Professor Fortis couldn't help the little laugh that escaped. He clapped a hand over Charlie's shoulder. "Keep your wits Mr. Oliver," he said coolly. He had to admit Emilie's transfiguration was a pretty brilliant idea. "Miss Devlin's transfiguration has proven to be quite ingenious."
"I thought I heard a noise," he said indicating the area in front of them. "Mr. Oliver if you will flank my left side, Miss Devlin the right?" he suggested.
Charlie jumped slightly at the hand on his shoulder and looked around suspiciously. This was getting weird, man. Maybe he was cutting out for Scooby Doo-ing in the woods. He wondered if Fortis would catch him if he jumped into his arms.
Still, he did what Fortis asked, deathly quiet and straining his ears to hear anything. His eyes were pretty much useless and the more freaked out he got the dimmer his wandlight became. "I heard something too" he whispered, awaiting the certain death that was obviously coming.
Emilie smirked a little as Charlie jumped. She shouldn't have been amused. A teammate that afraid would sooner dump you than help you. She grimaced slightly at him before nodding to the Professor in the low light, and taking her place by his side.
She didn't say much of anything aside from a sharp "SHHH," to silence Charlie as he spoke. She didn't see anything in front of them, but then-- a tiger's eyes weren't night vision.
Fortis moved forward, making sure to match his pace with the two students. There is is again, he thought to himself when he heard movement from in front of them again. Something was out there, he just wasn't sure what.
A beam of light appeared from the tip of his wand and he directed it outward toward the source of noise. He didn't see anything for a few seconds and then a sudden movement. Even Fortis straightened up a bit. "Steady," he barely whispered under his breath.
Charlie extinguished his wand, instead raising it ready to shoot whatever spell came into his head at whatever was moving. Professor Fortis's beam only reached so far, and Charlie concentrated on the blackness just beyond, where he imagined the branches hung overhead.
Emilie's somewhat glowing blue eyes flicked over the scene in front of them. Unlike her two companions, she could see just fine in this light, the beam of light from Fortis's wand making the scene in front of her almost as brilliant as it would have been in the day.
The brush ahead of them moved again and aimed her wand at the movement, breath catching in her throat. Was that a giant rat?
Another moment of inspection, and she scowled.
"Professor," irritation edged into her voice as she watched the small creature. "...It's an opossum."
Charlie felt a wave of relief wash over him as she identified the animal and ran a hand through his hair. Although he couldn't see it, he took Emilie's word for it and lowered his wand.
"What a jip" he joked, only now realising he was stood in a very boggy patch of ground, and practically stuck. With a heave he managed to free his feet and began walking again.
"You know what I think? I don't think there's any more of those things here. We're lucky to find a fu- fudging opossum!"
He was relieved to hear that the creature was only an opposum. "Interesting creature," he said nodding. Ah. There it is. The opossum flipped over to his back once he knew he was spotted, his legs straight in the air.
"Quite lucky indeed," Leonard Fortis smiled and turned to Charlie. "Watch yourself there," he said. "Perhaps we shall make one more round before calling it a night?" he suggested.