First Year Entrance Open

Date: 1 September 2026

Evening :Time

WC: 223
Mentions: @Xio Arcana, @Mercedes Rubio, @Lucian Wright

Bella laughed as Xio pushed out all her questions in one breath. Placing one arm on her shoulder, she chuckled.

"Let that poor guy breathe, Xio. Lucian, feel free to answer as many of the questions as you want!" Bella grinned. "That's Xio for you -- master of asking questions. Oh, but just one question from me? Lucian, where are you from? I'm Irish, but I'm from London, England. I'm a half-blood, but I was almost completely raised like a muggle until recently. What school did you go to before Hogwarts? Well, I suppose that's two..."

Bella drifted off, looking at the side of the boat, which was already covered in fog. She closed her eyes and took a tired breath before continuing.

"Oh, does anyone want to play never have I ever? It's basically a game where one of us says something we have never done. And if you have done it before, you put one of your fingers down. You start with ten fingers, and the last one remaining wins. For example, if I say "Never have I ever traveled to another country." And if you have traveled to another country before, you put a finger down! It's a game I used to play with several of my muggle friends!" Bella exclaimed excitedly.

─────Breathe Lucian Breathe. He told himself. They are just curious about you. He was telling himself so he didn't panic when he was answering their questions. Xio had too many questions and Bella had two; which were doable. But he was not sure where to start. Maybe he answers Xio's questions first. He thought about it hard and then said "We played board games, cards or even with inanimate cars. Muggle schools are like normal schools with no magic. Mum made good food. We traveled via cars on road or walked if the distance was short. Yes, we mannually brush our teeth." He said sighing softly. Her questions seemed endless but Lucian was not a rude boy. So he would answer them all. "Yes we do pay with the little paper notes. Phones are devices that help you talk to people who are not near you. They can come in different sizes. We had a small one had home that was connected to the wall and mum and dad had portable phones called mobiles. Yes, in television picture moves inside a box. Yes we use stairs all the time unless there are elevators. Then we prefer those." He said looking at Xio. "Don't be sorry. I can guess you are excited to know about muggle stuff. As I am excited to see the magic world."

He turned to Bella as she spoke. "We are all excited about somethings. Let her get her fill of answers from me." He said. "I am English. I am from Manchester London. It was an Elementary School that I went to before Hogwarts." He said. He looked at Bella with interest as she talked about a game he had heard of. "I have heard of that game." He said. "I don't think we will be able to see anyone's fingers clearly in this fog. Well that's my opinion."

Jo was so intent on hearing the answers to her litany of questions that her acknowledgement of Strike and Jeremy was barely more than an uninterested glance in their direction, followed by a rather more annoyed one as Strike proceeded to make the boat rock with his shifting. Thankfully, the caretaker, Mr. Hasan, immediately asked him to stop. His brusque manner immediately endeared him to Jo, despite his refusal to fully answer her or Jeremy. He seemed like a man who took his job seriously.

"What's a grindylow?" she whispered to Jeremy--if anyone knew, he probably did--and craned her neck towards the side of the boat, as if to catch sight of one. Though, of course, between the growing fog and the darkness, it was a fruitless effort.

"I don't see how it's not my business if I'm on a boat on top of it," she muttered mutinously at him, glancing at Mr. Hasan out of the side of her eye. "Wouldn't knowing make us more likely to behave?" Being vague just made it seem like he was trying to make them obey him by exaggerating the dangers.

Or maybe not.

Jo peered at the man as the boat suddenly started to slow. Surely, that wasn't supposed to happen, and the man's next words confirmed that something had gone wrong. Though what wasn't supposed to behave that way, she couldn't say. The fog around them had thickened very quickly. Did he mean that or just the boat's enchantment? Or something else entirely?

Suddenly, there was a voice above them, offering help, speaking about things that might go awry. Jo squinted in its direction, trying to make out the shape of the man who had spoken. It seemed like it really was the fog, but Jo couldn't help but wonder why fog would be such a problem. The boats were plainly enchanted, they made the same trip across the same lake in a notably foggy part of the country every single year. Surely, the lack of visibility wasn't usually a problem. Unless the grownups thought there was something unnatural about this particular fog.

"Who is that? What's wrong with the fog?" Despite the seeming urgency of the situation, she kept her tone hushed. She had a sense that making a ruckus might not necessarily be called for. She did, however, stick her hand in the pocket holding her wand and lightly rested her hand on it. She didn't care what the caretaker had said, if something bad happened, she refused to be caught unprepared.

Jeremy was pleased to see that Strike had followed him and nodded to the boy as he boarded and completed their boat, or as Jeremy liked to think of it, their opportunity. He was not giving up on the face time with the caretaker on his quest to end up in Ravenclaw house.

Of course, the man hadn’t exactly bitten yet on Jeremy’s questions, but he did shake his hand - his hand dwarfed Jeremy’s and Jeremy tried to hold back the wince at how tightly the man gripped his poor hand. His dad had said that when you gave hand-shakes you were supposed to give as good as you got, but he didn’t think that was even possible. He tried his best to squeeze it back, to no avail, wincing this time with the effort of trying to match the crushing grip of the caretaker.

@Mahdi Hassan told him that he didn't want to bias him about the sorting hat, but he basically didn't answer the question at all!“Oh no that’s okay, I don’t mind. You see I’ve already been biased - my sister went here, and she’s already told me quite a lot. I didn't mean do you know about the Sorting Hat. No, I more meant, do you know him… like... do you guys talk sometimes? You know, um, friendly-like? I mean you’re the caretaker right? That means you’re in charge of taking care of the school, and everything in it - So it must be nice to take care of something that can actually talk back sometimes…” Jeremy said, absolutely SURE that this man and the sorting hat HAD to be friends, because who else was there to talk to?

Jo (who Jeremy still wished had found another boat, but what were you gonna do?) then whispered to him to ask what a Grindylow was. The slight bitterness about their summer adventure, and the interference in his fact booth, was luckily overwhelmed by Jer's need to explain.

“Grindylows are these little water demons that live in the lake. They grab you with these long slimy fingers and they try to pull you under the water and drown you,” he whispered, holding up a gnarled hand to demonstrate, and giving all the gravitas of a scary story. “Don’t worry though, they’re really easy to drive off with magic, and we have a grown-up in our boat... don’t we Mr. Hassan?” Jeremy added. He scrutinized Mahdi's face, but it really didn't seem like the man was finding Jeremy as charming as people tended to find his father (which Jeremy supposed he could understand, because he didn't really like it when his father did that stuff either). Ah well. This was why he didn't talk to people.

Jeremy sat down in his chair and slumped, thinking about what he could say next - when the fog (which was making the night so beautiful) began to thicken. He looked over at @Strike Allen who was sitting up straight ever since he'd got scolded, and was now bouncing his knee. Jeremy put a hand on the boy's knee to try to stop the bouncing, partly for Strike' sake, and partly for his own. "It's okay, I'm excited too," Jeremy assured him, mostly because it looked like he had taken the scolding rather hard and like he might just burst out of his skin.

The fog was thickening further now, and Jeremy wouldn't have thought anything of it if it hadn't been for what Mr. Hassan said next, and the fact that the boats had begun to slow... something that he wasn't sure was supposed to happen. When the man on the broomstick appeared, Jeremy got that uncomfortable feeling you get when you hear two grown-ups talking about things that you're pretty sure you aren't supposed to hear.

It was Jo who spoke up, but for once Jer had to agree with her - because Mr. Hassan hadn't said a word about what was actually happening, and the first-years in the boat really could have used some explanation to understand what the heck was going on. “Um yeah, that’s actually a really good question,” Jeremy mumbled.

saturnalia sutton-smith

She clung to the side of the boat as she felt it begin to move. There was no lurch that accompanied it, which should have reassured her, but instead, it made her more nervous. Not that any other outcome would have had a different effect, though.

Saturnalia looked up to the night sky, the vast space above the lake providing wonderful views for the first of the stars. Imposing shadows ahead teased of the castle that would soon be her home. She found comfort in the stars, but it wasn't enough to stop her from keeping an eye on things, noticing the light pass by. She had no reason to worry- it was just one of the magical aspects of this ride. At least, that is what she told herself.

A fog rose from the lake, thin at first, then thickening. How odd- she had never seen fog act in such a strange way. Perhaps it was just part of the magic. Yes, surely that was it, it was just part of the magic.

No matter how much she repeated that to herself, she didn't believe it. Her heart certainly did not, with how much it was pounding. She felt a nervous sweat start to trickle down her forehead, and her hands clenched the sides of the boat tighter, cold and clammy.

"That is not how it is supposed to behave."

she heard @Mahdi Hassan call out. The way his voice rose over the quiet was eerie, especially with the fog starting to limit her view.

We're going to die here, Saturnalia's brain instantly went to. The boats are going to break and we're going to drown and die, and I didn't even get to say goodbye to my fish, and Mum will be so sad..."

Her breathing picked up pace as she scanned the lake for what little she could see. Maybe she should have gotten in that first boat with the caretaker, so at least she could be with an adult. Why didn't she? Why did she go here in the first place? Maybe there would have been an alternative way up if she just didn't get in one of the boats...

By now, the other occupants in her boat could surely hear her hastened breathing. She clung tightly to the side with both hands, gaze towards the water as she tried to get oxygen in her lungs.

"One, two, three, four, five..." she counted, trying to steady her breath to match the counts. She had finally managed to get it somewhat under control when she heard another adult-sounding voice. It was different from that of the caretaker's, but with it being so dark and so foggy, she couldn't make out who it was. Even his voice was a little hard to hear, but his last words rang clear as day.

"...I daresay we may even need to turn the boats around."

"What?!?"

Saturnalia rapidly looked around, trying to find someone who was in charge or at least seemed to know what they were doing, or could provide some sort of reassurance.

"Are we in danger?" she asked, maybe to her boat mates, maybe to the adults, maybe to no one in particular. She wasn't sure at this point, her thoughts starting to spiral, and her breathing turning into full-blown hyperventilation. Hot tears stung her eyes. She wanted to draw her knees up to her chest and hold them close, but her hands were locked to the side of the boat.

This is not what she imagined from Hogwarts.

The boats had stopped, but they had not gone loose.

Mahdi kept his hand against the side of his own boat and felt the warding through the wood. The magic was still there, the stabilizing charm had not broken. If it had, the boats would have begun turning or drifting. Instead, they remained fixed in their little formation, level despite the movement of nervous children inside them.

The forward charm, however, had decided it had done enough for one evening.

A voice reached them through the fog from somewhere above. Ruckus Weems. Mahdi could not see him properly, only the suggestion of a figure moving through the pale air.

“Professor Weems,” he called. The man had suggested turning the boats around. Mahdi rather thought that reversing an enchantment he did not fully understand was a poor first option. “Watch the far side of the fog. If anything comes close, tell me.”

He raised his voice to carry across the boats.

“The boats are stable. You are not going to fall in. Not unless you decide to make my evening worse.”

He gave them a moment to hear him. Some were already panicking, like that one girl in Boat Five. Kids. They would be the death of him one day. Twenty-one children, he had counted. Twenty-one.

“Boy,” he said, sharply if not unkindly to @Strike Allen. The poor kid looked like a puppy being told to wait patiently next to food. “Take a breath. Can you count all the other kids on all the boats for me? We need to make sure no one's fallen in.”

A moment's consideration, as he nodded at @Jeremy Slater. “Of course. We've got this all under control. And Professor Weems seems to have joined us as well, I just need a moment to--”

-- the words died on Mahdi's lips as the Boat gave the smallest of shudders, distracting Mahdi from the interaction.

Mahdi is examining the wards on his boat

The fog was really settling in now. Boat Two, Mahdi could see, was still stable, so the stabilizing charms, at least had held.

At Boat Three, the runes along the bow flared pale enough to show the water beneath the hull. Members of Boat three can hear the sound of a voice humming, too close to be one of Boat Two’s passengers yet too far away to identify.

Solène d'Estienne is using a moderated action to peering into the water from her side of the boat.
d20 → 19.

In Boat Four Solène, already looking down, would see a shape pass below the boat. Grey skin. Long hair. A hand with too much webbing between the fingers, holding a spear with the point turned upward. The figure did not look at her, it was staring farther down. Then it swam underneath the boat and dived, and was gone.

Members of Boat Five could feel a vibration from the wood beneath their feet. It was so low that it could not properly be called a sound. Their little boat did not rock, though. The wards held it steady.

Members of Boats Six and Seven who are looking out for it may spot a shadow passing under the hull of their boats. It was not the small, darting movement of a fish. It was larger, perhaps the size of one of the kids on the boat. Perhaps larger.

Beneath Boat One, something knocked. Once. Twice. Three times. Mahdi’s hand went inside his coat and closed around the handle of his dagger before he could stop himself.

“Professor Weems,” he called out to the Flying Professor. “Keep them together.”

Mahdi then drew his wand and lowered himself to one knee by the side of the boat.

“Nobody moves,” he told the children on his boat quietly, as he tapped the runes on his boat.

The silver line beneath his palm pulsed once, then went dark.

Boat Status
Boat 1: [FULL] Mahdi Hassan, @Josephine Byrne, @Jeremy Slater, @Strike Allen
Boat 2: [FULL] @Xio Arcana, @Bella Light, @Mercedes Rubio, @Lucian Wright
Boat 3: [FULL] @Elara Whitlock, @Maya Maxwell, @Eleanor Fairchild, @Alfie Owen
Boat 4: [FULL] @Solène d'Estienne, @Casimir Beaumont, @Willow Starch, @Edith Phence-Moakley
Boat 5: @Jen Noor, @Saturnalia Sutton-Smith
Boat 6: [FULL] @Núria Serra-Coromines, @Marigold Wesley, @March Yeung, @Philip Rosser
Boat 7: [FULL] @Kahira Valerian, @Rascal Ragg, @Zayn Al-Ashmuni, @Zyva Hel Fae Skógrwight
@Ruckus Weems is also present on his broom

OOC Notes!

1. This thread is open to all first-year students in the 2026-2027 school year.
   This is an "open thread," so feel free to join whenever, even if the boats are already on the move (in which case, act like you've been there the whole time). I'll keep the list of boats above up to date so that you know which boats are open for you to join. Please note in your first post which boat you are joining!
2. I will be posting in this thread every 10ish days to do a "mod post." 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. You get one action per chapter.
3. A helpful tip for a big group thread like this is to tag the people you're interacting with (the people in your boat) so that you don't have to read everyone's posts, only the people you're talking to. To tag someone, put their name between two mention brackets, like so:

   Code: Select all

   [mention]Full Name[/mention]

4. In your first post, please state which boat you are boarding, if you wish to board a specific boat. Otherwise, I will assign you a boat at random during moderation.
5. All RPG rules apply. You do not need to be “indexed” to participate in this thread, all are welcome! Word count minimum per post is 200 words of your own work, not including quotes, ooc chat or other people's words. Any "flood" messages (posts under 200 words) will be deleted after a warning owl is sent.
6. dNPCs are not allowed to participate in staff moderated threads.
7. Always feel free to send me any owl or DM if you have any questions or concerns.

⊹ ࣪ ˖⋆｡˚ ☁︎ ˚｡⋆﹏𓊝﹏ᨐᓗ

Over on the modest boat 5, Jen was sat sentinel in her seat, taking in the sights - the sway of the tall plants on the borders of the lake, the nip of the breeze in the darkening indigo sky, the pervasive scent of wet mud, the warbling of the surface water, the rustle of the distant bushes and critters flitting about.

The castle and it's pires above the boathouse grew ever larger as their humble fleet floated onward. Its towers looked like witch's hats - stacks on top of stacks. Jen was peering into the zigzagging layers of the distant castle walls, imagining herself being carried over them like post in the talons of an owl, and being dropped into an endless wormhole of stone bricks.

A girl beside her with striking ginger locks and watery cobalt eyes wrung her chalky hands white on the hull of the boat. Jen idly looked down. It vibrated, although from what Jen didn't know. She side-eyed her crew mate's shuffling. Perhaps the girl was shaking the boat in her vice grip. She had developed a potent wheeze as her eyes darted in a frenzy. Jen quickly looked away as hot tears spilled down the girl's cheeks.

She welcomed the humid fog that drove away the September evening chill.