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.
With an increase of excited chatter, students and staff began to hurry from the hall and make their way onto the grounds towards the Quidditch pitch. Lucas Mardling has a moment to finish up some bets, but the match would be starting soon so it was time to move along. The Prefects certainly added pressure to that.
Professor McGonagall gave him a stern, disapproving look as she strode by. She wanted to say something, but assumed the Prefects had things handled, as she was distracted with having to scold a pair of second years - who almost tripped others into a suit of armour in their frenzy to get to the pitch.
Jamie finished the last of his food, still alone, before heading to the pitch. If anything, it was all to support his sister since his parents couldn't come. Well, he guess their mother could have come, but without dad, maybe it was best she didn't. Jamie really wasn't sure, but he was still trying to figure everything out himself.
Jamie just looked down as he walked through the great hall and past the door where the Slytherin was taking bets before he found his way following the other students to the pitch.
Post by Lucas Mardling on Mar 17, 2021 21:40:18 GMT 10
Wow, Kettles was really making a big deal about a bit of betting. Lucas rolled his eyes, not seeing a single thing wrong with what he was doing, though decided not to comment. Kettles and Xcalyn were annoying now they had badges, and Lucas rolled his eyes for good measure to show he didn't care, but neither was he going to push his luck too much.
If not for that dark alley comment. Not that he should be surprised, being a Slytherin.
'There's nothing evil and corruptive about placing a few bets,' Lucas said, irritated. 'I'm not forcing anyone to do anything.' They wouldn't really report him though, right? It sounded like a bluff, but he couldn't back down and let them think they had any control over him just because they had their knickers in a twist over a bit of betting.
So what if he got rich from it? It wasn't his fault there were those stupid enough to give up money on such unpredictable odds. It wasn't as if he invented the concept either. Prefects got mad over everything, ugh. He did catch Professor McGonagall's disapproving look though, and quickly gathered his notes as if he hadn't seen her at all.
'Breakfast's over now, anyway.' Lucas shrugged. 'The match is where it it's at. You want to tag along and ruin that fun too? We could hold hands, sing a little song...' He sneered, packing up his stuff and securing his money pouch, then notes. He tried to make it look like his decision, and nothing to do with them or McGonagall.
He glanced at Daywater, but he was as finished with the betting as everyone else was with breakfast. Clutching his bag, not putting it passed the Prefects to try and take it, Lucas headed off to the Entrance Hall. It was time to find out whose wagers were right or way off base. He smirked, glad to have made as much money as he had even if he'd wanted to linger a bit longer.
Post by Sophia Rhynhart on Mar 17, 2021 21:56:12 GMT 10
As fun as it was to hang out with the boys at the Hufflepuff table and chat about Quidditch, Sophia was ready to get to the main event. She'd been ready all month! Some even wasted time reading mail or the Daily Prophet? As if that was in any way important today. Ruby seemed to get it though, asking the important questions. The 4th years were too serious anyway, even with boring talks of the ball stuff - she preferred her classmate buddies for this sort of day.
Speaking of...
'Hey - love the outfit. You look cute,' Sophia said as she hurried to join Phe, reaching to link arms with her bestie. Another giggle escaped her. 'Your bet was awesome. Too bad Mardling's a biased sour-puss.' She rolled her eyes, thinking it was totally a legitimate wager that Seabrook would throw a tantrum.
She indicated away from the Great Hall, as a way of asking Phe if she was ready to go. Thank Merlin breakfast finally ended. She did want to find out later what Lucky was ranting about with Honeydukes though. Ugh, waiting sucked no matter what it was. As fun as watching a match would be, Sophia shared Kier's disappointment that it wasn't Hufflepuff's day to play.
Who voted that Slytherin and Gryffindor go to go first, anyway?
'Lucky and Harris, and probably Kier or some others too, are gonna write on their chests,' Sophia shared, amused. 'I'd have joined them, but don't want to distract the players, right?' She winked, though was perfectly serious. She'd have done it, had her chest been less scandalous to go bare.
Nyx reached for a biscuit and then carefully, so not to burn her fingers, broke it open to let the steam flow. It smelled delicious, even more so on an empty stomach. She smiled to herself as she gingerly tore it into smaller pieces. She was often teased by those closest to her for eating and nibbling on food like a rabbit, as she enjoyed small bites and even smaller portions. Nyx was conditioned to be light on her feet and heavy meals disrupted her sense of balance.
Taking one of those pieces between her fingertips, she slathered it with butter and sprinkled it with some sugar. However, before she could indulge in her sweet biscuit, Freya approached. Her demeanor was different than usual, far more eager than it normally was. Nyx would've welcomed her directness if it weren't for the fact she were hungry—so all Freya got was an agitated stare. She was bothered by her unsolicited comments while attempting to eat.
"Yes, Freya. Consider it done," she replied, the shortness in her tone hinting at her minor annoyance. "I'm more than happy to make you a Beater, considering I just removed one of the first years from the team. It's such a disappointment, but I'm not at all surprised, honestly," Nyx disclosed, rolling her eyes. That was one down, one to go. But perhaps the other would surprise her? She wasn't going to make any bets on that, though.
"What's that?" Nyx asked Mathias, as if she had been completely oblivious to the fact the mail had been delivered. She leaned closer to her boyfriend and began to read the front page of the Daily Prophet alongside him, but not before taking a copy of her own. It was sad reading about the mistreatment of those creatures, but she wasn't taken aback by it. Nyx knew it had been a problem, having witnessed a Braxorn tied up and isolated in the forest months ago.
Her attention quickly shifted to the fact that Mathias had received a personal letter from home, leaving all talk of Quidditch and all thoughts of those creatures behind. Nyx's stomach had been in knots all of last night, wondering if her staying with him over the holidays would be approved. As Mathias skimmed the letter, Nyx waited with bated breath, nibbling at her sweet bread and leaving a couple sugar crystals along her pillowy lips. Then, it was confirmed.
"That's wonderful news!" she beamed, dropping the biscuit onto her plate and moving closer to him with excitement. "That's a good thing, right?" Nyx asked for clarification, referring to the fact that one of the Sallows would be attending her match. It felt like a good thing, but Mathias' pale face told another story. She hoped it was nerves, because she felt them too. But maybe she had them for different reasons? This meant Ravenclaw had to win.
"Come on, let's get an early seat for the game," she suddenly whispered, raising from her spot at the table. "We'll see you in the stands, Freya," Nyx politely added aloud, making it clear that she and Mathias were taking their leave from breakfast. She reached for his hand and gently tugged at it, hoping to pull his weight and lead the way out of the dining hall. Nyx smiled at Mathias as they exited, silently thinking about how warm and soft his hands felt.
Last Edit: Mar 18, 2021 4:34:51 GMT 10 by Deleted: I received permission to have Mathias leave with Nyx.
Elara rolled her eyes at Arthur's insistence that she and Hanna should reconcile. "If she wanted to talk to me, there's nothing stopping her" and perhaps she was just being stubborn, but Elara wasn't interested in her so-called 'friend' behaving as if she was somehow at fault for what had happened and then shunning her attempt to cheer her up.
Had she been upset when Hanna had initially begun to blank her? Yes, it was hurtful... But now, she was over it. She had other friends, she didn't need people who would ignore her at the slightest disagreement instead of having a conversation about it- Arthur was a good friend, even if his good heart led him down the wrong path at times in an effort to be helpful.
Elara smiled at how flustered he became at her suggestion that he liked Reena Ashworth, well at least she didn't have to worry about that- unless he was lying, Arthur didn't seem like he'd be a particularly good liar.
"Well good, you can do better" she assured him, Ashworth had her own group that she hung out with- she could pick a date from any of those people. If Arthur dated anyone, it should be someone as nice and genuine as he was- not a girl like Reena Ashworth.
Scowling as Arthur's words dragged her from her internal criticisms, she shook her head "I would be nicer to her if she gave me reason to treat her in such a manner".
She wasn't entirely sure when her feud with Reena Ashworth had begun- she only knew that it had been going on for as long as she could remember and she would not be the one to call a truce- besides, Reena was so full of herself, always looking to show her up and looking down her nose at her.
She thought she was better than her and Elara was eager to prove her wrong.
"Well, if you need help picking out dress robes... I'm always available" she perked up a little at hearing verbal confirmation that Arthur would be more than happy to go to the ball with her- as friends. That was an important detail to note.
Having grown up in a muggle household, Elara figured it might be difficult for Arthur to decide on dress robes or even know where to begin with choosing some- Luckily, she had seen her brother's dress robes from when he'd been at school.
The fifth years who criticised their topic of conversation could afford to be so picky- they'd all had their opportunity to attend the ball for the first time the year before, Quidditch was important but... Hufflepuff weren't even playing and she had about a hundred other things on her mind that day.
As the food disappeared from the table, Elara pouted- having been so wrapped up in her conversation that she'd barely eaten anything at all before Breakfast came to a close.
"Come on, lets go before all the best seats are taken" she beckoned for Arthur to follow her as she stood from the table and made her way over to the doors, where she would wait for her friend to join her before making her way to the pitch.
Wow, did Lucas think he and Anjay were born yesterday? He was mouthy enough to make it look like he was leaving on his own accord, but Kaspian knew he was trying to save face. He only nodded and smiled at the troublesome Slytherin, even crossing his arms as if to suggest he hurry and move along. He never had a problem with Lucas in the past, but if this was the sort of attitude Kaspian had to deal with moving forward, it was going to get old real fast.
"Hey, that's a novel idea." Kaspian forced a smile, bobbing his head at Lucas' idea of continuing their chat. "I don't have to give you galleons for that though, do I?" He chuckled at his own question before turning away once Lucas was gone. Anjay was still with him and Kaspian appreciated it. His conversation hadn't escalated with Lucas, but if it had, he expected the Gryffindor would've had his back. Anjay was turning out to be an alright guy.
"Thanks for having my back, Xcalyn. I appreciate the appearance of solidarity. That might come in handy for our line of work, don't you think? Especially with characters like that?" Kaspian gestured in the direction of Lucas, before looking back at the Gryffindor.
"You want to head to the pitch together? There might be some more trouble along the way." Kaspian expected there to be some. If they ended up walking the same route as their galleon-hungry Slytherin friend, Kettles anticipated there being a couple bets taking place on the fly. But those wouldn't be happening on his watch, or Anjay's apparently. And whether or not the Gryffindor tagged along, Kash shoved his hands in his pockets and headed off.
Post by Jaxen Ashworth on Mar 18, 2021 10:05:08 GMT 10
Jaxen followed his sister reluctantly over to the wall, where they would be out of the way of the many people still wandering to and from their chosen seats. In all the time that he'd been at Hogwarts, he'd always looked forward to receiving mail- not that he ever anticipated letters from his mother. Now, it was starting to become a little tiresome, he would be glad when the morning post only delivered a copy of the daily prophet into his lap.
Taking the envelope from Reena when she passed it to him, the weight of it piqued his curiosity and Jax peered inside at whatever it was that their grandparents had sent to him. A small gasp left his lips before he could restrain himself and he gently hugged the precious package to his chest- grandma's cookies were the best thing to come out of today... Would they send more if he wrote them politely?
Still holding the cookies to his chest, he peered at the letter and read alongside Reena, his brow furrowing at their grandpa's words. Had their letter upset their grandmother? That hadn't been his intention and he knew it wasn't Reena's either- their grandparents had always looked out for them, he would hate to do anything that might upset or offend them.
Looking at the picture that their grandpa had sent along with the letter, Jax felt a familiar pang of sadness ache in his chest. Learning information about their father and uncle was less exciting than what he'd anticipated when he was younger, now it just filled him with a sad emptiness and a yearning to learn more- he had so many questions and no one willing to answer them.
Forcing a smile at Reena's comment about the similarities between themselves and the two strangers in the photograph, Jax cleared his throat to disguise any emotion that might creep its way past his defences and become visible to those standing around him. He glanced back towards the Ravenclaw table at the mention of Mathias, but was surprised to find that he'd already gone- the hall was actually beginning to empty.
Breakfast was over and his eggs were gone.
Attempting to keep the frustration from his expression, he gave Reena's arm a reassuring squeeze- but he felt weary. Their grandpa hadn't really answered many of the questions the letter had included, they knew a little more about Marcus and Conrad, but the questions had been dodged. He'd suggested that one day they might be ready for the truth, but made no reference to when that might be.
"I'll try to speak with Mathias during the match" turning back to Reena, he tried not to think about how difficult that conversation would be, or what he would even say. "I'll come find you when I know anything" the hall was emptying now and Jaxen needed to run back to his dormitory before going out to the pitch.
Forcing a couple of cookie's into Reena's hand, he took off out of the hall- clutching the rest of the package to his chest still, as if afraid someone might attempt to steal them from him. His grandmother's baking was too good to share with non-siblings.
Post by Elizabeth Doren on Mar 18, 2021 13:29:54 GMT 10
Elizabeth left breakfast and headed down to the library, which wasn't unusual or unexpected for her. Even if some people were willing to waste a whole day's worth of free study time, she wasn't going to make the same choice. It didn't matter to her that it was her house's Quidditch team playing this time, or that she was somewhat friends with Amara now. Quidditch was a waste.
She figured she would be better off spending time improving herself. Regardless of how her parents seemed to think demonstrating her skills was unworthy, Elizabeth wanted to continue to improve in case they decided against her marriage and for her getting a job. Perhaps she would even just be enjoying Astronomy. Anything was preferable to Quidditch.
Post by Arthur Hocking on Mar 18, 2021 14:12:57 GMT 10
Arthur shrugged, "You're going to have to talk eventually. You could make the bridge across that gap."
He didn't like it that they were fighting, and his own guilt over the daymoth incident meant that he felt extra bad about it. Perhaps if he had stood up instead of Hanna, none of this would've happened.
"Maybe I will and you'll be dateless," he joked. In truth, Arthur didn't really have crushes on anyone, though he still thought of himself as too young for that stuff. He didn't really know what a crush was supposed to feel like--being extra nervous around someone.
Well, he had another year at least. Elara was his friend-date, so they were safe there. Maybe next year she'd be tired of him, or they'd both have romantic dates, though Arthur thought it was unlikely for him. El, maybe. She was nice, and she was (Arthur though) objectively pretty. Even if she did study too hard sometimes.
"Good...I'm going to need that help." he was very glad to have friends raised with some familiarity of the wizarding world. Otherwise he'd probably show up in one of his uncles' suits and make a fool of himself. He cringed just imagining it.
He joined Elara, ready to watch the game and cheer, probably for Gryffindor but maybe also for Hanna if Elara was feeling like it. He definitely wouldn't be cheering if he noticed any fouls though. When it came to Quidditch, Arthur was a stickler for sticking to the rules.
Post by Reena Ashworth on Mar 18, 2021 22:22:14 GMT 10
Unlike her in that moment, Jax made an effort to disguise his emotions. While Reena could not be certain that was what he was doing, but his smile did seem forced. To make it easier for him she too put more effort into hiding her feelings from him. She stood up straighter and shrugged at this.
She appreciated the squeeze and folded the letter back up. It sure was frustrating however much expected to have received such few answers. It seemed that Jax was feeling the same, as he suggested talking to Mathias right now.
"You will?", up to this point she had not been convinced Jax and her were on the same page about unveiling their family's past. It was reassuring to hear him take charge. "Thank you!"
She briefly squeezed his hand when he put cookies into hers and watched him leave for the match. She would have walked with him but everything had been said already and she needed a moment to just breath and gather her thoughts.
Even less eager to spend her day at the pitch now than she had started out she took her time before she went on her way. She had told her dormmates she'd come to watch after all and she was a girl of her word if nothing else. She could always leave.
Without looking for anyone she knew to walk with she started a slow walk outside towards the pitch.
Anjay smiled at Kettles as the Ravenclaw deftly handled the situation. Mardling wasn't the type to admit when he'd been bested, but the expression on his face said it all- or was Anjay just reading victory into the situation when there was none there? Either way, Kaspian had represented himself well as a Prefect. Anjay's respect for the boy grew more every day.
"Happy to help, Kettles, although you had the situation fully under control," he responded to the boy truthfully. "Mardling will be back to cause more trouble tomorrow, even tonight after the match probably, and if we do nothing more than harass the Slytherin for the rest of our tenure as Prefects, I'll personally consider it time well spent." It was indulgence not becoming of an Xcalyn, but wasn't Anjay allowed to bask in hatred of another student for a while?
He considered Kash's question about the match, his internal debate about whether or not he would watch igniting all over again. He really just wanted to go to his room and read- he'd been planning on doing that- but now that Kaspian had invited him along, something inside him changed. Anjay knew almost everyone but the truth was that he had few friends and even fewer close friends. Was there potential on that front with Kettles?
"Absolutely, mate," Anjay said the words before he was conscious he had made up his mind. He turned his eyes back to his sister, guilt washing over him as he'd left her stranded there alone. "I'm going to go invite my sister to come along," Anjay told Kaspian, assuming he would have no problem with Jurni tagging along with them. He strolled over to where he had left his sister and offered her a smile.
"Jurni, are you planning to watch the match today? Kettles has somehow managed to convince me to go. Will you walk with us?" Before waiting for her response, he noticed a slip of paper in his hand and his ears perked up. "Correspondence from home?" he motioned to the paper in her hand. He hadn't spoken to anyone in his family besides Jurni for some time, and the idea that she'd received a letter filled him with a pang of jealousy and homesickness.
Jurni looked up from the letter in her hands when she heard a voice nearby. It was that of Rylan Marsh, a boy in her year. She took classes with him, but had never spoken much to him outside of them. Then again, she didn't sit at the Gryffindor table very often. She blushed at the thought of having laughed too loudly, her dimpled cheeks a shade of pink. Hopefully she hadn't been too obnoxious with her giggling, but she had been so amused by her letter.
"I suppose something tickled me pink," she quipped, subtly referencing her visible embarrassment. "I hope I wasn't too loud, but my grandmother recently acquired a precious house elf. His name is Lenni, and he's the sweetest creature. He wrote this to me," she beamed, giving it a small wave. "I don't think he's ever written a letter."
She smiled at Rylan, glancing back down at the letter in her hand. Jurni couldn't wait to be home for the holidays. She'd be able to hang out with Lenni and spend as much time with him as she wanted. Their first order of business? Jurni teaching him him to write a letter—if only for knowledge's sake. If he continued to write adorable letters like this to her, she'd be more than content with that. After all, it was things like these that she cherished more than anything.
"Anjay, you startled me!" she remarked with a laugh, feeling a little embarrassed again. She hadn't noticed him return to the table. "You're going to the game?" Jurni asked in disbelief, her brows furrowing. "I'll come with you. I was planning to sit with my house, but I'd love to sit with you instead," she continued, beginning to put away her things. While she did so, Jurni exchanged a couple friendly glances with her fourth year classmate at the table.
"See you at the game, Rylan," Jurni said, before standing and turning to face her brother. She slipped her letter into his hand and disclosed it was from Lenni, their grandmother's house elf. As they wandered away from the table and out of the castle, Jurni made mention of their Ministry internships, but not her chat with Rylan Marsh. While it had been innocent enough, she didn't want her brother to ask any questions. She knew Anjay could be overprotective.
Last Edit: Mar 19, 2021 7:28:23 GMT 10 by Deleted: I received permission to have Anjay leave with Jurni.
Whoops, he hadn't meant to make her blush or anything. Oh well, not much to do about it now, he supposed. She was right in saying that she had been 'tickled pink' though, although he was just relieved that she hadn't completely blanked him (or yelled at him).
"A pretty nice shade of it too", he laughed, before wincing a little as he realised that had probably come across as flirting. That hadn't been his intention, especially while everyone was looking for dates to the ball. Yeah, probably thought he was a right user now! Or was it loser? Either one.
"I mean...", he started, but Jurni went on to explain just what had given her so much joy. He wasn't all that familiar with House Elves, but he knew that they weren't usually educated much beyond performing household tasks. It was sad really.
"Well, first time for everything", he told her with a smile, before her brother returned and he wisely pulled out of the conversation. Last thing he wanted to deal with was an overprotective brother, after all!
Especially seeing as he was probably a little wound up already, as the 'interaction' between him, Mardling and the Ravenclaw Prefect (Kettles?) had not entirely escaped his notice.
With breakfast having long since disappeared, he didn't even know why he was still sticking around. He jumped up from the bench, ready to go cheer on his housemates in the Quiddy game. He was surprised when Jurni waved him off, saying that she would see him at the game.
"See you both there", he returned the perhaps temporary farewell (making sure not to ignore her recently returned brother). Chances are, he wouldn't be too far behind them, though he was also surprised that the older Xcalyn was going to the match.
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