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 Jonathan King on Mar 14, 2023 1:01:21 GMT 10
"Try stopping me!", he laughed in response to MJ's question. He was glad she wanted to try out again as well -- he felt like they had made quite the team last year. Having survived playing against Slytherin had bonded them in the skies for life.
"We should come up with a choreo for our entrance," he babbled on, yet gave a friendly smile to Ezra who had joined them -- and then a wide grin for Ryan (who was now bruise free). Joe could only do so much not to reach out to his best friend to drape his arm around him, so he gently stroked Ryan's arm instead.
"Thanks," he said to Charlotte. He still was not quite sure what to make of her, she seemed too polite to be mean most of the time. But then again, he had felt that she was mean to him last year.
When the owl post arrived, Joe quickly grabbed an apple before the food disappeared, only to be surprised that it didn't. He only noticed the Snape-porridge situation after the fact, which was a bummer since it would have been fun to see. He would have never dared to even break a smile over that however!
"Oh, you've got your own now!", Joe nudged Ryan as he unfolded his own Daily Prophet and immediatly jumped towards the article about dragon sightings, having little interest in the Minister's whereabouts.
Joe let out a low, impressed whistle.
"Ryan!", he smacked his hand against his own forehead. "I totally forgot. I've got something for you from my trip to Morocco. I'll give it to you later, okay?"
Last Edit: Mar 14, 2023 1:05:09 GMT 10 by Jonathan King: apple
Post by Joshua Twiggs on Mar 14, 2023 1:19:38 GMT 10
Joshua had some nervous energy and channeled it into building a tower with his sausage rolls - his toast being the foundation on both sides. However, he was lectured for that by one of his classmates, who reminded him that, as O.W.L. students they should set an example for the younger years and at least maintain the facade of maturity.
He would have loved to take her book in that moment. Who studied during breakfast on their first day of class?
He did however find more joy in destroying his sausage tower with two big bites - purposely ignoring the fork next to his plate.
The screeching of owls overhead had him glance up from the staring contest which had ensued with his classmate after this and he happily gave the owl that dropped of his Daily Prophet and a letter for him some of his bacon before sending it on its way.
He snorted when, after a glance towards the head table, he saw Snape get splashed by his porridge. Had it been anybody else, it wouldn't have been half as fun. But he was sure glad he did not have potions this morning!
Joshua opened the letter first and smiled when he recognized his dad's handwriting. He was wishing him good luck for his tryouts. And there was the nervous energy again.
His leg started to jump up and down under the table as he flicked through the pages of the newspaper. He felt particularly interested in the potions scams, shaking his head at that.
Who would do something like that?
However, it also reminded him of the fact that he should try and get more serious about potions this year, asking for permission to using the student laboratory being the first step. He suddenly regretted his earlier snort-laughter at Snape's misfortune.
Post by Reena Ashworth on Mar 14, 2023 5:12:34 GMT 10
Having arrived a tad later than usual to breakfast because she had hung back to make sure the new Slytherin first years were all up and finding their way back into the Great Hall, Reena sat down next to the first years again. Her prefect badge was pinned neatly onto her uniform and she enjoyed some tea and fruit with yogurt when the owl post arrived.
She winced when she saw Snape get splashed and leaned towards the first year sitting next to her to advice them not to bring any of that up in class.
Her brief worry about the cover story of the Daily Prophet forgotten the second she saw the raven land in front of her. She did not even have the time to process or offer it some food for its trouble, so hasty was it to leave again. Reena did look after it however, just for a second admiring its black beauty in a sea of brown and tan owls.
She was slightly wary of the letter it had dropped for her however.
Both the raven and the handwriting were unfamiliar to her after all. And she had not been expecting any post today.
Upon opening it, she was surprised at the sender and stared at the one line of gibberish on the parchment, feeling her brows crease in confusion.
Why was Antoninus reaching out to her now?
It was obvioulsy a coded message and her fingers were tingling to grab ink and quill and try to decode it.
However, she cast a quick glance towards the Ravenclaw table, glad it was at the other side of the hall. If Jaxen had seen her get post delivered by raven, he'd surely get suspicious. And while she had no plans to shut him out, she would like to know what Antoninus wanted before she worried Jax with it - he did not seem to like mentions of this man.
Reena leaned forward and let her hair fall around the letter, obscurring it from view, as she read it again. The question mark at the end was her best clue on how to start, as her mind raced through short questions that started with two three letter words.
No, she would need to write things down.
She pocketed Antoninus' letter, took two strips of bacon and wrapped them in a napkin before putting them into her pocket.
Reena then warned the first years to make sure they were on time for their potions class and explained the way towards it again (which was rather simple, considering the Slytherins already knew the way to the dungeons).
Looking around, she wondered if it would be acceptable to leave yet. She decided to wait a few more minutes.
Post by Orla Fallwater on Mar 14, 2023 7:31:16 GMT 10
Orla was late to breakfast, which unfortunately meant that her usual selection of seats near the doors of the Great Hall were filled with nervous firsties. She took another bite of her gooey breakfast - one of the banoffee pies from yesterday's dessert selection - and scanned the busy Hall.
She had to stand on tip-toe to see MJ at the Ravenclaw table, chatting happily in a knot of other students. Orla pouted, a little put-off by the boys holding MJ's attention. Ah well, Orla would talk to her friend in class!
Another quick scan and she found Thorne in the crowd, enjoying his breakfast with his usual easy smile. Orla licked the caramel from her fingers and hurried over to the Hufflepuff table, stepping up quickly behind Thorne before throwing her arms around his shoulders in a crushing hug.
"Congratulationsssss!" She cooed, pressing her cheek to his. "You did amazing at the choir auditions! I didn't know you could sing!"
Her greeting had cleared a little space next to Thorne, so she released her friend and plonked down next to him. She eyed his incredibly English breakfast before grabbing a huge croissant from the spread before them, tearing into it with sticky fingers as a curious little owl watched from his perch on a jug of orange juice.
Post by Martha Twiggs on Mar 14, 2023 7:58:33 GMT 10
Once she was done eating, Martha grabbed her school bag and got up. She nodded to Joshua and went over to the Gryffindor table. It was easy to spot Amelia amongst the others and she sat down next to her twin, thanking the student who moved to make a space for her.
"Did you read the front page of the Prophet?" She asked first, sitting sideways on the bench so she could face her sister.
It seemed Amelia had got a good rest from the night before and that made Martha relax a little. Being well rested would probably be a good thing for their Apparition lesson...
Speaking of which --
"Our first lesson back and it's apparition... I'm a bit nervous." She admitted, tugging at the sleeve of her jumper to go over the cuff of her blouse. It was one of her tells that she really was worried. At least she had stopped herself from bouncing her leg.
Martha knew that was a more annoying habit.
Last Edit: Mar 14, 2023 7:59:22 GMT 10 by Martha Twiggs
Post by Thorne Perry on Mar 14, 2023 8:08:47 GMT 10
The sudden greeting from behind distracted Thorne from looking at the paper and he let out a little shriek until a familiar voice hit his ears - and he realized the arms around his shoulders were familiar too.
"Hi, Orla~" he piped up, tipping his head back a bit to look at her - and it was funny watching the first years stare. Had he been that little last year? Surely not.
....but of course he had been, and while his personality had matured a smidge, his height had yet to get the memo.
"Thank you!" He added as Orla plopped down next to him, taking another bite of his crumpet and talking around it.
"I didn't....really talk about it ever 'cuz I was afraid...I dunno. I just didn't want to chicken out and have everybody disappointed. But I didn't!"
And now he got to be part of the choir! Exciting!
For him, anyways.
He swallowed his mouthful and nodded, then lifted his paper.
"I did, we've got transfiguration first 'n then history of magic later, but did you see this?" He pointed at Rid Your Garden of Unwanted Pests- then realized what he'd done and hurriedly shifted his finger over to Multiple Reports of Dragon Sightings.
"That's more interesting than our schedule!"
Last Edit: Mar 14, 2023 8:48:31 GMT 10 by Thorne Perry
Felix's mind was still a tad preoccupied with Quidditch tryouts and shaking off his sleepiness that he didn't notice that the owls were arriving early. He did however witness the messy landing of the owl at the staff table. His laugh was quite audible at the sight and he tried to stifle it as best he could. It wasn't good to ever have Professor Snape on your bad side, but it was too hard not to laugh at. It looked like he wasn't the only one who found it amusing -- even the other Professors did too!
Getting his laughing under control he grabbed at the daily prophet and glanced over it. The main article didn't catch the twelve year old's attention, but the mention of dragons did! "Whoa, wicked."
He wondered if he'd ever get to see a dragon in person. Felix knew they were dangerous and all, but so was a lot of stuff. Maybe if it was in a controlled situation somehow? That was definitely something on his bucket list.
Noticing Kody excitedly writing in what looked like a journal he scooted over to get a peek.
"Whatcha writing about?" Felix said curiously. Grabbing an apple for a snack later before they vanished.
Last Edit: Mar 14, 2023 13:51:09 GMT 10 by Deleted
Post by Oscar Tinkle on Mar 14, 2023 11:18:44 GMT 10
Oscar smiled at Arthur when he sat down next to him. Glad that the other fifth year had found him so far down the table.
“Morning,” he said in greeting after he had washed his last mouthful of food down with some juice.
“Nice and easy? So no dragons to start the year?” he joked back. Well.. half-joked. It would be pretty amazing to actually see a dragon. Terrifying, sure, but still amazing.
Was fifteen old enough to meet dragons? Maybe tiny ones. But it seemed a bit mean to split baby dragons from their families just for some students to meet them.
Oh well. Probably no dragons for them then.
His breakfast finished, Oscar picked up an apple and some nuts for later. He was in the process of storing them safely in his bag, when the post arrived.
Oscar blinked and looked between his watch and the owls flying about overhead. Had they changed what time the post arrived this year?
“Bit early,” he mumbled, turning to look up at the head table for any indication that the post was expected so early.
Instead he was greeted with the sight of Snape being splattered in porridge.
Oscar’s eyes widened at the sight. Of all the professors.. It had to happen to Snape. Oh, those poor first years. From the look on his face the new students were likely going to be eaten alive in his class.
He had to warn them, right? He couldn’t just leave them as clueless lambs headed to the slaughter. That would leave him as a terrible prefect.
Oscar leaned closer to the Hufflepuff first years and quickly and quietly warned them about the Potions professor. He hoped it would be enough to not end up with traumatised eleven year olds.
That done, Oscar turned to claim his paper only to be surprised to see his parents owl helping himself to a platter of bacon. Apparently Mercury had been willing to wait for attention if it meant he could make off with more food.
“Oh, Merc..” he couldn’t help but smile.
He gently ran his knuckles over the owl's head as he used his other hand to untie his letter. If it could be called that. It was more of a note. A note from his Mamma wishing him the best on the first day back.
His Mamma was the best.
Mercury, unhappy to be cut off from his platter of bacon, gave a hoot and flapped his way back into the air to head home. “Ah.. Sorry about the bacon,” he said to those around him after the owl had left. There were at least other plates of bacon around if people did not want to eat off one picked over by an owl.
Oscar still looked a bit sheepish about the whole thing though.
To hopefully distract from anyone commenting about Mercury’s behaviour, Oscar finally opened his paper.
“Maybe there are dragons to start the year after all,” he said to Arthur as he flipped to page sixteen, the page that grabbed his interest the most. He did wonder a little about the Hog’s Head change of ownership, but dragons won in the end.
More dragon sightings? He wanted to know more. Partly so that he could add the latest sightings to his post-it note of reported sightings. But mainly because he was just plain old curious about it.
Multiple reports? Did that mean multiple dragons or were they all about the same one? Was the dragon okay?
That last one seemed like an especially important question. Oscar could still remember reading about the dragon slain in Japan the year before.
Amelia looked up when she heard someone thanking others around her and smiled over at her sister as she joined them.
A few other the other students in their year greeted the Hufflepuff and Amelia turned towards her slightly before looking at her bag that held her copy of the prophet. "Yea... I was considering asking Dad about about."
It was a statement, not really a question. Though she had thought about it, the plan was already in motion in her own head. The question would be asked in the first letter home, likely this afternoon.
At the mention of their first lesson, Amelia smiled over at her sister and nodded in agreement. "I'm rather excited about it... Would make traveling a bit easier."
Amelia noticed her nervous habit and placed a hand on her shoulder. "You will be fine."
Last Edit: Mar 14, 2023 22:25:08 GMT 10 by Deleted
Post by Kody Ashworth on Mar 15, 2023 0:29:49 GMT 10
Honestly, Kody didn't expect anyone to pay attention to him. He looked up and grinned at Felix, turning the journal for the other to see.
"I'm going to keep a record of every creature I see this year! Look, I already wrote about the singing frogs and now the owls. I'm hoping it will help me with my O.W.L later -- for Care of Magical creatures, I mean. It's like, my favourite subject!" He would have rambled longer but he shoved another sausage roll into his mouth.
He planned to add sketches to his journal a bit later. Maybe he could ask Jaxen for help or advice on drawing creatures?
Verity seemed more interested in drawing people, otherwise he'd ask her. He glanced over at the Ravenclaw table where three of his siblings were located. Not that he felt lonely or left out of anything.
Everyone in his house was super friendly anyway!
When it seemed like Felix had got a good look, Kody went back to finishing his write-up about the owls. He hummed to himself, figuring a trip to the Owlery would definitely be in the cards for him at some point.
But he had other plans today once he was done with class!
Post by Martha Twiggs on Mar 15, 2023 0:33:50 GMT 10
"I thought about asking Dad too!" Martha chuckled softly, amazed by their twin connection. It never failed to surprise or amuse her. She wondered if it would freak anyone else out.
It was then she noticed a few of the first years just staring at the two of them and whispering. She raised her brows but shrugged -- they'd figure it out soon enough.
"I wonder how much he'd know about though and I'd feel bad bugging him about something like this. I guess I'm just being too nosy for my own good. Should we wait and see if there is an update in the next paper? And if not, we could send a message with Bartlebee?" Martha suggested, smiling at her twin.
She felt it would be a good compromise between doing something and not doing something. Waiting for more answers and then, if they didn't get any, they could ask for them!
Martha appreciated the pat to her arm as well and gave her sister an uncertain look, "You say that now... But what if I lose a finger or something?"
Maybe it was a silly thing to worry about (especially since she knew, deep down, a lot of minor injuries could be fixed by Madam Pomfrey) but the idea of not looking like her sister in some way... It was kind of scary and made her worries about apparition a lot worse.
Trying to stop fidgeting, Martha grabbed an apple instead and pocketed it for later.
"Whaaaat? That's too cool!" Felix said genuinely as he leaned in closer to get a better look. Kody was quite detailed and he admired his dedication. It was such a good idea! Felix had always loved animals back home, but here there were so many amazing magical creatures too. It blew his little mind!
"I can't wait to take that class next year. I feel like it'll be one of my favorite classes too!" He took one last peek and let Kody get back to his entry. "Keep me updated when you do more, I'd love to see it!"
Speaking of classes made him buzz with excitement. Breakfast would be over soon and then he could get to Transfiguration class! He wondered what they'd learn today. He couldn't wait! Was he allowed to leave early and get a headstart? Glancing at the staff table he sighed impatiently; drumming his fingers against the table. Absentmindedly he grabbed at an orange slice and chewed away at it as he waited.
Post by Amber Lloyd on Mar 15, 2023 4:22:55 GMT 10
While Amber was busy peeling an orange, the owls arrived. Confused looked she up, because to her feeling they were too early, and witnessed the bowl-diving owl in front of Snape.
‘Poor owl!’, were her thoughts, completely ignoring Snapes misfortune. Amber really liked to run over to help the owl, but it recovered fast to Ambers relief.
She grabbed one of the daily prophets and started to read the front page but soon got caught by the article about dragons. She hoped, she could see them some day!
After she finished, she looked around the Hall and spotted Joshua at the Hufflepuff table. She grabbed one apple for later and then decided to make her way to him. She was lucky that a seat next to him was open and she flopped down next to him.
“Hi Josh! How’s it going?”, Amber smiled. She saw the daily prophet next to him. “Did you see the article about dragon sightings? I really would love to see one! Buuut I guess I have to be patient about that…not that easy.” She sighted.
Post by Amber Lloyd on Mar 15, 2023 20:14:34 GMT 10
"Totally!", Amber agreed about flying dragons at Hogwarts. "If they behave, of course. Can't have Hogwarts being on fire!"
She said that joking at first without thought, but considering a potentional big fire made her quite nervous and left her with a knot in her tummy."
Amber was glad, Joshua mentioned COMC and perked right up, banishing the thoughts about fire.
"Of course! I'm really glad to start the new year with this class!", she answered, her eyes shining brightly. "Yeah, I guess no dragons this year.", she agreed, not so enthusiastic as before. The thought about fire had dampened her excitement about dragons.
"But we will get to see more different creatures! Maybe a Griffin or a Kneazle? We'll see!"
Amber smiled, barely able to sit still, again eager to leave the Great Hall.