First Year Entrance

date	place	tags	wc	speech	outfits
01/09/25	Great Lake near Hogsmeade Station	@Frederick Buckley@Maisie Fenwick Rose Williams@Seraphina Vale	322/200	#36563c	xxx

Rosaline sat down quietly, toying with her favorite star-shaped necklace, casually observing the other first-year students boarding the boats. She even saw some students she had met before at Diagon Alley and Summer Camp, but they were too far away from her to have any chance to say hello. Out of the corner of her eye, she thought the soft sun bear at the bow seemed to have moved. Yet when she fixed her gaze upon it, it had returned to a state of complete stillness. She tilted her head, staring at the bear, looking for anything unusual. Her brows furrowed. How odd.

Frederick and Maisie boarded the sun bear boat after her. “Hey, Frederick, Maisie!” she greeted them with a warm smile. “Aren’t you excited to finally see the castle itself?” she said, beaming. Her gaze shifted to the magnificent castle. Responding to Frederick, “I’m not sure about that, but it looks so cute and soft. I’d love to have one.” She chuckled. When Maisie touched the bear, it duplicated itself. Rosaline exclaimed, “Wow! Maybe it’s like a gift for us?” She stood up and approached the bear. As soon as she touched it, the bear duplicated itself again. Taking hold of the bear, its softness and warmth calmed her emotions. “You should try it out too, Frederick!” she said to the boy.

As they chatted, Seraphina also boarded the boat. Rosaline waved to her and said, “Hello, Seraphina! Of course, you can sit here. You are more than welcome.” The composition of the lineup on board was almost identical to that on the compartment of the Hogwarts Express. She was glad to be with the same group she already knew.

The boat started moving toward the castle. Rosaline listened to what Mr. Avery was saying. Her heart pounded as he said this was the start of their magic journey. She was both thrilled and worried about the upcoming semester and academic pressures, but the enthusiasm outweighed the nervousness and worry.

Action: Notices the bear's movement

Reducio ooc notes

Reducio stats stamina: 6 | evasion: 5 | strength: 5 wisdom: 8 | arcane Power: 7 |accuracy: 4 Lovely Creature

Tavi Honey

Date: Monday, September 1st, 2025

Tavi sat in silence, her gloved hands resting gently on Aurelio. The boat moved slowly, and the water beneath felt far too alive for her liking. Around her, the other children whispered nervously, some laughed with a kind of energy that felt misplaced, others clung to themselves as if the cold were more emotional than physical.

She watched them without judgment. Only with distance. She didn’t know what emotion to feel. The right emotion. After so much time in quiet hallways, among white beds and medical voices, the movement, the closeness, the anticipation—it all felt too much. As if the air were full of things she didn’t yet know how to breathe.

Aurelio seemed more prepared than she was. Tavi adjusted him in her lap, smoothing the pale cashmere coat over her shoulders. The golden embroidery caught a faint glimmer of moonlight.

That’s when she saw him. The boy with the spectacled bear. She didn’t look at him directly, but his presence was unmistakable. He clung to his bear like a shield. There was something in his posture that felt familiar.

Tavi tilted her head slightly and pointed, just barely, with one finger. Not at him, but at the bear with the golden glasses.

“Ha,” she murmured, not expecting a response. “A Spectacled Bear with spectacles.”

Action:Boarded Spectacled Bear Boat
Action: Notice Pyce's behavior

date 01/09/25

word count 750

outfit ⁺₊ ☀︎ ⁺₊

speech #8C2626

mentions @Verity Engels @Leo Noxley @Corinna Starling @Livia Machavariani

notes xxx

Lucille's bright eyes greeted every student who chose to board the Brown Bear boat. The girl's thinly veiled excitement shone through, giving a glint to the dark brown of her eyes. Another girl entered, then a boy, then a girl, and then a familiar face. "Lucille, isn't it?" the girl spoke, and Lucille nodded enthusiastically. "It seems we're destined to meet on boats, Livia," she mused, finally uttering her first words in the boat. She had decided to quietly wait for everyone to get settled, and, to be honest, she had needed the minute herself to adjust to the gentle bobbing of the boat, and to process how deep the lake was. But, now that she had broken her silence, she cleared her throat, ready to speak.

However, it seemed Mr. Finch beat her to it. The boats began to move, and Lucille grasped the side of the boat reflexively, clinging to it with a death grip, knuckles white. However, the boats quickly settled into a gentle, steady pace, and she let go of the side, giggling a little at herself for being so startled. Mr. Finch began to speak and, this time, Lucille paid close attention, not wanting to miss anything. However, it seemed something else would distract her now. As the boats moved ever closer to Hogwarts, Mr. Finch seemed to be getting older. Perhaps it was the sun setting, casting shadows over his face that hadn't been there before. She could be wrong, of course. His voice sounded the same, and his eyes still shone brightly, seeming to catch all of the light in the lake and concentrating it into a little sparkle within them. But, maybe, just maybe, something was different.

Beside her, someone joked of how it sounded like they'd be fighting monsters, and someone else responded. Chatter was beginning in the boat, and, uncharacteristically, Lucille was not a part of it yet. Before she could speak, a splash behind her caught her attention. Lucille whipped around with such force that the boat wobbled for a second. Only slightly, hardly dangerous, but noticeable enough. She looked past all the other boats, including one that was filled to the brim with plush bears for some reason, and saw creatures following them. It was dark, and Lucille was struggling to see, but was that a hint of a mermaid? Or was she imagining it? Another form out of the water; another splash as it dove back in. Certainly, the different creatures of the lake were following them.

Lucille's intent observation of the lake was broken by someone introducing herself in the boat. Cori, and she seemed to be budding with joy when Lucille looked at her. It seemed Cori matched her excitement, and a warm smile spread upon her face. Livia introduced herself next, and the harsh tone in her voice almost made Lucille uneasy, although she had spoken kindly to her earlier. She seemed uninterested in greetings, even more so in conversation. Lucille spoke quickly, attempting to relax the atmosphere in the boat. "I'm Lucille," she said, now observing her companions more closely, leaning forward a little. Now that she had adjusted to the rocking of the boat, it felt more comforting than worrisome, like how a rocking chair felt as it gently put you to sleep. Lucille felt a bit less restricted with this new feeling, now much freer in her movements. "Can you believe we'll be in Hogwarts in just a little while? We'll be sorted and go to our dorms and tomorrow, we'll learn magic." She spoke in hushed tones, her voice quick with excitement, almost as if discussing a secret.

It felt so real now, with the castle in the distance, although she had been saying that all throughout the journey she took to get here. It felt so real at summer camp, even more so in the train, and now, on the lake, more still. She knew the feeling would greaten in the sorting ceremony, and in the dorm, and in her first class, and so on.

Looking at the occupants of her boat, she saw a boy with a plush brown bear in his arms. Confused, she looked to the bow of the boat, where the plush brown bear remained calmly seated, just as it was before. So he hadn't stolen it. For a second, she looked back and forth between them, trying to figure it out. "How'd you get that?" she asked, when she came up with no explanation.

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•⋅

| Date: 01/09/25 | Word count: 395 |
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Frederick plopped himself down on the bench, the boat rocking gently beneath his feet. "Look at that castle, it’s enormous!” He leaned forward, looking at the distant spires glowing faintly in the lantern light. His chest buzzed with nervous energy, like he might leap out of the boat and swim the rest of the way just to get there faster.

Rosaline’s words about the bear made him glance back at the plush creature with suspicion. “A gift, huh?” he repeated, though his tone was playful rather than doubtful. “I dunno… seems like the sort of thing that might wake up and bite your hand if you squeeze it too hard.” Still, curiosity sparkled in his eyes as he reached out and poked the sun bear’s fuzzy ear with one finger. To his surprise, another identical bear appeared, tumbling softly into his lap. He burst out laughing. “Blimey! I guess you were right. Guess this one’s mine now.” He hugged it dramatically against his chest, then peeked over at Maisie’s and Rosaline’s bears. “I think mine’s the fluffiest, though. Definitely wins the prize.” He said in a playful tone, something very characteristic of him, while laughing at his own joke.

When Maisie asked if they were excited, Frederick nodded enthusiastically, his brown hair falling into his eyes. He shoved it back with a hand, a nervous habit. “Excited and starving. I could eat a whole pumpkin pasty by myself, maybe two. Do you think they’ll really have endless food on the tables like they say?” He turned his head toward her, his grin cheeky but hopeful.

As Seraphina eased into the boat, looking a little hesitant, Frederick gave her a reassuring smile. “Of course we don’t mind! The more the merrier. We’ve practically got our whole train cabin back together.” He shifted over slightly as if to make room, though the boat was big enough already. Then, he glanced between the three girls, noticing the absence of the other boy who had accompanied them on the train ride, but chose not to bring it up.

As the boat drifted further into the lake, the water began slapping gently against the sides. Frederick glanced down and swore he saw ripples moving against the current. For a second, he thought he glimpsed a little pale face beneath the water, gone before he could blink. A shiver raced down his spine. He pulled the bear closer to him without thinking, then laughed at himself. “Well… that’s a bit creepy, isn’t it?” he murmured, half to the girls, half to himself, though his eyes shone with excitement.

───────────────────────────────────────────────
| Interacting with: @Rosaline Everhart @Maisie Fenwick Rose Williams @Seraphina Vale |

OOC Notes:

Reducio Interacting with @Emily Harris, @Janet Flannel Roll Banana Karen, @Tatiana Contraire, @Archibald Learmouth Boat=Panda Bear

Reducio Emily Harris Speaking and thoughts: - Sample Ally Craig Speaking and thoughts: - Sample Caretaker: - Sample

Reducio Outfit: Plain Black Robes

Interacting with: @ Rosaline Everhart @ Frederick Buckley @ Seraphina Vale

Best Laid Plans of Squids and Men

Place: Great Lake
Date: September 1st, 2025
Time: Evening

Since the boats had begun moving, the mongoose on Avery's shoulders had moved down to settle itself into the bottom of the boat and was perched partly on the side of it as well, peering around at the boats and the scene around them with a little too much attentiveness. It was as if the animal were keeping an eye on the students as much as Avery was, and Avery was keeping an eye on all of the students, despite his general focus being on those in his boat and his welcome speech. He was definitely, one hundred percent aware of what was going on around him and the potential dangers and mishaps that always seemed to be lurking around every corner on the Hogwarts grounds.

The close quarters of the boat he occupied meant that mumbling was not something that would go unheard by the other members of the party, so when one of the girls, a blonde, spoke to herself, probably simply thinking out loud, about Avery's speech implying they would fight monsters, Avery grinned in a conspiratorial way. A seasoned veteran of Hogwarts knew that you couldn't make it past your first Fall Ball without encountering some kind of minor, sometimes major, challenge that would put what you've learned already to the test. "Strange things do happen here, miss," He said with a small chuckle, his "teenager" voice still the same despite his growing age. "but it is certainly our job to prepare you for the kind of things that simply come with the ability to do magic." He continued, turning to the boy who had spoken up as well.

"An adventure a minute." He chirped as the boy reached out to pet the bear at the front of the boat. The older man was maybe a little too delighted when the bear perfectly duplicated itself and the copy fell into the boy's lap. The caretaker had taken great pains to make sure that this particular spell had worked the way he had wanted it to. He had wanted to give the firsties a good souvenir to remember their first introduction to Hogwarts, though he knew personally that the memory of the magnificent, candle lit castle would not fade from their memories for a very long time.

He looked around with a small amount of pride as he could see that the other boats contained copies of their figureheads and he noted with a good amount of amusement that one mischievous boy in the polar bear boat was definitely testing the limits of the spells ability to produce copies. He had a fleeting thought that they might post a problem at some point, but, admittedly, that was future Avery's problem. Right now it seemed to be alright and the caretaker let out a small, snortish laugh at the antics as he turned back to the students in his boat.

"You will find that a lot of unusual things are extremely usual here at Hogwarts," was his answer to the boy's slightly astonished question. "I suppose it depends on your definition of usual."

His attention turned once again as a dark haired girl spoke up next, offering the beginnings of introductions and the other girls in the boat responded with their names in turn. Cori's intense stare at him and then the duplicating bear had not gone unnoticed by the staff member and as she introduced herself, he reached over, tapped the stuffed bear on the nose, and offered it's copy to the girl. "It's wonderful to know your names, Miss Cori, Miss Livia, and Miss Lucille." He said, genuinely, bowing slightly with his head as Livia took her seat.

"Since he does deserve his own introduction, this is my friend, Matthew." He finished, gesturing to the scouting mongoose and snickering just a little as if the name was some kind of joke, which, well, it was, but Avery would not be explaining that at this moment. Avery chuckled a little more as Lucille noticed the bear in the boy's arms and asked where he had gotten it. He casually reached back to tap the bear on the nose again and offer Lucille the next copy of the stuffed animal. "The sorting ceremony is always exciting for everyone. I don't know how much you all would care, but I was placed in Hufflepuff." He said with a proud grin and a small puff of his chest.

As the general chatter of the boats began to grow, not in a way that disturbed the quaint night, but cozily enhanced it, and the boats continued to make their way lazily across the dark waters, that anticipatory feeling that something big was happening grew among all of those in the boats and seemed to cover the lake and the night air like a blanket.

To those observant enough, the caretaker seemed to be aging a year for every minute or so that they progressed across the lake, appearing in his late fifties now that they were about halfway across the lake. The youthfulness of his face was definitely gone as his cheeks had thinned and hardened and grey-green hair began to sprout on his chin. The man's dark locks began to fade into the dimness of old age as well, the curls growing longer to cover his shoulders. The progression of time on the man was beginning to be unmistakable, but could still go unnoticed if a student was distracted and far away enough to not realize that their "teenage" leader had become an older man within 30 or so minutes.

Those who did notice, Leo Noxley, Livia Machavarian, Shelowyn Bloomthorn, and Lucille Rosenhart being the ones to catch it, had already thought of several theories to the phenomena, but it was still unexplainable to such a young group. What kind of magic could possibly be at play here? How old was the caretaker, really? How could they possibly know? His voice and demeanor seemed more fit for his younger self, and he seemed to be unaware of, or completely ignoring, his own aging. How much more would he age before this ride of their ended?

Milica Vrannekova and Corianna Starling had, at least at this point, firmly convinced themselves that their leader looking older was simply a trick of the fading light, the lake's general atmosphere, and/or just a false observation of their tired eyes and hungry bellies. There was no magic that could age people that quickly.

For those keeping an eye on the bears, the bored toddler energy in the stuffed animals at the bow of the boats also seemed to be climbing, with the bears beginning to more obviously wiggle in their seats, as if they had been sitting still far too long for their liking. Or did their fidgeting seem more nervous, more anticipatory? Like they knew something was coming and weren't particularly excited to meet it.

Nah. They're enchanted bears. Not the least bit actually alive and able to sense danger or anything amiss on the lake. How much could they possibly know? Probably just an effect of the spell wearing off.

Although they are pretty definitely moving now, Pyce Rotanski, Seraphina Vale, Rosaline Everhart can confirm that the bears have, in fact, been moving this whole time. Although it is obvious that for some reason, they seem less and less able to hide it as the ride goes on. Why do the lead bears in particular seem so anxious and jittery? Will they continue to move after the boat ride? Or will their magic fade with time, rendering them relatively normal, if not one of a kind, stuffed bears?

Before anyone could really get a thought on these strange goings on, even Verity Engels and Maisie Fewick Rose Williams who DEFINITELY saw the caretaker dropping food into the water, the boats began to shift, rocking as something larger than a grindylow or mermaid began to rise to the surface of the lake. Ever the one with good intentions, Mr. Finch had simply wanted to draw the creatures to the surface so that the newest students could get a look at them, especially those students who were just learning that creatures like these even existed.

But even the best laid plans with the best intentions can go awry.

All of a sudden, there was a series of great splashes as the creatures that had been following the boats and eating the food that Avery had been depositing into the water threw themselves back into the water and out of the way of what was now coming up behind the procession.

A great wave rolled across the water as something glided below the surface towards the boats. Janet Flannel Roll Banana Karen was the first to see the gigantic creature, as she already had her face nearest the water. A massive squid passed under the boats, pushing them out of it's path to the lead boat, the source of the food, and sending them rocking, tipping, and bobbing about in the water like rubber ducks in a wind storm. The Spectacled Bear boat and the Cantabrian Brown Bear boat got the worst of the displacement, being lifted and rolled off the tentacled creature's back as it passed directly under them to get to Avery's generous hand.

As the squid came near and sent the boats tottering, the caretaker himself remained calm but for a widening of the eyes and a purse of the lips in a very animated "oops" face. He knew better than to stand up in the violently rocking boat as the creature passed under the lead boat and flipped, it's dark tentacles breaching the water as it did so, returning for the last of the food as the adult threw the last of his snacks into the water and prepared himself for any rescue that might be needed from students standing up to see what was going on.

Hopefully they were all sat down and safe and no one had fallen into the water.

As Avery scanned the other boats, checking on the students, the boats were sent rocking once again as the squid returned through the line and dived back into the depths of the lake, having successfully retrieved its snack. How bloody deep was this lake to house that thing?! The displacement of the dark water as it dived gave the boats one great and quick shove forward as a group on the wave the squid created.

Well.... hopefully that would be as eventful as this ride got... knock on wood.

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

BOATS

Each boat will contain 5 students, except for the lead boat which will contain 5 students and Mr. Finch.
Please note which boat you are joining in your first post.
Do not join already full boats.
IC all boats are full, even if they are not full OOC.
More boats (and bear types) will be added if necessary.
Students joining after the boats are already moving may act as if they have been there the whole time and have gone through already passed events.
Boat formation: Lead(-===-)Last

1. Cantabrian Brown Bear - Lead boat - Avery Phineas Finch, @Lucille Rosenhart, @Verity Engels, @Leo Noxley, @Corinna Starling, @Livia Machavariani 5/5 - FULL
2. Polar Bear - @Aaron Stone, @Angelo Angelov, @Silas Norwood, @Esme Hestridge, @Aislin Darragh 5/5 - FULL
3.Panda Bear - @Janet Flannel Roll Banana Karen, @Tatiana Contraire, @Archibald Learmonth, @Emily Harris, @Ally Craig 5/5 - FULL
4. Black Bear - @Róis O'Rourke, @Milica Vranekova, @Matisse Ellison, @Jaxon Grayson, @ Brutus Palmer 5/5 - FULL
5. Sun Bear - @Rosaline Everhart, @Frederick Buckley, @Maisie Fenwick Rose Williams , @Seraphina Vale , @Nora Doyle 5/5 - FULL
6. Sloth Bear - 0/5
7. Kodiak Bear - 0/5
8. Spectacled Bear - Last Boat - @Harold Franklin, @Tavi Honey, @Shelowyn Bloomthorn, @Pyce Rotanski, @Katelyn Magnolia 5/5 - FULL

Each boat has a plush likeness of its bear sitting on the bow of the boat, leading the way. To clarify, the bear is attached to the front of the boat and does not move from that place.

Note: dNPCs are not allowed to participate in staff moderated threads. If you have a dNPC in first year (a cousin, a twin, a stepsibling, childhood friend, etc) you may roleplay that they joined the American Brown Bear boat and got a plush, but that is where they must be left.

OOC NOTES:

Welcome first years!

- This thread is open to all 2025-2026 first years as an introduction to open, moderated threads.
- I will be posting a moderation post every 2-ish weeks to moderate actions and progress the story. Please do not write beyond what is written in each mod post! We don't want to get ahead of ourselves and miss the fun.
- If you would like to perform a moderated action, please state your action somewhere clearly in your post, preferably at the beginning or the end. Do not roleplay reactions, follow-up actions, or any other results of your action until the moderation post has been made and I have stated whether you were successful or not.
If you'd like to perform a moderated action, please state the action clearly in your post. You may only perform spells if they are indexed in your trunk. And do not roleplay reactions, follow-up actions, or results to your moderated action until I have clearly stated whether you were successful or not. Only one moderated action per part/moderation post.

Moderation is over. You may still join the thread, interact with your boatmates, and roleplay as if you had been there all along, but I will no longer be doing action rolls.

Hope you had fun!

- All RPG rules apply. This means a word count minimum of 200 of your own words, excluding quotes from other's posts, occ chat, and coding. Any post under 200 words will be deleted after a warning owl is sent.
---- If you are having trouble meeting word count, try to be descriptive: How is your character feeling? Why did you pick the boat you picked? What do you think of those already in the boat? What do you think of the scenery?
----You do not need to be indexed to join this thread. You do need to be indexed to perform moderated actions.
- If you have any questions at all or concerns, don't hesitate to owl me. My window is always open.

Some helpful tips for large, open, moderated threads
- Tag the people you're interacting with (in this case, those in your boat) by putting each name in mention brackets like this:

Code: Select all

[mention]Full Name[/mention],[mention]Full Name[/mention], etc

- Feel free to read every single post or only the ones that have to do with your character.

Rolls:

Reducio

Notice Bears Movement: Wisdom check: 10
Pyce Rotanski - Wisdom: 6 ([d20: 13] + 6 = 19) 19 > 10 → Success
Seraphina Vale - Wisdom: 8 ([d20: 19] + 8 = 27) 27 > 10 → Success
Rosaline Everhart - Wisdom: 8 ([d20: 3] + 8 = 11) 11 > 10 → Success

Notice Food Drop: Wisdom check: 15
Verity Engels* - Wisdom: 7 ([d20: 6;5] + 7 = 13) 13 > 10 → Success
Maisie Fewick Rose Williams - Wisdom: 4 ([d20: 13] + 4 = 17) 17 > 10 → Success

Notice Avery's Age: Wisdom check: 10
Leo Noxley* - Wisdom: 5 ([d20: 2;9] + 5 = 14) 14 < 10 → Success
Milica Vrannekova - Wisdom: 2 ([d20: 2] + 2 = 4) 4 < 10 → Failure
Corianna Starling* - Wisdom: 6 ([d20: 1 (Crit);2] + 6 = 8 ) 8 < 10 → Failure
Livia Machavarian* - Wisdom: 7 ([d20: 7;8] + 7 = 15) 15 > 10 → Success
Shelowyn Bloomthorn - Wisdom: 7 ([d20: 13] + 7 = ) 20 > 10 → Success
Lucille Rosenhart * - Wisdom: 5 ([d20: 13;11] + 5 = 18) 18 > 10 → Success

Other Action:
Janet Flannel Roll Banana Karen - Notice Squid - Invalid as squid makes itself quite known.
Tavi Honey - Notice Pyce - Invalid as Pyce is not hiding his actions
Frederick Buckley - Notice Creatures - Invaild as the creatures are not exactly hiding either.

Note: Cantabrian Brown boat got an advantage on observation rolls relating to Avery because they are in his boat.

@Tatiana Contraire @Janet Flannel Roll Banana Karen @Emily Harris @Ally Craig

› Only seconds after he spat out his questions to the prettiest being on the whole planet, he noticed another girl on the boat, who was babbling a lot of speech he couldn't make out the meaning of.

› "Oi! When did ye board the boat?" "Oi! When did you board the boat?" he said in great surprise to the girl who was speaking (Ally Craig), only to realise it might've been rude that he was so entranced with another girl on the boat that he did not notice more people that were in the boat. But he couldn't force himself into an apology either.

› He turned to whom she was talking to and noticed that there was another girl (Emily Harris), who didn't seem to talk much compared to the other radio across the board. It was itching him to ask her the same question of how on Earth they managed to get on the boat without him noticing. But it was already too much. They would just consider him mental, and that would not be the best first impression.

› Suddenly, the boat sort of vibrated and started to shake. He was used to that, but still it was unexpected. One thing is northern Scottish sea, and totally different was some magical lake with magical boats gliding towards a magical castle. The boat continued to totter, and Archibald grasped the closest side with his closest to it hand.

› "Grab the boat wi' both yer hands and dinnae stand up!" "Grab the boat with your both hands and do not stand up!" he proclaimed to the girls (only at that moment he realised the boat was full of girls, and he was the only boy there — it was like four times a bad omen by any superstition known). He looked into the water to notice a big body going under all the boats and sending them rocking around. Huge things, like tentacles, could barely be recognised in the darkest nightly waters of the lake, but he could swear that it must've been a squid. There were pretty much a lot of squids in Scottish seas, but this was massive. If he knew a thing about the inhabitants of the waters — there were real squids with the size of a couple of human bodies, but not this. This was a monster.

› He could not even guess whether it was something unexpected, something to be afraid of, or was it a normal thing. He looked for the caretaker guy in the darkness and tried to notice whether he was staying calm or doing something about it. He did not want to drown before even reaching the castle.

Action: Checking on @Avery Phineas Finch to understand if he needed to do something.