11 Jan 2021, 19:13
Out in the Cold
@Ashley Coulson
@Suzanne Byrd
ReducioThis thread is for Professor Kibitzer's Total Whiteout errand
January 11, 2021
Calypso woke up that morning in early January and could feel the chill in the air even through her warm blankets. This was one of those days where she could tell something exciting was waiting to happen. Rolling out of bed and shivering at the cold air on her skin and the cold stone beneath her feet, she went over to the window. Though it had already been snowing for months this year, today there was a fresh coat of white over everything. It was a Hogwarts winter wonderland. Cal smiled.
She got dressed, then walked down to breakfast.
As she passed through a corridor, a piece of paper caught her eye. It was a flyer that proclaimed:
That sounds fun! Cal thought to herself. Arriving at the Great Hall, she found Annie and dragged her over to the Ravenclaw table, where she found their friend Ashley talking to another Ravenclaw girl. "Hey, Ash, can I borrow you for a moment?"Total Whiteout Challenge
Come to the courtyard today to participate in professor Kibitzer's Total Whiteout Challenge! Manage to build a fire and keep it going ten seconds in a magical blizzard and you win! Gather your friends, make a team, and may you do your best. All winning teams will receive hot cocoa from Professor Kibitzer.
Ash looked a little bewildered, but smiled. "Yeah sure." She turned to her housemate. "Excuse me for a moment."
They walked halfway between the two tables and Ash said, "Ok, so what's this about Cal?"
And Calypso proceeded to tell her friends about the Total Whiteout Challenge.
Word count: 268
ReducioPermission to god-mod given by @Ashley Coulson and @Suzanne Byrd
Last edited by Calypso Starling on 22 Jan 2021, 17:06, edited 2 times in total.
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be
insane by those who could not hear the music."
Ashley Coulson
11 Jan 2021, 22:46
Out in the Cold
[quote]@Suzanne Byrd
@Calypso Starling
Outfit for the Day
@Calypso Starling
Outfit for the Day
Reducio
Last edited by Ashley Coulson on 12 Jan 2021, 20:47, edited 2 times in total.
12 Jan 2021, 19:32
Out in the Cold
@Calypso Starling, @Ashley Coulson
Annie yawned. She checked her watch. 6:00? It had to be at least 7:00 by now. Annie sat up in bed. She figured she'd get an early start today. She got dressed, brushed out her hair (light blue today) and braided it clumsily down her back. It was friggid. She grabbed her favorite jacket and knit scarf her grandma Marie made her and hopped down the stairs to the common room.
It was much warmer in the common room. Annie sat down in a chair by the fire for a minute before climbing out of the portrait hole and walking down to breakfast. Annie sat down at the Gryffindor table and eagerly pulled a plate of toast toward her. She was starving. Just then, her fellow Gryffindor Calypso walked up to her. She said they needed to talk to Ashley, their Ravenclaw friend. For a minute, Annie looked sadly at her toast, then followed her to the Ravenclaw table. Ashley got up from her table and the two girls followed Calypso.
"Ok, so what's this about, Cal?" Ashley asked. Annie was wondering that herself. Calypso told them about the Total Whiteout Challenge. Manage to build a fire and keep it going ten seconds in a magical blizzard? That sounded like fun! It would be hard of course, but Annie liked a challenge. Agreeing to meet Ashley outside, Annie and Calypso headed back to Gryffindor to get ready. On the long walk to Gryffindor tower, Annie started to get nervous. She realized she didn't know any fire spells. We'll find a way, she told herself firmly.
Annie yawned. She checked her watch. 6:00? It had to be at least 7:00 by now. Annie sat up in bed. She figured she'd get an early start today. She got dressed, brushed out her hair (light blue today) and braided it clumsily down her back. It was friggid. She grabbed her favorite jacket and knit scarf her grandma Marie made her and hopped down the stairs to the common room.
It was much warmer in the common room. Annie sat down in a chair by the fire for a minute before climbing out of the portrait hole and walking down to breakfast. Annie sat down at the Gryffindor table and eagerly pulled a plate of toast toward her. She was starving. Just then, her fellow Gryffindor Calypso walked up to her. She said they needed to talk to Ashley, their Ravenclaw friend. For a minute, Annie looked sadly at her toast, then followed her to the Ravenclaw table. Ashley got up from her table and the two girls followed Calypso.
"Ok, so what's this about, Cal?" Ashley asked. Annie was wondering that herself. Calypso told them about the Total Whiteout Challenge. Manage to build a fire and keep it going ten seconds in a magical blizzard? That sounded like fun! It would be hard of course, but Annie liked a challenge. Agreeing to meet Ashley outside, Annie and Calypso headed back to Gryffindor to get ready. On the long walk to Gryffindor tower, Annie started to get nervous. She realized she didn't know any fire spells. We'll find a way, she told herself firmly.
WC: 265/600
"Without courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous or honest."~ Maya Angelou
Stamina: 4| Evasion: 4| Strength: 3| Wisdom: 8| Arcane Power: 6| Accuracy: 5
13 Jan 2021, 00:03
Out in the Cold
@Ashley Coulson
@Suzanne Byrd
Back in the dorm room, Calypso gathered her coat, mittens, winter hat, and scarf. She had never been in the midst of a "magical blizzard" before, but she knew she'd better bundle up tight. She grabbed her wand, stowed it in the inside pocket of her coat, and set off down the many staircases once more.
Why must Hogwarts have so many staircases? Cal wondered to herself, somewhere around the second floor. But she found she was getting used to the castle and it's many opportunities for exercise, and the climb got easier every time.
Finally, she arrived at the door to the Courtyard. Her friends were there waiting for her, and they all headed outside together.
And what a sight met them. Sure, Hogwarts may have been a winter wonderland, but the Courtyard? Well, it had been transformed into the type of artic tundra that even The Abominable Snowman himself would have his doubts about crossing. There was snow falling aggressively (yes, it turned out it could do that), a few brave groups of students scattered around, shivering while trying to light their fires and knee-deep in snow, and winds blowing so hard they might end up taking someone to Oz.
And in the middle of it all, in her own private circle of tauntingly calm, pleasant sunshine, stood Professor Kibitzer herself.
Cal turned to her comrades, who still stood taking in all the sights. "Well team, we might as well get started."Word count: 247Total count: 268 + 247 = 515/600ReducioPermission to god-mod given by @Ashley Coulson and @Suzanne Byrd
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be
insane by those who could not hear the music."
Ashley Coulson
13 Jan 2021, 18:02
Out in the Cold
@Suzanne Byrd
@Calypso Starling
ReducioPermission to goddmod given by @Suzanne Byrd and @Calypso StarlingAshley shivered so hard her whole body shook. Her thick coat, gloves, hat, and scarf provided little protection against the harsh, howling wind and the freezing snow that stung her cheeks. It was cold. So, so, so cold, colder than Ashley had ever experienced. It was horrible and exhilarating all at once. She could barely see anything through her fogged up glasses, but she did hear Calypso over the wind; "Well, team, we might as well get started."
"Okay," Ashley said, clapping her gloved hands"Let's find a spot."
Calypso and Annie nodded in agreement, and they set off through the blizzard, teeth chattering. After walking for about a minute, they stopped at a spot that was far enough away from the other students, but were still somewhat near the professor so she could find their frozen bodies easily, if need be. The three girls stood clustered together for body warmth as they surveyed their surroundings. There were branches, but they were probably wet. And none of them knew any fire spells yet, unfortunately.
"U-um," Ashley chattered, "D-do either of you know a-any spells or anything that could help u-us out he-here? Because I don't think I do."
Calypso and Annie looked lost in thought. Calypso was twisting her hair around her fingers, Annie was squinting her eyes against the storm and tapping her fingers on her leg, and Ashley was polishing her glasses.
After a long pause, Annie said, "I might have something."
Ashley looked at her with excitement. "What is it?"ReducioWord count - 392 + 259 = 651/600
14 Jan 2021, 16:57
Out in the Cold
@Calypso Starling, @Ashley Coulson
Once outside, Annie immediately wished she had put on another layer. 'It was really, really cold' would be an understatement to say the least. She wrapped her coat tighter around herself. This was going to be a lot harder than she expected. The snow covered literally everything, and it continued to come down, hungrily swirling around the students, trying to land on every surface possible. This was definitely a magical blizzard.
"Well team, we might as well get started," Calypso said.
"Okay," replied Ashley. "Let's find a spot."
The girls moved slowly due to the cold and walked over to an empty spot away from the other students. Annie looked around. She tried to think of ways to start a fire. Her mind came up blank.
"U-um."
Annie barely heard Ashley through the wind.
"D-do either of you know a-any spells or anything that could help u-us out he-here? Because I don't think I do."
Annie thought about it. She hadn't learnt the fire spell yet. She giggled to herself. That sure would help. We could do it the muggle way, Annie thought. With those matches things. When Annie was seven years old, she saw her muggle grandfather light a fire with matches, and she had been curious about how it worked. Her grandfather explained to her about friction and showed her how to do it, despite her parents protests that a seven year old really did not need to know how to light a match. They didn't have matches though, so she supposed that was a dead end. She tried to think about books she had read where someone had started a fire. Everything she could think of involved matches, or something like that. But what if...
"I might have something," Annie said.
"What is it?" Ashley said, excited.
"I don't think this would actually work," Annie said, tugging at a stray strand of hair. "But I was thinking about how muggles light fires with matches."
"We don't have matches, though," Calypso pointed out.
"I know. But I wonder if anyone else in the castle has them? Do either of you happen to know the summoning charm?"
The girls shook their heads.
"Oh well. That would be stealing anyway." Annie said, slightly disappointed.
"You're on the right track though," Ashley said. The girls sank into an even longer silence.
Once outside, Annie immediately wished she had put on another layer. 'It was really, really cold' would be an understatement to say the least. She wrapped her coat tighter around herself. This was going to be a lot harder than she expected. The snow covered literally everything, and it continued to come down, hungrily swirling around the students, trying to land on every surface possible. This was definitely a magical blizzard.
"Well team, we might as well get started," Calypso said.
"Okay," replied Ashley. "Let's find a spot."
The girls moved slowly due to the cold and walked over to an empty spot away from the other students. Annie looked around. She tried to think of ways to start a fire. Her mind came up blank.
"U-um."
Annie barely heard Ashley through the wind.
"D-do either of you know a-any spells or anything that could help u-us out he-here? Because I don't think I do."
Annie thought about it. She hadn't learnt the fire spell yet. She giggled to herself. That sure would help. We could do it the muggle way, Annie thought. With those matches things. When Annie was seven years old, she saw her muggle grandfather light a fire with matches, and she had been curious about how it worked. Her grandfather explained to her about friction and showed her how to do it, despite her parents protests that a seven year old really did not need to know how to light a match. They didn't have matches though, so she supposed that was a dead end. She tried to think about books she had read where someone had started a fire. Everything she could think of involved matches, or something like that. But what if...
"I might have something," Annie said.
"What is it?" Ashley said, excited.
"I don't think this would actually work," Annie said, tugging at a stray strand of hair. "But I was thinking about how muggles light fires with matches."
"We don't have matches, though," Calypso pointed out.
"I know. But I wonder if anyone else in the castle has them? Do either of you happen to know the summoning charm?"
The girls shook their heads.
"Oh well. That would be stealing anyway." Annie said, slightly disappointed.
"You're on the right track though," Ashley said. The girls sank into an even longer silence.
WC: 265+380= 655/600
Reducio
Permission to goddmod given by @Calypso Starling @Ashley Coulson
"Without courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous or honest."~ Maya Angelou
Stamina: 4| Evasion: 4| Strength: 3| Wisdom: 8| Arcane Power: 6| Accuracy: 5
14 Jan 2021, 18:10
Out in the Cold
@Ashley Coulson
@Suzanne Byrd
Calypso and her friends knelt in the snow, shivering violently and trying hard not to chatter their teeth out of their heads. I am going to need some serious orthodontal work after this, Cal thought to herself.
"I might have something." it was Annie who had spoken. It turned out she had had a not-half-bad idea about summoning matches, but it fizzled out almost as quickly as it came. Thinking of fizzling reminded Cal of a fire, which in turn reminded her of just how cold she was. Think, Calypso, think! Come on. Fire, fire... How do we start a fire in this weather? Getting a campfire to start in a blizzard would have been hard enough, but in a magical one? yeah, this was not going to be a walk in the park.
"Everyone empty your pockets," she instructed.
Altogether they only had two hair-ties, a gum wrapper, a few bronze knuts, and two sticks that had been collected on a walk near the Forbidden Forest. "We m-m-might be able to use those," Ash said, indicating the twigs. The other two nodded. "Wha-what if we rubbed them together really fast, like the muggle survivalists do in books?" Calypso's Ravenclaw friend demonstrated, vigorously scraping the two sticks together. After thirty seconds or so, Cal thought she saw a spark. It must have been her eyes deceiving her, however, because no flame followed. Ashley felt the stick. "It's a little warm!" She pressed it to her face, trying to absorb the heat into her skin. Despite the very small victory of the warm stick, Calypso knew they could never start a fire this way. None of them were strong enough, and by the time they succeeded (if they ever did), they would all be more frozen solid than popsicles. As if to remind them of this fact, professor Kibitzer directed a particularly harsh blast of icy wind and sleet toward their little group, causing all three girls to huddle down into the snow to try to avoid it.
Back to the drawing board, then. Calypso tried listing their assets in her head. So far, I only know Reparo, Tarantallegra, Nox, and Lumos. Her friends knew about the same. She briefly considered casting the dancing-feet spell on herself, just for a way to try and keep herself warm. But then, she thought of the lumos charm, and remembered something.
Back when she was small, when she would go over to her Aunties' house, her cousin Theo used to sit in the backyard and burn dried leaves with a magnifying glass. Never insects, though. Anyway, he had showed Cal how to focus the light of the sun through the lens, until it was a single point of light on the leaf. Then, the dead plant would start smoking and a hole would appear. Eventually, the leaf caught fire.
Theo's parents were always so mad when they caught him doing that.
But we don't have a lens, Cal thought, dismayed. She looked around their circle, and her eyes landed on Ash's glasses.
"H-hey, Ash?" Her friend turned to her. "Yeah?" "This is going to sound weird, but can I borrow you glasses for a sec?" Ash looked bewildered. "Umm, sure, I guess?" And she handed her spectacles to Cal. "Annie, hold them up like this, please?" Her fellow Gryffindor did as she instructed. Cal held her up her wand, wondering if this would work. After all, the light from a spell was of a different quality than sunlight.
Oh, stop overthinking this! It'll work, or it won't, but at least you'll have tried.
She positioned her wand, and spoke the incantation while performing the movement. "Lumos!"
A bright white-gold light erupted from her wandtip, and Annie turned Ash's glasses to catch it properly. The two sticks began to smoke. The three friends held their breaths.
With a spark and a sputter, a small flame bloomed on the sticks. "Yes!" The three young voices rang out, and were swallowed by the storm.
Word Count: 268 + 247 + 652 = 1167/600
ReducioPermission to god-mod given by @Ashley Coulson and @Suzanne Byrd
Word count not including others' words
"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be
insane by those who could not hear the music."
Ashley Coulson
24 Jan 2021, 22:25
Out in the Cold
@Suzanne Byrd
@Calypso Starling
It had worked! They had started a fire. Ashley couldn't see the fire very well - Calypso had her glasses, after all - but she could see a warm glow and she could feel it, too. She couldn't stop shivering.
"Th-this is so great, but I think we sh-should go in-inside now. Before we freeze out here," Ashley chattered.
Her friends nodded in agreement. They looked just as cold as she felt.
"Don't we get hot chocolate for doing this?" Ashley asked. Hot chocolate would be really good right about now. Or anytime, really. But especially now.
"Yes!" Calypso exclaimed. Annie smiled in agreement.
Together, they trekked back across the frozen landscape, talking lightly and shivering fiercely. While this had been a . . . different experience, Ashley didn't think she would be able to go outside in the snow again for a while. But oh well. It had been fun, she had to admit. And she didn't spend much time with other people, so it had probably been good to get out and socialize, at least a little.
So, even with the snow stinging her face and the wind tangling her hair and her limbs and fingers and toes were all frozen, she couldn't be happier. Well, except if hot chocolate was involved. Which, thankfully, it was.
ReducioPermission to goddmod given by @Calypso Starling and @Suzanne Byrd
word count - 651 + 213 = 864/600