, which made tolerating the silly third-years and unfair teacher questions much easier.

The other students talked quietly amongst themselves as they followed their professor into the woods. It was their first day going out into the forest. Usually classes were held on the castle grounds near Gildarts' hut, but their teacher randomly decided on the impromptu lesson. After receiving permission from Headmaster Makarov, Gildarts dragged them from the safety of the castle grounds and trekked them out into the darkness while the rest of the school was able to tuck themselves into their warm beds for the night. More than one student grumbled about the chilly night air and Gajeel was certain he saw a few failed incendio spells.

An owl hooted in the trees and a trio of students huddled closer together. Levy shuffled closer and closer towards him until she was practically stepping in his footprints. Gajeel raised an eyebrow at the tiny wizard, but she didn't seem to notice his look. Usually she went out of her way to make sure the younger years were paying attention to the lesson, but for some reason her head jerked every which way as if she was expecting a Death Eater to pop out from each tree they passed.

They seemed to walk for hours, following the soft glow from Gildarts' raised wand. A few other students held their own wands aloft, adding light for the ragtag group. The trees thinned and Professor Gildarts stopped in the middle of a clearing. Tall trees loomed in a circle high above them. Moss and lichen dangled from their gnarled branches and night animals flitted from branch to branch. The full moon shone through the thick trees, lighting the ground with a pale glow. Gildarts held his wand above his head, the bright light shining in a circular glow around him.

"All right nerds, listen up!"

Professor Gildarts' sharp voice startled everyone to attention. Levy shifted nervously next to Gajeel and he resisted the sudden urge to hold her hand. He swallowed hard and crossed his arms, arm tingling when he felt Levy gently hold onto the fabric of his sleeve.

The professor looked at each wizard in the group. "This is the first time you've been in the Forbidden Forest, right?"

They all nodded, the third-years shifting on their feet.

"Great! Now I'm not one to repeat myself, so pay attention. Forbidden Forest Lesson Number 1: if you don't know the forest, you can't take care of its animals. Your job tonight is to familiarize yourself with your beautiful surroundings." Gajeel raised his brow at the professor's strange taste in scenery.

"Seems easy enough," murmured a Ravenclaw boy.

Gajeel tensed, not liking the smirk on their teacher's face.

"I'm so glad you think so."

"What exactly do we have to do, Professor?" Levy called from Gajeel's elbow.

"It's nothing hard," Gildarts waved his wand, "All you have to do is get back to my hut by the time the sun rises."

The students began yelling all at once. They turned in fearful circles, staring wide eyed at the darkness around them. One girl started crying loudly. Gajeel huffed a laugh, watching their teacher as he stared at his students with obvious delight.

"Well then…good luck!"

With a final wave, Gildarts turned off his wand and walked into the trees. Several students called after him, but there was no trace of their teacher. More students turned on their wands, faces pale as they tried to figure out what to do.

"How are we supposed to get out?"

"Was anyone paying attention when we walked here?"

"I heard there's thestrals roaming around!"

Levy raised a hand, finally releasing his arm. "What if we–"

A Hufflepuff girl sobbed into her hands. "I've never been out this late before!"

"What if we get lost?" A boy shuddered, holding his wand close to his blue robes.

Levy took a step forward, voice shaking. "We'll be fine, we just have to–"

The group cried and whimpered, their voices growing until Gajeel was certain they would attract every nighttime animal that they were trying to avoid. A group of Slytherin boys started a yelling match, their voices shrill in the nighttime air. The sound grated on Gajeel's ears and he finally had enough.

"Would all of you just shuddup!?" he yelled, voice ringing in the darkness.

The students hiccupped and stuttered, finally growing silent. They looked at him with wide eyes and he sighed.

"What were ya tryin' ta say?" he asked Levy, turning to face her head on. He watched her swallow hard, then straighten her shoulders.

"We know we came from that direction," she pointed behind one of the Gryffindor boys to a large tree, "so that would be the best bet on which way to start."

"But I don't think Professor walked in a straight line. What if we get turned around?"

The class murmured and shuffled. Levy seemed lost in thought for a moment.

"We know the castle is to the west of us, so if we keep the moon to the east, we should eventually find our way. Keep the lumos on your wands and stay in a straight line so we don't lose anyone."

Levy took out her wand and whispered. The end of her wand glowed a white light, which shone brightly on her face and created dark circles under her eyes. Gajeel waited next to Levy until almost every student had their wand glowing. Some glowed brighter than others and the ones who failed their spells stayed close to their friends. Gajeel raised his wand, chest puffing slightly as he saw that his light was one of the brightest, and stood near the back of the group.

"I'll take the rear so no one gets left behind."

Levy opened and closed her mouth, finally giving her head a jerk. She turned in the direction she showed and began walking through the trees. Students silently followed after, their soft shoes hardly making a sound on the damp ground. Once everyone walked single file into the trees, Gajeel stomped after.

Just a few minutes later, two girls in front of him stumbled. They scooted to the side, waving for him to go ahead of them.

"Stay right on my tail so ya don't get lost," he rolled his eyes, keeping an ear trained behind him.

The group rounded a large tree and a group of Slytherin boys jerked to the side as he approached.

They sniffed, looking behind him. "We'll walk behind ya, since you probably can't keep track of those girls back there."

"Whatever," Gajeel shouldered past, raising his wand as he navigated around a stump.

With the moon at their backs, Levy bravely led the group through the trees. Gajeel kept a close eye on her light, which seemed to get closer with every passing step. Students stumbled and grew tired, waving him forward to walk in front of them. By the time the moon grew bright and the trees thinned enough to see grassy patches between each one, Levy walked next to his side and gripped his sleeve tightly.

She peeked at him from beneath her bangs and he raised an eyebrow. Levy flexed her fingers on his sleeve and leaned closer to him.

"I'm scared of the dark," she whispered.

Gajeel snorted. "You seem ta be doin' just fine to me. But I promise not ta tell."

She beamed a smile at him, which was nearly as wide and bright as the moon overhead. Gajeel swallowed and jerked forward, a tightness forming in his chest.

Eventually Levy let go of his sleeve and fell behind. Grumbles and grunts came from the woods behind him and even his own legs began to feel the burn of their extended walk. The trees thinned and a small trail of smoke rose over a hill. Gajeel sighed and froze on the pathway to stretch his arms high above his head.

A force knocked into his back, nearly making him fall flat on his face. A series of thumps and crashes sounded behind him. Gajeel spun around, wand at the ready, and saw a cluster of black robes bunched together like a crashed train. Levy rubbed her forehead and girls helped each other up from the damp ground. Boys twisted and straightened their robes, glancing at him from the corner of their eyes. Gajeel snorted.

"So…" a Slytherin boy started, scratching his head, "are we gonna keep going or what?"

The group murmured and nodded, yet no one made any move to walk forward. Gajeel crossed his arms.

Levy held her wand tightly. "Do you…do you think we're almost there?"

With a sigh, Gajeel relit his wand and headed down the path where he saw the smoke. Stumbles came after him.

"Wait up!"

"Hey, Gajeel! You shouldn't walk on your own!"

"Yeah, it's dark out, safety in numbers and all that…"

Their feet crunched the dew-covered grass as they scurried to stay behind him. After a few moments Gildarts' hut came into view and the students sighed in relief. Gildarts stood at his doorway, the light from the hut shadowing him in darkness.

"Well," he chuckled, stepping down, "it seems as if everyone returned in one piece."

The students shuffled and Gajeel rolled his eyes again. "We just followed her plan."

He nudged Levy, who startled and pried her death grip from his arm. She brushed her hand over the fabric.

"Sorry for wrinkling it," she whispered.

Gildarts' cheek twitched. "It seems as if you've had enough excitement for the night, so class dismissed."

The other houses practically bolted for the dorms. Gajeel sighed and slowly walked across the field. Levy hurried back to her spot by his elbow. A group of Puffs huddled close. Gajeel raised an eyebrow, baffled as to why they voluntarily wanted to stay with him. After a moment, their soft voices drifted over the night and occasionally Levy's nervous laughter punctuated their words.

Gajeel nodded, hustling forward. Of course they wanted to be with their house Prefect…that had to be the only reason.