Camping (Hunt For The Horcrux Continued)

[Well then, from now on I'll be posting slightly longer. Not saying you guys have to, but instead of finding stuff, lets focus on character development and talking and stuff. Thats more fun then discussing imaginary magical items.]

Darren appeared at the forest, having just apparated from the Little Hangleton graveyard. The weather here was different, it wasn't raining, but it was far colder. Shivering, he quickly cast a warming charm on himself, though that didn't help much. Looking around the forest, it was oddly empty, devoid of life really, the magical effects still in place. He waited for the others to arrive, hoping they would come in the right place. It was a large forest.

There was a faint pop as Jess appearred in the clearing. Time had changed it quite alot, but not too much, you could still see fallen trees, mountains of moss and fungii covering it, and there were trees nearby that bore scars of a previous battle, and there were still burnt looking marks on the trees. "Hey Darren," he said, walking over to his friend. "Brings back some memories huh?" he said with a small chuckle

Ne'Os appeared with a sharp crack the elder wand in hand he would wait until Darren was alone to get the hollow from him. He drew his robes closer around him and casted the bluebell fire spell into his hand. the warmth from the fire kept him warm.

Matt wants me to post more.. so I will post in paragraphs now. Thanks Matt!!
_______________________________________________________________________________________

Darren had apparated quite close to a clearing and he made his way there. This forest was of course in a very secluded area in Northern Scotland, one of the less dense places in England. It felt nice, peaceful really, there was no noise here, besides the wind and the forest around him. Really, it was the sort of place Darren would like to spend his life at. He wasn't one to mix in with people, not one who communicated with others much. Of course, he had friends, like Gin, Mari, Jess sort of. But lately he wasn't feeling any attachment to them either. These people were just short time allies, nothing more. And with that in mind, Darren didn't feel any warmth towards them. He would help them if they were in trouble, but only because they were in a group now. For now, Jess and his stupid little group were traveling on the same road that he was, so Darren was with them, but when they seperated, when he got what he needed from them, there was no longer any need to help them really, no longer any need to stick with them. His one real aim from this whole errand was the elder wand, he could take it now from Emof, but it wasn't the right time. This type of situation didn't always come, where Emof and the elder wand were just a meter away from him, but this was all the more reason to take it easy. Plan it carefully.

He sighed as the people started to come, he heard a distant crack followed by several more which clearly showed they had just apparated somewhere at the forest. He calmly waved his wand and used lumos to show where he was. He doubted that any death eaters would be here really. or Aurors. Both factions were still recovering from the battle of Hogwarts, and they had far too low numbers to stage them at random points of the Wizarding World. And besides, why would aurors or Death Eaters be at this forest at this point? What were the odds of that?

The light seemed to have helped, as Jess was able to arrive at the clearing quite quickly. Or perhaps he had already knew where Darren would be. It was the same place as before, the same clearing that he, Darren, Mari and Gin had camped during their unsuccessful search. The marks of the battle with Dae and several aurors then were still there. Dae, it felt odd that he wasn't tracking them now, paranoid about catching them and arresting Ginevra and Darren. It almost took the whole fun out of the search.

But then again, they weren't here for fun, they were here for the horcrux. Well at least the other people in the group were, he was just there for the elder wand. Did he care about ending Voldemort once and for all? Sort of, he hated Voldemort with his heart, but he was also didn't feel that it was his job to destroy him. Because, last time when he had tried, Emof had got all the credit. So it was his job now. The little idiotic vampire's, not Darren's.

"It does," Darren agreed, with a sigh. This whole horcrux hunt brought back memories of the old one. This one was much more serious, but thats because they had a goal now. Back then.. it was just all childish ignorant fun. They could have died then, they were lucky not to. But they just laughted about it. Even now it was only fond memories. The memories also hurt of course. Those were one of the best times in his life. With his friends, and especially Gin. He had tried to forget about her of course, but it was still hard to do that. They had been best friends of course.

Aware that his expression was perhaps showing more than he wanted to, Darren turned away from Jess and saw Emof and Lestrange come into the clearing. "I guess you found out where we are easily enough," he said appreciatively.

"What next?" Darren asked, looking at Matt with a stern eye. Matt was an.. odd person. Darren was still not sure what to make of him. He was probably a good dueler, or Jess wouldn't of brought him along. But he was a Lestrange. And Lestranges could not earn Darren's trust. No matter how good or honest they were. The thing was, Lestranges had a long history with the Death Eaters, and after Emof, Lestrange was the person Darren would keep an eye on most. The other problem with him was that he always seemed to want to do something, he could never relax. "Nothing, were spending the night here. A nice little night around the campfire. You can tell us some stories Lestrange," Darren said with a hint of sarcasm. "Just relax, we're not doing anything tonight," he added more seriously. "So can I see the scroll you found?" Darren asked, wanting to see if it had any magical properties. It could be another thing he could steal along with the elder wand. And the stone that Danny had, the hallow. He definately needed that too.

_________________________________________________

You guys can post normal length. Matt needs to post almost as much as I did or at least half as he was criticizing my roleplaying.

OoC:Your very welcome Darren

Matt sitting on the rock was running things through his mind. He really felt out of place here, like he wasn't welcome. He was still thinking about leaving, but Jess said not to. He trusted Jess, and he thought Jess trusted him. He might be wrong however, he knew he couldn't trust Darren. He knew Darren didn't trust him, he could sense it. Matt had been used to all this travel, he did it alot. Though most of it was on his own. His wand in his hand just rolling it around he was staring at the ground.

He had been to this place only a few times. Well this forest anyway, not this clearing exactly but around here. He grabbed the scroll from out of his bag again and opened it. He wouldn't tell the other just about it yet. Although only a Lestrange could read it, someone might tear or destroy it. He wondered if Voldemort had made it for them. His Aunt had never actually told him about this scroll, maybe she was hiding it. She never really hid anything from Matt, then again it was Bellatrix.

He put the scroll back in the bag, thinking about the spell on the scroll. It would come in handy in the future, what if it was made by Voldemort himself? Well it all depends on how well the spell worked. Still yet again, the only fact that a Riddle or Lestrange could cast it. He wondered why on a Lestrange could read it...Was it a clue or something? He left the subject and turned to his bag again. He used his wandless magic to start a fire. Here, this should keep you guys warm! he said gruffly. He had many things in his bag, some for actual use. Like a spell book.

He sighed and took out a book and sleeping bag when Darren had said they were camping. He through it on the ground. He was glad he had this magical bag, it could hold so much. Yet it wouldn't change size. A gift from his cousin Elladora, he hadn't been in much contact with any of the Lestrange's lately. Then again he wasn't sure they'd accept him back into the family even.

He waved his wand and let the sleeping bag unfold. He looked at Darren and had a straight face. Please Riddle, all the stories I know would scare even you! he said. Matt stood up and placed his bag on the sleeping bag. He was lucky it had a lock, only the touch of a Lestrange could open it. No you cannot see the scroll. But I do need to talk to you...

Ne'Os frowned as he looked around the clearing it would be difficult to defend if anything happened he wondered what Sam was doing at that moment. He heard Matts comment earlier but ignored it he was actuly very cold. "ill take first watch tonight." he said and then wondering what they would eat "but first im going to go find food" he said he crushed the bluebell flame as he walked into the forest dissapearing.



((I dissapeared for acouple posts))

Jess looked at the retreating figure of Ne'os and shrugged, for more than a few seconds he wondered where he was going before shrugging again, he must be off to feed, or to do a bit of exploring, either way, he didn't mind.

Well, there seemed to be alot of thinking going on around the camp, he was glad that Darren remembered the last adventure, showed a part of his old friend remained. Well, not many of the people from those days did. Gin had gone missing after the last hunt, not too long after it actually, and she seemed to stay away since then, which was a shame, although he'd never been best friends with Gin, she was still his friend, and he missed her company.

He thought about Mari too, well, everyone knew alot of things had changed between them since then. Of course, the most apparent being that their relationship had ended, which was a shame, since then he and Mari had stopped being good friends after that, which seemed to affect everything now.

Of course there were others, Dae, he'd been trying to kill them then, and it was strange not having him there to hunt them down, almost eery, sometimes the most dangerous things re the most mentally comforting, because if anyone else were chasing them, they wouldn't know their style, which was very dangerous. There was also Danny, he'd been on the last hunt, but since then he;d changed, in more ways than one. He'd matured in some manners, but immatured in many others, and seemed to disappear into the dark corners and alleys of new york all the time now, quite disappointing.

And that left one last person, Darren. Well, it went without saying that Darren was his best friend, although darren show'd it in a different way, he was certain he felt the same about Jess. They'd been through alot together, they'd completed school together, goen on the last hunt together, and had done lots of things together. Sure, Jess knew darren had a nasty side to him, but when he got comfortable with people, and was along with them, he became another person. Anyway, with the history he had with Darren, Jess knew that he could always count on him for protection and friendship, and that he'd always be there.

"Well then guys, we might as well get something to eat," he suggested, "Feel like anything in particular?" He asked, open for suggestions

Darren shrugged at Ne'os' retreating figure, though Ne'os hadn't made it clear whether he was finding food for himself or the others. After all, Vampires had a different diet then humans. Still, there weren't any humans to be found around this area to feed from. Frowning, Darren wondered when was the last time Ne'os had fed. Vampires could do horrible things when they were hungry, they usually lost self control then, became someone they weren't. And with the elder wand and all, Ne'os could be rather dangerous. Darren didn't mind much though, he was just worried that if someone else killed Ne'os, they would get the elder wand, which meant Darren would have to kill them. As power hungry as he was, he would prefer not to have to kill his friends. Or companions as was the case with anyone who was not Mariana.

As for Jess, he was too gullible. He probably hadn't noticed, but Darren had changed. And yet, Jess still trusted him, and this infuriated Darren. He didn't feel like he was friends with Jess anymore, and yet Jess was still acting like Darren was the same person he had been before graduation. The thing was, Dae had shown him the harsh reality of it all. That even the people you trusted could betray you. Even if they were your friends. And after that, Darren didn't trust anyone. Over time, he even began to dislike his other friends, jealous of their carefree nature and easy lives. They had good jobs and high ranks, families and friends. And Darren didn't have that. He no longer really liked Jess or Mariana really, he just didn't hate them as much as the others. Especially Ne'os. The person who had taken all the respect from the wizarding world for a task that he had done. The person who had taken the elder wand from Voldemort, something that should belong to him. Still, it was no matter. Soon, when the time came, Ne'os wouldn't be there anymore. And Danny too, perhaps. Danny had the stone, the hallow. Another thing that Darren wanted. Danny had also been a friend of his, and killing him would probably prove difficult, even if he had changed so much. He had changed like Darren, he had become less friendly, not talking as much as before. At the last horcrux hunt he had been the leader, in this one he was merely a watcher, staying in the shadows.

He still remembered that he had gotten along with Jess quite well before, going as far as to call him his best friend before. They were still sort of.. allies, and Darren sometimes gave Jess some crucial information. But the thing was, that Jess had been sucessful after graduation, and Darren hadn't. There had always been some rivalry between Jess, Darren and Dae. They were all the best duelers during their year at Hogwarts, though Darren usually won the majoirity of the duels, and got the best marks upon graduation. And one year later, Dae was the minister, Jess was the Order leader. They had all been destined for greatness, but where was Darren? In a way, Dae and Jess had both shut him off. Dae refused to allow Darren to have any job at the ministry, and Jess really had nothing to offer besides co leader, which was something Darren didn't really want. He wanted to be better than both of them, and perhaps he would go onto desperate measures to do so. Like getting the elder wand. Or bringing back Voldemort, something he had seriously thought about before. After all it was better being infamous then not famous at all. So yes, perhaps the main reason that he no longer felt any friendship towards Jess was that he was jealous, but it wasn't something Darren would readily admit. And there was of course more than that, it was just hard to explain. It was as if.. Dae and Jess had taken what he had deserved. And to top it all off, Ne'os had taken the fame of killing Voldemort, something Darren should of done, could of done and would of done in time.

Rolling his eyes, now that Ne'os was gone, Darren couldn't cast the protective spells, or Ne'os wouldn't be able to find his way back. Still, he doubted he would need them, Majere could not catch them here. Majere.. he sort of resembled Dae in a way, except that Darren had known Dae, he knew his tactics, his ideas, his goals. Vincent, not so much. And that was why Darren would have preferred Dae pursueing them, better the villain you knew then the villain you didn't. But really, there was no guarantee that they would meet Vincent again, perhaps he would search for horcruxes somewhere else. But something told Darren that this wasn't the last they saw of him.

He watched as Matt Lestrange calmly created a fire for them all. A rather weak one, but it would do. Darren increased its heat slightly and then turned around, ready to set camp. Matt seemed to have conjured his own little sleeping bag. But Darren slowly conjured a small tent for everyone, one by one, until there was 7 tents around. Matt could keep sleeping in his little sleeping bag.

Narrowing his eyes at Matt's reply, this was a reason why Darren hated him. He was sometimes too cheerful, sometimes to hyper, sometimes to angry for no reason whatsoever. You could not tell what kind of person he was, and that type of person couldn't really be trusted. Darren was starting to be doubtful of why Jess had even brought someone like this along. "Why can I not see the scroll?" Darren inquired with raised eyebrows. "We are a group aren't we? We should share what we find," he said with a small smile. "And what do you want to talk to me about?" He was curious, what would someone like him want to talk about with Darren? Did Matt somehow find his plot using leglimens or something? No, of course not. Darren was far too good of an occlumens to let that happen, he was just going paranoid.

"Ne'os is bringing food.. I think," Darren said with a shrug, still not sure. "If not.. perhaps you should go find something, I think everone is quite hungry." He was for sure, he hadn't eaten all day. They had been searching horcruxes for a long time after all.

While he was waiting for Matt to come over and talk to him about whatever he wanted, Darren took out a small pouch from his pocket. Though the pouch was way to small to contain anything large, Darren, being the genius he was, had casted a space enlarging spell upon the little pouch, allowing it to hold far more than it would normally be able too. Still, he had only stuffed it with a few of his most important items. A Wizarding Novel, a book about horcruxes, and a few other stuff. Soon this pouch would also hold the stone, the elder wand, and possibly the scroll as well, if he was lucky enough to see what it was.

Taking out the book from his bag, he moved over and sat on the ground close the fire, reading from the light of the fire and warming himself from the cold night air as well.


_____________________________________________________________________-

As I dont really like long posts, this is probably the last of them. I just wanted to prove Matt wrong as he was insulting my roleplaying -_____-"

On that topic. 1333 words Matt -.-

((I'm gonna stop posting long, matt, stop being annoying, darren, stop posting long, takes too long. Makes no difference about the legnth, because if you'll notice, maybe 2 paragraphs of that was something i can reply to, the rest was all him thinking to himself. A long post isn't always one filled with content, half the time it's just rambling anyway))

Jess looked at darren and shrugged, he was right, chances are ne'os would come back well fed, but with nothing for them. "Are you ok?" he asked, Darren seemed rather sad, or angry... either way, he wanted to help his friend out. "What's up?" He asked, walking over and sitting next to him, relaxing instantly, and becoming more serious