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.
With a loud, signaling screech, hundreds of owls swooped into the Great Hall to deliver the Daily Prophet -- as well as any letters or packages from home.
For once, it was rather uneventful -- minus a few poor landings. And that lasted all of two minutes, as Daily Prophets got delivered and concerned chatter immediately spread throughout the Great Hall. It was like someone suddenly opened the door to a snowstorm outside; being reminded of the state of the world beyond the relative safety of the Hogwarts walls. The Hufflepuff table in particular became unnaturally quiet.
Had they become complacent? There wasn't much they could do about things going on out there, but some students became rather subdued in their guilt for having forgotten last year's major event, and the ongoing danger presented to the wizarding world in general.
It was wonderful to hear from you, especially when you took the time out of a Quidditch day to write home.
Everyone's doing well, though Ringwald was in a no-treats time out yesterday for having stolen your Mama's favourite scarf.
We've already sold out five of our new toy stocks, so we've been busy making more and getting those distributed. Thankfully, no one seems to realise or mind that the new balloons are made of a material non-harmful to the environment. They will disintegrate if deflated / popped; another of your Mama's genius ideas.
I'm pleased to hear you're making friends. We'd love to hear more about them. I trust they are treating you well?
As for trying out for Quidditch, we don't see why not? If this is something you'd like to do, and it won't negatively impact your studies or mental well-being, then you have our full support. Unfortunately, work prevents us from being able to attend matches as often as we'd like -- but if you make it onto the team, please let us know. We will, of course, also purchase a broomstick of your choosing, should you then need one.
All those training broomsticks you tested out growing up would surely pay off now, huh? In fact, we might have you test out some more now you'll be getting a feel for an real broomstick.
It was wonderful to hear from you, especially when you took the time out of a Quidditch day to write home. <- Your Papa made me write this. He's sitting beside me, writing to Kamari as well. Aunt Taraji suspects a conspiracy for the timing of yesterday's letters, but we're willing to believe you're both just that in-sync.
We're doing well, though I'm not on speaking terms with Ringwald at the moment. I'm sure your Papa explained why to Kamari. I simply cannot.
We're also looking forward to Christmas. For seeing both of you, of course. Not so much the business flood, as always. Busiest time of year, as you know. We'll appreciate the extra pair of hands, though.
It seems you stayed longer at the match. Kamari didn't give us much details, but I'm quite surprised how close the game was. You'll have to let me know when Hufflepuff plays Ravenclaw, as I certainly wish to cheer for my house before I have to develop a Mama-Bias to cheer on Gryffindor instead.
I miss you! Not too much longer now, then I can give my girls the biggest hugs ever. Stay focused until then, though. Don't let the approach of Christmas distract you. And keep us updated, as we enjoy hearing from you. I'll pass this off to your Papa now, to answer about trying out for Quidditch. Love you, darling!
Papa here. As for trying out for Quidditch, we don't see why not? If this is something you'd like to do, and it won't negatively impact your studies or mental well-being, then you also have our full support. Unfortunately, work prevents us from being able to attend matches as often as we'd like -- but if you make it onto the team, please let us know. We will, of course, also purchase a broomstick of your choosing, should you then need one.
All those training broomsticks you tested out growing up would surely pay off now, huh? In fact, we might have you and Kamari test out some more now you'll be getting a feel for an real broomstick. But don't let your big sis claim she has dibs or higher skill; you both have the same amount of experience on a broom; your age plays no role here.
Mama said she'll pass on your hugs to Aunt Taraji, and even to that adorable little rascal.
Post by William Doren on Aug 26, 2023 15:10:28 GMT 10
William barely acknowledged Lindsey when she greeted him -- a simple nod to let her know he was aware of her presence.
She tried to start a conversation but was (thankfully, in his eyes) interrupted by the arrival of mail and newspapers. William didn't expect any correspondence which saved any feelings of disappointment when none arrived.
Instead, he picked up the Daily Prophet that had landed at his place.
He peeled his banana and took thoughtful bites as he read the front page. With his recent, though limited, experience of the Ministry due to what had occurred to the Doren family that summer, William wasn't surprised to see how incompetent they were in handling the Azkaban Escapees. Surely that was more important than whatever they wanted to pretend his parents had done.
His feelings on the matter were complicated but he struggled to see how they were at fault -- at this present moment.
William glanced at the bottom bylines but didn't care for any of them. He folded his paper neatly in half and tucked it under his arm. The banana, now finished, had its skin deposited into the bowl he had used.
"I will, perhaps, see you later." Was his farewell to Elizabeth and he hoped she had a productive and educational day.
William made sure to hasten his steps as he had to collect his things before he headed to class.
Post by Kody Ashworth on Aug 26, 2023 15:16:49 GMT 10
Kody made sure Ezra was able to see the letters as well and nodded at Reena's remark, "Odd is a good word for it."
He smiled and turned to Ezra to add, "Mate, I don't even know where Italy is. I wonder what cool, magical creatures they have there..."
And that was Kody lost in thought for a long moment. He took bites of his bacon sandwich and chewed noisily as he invented new and wonderful creatures that may or may not exist.
Even a simple owl was enough to get Kody excited!
"Owl Post!" He exclaimed, watching out just in case but nothing came for him... Kody bit his lip and then noticed something had landed next to Reena. He leaned over, curious but with no intention of reading her personal mail.
"What did you get? Woah, look at this headline!" Kody unfolded a nearby paper and scanned the front page. He shuddered at the moving picture on the front and quickly read the other stuff instead. The article about a falsified werewolf attack intrigued him and he turned to read about it.
Really, did people not have anything better to do with their time? Werewolves had it bad enough already! Kody clicked his tongue and left the paper for someone else to read if they wanted it.
He wolfed (ha) down the rest of his breakfast and made an attempt to clean his hands on a napkin, "So like, what do we do about Mum and that? And you have something to share too, right Reena?"
That was the feeling he had got when she asked for him to join her at the Ravenclaw table for Breakfast. Christmas was just around the corner and Kody wondered what was in store for them.
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Aug 26, 2023 15:23:59 GMT 10
"Morning Joe, morning Charlotte. Yup, Slytherin got the Snitch. It wasn't a bad game, honestly, despite the weather. I got lucky though, I sat near some older students and they were able to use magic to keep me dry!" MJ had been more excited about that than watching her rivals play, honestly.
She couldn't wait to learn those kinds of spells!
"Practice today and then our match against Hufflepuff is just around the corner! Are you excited?" This was directed more to Joe as MJ ate through her breakfast. She didn't expect Charlotte to come watch a match since she knew how her friend felt about it.
As long as Charlotte supported her from afar, then MJ would be happy!
"I want to try and duel some people today as well. I saw some information about a DADA task and--" She was interrupted by the arrival of the owl post and her copy of the Daily Prophet that landed on her food.
Great.
MJ picked it up gingerly but read the front page with wide eyes, "I'm surprised they haven't caught anyone yet!"
Her expectations for Magical Police had been greatly exaggerated by her imagination and MJ was a bit disappointed to see they didn't quite live up to her own self-imposed hype. She hummed in thought as she finished the front page and then looked at the bottom of the paper.
"Oh, Mystic Hestia sounds fun! Do people write into her and get their fortunes told or something? Like an agony aunt but magical? And I hope no one we know got caught out by the Honeyduke's fudge!" She made a face as she imagined biting into some bitter fudge.
Yuck.
She read about the Ley Lines since she knew a little bit about King Arthur and Merlin (or what she had been told in a Muggle story) and was curious to know how it differed from Magical history.
It was easy for her to get distracted but MJ finished her breakfast and smiled at Charlotte, "See you in class later! I hope you have a nice morning. I'm off to grab my things for Quidditch practice!"
She grinned at Joe, a silent invitation to race each other and see who would make it to the pitch first.
Post by Reena Ashworth on Aug 26, 2023 15:50:40 GMT 10
Ezra's choice for breakfast was a whole new source of concern for her, although she gave him an amused smile. He seemed to like his sugar with a side of cereal this morning.
Reena placed a piece of fruit next to his bowl, so he'd at least have some vitamins.
"Italy's in the south of Europe, a peninsula in the Mediterranean Sea," she stated absentmindedly yet did not offer any speculations about what kind of magical creatures would thrive there. She was still focused on mum's letter to Kody.
It was nice though, when they were all together like this.
When owl post arrived, she was surprised to receive a letter in unfamiliar handwriting, so she opened it quickly, fearing it might be someone new warning her about perril. She was relieved that it was no such thing, but when Kody asked about it, she quickly put it away with an innocent "Nothing."
She hoped Jaxen hadn't seen this, he'd never believe her.
Reena quickly focused on the Daily Prophet and nodded gravely. She'd probably sit out the next Hogsmeade day as well then. Not that she was afraid of dementors or anything.
"We should write Mum," she answered Kody's question after some hesitation. She wasn't the best at breaking the silence between her and her mum.
"A letter from each of us. She might answer at least one, so we'll know she's alright." Reena shrugged.
She doubted they'd get any useful information out of that woman.
Reena nodded to Kody's next question. He could be so perceptive, when he wanted to.
"Yes. I've been in contact with one of Mum's friends," she started.
Reena lowered her voice as she continued to fill her siblings in about Antoninus' warning about danger, his insistence on stocking up on antidotes and his offer to help them with anything they needed.
Lastly, after checking that no one was paying attention to them, Reena opened her bag and pulled out her private notebook. She opened it to a page of a drawing of Mirthwood she had copied.
"If you happen to see this plant while you are on the grounds, do pick it. Just, don't go searching for it, that's futile."
Post by Jonathan King on Aug 26, 2023 16:04:07 GMT 10
"Oh, that's nice," he said about the older students keeping MJ warm.
He greeted Charlotte and then busied himself with his breakfast, unsure what to say to her.
Thankfully MJ had a much better topic.
"Heck yeah! No class, just practice this morning? Day couldn't start any better!"
If only they didn't have Potions in the afternoon. Then it would be the perfect day.
The owl post arrived and Joe ignored the Daily Prophet at first, in favour of the letter and small package he had received from home. He grinned as he opened it and produced some of his dad's self made fudge.
"Hm?," MJ had said something about bad fudge and he opened his prophet to that page first.
Now, good thing he couldn't go to Honeydukes yet anyway. He shrugged as he folded the paper.
"I suppose you write her. I'd guess she needs to at least hold something of yours to tell..." There was no doubt in his mind that the Hestia was legit.
Post by Amber Lloyd on Aug 26, 2023 16:05:25 GMT 10
While waiting for an answer, with a loud screech the owls arrived – and to Amber’s surprise one landed right before her, carrying a small package and a letter. As she gave the owl a little pet as thanks, she opened the letter and started to read. Her parents had already responded!
We were happy to read your letter and that you are doing well!
Grandpa and the animals are chipper and Finn is in a good mood as well since last week (Finn finally made up with his girlfriend Mara, we couldn't bear his sulkiness any longer, hopefully this was the last time, fingers crossed!)
Actually, we have other positive news as well! Through Mara's coworker, your dad and I got the opportunity to go on a trip, at last! Finn and his girlfriend will take care of the animals during it, grandpa will occasionally join in as well. So no worries, Amber!
Although the trip would be over Christmas and New Year, so we wouldn't be here once you visit; you would be only with Finn and Mara. That's why we wanted to suggest you staying at Hogwarts this year? You never did, so maybe it's time to experience it? And you would have more peace there if you wanted to review your studies. I know you could use it well, I once was in your shoes!
Still, it's your decision; Finn, Mara and grandpa would welcome you regardless!
About your upcoming match, we'll not sure if we're going to make it, but we'll try! Just keep us posted! And you got this, Amber! Regardless what you might think, we know you're gonna be great!
And as requested, I send you the recipe for the speculoos - but even better, I baked you a whole box of it. Enjoy them with your friends!
Have fun at school, we love you!
Hugs,
Mom
PS: Hugs from your dad as well, he felt like I excluded him with this, but you know better...
While reading the letter, Amber’s facial expression shifted along with her emotions. She chuckled at the mention of Finn’s girlfriend, but her mood turned slightly disappointed at the suggestion of her staying at Hogwarts during Christmas. She usually went home for the holidays.[/div]
However, she also couldn’t help but smile at her mom’s words. Her parents truly deserved this vacation; farm life didn’t often allow for such opportunities. And her mom knew which words to keep Amber from feeling too sad about the situation. A new experience, a potential new adventure? That was something Amber was looking forward to. A bonus was not having to endure her brother and his girlfriend. She shuddered at the thought.
Noticing the note beneath the letter, Amber chuckled. She could almost imagine her mother rolling her eyes as she wrote it. She truly loved her parents. And her mom wrote about speculoo?
Curiously, she opened the package – and saw the recipealong with a box of cookies! Her eyes brightened, and she glanced in Joshua’s direction. There would definitely be a share for him in there! As she was about to offer some cookies to the boys around her, she became aware of the sudden hush at the table.
Looking around in confusion, she realised many were reading the Daily Prophet. Closing the cookie box, she reached for her own copy and read the headline as well. Ah, that explained it.
Amber herself became rather subdued, remembering last year. Having no appetite anymore, she pushed her plate away and focused on finishing her cup of tea slowly.
Last Edit: Aug 26, 2023 17:20:12 GMT 10 by Amber Lloyd
Post by Kody Ashworth on Aug 26, 2023 16:05:55 GMT 10
When Reena explained about Italy, Kody's mouth dropped open.
"You're a genius." He managed to comment after a few moments of stunned silence and just being generally amazed at how cool and awesome Reena was. He looked at Verity, since they had talked about Italy too and hoped she had heard this information.
It really did sound far away, as they had speculated and she had been right when she said it was by the sea!
Both his sisters were cool!
And when Reena said the note was nothing, she believed him. Kody wasn't too bothered about secret notes or letters being sent to his siblings but he agreed about writing mum a letter.
"Yeah! I wanted to update her about Quidditch since she wasn't able to come and just let her know how things are going in general. Should I ask her about Christmas, just in general like?" He wasn't entirely confident his mum would divulge any secrets to him but it was worth a shot.
Not knowing what they were going home to always made Kody tingle with anxiety. He hoped nothing bad had happened while they were at school... No, he was confident if something unfortunate had happened then their Grandparents would handle it or tell them about it.
Which didn't help him feel better.
His eyebrows shot up and his mouth was ringed with milk as he set his drink down. Now had been a bad time to down his glass of milk as Reena dropped the bombshell about being in contact with a mum friend!
Uh, one of mum’s friends!
"Woah, really?" Kody looked at the drawing of the plant and frowned. It didn't look like anything he had seen around the grounds before but he nodded, eager to help and please his sister.
"If I find it, I'll let you know immediately. It looks cool!" And a part of him had a feeling it was super rare as well.
Breakfast was winding down and Kody looked around at his siblings in turn, "I guess we can say the council is adjourned for now! We can't sit together at dinner but should we meet up at breakfast tomorrow again? Check if mum has replied to anyone?"
Kody wondered what he would write in his letter. She hadn't replied to his last one so that worried him a bit too.
He wiped his mouth on the back of his hand and grinned, "Come on Vee, we have Charms!"
Post by Joshua Twiggs on Aug 26, 2023 16:48:07 GMT 10
His attention on Arthur was diverted, firstly when Oscar sat down at the table and Joshua greeted his dormmate, and secondly b, the arrival of owl post.
Reading the head line, Joshua fell quiet. He pushed his half-eaten eggs away from him as he read through the article.
He turned around towards the Gryffindor table, his eyes searching Amelia, before he looked for Martha, Sophia and Luckett at his own table.
He had managed to blend out the part of his mind that kept that information somehow and now, with this reminder, he felt his heart grow heavy once more.
"Would you duel me this afternoon, Amber?" he asked.
He had lost spectacularly against Amy the other day, and with this reminder today, he knew he needed to practice some more. Hopefully Amber would be more on his level so he'd actually get some spells in.
Blowing at his hair, he turned the page and read about the staged Werewolf attack. What kind of sick person would do something like that?
Shaking his head, Joshua had quite enough of news for one day and he abandonded the Daily Prophet.
"Let's get going," he suggested. Transfiguration ought to cheer him up.
Post by Reena Ashworth on Aug 26, 2023 17:08:23 GMT 10
Reena sometimes wasn’t sure what to make of Kody's compliments but they always felt genuine - and she adored him. As she did the others, of course.
"That's a good idea, Kody. You should bring it up in your letter," she confirmed.
She gave her siblings some time to process her information about Antoninus and thought about the Azkaban escapees some more. Surely they must have have help.
That traitor in the ministry Dad had warned about came to mind. Reena let the thought go with a shake of her head.
"I'd like that," she said to Kody's proposal of meeting again, pleasantly noting his choice of big words, though making no exact confirmation that she'd be there.
Waving her siblings off, she put the drawing away and headed for class.
Post by Amber Lloyd on Aug 26, 2023 17:28:49 GMT 10
While reading through the daily prophet and sipping on her tea, Joshua directed a question at her and she looked up.
Duelling? Him?
Multiple thoughts raced in her head. She wasn’t too fond about duelling a friend, but she would need to train either way. And perhaps it would actually be better and more fun to do this with a friend?
She glanced at the headline of the Daily Prophet and shuddered.
If the prisoners would somehow come here again, Amber needed to be ready to face them. Or other dangerous obstacles. Training was actually a great idea, though she sighed.
Also, she couldn’t say no to Joshua if he asked. She gave him a warm smile. “Sure!”
Amber closed the daily Prophet for now, nodded at Joshua’s comment and put away her letter and box, then followed him to class.
[OOC: Exit]
Last Edit: Aug 26, 2023 17:30:13 GMT 10 by Amber Lloyd
Post by Alora Sagemore on Aug 26, 2023 18:22:00 GMT 10
The owls arrived on time – and not one but two owls landed at their table. One seemed to hold a letter for Kamari, one for Alora. With excitement, Alora grabbed the letter, quickly gave the owl a snack as thanks, then ripped open the envelope. Her eyes flew over the text, seeming to absorb the words in front of her.
Alora’s eyes started to glisten and her mouth formed a bright grin. She looked up to her sister.
“We got permission!” She grinned. At least she understood Kamari got permission as well from her Papa’s text part.
“But what’s up with Ringwald? Why is Mama upset with him?” she asked her sister curiously. What did he do?
Alora was glad her parents had liked her letter. She would reply as soon as she knew if she got on the team – and to let Mama know that the match between Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw was actually tomorrow!
Now in especially high spirits, she finished her breakfast while waiting for either Grace or Kamari to answer her, while completely ignoring the Daily Prophet. The letter had been enough reading for her at the moment.
Post by Kamari Sagemore on Aug 26, 2023 22:03:27 GMT 10
As much as she liked the idea of talking or chatting, she was far more interested in getting her breakfast eaten and out of the way. Classes looked like they'd be fun, right?
She waved in greeting to her sister, offering a hug even if her mouth was too full of food to really respond to her greeting before she was told by her year mate that he'd be eating with his family.
Oh. Oh, she felt silly! Of course he was!
"Oh! Ok! Bye!" she didn't understand why she was so embarrassed for offering; it wasn't the first time but... she wasn't so good at the external friends thing. Heck, her best friend was her twelve-year-old sister! But at least she was trying.
And she'd keep saying she was trying. Half of her wanted to look around for Silvana but she didn't want to be the weird one that clung to an older student for lack of friends. Oh well, the world went on.
She watched her sister branch out, speak to others and decided to stay in the background. Let her make friends and make plans, Kamari enjoyed watching her talk to others, too.
She busied herself with eating as the Owls came, dropping off their letters and, thankfully, she got hers too! Kamari quickly tore into hers and read over Papa's words with a growing smile (with a small squeak of laughter at Ringwald's despicable deed).
"WE DID!" she exclaimed in response to her sister, perhaps a little too loudly as she bounced with joy in her seat, she clapped too, but far lighter than she'd spoken at any rate.
"He stole Mama's favorite scarf. I'm going to have to ask for more details because that sounds beautiful." she wondered if their fuzzy companion was pranking Mama since they weren't home to do it. She'd make sure he had all the treats when she got back for Christmas.
She saw the headline on the paper and frowned, taking one to stuff in her bag for later. It seemed a lot to read right now - perhaps a little too heavy. But she'd read it later when she was in her common room or bed so that she didn't have to worry about crying if it were sad. Simple as that.
"I should get going to class, Alora. I hope you have an amazing morning!" finishing up her breakfast, Kamari stood, gathering her bag and offering her sister another hug before heading off to her class - it would be fun, she told herself. And she'd do her absolute best.
Sinead glanced up from her breakfast and briefly looked around the Hall. She spotted Lindsey and gave her friend a brief wave before distraction arrived in the form of the owl post. Sinead took the Daily Prophet and glanced down at the front page as she finished off her breakfast.
The brunette frowned when she read the headline and exchanged a glance with her friend. The brunette had not forgotten the terrifying events at the end of the previous year and she had seen first hand, the impact it had had on those who had been there, in particular Lindsey.
The girl exchanged another glance with her fellow housemate and let out a soft sigh as she got her bag and headed out of the hall with her friend.
-exit-
Last Edit: Aug 26, 2023 22:05:12 GMT 10 by Deleted
Post by Arthur Hocking on Aug 26, 2023 22:30:51 GMT 10
"Hm?" Arthur stepped out of his own head when he heard Caine say what was probably his name. Difficult to tell with the mouthful of food, but Arthur was pretty sure he was being spoken to.
"Yeah. 'm fine." Arthur said, still sounding a little distracted. Then, the Prophet came in and he just felt worse. He'd thought today would be fine when he'd woken up, but now it was just like the universe was conspiring to remind him that he was a bit useless. If he'd been with those Azkaban escapees, he probably would've ended up dead, too.
He shook himself off and headed out. No sense in moping and being late to class. That would just lose him house points. Though maybe he could talk to Reena at Transfiguration about Tae-Sang...just to see if the rumors were true. It wasn't like it affected him all that much. Probably.