Chapter 2 ~ Karil.

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Lying before him was a crumpled pile of black lace, the dress of the thin, fragile girl who lay before him. He bent down, rolling back her hood to reveal the beautiful face of the stranger, pale with high cheek bones and refined features, clear, untouched skin. Black waving hair spread out across the ground, contrasting dramatically with the shade of her skin.

Rolf looked around himself wildly. Where had she come from? There seemed no one else around other than him. She had to be a witch, otherwise she wouldn't have been able to get into the forest. With a look back down at her, he lifted her up carefully, finding her incredibly light. Still, he wouldn't be able to carry her the eight miles it was back to Hogwarts. Walking a few steps, he whistled, and his transport there arrived; a chestnut hippogriff that he bowed to before clambering on. Hopefully she'd wake up soon.

***

So much for his hopes; she was still unconcious when he arrived at his hut on the edges of the forbidden forest. He dropped off his mount with ease and carried her to the building, placing her in an armchair. After tossing the hippogriff a dead ferret, he left for the school, leaving her there

He had no idea what to do with her, therefore needing the help of his younger brother, Karil, who lived at the school in the holidays, seeing as he had no where else to go and Rolf lived on site. Rolf found him in the library, a silent, lonely room until the rest of the school arrived in September. Even Madam Pince was absent. 

Karil, bent over ''One hundred magical potions to change your appearance'', looked up as his brother's heavy footsteps came echoing throughout the library. Rolf greeted his brother with a disapproving look at the book he held.

''Come on mate.'' He took the volume off his brother and sat down.

Karil looked temporarily embarrassed.  Unlike Rolf he had dark, soulful black eyes like tunnels, short brown hair and a pale complexion. You would think, from this description, he was an ok-looking boy, but the slash across the right side of his face made him self-concious and nervous, and he worried about it constantly. You could say this characteristic made him the quiet, studious Ravenclaw that he was.

''What d'you want?'' He asked quietly, watching his brother slip the book back onto a shelf. 

Rolf looked around warily to see if anyone was nearby, an action that wasn't really necessary as the school was almost deserted, except for some teachers, in the summer holidays. ''Look, I was out eastwards and-''

''Near Burness?'' His brother cut in.

Rolf sighed. ''Yes, and something unexpected happened.'' He gained his brother's attention and went on to explain the process of finding the girl.

Karil waited until his brother was finished before asking the expected. ''What are you going to do with her?''

Rolf raked a hand through his dirty blonde hair. ''Well, I was hoping you'd help me on that one.'' Karil raised his eyebrows but his brother went on. ''Look, can you come down to the hut for half an hour? She should have woken up by now.'' 

Karil looked at the bookshelf where his previous read now lay. Rolf sighed. ''Come on Karil, I really need you're help on this one.''

With a last glance at the shelf behind him, Karil nodded his head and followed his striding brother out of the room.