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 MJ Birdwhistle on Oct 29, 2023 17:36:09 GMT 10
When MJ woke up that morning she was shocked to notice she had slept in! And missed Breakfast!
Luckily for her, her Granny and Great-Auntie had already sent their Christmas Goodie box of shortbread, sugar cookies and other treats that MJ could share with others. She snacked on some shortbread before she noticed the snow.
Snow! Brilliant!
MJ hurried to dress up as warmly as possible for the day and put on some good winter boots as well. She knew she had some of the ingredient in her Potions Kit already (which was in her satchel and on her back) but MJ knew it was rare to find and only under certain conditions.
She hurried out of the Castle and towards the Great Lake.
Glad for her waterproof boots, MJ ventured just a little into the shallows of the water and began her search for some Wintercress. She hoped to gather at least one more piece that morning to bolster her stock.
While it wasn't an ingredient she had immediate use for, MJ knew it would be useful in the future and she could even use it to trade with others who had missed out!
Wintercress truly lived up to its name in the snow; it may as well be invisible, without a thorough search of the area. It was a cold task, paying extra attention while shifting snow and closely examining the water's edge. Hopefully, gloves were involved or a trip to the Hospital Wing / a Warming Charm was in order afterwards.
The cold worsened with time, but luckily there was some Wintercress for the picking.
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Oct 29, 2023 22:18:07 GMT 10
MJ was glad she had wrapped up so warmly that morning as the biting chill was uncomfortable still! She couldn't imagine venturing outdoors without proper protection... She continued her search and tried to pick out the Wintercress from its surroundings.
It was a tricky plant that could blend in so easily so MJ went slower than normally went and rubbed her gloved hands together.
As she scanned the next little area she was glad to spot the very plant she was looking for -- two actually! Adding two viable pickings of Wintercress to her Potions Kit would be a boon!
"Careful now..." She mumbled to herself as she plucked the first one free with care. She didn't hesitate to add it to her Potions Kit and was glad to see it safely tucked away.
A few snowflakes had fallen on her cheeks and MJ wiped them away with a soft shudder.
This was the kind of day that, back home with her twin, they would have gone outside to build a snowman or throw snowballs at each other. MJ had fond memories of those activities but she didn't miss the icy cold slide of slushy snow down her back either!
But it had always been fun to head inside afterwards and warm their toes and fingers at the wood burning stove while one of their guardians made them hot chocolate.
Hot chocolate would have been perfect today!
MJ pushed those fond memories aside for now and plucked the second piece of Wintercress. Her fingertips stung a little from the cold and she knew she couldn't hang around the cold water much longer.
The second piece was also stored away safely into her Potions Kit and MJ took a few, big strides away from the Great Lake. She planned to venture into its depths over Christmas but she would need to be better prepared for that. She needed a way to warm herself up...
With that thought, she remembered the potion she had in her satchel that had gone unused for long enough. It wouldn't warm her up but MJ knew it would be just the pick-me-up to help her endure the cool for a bit longer.
Post by Orla Fallwater on Oct 29, 2023 22:54:11 GMT 10
Orla strode through the snow, confident her boots would help keep her footing as she made her way to the Lake. She had forgotton gloves (did she even have a pair?!) but her hands were warm for now, balled up in the fabric of her robe sleeves.
Her cheeks stung with the cold, but it didn't bother her at all. The scenery around the grounds was beautiful, and the winter light reflecting on the lake was dazzling enough that Orla didn't spot the figure on the shore until she'd stepped out of the trees.
"MJ!" She squeaked, making her way over the soft snow. "Hullo you! I thought you'd be still asleep after your match yesterday, you did so well!!"
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Oct 29, 2023 23:13:45 GMT 10
"Orla!" MJ was so pleased to see her friend she gave the Slytherin a big hug. How long had it been since they were last able to spend some time together? She looked around for Thorne as well but he didn't seem to be with her.
"Where's Thorne? I missed breakfast so I feel like I've missed a lot?" She chuckled, glad to have at least one friend to spend some time with.
She motioned to her Potions Kit, "I was tempted to sleep in but then I saw it was snowing and Wintercress is one of those ingredients that you can only get when it rains or snows. Had to take advantage of that."
Maybe it was something a second year shouldn't have to worry about but MJ liked to be prepared. She closed up her satchel and then looked at the Great Lake, "What brings you out here? Are you collecting ingredients too?"
MJ would have warned Orla about the cold but it seemed her friend was sensible enough to wrap up as well.
She noticed then the blue ribbons at the end of her plaits, "Navy blue? Cute! It really suits you~"
Post by Orla Fallwater on Oct 29, 2023 23:27:54 GMT 10
Orla grinned and flushed beetroot, her fingers going up to fiddle with the bows MJ noticed.
"Blue for Ravenclaw's victory!" She said, spinning on the spot so her plaits flew out in a circle. "We didn't get to see you after the match so I wanted to show my support today too!"
Orla noticed that MJ was equiped so well for ingredient hunting on a day like this. Her boots were wet but Orla was willing to bet they were waterproof and keeping MJ's feet warm.
She nodded when MJ mentioned missing breakfast.
"Thorne is singing in Hogsmeade today with the choir, isn't that mad?" She crouched by the water's edge, searching for the Wintercress MJ mentioned as she told MJ about Thorne's fancy appearance. Maybe MJ had collected it all...
"I'm sad we can't see him there, but it meant I could come here and make observations!"
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Oct 29, 2023 23:52:40 GMT 10
"Of course and aw! That's so sweet! Thank you for supporting me!" MJ felt warm and fuzzy inside knowing that her best friend was willing to go to this length for her! MJ gasped when she heard the news about Thorne!
"Really? Woah, lucky him! I mean, getting to go to Hogsmeade already. It's a shame we can't go to cheer him on. We'll just have to bombard him when he gets back." She grinned and noticed that Orla was searching now.
She smirked and nudged her friend, "I can help you look for Wintercress if you like? It's a bit tricky and blends in with the other plants around here."
With that she settled into companionable silence as she helped Orla. She didn't plant to pick any more herself and had jammed her hands into her pockets to keep them warm.
She fought against her teeth that wanted to chatter and continued looking, confident she could pick the plant out now since she had spotted some earlier too.
Wintercress truly lived up to its name in the snow; it may as well be invisible, without a thorough search of the area. It was a cold task, paying extra attention while shifting snow and closely examining the water's edge. Hopefully, gloves were involved or a trip to the Hospital Wing / a Warming Charm was in order afterwards.
The cold worsened with time, but luckily there was some Wintercress for the picking.
Post by Orla Fallwater on Oct 31, 2023 1:34:47 GMT 10
Orla waddled along the lapping edge of the lake, slowly turning here and there to try and catch sight of the illusive plant. She smiled as MJ crouched to help and hurried her search a little more; MJ was clearly cold and had already had her hands in the icy waters!
"Yeah, he was all proper done up," Orla continued, nudging a pale tendril of something in the silt beside her boots. Luckily, they were waterproof, but Orla could feel the cold seeping in.
The tendrils swayed gently and caught the light - they were a ghostly white-blue, just as cold-looking as the snow surrounding them. This had to be Wintercress!
"Ooh, I think I found some," she cooed quietly, as though a loud voice might scare the plant away. She bit her lip as she reached into the shallow water (it was bitingly cold!) and pinched the plant gently at the base before wiggling it free from the silt.
Orla held up her find and wiggled it in front of MJ.
"It's so cold-d-d-d!" She chattered, transferring the plant into a small tupperware box she kept in her robe. She plunged her cold and wet hand into a pocket and switched to her other hand.
"But yeah, Thorne will do grand, I'm sure," Orla continued while she slipped her hand into the water and gently pried the second wintercress frond free.
"But I am sad we can't take the extra flying lessons together, that would have been a fun morning..."
Last Edit: Oct 31, 2023 1:35:08 GMT 10 by Orla Fallwater
Post by MJ Birdwhistle on Oct 31, 2023 1:39:18 GMT 10
MJ was about to point out the plant when Orla spotted it herself. She was proud of her friend for her keen eye and stood nearby to watch as the ingredient was gathered. If Orla was smart, she'd have two to pocket for potions later down the line!
"I wish I had seen it, I was just so beat after Quidditch... But I normally don't sleep in either. I must've needed it." She chuckled, rubbing her gloved hands together and trying to picture what Thorne must have looked like.
Hopefully she'd see him later.
"Wait -- did you say flying lessons?! What! I wanna go!" MJ gasped, glad to see Orla already had her two ingredients safely tucked away. She hurried to gather her things and gave her friend an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry... I need to go... Shall we meet up later? At dinner? I don't know how long this flying thing will take... Listen, you're here over Christmas right? We'll hang out together then! Promise!" MJ gave her friend a quick hug and then darted off.
Post by Orla Fallwater on Oct 31, 2023 3:24:44 GMT 10
Orla giggled as MJ made her wobble on her feet with a quick but forceful hug. She held the second wintercress away from their bodies, then placed it in the tupperware with the other one as MJ gathered her things.
"I should have said sooner! GOOD LUCK!" Orla chuckled as her friend made apologies and hurried off. She didn't mind at all - it was a treat to run into MJ here, and besides, they had the whole of Christmas break together!
Orla hugged herself, shivering as she watched MJ disappear around a bend in the treeline, then turned with gentle splashing to look out over the lake.
The snow still fell lightly and each flake melted on the surface slowly, as though the lake was reluctant to be so cold. Orla wondered if the water would freeze soon, and this thought made her surprisingly sad.
Though she was truly cold through to the bone now, Orla ducked deeper into her scarf and started riffling around in her many pockets, searching until she found what she was looking for.
An apple, quite past its prime but still shining red. Orla stepped out further into the shallows, taking extra care to keep the water below the top of her boots as she searched for a particular rock.
After a precarious moment where she almost turned an ankle, Orla found a heavy, smooth and flat bottomed rock. She bent over and submerged the apple, fiddling with it until the rock held it down.
She gathered a few smaller rocks around it, making sure the red was still visible, then stood and scuttled out of the lake entirely, puffing and swearing more than a little as feeling slowly returned to her toes.
"Hope you like apples, too!" Orla called out over the lake. She thought it was unlikely that any creature would come close to the shore for a wrinkly old apple, but it was just a small gesture until she could spend more time out here.
Right now, it was much too cold!
Orla gave one last glance over the lake before she turned and ran back towards the castle.
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