Haphephobia

Strange Encounter

It was unnerving to see that the man hadn't noticed that Adeline had come closer. Did he not realise that foul creatures roamed these woods? She let out another sigh, graciously making her way over untill she stood behind him. He seemed to be done gathering the berries, and stood up swiftly. The sudden movement suprised her, and she took a cautious step back as she grunted. For a moment, the man stiffened before briskly turning around, pointing a stick at her face. She knew that these particular sticks contained some sort of powers, as she had seen the students use them a handful of times. Seemingly unbothered, Adeline stared in the man's dark eyes unfazed. For she knew that showing fear was showing weakness. The man's expression held surprise as he studied her broken form, before allowing his glare to meet her gaze. ''Who are you?'' He sneered at her, a dark eyebrow arched as if challenging her to lie to him. But alas, Adeline did not speak. Instead, her curious eyes focused on the basket filled with the poisonous berries as she tried to think of a way to convey her message. The juice of the poisonous berries are purple, were as the healthy ones produced a red juice. 

Slowly, she reached out to the basket and before the man could wisk it away, she snatched one from its contents. He narrowed his eyes in a glare , his stance defensive but not yet offensive. The girl held the berry out towards him and squeezed, feeling the purple liquid drip down the tips of her fingers. The man's expression faltered and she believed she had seen surprise on his face before it turned back into a scowl. He hesitated, but eventually tucked the stick in the sleeve of his robes as he simply turned the basket around and dropped it's poisonous contents on the snow covered ground. The girl nodded, satisfied, and allowed a friendly smile to grace her pale lips, a single shudder coarsing through her frame. Yes, the cold was getting quickly into her petite frame, and she had to make haste if she wished to be warm enough to survive another night. Neither of them spoke as the girl stepped back, creating distance between the man and herself. He eyed her curiously, and she saw a flicker of worry in his penetrating gaze as she had shuddered again. But time was a cruel opponent, and she had no time to dwell on the encounter she had with him. Without warning, she turned around and disappeared upwards in a tree. He gazed up at her for another second, before she ran along the branches and faded from his view.

 Only moments later had the man unfrozen, taking his empty basket as he paced back to the castle. To Hogwarts. He would surely talk to the Headmaster about this strange girl, for she wore no robes. Or any decent clothing for that matter. Had Dumbledore known there was a stray living in these woods, or had she managed to hide from his views? And why did she help him, a dark and sinister man, to not take the wrong berries with him? A scowl plastered on his face as he reached the castlegrounds, quickly moving through the hallways and towards the headmaster's office. And why, most importantly, had he not noticed he plucked the wrong berries? Meanwhile, Adeline had found the hollow tree she claimed as her house years ago. Shivers were now a constant thing for her body as she finally clambered inside the tree's warmth, her pale arms wrapping around her thin torso to create an extra bubble of heat. It did not take long for unnerving noises to fill the forest as the night fell, but the girl only smiled as she listened on, content with everything around her. The sounds affected her like a lullaby nurtured a baby, and it was with that thought that the young teenager fell in a calm, peaceful sleep.