A Step-by-Step Guide for How to Get Hexed
Seventh year at Hogwarts was not for the faint of heart. Between courses and Quidditch and the Headliner, not to mention reporting what seemed like her everyday doings to her newfound maternal family, Aly Salinger was beginning to feel like she had zero time to spend with friends anymore. Despite living in the same dormitory as both of her best mates, she had hardly seen @Pericles Dralt outside of the Headliner office, and @Dealla Prince barely ever; with both of them caught up in Broom Racing, and all three Ravenclaws equally exhausted when they returned back to the Martial Eagle each evening, classes were oftentimes the only meeting all three had at once. Aly always did her best to sit with either Peri or Dee, or both if the classroom setup would allow, but what really gave her the opportunity to catch up with them was the walks between lessons - a not-so-leisurely stroll as the blue-and-bronze trio scrambled to make it on time to their next course. These walks, hurried and harried as they were, were also the only time she could speak freely to her best mates without fear of being hushed by a teacher or overheard by nosy Gryffindors who may have been sitting nearby.
As such, on a Wednesday mid-morning in early November, Aly was filling Peri and Dee in on the latest letter from her maternal grandmother Darcy - which had been full of instructions on exactly how Aly was to spend the upcoming exeat weekend, none of which the Ravenclaw was feeling particularly inclined to follow and yet she knew she would be doing so anyway - on their way from Herbology to History of Magic. She knew the path well by now: out of the greenhouses and into the library hall, then an immediate right down the corridor, a left into the bell tower hall, straight across to the door up the other flight of stairs, and into the north hall where the classroom was located. It was not a terribly long walk, but definitely always an enjoyable one... though ending up in History of Magic, famously one of Aly's least favourite classes, was not ever the desired ending.
Today, however, something was off. Upon clambering up the stairs to the library annex, Aly's keen gaze caught upon movement behind them; she glanced backwards only to see someone dart just out of sight the second she turned. Brushing it off, Aly turned into the corridors toward the bell tower hall, still chattering on to Peri and Dee - except when they went to take a right into said hall, a customary glance over her shoulder to see if she needed to hold the door for anyone behind them revealed the same mysterious figure darting behind a statue.
Aly's brows furrowed. She was not incredibly suspicious by nature, but even she could tell when she was being followed.
Letting the door to the bell tower hall close behind her, Aly knelt to retie the laces of her boots, telling Peri and Dee, "There's something in my shoe, I think - some sort of rock or something. You two go on ahead - I'll catch up to you in class!" As her two best mates went on without her, Aly waited for them to step a few feet away and then stood and hid behind a small statuette of a cat that sat on a table just to the side of the door from the corridor into the hall. She reached into her pocket and took a strong grip on her wand, readying it for necessitated use. If she was being followed, certainly the stalker would have to come through this door in the same way she just had. Two young Hufflepuffs wandered by, chattering about their homework for Charms and Potions class and their plans for the exeat weekend, and Aly tried her best to tune them out, peering at the door to see when it would open - and sure enough, it did moments later, a figure sneaking out and heading directly after Peri and Dee.
Aly was at his throat in an instant, doing her best to shove him against the wall with her wandtip directly between his eyes. Unfortunately, he was quite a bit taller than her Harlan, feel free to roll accuracy/strength if you want Aly to potentially fail, or we can just say she succeeded, so it wasn't the easiest task. Still, whether she succeeded or failed in pinning down the stalker, she still certainly had caught his attention. "Who are you?" she demanded, grip tightening on her wand. "And why are you following us?"
@Harlan Montgomery | November 5th, 2025 | hair, Ravenclaw uniform, shoes, jewelry | #C47DDB
lovely creature & charmer affect everyone | sta 10, eva 14, str 5, wis 19, arc 7, acc 16
Please note that the path description and location description I used was adapted from the Hogwarts Legacy castle layout (I did in fact whip out the game and play through the pathway just so I could be accurate); let me know if I need to change it.
Also, Peri & Dee gave permission to be mentioned!
Also, Peri & Dee gave permission to be mentioned!
gen1 Aly Salinger || gen1 iNPC Manu Macedo || gen2 Kahira Valerian || staff Aulis Vorozheykin
A Step-by-Step Guide for How to Get Hexed
—— |
banner by fire davies.  i am the slyly stalking fox, i am the bitter bite that locks, i am the predator hiding within summary, this thread is happening on NOVEMBER 5TH, 2025, in the AFTERNOON with @ALY SALINGER / wc: 783. Fate was always the cruelest of mistresses and the knife had been impaled straight into Harlan as he had spent the last week trying to figure out a plan to casually bump himself into the seventh year murder of crows, specifically Dealla or Pericles. He'd seen Dee in one of the most hideous dresses that he could ever imagine at the hellish wedding in the beginning of Summer, but Harlan wasn't certain if he'd seen her staring at him as he was running full speed out of Augury Cloister with both his sister and father. Sure, it wasn't his finest moment, but the remnants of a fracture still lingered in ways that he wasn't sure was real or figments of his own imagination. The tricks being played on him haunted like the ghosts walking throughout the halls, Harlan forced to push his doubts to the side as he continued forward. If something felt off, he assumed so and didn't let the psychic terrors get in the way of his fourth year at Hogwarts.
But, now his own seeking of knowledge of possession and ancient magic sidetracked him from some of the goals he set for himself in the beginning of the year. He wanted a kiss, something that was just for him with someone who he felt was worthy of his pursuit. It wasn't a goal if it was easy and his eyes were set on a certain diabolical Ravenclaw student who seemed to enjoy a bit of playful mischief in the same way that Harlan did. If only she had been a year younger or Harlan a bit older, maybe he wouldn't be seen as some young teenage wizard who lit himself on fire in a mesmerizing display of idiocy. He still kicked himself for such a miraculous failure, at least he was in Quidditch now. There was a far less chance he'd continue to make a fool out of himself without the spell casting element included. And so, Harlan spent the last two weeks figuring out the schedule of a certain murder of crows with an attempt of being as inconspicuous as he could manage. Through the process of elimination, Harlan kept a little schedule of where they couldn't be based on who he saw come out of other classrooms or where he spotted a raven throughout the castle. A simple logic puzzle, really. It had been a chance opportunity when Harlan had been up in the sky for Flying Class and he picked up the sight of azure and silver robes in the greenhouse. Bingo, this meant they had Herbology and probably needed to head up to the castle when they finished. If he ensured he was finished right on time, he could spot one of them in the hopes of finally catching up after all this time. He still really wanted an update about the Wedding too, his family wasn't too keen on getting the news on the aftermath of events like that. So the following week, Harlan readied himself to follow and try to catch their attention. His mind ran through all the different things he wanted to say, how he'd introduce himself, and if he'd shout hey or try to accidentally bump into them. He usually wasn't such a dweeb but there was something about them being seventh years now that just felt so daunting. He wasn't necessarily trying to follow them but his own nerves got the better of him and Harlan had now been behind them for a couple of minutes as he drummed up the courage to say something. Every time they would attempt to look back, Harlan would do his best to hide and keep him from looking like a complete stalker. Well, until he had made it quite the ways in from where his next class was and his mind was figuring out how much time he had left to try to initiate. When he was finally ready to dart open and speak to them, he mustered up the courage only to get blindsided by a tiny witch who had shoved him against the wall with her wand to his neck. With a hitched breath, the Gryffindor knew he was not the apex predator he thought himself to be. " Aly Salinger, right? The other hideous dress wearer at the Athantos wedding? " Quick on his feet, Harlan tried to keep his composure despite the witch clearly having the upper hand. " I'm not following you all, I was trying to talk to Dealla. " Deciding to be honest, he moved his head slightly to get into a slightly more comfortable position with Aly's wand still pressed against vulnerable flesh. " I just got nervous is all. " |
—— |
A Step-by-Step Guide for How to Get Hexed
He was taller than she had expected, though perhaps she should have realised that just about every other student (younger, older, masculine, feminine, and the like) at the school could have bested her in a competition of height (with perhaps the exception of those with goblin heritage). The boy - who looked a bit younger than her despite the height difference, close up - did, however, react appropriately to being slammed against a wall, the breath catching in his throat in an audible gasp. But then he turned the tables, metaphorically, by knowing her name in full. And calling her dress hideous.
Secretly, Aly agreed with him - that was why she and Dee had removed the giant, puffy flowers from their shoulders for the reception in the ballroom, a move that had turned out to be useful and necessary once the bloodshed had started - but those rather flowery pink bridesmaids' gowns had been personally selected by another one of Aly's best mates, @Winnie Athanatos herself. The bridesmaids could call them whatever they wanted, but that was their right as people who had stuck by Winnie all throughout the marriage nobody but her had wanted. As people who had loved her so much that they had been willing to wear those puffy monstrosities. Aly didn't even know who this boy was, but she did know one thing - even if he had been at the wedding (unsure, because she didn't recognise him), he certainly hadn't worn one of the dresses, so he definitely didn't have the right to make any wayward comments on them. The Ravenclaw sucked air through her teeth at him, immediately on a frustrated defensive. "That's me. Though I can't say I know who you are, following us like that." Her nose wrinkled at him, too. "And those dresses were chosen by the bride herself, so I hardly think you've got the right to critique them."
The boy tried to make some fragile excuse about not following them, and Aly laughed in his face - not a simple chuckle, either, but a boisterous, raucous rour that came from the very pit of her stomach, her head thrown back for a moment before she swallowed the laughter and remembered where she was. If a teacher caught her like this, her reputation as an intelligent, rule-following, semi-teacher's pet wouldn't save her from ending up in detention for physically assaulting another student. That thought fresh in her mind, Aly loosened the pressure on him slightly, though still held him against the wall - if he was trying to talk to Dee, he could still make a break for it after her best mates as they headed off towards History of Magic if she let him go entirely. "I don't even believe Dee knows who you are, so how about you start with explaining yourself? A name would be nice, for instance. I'll decide if you've earned speaking to her." The answer would probably be no, but the Ravenclaw was already eyeing every crease and curve of the boy's face, trying to be able to recognise him in the halls if this sort of thing ever happened again - the least she could do was also be able to keep track of him via an epithet. "Not that I believe you, anyway. You want to talk to someone, you sit with them in the Great Hall during lunch. You don't hide and follow them throughout their journey to class. So tell me, stalker boy," pressing her wand a little more tightly onto him, "what were you really up to?"
@Harlan Montgomery | November 5th, 2025 | hair, Ravenclaw uniform, shoes, jewelry | #C47DDB
lovely creature & charmer affect everyone | sta 10, eva 14, str 5, wis 19, arc 7, acc 16
gen1 Aly Salinger || gen1 iNPC Manu Macedo || gen2 Kahira Valerian || staff Aulis Vorozheykin
A Step-by-Step Guide for How to Get Hexed
—— |
i am the slyly stalking fox, i am the bitter bite that locks, i am the predator hiding within summary, this thread is happening on NOVEMBER 5TH, 2025, in the AFTERNOON with @ALY SALINGER / wc: 503. What an irritating predicament to fall into with an annoying Seventh Year who had some strange narrative of who Harlan was in her twisted mind. If there was one thing that was certain, it was that Aly Salinger would be obliterated soon enough by yours truly the first and only time they would meet on the Quidditch Pitch. Harlan wasn't exactly sure what his plan was, but as her gangly fingers gripped her wand and she pushed him hard against the stone wall, the Chaser was certain he'd return this favor twofold.
" You're absolutely insane, did you know that? " He huffed out quickly and without remorse as he tried to wiggle his way out of the little bull dog's grip in deciding honestly clearly was some weird, strange lie. Who was she to decide any of that? With a grunt, Harlan's gaze looked down at the witch and he attempted to give her a look that might've shaken her out of this frenzy that she was in that Harlan was some true stalker of her and her friends. " I met Dealla last year after she pretended to be Peri after the Spring Broom Race. " With a speedy pace, the wizard tried to get everything out before she would make other ridiculous assumptions in an attempt to help her see the truth in front of her. Feeling as though it was no use, the Gryffindor attempted to wiggle out once again from the wand while expecting Aly to cast something at him from moving. She seemed like the type to try some slick shit like that, no realization of her own consequences clearly. " Can you just let me go? I can meet Dealla in the Great Hall if that's all you want me to do, but it doesn't give the type of privacy i'm looking for. " Another glare at her direction, nosey bird who he already knew would question why he wanted to talk to her in private. " There's just some things I need to run by her and I didn't realize she had a security guard who I had to run everything by. " The sass to his words rivaled her own acidity, not wanting to show weakness or that he would have any reason to be considered a liar or notorious for what he was trying to do. And that's when the thought had occurred to him and with as much of a straight face that he could muster, Harlan blurted out the following: " Unless you know anything about Matt and his family, you're really no help to me at all. " Even though she had been at the Wedding too, Harlan hadn't thought much of Aly and any help she could bring to finding out what exactly had happened to him at the wedding. He hadn't seen her running around either, just Dealla. But maybe, just maybe, he could maneuver his way through this and out of her grasp and into collecting vital information where every lead so far had turned up dry. |
—— |
A Step-by-Step Guide for How to Get Hexed
He wasn't making much sense. Dee Prince? Pretending to be Peri Dralt? Aly let out a snort of derision, her eyes glancing across the hall to where her two best mates had just vanished on their way to class. (Speaking of, she needed to wrap this up and get there herself, lest she be scolded for failing to show up on time.) All she could imagine was Dee in a white wig, having cast some kind of height spell on herself - and so the Ravenclaw let out another snort. Yes, perhaps the boy had been under the influence of a mind-meddling charm of some sort, or perhaps he was just babbling nonsense now to try to get out from under her skilled wandtip. Whatever the reason, Aly didn't quite care exactly what this Gryffindor bloke had to say - and she wouldn't truly understand it until a heartfelt talk with Dee in the Three Broomsticks later in the month.
"I'll tell her she's got a stalker, all right," Aly muttered as she reluctantly released the younger year and took a hefty step back, in case he felt like retaliating right then and there. "We'll see if she wants to speak to you then." She hadn't caught his name, probably because he hadn't offered it, even if he did seem to know who she was. Cursing herself mentally for not having been more observant earlier, Aly resolved to ask Dee later about if she knew a lanky lion teenager with - sniff - a need for some deodorant and a better haircut. "Now get out of here, will you? I promise you've got better things to do than follow around a seventh-year who, by the way, has a boyfriend."
Then the seventh-year Ravenclaw herself turned and strode away in the direction of her classroom, keeping an ear out to listen for if his footsteps followed. Though she hadn't addressed it, his comment about "Matt" wasn't lost on her - that could, of course, be none other than @Mathias Athanatos, Winnie's new groom, if this bloke had been at the wedding over the summer. Being a loyal and heartfelt friend to her longtime Quidditch pal and several-time-roommate, Aly was not about to snitch on Winnie's family business to some oddball stranger - plus, the way Mathias had defended Winnie during the disastrous reception following their uncomfortable marriage ceremony had at least endeared him somewhat more to Aly than he had been before. Still, this would definitely be something she would have to discuss with Dee, and likely with Eve as well, later in the day, Aly resolved. I'll have to find them during the dinner break or something - preferably, before this shaggy little man gets his hands on my best mate. Now, focus shifted to History of Magic. What was that bloody goblin rebellion called again?...
@Harlan Montgomery | November 5th, 2025 | hair, Ravenclaw uniform, shoes, jewelry | #C47DDB
lovely creature & charmer affect everyone | sta 10, eva 14, str 5, wis 19, arc 7, acc 16
(mentions @Winnie Athanatos, @Dealla Prince, @Pericles Dralt, @Evelynn Decipio)
fin. (presumably)
gen1 Aly Salinger || gen1 iNPC Manu Macedo || gen2 Kahira Valerian || staff Aulis Vorozheykin