Scene.Out.Of.A.Novel

[britkneeboo]

Reserved for Ethan.

Passing over me like a book you've read.

Forbidden or not, the forest that surrounded Hogwarts wasn't a place many students dared to venture. Mafalda herself hadn't actually stepped foot into the forest before, but she often found herself right at its edge, staring deep into the darkness, and silently pondering the secrets that it held. There was a special place she liked to go to sit and think. She felt like she could empty all her frustrations into the dark woods and nobody would ever know about them, except maybe the creatures within. The place was surrounded by old rocks, different in sizes, some about as big as a muggle car. One could find Mafalda at the present time, sitting upon one of the smaller rocks. Her head was bent over a book, blond hair falling down over the pages. She read to herself, every so often speaking words allowed. Her concentration was so lost in the book that she hardly looked up, unless a loud noise from within the forest presented itself. In that case she would often stare intensely into the trees, looking for any sign of movement. If she ever saw anything or thought she saw anything she would pack up and leave, but so far she had only heard noises - allowing her to go back to her reading.

The title of the book she was so engrossed in was Emma. It was a novel by Jane Austen, an author that she had become extremely interested in over the past year. This particular novel was about a young woman, named Emma, who fancied herself a matchmaker. She was quite spoiled though, thinking herself too good for any man, and refuses to ever marry. Mafalda was nearing the end of the novel, as she sat there, and although she hadn't cared for it much when she started it she now was finding it hard to help but wonder how it ended. Mafalda believed that Emma deserved nobody for the way she was acting, especially not her best friend and neighbor, Mr. Knightley. "Who falls in love with their best friend," she said to herself, closing the book. She still had another chapter to read, but now found herself a little angry at the protagonist of the story, and unwilling to read any further until she was in the mood.

"I mean really," she said, speaking to the forest in front of her. "When he has been in love with her this entire time, and she has been too busy with her own problems to even realize....I don't think she deserves to be with him now." Mafalda tossed the book down by her feet, and watched it come open, a few pages fluttering back and forth in the wind. It was starting to get cold as the sun sunk lower and lower in the sky. The forest would soon become too spooky for her to handle, and she would want to go back to her dorm. "I hate happy endings."

[ethan]

{Keeping up appearances}

Anger.

Anyone could relate to that feeling, right? Not many understood it when it came to his own matters, but nobody had the right to question it. Especially not now. Not now, when apparently everything was going downhill. But he did have a knack for exaggeration, and the truth was that ever since that night in the Forbidden Forest, the one he’d spent talking with Indigo, he’d been in a foul mood. Her lack of response only managed to confuse him further, which, in turn, had made him feel all the more bitter about the encounter. He hadn’t shown any external signs of it until just a few days ago. All this dating going on around the castle certainly did take a toll on everyone, even if they were willing to deny it to their fullest extent. Oh, but he knew better. He knew better than to believe their stuttered replies and flushed faces.

Man, he hated feeling like this. He hated being uncertain about anything because he was always in control. So, being the wizard in control, he had to finish all his tasks. It didn’t matter that he was using them as an attempt to be able to push away his errant thoughts, what mattered was that he was doing them. Or setting out to do them, in any case. See, everything had just gone bloody spectacular. Up until he remembered that specific chore that had been asked of him, and he hadn’t been able to complete, distracted as he had been that night with, well, with her.

See? He was even thinking in circles, going back to the root of all his evil. He had to be able to push her out of his mind once and for all. It was driving him nuts just thinking about it. Ethan had to focus. He was about to go into the Forbidden Forest, damn it! He needed his senses on alert if he intended to come out of there alive. Of course, it wasn’t at night like the other time, but being surreptitious hadn’t served its purpose, so, now, he tried a more obvious intent. If anyone spotted him and tried to stop him, he could just pretend to be doing some kind of detention for Diable. They would believe him. And if they didn’t and decided to check (which was highly improbable), by the time they confirmed their suspicions, he would be long gone out of the Forbidden Forest. He didn’t plan on staying there for long. Nobody in their five senses liked it there. Even he had the guts to admit that the dark forest gave him the chills, and he wouldn’t go within a 100 yards of it voluntarily. But this wasn’t optional. It had to be done.

So Ethan Cartier, seventh year Gryffindor, could be spotted through a high tower window, trudging his way to the fringe of dark trees that had the potential to swallow you whole. His head was raised high, his shoulders thrown back as he courageously made it through the fringe of rocks that was first. Not. His pain was set in a painful grimace, and his eyes were squinting against…well, something. If you asked him, he really didn’t want to go there. But once he said something, he had to do it. Something to do with honor and one’s word.

What a fool.

So, it was under that situation that he walked right past an occupied rock without noticing its occupant. If he had, perhaps he would have found the perfect excuse to stop his unwilling trek, and as it were, fate was on his side. For it was that moment, that Mafalda decided to speak up.

"I hate happy endings."

He stopped dead on his tracks, obviously scared out of his skin, but not showing it. Just not yet. Slowly, giving time to compose his face, he turned around. To be faced with the features of a somewhat faintly familiar figure. “Funny, because here I am, wishing for my personal one,” he commented idly, studying the picture she portrayed, a book near.

[britkneeboo]

Always what you meant,
never what you said.

A couple more pages of the book fluttered in the breeze, the flapping of them causing Ethan's already quiet footsteps to go unnoticed. Mafalda had just been about to decide to leave her rock and return to the warmth of the castle when she heard a voice that nearly made her jump out of her skin. She scared easily. If someone walked up behind her in broad daylight, in class, she would jump. This situation was far more frightening, and she only calmed down when she saw that he was at least human. Mafalda moved her hand to her chest, covering her heart, and paused a moment to feel it beating out of her chest. She hadn't had a scare like that in a very long time. After fright, her next emotion was anger. How dare he sneak up on her and what gave him the right? She didn't have time to yell at him about it though, after she replayed what he said to her.

Funny, because here I am, wishing for my personal one.

His words made Mafalda sad. She suddenly wished that she had kept her own feelings about happy endings to herself. It was obvious that not everyone shared her idea. "I..I'm sorry," she managed to mumble, letting her eyes adjust to his face. Even after she was fully focused on him she wasn't sure that she recognized him. Evan...is that it? No, that doesn't sound right. Mafalda silently tried to solve the mystery of who the boy standing before her was. Even if she remembered his name it wouldn't really solve much though. I have him in some classes. Why can't I reme- Ethan!

"I'm sorry," she said, apologizing again. It was hard to say much else with the words he had sprung on her. She could have gone on the entire night just telling him she was sorry and somehow she doubted that would make it any better for him. "I'm just a little...Ethan, right? What brings you out here so late in the evening? Surely you aren't going in there." Mafalda found it hard to believe that anybody could go into the forest in the daytime, let alone willingly near dark. She looked passed the figure of the boy, deep into the darkness, and felt a shiver run up her body. The branches hung low, almost blocking anybody from entering. Blocking wasn't the right word for it - warning anybody from entering. It was a sign to turn back. Anything that was that difficult to break into probably wasn't any easier to break out of, and probably wasn't worth it in the first place.

[ethan]

{Keeping up with the Jones'}

Oops. There, he’d gone and done it. Scared the poor girl out of her skin, it seemed. But weren’t his footsteps transmitting loud and clear? He mentally shrugged. Perhaps he’d just sprung on her on an incorrect moment. Merlin, yet another thing to add to his list of just what was wrong with him. “Inopportune” was just a great way to top off that list. The cherry on the metaphorical cake. He rolled his eyes mentally. How could one be so irritated with himself and yet be able to co-exist with his mind? Foul, foul mood, honestly.

So instead of bickering to death with himself, he decided to open his mouth and apologize. After all, he had scared her pretty badly. “I’m sorry,” and burst out laughing when they said at the same moment. He grinned and blinked, shrugging. “You’re sorry?” He shook his head yet again in puzzlement. “Whatever for? I’m the one who scared you, and I’m the one stupid bloke who actually wants a happy ending, instead of just having something.” That was true. When he talked his roommates, it was more than clear that they didn’t share his same perspective in life. Maybe it was the whole only-child thing, or whatever, but Ethan didn’t run along the same lines of other wizards his age. He’d never been able to solve that, but he wasn’t interested either. He respected individuality. Or at times, he pretended he did. Although, most of the time he was pretty sincere with acceptance. What was the whole point in faking?

Ethan waved a dismissive hand as she apologized again. Really, he didn’t get it. Everyone had different opinions. It wasn’t as if he’d been mocked for what he wanted before. But she wasn’t mocking or anything. Au contraire, it had been him who had heard something that hadn’t been intended for anyone to hear. “I just popped up on you, so I’m the one who’s really sorry.” He was stopped short yet again when she mentioned his name. He nodded somewhat enthusiastically and smiled, hearing her end up the sentence. When she did though, Ethan’s expression dropped just a fraction before he regained absolute composure. “Oh, umm, about that. Psht, yeah as if,” he said, somewhat unconvincingly. Nope, there was no way he’d admit to anything. Not even if you wanted to Crucio it out of him. Some things were meant to be kept private. Even if it translated into him having to lie. Something that he didn’t do that well, and hated to even think about. There was just something so innately horrendous in lies that made him shrink away from them. So, he tried to stick as close to the truth as he could. “I don’t have a deathwish,” he added, more honestly this time. And that was because he didn’t. He just had an errand, that apparently, was not to be completed. There was no way he was going in there now that he’d found another living human being around it.

“I’m sorry, I’m not sure I caught your name,” he said, a slight frown marring his face, trying to remember if she had even mentioned it. With all the instant nervousness she had caused upon the mention of entering the Forest, he’d all but gone slightly ditzy.

[britkneeboo]

Discuss and deny something;
soon we simply just lie.

As if Mafalda hadn't been rattled enough. Then the boy decides to go and start laughing. She thought about pinching herself for a moment, quite sure she must be dreaming the entire thing. It was so weird, sitting at the edge of the Forbidden Forest, listening to a stranger laugh at something that would have been sort of funny if the circumstances would have been different. Nothing seemed to be matching up. She half expected to see a leprechaun appear, surrounded by rainbows, throwing out free golden coins. At least then she would know for sure if this was real or not. She decided to lightly pinch herself anyway, just to be sure, right on the arm. Ehsh...not a dream... Suddenly she felt very stupid for apologizing in the first place. It was a habit she did when she was shocked or confused, and didn't know what else to say.

I just popped up on you, so I’m the one who’s really sorry.

Now, it was her turn to laugh. She just couldn't help it. She now understood where is own laughter had come from. The word 'sorry' was being largely overused. Whether she was apologizing or he was, they somehow managed to carry on an apologetic conversation longer than any human being should have to. She looked down until her laughter subsided, which wasn't very long.

Oh, umm, about that. Psht, yeah as if. - I don’t have a deathwish.

Good answer, she thought, nodding as if she approved. ...but is it the correct one? She had a feeling he wasn't being completely honest, but it wasn't really her place to pry into his personal life. Although, it wasn't like he was trying to keep his personal life a huge secret considering he spilled a little bit of it to her with the first words he spoke. Mafalda didn't know Ethan well enough to judge him though, so she decided not to ask too many intruding questions. He had interrupted her silence though, so he obviously wanted to talk, right?

Mafalda resisted the urge to laugh again, when she realized he was talking, but almost not to her at all. It was like he was rambling or something, just trying to play it cool. He wasn't very good at 'playing it cool' if that were the case. Maybe she was just being too quiet. Should she just jump in at any moment and start a conversation? The choice was a difficult one, but luckily he made the decision for her with his question.

I’m sorry, I’m not sure I caught your name.

"I'd have to throw it, for you to catch it. Don'tcha think?" she asked, tilting her head, but putting on a friendly smile. Bad Mafalda, bad! No need for sarcasm yet. If there was one other thing she was really bad about, other than apologizing, it was using sarcasm when she didn't need to. An apologetic sarcastic person was a weird sort of mix in a Hufflepuff girl. Apologetic - yes. Sarcastic was usually reserved for other houses though. Maybe she should become the first official Slytherpuff. Too bad green and yellow weren't her idea of the best way to pair colors. She resisted the urge to say she was sorry again. "I'm Mafalda. I'm a seventh year," she said, figuring he could guess her house by the colored scarf that was crumpled on her lap. "I think we've got classes together." Mafalda took another look passed the boy and into the woods. "You know, I can leave if you want. Then you could not go into the woods there without me seeing you not go. If that helps any."

[ethan]

{Fooling my selfish heart}

“Good point,” Ethan agreed soberly, somehow managing to put his mood securely in the back of his mind for the moment. It was all a matter of control, wasn’t it? Yes, that had to be it. And he was good at that. Breathe in deeply and forget the fact that, recently, your life pretty much sucks because of a simple-minded girl. He closed his eyes for a second and closed his fingers around his wand. Yes, it was reassuring. Shouldn’t ask him why or how. That was how things were. He was used to unexplainable by now, though. That was how things seemed to be around him, anyway. So he was a pro at this. And at ignoring them too.

He smiled at her, nodding his acknowledgement to her name. “So you’re Mafalda, eh? Finally I get to place a face to the name. You wouldn’t believe it, but it’s crazy how much I’ve heard your name mentioned as of late.” And he wasn’t lying when he said that. Her name had kept popping up at the most random intervals, and he couldn’t help but feeling a bit curious as to who she was. Now that he observed her, Ethan nodded once again. Somehow, she did feet the description he’d made up of her in his mind. Yes, he’d been assuming once again, hex him. It was unstoppable! Why did people refused to understand that? It was almost an innate sense in him. It had been trained into him since he was ten, he had a right to hold on to that, right? You just couldn’t give up seven years, period. That was how things worked. So everyone had to suck it up. Except he knew that wasn’t to be. It would be whimsical of him to expect people to accept something so flawed, and inaccurate as his predictions turned to be.

“That’s right!” he exclaimed when he heard her year. “You’re, Hufflepuff, aren’t you?” He almost smacked himself when his eyes met the yellow scarf that was on her lap, and chuckled at his own obliviousness. And yet, here he was thinking himself just the great observer, with a right to assume and judge, and point fingers. Not that he had pointed anything at Mafalda. But if he kept on that track, he was bound to come up with something, that was a sure thing.

“Oh, no, stay. I was staying here anyway,” he fibbed, trying to placate her doubts around his truthfulness. Nobody was to know this. Nobody. It was just an errand, it was just an errand. And he was tired of repeating that inside his head all day. He had to find some other mantra. But see, that was his own way of keeping Indigo Rena Grace out. Once and for all, perhaps? That could work, maybe. Oh, what was wrong with him? “I’d like to know you a bit, if you don’t mind.” Yeah, that was his way of remedying things. Open his mouth.

[britkneeboo]

If you just open your eyes, you could get out of this,
But your such a success, you're just not built for it.

So you’re Mafalda, eh? Finally I get to place a face to the name. You wouldn’t believe it, but it’s crazy how much I’ve heard your name mentioned as of late.

Ok. Wow. Mafalda was speechless. She had never had a complete stranger act so surprised to finally meet her. It was a weird feeling for her to come to terms with, but it wasn't necessarily a bad one. She felt known. She felt like the entire world was talking about her and she was the center of the universe. Then she remembered all of the trouble she had gotten herself into as of late, and that good feeling flew out the window. She should have realized sooner that the things he had heard probably weren't even good, and whoever said that it was better to be talked bad about than to not be talked about at all, well they obviously didn't have bad things being said about them.

That’s right! You’re, Hufflepuff, aren’t you?

Before she could even question him about what he had heard, he blurted out something else. She found it almost impossible not to laugh, yet again, at how he expressed himself. He was definitely the most excited Gryffindor she had ever seen. His friendly attitude made her feel warm and tingly inside. She was much happier in his presence than she had been alone, reading about a character that was far too like herself. Any reminder of herself just depressed her, and that was probably why the old book was still at her feet, pages threatening to be torn out by the wind. She nodded to his obvious question, the only thing she could do to keep from using another sarcastic comment.

Oh, no, stay. I was staying here anyway.

There it was again. The reason she felt like he was lying to her. His eagerness to answer her questions.

I’d like to know you a bit, if you don’t mind.

And there was the comment that made her want to question him some more.

"Its very nice to officially meet you then," she said, holding out her hand for him to shake. This was the most formal way she had ever met anybody, and shaking a hand was something she had always wanted a reason to do. She was so deprived of the simple things. "You seem so excited to know more about me....makes me wonder what you know so far," she said, smiling in a curious way. It was too late. She was all ears and wanting to know what he knew that made him want to know who she was. "I promise you that I'm not nearly as fascinating as people have apparently made me out to be. Just your typical Hufflepuff. About as exciting as a bag of rocks."

[ethan]

{Going through the motions}

Ethan settled into the rock that was directly in front of Mafalda and prepared to make himself comfortable, trying to ignore that nagging voice in the back of his head that kept reminding him that there were other things he should be doing instead of socializing and pretending said things didn't exist. But Ethan was a pro at ignoring, so valiantly he ordered his mind to shut up and he blinked a couple of times, trying to settle order in it once again. Sometimes he confused the heck out of himself, and it was impossible to realize it until said feat was done. Ethan unclasped his cloak and let it fall on the hard surface of the stone, revealing his simple Muggle clothing. Ethan hadn’t once questioned his heritage, knowing full well from childhood lessons that his family could do fairly well if traced back to its roots, but being a full-fledged wizard didn’t necessarily entail him liking the whole package. There were aspects of it he strongly disliked. Like the fact they couldn’t perform magic in front of Muggles, or, more specifically, that their existence had to be kept under the covers. But there was another, a simpler thing that he absolutely disliked. And those had to be the robes. How he managed to get through the day with the school robes was something unearthly to him, something he liked to call a stroke of luck. Because there were times when he felt he was drowning in them, and well… He could go on and on about how much he disliked wizarding wear. So it was obvious why his choice of clothing. He smirked, remembering the expression on his father’s face when he’d first appeared with jeans and a t-shirt. Priceless.

But now, as he sat cross-legged in front of Mafalda, he tilted his head slightly, trying to gauge her reaction as to his clothing. There had been varying senses of alarm, and even some laughter as they took his casual form of dressing as nothing more than a joke, but Ethan had grown accustomed to it all. You couldn’t go through life expecting to be accepted just because you were there. That was the mistake a lot of people made, and he refused to fall under that classification. So, he smiled crookedly at Mafalda and realized, in a split second, that he hadn’t informed her of his name. Odd, he thought idly. It was as if she hadn’t even realized it, and was willing to chat with a random stranger, who had burst upon her unexpectedly, in the fringes of the Forbidden Forest, no less. If it had been him on her position, he would’ve whipped out his wand by now, threatening with nothing less than an Unforgivable to whoever had surprised him like that.

But of course, he was no Mafalda, and well, who could you run into at Hogwarts other than a student or Professor? She wasn’t in the Forbidden Forest per se, so she didn’t have a detention to fear, and well, why would a student just pop up like that? Suddenly, his actions made less sense than ever, and Ethan frowned. What was he doing, honestly? He smiled as she extended her hand for him to shake. He had to admit it’d been a long time since someone who was still a student at Hogwarts shook hands with him. Not because there was something innately unshakeable about his hand, it was just so…old school to him, that Ethan almost found it, well, cute. Reaching over, he took her hand in his and shook it firmly.

“Oh no, nothing bad, don’t you worry about that,” he said with a laugh. Even if he had happened to hear some rather random things about her, Ethan wasn’t one to believe everything that came out of a stranger’s mouth. He knew how the rumor mill at Hogwarts worked. He’d found out first-hand just last year when he’d started dating…Well, there he went again…Indigo. “Just interesting stuff. I’m Ethan by the way.”

[britkneeboo]

Everyone's saying that they've got the answers.
But hope is deceiving and spreads like a cancer.

Mafalda watched Ethan carefully as he took a seat across from her. Apparently he was going to stay there and talk to her, instead of requesting that she leave so he could go about his business without anyone knowing. She watched him remove his cloak as well, just more proof that he was going to settle in for awhile. She eyed him from bottom to top and then back down again, mentally slapping herself in the face when she realized what that might look like. She hadn't been 'checking him out' at all, but just taking in his style of clothing. If he expected her to be surprised by it, she wasn't. Most of the students at Hogwarts assumed Mafalda had your average magic upbringing, based on the clothes she wore. The miss-matched colors, leg warmers, head scarfs, and bright tights she wore were that of your typical teenage witch, but the truth was that her mother was very low on money and opted for making Mafalda's clothes. If it didn't come from a clothing bin at a thrift store, it was usually an original creation. Mafalda had no choice but to dress the way she did, which some described as 'loud.' It was fine by her though, because growing up with a lack of fashion made her better appreciate the clothes that she did have; she didn't mind it at all. Besides that, she had grown up your typical muggle child. Her mother had no magical abilities, and she didn't know her father or that he was even a wizard. The clothes Ethan wore were refreshing, reminding her of the styles back home.

Most of the time Mafalda didn't have her robes with her. She felt the same way about them as he did, and usually complained that they did nothing for her figure, only making her look short and stalky. Instead, she sat across from him wearing a lightweight, loose-fitting blue sweater and tight jeans, cut off just above the knees. She was actually a tad dressed down on that particular evening. She smiled when he tilted his head, feeling slightly like her expression was being examined.

Oh no, nothing bad, don’t you worry about that.

He did his best to not answer her question, and now only left her even more curious as to what he had heard. How was she supposed to not worry about people who were talking about her? She decided not to nag him about it though, and left it at that. She knew that she shouldn't let peoples opinions affect her, but she couldn't always help it. She was only human. "Uh huh," was all she said in reaction to him.

Just interesting stuff. I’m Ethan by the way.

Well, there he went again indeed...making her itch to know what the gossip was. If it was so interesting, why wasn't he telling her? Why hadn't anybody said anything to her? What was so darn interesting about her!!?! "I know," she said, when he gave his name. She had figured it out after racking her brain for a few moments, what his name was. "Not to sound stalkerish or anything, I just...I've heard it said a few times, mainly in the classroom." The only few times Mafalda had really heard Ethans name was when he was being called on for something in one of their classes. Other than that, he wasn't the most popular person among her friends, because she rarely heard anything about him spoken around them.

"So, you ever actually been in there?" Mafalda asked, referring to the Forbidden Forest. Even if the place scared her out of her mind, she was still curious as to what might lurk beyond its borders. it'd be nice to hear it first-hand, instead of just from rumors floating around school. She knew for a fact that students were taken in there for detention sometimes, but she hadn't ever actually been in one of the groups that got to go. It wasn't like it was thaaat dangerous when they went anyway. They were accompanied by a professor and usually only taken into safe zones. She wanted to know what it was like to sneak in there, deep into the forest, alone with danger.

ooc: actually, she already said his name a few posts ago, but I don't want you to have to redo it so I'll just go with it lol XD

[ethan]

OOC: Oh my! I’m sorry, really, my bad XD But thanks for going along(:

{But I'm fooling myself}

He was done feeling out of sorts. He was down thinking life was going down-hill for him. He was seventeen years, for Merlin’s sake! He ought to be able to handle “heartbreak” (he scoffed at the word) amazingly well be now, considering he didn’t believe in it, he was sure moping around a lot. And it was Indigo. It didn’t make it less important, but less new, yes, it did. Because he should be used to her ways now. Used to her. But still, she was the reason (unconsciously) that had driven him here, at the fringes of the Forbidden Forest, running an errand that should have been left forgotten. Or better yet, not started at all. But he had to be grateful to her, in a sense. If it weren’t for her, he wouldn’t have come and met Mafalda. This pretty girl who was managing to get his mind off things, at least. Small talk was something he rarely indulged in, but at the moment, it was bloody entertaining. Small talk was great. Small talk was interesting. Small talk was his salvation.

So he had to keep it going.

And being quiet was not helping things go along smoothly. Where was his usual social self? He’d probably forgotten how to speak to another person by now.

"So, you ever actually been in there?"

Ah, yes, he could count on her to keep this Small Talk Boat afloat. She knew how to handle strangers. So he smiled at her and nodded curtly just once. No need to be all eager and spill the beans just yet. He had to be cautious. But not obviously so. He had to test her, but not openly. And Merlin, he was paranoid. So instead, he ignored his inner voices (since when they were plural?) and spoke up. “Actually, yup,” he said sincerely, before lowering his voice to a conspirational whisper. “I’ll tell you about it if you promise not to tell anyone.” No way was he going to tell her the important things, or the fact that he’d gone there numerous times in the past, and had actually experienced some stuff, but well, a little was never too much, was it? Besides, he knew for a fact he wasn’t the only student who’d been there, so the novelty could wear off after a while. It depended if she’d been there or not, he supposed.

He shrugged, trying to lessen the importance of it. Truth was, the first time Ethan had gone in (as a dare), he’d been scared out of his mind, completely witless. And he’d barely gone further in than three yards. But after that, after getting used to the noises, the silent menaces you keep conjuring and imagining, it was almost harmless. According to a Professor who had caught him once, he’d been fairly lucky, considering all the stuff that inhabited the place, but Ethan had come to take it easily. After all, he was supposed to be a courageous Gryffindor, no?

Yes, male stupidity did play a big part on his comings and goings from the Forest.