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 Reena Ashworth on Dec 29, 2021 18:03:19 GMT 10
Reena had let go of Jax’s sleeve a while ago and once they had left the train station behind she had started to properly look where she was going. She had one hand on her stomach, trying to push away her hunger with it as she walked down the streets of the city.
They were supposed to take the Knight Bus and since it was transport for magical folk like them she thought it best not to look for it in a part of London that was busy with muggles. Walking through this big a city on their own, Reena was very glad their siblings had stayed at school. It would have been exhausting keeping them together and she could see herself chasing them out of muggle shops and the like.
The wheels of her trunk bumped over an uneven part in the pavement and she eventually came to a stop near the pub The Leaky Cauldron. She was getting tired of dragging her luggage around and she figured it made sense to have a bus stop next to an entrance to Diagon Alley, so here might be a goof place to look for it.
“Do you see any bus sign? Or do we have to summon it?“, she had suddenly thought of the latter which made a lot of sense to her. Why put up a sign that muggles might detect when you could just have passengers summon it?
Reena looked down the street and while assuming Jax was beside her she asked: “Do the tickets say anything about that?“
Last Edit: Jan 3, 2022 23:50:27 GMT 10 by Reena Ashworth: title
Post by Jaxen Ashworth on Dec 30, 2021 23:49:14 GMT 10
Jax's arm felt like lead from the effort of dragging his trunk around the uneven streets of London. The streets were still fairly busy despite it being later in the day, muggles going about last minute Christmas shopping he presumed. It didn't make for an enjoyable experience, attempting to commute through the crowds while keeping an eye on his sister and pulling his trunk behind him. Twice he'd bumped into someone running past him and had to mutter a quick apology.
They finally came to a stop outside the Leaky Cauldron and Jax looked around, his heart beating a little too fast in his chest when he realized it was down to him to ensure they located the bus and got home without any problems. Yes. He was definitely glad he only had Reena to worry about today and not his younger siblings.
"Um... I'm not sure" he answered Reena's question, reaching into his jacket pocket to retrieve his mother's letter and read it over once again. "Mum left some instructions" he was glad that she'd thought to include those, he knew how easily it was to become distracted and forget vital information like that.
"It says to stand outside on the street and raise your wand?" that seemed logical, from a magical standpoint. Jax dreaded to think what muggleborns might make of such a summoning ritual when they were first tasked with taking the Knight Bus. Retrieving his wand from his pocket, he looked around and tried to be as inconspicuous as possible while he raised his wand before him and hoped for the best.
There was a BANG further down the street, like a dustbin exploding or something just as unexpected. A violet, triple-decker bus sped towards them -- and came to a screeching halt perfectly alongside where they stood. The door flung open, and a young woman (with a rather steampunk style) popped into view, giving the pair her brightest smile.
'Welcome to the Knight Bus -- emergency transport for stranded magical folks,' she said with a flourishing wave. 'My name is Ada Soots, and I'll be your conductor this fine afternoon.'
She gave them a glance over in turn, particularly noticing their Hogwarts trunks.
'Tickets?' Ada asked, as if it was expected that they'd have their in advance if they were headed home for the holidays alone. 'Where to?'
Post by Reena Ashworth on Dec 31, 2021 22:53:37 GMT 10
Flinching at the unexpected BANG, Reena stared in bewilderment as the triple decker bus came to a screeching halt in front of them. At least she could not complain about being tired anymore, having been shaken awake by it.
She quickly got a hold of herself again however and turned to the young woman who had greeted them as the conductor. Soots, was it? Reena was not sure whether she was amazed or intimidated by her unfamiliar style but she felt compelled to smile back at her.
She nudged her brother with her elbow for him to show Soots the tickets their mum had sent them as she got ready to board the violet bus.
"Hi there. To Puddles Way, please", she said, intentionally leaving out their exact address, while checking out the rest of the bus. It seemed quite different form of transportation from the Hogwarts Express and Reena wondered whether the bus was apparating or what the loud and sudden appearance of the Knight Bus could mean.
Either way, she was interested to find out. Perhaps it wasn't so bad after all that their mum hadn't come to get them.
Last Edit: Jan 1, 2022 0:49:59 GMT 10 by Reena Ashworth: what are words but fleeting ideas
Post by Jaxen Ashworth on Jan 3, 2022 1:58:52 GMT 10
Jax didn't know what he had expected, but the loud and sudden arrival of the purple bus caught him off guard and he jumped away from the curb as if expecting the bus to swerve and take him out. The doors flew open and they were greeted by a woman who Jax noted had a peculiar yet pleasant sense of style.
Reena was the first to greet the conductor and gave her the address as she boarded the bus first. Jax hurried to drag his trunk onto the bus after her- not wanting to be left behind on the street.
"I have the tickets" he explained, watching as Reena already looked ready to take a seat- which he noted seemed impolite and completely within reason for her, considering her current dark mood. Taking the tickets out of his jacket pocket, he offered them to Ada.
His palms felt sweaty as he waited for them to be accepted, what if their mother had bought the wrong tickets? Or maybe they had expired? Or there was some other reason for them not to be accepted? How would they get home when they didn't really know how to get home from London...
Ada accepted the tickets with a smile, letting them pass by her onto the bus. In doing so, they also passed the driver and... a shrunken head, hanging nearby. The head giggled at them, while the driver hurriedly ate a sandwich while he had the chance.
Reena and Jaxen weren't allowed to touch their trunks once Ada had their tickets though, as she insisted on lugging them aboard herself. She hoisted them to the luggage area, which looked too small for even a handbag but of course magic made appearances deceiving.
As it was daytime, the bus had seats for them to sit on. A few other occupants were aboard, mostly on the lower levels. A huge chandelier hung above.
'Take it away, Ern,' Ada knocked on the window once they were ready to go.
'Yes, take it away, Ernie,' the shrunken head piped up, then eyed the new passengers with glee. 'It's gonna be a bumpy ride.' It laughed.
There was another BANG and the bus shot forward like a rocketing broomstick -- yet kept to the road, weaving around cars and various obstacles. London zoomed by, then there was a screech as the bus came to a sudden and rather violent stop -- enough to send unsuspecting passengers flying. An older woman in the back barely moved, though had her wand in hand.
Ada greeted another passenger, who bought a ticket then sat down. It was a man with a bowler hat that mostly obscured his face. He shot a blue-eyed glance at the teens, then shuffled away to another level.
BANG. The bus sped off again, narrowly missing a delivery truck.
Post by Reena Ashworth on Jan 3, 2022 22:10:01 GMT 10
While Reena had gone into the bus to take a look at it, she hadn't gone too far inside, waiting on Jax to show the tickets to Ada Soots. She turned around and eyed the conductor curiously. She was almost certain that her sister would love the conductor's style and Reena decided that it was a little bit intimidating but in a pleasant way. Didn't really make sense to her.
Once the tickets were checked she thanked Soots for storing the luggage and found place to sit, keeping to the front as she wanted to see the driver oparate. She also eyed the shrunken head, unfamiliar with the sorts but figured she could maybe ask either the Creatures or DADA professor about it when she returned as she did not want to be rude and stare at it for too long.
When the bus jumped into motion she involuntarily held on to Jax's arm, surprised that it seemed to drive the streets of London at an uncomfortably fast speed.
What kind of enchantment made it invisible to everyone around? And what kind of enchantment made sure it did not hit anything or anyone on its way? It was incredible! So incredible, Reena forgot all about her bad mood.
"I've read about a charm that can keep anything hidden until one is told about it. Fidelius? You think this bus has a fidelius charm on it?", she asked her brother excitedly.
Just a split second later did she loose her balance when the bus came to a sudden stop and she banged her head into the seat in front of her. "Ouch", she rubbed her forehead but quickly returned to a neutral expression when a man boarded, giving them a look over from an obscured face. Was it her imagination or was he intentionally moving away from them?
Just as suddenly as before the Knight Bus sprung back into motion and Reena vowed to be more prepared this time, holding on to the seat as she tried to get Soots attention.
"Excuse me? Do you somehow actively avoid collision or was the bus enchanted once and now can't be hit?", she asked as she eyed the delivery truck that seemed to have been narrowly missed for a second back there.
Last Edit: Jan 3, 2022 22:21:44 GMT 10 by Reena Ashworth: no more traumatising
Post by Jaxen Ashworth on Jan 3, 2022 22:56:03 GMT 10
The conductor accepted the tickets without any fuss and Jaxen followed Reena onboard and begrudgingly sat near the front. It wouldn't be his first choice of seating position, but she had sat down first and he couldn't exactly make a scene on the bus the same way he had while on the train. He wouldn't want to get kicked off the bus and be stranded in London- yes, he wouldn't feel completely at ease until they arrived home and he saw his mother.
"This is a pretty weird bus" he leaned over to his sister and whispered the words in what he hoped was a subtle gesture that would go unnoticed by the staff. He had noticed the shrunken head, that was apparently capable of speech? He didn't remember learning about it at school... Maybe they would learn that sort of stuff at a more advanced level.
The bus shot forward with what felt like no notice at all and Jax was thrown back against his seat, wincing at the force of it knocking the air from his lungs. That was one way to ensure he still felt wide awake on such a long and gruelling journey. The bus was definitely a magical one, with the way it weaved through traffic and seemed to move much too fast to effectively avoid everything in its path- yet they never once collided with anything and the staff seemed perfectly at ease.
"Uhhh... Probably?" he muttered, trying to give Reena an answer to her question but also trying to hold onto his breakfast. He decided that he really didn't like bus travel, he would rather walk home next time- but assumed this might be a regular occurrence if their mother saw how they'd made it home in one piece for the holidays.
The bus came to a halt just as suddenly as it had taken off and he flew forward, luckily managing to brace himself on the seat in front, preventing himself from coming to any injury. Reena wasn't so lucky and smacked her head. Maybe one piece was a little too generous.
"Are you okay?" he asked, barely paying attention to the passenger that was now boarding the bus. He reached out a hand as if to check her head, before snatching it back again- he didn't need to do that, she wasn't a baby anymore and probably wouldn't appreciate his concern, considering the mood she was in.
The bus took off again, but this time Jax was a little more prepared for it and didn't have the same bad experience as the first time. Keeping his hands firmly gripped around the rail of the seat in front of them, he wouldn't be flying out of his seat today.
Last Edit: Jan 3, 2022 23:08:56 GMT 10 by Jaxen Ashworth
Ada Soots gave Reena her full attention, casually leaning against the bus as if it wasn't zooming and jolting all over England. She didn't answer the question directly though, just gave a shrug and a rather mischievous smile. Trade secrets, apparently. Or perhaps an explanation would make it a little less intriguing?
'Ern's a great driver,' was all she did say, just as Ernie looked away from the road to retrieve his glasses.
'Even a blind bat can see in the dark,' said the shrunken head.
BANG.
The Knight Bus came to another abrupt halt.
'Puddles Way,' Ada said, with a flourish. She placed their luggage outside, standing by the door to await their departure before jumping back aboard. 'Next stop: Pinedew Hollow.'
With two less passengers, the Knight Bus drove off with a final BANG before it faded mid-swerve around a corner.
They were home. Well, close enough. Reena and Jaxen arrived part-way up the street, with cottages lined close together. Their home was further down the road, lucky enough to have its own yard. Or it would, if it wasn't so badly in need of a trim. Any gardening they'd done over the summer was already undone. The windows were dark, but that was normal since their mother long ago placed a charm on them to make it look (from the outside) as if no one was home.
Passing the threshold, they didn't normally notice the warding too much but this time they did. It seemed thicker. Colder. Perhaps a testament to the warding -- the front door was unlocked.
Post by Reena Ashworth on Jan 3, 2022 23:47:57 GMT 10
"Yeah, it might bruise a little,", she answered. She had noticed Jax's hand moving towards her only to move back again but didn't comment on it
She was suddenly less interested in what her brother had to say and much more insterested in their stylish conductor who leaned against the bus so effortlessly as though it was standing still and not going at break neck speed.
She laughed at how Ada Soots and the shrunken head seemed to be a comedic duo and grinned at the young woman, hoping to somewhat mirror her mischievousness. Perhaps she should aspire to be more like that but Reena knew she was never quite this unbothered.
"Alright then. Keep your secrets," she said and noticed the next BANG just in time to prepare for the sudden stop. She felt quite good about herself for picking up on it that quickly and was thankful she had not made a fool of herself a second time infront of Soots.
"Thanks. Have a nice holidays," she said as she got ready to depart. Reena watched as the Knight Bus disappeared with another loud BANG before she picked up her trunk and looked around the familiar street.
And just like that her smile did as the Knight Bus had and vanished. She could see from a distance that the yard was overgrown again but she didn't feel like yard work, having had enough of plants lately since getting her herbology kit- Oh no. This reminded her she had forgotten to harvest.
Eh. Nothig she could do about it now.
She dragged her trunk along the street of cottages in silence only looking up in alarm when she could feel a thick, cold ward as she passed the threshhold of their home. Reena looked at Jax before she tried the front door, brows creased in mild worry as she found it unlocked.
She wanted to call out to her mum to get a vocal confirmation that nothing was off but she did not quite dare, instead opting to lay down her trunk and quietly opening the front door, giving Jax a quizzical glance before looking inside their home.
Post by Jaxen Ashworth on Jan 4, 2022 0:10:21 GMT 10
Jax practically fell out of his seat when the bus came to a sudden stop again just moments later and it was announced that this was their stop. He hadn't expected the journey to go so fast, their usual method of transportation usually took much longer to get them to and from Kings Cross. He wasn't mad about it though, it meant that they would soon be able to see their mother ahead of schedule and Jaxen would never feel bitter about that.
"Ada seemed cool" he said, once they had gotten off of the bus and it had shot out of sight and vanished around the corner. "I didn't know magical bus conductor was a viable career path" it seemed like a decent one, and maybe it was one worth thinking about- then at least he could probably still see his mother on a regular basis, even after graduating from Hogwarts.
"Uhhh, try not to let mum see your head" he said to Reena, hoping she could position her hair in such a way that would hide the red welt that had started to form there. He really didn't want their mother to worry, especially when they had only just arrived home for the holidays.
Starting down the path, it was challenging to drag his trunk as the path was even more worn and uneven than the streets of London had been, but he managed with difficulty. Approaching their familiar little home, he wasn't surprised to see that the yard had become overgrown, or that the windows were dark- that was normal for their mother and didn't concern him. What was concerning and sent him faltering to a stop was the cold shiver that ran down his spine as they stepped across the threshold to the property.
The wards seemed particularly strong, maybe as though they had been reinforced... And it did not bode well. Starting towards the door, Reena reached it first and pushed it open- it was unlocked, which could explain why the wards seemed so strong. But it still had him feeling uneasy and on edge.
"Let me" he said, the instruction for Reena to remain on the doorstep was left unspoken, yet it seemed clear in the way he abandoned his trunk on the doorstep and stepped confidently through the front door and ahead of his sister.
"Mummy?" his voice came out sounding nervous, he hated that. This was his home, he shouldn't feel afraid of what he might find within it. "It's Jax and Reena, we're home..." he called out again, waving at Reena to remain where she was until he was confident that there mother was home and everything was safe.
The house was still and shadowy. In desperate need of a good dusting, too. Otherwise, everything was more or less where they'd left it -- especially as this was the first year all Ashworth children were students at Hogwarts. The first year their mother had been left on her own since they were born.
One thing that was definitely new was a painting on a random spot of living room wall. Nothing too big, but strangely it was done on paper not a proper / framed canvas. It was badly stuck there, as a corner peeled -- revealing the edge of a spell-caused burn mark on the wall.
'Jax? Reena?' Aubrey shyly peered into the room, her light hair unbrushed and her eyes tired. The white sweater she wore was one they hadn't seen before -- it even fitted well and seemed new. In fact, it even seemed rather expensive and not at all something their mother was known to wear. Especially around five kids.
She stared at them for a moment, as if in disbelief it was actually them. With an emotional sigh, Aubrey gave them a sad smile and fully entered the room. Too emotional to say anything, she embraced them both in a firm yet loving hug. Her breath shook.
'My babies. You're home. Thank goodness,' she muttered. 'I'm sorry there's no Christmas decorations. You know it's hard for me. And this year, with none of you here, oh I couldn't bear it. But we could get out that nice green table cloth, yeah? Maybe use our nice plates...'
After a prolonged moment, she reluctantly let them go. Aubrey bit her lip, her chuckle rather sad as she brushed some hair from Jaxen's forehead.
'Getting tall,' she mumbled, then walked to the kitchen. She poured a glass of water and stared out the window at the street, her gaze far-away.
Post by Reena Ashworth on Jan 4, 2022 1:09:17 GMT 10
Surprisingly enough Reena did as Jax had asked her to do and remained by the door while he checked inside. She briefly scanned the front yard and got on the tip of her toes to look up and down the street, as though making sure they weren't followed or observed by anyone.
There was a lingering sense of unease, more so than usual, coming home like this.
Undoing her ponytail and remaking it to have her hair cover her forehead she grumbled lowly to herself about having to put her physical well being after her mother's mental one but even she wasn't listening to herself.
She finally moved from the doorstep when she heard her mother's voice and hurried to join Jax in the living room. Reena looked at her mum as she entered the room, surprised by the white sweater and also by the vague feeling of familiarity, although she could not say at the time where she had seen the sweater before.
She stiffened when she was pulled into an embrace yet allowed her mother the physical touch and forced herself to relax into it.
"Hi mum", Reena did her best to keep her voice even. It was hard not to be drawn in and let her mum off the hook when there was still the initial shock of coming home. It was so much easier to be mad at her mum with distance between them.
"Nice plates sounds... nice", she quickly made a mini step away upon being released from the embrace, yet gave her mum a smile. No need to start a fight first thing, right?
The paper painting that was plastered onto the wall had caught her attention, or rather the burn mark it seemed to cover up. She did not ask about it however, biting her tongue, as she always did, groaning to herself about that as she hesitantly followed her mother to the kitchen, being thirsty and quite hungry by now.
She stared at her mum as she stared out the window. Reena poured herself a glass of water and quickly gulped it down, head full of questions, yet gut too full of fear of answers and consequences.
"Our trunks!", she suddenly remembered, smacking the palm of her hand against her forehead- and immediatly regretting it as there was still that bruise forming.
"I'll get them inside, don't worry." Reena was glad to have an excuse to take a quick breather, perhaps she would feel more daring when she returned.
Post by Jaxen Ashworth on Jan 4, 2022 1:42:58 GMT 10
The house was dark, and there were no Christmas decorations to be seen despite it being Christmas Eve. Jax made his way cautiously through into the living room, but there was still no evidence that their mother was home, or had been for a while. There was a new painting on the wall, which might've been nice had it not been so obviously used to conceal something of a more sinister nature and the fine layer of dust that seemed to settle upon every surface gave the house a neglected feeling.
It didn't feel like home at all.
The sound of his mother's voice caused him to turn abruptly, almost losing his balance. But then he saw her and he felt the crushing weight on his chest lift a little, now that he could see that she was safe. Nothing bad had happened, she was still there waiting for them. She seemed dishevelled and tired, like their absence had taken a toll on her- perhaps more than they could see on the surface. But her sweater was new, and made it seem like she was making an effort, he wondered if their grandparents had bought it as an early Christmas gift.
Reena had stayed outside up until that moment, but she was now standing at his side obviously drawn in by the confirmation that it was safe to do so. Their mother moved across the room almost too fast for him to recognize what was happening but the moment he felt her arms around him, he immediately felt at ease. Sighing into the hug, he almost didn't want it to end, but all too soon she pulled away and that invisible barrier was once again put up, separating them.
"Don't worry mum, we're just both glad to be home" he said, hoping his words would reassure her that they really didn't mind if the house didn't feel festive. "Maybe we can make our own Christmas decorations this year? That could be fun" they could cut out paper snowflakes and paint pictures of reindeer and elves- it could be nice.
He smiled when she brushed his hair aside with her hand, the warmth of her touch almost comforting in contrast to the cold atmosphere of their family home. "Soon I'll be taller than you" he said, following her through into the kitchen. Reena was quick to exit, and he was too far away to prevent her from running to grab their trunks from outside- someone had to stay with their mother anyway, she had been alone for too long already.
Jax watched her, some of that uneasiness returning as he saw the look on her face. Almost like the wholesome moment they'd just shared was over, and she was gone again. "Mummy, how have you been?" he asked, trying to keep the concerned edge from his voice, to make it seem as though he was asking a general enquiry. "Have you eaten today?" he didn't know what food they had in the cupboards, but he figured that he should soon make a start on fixing them all something to eat.
He was sure that his own stomach would be grumbling if he didn't already feel sick to his stomach.
Aubrey nodded, not really hearing Reena or noticing her leave to get the trunks. She held her glass of water, staring out the window. She nodded again as Jaxen spoke, still staring. Still holding her glass but making no move to use it. Her only reaction that some words got through was her eyes tearing at the idea of her son being taller than her someday.
She blinked, as if startled. Aubrey placed the glass down, turning to glance at Jaxen. 'My sweet boy, always asking how I am.' She lovingly pat his cheek, then passed by to the living room.
She quickly stuck the painting corner down again, then slumped on the edge of a couch. Aubrey hung her head, hands raked through her hair. Frowning, she hand-combed her hair so it was a bit neater, then sighed as she looked over at her kids.
'Oh,' she said at the question about food. 'Is it almost lunch? Almost dinner...' she corrected herself, having checked the time on a wall clock the kids had grown up measuring their days by.
Perhaps it was the lowering lighting. Or the absence of the rowdier, more energetic siblings. It was just... something felt different.
It hung in the air, but was undefined. It was in the painting on the wall, which was of a beachside. It was in the kitchen, with new handles on the cupboards instead of those barely hanging on by their screws. It was in the living room rug, which smelled faintly of ginger and cedar. It was even in the windows, with a curtain now torn at a corner. And it was in a basket on a table, filled with unopened letters bearing unfamiliar handwriting.
'How... are the others okay?' Aubrey asked. 'I miss them terribly. Of course, I'm glad some of you came home to me it's just...' She sighed again, trailing off as she stared to the distance.
On her feet again, she returned to the kitchen -- searching the cupboards for food. Her shoulders slumped, seeing they were out of rice and flour. She glanced at Jaxen, but didn't dare ask. No, he just got home. She couldn't burden him like this. Her sweet boy, who was growing up.
'I'll make us something for Christmas,' she promised, as if pleading for their forgiveness. 'Tomorrow. Yes. We'll... I'll make something. It'll be special. And we'll eat it as a family, at the table. With that nice green table cloth.' Aubrey nodded, fussing with a fresh loaf of homemade bread -- something she was good at baking and would often make when requested, usually as her contribution to having them mostly live off sandwiches.
There was always some bread in the house, even if scarcely much else.
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