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.
Anjay left breakfast without much fanfare. Normally he would make himself a presence in the Great Hall, helping keep order and making sure younger students didn't linger. It was a part of his Prefect duty he took seriously, even if it added another strand to the "Xcalyn the Tosser" tapestry. The people who mocked him benefited from the order he and his fellow Prefects helped keep, even if they would never acknowledge it.
He made his way to the Library, walking quickly and avoiding eye contact with anyone he might encounter. The entry on his morning's itinerary read "private study- library," which was a half truth. Anjay actually felt a bit guilty that he had lied, even if he'd only lied to himself- and was aware of the dishonesty. Anjay preferred openness and transparency whenever possible, although he truly felt he needed secrecy here.
Once inside the Library, he felt inside his robes to make sure the scroll was still there... ah yes, there it was. The cryptic message in an unidentifiable language that had come from his Common Room. In some strange sense, it felt like the paper was alive, calling to him, begging to be read. Anjay intended to do just that. And in truth, he would certainly learn some things if he was ever able to decipher it- meaning his itinerary was not totally without truth.
"Madame Pince," he addressed the librarian as he found her. Anjay wondered if the woman slept between the countless rows of books in the Library. He'd never seen her anywhere else in the castle. "I'm looking for a few resources on ancient magical languages... dead ones, no longer spoken. Can you please help point me in the right direction?" In an uncharacteristic display of nervousness, Anjay fidgeted. He hoped the librarian did not notice, and hoped even more she asked no follow up questions.
Last Edit: May 27, 2022 1:11:03 GMT 10 by Deleted: formatting
Madam Pince turned at a familiar voice, having seen Xcalyns come and go in her library over the years. Avid learners, she'd pegged them for, though she also wasn't entirely oblivious of whose names or families were more well-known in the Wizarding world or at Hogwarts. But she was never surprised to Jurni or her brothers among rows of books during free time.
Nor was she surprised by his request, though narrowed her eyes at his unusual nervousness regarding it.
'I'm afraid most of those have either been checked out or were removed prior to the school year,' Pince answered him, placing some books onto a cart. 'If you're after something specific, I'm going to need a more descriptive reference, time period, or location.'
Anjay held back a sigh of frustration. He was going to have to spell this out directly, wasn't he? He ran through a few possible ways to proceed, deciding that the direct approach was likely to be the most effective, but also remained weary of being too forthcoming. Why did it feel like the scroll he'd found was for him only, something not to share? Still, he needed help.
"Godric Gryffindor," he said plainly. "I'm looking for information on any languages spoken at the time of or up to when Godric Gryffindor and the other founders were establishing the castle." His hand darted into his robes, fingering the scroll lightly, deciding at the last minute to not pull it out as a reference unless absolutely necessary.
"Can you help?"
Last Edit: May 31, 2022 18:13:50 GMT 10 by Lena: Fixed: formatting error
Post by Reena Ashworth on May 30, 2022 5:00:19 GMT 10
Cringing inwardly when she found Madame Pince occupied by none other than the boy wonder himself, she just politely nodded towards the librarian and passed them with as much distance as possible.
Not wanting to chance having to converse with Anjay today, she decided that she would simply look at the books herself.
Her fingers trailed along the board underneath the books at the height of her elbow as she moved along the shelves in the potions aisle.
The fingers of her left hand were loosely folded around the piece of parchment Antoninus had given her but she let it go when she decided on a first book to pull out.
It was on potions’ theory and she opened it with care. She flicked towards its index, hoping to find a chapter on potions or ingredients that might induce a lucid state on the mentally… not-well.
She had thought about going to the potions master himself but, with frustration, had decided that would be a bad idea as it could arouse suspicion towards her home situation and she would rather eat a live hedgehog.
Madam Pince sighed at what Anjay said. It was a long-suffering sound, though he had no clear indication as to why that was her first reaction. She shook her head, knowing there was no concise answer she could give him in regards to that particular time.
'Then I must disappoint you,' Pince said, briefly eyeing Reena as she wandered by. 'Many books which may have been of assistance were in the Restricted Section, but in any case were removed before first term. Any that remain are very specialised, and may be checked out already. If they're what you're searching for depends on the language itself. Do you have a sample or a name?'
--
Meanwhile, the book Reena picked wasn't very helpful. There were a few hints at causing the opposite, but not lucidity. And the pages she skimmed were more generalised, without some context or going into any sort of detail.
Anjay heaved the sigh he had been holding in, echoing the sigh Madame Pince had let out at his question. The hand in his robe clasped around the scroll and he pulled it out tenderly, scared that it might rip, but more scared to show its contents to anyone else. This somehow felt like the closest he'd ever truly been to being in trouble.
The doubt flooded him like a rushing deluge. Was he allowed to have this parchment? Would Madame Pince tell McGonagall, or worse, Rickard? Was he endangering his Prefect position and any future opportunities by playing around in this mystery? Ultimately Anjay decided he would need more information before he could truly answer that question.
"Here you are," he said, unrolling the scroll and handing it to the tedious librarian. "This is what I'm trying to translate."
Nyx strode into the library, her arms wrapped tightly around the stack of books she'd been carrying all morning. She brushed passed the other students in the library, believing herself better than them in every way, and settled into a standing spot where she could be seen.
She watched in silence as Anjay Xcalyn spoke to the librarian, she watched how he delicately fiddled with the bit of parchment he had in his hands before handing it over to her. Something was making him nervous, it seemed, and she wondered to herself whether she cared enough to peek. Maybe, Nyx concluded, but she had more pressing things to tend to. She and her friends had a rather tedious task on their hands, and one they needed to get started on quickly.
But she waited patiently, taking a moment to sweep a stray strand of flaxen hair away from her face. She'd expected that Prince would be busy with other requests. After all, asking questions was the best way to find what you needed and move on with your projects. Whenever Nyx had run into a problem with her academics or her extracurricular passions, she'd always been quick to ask whomever happened to be the best resource available to her. In this situation, it was Madam Pince. The woman knew her way around the library more than anyone in the castle.
After dropping her textbooks on a nearby table, Nyx crossed her arms over her chest. She was growing a little impatient with just how long it was taking the Gryffindor boy to gain whatever information he needed, and she turned to find her friends for their opinion. Would it be rude for her to cut in and ask for her assistance? Xcalyn wasn't the only student that needed help.
"Madam Pince, when you're free, we'd like some assistance looking for resources," Nyx said at last, giving a little motion to herself and her friends. "The most popular special event recipes of 1373, if you'd be so kind," she added, before quietly huffing to herself.
Post by Victoria Vargas on May 31, 2022 12:25:49 GMT 10
As she entered the relatively busy library behind Nyx, Victoria could immediately sense Madam Pince's presence. She always wondered why the woman worked at Hogwarts. It seemed like she hated the students, but Victoria supposed it was the selection of books that kept her there.
Victoria raised a slow, intrigued eyebrow for the faux-patient tone of Nyx's request. There was a slight smile toying with the corner of her mouth, though it was far from fully realized, as though she were considering whether or not to proceed with her own amusement. Nyx had always been this way, as far as Victoria could remember, feigning patience when she believed someone was being unreasonable. But, to be fair, Anjay was holding everyone up — so Victoria understood.
She watched Xcalyn sidelong, eyeing the Gryffindor after he handed over a piece of unraveled parchment. It looked important, private, like it was something he didn't want to share. This time, Victoria didn't hold back her grin, amusement for what she was about to do showing on her expression. She was bored, nosey, and trying to suppress her fear of their future task. Teasing someone, like Anjay, was the perfect thing to distract and take her mind off it.
'What was that, Xcalyn?' She asked facetiously, biting at her lower lip and winking at him. It was a playful gesture, one she hoped would rock him uncomfortably on the heels of his feet.
Her long hair danced around her face as she giggled at her friends, her velvet brown eyes filled with mirth. She had to admit the Gryffindor was handsome in a way, and had nice hair, both of which were pluses in her book. Victoria couldn't resist putting him on the spot, only hoping he wouldn't take it personally. But if he did, she didn't care. It wouldn't be her first evil eye.
Interrupted by some other 5th years, Madam Pince was not pleased but still listened to the request. She glanced over her shoulder to convince the voice did belong to Nordstrom, as she'd suspected. Pince gestured some directions to a section upstairs, further along the library, and towards the back.
Having shoo'ed them away, Pince dedicated her attention to Anjay and his mysterious parchment. She'd seen this before, from another Gryffindor student, but still needed to slip on her reading glasses to be sure. She inspected it closely, but didn't touch it in any way.
'I'm afraid it's not enough,' she said, leaning back and removing her glasses. 'This is incomplete. You'll need to find or get the rest of it before there's any chance of deciphering it. This is one piece... I'd say you're missing another three pieces, by the looks of it.'
Post by Amara Seabrook on May 31, 2022 18:12:55 GMT 10
Amara was glad Vicky accepted her robe, having no particular attachment to it and knowing the pockets were empty / safe. Her friend was cold, and she'd helped. It felt nice to help someone again, as most people assumed the worst of her or simply were not worth her time or consideration.
The task ahead of them was not one she looked forward to, but was at least glad for the company. She shared Nyx's dread, though raised an eyebrow at Vicky's more apparent hesitation. Considering it, Amara didn't say a word as they left the Staff Room and headed to the library.
She spotted Reena nearby and gave her a polite wave, believing it was best to acknowledge her at least. Then she made a sound of irritating at the sight of Xcalyn. Madam Pince was there as well though, so Amara's insults died on her tongue.
They were far more important that him or whatever he was up to, so Amara was glad Nyx had interjected. She'd nodded in encouragement to as well, though Amara frowned at the need for it at all. As in, why did they have to ask Pince anything? Surely, between the three of them, they could find the right section without much difficulty?
Fiercely independent, Amara almost strolled away to start looking anyway rather than wait on others. But they got directions, and she supposed it saved them the trouble of wasting time. Shrugging, she reclaimed the lead and headed up the stairs. The sooner they got this over with, the better.
'What's your deal?' Amara asked Vicky, regarding her apprehension. 'Have you ever made food before? I'm sure it can't be too hard.' She kept any of her own nervousness from her voice, headed to the back to start searching for those recipes.
Research revealed that three Special Event Recipes that were most popular in 1373:
Pumpkin Bread
Step 1: Boil pumpkins, then mash them.
Step 2: Combine mashed pumpkins, flour, spices, eggs, and honeywater. Set dough aside and covered to let it rise.
Step 3: Knead dough and place into a bread tin. Bake it, then let it cool before removing.
Meat Pastries
Step 1: Combine flour, sugar, apple cider, and butter into dough. Roll it out and line the small pastry tins with it. Save some for later.
Step 2: In a pot: cook raisins and chopped meat, garlic, mushrooms, rosemary, onions, and cheddar cheese.
Step 3: Add filling to pastry tins. Cover with leftover rolled pastry, then cook.
Apple Stew
Step 1: Peel and slice crab apples.
Step 2: In a pot: slowly cook mashed apples, smoked paprika, olive oil, black pepper, and thyme -- with chopped onions, mushrooms, potatoes, and chicken.
Step 3: Scoop or pour stew into a serving pot. House-elves can enchant it (plus bowls / spoons) to levitate and follow you until dismissed. They will vanish, returning things to the kitchen.
Post by Amara Seabrook on May 31, 2022 19:31:10 GMT 10
'Here it is,' Amara said, reading through the recipes in the book she'd retrieved from the shelf. 'Okay. So they're not that different to potions, really. Since we have that stupid requirement of sharing these, no way am I making the stew. Me handing out homemade food is going to be suspicious enough.'
She rolled her eyes, as if it wasn't a perfectly valid assumption that she'd have poisoned it. Three recipes, three students. Of course, that was just a coincidence -- did it really matter what they made so long as it came out okay and Professor Archerose had proof they'd done it?
'Pastries could hide things too.' Amara sighed, having actually considered the stew or pastries. Maybe Lucas would still eat one? 'I think I'm better off with the bread. We shouldn't get faulted if we can't share these. It's ridiculous. Who's going to accept anything from me? And I can't say I blame them.'
She moodily thrust the book at Nyx, walking away to glare at some other books -- pretending to be interested in them. She hated this whole stupid task. Hopefully whatever task followed this one was far less unfair on people like them who had standards and weren't some common Hufflepuff going around sharing food all the time.
'I heard Archerose was a Hufflepuff,' she muttered to the others. 'Makes sense. Let's write these down so we can go. But I'm doing the bread, and I'll force-feed it to someone if I have to.'
Anjay had done his best to ignore Reena Ashworth when she entered the library earlier, mostly to conceal his shame from having lost to her in the duelling tournament yesterday, but also because his business was his own and no one else's. She was easy enough to avoid on her own, but apparently her fellow brood of vipers had need to be here too.
Anjay could almost feel the Slytherin slither into the library, their presence augmented by Nyx Nordstrom. Nyx and Anjay's interactions over the years at Hogwarts had been virtually nil, but he had always found her at the least to be a respectable human being. Although Quidditch was a waste of time, she had got made herself captain, which showed a certain level of skill, leadership and dedication.
The other two, however... Anjay almost shuddered as Seabrook and the Seabrook Shadow, Victoria Vargas, encroached upon his space. Amara's captain position would earn her no respect from Anjay, who assumed she had either bullied or bought her way into the role. Did she have a Freeze potion on her, or did the temperature in the room always drop whenever she was nearby?
Vargas filled him with a bevy of complication emotions. As far back as he could remember it seemed like she was always picking on him, singling him out, making rude comments and trying to push his buttons. What was her deal? She was pretty though, the way a dangerous and poisonous plant was pretty- fun to look at, but treacherous to the touch.
"Thank you, Madame Pince," he said to the librarian, not feeling thankful at all. How worthless was she? He wasn't asking for a full translation, just to identify the language in question. He could do the translating work himself if she could point him in the right direction, which seemed beyond her abilities. Anjay would have to have his father write a letter to the Headmaster suggesting it might be time for a new librarian. Anjay went to leave, but before he headed towards the door, he made a point to approach the interlopers and address Vicky.
"Oh, and Vargas, I hate to have to be the one to teach you this as your parents obviously never got the lesson through, but when two people are talking, common courtesy dictates you wait for the conversation to finish before interrupting. Good day." With that, he turned on his heel and was out of the library as fast as his legs could carry him.
Last Edit: May 31, 2022 22:00:56 GMT 10 by Deleted
Nordstrom stared at the librarian, amazed how she was of no help at all. If Pince was going to simply point directions, she could've just found it herself. But it looked like one of her friends had the right idea, as Nyx retrieved her books from the table and followed Amara up the stairs. However, it wasn't before shooting Pince, and thus Xcalyn, a half-lidded narrowing of her eyes. Though, it wasn't so much the Gryffindor's fault as it was the librarian's lack of response.
She hovered the open book Amara pulled from the shelf, her interest instantly taken by each recipe on the page. The bread was quick to be claimed, but Nyx didn't mind, as her attention had been drawn to the stew. She loved apples; the sweet juices, the crunchy texture, the bright skin, the succulent flesh. There was no way she was going to let Victoria claim it before her.
"That's fair," Nyx replied, taking the book into her own hands. A tiny smirk lingered as she nodded along, quietly agreeing with Amara's assertion that nobody would eat something she'd made. "I'll take the stew. I don't want my hands smelling like meat and garlic," she added quickly, shooting Victoria a look of amused apology, "Sorry, Vic. That one's yours."
She dropped the book and pulled out her things, the comforting scent of ink and parchment engulfing her. She spent so much time around writing materials while studying that the stench of it was familiar, but there was something to be said for the power of freshly pressed paper and the dusty odor of unused quill feathers. It was the kind of smell she felt would stick to her if she hung around it for very long, like the dust in the owlery or the first breath of a fresh, hot meal.
Nyx made a face of interest when Amara mentioned Archerose having been a Hufflepuff. It made sense. He didn't come across cunning, or entirely creative, and brave wasn't a word she would've used to describe him. But he was patient, and had a propensity for hard work, most definitely. The mere fact he was having them research and cook a meal spoke for itself, too.
"Amara, this one is for you," she said, having finished writing down the bread recipe. After handing over the parchment, it only took Nyx another minute to finish copying the other two. Her quill moved fast, her eyes scanning the recipes almost unblinkingly. It was important that they were copied word for word. The girls didn't need any cooking disasters this morning.
"Here you go," Nyx smiled, slipping the meat recipe to Victoria. "Now, c'mon. Let's get to the kitchens before the elves start preparing lunch. I don't want them thinking we're helping with that," she scoffed, gathering her things and en route for the stairs. The morning was already proving to be a busy one for Nordstrom, but one rife with unique opportunities.
Last Edit: Jun 1, 2022 1:37:49 GMT 10 by Deleted: This is Nyx's exit from the thread.
Post by Reena Ashworth on Jun 1, 2022 3:48:53 GMT 10
The book she had picked did not seem at all helpful. It was vague and only broached the opposite subject. She closed it and put it back into its place.
Turning around when she heard more people in the front she caught Amara’s eye and waved back at her. Funny how once you notice people you seem to run into them constantly.
With madam Pince once again occupied she continued her search by herself, flicking through several books but to no avail.
Picking out the piece of parchment from Antoninus she wondered if she’d be better off in the herbology section.
Her thumb traced her mother’s handwriting and she reluctantly started towards the herbology section when the others started to leave.
Reena pocketed the parchment and waited a little for them to be gone until she approached the librarian herself, stopping at a respectful distance and putting on her business smile.
“Good morning, madam Pince. Would you happen to know if there are any books on lucidity inducing potions at Hogwarts? Or perhaps a book listing unusual ingredients?“, she awaited her response, glad that at least Anjay Xcalyn had removed himself from her proximity as soon as he had.
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