First Year Entrance 2020-2021

Entering Boat 8: @Blaise Linwood Mallory @Calantha Andreas @Phineas Avery

Cade's ride to Hogsmede had been an uneventful one. It was looking to be a smooth evening as he left his luggage behind and joined the crowd of first-years to the boats. He didn't know what to make of the Caretaker and the Slytherin Head. They seemed like they both wanted to be anywhere but in their current situation. The caretaker, Mr. Iwasaki, instructed them to board their boats. All of them filled up rather quickly, Cade was forced to follow the boy ahead of him and join boat 8.

Before Cade could even think about making some sort of introduction, Mr. Iwasaki commanded the boats forward. They moved smoothly through the mist and into the middle of the lake. Cade settled himself more comfortably in his seat trying not to make eye contact with any of his boat mates. Before long, Cade could hear a vomiting sound from one of the other boats. One of the students must've eaten too many sweets from the trolley. Cade covered his mouth with a hand he didn't want to breathe in whatever that kid had to spit out.

The boats continued out of the mist and Cade got his first-ever view of the castle. Its lights were shimmering under the stars of the night sky. Cade's eyes widened in awe of the gigantic school. "Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Your home for the next 7 years." He heard Professor Jensen call to them.

"Blimey, this place is way bigger than I ever imagined!" Cade grinned up at the night sky.

Before he could look further he heard a big splash. He turned immediately just in time to see another kid dive into the lake after the first. Cade's heart jumped up into his throat. That wasn't supposed to happen. Was it? Mr. Iwasaki called the boats to an immediate stop. And just as quickly a large tentacle rose up from the water carrying the two students. A splash of water dowsed Cade in the unpleasant cold. Wiping the water from his eyes, Cade craned his neck to boat 1 where the Giant Squid had dropped the poor first years. He could tell from here that those two were experiencing some hard words from the professors.

"Do you think they'll be ok?" Cade asked aloud to no one in particular.

"What's even the rule for being 'ok' around here?" Blaise questioned loudly while his wide-open laurel eyes were fixed on the giant tentacle retrieving the students back to their boat.
"That is one big animal. Do you think they have giant sharks in there too?" He added.
Prompt silence lingered in the cold air for a weird moment before Blaise abruptly cut it.
"Hey you lot, did you catch a glimpse? How big was it?!" He called towards the boat where the giant squid just dropped the two students. Smiling as he did so. Blaise tried to relieve his anxiety through loud humour, behaviour not uncommon for him.
The tall boy felt uneasy, fiddling with his newly bought wand between his fingers as his attention slowly drifted back to the others on the boat.
Blaise didn't really manage to say anything when the castle came into view. His gaze was filled with awe and some underlying trepidation.
He gave quick bothered looks to the two students who up until that point stayed quiet - The exceptionally tall girl and the fancy-looking boy.
Blaise also looked to see the state of students in the other boats in sight. He could see that some students took the boat ride very easily, either laughing or not reacting too much to what was happening around them. He felt a bit worried.
'Am I supposed to act cool even around stuff like that?' He thought to himself.

Interactions with both boat 8 and boat 3(If I missed someone on boat 3 please owl me!)
@Cade Darkbound @Calantha Andreas @Phineas Avery @Hjørdis Jensen @Elisabeth Erner @Rohan Fog @Akari Kato

To the Castle

Nora had the right idea, conjuring her transparent umbrella and avoiding the splash that the squid caused. Marcus was left with dampened clothes considering the squid's close proximity to them, which is why he was more than annoyed to begin with. As he demanded answers from the students, the boy spoke up while the girl remained quiet. At least the boy had the gall to defend himself, but his reasoning was ridiculous. He was going to rescue her? How?

Nora asked that exact question of the boy while Marcus' eyes turned to the girl. She muttered something under her breath which Marcus picked up on easily: "Boo Radley." An eyebrow raised as he wondered what in the world she was talking about. Who was Radley, and why was she booing him? She seemed to be completely lost in her own world, and the caretaker wondered if she was alright in the head. Had she knocked it on the way down into the lake? No matter, there was no blood he could smell, so he knew whatever it was could be fixed at the castle.

"At least I tried, ok! Do you even know how to stop someone from falling into the lake in the first place? I-I didn't see anyone other than that squid that saved me and Elisabeth!" The boy's words were coupled with a glare, and Marcus returned a glare that could have shaken his worst enemy to her core. He did not appreciate backtalk whatsoever. For this young first year to suggest that he and Nora were incompetent at their jobs because this boy dove into the waters was ridiculous, and tonight he had no patience for it. The boy seemed to realize his mistake quickly, though, because his eyes dropped to the floor of the boat quickly.

"FORWARD!" Marcus called out, prompting the boats to continue their journey as he and Nora dealt with the unruly kids. It didn't seem like any others would be jumping out after that display, and they would be late at this rate. "You're unbelievably lucky that I don't feel like hosting a detention tonight. Instead, you can sit there in the cold and feel the consequences of your actions," Marcus snapped. "Perhaps the beginning of hypothermia will teach you both a lesson," he grumbled. At least with magic, such a condition was easily cured, but he knew it would not get to that point. They would shiver a lot and feel probably colder than they ever had, but they would be at the castle sooner rather than later. Nothing awful would come of it. Plus there was a chance that Nora would sympathize, and Marcus wouldn't outright care if she did choose to help them, but he was pretty fed up over the whole thing.

The boats passed through the ivy curtain in the mountainside, entering the underground tunnel in neat pairs of two. It was dark aside from the boat lights, but there was a harbor in the far distance that they were growing closer to that had some lanterns attached. It was about a five-minute journey down that tunnel until, finally, it expanded into the harbor. Here there was enough room for all the boats to dock, which is exactly what they did. Marcus waited for the other occupants of his boat to exit first, then he followed them onto the dock beneath the school.

"Follow us to the castle," he announced to the students once they had all exited the boats. He made sure to keep the lake-drenched girl and boy near the front so he could keep an eye on them. They were troublemakers, and he didn't need more to happen. Marcus and Nora led the students up from the dock onto the grounds and to the front doors of the castle, which were wide open for them. "Up next is your sorting ceremony, everyone form a line as we prepare to enter the Great Hall."

OOC Note: This is the final moderation post (apologies for the delay). Feel free to continue posting the end of your character's journeys, or for newcomers, you are welcome to do a post of your character experiencing the whole boat ride. As is custom around the entire site, once this thread goes three months without any posts, it will be locked. Until then, happy writing!

@Lea Hirsch @Taffy Miller , @Walter Medrano

The boats started sailing closer to the tunnel that would lead them into the harbor by the school. Eva sat in silence for most of the ride, lost in her own thoughts about what life at Hogwarts was going to be like. She didn't really seem to notice if the other three students in the boat were talking or not.

After several minutes of going through the tunnel they reached the harbor and the boats began to dock. "Wow we're finally here.." Eva murmurd. She waited until the other occupants of the boat had gotten of, then got off the boat herself. Craning her neck she looked to the highest point of the castle she could see. It was very tall.

Eva started to feel a bit nervous all of a sudden. She was about to head inside Hogwarts to get sorted. It had been a thought in her mind the whole way across the lake, but her brain was processing it a little bit more. She knew her parents wouldn't care what house she was put into but she was still nervous all the same. What if she didn't like the house she was put into. Eva was pretty sure once you were sorted that's were you stayed for the rest of your time at Hogwarts. It will be fine, she told herself trying to calm her nerves as she followed the rest of the students into the huge castle that was Hogwarts.

Interacting with: @Marcus Iwasaki, @Elisabeth Erner and @Remi Yao

Hjørdis narrowed her silver eyes at the pair of students who had the audacity to try and justify the ridiculous actions that put, not only themselves but rather, everyone in danger. It was ridiculous, really. However, she did not like the idea of them freezing before they even made it to the castle. She almost helped them - until she heard the caretaker's voice. He made the decision that the cold was their punishment, instead of serving detention.

She lowered her hand, opting to stay silent. She would back up his decision without hesitation. After their backtalk and ridiculousness, it was a fair punishment away. After some time, however, she caved. Her sympathy won her over by the time they got to the shore. They were shivering and it made her feel bad. Ugh. Two years ago, she would not have batted an eyelid or cared. Hogwarts was making her soft. After the boat had docked, she got out, faced both of them and simply flicked her finger at the pair, casting the drying spell over them and instantly drying both of them from head to toe.

Then she turned to the rest of the group, shooting her companion a look. She sighed softly as she looked up at the moon for a moment before leading the way to the castle, "If you'll excuse me, I'll go join the rest of the team," She said softly to Marcus as they approached the doors. He could handle it from here. She was mostly there to provide company, anyway. She checked her appearance, making sure her clothes had not wrinkled from the boat journey. Giving Marcus a firm nod of her head in a 'goodbye', before entering first and heading straight to her fellow house heads. After all, some of the incoming lot would fall under her care. She was curious to see who, though.

Outfit of the day

Thread left

Interacting with @Akari Kato and @Rohan Fog, mentioning @Elisabeth Erner and @Remi Yao

Robert jumped, shocked, when Elisabeth fell overboard. Finally realizing that she had asked him to help keep her balance, he flushed with embarrassment and guilt as it dawned on him that it was, at least in his eyes, entirely his own fault that she had fallen into the lake. A small voice in the back of his head pointed out that she was really to blame for having stood up, especially without waiting for him to confirm that he would help, but the fact that the thought had even crossed his mind made him feel even worse. It didn't help that one of the boys in another boat had dove in trying to save her, making Robert the reason why two students might possibly drown. Even if his first impression of the other boy had been one of scorn, the muggle-born still felt like it should have been him freezing in the cold lake, instead of being frozen from shock in the boat.

The muggle-born was glad to see that both of the other students ended up safe and sound, having been rescued by the Giant Squid and deposited on Professors' boat. Although, Robert did quietly muse to himself that it might have been a better fate for the two to have stayed in the freezing cold lake, rather than face the fiery wrath of the two professors that he could feel, even from their boat. Shaking those thoughts out of his head, he again returned to the fact that he was the reason this entire ordeal had happened. He twisted around in an attempt to make eye contact with Elisabeth, as if trying to telepathically let her know how bad he felt. However, she didn't seem to notice him, making Robert feel even worse.

All the boy could do at Rohan and Akari's comments was sadly shake his head and bury it in his hands. Stunned into silence by the overwhelming guilt and shame, he didn't say anything for the rest of the boat ride. The fact that he didn't look in wonder as the fleet of boats entered the underground tunnel, instead opting to keep his gaze on the bottom of the boat, would be enough to tell anyone who knew him well that something was wrong. The slight bump as the boat docked in the harbor was the only way he knew it was time to get out of the boat. As he stood up, another wave of guilt washed over him, as he remembered how Elisabeth had stood in a similar position moments before falling overboard. Taking a deep breath, he continued to exit the boat, taking his place in the midst of the other students, and yet somehow apart. Robert would not say another word, studiously avoiding the gaze of anyone who might approach him. This was his fault, his burden, something he would not bring up again easily for a long time. And as it was the only thing on his mind, he was not about to engage in conversation with another person any time soon.

Robert has left the thread

Interacting with @Aemadall Zarcovich & @Jess Malters
Mentioning @Remi Yao & @Elizabeth Isaacs

"The kid is crazy." Logan had said and Starlee couldn't agree more. She was happy the two were safe in the professor's boats, but what a whirlwind. Jess couldn't have put it any better, "Woah... woah. I don't really know what I was expecting from my first day at Hogwarts, but, well, that wasn't it." Yea... that certainly wasn't what she was expecting... at all.

It seemed Remi had tried to defend his actions, she could somewhat overhear the conversation in the boat next to her. However, Professor Iwasaki yelled "FORWARD!" and onward the boats went again. Starlee had to wonder if this was all planned... what if something like this happened every year? She continued to be lost in her thoughts as the boats pushed onward, staring upward as the castle got closer and closer. They pulled around the mountainside, into an underground tunnel. The boats were rather close to each other now, and she could hear the idle chitchat coming from the other boats. Starlee's nervousness about the upcoming events began to settle in again. What house would she be put in? Would she enjoy it? What if it was with... Elizabeth? She shivered, not only from the cold of the night but also from that rising bubble of nerves. The atmosphere of the tunnel wasn't all that reassuring either, but once they emerged, she felt less confined.

The boats quickly docked and Starlee turned back to her boatmates. "Well... Good luck to you both... I hope we all get our houses!" she smiled, although her nerves were clear in her half-forced smile. She quickly hopped out of the boat and trailed closely after Professor Iwasaki. Soon to happen, a momentous moment that would determine how the rest of her time at Hogwarts would go... and Starlee had no idea what unfortunate events were to come.

Starlee leaves the thread.

Boat 8: @Blaise Linwood Mallory @Calantha Andreas @Phineas Avery

The evening air was getting colder and Cade was curious to see what the night would bring. He was glad Mr. Iwasaki commanded the boats to move once more. Cade chanced a look behind the boats to see the distant twinkle of lanterns at Hogsmede station. The lights blinking languidly as if waving goodbye. He wouldn't see it again until the Christmas holidays.

Cade bowed his head as they passed underneath vines at the mouth of what appeared to be a mountainous cave. It became very dark, and Cade's gaze was forced upon the flickering lantern of boat 8. He and his 3 other boat mates were cast in an eerie gold glow. It was very quiet in this section but for the gentle trickle of water. Cade assumed that many of the students were still recovering from the giant squid fiasco. He was still pretty anxious about that too and wasn't very pleased to be in this dark cavern. He was beginning to feel antsy. Thankfully before Cade could do something embarrassing, the boats stopped at a harbor. Clambering out of the boat, he nodded once to everyone.

"Bye," Cade muttered and turned to the growing crowd of students before them. Being out of the lake made Cade feel a little better. Solid ground was much preferred at the moment. They seemed to be underneath the castle now. The dock led to a set of stairs. Cade followed the other students up and they reached the grassy plain of the grounds. Now Cade could feel stones weighing down his stomach. With every step closer to the castle was a step closer to the sorting. They reached the front doors and made it inside the waiting castle.

Cade exits the thread

Simon stood closest to a boat which would be Boat 9 that had one other boy already inside ( @Alan Everhart). He was hesitant at first, for so many varied reasons.

Mostly, it seemed rather suspicious that a magical school would use such normal means of transportation in getting there such as a train ride and now boat ride across the lake. Wouldn't flying on broomsticks or walking on water be something that was more impressive and memorable to the students? Couldn't they just vanish from one place one moment and whoosh! end up somewhere else the next, maybe leaving some kind of illuminated sparks behind?

But no, first a train ride, then a boat. Still, Simon Kincaid wasn't one to argue unless it would do any good and a boat ride wouldn't hurt anyone. He held onto the edge of the boat and felt it rock a little and he wasn't sure if he felt comfortable enough to step onboard. Couldn't they make it stop rocking? Simon had never been on a boat before.

Not wanting to appear like the total nitwit that he felt, Simon took a deep breath and went to step inside, waiting until one foot was placed nice and flat and balanced before doing the other. Success!

Once inside the boat he glanced up at the sky at the full moon above and then looked down to see its reflection mimicked in the water. The water. Simon leaned down, taking some of the rather unexpectedly cold water into his hands and splashed his face with it, attempting to wake himself up if this should be some kind of a dream. No waking, only a wet face.