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 May 31, 2023 21:23:25 GMT 10
After her afternoon stroll through the beast reserve, Amber decided to try out her newly acquired key.
She climbed the many stairs up to the Astronomy Tower where she knew she would find a use for her key.
Because of her daily intake of stairs to the Ravenclaw common room, for her it was easy to ascend to the top.
After arriving, she instantly bolted to the railing to absorb the view.
It was amazing! She loved being here. It was so high up, you could see anything from here!
Although, it would be difficult to distinguish any tiny person down there.
How much fun would it be to grab a broom and just start flying from here, making a nose dive?
She sighed. She couldn't wait until they had Quidditch practise. Maybe then she could make a nose dive - although she had to start from the ground, what a bother.
A gust of wind tugged on her hair and clothes, giving her a shiver. She tightened her scarf. Better start with her planned undertaking before it would get colder.
Amber looked around. Where was...? Ah, there!
She spotted the silver chest after a short while and stood now before it.
Here goes nothing!
She retrieved her silver key from one of her pockets and put it in the key hole of the chest, trying to open it.
The cache box was tucked away in a shadowed corner, beneath some spiral stairs -- a place most wouldn't think to look, yet the silver key seemed to draw one to it.
Once the key was inserted, it became stuck in place. Magic surrounded the box, then a game etched itself onto the wooden lid.
---- ------- ---- ---- -----
Writing appeared along the front:
"To unlock resources within, speak the passphrase once devised. Six errors you are allowed, if you wish to uncover what we've disguised. Be warned, however, as words hold power when drawn from what you cannot hide."
How to Play
Inspired by hangman. Each turn, your character says a letter that may be part of the phrase. They also provide an example word starting with that letter. The word isn't relevant to the phrase, but strengthens the magical connection to the key.
You're allowed 6 incorrect letters then you must attempt a phrase guess, though you're allowed to guess sooner if you're confident you know the answer.
An unlocked cache contains 4 ingredients, 2 game pieces, 1 food item, and a Bubble-Head potion.
Although playing a mini-game, this is still an RP-thread. The example words provided with each letter guess should be relevant to your character - such as "R - for rainbow" drawn from a childhood memory of a rainbow, or a rainbow-coloured object they're fond of.
Amber watched the chest as suddenly some letters appeared – all Es!
There were a lot… But it was still hard to guess any words for sure. She had to get more letters first.
She kept thinking. Then she smiled.
“How about S – for Snuggles!”
She loved to hug, cuddle and snuggle. With family, friends and animals. If she thought back to her childhood, she often had been out and about with her parents, visiting some magical creatures or the sheep.
And Amber always had been one to approach the animals and tried to pet them. She guessed it started with her dad showing her the fluffiness of sheep.
Oh, she missed them. Her parents and the animals alike. It was great here at Hogwarts, having enough to do, learning, practise, hanging out with her friends...
It was also a kind of home. A second home. But thinking about snuggles made her miss her first one...
Last Edit: Jun 1, 2023 5:40:34 GMT 10 by Amber Lloyd
Post by Amber Lloyd on Jun 1, 2023 14:45:37 GMT 10
Amber's eyes sparkled as her second letter guess was correct!
So, which other letter could be needed in the phase. Somehow she was drawn to...
"A - like Apples!"
Sure, for A also her name would fit but that wasn't something... which felt right to say right now. But apples were!
They reminded her of the harvest festival near her home. Eating yummy apple pie, losing in apple bobbing against her brother, building a tower out of apples, collecting apples for the sheep, dancing, throwing apples with magic at someone else...
Amber frowned. Throwing apples? With magic? That only had happened once, if she called correctly. And by accident. Although she couldn't remember any details anymore, a feeling of a guilty conscience still lingered... But not that much that it would weight down her other positive feelings about the fruit!
Now she had a craving for an apple... Maybe she should eat one later.
Amber watched closely the chest, hopefully her chosen letter would appear.
Post by Amber Lloyd on Jun 1, 2023 21:08:50 GMT 10
Amber changed how she sat in front of the chest as her feet had begun to feel a little bit numb.
So far, she didn't make any mistakes, but there were still too many gaps between the single letters to be able to guess the whole words. She needed another letter.
What word could she think of to the let the magic on the chest happen?
"I - for Ingredients!"
Yes, it was more of a brought word. But it also reminded her of diverse stuff.
The recent fun ingredient hunting with her friends, or going shopping with her mom.
And after shopping, they usually would cook or bake something together. Being it dinner or something sweet.
Through that, Amber had taken a liking to cooking and baking, making sometimes dinner at home for her whole family.
Maybe that was also a reason why she didn't completely hate potions. It was a little bit like cooking.
The mainly reason she didn't love it was the person teaching them... Because of that, brewing potions had always this bad smack.
Amber looked back at the silver chest, waiting with excitement for the next result.
Post by Amber Lloyd on Jun 1, 2023 21:18:10 GMT 10
Aww, that seemed to be incorrect. But Amber wouldn't let it drag her down!
Her stomach let out a loud rumble as if it was against being wrong.
It seemed to be dinner time soon. But first she had to crack that riddle! And she wouldn't move until she had.
In her mind she began to form multiple words, but having so much possibilities made a decision difficult yet. She had to narrow them down, making them less open to guessing.
That gave her an idea for the next letter.
"O - for Outdoors!"
Outdoors meant for her openness, freedom, relaxation, adventures. It was something she needed to live.
Without it, she wouldn't know what to do. She couldn't stand being cooped up too long indoors. She would venture outside even if it was raining, snowing or freezing.
In her opinion, there was never wrong weather, but only wrong clothes.
And it was amazing how much a scenery changed just because of the weather. Or which animals would more likely to be seen.
She loved exploring spots where she hadn't been before. And that was also a reason why she loved Hogwarts. It was so big, even in her 5th year now there were still places left she hadn't visited yet. Adventures which were left to go on, riddles like this one left to solve.
But if Hogwarts was already like this, how would be the whole world?
Amber smiled brightly at the thought of that, her eyes were shining.
But first, she had to solve this riddle. And finish school - which involved surviving OWLs.
She grimaced. That would have also been a word with 'O'...
Post by Amber Lloyd on Jun 1, 2023 21:21:49 GMT 10
The letters she got correct so far narrowed down at least some of the words. But it wasn't enough.
Amber thought of a next letter, one with which she perhaps could confirm a word. And maybe it was hidden in another one as well.
But with which word should she make a connection to the chest?
She had multiple ideas. Which one was fitting better?
"R - like River!"
She had pondered between this one and riddles. She loved them, that was a part of her, however, as she was solving a riddle right now, it felt weird to use that word for it.
So river it was. It reminded her about hot summer days, when she was playing at the river near her farm with some muggle kids.
Catching frogs, dipping their feet (or whole body) in the water, collecting stones, building a dam...
Amber blinked in surprise as something came to her mind.
She should definitely visit the Rocky River in the near future and collect some stones for Joshua! She hoped she would find some he could use... Or she was taking him with her, that would be also an option. Then they could search together!
She smiled.
She wouldn't mind if Caine joined them too, although she guessed it would end up rather in a water battle than finding stones...
She grinned. Sounded fun too!
Amber glanced at the chest in anticipation - for a future adventure and if her guess had been correct.
Post by Amber Lloyd on Jun 1, 2023 21:52:04 GMT 10
For some letters, Amber needed to think to come up with a word. And for some, like this one, her mind produced multiple ones.
Although, for the one that had popped up first... she was strictly against using it. She hated the word, it reminded her always of bad times, despite not being bad altogether.
She sighed. Why couldn't she think of another one first? Like friends or flying?
They were so much nicer and she got beautiful memories with them.
But no, another word had to shove the others aside. And she guessed as it was so powerful, she had to use it.
She gulped and prepared herself to say it.
"F ... for Fire."
Amber didn't really feel better after saying it out loud. But she got the feeling for the riddle she needed some strong words.
Fire was something she had to fight. In life and in her mind.
But it was getting better.
She smiled a bit wistfully as she waited for the chest's answer.
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December
