An active, character-driven Hogwarts experience set in the early 2000s. Unique items, plots, and features. Non-canon; this isn't Harry Potter's story, it's ours.
As she was eating her breakfast, Elara smiled when Arthur suddenly took a seat beside her- glad to see one of her friends was still talking to her. "Hanna isn't talking to me" she answered his question, moving some of her eggs around on her plate with her fork. "We had a disagreement by the lake, then she got attacked by a huge moth and now she isn't talking to me" it made her anxious to feel like she and Hanna were in a fight, they usually didn't stay mad at each other for more than an hour or two at the most- it had been a whole night and now Hanna wasn't at breakfast, so even if she wanted to settle their disagreement, she couldn't.
"How are you? It was pretty scary yesterday, wasn't it?" she smiled in the hopes that it would offer him some comfort. She wondered where Dec was and if he was feeling okay after witnessing the attack the previous day. "You should eat something, are you gonna try-out for the quidditch team this afternoon?" quidditch usually helped take her mind off of the more scary things that happened and she really had to focus, if she wanted to make a good impression and get on the team.
Rose nodded along as she ate her porridge. "It's so cool that you get days off, do you think professor Snape will give you your own potions kit?" Rose hadn't figured out how she felt about Professor Snape yet. He was a good professor but He was very harsh sometimes. He scared her every now that then. However she loved his class, it was interesting to see him in that setting, it was kind of like hunting for the light in his eyes, it was clear that he loved the teaching he just never showed it except for that small twinkle.
The glare he gave could have been a copy and paste from the glares she could easily shot someone. But, Jade was her friend and one she found herself venting to just like any other friend. Did she go into details about their financial problems? No, rarely she did, but they were a large family and all the kids were currently attending Hogwarts. And after his scene last night, her and Jade had spoken about it a little.
Everyone knew magical supplies weren't cheap, especially brooms. As he spoke about the observation, she closed her eyes and let out a sigh. "Brooms are expensive... It was a general observation and harmless... You made it a bigger deal than it was." He was hot headed, like she was, but she was learning to control it.
As he asked about the solution, she looked about and then back at him. "I will tell you later... Alone... Not in the Great Hall where others can hear... Last night it was loud enough that no one overheard, but breakfast is rarely loud enough for that." She said quietly before she ate some more of her food and looked at her schedule. "You have Herbology this morning." She said, making an observation before looking at her schedule. She had charms... Fantastic...
Amelia rolled her eyes at his last words and she looked over at him. "Oh get over it... They never got into anything that was there business... Guess what, people are going to make observations and the quicker you realize that, the better it will be for you..." She snapped through her teeth before she got up and went to a different spot on their table, closer to her normal spot where others her age liked to sit.
Post by Lindsey Bryce on Feb 25, 2020 7:36:10 GMT 10
Lindsey smiled at her as she spoke and chuckled lightly. "Dinna fash, lass... Ye'll get ye're own days off as well." She said as she thought about the Potion kit and wondering if she would be granted one. "Well, I guess we will just have to see, won't we?" Lindsey was hopeful, as she did enjoy the class and was fairly good at it, but Snape could be rather unpredictable.
Post by Grace Babineaux on Feb 25, 2020 8:47:49 GMT 10
Grace was thinking about the requests for things that she had seen in the dorm last night. She thought she might be able to get some of the things done, if she had enough hurry after Herbology class, and she did have all that free time in the afternoon. Maybe she could ask Professor Sprout how she could get some apples to help Hagrid.
Looking at her table, she saw that Toby and Amy were having an argument, probably about the sensitive topic Jade had touched on the night before. She sat a bit away from them, but still close enough that she could hear the conversation if she paid enough attention. Grace looked at the ingredients lists for the potions Madam Pomfrey wanted. There were a lot, that was certain, but she felt like she could get started that day. She grabbed some nuts from the table.
Post by Arthur Hocking on Feb 25, 2020 13:06:39 GMT 10
Arthur nodded. He had been there for part of it, and the moth attack seemed much farther away than it actually was. He wasn't nearly as close to Hanna, and so he wasn't as stung when she didn't want to talk. "Has she come to breakfast? I'm sure she's fine..." Art looked over towards the Slytherin table, craning his neck.
"I'm a lot better. I got to know my gimus a little better. Didja know they're like porcupines? They can make themselves all solid-y." Arthur said, grateful for a subject change. He began to put some food on his plate. "Y'know, I thought I would. I always have, but this year...I'm not sure." he had begun to reconsider. His flying skills weren't improving, and he thought his time might be better spent elsewhere. Like trying to find pumpkins to help the professors.
Entering the Great hall, Gerald Stretched. While he hadn't spent the Night outside again, he still felt exhausted. Maybe he had to eat something. His eyes scoured the tble as he sat down, and he immediately went to grab some Toast, looking for one of his friends.
Top of the Schedule, he had Herbology. Was that a Cooking class? He wondered, mind blanking as he thought about it. It was outside, so probably not. Oh! There was Ravenclaw Tryouts too. Were first years allowed to join? he couldn't think why not, but it would definitely be some sort of helpful skill to learn and keep active.
Following Arthur's gaze towards the Slytherin table, Elara shook her head "No... As far as I'm aware she's still in the hospital wing" she replied, chewing nervously upon her bottom lip as she wondered if Hanna would come down to breakfast at all, or even attend class. "I'm sure you're right... She's probably fine" the words sounded empty and doubtful coming from her though- she wouldn't have her mind eased until she saw for herself that Hanna was okay. "Aw! That's cool... I didn't know they could do that!" she perked up a little as the subject steered away from Hanna and instead turned to the subject of Arthur's new pet. "Do they make good pets?" she'd been recently debating on asking her parents if she'd be allowed a pet, she'd probably wait a while after asking about a broom though- once they'd cooled down and had no reason to say no.
She frowned when Arthur mentioned that he wasn't sure if he'd try-out for the quidditch team "oh but you must!" came her enthusiastic reply "it's gonna be a lot of fun and I know this year we're gonna crush the opposition!" of course if Arthur really didn't want to try-out then she'd respect his decision- watching the sport could at times be almost as fun as participating.
Sinead entered the hall with her sister, still dwelling on what had happened in their common room the night before. Conversing in low voices, the pair took seats at the Slytherin table. As she sat down, Sinead was very briefly distracted by an apparent quarrel over on the Gryffindor table. She watched the pair, A 5th year and a 1st year for a few moments, then turned back to chatting with her sister, paying the pair no more attention.
Post by Tobias Twiggs on Feb 26, 2020 11:57:41 GMT 10
There she went, acting as though he was the one at fault- he'd done nothing wrong as far as he was concerned and Amelia ought to be on his side. Here he was believing that family came first? "Maybe you should pick better friends" he muttered, stabbing at his pancakes with his fork rather aggressively without making eye contact. Suddenly he was glad that he only had two sisters- sisters were annoying and perhaps he'd never thought about how lucky he'd been to have been spared their company during their first four years at Hogwarts. It was unfortunate that now he'd have to share the school with them and be subjected to their lecturing ways.
Toby was still interested in learning about the solution that Amy had spoken about, but that didn't mean that he wasn't still mad at her for taking Jade's side. He could be mad and still want to know more... "I can read" he snapped at her when she pointed out that he had herbology that morning and although he could hear himself being petty and childish in his answers, he didn't care because... Amy was stupid. "Gardening... Great... So fun" sighing in exasperation, he couldn't think of anything he wanted to do less than sit and learn about plants. That was so boring.
When Amelia snapped back at him, Toby was about to yell something back at her but before he had the chance, she left to go sit with her friends and he was left alone at the table. He debated throwing his fork at her... But then decided against it and instead angrilly stabbed at his pancakes some more before finishing what was on his plate and drinking some more orange juice. He wished he was an only child.
After a while, the screeches of owls were heard to signal the arrival of everyone's morning mail. Hundreds of them flew into the Great Hall, delivering letters or packages from home - and of course, that morning's issue of the Daily Prophet. There was some commotion from distraught or shocked Quidditch fans - with a 3rd year Ravenclaw girl even running from the hall in tears when she saw the front page.
The following letters were also delivered:
To: @amelia It notably arrived via her father's barn owl, Regan, who was a large and dignified. She landed gracefully on the Gryffindor table, and stuck her feathery talon out at Amelia - revealing the letter. Once Amelia removed it, the owl helped herself to some of her pumpkin juice and a strip of nearby bacon. Then Regan took flight and left the hall.
Dear Amelia,
Your mother and I are immensely proud of you both for making the Gryffindor team. I've already boasted to everyone at work that you're following in your dear old dad's footsteps. You're both going to be great, of that I have no doubt. I've already made arrangements to watch your first match against Slytherin, and I plan to attend as many matches as work allows.
Your mother was thrilled to hear about you starting your Herbology Kit. I managed to spare you by talking her out of writing to Professor Sprout to discuss this milestone further. She's busy writing to your brothers now, but has promised to share gardening tips with you in her next letter. I'm proud of you for taking a chance at something new or different and giving it your best. You're setting a good example for your younger siblings.
How are things back at Hogwarts, especially now you're an OWL student? I hope you're keeping up with your homework and not getting in too much trouble. You also have the responsibility of representing your team now, which I've no doubt you'll do well.
Regarding a more complicated matter... Toby has requested a broomstick for the both of you. As you understand, this is quite an expensive request even if it's for nothing "fancy". However, please be kind to him in regards to this - he's only 11 and is very excited about his new role. Quidditch means a lot to him, as you know. Your mother and I agree that having your own broomsticks is necessary, but as of now it's going to take time to make ends meet.
Until we can work something out, Toby needs his big sister to lead an example by showing patience while awaiting progress. Remind him that we'll do the best we can to make his dream come true. We've reached out to some relatives in regards to a second-hand broom, but none are strong enough to cope with modern Quiddich so Magnora is our only option. I don't want you to worry or feel guilty about this, okay? This request is important to you both so we'll sort something out.
I'll let you know when we make progress, and you can pass it on to Toby. Lots of love, Dad
--
To: Tobias Twiggs It arrived via his mother's tawny owl. Quiffy was quite fluffy and not the best with landings - as proven when he tumbled into a bowl, which caused an explosion of dry cereal. The owl quickly recovered as if nothing had happened, and hopped over to Tobias. He stuck out his talon to reveal the letter and a box of Bertie Botts Every Flavour Beans, waiting with wavering balance for him to remove them. Once Tobias had, Quiffy set about cleaning up the dry cereal... by eating it.
Dearest Toby,
What exciting news! Your father and I are tremendously proud of you both. Your father's been boasting it to anyone who'll listen - I wouldn't be surprised if the Minister of Magic himself knows about it by now. He's even made arrangements with work to make sure he can watch your first match against Slytherin. I'll be there too, of course. We can't wait!
While I didn't realise your "career" was at sake already, I can assure you that your father and I are working on finding a solution to get both you and your sister a broomstick. Don't you worry about that for now - we'll take care of it. It won't be easy, but your father says the best option would be one of those Magnora brooms. A bit fancy, yes, but we're discussing it. Amelia will keep you updated when we've sorted some things out.
Now - I want to hear all about your friends and classes. Are you settling in okay? Don't forget to take your map with you wherever you go, young man. You don't want to end up late or cornered by Peeves by taking a wrong turn on the moving staircase. And don't forget to change your underwear often - the laundry basket isn't just for show, you know.
Congratulations on making the team. We're so proud. I want to hear all about your life at Hogwarts! Let us know how you're doing, okay? If you need anything, we're here.
Post by Lindsey Bryce on Feb 26, 2020 22:01:58 GMT 10
The sound of the owls made Lindsey look up and she smiled when a Daily Prophet landed before her. She was about to open it, having wiped her face and put her spoon down, when she hear the sound of someone crying and turned to see a Ravenclaw student, a fellow third year that she recognize running out of the hall. "Must of been bad news from home." She said rather concerned sounding but loud enough for Rose to hear before she turned back and finally opened up her Daily Prophet.
Woah! It was really call she could think as she heard about the captain of the Swedish team captain. That was quite surprising, as she had followed some of the teams for a while just to keep up. This was not something she had been expecting at all and had to re-read the article before she put the paper down on the table and let it sink in. Granted, she was a fan of the Scottish Team, but she knew talent when she saw it and she also knew that this man had been determined not to end his career. What had changed? Maybe more answers would come later on, right?
She checked out some of the other articles, taking note about the security issue at Gringotts, the Daymoth resolution, and the love potion article. She was interested a little about the Hippogriff herding and would have to ask the professor about that. As she began to put that away, she looked up in time to see a recognized owl, her mother's owl, who promptly landed gracefully and offered her talon before taking off without a second look. She put the letter away, preparing herself to read it later since she had plenty of time today.
Amelia was settling into her new spot when the sound of Owls made her look up in time to see a Daily Prophet land before her. She waited no time in opening it up but wished she hadn't when she read the headline. "WHAT?!" It was all she could say as she lifted the paper to her face and read the article not once, not twice, but three times. "You can't be serious?!" She said so that anyone around her would hear it. The sound of cries could be heard from others, including one younger student from Ravenclaw leaving the great hall. What had happened to make this man, an idol of hers, want to quit?
'Did the man take fan mail? Would he even answer fan mail? Would the owls even know how to get it to him?' Amelia thought to herself as she placed the paper down and then looked to see her father's owl before her. "Oh! Sorry Regan, I didn't see you there." She said, removing the letter and smiling as the owl took her payment from her pumpkin juice and some bacon from the table. "Help yourself." She said with an amused tone before she focused on the letter.
It was good to see her father's writing and her heart swelled as she read the letter from the beginning. As it came to the part about homework, she found herself rolling her eyes, but she would let him know tonight it went well. As it reached the part of the letter she knew was coming, she found herself sending a glare towards her brother. 'He did what?' As she read about him sending his own letter to their parents. She ought to kill him! He knew better than this, but than again... As her father said, he was excited and young, but he knew...
Rubbing her temples with her fingers, she continued to read it slowly as she got to the last paragraph. Well, she had already screwed that part up and she sighed as she put the letter down, finishing it and then looking ahead. Luckily, the wouldn't need to buy her one, thanks to Jade. How was she going to word it though? Where was Jade? They needed to talk this through...
Post by Tobias Twiggs on Feb 26, 2020 23:08:11 GMT 10
The sound of owls marked the arrival of that mornings mail and Tobias looked up immediately searching for one of his parents familiar owls. He didn't know if they'd send a reply to his letter so soon, but he had high hopes. A copy of the daily prophet landed in front of him and he snatched it up before anyone else had the chance to swipe it. A gasp left the young boy when he saw the front page and he gripped the paper a little firmer as he hurriedly read through the article. It had to be some kind of sick joke- early retirement? Erik Javior would never retire! Toby wasn't convinced, there had to be more to the story.
He was in the middle of flicking through the paper in search of more information when an owl crashed into a bowl of cereal and made him flinch backwards before he recognised his mother's owl. "Quiffy! Be careful, stupid bird!" he scolded the owl, but still reached to give it a gentle scratch upon the head. Then he took the letter and sweets from where they were attached to the birds leg and watched Quiffy begin to tidy up his mess- satisfied that the bird hadn't received any injury by his rough landing, Tobias turned his attention to his letter.
Smiling when he saw his mother's familiar handwriting, he began to read what she had written and his smile only broadened when she revealed that she and his father would be attending his first match. That just made him even more determined to perform well, he wouldn't want his parents to think he was rubbish at the sport that he spoke so highly of! He didn't receive a definitive answer about the broom situation, but for the time being he was convinced that his parents wouldn't disappoint him and he could relax until they came up with a solution.
Then his mum began fretting about other less important things and Toby wondered how she managed to nag him even through a letter? That woman had a knack for nagging her children it seemed. Rolling his eyes, he tried to remind himself that she just cared for him and wanted to know that he was alright. Slipping the letter into the pocket of his robes, he made a mental note to reply back asap so that she wouldn't have need to worry.
Rose looked at Lindsey, "well if you're a good student I don't see why not?" She smiled at her, honestly, Rose liked Linsdey. She thought Lindsey could potentially be a good friend or mentor of sorts and hoped Lindsey felt the same.
Just as Rose was about to ask Lindsey something else she saw the owls flying in. She hoped that they would drop off a letter to her from her parents as she missed them so. Low and behold a letter fell right in front of her and she smiled with glee. Completely forgetting that she was talking to Lindsey she ripped into the letter. Part of it was from her mom and the part of it was from her dad. Her mom was making sure she was doing well in her classes and that she listens to Snape whereas her father was father made sure that she was having fun and being safe, He wrote that if she was homesick she could come back anytime, typical dad.
02 | 
19 | 
20
February
