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 Great Hall was alive with chatter as students and staff flooded in from various points of the castle, having taken a detour after the match -- for warm showers, a change of clothes, or otherwise. A few students even arrived in pyjamas and slippers, having suffered so much in the weather today that they didn't even care anymore.
Everyone was immensely relieved to be warm and dry again. It was a bit of an odd sight though, as there were many steaming ears throughout dinner -- from those who'd visited the Hospital Wing for a (or used their own) Pepperup Potion, just to be safe or if there was genuine risk of getting sick from all that time spent in the pouring rain.
Perhaps it was regained comfort that eased any lingering tension between the two house rivals of Slytherin and Gryffindor, as the latter focused mainly on their dinner and socialising. Their spirits were low from losing, but most took it in stride when presented with a warm meal.
It had been years since Slytherin had won their first match against Gryffindor, until their victory the previous year. Everyone had assumed that was a fluke, but apparently not.
So naturally, the winning house was in high and boastful spirits -- eager to celebrate their Quidditch victory, and had hailed @benjamin their hero for having caught the Snitch. Whenever they were ready to retire to their Common Room for the night, and to continue celebrations there, party snacks / drinks awaited them on behalf of the House-Elves.
Caine Hawke has Detention tonight, and must report to the Staff Room after dinner.
As it's a Quidditch day, Professors are more lenient about students lingering in corridors during dinner -- but not outside once having left the match thread, due to it being a Full Moon. This gives everyone a chance to catch up with friends or take their time heading to dinner. However, this leniency only applies to social RPing -- anything else may risk detention, as per usual.
Dinner proceeds at its usual pace. When it ends, all students must head to their respective Common Rooms etc.
Post by Thorne Perry on Aug 19, 2023 16:49:38 GMT 10
Thorne had spent a delightfully lazy day of not being a rain-soaked maniac, instead curled up by the fire in the Hufflepuff common room, leafing through books in search of a new project, and napping.
Dinner had almost come as a surprise, though the resonant growl from his stomach told him that at least some part of him had expected it.
He shuffled into the Great Hall, waving at friends as he saw them, and flopped into a seat...
Where he instantly claimed his nine-millionth serving of tiger bread this term, and a bowl of beef stew.
Post by Alora Sagemore on Aug 19, 2023 17:05:40 GMT 10
After the match concluded, Alora had visited her dorm to take a quick shower and change into some dry clothes. But before she went to the Great hall for dinner, she had decided to write a letter to her parents.
Watching the match had sparked the resolve in her to participate in the next Gryffindor match, as a member of the team. And as far as she had seen, there were still some open positions. But to participate, she first needed permission from her parents. And as she didn’t have the patience to wait until Christmas to ask for it, she grabbed ink, quill and parchment and jotted down the words.
how are you both? How are Aunt Taraji and Ringwald? I can’t wait to see you all at home on Christmas!
I’m feeling great, today was awesome!
Today was actually a Quidditch day, and Gryffindor played against Slytherin! Of course I cheered for my house. It was really an exciting and close match. Tied scores until the end!
Too bad our house lost… But next time will be different! For sure!
To be honest, that is also why I’m writing to you. Watching the game was so exciting, I felt like wanting to hop on a broom and join in!
So… can I? Would you allow me to join the team?
Of course I would also need to see if they accept me, but I’m confident they will. Why wouldn’t they, right?
I’d be happy to hear from you, regardless of what you decide on. Give Ringwald and Aunt hugs from me!
Love, Alora
Alora sealed the letter thoroughly in an envelope and asked a nearby dormmate to borrow their owl for the delivery. They gladly accepted, and Alora tried to remind herself to treat them later to something as thanks. Perhaps she still had some chocolate galleons in the nightstand in her dorm…
Afterwards, she almost ran towards dinner, a bright smile on her face as she knew she was meeting her sister there. Needing to save herself at least two times from tripping on her way, she finally arrived at the Great Hall and headed straight for her house table. As she didn’t spot Kamari, she just settled down somewhere, reserving a seat for her sister.
The downcast atmosphere there wasn’t able to affect her though. In a rather chipper mood, she ladled some stew onto her plate, trying to warm herself up a bit more.
Last Edit: Aug 20, 2023 2:57:54 GMT 10 by Alora Sagemore
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Aug 19, 2023 19:06:16 GMT 10
MJ had left the Quidditch Pitch in a hurry with a few housemates, eager to get dry and warm again.
She opted to tie her hair up in a bun otherwise it would drip on her shoulders and be annoying as it dried while she ate.
Passing by, she waved at Thorne as she headed for the Ravenclaw table. A few students near her looked like they had avoided the bad weather today and stayed indoors.
Her only inkling would be how rested they looked compared to the vast majority of students and she felt this was a shame. The Quidditch match had been quite exciting.
Spooning some potatoes and sausage casserole onto her plate, she was eager to get stuck in. MJ hoped a friend or two would join her at the table since dinner was more fun with conversation.
Post by Reena Ashworth on Aug 19, 2023 22:30:58 GMT 10
After a quick shower, Reena got herself ready for dinner. Her ears had stopped steaming after that and she took the time to do her hair in a nice half up, half down style.
Feeling presentable once more, she made her way up towards the Great Hall. Despite feeling very hungry, she stuck around the entrance for now, wanting to catch Kody on his way in. She felt only slightly guilty for not staying the whole game. But surely he'd understand, in this weather... Not that she had gone inside for quite some time, but he didn't need to know that.
From the chatter of students, she gathered that Slytherin had won. Good. She'd won her bet then. Lucas better pay up, when she next saw him.
As she waited, off to the side of the door, she let her gaze wander, looking at a poster she had never noticed before. Was it new?
Anyway. She continued scanning the streams of students headed for Dinner, looking for Kody. And also a little for her new acquaintance Tae-Sang, she'd wave him 'hello', if she saw him.
Some whispering happened a corner not far from Reena, with three girls from her class were pointing at her in surprise and shaking their heads. They'd never really talked to her before in the past several years unless forced to work together in class -- from what she could recall, since they were out of uniform, two of them were Ravenclaws.
The third, the tallest, gave in to the urging and bravely headed towards Reena with an air of purpose.
'Ashworth,' she said, giving Reena a poke as if she could possibly have missed her presence until now. 'Is it true? Some people are saying you were hanging out with Tae-Sang Lee this afternoon.'
'Is that why you weren't at the match either?' another gain the courage to rush forward to join her friend. 'Were you two on a date?'
'No way.' The third joined in, rolling her eyes as if it was the most stupid thing she'd ever heard. 'As if someone like us could ever go on a date with Tae-Sang, the cutest and most popular guy at Hogwarts. It probably wasn't even her.'
'It was definitely her. People saw her on the grounds with him, then in the Hospital Wing,' insisted the first, then stared intently at Reena. 'Right? C'mon, you can tell us. Everyone's talking about it.'
They all stared at her, eager for an answer yet still rather in disbelief.
Post by Kamari Sagemore on Aug 20, 2023 1:58:03 GMT 10
Still flustered from her run in with the terrible boys that had torn her friend's posters, Kamari was more than irritated as she made her way into the great hall for dinner.
Sure, there were reasons to be happy but, when she got into the hall she took a moment to scan the tables - searching for the two that had had too much audacity.
But she didn't see them.
Instead she changed gears, searching instead for the familiar, beloved face of her little sister. Spotting Alora with a bowl of stew she smiled to herself, striding up to the spot across from her and slipping into the seat without a word.
Reaching out to grab some stew that matched her sister's, the pajama clad Gryffindor eyed her sister as she took some tiger bread and began to tear it apart.
"Howzit, Alora?" she asked, glancing around again just in case those terrible boys decided to show their faces - or Silvana decided to come join them at the table.
Post by Amber Lloyd on Aug 20, 2023 2:13:51 GMT 10
Having enjoyed a long, hot shower after the match, Amber finally felt warmed up again. And dry. There was nothing better than donning warm, dry clothes now – perhaps followed by a warm meal.
Entering the Great Hall, she made a beeline for her house table and sat down between her fellow Ravenclaws. She poured herself a cup of steaming hot cocoa and ladled some potato soup onto her plate, with a slice of toast as a side.
Amber took a sip from her cup and closed her eyes, savouring the taste from the hot beverage and the feeling of it running through her body, starting to warm her up. She just took a moment to enjoy it before diving into her soup.
Although, her mind was still on the pitch, replaying certain scenes from the match. Before she even got the chance to eat one spoon of her soup, she decided to set her plan in motion. Originally, she had intended to do this during the match, but the ongoing rain had it made impossible. Swiftly, she pulled out a notebook and eagerly started so scribble down some notes about today’s match.
The aim was to write down as much information as possible as long as her memory was still fresh. She wanted to jot down some strategies the teams made, maybe while even already thinking of some ideas against it. Their first opponent was not either of them, but one could still apply some of it for their match against Hufflepuff, or at least then on the matches later against the other houses.
Amber wanted to be as thorough as she could, as she wanted to help her team with it if possible, especially as they had no Captain at the moment.
While she was going through the match in order, noticing she had missed this one goal from Slytherin, she got reminded of the weird handholding situation with Joshua, and she automatically glanced to the Hufflepuff table, trying to spot her friend, without avail. A familiar warmth spread over her cheeks, but she chose to shake off her thoughts, redirecting her attention back to her table – noticing only now that she actually was sitting near a familiar Ravenclaw.
“MJ!” Amber gave her a smile and a wave. It seemed she had been so absorbed in her task that she hadn’t noticed her fellow teammate earlier.
“What are your thoughts about the match? Quite the excitement, wasn’t it?” she grinned, finally dedicating herself now to her soup – which had cooled off in the meantime. With a small sigh, she added another scoop, hoping to warm it up a bit.
Last Edit: Aug 20, 2023 2:18:13 GMT 10 by Amber Lloyd
Post by Alora Sagemore on Aug 20, 2023 3:08:52 GMT 10
Little by little the Gryffindor table got filled up with incoming students and Alora looked up from her stew every time someone approached her, awaiting her sister. The next time she did, a bright smile spread over her face as she saw her sister in front of her. “Great, Kamari! Howzit?” she answered cheerful, but tilted her head a bit questioningly as her sister seemed a bit occupied, glancing around the room in the search for something or someone?
Like her sister, she took a piece of tiger bread and ate it to her stew, before she continued.
“Did you watch the match? It was so exciting, and so fast! The players zoomed all over the pitch, scoring goals, following the Snitch… Made me wanna join too!” Alora shared full of excitement, her eyes glistening. She leaned a bit forward.
“Actually, I asked Mama and Papa already if I could”, she confided in her with a low voice and a grin, as if she just told her a secret.
Post by William Doren on Aug 20, 2023 3:39:28 GMT 10
William opted to sit at the end of the Slytherin table. He was smart enough to pick up on the mood and quickly deduced that their team had won the match.
He looked at the selection of food on offer and settled on roast beef, some different vegetables and few roast potatoes. William debated over adding gravy and ended up with just a little.
A sensible dinner.
Hopefully no one would bother him while he ate as he detested conversation during meals. It wasn't something he was used to at all and not how things were normally done at home.
It was getting late and, after playing Gobstones and drawing for a while, Giovi felt tired. Maybe it was the rain, maybe it was just the way people were talking and the energy, but Gio was ready to go to sleep.
Not like it'd be possible, but a boy could dream, couldn't he?
Stepping into the Great Hall, still dressed in his robes from earlier in the day, but thankfully dried now, he settled at the end of the table and pulled some meat and bread toward himself - he wasn't terribly hungry, maybe coming down with a cold from being in the rain earlier, but at least he had some delicious food to eat!
He looked over at the Hufflepuff table to see if he saw the girl from earlier but he didn't see her. For a moment he wanted to find Orla or the Seeker that was apparently being celebrated. Giovi knew Haywood! But then again, the guy probably didn't like him much. That was fine.
Glancing at the charcoal stains on his hands he shrugged, stuffing some bread into his mouth as he listened to the voices that reveled in the chaos.
Slowly, he reached outward, grabbing hold of an apple and some nuts, putting them in his pocket for later - surely he'd be a little more hungry later, right?
Post by Kamari Sagemore on Aug 20, 2023 4:04:58 GMT 10
"It's goin'." she responded, smiling at her sister's cheerful tone. She didn't want to worry her about the boys from earlier, nor did she particularly want her to know that she was still absolutely seething at them.
"I did watch some, yes."
Kamari listened to her sister as she went on about the excitement of the game, giving her a nod at the opportune moments and agreements to her statements. She wanted to join too? That caught her slightly off guard, however, and she stopped nodding to watch her with slightly widened eyes.
"You asked them to join? Today?" she asked, matching her whisper as if they were conspiring some great thing.
But, to distract herself, she nibbled on a bit of bread and leaned back, placing her chin on her palm as she observed her sister with a knowing look.
"I did too. I left the game early to write home." She was so amused. Mama and Papa would be getting a letter from each of them asking the same thing!
She wondered if they'd be as amused by it as she was.
"You think we should be chasers together? Although beater would be a lot of fun. I'd love to just... whack things." She was joking, of course, but the idea was a fun one. Next game she hoped there'd be beaters anyway - less chance of a housemate getting hurt that way.
Post by Reena Ashworth on Aug 20, 2023 4:43:41 GMT 10
Reena turned her head when she picked up the sound of whispers, not thinking much of it. That was until she saw some of her classmates pointing in her direction.
Looking behind her, she saw nothing of interest there, just the door. So she turned back around, confused.
No sooner had she turned back around than she was poked by the tallest of the three, a Ravenclaw, if she placed her correctly. They hadn't socialised before.
"Yeah?," she said.
She crossed her arms protectively, as though expecting to be violated with another poke any moment. She had not appreciated that. Who went around poking people they only knew fleetingly?
Now, that was just rude.
When she was asked if something was true, her eyebrows raised quizzically, then creased in confusion when Tae-Sang was brought into it.
She was about to confirm, when the second one joined in with more questions.
Date.
Reena blinked in surprise.
When the third one joined and continued to talk about Tae-Sang that way, she could feel her ears turn pink.
Cute. Most popular.
What was happening right now?
She suddenly felt very crowded by her three classmates and wanted nothing more than to flee to her House table.
"Everyone?" Reena could feel the colour leave her face.
She uncrossed her arms, fumbled nervously with her sleeve.
"There was no date," she said to the second one.
She did not want rumours about her dating anyone go around school.
"He just helped me out, is all," she said to the first one, the tallest.
"What do you mean, 'most popular'?", she asked the third.
She could feel her heart pound in her chest. She'd thought the most popular was reserved for Quidditch players. Like Langford.
Surely Tae-Sang wasn't actually the most popular guy in school?
She would have heard of him before, right?
Though, it would explain why he hadn't introduced himself and she had had to find out his name by overhearing his friend - or just classmate - call out to him. Not an oversight on his behalf after all?
Post by Amber Lloyd on Aug 20, 2023 6:34:29 GMT 10
Amber nodded in agreement.
“Me too! Can’t wait to hop on my broom and chase that Snitch!” She grinned and dipped a bit of her toast into her soup before she took a bite, then she nodded.
“Actually, I started to write some stuff down from the match. Wanna take a look?”
She pushed the notebook over to MJ if the girl wanted to take a glance at it. If she did, she would see some thoroughly, clearly written down notes on strategies and players, even a few sketches on player positions, marked with dots and arrows, indicating flight patterns. Although, for this match it wasn’t quite finished yet, the other half of the match was still missing.
“What are your thoughts about today’s match? Who are the most dangerous players?”
Amber gave her teammate an encouraging smile und filled her cup with tea. MJ’s opinion would be highly appreciated, regardless what she would add.
Amber herself knew as a new player, she still lacked in flying practise and experience of actual matches, but as a natural planner, she tried to compensate this with strategising. And strategies were best prepared with information from different angles. Maybe as a Chaser, MJ would see stuff Amber herself didn’t notice?