Dress for the Dead. Errand

Aleks Drašković
Slytherin | 2.Year | ♂ | 31/10/25 Speech: Me #84319f, OthersEuler "When in doubt, look intelligent."
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Some days are so very crammed with plans that, if they were people, they’d probably throw up! Was what Aleks thought as he pressed a strip of warmed wax to his forehead with careful concentration. Earlier that morning, he had collected the items he’d requested from Aiden and begun preparing his costume. Among them was a pale peach-coloured candle, from which he’d drawn thin lines onto the white ceramic hand basin, to warm and mould between his hands, then glue them onto his cheeks and forehead. Whether Spelloglue could cause problems on skin was a risk the young Serb was willing to take. He spared no thoughts on it, as the final wax ridge was now pressed along the bridge of his nose and fixed with the clear adhesive.

Costuming had taken him nearly two hours. With a brown leather jacket, aluminium foil, flour, and candles, Aleks had spent the entire morning in the boys’ bathroom on a less-frequented floor. There, he had brushed wet flour back through his hair, drawn a beard with strokes of charcoal and prepared the scars.
With a small smile, Aleks rose from his cross-legged position and regarded himself in the mirror. The dripping of the leaking tap marked every breath as the young Slytherin turned sideways to inspect how the leather jacket sat on his body. Naturally, the clothing had needed work as well—as Aleks had a plan.

The slightly oversized leather jacket now hung closed from his frame, the sleeves reaching too far down his hands. Earlier that morning, something metallic had still been missing, but he had solved that problem too—thanks to his mother, from whom he had once learned about aluminium foil. It was, she’d explained, a thin metallic paper Muggles used for all sorts of things. What exactly for, the freckled boy didn’t know. Yet when Aiden—who had Muggle family—handed him a roll, Aleks imagined they must use as a makeshift mirror-to-go.

Aleks examined every single plate he had fashioned from the folded foil. With Spelloglue tape, he had wrapped them around his torso and fastened them in place. Others hung from his shoulders and arms, like those of a knightly turtle with brown leather skin. To complete the armour, he had scribbled words here and there by hand—so poorly written they might as well have belonged to a forgotten language.

Aleks turned once more. The greyish bathroom light reflected dully and chaotically across his back, chest, and arms, while a loose strip of blue T-shirt peeked from beneath the collar. He decided on the spot that he looked perfect—exactly like the figure of his own personal horror. The second year was dressed up as old, like someone who would storm into classrooms recruiting children for a war against orcs. Aleks was costumed as the one thing that never failed to drive fear back into his body whenever he saw it: Solomon Lear.

He couldn’t imagine anything more frightening than the Hogwarts Headmaster himself. Aleks had dealt with plenty of adults in suits before, but never with one dressed for murder and mayhem—a white-haired man standing in a classroom, no less. Worse even, one who could hand out detention and, in the same breath as drawing a sword, call his mother to snitch. There were limits to the tolerance of Aleks’s otherwise fearless nerves, and they were reached with this bizarre mutation of authority and fantasy horror.

His smile slowly faded. The drip of water on ceramic seemed to slow, like a countdown urging him to leave. Aleks lifted his face until he found himself staring into his blue eyes. For a moment, he wondered whether it had really been a good idea. But then something small began to rise from his throat—a quiet chuckle, escaping his lungs at the sight of his miniature Solomon costume. It hurled his worry into the dark forest—far away.

In truth, Aleks had no idea how late it had become. At the back of his mind played the thought that he’d have to comb the flour out of his hair before Gabriele’s birthday party later. The Slytherin turned away from the mirror and started towards the door, leaving behind the remaining foil and candles. I’ll deal with that later, he promised, casting a brief glance back at the stub of wax before closing the door and heading towards the hall.

The way there wasn’t all that long. After a staircase, a fork in the corridor, and a single creaking door, he was almost at the location. Only distracted by that each step towards the costume competition, it became clearer to Aleks that he didn’t want to win anymore. It was far better to wander through the school dressed Solomon Lear. Passing by a mirror, the boy almost had to admit to himself that he could understand why their Headmaster might wear the armour! It had something imposing about it. He felt ready for a dangerous battle, even if all that stood between him and real weapons was folded aluminium foil.

Boosted by the feeling, a soft grin replaced the grim look. Aleks entered the small hall—head held high and shoulders spread as wide as possible to imitate the old man. But then immediately paused at the sight that opened up in front of him. The entire room was decorated—cobwebs draped across the corners, and the glow of candles bathed the floor and walls in a warmly eerie atmosphere. Pumpkins, too, had gathered among the furniture like special guests to a show. Aleks’s gaze wandered curiously around. Almost every student seemed to be wearing a costume. Unfortunately, he couldn’t make out what everyone was—except perhaps the devil horns perched on another boy’s head.

In every corner, there seemed to be something waiting to be discovered. Each beautiful pattern in the spun webs all but invited him to let his eyes linger a second too long. Yet, Aleks knew he had an appointment with Aiden. The glimmer in his light eyes shifted into a look of search, forcing himself to move on from staring and admiring. Miniature Lear stepped further into the hall, weaving between students and decorations and turned his head. He pivoted, even rising briefly onto his toes—until he spotted his friend.

The other Slytherin student, with his unmistakable brown hair, stood near a wall at the back of the room. A few pumpkins seemed to be keeping him company, and blue fabric rested at his hips. Aiden didn’t appear to have noticed him yet. Quietly, Aleks approached—until something long and dark in the boy’s hand caught his eye. It resembled half a golf club and summoned a small frown to Aleks face.

With the last few steps, he was still wondering what Aiden might be—until he found himself standing almost right beside his friend. It was then he remembered that Aiden had no idea what Aleks had planed. Hence, when the scent of fresh pumpkins drifted past him, Aleks slightly lifted his arms and called out loud enough to force Aiden’s attention: “Tada! Do you recognise who I am?”

A small grin spread onto his lips, moving the scars up his cheeks. However, impatient as a mayfly, carried by the threadbare edge of his own life, Aleks answered his own question before anyone else had the chance to speak. “I’m Solomon Lear! And you’re…” His mouth shrinked to small, “…a Muggle… golfer?”

Mentioned: @Aiden Sinclair Note: Costume below & Permission from Aiden to slightly godmode him into not having noticed Aleks enteringBABYSHARkDUhDUhDUHDuhDUhDUHMOMMY SHARKDUDUH

Reducio

memberlist.php?mode=viewprofile&u=623

"Ravenclaw girl...ravenclaw...RAVEN! That's it, you could be the Raven. We could do a joint costume. Poe and the Raven. All you would have to do is say 'NEVERMORE' every now and then."
Natasha thought about what a Raven costume would require. 'Mainly a black mask, some feathers, and a black outfit.' A slow smile spread across her face. Yes, that could work. She looked over at the black fabric Cane had dug out of the pile, and an idea formed in her mind.

She rummaged through the pile some more, checking to see if there was any parchment and feathers inside. She pulled out a packet of small black feathers, about 20 were inside. Perfect, that would work!
Just then, she noticed a bow sticking out near the bottom of the pile. Grinning, she pulled it and showed it to Cane. "This will be perfect for your bowtie"

Together, the two of them rummaged through the pile, pulling out more black fabric, along with some buttons, a needle, and a white shirt with paint stains on the sleeves.
"You can wear this White shirt along with this half ripped cloak a blazer. All we have to do is stick the hem at the bottom so it doesn't look as jagged. The paint stains don't matter so much as they will be covered by the blazer anyway.
And for me, we can make a mask with this thick fabric, and cover my cloak with more jagged fabric and feathers."
"What do you think?"

A black clad harbinger of doom and death silently entered the space...

Colin slunk into the darkened, candle lit space, a shadow among shadows. Gaudy orange and black posters had piqued Colin's curiosity. One of the hosts, Gryffindorque Prefect Xiang was somewhat well known to Colin from Finn's weak attempt to get him into trouble last year. Pfft. He still had to corner the little git to make good on their duel. Colin smirked. The longer he waited, the more painful it would be for him!

His attention turned back to the motley gathering. For one thing, everyone was short. One particularly loud girl's irksome voice pierced Colin's sensitive ears like a banshee screeching. He narrowed his eyes. No, it wasn't Scout Fu-Hai either! Whoever it was, she looked like a --- Colin focused on the source of the sound. He had never seen anything like it before! Taking up his position in the darkest corner of the room where he could keep an eye on the doors and the participants, he considered the garish figure that had drawn his attention. It looked like a blue and white starfish! Pyjamas with huge white buttons and top --- wait. Was she a screeching banana!?

Naturally, Greebo took the opportunity to saunter over and sniff at the happily chattering girl. Colin reckoned that if Greebo liked her, then she'd be reasonably harmless. His gaze passed over the other kids. The thought came back to mind how short they all were when it dawned on him. Most of them were sure first years! Some second years too. A few smelled of familiar dungeons and others of Pureblooded pride.

Colin felt, to be honest, a bit out of place. Not like he didn't own Hogwarts, of course! But just that he wasn't the gawk-eyed little firstling any more. His mind wandered back to how Koko used to hang around watching over the festivities, alert to any trouble that might endanger younger and relatively defenseless kids. He wondered if this is what she was feeling.

@Novalie Moon | @Emily Shephard

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date: 31st october 2025 ──location: errand, small hall dialogue: #AD7F90 ──mentioned: @Milica Vranekova, Esme Hestridge (briefly)

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This errand was practically tailored for Cecilia. She would accept any excuse to wear a costume. There had not been enough time to sew something from scratch, but Cecilia had taken some time to rework pieces from her wardrobe into makeshift costumes for Milica and herself. Dressing up as Wednesday and Enid captured their dynamic perfectly – roommates who were polar opposites yet slowly growing on one another. Or, at least Cecilia thought they were. She did not doubt that Milica could capture the brooding nature of Wednesday. However, she was not sure if she was as bright and bubbly as Enid. Though that hardly mattered, for she enjoyed putting on a good performance every once in a while. At times like this, Cecilia wished she could invent a tailoring spell. Sewing the collar from a shirt onto the ruffle dress on Milica was surprisingly easier than customising her own. She nearly gave up on adding faux flowers and ribbons to her own dress. It was fortunate that she already owned white tights and pink pointe shoes to match. Blue glitter graced the inner corner of her eyes as an attempt to recreate Enid's gala makeup. Lastly, Cecilia had borrowed a blonde wig from a fellow performer and managed to give it a pink tint using some red food colouring she also borrowed from the kitchens. Then she carefully segmented it to mimic Enid’s hairstyle. Her red curls were nowhere to be seen; it was as though she wore a mask. I wonder if anyone will recognise me. The thought made her feel giddy. Part of her was curious to see if she could sneak up on any of her friends without being recognised. She was also eager to see what everyone else had prepared for the evening. Yet as her excitement bubbled, one important thought lingered on her mind. Today was Milica’s birthday. Over a week ago, she had stumbled upon an odd-looking parchment near her bed. She smirked as she unfolded it, expecting a disgruntled response from a certain prefect. Instead, her breath hitched when she learnt of its true contents – a discussion about Milica’s birthday. That marked the beginning of her secret agenda to secure a gift that would not immediately be tossed into the fireplace. Anything that made it to nightfall would be seen as a success in her eyes. Unfortunately, her indecisiveness led to the compilation of three gifts. The first was a thorned rose that she had painstakingly painted black. The lack of floral dyes led to the creation of a cursed concoction using colouring she borrowed from the kitchen. This seemed to align with her visual preferences, so Cecilia was fairly confident that Milica would not immediately cast it into fire. Though she never knew her luck. The second was a long strip of parchment that had been decorated and sectioned into twelve tickets that could be torn. One would quickly notice how each one had the same words written on them: ‘SHUT UP (single use)’. The idea was that Milica would hand one to Cecilia whenever she decided that she was tired of her talking. However, something told her that they would all be thrown at her this evening. Finally, there was the gift Cecilia knew would likely meet its fiery demise first – a knitted wool scarf with the letter ‘M’ embroidered on one end. With only one glance, even someone with an undiscerning eye could tell that it was made with her own hands. Had it not been for the kind witch who came to her rescue, one would have struggled to tell whether it was a scarf or a rag. At least it was a pleasant project to work on, if she forgot the moments when she nearly gave up and tossed the piece out. “Of course, we can leave as soon as the winner is announced,” she replied, her lips stretching into an amused smile. With one hand, she picked up her stick mask before following Milica out. She kept her other hand hidden behind her back, clutching the fabric wrapping that concealed the scarf and coupon. Although the rose was secured on top with a string, Cecilia tried to move cautiously. One wrong move and she would prick her finger. When they entered the great hall, Cecilia took a moment to admire the decorations. The sight of everyone having fun with their costumes brought a smile to her face. Then Milica spoke, and she spun around to face her. “You think we look good?” Her eyes lit up and widened in response. A compliment. From Milica. Cecilia could have sworn that was the first she had received from her. “I’m sure there are some interesting costumes,” she murmured, feigning nonchalance in an attempt to hide her delight. Though before taking a closer look at the other costumes, Cecilia decided to get more pressing matters out of the way. She revealed her hand and stretched her present out towards her roommate. “Happy-” she paused, biting her lip as she hesitated. It was clear that Milica did not want anyone to know. If she did not choose her next words carefully, she risked having half the room burst into a song. That seemed like the only thing Milica would hate more than being wished. With that in mind, she quickly shifted gears and wore a knowing smile. “Happy Halloween, Milica,” she wished the girl in a hushed tone.

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──notes: sorry for the quality U-U not mentioning people she's met until I reply to certain RPs

word count: 906──

October 31st 2025
Speech: #cfa120
Thoughts: Italics
@Colin McCoire

Ah, Halloween... The only event of the year that the Huffie could truly bring herself to care about. She thought of it more favourably than Christmas, that's for sure. Halloween had the space and welcome for beautiful Gothicism that Christmas never had in her eyes. That said, it was no wonder Emily had a huge bias towards Halloween than Christmas. The latter was a huge over-hyped and over-budget PR stunt while the former was a night for fireworks and spooky scary skeletons.

And as a fan and follower of Stevenson, Stoker and Shelley, Emily felt more than obliged to celebrate the Gothic minds and pay honour to the dead rather than spend so much energy on something that she couldn't even spend with her family.

Alas, Halloween always presented the same problem to Emily no matter how excited she would be for the day. Usually she would just slab a bit of fancy face paint on her and call it a day. But after dressing up as Mrs Lovett last year, she found a hidden thrill in dressing up as the characters she encountered so often in her 19th century fiction. That was partially due to Matthew's excellent performance of Jekyll and Hyde December past, where watching Emily's most beloved story coming to life was like watching God descend right in front of her - a sight to behold.

If Matthew could bring two characters to life - Depending on whom you ask if Jekyll was separate to his Id counterpart or not - then Emily figured she could do the same with one.

Until she realised how big a blank she was drawing on who she wanted to dress up as for this year's Hogwarts Halloween.

She would've gone as Olalla had she got more of an idea of what she looked like. She felt she could do better than a common Wife of Frankenstein, even if it was a stellar idea. The same could be said for any female vampire.

Emily was banging her head off her desk back in the Hufflepuff dorms debating on what to do... Until her eyes fell on her tarot deck that she had brought out earlier for her daily divination. The front cover bore the crimson shimmer along the edges, encircling black swirls and feathers.

Hmm.

That was an idea.

*****

Emily rocked up to the Small Hall clad in tiers of black and navy feathers that covered her from her shoulders down to her ankles, a hood sewn on the back to rest on the top of her head that was also punched with feathers. Her winter gloves hugged her hands, finishing the look with some black tights, some comfy black shoes and a dusting of black glitter and face paint along the bridge of her nose and the apples of her cheeks.

Every time she moved, she felt the feathered cloak whip against her back legs, tickling her calves when they settled after each step. Looking around, Emily found herself spotting several bizarre and brilliant costumes.

She shuffled over to one side of the room. So far her costume was holding together nicely. She was an amateur compared to "Auntie" when it came to a sewing needle, so to see her stitches last this long was a personal best for the Huffie.

Then something black and shifting made its way across the floor. A soft-pawed creature Emily was well acquainted with.

"Greebo?"

Greebo was clearly enchanted with something that captivated his cat instincts if he wasn't paying much attention to Emily. Not that she was too bothered, because that meant someone was with Greebo. Someone that had captivated her Huffie-friendship-instincts.

"That means Colin is somewhere nearby!"

_{Word Count: 620}

Stats: Stamina: 8 | Evasion: 7 | Strength: 7 | Wisdom: 9 | Arcane Power: 8 | Accuracy: 8
Abilities: Non-Human Enthusiast |Cat's Grace |Calming Presence

Natasha worked silently, side by side with Cane, carefully gluing layers of fabric and feather onto her cloak, while her previously made mask dried nearby.
Cane had seemed to be struggling with the needles first, but he seemed to get the hang of it pretty soon, and she could see his blazer come together nicely.
She glued the last feather onto her cloak, and held it up to the light, smiling. In barely half an hour, her cloak had turned into a magnificent costume, fitting for a Raven.
She quickly put it on, and looked over at Cane. He was already fully dressed, complete with ink above his lips to look like a mustache.
Natasha gently picked up her mask, and put it over her face. She went over to the windows, trying to get a glimpse of her reflection. She admired the costume, before returning back to where Cane was standing.
“For something that started as random pieces of fabric and a mild panic, I’d say we did alright.”
"Alright? We did amazing! I love our costumes so much, they look absolutely fantastic!" Then, in her best spooky voice, she added, "Nevermore!"
The two of them laughed, and now that their costumes were ready, they had nothing more to do except sit and wait for for the Deadliest Dressed to be announced.
They chatted about schoolwork, their favorite classes, and admired everyone else's costumes. Of course, Natasha could not help but occasionally interrupt the conversation with a spooky "Nevermore."

Reducio

OOC:
Natasha speaking
Natasha thinking
Anyone else speaking
Interacting with: @Cane Gordon
Costume: ( Cane as Poe and Natasha as the Raven)

Permission given to slightly godmod Cane to chat about schoolwork/laugh
Word Count: 250 words for this post, 1115 total

Colin watched as the kids made their costumes. His sensitive ears picked up happy conversations from across the room. "Do you recognise who I am?" chirped one happy kid. Colin's pond scum green eyes flitted over towards the spot where the two kids were chatting about their costumes. Some were busy making them; other, like Colin, arrived with ones they already had. "I'm Solomon Lear!" the boy said excitedly. Colin smiled merrily. Who would have guessed that Head Master Lear was such an inspiration to his fellow students! Colin thought about his own interactions with the school's administration. Fortunately, he'd been relatively lucky, though he now more fondly recalled the time the Headmaster made him vomit up all sorts of disgusting slimy slugs!

"We can leave as soon as the winner is announced," said a girl. Perhaps her friend would rather be anywhere else but in a room full of scissor and sewing needle wielding fellow firsties! Colin smirked as his gaze passed over the huge wig and flouncy dress. Colin smirked. Thus far the little gathering seemed to all innocent fun! A rare commodity in this school that oftener breeds chaos and disaster than unscathed little psyches. His smirk softened as a familiar scent wafted through the air.

Emmi!

He watched from his hideaway in the corner as his beloved entered the room. The delicate scents of feathers and Hufflepuff and courage and random herbs filled his nostrils. Emily looked around. A sharp intake of breath and a quietly spoken word, Greebo, let Colin know that she knew he was here somewhere. Colin had quite lost sight of his ebon cat. No doubt he'd been making the rounds of all the kitty treat dispensers that he could find!

Colin pushed away from the wall when another scent reached him. Uh oh! Long familiar to him, the scents of sweets and chocolate and broom bristles with a hint of Bailey Glade marked the entrance of an old friend. As he headed silently over towards Emily, Kim's eyes caught his. Well, his bright pumpkin orange hair caught his eye first! Colin smiled in greeting, unsure how much of it Kim could see under his plague doctor mask. His red coat and bandana, Kibō slung across his shoulders. Honestly! Unlike Colin, Kim could wear anything and still look totally put together!

His eyes lingered on Kim for for a moment. He wondered if Bailey would show up! He hadn't seen her since last year! His plan, conceived all of four milliseconds ago, was to introduce Emmi to his friends! He gave Kim a quick grin and a nod. But first he had to find Emmi and chat with her! And hopefully Greebo would leave poor Kim alone! He towards where he had heard Emily's soft voice. And soon enough, he found her!

And was she ever gorgeous! Feathers of deep blue and black covered her cape from head to toe; black leggings and black shoes, and some black paint across her delicate face! Colin stood mesmerised! His heart thumped! Surely she was the most beautiful girl ever! He snuck up beside her and leaned over. He whispered: "You really look beautiful, Emmi!" He slipped his hand into hers and his entire being tingled. This was happiness, right here! He gave her a playful nudge in the ribs. "Pretty cute costume too! And! We match! Well, mostly anyway! I didn't put any feathers on mine, but at least we've the colour theme going!" He squeezed her hand gently. He felt like he got a surge of power from her that way! "Mind you, you look like rocks too, even just wearing your usual skirt and shirt!" Colin was really proud of himself for inserting a new Muggle phrase he'd learned. "I don't understand what rocks have to do with it, Em, but you've totally got all the rocks!"

WC=645

@Kim Sato | @Emily Shephard | @Bailey Glade