The First Meeting
Interacting with: @Claire O'Kat
---
When the doors of the Great Hall finally opened, the young Ann Sparrow was mesmerized by everything she saw. The long tables, decorated in red, green, yellow and blue, caught her eye first, before her gaze wandered up to the ceiling, where all the flickering candles danced among the night sky. She couldn't believe that this was real. Several times, she had pinched her arm to see if she was dreaming, but she never woke up.
Ann was a bit nervous for the sorting ceremony. Some of the others around her were whispering and excited to know what house they would end up in, but others also looked around her, overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Great Hall. When the sorting hat had called out "Hufflepuff!", Ann shuffled to the long table, decorated in yellow, and sat next to another first year that had just heard she was sorted into the same house. She smiled at her, and waved awkwardly, instantly regretting it. She then quickly turned her head to focus again to the rest of the sorting ceremony, and clapped every time someone else got sorted into her house.
When Ann first got to hear that she was a witch, she didn't even know magic existed. Sure, strange things had happened over the years, things she couldn't necessarily explain, but she would not have thought it was magic she was dealing with. And now she was here, at Hogwarts, her new school. She cried on the train there, because she missed her dads, and she wasn't sure when she would see them again. She would also miss her friends, and she said she would write to them, but she thought it was hard keeping this all a secret too for her friends. Her dads has mentioned multiple times that she would not have any issue making new friends at Hogwarts, so she was just hoping that they would be right.
After the ceremony, and when a wide selection of delicious foods magically appeared on the tables, she looked again at the girl next to her, and smiled again: "Hey! I'm Ann, I don't think we've met yet."
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Word count: 361 words
---
When the doors of the Great Hall finally opened, the young Ann Sparrow was mesmerized by everything she saw. The long tables, decorated in red, green, yellow and blue, caught her eye first, before her gaze wandered up to the ceiling, where all the flickering candles danced among the night sky. She couldn't believe that this was real. Several times, she had pinched her arm to see if she was dreaming, but she never woke up.
Ann was a bit nervous for the sorting ceremony. Some of the others around her were whispering and excited to know what house they would end up in, but others also looked around her, overwhelmed by the sheer size of the Great Hall. When the sorting hat had called out "Hufflepuff!", Ann shuffled to the long table, decorated in yellow, and sat next to another first year that had just heard she was sorted into the same house. She smiled at her, and waved awkwardly, instantly regretting it. She then quickly turned her head to focus again to the rest of the sorting ceremony, and clapped every time someone else got sorted into her house.
When Ann first got to hear that she was a witch, she didn't even know magic existed. Sure, strange things had happened over the years, things she couldn't necessarily explain, but she would not have thought it was magic she was dealing with. And now she was here, at Hogwarts, her new school. She cried on the train there, because she missed her dads, and she wasn't sure when she would see them again. She would also miss her friends, and she said she would write to them, but she thought it was hard keeping this all a secret too for her friends. Her dads has mentioned multiple times that she would not have any issue making new friends at Hogwarts, so she was just hoping that they would be right.
After the ceremony, and when a wide selection of delicious foods magically appeared on the tables, she looked again at the girl next to her, and smiled again: "Hey! I'm Ann, I don't think we've met yet."
---
Word count: 361 words
Last edited by Kaitlyn Connor on 24 Apr 2026, 18:46, edited 1 time in total.
Reason: Changed type to an RP :)
The First Meeting
Interacting with: @Ann Sparrow
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“Hi! My name is Claire, but everyone calls me Clary.” The girls shook hands, and then Claire O’Kat started filling her plate with chicken, mashed potatoes, and some green beans. The green beans wouldn’t be her first choice of vegetables, but the other options were further down the Hufflepuff table and she was too shy to get up from her seat to grab some.
Truthfully, eating in a crowded room wasn’t her first choice either, but it was Hogwarts and she’d always waited until her invitation letter would arrive as soon as she’d found out she was a witch.
Clary’s first encounter with magic happened at the age of five, when she’d accidentally fallen down the stairs and it’d saved her from hitting her head against the wooden floor of her home’s living room. Her parents had been overjoyed. Relieved, though also overjoyed to find out their daughter was meant to go to Hogwarts, just they had when they were younger.
“Are your parents also a witch and wizard?” The question sounded almost unnatural coming from her mouth, but Clary needed to make friends as soon as she could. The feast would be ending soon, and she wasn’t used to sharing a bedroom, so getting used to the people she’d be sharing it with would be clever. “I’m a half-blood,” she shared, proudly. “My great-grandfather on my mum’s side is a Muggle-born. His parents were apparently so shocked when they found out that they needed to go on a vacation to the Bahamas.”
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Word count: 252 words
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“Hi! My name is Claire, but everyone calls me Clary.” The girls shook hands, and then Claire O’Kat started filling her plate with chicken, mashed potatoes, and some green beans. The green beans wouldn’t be her first choice of vegetables, but the other options were further down the Hufflepuff table and she was too shy to get up from her seat to grab some.
Truthfully, eating in a crowded room wasn’t her first choice either, but it was Hogwarts and she’d always waited until her invitation letter would arrive as soon as she’d found out she was a witch.
Clary’s first encounter with magic happened at the age of five, when she’d accidentally fallen down the stairs and it’d saved her from hitting her head against the wooden floor of her home’s living room. Her parents had been overjoyed. Relieved, though also overjoyed to find out their daughter was meant to go to Hogwarts, just they had when they were younger.
“Are your parents also a witch and wizard?” The question sounded almost unnatural coming from her mouth, but Clary needed to make friends as soon as she could. The feast would be ending soon, and she wasn’t used to sharing a bedroom, so getting used to the people she’d be sharing it with would be clever. “I’m a half-blood,” she shared, proudly. “My great-grandfather on my mum’s side is a Muggle-born. His parents were apparently so shocked when they found out that they needed to go on a vacation to the Bahamas.”
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Word count: 252 words
The First Meeting
Interacting with: @Claire O'Kat
---
Ann followed Claire's movements, as she took food on her plate. Ann wasn't hungry, yet. She was anxious, and she wasn't sure what she wanted to eat. She looked around, and saw various cuts of meat. She did also eye the mashed potatoes, the beans and some sort of round balls that looked to be filled with some sort of vegetable. Vegetarian, she assumed. Ann took a serving of those, and carefully took a bite before realizing that it's the familiar taste of chickpeas and then fully biting down, while she listened to - hopefully her new friend - Claire talk about her great-grandfather.
"My parents are not wizards, actually," Ann answered shyly, "I also still don't really know much of what is going on and how everything works." She bit down a few green beans, and then looked at Claire again, and sighed. "I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to be in Hufflepuff. I've never even done magic to begin with." Ann was unsure still if this is where she belonged, but the teacher that came to visit her home was so sure of it, and Ann was so excited to go here, but she felt a bit homesick and was worried about the sleeping arrangements too. She tried to eat her fill of the food, but it felt like a brick in her stomach. "I've done a bit of reading over the summer, and tried to learn all I could about Hogwarts and its history." All the other students were happily talking and eating, and when Ann glanced over at the teachers, they seemed to be doing the same. Ann sighed once more, "I just hope it will feel normal at some point and I won't need a vacation to the Bahamas to recover."
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Word count: 297 words
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Ann followed Claire's movements, as she took food on her plate. Ann wasn't hungry, yet. She was anxious, and she wasn't sure what she wanted to eat. She looked around, and saw various cuts of meat. She did also eye the mashed potatoes, the beans and some sort of round balls that looked to be filled with some sort of vegetable. Vegetarian, she assumed. Ann took a serving of those, and carefully took a bite before realizing that it's the familiar taste of chickpeas and then fully biting down, while she listened to - hopefully her new friend - Claire talk about her great-grandfather.
"My parents are not wizards, actually," Ann answered shyly, "I also still don't really know much of what is going on and how everything works." She bit down a few green beans, and then looked at Claire again, and sighed. "I'm not even sure if I'm supposed to be in Hufflepuff. I've never even done magic to begin with." Ann was unsure still if this is where she belonged, but the teacher that came to visit her home was so sure of it, and Ann was so excited to go here, but she felt a bit homesick and was worried about the sleeping arrangements too. She tried to eat her fill of the food, but it felt like a brick in her stomach. "I've done a bit of reading over the summer, and tried to learn all I could about Hogwarts and its history." All the other students were happily talking and eating, and when Ann glanced over at the teachers, they seemed to be doing the same. Ann sighed once more, "I just hope it will feel normal at some point and I won't need a vacation to the Bahamas to recover."
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Word count: 297 words
The First Meeting
POV with @Ann Sparrow
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Ann talked a lot, but Claire didn't find this at all annoying because she was used to being the one talking. Talking all the time made her tired. Before every sentence, she'd have to think, and then another sentence would come after, which she also had to think about. Perhaps she thought a bit too much during a conversation.
Either way, having someone else talk for a change was comfortable, so the decision was easily made: Claire O'Kat would stick with Ann Sparrow for as long they both still enjoyed this.
"You must feel homesick," Claire guessed after noticing the look on Ann's face. She also felt homesick. The longest she'd been away from her parents was when she went to her grandparents' house, where her mom had dropped her off and stayed for the afternoon until it was time for her to visit her father's parents across the country. Apparently, her other grandparents wanted to find a home outside the city they lived, because the rent had gotten too expensive.
"You'll be okay, Ann. Hufflepuff value kindness over anything else," Claire then continued. "Everyone is supposed to be welcoming, otherwise I don't feel like they should be in Hufflepuff. And you seem very nice, so you belong just fine."
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Word count: 210
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Ann talked a lot, but Claire didn't find this at all annoying because she was used to being the one talking. Talking all the time made her tired. Before every sentence, she'd have to think, and then another sentence would come after, which she also had to think about. Perhaps she thought a bit too much during a conversation.
Either way, having someone else talk for a change was comfortable, so the decision was easily made: Claire O'Kat would stick with Ann Sparrow for as long they both still enjoyed this.
"You must feel homesick," Claire guessed after noticing the look on Ann's face. She also felt homesick. The longest she'd been away from her parents was when she went to her grandparents' house, where her mom had dropped her off and stayed for the afternoon until it was time for her to visit her father's parents across the country. Apparently, her other grandparents wanted to find a home outside the city they lived, because the rent had gotten too expensive.
"You'll be okay, Ann. Hufflepuff value kindness over anything else," Claire then continued. "Everyone is supposed to be welcoming, otherwise I don't feel like they should be in Hufflepuff. And you seem very nice, so you belong just fine."
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Word count: 210
The First Meeting
Interacting with: @Claire O'Kat
---
Hearing Claire tell her that she must be homesick without any judgement made Ann happy and also slightly relieved. She hadn't interacted with any of the other first years yet, so she wasn't sure the other children were, but so far her interactions with Claire made Ann feel more optimistic. "I am actually feeling quite homesick," she admitted. "Also I'm not even sure what all the food is, and I miss my dad's cooking." She popped another of the bean-balls in her mouth, followed by a bite of mashed potato.
Ann's thoughts moved to what it would be like to grow up surrounded by magic, surrounded by floating candles and ghosts. The ghosts shocked her at first, but she knew they would be there - she had read about them in one of her new books - but the little hints of magic started to become normal, for now. Ann especially liked the moving paintings and the pictures on the wall, they moved! She wished she had one with her parents on it, and her grandparents.
"What class are you most excited about?" Ann asked Claire, after she cleared her plate, "Your parents must have told you all about Hogwarts. Were they also in Hufflepuff?" If Hufflepuff values kindness over anything else, then she must be in the right house. Ann was always described as a kind child, but not particularly clever. In the end, Hogwarts would be another school, and she was very worried about not passing any exams or tests. But that would be a problem to think about tomorrow. Right now, she was trying to make a friend, and get to know more about Hogwarts. "Also, do you know anything about the dorms?"
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Word count: 284 words
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Hearing Claire tell her that she must be homesick without any judgement made Ann happy and also slightly relieved. She hadn't interacted with any of the other first years yet, so she wasn't sure the other children were, but so far her interactions with Claire made Ann feel more optimistic. "I am actually feeling quite homesick," she admitted. "Also I'm not even sure what all the food is, and I miss my dad's cooking." She popped another of the bean-balls in her mouth, followed by a bite of mashed potato.
Ann's thoughts moved to what it would be like to grow up surrounded by magic, surrounded by floating candles and ghosts. The ghosts shocked her at first, but she knew they would be there - she had read about them in one of her new books - but the little hints of magic started to become normal, for now. Ann especially liked the moving paintings and the pictures on the wall, they moved! She wished she had one with her parents on it, and her grandparents.
"What class are you most excited about?" Ann asked Claire, after she cleared her plate, "Your parents must have told you all about Hogwarts. Were they also in Hufflepuff?" If Hufflepuff values kindness over anything else, then she must be in the right house. Ann was always described as a kind child, but not particularly clever. In the end, Hogwarts would be another school, and she was very worried about not passing any exams or tests. But that would be a problem to think about tomorrow. Right now, she was trying to make a friend, and get to know more about Hogwarts. "Also, do you know anything about the dorms?"
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Word count: 284 words