First Year Entrance

DATE: Mon. Sept 1st, 2025 — INTERACTIONS:
@Lucille Rosenhart@Avery Phineas Finch @Verity Engels
WORD COUNT: 398 — BANNER: Graci Laren

During the train ride, Pyce hadn't felt the slightest bit of nervousness. Be it the casual banter, the sweets, or the familiar faces. It was nice, and they almost didn't want it to be over. But Hogwarts was waiting! The Sorting Hat! Ravenclaw! Pyce lost most of the folks who had they had shared the train car with, but Hecate was still by their side. It was almost uncanny how good he was at staying near Pyce...

Stepping onto the station, Pyce could see and hear someone, barely older than them, if they had to guess, calling for the first years. The twins joined the gaggle of students following the voice, who introduced himself as Mr. Avery Finch, the Hogwarts caretaker. All the while, they were led to a lake, with little boats donning cute little bears at the front. Pyce would have felt less nauseous if they weren't standing in front of a massive body of water. Wasn't there a giant squid in there or something?

"W-wait. We have to go on boats? On a lake?!" Pyce felt very, very ill. They reached out to Hecate and-

"Sucks to be you!" Hecate shoved Pyce onto the nearest boat, before weaving through the crowd, a "Later loser!" Being the last thing Pyce heard from him.

Pyce quickly found a seat, and tried not to think about the rocking motion of the boat, the lapping of the water, the inky depths that sat below them... The- the really soft looking bear at the head of the boat... That was okay to think about, maybe to touch? Pyce's fingers brushed against the soft fur, and soon they found themself with arms full of Spectacled Bear, a perfect duplicate of the one at the front of the boat.

In a bout to distract themself, and to remove the clarity at which they could see the horrible, terrifying water below them, Pyce slid their golden glasses onto the bear's snout, and laughed softly to themself. A Spectacled Bear with spectacles. Hecate would have found it hilarious. Traitor.

Pyce rested their head atop their new bear's head and watched it's clone (the original, Pyce told themself. The clone was the one cuddled in their arms) at the head of the boat.

They knew they had boatmates, but Pyce didn't trust themself not to lose their lunch the moment they tried to speak. They were incredibly out of their element, but... Maybe after a little? Once they got a bit more used to this, and could be reassured that nothing was going to happen, Pyce could talk?

Boarded Spectacled Bear Boat
Action: Notice the bear's movement

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Tatiana's eyes had certainly been playing tricks on her, for she failed to justify and successfully notice that the panda bear had moved. Her attention shifted, however, to the newcomer of their boat.

It seems that this one was eager to be in their friend group too, he had short, almost-bald brown-ish hair and bright, blue eyes that wandered to the castle when he first boarded the boat. Seeing as their boat seemed to be full now, Tatiana wanted to imply that fact to other people now, she extracted a small, leather-bound notebook from her robes and put it beside her, acting as though the seat was reserved for someone else.

Holding her head up, she wanted to make some small talk with the girl and boy, holding out her hand to both of them, she said, “Well, hello there, I'm Tatiana Contraire, pleased to meet you.”

Her hair had fallen free from her tie now and fell to the water, yet she failed to notice as all her attention was focused towards at least making a good relationship and first impression to the pair of first-years she was in the boat with.

Her eyes crinkled as her face broke into a smile, her white teeth reflecting on the lake's awfully still, dark waters. “Would you mind occupying the space beside you with anything you may possibly have?”, she asked the bald boy, still waiting for one of them to shake her pale, eerily still hand.

Panda Bear Boat
Action: Occupying the seat beside her with a leather-bound notebook

@Janet Flannel Roll Banana Karen @Archibald Learmonth
Speech — Thoughts

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September 1st | Great Lake

Milica startled awake after hearing a loud whistle, signaling the train had arrived at its destination. She graciously got up, straightened out her uniform, took her luggage, and left the train.

Looking around, she got a bit overwhelmed. She was surrounded by a lot of excited people. Milica could not imagine how they were so excited to attend school, a magical school, but she shook off the thought. With a judgmental look, she walked towards the shouts that would point her into the right direction.

Milica had to admit, the next sight was mesmerizing. She saw a dock, stretching out over a beautiful dark lake. Unfortunately, the sight was ruined by all the other students and the boy who was standing in front of the lake. He seemed to be around fifteen years old, and he wore a simple outfit. All in all, the girl was not impressed.

After saying something about the "ride of your life", the boy guided them towards a group of boats. Each boat carried a bear, all different ones. She didn't care much for stuffed bears, but just as she looked away, she could swear she saw one move just a little in the corner of her eye. She continued staring at it, but the bear sat perfectly still. While suspicious, Milica realized there was more important stuff to worry about.

She saw the boy guiding multiple students to their boats, and hoped to have a boat to herself. This seemed impossible with the amount of students around, but a girl could dream. He assisted her with getting into the boat with the Black Bear, and she slowly took her seat. Before long, everyone was seated, and the boats took off.

The boy who led them to their boats then started talking, introducing himself. 'Avery Finch.. a fifteen-year old caretaker?', Milica thought with confusion written all over her face. She was quickly snapped out of her thoughts when the person next to her started speaking.

"Hiya, I'm Róis", were the words that came out of her neighbors mouth. Milica turned her head to look at the girl next to her. Silently, she freaked out, not knowing how to respond to new people. From the outside, she looked calm and collected. Confident even. "Milica", she responded with a nod, before taking her gaze back to the lake.

Milica felt quite peaceful, sitting on the boat on top of the dark lake. There was even a feeling of magic in the air, which she had rarely felt before, perhaps only at Diagon Ally. This peace was interrupted when the caretaker started speaking. Milica got even more confused however. An old timer?

Milica was in no way tired: her sleeping schedule was set up in such a way that she often went out at night. Still, it seemed like the fifteen year old boy was somehow.. older. He looked more like an adult than how she remembered. Or did he?

Boarded the Black Bear boat
Action: Notice Avery's quick aging

Mentions: @Róis O'Rourke

OOC notes: edited the action

@Tatiana Contraire @Janet Flannel Roll Banana Karen

› The boy was constantly gazing at the still waters around the boat as they were crossing the lake. Where he was from, it was a pure ocean, cliffs, storms and whatever other luxury the Northern Scotland weather could present. Here it was so weird to glide on the surface — both tranquil and at the same time utterly terrifying. Were there any fish underneath? Maybe some magical fish, the boy thought. Little he knew...

› He was darting his eyes from the water to the magnificent castle and back. And just occasionally — carefully, he was shooting quick glances at the girl in front of him. After what seemed to be several minutes, the girl suddenly spoke. Not that he expected the whole boat ride to continue in silence, but he almost jumped, as his attention was still somewhere else.

› The beautiful girl introduced herself as Tatiana. A name definitely not from rough people of Scotland. And why to think of the name, when the looks were saying for herself — she was probably half-angel, or something. Archibald was merely staring in response, and then he saw the hand, which was stretched out, definitely for something that required a handshake.

› Archibald didn't play with other boys a lot, they were pretty solitary on the island. And the girls... He awkwardly shook the girl's hand, might've seemed a bit too strongly, then released it and smiled. A realisation came suddenly that he needed to say his name as well.

› "Archibald Learmonth," he almost stuttered, as if he had issues with pronouncing his own name.

› Tatiana then made a weird request, which took Archibald a second or two to process, before he spoke: "What? Why? It's no' like we're expectin' someone noo as we're sailin', are we no'?" What? Why? It's not like we're expecting someone now as we're sailing, aren't we? When he heard his voice out loud, it seemed very harsh and rough to him. Something that one should not speak when talking to a girl. Especially, to a girl like that.

Action: none (trying to converse).

The boat creaked and the panda swayed while rest of the students boarded. As Janet looked into the black water lapping gently at the boat, she glimpsed something impossibly large moving sleepily beneath the surface. She shivered, ducking her head back into the boat, and tucked her arms around her waist. Of course, there were eldritch horrors in the water. Why not. A landlubber at heart, she was suddenly hyper aware of every slight bob and wobble that threatened to plunge them into the murky depths.

Janet glanced over at her crewmates. Her attention was immediately ensnared by girl sitting before her, who could only be described as majestic. Before she was caught staring, she wrenched her gaze over to a sandy haired boy, who stoicly stared into the distance.

Mr Finch took a seat at the helm of the Cantabrian Brown and raised his arms dramatically. A soft breeze corralled the boats into a slow glide.

“Tonight, we take the scenic route across the lake and up the back way to the Great Hall where you will be sorted into your Hogwarts houses and enjoy one of the best feasts you will ever eat. As a proud former student myself, there's nothing like your first Hogwarts feast."

The caretaker’s voice echoed as he continued his speech over the murmur of conversation that permeated the quiet atmosphere of the lake.

The brunette, whose silky tresses seem to have escaped her hair tie for a quick dip, introduced herself as @Tatiana Contraire and extended a pale hand. Her pearly teeth gleamed in the moonlight. She asked the boy to occupy the remaining spot as he shook her hand awkwardly. Janet noticed she’d placed a leather diary on the seat next to her.

Fromst his stuttering, Janet picked up the boy’s name - @Archibald Learmonth. He spoke in a nigh unintelligible Scottish drawl. Janet gathered that he was confused about why they needed to guard seats if the boats had set sail.

“Maybe the Loch-Ness monster is looking for somewhere to sit”, said Janet, “and i’m Janet Flannel-Roll”

Action: Notice giant squid く⁠コ⁠:⁠)彡

Encyclopedia | Previous | Next

Cori bounded off the train with an exuberance almost unfathomable for someone who just spent six hours on a train. Then again, she had just spent six hours on a train. She relished the fresh Scottish air, the solid feeling of ground beneath her boots, the expanse of sky above her head—a sharp contrast to the much lower ceiling of the train compartment. She didn’t have much time to relax, though, considering the throng of students disembarking from the train.

“Good luck.” Beside her, Draven gave her a small smile before slipping away into the crowd with ease. As he disappeared, her heart clenched for a second. They were still only acquaintances, but he had been her only companion (save the trolley lady) the whole way here, and she felt again like she’d been stranded in an unfamiliar place. Still, Cori set her face in determination. Who knows? Maybe they would meet again. (She hoped so.) In the meantime, she would find her own way.

As that thought solidified, she heard a voice yelling, “FIRST YEARS THIS WAY!” The crowd of robed students began to part in two: the larger portion of older years moving one way, the smaller cohort of lost first-years splitting off the other way. Cori dutifully followed the voice—frankly, she didn’t see any other option—to its source. Dwarfed as she was by taller students even amidst the first-years, she didn’t see until she was very close that the director Avery Phineas Finch was an unimpressive-looking boy around Draven’s age. When she stretched up onto the tips of her toes, she could see his green eyes, so bright they seemed to glow like little lanterns, and the small weasel-like creature on his shoulder.

To be honest, Cori didn’t put too much thought into which boat she entered. She simply took the first one, joining three other first-years. The boat rocked lightly as she stepped in, gripping its side tightly so as not to fall head-first into the dark lake. The movement was not altogether unfamiliar to her—she had gone punting in the River Cherwell a couple of times back home—but she was by no means an experienced boater. She didn’t even notice the plush brown bear at the helm until she was already seated. Thinking it odd, Cori swiveled her head around to find that every boat had a different bear. Curious.

As she turned back around, she could’ve sworn she saw one of them move, but when she looked back again, the plush polar bear was innocently stationary. Raising her eyebrows, she decided it didn’t really matter whether they were magical or not. She was sure they at least weren’t sentient—she was pretty sure that would require powerful magic that there was no need to waste on a group of first-years.

She gaped as “Mr. Finch” revealed himself as the Hogwarts caretaker. There was no way Hogwarts would’ve hired a teenager to serve as staff. Maybe he was using some kind of potion or spell to make himself look younger… Another possibility crossed her mind, but she quickly dismissed it. No, that was far too unlikely. He probably just looked very young for his age.

As small talk began in their boat, Cori chanced another glance backward only to see—what? One of the first-year boys Silas Norwood was repeatedly tapping his bear, and he gave no indication that he would stop anytime soon. The boat was practically overflowing with the white plushies, standing out through the settling darkness of night. That was a cool charm; perhaps they were each meant to take a bear duplicate for comfort. Cori doubted the boy’s antics were anywhere close to the intended response. When Mr. Finch spoke again, she shook her head, decided whatever was happening in the second boat was none of her concern, and turned back around to at least try to pay attention.

As the caretaker spoke, his face seemed to shift—it was slight and subtle, but there was definitely a change. Cori narrowed her eyes, now paying much more attention to his face than his words. (Although, they were a good reminder that there were Muggle-borns in her year—perhaps even some in her boat right now. She had forgotten, caught up in her own excitement.) While before he had looked around Draven’s age, he definitely looked older than the fourth-year now. It helped to have a reference image in her head; Cori could definitely remember Draven’s face still.

She was momentarily distracted when the (other?) boy in her boat Leo Noxley got a bear duplicate of his own. Thankfully, he only took one. It did look soft, but Cori was rather reluctant to stand up again on the rocking boat, so she stayed seated.

Clearing her throat, she offered the classic opener none of the others had yet to: “Might as well get a few introductions while we’re here, yeah? I’m Cori.”

ACTION: Boarded Cantabrian Brown Bear boat; notices Avery's apparent aging

Date: 1st September

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Location: Great Lake

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Interaction with: @Rosaline Everheart@Frederick Buckley @Maisie Fenwick Rose Williams

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Seraphina stepped down from the train with careful precision, her trunk bumping awkwardly behind her. Rosalie, Frederick and Maisie were already weaving their way through the crowd, their voices lost in the din of hundreds of students spilling onto the platform. She tried to follow, clutching the strap of her satchel, but the crowd closed in around her, with cages rattling with owls, cats darting underfoot and trunks clattering over the stones. Her heart quickened. In the haze of steam, she could no longer see the three familiar heads. She stood still for a moment, the world loud and chaotic, until the sharp cry of "FIRST YEARS THIS WAY!" sliced through the noise. Relief washed over her like a tide. Gathering her skirts, she pushed through until the steam parted to reveal the path sloping towards the lake. There, lantern light gleamed on the dark, still water, like polished obsidian. At the end of the dock, a boy stood waving his arms broadly; his green eyes caught the light like glass. Perched casually on his shoulder was a mongoose, as though none of this were unusual at all. She hesitated on the edge of the dock, her breath catching in her throat. The boats, she thought. Cassian had told her that it was a tradition: a journey that no first-year student could escape. Bram, however, had made it sound daring, even dangerous. Now, with the vast, glimmering expanse of the lake before her, both versions felt true. Her eyes fell on the boats themselves. At the bow of each one sat a plush bear, soft and motionless, in the lamplight. Seraphina blinked. Was it her imagination, or had the bear on the nearest boat just shifted position? Its stitched paw almost seemed to lift, but when she stared at it, it was utterly motionless. She flushed, biting her lip. “You’re just tired from the train,” she told herself firmly. Then, through the shuffle of first years finding seats, she spotted them: Rosalie, Frederick and Maisie were already sitting in the boat with the sun bear at the bow. She stepped closer, eased herself into the seat and smoothed her skirt with nervous hands. She set her satchel on her lap. She said to the group: “I hope you don’t mind me sitting here.” As the last students were guided aboard, the caretaker introduced himself in a cheerful and booming manner. Seraphina leaned back as instructed, her eyes drifting once more to the plush bear at the prow. For a moment, she thought she saw its ears twitch.[/color]

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thoughts, speech