By the time Peter had called out to them, Karkat was already at the edge of the forest. It was funny when he thought about it, seeing as how the last time he'd been here he was going to that musty old shack deep in the woods with Gamzee and Tavros to get drunk. It was kind of amusing in the fact that he hadn't been punished for that yet, yet here he was having detention with Dave fucking Strider. Pulling his wand out of his pocket, he murmured "Lumos", a dull, pulsating blue surrounding the tip and acting like a light. It wasn't dark enough yet but the forest got darker the deeper you went, so it was better to be prepared rather than leave it until the last minute.

Climbing over one of the large roots that kept the forest closed off, Karkat slid down the other side, glad he hadn't worn his robes just in case they got caught on something. He walked a few paces ahead of Dave, mulling the clues and their task over in his head. Slowing his stride, he waited until he was a foot in front of the other Gryffindor before speaking. "Scared?"