Dream had finally reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest and was waiting impatiently for him to arrive. He'd promised her last week that he would show up today and she really hoped that he hadn't forgotten. She looked at the watch that she was actually wearing for once. She had personally gotten him a watch for Christmas so he had no excuse for being late unless he'd forgotten. She saw that he still had five minutes though so she forced herself to calm down. It was just that she was so anxious to get started!

Liam walked across the Hogwarts grounds, admiring the way the castle and grounds looked at dusk. The first few stars were beginning to show in the darkening sky, and he smiled when he saw them. He reached the edge of the Forbidden Forest with several minutes to spare. He looked around to find Dream, and saw her standing a little ways off.

"Stop fidgeting so much Dream, people might start to worry about you," he said, smirking at her. He flipped a few strands of hair, silver today, out of his face. "So, we ready to go?"

Dream spun around as she heard Liam's voice behind her. She grinned at him and gave a small shrug. "They worry no matter what I do. I'm used to it." she said lightly. Then she looked over Liam's silver hair. "Hmmmm." she said before starting to walk along the medium sized trail leading into the forest. "So how far into the forest did that old letter say that we had to go before we found the map?" she asked him curiously as she pushed a branch out of her way and then ducked under another one.

Liam followed Dream down the trail, looking from side to side. He wasn't worried going into the Forbidden Forest, but he would have preferred not to get blind-sided in this. His wand was strapped to his forearm in a holster that he had designed so he could have it with a quick flick of his wrist. He wished he had brought something else, a knife or something, but no point crying over spilt potion. He heard Dream's question and pulled the letter from one of his pockets. It was on old parchment, very old, and written in strange, spidery handwriting.

"Says a half-mile to where the map is. It says finding the map is a matter of perspective though... Wonder what that means." He moved to walk deeper into the forest, a smile slowly creeping across his face. Isn't this how all great adventures got started?

Dream heard Liam say that it should be about a half a mile in and she immediately started counting their steps. She figured they'd gone about 550 feet already so they should have about 2100 more give or take a few. Then she started pondering the perspective part of their clue. "Maybe it's like a rock formation, or tree branches pointing in a specific direction that no one would ever notice if they weren't looking for it?" she guessed out loud. She could hear a pack of wolves following them and grinned as she sensed Embers with them. She sent the wolves reassurance that they were no threat and an instant later her wolf cub came bounding up to them. He raced around Dream in a circle, gave a joyous yip and then ran over to Liam and began sniffing his shoes. Dream laughed and looked over at Liam apologetically. "Sorry about him. I think he's going to be tagging along." she said. "You didn't by chance bring Murc did you? He might come in handy if we need a spy to steal something."

Liam smiled at the wolf cub hanging around his ankles, reaching down and running a hand down his back.

"I don't think I'll mind him hanging around, especially if his friends hang around," Liam said, motioning his head towards the rest of the wolves. "And no, I left Murc up in the dorm room. He may play the brave, swashbuckling weasel, but he doesn't like the Forest. Afraid he'll get snapped up by a passing hippogryph or something. And besides, what better thief/spy do you need than yours truly? I even have some new tricks up my sleeve." To accenuate his point he did a standing backflip. He knew he was showing off, but he just smiled at the thought. It was nice to be unique every now and again.

"I don't know about the perspective thing. We'll have to give it more thought when we see the area that we're looking for."

Dream smiled as Liam pet Embers. She gave an overly dramatic sad face when Liam said Murc was up at the castle, but she couldn't hold back her delighted giggle as Liam did a back flip. "Dork." she said playfully even as she appreciated his acrobatic ability. She kept walking for awhile, aware of all of the eyes in the forest upon them. She was used to being watched here though, and she appreciated that she could touch all of the animals with her mind so she could make sure that animals were the only things watching them. Eventually the trail faded away and Dream didn't know which way to go. She looked back at Liam and held out her hands in a sweeping gesture to show him that there was no trail. "It just fades out. I figure that we're about 75 feet from a half mile, I just don't know which way to walk." she told him.

Liam gave Dream a mock-cocky smile. "Dork though I may be m'lady, it is my requirement via code of honor to protect you, and therefore my reflexes must be at their utmost point of perfection. I just need to work them out once in a while." He managed to get the whole monologue out without laughing, and gave Dream an over-exaggerated bow, his long hair nearly hitting the dirt. He flipped his head up, a sardonic smirk creeping across his face. Just because she was a prefect or his Quidditch captain didn't mean that he couldn't be sarcastic with her. It was part of who he was, as much as the silver hair that he had just tied back into a ponytail.

He noticed the seeming end to the path the same time Dream did, but short of their destination. Wondering as she did, he came upon the simple idea. He cast a cluster of sparks in the air, leaving them to hang and sparkle on their own.

"We keep the light from the sparks at our back, and measure out the distance ourselves. Those sparks should hold for quite a while. He moved into the underbrush in front of them, gently moving the plants out of his way. He wouldn't cause more damage than necessary, no matter how enthusiastic he was for adventure.

Dream laughed even as a faint flush came over her cheeks. As corny as Liam could be at times, she understood why Melie like being around him so much. He was utterly charming without even trying to be. Then she watched him send up the sparks and bit her lip a little. "It's a really good idea. I just hope that we're the only ones who can see the sparks otherwise we might get some unwelcome company." she said to Liam. "I'll go this way, you go that way. We'll still be close enough to see and hear each other." she said as she started walking east, and gestured to Liam that he should go north east. Then she sent Embers looking towards the north, along with his friends. He was smart enough to spot something out of the ordinary and tell her about it right away. She was still trying to figure out her wolf cub. He was extremely intelligent and she knew that behind his red eyes and the fact that he'd been hatched instead of born meant that he was magical somehow. She wondered how long or how old he'd have to be before he would start showing his talents.

Liam gave Dream a reassuring smile from across the short expanse of undergrowth.

"Dream, if anything short of a giant or Voldemort himself came upon us right now, I think between the two of us we could deal with it." He truly did admire Dream's abilities in magic, and her fiery spirit and courage made her something of a kindred soul to him. Kind of like the older sister he never had. "Although I have to admit," he said, his smile turning to a wry smirk, "a dragon might pose issues too."

Suddenly, Liam felt himself turning what felt like inside out, his whole world turning and spinning in one stomach-wrenching instant. Finally when the sensation subsided, he opened his eyes to find his whole world turned upside down. Literally. He looked up to see one of his ankles tight in a hunter's sling trap. Berating himself for not being more careful, he prepared to cut himself down, when something caught his eye.

There were words carved into one of the tree limbs near him. Small, but definitely recognizable. It read:

"Fine perspective you've got there. The map you seek lies beneath these words, from your ordinary perspective anyways. Or maybe not. You'll see."

"Perspective..." Liam muttered, cursing thoroughly in Gaelic. He cut himself down with a quick spell, managing to land in a crouch to at least retain what little dignity he had. But where to start looking for the map? He relayed what he read over to Dream, hoping she would work this one out better than he had.

Dream sent Liam a cocky grin to say that she agreed with him when suddenly he flew up into the air, dangling upside down from his feet. "Uhm... Well maybe one of us can..." she said as she tried desperately to keep herself from laughing out loud. Even as she was overcome with mirth, her eyes were scouring the forest, looking for the possible threat. She knew that Liam wouldn't have any trouble getting down, and sure enough not only did he land on his feet gracefully, but he had found a clue to the map! Dream walked the short distance to his side and tilted her head sideways to read the words that Liam had seen. "Lies beneath these words? You think it's telling us to look on the ground, or literally behind the words?" she asked him.

"Well considering our benefactor's stellar sense of humor thus far, I would have to believe it is quite literally behind the message." He was still a little grumpy about being yanked up by his ankle, which throbbed painfully.. He couldn't help but silently applaud whoever-it-was' trick.

"I can give you a leg up so you can get into the tree branch and get the map if you'd like? It'll be a little while before I can climb again after all." He gave a slightly pained smile, then looked back up at the message carved into the tree. He wondered where this would lead, and found himself excited about the adventure again.

Dream frowned at Liam as he suggested that she climb up and look, relying on him to hold her up. "Uhmmm.... not on your life with an ankle like that." she said. She pointed her wand at Liam's ankle and silently said "Episkey" so it wouldn't hurt anymore and would be at full strength again. Then she looked up at the tree and gave a wry twist of her mouth and nose. "Alright then. Just don't drop me, and if I yell out, get me down quick!" she said, more than a little wary about more boobytraps. She placed her hand on Liam's shoulder to let him know that she was ready for a boost.

He considered arguing with Dream, telling her he was fine and just to get on with things when she pointed her wand at his ankle. He felt his ankle go ice-cold then blazingly hot and then it was healed. He put his weight back on it and it felt as good as new.

"Thanks," he said. He didn't know that Dream was any good with healing spells. 'Learn new things every day I suppose,' he thought to himself. He listened to Dream telling him what to do if she told him to get her down.

"Don't worry Dream, I won't let ya get hurt." He locked his fingers together and set them out so she could step up and reach the branch. He too was worried about the thought of more traps, but he knew that between the two of them they would be fine. "Alright then hun, up ya get," he said, motioning with his head and grinning. "We don't have all night eh?"

Dream grinned at Liam as he knelt down with his palms up for her. She stepped up lightly on his hands and allowed him to boost her up. She saw a large gaping hole but she couldn't see inside of it. She frowned and bit her lower lip. Then she reached up and grabbed a tree branch in order to lift herself up a little higher. Then with her other hand she put the tip of her wand into the hole. "Lumos." she muttered. The hole became luminated and she saw a small velvet bag inside. She looked at the rest of the hole to see if she could find any traps but didn't see any. She put her wand away and used the same hand to reach into the hole. She grabbed the pouch and shrieked as a sharp burning sensation stabbed through her hand. She lost her balance and fell backwards, tumbling out of Liam's reach and landing on her back with a hard thud.

Liam was about to ask what she had found, if anything, when he heard her scream and fall away from him. He turned and dived towards her, but could not reach her before she landed hard on the dirt, backwards. He skidded over to her and dropped to his knees beside her. She appeared to be either semi-conscious, or unconscious, he could not tell which yet. Giving her a once-over he determined that she was not bleeding, nor did she have any broken bones. All he could tell thus far was that she was going to be bruised and sore in the morning. At that moment, he noticed that her hand was glowing in a strange, blackish light. Gently lifting her hand he noticed a strange symbol branded onto the back of her hand. It looked like some sort of old knotwork symbol in the shape of a five-point star. Suddenly, he felt a searing pain in his own hand, the one he had touched Dream with.

"Ahhh! Son of a..." he trailed off into a string of Gaelic curses that would have made his old grandda proud. Pulling off his left glove he saw the same symbol smoldering on the back of his hand. "Damn does that hurt," he growled, massaging his hand. He had yet to see anything quite like this at Borgin & Burkes, but he knew the signs of a curse-mark when he saw one. It was either that or... "A geas mark?" He certainly hoped it wasn't that. That would mean that they had to complete this quest they had set out on or... well, he would rather not consider the alternative. He slipped his glove back on and, to his amazement, found the symbol burned into the back of his glove too. "Thorough git," he said to himself. Then, remembering Dream, he propped her up gently and pointed his wand at her, casting an Ennervate spell on her. He watched her eyes flutter and suspected that she was alright. He gave the little velvet bag a side-long look before turning back to his room-mate.

"You feeling alright Dream?" he said, genuinely concerned for the friend that he considered almost a sister.

Dream lay against the ground in a bit of a daze, trying to orientate herself through the burning of her hand. Liam's ennervate spell did the trick and she felt a little better. Then she realised that she'd heard him curse out loud as if he was hurt too. her protective instincts took over and she pushed away the worst of the pain in order to concentrate on him. "I'm fine. Are you ok?" she asked worriedly as she saw the brun inthe glove. Her eyes widened a little as she saw that the burn was also on his hand. She looked down at her own hand and looked back up at Liam. "What the hell?" she asked. She had seen marks similar to this before, but only in the darkest depths of Knockturn Alley. "You do realise that this is not good, right?" she added. She looked around and saw the small pouch that she had grabbed, laying in the grass next to her.

"I'm fine," he said, massaging his left hand. "I just didn't really expect the blasted mark to transfer from me to you. Or for it to burn my favorite Quidditch glove," he muttered. He figured it would have destroyed the glove, but it just looked as though it was branded into the leather. 'Could've been worse,' he thought to himself.

He heard Dream curse mildly, and noticed that she had just seen the mark on the back of her hand. The same knotwork star. He looked back at his own, and pointed his wand at it. He poked the mark, and although it had burned before, the pain was dulling away to the point that he barely felt it anymore. "Well, that rules out a curse mark," he said, which he would have preferred. That left only one option. The geas mark. "Apparently it's a geas mark, which are better known as promise or quest marks. We've apparently had some task appointed to us and we are magically bound to it now. If we don't... well, I can't really know what the result will be, but the greater portion of the time it's quite unpleasant." He reached over and picked up the little velvet bag. "So," he said, holding the bag out, at which point he realized it didn't try to burn him anymore. "What do you think we should do with this?"

Dream massaged her hand once the pain had faded. She always wanted to get a tattoo and now she had decided that she was going to. There was no way that it could hurt more than this. She listened quietly to Liam as he said it was a gleas mark and she nodded in agreement. She had heard of them before in stories but she'd never actually met anyone that had had one before. She looked at the bag that Liam had picked up and when he asked what they should do with it, she gave a fierce scowl. "I say we burn it back. Damn thing." she said, more than a little seriously. Then she sighed and said "Well if it's a quest that we're on, then we're supposed to open that bag. I'm sure it's another cryptic clue about what we're supposed to do from here." she said quietly.

Liam took the bag and emptied the contents on the ground. It came out as silvery dust. Liam was confused by this and prodded it with the tip of his wand. Suddenly it started swirling and spinning in the air, and started to take shape. Liam watched in awe as the dust spun itself into a cube and letters started to form in the box. The letters were nothing more than a jumble to him and he turned to Dream.

"What do you think it means Dream? I'm no good with codes."

Dream watched Liam pick up the bag, and she bit her lower lip worriedly. Then her mouth fell open slightly and her eyes widened as the silver dust that had fallen on the ground lifted up and began swirling in the air above them. Dream watched the jumble of letters forming above them and she heard Liam ask if she knew what it said. Dream shook her head and continued to stare. Suddenly the lettes began to form shapes instead. Dream caught her breath as she recognized two of the shapes. "Liam look at that! They aren't letters anymore, they're landmarks! That's Widow Peak over near the Centaurs Lair, and that's Fairy Cave! Do you have any parchment and quill on you? We need to find a way to draw this out. I think it's a map, Liam!" she said, the excitement of adventure ringing clearly in her voice.