Hoggy Rebirthed - Start of the Year Feast

Unknown
Caleb O'Neill
Location: Hogwarts Express last cabin

For a while there was silence. He didn't fight back when she pulled his hood down once more, but he didn't look at her. He kept his gaze focused outside. The only indication that he was really listening to her was how he would scoff or laugh miserably at her jokes. Or her notion that it was easy to just kick all of these emotions and bad situations away. To go back to how he was. Not really carefree but definitely with far more bravato than he was demonstrating at this point. None.

He had many things to fear for. Losing his dignity. Being pitied by his friends. The stigma. Being even more of an outcast in his family. Not being able to change a damn thing about how people would take the yellow paper columns seriously..... Yes there were many things he was afraid of right now and the future didn't look promising. He especially dreaded Felix. The beanstalk would feel so bad about it and he would try so hard that it would make Caleb feel even more helpless and miserable than he already was. While Ainslie talked, it was clear that he had a hard time reigning in his emotions.

He hadn't broken down in front of people other than Madi and even with her it was just because she had heard him scream during one of his nightmares and had rushed to his side. He had been hiding. But Ainslie was there now. There was no avoiding her and the things she said had a huge impact on him. He just couldn't tell how or of what kind. He knew that he was drowning though.

"I can't really shake it off that easily Ainslie. There are many things to be afraid of. Things I can't change. There was nothing fucked up or crazy about what happened. A little girl was trapped and the firefighters wouldn't have been able to help. I was the only one that could do anything. Of course no one believed me and Muggle testimonials don't have any weight in Wizarding society's mind. Even you thought something fucked up went down just like that." He snapped his fingers and his voice was wavering here and there. "This will follow me for the rest of my life and I can do nothing to change it or make it better. So yeah........." He trailed off and looked at her in the eye for the first time since she entered the cabin.

"We can buy the whole Trolley for all I care. Maybe some sugar will make things better...." He said with a sigh and rubbed his eye. It was a nasty habbit that had developed during his first weeks of recovery and had persisted up until now. It was the one thing added to his anxious response along with the rubbing of his temple and neck.
 
Cormorant Garamond; Metamorphous;
art by: Artgerm / Unknown
Virgil Hildegard & Caia Watkins

Making her way besides Skylar and Virgil, Caia offered Sky another cheeky grin, meeting her gaze as a silent challenge. Oh it was far from over, and quite frankly, the Ember was looking forward to see what the American had up her sleeve.Tapping his mug lightly, Virgil briefly followed Caia with calm gaze as she quickly made her way beside them and skittered along, before his attention went back to the main event in the room. While they were all fairly occupied with the former Ravenclaw, those that knew her and those taht did not equally, Caia slid into the side room with a grin.

"Laaangl-" she called out, but his typically calm tone interrupted her in the middle of her somewhat controlled shout.

"Yes, yes, I'm on my way," sounded before she even came in his field of view, so he himself encountered a briefly perplexed face of his former housemate that right after broke into a flashy grin, common for Caia, as she excitedly placed her hands on her hips through an oversized bright red sweater. "What are you doing, you dork? Go be not fun in the main room." And even though she couldn't help herself but playfully scold him regardless of his precautions, but she just as fast stopped herself, making erratic erasing movements with her palms outstretched forward. "You are right, I will not say a thing, you will be right there. Like... yesterday. Got it. Better hurry. Mug incoming," she announced with lighthearted sarcasm in her voice.

Back in the common area, humbly accepting Virgil's jest from before, Adelaide responded with a familiar poise and humble wit that professor Hildegard accepted with a light smirk.

“An opportune moment indeed!” Pyre was quick to agree with the young woman, stepping forward with yet another one of his clever little welcome gifts that was presumably reserved for miss Rosier. “If you hadn’t spent your birthday in St. Mungos I would have given up trying to convince you,” the man proceeded and it stung Virgil's ears well enough for his gaze to sharpen slightly, falling back onto his former student that seemingly did not fully approve of that fact being brought up to the group just yet, if only for a moment. Understandably so.

"You what now?" Caia asked almost immediately, stepping back into the common area just on time for Pyre to spill it out, but her confused question was quickly met with Virgil's calm and collected "Not now". Turning to him briefly with the intent to argue him over it, she met his stern glare and her jaw clenched briefly as she nodded albeit unhappily brushing it aside. For now. As always he was right, as much as she hated to admit it. Following his lead, Caia grinned once again, joining back in on the welcoming fun. After all, the mug was too good of a thing to miss out on. Behind them, Virgil stood aside with his usual stoic face, keeping an eye on the other of his own kind.

Quite a bit had changed in Hogwarts this year, and the day had barely just begun. It amused him and worried him all at the same time.

@Sailor Arti
@DayDreamer
@Nemopedia
@VocaStar

NOTE: Sorry for being so short, there is nothing much to write on side of my characters for this one >3<

 
Glesni Carrow

Doll Face
Cabin in Hogwarts Express

Even though for the most part and regarding anyone else, Glesni could not have cared less whether they appreciated her actions or not, hearing such appreciation from August meant quite a bit to miss Carrow. Enough to fish out a brief lopsided smirk from her resting face.

"As I said. You are welcome," Glesni repeated with a jest as she leaned backwards comfortably, returning the obvious gawk to Romeo, stubbornly maintaining a firm eye contact until he'd give up on his. The guy's reaction was rather amusing albeit not seem for the very first time. Top ten at the very least however.

"Hmhm," she mused as her friend more or less asked about her summer through his never-ending need to set up more working challenges for her knowing very damn well she had a hard time saying no, even when it was packed in an innocent jest. "You do realize that me not being able to resist any of it won't be changing any times soon, right? No need to beg so hard," she responded teasingly. "And yet I cannot do anything to interest you in Potions. You are breaking my heart".

Her friend's input however, brought forth a bunch of reminders of her rather eventful summer. Plenty of it being something she'd rather not bring up and so she responded briefly and somewhat enigmatically. "My summer was...something. Quite a bit. Regardless, I am more than happy to be back and get to work. It will be a vacation on its own," she concluded, briefly rubbing her temple and tucking some of her raven hair behind her ear as she leaned forward to get an item from her backpack. "And how was your summer, gentlemen?" she asked as she rummaged through her things, now addressing both colleagues present.

"August going on all night parties I imagine. Wouldn't be surprised at all," she jested as she picked a notebook and a pen from the backpack with an intention to work through her busy schedule right away and proceeded to straighten up when a familiar figure appeared and passed in front of her at the other side of the door that were back to being opened once the pesky females gave up the effort. As it always was, her original reaction to the disruption was a quick frown thrown their way, but while it usually lingered for a while, this time it dispersed back to neutrality almost immediately as it was replaced with confusion.

Kudos to the guy. He had really tried. What was he pulling off was beyond her, but being inconspicuous truly did not go well for him. Being a loud, hard to avoid face, she would hardly expect from O'Neill to know what he was doing when it came to being invisible. In her mind he fooled nobody but himself. And no matter the reason for it that did not concern Glesni at the slightest, she had yet another question lingering in her mind.

Personally, she looked to avoid the idiot as often as possible as he was almost impossible to cooperate with granted she never tried too seriously. Miss Carrow liked to believe she had a nose for the encountered that did nothing to benefit her and were and utter waste of time. But as much as she paid it no mind, August still seemed quite fond of the guy. Why that was the case, was beyond her but as they would often say, tastes in things are not to be discussed. Or something along those lines... But hey, silently judging never hurt anyone.

But being August's friend, it made Glesni wonder about him obviously avoiding Yilmaz as well. And it was certainly not for her presence there, that much she was aware. Just like her, O'Neill hardly ever had an issue approaching August while she is around. For the msot part they hardly acknowledged each other and in the worst case scenario any banter would be quickly extinguished for August's sake.

If there was only one positive thing she was able to say about the idiot, it was his reasonable attitude towards his friends among which was August himself. So when it happened that he simply passed August's cabin, clearly in a hurry to move away, it made her wonder, even if she refused to admit it.

With her eyes still turned outside towards the corridor, Glesni leaned backwards, clearing her throat and opening her notebook, quickly referring to the situation at hand as smoothly as she knew how.

"Out of curiosity," she started, referring to August as she wrote into her notebook unbothered. "Won't your friend O'Neill have an issue with me being here if he decides to join you?" she asked in an innocent, clueless tone. "It is usually you boys alone. I would hate to be an intrusion, you see," she explained with a meek, charming smirk.


@Nemopedia
@DayDreamer



 
  • Spicy
Reactions: Nemopedia
Montserrat; Montserrat;
art by: still looking...
Ainslie Morrison

Location: London, On board the Hogwarts Express, Last Cabin
Interaction: Caleb O'Neill (@DayDreamer)
Mood: Concerned & Excited

It was silent for a while so Ainslie wasn't sure if what she had said worked at all. She really wasn't built for this sort of thing, consoling others. Felix was so much better at reading people and having the right things to say. Part of it being from his ability she was sure but he also just seemed to be naturally better at handling matters of the heart when it came to others. Unfortunately, he wasn't here right now and it was Ainslie who was trying her best to help out her friend.

"I can't really shake it off that easily Ainslie. There are many things to be afraid of. Things I can't change. " Cal spoke up once more finally causing Ainslie to turn her gaze to him once more. He had a point, she couldn't expect him to get over his traumatic experience so easily. Once again she was reminded just how bad she was dealing with situations like these. Still, he was talking to her at least, so there was progress there. "There was nothing fucked up or crazy about what happened. A little girl was trapped and the firefighters wouldn't have been able to help. I was the only one that could do anything."

Ainslie nodded silently, just listening to what it was he had to say. If he wanted to air out some things far be it for her to stop him. "Of course no one believed me and Muggle testimonials don't have any weight in Wizarding society's mind. Even you thought something fucked up went down just like that." Ainslie opened her mouth to object but he had a point. Still she didn't think he had done anything wrong in that situation. But still whenever fiendfyre was mentioned it brought all the negative connotation with it. That was just the unfortunate truth.

"This will follow me for the rest of my life and I can do nothing to change it or make it better. So yeah........." he trailed off. Ainslie scratched her head and sighed deeply. "I'm gonna be honest with you Cal, yeah. This situation is fucked, that's true, and maybe there's nothing you can do to change the situation itself, what I do know is that you can change you. Only you can change how you respond to things. I can preach to you all day and say Fee and I will support you so have no worries. Easier said than done I know. I just hope while you deal with all this you don't forget that you do have people that care for you. That's all."

"We can buy the whole Trolley for all I care. Maybe some sugar will make things better...." Cal said finally looking at her for the first time since she got here. Ainslie offered him a small smile and nodded. "Sugar typically makes everything better. At least according to all the chick flicks I watch." She flashed him a toothier grin before leaning close to him all of a sudden. "Okay so this is top secret information. What I'm about to disclose to you no one else knows." She said as she could feel the blush already reaching her cheeks and ears.

"Alright, so, surely you remember the mess of a head-space I was in before summer break?" She began. She was sure he did remember considering he was the only one she spoke to regarding the Felix situation. "Well, yeah, that carried over to summer break back at home too. It was rough, I was trying my best to get back on my feet and continue things as 'normal' but I soon realized that would be impossible."

Ainslie sighed just thinking about all the mess and emotional turmoil she was feeling back then. Hard to believe it wasn't so long ago. "Fee and I've known each other since we were babies. Our families are extremely close so of course things couldn't go back to normal. Not when I could barely stand being in the same room with him." Running her hand through her ginger locks she shook her head and continued. "Long story short, after avoiding him for a while we finally talked and uhh..." Ainslie tore her gaze from Caleb her blush becoming redder the more she thought about it.

"And uhh....now...we're....kinda....a thing..." She finally managed to get out. However the by the time she finished the last part her voice was barely above a whisper. "I-I just figured you should hear it from me since you helped me out so much..." She continued, rambling a bit now while she picked at her nails, still not making eye contact with her friend.


 
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Montserrat; Montserrat;
art by: still looking...
Sabrina Runeswell

Location: London, Platform 9 3/4th into the Hogwarts Express
Interaction: Anice Runeswell (@VocaStar]) & Garaile Scriven (@Nemopedia)
Mood: Excited & Playful

"Are you always going to be so childish?" Anice asked her with a sigh. Sabrina just grinned at her, appreciating her little joke went over about as well as she expected it to. "If by 'childish' you mean relaxed and always up for having fun, then yes. You should try it some time. Having fun, I mean." the veela practically purred while leaning against her sister.

“My favourite pair of siblings,” a familiar voice spoke up from the doorway causing Sabrina to sit upright, her expression mirroring the excitement she now felt. "Lele!" She called out to her best friend. Now that he was here that meant double the trouble for Anice. Speaking of fun, she couldn't wait to start with Garaile now at her side. “The plan for this year is the same as always,” he quipped before sliding into the compartment and finding himself a comfortable spot, casually throwing his legs over on the seats as well. “Giving Anice a nervous breakdown, tormenting my fellow Hogwarts students, continue publishing the Weasel, make some profit of my lovely muse,”

“Got to make sure all that sugar gets expended somewhere, right?”
Garaile continued with a wink in Anice's direction. Sabrina's greenish-blue orbs followed his gaze grinning as she watched a blush color her sister's cheeks. “That pink looks lovely on you, Rina dear,” Garaile cooed from across the cabin. "Oh? Thank you darling. They say it's a Scriven original masterpiece. The newest fashion trend for this season, you simply should try it. It's to die for~" Sabrina played along with the theatrics while twirling a piece of her long rose colored locks. Considering he was the one who made her hair like this in the first place she could only assume the comment was meant to poke at Aince who hadn't seemed the most thrilled when seeing her new hairstyle choice.

Speaking of Anice, the prefect crossed her arms defiantly and stared the two of them down, "You both better behave yourselves this year, you don't want to get expelled so close to graduation." The veela snorted and shrugged before the snapping, crunching sound of her biting into her lollipop could be heard throughout the cabin. "That implies that we'll get caught and you know we're too good for that." Sabrina retorted back at her sister.

"And don't forget we start N.E.W.T. classes this year. So I'd spend my time hitting the books, Mr. Scriven." Anice continued which only brought forth a groan from the half-breed. "Boringgggg!" She whined as she got up and sat beside Scriven instead. Leaning her head against him she kept her gaze locked on Anice. "With graduation so close we should be living it up! Making awesome memories we and the school won't so soon forget." She said with a wicked grin before turning to her friend.

"Other than the usual, we should do something big this year hm? Just to spice things up a little." She continued while flashing him a charming smile. She wasn't sure what she wanted to happen but she knew that she wanted to forget all about her home life woes and party it up while at Hogwarts. If anyone could help her make that happen it would be Scriven.


 
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  • According to Plan
Reactions: Nemopedia
Dancing Script; Nova Slim; Hind
7pysIjp.png
Melinda Geralds
London, Hogwarts Express. Mood: Annoyed but amused
@Sailor Arti - Madison Westenberg & @darkflames13 - Zedekiah Blackbourne

“Melvinnn!”

A deep voice sounded through the cabin which could only possibly belong to one guy who would ever dare to call Melinda such in public. Sucking in a breath Melinda turned around on her heels sharply, her arms crossed over her chest as she threw her chin up into the air to meet the eyes of Zedekiah. Snickers from the crowd could be heard as the students were nervously trying to hide their amusement, afraid of whatever outburst would come out of Melinda. The sudden appearance of Madison made the whole scene all the more comical, making it harder for everyone to suppress their own humour as they watched the scene unfold.

“Melinda,” the Gryffindor clipped, correcting her friends arms crossing over her chest as she gave both of them a look in the eye before sending a glare into the crowd. That shut them off immediately before the short sixth year entered the cabin after Madison and seated herself. Despite her stoic behaviour Melinda did smile a little at the antics of her friends, gloating when the possibility was mentioned that she was a possible candidate for the position of Head Girl.

“And you congratulations on extending your tenure as our captain,” the female smoothed her smile into one of felicitations. “It is good to know that not all of us will cost us the cup,” she continued, giving a side-way look to a certain troublemaker, though it was clear that she was merely jesting.

“How was your summer?” she questioned both her friends, her earlier plans to find Glesni fading away in mind as she relaxed in her seat. Having both Zed and Madison around for so long had that effect on Melinda. The childhood nostalgia they shared, the timelessness of their friendship, the lack of expectations towards one another, other than be themselves, and the way they just knew each other. It was a rare thing in their increasingly expanding world that was growing more and more suffocating as well as demanding.

“I’ve hardly seen you over the summer,” Melinda’s smile turned softer, almost wistful as she said that. Melinda’s summer had hardly been boring by itself, what with her busying herself with attending the socials that the purebloods organised. Networking, and trying to put forward the best version of herself but she had missed being able to hang out with her friends leisurely. “Is everything alright?” she continued, recalling the whispering from the adults, their baseless gossips that seemed to involve the Westenberg family. No one was willing to fill Melinda in, however, leaving Melinda in the shadows on what was going on.
7pysIjp.png
 
Lovers Quarrel; Duru Sans; Marvel;
x
Ondine Fear

London, Hogwarts Express. Mood: Overjoyed & excited. Interactions: Ashley Shafia @DayDreamer
Clasping her hands together Ondine gasped in enthusiasm repeating “a horse!” along with Ashley, a bright smile crossing her face as she let go of a giggle.

“Who needs a prince charming on a white horse if I can have one for myself?” the Hufflepuff jested giving her friend a wink. “We can ride off into the sunset together, over the open fields into freedom without the need of a man!” she continued, gesturing dramatically through the cabin as if she was already in the green fields enjoying her freedom before elegantly seating herself back down again in a flourish. That did sound like a wonderful dream, but Ondine knew that the scenario could never be painted into reality.

At the mention of the custard Ondine brightened up once more as she reached for the next sweet in the bag, handing it to her friend with another beam.

“Oh, the bakeries were heaven!” she beamed again. “I had to hold myself back from interrogating the people there, both because mother disapproved, but also because we had so much to do,” the female continued as she picked out an egg tart for herself to enjoy. “I’m going to enjoy myself so much in the kitchens!” she continued, eyes already sparkling at the prospect of experimenting and sharing the fruits of her labour the next day.
 
Euphoria Script; IM Fell Great Primer; Fjord One;
x
Adelaide Rosier

Hogwarts, Faculty Room. Mood: Tense and evasive. Interactions: Caia Watkins, Virgil Hildegard @Ritual Lobotomy, Eleanore Hildegard @VocaStar, Wilbur Langley @Sailor Arti, Skylar Anderson @DayDreamer,
She wanted to jest about Wilbur’s lack of enthusiasm upon her re-entry into Hogwarts, but all that was curbed at once with the headmaster’s revelation of what her condition was until not too long ago. A reveal that Adelaide wasn’t quite ready to share yet and which, understandably, received a harsh reaction from Caia who wanted nothing more but to know.

Giving professor Hildegard a grateful look the female quickly recovered herself, waving her hand to send the newly acquired mug away with the rest of her luggage. “In any case, I think we have a banquet to prepare, not?” she tried to divert the conversation, pushing the topic towards the preparation of the first day of the school year. “What is the work division like?” she eagerly asked, feeling genuinely excited at the prospect of taking part in the organisation of an event that she had witnessed as a student for seven years straight.
 
Milonga; Rufina; Open Sans;
August Yilmaz
London, Hogwarts Express. Anxious.
Interactions: Glesni @Ritual Lobotomy, Caleb @DayDreamer & Ainslie @Sailor Arti
x
Letting go of a hearty laugh August wisely kept himself quiet about potions. It was a well-known fact that the male disliked his potion classes, though he was by no means slacking or untalented. Just uninterested as one might be in cooking, with the long preparations and its precise measurements. It certainly brought together all of the elements that happened to bore August; precision, patience and repetition. Though, that had never stopped professor Hildegard for trying to recruit him, for whatever reason that might have been.

“I spent the summer in the mountains, though my grandmother’s dinners are certainly a feast,” he jested back at Glesni before she shot another question at him, her appearance unbothered and calmly maintained but clearly paying attention to what was happening outside that also took August’s curiosity. Just in time to catch a glimpse of a scurrying Caleb who seemingly had ignored the Ravenclaw outright.

A flash of confusion crossed his eyes before the male returned to the conversation at hand, giving the Slytherin a rueful smile. “He would have told me so, I hope,” August responded, though he felt ill-confident at his statement given the earlier display. The thought alone that Caleb would avoid him for Glesni hurt, just as imagining the opposite saddened the foreigner. “You are never an intrusion, Glesni. I just wish that the two of you would give one another a chance, even if it is to humour me,” the Ravenclaw continued, knowing that it was quite a lot to ask of them. “The two of you are, after all, quite alike,” he continued with a teasing smile before deciding that he could no longer stand the tension in his chest and got up from his seat. Perhaps Caleb had simply not seen him, or some other reasonable explanation. In any case, August was willing to hold out for any excuse as to why his friend was avoiding him so obviously. Anything but to avoid his friendship with a certain Slytherin. Caleb was a lot but never petty, that he was certain of.

“Be right back,” he called over his shoulder before leaping out of the cabin. Though Caleb had already disappeared into the crowd August could only imagine a few spots for the Gryffindor to disappear off to in the train-- there weren't many to begin with --making it an easy guess as to where to find the male. A guess that proved itself to be correct as soon as August saw the familiar hoodie once more, accompanied with Ainslie, another Gryffindor.

The scenario seemed to be quite skewed. At one hand it was shocking, or at least to August who hadn’t expected to see his friend in such a dire state. On the other hand, the mood in the cabin as well as the appearance of the senior, Ainslie didn’t match with what one would expect.

“Caleb,” August breathed out, shock crossing over his face as he stared straight into the scarred face of his friend and switching to the blushing face of the older girl. He hadn’t meant to intrude into a moment of privacy, having merely let himself be led by his own curiosity and fear, but the reason was clear. Caleb had avoided him for the reason that was visible on his face. Whether it was out of shame, or to spare August from worry and fretting the Ravenclaw didn’t know, but it didn’t matter either. Over the summer something terrible had occurred that had resulted in the permanent disfiguration of Caleb.

Though August had no idea what the story was behind the scar, or the reason why the senior Gryffindor was blushing as if she had just confessed, or if Caleb was even ready to share the story the Ravenclaw knew that the last thing the Gryffindor needed was his pity. All would come with time, so August had learnt, just like today’s moral had proven itself right now. Letting go of another breath the Ravenclaw thus let go of his own shock, a gentle smile crossing his features once more.

“Glad to see you survived for another year,” he jested, like he did every year with the guy. Reckless as his friend was, it was only deserved even if it felt wry to tell the joke this year. He just wanted to give Caleb a sense of normalcy, proof that he was still the same person as before and that the same went for the relationships forged between them.


ooc: and all hostages are released. 😘
 
Unknown
Caleb O'Neill
Location: Hogwarts Express last cabin

"Sugar typically makes everything better. At least according to all the chick flicks I watch." Her grin was matched with an amused snort. Despite his initial fear and foul mood, Caleb could feel them slowly dissappear in the back of his mind. He made no mistake of thinking they would completely go away. No, he knew they would be lurking at the farthest corners of his mind, waiting for the right moment to resurface and drown him once more. But Ainslie was there now and a feeling of normalcy was carefully settling in.

His only surviving eyebrow inched upwards when she leaned closer in a conspiratorial manner. What was going..... "Alright, so, surely you remember the mess of a head-space I was in before summer break?"...... oh. So that's what this was about. His expression changed from confusion to a 'duh!' Of course he remembered. He had half a mind to confront Felix about it, but vacations and his accident didn't allow him to go through with it and the more he listened, the more he realized that it had been for the better.

His crooked smirk eventually turned into a grin as the Ginger Hobbit grew even redder, doing more than justifying his nickname for her. And now it was her turn to look away from him, for similar reasons to his. However he was not the type to ask people to look at him. An ear flick later, he grinned at her with a twinkle in his eyes. "Now we are definitely buying the entire........"

His sentence was cut short when someone else called his name in shock, causing him to grimace and pull his hood on once more on pure reflex. So August had noticed him and of course he had been curious enough to track him down. His negative emotions did not have to wait long at all to pounce at him once more afteral. “Glad to see you survived for another year,” There it was. Their greeting phrase every start of term. Yet somehow the weight of the joke didn't make it feel funny anymore. "Shocking. I know......" He replied, finding himself retreating once more in the depths of his hood. He didn't want to go through this again. He didn't want to deal with the shock, the explanations, the pity. Having to sooner or later face Felix like that was enough of a stressor already. Having to do so with August and every other person in his dorm was an additional nightmare that he didn't wish to deal with and it showed with his lack of response after that.

Why couldn't they reach Hogwarts so he could slip away already? In the train there was no place for him to run. No place to hide.
 
Akira Kurusu, Persona 5
Felix Butler

Leon Croi
Location: Hogwarts castle

The Beanstalk snickered at Arionas explaining and responding his question while the tone of his voice went up and down as his diaphragm lightly bounced against Felix's shoulder. Small pleasures in life were exactly that. A simple thing like a silly voice as his friend blabbered on brought forth a wide grin on Fee's face. But in all fairness, not like keeping him amused and in good mood was quite so hard either these days.

Now, everyone that knew the Gryffindor could testify there may have been only a handful of times throughout the years that they saw him out of his element but even so, his mood was additionally elevated this time. Oh boy oh boy the siren boy wouldn't believe the summer he had. He needed to tell someone or he could have sworn he'd burst by the time Caleb would arrive and oh boy Ainslie too. How he missed them both! The bloody great summer he had and how much his heart had grown too.

Who would have thought all that time a simple conversation would have made an already perfect thing so much better. And holy cow on a stick! Who would have thought everyone would be so appreciative and supportive over him having enough emotional intelligence to evolve. Well... to be quite honest he was not quite sure what all that meant, but he was pretty sure it was positive and then she did not hate him anymore, and just on time for him to leave too. Now that would have been a bummer if that didn't happen, wouldn't it? And then she kissed him and then he...

"Come on Felix!" The Irish heard Arionas protest somewhere withing the forest of his thoughts he got lost in for a second. It echoed through the branches, and Felix, still marching on decisively with a stupid grin on his face and faint blush on his cheeks, responded almost automatically.

"I'm sorry what? I was a bit...away."

"This is embarrassing and unsafe," the voice continued, slightly upset.

"Huh? What is?" he responded again, hearing his own voice echo withing the halls of Hogwarts. Well then he guessed they were in.

Oh well done genius, what gave it away?

"Put me down before I meet the floor face first!"

"What? Oh. Oh!" Felix exclaimed, snapping out of his daydreaming to find himself already deep withing Hogwarts hallways, with Arionas still hanging off his shoulder wrapped in blanket. "Okay. Okay. Stop squirming!" He quickly instructed, pacing in circle as his brain had a hard time to focus on a simple manner half way back into reality; to simply put the boy down. "I will drop you for real this time!"

As soon as he attempted to pull Arionas' feet forward and transfer his weight so he slides to the ground feet first, warm gust of wind hit them from nowhere, startling Felix so he turned around himself to face whatever caused it. "Hey! Stop th-heeeyyy mister Jer--Jernigan. You look...freshly rested," he cleared his throat and scratched the back of his neck with that stupid grin still lingering on his face, still forgetting himself to put the poor Arionas down. Another wave of warm air was cast towards them and under the blanket, Arionas was completely dry. Awkwardly tapping Arionas' back through the blanket, Felix still stared at Emrys, dumbfounded. Where the hell did he come from...

"Huh. Would you look at that? I've forgotten about that for a bit there," he had admitted as he finally allowed Arionas to slide feet first onto the ground. Tapping his back generously, the Irish grabbed the blanket off of his friend and in one swing threw it over his own shoulders like the softest cloak ever made. "Well I guess you won't be needing this then," he grinned, adjusting the blanket over his back so it was equally long on both sides. "Well, you're still welcome," he referred to Arionas with a jest before grinning back to Emrys.

"Mister Jernigan! So happy to see you again!" Even though he was leading the class that Felix arguably did the absolute worst at, he absolutely, hundred times for sure, appreciated and respected all of the teachers and their assistants equally. To hell with it, Merlin knew it wasn't their fault he was a dunce. He always made sure to clarify it was all on him, and he certainly appreciated every time mister Jernigan simply rolled his eyes at it. By this time, Felix was almost sure it meant: "Yeah well no shit, Sherlock?" It was nice when your feelings and thought were acknowledged in such way. It mad for a wonderful working relationship.

"Hope you had a wonderful summer yourself! You must have, you assistants and professors surely have a lot of fun with your free time. I'm a bit envious," the lad continued blabbering on cheerfully not really expecting an answer. Mister Jernigan never gave him one, so he had learned by now that he should not expect one. But it didn't mean that the man was deaf not to hear him. "I am surely stoked for the banquet and all the new faces. Looking forward to seeing you there!"

@DayDreamer - Arionas Nikolaidis
@Nemopedia - Emrys Jernigan



 
  • Creepy
Reactions: Nemopedia
Glesni Carrow

Doll Face
Cabin in Hogwarts Express

“He would have told me so, I hope,” August responded quite confidently and she looked back at him, nodding with slight hesitance. It baffled her how he was so certain of his friend's honesty. Perhaps there was something there. O'Neill to her did not seem like a type that would be all too open with his feelings, but he did certainly seem like a type to express his annoyance. He certainly did so for many things, many times before, and she was there only briefly compared to August. Then again, she understood she was being unfair. It was a fact she did not know more thanshe was shown, but she also found it perfectly fine to evaluate only what she saw. Positive or negative. On one hand he was a pompous annoyance, but on the other, all of his friends seemed to be more or less people that wouldn't quite hang out with jock types. Truly peculiar.

“You are never an intrusion, Glesni," she heard August speak up solemnly. Even though she needed no reassurance, Glesni still found herself smirking genuinely at August's words. Being all new and hard to digest for others from the first day she had found herself in the middle of already established connection was stressful. And even though she skillfully managed to keep that stress to herself making sure she bites before she was bitten, having someone as sincere and as nice as August for a friend that truly did not ask for anything other than honest friendship, seemed like blessing. Of course, she wouldn't be caught dead being all sappy and disgusting about it, but in her own way, Glesni worried for him and took care of him the best way she knew how while sticking to her principles. If that meant tolerating his other friend, she was not the one to oppose it in the slightest.

"I just wish that the two of you would give one another a chance, even if it is to humour me,” August continued and at the sound of it, Glesni scoffed lightly, crossing her arms defensively. "Well he is not exactly too eager too make up and hang out. I suppose I am not the type of person he'd friendly with. But that is quite alright. If I am being honest, the feeling is mutual," she smirked although she seemed dead serious and unamused while speaking of it. The never-ending curse of a resting face. Perhaps that was why. "But, he is your friend longer, and I would not wish for anything to get between you two so yes. Fine. I will do my best," she promised reluctantly, darting her gaze briefly at Romeo sitting in the opposite corner. "See? You even have a witness," she chuckled, even though Romeo seemed like he didn't want to be a part of any of it.

“The two of you are, after all, quite alike." The Slytherin did not fail to hear the playful tone in August's voice. Her ears were after all uset to music and pitch changes and that one was rather obvious. Cocking her eyebrow, she closed her notebook and looked back at her friend, narrowing her eyes as she tought hard about her answer. After a bit, she decided to drop it with an eye roll. "Let's just... agree to disagree on that one." To be quite honest, she found no witty answer to throw at him in the first place.

And while they all minded their own business for a moment, in silence, it was clear that August was growing restless with every second passing. He was itching to know, that much was obvious. After one more moment had passed, Glesni groaned over her notes. "You are driving me crazy, Yilmaz. Do you want to--"

Before she even finished, the male was already up and one foot out of the cabin. “Be right back,” he threw at them quickly and Glesni nodded, gesturing towards August. "There we go. There it is," she confirmed her suspicions of him simply wanting to go there and ask, before she got back to her notebook. "Took him long enough." Romeo simply offered her a nervous smirk.

But she'd be damned if she would try and pretend like she wasn't just as curious. it was all too peculiar to swipe over, and moments after August disappeared out of her field of vision, she began wondering how things had been going. Closing her notebook and leaving it on the seat next to her, Glesni stood up without a word, peaking half way out of the cabin. Naturally, she had decided, if August was nowhere to be found, she'd stay put because with all good intentions and curiosity, she was not ought to tag along around the train looking like an idiot.

However, it seemed that, for whatever was going on, August had decided to stand. Perhaps the cabin was full? Then again, the way his face seemed to be changing from shocked to an attempted smile troubled her greatly. Perhaps O'Neill was truly giving him a hard time, and August being August did his best to pacify as he always did. Glesni failed to understand such need to be the mediator for conflicts. Perhaps that is what happened when you had people you care about equally. It made her feel rather special. Then again, she never sought to compete but if it were a competition, she'd argue she was doing pretty well.

If O'Neill did however give him a hard time, she felt somewhat responsible. At the same time she understood it was not her obligation to feel responsible, but finally having a good friend made her overthink things way too much way too often, and then she would be worried that she is being overthinking too much and it might scare him away. Good thing reading minds was not an easy thing to do. Being able to keep a straight face in the biggest mess was the key.

"Screw this," she mumbled to herself after observing for a while, stepping out of the cabin. "Save our seats," she referred to Romeo in a slightly bossy tone though without any malice. More as a matter of fact. It was a trait of her that once she set her mind on doing something, she did not tend to have second thoughts once the plan was set in motion. She quickly closed the distance to the cabin where August stood, clearing his throat as she slid past him into the field of vision to those present in the cabin. Not only the place wasn't full, but the only two people sitting there looked like a living mess. After studying the image and soaking in the awkward silence that fell upon blushing girl, hooded Caleb and confused August, she nodded respectfully with a formal "Hello."

Getting that out of the way, she briefly turned to August. "Just to show you I am listening and respecting your wishes, I have come here to propose truce to O'Neill," she explained briefly, before turning her attention to Caleb, sitting in the corner with his hood on. "Well that is peculiar," she jested dryly. "You don't strike me as a cold intolerant person. It is a bit chilly, but hood seems a bit excessive," she smirked at her own tease, but it was where it stopped. Perhaps in the moment of annoyance, he had turned to her, and his unamused frown would certainly amuse her, if it wasn't overshadowed by something more sinister.

She saw it only briefly, but enough to recognize the pattern. Her face gave away no shock nor surprise as she stopped to process the information and even though her mind was running with thousands of questions, she asked none of them. What was the point? For the first time, she was able to say she couldn't help but sympathize. She'd imagine anyone with an ounce of sanity would. Even more so if one knew what poor idiot got himself in. Instead of giving away any sign of actually noticing his extensive burns, she cracked another dry smirk, leaning against the cabin door.

"I will not take up too much of your time. I am simply here to make sure there is no issue with the current seating arrangement. I am more than fine with you sitting with August. You do not have to avoid me, I promise I won't bite," she chuckled, straightening up. "That's all. See? I can be nice," she smirked to August tapping his shoulder generously before she made her way back towards the cabin.

On her way back, she felt legitimately ill. O'Neill or not, she would not wish a thing like that to anyone being his own fault or not. She felt ill because that simple image of his face brought back the thought of evil that was that cursed spell. He didn't do that to himself. He couldn't have possibly! Bloody hell, he was just as terrified seeing her use it and fell back like everyone else. They were all explicitly taught in Hogwarts to stay clear of using it so why the hell... He was an idiot, but not a simpleton. It made no sense.

By the time she reached the cabin, her face once more turned as solid as stone and hr eyebrow cocked briefly once Romeo looked up as she entered. "Well now, we solved that, everything is in order," she said sounding rather proud of herself, before she sat back down, resuming the page in her notebook where she stopped on revising her notes last. Except this time she hardly saw any of them and she was more than sure that she was reading the same ones over and over again absently. Keep a straight face. That's what mattered.

Nothing was in order.

@Nemopedia
@DayDreamer



 
Milonga; Rufina; Open Sans;
August Yilmaz
London, Hogwarts Express. Anxious & Relieved.
Interactions: Glesni @Ritual Lobotomy, Caleb @DayDreamer & Ainslie @Sailor Arti
x
The Ravenclaw couldn’t blame Caleb for reacting the way he did, though it did slightly disappoint him. Not in his Gryffindor friend but in himself. August had always felt proud of his patient and tolerant character, however it was in times like these that he felt that he was lacking the traits needed to be a true friend. Unable to find the right words or the right form of comfort he kept his distance. Caleb’s signal was clear and the Ravenclaw respected that.

Glesni appearing right next to him was a horror that slowly unraveled itself to be a blessing for him. The Ravenclaw had no idea what to expect with Caleb clearly down in the gutter and hoped that a confrontation could be avoided, however Glesni’s words that followed was what had August release his breath.

A truce. Carefully a smile crossed the foreigner’s features, glad for the Slytherin to take his words to heart and put them into practice immediately. It almost made him feel a little ashamed for worrying and anticipating the worst.

“Thank you,” he mouthed silently to the female before turning back to Caleb once more. “I will see you, Caleb,” the male promised before turning back down towards his own cabin.
 
Bilbo Swash Caps; Kameron; Athiti
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Emrys Jernigan
Hogwarts, hallways. Interaction: Aironas Nikolaidis @DayDreamer, Felix Butler @Ritual Lobotomy. Mood: Still a zombie after a summer of gaming, grumptastic.


The combination of a lack of sleep and being called ‘mister’ by one of the students not much younger than he was triggered the young male, whose expression turned into a glare before proceeding to ignore whatever the chatterbox had to say. Raising his hand the tip of his wand glowered in a blue light before the former Hufflepuff traced his words into the air, faint light tracing the letters that formed his main source of communication.

“Emrys will do. What brings you here breaking the peace?”

His letters were neat, the only blame being that the light dimmed out quite quickly, though it gave the students ample time to read if they did so in a decent speed. While it lacked a voice it was clear that, in combination with his face the teacher assistant was far from pleased.
tumblr_nhwe5ayxEm1u7m6f2o1_500.png
 
  • Nice Execution!
Reactions: Ritual Lobotomy
Libre Baskerville; NTR;Open Sans;
Garaile Scriven
Hogwarts Express. Interaction: Sabrina Runeswell @Sailor Arti & Anice Runeswell @VocaStar. Mood: Excited and mischievous.
x
“Big,” the blonde mused as he let himself fall into his seat. The annoyed expression of Anice and Sabrina’s delight never failed to amuse the boy as he eyed the two Slytherins with interest. “I like big, let’s do it,” he continued, ignoring Anice’s plea to behave themselves. The prefect really ought to know better, besides, Garaile knew that she cared too much about her sister to ever let Sabrina suffer through any trouble. Anice was their ticket to innocence, meticulously following around to make sure that traces couldn’t be found.

“We could hijack the Halloween festivities. Nothing better than muggle-like debauchery,” the Weasel proposed as he pulled out his self-writing quill and waved it around. A piece of parchment came rolling out of his pocket as well, readying itself for whatever brainstorm the blonde was planning on. “Pray, Anice, have you ever been to heaven?” he questioned the Slytherin prefect with a suggestive wink. The quill immediately set off to scratch as Garaile delighted himself at her reaction.

“However, to go truly big. I have heard rumours.” Eyes glimmering the male rolled over his side as he leant forward to the sisters in a manner of conspiracy. “Not just the petty rumours of students burning their face off. Big. Larger than the school and it is coming to the school,” he continued, his smile growing wider and more wicked. Oh, the ideas that were running rampant within his mind. This year was definitely going to be his year.

“Though, of course, I can’t share such news with you without knowing if I can trust you,” he suddenly reeled back, arms crossed and a mocking smile playing on his face. That surely would keep Anice on her tiptoes, curious and meddlesome she was. That was half the fun, after all though also half the risk.


ooc: THOSE ARE ALL OF MY HOSTAGES RIGHT? NONE FORGOTTEN, RIGHT? 😱
 
Unknown
Ashley Shafiq
Location: Hogwarts Express Cabin.

Ashley laughed as she could see the picture her friend painted infront of her eyes. This really sounded fun and Ashley plotted on how to get Ondine to come home with her this summer. She was certain the Hufflepuff would have enjoyed Africa and all that it had to offer. "While not exactly green fields, you should come with me this summer. We can ride in the plains near my mom's house." She pointed out and her eyes lit up as she was presented with yet another dessert. She was certain by the time they reached Hogwarts, she would have been diabetic.

“Oh, the bakeries were heaven!” Ondine exclaimed. "Judging by the sweets I am certain they do." Ashley agreed and dug into her pastry, sighing in delight once more. “I’m going to enjoy myself so much in the kitchens!” Yup. Ashley was definitely going to become diabetic. "And I am going to enjoy helping out afterwards in eating all the sweets. All of them!" She stressed jokingly and looked outside to see Hogsmeade Station fast approaching.

---------------------------------
OOC: You can go ahead and have Ashley suggest to Ondine they ditch the carriages and ride to Castle instead. Or I can do it in the next post 8D
 
Skylar Anderson

COMC Professor
Skylar narrowed her eyes at smirking Caia and watched her as the redhead disappeared into the next room, ready to drag poor Will out of the room to meet the newcomer. It had kind of failed and Skylar tucked an interesting piece of information about the latest addition to the team. An ex-Auror fresh from hospital. That sounded promising and a great story to be told if ever given the proper chance. However Skylar was not one to pry. She could tell by their reactions that the story behind it was a sensitive one.

Instinctively Skylar ran a hand on her ribs, where the marks from Chimera's claws were at. She too had spend significant time at a hospital and it had not been a happy tale to remember. She could somewhat relate to Adelaide's situation. Only somewhat though, as none of her colleagues yet knew of her fight with the beast. Her focus from extracting revenge from Caia sifted as Adelaide change the subject. What were they supposed to do for the feast? "Well, the House Elves are already hard at work in the kitchen and I believe that most of us have been mentally prepared for the onslaught of the gremlins. Pretty sure Caia already did her death ride of the Grand Staircase already....." Skylar paused momentarily to stare disapprovingly at Caia. "So that leaves us with the task of eating all the food and be ready for the Sorting ceremony. Unless you are a Head of House, there's little to do after that, though we do keep an eye out for anyone threatening a prank war at the very start of term....." She looked pointedly at Caia and her mouth twisted in a grin.

She needed some time to put her prank in motion but hopefully it would pay out in the end.
 
Unknown
Caleb O'Neill
Location: Hogwarts Express last cabin

As if August tracking him down wasn't bad enough already, a very polite and clear female voice added to his anxiety. Glesni Carrow. He really didn't want to deal with her as well. He knew he owed her thanks for prompting him to figure out how to counter Fiendfyre after she had so casually used it in class last year, but he had no idea how she would have reacted if she saw his face. Taunt him like she seemed to take so much pleasure in? Outright dismiss him? Make a fool out of him? He knew that it was an unspoken agreement to be as civil as possible whenever August was around, but he was scared.

"I have come here to propose truce to O'Neill," Now that caught him off guard and it took all his willpower to not whip his head up to look her straight in the eye and see if she was honest about it or just playing him for whatever reason. But she was making it very difficult for him as she went on to tease him as she always did. "Tsk!" He turned to glare at her, but then he realized his mistake, as he had revelead his burned face to her, and quickly turned away regretting his decision.

"I will not take up too much of your time. I am simply here to make sure there is no issue with the current seating arrangement. I am more than fine with you sitting with August. You do not have to avoid me, I promise I won't bite," She chuckled. "That's all. See? I can be nice." Nothing in her tone revealed anything out of the ordinary. It was as if she had never noticed in the first place and Caleb released a breath he didn't know he was holding. For once, he was really grateful to her non-chalant straight face. That very thing that always irritated him and challenged him had been one to help him this time around.

He didn't do anything to show her that he had acknowledged her, but Ainslie would have been able to feel his muscles relax after they had been suddenly taught as a string when Glesni had first entered the scene. When August had left mercifully, Caleb slumped in his seat. He could see Hogsmeade's train station fast approaching. "We are almost there. Ready to see the Beanstalk again?" He asked Ainslie with a small mischievous smile as he tried to distract himself from the knots that his stomach kept twisting and untwisting into the closer he got to school and the inevitable interaction with the world.

 
Cormorant Garamond; Metamorphous;
art by: unknown
Welcoming Feast
Hogwarts Castle was now bursting at the seams with activity. From Trunks being carried to the dormitories to older students picking their spots on the long tables in the Great Hall and first years landing on school grounds at the Castle boat house for their very first time. The Professors and Headmaster were already present at the table when the first students walked in. It was the usual start of the year dinner feast, but there was a new face amongst the teachers!

Speculations, gossips from people who had heard that the old DADA professor had retired but had no idea who this new professor was quickly ignited. Even the Sorting Hat's opening song and speech did not manage to completely silence these. However with the first years sorted, it was time for Headmaster Pyre's opening speech so answers were to be had and the Great Hall fell eagerly silent.

 
FELIX BUTLER / CAIA WATKINS / VIRGILIUS HILDEGARD


Somewhere in the meantime, Arionas and mister Jernigan decided they had more than enough Felix time for the entire day, if not even for an entire week. Soon after, the door to the Great Hall swayed lightly as the head full of messy hair peeked in, hovering quite a bit away from the floor. Mischievous pair of eyes scanned the empty room, now fully prepared for the Feast, making sure it is truly empty before the Beanstalk boy straightened up and jumped in, walking towards the middle with a flashy grin.

"We meet again", the Irish spoke to the space, before he turned on his heels, now facing the the wide open doors. With the sycamore wand in his hand, Felix charmed himself briefly then cleared his throat and spoke in a familiar gravelly female voice.

"A'right, you worms. You think this is funny? Get your behinds in here!" It took only a moment for heads of few younger Gryffindor students to peek one by one into the room with concerned looks on their faces, scanning the area for madam Magpie. No doubt, Felix was busted and now they were all in trouble. But as much as they were all terrified of repercussions, not teleporting yourself where she wanted you to be at once was arguably even worse.

"Yes. You. In here!" Felix continued, doing his best to impersonate Caia's mannerism as well.

Realizing the trick at hand, four students frowned and scoffed towards Felix in cacophony of sounds as they walked into the Great Hall.

"Really funny, dude."

"That isn't even how she sounds!"

"And yet, you lot soiled yer pants", Felix chuckled with his voice slowly fading back to normal. And while his little helpers still grumbled among themselves, the Irish quickly pulled their attention back to the task at hand. "My Squires of Chaos", he announced theatrically.

"We have gathered here by tradition, to welcome our new peers Gryffindor style... Whether they like it or not".

Arguably, it usually leaned towards 'not', but on the bright side, it separated potential from boring. The thought of wrecking havoc among the newbies was enough for all youngsters to draw their wands, eagerly waiting for further instructions. In front of them, Felix paced left and right extensively, studying his soldiers. Four rows, four troublemakers and hopefully just enough time to prepare it all.

***

"A knut for your thoughts?"

Madam Watkins registered Virgil's question with a mischievous frown. "Professor Hildegard, I am surprised you believe I would settle for anything less than a Galleon", she responded with a jest, pieces of her thoughts slowly dispersing under Virgil's distraction. It was something he found to always be working with miss Watkins. Her desire to compete and overcome both physically and mentally meant her focus on other less favorable things at a given moment was easily broken. Mercifully so. Ever since the Pyre brought up the information regarding the situation with miss Rosier, miss Watkins had a hard time not grabbing the woman and sorting it out right there and then. The importance of keeping her away from it until the moment would be appropriate was not lost on Virgil.

"Galleon, you say?" Virgil mused as they walked down the hallway towards the Great Hall after a mandatory touch up. After all, first impression mattered regardless of newcomers being only children. "I am afraid the deal is off. They cannot possibly be worth that." Virgilius Hildegard's way of subtle provocations was evident not only in his calm indifferent voice, but also the poise in his demeanor and dismissively decisive step as he paid mind to move no ahead nor behind his young colleague that now seemed like anything but amused. Oh how easy it was...

"What's that s'posed to mean?!" Caia exclaimed scandalized, briefly stopping with her arms spread as her Scottish accent hardened. "Oi! Hildegard, ye absolute arsepiece..." she grumbled as she hurried to catch up, fully missing his face curving into a brief smirk of amusement. Walking next to him once again, madam Watkins pouted with her arms crossed tightly across her chest. "For someone as minted, you sure are a cheapskate".

"Rational. I'd like to think of it as being rational", Virgil responded calmly, making a turn towards the Great Hall. "Asking a full Galleon for abstract processes in your head is not only an unfair trade, but you are forgetting that I have the ability to access them free of charge. Knut was a generous compensation in your favor when I had no need to spend the coin."

Regardless of Caia stubbornly maintaining her pout as a sign of protest towards the unfair advantage Virgil had in that department, he was undeniably right. She had totally forgotten about his damn ability to help himself with people's heads as he pleased. After a brief pause, Caia spoke up just to place her input, and it was more of peeing on the same spot the last rather than contributing to the discussion.

"...Cheapskate."

"Now, the fact that I do not wish to do as I please is yet another thing."

Caia's expression relaxed enough to drop her guard and respond with a generous tap across Virgil's back that had no disturbing effect on Virgil's pace nor stance. Only through smaller details like that could one at first glance notice something was off with mister Hildegard. After all, Caia Watkins had a heavy hand and little regard of people's balancing abilities and yet, them man did not flinch.

"Yer a good man, Hildegard... When you're not a pain in the arse."

"Only on occasion, I assume?"

"Eh", Caia shrugged with a daring smirk. "I wouldn't go that far, Hildegard. Tooting your own horn doesn't suit you. Nobody likes show-offs."

Ahead of them space opened into the Hall, now full of dishes and decorations and already full of life. And just like that, Caia's mood was elevated and lively. She waltzed into the room dramatically as her raven-black uniform fluttered after her. Inhaling deeply, she spun around with a flashy grin. "Do you smell that, Hildegard? The smell of new opportunities." Professor Hildegard nodded, stepping forward to take his place at the table. In his own typical way, professor Hildegard was more than curious of all the fine minds his house would be richer with this year.

***

And just like that, once first year students started taking their seats at the tables they were sent to, numerous sounds of animals, bangs, farts, and other hard to ignore sounds filled the room. To each new student seated, a different sound was assigned. Little Hufflepuff girl was treated with a loud sound of locomotive once she sat on her spot, making her jump up to the amusement of the entire Gryffindor table, while the confident Gryffindor boy, laughing at the others just moments before, seemingly sat on a really angry cat, jumping up in the very same fashion, causing his own table to burst into laughter as those closest to him patted his back reassuringly.

It was a beautiful chaos of startled shouts and laughter that made Felix chew on his bagel more vigorously, sitting with self-praising grin on his face, following the initiation process with some attention, while the other half of his attention was on his helpers, chuckling all the way into their headmaster's speech.