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 Martha Twiggs on Dec 10, 2022 3:32:38 GMT 10
The first few days at home had been an adjustment with just a touch of chaos that came from such a large family - Martha wondered if everyone had felt the same. She was glad she had sorted out her trunk on that first day home since it was one less chore to worry about in the coming days.
Coming downstairs for breakfast, she smiled at the sight of her mum fussing at the clothesline outside. She made sure the belt on her housecoat was tied tightly and winced at the slapping sound of her slippers on the stairs. Her worry about being too loud was soon overruled by something else.
Her stomach rumbled as soon as she made it to the bottom step. The kitchen smelled amazing with freshly baked bread, fried eggs with glossy, yellow yolks, the thick slices of bacon and a plate piled high with sausages.
She turned on the last step, looking back up the stairs, "Amelia! Tobias! Breakfast is ready!"
Was it early enough that their dad was still here or had he left for work already? Martha hadn't checked the time before coming downstairs and a glance at the clock answered the question for her. She moved over to the table and started to pour herself a cup of tea, picking her favourite mug from the selection left out next to the teapot. She added a drop of milk and one sugar, stirring it up while she decided what she wanted to eat.
Depending on what everyone planned to do today, she might need a big breakfast to keep her energy up.
With a yawn, she grabbed the paper that had been delivered that morning and glanced over it. Bad news, like always. Martha put it back to the side and sipped her tea, waiting for another sibling to show up.
[OOC: @amelia and Tobias Twiggs mentioned with permission]
'Mmm... yeah, let's head that way,' Amelia said in her sleep as she curled her arms around her pillow. Amelia looked like a true hot mess. The thick curls were going in all sorts of directions, her face had little red lines on it from where her head and pillow met, and she had some drool at the corner of her mouth.
As she inhaled, she made a loud snore, suddenly work up with a startle, and grabbed her pillow to her chest. She had no idea what woke her, likely the loud snore she made, but it could have been a dream, though she suddenly couldn't recall anything.
'Breakfast is ready!' She turned her head towards her door and realized suddenly that she was alone. Martha had gone down the stairs to the kitchen. Amelia's trunk had finally been packed away the day before. The corner had only recently been shoved out of the way and deep under her cluttered bed, mostly because she angrily kicked it before going to sleep. It had caused her to trip and though it was her fault for not putting it under her bed, she still let her words abuse the trunk until she felt better.
Her clothing had been cleaned at the school, but she had already made a small pile of things during their first few days at home. The realization that she was going to have to deal with those only earned another groan of frustration before she got up. As she stood, she lifted her hands, stretching out the sleepy joints so that she felt better. After a mild panic during the search for her robe, she was able to put it on over the shorts and t-shirt she wore the night before.
She chose not to deal with the slippers on her feet but took them in her hands down the stairs. That way she wouldn't have to rush upstairs if she needed them to go outside. Oh, she hoped she wouldn't have to before breakfast. As her barefoot came in contact with the floor, she smiled at the breakfast feast. Mum always knew how to make them enjoy time at home. Hogwarts had great food, but the food made by their mother was second to no one. She would always have the best food.
"Where is mum?" Amelia asked as she grabbed her mug and put some tea in it, filling it with sugar and adding some milk to it. The pleasant aroma was nice and as she drank it, she hummed into the cup before she sat and looked around, glancing at the clock to see where their father was. She snagged a piece of bacon to enjoy while she sat there, awaiting the others.
Post by Martha Twiggs on Dec 10, 2022 17:59:16 GMT 10
As Amelia appeared, Martha nodded to her twin and buttered a slice of bread. She planned to make herself a bacon buttie but it was slow going. Martha was still a little sleepy and the comforting warmth of the kitchen didn't help.
"Morning." She greeted Amelia, adding two slices of bacon to her bread and then cleaning her greasy fingers on a nearby teatowel. She looked over to the stairs but it seemed Tobias hadn't stirred yet.
She debated between leaving him alone or waking him up. No doubt there would be chores for them all - not even the youngest could escape from pitching in.
Martha got up and stood at the bottom of the stairs, calling up again, "Tobias! Breakfast!"
Sighing, she moved back to her seat and nodded towards the backdoor, "Hanging out some laundry. I suspect she'll have stuff for us to do so we better eat quickly."
A soft chuckle accompanied her words as she slathered ketchup on the other side of her bacon sandwich. She pressed everything together and then cut it in half, starting to eat one.
The food was great, which was apparent as she was enjoying some of the eggs on toast. The enjoyment showed as her body just melting into the chair as she sat there quietly. Amelia was in heaven right now, as Hogwarts could not compare to this wonderful food before her. She propped her feet up on another chair, leaned backwards and just closed her eyes for a moment.
She looked over at her sister when she called up the stairs again and smiled before closing her eyes again.
”Did you think he would be up bright and early? That boy has been waiting for a chance to sleep in again,” Amelia said before she took another bite of her food and leaned her head backwards before looking out the nearest window. Popping some bacon onto the remaining half of her toast and egg, she looked across at her sister.
”I call feeding the chicken,” she said with a wink, as it was one of the easier chores. Granted, her mother had a list, but she enjoyed going out and working with those little guys. And it meant she could collect all the eggs.
Post by Tobias Twiggs on Dec 11, 2022 8:10:25 GMT 10
The sound of Martha's voice beckoned from downstairs, causing Tobias to pull the duvet over his head in protest, eyes still closed against the early morning light filtering in through his bedroom window. He didn't know what time it was, but considering his mum hadn't come in to get him out of bed, it was still early enough to warrant sleeping a little longer.
Several minutes passed in silence and he was on the verge of drifting off again when Martha's voice called up to him once more, urging him down to breakfast. A low groan left Toby's mouth, the treasonous act a reminder of why Martha was not his favourite sister, at least Amy let him sleep in.
Dragging himself out of bed, he rubbed the sleep from his eyes and through his duvet over his shoulders. If he had to leave the warmth and comfort of his bed, then he would at least be taking it downstairs with him.
Toby slowly made his way downstairs, grunting with the effort of hauling his duvet with him. He emerged into the kitchen and barely acknowledged his sisters who were both already eating their breakfast. Noiselessly he sat at the table and seized a slice of toast, beginning to eat it before reaching for a sausage before his siblings could eat them all.
Last Edit: Dec 11, 2022 8:12:51 GMT 10 by Tobias Twiggs
'Feet off the chair,' was Molly greeting for the morning, shooting Amy a stern look. She set an empty laundry basket down, out of the way, then checked how they were doing for food.
Not even batting an eye at Toby residing in a duvet cocoon, Molly made some more toast and topped up mugs with juice or tea depending on personal preferences. She shooed the twins to sit properly at the table, then called for her other sons to get downstairs for breakfast.
Just as the table filled up, the front door opened.
'Morning, Twigglets,' Alan cheerfully greeted them, arms filled with files and paper. He set those aside near the desk that doubled as an office in the living room.
He was was returned with a habitual chorus of "Morning, Dad."
Starving, Alan sat at the head of the table and picked out things for breakfast. Molly placed freshly-made scrambled eggs on Toby's plate, then Alan's as well. She did a head count, checking everyone was served and eating, then went about cleaning the kitchen.
Post by Martha Twiggs on Dec 11, 2022 19:04:12 GMT 10
Finally, Tobias had shown up.
Martha knew he was a nightmare to get going in the morning which was why she had bugged him more than the other boys. She eyed the duvet but didn't say anything about it - if he got stains on it, that was his problem.
Their mum bustled back into the kitchen and Martha's eyes followed her. When her tea mug was refilled and Martha gave her mum an appreciative smile, "Thank you."
She finished her bacon sandwich just as their dad appeared and she greeted him with their usual chorus, Morning, dad."
"Busy?" She asked, eying the files he has been carrying and curious if he'd have time to spend with them. If work got in the way, Martha tried to be understanding but sometimes she just missed her dad being around too.
At least they would have the Quidditch World Cup to spend some much needed time together. Even if she wasn't bothered by the sport itself, Martha knew she'd have a fun time camping with her family.
And, fingers crossed, she'd get to see Sophia, Lucky and Jaxen too.
Amelia found it amusing watching her brother come into the land of the living. The boy was not a morning person and chuckled as she finished her egg on toast. Just as they mother came into the house too. The first greeting was for Amelia to remove her feet from the nearest chair. Amelia smiled but did as she was told.
To be honest, she thought it was too early, but she would deal with it. As twisted her body a little to stretch and there was a pop here and there. It felt nice!
"Thanks, Mum," she said as her mother fill her cup with more tea and doctored it to her liking. Her father suddenly appeared, and Amelia turned to smile and greet him. If there was one thing about Amelia, she was a daddy’s girl.
“Morning, Dad,” she said and was momentarily distracted by what he sat on his desk. Amelia was naturally curious, so her look lingered on them for a moment. She would ask about it later.
Post by Tobias Twiggs on Dec 11, 2022 23:26:04 GMT 10
The appearance of his mother made Toby fidget a little, some of the drowsiness leaving his body as she poured him a glass of orange juice and put scrambled eggs on his plate. Legs kicking in quiet glee and body bouncing a little as he began spooning scrambled egg into his mouth.
"Thank you!" he said, speaking with his mouthful. A gagging sound shortly followed as he almost choked on the eggs he was attempting to swallow. Then, unphased he reached for some more toast and began to spoon the eggs onto the toast so that he could get both in one bite.
The arrival of their dad had Toby dropping his spoon to wave enthusiastically "Morning dad!" he almost yelled across the room before stuffing the egg laden toast into his mouth, getting butter on his nose in the process.
'Always busy, these days.' Alan nodded to Martha, though was in good spirits and glad to be home. 'And now I'm here, your mother and I wanted to discuss some exciting plans for the summer...'
He trailed off, having spotted something outside. Several turned to follow his gaze, wondering why both Alan and Molly went quiet. They needn't have bothered, as a moment later two large owls swooped into the room and landed on the table. Each business-like owl approached one of the eldest twins, offering their leg to be relieved of the thick envelope they were each there to deliver.
Each envelope bore the Hogwarts crest, as well as a few others. All very official-looking, which could only mean one thing: OWL results.
'Don't keep us in suspense,' Alan said, encouraging them to share. He speared some bacon with his fork, too hungry to wait.
Molly wandered the table, peering over each girls' shoulders to catch a glimpse of how well they did. She'd be proud of them regardless, as OWLs are hard, but there was a lot riding on those results and they neede to know how to budge the school years ahead.
Post by Martha Twiggs on Dec 14, 2022 5:40:46 GMT 10
She wasn't surprised by her dad's reply and gave him a sympathetic smile. He seemed to be the hardest worker at the Ministry (and that was a completely unbiased opinion). Martha perked up when he mentioned exciting plans for the summer, setting down her mug of tea.
But it seemed she would have to wait as two owls swooped into their kitchen. One landed in front of her and the colour drained from Martha's face when her eyes landed on the Hogwarts crest.
Oh no--
The owl seemed impatient to be freed from its burden and she removed the letter with shaking hands. Martha didn't hear or notice if her parents said anything, her leg jittering under the table as a tell of her nerves. She must have read her name and address at least twenty times before she turned the letter over. The wax seal was glossy, red and perfect.
It would almost be regretful to break it.
"Um." Martha tucked loose hair behind her ear, glancing at her twin sister. She would feel better if Amelia opened her letter first -- at least then it wouldn't feel so final. Like, her whole life was going to end because she had a neat row of A's waiting for her. Martha's brain hurried to remember if there was a single class she could take with an A grade.
She couldn't think of a single one and that just made her stomach lurch.
Knowing she couldn't delay the inevitable any longer, not with her family there to see her results, Martha opened the letter with her eyes closed. "Mum, can you check for me? I don't--"
Her hands shook as she unfolded the letter, staring at her lap instead of the thick parchment declaring her fate.
Last Edit: Dec 15, 2022 6:51:48 GMT 10 by Martha Twiggs
This bacon was amazing! Amelia had a piece in her hand as she finished another bit. She had manners enough not to completely stuff her face. A stray piece of red hair fell across her face, earning it a swat with her hand. Hearing talk of her father being busy and how he had some exciting news. To be honest, she was ready to hear all about any news he had.
But then nothing came, and she quickly understood why when she turned her head to see the large owls swoop in. Her heart was thumping hard in her chest as Hogwart’s Crest stared at her from the envelope. While her sister’s owl was impatient, hers seemed to understand that some people had to take a moment. Taking her time, she took the envelope and offered the bacon that had been originally meant for her.
It was only kind to give the owl something for it’s hard work. Bacon seemed like a good way to settle.
Unlike her sister, Amelia took a deep breath and made sure that the attention was pulled away from Martha and opened her’s first. She knew it was tough to think about how one did. As she read over everything, she let out a sigh, but not one of disappointment.
”I got three Os on my exams, the rest were E… Transfiguration, Herbology, and Care of Magical Creatures… Everything else was a E,” she said as she offered her results to her mother. Amelia was happy with how she did, except in Potions. ”Overall year, I got O in Herbology and Transfiguration.” She was proud of the one with Professor McGonagall. That was the teacher she wanted to clearly impress and do well for.
She looked at her sister, who was obviously not able to do it. She couldn’t blame her, but Martha had always done better than her school wise, so she had no doubt she would be fine.
Post by Tobias Twiggs on Dec 18, 2022 7:47:37 GMT 10
Toby was in the middle of gnawing on a slice of toast when a couple of huge owls flew into the kitchen, causing him to sit back in his seat as if afraid one might target his breakfast after a long journey, but he soon relaxed when he realized that his sisters were the unfortunate targets of todays attack.
He couldn't keep his curiosity under control for long, before he was leaning forward in his seat to see what his sisters had gotten in their exams. Martha immediately asked their mother to open her letter, but Amy was braver and took a peek at the results within.
"Three O's? That's pretty good Amy!" he smiled encouragingly at his big sister, two O's overall was still pretty decent. He chewed more thoughtfully, thinking about how he would have to do well in his own OWLs when the time came, or he could kiss his Quiddy career goodbye.
Molly nodded at Martha's nervous request, not the least bit surprised by it. She wiped her hands perfectly clean, then reached for the parchment to read over the results. Her reaction was unreadable at first, then she smiled proudly and passed the exam to Martha.
'Four Os, rest Es,' Molly announced. 'It seems you both did exceptionally well in Transfiguration. You did wonderfully in Potions and Defence, Martha, as Amy did Herbology.'
She also went to check Amelia's results firsthand, making an effort not to compare the two results. Martha was always more studious and focused than Amelia, but they likely had different goals now too. Everyone had their own strengths and struggles for certain classes. Molly was very pleased with their results, and made sure they knew it.
Tobias had gotten an O in Transfiguration as well, so it seemed to be a class their kids were good at. Molly was relieved, as it wasn't one of her best -- though Alan had quite a talent for it, so that had to be where they got it from. Pride radiated from him as he heard the results. And Es were not bad, though of course NEWTs were at sake so it depended on their overall goals now.
'Well, don't keep us in suspense,' Alan said, gaze shifting from one daughter to the other, and back again. 'Career's Day was a hit, and we have your OWL results... so let's hear it. Did you settle on any careers, backups, and the like?'
He was eager to hear it all, though there was reassurance in his eyes as well. There would be no judgement from the parents if they weren't completely sure of their futures yet. Molly and Alan were there to help guide them, so if they needed to put in some extra work this summer then that's what they would do.
They shared a look, deciding to delay their announcement a moment longer as this was far more pressing. Molly got out a scrap of parchment to jot down ideas though, which they all knew as a sign of her planning a celebratory dinner -- complete with one of her mouthwatering desserts.
Amelia beamed at her sister as their mother read of the exam results. It seemed they were happy and that was a good thing. She took another bite of her food, offering her results to anyone, her dad or mom, who might want to take a closer look at them. At her father's request, she looked over at her sister and then back at her father with a smile.
"I don't know for certain, but the Quidditch booth really caught my attention dad... As for a back-up, I don't know yet, but your booth was fantastic," Amelia said to her father as she put a few more eggs on her plate.
"It was a lot, dad," Amelia said honestly to him, but she was also excited about the up coming year. She could get that last O Grade, sure was sure of it. She would focus hard on her classes and do whatever she could.
Last Edit: Dec 30, 2022 16:55:42 GMT 10 by Lena: Readability
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