HOGWARTS VISIT

[goosemods]

VISIT TO HOGWARTS

Hogwarts' reputation precedes it, so while Gooseberry may like to brag about being the best and brightest, Hogwarts is a true institution. It has history behind it that few other schools do.

Lachlan Galbraith shares a compartment on the Hogwarts Express with Ms. Vector, who reminisces briefly about her days as a Ravenclaw, and how she'd missed out on becoming Head Girl because she made too many people cry as a sixth year prefect.



The castle is imposing as the Gooseberry students arrive via boats. [Volunteer B] gets a special welcome when the tentacle of the giant squid brushes their hand, which was clutching the edge of their boat. The rest of the journey goes smoothly, and everyone is escorted into the Great Hall. The tables are lined with children ranging from eleven to eighteen, in red, yellow, blue and green. They watch the Americans enter one by one as the Sorting Ceremony begins.

It goes smoothly almost until the very end, when Basil Underhill is called to sit up. Seconds become minutes, and whispers start to spread across the Great Hall. After five minutes pass, it's recorded that Basil is a true Hatstall!

The next day, students can go to Hogsmeade and explore the castle. Cameron Carney is talking a walk through the old halls, and asks a group of preteens for directions. Soon it becomes clear the girls were messing with them, though, as they become horribly lost.

[Volunteer D] can't seem to figure out the moving staircases, and gets stranded on a balcony for an hour.

Hank Hilshire, a handsome Gryffindor, is apparently the heartthrob of the school. He takes a shine to Rosemary Stoker, and pursues their company all weekend, whether or not they're taken. This earns them the ire of more than a few rival girls who'd wanted to go to Hogsmeade with Hank. (Presume he's of an appropriate year, and if the object of his affection is a boy, it's not wholly clear if he's being platonic or not.)

HOW THIS WORKS

• Although this post is going up on Jun 3, it actually takes place on Jun 8-11. This is to give you all time to write your scenes for what will probably be an exciting event.


• On Fri, Jun 8, all students who plan on going to Hogwarts take a portkey to London's King's Cross Station. Upon arrival, they're brought to Platform 4 3/4, and the Hogwarts Express.


• Students will leave Gooseberry at 8 AM, and due to the difference in time zones, will be boarding the Hogwarts Express at 5 PM local time. They'll arrive at Hogwarts just past 6 PM in time for their Sorting and dinner.


• Visiting students are given the proper Hogwarts welcome, which means travelling on boats to the castle. Although Gooseberry is technically a rival, the general mood seems to be one of excitement, rather than competition.


• The Sorting takes place in front of the existing Hogwarts students, who are arguing and betting on which Hogwarts house will get the most students. Ravenclaw wins by a narrow margin, but are crowing about it (haha) all night anyway.


• Previous Hogwarts Students: Facing the Sorting Hat again is optional. If you don't want to wear it again, you can simply go sit with your old House. If you pursue a resorting, the Hat will stubbornly refuse to change its original decision, regardless of how much you ask it or how much you've changed. It's a stubborn thing, and never admits to being wrong.


• After being sorted, students are shown to their dorms. Gooseberry students will room in either the boys or girls' dorms together, depending upon where they were sorted. There are 5 beds in every dorm.
CLICK HERE FOR ROOM ASSIGNMENTS

GRYFFINDOR BOYS #1	GRYFFINDOR BOYS #2	GRYFFINDOR GIRLS #1	GRYFFINDOR GIRLS #2
Casper Iliya Lucas	Noel Chad Quentin	Essie Clem Hazel Rosy	Dinah Eve London
HUFFLEPUFF BOYS #1	HUFFLEPUFF BOYS #2	HUFFLEPUFF GIRLS #1
Jeffy Spencer Sebastien Jaime Tobias	Phin Ennis Heathcliff Cameron Webster	January Tuesday Natalie Avery Gwen
RAVENCLAW BOYS #1	RAVENCLAW BOYS #2	RAVENCLAW GIRLS #1	RAVENCLAW GIRLS #2
Lachlan Danny Wilde Salem	Archie Cole Basil Ira Micah	Eileen Roxie Liberty	Nisha Paris Pandora
SLYTHERIN BOYS #1		SLYTHERIN GIRLS #1	SLYTHERIN GIRLS #2
Calvin Yancey Ramon Sylvester Ulysses		Jade Ari Madison Ruby Charlotte	Mackenzie Riley Sofia Lilika Fern

• On Saturday, students will be allowed to go to Hogsmeade to shop and enjoy the little town.


• On Sunday, the Quidditch match takes place in the morning. Make sure you adjust to the Portkey lag!


• On Monday, everyone returns to Utah. They'll leave at 10 AM, and will get home in the wee hours of the morning due to the difference in time zones. Classes are still in session, so consider squeezing in some sleep.

» HOGWARTS EXPRESS: On board the large magical train, students file into their compartments and settle in for a long ride. The scenic Scottish countryside and the looming castle are foreign sights to most of Gooseberry's students.

» THE SORTING HAT: The Great Hall's ceiling sparkles with stars, and there are banners for Gooseberry's houses hung on the far wall along with Hogwarts' own. Line up alphabetically, it's time to find out where you'll be staying tonight.

» COMMON ROOMS AND DORMS: Each house has a common room and an assortment of rooms with 5 beds each. You're informed by a seventh year prefect which rooms you'll be in and with whom.

» gryffindor: Gryffindor's welcome is loud and rambunctious. They accept their new additions enthusiastically and call you all honorary Gryffindors, and immediately set to telling you to stay away from Slytherins.

» hufflepuff: The new Hufflepuffs are greeted warmly, and invited to socialize with the rest of the house. There may be a bit of an us and them divide, but they're not unfriendly.

» ravenclaw: Ravenclaw's still pleased they got the most Gooseberry students. They're very curious about Gooseberry, as well as the rest of you, and end up interrogating the new students.

» slytherin: To no one's great surprise, Slytherin's ready to eat its visitors alive if they take a wrong step. You get extra points for being pretty and pureblood (or at least close to it).

» AROUND HOGWARTS: While Gooseberry is sprawling, Hogwarts is dense. It's easy to get lost in the ancient corridors, and prefects warn the visitors not to wander far without someone to guide them. They're free to explore, though, and the Quidditch team can get in a bit of extra practice on the unfamiliar pitch.

» HOGSMEADE: Saturday is an opportunity to visit the traditional Wizarding town of Hogsmeade. Students can shop, eat, and take in the sights. The residents seem a alternatively baffled, mortified or amused by these loud foreign witches and wizards, taking selfies and dyeing their hair wild colors. One little old witch gives the teens her wifi password. "Poor dears, keeping you disconnected. I couldn't live without my soaps."

» OOC - Questions/Discussion

Comments

AROUND HOGWARTS

[goosemods]

Ennis lingers near the second floor girls' bathroom - Friday night (Open)

[sheepish]

It's the night of their arrival and Ennis has greeted every old friend but one. He leans with one shoulder against the wall, near the entrance to a bathroom that's been out of order for over seventy years now. It's quiet in there for now, which means she's off haunting another bathroom in the castle or listening out for him on the other side.

Ennis frowns, troubled, and uses his fingertip to anxiously trace circles against the stone. If he doesn't greet her now it will cause trouble for him later, and it's not fair to give her the cold shoulder when she's done nothing wrong. But it's awkward-- these old, lingering feelings over a girl immune to change. He's outgrown her and it's hard to face.

Ennis & Cole

[colemoss]

Cole doesn't have any real reason to be at Hogwarts. He's never attended this school and he has no friends to visit. He's not particularly invested in Quidditch. He's worried about Calvin being back here again but with Micah and Ramon to look after him, the other boy hardly needs him. Still. He prefers to be here. For now, though, he doesn't have much to do so he's just wandering and taking in the unfamiliar grandeur of an old castle. There's a lot to see and, later, that will give him a lot to draw.

He turns another corner, dark eyes moving slowly and taking in every detail with quiet appreciation. But then he sees Ennis lingering near the door of a restroom. A girls' restroom. A closed girls' restroom. He stops, tilting his head, and frowns when he sees the expression on his friend's face. "...En?" he asks quietly.

Lucas in the Library (OPEN)

[bubblewrapped]

Tens of thousands of books. Countless tightly packed shelves overflowing with information. Lucas gapes soon as he steps inside, then, fumbling a bit along the way, surreptitiously snaps a few photos with his phone to show to Zach when he gets home.

He could spend the entire weekend here. Just reading. Without sleeping. It'd be wonderful.

His fingers flex. He licks his lips. Naturally, the first thing he does is wander toward the restricted section to see just how restricted it is.

Spooky Kids in the Library

[odder]

Jade’s already there. Normally she’s not so taken with libraries, but that’s changed a little this year. There’s some obligation to get as much information as could possibly help them at home. She’s been trying to get into the restricted section since she knew of its existence, so about five minutes ago, and is camped out dolefully at the entrance now. “It probably won’t work.” She informs Lucas with a huff of a sigh. “We’ve got to get teacher approval. I wonder if any of them will believe we need to learn hexes immersively.”

Spooky Kids in the Library

[bubblewrapped]

"And here I was hoping I could find a book with the soul of a serial killer trapped inside," Lucas laments, only mostly joking. His natural speaking voice is already library appropriate. He holds a smile a moment longer before sighing, fingers grazing the back of his curly head. "I figured as much, but worth a try. Maybe there's something outside of the restricted section? They've got an entire section for dragons. Probably one for doppelgangers, too."

Lucas looks over his shoulder, back at the other books. Less restricted. Less exciting. Ah, well. "How's Slytherin treating you and Ari?"

Spooky Kids in the Library

[odder]

“Oh, I bet there’s one in there.” Jade says, gaze wistfully hovering over the entrance. “I wonder if every book has a ghost in it.” Probably not, Jade. She smirks a little, pondering. “Should we sneak in? They couldn’t expel us.”

At his question, though, she just rolls her eyes in a frankly epic show of dissatisfaction. She’d suspected that she would get into Slytherin with Ari, and she’d expected it to be insufferable. It was. Jade had experienced elitism and purism before, but never in such a concentrated environment, and always on the easier side. Now it was a little different. “They think they’re scary.” She scoffs, anyway. “And we’re supposed to be rivals who don’t speak.”

Spooky Kids in the Library

[bubblewrapped]

"Oh, please," Lucas says, a bright bubble of laughter escaping him and though he catches it with his hand it does little to stifle the sound. The idea of being rivals with Jade - of never speaking to her, competing with her instead of conspiring - is so utterly ludicrous they might as well have asked him to cut off his right arm to get into the common room.

A muggleborn Gryffindor and a pureblood Slytherin cracking jokes in the library, though. The students must be scandalized. It's not a dynamic Lucas has thought much about since starting at Gooseberry. "Maybe we should break in." He teases with a grin. "Show them how much they're missing out on by not collaborating."

Spooky Kids in the Library

[odder]

Jade finds herself smiling a little at Lucas’s incredulity, but just halfway. She wonders what it would’ve been like, had they been British and placed here from the start. Would she still talk to Lucas? Her own voice echoes through her head as it has so often, now, reminding her that she probably wouldn’t have. She’d have nothing to use him for.

But the mischief in an Azurcrest’s eye is contagious and stronger than the mimic’s reminder. Jade pushes it back and lights up, too. Her voice goes low. “It’s pretty important to prove our superiority up front. And cats don’t need teachers’ passes.”

Spooky Kids in the Library

[bubblewrapped]

There's a flicker of change in his expression, barely a breath's length, corners of his mouth drawing - not up, but flat and unsure. Lucas is sure that something is off, but he can't place what. That half-smile of Jade's, it's not unusual but it feels weighted to him.

Between them, Lucas has always believed, there is an understanding. Talking is difficult, but when one is ready, they'll always confide in the other. Comfort, security, trust. A door, always open.

His hand wavers a bit in the air before he settles on resting his fingers on her arm and leaning in close to conspire. He fixes a crooked grin on his lips, easing back into mischief. "Excellent idea," he whispers, volume of his voice dropping low in earnest, now. He glances at the rope separating them from the goods. "Hopefully they don't have any, you know, living critter detections set up, though."

Lucas and Basil

[underthehillandunderand]

Lucas didn't get too far before he ran into Basil, who had already pulled out some dusty tome bigger than his head and was wandering the stacks as he poured over the faded ink. And by ran into Basil, I mean Basil run into him, oblivious to his surroundings until the book knocked Lucas's arm.

"Oh, sorry!" His voice was kept low, but he couldn't hide his grin or obvious excitement. "Did you know there was an entire section in here that explains how early transfiguration spells were created?"

Lucas and Basil

[bubblewrapped]

Lucas jumps, startled, freezing up a moment as he computes what's just happened. But Basil he recognizes - after a beat, at least. These Hogwarts robes are confusing. - and his vacant, awkward expression mellows to something a little less vacant and awkward.

"Think there's a little bit of everything, here," Lucas replies, crooked smirk dragging up on one side of his face. He glances up, around them, and his voice goes hushed. "This place is wild. See any interesting Charms tomes?"

Re: Lucas and Basil

[underthehillandunderand]

"There's like an entire row of books full of Charms. I think it's history and spell dissection and proper technique. And look!" He let the book he was holding fall open to a spot he'd been saving with his thumb. Admist the printed pages were handwritten scribbles. "Somebody argues with the original author of this book. I think I'd rather sleep her than the dorms."

It finally clicked that Lucas had probably been looking for something. "Uh, if you want, I can show you where the Charms section is."

Lucas and Basil

[bubblewrapped]

He cranes his neck for a better look as the pages fall open, stuffing his hands in his pockets to keep them close to his sides. "That's pretty cool," Lucas says, glancing at Basil. "Wonder how old the counter-commentary is... Half the books in here might be older than our grandparents."

And then, he blinks. "Oh, yes, that'd be, um, good. I haven't gotten a chance to look around, yet." The restricted section can wait just a moment. All those illicit texts will still be there in ten or twenty minutes, he supposes. "You've had a look around, huh?"

Re: Lucas and Basil

[underthehillandunderand]

Basil at least had the audacity to look abashed. "Well, after dinner and I learned where the dorms were, I kinda. I've been kinda hiding out here instead," he explained, shifting his weight back before turning to walk towards the Charms section. "There's a lot of us in our room, and I..." He trailed off before shaking his head minutely. "It's not that it's too crowded in there. I just needed to think about that Hat. Does it like to argue with everyone?"

Giant Adult, Chad, Archie & Paris go on an adventure.

[cherubic]

It's silent in the courtyard. The moon hangs overhead, partially shrouded by clouds. A breeze sweeps through, picking up leaves and rustling the cloaks of three figures creeping out into the night. The Ravenclaw contingent has arrived. Archimedes peeks around a pillar, his hood pulled over his head as though that will somehow help him be sneakier. He's found that it does help in some ways to feel sneaky while you're sneaking. It sets the correct mood. It's fun.

"Do you think they were caught?" he whispers to his co-conspirators. "Dinah and Chad are very loud. Extremely loud. Two of the loudest people I've ever met."

Giant Adult, Chad, Archie & Paris go on an adventure.

[godzillabutworse]

Nisha creeps up on Archie, knocking softly against him when they come to a stop. No accident - just affectionate force of habit. "Um," she hums, maybe a little too loudly before quieting herself. "I'm like, pretty sure we'd hear 'em if they'd've got caught."

She lists her head to the side like a dog, listening. No excited yelling. No crashes. Maybe they just got lost.

Giant Adult, Chad, Archie & Paris go on an adventure.

[dinahdanger]

"Cheerio," Dinah hisses, interrupting her theme song humming just long enough to scold him. They've been standing like fifty feet from the courtyard for like a full minute now, Dinah just needs to make sure she scolds Chad one last time before they definitely die. "You're making way too much noise."

The lights from her sneakers blink obnoxiously in the dark hallway, but at least they're not being LOUD. "You're gonna get eaten by a TREE."

Giant Adult, Chad, Archie & Paris go on an adventure.

[winterbottom]

“Cheerio is how you say BYE here.” Chad informs her at a whisper. An admittedly really loud whisper. He’s crunched four leaves by now, so everyone’s worries are valid. “Your FEET are gonna get eaten. Don’t you have any TAPE?”

Giant Adult, Chad, Archie & Paris go on an adventure.

[cherubic]

Archie grabs Nisha's hand and ducks back behind the pillar. "Someone's coming," he hisses, but it's only seconds before he's peeking out again. He can't resist. Archie draws his wand, just in case, but soon enough the twinkle of light-up sneakers come into view. "Oh! I think it's them."

Giant Adult, Chad, Archie & Paris go on an adventure.

[godzillabutworse]

Nisha stifles a giggle behind her sleeve when Archie pulls her out of the way, eyes wide with excitement. She leans in close, slouching to peek around the pillar from under his arm and confirms Archie's suspicion in a giddy whisper. "I know those sneaks anywhere. Our party has, like, arrived!"

She waves a frantic hand at them to try and get their attention.

Giant Adult, Chad, Archie & Paris go on an adventure.

[dinahdanger]

"Muppet Treasure Island, they're already here," Dinah hisses at Chad, completely ignoring the perfectly reasonable suggestion that she tone down her shoes. Dinah Danger tones down for no man. Pushing Chad along in front of her through the courtyard, she basically bowls him over on their way to meet up with the Ravenclaw contingent. It's been less than a couple hours since Giant Adult was last within shoulder-climbing reach, but it feels like it's been years. They're dying without each other.

"Oh my god, are we ready for the Forbidden Zone?"

The Evercreeches (open)

[evercreep]

A boy about a head shorter but twice as dense barrels into Calvin the moment he steps out of the great hall. A second attacker isn't far behind him, but this one has the sense to shout "Oi!" before he collides with his two older brothers. Calvin's no longer the whispy thing he was in years past, and he pushes Nate and Rupert off him with some effort. For the first few moments, it's nothing but incomprehensible shouting between the three of them.

"Ed says your boyfriend's here."

"Yeah, and he says he looks like a sewer rat."

"That was the nice thing he said, you shoulda heard—"

"Shut the fuck up, Rupert!"

"Mum'd tan his hide if she heard—"

"I'mma do it for her if you don't shove it!"

The larger boy in Gryffindor colours suddenly hits the younger Slytherin on the back of the head, and the shouting resumes for several more moments. Calvin pries them apart, but seems to largely be adding to the chaos. By the time anyone comes to intervene, he has Nate by his hair, and Rupert by the front of his uniform. "This is why I never miss either a'you!"

Re: The Evercreeches (open)

[underthehillandunderand]

Basil had gotten a bit turned around in the castle, what with the stairs and all, and he ended up following the sound of yelling to the source. As an only child, he was shocked at what he saw, half-jogging towards the trio.

"Hey, uh, is everything okay?"

Riley & January & a Cutieboo

[riledup]

Hogwarts is not like Gooseberry, houses don't mix at mealtimes, and most Slytherins seen pestering the Hufflepuff table can be assumed to be up to no good.

But Riley doesn't go to Hogwarts anymore. She's here for the weekend, in the tightest skirt she could get away with, with the brightest blue she could get her hair, and she doesn't want to sit with the Slytherins right now. When she looks across the Great Hall and sees Ellie and January, her ex with her... whatever, it doesn't matter what January is, Riley doesn't want her attention on Ellie. And also she doesn't want Ellie's attention on January. Don't worry about why!!!

So she doesn't give a fuck about where she's supposed to sit or what house some dumb hat told her to sleep in, because Riley goes right over to the Hufflepuff table and squeezes in between the girls with a "Heyyyy," and a cute grin. Is she wearing enough lipstick? She'd better be wearing enough lipstick. "What're we taking about?"