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.
Post by Jonathan King on Jan 14, 2021 20:36:35 GMT 10
With Toby at practice and Ryan on his mission, Joe felt a bit at a loss. Before making friends he had often wandered the castle by himself or sat on his bed to read but now being on his own with no real plans was weird and he missed his friends.
He had briefly wondered wether he was even real friends with Ryan when Toby was not around but he reminded himself that his friends were allowed to make plans without him and that that did not mean they liked him any less. Joe had also wondered if Jay had wanted to hang out but felt like Ryan and Toby would not like him hanging out with someone outside of their little group too much. They had seemed a bit weird around... Roran? Joe realized he had forgotten the Hufflepuff's name again.
But that was okay. He did not really want to hang out with anyone besides Toby and Ryan anyway. They were his best friends now and he had never even had one best friend before. That thought made him smile and he jumped up and down the stairs at the Spiral Staircase.
A sudden epiphany came to him when he noticed the door. Didn't he have a Bronze Key? Joe fumbled in his pocktes and put the key into the lock to open the room that lay behind the mysterious door.
It was jarring, to leave a stone tower through a previously-locked door - only to be surrounded by sunshine (enchanted ceiling) and an abundance of nature. If there were walls, they were covered in vines with colourful leaves. The floor remained stone, but everywhere in the massive room was green and lush with life.
There were shelves of small seedlings and flowers, then pots in the corners that were as big as a chair. It was impossible, no matter one's knowledge, to name or categorise everything. It was almost a sensory overload, yet smelled sweetly fresh.
The plants were healthy and kept to themselves, except a row of large pots in the middle of the room. Sprouting from the damp soil were huge succulents with gold thorns resembling fangs. They wriggled, aware of the company - or hungry for it. Wedged in the center of each, surrounded by sharp thorns/fangs, was a glass box containing a viable yet difficult-to-obtain ingredient: fish eye.
A plaque reads:
"Beware: one alowort bites."
How to Play
Choose an alowort to retrieve the ingredient container from. There's a 1/3 chance it's the biter. The numbers are for your reference only - they don't appear to your character.
If it's a safe one, pick another - which has a 1/2 chance of being the biter.
Don't get bitten, and you win.
Winning earns 200 exp to their Herbology skill, 20 exp to every other skill, and 2 Fish Eyes (X ingredient).
Although playing a mini-game, this is still an RP-thread. We strongly encourage immersing your character in this experience and challenge, as these threads are also designed for character development.
Post by Jonathan King on Jan 14, 2021 21:13:46 GMT 10
Joe's jaw almost dropped and hit the floor when the door revealed a room full of sunshine and plants- plants he knew well and plants he ahd never seen in his life. He stepped in eagerly and looked around. All this light, the green hues all around and the different smells were both amazing and overwhelming and it took him a while to get to really notice the three large pots in the middle.
He looked at the fish eyes and remembered that they were on the ingredient list from Snape. Reading the plaque, he realized what he had to do and what this room was all about. This was a test of some sorts- although if only one alowort was bitey it was more a game of chance, wasn't it. Either way, Snape would surely be impressed if he returned to show fish eyes he had obtained from such a cool place.
Joe looked closely at the aloworts but he could not really tell which one would bite him should he dare retrieve the ingredients from it. He glanced around the room once more, amazed that behind a door on a stuffy,stoney staircase there could be such a wonderful space but this was a magical place after all.
He had decided that he would play this game of chance and eyed the plant in the middle. No. If he would put some plant to protect his fish eyes, he would put the dangerous one in the middle. Instead he reached for the one on his left and hoped not to get bitten.
"There, there. Be a nice alowort, please!", he said while reaching for the container.
The Alowort wriggled as he extracted the container, then stretched as if relieved to be done with it. It was completely sealed though, refusing to allow its contained ingredient to be collected yet.
The other two Aloworts were unresponsive, giving Jonathan no clue as to which of those were the biter.
Post by Jonathan King on Jan 14, 2021 21:40:40 GMT 10
Joe froze briefly when the Alowort wriggled but it did not bite him so he smiled at it. A wriggling Alowort was kind of cute. He had to tell Ryan about it at Dinner. Or later in their dorm maybe. Toby surely had more to tell them with practice going on.
"Good plantie", he said in a low key, praising the Alowort that had not bitten him. He looked at the container, pleased to have retrieved it. Joe considered walking out with the one ingredient but something urged him to play this small game to the end. The price were two ingredients after all.
But which one... Naturally he would reach for the left one, being left handed but he thought about it and decided to reach with his right hand instead. If he was bitten he preferred to have his writing and spell casting hand intact.
Oh, would a bite have him go to the Hospital Wing? How would he explain that to Ryan?
"Well. Here goes nothing", he mumbled as he reached for the plant on the right with his wrong hand.
Perhaps it was his wrong hand, but it was certainly the right choice. The Alowort also wriggled, then was glad to be rid of the container. The one on his right attempted to gobble up its container, but it vanished by magic.
The two containers Joe had retrieve also vanished - but left behind two viable Fish Eye ingredients for him to keep.
Post by Jonathan King on Jan 14, 2021 22:17:03 GMT 10
This had been fun! Joe had chosen correctly again and retrieved the ingredient from the second plant as well. He briefly wondered if any plant even really bit anyone or if that plaque was just there so noone would take all the fish eyes.
Either way, he did not want to chance it and put the fish eyes away. Now that meant he had all the ingredients he needed to show Snape. He did not want to go by himself however so he decided to wait for Toby before finishing his potions kit.
Joe was almost hesitant to leave this dope, bright and warm room of plants but he remembered he had even more Bronze Keys and wanted to try opening another door. This afternoon proved to be fun even with the absence of his friends.
Returning to the stair case was almost disappointing but he quickly found another mysterious door to open. ‘New door, new game!‘, he thought as he put the key into the lock.
The room was well-lit and cluttered with shelves of a never-ending presence of time and urgency - hourglasses with infinite sand, the constant ticking of clocks with varying times, and enchanted windows showing a progression of morning to night on a gradual cycle.
There was a crate of glass orbs - each the size of a Quaffle. Inside were contained yet lively flames, ice crystals, or water. Across the room was a hole in the stone wall, for something to be thrown into or shot out of.
A plaque reads:
"In any given moment, your flaws will be exposed and your reflexes tested. Brace yourself - be alert - be agile. This is a battle you cannot afford to lose."
How to Play
This mini-game is inspired by rock/paper/scissors - or in this case, fire/water/ice.
Pick one of the elemental orbs and throw it towards the hole. Their weight is adjusted to your character's age/strength but are not easy.
When you throw the orb, another will fire from the hole (determined at random) so they smash in mid-air. Defeat is determined by element. Fire>Ice. Water>Fire. Ice>Water.
If your orb is defeated, your character is hit with a temporary manifestation of the element - roaring flames, wave of water, or ice-storm winds. Flames are hot and ice-storm cold, but neither painful. The intention is to shock/frighten your character for being defeated.
There are 3 rounds. If you are defeated more than once, you lose.
Winning earns 200 exp to their Duelling skill, and 20 exp to every other skill.
Although playing a mini-game, this is still an RP-thread. We strongly encourage immersing your character in this experience and challenge, as these threads are also designed for character development.
Post by Jonathan King on Jan 14, 2021 22:31:53 GMT 10
"Oh" Joe glanced around the new room. This one was different, not as pleasant but just as ovrwhelming as the last one. No, even more overwhelming. The constant and uneven ticking of clocks as well as the neverending hourglass was anxiety inducing and Joe's eyes darted around the room, wanting to leave.
But if he had learned anything in the last room then that there would be a game or a challenge and since he was already here he could as well try it. The plaque did not do much to ease his anxious mind as he mused about what it meant with A battle he could not afford to lose.
The orbs looked nice though, the size of a Quaffle and being a Chaser and having been warned by his captain this morning that she would have a keen eye on him, surely testing his reflexes would help him facing her.
He picked up the one with the flame inside and wondered if it was real. The orb was heavier than he had expected and almost dropped it but managed to hold on. The fire probably was real and he placed it back, choosing the one with the pretty ice cristals instead.
Joe instinctively knew he had to throw it towards the hole and heaved it there, letting go in a good moment to score with an orb this heavy. He watched as it flew through the air all while loosening his feet with a quick tippitap to be quick in case this move backfired.
Last Edit: Jan 14, 2021 23:33:10 GMT 10 by Jonathan King
Post by Jonathan King on Jan 14, 2021 23:13:46 GMT 10
Joe was amazed when he saw an orange orb shoot out of the hole and collide with his ice orb. The amazement soon turned into terror however when the orbs burst and fire cameflying towards him.
He tried to duck but to no avail- Joe shrieked in shock when the heat of the flames reached his skin and he started running around before he remembered he had to stop, drop and roll when on fire. It was only when he was rolling on the floor that he calmed down a little and realized that he was neither on fire nor in pain.
Joe gulped before he slowly got to his knees and stared at the three orbs he could throw. He felt like crying because he had been scared by the heat and fire but he managed to fight back after the first tear. He had not really been hurt and he knew he could not let himself get defeated this easily.
Joe was not sure what to do next but he knew he did not want to be scared like that again. He examined the orbs more closely and decided to throw the fire orb this time. Even if he was defeated again, he would be defeated with water and that did not hurt. He could just change his clothes in his dorm before he went out again so he would not catch a cold.
Joe gathered his strength and courage and stepped before the hole with the fire orb. He threw it once more, this time feeling more prepared for what was about to come.
Last Edit: Jan 14, 2021 23:21:36 GMT 10 by Jonathan King: "hole", not "whole" smh
Post by Jonathan King on Jan 14, 2021 23:30:42 GMT 10
Joe was still a bit jumpy and jumped out of the way for good measure but realized his flames had beaten the ice orb that had emerged from the hole. Seeing that he had won this round he was starting to feel a little better.
That there had been an ice orb after the fire orb from the hole put him in a difficult position though. If he was to assume it was a pattern, that every kind of orb would be shot at him once, the logical thing to do would be to throw the water orb now. However, if that was not the case and the water orb would be defeated by another ice orb, would he be hit by ice? He imagined it would be painful and what if it were icicles? He would get impaled!
No. Joe decided that the room surely was too clever to throw every element once and he had to throw one he already had. He hesitated when he looked at the ice orb. What if he lost again and wasn't as lucky this time? Joe did not want to really catch fire!
Fire it was. He positioned himself again and threw the fire orb towards the hole, almost expecting water to splash him immediatly once he let go. Would he come to regret this decision?
The two fire orbs cancelled each other out. A tie didn't count for a scoring, so Jonathan simply had to try again. So far, he'd lost on and won one. Unless it was another tie, his next throw would determine the outcome.
Post by Jonathan King on Jan 14, 2021 23:54:56 GMT 10
Joe flinched when there was fire meeting his fire but he did not get scorched, no flames coming near him. That was good. And now he knew that there was no pattern involved- unless the next one would be ice again.
He briefly mused wether he should change to the water orb but decided to stick with his original plan. He picked up the next fire orb and positioned himself once more. His arms were getting tired of flinging this many orbs yet he clenched his teeth and saw it through.
Joe watched as his fire orb flew towards the hole once more.
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December
