Errand A warm welcome

Eugenia’s first year had been a very crazy rollercoaster ride. The Greek girl arrived in Scotland one rainy September day, had a boat ride, and got sorted in the great house of the badgers. Hufflepuff. She excelled in classes, made new friends and the rest is history. But one thing that was especially prominent in that perfect and photographic memory of hers was that feeling of confusion she first had when entering this grand castle. It was giant, so big she almost got lost many times in the beginning. Most people were older than her and they were all totally strangers.

Being the kid that she was, she never talked to anyone, peer or upperclassman about this. She believed that she could make it in her own way. Just on her own way. But sometimes, she came close to cracking and crumbling under the pressure to do the right thing and, well, be perfect.

Now, she was no clueless first year. She was a second year. Not only did she know the castle, ways and routines like the back of her hand, she also felt more comfortable just existing in there. Over all this time, she learned the names of many people and got the chance to interact with them. She also somehow found time to attend summer camp, a remarkable feat on its own. Eugenia had come out of her shell, and she now felt happier than ever.

Other than that, she hadn’t only advanced a year. She was now an upperclassman to a group of younger students who were now the fresh batch of First Years. One that she had taken under her wing was a fellow badger by the name of Abbey Thompson. Abbey though wasn’t the only first year around. And they all seemed so small, so scared and unfamiliar with the way of things. Her heart yearned to help them, and she would always try.

She arrived at the Small Hall, this time taking a moment to peer inside. A familiar board had appeared. Hadn’t they done this before? The younger years last time had left small messages for their fellow students who were to leave Hogwarts and graduate? A table below the board had writing utensils and parchment. The Greek girl didn’t want to use them, so she took out a quill and parchment off her own. Biting her lip, she tried to think of what to write. And when inspiration struck, she began. After finishing, she wrote a letter to Abbey and then pinned both off them in an easy to see place.

xxx

My dear little first years,

I hope you are all well. This year is going to be the first of the 7, in total, years, you are going to spend here. You might feel afraid, but you shall not fret. We older years are here for you, and we will all help you in whatever way you wish. From tutoring to help with relationships, we are open to any young kid. Here are some tips for you. I’m sure they will make your life easier:

I) Be brave and be bold. If you stand out with your best qualities, you will be noticed by possible friends and your professors. Highlight your skills. Life will be good.
II) Don’t worry if you get lost. It happens to kids from the best families too.
III) If you get into trouble, it’s okay. For some, risk is half the fun.
IV) It’s all going to be okay. You will have an awesome time here. Whether you are pure-blood, wizard-born, half-blood, or muggle-born, it’s going to be the best journey of your lives.

With love,
Eugenia Karageorgiadi

Κρινιώ μου,My lily,Abbey,

I will always be there for you. Come to me if you need anything. I’ll be your sister, and we’ll both be fine. Be yourself. You are one off the most awesome people in this world. I am proud of being your friend, truly proud. You shine so bright, no one can take their eyes off of you. You are the best.

You know the rest, so there is no reason for me to actually write it on paper.

All my best “sister”,
Your Eugenia Malamo Karageorgiadi.

Word Count: 700/400 words
Pings: @Abbey Thompson
Banner by Ernest Baird

This was silly, Oliver felt silly doing it, and felt silly even looking at it. Really he couldn't comprehend why anyone would even use the thing. Thinking it had to have been for the muggle borns, or people that didn't come from true magical households. Like Oliver himself. It was a place for advice about the school years. For the younger years to ask questions, and the older ones to answer. Oliver didn't really need to use it, he could get any questions he wanted answered by his family. Who had been going to Hogwarts for a very long time.

And yet, he stayed there looking at the board and down at the righting utensils. Yesterday, Oliver had sent a letter to his parents. Finally telling them about the house he got. He had yet to get a reply. He hated the house, and well- could there have been other older years that didn't like the house either? Oliver wasn't sure.

He wasn't one that asked for advice, he never really needed to. When he had asked his brother earlier in the month, it had been no help. His brother got Gryffindor, like everyone else in the family. Of course he wouldn't know what it was like not to get the house you wanted. "I can't believe I'm doing this.." He muttered to himself, taking a quill and piece of parchment.

Oliver started to write. He hadn't even planned on doing this, didn't know the board was there until he saw it just now. He was really planning on going to the quidditch pitch to hopefully just fly and not think about anything.

But of course, something had to be in his way. He scribbled his note, just asking what to do if you got a house you hated, and that your family hated as well. He didn't dare sign it. He didn't know what he would do if his brother saw it and knew he was asking someone other then him for help. And didn't want the whole school to know he didn't know how to deal with it.

Even though he wasn't quiet about his distaste for the house he got. Oliver stuck his question onto the board, and left quickly hoping that no one saw the boy put the question. He would most likely check back later on about what if anything was said. Leaving for the quidditch pitch, putting his posted question at the back of his mind.

OUTFIT & INVENTORY Reducio Bag with needed school supplies, wand in pocket. white short sleeve button down (left untucked) and tan cargo shorts.

OOC NOTE & STATS/ABLITIES Reducio Fearless - Oliver does not scare easily, not effected by terrible presence or unsettling aura { Stamina: 7 }{ Evasion: 5 }{ Strength: 10 }{ Wisdom: 3 }{ Arcane Power: 2 }{ Accuracy: 8 }

Interacting : @n/a |||| @n/a : Mentioning

Oliver leaves thread, going to this one

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speech • #427c9a thoughts • italics others • #ffffff

september 26th, 2024 • date small hall • location warm welcome errand • thread

The first year of Ophelia's magical education had been nothing if not chaotic and utterly unpredictable. From the volatile few months in the beginning when she'd been struggling to just figure everything out, to the months afterward, when she was comfortable with the idea and everyday use of magic, but still weary. Even throughout summer camp, she'd been surprised and confused multiple times by just the magical system. And the schools themselves where a totally different story in themselves. From the crazy multi-school Hogwarts balls, to all the odd errands that had been posted. Even all the different types of people she'd met and situations she'd been in. None of it would've been possible had Ophelia's life not changed forever when she'd figured out that magic existed and that her mother had hid it from her for her entire life. At this point, she figured that her life was so deep into all things magic that she couldn't even picture where she would've been had Hogwarts never been a part of her.

When the board of positive, encouraging messages for first years, and younger years in general, came up on the twenty-sixth of September, Ophelia noticed its presence almost immediately. She was an observer and a planner, and she'd wanted to write something up. Of course, she'd only been at Hogwarts, and exposed to magic, for one year, though she had to admit, it had been one quite amazing year. So maybe her advice wouldn't be as helpful or deep as some of the older years', but that wouldn't stop her from offering it. Perhaps it would help a lost, scared soul like she'd been at this time of year last year, afraid for spending so much time away from her parents.

Picking up a quill and a scrap of parchment, Ophelia's message was written quickly, her thoughts translated onto the page almost as if her hand itself was thinking it. The words came from her heart, and she really did hope another student found what she'd written to be encouraging and overall helpful.

She scrawled the message quickly, and though her handwriting didn't suffer one bit, she felt that it looked different from her usual style. Dipping the quill back in the ink well, the Ravenclaw girl signed her name in large, wavy cursive. She hadn't been practicing, per se, but after all the letters to her parents that she'd signed, it was getting much better. Finishing up, set down the quill and tacked the note up on the board. In it, she'd spoken about confidence and friends, memories and events, magic and experiences, and everything in between.

Satisfied, Ophelia walked out of the Small Hall and went on with her day.

interactions • @ mentions • @ stats • sta 7 | eva 7 | str 6 | wis 9 | arc 6 | acc 6

453/400 • word count ravenclaw robes • outfit perfectionist, paragon of health • abilities

Ophelia leaves thread

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date- September 26th 2024 location- small hall wc: 601

interacting/mentioning- n/a ooc notes: welcome to hogwarts banner by Ernest Baird

Sage Willows was pessimistic most of the time. Sage Willows didn't get along with quite a bit of people. But she remembered what it was like being a first year. She remembered the nervousness of getting sorted, wandering the corridors, all while trying to figure out who she was and sorting through family drama. Yeah, first year was fun.

So she decided to not be heartless and bring herself to the small hall to advise some of the new first years. Sure, she was only in second year, not having had much experience at the school as some of the older kids, but she had life experiences. She knew what being a first year was like, she had been one literally a year ago. Why not help out some new faces?

She wandered into the small hall, which lived up to its name. Candles and photos were everywhere, just like Sage remembered. There were a few other kids already there, but they all left once they finished up with their notes to the first years.

Sage grabbed a paper and pen and sat herself on the floor to write. She flicked the pen back and forth, internally shouting at the words to come to her. Feeling stupid just sitting there on the floor, she wrote the only thing she knew how to write: the truth.

Hello, first year who decided to read this message. Let's be honest, I'm not that much older than you. I haven't had any big exams yet or big life discoveries, but I think I can help you out. First things first, us that are older than you might seem a bit scary, but we really aren't. I mean, some of them are, but most of us aren't. We're just like you, trying to figure out who we are and what we want to do with our lives, except we're taller than you. Don't be afraid to come to us for help, especially if we're in your house. I know Hufflepuffs are a big fan of helping people out, coming from a Hufflepuff. Second, try new things. It might seem scary, but trust me. I've done so many things that I would have never done if I was in that same headspace, but now I'm on the Quidditch team, I've got friends, I'm on the Headliner (our school newspaper, go read it sometime!), I feel at home here at Hogwarts. I want you to be able to feel that way, too. Well, you'll be here for seven years, I would hope you'd feel like this is your home away from home at least once. If no one has said it to you yet, allow me to say it: I believe in you. You can do this. All that emotional crap I think is worthless sometimes. But it really isn't, it's what's been holding me together, and it can hold you together, too. So, first year, try your best. You've got this, and if you think you don't, come track me down and I'll try to knock some sense into you.
-Sage

She got off the ground. That was positive enough, right? Well, it was going to have to do. She grabbed a thumbtack and stuck it to the board, pausing to glance at a few other messages before leaving. She couldn't remember something like this ever happening when she was new to the school. She probably would have thought it was silly, being the way she was at that point. Either way, the new kids were having all the luck in the world with those messages.

Sage leaves the thread.

October 2nd, 2024	Small Hall
“English”	“Gaelic”

Alyss had been walking around the halls of hogwarts for a full month, gradually growing to feel more at home. Everything was starting to become engrained in her memory, from the people she normally walked by in the halls to the portraits on the walls, she had normalized all that she would see day to day.

So you could imagine her surprise when she noticed a new board the prior week: one tailored towards many students alike, but namely towards first years such as herself. Alyss had, of course, ignored it. She was prideful and didn’t want to have to take others advice, no matter how knowledgeable or helpful it might be.

That was, until she found herself pausing in front of the board, again and again, quickly skimming any new notes, from first years and veterans alike. She felt shameful, almost as if she was stealing the information, and out of the fear of any of her other classmates thinking that she needed the help. Because she didn’t. She was fine.

But perhaps.. perhaps the advice could be helpful. Maybe the upperclassman knew what they were talking about. And maybe, just maybe.. Alyss needed to put down her pride and actually listen to what everyone before her had to say.

It had been a notably scary flying class in which Alyss had almost fallen from her broom. She hadn’t, but she was shaken, and some advice from those who had come before her, had lived through this already? That sounded like a good idea right about now. She felt a little out of it already, and right now? Alyss really didn’t care very much about what anyone else thought of her.

She was a Slytherin. But what did that mean? Did that mean she was supposed to be so ambitious that she didn’t need others help? Did that mean she was supposed to be a natural leader, not having to read other people’s encouraging notes, telling others in her shoes not to be afraid? Was she even able to ask others for help, at the risk of them judging her? Alyss was judgmental herself, and couldn’t imagine not doing so.

Sighing, she padded up to the board, and read the notes up close, rather than simply a passing glance and skim. She flicked her hair out of her face, and truly let herself listen. These people had felt her feelings, had been in her shoes. While she didn’t necessarily feel touched enough to write her appreciation or a question that she had, Alyss certainly felt more.. at ease.

It had been difficult for her to be apart from her family for a full month and relying solely on letters. It had been difficult trying to make new friends. It had been difficult to figure out who she wanted to be at Hogwarts. But she was starting to figure it out, and maybe, just maybe, these upperclassmen knew what they were talking about.

September 27th 2024

It had been an average day for the young witch. Fridays always brought her some joy because they meant that a weekend of free time and magic practice without the stress of her classmates being nearby was ahead.

She was on her way to the library to try and get her homework out of the way early this weekend when she noticed the board. Unlike the other students, she was not here last year to see the board that was created for farewell messages for the seniors then.

Poppy felt her heart warm when she saw the board with bunches of notes, most of them addressed to first years like herself. She started to let her eyes wander across the board, noting the various aspects of advice.

She couldn’t help but notice that most of the older years addressed fear. Did her and her class mates seem afraid? Is it possible that the older years are just projecting their lack of confidence from their first year onto the younger students now that they’ve gained more confidence in the halls? Just because Poppy didn’t have quite the comfort as the older students certainly couldn’t qualify her as being afraid now could it?

Soon Poppy found herself hiding other pieces of advice. Like this one student who mentioned that the risk of potentially getting in trouble was half the fun, so don’t worry about the consequences of your actions. Poppy found that as terrible advice. How could she dare risk loosing house points, or getting detention when she had a family legacy to stake in hogwarts. She couldn’t possibly risk tainting it within her first year.

Another note mentioned the school newspaper, and that interested the young witch. She didn’t know where to find it, maybe that should’ve been included in the message, but she definitely wanted to give it a read sometime. Maybe if she had time she could find a way to write an article for it. If someone in not that higher of a year than her could, maybe she could too. Maybe she could even join the dueling team if they had been able to join Quidditch early on in their school career. Poppy always dreamed of dueling, letting spells fly out and off of her wand, watching as her opponent fired back and having the strength to counter.

Maybe she had been too judgmental of some of the other notes. The young witch took out her quill and wrote:

Thank you for all the kindness and advice!

She didn’t sign it though. She wasn’t particularly proud of her words, she didn’t need them attached to her name.

To all you first years,

Hello and welcome! Time flies doesn't it? Last year I was like you and now I have some more expertise! At least...hands-on expertise...Well, best not to get sidetracked here, don't want to ramble on forever. Anyways, I'll put some tips down for you to know before the term gets too far along.

1. Make friends and have a good time!
2. Don't keep homework for the last possible minute.
3. Beware of who you make an enemy of.
4. Make the seemingly best choice you have at a choice-making moment.
5. Enjoy your time here.
6. Keep to the rules...unless you want to risk detention.
7. And for all you first-year pranksters, wait a month or so to pull off a prank of the Divination professor.

Now that that's all said, I have one final tip that I almost forgot to mention. Keep your bag all organized. I had to rummage through to find this wrinkled parchment because of my unorganized bag. If you don't want to keep your bag organized like me, then your parchment will be wrinkled like this.

Oh and, the reason for #7: Too many pranks on her lately and it's only been one month since term started.

Hoping to see you make it through all your years here!
Elizabeth Stonewall

Date	:	September 26th, 2024
Color code	:	Written|Thought|Said

Sere walked leisurely towards the Great Hall for breakfast with the enchanted satchel on her left shoulder. It had been almost a month in her second year and her routine had returned to normal: studying, doing homework, and preparing for various tests ahead. So monotonous, but it was better than her early months at the first year.

Sere's first year at Hogwarts was quite enjoyable, although adjusting to the new environment until now has become her core memory as one of the most difficult times during her first year. She clearly remembered how empty her brain was when it came to talking about anything related to magic and the stuffs. Added with various social anxiety that... Hey! It seemed like she had made rapid improvements in 'making friends'. She is definitely better now.

Along with a stream of thoughts about the past, Sere entered the Small Hall. Her feet stopped when she realized something. Huh? This feels like Déjà vu.

Everyone knew that the Small Hall was not an interesting area and usually only passed as a way into or out of the Great Hall. At the end of last year there was a small event that made the Small Hall more interesting, a graduation greetings for those who were in the seventh year. Ah, I'm curious... How are the seniors doing now?

Sere shook her head to refocus. It seemed that the Small Hall has once again become quite interesting for the students. There are several sticky notes stuck to the board. The second-year lioness approached and read the instruction parchment stuck on there too. After reading it, Sere took a sticky note and a quill from the table next to the board.

This time is writing a welcome greetings for the first-years. Sere raised her eyebrows, impressed by this simple yet memorable event for the second time. Plus the event came at the same time as she was reminiscing about her first year all the way here.

It didn't take long for Sere to write what she wanted to say to the first years. This is all I need to say, I guess. Sere put the quill back in its place and stuck the sticky notes that were already filled with lines of writing. She briefly read some other sticky notes, written by other students. Some were encouraging, giving tips, long warm letters, and there are even a gratitude notes from the first-years for welcoming them well.

Not taking too long, Sere decided to step deeper through the Small Hall, entering the Great Hall, leave her sticky notes for other students to read.

Hi, everyone!

Glad to embrace you as a part of the Hogwarts family. I hope you're getting your own adventurous school life. An extraordinary adventure needs some obstacles and challenges to overcome, to make it worth remembering and telling in the future.

Let's make an extraordinary, adventurous magical story to tell, here, starting from now on.

Sere Nade, second-year of Gryffindor.

Interacting with : -
Word Count : 496/400