NEW YEAR'S EVE AT DIAGON ALLEY

[evercreep]

NEW YEAR'S EVE AT DIAGON ALLEY

Diagon Alley, one of the oldest magical shopping districts in London, stretching out behind the muggle buildings with countless shops, restaurants and other attractions. Nearly anything magical you could want you can find right here.

As the sun sets, Diagon Alley lights up, still decked out in Christmas decorations and covered in slushy snow. The shoppers and partiers run a huge range, from young people in jeans, to old witches in floor length gowns. This is the place to be if you're a wizard in London tonight, and it's clear that tonight's not going to be a peaceful one.

HOW THIS WORKS:

• At around 7:00 PM, Hogwarts exchange students planned to meet outside of The Leaky Coundron.


• Diagon Alley is crowded with party goers. Lights adorn the eaves of the buildings,
  and witches and wizards are wandering the streets, dressed in extravagant robes.


• There's live music being played outside the Hopping Pot, a bar that faces the street.
  There's drinking, dancing, and the occasional misfired charm.


• Technically you can order beer, wine and cider at 16/17, but you're supposed to have it with food and an adult. However, with the night as chaotic as it is, students shouldn't find it too hard to get their hands on some alcohol.


• At midnight, everyone sings Auld Lang Syne as fireworks are shot overhead. The magical display features creatures made of fire that swirl overhead and swoop above the guests.


• You're all free to go your own way at the end of the night, but if anyone's too
  drunk, they may end up dragged home by Calvin and Ramon to wake up on an old floral sofa in Calvin's flat.

» THE HOPPING POT: This is where the party is! Several popular bands I'm too lazy to name play, and there's dancing and socialising. The seating area is outside, but the lamps and tables glow with warmth.

» THE LEAKY CAULTRON: A quieter spot, where the group of exchange students have claimed a table for themselves. Truth or shot, anyone?

» SHOPS: Most of the shops are open if anyone wants to pop in and grab something before they go back to the states. There's a large variety, and you may be able to find some unusual things on sale after the holiday.

» KNOCKTURN ALLEY: Brave, curious, or simply comfortably students might find their way down the winding alleys into the darker corner of the shopping district. Witches and wizards of a different sort are celebrating here too. The woman tending a strange little bar with no apparent name doesn't care how old you are, but her selection of drinks is strange and unfamiliar.

» MIDNIGHT: As the clock strikes twelve, what are you doing?

» OOC - Questions, Comments and Concerns

Comments

THE HOPPING POT

[evercreep]

Gwen and open to multiple (please say hi)

[gwenniepop]

Gwen arrived right on time with Calvin, dressed nicely in a festive red sweater and new jeans. She is carrying a small bag with her and looks very excited to be there.

Sofia + Open

[sovain]

Wanting to be as far away from home as possible, Sofia had arrived in London that morning to shop and unwind before the NYE festivities that night. She doesn't plan to meet anyone from school, and it doesn't matter much if she sees them or not, she's just enjoying being another dancing face in a crowd of strangers.

Webster and Open

[websterknox]

Webster stands in front of a janitor's closet, a little uncomfortable. Unbeknownst to anyone who comes over to talk to him, Lilika is behind the door changing dresses, since his grandparents hadn't let her out of the house in what she wanted to wear. For his part, Webster is sporting their Christmas gift to him: a floral suit. "I wish you'd let me buy something so you could use the bathroom," he says through the door. Webster fidgets with his lapel and smiles at confused passerbys. Nothing strange going on here. Nope!

Phin & Lachlan - Late

[lachlangalbraith]

Crossing paths with old classmates from Hogwarts hadn't been inevitable but it hadn't been entirely unlikely either. After all, many of them were from London and people came for New Year's Eve in Diagon Alley from all over. Just like Lachlan had. So it shouldn't have been a surprise when it happened and it likely wouldn't have been if it had just been he and Phin's old mates. But Gabriel had been there too. Already drunk, Lachlan's ex-boyfriend had been effervescent and insistent that he and Phin accompany the group for a while. Catch up. Have some fun. And he'd been unable to say no; Gabriel had always made it difficult to say no.

For a while, it had been fine, just the dancing and drinking and talking that he'd expected, but the longer the group stayed together the more Gabriel and Lachlan had started to slip back into old habits. Dancing together and lingering close together even when they weren't dancing. Gabriel putting his arm around his waist. Gabriel teasing him that he should only talk to him because nobody else could understand him with his increasingly heavy accent anyway. Gabriel leading and him following because he couldn't help but follow.

Eventually, Gabriel had asked if they could talk and Lachlan had agreed. Expecting that they'd talk about their relationship and how things had ended and how they'd both be done with school in just six months. About how, maybe, they'd made a mistake. So the fact that Gabriel hadn't actually wanted to talk once they were alone had been an unwelcome surprise. The fact that Gabriel'd laughed at the idea and tried to charm Lachlan into hooking up even after that...had been the final straw. They'd argued, taking that argument back out into the club with them as Lachlan attempted to leave.

It hadn't been much of a scene in the busy, crowded club but it had been a scene. Not that Lachlan can feel any sense of embarrassment just yet among the tangle of anger and hurt and regret. He'd managed to escape The Hopping Pot and find a doorway to sit in, leaning against the stone and looking out in the dark while he tries to steady his breathing and ignore the heat trying to rise in his eyes.

THE LEAKY CAULDRON

[evercreep]

TRUTH OR SHOT

[evercreep]

Tell the truth or take a shot... in public!

Gwen and Webster

[gwenniepop]

Finding a seat in the pub in New Year's Eve proved to be near impossible. Gwen was originally trying to find a spot for several of them to stay after Lachlan moved in (where had he gone?) but she gave up and headed back to where she'd seen Calvin. Instead, she saw a familiar face and body...wearing a flowered suit?

"Webster!" She headed over through the massive crowd, being jostled and bumped. "Hey! Please tell me that's how everyone in Spain dresses for the holiday."

Lilika & Noel

[lilipad]

By all accounts, Lilika doesn't belong in this pub. On sight, she would probably blend in better at Cameron Carney's New Year's Eve party, in her wildly inappropriate white satin dress and oversized faux fur coat. In truth, she really belongs in some abandoned barn in Tulpehanink, Pennsylvania drinking Bud Light Limeritas around a garbage can fire. But she doesn't care. She has an agenda. Or two.

All around her are revelers in casual jumpers and warm winter jackets but she looks past them, her eyes cutting through the crowd, focusing in on the only other person here as absurdly overdressed as she is. Webster is handing Gwen the gift they'd picked out. That stupid Snitch pin. It's too much.

Blindly, she reaches out and paws for Noel's arm. "Look, look, look," she bats at him, "She likes it."

SHOPS

[evercreep]

KNOCKTURN ALLEY

[evercreep]

STRANGE DRINKS

[evercreep]

<b>Name:</b> <b>What do they tell the strange bartender that they like?:</b> Don't worry, sweetheart. She'll make you something good. <b>When she asks them to tell her their story, what do they say?:</b> Tell her a little about yourself while she mixes. <b>Anything else?:</b>

MIDNIGHT

[evercreep]

Calvin (closed)

[evercreep]

Diagon Alley is alive with the anticipation of the new year tonight. The excitement is seeping into every nook and cranny, and even the residents of Knockturn Alley aren’t immune to the energy of the celebration. But while most partygoers hustle to find the best spots to see the fireworks with friends and sweethearts, one tall, lanky boy with a youthful face remains alone at a table under an awning. He can see the sky from his lonely table, but his eyes are trained on a journal in which he’s writing. His handwriting is neat and looping, the product of many years spent perfecting a palatable, attractive script that made readers assume the words being written were of the highest quality.

Calvin exhales. It’s chilly, and his green and silver scarf is wrapped high so that only his nose pokes out from over it. His cheeks are unevenly flushed, but his hair and clothes are tidy and prim. There’s no one here he needs to impress, but it still feels like a special moment, and he dressed accordingly. His quill lifts from the page.

Are you there? It’s fifteen minutes to midnight.

Webster and Gwen

[websterknox]

Webster has just ordered two glasses of Cava for him and Gwen from a tired bartender. As the bartender walks away to pour their drinks, Webster checks the time. It's almost midnight; they'd cut it close looking for something gold for him in Diagon Alley.

"That was kind of a bust," he says of their shopping venture. "But thank you for coming with me." Their trip had been a bust in some ways -- everything gold was very expensive... or impractical... and a silk suit wasn't very insulating in the middle of the winter. But it had also been a lot of fun -- ducking into random stores... scoffing at prices... hypothesizing what someone would ever do with some of these extravagant gold items. Ultimately they had just withdrawn a Galleon from the bank and wondered why they didn't think of that sooner.

Now Webster reaches into his pocket and a quick look of panic flashes over him. He reaches into his other pocket and breathes a sign of relief. He pulls the coin out and lets out a laugh. "I thought I'd lost it for a moment."

OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

[evercreep]

Re: OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

[neattrick]

I'm going to Starbucks so I can tag fake NYE parties before I have to go to a real life NYE party

Re: OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

[odder]

Tonight is the night Jade disappears down Knockturn, never to be seen again

Re: OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

[lachlangalbraith]

:') We are spoiled for fancy parties and I'm so excited~

Aaaand Lachlan will be here if anyone wants him! (I remembered this time!) He's going to have some ex-boyfriend drama later tonight but is otherwise just here.

Re: OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

[gwenniepop]

Gwen will be here with Calvin, so let me know you want her!

Re: OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

[sochill]

Ahhh cute!! I want to go to this for real :( Ramon is here of course if he is desired by anyone!

Re: OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

[websterknox]

This looks great!! Webster will be here if people want him.

Re: OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

[magitechnically]

ahhhh essie and pippa are heeeeeeeeeeere

Re: OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

[odder]

I had to get drunk to play drunk Jade and what does THAT say.

Re: OOC - Questions, comments, concerns!

[sylla]

I actually have the next two days off - we were supposed to be open on New Years Day for dinner but THE BAR RAN OUT OF ALCOHOL so I'm actually around!

And so is Sylla so she'll be joining in~