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.
A weird week. That was a good way to put it. Definitely weird. Xavier quickly took a few bites of his eggs, he wasn't very hungry but knew he had to keep his energy up. Especially for this afternoon, as he felt it would be quite the crazy day.
"It has indeed." He paused, glancing over towards the windows that looked out upon the Quidditch pitch. "I would have had my first Quidditch game on the team by now. So I'm a bit bummed by that." He looked back at her as he moved his eggs around on his plate. "Though it's still a bit scary that someone would go that far to send a message. It makes me wonder if there will be another..."
Xavier didn't know if Saoirse cared much for Quidditch but was curious. "What do you think about this whole situation? From someone outside of the Quidditch circle?"
Saoirse munched away at her breakfast as Xavier spoke, surprised he was being so open and chatty. She could barely sit through a Quidditch game without losing her lunch, and it was a struggle to understand why everyone else got so excited for it. But Xavier hadn't even gotten to play a single match before the pitch was destroyed and cancelled for the remainder of the year.
Saoirse waited until he was finished speaking to respond. "I have to admit, I don't get Quidditch." She poked at a sunny-side up egg. "Why people foam at the mouth over a game that injures and kills just doesn't make any sense to me. But lots of things here don't make sense to me."
She wrinkled her nose before continuing. "You're the first person I've talked to who's actually worried about what this means. If they could blow up the Quidditch pitch, what's to stop them blowing up the Great Hall when we're all sat in here for meals? But all anyone can talk about is oh no, no more Quidditch, my life has no meaning, bring me my fainting couch, bleeeeeeeh."
Saoirse realized she might be coming off a tad rude. She did tend to speak her mind, she had been told. By multiple people. Multiple times. "Uh, but... I am sorry you didn't get to play. It's not for me, but you must have really been looking forward to it."
Kassia cleared a small, non-food-stained area of the table for her work. She was happy to help Amelia out in some small way after what had happened. She worked a hair moisturizer into her curls, and then separated it into two parts and worked her way from the bottom, brushing carefully.
Kassia had grown up with a father who had pulled her curls to the point of being nearly scalped, so she attempted to be gentle. She brushed evenly, even hydrating the edges and baby hairs and taking care of them too. She arranged her hair so the curls fell neatly around Amelia's face.
Kassia leaned over and stared at Amelia intently. She shoved the hair products back into her bag and pulled out a clean cotton pad and some toner. She sprayed it onto the cotton pad and gently rubbed, brightening her complexion. Finally, she applied some under-eye cream and an expensive facial moisturizer with plenty of vitamin A.
Kassia leaned back, admiring her work. "That's better. You still have dark circles under your eyes, but those are all the rage in France right now." She closed her notebag with a click.
The next day, after the explosion, started like any other day for William. If Quidditch happened or not, it was a free day that he intended to use for studying.
Soon, the difference between this day and another one was visible as most people talked about Quidditch or explosion. William didn't intend to but still saw the sadness on every other face.
No matter where he would sit, his dorm, common room, library, or corridor, he could only listen to these things. Quidditch was not something he would care for, but the environment around the school was affecting his studies.
The next class day also arrived sooner than he intended it to be. Conversation of Quidditch was now losing behind the arriving exams. Not much time was left, and William couldn't afford to get distracted by other students.
For breakfast, he sat in a silent corner where most people were concentrating on their meals. He picked some apples and nuts for later use before starting to eat.
The day after the explosion was silent, opposite of what it would be on a match day. When Alice woke up in the morning, she ran to the window and found that whatever she remembered was not just a nightmare but reality.
The Quidditch pitch was in ashes and dirt. The goalposts were gone, and only the skeletons of the towers were visible. They were supposed to be flying there, and others cheered for their team, but it was all silent.
That day was the most boring one in history. Alice tried many things to keep her occupied for the day, like playing with Leroy and her friends, and also tried studying, but none could keep her mind away from Quidditch for long.
In the afternoon, she visited the Quidditch pitch, but a boundary couldn't let her go near it. She knew this wouldn't stay like this for long. The match got postponed, and it would continue after the rebuilding of the pitch.
Usually, Alice would enjoy a free day, but she couldn't enjoy this day. She wanted the day to finish soon, and it did.
The next day brought rain, but Alice didn't need to go outside for now. From the morning, she could only see students studying or worrying about an exam, and there was still no news of Quidditch resuming.
When Alice arrived at the great hall, only Professor McGonagall and Professor Archerosa were in the staff tower. Professor Rickard arrived late, covered in features, probably from owlery.
Alice noticed Saoirse and Xavier deep in some conversation. After getting closer to them, she could listen to part of what Saoirse said. "I don't think so." She said before sitting next to her. She knew she had to give more information.
She lowered her voice, only for them to listen. "Whoever did it doesn't intend to endanger students. Otherwise, why would they have blasted the Quidditch pitch at dinner time? Whoever did it, their target was only Quidditch, not students or teachers." She finished and started serving herself.
Last Edit: Aug 26, 2022 14:29:52 GMT 10 by Alice Jane
Xavier listened as Saoirse spoke, finishing up his eggs by the time she was done speaking. So she wasn't a Quidditch fan. That much was very clear. He knew it wasn't for everyone but she seemed quite forward with her dislike for it. Though he would rather people speak their mind than fake it. So he admired her for that.
He shrugged. "It's like any sport. Especially for muggle sports, you have die-hard fans and then the players who literally live their life for the sport. As for Quidditch, I hadn't gotten to play yet so that's what disappointed me the most. I love the game but it's not the end of the world for me. I'll get my chance eventually."
"It is scary to know it could happen again. I'm sure I'm not the only one who is worried. I think most people are just in shock and their first thought is Quidditch as that's what was targeted." He sighed as he pushed his empty plate away.
He waved his hand at her. "It's okay. Yeah I was really looking forward to it but I'm trying to look on the bright side. This gives me more time to get better at flying, I still have a lot to learn." He smirked. "You really don't like it do you? Thanks for humoring me though."
When Alice arrived and added her thoughts he nodded. "That's true. If they wanted to hurt us they could have blown it up during the Quidditch game. Yet they waited until it was completely empty. So it was only a message. Not an attack. That still leaves the question of why though. It has to be more than someone who doesn't like Quidditch."
At some point during the previous evening, Orla had fallen asleep in the common room. She'd woken when the fire had burned low enough to allow a chill to creep into the room, stiff and sore from her awkward position in the chair. Everyone else had gone to bed, and for a few horrible moments she had felt icy fingers of fear creep down her spine - with a shiver she had practically sprinted up to her dormitory, feeling as though the very shadows were turning to chase her.
The rest of the night was sleepless. Orla felt incredibly unsettled, and eventually spent the night journalling until rain patters on the windows made her look up. Grey light filtered through stormy clouds - Orla got ready in her dark room and made sure to wear her sturdy lace-up boots, anticipating rain and more mud today.
When she walked into the Great Hall she was surprised to see that a good number of students had arrived early also - she wondered if they had found it hard to sleep too.
Orla yawned and sat at the very end of the Slytherin table, placing some well-cooked sausages and fresh bread onto her plate. She began to butter the bread (Hogwarts' butter was always easy to spread), feeling tired but curious for the day ahead. Flying was entirely new to her - the Fallwater witches always said travelling by broom was just asking to be blown into the ocean - and though the thought of it made her anxious, her eagerness to have a new way to see the grounds made her excited for afternoon class.
Folding her sausages in the warm buttery bread, Orla ate slowly and considered what she could do with her morning. A glance around revealed MJ chatting cheerily with her friend, and Kassia over at the Gryffindor table. Orla made a mental note to apologise to the older Slytherin girl for falling asleep last night, before she collected an apple and some nuts just in case.
Saoirse shuffled aside to give Alice room to sit down next to her. Her renewed anger had made her appetite come back, and she shunted eggs in her mouth as both Xavier and Alice spoke. It seemed Alice disagreed, and, to Saoirse's surprise, Xavier was accepting of her opinions of Quidditch. Although, she didn't understand the fuss around Muggle sports either.
"My dad's obsessed with rugby. That's violent too, I guess." Saoirse thought of how he often drove the boat back to port at full speed, nearly breaking the boat on the waves, so he wouldn't miss a New Zealand Blacks game. "I just... when there are so many things in the real world to worry about, it's just bizarre to me."
Alice made a good point, saying that the pitch had been blown up specifically when it was empty. But that alone gave her reason to be concerned. "But they knew to blow up the Quidditch Pitch the day before a game, and they had the knowledge to get around the wards. What happens if we don't answer to their message and they get more aggressive next time? They're obviously well-informed and capable."
Saoirse shook her head. "I'm going to the duelling chamber to practice after this. I don't feel safe here, and I'm going to do what I can to be able to protect myself." Not that her little wand would do much against an explosion, but Saoirse needed to control what she could.
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Aug 26, 2022 7:43:44 GMT 10
MJ didn't take long to finish her Weetabix and banana, looking around the Great Hall as she pushed away her empty bowl. She considered if she wanted anything else to eat and quickly settled on putting together a bacon butty.
She added red sauce the same time she looked over at the Slytherin table. MJ tried to meet Orla's gaze, raising her brows and smiling at the other girl. If she smiled back, MJ would wiggle her fingers in a wave.
"I think I will go to the Greenhouse first this morning." MJ said, addressing Charlotte before taking a bite of her bacon butty. It was a shame she didn't have any brown sauce within reach... It definitely would have complimented her food well.
Post by Jaxen Ashworth on Aug 26, 2022 9:31:30 GMT 10
Jaxen flipped through his Herbology textbook as he entered the hall, almost bumping into several younger students and muttering apologies as he attempted to find the page he'd stopped at last night. Of course he'd lost his place that morning, that would teach him for trying to study while brushing his teeth.
Sitting down at his usual place at the Ravenclaw table, he grabbed an apple and held the fruit between his teeth as he continued his search. Reaching across the table, he stuffed another apple and a handful of nuts into his pocket- snacks for when he was studying later. Exam season had really snuck up on the majority of the school, and Jax was suddenly feeling wholly under prepared for his OWLs.
His conversation the other day with his grandmother only drove the point home. He still had no clue what he wanted to do with the rest of his life and first he had to secure good grades so that his options remained open. A pair of third year students sat opposite him, chatting noisily between themselves and he fixed them with a hard stare.
When they didn't get the message, he slammed his book closed and moved further down the table. Honestly, people could be so inconsiderate sometimes. He hoped that when it was their time to sit their OWLs that they never found a moments peace to study. Continuing to flick through his textbook, he took a bite of his apple and calmed himself a little when he finally found the elusive page he'd been searching for.
Last Edit: Aug 26, 2022 9:34:35 GMT 10 by Jaxen Ashworth
Post by Tobias Twiggs on Aug 26, 2022 9:58:05 GMT 10
The weather was abysmal, which was rather fitting for Toby's current mood. The first year hadn't been himself since the Quidditch pitch had been targeted in such a ruthless attack, burning to the ground in front of dozens of mortified students. He just kept thinking of his new broom which he'd barely even had a chance to use, and now would sit for the remainder of the school year locked away and gathering dust.
It wasn't fair. His heart felt heavy just thinking about it again.
Casting a forlorn glance towards the Ravenclaw table, where he felt sure his friends would be having the time of their lives- even if Ryan insisted they study throughout their meal. He trudged over to the Gryffindor table and settled onto the bench beside Saoirse and Xavier.
"...Hey" he greeted them, heaving a sigh as he placed a singular pancake onto his plate. Not even bothering to smother it in syrup like he usually would. He deserved to suffer through a bland breakfast. Grimacing as he took his first bite- maybe he'd been a bit rash in abstaining from syrup, but it was too late to back down now. He'd committed.
Toby had been tuning out the conversation around him, until it fell upon the sport he was so passionate about- the one he was convinced he'd never again get to play. Fixing a glare on Saoirse who obviously didn't understand Quidditch at all if she wasn't the least bit upset by its cancellation, he'd thought they'd bonded over their shared punishment the other night, but that could easily be undone.
"Some of us have our sights set higher than our school Quidditch team" he bit back, pouring himself a glass of orange juice and slurping it angrily. Maybe his life goals meant little to her, but he actually cared a lot about his how his poor performance this year would reflect on him later- and he hadn't even been able to finish the season.
"Maybe they should blow up the hall, it'd be less painful" he muttered that last part to himself, stabbing his pancake repeatedly with harsh hacking motions of his fork. Ugh. Everything sucked.
This was nice, she couldn't help but close her eyes as Kassia worked on her curls and cleaned up her hair. When was the last time she had felt this pampered? When had her hair been given such nice attention. When she opened her eyes, she was staring right at Kassia and then given a mild make-over.
After she was done, Amelia couldn't help but smile herself and found a reflective surface and had to admit, she looked a little bit more alive.
"Thanks, Kass... You know, you should come over this summer," Amelia said, though realized she might need to actually write her parents a letter and tell them about Kassia. The two hadn't exactly been close until this year when they just clicked. It was nice! Kassia was fun to be around, she had her little quirks, but Amelia wasn't too concerned about that.
Charlotte felt her face burn, like it was on fire, especially when she realized that it wasn't a game between Ravenclaw and another house. She lowered her head a little, embarrassed that she wasn't able to keep on top of things. Maybe she should go to a match?
The thought terrified her! The pitch was loud from a distance... It would be overbearing in person, she was sure about it.
"I am sorry... I do not know much about the game," Charlotte said, before nodding towards MJ when she spoke about the flying class. The last one had been... rather odd feeling for her. She had been happy about it at the end of the class, but terrified the whole time. It was so strange. When MJ spoke about the Greenhouse, Charlotte nodded.
"I do need to go there myself, can I come?" she asked MJ as she took another bite of her fruit.
Post by Lindsey Bryce on Aug 26, 2022 12:47:22 GMT 10
The breakfast was about half gone from her plate while she read over her schedule when she saw some movement and looked up at Reena. Something was off and when Kassia, a fifth year, stopped by, Lindsey realized something was very off. Reena was just looking off into the distance, which Lindsey tried to look in the direction, but she didn't really notice anyone in particular looking at her.
"Reena? Is everythin' okay, Mo charaid?" Lindsey asked her friend, calling her by the Gaelic word for my friend. It wasn't long before she noticed William had sat down near by as well, but he was far enough away that she couldn't speak without raising her voice too loud.
Something was off about Reena, but Lindsey had no idea what that might have been. Last time she saw Reena was back in the dorm, but they hadn't spoke much.
Kassia was finally feeling hungry, and started picking at some berries and yoghurt on the table. As she nibbled, she was startled to be invited to Amelia's house. Had she ever been invited to someone's house? She had certainly never invited anyone over to hers. Kassia was at a loss for words. What would she even do there? How would Amelia's parents react?
"I... thank you. I suppose I would have weekends free. I think I'll just be working at my stepfather's bar anyway."
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