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 Amber Lloyd on Apr 11, 2023 20:19:37 GMT 10
Amber walked with a smile into the Private Courtyard She really loved how there were places of nature inside the castle she could visit, when she didn't have the time to venture more outside.
The sun shone in her face and for a moment she closed her eyes, enjoying the warmth from the ray of sunlights.
But then she decided to get to work. She was here to find Silkmoss for her potion kit. Were did hide?
She began to look around the grass and the tree.
Last Edit: Apr 11, 2023 22:58:16 GMT 10 by Amber Lloyd
Kwame followed Amber into the private courtyard, the afternoon sun a welcome feeling on his skin.
"Beautiful day, isn't it?"
Kwame began to search the courtyard for silkmoss. He checked the stone pillars that surrounded the courtyard, hoping he would be able to tell the difference between silkmoss and weed. If he didn't, Amber could probably help him. She knew about the sage after all.
"So why are you just now getting your potion kit? Most people get it in first year, don't they?" Kwame asked her in an attempt to make conversation.
He was pretty bad at it. But, he was happy spending time with Amber and did not want to search for ingredients in silence.
Post by Amber Lloyd on Apr 12, 2023 6:26:33 GMT 10
Amber smiled at Kwames response.
"Yeah, I hope tomorrow will also be a sunny. Then at least there is more motivation to go outside. And running around Hogwarts is fun."
She grinned. Although, she wouldn't need that much motivation. If she needed to be surrounded by nature, she would even go on rainy days. There was only wrong clothing, not bad weather!
After not really finding any moss at all, she joined Kwame near the stone pillars.
His question about the potion kit got her thinking.
"Hm, I guess I just forgot a little about it? Joshua and Caine are always keeping one on the go. And they also didn't think about getting their kit until now. When the OWLs are just around the corner... So... yeah."
She shrugged with her shoulders and then looked at him curious.
"And you? Obviously you're also not one of the 'most first years'," she grinned.
She liked talking to Kwame. It was definitely a change to her conversations with the two Hufflepuffs. No chaos, more calmness. That little break from them was nice.
Although, she guessed there would be something missing if they weren't around anymore.
She shook her head a little bit, but also needed to grin. Jup, she got way too used to the chaotic duo!
Kwame smiled at her comment about running around Hogwarts. It was fun to imagine himself as carefree. The truth was that his studying kept him in the library quite often.
"This ingredient hunting is giving me good reason to go outside. I should make an effort to leave the castle more."
Kwame listened to Amber's answer as he continued his search for the silkmoss. Kwame got the impression that Amber could take her studies a little more seriously, but he would never say something so impolite.
"I've been too scared of Snape to see him outside of class."
It was the true answer to her question.
"Plus, my interest in Potions only just intensified after this summer. I went to visit my family in Africa and saw some fascinating ingredients at markets and in shops."
He hoped they would find the silkmoss soon so they could go on to another ingredient.
Post by Joshua Twiggs on Apr 13, 2023 4:05:22 GMT 10
After a quick pit stop, Joshua felt refreshed and ready to tackle the afternoon. The thought of tonight’s Tryouts were weighing in the back of his mind however much he tried not to be, he was nervous.
Good thing he had Caine with him, who was the best companion to have when you needed to let off some nervous energy.
Joshua was just about to jump through one of the arches into the Private Courtyard, when he heard bits and pieces of a conversation, too little to make out what was said but enough to recognise who had said it.
He presses a finger to his lips and turned to Caine, pointing at the big tree to the side and beckoning him to follow quietly.
He sneak-ran towards it, trying to keep out of the Ravenclaws‘ view. When he reached the tree, he leaned his back against its bark, and slid down into a more stable stance.
He then folded his hands together to form a base to give Caine a boost up into the branches, certain he would understand the assignment.
Post by Caine Hawke on Apr 13, 2023 5:04:05 GMT 10
Snacks acquired, Caine followed Joshua to the courtyard, nibbling contentedly on the food he had left. He heard voices and Josh turned to hush him, which led to Caine's brows shooting up as he was motioned toward the big tree. Slowly, a smile formed. Oh... so that was what they were going to do.
He watched his friend create a base and Caine moved quietly forward, scrambling into the tree with only a little bit of effort then held his hand down to Josh to help him in, legs and arms keeping him well balanced. Nodded toward the small gated area and smirked. He could flip out of the branches and scare them, or eavesdrop. He wished he knew more of what he wanted to do because Caine was not a good spy.
All things considered.
Then he heard a comment about Joshua and himself. They kept her on the go? Good! He pressed his lips flat to keep from laughing and waved his hand hurriedly at Joshua.
Post by Joshua Twiggs on Apr 13, 2023 5:39:52 GMT 10
Giving Caine a little boost when he felt he needed it, Joshua briefly checked on the two Ravenclaws before he turned around and grabbed a hold of Caine‘s hand.
With the help of his friend he managed to scramble up into the lower branches and held still for a moment to listen, hoping the rustle of the leaves they had caused would not rise suspicion.
It was perfectly logical to assume it was the wind moving the branches. Or squirrels.
Some mighty squirrels he and Caine were. Badger squirrels.
Joshua had to hold one hand above his mouth to stop himself from laughing when he looked at Caine.
Simply scaling the tree while trying not to be spotted had been fun enough, he did not care much that he had no real plan on how to proceed now that they were here.
Taking a moment to make sure he had himself under control, he made sure his legs were slung firmly around the branch and let go with his hand.
He made a scaring motion towards Caine, then tried to peer towards Amber and Kwame again.
Were they too far away to scare properly from here?
Hopefully they‘d move closer. Or they‘d have to lure them here somehow. They were probably looking for ingredients for Snape - like he should be - so sitting in a tree could be a good vantage point, right?
Perhaps Caine had an idea, Joshua felt his friend was a little more acrobatic than he was.
Peppering the stones with spots of green, Silkmoss grew a bit too high for a student to grab -- with no obvious way to reach it. A creative solution was required, as surely there was something nearby to aide the task.
Once the fragile Silkmoss was within grasp, it needed to be carefully collected to remain intact and viable as an ingredient.
Post by Amber Lloyd on Apr 13, 2023 15:49:51 GMT 10
"Then we should definitely go ingredient hunting together more often!" Amber answered grinning as Kwame seemed to need a little push to venture outside. He already found the right person for it!
She listened attentively to Kwame. That and her search kept her so occupied that she actually didn't notice the Hufflepuffs.
She grimaced at the mention of Snape.
"I know what you mean! You can't really read him..."
Africa? Sounded exciting! So far, Amber didn't venture abroad yet because of the work on their farm. But it was on her to-do list.
"Sounds interesting! What ingredients for example?"
Ambers gaze followed a trail of moss at the stone pillars. It didn't seem like silk moss but maybe that one grew near regular moss?
As her gaze went higher, she saw a different kind of moss, it seemed a lighter as the other one.
"Oh, that could be it, right!" Amber pointed to the silk moss she spotted.
But it seemed to be out of reach for both of them. Amber looked around in the courtyard to see anything of help. She spotted the tree. She nodded to it.
"Hm, you think that one could help us get there? Or at least to another spot for silk moss, I guess they would grow on another pillar near the tree", she suggested as they stood not near the tree at the moment.
Kwame smiled at Amber. It was easy to bond over a love for potions, and even easier over disliking Professor Snape. Why had they not been close before? Kwame would have to change that.
"Yes, we should! And I'm not sure I would want to read him." Kwame did not like the idea of reading Snape's inner thoughts.
"Well, different plants grow there than in Europe. Plus, we have different animals there too," Kwame told her. He couldn't think of too many specific examples off the top of his head.
"My uncle gave me a book about African potion ingredients, if you want to borrow sometime," he offered to her.
He followed her pointing and agreed that what she had found was likely the silkmoss. It was too high up to grab. Kwame didn't see anything close by to climb on to grab the silkmoss.
"Maybe we can use magic on it? You don't think Snape charmed the ingredients to be magic resistant, do you?"
He wouldn't put it past Snape. Kwame pulled his wand out from his robe and pointed it at the ingredient.
"Accio silkmoss!"
Last Edit: Apr 19, 2023 16:36:44 GMT 10 by Lena: Incantation needs to be italics to count as cast.
Post by Caine Hawke on Apr 14, 2023 4:59:15 GMT 10
Caine had helped Joshua into the tree and they sat with relative silence. There were plans hatching within his mind, ideas to pull the scare and make it formidable.
Kwame and Amber talked of potions - he rolled his eyes. The worst of the subjects in his honest opinions but hey, at least they were doing what they were supposed to... unlike Caine and his friend. He beamed down at Josh as he stood slightly, following their movements as he crept along branches like a cat, staying firmly attached to the branches by hand and foot.
They stopped, and began trying to summon silkmoss. Caine hooked his legs on the branch and flipped upside down, throwing his arms out with a loud yell, grin on his face as he dangled, hoping to see some jumps or shrieks.
"I'm pretty sure that won't work, Kwame, my dude." He sang, a playful smile written on his face.
"Professor Sprout said to be nice to the silkmoss, didn't she...like once?" he was alright in Herbology. Further more so because she was the Head of his House and tended to be nice to him... and she understood that restless energy he had. He liked her so he listened when she said stuff. Maybe he wasn't the best student in the world but he did pay attention. Sometimes.
He stayed like that. Upside down, hands dangling, as he waited for a response.
Post by Amber Lloyd on Apr 14, 2023 5:25:57 GMT 10
Ambers face lit up as Kwame mentioned animals. Sure, extraordinary ingredients were exciting but animals beat that. Especially, if they were magical creatures.
"Oh, sounds nice! Gladly!" Amber answered with a smile. Maybe in the book there would be mentioned from which animals the ingredients would be coming from. That would definitely be interesting! And perhaps it would also be useful for potion class.
As she was about to tell her opinion on the spell Kwame tried, she heard leaveds rustling, a creaking from the branch near them and then suddenly a loud shout directly behind them.
"What the-", Amber immediately spinned around, maybe expecting unknown danger. But as soon as she did, she saw this Hufflepuff hanging upside down right in front of her like a monkey, and relaxed a little. Although, anger also appeared.
Since when were he in that tree? And he even dared to make this prank and give comments while they were ingredient hunting?
That sounded like revenge!
She grinned mischieviously and then made a sudden step towards Caine, raised her hands and began to tickle the sides of his torso. He was in the perfect position for it, not able to run away.
Post by Joshua Twiggs on Apr 14, 2023 7:25:38 GMT 10
There was something cat-like in the way Caine mastered the crawl along the branches and Joshua could only watch with a mix of awe and envy as he followed - a lot slower and more akin to a seal as he heaved himself forward in short, yet quick motions.
He paused and laid in wait as the two Ravenclaws came closer in their search for Silkmoss. He grinned in anticipation and when Caine finally saw a chance to take, Joshua could not help but let out an audible snort at Amber‘s reaction.
What happened next was simply wonderful however. Caine dangling upside down, and Amber attempting to tickle him in his vulnerable position?
This had turned out even funnier than anticipated!
Yet he could not idly sit by and watch his comrade be attacked by vicious tickle fingers!
“Woolooloo!“, he shrieked as he copied Caine’s earlier upside down flip and attempted to scare Amber away from him, before breaking into laughter.
This did not help his hold of the branch however and he was forced to reach up with his hands again and rotated through his arms before letting go and landing on his feet next to Amber with a thud.
He gave both her and Caine a wide grin while wiping some bark off his hands.
“Yeah, Kwame,“ he crossed his arms in front of his chest and put on a serious expression, as though the last two minutes had never happened.
“Doesn‘t using magic on ingredients mess with their quality as well? Magic is always the very last ingredient in a potion, after all!“
He let his words hang there for a while, as though he had any idea what he was talking about and not just bullsh… his way through this sentence.
Then he broke character and gave the Ravenclaw boy a wink and grin.
“Nahh… We‘re just joshin‘ ya. Need a boost though?“
Post by Amber Lloyd on Apr 15, 2023 2:01:09 GMT 10
As Amber was about to tickle Caine, she first heard a little laugher, then suddenly a shriek and another well-known Hufflepuff was hanging upside down beside Caine - at least for a moment.
Ambers tickle fingers froze one centimeter before they could touch Caine. But it was not because she was scared by the sudden appeareance of Joshua, although it definitely had been a surprise.
A little one, because intuitivley she knew that if Caine was hiding here, Joshua couldn't have been far.
But his athletic stunt (or rather save) had kept her gaze longer on Joshua than it would have.
She was so perplexed, she let go of Caine and even applauded for Joshua. Then she looked to Caine.
"Your acrobatic 'stunt' was not even nearly as good as his!" Amber said to him jokingly.
She looked at Joshua with a dunning, but also slightly playful expression.
"Don't tease Kwame so much!" After a glance at Caine, she added "Both of you!"
Then she smirked. "But I take the boost!"
Last Edit: Apr 15, 2023 16:48:06 GMT 10 by Amber Lloyd
Post by Joshua Twiggs on Apr 16, 2023 17:55:36 GMT 10
He could feel Amber‘s gaze linger on him and he gave her a quizzical look before he bowed to her applause with a grin.
His stunt seemed to have done its purpose in saving Caine from being viciously tickled - and impressing Amber, which was always a plus, he guessed.
Climbing into and getting out of trees was something he had done a lot as a kid, eventhough his skill of getting around still looked rather funny.
“Ahh. He knows it’s all in good fun, don‘t you?“, he gave Kwame a bright smile and uncrossed his arms with a shrug. “And about that duel you proposed earlier, I‘m ready whenever you are - just not today. Need to keep all my limbs intact for Tryouts.“
Joshua would rather play a game of Gobstones than duel, but he figured that after what happened at the end of last year to poor Jacob Thatcher and Dumbledore, they‘d all be better off honing their combat skills. This definitely included him as well.
Amber wanted the boost he had offered, so he leaned against the pillar in a stable stance and folded his hands together to give her foot a base, as he had done for Caine earlier.
“Give her a hand?“, he said towards Caine who was in a good position to stabilise their friend when she would climb up the pillar.
Last Edit: Apr 16, 2023 17:58:31 GMT 10 by Joshua Twiggs
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