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 Grace Babineaux on Jun 22, 2022 12:03:23 GMT 10
"Yep!" Grace grinned at Saoirse. Even if her fellow Gryffindor wasn't a huge Quidditch fan, Grace was glad that she still felt like sitting with Grace for breakfast at least, even if she had other plans for the rest of the day.
"Hi, Alice!" Grace greeted their other roommate when she sat down. "I know that I'm definitely going to watch the Quidditch game. I'm not sure if Saoirse is..." Grace decided to let Saoirse answer for herself.
"Are you going to go, Alice? Maybe we could sit together!" Grace smiled.
Post by Elizabeth Doren on Jun 22, 2022 12:13:28 GMT 10
"Good morning, William." Elizabeth said to her brother. She stopped eating her food momentarily. Maybe William would be a better judge of what to show Charlotte. William and Charlotte were slightly closer in age than Elizabeth and Charlotte.
"Yesterday in Charms class, I created this cat." Elizabeth explained to her brother patiently, as though she was a teacher and much older than him. Well, she was at least a little older than him. She pulled the clay cat with bead eyes and nose out of her bag. It was a little squished, which would not help its already slightly frightening appearance. If anything, it barely resembled a cat. "We learned a charm. Resalicritas." Elizabeth cast the spell.
As she said the spell, the so-called cat stretched out its legs and pounced on a nearby piece of fruit. Elizabeth cast another spell, "Finite incantatem," and the cat-creature was still as a statue again.
"Do you believe Charlotte would be interested in such a creature? It seems like it may fit her interests." Elizabeth knew very little of Charlotte's interests, actually, but she was quite aware that Charlotte was younger, and the cat might be a toy. Perhaps a late holiday present.
Post by Thorne Perry on Jun 22, 2022 21:11:25 GMT 10
It had been months and Thorne still wasn't entirely certain he liked the hustle and bustle of Quidditch days. It was so very fun to watch, sure, but the sheer amount of extra noise drummed up by the excitement always set his teeth just a tiny bit on edge.
He slathered butter and jam on a slice of toast and started chomping the crust off first, eating neatly around the edges as he took in all the others chatting around the table, offering a sleepy smile to any and all housemates who met his eye.
After all, being quiet didn't mean he had to be rude!
Last Edit: Jun 22, 2022 21:20:41 GMT 10 by Thorne Perry
Most of the meals at home only include a greeting and silently eating. So, William was slightly surprised when Elizabeth spoke something else after the greeting.
She just said that she made a cat in class. William didn't understand the exact meaning of making a cat, but her tone was very similar to when their parents would start when they wanted to tell them something important. It was second nature for him in this situation to stop eating and listen carefully without any words.
He understood what she meant by making a cat when she took a clay cat out of her bag. At first glance, it didn't look like a cat, but after a few seconds, it does resemble one. He was not sure about the purpose of the clay cat. Even after she demonstrated it, it took him a few seconds to realize that it was supposed to be a toy. After coming to Hogwarts, he found that these types of toys would be possible because he had never seen these in his childhood.
Another surprise was her question. Was she actually asking for advice? William had spent some tie with his little sister, but he didn't know much about her interest. But still, he could believe that she would like it. "I think she would be interested." He said.
Charlotte didn't have any such toys, so not sure if she would understand that this wasn't for learning, but probably she would still like it.
Saoirse smiled and nodded at Alice as she came and sat with Grace and herself. Saoirse was proud of how far she'd come from always sitting alone at meal times. Even better, Grace was letting her speak for herself.
"I actually have a lot to do for potions, so I'll be out collecting ingredients."
It wasn't a lie, but she omitted the truth about her anxiety for Quidditch. She marveled at Alice's ability to get up and keep going despite the broom accident. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and wondered if she would receive a letter today.
Post by Elizabeth Doren on Jun 23, 2022 9:10:39 GMT 10
Elizabeth simply nodded at William's answer. She took a few more bites of food to finish her breakfast, and headed over to the Ravenclaw table. It was quite odd to leave the Slytherin table at Breakfast, as Elizabeth typically stayed there. She usually had nowhere else to go before Breakfast was over. She hesitated a little, since she had never done this before.
What if Charlotte got spoiled? Even though she was the youngest, it was probably fair that she have equal treatment as Elizabeth and William did, and Charlotte hadn't really done anything to deserve the gift. Then again, Elizabeth had typically received something small from home for Christmas, and she hadn't this year. Maybe Charlotte hadn't either.
With this excuse for kindness in mind, Elizabeth approached Charlotte. How were older sisters supposed to interact? She attempted to pat Charlotte on the head, as though she were a pet of some type. "Good morning, Charlotte."
She paused again, as if trying to find the appropriate words. "I have brought something for you." Elizabeth offered the misshapen cat-creature that she had made in Charms class to Charlotte.
Charlotte ate in silence, no one around really paid much attention to her. She had chosen some fruit and some eggs, along with toast. As she put another piece in her mouth, she heard a familiar voice and she froze...
Elizabeth...
Why was her voice looming in the area? Charlotte swallowed as she felt a hand pat her on the head. It was a normal action, but it had always felt forced in awkward in a sense.
She turned and looked at her sister before she placed her fork down and put her hands in her lap, giving the older sibling her full attention.
"Good Morning, Elizabeth," she said to her. As she offered the item, Charlotte took it and observed quietly for the moment before realizing that it looked similar to a cat and that she had been given it.
"For me?" she asked timidly before looking at her sister in a new light for a moment. Had Charlotte done something to deserve this? Was she forgetting an event or something that happened recently. "Thank you," she said with a actual smile before she placed it in her lap, like an actual cat would be placed.
With a loud, signaling screech, hundreds of snow-dusted owls swooped into the Great Hall to deliver the Daily Prophet -- as well as any letters or packages from home. The headline drew particular attention from older students and the Professors, who appeared to take it very seriously.
It's quite cold here, but the fireplace seems to be in better condition than it was. Please thank Jaxen for me, as I suspect that was his doing? I hope the beanie your father gifted you has kept you warm. It won't be much longer now before the snow fades and flowers bloom; new beginnings.
Please don't concern yourself with that potion. There's no need, and it's probably best not to mention it via owl. Just in case. Anyway, you won't find any research on it at Hogwarts or Hogsmeade. If any such research still exists, it's long gone now.
Today is Slytherin's match against Ravenclaw, correct? I hope our house does well. Will you be watching the match, or do you have other plans for the day? I'm having a lovely cup of herbal tea while I write this, then we'll be doing some work in the back yard. Hoping to get a little vegetable garden going in time for the season change. It'd be nice to have some of our own food, don't you think?
I don't have much else to say, just wanted to write to you. I know I haven't been very good at this over the years, and I am very sorry for that. But you can always write to me. I do love hearing from you kids. Your grandparents will be stopping by here sometime in the new season. Apparently your grandpa has some plans for the summer that he hopes you kids will enjoy. Sorry to say, I'll be sworn to secrecy.
Do read the Daily Prophet, if you get a chance. Your father and I went to protests similar to this back in the day. Potions are incredible, but in the wrong hands, quite dangerous. Accountability is very important. He'd be so proud.
Hope you're all doing well, and Jaxen isn't struggling too much with his OWL prep. Have Ezra write to me when he can; I'd like to hear about his new friends. Have you and Jaxen met them? Make sure he's in good company, okay? And good luck to Slytherin today.
I miss you, my little Fox.
P.STake pity on the poor owl. She's small, but did her best. Poor thing must be cold, at the very least. Give her something warm to nibble on before sending her on her way.
From: Mummy
Included with the strangely long and coherent letter, was some sort of... it was hard to be sure, but inside the envelope were pieces of a dried herb. Sage, as far as Reena could tell. It seemed unintentional, as if it had simply gotten mixed up with the letter during the writing or mailing process.
The owl it came with was indeed smaller than most. It was absurdly fluffy, like a round ball of soft feathers. She shivered, but politely perched on a goblet -- talon held out, even when the letter was collected. She didn't seem to know what to do with herself, just occasionally tried to shake some snow from her ashen wings.
--
Despite having written home, there was no mail for @charlotte -- this was unusual; even if the reply was short or dismissive, a Doren typically heard back relatively soon. Had her parents not received her letter? Had they ignored it? Were they far too distracted with travelling, or it was such a distance that the owl couldn't make it back in time for today's post?
There was no way to know for sure, but regardless of why... today, she was empty-handed.
Post by Reena Ashworth on Jun 23, 2022 23:55:05 GMT 10
Noticing Kassia Saenz make her way over and barely avoiding a tomato being flung from their table, Reena almost forgot herself and snorted. Kassia was, as Reena had often silently noted from afar, dressed impeccable today. She herself wore her school uniform any chance she got, as it was one of her better clothes.
She gave Kassia a welcoming smile as she took a sip from her tea, wondering if a compliment to her outfit would be appreciated. The fifth year had an air of effortlessnes to her that Reena admired so she wondered whether a compliment might disrupt this.
"Good thing you avoided that tomato, no cleaning charm could wipe away the memory from such a nice jumper, I presume," she settled to say. "Any plans for today? Is it safe to assume you're avoiding the match as well?"
Reena was almost anxious for breakfast to be over and get to the Vacant Corridor to resume her quest.
She reached for some sugar to sweeten her tea with when the shriek of owls interupted the shenanigans of Quidditch hooligans.
When she saw the tiny, fulffy owl approach her, she set the Daily Prophet aside and, almost trembling with anticipation, accepted the letter from the shivering ball of fluff. Unlike other owls this one kept its talon held out after Reena had collected the letter and she looked at it surprised.
What did it want?
Reena opened the letter and was taken aback by its length yet skipped towards the P.S. and laid it down again to offer the owl some praise and a small bowl of warm scrambled eggs with bacon, not really sure what else to offer her.
Finally she took the time to read the letter from her mother, skimming over the first paragraph, yet noting that it was unusual for her to bring it up and that she would mention it when she talked to Jax later.
She frowned while reading the second paragraph. While this letter was surprisingly coherent, she did see a need for that potion, whatever it was. There was no guarantee her mother would remain in her semi-lucid state and what if she retreated back inside herself when she was needed urgently? Reena would feel a lot better if she knew there was a potion at hand, just to be safe.
It was very suspiscious that mum was convinced any research on that potion around here would be gone by now. Gave her the impression that it might be an illegal potion, not simply beyond her level.
Reena stopped and read the third paragraph again.
'We?' Did her mother have company?
Reena wondered whom she would let through the wards around the property and house and parts of her wondered if it might be Antoninus. He was the last person she had seen her mum with at King's Cross after all yet she could not recall ever seeing him in their garden or house.
She tried to recall the last time she had seen someone outside her mum, siblings and grandparents in their home and she felt anxious just thinking about the state of the house which was far from welcoming to guests.
Reena put the letter up to hide her face behind it from Kassia as she stumbled over the mention of her dad and the protests up to where her mum said that she missed her.
She knew she did.
It made Reena feel guilty for enjoying her time away from home more than being at home.
Clearing her throat she composed herself and folded the letter back together to skim the Daily Prophet about the prostests.
"Guess it's a good thing they get to present this in court. Wouldn't want to be under a love potion, would you?", she said to Kassia in a casual tone.
She was a bit absentminded however, thoughts still on that letter and she decided she would show it to Jax when she spoke to him later. Perhaps he had another idea who this 'We' was, that their mother had mentioned.
Last Edit: Jun 23, 2022 23:59:16 GMT 10 by Reena Ashworth: tomatoeeee
Kassia was surprised to hear the compliment from Reena, and even more so surprised that it seemed actually genuine. She was used to sneering, or, more commonly, just being completely ignored. She dressed like this for herself and her own discipline. But it was still lovely to hear a compliment. She was also pleasantly surprised to hear Reena was not interested in Quidditch.
"Thank you, it is one of my favourites." She plucked at the knitwear delicately. She hoped it wouldn't get too ruined outside. "I have ingredient hunting. Grades over Quidditch."
She would have added more, but then the owls descended upon the Great Hall like a plague of locusts. Kassia thought how convenient it was that owls did not eat students. She felt feathers rustle her hair and shoulders as they flew by. One owl landed near Reena, presenting a letter to her.
A copy of the Daily Prophet landed directly in Kassia's oatmeal. She sighed with world-weary exhaustion and did her best to read the front page before it was absorbed into the grain. Love potion protests- well, it was about time. Though the Muggle world wasn't much better with this sort of thing.
Kassia hadn't been expecting a letter, and was thus immensely surprised when one struck the table right in front of her. She looked up at a large grey owl who ruffled its feathers self-importantly and started yanking at a strip of bacon. She looked back down at it, and carefully unwrapped it. She recognized the writing immediately- it was her stepfather, Ciaran.
Cassie,
I still don’t understand why you demanded so much secrecy for this. Do you know how much you owe me for dealing with this? ‘Make sure Papa doesn’t see the owl they send’ – I had to shove that owl in a damn milk crate so he and Aoife didn’t see it. Do you know where I have scars? I’ll tell you where I have scars. Do you know how much it hurts to have owl talons scrape across your-
Kassia chose to skip over the next two lines.
Anyway, because I love you (but you’re on thin ice), I sent your letter to the head of the Arechavaleta family. They sent a response. I know you didn’t want me to, but I opened it. For the safety of those around you, I haven’t included it here.
There was some BS about them being very impressed with your progress at Hogwarts, but ultimately, they won’t let you meet their son due to your blood status.
Sorry, kiddo. I know how bad you want to marry into a pureblood family, but you won’t escape all that eugenics crap even if you look outside the UK. Not to mention you are WAY TOO YOUNG. Try focusing on your studies for now, and worry about securing ultimate power later.
If you want to send them a response, I’ll pass it along, but AGAIN, I don’t think you should be trying to sell yourself like a 14th-cenury princess. You’re not young forever- enjoy it, okay?
Love, Ciaran
P.S. I mean it that you owe me. You bet your arse you'll be doing extra work around the bar.
Kassia sat, holding her letter for a few moments. She suddenly couldn't hear the chaos of the Quidditch spectators, or the owls shrieking and clawing at food. She looked straight through the owl that was attacking the nearby plate of bacon. All she could hear was something like a faint piercing whistle in the background.
Kassia calmly folded up the letter, and placed it on the table. She looked at Reena, but luckily the other girl seemed buried in her own letter from home. Ciaran had tried to lessen the blow, to cheer her up, to make her angry at him instead, but all Kassia could think about was you're too mudblooded for our family.
She removed a quill, ink cap, and scroll from her robes. She lay it out on the table, and carefully positioned her right arm so that no one could read it. With a completely deadpan expression, she unstopped her ink cap, dipped her quill, and began writing.
Dear Moron,
What is your F- What the f- WHAT IS YOUR PROBLEM?! Why don’t you SORT your SHI-
Won’t meet me because I’m a Muggleborn? Are you frightened that your CENTURIES OF INBREEDING will be utterly destroyed by a genetically healthy person? Does having a gene pool the size of a goldfish bowl also remove reason and logic? Why don’t you TAKE your wand and put it-
After writing several more uncensored expletives, Kassia sucked in a breath and folded up the bit of paper, tucking it away in her robe. She brought out a fresh bit of paper, and wrote more calmly.
Dear Horatio Arechavaleta,
Thank you for your honest response. I firmly believe in respecting different points of view. My best wishes to your son and the rest of your family.
Kind regards,
Kassia Saenz
Reena's words interrupted Kassia. She looked over. Reena seemed oddly tense, more so than before the owls had arrived. She was reading the Daily Prophet. Maybe the headline had bothered her somewhat. Kassia put her real letter away, deciding she would write back to her stepfather later. She looked over at Reena's copy, clearing her throat and nodding.
"No, no I would not. Not to mention, having to resort to a love potion is simply pathetic." She spoke a bit more cuttingly than she normally would, but was having a significant bit of trouble forcing her feelings down this morning.
Misuk was carefully preparing their next spoon of rice porridge and egg, as the owls arrived and filled the already busy breakfast with more excitement. They took the letter for themself, but decided to read it later, and instead took the Daily Prophet to read while finishing up their bowl of rice porridge.
"About time," they nodded along the article on the front page - love potions were awful, just like anything mind-altering, really. What in the world had made them "common" again? Or "acceptable", in some eyes. They shook their head, hoping that the case might go on smoothly.
They quickly were distracted by the other articles in the Daily Prophet, however, notably about the chicken and the dragon, and also decided to take a copy to examine those knitting patterns later. They didn't consider that they didn't really know how to knit, and simply assumed "it couldn't be that hard right".
Along with the Daily Prophet, they also stashed away an apple and some nuts to eat during the Quidditch match later.
Orla sidestepped another raucous gaggle of students heading to the pitch, the gust of wind from the main doors blowing her hair across her face. She sputtered, untangling her features before hurrying to breakfast.
The Great Hall was emptier than usual, yet somehow it sounded noisier. Random house chants of support burst through from outside the Hall, and people around her were noticeably more excited; here and there, though, were familiar faces that required feeding, just like her.
Orla clambered into a free space, biting down on some toast before she even sat down. As with every morning, she was ravenous, and as she chewed she gathered some cereal, yogurt and two bananas, listening intently to the conversations around her.
She wasn't nosy - she just really enjoyed observing the other students, especially the older ones, who always seemed to have incredibly stressful things going on. As she tried to zero in on some interesting drama, her eyes fell on a Daily Prophet. She slid it towards herself and folded it neatly into the sleeve of her robe, intending to read that chicken story once she could really concentrate properly.
Orla licked the yogurt off her spoon and wondered if a run down to the pitch on a crisp morning like this would help her wake up a little.
Post by Thorne Perry on Jun 24, 2022 10:10:26 GMT 10
Thorne barely managed to save his toast, pulling it out from beneath a falling newspaper with seconds to spare. He hadn't really ever paid attention to the news much before coming to Hogwarts, but now...now he tried a little bit. It gave him interesting things to write home about, anyways, even if his family read the same exact newspaper.
"Oh!" He exclaimed in delight. "Knitting! I always wanted to learn-" He really liked anything that involved making things, after all. He paid no attention to the main story, leafing through for the award-winning patterns.
Last Edit: Jun 24, 2022 10:11:22 GMT 10 by Thorne Perry
Charlotte looked up as the owls began to fly in, for a moment, forgetting her sister was there, though it didn't last long. No owl arrived for her and she felt her heart sink a little. She had hoped that many they would have sent a letter with their approval, but she was sadly mistaken. When a Daily Prophet landed near by, she removed the mini-cat from her lap and gently placed it beside her plate, smiling at it softly before she turned slightly to allow her sister to read it.
"Love Potions?" Though she had heard about them in her lessons, she just didn't understand the whole love thing. What exactly was love, anyway and why did one need a potion for it? She knew it was an emotion, but to be honest, she didn't understand how it felt. Did she love anyone? She glanced at her sister and wondered if she loved her... She didn't know what she felt about her sister, though intimidation was certainly there... She looked over the other articles, including the information about knitting.
"Elizabeth, do you remember when you learned about the seek charm?" Charlotte asked her as she thought about her attempted conversation with her brother prior.
Post by Elizabeth Doren on Jun 24, 2022 11:23:01 GMT 10
"I did. In Charms class." Elizabeth wasn't sure what to do now. Should she show Charlotte the charm the same way she had showed William? Then again, perhaps Charlotte would be disappointed that she couldn't learn the charm for quite a while. At the very least she seemed pleased with it. So her assessment had been correct! Elizabeth was quite proud of herself for performing well as a sister.
Fortunately for Elizabeth, the mail came next, and with it the Daily Prophet. Elizabeth, still standing by Charlotte, sneaked a peek at her sister's copy of the paper when she received it. She wasn't too surprised by the Love Potions news, but she was still curious about it. She did like knowing what rules were put into place, so she could stay firmly within the boundaries of what was acceptable.
"I believe so." Elizabeth said, trying to recall the lesson. She had experienced many more Charms classes since learning the Seek Charm. In fact, she did not particularly like to remember about the Seek Charm, mostly because it was one that still gave her trouble. Of course, she didn't want Charlotte to know this. "It was quite an interesting class."
"Did you learn it recently?" Elizabeth said, feeling slightly like an interviewer. Though of course, she was much more polite than the interviewer that had spoken with her.
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