A First Meeting S.P.E.W private Locked

An orderly planning always rewards the disciplined, or so Aurelia devotedly believed. When she wrote her to-do list that morning, it didn't include contemplating whether she should join S.P.E.W., a club or organization that is called Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. Aurelia only stared at the S.P.EW. sign-up form pinned right on the noticeboard of the Hufflepuff Common Room. As if oblivious to the chattering and buzzing she was hearing from her fellow Housemates, as well as those explosion sounds from other Hufflepuffs playing another set of Exploding Snap Cards, her mind drifted away.

Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. Oh, boy. If she hadn't researched that organisation thoroughly enough. Aurelia scoured the Hogwarts Library for any old articles about S.P.E.W., hearing from others that it was founded by the former Minister of Magic herself. Turns out it wasn't exactly that much active, or the organisation was not featured enough from news publications. The latest issue from the Daily Prophet that mentions S.P.E.W. she had found from that almost fruitless endeavour was from February 2020, where they demands wands for the house-elves. After the famous Harry Potter was convicted of the murder of Dolores Umbridge, an elderly witch who served as advisor for the Ministry of Magic, Hermione Granger-Weasley also dipped from the face of the Wizarding World.

It surprises her to see the organisation decided to extend an olive branch inside the castle to expand through the students. Aurelia assessed the sign-up form; it blended right with other notices, notices about lost and found; buy and sell; or offers of tutoring from older Hufflepuff students. She lifted her hand, intending to unpin it from the noticeboard, but it suspended in the air. She remembered her to-do list. The list states that she will spend her Sunday to continue her assigned readings from various subjects. It didn't indicate attend S.P.E.W. first meeting, it indicate assigned readings. Aurelia is big on orderly planning always rewards the disciplined mindset she tries to embody.

So she chose to sulk in the corner of the Hufflepuff Common Room, opening her satchel to pull out her History of Magic textbook. Aurelia is ready to smack anyone if an Exploding Snap Card explode her way. In her very honest opinion, owning such dangerous products inside the castle and how it is permitted had been very questionable, indeed—

Aurelia read the same first paragraph about Goblin Rebellions multiple times before snapping her textbook shut and admitting that S.P.E.W. was nagging the back of her mind. Reading about Goblin Rebellions did not help too, seems like every magical being she now knew about was downright oppressed, and if anyone doesn't step foot from then on then everything will not get better. Everyone in the Wizarding World will most likely repeat history, and this is the time for a groundbreaking change.

After cramming her History of Magic textbook inside her satchel, she unpinned the sign up form from the noticeboard and hastily filled it up on a coffee table. Slamming the wooden entrance shut of the Hufflepuff Common Room, she ran down the corridor and turned towards the moving staircase. Her shoes made a clicking sounds from her hurried steps on the Second Floor corridor, looking around for the study room. Aurelia is already late for the meeting from the hesitating she was doing earlier, she berated herself for being so dramatic.

It was a sunny Sunday in September; and sunlight streamed down on the large kaleidoscopic windows, decorating the empty corridor with assorted and various colours. She would've appreciated its beauty as it reminded her heavily of cathedrals, if it weren't for her nerves, which were shot from anxiety. Aurelia was hesitating again, she overlooked earlier the prospect that S.P.E.W. is a club, an organisation, and therefore she needs to socialise if she wants to participate. She stood in front of the door of the study room, her breathing ragged, her hands clammy as she gripped her sign-up form.

You can't avoid socialisation, you silly goose. This is bound to happen. Aurelia smoothened her features, unknotting her eyebrows, letting out timed heavy breaths to calm her nerves down. After knocking three times, she tentatively opened the door of the study room. She immediately noticed the long table as well as the few students huddled around it. They were holding paintbrushes and clutching something she couldn't actually see from her position. She was right, she had been very late.

"Sorry, I hope I'm not too late," Aurelia started, waving her sign-up form as soon as she catches Elisa Wagner's eyes.

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__◇ IC Date:9:50 am, September 15th, 2024

Speech: #1d5758 ◇ __

__◇ Thoughts: Italic	Mentions: @Vale Ashwood @Violeta Roux @Altar Lace @Holly Elren @Ruby Night @Louisa McStately @Aurelia Valentine @Karina Eagelwood @Genevieve Driver ◇__
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Elisa had barely finished the short little speech she had prepared and sat down when she heard the door being pushed open. She was a first year, by the looks of it, whom Elisa might have seen a couple times in the Slytherin Common Room. Grabbing her parchment and standing up, she greeted the newcomer with a smile. The girl mentioned about being at... Hogsmeade? Elisa was a little puzzled by the swift statement coming from the girl, but she brushed the thoughts away. That wasn't her business.

"Hello there! No worries about being late, that happens. You are... Karina, right?" Elisa addressed the girl, looking up from her list of names and putting a checkmark besides 'Karina Eaglewood'. Her gaze followed the first year as the latter looked at Holly and Ruby. "You can have seat, you know." Elisa softly said, encouraging the little girl.

Her attention was pulled away from Karina as three knocks sounded on the door of the Study Room. It opened again to reveal another girl. Upon entering, she immediately began apologising for being late.

"Don't worry, we just started!", Elisa said reassuringly, as she took the sign-up form in the girl's hand. She looked at the name on it. "It's Aurelia, right?" she asked, all while noting her down on her members' list, "Feel free to go grab a seat and start your badge!" Elisa turned back and closed the door of the Study Room, not expecting any more members to arrive.

She hadn't even entirely closed it when another three knocks sounded on the door. Elisa stood back as it opened for the third time in a row, on a first year girl. The new arriver was clearly nervous, and Elisa couldn't blame her in the slightest. She herself had been very nervous this morning, and would have been, too, back in her first year. Elisa smiled as the girl introduced herself with a few nervous giggles. "Hello Louisa, welcome to S.P.E.W! We've only just started, no need to apologise. You can go ahead and take a seat, and yes, we're painting badges today." Elisa said gently, putting yet another checkmark on her list.

She turned around to close the door, and hoped, this time, not to close it in someone's face. More had come than she had initially expected. Was it because of the posters hung up in the house Common Rooms? Well, it seemed that despite her inexperience and initial worries, the first meeting was going pretty well.

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Aurelia gave Elisa Wagner a tight-lipped smile after the club president wrote down her name on the members' list. Almost dashing towards an empty seat adjacent to the board, she let out a quivering sigh of relief after settling. She heavily despised being late, as she believed that first impressions last and she would hate it if she was perceived as tardy, although she knew no one would mind it at all. When the door of the study room opened and revealed a nervous-looking fellow Hufflepuff, her nerves calmed down a bit. Not the last one to arrive, Aurelia thought, plus a familiar face. Come to think of it, Urelia looked around for a bit—Hufflepuffs dominated the club.

Her eyes widened slightly when a large spider crawled around a Slytherin's head. Aurelia didn't know that Hogwarts allowed spiders to be kept as familiars. Before the Gryffindor could notice that she was staring blatantly, she looked away, her eyes fixing on the surroundings instead.

The long, antique-looking table is crowded with cups that serve as paintbrush holders, the box for dull badges that begs to be decorated and painted, and multiple pallets with paint on them. Some dribble of paint already dirtied the table too. Aurelia looked up to read the written words on the board, mentioning the agenda of the first meeting and steps the club will take for the liberation of house-elves and the betterment of their status in the Wizarding World. Her hand reached for her satchel, taking out her small notebook and muggle pen, hastily writing it all down to come back to if, in the next meeting, someone would bother for a small recollection.

Avoiding to taint her things with paint, she placed the notebook and the pen inside her satchel before squeezing the satchel between her feet. She clapped her hand softly to look around at the table again before her hands reached for an empty badge and paintbrush. Eyebrows knitted, she thought of colours that would symbolise the cause of the very club itself.

Blue? Aurelia thought, her eyebrows knitted and her eyes squinted at the blue paint. For liberation and freedom? She dabbed the tip of the paintbrush in the water first, tapping it, before covering it with blue and spreading it on the badge. Aurelia is an artist, but never a painter; an artist of words, not of pictures. She felt like she's already sabotaging the badge. She waved the badge to dry it as she cleaned the tip of the brush. Looking around, she watched everybody's progress. She made a point not to strike up a conversation with them unless necessary; they are already bubbling with conversation, and besides, she wouldn't know what to say anyway.

Yellow for the letters, optimism! She thought enthusiastically. Dabbing the tip of the paintbrush in the yellow colour, her eyes concentrated as she painted the letter S. She is also not a skilled calligraphist, but she does have neat handwriting. Huffing in relief, she painted the letter P next. Aurelia's forehead was beaded with sweat, and her palms were clammy as soon as she reached the letter W very carefully. She will not be caught slipping, not today, Merlin.

Satisfied with her work as she angled her head to the side as if her work would change appearance at a different angle, she waved it to dry. Honestly, a drying charm would be helpful in these types of situations, but this charm isn't taught in first year. She doesn't know what year, but she couldn't just wait. Magic does make life easier. Aurelia would love to put more symbols in the badge, but in sabotaging things that are important to her, she trusts herself to sabotage this too.

Her mind drifted again as she left the badge to dry. What should be their first step? Aurelia wouldn't like to impose, but she thought it would be better if the first step was visiting the house-elves around the castle and asking them personal questions. Interviews. Make a survey. Conjure and count statistics. Write and spread the pamphlets; write an article... Just like she did with werewolves, which she just squeezed between shelves of the Hogwarts Library. Her eyes are distracted as she stares at her badge.

"I have a suggestion," Aurelia blurted out before she could clamp a palm over her mouth. Everyone turned to her, so she thought it was just proper to vanish and melt and pretend like it never really happened or forget how she spoke without permission, cutting off the others' conversation rudely. Her cheeks flushed, but she spoke anyway. "Err, what if before doing anything else, we talk to the house-elves themselves? Collect their answers and categorise them so we could conjure a graph. So... We could make pamphlets." If anyone would suggest that she should just flung herself off the Astronomy Tower, then she'd do it, because that's just embarrassing. Aurelia immediately looked away as if she never said anything; her eyes now trained on her badge like it was the most interesting in the whole wide world. Making a pretence of painting, she hastily dabbed a paintbrush in the blue paint and vigorously repainting her badge again, her messy hair covering her eyes.

Lovely banner by Sage Willows

Speech: color=#a67b01
Thoughts: Italics
Outfit: Dark blue flared jeans, a white jumper, blue top and a small blue bag.
WC: 271/200

Louisa smiled at the girl who had spoken, and feeling somewhat relieved, seated herself and began choosing the paint for her badge. Blue perhaps? After all it is my favorite color. Yes, I will paint it a pastel blue. Louisa decided and began, carefully and with great precision, on her badge.

Louisa, who’s focus had been entirely on her on her carefully painted badge, turned her gentle brown eyes with a little surprise as someone began to speak. The raven haired girl’s words seemed to be accompanied by a little embarrassment, Louisa noted. I suppose it’s fair to be embarrassed, I know I certainly would be, but it’s a good suggestion none the less… Louisa thought, a shy and sympathetic smile drifting across her face.

Louisa paused, wondering wether to speak. ”Well, if no one else does it shall be very awkward, especially for the girl!”Feeling a little overcome for sympathy for this girl Louisa began to speak hurriedly. “I agree! Its a good idea and I do think the house elves deserve a say!” Louisa smiles, her hands fidgeting violently with her badge, yet unable to deal with the awkwardness of a group of unknown people listening to her, she continues, “And we could learn alot from them! I mean, the elves might tell us they like purple sheets…” Louisa blushes a scarlet, now taking her turn to be embarrassed. Why purple sheets? Why in Merlin’s beard did I say that? Oh, no!Quickly smiling at the other girl Louisa speaks in a nervous voice, “Anyway, uh, good idea!” Louisa turns, now focusing every ounce of her attention on her badge.

The lesson of her mixed household had always been clear: wizard or muggle, we were equal. There was no reason in Maisie's mind why this simple logic should not also apply to house elves. As yet, she hadn't had any real interaction with one, but she'd seen them and heard of their plight. So, when she heard of this club to try and better their lives, she thought she should see exactly what that was all about.

Despite a lecture in Defense Against the Dark Arts running late, Maisie went as swiftly as she could to get over to the study room for this SPEW meeting. Her face was slightly flush as she arrived from the effort. Thankfully, the meeting itself seemed pretty chill; people seemed to be simply decorating a kind of membership badge.

"Hey guys," she said sheepishly as she entered, not wanting to disturb the proceedings, "Sorry." She'd move to take a seat and assemble the materials to work on making a badge. This artistic task she had full confidence in. It was just four little letters but she'd make them as bold and bright as she could. Picking up a quill, she started to outline the letters as the conversations swirled around her. Something about a pamphlet, which seemed good. After all, she herself didn't know a whole lot about the situation. She only had a belief and for now, that might be enough.

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Dad

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Pa

Andrea

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Interacting with @	Date - 15/09/24
WC 236/200	Color Legend - Mylo | Thoughts

It was pretty early in the morning and Mylo had decided to make their way over to the study room, although it was only the second week of the school year they didn't want to fall behind and had decided to get in a little bit of studying before going and spending some time outside.

As he neared the room though he could see that the door was open, and that there was something hung on it. This was unusual as Mylo didn't remember seeing such a banner on the door before, and they had been here quite often - maybe too often in some people eyes.

Getting closer he could also see that the group of people inside the room were doing some kind of arts and crafts, which surprised him a bit as that wasn't what people did here usually. Having gotten closer to the banner they could finally read what was on it, something about a meeting for the welfare of the elves?

Was there something wrong with them? The times Mylo could remember seeing any of the elves around the school they seemed decently healthy, although he supposed that they could have underlying health issues as you could never actually tell.

Not quite being able to make out the words of what the people in the room were saying he got slightly lost in thought on what could be wrong with the elves.

OOC- Mylo would likely be looking confused on the outside so feel free to interact and ask them if they're here for the meeting!

ABILITIES | STATS
Perfectionist | Wandmaker [Dragonheart, Elm wood]
sta • 8 | eva • 6 | str • 5 | wis • 9 | arc • 6 | acc • 6

Code by Ara Villa