Haphephobia

A Quiet Succes

There it was, hidden in the depths of the forest. The Centaur Grounds. A small clearing with apple trees where both young and old centaur roamed freely. Adeline was perched atop a branch, her sparkling eyes staring longingly at a pile of apples underneath her. She knew that the moment she grabbed one, the centaurs would spot her and come after her. But these were the only edible apples the entire Forbidden Forest produced, and she rather not live on just berries and herbs. There was no way but the way of the bold, she had heard one of the centaurs tell a little one, months and months ago. Right now, it were those exact words that pushed her to drop from the tree and crouch next to the fruit. With no time to waste, Adeline held an apple in either hand and took off in a sprint, her bare feet thumping against the cold ground. Only one centaur noticed the peculiar girl and her actions, and took off after her in a fierce gallop. His mighty legs thundered on the ground as he made haste to reach the girl. Four legs were faster than two, after all. Adeline seemed to realise this too and without a second thought, she threw one of the two apples to the centaur as she held the other between her teeth. With a throaty growl, the girl added her hands and doubled her speed, running on all fours. But the strong muscles in the centaurs horse-body were clearly better then her malnourished ones, and it was only a matter of time before Adeline came to a skidding stop infront of the Lake, turning around to eye the centaur cautiously. 

''Stealing is nothing a young lady should do.'' The centaur stated in disappointment, shaking it's humanoid head once. Adeline put the apple down in the snow and bared her teeth at him, allowing a growl to slip out. The message was clear, stay back or get attacked. She crouched down enough to be on all fours once more, twigs now stuck in her hair from their wild marathon only moments before. The centaur seemed unaffected, his brown eyes only studying her petite frame. ''So be it. The apple is yours. See it as a gift from Firenze. Until we meet again, elf.'' Firenze bowed his head before he turned around, taking off in a gallop back towards his family and friends. This was unexpected, and it took Adeline a moment to realise that the centaur called Firenze, was perhaps not the same as the others. He seemed far more intelligent, wise and kind.

But all of that did not matter now, in this moment, where she finally acquired a piece of food after being hungry for so long. The girl squatted down, grabbing the apple and taking a bite out of it. A single drop of it's sweet juices rolled down her chin as she groaned in delight. Have you ever had this delicious food, and then had to wait weeks or months before being able to eat it again? The amazing taste it has when you get to eat it once more? That is how this apple tasted to little Adeline, the first real food she ate in days now. She wasn't the most tidy eater, and soon her face and hands were covered in the apples sticky juices. But that was okay, that was fine. She still had a little bit of the apple left and that is what mattered. ''Disgusting. Can you not eat normal, girl?'' A voice behind her hissed in dismay. Why had she not heard him nearing her? Was she that engrossed in enjoying her food? Adeline let out a throaty growl and abruptly turned around towards the sound, not in the least surprised to see the dark man there. What was his name again? Severy? Severus. That sounds about right. His almost black eyes trailed over her thin body, lingering on the last bits of apple in her hand before staring in her peculiarly coloured eyes. ''I suppose you are hungry. Fair enough, if you come with me I will make sure you get a decent meal.'' Severus offered, his everlasting scowl stuck on his face. Hungry? Yes, she was. She knew what the word meant and she agreed that there was still a painful hunger in her stomach. But she wasn't too sure with what the rest of his sentence meant, and doubtfully studied his posture. He seemed to be slightly cold, the way he had himself wrapped in the black cloak, and the first layers of snow formed on his raven black hair and robes. Was he not, like every other human she has seen from afar, supposed to be inside one of their stone houses and keep warm?

This man puzzled her, he had become somewhat of a strange fascination. He reacted differently than the rest of his species, and it was amusing to see how hard he tried to hide his emotions. But she had seen, Adeline had seen the cracks in his mask every time she moved or smiled. He was as curious about her as she was about him. ''Are you daft, you insolent brat?'' He snapped as the silence lasted too long, impatient with her. Was she that bloody stupid that she could not even talk? Whatever it was, it was not of his concern. He was getting cold, and his mood was crumbling down to a seething anger towards Albus and this entire ridiculous situation, every minute he stood here under the curious gaze of this mysterious girl. She had to come, one way or another. He was sick of being outside. ''Come then, make haste.'' He arched a dark eyebrow at her, before gesturing to himself and then the apple. Adeline knew what this meant, he offered her more food if she followed him. Standing up from her crouching position, the girl ran her fingers through her snow white hair and plucked twigs from it, allowing it to cascade freely down her back once done. Curiousity has always been her strongest trait, and more often than not, it got her in trouble. And like all those times before, right now she let it get the best of her and nodded; She was going with Severus. He gave a curt nod, satisfied with the silent agreement between the two, and briskly turned around to walk away.

 Soundlessly, Adeline trailed after the man, highly entertained by the fact he kept glancing over his shoulder to make sure she was there. His face was slightly frustrated each time he realised she was behind him, mentally cursing at himself for not being able to hear her footsteps. Was he getting old? But Adeline was simply one of a kind, very good at being soundless. After all, being one of the creatures in this forest, it was adamant to be able to move around soundlessly, or be spotted and killed in the blink of an eye. They reached the edge of the forest, where the trees stopped and the castlegrounds were but a step away. Here, she hesitated. Adeline was a smart girl and it was clear that Severus was leading her to the castle. She knew that only a few people were there as she had seen the children leave the day before, but it also meant that she had little chance of leaving whenever she wished. Severus glanced at her, seeing her slow down the closer they got to the castle. He was sure he had to pull out his wand and force her to come, but the girl surprised him by straightening her shoulders and briskly walking past him. She was proud and confident, and this, though he would never admit it to someone, appealed to him. Wordlessly, he quickened his pace to walk next to her and together, they stepped through the doors of the castle.