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.
Jamie had left the boathouse and had slowly made his way back to the great hall, list in hand and made his way to the end of one of the tables. As he sat, hew glanced at the list once more and realized that nuts were on the list, so he grabbed some for his collection. Grabbing a few small things, he ate quickly before he stood and went to the doors.
Jamie saw Grace, but had no intent or want to talk to her at the moment. Blinking his eyes, he headed for the door and towards the outside world again. It was nice to be outside and that was where he wanted to be. Jamie needed to collect things and wanted a pot of dirt... Something he had heard would be needed if he wanted his herbology kit.
Amelia had returned to the castle, happy with what she had found and headed towards the Gryffindor table. She quickly noticed her brother, but made a bee-line for Anjay. Sitting across from him, she smiled.
"Hey... Been busy?" Amelia asked, her hands grabbing for some food on the table and placing it on her plate. She also went ahead and grabbed some nuts and an apple.
Tom pondered Lindsey's question as he looked her over and got distracted by how pretty he thought she was. If he hadn't noticed it before, he definitely was noticing now how pretty she looked in that dress... he wasn't jealous that he wasn't going to get to meet the Minister, just that he couldn't be with her.
"Do you think that they'll have something planned for us, being that it's Halloween?" Tom asked her. He thought back to his previous Halloweens at Hogwarts and while he felt like particular events marked each of them, he couldn't specifically recall.
"Seems like a pretty important day. Even Muggles know to mark it on their calendars. Surely the Professors will have something special planned." If not, he would be more than happy to go to the owlery with Lindsey.
Anjay smiled at Amelia as she sat down at the table. He wondered why she hadn't been invited to tea with the Minister. She came from a good wizarding family, so she seemed an obvious choice to Anjay. But obviously there was something in the other three that Rickard had valued, something he couldn't put his finger on.
"Eh... 'busy' might not be the best word," he said and then took a sip of his water to give himself a moment to collect his thoughts. "I just had an... er... interesting experience in Rickard's office right before lunch, and it's still got me feeling a bit off."
Last Edit: Aug 4, 2020 16:09:52 GMT 10 by Lena: Fixed: post alignment error
Elara entered the hall, a textbook clutched to her chest (nothing new there), she wore a confusing expression upon her face, as if she couldn't make up her mind on whether she was excited or concerned. Making her way towards the Hufflepuff table, she helped herself to a few sandwiches from a nearby platter and flicked open the transfiguration textbook she'd brought with her.
There was only one explanation for Elara's apparent obsession with transfiguration that afternoon, when Quidditch try-outs were after lunch and any other occasion it would be all she'd be talking about.
An A in transfiguration.
It was almost a fate worse than death, or... Maybe it was worse than death? An A wouldn't get her into the NEWT classes that she was aiming for and then where would she be? After she graduated, who would hire her? Idiots who didn't care about the grades of their employees, and were they even worth working for? Absolutely not.
Whilst her fellow housemates enthused about quidditch around her- a subject she would've enthusiastically participated in, on any other day. She scanned the pages of the textbook in front of her and wondered to herself if McGonagall would consider allowing her to work for extra credit.
Post by Elizabeth Doren on Aug 4, 2020 13:05:36 GMT 10
Elizabeth eyed the Slytherin students who joined her carefully, as though they might be planning to spill things on her, especially the boy her age with a pot. She was thankful when he left the hall. Though she had her Herbology kit and could see the purpose, all that dirt displeased her. She was quite pleased, however, when Anjay Xcalyn waved to her.
Perhaps she was doing things right. The Xcalyns were quite prestigious, after all, so she may do well by befriending their oldest son. She wasn't as sure about the Ashworths, though. She already had a less than positive opinion of Jason for casting the spell on her, but then again, it had been part of Charms class. She would have to speak to Professor Rivera later. She took some more small precise bites.
Post by Mathias Sallow on Aug 4, 2020 15:49:42 GMT 10
Mathias had arrived on-time for the start of lunch, though got held back by noticing a younger student trying to untangle himself from some thick yarn. Worried the poor boy was going to get trampled on by hungry teenagers, Mathias nudged him off to the side - making himself less likely to be noticed by anyone who knew him.
He didn't ask how the boy got tangled, or why yarn, as he'd been there. It was a Ravenclaw boy so even less suspicious. Once Mathias freed him and received a grateful smile in return, he glanced over and spotted someone in Quidditch gear. A silent gasp escaped him as he recognised Nyx - his heart beating in joy to having seen her again after what felt like ages of constantly missing each other during meals or otherwise.
His heart sank just as fast though, seeing her enter with Kaspian. Since when were they close? No, maybe "close" was too preemptive, but still. There was something. Mathias quickly reminded himself Ravenclaw try-outs were that morning so it was probably nothing for him to... wait, was this jealousy? There was certainly a very uncomfortable feeling gnawing at his stomach that wasn't related to hunger.
He had no right to be jealous though, and Mathias wasn't one who typically felt that way. It confused him, and he was ashamed to react that way. Yet now he had no idea what to do. Was Nyx done with him? Had she lost interest? Found someone better? Were they even friends still? Had he misread the whole situation?
Miserable, Mathias made his way to the Ravenclaw table and sat away from Nyx. Not enough that it looked like he was avoiding her, but enough that she could proceed to avoid him without things getting awkward. Sighing, he picked at his food but didn't feel as hungry anymore. He grabbed an apple for later, if needed, but made an effort to consider something more substantial. He pretended, rather expertly, as if he hadn't noticed Nyx at all.
Post by Jade Arwell on Aug 4, 2020 16:22:51 GMT 10
Jade strode purposefully into the Great Hall, ignoring anyone around her as she headed to the house table - not of Gryffindor, but Ravenclaw.
'I need to talk to you,' she told Nyx, blunt and void of any greeting. That was Jade; determined and to the point. 'Not super urgent but - sometime this afternoon, yeah? Send me an owl if you're free.'
She didn't stick around for much conversation. Presumably, Nyx was perceptive enough to notice Jade wasn't in a very good mood. Not angry, though Jade almost wished she was because it'd be easier, but something was certainly off. She just couldn't stop thinking about everything she'd found out, and as much as Jade often leaned on her friends for support... they didn't really understand. Not like Nyx.
Sitting at the Gryffindor table, Jade opted for some simple sandwiches and tuned into nearby conversation. She glanced around for Tiana, sighing as she couldn't spot her best friend anywhere. Not that she blamed her, as Quidditch season was always like this, but it sucked sometimes. Jade rested a cheek on her hand and frowned, glaring at her pumpkin juice as if somehow it had offended her.
Post by Ryan Barrow on Aug 4, 2020 16:29:41 GMT 10
Ryan hurried to the Ravenclaw table when he spotted his friends, though was mindful of his apparent tendency to trip during mealtimes. He'd practically knotted his shoelaces in advance just in case. One embarrassment was bad enough, but doing the same stupid thing more than once? No, he'd never recover.
He'd sat down just in time to hear Joe's news, which brought a huge grin to Ryan's face. While he didn't care much for the dangers of being so high up with just a broom to protect you, Ryan knew the sport was a big deal to some. He wanted to be a good friend, like those he'd never had until Hogwarts. In fact, he wanted to shout to the whole hall how proud he was of Joe - except that the humiliation would be too much to bear. All that attention? No thanks.
'That's awesome, Joe.' Ryan reached to pay his friend's back in congratulations. He tried not to notice that it meant he was the only one of their trio who wasn't on a house team now. Hopefully that wouldn't mean he'd get left behind and forgotten about, if Joe and Toby were at practices all the time and talking about game stuff he didn't understand. Maybe he could do some research?
He ate some fruit, also wondering how they were going to spend the afternoon. His plans were mostly just to hang out with Toby, though of course was no longer apprehensive about Joe joining them too.
'Did Gerald get on the team too?' Ryan wondered, knowing he'd considered trying-out as well. 'Was it really hard?'
Post by Jonathan King on Aug 4, 2020 16:51:19 GMT 10
Joe felt a pat on his back and looked up to see Ryan had joined them.
He beamed at his friend, gladly accepting the congratulations. The huge grin on Ryan's face was perfectly mirrored with Joe's own and he truly felt his friend was happy for his achievement.
Joe himself felt like he could burst with pride and excitement. He had not caught sight of his cousin yet, too distracted by his friends yet he was still burning to tell her the good news aswell, seeing how it was her who had inspired him most to take a chance on the Try-Outs.
"Yes!", Joe felt rather bubbly. "Gerald was amazing. He tried out for Keeper so we played against each other- although it felt more like we were playing together. I was happy when I scored but I was also glad when he was successful. He was there before I was though and tried out for seeker too. I guess his final position is up to our captain."
He finished with a shrug. Looking up the Ravenclaw table he wondered who exactly his captain even was. He figured that it was not the seventh year who had been present earlier or else there would not have been a need for Professor Rivera to lead the Try-Outs.
"So when he's seeker in the end I guess Toby'll have to go directly against Gerald at our match"
It suddenly dawned on him that he would have to go against Toby's team as well. And depending on how Elara spent her afternoon he would have to go against hers too. He had never been on opposing teams with her before and he did not know how to feel about that.
Post by Lindsey Bryce on Aug 4, 2020 21:01:27 GMT 10
At the question about Halloween, Lindsey thought about it and really wished they did. It was one of her favorite times in the Highlands of Highfield. Everyone enjoyed taking part in Samhain. Everything about it made her smile, but she sighed as she looked over at him.
"Ah dinna ken... I'd like to think that they would." She said in her highland accent before she took a bite of her food and looked across at him. "If they do, I would have hoped they would have told us about it by now." She said, looking towards the staff table before she returned to the two of them and their food.
"What are ye gonna do after lunch?" She knew what she was going to be doing, but she was interested in his plans.
Nyx's taste buds exploded when she indulged in the grapefruit, taking her time to savor every flavor-filled bite. Her fruit bowl momentarily took away from her search for Mathias Sallow, as she proceeded to enjoy a couple wedges of mandarin. There seemed to be a lot of conversation taking place around her, none of which were directed her way. She preferred that, anyway. Nyx favored to be left alone to herself. When Nordstrom was around others, she sometimes grew restless underneath her collected exterior, her mind often questioning another's motives.
"Merlin's sake," Nyx said in a startle, dropping her fork into her bowl. She hadn't seen her cousin approach the Ravenclaw table, too lost within her meal to notice. Normally, Nyx wasn't easy to surprise, but she had felt a bit emotionally scattered lately. "Yeah, that's fine. I'll find you in a bit," she replied, some annoyance in her voice. Nyx wasn't necessarily bothered by Jade, but she hated that every time she saw her, spoke to her or even thought of her.. she was reminded of her father. It was a difficult situation. Nyx didn't know how to look past it.
It appeared that Jade wasn't in a pleasant mood, instantly taking her leave as opposed to initiating further conversation. It must've been a family trait. Family. Ugh. Nyx, still a little shaken after the surprise, picked up her fork again and stabbed her abundance of berries. Before she took another bite, however, Nordstrom leaned forward on the table, her elbows pressing into its surface. Extending her neck, the Ravenclaw made another effort to look for Mathias. Her eyes scanned the hall, before coming to an immediate halt. She had found him.
Without another thought, Nyx scooped up her bowl of fruit and made her way over to Mathias. "Are you avoiding me?" she questioned upon her arrival, making an effort to tease him. It wasn't like Nyx, but when she was around Mathias, he somehow unearthed her playful side—a side that felt unusually natural to her. She slipped beside him, a smile on her mouth. Just his presence alone brightened her mood. "I feel like I haven't seen you," Nyx began, bringing a strawberry to her lips, "I haven't even told you about the Daymoth that attacked me."
Food disappeared from tables, and several Hufflepuffs practically flew out of their seats in haste to go get ready for try-outs - especially after the sheer disappointment of having it cancelled the day previous.
Staff and students began to leave the hall, though no one was in any rush as the entire school had free time that afternoon. Except those who had their own plans already set in motion to follow, such as those invited for afternoon tea - and apparently Headmaster Rickard, who was the first out the door before the goblets had finished emptying.
Hufflepuff try-outs will be available when Luckett Langford makes the thread. Those attending the afternoon tea event are due at the Front Gates thread.
Post by Mathias Sallow on Aug 4, 2020 22:34:23 GMT 10
Mathais instinctively glanced over when Nyx startled, though returned his attention to his half-eaten lunch. He was aware of her sitting with him and knew he should be happy to see here, but the weird pit in his stomach decided to linger. Why Kettles? It was just Quidditch thing, right? Actually, he was more concerned he'd misread everything with Nyx rather than feeling jealous, now he'd had a moment to recover.
He smiled at her teasing, resisting saying the comment back at her. 'You've been busy.' He shrugged. The smile didn't reach his eyes though, and he glanced back to his food. It took a moment to realise it had vanished and lunch was over.
He quickly glanced her over when she mentioned the Daymoth attack though. 'Are you okay?' Mathias fussed. 'Did it hurt you?' She looked okay, but he had to know for sure. Is that why he hadn't seen her lately? Was she in the Hospital Wing? Or worst, Saint Mungos?
He had no doubt she could handle even a Daymoth, but still he worried.
Jealousy was replaced with guilt. Mathias didn't know what to say or do now, merely glancing at some hurrying Hufflepuffs. He didn't even have plans for the afternoon, except maybe play some gobstones if anyone was interested. He'd already learned not to expect Nyx to want to spend time with him, unless at night in their common room.
How had something he was so sure of get all confusing?
Kaspian was elated the captain decided to accompany him on his trek back to the castle for lunch, allowing for interesting conversations along the way. He understood why his peers felt uneasy around Nyx Nordstrom, but once you climbed her theoretical walls, she wasn't that bad. He thought so at least. She came across well-read and knowledgeable about a lot of topics. And, just as he thought things were going surprisingly well, she wanted to abruptly depart.
"I suppose." He sounded disappointed, watching her expression for traces of irritation. Did he say something on the way to lunch that upset her? Did his talk of Potions theory and personal insight on the intricacies of brew timing and aging vex her? No, it couldn't have been that. Who wouldn't find potion-making interesting? Her face did take on a similar expression to Lucky's when he offered to teach her stirring techniques though. Maybe she already knew of one?
"Cheers!" Kash exuded enthusiasm over her congratulation to him and gave her a big smile, one that overcompensated for his crippling self esteem. She hated his guts -- at least her chilly demeanor made him believe as much. He continued to smile at her as she walked away, but quickly exhaled in relief once she was out of sight. He felt like he needed to get back on her good side and while he wanted to follow her to the Ravenclaw table, he didn't think that was the way to go. Kaspian would have to seek her out later for another proper conversation.
He looked around to see if Lucky was around but didn't spot him. Where was he? Kaspian hadn't seen his best mate in almost a day, but remembered that Hufflepuff Quidditch try-outs were taking place. He was probably busy. He'd have to find him later and tell him how his own try-outs went. Decidedly, with Lucky nowhere to be found, Kash exited where he entered.
Last Edit: Aug 5, 2020 1:02:49 GMT 10 by Deleted: The specifics of Kash and Nyx's idle conversation were approved!
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