Rewards Ceremony The Wizarding Schools Potions Championship Open

Hjørdis always felt very content when she was brewing potions herself and this championship was very close to her heart, so when she had been invited to be a judge, she jumped at the opportunity. It truly was an honour for her, to be here today and to watch all of the budding potioneers at work. She had the absolute pleasure of also announcing some of the winners.

Standing up at the podium, Hjørdis gave one of her rare smiles out to the audience, "It has been an honour to be witness all of you budding potioneers in action, and to be able to give this award today. Placing in such a competition requires tremendous skill and it was incredible to see so many of you with the potential to make a career out of this," She paused for a brief moment to scan the crowd, "It takes even greater skill to participate at such a young age, let alone win. So, to all of the first and second-year participants, please don't give up."

"Without further ado, congratulations to..." Hjørdis opened up an envelope, as though announcing the the winners from it, "Mylo Atkins and Emily Shephard! Please all join me in congratulating our fantastic winners today," Hjørdis continued, clapping her hands for them as she welcomed them onto the stage to collect their giant trophy. She beamed at them with such pride in her eyes - something that most students did not get to witness. But these were not ordinary students, they were the youngest winners of this year's Potions Championship and that made them potential potioneers and alchemists to watch out for in the future. The fact that they were also Hogwarts students made her even happier. She could not be more proud!

October 2024 --- Potions Championship Award Ceremony!

"Come on Fyre! Fyre! Hurry up! We'll be late!" Colin danced around AngelFyre as they made their way through the entrance to the castle and into the Great Hall. Probably --- no, certainly --- if Colin had spent time dancing about with AngelFyre, and less time twirling her around, they would have made better time! And probably Colin's dear best friend would undoubtedly feel rather less woozy after her ordeal earlier in the afternoon!

Colin practically vibrated with excess energy as they made their way through the throng of kids, both from Hogwarts and all the other schools that had come to visit. For a brief moment, the tragedy that marked this week in Hogwarts history seemed but a distant memory. Only the most astute, and certainly one with eyes to see, would catch the dark shadow that passed briefly over Colin's eyes. He was soon looking for Liam and Cursa and even Simon, because, of course, AngelFyre would be looking for her lad!

He took her hand at last, and began to shove through an assortment of first and second years. "Wotcha Gryffindorque! Commin through Ravenclown!" he called ahead. Colin was tall, but nowhere big or strong enough to muscle through the press of kids. Nevertheless, with Fyre's arm locked in his, he managed to shove through the sea of first years. And two particularly troublesome first year girls! He gave them a smirk and he broke their linked arms.

"Fyre! The others are over there!" Colin hopped from one bare foot to the other, hopping up and down to get a view of where they needed to be. "There's Emily and Vale and Avery and the rest!" At last they got to their places and the award ceremony began. There was a big table with the golden cauldrons on top! Colin thought they looked really grand! He'd never seen a gold cauldron before. "I wonder what kinds of potions those can brew," he mused. "I bet anything I try would just melt the thing, Fyre ---" Colin sighed.

The French headmistress spoke first. Colin was crouched on the bench next to AngelFyre. He kept shifting around. It was such torture going from hunting ashwinder eggs and climbing trees to having to sit still for a boring speech! And it really wasn't boring --- Colin sprawled dramatically across the table as Deputy Headmistress Jensen got up next to talk. Colin sat up straighter when once he realised she was going to announce the winners! Gack! Colin let out an exasperated sigh. There always had to be such looooooong speeches!

Colin looked at his bestie. How could the girl possibly pay such close attention! She was both amazing and terrifying all at once. But at last! The first group winner was announced: Emily and Mylo! "OWOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Colin howled. Emily was a really cool girl and Colin was proud that she'd done well. And then Professor Lennox got up to --- oh craporific! Colin thought. Another looooooong speech! Colin leaned back on the table, staring up at the enchanted ceiling.

He shifted his position, leaning against AngelFyre when Nurse Sabo finally got around to announcing --- wait. WAIT! Did she just ---

Colin looked at AngelFyre. AngelFyre looked at Colin. Her smile was the biggest he'd ever seen, and her blue eyes gleamed! Cheers and howls and catcalls and shouts of his own name and that of his brewing partner resounded across the Hall. They --- they'd won!? Colin could scarcely believe it. They actually won the International Potions Brewing Champtionship! Colin cheered and stood up on the wooden bench! He reach down to grab AngelFyre's hand before vaulting off the bench and running up towards the podium! Emily was up there already; and the older students team was making their way up as well. Colin beamed, practically radiating excitement!

"Emily! You won! Congratulations! I knew you'd be awesome!" He took AngelFyre's other hand and danced around after the awards had been given out. "I still can't believe we actually won! OWOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" Colin had honestly not felt this truly alive in a good long while!

Main actions: Colin is enjoying the award ceremony with AngelFyre and congratulating Emily and everyone!
WC: 686

@AngelFyre McCubbin | @Emily Shephard | @Meyra Lancaster | @Jun Mayumi Mochizuki

It had been a very long day, and Aly Salinger was more than ready for a nap. She was sure that it would seem more like a coma, falling out cold onto her soft bed in Ravenclaw Tower, assuming her sore legs and woozy mind could make it back up the stairs and through the riddling door. First, though, she had to make it through this awards ceremony - which seemed quite doable now that she didn't feel like she was doing backflips on death's front porch. She'd received some basic first-aid after getting out of the greenhouse down on the pitch, partially from Peri and partially from others, so at the very least the mosp stings on her arm and leg and the Swooping Evil bite on her other arm didn't seem to be throbbing in pain quite as much as they had been before. Still, a long night's rest would do the Ravenclaw good, and perhaps she'd make a trip to the Hospital Wing tomorrow, but for now, Aly was just looking forward to this ceremony being over and the promising enticement of her soft pillows and warm covers.

She was, though, extremely competitive still, despite the fuzziness in her brain, and so her heart beat a nervous, accelerated pace as the French headmistress said a few opening words and the Slytherin head and Hogwarts nurse began to introduce the younger winners. Aly didn't recognise either of the pairs of victors from the years 1-2 and 3-4 categories, but the fact that they were both groups of two made her nervous even as she applauded the younger winners with the rest of the crowd. Had that been the best strategy, to work in a pair? Would Dee and Peri have fared better without her to act as the group's resident creature chow?

With bated breath, she watched the final announcer - the lovely and insanely tall Uagadou headmistress - take the stage to declare the winners of the final category. There hadn't been too many elder competitors, from what the Ravenclaw had seen - some Hogwarts folks and a girl from Koldovstoretz who looked both older and more knowledgeable than Aly herself. Aly glanced around the room for that girl, but whether it was the fog in her mind or simply that she hadn't caught a good enough look at her earlier during the brewing stages, she couldn't find nor recognise her. Still, she half-expected a Russian name to be called out, but instead the monikers that spilled from the headmistress's lips were such: "Dealla Prince, Aly Salinger, and Pericles Dralt!"

Aly began to applaud politely, once again looking around for the Koldovstoretz girl, and it took a moment to sink in - that wasn't a Russian name, that was her name! And Dee's, and Peri's! Her mouth dropped open in perhaps a calmer reaction than the whooping of one of the younger champions who had already gone up to accept his award, and in a dazed haze she stood and made her way to the front of the Hall as if she were in a trance, not even bothering to check if her teammates were behind her until she made it all the way up to the podium and was being congratulated by her History of Magic professor.

Aly took the heavy golden cauldron from her teacher, very nearly dropping it, with a look of pure befuddlement still plastered all over her face; she couldn't believe that they had actually taken home the victory. Of course, though, it hadn't been because of her - it had been because of Peri and Dee, Dee especially, their resident potions expert and soursop fetcher. As such, Aly turned and thrust the golden trophy into Dee's more than capable hands. "I can only believe this is real because you're up here with me," she whispered to her best mate, throwing an arm around her back (partially from a degree of showing friendship and mutual excitement, but also partially to keep her wobbling legs from collapsing right there on the stage). "Here, take it. You deserve to hold this!"

Aly also threw an arm around Peri with some whispered congratulations, and for the first time since brewing the potions this morning, she felt a smile warm her freckled face.

The eagle dream trio had taken it home for Ravenclaw, and by Merlin, they deserved it!

October 2024
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
Winner Winner Chicken Dinner with @Colin McCoire - @AngelFyre McCubbin and @Mylo Atkins

Phew! What a day!

Emily slouched in her spot at the table, completely and utterly exhausted from the activities now behind her. Between brewing potions, throwing potions, avoiding Red Caps, snoozing Red Caps and Lord knows everything else peppered in between, Emily was looking forward to kicking her feet up and chilling for the rest of the day.

The rewards ceremony was all but inevitable after the intense competition for the prizes that awaited the lucky groups that pulled their weight far enough to snatch them in the end. Emily was rather humble when it came to contests. She wasn't all that competitive. For her, this whole thing was a giant love letter from her to Potions and to show her fascination for it. Participating in a task where Red Caps involved was just the cherry on top. Emily did love her magical creatures!

Teachers were lined up and seated at the front of the room, as were the trophies that were yet to be delivered to the winners. After a few proud and conventional words were said by the French Headmistress, Deputy Headmistress Jensen got up to speak next. A few more words here and there about skill and whatnot were said... It was hard to pay attention honestly since it all sounded like Emily had heard before from other events she'd done in the past back home... Until the Deputy Headmistress announced the winners of the first group.

Her name was called. So was Mylo's. Emily blinked.

"Ehh--?"

She was met with an onslaught of pats on the back and cheers from all sides of her until she was finally evacuated from her seat and encouraged by everyone in the room to step up to the front of the room. Emily was slowly processing it as she made her way up. She'd never won anything before, unless those summer reading challenges from back home counted.

She shyly took a spot on the podium alongside Mylo where the rest of the school continued to look at her proudly... Or in envy. Whichever one it happened to be for the good sports and sore losers among the rest of the competitors. She could make out Colin's fervent howling from the crowd, making him easily identifiable from the ocean of students still seated at the long tables... Because everything Colin did had to be expressed aggressively loudly and enthusiastic. It was quite miraculous how poor AngelFyre's ears hadn't gone deaf from his hollering. Knowing the two of them were there and watching her made Emily relax a bit, more so again when she finally spotted Scout waving to her. She beamed back at her best bud.

With cheeks glowing pink, Emily humbly smiled to the rest of the room when she and Mylo were given their prize, giving a happy wink to her potion partner. She timidly smiled back at Deputy Headmistress Jensen who congratulated them proudly. Then Colin and AngelFyre's names were announced the winners of their category. Hot damn! Must have been Colin's crazed ideas and AngelFyre's safe and normal execution that bagged them the top overall score. They both had smarts - one of them more obvious than the other - so what real surprise was there when students like them won.

Emily clapped happily when they came up, already being greeted with a face full of Colin.

"Emily! You won! Congratulations! I knew you'd be awesome!"

Emily's cheeks went back to glowing again. "Hehehe... Well, you must be just as awesome if you've won too!" she teased back, before giving a congratulatory Huffle Snug to her lanky friend and another one to her Hufflebuddy peer.

Other students were called to the stage before the stage was ultimately handed to them to bask in glory for the next minute. Emily grinned at the audience.

If the school didn't think she was squishy and strong before, they would now!

_{Word Count: 650}

Stats: Stamina: 7|Evasion: 6|Strength: 6|Wisdom: 8|Arcane Power: 7|Accuracy: 6
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace

┏		┓
	In the throes of an adrenaline crash from fleeing Swooping Evils and Mosps, Pericles looked as ready for bed as Aly did. His usually pristine posture was lost to a slouch, elbows braced against his knees and chin propped atop interlaced fingers, eyes half-shut on the brink of closing completely. He might have nodded off despite the room's racket were it not for the coordinators taking the stage. Professor Lennox's voice snapped him to attention, and Ravenclaw sat up with a startled sniff as though called out for snoozing in class. Although he listened intently, his mind replayed the day, sorting through each step of each stage in an attempt to self-grade their efforts. As challenging as the Invisibility and Mopsus potions had been to brew, both worked when put to the test. Granted, they hadn't avoided being noticed by the beasts. But even when subjected to the (literally) maddening sting of a Swooping Evil, Aly managed to keep her composure while Dee nabbed their prize. Between Peri's role as safety coordinator, Dee's infallible guidance and Aly's unyielding dedication, he was proud of all they'd accomplished. The young wizard exuded the quiet dignity of one satisfied with a job well done, clapping in respect for each winner announced. It worked well to hide his nerves. Hogwarts had given him a taste for competition, and the stakes were exceedingly high given every school was involved. Pericles subconsciously leaned forward as the Uagadou headmistress prepared to announce their category's winner. The instant Dee's name was spoken, his hands darted to her and Aly's arms, clutching at the fabric of their sleeves in mute excitement. Whatever sleepiness he'd suffered was dashed entirely. A happy sort of haze washed over him, while the room seemed to slow, its sea of faces and din of applause melding into the backdrop. Peri stood with the girls and drifted through the crowd, a smile plastered on his freckled face. Between them, he playfully muttered "Natural that the all Ravenclaw group would win. I didn't doubt us for a moment." Pride swelled in his chest as they took the stage and laid eyes on their trophy. He spoke a quiet word of gratitude to Professors Regan and Lennox, then chanced a shy smile at the Deputy Headmistress, who he imagined must be thrilled seeing the winners of every category belonged to her school. A tinge of pink lit Peri's ears as Aly roped he and Dee into a side-hug. Leaning into it, he draped a long arm across their shoulders, grinning at the crowd before a softer look was aimed at his allies. "Well done, both of you. I'm so proud to be teamed with you two." The warmth in his voice was traded for a tease as he added to Dee, "We may need to stop competing together. I fear we're winning too many trophies."
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Thanks to the organizers!
| @Dealla Prince | @Aly Salinger |
] Banner art commissioned by Aly [