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.
The sun finally set on a long yet mostly productive day, and the Great Hall began to fill with excited but hungry students, eager for the Hallowe'en Feast. The floating candles were replaced with jack-o-lanterns, there were various streamers and decorations along the walls, and at least a hundred live bats flew overhead now and again. The moonlit sky, on full display via the enchanted ceiling, only added to their festive atmosphere.
Ghosts were in full attendance, moving around the tables or conversing with various students. Several headless horsemen leaped into the hall through tall windows, and galloped round the room -- before leaving again. The Gryffindor ghost eyed them enviously.
Then there was the food, which was themed and far grander than usual. There was simply too much to name, but it all looked and smelled amazing. It was, in every sense of the word, a feast. Students, and staff (though the Heads of Houses were absent), wasted no time piling food onto plates, and engaging in conversation with those around them.
It was the perfect celebration to finish off October.
And an added bonus, it was confirmed that the feast would include dessert afterwards -- which many looked forward to most, especially after last year's rule change by the Headmaster that Dessert, as a mealtime, was no longer a daily thing. But even so, there were some treats still available even during dinner.
Unfortunately, not everyone could enjoy the event to its fullest. Caine Hawke had hopefully remembered to arrive to dinner early, as to grab something to eat, before heading off to the Trophy Room for his detention -- which must start during the feast, of course, as per Professor Snape's insistence.
It was also a full night of Prefect Patrols, though they were allowed to enjoy the feast first if they wished; permitted to head off whenever they were ready, but had to be at their assigned locations by Dessert. For Oscar Tinkle and Reena Ashworth , they didn't have far to go -- stationed at the Entrance Hall tonight. But for Martha Twiggs and Elizabeth Doren , it was a bit of an unusual one and further away -- being outside, in the Main Courtyard.
Detention and Prefect Patrols threads are available for posting in by those assigned there.
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Jun 28, 2023 21:49:46 GMT 10
Hallowe'en Feast! MJ wriggled excitedly on the bench at Ravenclaw table. She loved the feasts at Hogwarts -- they just seemed extra magical. The Jack-o'-lanterns were a nice touch and it was fun to see the ghosts joining them.
If their house ghost noticed her, MJ would give her a smile and a nod. She had been so kind and helpful last year, MJ was particularly fond of the Grey Lady.
She ducked as some bats swooped even though they didn't get close enough to touch their heads, it was just instinct. MJ She piled food onto her plate, grabbing anything and everything she fancied so it was like she was eating at a buffet (which, she supposed, she kind of was).
Feast night meant they would get dessert too, which was something else to look forward to.
She glanced up and down the table, "Pass the pumpkin juice, please?"
MJ's gaze landed on the teacher's table for a moment and she noticed Professor Rivera wasn't present... And then Professor Snape was missing too? Hm, what was going on?
Post by Kody Ashworth on Jun 28, 2023 21:53:15 GMT 10
"And then! I had to use the shovel to-- Oh, pass those potatoes please." Kody had been telling some younger students about his battle at the Pumpkin Patch when he got distracted by some champ.
It was delicious and he wanted to load up on that plus the chicken and ham pie! And then maybe he'd have some space for something else before dessert was served.
He lost track of his story but it was fine, there was plenty of conversation around him that he was able to focus on eating for a bit. He watched the ghosts as they moved around the room and waved at their own house ghost when he passed.
Ghosts never bothered Kody but he wondered for a moment if some students found them odd or weird.
This thought didn't last long either when he heard someone mention the upcoming Quidditch match, "Our team is solid! I think we've the best chance at beating Slytherin!"
Kody was being biased, of course, but who was going to stop him? He shovelled more potato into his mouth and chewed happily.
Post by Lindsey Bryce on Jun 28, 2023 22:08:03 GMT 10
The walk back to her dorm had been rather awful, mostly because she was still wet in some places. After putting away the one ingredient she had managed to grab from under the water, she changed into dry clothing and prepared for dinner. Using a mirror, she was able to fix her hair nicely, putting a couple of braids to keep it from her face. After checking herself over, she smiled and nodded at her appearance. It seemed good enough.
She made her way through the common room and out into the castle, headed to the Great Hall for the Halloween feast. It was always an enjoyable one, but she also knew it was just one of several feast of the year. With all the ghost floating about, she found everything to be wonderfully eerie, yet wonderful. She found herself ducking when the horses rode through the air, even though she knew she didn't have to. It wasn't like they could hurt her.
Finding a place at the table, she smiled at the assortment of food and began to fill her plate with some new choices than the years before. Her goblet was filled with something sweet and she idle enjoyed the meal. With so much conversation happening around her, it was too much to pick one to stick with, as some of it was less interesting to her. So, she sat quietly.
The duel with her brother had been good and she had left with a smile on her face after giving him an encouraging word. He had done great, no doubt about that at all. She just had a little more experience. It was alright though, he would get there, she had no doubt. She hadn't found much to do after that, so she made her way to the Great Hall as dinner neared and found her place at the table, chuckling when the horsemen rode into the great hall. She followed them as they did their chase and then looked at the Gryffindor Ghost with a smile.
"I say you should start your own tradition and ride anyway, sir," she said with a bright smile at the Ghost. It was a known fact that he was a nearly-headless ghost, but that shouldn't have excluded him completely. He was a great ghost and she was sure he could make a great horsemen. She heard the sound of Kody talking and she smiled at his excitement.
Charlotte had enjoyed the library that afternoon, but soon everyone was heading to the feast and she felt herself grow weary from anticipation. The crowd always seemed bigger during the feast and as she entered, she jumped when the horsemen rode into the hall and disappeared. Why did they have to do that? She swallowed and found her way towards the Ravenclaw Table as quickly as possible.
The food looked quite good and she looked at all the options. It was hard to pick and it made her quite anxious to have so many choices. Finally, she picked a few things that she recognized and then picked a few things she found were new and looked good.
When she heard MJ asked for pumpkin juice, Charlotte leaned forward and grabbed some, passing it over to her with a smile.
Sarah panted as she ran into the Great Hall, her eyes wide as galleons when she noticed all the food on the tables.
Without much further thought, Sarah sat behind the Gryffindor table, somewhere in the middle, and started piling up the food on her plate. She clapped when she was told by someone that there'd be dessert. It was such an unusual and cruel punishment not to have something sweet at every meal.
''Awesome,'' Sarah said to herself when she started in on her food, looking around the Great Hall for all the different decorations. The ghosts and bats gave her the heebie jeebies, but she really liked the charmed jack-o-lanterns.
Just in case something came up later, Sarah took an apple from the table to squirrel it away for later. Sometimes, she got the munches in the common room and a tasty apple was just right to hit the spot until breakfast.
Post by Orla Fallwater on Jun 28, 2023 22:22:13 GMT 10
Orla jangled merrily into the packed Hall, her eyes huge in the candlelight. She was very hungry, but she'd stopped by her room to loop the Niffler keys onto a length of embroidery thread, then had tied the bunch around her neck.
It was a constant reminder that she had some exploring to do; if the keys were left in a drawer, Orla was likely to forget them altogether.
Her mind was full of the plans she had for the keys and her mission at the Lake, but when her eyes took in the feast spread over the tables Orla became fixated on stuffing her face.
She wriggled into a spot at the Slytherin table and began piling stuff on her plate: a warm fluffy bread roll, two chicken wings, a pile of crispy chips and a great puddle of tomato sauce.
While she dug in, Orla watched the ghosts trail by, and wondered how the headless horsemen ended up with their horses in the afterlife too...
Benji looked around the usual grandness of the Great Hall, all decked out for Halloween. He liked this holiday, he really did, but he felt guilty that Caine couldn't be there. The Slytherin wondered whether it was right or smart that he wasn't right by the Hufflepuff in detention.
Benjamin sat down at the Slytherin table near Lindsey. He gave her a tight smile and greeted her softly, not really in the mood to interact much with anyone.
He took some potatoes, a piece of pork and a small slice of bread on his plate. The food did look grand, he had to give the house elves kudos, but it was wasted on him.
Mullishly, Benji moved the food around the plate, taking a small bite from time to time. It felt like as in his mouth and whatever he ate, seemed to form a lead weight in his stomach. Forcing himself to eat a few more bites, but it all just reminded him that Caine couldn't have anything.
Benji moved the plate away, sighing to himself. He looked up at the ghosts, watching the Bloody Baron do whatever they usually did, flinching just a small amount when some bats unexpectedly flew overhead.
Seeing that he didn't really have an appetite, Benji took an apple and some nuts. Maybe he'd have some will and energy to eat in the common room. He had half a mind to try and get some food for Caine, but with the detention and all, it didn't seem like a good idea.
Last Edit: Jun 28, 2023 22:28:40 GMT 10 by Deleted
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Jun 28, 2023 22:30:42 GMT 10
"Thanks." MJ smiled as Charlotte handed her the juice. She poured a big glass of it and set the jug down for someone else, if they needed it. She took a sip and then turned to her friend.
"Did you have a good day?" They hadn't seen each other much, aside from class and everyone knew how that had gone. MJ had been busy collecting some ingredients she needed for potions and doing other little things.
Before she knew it, it was dinner time!
"I got a wand maintenance kit from the Treasure Dig, I was going to try it out later." She smiled, an invitation for Charlotte to join in if she wanted. MJ didn't have plans to do anything else but spend time in their dormitory and then go to bed.
She watched some bats above their heads and ate a bit of her dinner, "Do you suppose those bats are trained by Professor Fairburn or do they just get some wild ones in for Hallowe'en?"
Post by Ezra Ashworth on Jun 28, 2023 23:05:02 GMT 10
Ezra dropped down onto the bench by MJ and Charlotte with an exhausted sigh. He had run the whole way from the duelling chamber and that was a lot of running after his busy afternoon. He’d been challenged to a race though, so it wasn’t like he could just not run.
Tiredness aside, at least it had the upside of getting him to the feast sooner than he would have too.
Ohh! The feast!
Ezra perked back up as he remembered that detail and immediately began to fill his plate with chicken drumsticks.
“Hi, Charlotte, hi, MJ!” he smiled at his fellow Ravenclaws before he moved on to adding a big spoonful of mashed potatoes to his plate.
His plate had soon piled up, but he was sure that he would still have room for dessert after.
Post by Lucas Mardling on Jun 28, 2023 23:07:57 GMT 10
Lucas arrived at the Great Hall with his thoughts filled only with the prospect of having dessert tonight, after enjoying an awesome feast. He instinctively ducked whenever he caught sight of bats flying overhead, and made sure to avoid any ghosts. He shuddered at the headless ones in particular.
Choosing a seat near some 5th year he was sure he knew the name of but couldn't care less. Hey-something, right? He seemed to be a low mood anyway. All the more reason to ignore him.
Severing himself some roast, then smothering some vegetables in gravy, Lucas hoped he could just enjoy his meal for once -- and that nothing out of the ordinary would happen this time. Not that he'd done anything about it last year either, but he'd had to retreat to the common room early to ensure it.
This feast, in particular, never disappointed. It was beautiful with the huge spread of food, the floating ghosts, the decor. It was wonderful. He stared up at it in awe, letting, for just a moment, that mask of not-being-muggleborn slip as he reveled in the magnificence of it all.
It was stunning.
But he gathered himself, moving toward his usual seat and settling down as he glanced around, silent and yet excited as he pulled a plate toward himself and heaped it full of his favorite foods - potatoes, chicken, some vegetables for good measure before digging in.
Sometimes he wished he had friends to chat with. Orla was around, and there was the Prefect. He stared for a moment before he waved to him - only the slightest of handwaves. Since when did the Prefect sit down here? Was he sick? Or like... missing his friends or something?
Post by Ryan Barrow on Jun 28, 2023 23:14:34 GMT 10
Though still a little pale, Ryan had somewhat gotten used to the ghosts being around Hogwarts after a full first year of being terrified of them. He didn't take his chances though, and hurried to the Ravenclaw table as soon as he saw an opening to do so. He wasn't tall enough to care about the bats, or even notice them at first, nor paid much attention to any of the decorations.
Scary stuff should not be celebrated, in his opinion. Though he had to admit the food was amazing, and he did sort of miss dressing up to get sweets. A Muggle thing, it seemed. Oh well, the food was more than enough to keep him happy.
Sitting with Ezra, Ryan was sure to keep an eye out for Joe. He also really missed Toby, and hadn't seen much of him these days. Probably focused on Quidditch stuff, right? He'd marked on his calendar that Gryffindor play Slytherin tomorrow, so he knew to show up and cheer his best friend on... if he could. Ryan wasn't entirely sure yet.
'Hi,' he said, trying to make an effort with his fellow 2nd year Ravenclaws -- even if he wasn't the biggest fan of MJ. 'How was the dig thing?'
Ryan figured that was a safe enough question to ask, even though he hadn't attended the event that afternoon. He was too busy practicing, tucked away in a bushy nook outside the castle far off from the Main Courtyard.
Anxiety overtaking him again, Ryan focused on serving himself a big dinner that he couldn't possibly hope to eat all of. But he'd still have room for dessert if he did, of course. A persons stomach was its own kind of magic when it came to yummy food.
Yeah, Benjamin couldn't eat anything further. After a piece of bread felt more like the taste of parchment, Benji gave up and cracked his neck, listening to the satisfying crackles.
He hoped that Caine was doing okay in the detention. Professor Snape was rather unpleasant towards the Hufflepuff and with Filch overseeing it...Benjamin didn't have high hopes for a pleasant cleaning environment.
There was no point in staying at a dinner that he couldn't enjoy, even with the dessert coming on up. What right did he have to enjoy the sweets?
Just as he was about to stand up and leave for the common room, Mardling sat down near him. Benji quickly looked around to see if Seabrook would follow so that he could put on a face that was more human instead of a wallowing mooncalf.
It did present Benjamin with a unique opportunity. He did want to look for Mardling for a thing that Benjamin wanted to do. Problem was, Benjamin didn't have all the necessary things to do it. Mardling was known to procure things, for a price.
''Mardling...'' Benjamin started, waiting for an opportune moment when the older boy paused with eating. ''Would you have some time later, in the common room, to discuss something, please?''
Benjamin didn't elaborate further, though it was clear why people sought Mardling out. He didn't think he'd need to explain what for especially in such a public place.
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