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.
According to Gerald as he walked into the Hall, it felt like there was something different. It was rather odd, but He could swear that something today was going to change the School. Was it Him and Grace, with their letter? He chose to believe it was. Destiny Foreshadowing was always cool, Gerald chuckled to himself, nodding as he went to his table, waving to Grace, and then again to the Boy he saw last night, Jamie.
Grabbing an Apple from the Table, he went to put it in his pocket, wondering why the Auror was up at the table. Glancing around quickly, he noticed that some of the Slytherins, like the Deal guy was nowhere to be seen. Was she investigating the School?
Sitting next to Jamie, he wondered what they knew. "Do you know why the Police officer lady is here?" He asked, making sure to use muggle terms in case they had no experience of the wizarding world.
Anjay didn't miss the way his mother's attitude seemed to shift when Professor Hathmore entered the Great Hall. Judging by the way the Professor was assaulting his eggs, it seemed whatever bad blood Anjay had detected on his mother's part was mutual.
He fought the urge to roll his eyes. Why did he have to wait for the Daily Prophet to get the news, why couldn't she just tell him now? They were standing here talking. It would be so easy. Anjay sighed and didn't push the subject.
"I'm always thinking about my future," he responded to her in a somewhat grumpy tone. It was one of the side effects of having been raised in the way he was- there was a major emphasis on the future. His mother's comment made him feel like she didn't notice...
...but he knew she was just concerned with everything going on. He could sense it in her demeanor. He wouldn't have been surprised to learn that his mom had volunteered for this assignment just for the opportunity to check up on her babies.
"Who is your partner?" Anjay motioned towards the other Ministry official, the tone in his voice thick with playfulness. It was the type of thing his mother would say to him if he didn't introduce her to a new friend right away. He jokingly turned it back on her but also did want to know.
Neith frowned at Anjay's tone, disapproval obvious. 'I'm well aware of that, Anjay. And as you should,' she said. 'I wouldn't have mentioned it if I was referring to much of the same. No, these changes will impact your future in a big way. You need to prioritise yourself and adapt to them, but also continue being a role model as your sibling's big brother.'
She glanced at her co-worker, rolling her eyes at Anjay's teasing question. 'I'll have you know, they're quite...' Neith paused then shared an amused, guilty look with her son. 'I have no idea. Different department. I've also forgotten the name of gentleman here as a representative of Saint Mungo's. Thankfully, he had a meeting with Madam Pomfrey to attend to as soon as we arrived.'
It was a rare insight into his mother's political life. Perhaps not even she always kept up with names and titles and all of those details every time. She spoke to about a hundred different people on a regular basis, so it was understandable, yet Anjay had a feeling her amusement and honesty was specially for him. His mother always seemed to understand him just a little bit more than his father.
Anjay was growing up, and his mother wanted him to know she did acknowledge it. He was starting to see some benefits of such, with his parents being a little less educational and business-like in moments like this. They were still just people, however talented and famous. They trusted in his maturity to recognise that but not be discouraged by it.
'Anyway, there is another reason I wanted to personally be here today...' Neith smiled, clearly in contained excitement and having kept a secret from him. It was then that he noticed one of her hands was closed in a fist, hiding an object within. 'It took a bit of convincing, but Professor McGonagall has kindly allowed me to do the honour of presenting this to you. You'll still need to visit her office after your homework session though, to go over some final details, but...'
She held out her hand, eyes watery with immense pride. She revealed a shiny Gryffindor prefect badge.
'We are all so proud of you, Anjay,' Neith said. It was evident in every aspect of her tone and expression how genuine her words were. 'I trust, of course, that you understand the enormous and important responsibility that this is? And I assume you'll be not only accepting it, but wearing this with pride? You've earned it, Sweetheart. And I know your schoolmates will benefit from your leadership. What do you say?'
It surprised Anjay to learn that his mother didn't know the names of the people she was traveling and working with. He expected her to not only know their names but also every last detail about them, the way she always seemed to do with his and his siblings' friends. He supposed that there were plenty of things about his mother he had misjudged.
His eyes grew wide as his mother handed him a prefect badge, and he slyly looked around to make sure too many people weren't looking at him. Having your mom be a top ranking and well known Auror was nothing to be ashamed of, but having your mommy hand you your prefect badge and tell you how proud she was of you was enough to embarrass any kid.
Still, he was super psyched to learn he had been made prefect. It was something he'd always hoped for and now that it had come to pass, he felt a real sense of accomplishment. As he entered his final years at Hogwarts he hoped to experience this feeling again and again in a variety of situations. "Thanks, mom," he said shyly. "Of course I will wear it with all the dignity and respect befitting of the office."
He took the badge out of her hand and fixed it on his robes, determined not to let her do it for him. That would be a step too far. He was 15 now, practically a man, and he didn't need to be doted over in terms of little things like this. Satisfied with the way the badge hung on his lapel, he re-straightened his tie himself and turned back to his mom.
"So, how'd you get here? Floo network, or did you Apparate?"
'We flew here by dragon, of course,' Neith said so casually it was hard to know she was joking - if not for the fact Anjay knew it couldn't possibly be true.
Headmaster Rickard passed them on his way to sit down for breakfast, freeing Neith's co-worker. She listened to their whispering in her ear, nodding importantly to what was said. The co-worker then headed out of the Great Hall, alongside a displeased Professor Fairburn.
'I have Hogwarts business I need to finish attending to, then I have to go relieve your father,' Neith told her son. 'Do enjoy your breakfast. Save a copy of the Daily Prophet for me, will you? I won't even see my office again until dinner, I'm afraid.'
She retrieved a piece of parchment and glanced it over. 'Anjay,' Neith handed it to him. 'Your father's having afternoon tea in Hogsmeade today, with the Minister. It'll be brief, but we'd like for you to join them. As they'll surely be recognised, given the location, there is a publicity element to it as well. Therefore, it's requested that you invite these students to afternoon tea as well.'
That explained the parchment, which contained names of: Elizabeth Doren , Jaxen Ashworth , and Lindsey Bryce . She assumed he either knew who they were or could easily find out.
'If they accept or decline, that's entirely up to them,' Neith said. 'However, it's your duty to ensure at least one of them accompanies you - understood? Your father will meet you at the Front Gates after lunch, and you'll walk to Hogsmeade together.' She didn't tell him to be on time and to present himself accordingly for afternoon tea with the Minister, as Anjay was raised well and didn't need such reminding.
Though Anjay had a few various interactions with high-ranking officials, or attended events where they're present, Dougray Fenwhistle was new to the title of Minister of Magic since the recent summer - unusually, this was someone Anjay hadn't met yet or really knew much about.
'We'd have invited your sisters as well, but they have quite a busy schedule today,' Neith added. She gave Anjay a proud smile and brief farewell hug, then headed out of the Great Hall - giving no indication of noticing the whispers and stares that followed her. An Xcalyn was used to such attention.
Post by Mathias Sallow on Jun 20, 2020 22:29:00 GMT 10
Mathias made his way to the Ravenclaw table, his hair still a little singed from his late-night experiments, and was aware of the chatter going on but ignored it for now.
It wasn't until he'd had a big sip of pumpkin juice, and started devouring his scrambled eggs, that he tuned into what was going on. By then, he saw Neith Xcalyn leave the Great Hall and almost bit his tongue in disbelief. He stared, accepting it was real. Mathias wanted to hurry over and greet her, though doubted he had time to and didn't want to risk tripping over himself in haste.
He was abuzz with ideas, yet let the general talk of upcoming Quidditch try-outs distract him. He sighed, putting down his fork once finished eating, and observed the Ravenclaw table. He missed Nyx, wondering what she was doing. If his schedule was anything to go by though, he'd have a chance to seek her out during ample free time. Then again, surely she'd find him?
Either way, it was Halloween. He had various ideas on how to spend the day, knowing he had a few things to catch up on anyway. His homework session would be annoying though, as Mathias hadn't yet finished even half of the work. Too much reading was involved.
His mood wasn't great though, despite the start of a new day where he had plenty of free time. If he had to put a term to it, Mathias supposed he was lonely. He got along well with a lot of people and enjoyed social situations well enough. Many sough him out for help solving problems. None just wanted to hang out and get to know him. He was used to it, but it was always hard - having spent his summer surrounded by family and those who may as well be.
It was a lot to think about so early in the morning, so Mathias ducked his head and picked at his toast instead.
Post by Ryan Barrow on Jun 20, 2020 22:34:38 GMT 10
Ryan expected to be more tired than he was that morning, considering he was out until late running around a scary forest. He'd managed to get back to his dorm okay, and it seemed everyone else had been asleep by then. He hadn't had the chance to talk to Joe yet, but hoped an opportunity would rise at some point.
He dragged himself down the five million stairs, then to the Great Hall. He was cranky, but ready to start the new day. Ryan glanced around for Toby, hoping he hadn't missed the chance to have breakfast with him. Was this going to be a daily thing? That would be awesome.
Figuring Toby was already done or would find him, Ryan made his way to the Ravenclaw table. It was really noisy today, which he hated, but didn't care much for what was going on. The only parts he even made much sense of was the fact Quidditch try-outs were happening today for Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff. He had no desire to die falling from a broomstick though, so that event was a pass for him.
Breakfast choices were hard. Ryan glared at his empty bowl for a while before deciding on jam toast.
Post by Sophia Rhynhart on Jun 20, 2020 22:42:29 GMT 10
By the time Sophia reached the Great Hall, she was well and truly confused. She'd gotten no less than a dozen congratulations or well wishes on her way there and it made no sense. Normally people were telling her off for one thing or another.
It wasn't until she was halfway through her bowl of oats that the complete information was brought to her attention. She barely had the ability to apologise to the poor 2nd year she'd spat oats on in shock.
'WHAT?' her voice rose above some general chatter, but Sophia didn't care for the attention she'd just brought on herself. She was shocked. It was odd enough that Lucky was unavailable to host try-outs today, but the nominated substitute was... her?
'Someone pinch me - ow!' Sophia grumbled, rubbing her arm from where a classmate decided to be so bold. She huffed, thoughts of breakfast forgotten, and tried to grapple with having this big responsibility thrust on her. Sure, she'd considered going for captain once reaching 5th year but had decided against it. Too much of the boring stuff - plans, coming with strategies, keeping track of the players etc.
She intended to do it justice though, as nothing was more important that Quidditch (in her opinion). Sophia grinned, and started wandering along the Hufflepuff table. 'Who's trying out today?' she asked as she went. 'C'mon, we need great players. Who's good on a broom?'
Post by Lucas Mardling on Jun 20, 2020 23:00:41 GMT 10
Lucas was surprised he hadn't been late to breakfast, having spent twice as long in front of the bathroom mirror this morning. The red mark on his cheek was less prominent from several feet away, but the cut on his lip was harder to conceal. He'd ended up using some make-up he didn't know the name or proper use for. It covered it up well enough, so he was able to vacate the bathroom to show his face in public.
He actually yelped when he entered the hall and almost walked into someone who'd stopped to stare at Neith Xcalyn. Lucas ducked his head and hurried to the Slytherin table, picking a spot that seemed relatively unremarkable. It wasn't as if he'd done anything worth being so nervous around an Auror - particularly a famous one, but he had no doubt his parents weren't as innocent.
Technically he wasn't either, but details. Nothing he was caught for or that could be proven.
He decided on fruit salad for breakfast, and grabbed an extra apple for later. It was becoming a habit now in case he had to make a run for it, after that awful glitter prank. He noticed the owls hadn't been by yet, so there was nothing to read while he ate. Except his schedule, which only got a brief glance. Homework - nothing exciting.
Lucas glared over at the Gryffindor table though. He had plenty of time to make some deals today, but he had something more important in mind today. He winced as his lip stung while he ate, though it was reminder of the fact he had to retaliate this time. He was still mad about it and refused to tolerate such idiotic behaviour.
Post by Amara Seabrook on Jun 20, 2020 23:06:03 GMT 10
Amara was one of the earlier arrivals to breakfast that morning, though for once her presence wasn't especially known. As soon as she'd spotted an Xcalyn auror, she'd picked a spot of the hall near the back and less likely to draw attention. She kept her head down and minded her own business, not talking to anyone or even glancing up from her breakfast.
Why was she even here? What business could an auror like Neith Xcalyn possibly have at Hogwarts? It was infuriating not knowing, though Amara tried her best to ignore it. She hadn't even noticed when Neith left, as she was busy pretending to study her schedule.
When she finally did look up, it was when Lucas sat at the Slytherin table. Neith was gone now, thankfully, but Amara wasn't pushing her luck. She finished her breakfast and got up to head over to Lucas, sitting across from him to study his face. She saw the subtle hints of lingering injuries, and felt a rage boil up her as she knew someone was responsible for it. 'Spill,' she said. 'What happened? Who do I need to hurt?'
As she began to eat her eggs, Elara listened attentively to what Arthur had to say and winced when he described having to scrub the cauldrons- it seemed a fitting punishment, considering improper cauldron cleaning was what had landed him detention in the first place. Still, she felt sympathy for her friend and how sore his hands must be after scrubbing all of those cauldrons.
She thought that the conversation would naturally steer away from detention, maybe Arthur would want to talk about Halloween- he was muggleborn so maybe he would be preparing to dress up and go out with his muggle friends had he been at home. However, instead Arthur told her all about how Hathmore had stopped by... That in itself was not strange, teachers often visited each others classrooms- it was what her friend told her next that confused her.
"That... Does sound a little strange" she confessed, spooning more egg into her mouth as she peered at the picture he was showing her. Unfortunately she didn't recognise the crest "I don't recognise it... Sorry" she would've suggested that he look in the library for something that might clue him in, but she wouldn't know what to suggest her look for.
She wondered who had been arguing and why Fairburn had been in such a hurry... There was a lot to unpack but not enough information to unpack it. Elara wasn't one to pry into the professors business, but all of that did seem a little strange.
Elara didn't have a chance to question Arthur further though as Sophia's voice caught her attention and she was quickly raising her hand to beckon the fifth year over.. "Of course I'm trying out, wouldn't miss it!" she wondered how Sophia was going to handle try-outs but as long as she made the team, nothing else mattered really.
Post by Tobias Twiggs on Jun 20, 2020 23:36:51 GMT 10
"Hey Grace" Toby greeted his classmate as she sat nearby, were they friends? He didn't know... They'd spoken a few times but he didn't often seek her out like he did Ryan and Joe. Maybe they could be friends in future? But then, there was also the fact that she was a girl? He supposed girls could be cool... But not as cool as Ryan and Joe.
He was vaguely annoyed at having to go to a homework session first thing, as he had yet to even start any of his homework, it meant that he'd be sat there a while completing it- unless he wanted to fail all his classes and have to deal with his parents lecturing him about how important homework was... No thanks.
He was staring at the Ravenclaw table for a while before he notice that Ryan had arrived at some point and was busy eating his breakfast. "Uhh, sorry Grace! I'll catch you later!" he called over his shoulder, already walking at a hurried pace towards where his friend was. He couldn't see Joe, which was mildly concerning but maybe he was just sleeping in.
"Hey Ryan!" he greeted, his mood lifting a little now that he was back within the company of his friend. It looked as though Ryan had made it back to his common room okay- which was good, it meant they'd gotten away with their adventure (not that he'd be in a hurry to repeat the experience). Sitting across from his friend he picked up some more toast and began to eat, hoping that Joe might join them soon.
He wanted to talk about what had happened the night before, but breakfast was definitely too crowded to talk without the risk of being overheard.
Post by Lindsey Bryce on Jun 20, 2020 23:55:10 GMT 10
The sudden appearance of Tom made Lindsey blush slightly before she went back to her own food and looking up towards the table. She had seen a Gryffindor go towards the Staff Table and she could see the family resemblance and remembered that Neith Xcalyn had children attending Hogwarts. Unfortunately, even from where she was, she couldn't hear good enough. They had hugged, talked and she was smiling at different times. It seemed like everything was okay and then, Tom spoke...
Lindsey hadn't forgotten that he was there, but she blushed bright none-the-less. Looking over at him, she motioned with her head towards the staff table. "Ye dinna ken, Neith Xcalyn? She is a famous auror... I dinna ken why she is here though." Lindsey said before she turned her head back. Conversation seemed to go serious, with a few light moments, but again, she couldn't hear a lot.
It wasn't long before she noticed her hand the boy something and then he pinned it on his robes. She couldn't exactly tell what it was, but seemed to make her very happy. As the headmaster went to his seat, it seemed that things were wrapping up and then she thought she saw her hand something else to the boy. What was it? She was too far to get an exact idea, but she took another bite of her food before she reached over and grabbed some nuts to add to her collection. She couldn't forget those.
"It certainly has everyone's attention, whatever is going on," Lindsey said as she looked over at Tom. "Are ye ready for Samhain? It has to be one of my favorite times of the year." She asked, a spark in her eye. She hadn't seen Lucas or Amara come in, mostly because she was so close towards the front of the table, though it had been a pointless place, since she hadn't heard much of anything, only saw the actions.
NOTE: She is pronouncing Samhain as SOW-in. It is Gaelic for Halloween.
Amelia was watching the front, but not hard enough to miss her dear brother coming into the great hall. A wicked smiled played at her lips, mostly because with how tense things had been, she hadn't the chance to help herself to pranking or teasing him the last few days. The one thing about being Amelia and having a friend like Jacob, she had a limited filter when it came to her actions and she had gone too long filtering her actions with how tense things had been. With the broomstick problem solves, she wanted to cut loose a little.
Looking at the table, she smiled when she grabbed a handful of nuts and then some fruit. The boy was eating some toast, she needed to make sure he had some fruit on his plate. Glancing around, she knew she needed to wait a few before to make sure all attention was trained on someone else and that attention came when Anjay walked in.
Amelia gave him a friendly smile and was sure he would join her, but when his attention was caught by the front, she watched him go right on past. Turning her own attention, she watched as he joined the auror and the professors, but was too far away to even hear a single mumble. Glancing around, she noticed quickly that this was the perfect time.
When he eyes landed on her brother, she watched as he went over to the Ravenclaw Table and pulled out her wand. Flicking some fruit at him would be hard, but levitating a few pieces would be simple. Pulling out her want, she flicked it and quietly said the incantation, "Wingardium Leviosa."
The pieces of fruit lifted and she contrated on gettin them over his head before letting the charm break and slipping her wand away. Hopefully, it all worked out for her and she was able to get it put away without him realizing who had done it.
Last Edit: Jun 21, 2020 3:22:04 GMT 10 by Lena: Fixed: format spacing
Post by Jaxen Ashworth on Jun 21, 2020 0:11:06 GMT 10
Entering the hall, Jaxen noticed that he was one of the later arrivals as the hall was already bustling with activity and the tables were mostly full. He'd somehow managed to sleep in that morning, something that was extraordinarily rare for the boy- he figured that he must've needed the extra rest, but it wasn't something that would become a habit.
The overall atmosphere in the hall seemed to be one of excitement, which he originally put down to the fact that the postponed Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw Quidditch try-outs were that day- something that Jax wasn't interested in. He had no desire to partake in the sport- although he'd happily sit in the stands and cheer for his team.
Heading over to the Ravenclaw table, he seated himself opposite Mathias, as he was the only familiar face that he'd seen that morning. "Morning" he greeted, offering the boy a friendly smile, but the way he was ducking his head- Jax didn't know if his company would be welcome.
"No class today?" he asked, picking up his timetable and sighing as he saw that they still had to attend a homework session that morning. Still, it was Halloween and that meant that his day wouldn't be as full as they usually were and they still had the feast that evening to look forward to.
"You okay?" he eventually asked his dormmate, mild concern edging its way into his tone as he poured some cereal into a bowl and topped the bowl up with milk. He'd understand if Mathias told him to mind his own business and to leave him alone, but he was still going to ask...
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