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 MJ Birdwhistle on Nov 30, 2022 17:19:00 GMT 10
Exams were... Well, hard.
But they were also exciting and fun too. MJ liked the challenge given to her and hoped her classmates hadn't panicked too much about how things had gone for them either.
In an attempt to distract herself, or maybe she wanted more challenges, MJ sought out the Spiral Tower. She still had quite a few keys left and wanted to use some up, if possible.
She walked along, passed door after door, until she stopped at one that just 'felt right'. MJ slipped the key into the lock and turned. She watched as the door opened and stepped inside. She was keen to see what kind of room she would have this time.
The room was well-lit by windows enchanted to display a sunny afternoon, and its temperature was comfortable. There was a huge pond in the middle -- its waters dark and deep, with a foreboding sense of the unknown. Beside it were two wooden buckets; one white, and one black.
A plaque reads:
"Beneath the waters, and among the kelp, is a bed of stones. Grab one and resurface, before those in slumber awaken to drag you down a watery grave. Before you are two buckets, where you must toss your treasure -- for one you win, the other you lose. Be warned, brave adventurer, as magic cannot help you here."
How to Play
The pond is very deep and almost impossible to see through. Your character can attempt magic, but nothing will happen; this room's enchanted so magic can't be used.
Your character must swim to the bottom of the pond, which is full of kelp and tricky to navigate without getting tangled. They can resurface for air and keep trying, if needed. Free-RP is allowed.
With a stone in hand, your character then attempts to swim back to the surface. A mod will determine how that goes (50 / 50 chance) -- if you're all clear or if something attacks. If attacked, you can free-RP how it's resolved.
Once leaving the pond, toss the stone into either the black (odd) or white (even) bucket. A mod will roll a die to determine which bucket is the winner. There is always a 50 / 50 chance of winning or losing this mini-game.
Winning earns 200 exp to their Marauder skill, and 20 exp to every other skill.
Although playing a mini-game, this is still an RP-thread. We strongly encourage immersing your character in this experience and challenge, as these threads are also designed for character development.
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Nov 30, 2022 17:45:17 GMT 10
Looking around the room, MJ was pleasantly surprised to see how beautiful it was. The windows let warm, sunny light filter in and she found herself quite satisfied.
Until her gaze fell onto the pond.
A chill ran down her spine despite the warmth of the room and she immediately had a bad feeling about it. There was something forboding about it that she couldn't put her finger on but also couldn't ignore.
MJ swallowed and moved closer to the plaque instead, to read how the room worked.
Her heart sank as she read she had to get into the pond. Of course she did. So she had to swim to the bottom, grab a stone, resurface and then place it into a bucket? It seemed simple but she knew that wasn't entirely true.
The plaque mentioned something slumbered below the surface of the water too and MJ bit her bottom lip.
With a sigh, she removed her cloak and folded it up neatly. This she set next to the pond. She figured it would weigh her down in the water and hinder her swimming - gosh, she was glad she knew how to swim!
Re-reading the information, she made a note that her wand wouldn't aid her in this task so she placed it atop her cloak. It would be safe and dry here and MJ even gave it a few, light pats.
"Wish me luck." She smiled to her wand as she removed her shoes and socks as well. This left her in her jumper, blouse and skirt. She didn't fancy stripping down further even if she was alone in this room.
MJ studied the water for a moment longer and then held her breath as she slipped in. Surely this was the right course of action as diving would disturb the water too much and awaken whatever was in the pond...
She swam towards the bottom of the pond, careful to avoid touching anything except the stones at the bottom if she reached them. The water wasn't so bad once she was in but MJ found the swim quite demanding - she regretted asking for a challenge now.
The kelp made attempts to snag her and MJ worried she would have to resurface and try again. She didn't dive often and didn't know how long she could hold her breath. With a frown, she pulled some kelp away from her arm and reached for a stone.
Her fingertips brushed over the tops of the stones and she knew it was no good.
MJ swam back to the surface, breaking free and taking a deep gasp. "Shoot, I was so close! Stupid kelp..."
She kicked her feet to keep herself afloat as she prepared to dive again. At least she knew what to expect this time and would know to avoid the kelp better.
Diving down, MJ swam through the water with more confidence than before. She skimmed by the kelp, navigating around the slimy plant with a little more ease this time. Unfortunately, she could still feel it touching against her legs but MJ ignored this.
She had reached the bottom and grabbed a stone. It was a lot heavier in her hand than she expected but she wasn't going to give up so easily. MJ looked around her but it was too dark to see if something else was there.
With the stone held tight, she used her free hand to help aid her swim back towards the surface. MJ did her best not to panic, using sure but small kicks so she wouldn't disturb the water too much.
The light above her was her guide but it was tricky too. With each kick she was certain she would break the surface of the water but it seemed she still had some swimming to do. MJ kicked harder now, despite her earlier attempts to be a silent presence in the water.
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Nov 30, 2022 18:01:30 GMT 10
Luckily if there was something in the water, nothing seemed to appear. MJ broke the surface of the water with a gasp and felt her heart race. Maybe she had been more scared of this task than she wanted to believe.
She set the stone next to her cloak before she pulled herself out of the water. MJ panted for a moment and allowed herself to recover before she stood and grabbed her stone.
Now she had a choice to make.
Black? Or White? She had a fifty-fifty chance of being right. MJ didn't debate too long, however and decided to just go with her gut.
She tossed the stone into the White bucket and was glad to see she didn't miss - which would have been embarrassing. MJ waited to see what would happen next.
Last Edit: Nov 30, 2022 18:18:09 GMT 10 by MJ Birdwhistle
The stone clattered into the white bucket, then shot into the air -- exploding into a colourful display of fireworks that harmlessly rained down around her. It was loud but beautiful, a bright show of celebration and success.
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Nov 30, 2022 18:35:39 GMT 10
The fireworks shot out of the bucket and MJ clapped along, cheered and felt pleased with herself.
She took a moment to celebrate before grabbing her things again. Her uniform was still wet so she didn't bother putting her robes on stop of that.
With her wand in hand, MJ left the room and fetched another key from her things.
It wouldn't hurt to try another room, would it?
She walked up the tower, shivering a little, and then stopped at another door. She put the bronze key into the lock and opened the door, looking inside.
It was a brighter, less gruesome-looking version of Professor Snape's office or the Potions classroom. Walls were lined floor to ceiling with various jars of unlabeled ingredients -- yet an occasional shimmer of magic indicated they were not up for grabs. Though everything was properly stored, and there weren't any cauldrons nearby, the room had a strong yet undefined aroma to it.
In the middle was a wooden table with three stoppered potion vials -- different colours, scents, and thickness.
A plaque reads:
"Two are safe. One is not. Make a choice and drink up."
How to Play
There are three rounds. Choose and drink a vial, which has a 2 / 3 chance of being safe. If it's a poison, game over. These poisons aren't lethal, but your character doesn't know that. The numbers are for your reference only; they don't appear to your character.
Potion details of scent / colour / taste / etc are free-RP. Sometimes, nice potions are secretly poisons or gross ones are medicine. Or perhaps the potion is exactly how it seems. You can RP it, and the way they reason with / approach the task, however you want.
To win, complete three rounds without drinking poison.
Winning earns 200 exp to their Potions skill, and 20 exp to every other skill.
Although playing a mini-game, this is still an RP-thread. We strongly encourage immersing your character in this experience and challenge, as these threads are also designed for character development.
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Dec 1, 2022 0:15:58 GMT 10
This room was a lot different from the last one. MJ shivered in her wet clothes as she stepped inside, looking around. It reminded her of Professor Snape's classroom but it was nowhere near as nice. She looked around at the jars but didn't dare touch anything, moving her way towards a table in the middle with three vials and a plaque.
She read the information and frowned, not enjoying the lack of information. That was all she had to go off? Deciding between three vials and hoping she didn't pick the bad one?
MJ could only assume the unsafe potion was some kind of poison and she felt a chill race down her spine. Whether that was from her damp clothes or the idea of poisoning herself... Well, if she did that, at least she wouldn't have to worry about doing badly in her exams. It wouldn't matter then.
Would she come back as a ghost perhaps?
Her gaze when from one vial to the other and she knew she had to pick something. Each one looked as innocuous as the next which really didn't help. In the end, she picked the second vial.
Its contents were a deep purple hue that seemed to fizz and bubble. She uncorked the vial and held it for a moment. It didn't smell bad but she knew from Potions class that she couldn't trust a potion to be okay just because it didn't smell bad. She had to psyche herself up before she put the vial to her lips and knocked it back in one.
She even pinched her nose in the hopes that if it tasted bad, it would help.
It tasted... Slimy? Was that possible? It seemed to thicken as it hit her tongue and slid down her throat. There wasn't an unpleasant taste but it was rather bland. Like it was missing something to make it either wonderful or awful. It felt fizzy in her stomach and MJ hiccuped once, watching a purple bubble escape her lips and waited to see if she was going to drop dead from making a mistake.
The potion was safe. Free-RP her experience with it, though the effects will wear off soon enough.
The bottle she held vanished once she'd drank from it. The two on the table disappeared as well, only to be replaced with a new set of three different potions. Round two?
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Dec 1, 2022 1:37:35 GMT 10
She stood still for a few moments longer. The potion made her alternate between burps and hiccups, each one producing a purple coloured bubble.
When her stomach settled, MJ noticed that she was still standing and still breathing. A good sign she had passed the first round! She noticed then the vials had changed and a new trio were on the table before her.
Just as before, she couldn't tell by looks alone which one wasn't the safe option. She feowned and folded her arms, giving each one a careful look.
The first was translucent, with a glittery sheen. The second was a murky green colour. Finally, the third was pitch black. MJ had no idea what to expect from any of them.
She mused over her choice and reached for the third vial.
It let out a hiss when she uncorked it and MJ wrinkled her nose. The smell was like eggs, not entirely rotten but not good either. Was she making a mistake drinking this vial? She tried to convince herself otherwise - sometimes medicine didn't taste good!
Once again, she plugged her nose and attempted to drink the potion down in one. It had a sickly, intense, minty taste that made her blink back tears. What a weird combination between smell and taste!
Well, she could only hope she had made the right choice and hadn't picked the poison.
The potion was safe. Free-RP her experience with it, though the effects will wear off soon enough.
Once again, the bottle she held vanished after being drank. As did the two on the table. MJ was presented with another set of three potions, though she had an unexplainable feeling the game wasn't endless and perhaps this was her last set. All she had to do was get through this round.
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Dec 1, 2022 7:05:38 GMT 10
After drinking the potion, the room began to swirl. Not spin, as could be expected, but anything she looked at would slowly swirl from a middle point, like a spiral. It was a very weird sensation and made her want to sit on the ground. Which was exactly what MJ did after a moment.
She took a few breaths until the swirling disappeared and then shook her head, "Weird..."
MJ didn't know what purpose a potion like that could have but at least she hadn't poisoned herself - yet.
Standing up again, she looked at the table and saw three new potions in place of the previous trio. She had to survive another round? MJ felt she was pushing her luck already and crossed her fingers she could get three right in a row.
Stepping closer to the table, she looked at each potion. One was milky white, one was an ombre of sunset colours and the final vial looked empty. Whatever was inside it looked as clear as water but transparent - nothing was distorted by the liquid inside not matter what angle she looked at it from. Odd.
She didn't trust that one.
MJ debated over the other two. She had come this far and it would suck to tumble at the final hurdle. "I have to pick one. Fine…"
She grabbed the second vial, not wanting to overthink, and uncorked it before she would take back her choice. She pinched her nose and drank the potion quickly. It tasted like... Well, baked beans was the closest thing that came to mind. Luckily it wasn't lumpy but it was cold. It seemed to remind her brain she was still in wet clothes and a chill ran through her body.
Now, she just had to hope she hadn't picked the poisoned vial...
The potion was safe. Free-RP her experience with it, though the effects will wear off soon enough.
They vanished. Instead of another test, an ornate goblet appeared. It contained a steamy, chocolate beverage with purple froth that tasted of berries. It was a delicious reward.
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Dec 2, 2022 3:27:06 GMT 10
MJ was frozen on the spot. Sure, she could look with her eyes but she couldn't move. It was a very uncomfortable sensation and made her want to cry only that it seemed to wear off pretty quickly.
Even if that 'pretty quickly' had seemed like an eternity to her. "You are not a good potion, even if you're not poison..."
She said that with a huff but was glad to see she had finished. In place of the potions was a goblet! She leaned in and sniffed and was ninety-nine percent certain it was... Chocolate! If this was a trick, MJ didn't think twice and drank up.
It was delicious! Chocolate and berries... It reminded her of chocolate covered raisins and she licked her lips, making sure she didn't miss a single drop.
Satisfied with the two wins she had secured for herself today, MJ gathered her things and left the room with a bounce in her step. She would keep her other keys for another time.
00 | 
21 | 
20
December
