The Gryffindor Table 2024-2025

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Kim looked over at Lisa as the girl asked if people could learn how to do those types of things at Hogwarts. The dark haired teen's lips twitched into what could have almost been amusement at her words. "Of course. You can learn how to do a lot of things here at Hogwarts from the teachers. And also on your own. The possibilities are endless." Kim told her and glanced over at the fox again when Lisa mentioned fetch. "True, they might like it... depending upon their mood now or the type of person they are..." He replied and as Accalia asked if it was incredibly hard and a generational talent, Kim nodded. "It is incredibly hard to master. Not everyone can do it. But it is not something you learn from birth or from your family.

During your third year of Transfiguration you will be taught about them in class. As for learning how to do it, that process takes a very long time to complete. The earliest you'd be able to master it would be during your fifth year." Kim let Accalia and Lisa talk between themselves for a time after this, it was only when they both directed their attention at him again that he looked back at them. Lisa asked him about his parents and Kim regarded her for a moment. Could she be fishing for information? Did she actually know who he was? After a few seconds, he decided she didn't know and it was just a simple harmless question. "Mm. They did." Kim replied and hoped the conversation veered away from this. Thankfully it did a moment later.

Accalia expressed interest in the clubs he'd said he ran and had invited them both to join. A faint smile came to his lips as he thought about them. "I run 10 of them at the moment. There's a cooking club, exploring club, nature club, fashion club, prank and mischief club, clumsy club, blindfold club, drama club, mystical creatures club and an asian society club that I run." Kim told them. "You might wonder how I'd have time for all of them. But each of the clubs only meet once a month. So it's doable if you have the discipline to figure them all out." He said and thought for a moment. "We are in desperate need of members for the cooking, clumsy, blindfolded and asian society clubs at this point...

Mostly because a lot of the older years are becoming busier and don't have as much time for clubs. And the attention span of younger years isn't really that great, so they tend to drop clubs like flies." Kim told them. "But yeah, please check out all of them and see which amongst them interests you the most. Hogwarts doesn't have a limit on the amount of clubs you can join." He said with a little nod and his lips twitched with amusement at Accalia's joke about him being the secret Headmaster. "I think Hogwarts would get a different reputation if I was its Headmaster..." Kim said with a faint smirk. It was true. He'd probably be unable to resist playing pranks on absolutely everyone at the entire school...

Even the ghosts, paintings and teachers. After all, since Haneul had managed to bring him back from what could almost have been called as 'the dead', Kim had been slowly regaining some of his old tendencies back. That was when Lisa spoke to him, asking if his girlfriend was in Ravenclaw. Kim looked back over at her and tilted his head to the side a little. Girlfriend? Ah, she must have seen him looking over at the Ravenclaw table. "Ah, no. My best friend is in Ravenclaw and I haven't seen her in awhile." Kim told them. "It's been... a complicated past few years..." He said, not going into much detail. It had been the darkest time of his life, ever since Sophia had disappeared. That incident had marked the start of Kim's downfall, up until Haneul had saved him.

...and brought him back from the darkness.

Enchanted Backpack Inventory:
Notebook, Sketchbook, Sprig of Lavender, Stalk of Vanilla, Allergy Potion, Chocolate Frogs, Hair Dyes & Accessories, Hair Scissors, Tissues, Parchment Paper, Quills & Inkwells, Self-inking Quill, Books, Flute, Wand, Silver Arrow [+3 all stats] and various other items.

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coded by Romeo Giovanni Marchonné

The prospect of endless possibilities sounded enticing, especially to Lisa, who was eager to leap at every opportunity that came her way. With this revelation, Kim's earlier advice about getting to know the teachers felt quite insightful. After all, Hogwarts was one of the best magic schools in the world, so it stood to reason that its professors were among the finest in their fields too. “Would you be interested in trying for it, Accalia?” If the redhead expected her animal form to be a wolf, Lisa could understand her excitement. If Lisa could ever manage such a feat, she’d probably turn into a ferret. Not much to look forward to, really. “And are there any animagi in our house already?” Three years felt like a lifetime away, and her budding interest began to wane in favour of more pressing topics, like gossip about her fellow housemates, who so far hadn’t joined in on their chat.

"But that sounds wonderful! Of course I believe it." Lisa exclaimed, after hearing Accalia's family story. To her, it seemed not only possible, but likely, especially because she really wanted it to be true. Marriages between muggles and witches weren't uncommon, and neither were knights eons ago. What a shame Lisa didn't have such an exciting tale to share. Both her parents came from magical families, but unfortunately, there wasn't anyone particularly special in her lineage. And while the king part might have been a stretch, Lisa couldn't hold it against the Avalons. They lived in a terribly prejudiced world, after all. If anything, she wished her own ancestors had that kind of imagination, but nope - farmers and crafters, through and through. Maybe she could spin a fantastical account of events that never were and tuck it away to be found by some distant generation of Macailins in a few hundred years? Lisa certainly wasn't above such a scheme, if only to laugh at her descendants from beyond the grave.

Meanwhile, Kim’s evasive answer to her innocent question piqued Lisa’s curiosity. She could be a bit nosy at times, but she genuinely wanted to know, and it didn’t seem like something worth keeping secret. “Oh, really? You have a bit of an accent, so I thought you weren’t born here... So, what houses were they sorted into?” The opening feast had been all about Hogwarts houses, so she wasn’t going to be easily distracted. “Ah, don’t tell me it was Slytherin?” If Lisa’s guess was right, she could understand why he wasn’t eager to share this information with fellow Gryffindors. Still, in her opinion, he shouldn’t worry about it. Even at eleven, she could see that this rivalry was a bit childish - a tool to motivate students through academic and sports competition. Sure, maybe she hadn’t figured that out on her own; she’d heard it from her parents. But it sounded perfectly reasonable to her young ears.

A few of the clubs immediately caught Lisa’s interest, just based on their names. Exploring? Count her in. Buuut... there was also the nature club and the mystical creatures club. Kim’s warning about flaky first years held her back from diving into all three - at least until she figured out if she actually enjoyed the activity. After all, it’d be easy to get overwhelmed, and there’d always be time for it later, wouldn’t there? "What is that blindfolded club?" Lisa asked, intrigued but cautious. She wasn't clumsy, and she had no cooking skills... her ma cooked using magic and only ever asked her help when she wanted to give her a mindless chore as punishment. Oh, and she wasn't Asian either, not to mention she was currently holding a bit of a grudge against a certain Asian country that took her beloved cousin from her. Not that Kim needed to know that. "And tell us about the explorer club. That sounds like fun. What's been your best discovery so far?"

“And what would you change here if you were Headmaster?” It was a bit of a cheeky question, even for Lisa, considering she didn’t really have any complaints about the school or the current headmaster. She found Accalia’s joke funny, and Kim’s response was quite intriguing. He already seemed to have such an impact on what was going on - maybe it really was in his cards? As for his best friend... well, that was unfortunate. Lisa could relate, because her ex-best friend (now only a regular friend) was her aforementioned cousin, and they got separated when his family moved to Nepal. She had hoped she’d find a new best friend in Gryffindor - not wanting to feel lonely like that ever again. "I hope it things will be better for you from now on, Kim." Lisa said, smiling sincerely. "It's great you get to see her again." She didn't know what was going on in Kim's life, but he seemed to know not to take his friends for granted. While he might not be aware of it, it was something they had in common.

@Accalia Avalon
@Kim Sato

Date	:	September 1st, 2024
Color code	:	Written|Thought|Said

The large wooden entrance had been opened. Hundreds of curious eyes scanned here and there. New faces with various expressions entered the Great Hall for the Sorting Ceremony, their first activity as a part of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. If last year Sere got in as one of those hundreds students, this year she was the one sitting at the long table, in the middle of crowded students, together with the lions in welcoming new house members. Time flies.

Sere stared in amazement at each student during the sorting process. This moment turned out to be magical, seeing it from the audience's perspective. How the old Sorting Hat shouted each houses followed by loud applauses from students from each house's table. Truly magical, exactly like how Hogwarts should be.

The Sorting Ceremony ended quite late, it felt like her stomach ready to accommodate everything she munched in. Déjà vu, last year she felt exactly the same way. Sere grabbed roasted chicken and mashed potatoes then took a bowl of salad. Her first dinner as a second-year Gryffindor student.

Last year Sere ate heartily without paying attention and interacting with anyone. This year she decided to eat her food leisurely. Sere could see Nearly Headless Nick and the other houses' ghosts moving around, trying to blend in with the crowd. She also noticed a familiar face at the Gryffindor table, her dueling senior @Kim Sato was chatting with the girls. Sere eavesdropped on their conversation, it seemed like they were talking about school subjects and clubs.

Interacting with : Open to Interaction!

Saying that Meyra was feeling nervous was an understatement. After that turbulent boat ride through the deep, cold waters of the Great Lake, arriving at the castle had felt like a miracle and a most welcomed achievement. Lucky, that's how she felt, having arrived safe and sound to the Great Hall. She felt relieved that everyone was able to overcome that challenge, their first adventure. Even though deep down she still thought Camilla deserved to be pushed into the lake...she was glad she hadn't done it!

As expected, the place was noisy and crowded. Her father had described the whole place to her, what it was like when he was a student, but had left some mystery for her to find with her own eyes. He had just told her: "Look at the ceiling." and so she did. And when her eyes met the starry night sky, the starlight merging with the fire of the lit candles, Meyra fell in a state of awe. It was so beautiful, the majestic, tall walls looked endless as if they pierced the sky and vanished away from sight, and even if the place felt overwhelming to Meyra's heightened senses, the idea, - even if just in a form of an illusion, - of not having a stone roof over her head and instead the expansive sky, felt like a fresh breeze of comfort to the young girl's heart.

Meyra walked between the long wooden tables, falling in the steps of her peers towards the low platform at the opposite side of the spacious hall, where the professors were sitting at their table, watching over their students. Mey's green and amber eyes hovered between the various figures in front of her, making a brief mental note of their faces and postures, before moving towards the old hat that would sort her into the house that would be her home for seven years. She was suddenly very nervous and anxious, like if she was waiting for a final judgement or something of the sorts. It felt weird, the concept of being somehow defined by an old hat that certainly seemed like it had seen better days!

But when she heard her name being called, she didn't hesitated, in fact, she just wanted for the whole process to end as quick as possible. She was definitely not born to be the center of attentions, she felt herself shrink under the gazes that now seemed to follow her every step and movement. It was like a blessing when the huge hat was placed on her head and covered her eyes, blinding her from the rest of the room and, mercifully, preventing her from having to face them all while she waited...

Meyra didn't have to wait long before that hoarse, ancient voice announced, "GRYFFINDOR!". The crimson, golden house would be the one to welcome her, the place where she would belong inside that castle. While walking towards the lion's table, mentally, Mey went through the most characteristic features of that house, the ones her father had told her about and that she remembered. Bravery, honor, loyalty, and boldness...would those features really describe her? But her sudden introspection was rudely interrupted by someone that decided to yell: ""GRYYYYYYFFINDOOOOOOORQUE!!!". That loud voice, so loud that it could be heard above the screams and applause that erupted from the various tables, - especially Gryffindor, as expected! - belonged to a lean, tall boy, with platinum blonde hair, as Meyra could see when her attention turned to the Slytherin table. Something in her seemed to awaken, a sense of recognition she couldn't quite figure out. She didn't know if it was the pale colour of his hair, or the green in his eyes...but he felt familiar to her...though she was sure she had never seen that boy before. In response to his outrageous behaviour, Meyra narrowed her gaze at him. He was marked, he should watch his steps.

But now was not the time to properly reply to him, nop, that would be saved for another occasion! Now was the time to calmly go to her house table and just sit, waiting for the rest of the ceremony to finish and hoping that Jun would soon be sitting next to her. She mentally crossed her fingers with that wish in her heart.

And as her quick footsteps brought her close to the empty space at the long wooden bench, another pair of brown eyes called her attention. A chocolate brown haired girl, apparently not much older than her, was looking at her with an attentive gaze. Well, to be fair and speak the whole truth, she was most likely staring at her. Why was she looking like that at her? Meyra discreetly ran her hand through her hair, making sure nothing was too messy, and looked down at her uniform searching for something that could have attracted attention. Finding nothing that could explain the girl's reaction, Meyra turned her eyes at the girl with a questioning look. But when Mey looked up from her skirt, the other girl was looking down, suddenly seeming very interested in her plate.

Meyra sat down, right in front of the older girl that was now clearly ignoring her, after being caught staring. Mey thought of doing the same, but her curiosity was not letting her keep silent. The young Gryffindor cleared her throat, before giving a tight smile, "Evening!" She thrown the greeting, "Do I know you?" She absolutely did not! But...that look...that look must have meant something, and Meyra would not let it go without a proper answer!



Note: Raizel's actions were written with the permission of her writer!

Mentioning: @Camilla Carter | @Colin McCoire | @Jun Mayumi Mochizuki
Interacting with: @Raizel Voltrouz

Interactions ❯❯ @Meyra Lancaster | @ | @
Mentions ❯❯ @ | @ | @

❂《 ⌜ September 1, 2024 ▎ Sorting Ceremony ⌟

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Another school year had begun and Raizel can’t say it had a good start. As always, the number of people that she knows continue to decrease not just because of the arrivals of the new first years for this new school year but because of how some of those had never returned. It’s just the first day, they could’ve been late… yeah right, who was she kidding. The thought made her sigh as she sat there by the Gryffindor table, more focused on the table rather than what’s around her.

The sorting had just begun, student’s names called one after another, cheers from the tables could be heard after every first year that was sorted into their respective houses but none of those seemed to reach Raizel’s ears. Her mind was wandering, maybe even thinking if the food they have here is not spiked with anything. Highly unlikely right? But after being a victim of various weird drinks and food, you can’t really blame her for being cautious. Her attention wasn’t there until a certain name had been called that had somehow struck a sense of familiarity within her.

She doesn’t know why but the name ‘Meyra Lancaster’ felt like something she had heard before. Curse her and her horrible memory when it comes to names. It was weird for this girl… is just a first year. Back on the train maybe? No, that can’t be right. With all that attempt of trying to recall the new Gryffindor’s name, Raizel didn’t even notice that she was already staring at her. Only when they met each other’s gaze did she realize what she was doing. ‘Oh great…’ she thought out of embarrassment and used the time that the girl looked down to quickly avert her eyes.

Her attention was back on the plate right in front of her, hoping that this girl would ignore that intense staring that she didn’t even realize that she was doing and all because of a name that she found so familiar. The horror she felt when she caught a glimpse of this said girl picking the seat just in front of her and the girl’s question almost made her jump from her own seat.

‘She noticed.'

Of course she would. Who wouldn’t anyway. Now, what to do. Raizel didn’t respond immediately, hoping the first year was speaking to someone else rather than her but after she slowly looked up and met her gaze once more… yeah, she was clearly talking to her. “Evening… and uh… no, I don’t think so.” not like she was lying, this girl is a complete stranger but at the same time… familiar? “As far as I know anyway.” would it be weird if she just says bluntly that she found her name very familiar? “What’s your name again?” she asked the first year before her.

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⌜ Someone Familiar ⌟ | ⌜ WC: 475/200 ⌟
««««« Dialogue | #800000

INVENTORY

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The other girl's brown eyes, as if in resignation, left the plate in front of her and slowly rose to look at Meyra. The first year Gryffindor almost felt bad for her, she was acting very suspicious but clearly had no bad intentions, taking by the embarrassment that could be written all over her demeanour. Still, Mey felt more curious than merciful.

Her attention towards the other girl was suddenly interrupted though, as she heard Jun's name being called. With her heart feeling tight and heavy in her chest, Mey saw as her cousin got sorted into Ravenclaw. A small pout appeared on her lips, while her green, amber eyes were veiled with sadness, watching Jun walk towards the blue and bronze table. However, she gave her best friend a small wave and a kind, encouraging smile.

When she turned back to her fellow Gryffindor, her thin eyebrows rose slightly before deciding to answer the girl's question, "Meyra Mochizuki Lancaster. You?" She said, while picking up one grape and give it a small bite, a gesture she immediately regretted as a bitter taste pour on her palate.

Grimacing, Mey placed the rest of the fruit on her own plate. And when her attention fell again towards the others around the table, her eyes met those blue, almond-shaped eyes of an older boy, sitting a few seats from the brown-haired girl. Mey didn't usually feel socially awkward, but to be honest she was not very used to talk or interact with older boys. She felt her cheeks warm slightly as she gave him a nod and a small, timid smile, before quickly turning her attention again towards the girl in front of her, that now felt more like a safe guardian then anything else! "So, tell me, what should I know about this place?" Meyra asked her casually, taking a sip on her glass of water.



Interacting with: @Raizel Voltrouz | Kim Sato
Mentioning: @Jun Mayumi Mochizuki

Interactions ❯❯ @Meyra Lancaster | @ | @
Mentions ❯❯ @ | @ | @

❂《 ⌜ September 1, 2024 ▎ Sorting Ceremony ⌟

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Why did she ask again when she already knows? One reason actually, and it was to see if it clicks in her mind and it does. Why? Where has she heard it before? It was not coming to her no matter how much she tried at the moment, almost making her want to bang her head multiple times on the table but no, that’d be weird and she doesn’t want to make any bad first impressions. Well… she probably already did with the whole staring thing but what’s done is done and she has a question to answer.

“Raizel… Raizel Voltrouz. Nice to meet you.” For once, introductions didn’t come last and actually made its way to be the first thing to be done. Most of her meetings with new people didn’t go that way, ending up with her wondering what their names are after the first meeting. Really, she’s just bad with names as what is demonstrated here, can’t even remember why this girl seems so familiar to her. If they had met somewhere, or maybe back in the train or station, she apologizes for forgetting her.

As for her next question, that made Raizel think once more. The first thing that she wanted to do was to warn her, warn her of the dangers that she knows of but that’s not exactly the right way to start your first year. She doesn’t want to go scaring first years and she might just think she is crazy. So instead of telling her the horrors, why not start with the positive ones. “Well, it depends on what you want to know. Classes? Places? Sports perhaps? Maybe even spells. Not like it’ll take that long for you to experience them.” She grinned. Yes, experience them herself and Raizel sure hopes that experience won’t be a negative one. If she must, she’d try anything to prevent that from happening.

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⌜ Someone Familiar ⌟ | ⌜ WC:317/200 ⌟
««««« Dialogue | #800000

INVENTORY

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“Raizel… Raizel Voltrouz. Nice to meet you.” The girl sitting in front of her replied and Meyra felt herself caught in surprise. Her hand stopped halfway to her mouth after she picked up her glass of water. "Voltrouz?" She asked, "That's my grandmas maiden name. Karina Voltrouz. Do you know her?" Mey asked the girl feeling hopeful that she had found someone so close from home, specially after all the ups and downs she had experienced only in one day. Her family reunion, being again with Jun, the boat trip to the castle with Grindylows and all the other surprises...Meyra welcomed the feeling of having found family amongst all that chaos.

"I want to know everything!" Meyra replied in a quick shot to Raizel's questions, feeling excited to have someone that was willing to help her around, finding her ground in that new reality and place. The younger Gryffindor matched her teammate grin, "Tell me what are you favourites! I would love to be part of the broom racing team, or the quidditch! Anything with brooms would be great." She told her. In fact, if she managed to be on one of these teams perhaps her parents would send her silver arrow sooner, and she wouldn't have to wait until winter break to show them her good grades and declare herself worthy of having her broom be sent. That would be a great plan!

"I'm excited to start taking Herbology classes. I have a feeling it will be one of my favorite classes. My mother owns a tea shop and some of the herbs are from our own garden. I love spending my time there!" She declared smiling at Rai. Raizel... "I love your name by the way, what does it mean? If it has a meaning I mean..." She asked a little timidly, "Its not a common name!" she told her as a way to justify her question, hoping that the girl wouldn't be offended by her curiosity, "But its a beautiful name I mean..." Now...now she was rambling and being awkward...great! Mey bite her lower lip to shush herself, and waited looking at Raizel with doe eyes. Hopefully that question hadn't ruined what was starting to be a nice conversation.


Interacting with: @Raizel Voltrouz

Interactions ❯❯ @Meyra Lancaster | @ | @
Mentions ❯❯ @ | @ | @

❂《 ⌜ September 1, 2024 ▎ Sorting Ceremony ⌟

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A surprising reaction from this girl named Meyra Lancaster upon hearing her name or rather, her last name. What’s even more surprising was her saying that she shares the same last name as her grandmother’s maiden name. She would’ve said that it was probably a coincidence despite knowing that their last name is probably uncommon. But then, she dropped another name that Raizel swears she wasn’t hearing for the first time just like Meyra’s.

“Karina Voltrouz…” She wondered out loud. Realization soon came after just a few minutes, a scene flashed in her mind. It was before school started, during dinner. Her father… yes, she heard it from him. That’s right, the letter that he received that time was from her, from Karina Voltrouz, her great aunt.

Looks like her granddaughter, Meyra Lancaster is starting school this year and she sure is hoping that you two could meet.

He said that time but Raizel wasn’t paying that much attention to him. She had no interest with their other relatives, especially those from the pureblood side. After her meeting with her grandmother and how her words continue to affect her till this day, it was hard not to fear what the rest of the family will say about her. She’s not a pureblood after all. But her father assured her that her great aunt is not the same as grandmother so guess that’s what made her listen to him for a brief moment, enough for those names to be etched in her memory although she had forgotten about them until now that it hit her.

“Yeah… in a way, not like I know her exactly but she’s my great aunt apparently.” she answered. This was starting to feel like when she found out about Alyssea and Astra being her cousins. Who knew that she’ll meet another unexpected relative. Now she knows why her name was so familiar. “This is… certainly unexpected…” she uttered the same line that she told Alyssea and Astra during the revelation. “Guess that explains why your name was familiar.” Raizel told her before letting out a chuckle, albeit, a nervous one. Again, she fears meeting more people from the Voltrouz side of the family. So much for being a Fearless Gryffindor huh.

Meyra’s enthusiasm for learning more about Hogwarts seems to wash her worries away, making Raizel think that perhaps Meyra isn’t like her grandmother as well. Hopefully, that is indeed true even after knowing how she is just a Half-blood, a shame to the family name as what her grandmother says. “I like them all really but definitely leaning more on duelling and broom racing.” She can’t exactly pick between the two. Duelling, as much as she tries to stay away from it, how she was awful at it, it keeps on calling her back so guess that’s a part of her now. Same with Broom racing as she had signed up for that. Not like she hates Quidditch, and truth be told, she almost got tempted into joining after being able to catch the snitch in an unofficial game and somehow survived despite being hit by a bludger and getting blatched.

“Oh? Your mother grows herbs too?” she asked, finding that interesting. Much like Meyra’s mother, her own mother grows herbs and other plants in their own garden, she was even considering owning a greenhouse. “Mom grows them as well, but mostly for potion making.” Potion making was starting to become a great hobby for her. Raizel then scratched the back of her head. “To be honest, I don’t know.” she had never asked what her name meant and she always found it weird rather than beautiful. Like Meyra said, it was not common. “I don’t think mom or dad ever mentioned what it meant. Maybe I’ll ask them next time if I remember. But thanks anyway. That was the first time that someone said that. Your name sounds beautiful too.” she returned the compliment.

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⌜ Someone Familiar ⌟ | ⌜ WC:660/200 ⌟
««««« Dialogue | #800000

INVENTORY

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