Closed Errand Swish Swash

World Toilet Day!!!
Clean some toilets now, you are not in a hurry, come on, chop chop, yes, like that, now don't go away dear-- there's a reward...

Date: 17th November

Dialogue: Darkred

Errand

Word Count: 490/400

In all his time dreaming about the first year at the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Mason never thought he’d be willingly cleaning the school toilets for something as silly as World Toilet Day, but when he had taken a look at the errands board earlier that day, he couldn’t pass up on the chance to earn an extra point for his house, plus how could he pass up on couple of chocolate frogs to go along with that? Especially since he couldn’t buy them himself.

So there he was, in a plain black shirt and bottoms, standing in the doorway of the abandoned toilets on the second-floor, with his cleaning supplies he had collected from Nurse Sabo, he didn’t expect there to be so many of fellow students but evidently he was wrong, the place was swarming with kids cleaning every corner of the toilets and he looked around, troubled on where to begin.

“Alright.” he muttered, slipping on his orange cleaning gloves “How bad could it be?”

Mason opened one of the stalls and immediately grimaced as he looked at the collection of grime buildup within and around the bowl of the toilet that had probably been like that from before he was even born. He propped his bucket down on the ground and dipped in his rag, the very thought of cleaning the toilet sending a shiver down his spine.

“Hogwarts has many exciting activities for you to partake in, he said… sure it does, dad.” he mumbled to himself as he began to scrub the toilet with bleach, aggressively swaying his hand back and forth, and immediately regretting his decision to do this task, so desperately wanting to puke as the smell overwhelmed his senses.

After what felt like hours - though realistically had only been fifteen minutes - Mason leaned back on his heels, and inspected his progress. The bowl looked better. Not great, but the grime had started to fade, and revealed patches of dull white beneath. He shook his head as he sat back for a brief moment, his back against the stall door “This is exhausting.” he muttered, having felt like he’d been putting more effort into this than his recent Potions homework.

Mason continued the task, and spent another fifteen minutes whipping all the grime from the toilet, he never expected to see his reflection and when he got back on his feet and looked back at the toilet, he felt like that was a satisfactory amount and looked much better than when he started. He wiped down the handles of the door and looked at himself in the mirror as he was prepared to leave, and he looked as if he was about to drop from exhaustion, and couldn't help but wonder if all this was worth the reward.

One thing was certain - He never wants to do this again.

X X X

X X X

17th November, unspecified time

At the age of twelve, Sabrina has never concerned herself with the question of clean water availability before. Water accessibility came as a given to her, so it obviously shocked her when she learned that it in fact, wasn't. The idea honestly horrified and astounded her. In a world filled with magic, hightech muggle technology and resourses, how was that even possible? This, any many more questions, lead her to attending today's errand in the abandoned toilets.

The place fit its name well, not particulary filthy or old, just.. abandoned. Still, that didn't mean it was sparkling clean either, as there was obviously a lot of work to do even with so many students already filling the small space. Sabrina rolled up her sleeves, supposing that was a decent starting point, and looked around the room, seeing how she could contribute to the cleaning process.

Back at home, she was used to helping around the house, but her duties outside of keeping her room tidy usually took place in the kitchen - unloading the dishwasher, swiping the counter or sweeping the floor - so she didn't have much prior experience that would be useful now. Of course, she didn't let that stop her. She had no idea how one cleanes the toilet bowl - embarrassingly enough, not even realising it needed cleaning up until this point - and there was already a bunch of students mopping the floor, so sinks it was!

She took a moment to just observe how the other students apporached it, earning a few confused sideglances from them, before trying her hand at it herself. First, she plugged the basin, letting the water run until its surface reached about a quarter of it, using the water to rinse it before actually putting the cleaning supplies and cloth provided to her to use.

Unfortunatelly, she forgot to do the crucial step of gathering the hair before doing so, meaning it was all wet now. Not only was it hard to pick up that way, but once she managed to do that, it curled around her fingers, making it almost impossible to take off. The whole process took her a while, definitely longer than it would've a more experienced person, but she hardly minded.

She was precise, taking her time pulling out the tangled mess from the drain, scrubbing off the filth that gathered on the bottom of the plug and polishing the faucet - which she found to be the most successfull when she did it with a dry cloth.

In the end, cleaning this one basin was the only thing she managed to do within the provided time. Still, she practically glowed with pride once she was finished. Her fingers crinckled, lips curled up in a toothy smile, she left with a sense of satisfaction and a new important skill.

WC: 470 | Interacting with: Noone

Joseph's eyes widened in shock, his jaw dropping slightly. The Abandoned Toilets were teeming with life. First Years and far older students alike grasped onto buckets filled to the brim with swirling, soapy mixtures, their other hand armed with all sorts or mops and rags. It was a sight Joseph never thought he'd ever see - much less be a part of. But here he was, ready to take on the challenge of cleaning these filthy, seemingly untouched bathrooms; for a couple of chocolate frogs and house points.

Why did he sign up for this again?

Grimacing, Joseph grudgingly slipped on a pair of rubber gloves, gingerly picking up a crimson rug after a moment's hesitation. Bad luck, buddy, Joseph thought, gazing at the poor, weathered rag clutched tightly in his hands. No escaping scrubbing grime off these mucky toilets with me. Sighing, Joseph gave the vicinity a quick sweep with his eyes, wondering where to start. The grimy washbasins to his left certainly looked like a great start. Or the secluded corner to his right, enshrouded by algae. After a moment's hesitation, Joseph decided on his choice "cleansing grounds".

Taking a deep breath, Joseph turned towards the nearest stall. The door creaked open, revealing a sight that almost made him consider licking clean the washbasins instead - splotches of something he didn't care to identify splattered on the walls, the floor sticky with what even the least paranoid of people would deem a biohazard. To make matters worse, a thick, sour stench hung in the air like a suffocating cloud.

"Great," Joseph muttered under his breath, pinching his nose. "If this was supposed to be some sort of prank, thanks a lot."

Reluctantly, Joseph knelt down, dipping his old rag into a bucket of soapy water, pressing the dripping fabric against the slimy liquid smeared across the cold floor. You know, having a cleaning spell at his disposal right now would be really welcome. Dragging his cloth across the stain stubbornly clung onto the grout, Joseph gritted his teeth, scrubbing the stain again, this time with what felt like more force than needed to haul the Giant Squid out of the Great Lake.

The stain vanished without a trace.

Wiping a fresh drop of sweat off his brow, Joseph bit his lip, glancing around the stall he was determined to finish cleaning before leaving. Well, he certainly had quite a bit of work to accomplish, but at least he was making progress... right.

Date: November 17th, 2024
word count : 544

Erendriel is only passing by the second floor when she heard some noise on the bathroom. Her curiosity sinks into her and decides to sneak peak, then suddenly nurse sabo is beside her and give her this abomination... It's a 'mop' they said. She had tried to avoid the task, reasoning that magic should suffice, but then It didn't worked. What in the Merlins name is she going to do with this? Eren had never held a mop in her life, let alone scrubbed a sink or wiped down a surface.

The pristine halls of Ivorymyst Manor were cleaned by enchantments or by the house elves, who considered it as their solemn duty. To her, cleaning was as foreign as the concept of living without magic itself. But Nurse Sabo had been adamant, that this was an important life lesson. And now, Erendriel found herself standing in a Hogwarts bathroom, clutching a mop and a brush with tentative fingers that barely concealed her disgust.

This is ridiculous, What good could come of this? Cleaning is for house elves and most definitely not for me... She should be reading, and learning about theoretical knowledge that first year should study or practicing hand movements for spells.

She asked herself, the voice in her head. Surely there are spells for this... Leviculosa? No, that was for levitating objects... Is it? Nope, definitely not for cleaning. Perhaps scrogfy, scoringfly? Eren grab her hair out of frustrations.

The smell of cleaning products was sharp, toxic, and unfamiliar, stinging her nose. She frowned, her delicate features wrinkling as she regarded the task ahead. Her bright blue eyes flicked over the bucket before her, marred with soap scum and disgusting stains that made her stomach turn. The task felt impossibly mundane for someone who had once imagined herself destined for noble pursuits.

Nurse Sabo probably see her frustrations, She let out a soft defeated sigh, “Sometimes, it’s not about the magic—it’s about the effort. A Healer doesn’t shy away from messes. Some lessons can’t be learned with magic alone.” The reasoning made sense intellectually, but emotionally Erendriel still felt lost. Her sheltered upbringing clashing with the reality before her.

Her hand trembled slightly as she gripped the mop, unsure where to even start. She dipped the mop into the bucket, wringing out the excess water. She continues to stroke across the floor was clumsy and splashing water onto her already damp robes. She grimaced, her cheeks flushing with frustration. Her arms began to ache, and beads of sweat formed at her temple, but she kept moving.

The dirt didn't remove, so thought to use the scrub instead, However the mere thought of cleaning the stained tiles felt humiliating. Mother would faint at the thought of me on my hands and knees like this...

Her thoughts wandered as she worked, Do the house elves feel this tired after a day’s work? she wondered, her arms aching from scrubbing. The thought brought a pang of guilt. She had never considered their labor in this way before. They were always just... there, ensuring her comfort without complaint. Is this how they feels every day, pushing themselves to do things that seem impossible? Maybe Nurse Sabo is right... effort is a kind of magic too.

Thank you for your help! I hope you had fun completing the errand. I certainly had fun reading your replies! Rewards will be given out shortly to everyone who completed the errand. Please owl if I have missed anyone.