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 Kody Ashworth on Apr 9, 2023 23:15:45 GMT 10
Kody caught his breath as he came to a stop. It took him a moment to realize where he had stopped but he gasped -- he was certain he had seen another ingredient on the list here!
Looking around, Kody familiarized himself with the courtyard. Admittedly, it wasn't a place he had come to often in previous years. He wondered where he would start with trying to locate a beetle...
"Maybe they want somewhere to hide..." He mumbled to himself and dropped into a crouch, crab walking along one of the walls and scanning cracks or under leafy plants for a good hiding spot. He was willing to shift a stone or two if need be!
"Where are you, Mister Beetle? Or Missus Beetle!" Kody chuckled, continuing his search.
Last Edit: Apr 9, 2023 23:21:13 GMT 10 by Kody Ashworth
A beetle scuttled along the ground under a stone bench, oblivious to the world around it yet on alert for danger. It was quite skittish, but easy enough to capture with the right timing and determined grip.
Post by Kody Ashworth on Apr 10, 2023 16:54:38 GMT 10
"Woah!" Kody gasped quietly as he watched the beetle scuttling around under a stone bench that he was creeping past. The beetle was a lot bigger than expected and it was then that Kody realized he had never caught a beetle before.
It seemed to move around quickly but it would stop from time to time, perhaps surveying its surrounding with little beetle eyes.
Kody watched it for a few minutes, not even bothered by the wait as he was enthralled by its movements. He knew timing was going to be important and perhaps a very sure grip. He was glad he had brought his school bag along and fished out a half-empty jellybean box. He tipped out the rest of the beans into the bottom of his bag without a care.
This would do as a beetle house for a short while, right?
After a few more moments of just watching, Kody rocked on his feet and then dove for the beetle. He cupped his hands around the target and stilled... There was a faint wriggling against his hands and he grinned.
"Nice!" Kody deposited the beetle into the bean box, watching it through the little window before he placed it into his bag with a lot more care than he had shown the beans.
Kody looked around and wondered if there was anything else to find here.
Post by Reena Ashworth on Apr 11, 2023 5:59:36 GMT 10
Reena had thought about getting a start on some extra credit but had decided in favor of stocking up on ingredients instead. She had plans of using the student lab to the max this year so she could be prepared for anything a potion could help with.
Not without sighing had she settled on hunting beetles now rather than putting it off and having a surprise early cold ruin her chances of finding any, so she headed into the clocktower courtyard.
She noticed someone in red robes but did not look at them directly, instead focusing on the ground and walls in search of crawling little monsters - until she heard a very familiar voice talk to himself in celebration.
“Kody!“, she said surprised and turned to look at her brother.
“What‘cha doing?“, she asked curiously. Had he followed a bird call outside? Or did he come here to feed critter?
She hoped not. Was there anything in the school rules against feeding pests like mice? She‘d hate to stomp on Kody’s parade in her new role as prefect.
Perhaps she should ask one of the Head Hogs later.
Upon further inspection she noticed her brother was holding a scroll, which she found rather odd, so she stepped closer towards him to take a better look.
Post by Kody Ashworth on Apr 11, 2023 6:09:08 GMT 10
Looking up from his scroll, Kody's expression quickly brightened into one of complete joy at the sight of his older sister.
"Hey Reena~ I just caught an awesome beetle! Professor Snape asked me to collect five ingredients and then I can use the Student Lab!" He babbled, getting everything out in one breath.
He tucked his scroll under one arm and dug into his bag, removing the bean box with a careful touch so Reena could see his beetle.
"I told him I wanted to be awesome at Potions like you." He explained, hoping she would think the beetle was as cool as he did.
If she wanted to find out too, Kody could give some tips -- being something of an expert beetle catcher now himself.
Post by Reena Ashworth on Apr 11, 2023 8:35:33 GMT 10
“Oh?,“ she said. Her expression brightened as she was feeling pride at her brother’s initiative of requesting to use the student lab. However, she also worried about having another one of her younger brothers in there, either experimenting or accidentally skipping a step while brewing potions.
Part of her wished Kody had been here actually feeding mice instead. But it was a small part and it was promptly forgotten about when he continued to speak.
“You said that to Snape?,“ she asked, feeling her chest warm at the praise that was imminent in Kody’s words.
She inched closer to get a better look at the beetle in Kody‘s bean box and nodded.
“That is one good beetle. I‘m actually looking for one just like it,“ she smiled.
Reena wondered just how aware Kody was of having to off the little crawling creature he had just caught. Did he have it in him to do that?
Although, she wouldn‘t put it past Kody to show the beetle to Snape just to release it later. That would be rather sneaky of him, but perfectly within the rules the potions master had set for them.
Post by Kody Ashworth on Apr 11, 2023 12:50:12 GMT 10
"Yeah! Of course! I figured if I got good enough... Even if it was just prepping things, I could help you out?" Not with school work, obviously. Whatever Reena was being taught was way too advanced for him but maybe if they brewed a potion together at the lab!
Kody beamed more (if that was even possible) when Reena praised his beetle. He carefully put it away again and then brought out his owl feather to show her as well.
"I got this feather from the Owlery as well~ Hey, what's the best way to carry these around before I get back to my dorm? I don't want them to get ruined before I can show them to Professor Snape..." He didn't think he'd pass the Potions Masters little test if they were less than excellent.
He shrugged as he waited for Reena to answer. As long as he found five things and managed to get them to Professor Snape, he'd be happy. What more could he ask for? "I found my beetle under one of the stone benches, by the way."
Turning, he nodded towards the bench and then saw a few others, "Want me to help you look?"
There was tension between two beetles as they scuttled around a stone bench, pausing occasionally to threateningly click pincers at each other. They were on high alert, and already quite skittish.
Luckily, their attention was primarily on each other so it was possible to discreetly make an approach. Capturing them, however, required precise timing and being as quiet as possible; these beetles could detect a change in the air, and a shift of shadows or light.
If one beetle was caught, the other would scurry into some grass to hide. Keen perception and stealth was necessary to grab it. If failing to hunt either of them, they'd deliver a painful pinch to their would-be captor -- then flee out of sight and reach.
Post by Reena Ashworth on Apr 11, 2023 19:39:15 GMT 10
Hearing Kody's explanation about his sudden interest in potions truly warmed her heart and it brought a smile onto her face. It made her want to make time to teach him proper ingredient handling and utensil maintanance.
He was taking their plan to help each other save their siblings seriously, and even more than that, was making an effort to take interest in her interest.
"I'd love that, thank you, Kody."
She looked at the owl feather he showed her and gave an affirming nod to its quality.
"I'd place it between two sheets of parchment and carefully put it between the pages of a book - a notebook, not a heavy textbook. You don't want it to get kinks or break apart but you also don't want the weight of the book to squash its quill."
Reena supressed the urge to ruffle Kody's hair when he offered to help her look for beetles and simply nodded a 'thank you' and turned towards the stone benches.
It dod not take long to spot the two beetles in battle with each other and she placed a finger on her lips as she got out an empty jar and beckoned Kody to follow her slowly. She figured it was unlikely that she could catch both of them, but perhaps Kody would be quick enough to catch one if they escaped from her.
He had caught one already, after all.
She unscrewed the lid from her jar and let it slide into her pocket for easy access, as she tried to sneak up on the fighting pair of beetles, searching for a route that prevented her shadow to fall onto them and spook them away before she could reach them.
As she snuck closer, and got a better look at their angry pincers, she regretted that she only had one jar and thus couldn't give Kody one to protect his fingers. Perhaps she could do with just one beetle?
Reena paused and slowly readied the empty jar, waiting for the opportune moment to strike. They seemed busy with themselves and as the one further away made its move to shove the one closer to her, she made her own move, jamming the jar down on the (hopefully unsuspecting) beetle.
Post by Kody Ashworth on Apr 12, 2023 1:47:29 GMT 10
"We should ask Ezra too, yeah? He'd love that!" Kody suggested with a grin, listening attentively as Reena explained the best way to ensure his feather didn't get damaged. His mouth formed a small 'o' and he took out a textbook that would be ideal for the job. Carefully sandwiching the feather between some parchment, he slipped it into the middle of his book.
With care, he closed the book over and placed it back into his bag, "You're a genius!"
Reena definitely was the best person to ask and Kody was so glad they had run into each other!
Following along with Reena, Kody barely held back a gasp of excitement at seeing two beetles this time. Engaged in combat no less! He made a mental note to remember this for later, when he updated his creature journal.
Neither beetle wanted to give up their place to the other and Kody forgot for a moment that his sister wanted to catch one. He already had one himself but quickly assessed the situation -- disturbing one would send the other scuttling off so he could attempt to catch it!
Cornering them both in from either side would make the catch easier too!
Kody glanced at Reena and nodded, getting into position to catch the second beetle. If he kept the two of them, would they start fighting as well? Maybe he could set up a little battle arena in his dormitory to... No, focus Kody! Do not get distracted!
Reena made her move, using a jar to trap one of the beetles -- Gosh, his sister really was a genius! Kody didn't have anything like that but he wasn't too bothered about a pinch from a beetle if he got one. It was just part of dealing with creatures, right? Maybe he would need to invest in some sturdy gloves to deal with this kind of things in the future.
He attempted to cup his hands around the second beetle to catch it, glancing over at Reena, "I think I got it?"
Ah, nope. He uncupped his hands to check and noticed they were empty. Glancing around, he saw the beetle hurry off into a patch a grass.
"How about you?" Kody smiled fondly, attention going back to his sister.
Last Edit: Apr 13, 2023 21:48:21 GMT 10 by Kody Ashworth
Post by Reena Ashworth on Apr 13, 2023 4:43:54 GMT 10
Reena was focused on the beetle in her jar as she made fished the lid back out of her pocket and held it ready next to the stone bench. She then slid the jar towards it, forcing the beetle to move along until she had reached the edge.
Then she quickly scooped it onto the lid and turned the jar around with the lid on top before she focused back on her brother.
“Got it,“ she confirmed. She frowned when she saw his hands cupped over the stone bench.
“Did you get the other one? Need me to get your bean box?“, she asked.
Hopefully he wouldn’t get pinched.
Last Edit: Apr 13, 2023 22:02:18 GMT 10 by Reena Ashworth: beetle run
Post by Kody Ashworth on Apr 13, 2023 23:51:53 GMT 10
Kody shook his head, "Nope, it got away but you got one!"
That alone was good enough for Kody and he put an arm around his sister's shoulders, "Awesome to see a professional ingredient hunter at work -- anything to say to your fans?"
He pretended to hold a mic up to Reena, giving her a chance to say something if she wanted to play along. If she laughed him off and shrugged his arm off, Kody would take it in his stride.
But now they both had something from here and Kody hadn't seen anything else listed as a viable ingredient in this area, "Any suggestions on where I should go next? I was contemplating heading to the Lake, seems there are plenty of options there!"
Frogspawn sounded like a fun thing to try and get... Anything related to creatures and Kody was interested. Would he get to see some frogs as well? They would be a lot harder than a beetle to catch, for sure.
He also wondered what Reena planned to do next and was in no hurry to leave, happy to wait to hear what his sister was planning to do.
Post by Reena Ashworth on Apr 14, 2023 7:43:37 GMT 10
“Bummer,“ she said and secured the lid on her beetle jar once more.
When Kody put his arm around her shoulder and pretended to interview her, he managed to pull a laugh from her but she shrugged him off. She did not feel like goofing around today.
Reena nodded at his suggestion of trying the lake for his next ingredient. She was proud of him for taking initiative and wanting to see it through quickly. She knew how easily he could get distracted and wondered if she should observe him to make sure he didn’t.
“Lake is good this time of year. Forest Path too. It‘s were I was headed next. Wanna walk together?“, she offered.
She’d happily search with him, yet she did not want to step on his toes too much. There were things he needed to do on his own, she knew. It was just hard to let go of him sometimes.
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