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.
Hogwarts was still a wintry landscape, with fresh snow having fallen during the night and blanketed the grounds. However, like a peek of hope that the cold season is nearing its end, it seemed the weather was somewhat merciful -- with the shy showing a hint of sun. It was a cold and cloudy day, but at least they didn't have to contend with harsh winds and snowfall.
The good news was, this was the final day of winter.
But the excited chatter wasn't weather-related, rather that a huge number of students were looking forward to today's Quidditch match. It was the first match with repeat teams; everyone had their chance to get the hang of things, and now the competition was heightened. Moreso, Seabrook and Nordstrom were ruthless captains -- who were now going head-to-head.
Like the previous matches, while Professors pretended not to notice or hear of it, students were well aware that 5th year Lucas Mardling accepted bets for today's match. He'd be by the main doors all throughout breakfast, and anyone was allowed to place a bet if willing to part with their Galleons for potential profit.
Quidditch players themselves were awake an hour earlier than the rest of the school. They'd already had breakfast -- owl post will also be delivered to the pitch thread. With the players already down by the pitch, everyone else were free to discuss the possible outcomes that awaited Ravenclaw or Slytherin after breakfast.
This is a Quidditch day.
Breakfast and dinner will be as per usual, but the entire morning / afternoon period is dedicated to Quidditch. RPG time progresses at the pace of the match, making it a faster # to finish.
No NPC characters (Professors, beasts, ghosts, etc) are available while a match is taking place, though regular modding is as per usual. Attending the match isn't mandatory, but you likely won't have time to do much else unless you're just chilling with friends or collecting ingredients. The winning team receives party snacks in their common room later to celebrate.
@kaspian and Elizabeth Doren have Prefect duties tonight, on the Grand Staircase. Head to the 7th floor when dinner ends.
The only other event scheduled is that Reena Ashworth has a Forest Venture with with a Professor of her choice. Please head to the Staff Room when dinner ends.
Post by Lucas Mardling on Jun 20, 2022 22:15:56 GMT 10
Lucas fixed his scarf, as if it wasn't in fact the end of winter, as he arrived just outside the Great Hall. He'd already been nearby, waiting for Breakfast to start -- having eaten earlier so he was prepped for the match, yet for an entirely different reason than its players.
He stood eagerly by the main doors, so students could find him but he wasn't in direct view of pesky Professors or the Head Hogs. He had his betting rules and instructions on hand, holding it out for anyone who wasn't sure how it worked.
'Betting on today's match is open,' he said more noisy and excitable students arrived. 'Who's going to win? Ravenclaw or Slytherin? Place your bets now.' He grinned with all his usual charm and professionalism.
In his heart, he hoped Slytherin won, since that was not only his house team but also Amara was the captain. Lucas would never risk his life as to bet against his girlfriend's team or their house.
[OOC: betting information and progress are found at the bottom of my Plotter. If you're only betting on which house wins (no outcome bet as well) you can just talk to Lucas, hand over the money, make your bet, etc in one post without waiting on me to reply. If an outcome bet is involved, you must await my response to confirm or deny it.]
As much as Misuk would like to join the team, they were a bit relieved not to have wake up an entire hour earlier than usual today. After they made sure that they didn't have any hint of bed hair left, they left their dorms and walked towards the Great Hall. They saw that there was a commotion around the door - from the previous matches, they knew it was for placing bets.
They were wondering if they should place a bet, but ... their parents probably wouldn't approve. Well, they didn't have to know ... either way, they forced themself to walk past the door and into the Great Hall, quickly finding an empty spot at the Ravenclaw table.
It was odd not finding MJ already sitting there, but they'd see her plenty of times during the match, for sure. They really hoped she was doing alright, and would also continue to do alright ... the match certainly was set out to be tense, and then it was the first match for their friend as well.
Today, they decided to have something less Western and more Eastern for breakfast - rice porridge with scrambled eggs with tomato.
Post by Reena Ashworth on Jun 20, 2022 23:23:52 GMT 10
Reena smiled at Lucas when she spotted him just outside the Great Hall but didn't approach him with this large group of boisterous students near him. She did not want to bet her money today, not that she doubted Amara's ability to win, she just wasn't really one to gamble.
She loosened her scarf as she sat down and poured herself some cereal and peeled a banana to cut some slices into her bowl as well. Reena sat by herself since Lindsey and Tom, whom she often sat with were both on the team and so were her newer company, Victoria and Amara. And Lucas was off being Lucas, of course.
But it was okay, she was here for owl post to arrive, not having given up all hope that her mum might respond despite all odds. And then she had to focus on getting to the Vacant Corridor and see if the message Ravenclaw's book had translated for her was correct and might lead her to find the Founding Artefacts.
She tried to cast a glance at the Ravenclaw table but she figured that even if she spotted Jax, she would barely have time to convince him to fulfill her part of the deal with Lucas.
Reena blew on her tea and ate her cereal to pass the time.
Post by Grace Babineaux on Jun 21, 2022 0:29:47 GMT 10
Grace was excited for a Quidditch day, though since her team wasn't playing she was rooting for Ravenclaw to win this game. She had more sort-of friends in Ravenclaw than in Slytherin, anyways. Maybe she would see if she could join Toby in cheering for Joe. She was certain that he would be, after all. Maybe Ryan would, too. Or she could ask any of the Ravenclaw girls, or Misuk.
She was worried about sitting alone. She hadn't really thought about it, but she wondered if Saoirse and Alice would be cheering for Ravenclaw as well or if they would've preferred to stay neutral.
She heaped some scrambled eggs and toast onto her plate, and when she was satisfied with the amount, she began to eat.
Post by Elizabeth Doren on Jun 21, 2022 0:35:17 GMT 10
Another Quidditch day, another waste of time. Elizabeth had quickly decided that she would be finding the ingredients and perhaps writing a letter to her parents that day. She hadn't written in a while, but then again, neither had they. At the very least she would have to explain her enthusiasm over learning a new charm yesterday.
She had the cat in her bag, where it had miraculously managed to stay together. She was going to show it to Charlotte. Her younger sister might be at the age where she enjoyed that kind of thing, and besides Elizabeth thought that perhaps it was time to check in with her sister and see how her studies were going.
It was another thing she could report to their parents when she wrote her own letter. It made it slightly more difficult to check in on Charlotte because she was in Ravenclaw and Elizabeth couldn't just see her in her common room like she could with William. Then again, Elizabeth was still not great at interacting with either of her siblings in a manner that her peers would consider normal.
Post by Arthur Hocking on Jun 21, 2022 0:49:13 GMT 10
Arthur loved Quidditch, but he was a little nervous that someone would get hurt anytime that Slytherin played. As long as everything was fair, though, Arthur would be happy to cheer for whichever team scored a goal. He wished he could have played himself, but he was glad that he didn't have to deal with the terrifying Beaters of Hogwarts.
Maybe one of these days he would manage to find some time and opportunity to play with just a few friends. That way it definitely wouldn't be as scary.
He served himself a regular breakfast while he glanced around the Great Hall. Maybe it would be worth it to bet a few Galleons on Ravenclaw? Then again, he wasn't sure about all the younger players that were apparently on the team, even though he was sure that Nyx was probably one of the most terrifying people in the school.
It was quidditch day and Amelia had made her way down to the Great Hall, stopping near Lucas to think on a bet. To be honest, she didn't care who won, though Joe was her brother's friend... so, maybe Ravenclaw would be a good bet?
She decided and walked up towards him, dread in her stomach at the idea of talking to the dea kid.
"10 on Ravenclaw winning," she said without much more and gave over the galleons. She didn't stick around and went on to the Gryffindor table, though sat close enough to see when Luckett came in. She put some eggs and sausage on her plate, with some juice to wash it down.
The crowd was loud... she looked into the Great Hall, her heart thumping in her chest as she tried to find her way into the chaos. Why did it have to be so loud? This was normal for all quidditch matches she had found and she swallowed before she found a break in the crowd and made her way to her table.
Ezra Ashworth had walked with her the night prior to dinner. They had even sat together and had conversation. His use of the word cool seemed to be in good tone and reasoning, but saying it herself sounded so strange.
Once she sat down, she found herself collecting some Nuts and a Apple for maybe a snack later.
It was another Quidditch Day, and seeing as how the last one had gone for Saoirse on top of her flying accident, she was the opposite of interested. She awoke in a cold but mostly empty dormitory, and shuffled about getting ready while planning her day ahead.
She had to collect the rest of the ingredients, and maybe try some duelling. Her odds were slim of actually having anyone to duel against, but she would try anyway. Once satisfactorily wrapped up and ready, she headed to the Great Hall.
The Great Hall was not as full as it could be, but it certainly felt like it. Everyone was incredibly boisterous and ever-moving. Saoirse had to dodge multiple face-paint-wearing students. It was also good she didn't need to see Mardling, as he was surrounded by eagerly betting customers.
Saoirse could see Charlotte sitting quietly at the Ravenclaw table, and was glad at least one other person wasn't so invested. She settled herself down at the Gryffindor table, next to Grace. Grace seemed ready to go for Quidditch as well. Surprising, since Gryffindor wasn't playing, but people just seemed happy to see a match.
Saoirse helped herself to bacon and eggs, and smiled at Grace. "I guess you'll be watching the game?"
Kassia was awake early as usual, fixing her hair, rubbing various toners and creams on her skin, curling her eyelashes. She spent a long time checking for open pores or any other blemishes on her face before applying a beeswax balm to her lips.
As it was a free day, she didn't have to wear her accursed uniform. Kassia flung it aside and put on a white knitted sweater tucked into a knee-length silver pencil skirt with shiny black boots. She eyed her nails- the French manicure would not last much longer. She filed them down until they were appropriate, and only then finally left her dormitory.
Kassia was an occasional spectator at Quidditch games, but probably not for the same reasons as most of her classmates. Mainly she went in her really bad moods, because watching bones crack and limbs dislocate was the only thing that put a smile on her face. Maybe she would have joined the fun, if she wasn't so partial to having all her teeth.
However, today she had to focus on finishing her potions kit and doing work where she possibly could. She would only pop in if she had the time. Kassia walked straight past the shrieking students, wondering how it was possible for anyone to work themselves into such an emotional condition. At least some of them had real talent when it came to artwork.
She entered the Great Hall after successfully navigating past multiple hooligans, and headed for the Slytherin table. It was her own team playing today, but Slytherin was so far ahead in House Points that she didn't feel particularly concerned either way.
Kassia pondered where to sit, wishing she could sit over by Amelia. It didn't help that the Slytherins were worked up into a frenzy, like a lion cage at feeding time. As she walked, however, she spotted Reena Ashworth sitting on her own. Kassia deftly avoided a chopped tomato hurled by the Slytherin table at Ravenclaw and sat herself next to the younger Slytherin.
"They all seem to have worked themselves into an emotional condition, haven't they?" she quipped, serving herself some hot oatmeal.
Post by Alice Jane on Jun 21, 2022 18:07:22 GMT 10
The morning was exciting for Alice. It would be much better if she could be the one playing, but still, she was happy. She loved all the quidditch matches because there was always some strategy to catch.
She got ready and went to the great hall. After breakfast, she could go to the pitch to see the match.
On arriving, she notices her roommates Saoirse and Grace already sitting there. She took a seat near them, picking a bread. "You both are going to watch the match?" She asked with excitement. Grace loves quidditch, so she would probably watch, but she wasn't sure about Saoirse.
It was just a casual morning for William, even if half of the people in his dorm were shouting names f quidditch players of their teams or passing comments about players of Ravenclaw. He had no interest in knowing details. So, he walked towards the great hall ignoring all the noises.
At the entrance, Lucas Mardling was surrounded by many people, which was again a common sight on quidditch day. William was never interested in watching the game or knowing who was playing. If their team would win, he would obviously find out because nobody in his dorm would sleep that night. And if they lost, then also he would find out because again, nobody would sleep that night and kept blaming each other. The same pattern repeats every year.
As every year, William didn't have any intention to watch the match. He would go to finish his remaining homework after breakfast. It would be the best way to utilize this free day.
There were already many students sitting at his house table. William didn't have any fixed seat for himself in the great hall, which wasn't because of lack of trying, but because nobody else had that fixed seat. So, he found a random empty seat and sat.
After sitting, he realized that his sister was sitting diagonally from him. "Good morning, Elizabeth." He greeted as he should and started serving breakfast for himself.
Post by Jaxen Ashworth on Jun 21, 2022 20:01:36 GMT 10
Jaxen entered the Great Hall expecting it to be a boisterous atmosphere- more so than usual. Quidditch days always got the energy levels at breakfast rising to a dangerous level. He wasn't planning on watching the Quidditch match, there was simply too much that he had to do with the approach of his OWLs. How could he waste the entire day watching a game he didn't really care for, when his entire future was on the line?
Not that he knew what he wanted to do once he graduated.
Noticing Lucas loitering by the doors, Jax wondered if he should place any money on the upcoming match. He wasn't a gambling person, but if he did then if Nyx or anyone else questioned his absence at the pitch- he could always say he had every faith in them winning without his support.
Making his way over he nodded his head at the Slytherin "Ten on Ravenclaw winning the match, please" he smiled, trying to be polite- then passed off the money and hurried towards the Ravenclaw table. He didn't want to get stuck in conversation, was Mardling a talkative guy? He didn't seem it, but best not take any unnecessary risks today.
Post by Luckett Langford on Jun 22, 2022 2:46:03 GMT 10
Luckett wanted to believe that he could be polite, friendly even, to Lucas Mardling. Then again, perhaps by now, it was much easier, much more natural, to offer him nothing but disdain and the barest hint of acknowledgment necessary when placing bets on game day since he didn't have much choice on the matter. But seeing that the Slytherin was the only sportsbook in the school, he had to make an effort. If only Luckett were better with it, he'd make his own betting ring.
'Let's put 20 on Ravenclaw winning.' Langford dropped the galleons in Mardling's hand, pausing only briefly to explain his bet. 'Seabrook will cheat like she's known for, but the Ice Queen has the elements of winter on her side, doesn't she? Frigid little witch.'
He felt a flutter of joy ripple through his gut, always having enjoyed any opportunity to take a jab at Seabrook or Nordstrom -- Vargas too, but not as much. He didn't dislike the girl, finding her a bit of fun, but didn't trust her as far as he could throw her. Wait. Maybe that idiom didn't work in this situation? Langford could probably chuck her a considerably far distance. She looked thin enough, light enough. Shrugging at the useless thought, he continued into the busy hall.
Making his way towards the Hufflepuff table, he ran into some friends, exchanged chatter and speculated how the day's match would play out. But now, he was seated. The dishes in front of him were piled with all kinds of delicious food. So many things he liked that he could eat together exactly as he wanted to: bacon, sausage, dippy eggs, muffins, bagels, toast, hash browns, fruit and oatmeal. But what he really needed was an apple and nuts, and he swiftly pocketed them.
'Who do we reckon Snakebrook is going to injure this time?' He popped a piece of bacon into his mouth, turning his head for conversation. 'There's plenty of easy firstie targets for her to knock off, but does she have the lady balls to try for her friend, Nordstrom?'
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