A Dinner Most Unpleasant
Chatter filled the great hall, as it always did during meals. The long-awaited end of the school day had finally come, and many found themselves slipping into seats by their friends.
Do you ever feel like a misfit?
✪ Everything inside you is dark and twisted ✪
Outfit: School Robes
Poppy was still working on that part – making friends. Things had gotten off to a slow start at the start of the school year, and, at first, the girl had struggled to balance learning all she could about this strange but fascinating new world and fitting in with her peers. Homeschooling had done her no favours when it came to understanding socialisation, and in many ways, she felt she was still standing out in the periphery, searching for a way in.
Sitting with others helped and was one of the easier options.
Poppy was still trying to figure out a group that worked for her, and it left her transient at many meal times. The groups she chose were the friendly sort who didn't mind her coming and going, often inviting her to sit before she could make up her mind. That had been a godsend in the beginning when her crippling anxiety often left her uncertain and standing near the entrance, afraid that she would be an intruder no matter where she sat.
The first year let herself get lost in the hum, picking out pieces of the conversation that she found interesting and throwing in her own opinions when moments arrived that allowed her to contribute.
It was becoming more common for her to add her input, even though it still terrified her to do so. In fact, there were some topics that she couldn't help herself with. In those moments, she rambled...before realising she was rambling...and promptly apologising.
After that, she tended to go quiet but still enjoyed listening!
Today, the girls she sat with spoke about the first year that had been stuffed into a broom closet on the fourth floor.
It was horrendous, really. Poppy couldn't believe anyone would do such a thing, but her time at Hogwarts had shown her that not everyone in the castle meant well. As a rule, she tried to avoid those who didn't. There was enough for her to contend with without directly putting herself in anyone's line of fire.
As she scooped a forkful of mashed potatoes into her mouth, the small girl couldn't help but think that she'd rather remain unremarkable. If she never crossed anyone's mind, she wouldn't end up anyone's target.
That outcome suited her well.
Encyclopaedia ✿ Metamorphmagus ✿ If the sun shines, that's reason enough.
A Dinner Most Unpleasant
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The girl had always been on his list but recently he'd been watching her at meal times and he'd seen that she seemed to be... finding her people. Or at least she had people who she could sit with. When he'd seen this he'd felt and irrational flare of anger. Why should she be at all happy when he couldn't. So he decided that she was going to be his next victim.
He'd planned it for the past week. Wait until the Great Hall was full, send in an owl with a howler, wait outside for a couple of minutes and then walk in casually as if he didn't know anything.
That evening he'd found a school owl given it the howler and gotten ready outside the Great Hall. In case she or anyone else left the Great Hall before he went in he was sitting on the floor pretending to try a spell.
He'd based the howler on everything he'd learned about the girl during his observations. She didn't think she belonged in Gryffindor, she struggled with anxiety about conversations, and she was a muggleborn. He knew her name as well but he found it easier to think of his victims without using their names.
He allowed himself a small smile as he waited for the explosion.ReducioThe stuff he knew about Persephone was stuff I thought he could figure out but if you don't want him to know one of those things then I can change it
A Dinner Most Unpleasant
Do you ever feel like a misfit?
✪ Everything inside you is dark and twisted ✪
Outfit: School Robes
The gentle sound of flapping wings caught the attention of the group of giggling girls. It was a curious sight at dinner, with most mail arriving in the morning. The mealtime chatter died down as one after another turned their gaze to the snowy owl making its descent.
"Poppy, it's for you!" one of them exclaimed.
For...her...?
The girl's brows knitted together in confusion at the envelope that had been dropped in her lap before the owl made its way back out of the Great Hall. A letter...for her? After all that time? Her parents never wrote her, not even in the beginning when everything was new. In the interest of fairness, she hadn't written them either. There was radio silence on both ends, and with each day that passed, that silence only grew more profound.
Could the owl have made a mistake? Only her family knew that she was at Hogwarts, and while she knew that some students sent owls to each other when there were feelings they didn't think they could express in person, Poppy couldn't imagine that there was anything anyone needed to say to her.
A fading wallflower was better known than the Gryffindor, and in her experience, the few who had something to say to her did so to her face – for better or worse.
She reached for the red envelope, her fingers feeling at the edges. It was warm and getting hotter with each second that she held it. Magical in nature, obviously, but...Poppy had never seen a letter like this one before.
Someone leaned forward, her eyes widening with realisation.
"Bloody hell, Poppy! That's a howler! What did you do?"
"A...what...?" she asked. She'd never heard of such a thing nor had anyone thought to send her one before. Was it special wizarding mail? That would certainly rule out any chance that it had been sent by her parents. There weren't any wizarding shops in Louth and she couldn't imagine them heading back to Diagon Alley just to send her some fancy mail.
"Better open it, quickly," another asserted, easing away as if she expected disaster. "Before it explodes."
"E—Explodes?!" The little girl paled as she looked down at the letter again. It was getting properly hot now. Was that what it was gearing up for? And...and why did they ask what she'd done? Poppy hadn't done anything that she could think of. Did it matter?
Open it! Open it! Or well all be in for it."
In...In for it?
Trembling hands pried the envelope open as a deep pit formed in her stomach. What had already been a strange moment – a letter out of the blue – now carried terror the girl didn't have the knowledge to understand. What sort of letter was explosive and required you to do something wrong first? And who'd been watching her to clock her transgressions?
The envelope unwound, then all hell broke loose inside the Great Hall.
"YOU UTTER DISGRACE!" The voice screeched. "WORTHLESS, USELESS. YOU'RE AN EMBARRASSMENT TO GRYFFINDOR. YOU'VE BEEN A STAIN ON THE HOUSE EVER SINCE THAT SHODDY HAT SORTED YOU THERE, YOU FILTHY MUDBLOOD TRASH."
Her hair flashed a dark purple, streaks of bone-white peeking through as mortification and horror vied for a prominent place in her emotional display. Her face burned with heat, crimson spreading down to her cheeks and out to her ears. Even her eyes broke into open revolt, shifting between deep shades of violet and a sickly white. The small girl's shoulders curved inward as she shrank into her seat, too stunned to say anything.
"DO US ALL A FAVOUR AND DISAPPEAR. HASN'T YOUR HOUSE SUFFERED ENOUGH?
It ended by blowing raspberries before breaking down into ash. Some of it got onto her plate; the rest onto her lap. Poppy hardly noticed. Her appetite fled before her, wanting to separate itself from the embarrassment she'd just endured.
The entire Great Hall went silent as a crypt, everyone turning to have a look at the girl who'd just been demolished by the angry, hateful letter. Her heart pounded fiercely, and her mouth went dry. There were small pockets of snickers, but they were few and far between. The majority of the room seemed to be as stunned as she was. The table she sat at was particularly silent. None of the girls sitting with her knew what to say at first.
Then one of them thawed enough to allow realisation to sink in. "Wasn't that...wasn't that Reed?" the other girl whispered incredulously.
The silence was replaced by whispers, some students looking around the Great Hall as if many of them had come to the same conclusion and were now looking for the boy. Poppy dared not look up, frozen in place by humiliation that dug itself deep within her.
ReducioOOC: Information about the nature of the howler was taken from the official wiki to determine that his voice would've rung out and thus been recognisable:
A Howler was a magical letter in a red envelope which enchanted the written message into the writer's voice, usually at a very high volume, which increased if the recipient didn't open the envelope in a timely manner, even make it explode.
Encyclopaedia ✿ Metamorphmagus ✿ If the sun shines, that's reason enough.
A Dinner Most Unpleasant
@Persephone Grimsbane
Sitting next to Poppy, I blink in confusion as the Howler goes off. I've heard of howlers, but had never laid eyes on one before. Looking around at everyone, and then seeing Poppy's reaction, I frown. Seriously, someone would play a joke like that? How cruel can you be?
I see her looking down and her face flushed. Taking a deep breath, I lean towards her. It takes a lot for me to do so due to my natural introverted ways.
"Hey, that was cruel. Don't let them think it got to you or they win. People like that are just seeking attention and if you give it to them, it feeds the crap they do."
Seeing her still quiet, I decide to break the ice a little more.
I offer her my hand. "I'm Eric, Eric Phillips."
I search her features, hoping that I can get through to her. I feel as if she just needs to know someone is here after that cruel prank. They others around us remain quiet as if they do not want to be involved. Well honestly, neither do I... but I can't sit here and watch something like this unfold without doing or saying something.
A Dinner Most Unpleasant
"Hey, that was cruel.
Do you ever feel like a misfit?
✪ Everything inside you is dark and twisted ✪
Outfit: School Robes
The words were difficult to hear over the blood rushing through her ears. The accompanying booming of her heart as it thudded inside her chest further distorted the kind words of the boy she couldn't see. Maybe they weren't kind at all. Maybe they weren't even directed at her. Poppy couldn't say. It was a garble of sounds, inflected in places and low in others, too difficult for her to grasp while her stomach fell beneath her.
There was something about winning and another about feeding. Each time she tried to focus, the words of the howler replayed, sharper and more insistent. They wanted to be the only thoughts in her mind, and if anyone or anything was winning, it was them.
She didn't know what to say or if there was anything that needed saving. Her entire system was flooded with the sort of adrenaline that insisted she flee. It was while her eyes lifted to survey the door that she noticed the boy who had leaned in to be closer on the side opposite her dinner company.
Had he been talking to her the whole time?
Before the thought could fluster her, he offered his hand. Her brain struggled to process the simple gesture. The small girl's nerves were firing off, and her senses had already become overwhelmed. If she didn't leave soon, her already erratic heart would find its way outside of her chest. She had to go. She ...she had to...
...Eric Phillips."
"P—Poppy," she stuttered to say automatically. Her voice was barely above a whisper, distorted by the emotion she fought to hold in. She knew him – knew of him, anyway. Sharing a house and a year, they had all their classes together. Poppy was much too mortified in the aftermath of the howler to take any offence to the fact the boy thought he had to introduce himself to her. Of course, it would be a first for him. She wasn't the sort that got noticed very often, except apparently by Reed Smith.
Her eyes shifted to the door again as the murmurs began to rise once more. Everyone at the tables had their own opinion on what had happened. Some were too stunned to say anything; some were outraged. There were some so entirely amused that they could hardly contain themselves.
Her limbs buzzed with frenetic energy, urging her to her feet, but something held her in place. A second later, she realised her hand was still holding Eric's. The indigo in her hair darkened further as crimson spread across her face. Poppy dropped his hand immediately. "Sorry, sorry, sorry!"
How was it possible that things only kept getting worse?
Encyclopaedia ✿ Metamorphmagus ✿ If the sun shines, that's reason enough.
A Dinner Most Unpleasant
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@Eric Phillips
He had to hope that not many people would recognize his voice. He hadn't talked to almost anyone. His voice had gotten hoarse from disuse. But Persephone would know. You couldn't have all your classes with someone without knowing exactly who they were. Even though he almost never raised his hand in class he still had to talk sometimes.
He had two choices. Run away and hope that none of the people who had walked past in the last minute recognized his voice or walk in there and face the judgemental glares. If he did the first he would be viewed as a coward as well as cruel. If he did the second he would have to face their hatred but at least he'd look like that was what he wanted all along.
He stood up shakily and walked over to the Great Hall. He took a deep breath and stepped inside. He didn't look at anyone. He should have. He should have returned any glares and seen how many people knew but he couldn't bring himself to. He sat down at the Gryffindor table and looked over to Persephone. She looked shaken.
He felt a surge of satisfaction. If nothing else had gone right at least he'd achieved his original goal. At least she looked miserable.
He felt a surge of strength and looked around. Many of the people seemed to recognize him. More than he'd have expected but not all. Some of those first years who recognized him had probably pointed him out to those who didn't.
He took a deep breath and began to eat dinner.ReducioI'm really sorry about how long this took me. I've been trying to finish all my work for the end of quarter and I kinda hit a bit of writers block. I also won't be able to post for the next week because I'm leaving for spring break. I'm really sorry about how inconsistent I am
A Dinner Most Unpleasant
@Persephone Grimsbane
@Reed Smith
@Reed Smith
I didn’t pull my hand back when she dropped it, not immediately.
For a second, I just watched her, really watched her, the way I always did when something felt off. The way her breathing wasn’t steady, the way her eyes kept flicking toward the door like she might bolt at any moment, the way her words kept tripping over themselves like she couldn’t quite catch hold of them.
“It’s fine,” I said quietly, “You didn’t do anything wrong.”
My voice stayed low on purpose, steady enough to cut through some of the noise around us without adding to it. The Great Hall was still buzzing, too loud, too full of opinions that didn’t matter right now. I shifted slightly on the bench, just enough to place myself between her and the worst of it, not blocking it entirely, just… dulling it.
“You don’t have to stay,” I added after a moment, glancing briefly toward the doors she kept looking at. “If you want to leave, you can.”
I paused, then corrected myself, “I can walk with you.”
There was a brief silence before I spoke again, “Poppy,” I said, using her name so she’d actually hear me, “just breathe for a second.”
I didn’t reach for her again and didn’t push. I just stayed there giving her something solid to focus on if she needed it.
“You’re alright.”
A Dinner Most Unpleasant
Poppy never noticed Reed's entrance. Obvious as the voice was, the boy himself had been absent at the moment of impact, and thereafter, the little girl had been too caught up to begin to think of looking for him. What difference would it make? If she did see him, if their eyes locked for even a second, what would she do? Persephone knew how little recourse she had. Confronting him was out of the question. Anyone nasty enough to send something like that wouldn't be intimidated by a shaking girl who could barely get her words straight.
Do you ever feel like a misfit?
✪ Everything inside you is dark and twisted ✪
Outfit: School Robes
While not happy about the circumstances surrounding her sudden spike in adrenaline and anxiety, it provided the benefit of narrowing her vision to pinholes, effectively blocking out most of what took place around her.
That included Reed joining the table to begin his dinner.
Poppy was oblivious to the new whispers as more and more heads turned to look at the boy.
“It’s fine. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
Then why did it feel like she had? How else could she explain such a cutting commentary? Could anyone send something like that without provocation of some sort? She couldn't imagine it, not with how specific it was. Poppy couldn't imagine anyone doing it on a whim or just for 'fun'. It would take a special sort.
"I...I have to go..." she heard herself say in a whisper as her lips quivered. Whatever appetite she'd arrived at the great hall with had vanished with the howler. Just the thought of remaining there, eating – pretending nothing had happened – was enough to worsen the tightening that took place inside her chest.
He encouraged her to breathe, but all she could manage was a shake of her head.
"I...I can't." Breathing was hard. Thinking was hard. Organising her thoughts away from their frenzy was downright impossible. Her shallow breathing was making her dizzy. Around her, the walls moved inward, racing from their sides to crush her completely if she wasn't able to get away before the pressure building up inside her had a chance to erupt.
"I—this—it—"
Poppy pushed to her feet the moment her eyes began to water. She was on borrowed time. Any second now, her body would give in, making her even more of a spectacle.
"I'm...I'm sorry, Eric...I...I can't..." The words were too difficult. All her effort was already being spent on keeping her together in whatever way possible while she internally crumbled. "Stay...can't...I..."
Which way was the door? Such simple knowledge evaded her while her mind swirled in its desperation to flee.
Encyclopaedia ✿ Metamorphmagus ✿ If the sun shines, that's reason enough.
A Dinner Most Unpleasant
@Persephone Grimsbane
I stood up the moment she did.
Not quickly enough to startle her but not slow enough to let her disappear into the crowd either.
“Poppy…”
I didn’t reach for her right away. She already looked like too much was happening at once, like anything sudden would make it worse. Instead, I stepped just slightly into her line of sight, enough that she wouldn’t have to search for something to focus on.
“The door’s this way,” I said quietly, steady, turning just enough to guide without crowding her. “I’ll walk with you.”
Her breathing was wrong. Too fast, too shallow. I could see it in the way her shoulders moved, the way her words kept breaking apart before they could form. I had been there before, when anxiety set in.
“It’s alright,” I added, softer. “You don’t have to explain anything.”
I started moving, slow on purpose, giving her something to follow instead of forcing her to find her own way through it. Just a few steps ahead, not leaving her behind, not pulling her forward.
“Just stay with me for a second,” I said.
My voice stayed low, even, something steady she could hold onto if everything else felt like it was slipping. I glanced back briefly, making sure she was still there and still moving.
“In through your nose,” I murmured, not pushing, just offering it. “Slowly... You don’t have to get it right. Just… try.”
The Great Hall noise felt louder now, sharper, but I kept my focus on her, on keeping things simple.
“You’re okay,” I said again, quieter this time. “We’re almost out.”
A Dinner Most Unpleasant
@Persephone Grimsbane
OOC: I am sorry, I can't continue this roleplaying session because everything I am writing is being flagged as AI written, which it is not. I am requesting my account be deleted and it is sad because I was really starting to enjoy the site and my roleplaying sessions with those few I have interacted with. I did not just want to vanish though, I felt you deserved to know why. Thank you for interacting with my posts and gaming with me.
-E