Herbology/DADA Team One (Josh, Louise, Tristan, Lucy)

They were led deeper and deeper into the forest, Tristan taking in every turn they made. Direction was another thing he had acquired on the streets, for finding your way back to a good spot to find food was always a handy thing. But alas, forest was not his domain, and although he tried his best, he still found that he wasn't a hundred percent sure of the way back out.

Once they reached their allocated place, Tristan took the opportunity to absorb the surrounding, quickly adapting his survival strategies as best he could.

He listened and nodded along with the instructions given by Josh. It didn't strike him as odd that the older Slytherin was the one to take charge, and Tristan was perfectly fine with that; he knew that Josh was good at managing teams. After all, he had quickly found out that the Slytherin Quidditch team wasn't the best for nothing.

Moving towards Lucy, he smiled at her slightly. "I can hunt some rabbits. You can do the berries," he said, knowing that he worked best alone when it came to things like that.

He turned away from her and started towards a clearing he had spotted while on their way there. It wasn't too far from camp, so he was confident he would be able to find his way back. Stopping in the middle of the area, he began searching for the all-too-familiar burrows. A few times, when he was still on the streets, he had found himself the odd job of hunting rabbits for farmers that had gotten irritated at the pests, and he knew exactly what he was doing.

Finding a hole, he picked up a medium sized rock nearby, positioned himself against the wind, and sat down. It was a waiting game, but after many minutes, he saw the tip of the whiskers peeping out of the hole. Quickly, with reflexes trained to be near-perfect, he reached down into the burrow with his free hand and grabbed at the soft fur, pulling out a fairly fat rabbit. Bringing down the rock, he felt it make contact with the skull. A crunching sound echoed around the clearing, and he gave the now-lifeless body a shake to ensure it was really dead before he dropped the rock and made his way back to the campsite.

Tagging behind the boys Louise was making note of the path they took, identifying the shapes of the trees, she could see Josh and Tristan doing similar looking but it didn't hurt for all of them to know the way back. She let Josh talk, smiling hearing he was being quite polite for once. She ignored the unspoken slight about sleeping in a tree, it was just an idea and really much safer, but seeing the trees around them, it wouldn't really support the four of them.

When Lucy and Tristan left Louise began collecting rocks and piling them up to one side then using a small bombardum spell blasted a small pit in the clearing. Happy with that she put the rocks around the pit and a few smaller ones in the bottom. She worked quite happily finding dry wood, and dry leaves to use as kindling. She checked over to see how Josh was doing and put the first few sticks and bits of logs in the pit along with the leaves, then nudging her wand into it. "Laconum inflamare." She pulled it back happy with the flames starting to climb up through the leaves and the twigs. She put a few more on and pondered transfiguring a spit or something, for cooking later.

Lucy walked with the other people in her group through the forest and to their destination. She wasn't much of a camper, but she figured that using magic meant that it wouldn't be too bad, much easier then the few times her family had decided to go when she was younger to 'reconnect with nature' or something.

When they got there, and when the Professors left, Josh began giving out commands, very straight to the point. And god, it was just like quidditch practice. And she put up with it then, because he was the captain, and he was tough, but he made his team great. It irritated her now though, because he just assumed that everyone would follow on. And it seemed that everyone did go about doing what he had said.

She nodded at what Tristan said and, with an audible sigh, clearly unhappy with Josh's bossiness, she set out to look for something for them to eat, not necessarily Blackberries, just something. It was better to get on with it and to achieve a good mark then to argue about trivial things like someone being too bossy.

Weighing the rabbit in his hand, he had very soon discovered that it was not going to be enough to feed four people. He would need a second one - preferably of equal or more size - in order for there to be enough meat to go around. Scouring the area, he spotted another hole.

With a soft sigh, he repeated his earlier actions, except this time, placing the dead rabbit at his feet to prevent any unwanted attention drawn to it. Minutes late, he had a second rabbit, which was, unfortunately, slightly smaller than the first one. Still, he hoped it would be enough to keep them full for the night, if Lucy could find some suitable berries or nuts to help fill them up.

He walked slowly back to their location, the weight of the two rabbits - one in each hand - slowing him down. He was drawn to the fire and their sleeping quarters, but he pushed the thoughts of sharing a tent with Josh aside for the time being. He would worry about it when the time came.

"Here," he said, throwing the two rabbits onto the ground near Josh. "Is this enough? Anything else you need me to do?"

Louise smiled at Josh and sat near the fire waiting for the others to return. It seemed Tristan had some success in finding rabbits. "Well done Tristan. Thank you." She offered the boy a smile and picked up one of the rabbits, thinking over how to go about skinning them and having them drained quickly. "Could one of you transfigure a knife for me please?" She asked, looking between the two boys. "I'll make up a spit but I think it will take an hour before the fire's hot enough to cook anything."

After a while of walking, Lucy eventually found a couple of patches of blackberries. She'd considered dawdling, taking her time, to spite Josh, simply because she didn't appreciate being ordered around like that outside the Quidditch Pitch, but found that she'd prefer getting a higher grade then being petty.

She took off her outer robe and bunched it up, to make a makeshift basket of sorts, and stripped the patches of their berries. She decided to take all of them, considering they were only staying out for a night. It didn't take long before she navigated her way back to camp "Found some," she announced, holding up the bundle.

Immediately Tristan caught the look on Josh's face and he stared back at him. As afraid of the older Slytherin as he was, he would not let himself be bullied. It was just something he wasn't going to allow. He knew the type of person standing in front of him - or at least, he hoped he was right - and figured the only way to avoid getting a trashing was if he could somehow impress Josh. Or, if not impress, show the boy that he was not someone weak.

"Well done Tristan. Thank you."

He nodded at Louise, managing a small smile. "It wasn't too hard. If there's not enough I can catch more," he said bluntly, not realizing it could come across as bragging. He watched Josh transfigure the knife and the goblets, taking a few the moment it was offered to Lucy and him.

He was about to head off in the direction of a small river he had seen when he paused and turned back. "Louise," he started, slowly and carefully, not wanting to sound bossy or overly eager. "If you need help, I know how to clean rabbits and get all the gunk out." He had learnt how to do so from one of the people he had worked for, and it had gotten him some extra money when he offered that service to others.

Just as he was about to continue, he realized exactly where he was, and almost laughed at himself. He had been so focused on survival that he had forgotten that he was in Hogwarts, and that this was a class. Removing his wand, he pointed it at the first goblet, hoping that the spell he had learnt was going to work. When he tried it in class, it had taken him six tries before a few drops had emerged, and another four before he got a bare trickle of water.

"Aguamenti," he said firmly, aiming the tip at the cup. Nothing happened at first, and he tried to forget the fact that people were nearby, probably watching him. "Aguamenti," he repeated, and, miraculously, a slow stream of water started out from his wand, filling the goblet with clean and fresh water. He repeated the process till he had filled all his cups, and then turned to Lucy, wondering if she had finished hers.

Louise continued to smile at Tristan then took the knife from Josh and kneeled down to begin prepping the rabbits for cooking, for a moment picturing in her mind what she'd read and seen done. Yes a cut down the belly after removing the head. She cringed inwardly and went to make a clean cut through the neck when Tristan offered to do it. "I'm good I think I can remember how to do it." It seemed he had another job anyway after Josh asked for water.

Focusing on the rabbits again she pressed the blade down and put the head to one side then began carefully slicing down the middle and peeled the skin and fur back. It was a little messy but she got it cleaned up and removing the innards with the tip of the blade. She used her wand and made another hole, a bit deeper in the ground and buried the parts she wasn't going to use.

Once finished with the main part she used Wingardium leviosa to keep it off the ground neck down so it would drain in a few minutes. the second rabbit was a bit neater after practice on the first and like before buried the useless parts to keep anything from sniffing it out. She let the two small bodies hang in the air and then went about transfiguring a spit.

"And enough to wash the berries, if you and Lucy can do that?"

"Of course, washing the berries are easy," she said. No arguing, she wanted the grades. Grades were an important means of ensuring that she'd never have to do something like camping with someone who just ordered people around the whole time.

She tied up the bundle so they wouldn't roll out, and set them on the ground, to begin filling the goblets that Josh had transfigured, but stopped, thinking how it would be so much more efficient to just fill one huge bucket, and to transfigure something into a sift to rinse the berries.

She stopped mindlessly filling her goblets "It's easier to wash berries through a sift," she explained and she aimed her wand at a rock, murmuring the spell and transforming it to a metal bowl with smaller holes in the bottom. She picked up the berries and poured some of them in, before aiming her wand and casting "Aquamenti," streaming water into it while simultaneously shuffling the berries to clean them.

By the time he had turned around, he saw Lucy had finished cleaning the berries, and nodded at her before moving closer to the fire and placing the cups down.

"Anybody got an idea on what creature or plant we'll be faced with?"

Shaking his head, he said, "No, not really. I don't know what lives in this forest" Tristan had somewhat lessened his fear of the older Slytherin boy, realizing that in class, everyone could be counted on to help one another. That didn't mean, however, that he trusted him. No, trust was not something that Tristan offered so easily, but a temporary alliance was another matter.

"And does anyone have a better idea than doing watches through the night to make sure we're not ambushed?"

Finally, something he was good at: protection and keeping one's sleeping place well hidden. "We can set up a string around the area, tie it to something that makes noise. If something tries to enter, it will make a sound and we will all know." He paused, suddenly remembering the setting in which he was in. "Are there any spells that could do that?" he asked, uncertain.

Louise waited to finish her work before chipping in with her thoughts, happy with the iron looking sticks that would serve as a cooking utensil for today. "Isn't there a giant or giants wandering around here? Oh and Acromantulas, those massive spiders?" She asked, sitting back and pointing her wand at the floating skinless bunnies and turning them in the air to make sure she'd done a thorough enough job. "I like Tristan's idea but what about things that could attack from the air or underground? Would that be covered by an alarm spell?" She looked between her team mates.

Lucy listened quietly as the others started to throw ideas around for alternatives to them having to keep watch. Tristan's idea was pretty good. And using the alarm spell was definitely an excellent alternative to waking up in the middle of the night to take turns in watching.

"I like Tristan's idea but what about things that could attack from the air or underground? Would that be covered by an alarm spell?"

"Well, if it doesn't, we could modify Tristan's idea a bit," she spoke up "I mean, put an alarm spell up. And incase it doesn't cover the above area, I suggest we use fishing line, and bells or something. Pull it taut around the trees and sort of make it like a web, then if anything tries to land, one, it'll be caught, or delayed, and possible make noise itself. And two, if something does try, we'll hear the bells move,"

When the others took his suggestion, Tristan smiled slightly to himself, glad that at least he could contribute something. A couple of hours later, the rabbit had been cooked, and served. It was not his first time eating rabbit, and he quite enjoyed the tenderness of the meat.

"You guys sleep, I'll keep watch. I'll wake you when it's time to get moving again."

He hesitated for a second, wondering if he should mention that earlier, the Slytherin had mentioned something about taking turns, but decided against questioning Josh. Instead, he moved towards the tent, crawling inside and curling up into a small protective ball in the furthest corner. After he made sure that the two students had had enough space, he closed him eyes and fell asleep within minutes.

Well it wasn't that bad of an attempt, Josh was just being picky. 'Sorry buster no gourmet meals out her in the wildy wilds.' She thought silently when Josh gave her the burned parts. She didn't mind the crunchy bits too much, it was like barbecue.

She hadn't heard of the caterwauling charm before so she was interested to see it in action. Once it was time to turn in Louise followed the others to the tent and stayed near the front but left room for anyone to move in or out if they needed to. She stayed up a little while longer keeping an eye on Josh from inside the tent till she couldn't keep her eyes open any longer, curling up in a ball with her cheek pressed against her arm.

Dinner rolled round, and in all honesty, the rabbit Louise cooked wasn't entirely bad, as Lucy presumed it would be. It wasn't the greatest, obviously, but not inedible at least. But she didn't complain, it was part of the assignment. And they still had the berries to eat as well.

When Josh told them to go to sleep, Lucy was relieved. She felt exhausted from not only the day, but school and prefect duties, and of course just her habit of staying up rather late. It was beginning to catch up with her. So she crawled into the tent, letting herself relax for once, and drifted quickly into a light sleep.

It was not the soundless, deep sleep that Tristan had become accustomed to in his new home, but rather, a fitful, half-awake state. He was not unfamiliar to that kind of rest, for it was what he did when he was on the streets, to prevent anyone from sneaking up on him. This was exactly why, when he heard an odd shuffling, his eyes snapped open, his hand groping around for his wand and gripping it firmly.

The moment he head the words of the older Slytherin outside, he sat up, crawling over the two girls and scrambling outside within seconds. Already he could see the spiders making their way towards them. He knew not the spells which Josh was using, which seemed powerful and somewhat darker than what he had learnt so far in lessons. Still, he reasoned that it was just something that those in more advanced classes, but didn't dwell on it for too long.

Focusing on the creatures crawling towards him, he ran through all the spells he knew - namely Stupefy and Flippendo - and began to systematically cast at the spiders approaching him, ignoring the screeching given off by the protective spell.

"Grey. Walters. Waters. Get up." Well since you asked so nicely. Louise grumbled and rolled over, getting up as Tristan bounded out of the tent. 'Oh f..bugger." Louise pulled herself out of the tend, hair a mess but that really wasn't important right now, she doubted giant spiders gave a toss. "I hate spiders." She grouched and found herself between Josh and Tristan and began taking aim, and letting arrows fly out from the tip of her wand. If they didn't kill they sunk themselves deeply enough to pin the spiders in place so they could be killed later.

She moved around their little clearing, they were coming from all around, although their teachers had said they wouldn't be in too much danger the adrenaline kept coming in waves. After one ballsy Acromantula took a flying leap at Louise she backed up into Josh's back as she let a flurry of arrows fly into it's underbelly and took aim at the next one, trying not to shudder at the clicking pincers or angry hissing.

She heard Josh's command and her eyes snapped open, and already Louise and Tristan were scrambling out of the tent to see what was going on. She immediately reached for her wand and followed them out. She saw the other Slytherins fighting off the Acromantula's that were attacking them, and internally cringed. Of course it had to be giant spiders attacking them.

Of course, she had to help fight them off. She moved ahead, closer to the action, one of them taking a leap towards her. She cast at it the most powerful spell she could think of, reducto, blasting it to pieces. After seeing the success of that spell, she continued to cast at any other spider that was near enough.