Cannot take from the forest [Lusitania]

[Deleted]

April 2024

It was early April. The young Druids had gone to Hogwarts for their OWLs. Fiona, and her sister included. There were students from other schools there too, for some tournament of another. Fiona wasn't too interested in that, but there were an exceptional amount of magical creatures on the grounds. She liked that. The Forest, which was near the castle was quite fun to explore too. Though, the students at Hogwarts all said that it was forbidden to students. There was the loop hole. Fiona was not a student at the school. The girl loved the forest, and even had some good conversations about the stars with a centaur herd that was there.

As the girl walked out of the forest, she couldn't seem to figure out why it would be so forbidden. True, Druids were different from regular wizards. She looked up at the large stone castle, it reminding her of some ruins back at home. This world was definitely different from the one she had known all her life. The girl walked a ways to where she had left her things, including her shoes, and picked them up. That was when she heard someone approaching. Wondering if it was her sister, the girl looked up.

@lusie

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Lusie had always been a good student. She was sorted into Hufflepuff house and she found that to be a good fit for herself. She was sweet, kind, and helpful. Though she tended to distance herself from most people once they realized who she was. Lusie Windsor seemed an unassuming name to most, but anyone who thought about it for more than a few minutes would know the ties of her name to Muggle Royalty. Lusie was a princess of Great Britain. She was the youngest granddaughter of the crowned Queen. Because of that, a lot of people seemed to use her for her connections or the status that came from being friends with a princess. However, also because of that, Lusie had the training and etiquette to notice new people and make them feel welcome.

She noticed the girl, whom she had never before seen, walking towards the forest from the castle during a break in her testing schedule. The OWLs were killing her, but she felt satisfied every time she managed to finish one without breaking into tears. The thought popped into her head that perhaps this girl was one of the students who came to the castle just for the exams, she knew there were homeschooled kids who came to test. Lusie, being the nice girl she was, approached the girl as she came out of the forest. “Hi.” Lusie said sweetly, trying not to frighten her by approaching from behind. “I’m Lusie. You alright?” she asked. She was in the forest after all. Lusie wouldn’t date step foot in that forest without a professor.

@fiona

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In all honesty, it hadn't been long since Fiona had come to this area, but she wasn't too sure she liked it. The forest reminded her of home. the sounds and smells were foreign but familiar. The girl didn't want to leave the forest, but she was at Hogwarts for the tests.

As she picked up a hand made bag, and her shoes, she'd put them on when she got closer to the castle, a girl walked up. Looking up, she was a little sad that it wasn't her sister, but perhaps it was for the best. The girl seemed nice enough, and was in quite a "proper" pose. Swinging the bag onto her shoulder. She sung around to face the girl with a smile "I'm Fiona, friends call me Fee." She spoke in English. She was familiar with the language, thanks to tourists and her and her sister's side business on the island. "And why wouldn't I be alright?" The girl looked back at the forest then to the girl, who was wearing a school uniform "There's nothing in there that would hurt me." Perhaps another young girl who wasn't a Druid, but not Fiona. She, like the rest of her people, had a close bond with nature. "Though I did see some strange tracks, something may have followed me out" She laughed as her mischievous smile showed.

@lusie

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“Nice to meet you, Fee. My name’s actually Lusitania, but everyone just calls me Lusie.” she knew she had already told the girl her name, but when people introduced themselves by their full name and then gave their nickname, Lusie felt the need to as well, though she literally could not remember the last time someone had called her Lusitania. Besides at very formal events when they used everyone’s full, formal names. She hated those events. Fee insisted that there was nothing in the forest that would hurt and her Lusie nodded. “Fair enough, I suppose the professors probably build it up just to keep people out.” Lusie still wouldn’t go in, but she also chose to ignore the comment about something possibly following her out. Lusie was harder to scare than that, and she chose not to engage in comments that she didn’t see a polite ending to. “Are you here for the exams? I think i recognize you from the Herbology OWL.” she could be wrong, but her fair, and oddly enough, her ears, looked familiar. Perhaps Lusie had been seated behind her.

@fiona

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“Nice to meet you, Fee. My name’s actually Lusitania, but everyone just calls me Lusie.” This was fun. Fiona was actually making a friend. Someone not on her island, that she was somehow related to. The girl seemed really nice too, if not just a little stiff. "Lusie fits you"

The forest had quickly became Fiona's favorite place. She wondered if she could sleep the night there? She hadn't heard any rule against it. "I do think I saw some young Acromantula. I didn't know they were in this area" She said casually. She gave a shrug as the conversation shifted. “Are you here for the exams? I think i recognize you from the Herbology OWL.” Fiona nodded. "Yup, just here for the OWLs." She thought about the girl's comment about herbology. It took a moment, but recognition came to her face. "I think we were. My sister and I." The "we" just came out so naturally. "Could they have picked any easier questions?" The girl asked with a smile and a laugh. "But I guess they weren't written with Hy-Brasil in mind."

@lusie

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Lusie smiled when Fee said that her nickname fit her. She felt the same way. She knew her siblings weren’t all too crazy about their names either, but she liked hers, at least the shortened version of hers. Fee mentioned that she thought she saw some Acromantula in the forest and Lusie blinked. She probably would have screamed if she saw anything bigger than the spiders that would sometimes find their way into the common room. “Oh yeah, i’ve heard there may be some in there. I’m not entirely sure they’re native.” rumor was that a student had accidentally started a colony of them in the forest when he snuck one into the castle like 100 years ago, or maybe not 100 years ago. Lusie couldn't say she paid very close attention to that unit in Care of Magical creatures.

Fee agreed that she was just here for the OWLs, and that she and her sister were in that exam. Fee then asked if they could have made the questions any easier with a laugh and an easy expression on her face. “Oh I know, right? I’m glad i’m not the only one who was concerned that it was too easy.” Lusie was good at school, one of the top witches in her year. And, being a Hufflepuff, excess knowledge of the subject came naturally to her. Her common room was filled with plants, after all. “Hy-Brasil?” Lusie asked. She did know vaguely about Druids, but not enough to recognize the name at first.

@fiona

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“Oh yeah, i’ve heard there may be some in there. I’m not entirely sure they’re native.” Fiona's interest was peaked. She wondered if she would be able to find their nest and ask one. "Really?! How fascinating. I wonder where their from" But that was for another time.

The girl sympathized with Fiona about the test being super easy, an the girl could feel a bond beginning to weave itself. “Hy-Brasil?” the girl asked. This made more sense. Not all the students knew that the Druids came from their island to take their OWLs and NEWTs. And she had learned that they weren't the only ones who went to the school for those tests. "My home. It's a magical Island. All the plants and animals on it are magical, except for the Animagus'." She herself had just recently turned, just before coming.

@lusie

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Once Fiona began to explain what Hy-Brasil was, it clicked in Lusie’s head. “Oh, that’s right. I’ve read about it. Isn’t it rumored that muggles can only see your island like one day out of every 7 years or something?” besides just reading the books Lusie found here, she was well versed in various muggle folklore and found it just as entertaining. Especially as many of their stories and rumors came from real things in their world. It was funny to see what sorts of things muggles came up with to explain those away. “It sounds lovely. I’d love to be surrounded by magic like that.” of course she was surrounded by magic here at Hogwarts, but never at home. Magic was all but banned from Windsor Castle. Even in their private quarters. “So you get to just come here for the exams? That’s kind of cool. Are you staying in the castle?” she was never sure how that worked. Maybe they got to stay at an inn in Hogsmeade or just came for the day and would use the floo network home in between exams.

@fiona

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Fiona could see the moment that things clicked for the girl. "Yea, something like that" It was weird that people were reading books about something that Fiona was living. But not everyone could have been born in such an amazing place. “It sounds lovely. I’d love to be surrounded by magic like that.” Fee laughed, "It's better than that. You should come sometime, I'll show you around. Just leave any muggle objects at home." She chuckled "Their against the rules." Fiona saw no use for them, but she knew that many students here were half bloods of muggle born.

Fiona nodded at the girls next question. The Druid kids had just come for the exams. Their actual schooling happened out in nature. "Are you staying in the castle?” "Thankfully no. All of us are staying down at Hogsmeade." The girl glanced back at the forest "But I may spend some time with the centaurs looking at the stars before I sleep" Again, there wasn't a rule about it. Maybe she could get Freya to go with her. The two of them could sleep under the stars. She turned back to the girl, ready to ask an honest question "Do you think anyone would notice a small weasel on the grounds?"

@lusie

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Lusie’s mind couldn’t even comprehend the amount of magic that Fee was talking about regarding her island. Fee said that she should come to visit sometime but she would just have to leave any muggle items at home because it was against the rules to bring them. Lusie nodded. “I’d love that. I can live without muggle items.” she declared. Unless books counted. She did love her muggle books. She loved the stories, and she loved the escapism, even if a lot of their fantasy was her everyday life. “There’s not a lot of it that’s of use to us, anyway.” sure her castle was filled with various screens. Computers, TVs, phones for when they were home during the holidays. But Lusie left them all at home and couldn’t say she missed them. She spent most of her days in front of a book anyway.

Fee explained that they were staying in Hogsmeade during their visit to the castle for the exams and Lusie nodded, she thought that was the coolest thing she had ever heard of. “That’s so much fun! I love the village. I’d love to stay there and take the walk to the castle everyday.” she definitely romanticized Hogsmeade village. Then she added that she may spend some time with the centaurs before she fell asleep and Lusie felt her eyes widen. “I can’t imagine being that close to a centaur. They don’t much care for us.” she admitted. And she wasn’t sure she could blame them. Humans did tend to be the worst sorts of creatures. Fee asked if anyone would notice a small weasel wandering the grounds and Lusie shook her head, wondering why she would ask that. “no, why?” perhaps she had a pet with her.

@fiona

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In all of Fiona's life, she had been surrounded by magic, and connected to the earch. She played with dragons, and learned from centaurs. Nifflers helped her find shiny things for her craft. The girl didn't know how else to live. “I’d love that. I can live without muggle items.” Fee laughed "Some try to smuggle them in, but the guardians quickly take them into custody." she said casually, as if talking about the weather. Fiona was, if nothing else, a folower of the rules.

"The village is nice." The girl agreed. It reminded her a little of the one at home, though it was much busier and had more shops. Lusie then proved to be just like many other wizards. “I can’t imagine being that close to a centaur. They don’t much care for us.” And Fiona nodded "That's the difference between wizards and druids. We have become one with nature, and we live in harmony with all creatures." In all honesty, it was the same as animals cohabitating the same area. Fiona felt a kinship with the centaurs because of her love of watching the stars. She had studied in class, but she also learned as she spoke with the centaur herd on Hy-Brasil. She had spent meany nights with them, watching and observing.

When it came to asking the girl about a weasel, Fiona's mischievous smile returned. "You wanna see something cool?" She said, and without waiting for a response, she dropped her shoes and bag back onto the ground and morphed into a small long tailed weasel. The creature scampered around the girl and around the grass before returning to the same spot and turning back into the orange haired girl, still smiling.

@lusie

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Lusie couldn’t help but giggle a little when she said that the guardians would take the muggle items that people tried to smuggle in. She had so many questions. They touched on this sort of thing in school, but they never went into much detail. She couldn’t help but be curious. Other cultures and languages were her passion. She spoke several languages and planned on continuing to add more to her vocabulary. But she decided not to ask more questions. Not right now, at least. She didn’t want to bombard her new friend.

Fee agreed that the village was nice and then added that being so close to a centaur was one of the differences that wizards and Druids had. Lusie nodded. She knew the girl was a druid, but hearing her say it herself made her chest bubble with… delight? Excitement? Whatever it was, it was just cool. She felt the same way when she met the international students for the first time, this year. She had been surrounded by people exactly like her for her whole life, muggle royalty and then English wizards, meeting anyone else was thrilling. “That sounds incredible. I love plants and creatures, it would be incredible to have that same kind of connection.” she admitted.

The girl smiled and then asked if Lusie wanted to see something cool. She nodded. “Um sure.” why not? Plus, she was trying to make a good impression and wanted to seem cooler than she was. But then she dropped her bag before Lusie even finished her words and in front of her eyes became a weasel. “Oh my.” Lusie giggled. Her eyes followed the small creature...er...her new friend, until she became herself again. “Wow, that was probably the coolest thing i’ve ever seen.” she admitted.

@fiona

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It was true, the world was very different from the one the Druids lived in. And, if she was being honest, which Fiona always was, she preferred the Druids way. The rest of the world were just loud. No one seemed to respect, or understand nature as it was. Not they way Fiona and her people did.

“That sounds incredible. I love plants and creatures, it would be incredible to have that same kind of connection.” Fiona understood that it wasn't possible. The connection that the Druids had with nature had been forged through centuries. "Well, come to Hy-Brasil, and I'll introduce you to whatever you like." She smiled. Druids lived in harmony with many magical creatures. Fiona, herself, had been known to play in dragon's nests at a very young age. The girl did know that the creatures didn't have the same reaction to wizards, but it would be alright. She would help her friend experience some of their world.

Fiona's animagus form was new to her, and she loved it. She couldn't wait until her sister completed the process. She knew the girl was close. But it wasn't easy. The girl laughed at Fiona's show. “Wow, that was probably the coolest thing i’ve ever seen.” Fiona beamed at the compliment. She didn't even get one when she told her family she had completed it. "Thanks. It's such a normal thing on Hy-Brasil. But here, I haven't seen a single one." The girl paused. "Granted, you do have muggle animals. We don't have any at home."

@lusie

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Fiona told her to come to Hy-Brasil and she would introduce her to whatever she liked. Lusie couldn;t imagine it. She couldn’t imagine the separations not being there between wizards and creatures or half bloods. She couldn’t imagine stargazing with centaurs or wandering a field where hippogriffs roamed. She knew places like that existed, but it wasn’t something that she ever really considered doing. Kind of because she hadn’t met anyone from a place like that before so it was just too out of reach to even think about. “I’d love to. Is your island open for wizards to just come visit?” she hoped that Fiona didn’t find that question offensive - but she just didn’t know. And she didn’t want to go somewhere that she wasn’t prepared to be.

“Yeah it’s not so usual here, at least not with the students.” Lusie admitted. She didn’t really know anyone who was one, but she was sure there were some around the castle that just kept it to themselves. “it’s not legal for students, really.” she added, as if trying to explain why her species was significantly less cool. “ was it hard to learn? How long have you been able to do it?” she asked.

@fiona

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Fiona was aware that not many people outside of the druids understood their connections with nature. The girl had played with dragons and griffons when she was just able to walk. She loved her life, and where she lived. The girl said that she would enjoy visiting Hy-Brasil and Fiona's smile increased “Is your island open for wizards to just come visit?” The girl nodded "Hy-Brasil is open to visitors. More tend to come during out festivals, but many come all year around." She would warn the girl to beware of swindlers, selling non authentic item with fanciful stories. But her and her sister were the biggest causes of that warning.

Fiona wasn't surprised that it wasn't as common, but still found it strange. Nearly half (or more) of the druids were Animagus. It was so normal to her, and one of the reasons she knew what specific animals looked like. “it’s not legal for students, really.” The girl knew that the ministry had strict rules. She was registered with them. But the Druids were mostly separate.

The girl asked if it was hard. "There is a process." She admitted "It can take quite some time, depending on if any of the steps get messed up, but there were lots of Druids that helped give some good pointers." The girl couldn't stop smiling. "It's actually very new to me. I just completed it last thunderstorm."

@lusie