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.
The start of November brought with it a drop in temperature, more noticeable after a night of heavy rain. Clouds lingered overhead and the grounds remained damp - not ideal for a morning of outdoor classes or activities, but it was what it was.
With the Quidditch season on the horizon, students were eager to chat about the sport and its upcoming matches. Even various members of staff were in deep discussions, particularly Professor McGonagall - who shot competitive looks at Professor Snape.
The only other topics of interest were leftover talks about the tea with the Minister, and the missing Gryffindor 2nd year (who was rumoured to have been found safe). As well as a lot of confused 4th years who had an extra event added to their timetables, which 5th years groaned at in dread or huddled together to whisper about.
Student schedules were magically assigned to everyone who sat at their house table.
Morning Classes 1st years - Transfiguration 4th years - Charms
Slytherin: Quidditch practice is this morning. Amara Seabrook will make the thread when ready, once breakfast has ended.
~~
Afternoon Classes 1st years - Charms 4th years - Herbology
Afternoon Event Prefect Orientation - please wait in the Entrance Hall. Mandatory for all new prefects.
Gryffindor: Quidditch practice is this afternoon. @tiana will make the thread when ready, once lunch has ended.
~~
Night Event Founder's Frivolity - please wait outside the Ballroom. Mandatory for 4th years. Optional for 5th years.
Each schedule also came with a slip of parchment:
Quidditch commentator needed. See Professor McGonagall before the day's end, if interested.
Must be attentive and unbiased. Cannot be on your house team. Open to all years. Having at least a basic understanding of Quidditch rules and process is required.
Owl Post will arrive soon with the Daily Prophet. Morning class threads will be available for posting in once breakfast ends, and afternoon ones when lunch ends. If there aren't students in a particular year, that class won't occur - 2nd, 3rd, 6th, and 7th year classes aren't listed on the schedule.
Thank you everyone who joined in on the fun. The event had to be cut short, as we ran out of time to complete it and we needed to move on, but for what we got done - everyone did a great job. Each participant received 200 Marauder exp and a Bronze Key. Additional rewards are listed below.
Post by Amara Seabrook on Dec 6, 2020 16:47:04 GMT 10
Amara didn't typically make an effort to arrive early to meals, but it was the day of Slytherin's first Quidditch practice of the season and she wanted to set a good example. Getting up early was something her players would have to be accustomed to, as no way was she letting them slack off. They deserved to win the cup this year, and she'd made sure it happened.
She headed to the Slytherin table and sat down, not bothering much with the general chatter going on. Amara was rarely conversational on an empty stomach, anyway. She'd tuned out of the common room discussions the night before when she'd started getting tired, dropping her head to Lucas' shoulder before she realised what was happening.
She'd then mumbled some excuse about Quidditch and dragged herself off to bed. They'd been talking about important things, but Amara couldn't remember exactly where they'd left things off or what she needed to deal with still. She needed more interesting people to talk to, apparently. Because that was absolutely the reason, not her tiredness or being distracted by how close Lucas sat...
Picking at her blueberry muffin, Amara glanced around the hall. Some light and energy came back to her as she spotted some Gryffindors huddled together to chat. Not only did she look forward to crushing them in their match tomorrow, but she wondered how Thatcher was feeling after they'd put him in his place yesterday. He'd yet to arrived, she noticed with glee, even if she couldn't deny that he wasn't one who often showed up this early anyway.
To pass the time, Amara glanced over her timetable. A lot of free time, which was useful and always a welcome sight. She frowned at the Prefect thing; her recruitment of Elizabeth would have to wait. She groaned at the mention of that awful Frivolity thing. That was a nightmare last year, and even now she was still offended they'd made it mandatory for someone like her - a Seabrook, no less. This year it was optional to her, and Amara wouldn't be setting so much of a finger anywhere near the ballroom tonight.
Quidditch commentator needed? Ugh, why couldn't one of the Professors do it? "Unbiased" was not a term that existed with Quidditch, especially for the Slytherin team. Hopefully whoever was picked wasn't too attentive, as Amara and her house rarely shied away from fouls. Last thing she needed was some pimpled pipsqueak ruining their plans to do what was necessary to win.
Last Edit: Dec 6, 2020 16:51:05 GMT 10 by Amara Seabrook
Bacon, eggs, bangers, mushrooms, toast, baked beans... if Harris could get away with a full English breakfast every day, he would. He knew he was going to get fat one day and have the same protruding belly that his father did, but he didn't care. He intended to take advantage of his naturally slim physique as long as he possibly could.
He washed that thought down with a mouthful of orange juice and considered how he would spend his day. 5th years had less in the way of responsibilities on this first day of November, and he had the whole day to do as he pleased. How would he spend his time? Harris was the type of person who gave meaning to the phrase "idle hands are the devil's tools." He did better with structure.
Tearing into a piece of sausage, he broke out of the trance of his inner-monologue and noticed he was halfway through with his breakfast before another Hufflepuff had even made it to the table. Huh, weird. He normally wasn't an early riser, but he had been extra hungry this morning. He watched the doors of the Great Hall and wondered if Luckett or Sophia would be coming down soon.
The nerves in his stomach danced around like agitated pixies, making him feel not quite nauseous but still nervous and uncomfortable. It's like his whole body felt queasy, his brain most of all. Tom wasn't the type to perform well under pressure because he so rarely put himself in situations where he experienced pressure. He was so preoccupied with worry that he'd barely registered getting dressed and making his way down to the Great Hall so early in the morning, his nerves not allowing him to sleep.
He had joined the Quidditch team for exactly this reason, he told himself. Like a mantra he chanted You did this on purpose! to himself, which simultaneously made him feel better and worse. And today wasn't even a game day, just a practice! The whole thing was just too anxiety inducing for him to deal with. If Amara wasn't so terrifying he'd consider quitting and just pretending this whole silly exercise had never happened. He knew that wasn't an option, as sweet as it would be to just disassociate and escape.
As he made his way to breakfast, he noticed the only other Slytherin at the table was Amara... for crying out loud. He did his best to avoid her glare and kept his eyes down, wanting nothing more in the world than to avoid a conversation with her at this moment. He knew that she would smell his fear and pounce on him for it, which would compound his nerves and make the situation that much worse. He slunk into a seat about as far away from Amara as he possibly could and began cautiously munching on a piece of almost burnt toast.
It was just practice, he reminded himself. He did great at the try outs. For a Muggleborn he was one of he best flyers in his year. It was going to be fine and he was going to do great.
Anjay enjoyed the tranquility of the morning. The days and nights were so often hectic, loud, chaotic, et cetera, but there was a certain peacefulness that could only be found in the early hours. Anjay awoke to a chill in the castle and an overcast sky; it wasn't the sunny autumn day he'd hoped for, but it wasn't anything unexpected.
He washed and dressed quickly and methodically, keen to make the most of every possible moment of his day. The daily activity in the Xcalyn household of writing out schedules meant that Anjay intrinsically associated actions with time and divided his day not in hours but minutes. He made his way to a sparsely populated Great Hall.
His eyes scanned the room and he noticed it appeared he had beat his sister to breakfast as well... not that she knew they were racing, necessarily, but he'd still beat her nonetheless. A small smile formed at his lips as he celebrated the tiny but still enjoyable victory. He'd have to mention it to her later. Xcalyns were nothing if not competitive.
As he sat down he poured himself a cup of steaming hot water and set some tea to steep. He began pulling together a breakfast for himself- beans on toast, a grilled tomato, some yogurt. He paused at the yogurt and considered putting it back, but his desire for the taste won out in the end. He was a vegetarian, not vegan, although lately he pondered making the switch. Giving up dairy would be hard though.
He enjoyed the solitude of the morning and looked over the day's schedule. Other than his Prefect orientation he had nowhere he had to be, which was a nice feeling. He saw the Founders' Frivolity and groaned. Not mandatory but of course he'd have to go. Such was the life of an Xcalyn. He removed the tea back from his cup and added a small drop of honey, gave it a stir and sipped.
He watched the windows of the hall expectantly and waited for this morning's edition of the Prophet to arrive. It was one of the most essential parts of the morning, and he felt like he couldn't really begin planning his day until he'd at least scanned the headlines. Maybe then he'd write a letter home and touch base with his parents. Then he'd do more research into what he'd discussed with the Hat.
Post by Lindsey Bryce on Dec 6, 2020 22:50:30 GMT 10
To say that Lindsey went to bed a little defeated and likely agitated, would have been the understatement of the decade. As the day started, she pulled herself from her bed and stretched her fingers up, feeling the tightness that had continued on into the morning. Rolling her next, she let out a sigh before she stood and got ready. She hadn't even replaced her clothing from the night before, she had just put everything on her bed and fallen asleep.
As she cleaned up her area of the dorm, she got herself ready, braiding her hair as she walked through the common room and into the depths of the Castle. Making her way towards the Great Hall, she checked her bag to make sure she had all her needed things. As she entered the Great Hall, she smiled when she found Tom and headed into his general direction, though stopped near Amara as she approached.
"Amara, I want to finish our conversation about me growin' ye're wee herbs... Maybe we can discuss after Practice today? If ye're not too busy." She had two lessons todays, Charms and Herbology, which was perfect since she could get her gardening done this afternoon instead of rushing around. Lindsey waited just long enough to get a reply before she headed over to Tom and sat beside him.
Those same butterflies hit her stomach as she sat down and pushed a stray strand from her hair and smiled. "Mornin' Tom." She said as she began to place some food on her plate.
The boy still thought that his shoes were a little wet and was gonna have to ask his mother if maybe she could buy him a second pair for stuff like this. He would need a new pair anyway for next year, maybe she could go ahead and buy him some that were a little bigger and then he could grow into them? Pushing his way into the Great Hall, he headed straight for the Ravenclaw table and sat down, looking around casually for Clara.
He hadn't seen her last night after they were split up and he never saw her come back, but he had been pretty tired and maybe she had made it back before him. Coming to the realization that she wasn't there yet, she sat down and let out a sigh. For the first time, he hadn't come in dreading the day and wanting to be at home, but sitting alone... Yeah, it brought the feelings back... It sucked being a wizard in a world that you really didn't want to fully be in. Maybe him and his dad could do something over the Holidays... They were almost upon them.
Post by Grace Babineaux on Dec 7, 2020 3:50:11 GMT 10
Grace headed down to breakfast with a yawn, looking at her schedule with a frown. It looked like she had quite a busy day, and no time at all to continue unraveling the mystery that she had started. She was a bit excited to see how she would do at Quidditch. With Tiana's guidance, their team couldn't lose! Well, she hoped so anyways. She had seen Toby's big sister in the hospital wing, so she wasn't sure if she was alright. She hoped so. They really needed a beater.
She glanced at the prefect guy who was also at the table and began to eat breakfast. "Hey," she said curiously, "Did you find the missing student?" If anyone knew what had happened to the student that was a little older than Grace, she thought it would be the prefects. They were smart, right? That was how they ended up in such a position.
Post by Jonathan King on Dec 7, 2020 4:13:27 GMT 10
Joe had got up earlier than usual today, sneaking out of his dorm before the other boys had stirred to send a letter to his parents about yesterday's events. He had pre-written it yet had to adjust it some more as he had not had the chance to send it yesterday after dinner.
He had not mentioned the search for the missing Gryffindor however, as he did not wish word to get to his parents that he had been bested by Peeves and dangled up in the air above older students (and a girl too!) He had merely mentioned his new owl, his friends and the Quidditch try-outs.
Dear mum and dad, yesterday I tryed out for the Quiditch team today (Ellie made me!) and made chaser! Our first match will be against Hufflepuff on [Date]. I hope you can make it and watch me play. I'm going to need my own broom for that if that's okay? They say the school brooms are unrelyable...
Dad's parents bought me an owl and sent her to me, recon i should keep her? Her name is Fogaell, she is a tawny owl. They say she is a rescue and I fear she would have to get back to being alone without me. I don't know anything about owls and she doesn't seem to like me too much but I'll try to befriend her so she can bring my letters to you.
I did what you told me to and am happy to report I have made two friends! Their names are Ryan and Tobie Toby and they are great. Ryan is in Ravenclaw like me and Toby in Griffindor.
Hoping to here from you soon! Love you Joe
He arrived just as the Great Hall seemed to fill with the first students, the Ravenclaw table still very empty and no sign of Ryan nor Toby. He did see the Gryffindor prefect however and tried to avoid his gaze. His descend had not been too graceful and he was rather embarassed about the whole situation.
Instead he rather hesitantly approached his dorm mate Jay and sat down somewhat opposite him.
"Mornin' Jay", he said as he filled up his plate. Gaze towards the door frame he hoped to spot his friends and wave them over as soon as they entered. "Got up to anythin' exciting lately?"
Eying Jay Joe wondered if he could make more than two friends. he supposed his parents would like that.
[OOC: Letter in spoilers, might interest Elara.]
Last Edit: Dec 7, 2020 4:14:33 GMT 10 by Jonathan King
Post by Reena Ashworth on Dec 7, 2020 4:51:23 GMT 10
Reena was rather tired, having had nothing more than a restless slumber. Mind too preoccupied with Jaxen and the Sorting Hat's quest she had even written an entry to her journal- and had doodled the Sorting Hat above the word "artefacts" in it. She must have fallen asleep shortly after that since she had woken up with the journal in her hand- but thankfully shoved underneath her pillow so the other girls had not seen her clutching a diary.
It appeared her older brother had not yet arrived as she entered the Great Hall and she walked over towards the Slytherin table and sat down next to Lindsey who had already started to fill her plate.
"Morning", she said and stiffled a yawn as she copied her friend and put some eggs on her own plate. "Any luck finding that Gryffindor?", she asked.
She did not wait long for an answer though as her attention was drawn towards her schedule. Reena had been aware of her Charms and Herbology classes and had packed accordingly, however the Founder's Frovolity took her by surprise. She had not beenaware that it was today already, it must have slipped her mind. She really hoped neither her younger brother nor eldest cousin would ask her to take them, she was not too keen on going herself and be social, let alone having to keep an eye on a third year.
Picking up her schedule she mused about the search for a Quidditch commentator, wondering wether it would look good on a resumé or if it was just as much a waste of time as the sport itself.
She glanced up again as more students entered the Great Hall, looking out for Jaxen amongst them. She did not want to be brushed off again.
Post by Arthur Hocking on Dec 7, 2020 5:21:43 GMT 10
Arthur headed down to breakfast and noted with some happiness that he had Herbology today, one of his favourite subjects. Of course, it had to be after Charms which he wasn't the best at, but he could get through it if he knew there would be some Herbology afterwards. He noticed that there weren't a lot of people at the Hufflepuff table.
Scanning down, he looked at the Founders' Frivolity. Being a Muggleborn and never hearing of something like that, he was a bit nervous or confused, he wasn't sure which. He glanced further down and noticed that there was a position for Quidditch commentator open. Well, if he couldn't play Quidditch, he could at least try and see if he could announce it. He decided he would talk to McGonagall later, when he had the time.
Pensively, he ate some of his breakfast. Maybe if he had time he would see if he could get started on making potions to impress Professor Snape.
Post by Elizabeth Doren on Dec 7, 2020 6:25:54 GMT 10
Elizabeth was dreading receiving the day's Daily Prophet. What would Mother and Father say if the Prophet badmouthed the Doren family? Worse, what would happen if she had done something wrong during the interview. She noticed that her roommate was already sitting at the table, but she was never one for too much conversation during mealtimes.
She put food on her plate the same way as if she was eating dinner at home, glancing briefly at the Hufflepuff table to see if Charlotte had arrived yet. She had not, so Elizabeth looked to her schedule. Largely a free day, with the exception of prefect orientation, which was something she did indeed look forward to. She hoped her parents would get back to her soon enough to give her an instruction for how to spend her morning, otherwise she would see what she could do. She held in a groan--Dorens didn't groan--at the appearance of the words 'Founders' Frivolity' on the schedule. She could go if she wanted to, but she wasn't sure if she did.
There was also some extra parchment about Quidditch, but she wrinkled her nose. A waste of time, Quidditch was. If people wanted to spend their time practicing things, it should be things that were useful, like Transfiguration or Charms. Even Herbology, dirty as it was. She pondered the use of her free morning time. Perhaps she would use it to study some more. She realized with a start that she had forgotten to ask her parents if she could have an owl of her very own. Perhaps if they seemed pleased with her she would send a shorter letter today.
Jamie looked up just in time to see his sister walk in. When was the last time they actual talked? Not just in passing? Not in class? While she was out making lots of friends, he seemed to have been left behind? Maybe it was just his personality. While he wanted to be back with dad, under a car, fixing something with his hands, she was different. She wanted to be here.
He was pulled from his thoughts when his dorm-mate sat down. "Hey Joe... No, not really... Helped last night in the bathroom... I think my shoes are still soaked." He said, his feet subconsciously moving slightly under the table while he sat there. Putting food on his plate, he rested his head on his calm, his elbow pressed into the wood of the table.
Tom almost jumped out of his skin when Lindsey called his name. He exhaled loudly and took a sip of the juice he had poured himself to accompany his toast. He looked at her and offered her a weak smile. When was the last time he'd seen her? She must have come into the Common Room last night after he'd already gone to bed. "Good morning, Lindsey," he called out to her, his voice barely audible above the rising noise level in the Hall.
Normally he would struggle finding the words to say to Lindsey for a different reason... he got a silly kind of feeling around her most of the time, but this morning his anxiety related to the Slytherin Quidditch tryouts was so all encompassing it even affected the way he was talking to his favorite fellow 4th year. After a moment of awkward silence he managed to think of something to say to her. "Was that missing boy from last night found?"
The voice of the Gryffindor first year roused him from his thoughts, and he turned to offer her a warm smile. He hoped that he was an approachable person, he sometimes hated the fuss that was associated with the Xcalyn name, so it made him happy that she had been comfortable enough to address him. Their age difference must have made it all that more daunting to her... or maybe she was a stereotypical Gryffindor, fearless, and hadn't thought twice about it.
"Good morning, Grace," he greeted her cordially. Yes, he knew her name- he made it his job to know the names of as many students in the castle as possible, but it was especially important for him that he knew the names of all his fellow Gryffindors. "I believe we shall hear confirmation this morning that he was found." He had no reason to believe this was true, but he assumed it must be- the professors wouldn't have called off the search if the boy wasn't about to be found, would they?
"Did you help in the search last night?" he extended the offer of polite conversation to her, more out of habit and manners than any real desire to converse with a first year. Whether or not she took the offer was totally fine with him.
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