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 Christmas holidays were over, and school term was back in session -- though Hogwarts still woke to a blanket of fresh snow covering the grounds, and dotted skies promising continued cold weather for the remainder of January.
The Great Hall was abuzz with lively chatter and excitement, though mixed with dread that they must once against contend with classes and homework. Their free time was back to being limited, including the ability to sleep in that the holidays so graciously provided. Many dragged themselves into the hall, yawning into their hands or fussing with their uniform. OWL or NEWT students in particular starting showing signs of mounting stress and focus, as the later part of the school year began.
There was a lot to talk about. Classes were back, so everyone was scrambling to locate spare parchment or lost textbooks that hadn't seen the light of day since before the holidays. It was also the day before the Quidditch match between Slytherin and Ravenclaw, both led by rather ruthless Captains. It was sure to be an interesting showdown.
And also, there were remnants of conversation about yesterday's Duelling Tournament -- word had spread that Jaxen Ashworth (Ravenclaw) and Luckett Langford (Hufflepuff) had battled it out in the final, with Luckett claiming victory before he was sent flying by Professor Hathmore. Many briefly stopped by the Hufflepuff table in hope of offering him congratulations, though some Ravenclaws avoided the gesture to show support of Jaxen.
Most of the staff were also present -- missing only Professors Rivera, Trelawney, and Fairburn. Hagrid was busy animatedly telling a story to Professor McGonagall, who looked rather tired as she all but inhaled her hot beverage. Professors Hathmore and Snape were deep in conversation about something, the topic of which was anyone's guess.
Student schedules were magically assigned to everyone who sat at their house table.
Morning Classes 1st years - Charms 5th years - Care of Magical Creatures
~~
Afternoon Classes 1st years - Flying Lesson 4th years - Herbology 5th years - Charms
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 time changes. 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.
#16 Night is skipped; when afternoon ends, the new day begins.
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on May 24, 2022 21:36:52 GMT 10
MJ put a hand over her mouth, covering a yawn as she csme into the Great Hall. She was neatly dressed for the school day, her tie neatly tucked into her sweater and her socks pulled up to her knees. Presentation was important - or so her Granny always said.
She sat at Ravenclaw table, considering her options for breakfast and settled on having some toast and strawberry jam. A simple choice which would take much thinking to prepare or eat. Her thoughts were already consumed by two things - her class schedule and the piece of parchment she had neatly tucked into her pocket.
Still, it took her a few moments to process the schedule but she quickly perked up - charms class today! And then flying lessons in the afternoon! She vibrated a little with excitement.
Misuk trailed into the Great Hall. Their clothes were all neat, their hair was tidy, but the expression on their face spoke from muscle memory rather than actually being awake. They spotted their room mate, and sat down next to them at the Ravenclaw table. "Morning, MJ," they greeted the other, stifling a yawn.
They reached out for the class schedule first, perking up at the idea of charms lesson. "Excited for today's classes?" they asked, then finally taking in the other things at the table.
First, they decided to stash away an apple and some nuts for later. Then, they grabbed some bread and orange juice, then pondered a bit longer about what should go on the bread, not being able to decide between cheese or jam.
As usual, Anjay Xcalyn found himself one of the very first students in the Great Hall. Early rising had been a part of his life as far back as he could remember, and now that the holidays were finished and school was finally back in session, he had an extra zap of energy that made sleeping in unthinkable.
He'd already made his itinerary for the day, in typical Xcalyn form, and was pleased to note that 5th years would have Care of Magical Creatures this morning, a waste of a class that Anjay had not signed up for. This meant he would have free time this morning to investigate the mysterious message he'd found in the fireplace inside the Gryffindor Common Room.
Anjay sat near the head of the table, a large spread before him as he dove into his breakfast. He enjoyed various fruits such as pineapples, strawberries, a mango, and some blueberries, all out of season but somehow magically available at Hogwarts. A cup of yogurt topped with granola and nuts was within reach, as well as a bowl full of steaming hot rice.
He sipped a piping hot chai tea while also occasionally drinking from a goblet filled with chilled orange juice. To Anjay breakfast was no trivial matter, not something to be brushed off as a formality or unimportant. It was his favorite meal of the day, and the time when he got to collect his thoughts and prepare for whatever life would throw at him throughout the next 12-14 hours.
Last Edit: May 24, 2022 21:43:25 GMT 10 by Deleted
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on May 24, 2022 21:48:58 GMT 10
"Misuk! I saw you with Byeol last night, how did it go?" It made her think, she needed to spend some time with Woozle. Maybe she would get a chance today. Regardless, Misuk's gimus was truly adorable!
She nodded at her friend's question, "Super excited! Professor Riveria might have something big planned - she's not at Breakfast."
And MJ hoped they would learn a new spell in class too.
She poured herself some apple juice and then picked up an apple for later, along with some nuts. They would come in handy no doubt.
"Did you hear about the duelling tournament? Apparently a Ravenclaw boy made it to the final! Maybe we should have went after all?" She giggled. She didn't regret her choice to skip the tournament however. MJ felt she had had a very productive time doing other things before class began.
Post by Lindsey Bryce on May 24, 2022 22:01:44 GMT 10
Lindsey had woken up earlier than she had intended, but had gotten ready and headed down to the Great Hall. The morning was open for her, she didn't have any classes until the afternoon. She wanted to get breakfast done and head to the staff room. She wanted to return to the hospital for another day of internship. Lindsey arrived into the great hall with her shoulder bag. Inside was any supplies she needed for the day, such as her garden gloves, but she knew that wouldn't be needed until this afternoon.
She wouldn't have time to go to the Herbology Greenhouse before she headed to Saint Mungo after Breakfast. She was going to be running, that much was for sure. Sitting down, she put some porridge on her plate and poured herself something to drink.
The day before had been great! She had gotten to hang out with friends on the train and then watched Luckett win the dueling tournament. It was still the talk of the castle and she smiled when she heard people talking about it. She had come down from the Gryffindor tower with a slight spring in her step and entered the Great Hall, searching the tables. Luckett was not there, but she made sure to sit where she could see if he came in.
She knew he had stuff going on, knew that he would likely be too involved with his friends, but maybe a glance her direction and a smile would be nice. She looked at her classes and shrugged a little at the care of magical creatures. It would be fine, she didn't mind that class too much.
On an off though, she grabbed an apple and handful of nuts to add to her bag.
Last Edit: May 24, 2022 22:05:28 GMT 10 by Deleted
Misuk smiled fondly and also slightly tiredly at the memory of yesterday. "It was very nice, but also quite exhausting - Byeol got very attached to one of my socks, and a ferret stole it." They put jam on their slice of bread, sideglancing at MJ. "What did you do yesterday? I was more focused on the book, sorry, but ... what were you doing there?" they laughed. It had looked ... very odd, but not odd enough to leave the Adventures of Mister Pickle, unfortunately.
"So you noticed she isn't here, too," they said, looking at the faculty table once more - wondering what Hagrid might tell Professor McGonagall at the moment. They really had to see about having a chat with him one day. "I can't wait to find out."
The idea of the tournament let Misuk sigh. "Yeah! I can't believe I just missed it, I need to space out less," they laughed, fighting away the dejection. There would be more tournaments and duels to attend and scratch that competetive itch. "But we had a good time, too," they added with a grin. "And you were keeping busy after we split up?"
Post by Jonathan King on May 24, 2022 23:09:06 GMT 10
Joe accidentally dragged his feet as he entered the great hall which almost had him stumbling against Ryan. He ruffled a hand through his hair to play off his embarrassment and led the way towards the Ravenclaw table.
He felt a bit tired and bleary eyed thought back to last night when he had consoled Ryan after his lost duel. Joe had been laying awake for a while, wondering if it had been enough. Ryan had done amazingly, being way braver than he or even Toby were and even getting a shot in against Amy!
Joe gave his friend descret pat on his arm before they had reached their table and he slumped down next to Emjy and …
Oh no. He was suddenly very awake when he realised he had forgotten the name of their other class- and housemate. Why was he like this? That was so rude of him!
“Morning,“ he said shyly. He then quickly filled some eggs and pretzel onto his plate.
“Have a good Christmas?“, he wondered if they had stayed at school, he couldn’t remember seeing them on the train at all. He kept his question light however as not to intrude too much on their conversation should that be unwelcome.
Post by Ryan Barrow on May 24, 2022 23:12:29 GMT 10
It felt good to be back at school -- a feeling that Ryan wondered if that's how it felt for people when they went home. He made his way into the Great Hall, fully awake and ready to face the day even if it was unfairly cold still. He was a bit achy from his duel, and from crying after losing said duel. He fixed his beanie and sighed as he trailed behind Joe, slowly making his way to the Ravenclaw table to also sit with some of their classmates.
Ryan was still upset about yesterday. He'd entered the tournament so hopeful and excited, thinking he was bravely taking the initiative for once and actually stood a chance. Then his dreams were crushed, and he lost in the first round. Joe had cheered him up a bit that night, but Ryan's spirits were still down.
He waved at his classmates, not wanting to be rude though was glad Joe took over conversation, then contemplated what to have for breakfast. Nibbling a banana, he decided on scrambled eggs before switching to jam-smeared toast. He glanced curiously around the hall, but nothing really kept his interest. It was nice to be back to proper school stuff though, having enjoyed putting on his uniform this morning and doing inventory of his school supplies. He didn't care much for anything else right now.
So he focused on his class schedule instead, smiling when he saw they had Charms that morning. His classmates were already discussing it, but he was too shy to join in. A Flying lesson in the afternoon was less exciting for Ryan personally, though he smiled as he knew Joe and Toby would be thrilled.
Post by Amara Seabrook on May 24, 2022 23:38:08 GMT 10
Amara was up early, surprising herself by how much she was looking forward to getting back to classes and non-Christmas routines. Being an OWL student was hard, but (unlike many of her classmates) she didn't leave things to the last minute so was reasonably prepared, even now.
She strode confidently into the Great Hall, rolling her eyes at the noise over by at Hufflepuff table. If Langford won, then it had hardly been much of a challenge worthy of any actual respect or praise.
Sitting at the Slytherin table, she selected a range of fruit while checking over her class schedule. She had a free morning, thankfully, as Amara had a lot of things she still wanted to get done. Recruitments were particularly important, especially now she had plans for the summer. Afternoon was Charms though, which she was not the least bit impressed by.
Eating some mango, Amara glanced towards the door. She'd left ahead of her roommates, so Vicky wasn't there yet. She hadn't seen Reena on the way, but hoped the 4th year thought seriously of her invitation for her to sit with Amara and Vicky this morning.
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on May 24, 2022 23:55:14 GMT 10
"One of your socks!? Oh dear, I'm sorry to say that sounds both endearing and silly." She giggled, imagining how it looked to see Byeol with the sock. The gimus was just so cute! MJ knew she was still a little shy so didn't try to disturb her foo much but maybe one day she would be anle to pet Byeol.
MJ nodded at Misuk's observation about the Professors too when a couple of their classmates arrived at the table.
"Good Morning! We have charms today! Isn't that exciting? And flying too!" She said to both Joe and Ryan. MJ had noticed that they sort of stuck to themselves, along with a Gryffindor boy. She didn't mind, there was no reason for her not to be friendly anyway.
Her attention did go back to Misuk and she dropped her voice to a whisper, "I'll show you when we're alone. I don't want anyone else to overhear or see." She had, of course, planned to tell Misuk about it last night when the other came into the dorm room but she had fallen asleep before she could.
Post by Ezra Ashworth on May 25, 2022 0:03:52 GMT 10
Ezra had woken up excited and managed to stay that way all the way to the great hall, he had practically bounced down the stairs on the way. Classes were starting back and he was eager to learn more magic. In his mind the sooner he got to breakfast and finished it, the sooner classes would start. He had briefly wondered which ones he had that morning and what they would be learning, but then decided that it didn't really matter. Whatever the class was, he was sure it would be fun!
In his rush to get to the hall, he had once again forgotten to comb his hair and his tie was hung around his neck undone, not even under his shirt collar. Hopefully he would remember to fix his uniform before class started.
As he entered the great hall he paused in the doorway and stretched up onto his toes in an attempt to see over peoples heads, trying to spot any of his siblings. He didn't have much luck, if that was because they were hidden by others or just were not there yet, he wasn't sure.
He hoped he would get to see them later to say good morning. He did not like when he didn't get to see them. Especially after missing half of them over the holidays, then seeing his oldest siblings battle in slightly terrifying duels the day before. He had to reassure himself that they were okay.
He had spotted a group of first years at the Ravenclaw table that he recognised at least, so he was happy to make his way over to them.
"Morn-" he started to say in greeting as he sat opposite the group, only to get distracted halfway through by his class schedule appearing. That was important information so hopefully the others would understand. "Charms! That's awesome! What do you think we'll be doing?"
Ezra looked up at the other first years with a bright smile as he asked his question, completely forgetting that he had barely said hello or grabbed any food.
Last Edit: May 25, 2022 0:04:09 GMT 10 by Ezra Ashworth
At MJ's comment about how endearing and silly Byeol's attachment to the sock sounded, Misuk also smiled more gently now, tiredness cast aside. "It was, but I think I'm going to ... have a strongly worded talk with whoever owns that ferret," Misuk said, lightheartedly so it's not entirely sure if they actually meant it or not.
They were taking a bite from their bread slice as two other Ravenclaws sat down next to the duo, and they finished chewing by the time one of them - Jo...nah? - asked a question. "Good morning. Christmas was good here, we had a feast which was nice. You two weren't around here, were you?" they then asked, not remembering having seen them - but then again, a good memory didn't help if you just ... didn't pay attention.
They did pay attention however to what MJ was whispering at them, leaning ever so slightly closer to hear better over the general chatter in the Great Hall. "Exciting," they commented, now even more curious than before. They dangled their legs a bit more to make up the new-found, excessive energy.
It seemed like the Charms class was the biggest topic at the Ravenclaw table, which Misuk could definitely understand. "It's gotta be big if Professor Rivera isn't at breakfast," they boldly stated, even if they had no way of knowing if it was true.
Post by Jonathan King on May 25, 2022 0:19:37 GMT 10
“Oh?“, he said inbetween bites of pretzel that he dunked into enough jam to feed a family of four. “That sounds nice, we were at our mate‘s Toby‘s. Had a grant time, too, right?“
Joe’s mouth was a disaster of red and berries. He wiped it with a napkin, while simultaneously mixing the jam with the scrambled eggs on his plate.
“Better get a big breakfast then, flying‘s no fun when you’re hungry, right Ryan?“
He smiled at his friend encouragingly, whether he decided to speak or just shake his head. It was a shame Toby couldn’t sit with them for breakfast and dinner, meals would be so much more fun if they could all sit together.
Joe nodded along to the conversation while playing a game of how high a mountain of scrambled jam-eggs he could build on his last piece of pretzel without it collapsing and still fitting into his mouth.
He turned to see Ester join them and gave a small wave to him while fighting with a mouth full of eggs that seemed to only grow.
“Way more excited about Flying Class later. I‘m glad I have one more chance to practice before the match with Slytherin actually,“ he said once he had finished his mountain of eggs.
“What you wanna impress professor Rivera for?“, he asked curiously. It was as though he was missing some information.
00 | 
21 | 
20
December
