Into the Woods
There's something in the woods around Harry's school, Hogwarts. He'd seen it.
With long black arms and pretty red eyes the colour of roses and a lower half of twisting, constantly contorting shadows, it is the stuff of nightmares.
With a face more handsome then an artist could dream and a voice like violin music, it is the stuff of dreams you wake from, wishing you were asleep again.
Ginny's seen it too. Some kids have. Some kids haven't. It's not out at a certain time, or in a certain place. It just chooses to reveal itself when it wishes. Some people say the whole thing is made up, and that's what Harry wants to disprove.
They're hoping it will be out tonight. They're going to go out and actually look for it tonight, despite cerfew, despite Ginny's friend Luna and her frantic warnings.
Hermione was supposed to come. And Ron. But Ron was already asleep, and Hermione tried to bite when they tried to take her book away. Evidently the upcoming tests are not sitting well with the bushy haired maiden.
Harry and Ginny go into the woods alone.
They never come back out.
You see, there really is something in the woods around Harry's school. A creature with a face like sin and bright red eyes and twisting shadows instead of feet. There are two children in its lair, one a boy and one a girl, black hair and bright ginger, green eyes and mocha brown.
They know its name.