Ice, Ice, Baby Errand

They/She

Pax had been looking for the next adventure, the next thrill, in Hogwarts. They'd explored as much as they could, so when they'd seen the posters plastered around the school for a 'Polar Plunge', they figured it couldn't hurt to give it a try.

So, on January 7th, they wrapped themselves up with a jumper they didn't mind getting wet and sports leggings over a one-piece swimsuit and made their way down to the Great Lake. Smiling at Caretaker Greer as they took the paper, for once they didn't look around for their friends. As much as this would be a fun thing to do with friends- and maybe they would next year- the things they wanted to achieve for this year felt pretty personal. They weren't sure if they were ready to share them, not just yet.

Things I want to achieve in 2023:
- Run at least four times a week
- Practice my flying skills and my quidditch skills at least three times a week
- Get outside more, try hiking at least once a week if possible
- Pay more attention in class and actually put effort into studying outside of class
- Strengthen and nurture the friendships I have made across the last year, and make the most of them
- Appreciate my family more
- Enjoy life more and appreciate the little things
- Lead Gryffindor to their first fricking quidditch win of the year

Being made to look back on the past year was tough for Pax. It wasn't as easy as they'd thought it would, remembering some of the tougher moments and realising that they hadn't achieved all of the things they wanted to. But they had to look forwards. They would achieve everything they wanted to this year.

Forcing a smile onto their face, they pushed themselves to enjoy this experience. This was something they'd not get to do again for 2023, so they had better make the most of it. A good send-off for 2022, they supposed.

Nodding at the instructions and rules Caretaker Greer and Nurse Frogge had outlined to everyone who had shown up, Pax made their way to the edge of the lake. They remember always enjoying swimming when they had been a kid, but they'd never done it such freezing cold temperatures. Nonetheless, they would do this.

Not wanting to get caught in the mess of people, they waited a little after the 'Go!', doing their own personal mini countdown under their breath.

"3... 2... 1... Just do it! Agh!"

They ran, and leapt into the depths of the lake.

The cold instantly engulfed them as they jumped into the lake, tingling on their skin. However, the biting cold didn't stop a genuine smile from emerging on their face. As they surfaced, they were gasping for breath but with a wide grin.

"Oh shit! Oh my god, this is cold!" Pax yelped loudly, but the smile was yet to fade.

Even though they were shaking, the longer they lingered in the icy waters, the more their body adjusted, and the more they wanted to stay in there. It was a nice change of pace, there was something soothing and tranquil about the stillness of it. Only when it began to hit closer to five minutes and that they were one of final few left that Pax realised they had to get out now. With no regrets, they climbed out and gratefully took a towel, wrapping closely around them.

"Thank you for this," they smiled gratefully at the two staff before slowly making their way back up to the castle.

Reducio

Word Count: 603

Mention: Caretaker Greer and Nurse Frogge

Date: January 7th 2023

This year, I, Matthew Robertson, would like to become an asset the the Gryffindor Quidditch team and be recognised for my abilities as a goalkeeper. To not embarrass myself on the pitch and to make sure that I do not let my team down. This year, I, Matthew Robertson wish to explore as much of the Castle as I can, to not take myself too seriously, to have fun whilst I'm here because although it's school, I am ultimately surrounded by friends and I need to try and make lasting friendships and memories. I suppose I could try a little harder in History of Magic too...

^{English:⁠★German:★French:★Thoughts:⁠★}

^{Word Count: 764}

slightly mentioning @Irina Sousa

Reducio

+Fluffy socks and hair done in a tight braid.

Beatrice wasn't sure why she had decided to do this. There was no logical explanation to what had driven her to jump into a cold lake in January on her first weekend back to school. Especially without anyone there that she knew. Why hadn't she thought of coming here with a friend of hers? Perhaps Irina would have come with her? The newly 12 year old girl walked down to the lake, fast steps and a hard expression. Beatrice had turned 12 on the 1st of January and although she didn't feel much different, her Parents seemed to be expecting more from her with every year.

Other students walked down with her, either slow and talking to their Friends or also fast. Chatter could be heard all over the place. Some were wearing Bathing suits and others went with casual clothing, perhaps having a bathing suit under their Clothes? Beatrice herself wouldn't be caught dead in such a tiny piece of clothing in winter. She was wearing tights and a tight sport shirt. The Converse on her feet were old and black so she didn't worry about wearing them in the lake. She was a good swimmer and even with clothes, Beatrice wasn't worried that she was going to be slow.

Once Beatrice was down at the lake, standing between several people, everyone was given a piece of parchment paper. They were supposed to write a goal or something like that on the paper. Something they wanted to achieve or something that should come true this year. Beatrice stared at the paper in her hand, biting her lip and trying to think of something that she could write down. There were several possible answers to the question of heat Beatrice wanted in 2023 but none of them seemed important enough. She stepped from one foot onto the other, subtly scratching the side of her head while thinking. She mindlessly kicked a few little rocks away from her and then finally scribbled something on the small piece.

experience something from the muggle world with a friend

Her hands slightly shook from the cold air. The lake was still partly frozen and a lot of people seemed to be cold. Beatrice felt a little silly with what she had written down because it wasn't something big and probably not exiting for most people, but for Beatrice it was something that was forbidden from her parents even tho it wasn't something that would harm her and she wanted to learn more about how muggles lived. They probably didn't throw annoying balls on Christmas or talk about Pureblood things because they don't have stuff like pureblood and halfblood and everything that was in between or around that. At least that's what Beatrice thought, she didn't actually know if that was the truth.

She mindlessly walked closer to the lake with the others, listening to the instructions. The paper was going to melt away or something like that as soon as it hit water and they could swim untile where it was marked. Beatrice had a plan to put the paper between her lips and let it sink in the deepest water possible. Which wasn't very deep since she couldn't go further than everyone else. "Okay, I think that's everything! Everyone ready?" Beatrice snapped away from her thoughts. Set...GO!"

Before she knew it, she was running to the lake with a dozen of people, the ice cold water hitting her feet and legs first as she stumbled into it before her whole body hit the water. A gasp escaped Beatrice's lips but she didn't let go of the paper that was stuck between them. Her head was above the water as she swam particularly fast through the cold water. Beatrice didn't really notice anything around her after a couple seconds, concentrating on the cold icy wet feeling that was surrounding her.

Her tight brad was definitely the right choice for this, it would have been awful to swim with open hair. Once Beatrice arrived at the end of the marked space, she swam in one spot, taking the piece of paper out of her mouth and dunking it into the water. She didn't wait long but she was how it faded away. Beatrice turned, hurrying to the shore in a fast swim. She stumbled out of the lake, taking a few deep breaths and getting handed a coat from someone. She said a quick »Thanks you.« before her teeth started to click against each other and her body begann to shake, the awful wet feeling setting in every.

Credits to @Kim Sato for the banner.

Date: 7th Jan '22

What had gotten into Damion that he had decided that he was going to do something like this... Damion was somewhat crazy to even consider doing something like this to be honest. Well if this was a way to get himself the guy he was crushing on so be it. He didn't much think about what he was going to do. He wanted to be out here.

Despite it being cold, he didn't care about it. All he wanted was to be there as he wanted to do things that were out of his own comfort zone. He had never thought of going into a Icey cold lake in a day that was cold as well. But here He was attempting to do that.

He had not thought much about it. What was there to think about things now... He had just made it in time to hear what the Caretaker and Nurse were saying. He made his way to where the caretaker and nurse were to take the paper. Firstly he needed to write things that he wanted in the new year. He knew who were on the top of his list.

Of course Kim Aoki (Sato)… The guy he had a massive crush on. It was no secret that Damion cared a lot about him. He just remembered about the duel he had seen where Kim had ended up unconscious. He had cried seeing Kim fall unconscious. Well... maybe he was falling too hard too fast in love with the younger boy but what else did he have to lose. Even if he was falling in love too fast. Anyways, he took the paper and wrote....

-Kim Aoki.
- Captain of the Dueling Team.
- Being the prefect of Ravenclaw.
- Having good friends.
-Win Quidditch Match.

Then taking off the warm clothes and getting changed into the trunks that he had got with himself, he made his way to the edge of the Lake. Was his list worth this? He thought. He could feel the cool air of the surroundings enveloping him. If this was the situation now, what would happen once he took a dip into the water of the Great Lake.

"1....2....3...." He counted before jumping in the icy cold water.

Damn the water was too cold. He shivered a little as he watched the paper dissolve in the water. Okay! that was easy. He thought. He had walked out of the icy cold water. He made his way to the place where Nurse and Caretaker were to get the warm coat. But before that dried himself off with the blue towel that he had next to his clothes; he wore his clothes and walked to the Nurse and Caretaker to get the warm coat. He put his hands inside the pocket.

"The things you do in the name of love" He said to himself hoping that no one would listen to what he was saying. He was not talking about anyone specifically. He was just thinking about the things he was willing to do in the name of love and how crazy those were going to be eventually.

Words: 525
Errand Status: Complete
Outfits: Swiming Trunk || What he was wearing

Truth time. The frigid waters would not be the only thing to take her breath away that afternoon. After AngelFyre had taken her outer clothing off and had slipped back into her coat, Simon then followed suit and proceeded to get out of his things. She had seen him shirtless only a couple of times before, but oh golly gosh what an impression it had left on her.

Her fellow really was a teenage Adonis and she found it even more astonishing to think that he had not even really begun to reach his growth peak yet. There was still much filling out to do, no doubt, but there was some nice chiseled, definition to his musculature already. She did acknowledge to herself that she was staring, but when presented with such a wondrous vision, it was nearly impossible to turn one's gaze away. It was for AngelFyre anyway. If she were not already an insomniac, these few moments would be indelibly imprinted into her memory banks, creating a little film strip that would play in a loop in her mind, keeping her up for days... maybe even months... all on its own merit. Who was she kidding? This would be a mind picture revisited quite often, no doubt about that.

She sighed deeply again and smiled inwardly, forcing herself to turn away before he could catch her leering at him as if he were a side of beef, which would not, on any normal occasion, garner the attention of her vegetarian self. Now looking down at her things, she found she simply could not help it. She turned her head just a little, hoping her golden curtain of hair might shield her wanton gaze upon him once more, but he was already done and looking her way. Hoping he had not clued in to what she had been doing, she offered up the race by way of distraction for them both. Plus, it honestly just sounded like fun.

And then Simon said something that broke the spell beautifully because he made her laugh. "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa! Did you really just call me Sugar Puff?" and she tried not to smile so she puckered her lips inwardly just a bit. He at least had had the presence of mind to flash her a quick, 'I have no idea what that was' smile and then he hurriedly looked away, which tickled her no end. "Sounds rather like a breakfast cereal, doncha think... and she paused for dramatic effect before finishing with "Count Chocula?" She was able to contain herself for all of maybe two Mississippis and then she really burst out laughing for reasons most everyone around them would have no clue about but she knew Simon would laugh, too.

Gosh she loved being in love. No. That was not it. She loved being in love with Simon.

*************

Ten minutes later and a little worse for wear (mainly AngelFyre) they both made their retreat from the Great Lake and onto dry land. She had brought something with her that was in her satchel, and they would get to that, but first they ran over to Nurse Frogge and Caretaker Greer to get warmed up and to get the promised coats. AngelFyre did not mind the cold, generally, but this was on a whole different level.

After they thanked both of the sponsors of this crazy fun for the opportunity to swim in the lake, they made their way back to the V-shaped logs, hand in hand as usual, but they were both shaking and slurring their words a little. This, too she found funny. "Y- yuh- you kkknow," and a violent, involuntary body shudder overtook her and she burrowed as close as she could get to him before she continued, "I was th - thinnnnkking on the way d- d-down here about the movie Ti - Ti -...Titannnic-cc, annnnd how, unnn unli-kkkke Rose, I - I - I would have llllet you on the mmmman-tle orr dddooorrr or whhhhatevv- evverr sshe was fl-lloattting on, ev...ev..even ifffff it didddd sssink w..wi..with bbboth of us," and she burrowed even more into him. Then wrapping her arm around his bare waist she smiled into his chest. "I... I... have nnnnow haddd reason..nnn to re-... reccon-sssider. Ssss....ssoorrrry, Mmmmav," and she meant to laugh, but it was some weird, maniacal warble that made her sound craaaaazy.

Taking a deep breath, she let go of him, and even though his normal body temperature was lower than any human's, he was warmer than that water by a long shot. She missed him immediately and the comfort immediately. She grabbed her satchel and and began to feel her fingers again coming to life with the stinging sensations lighting up her hands. The fumbling with the latches to get to the quilt was kept somewhat to a minimum given that development, so she grabbed it and stood up, walking over to get her dry clothes and his.

Now she found she was able to smile at him. "I need to get out of these wet clothes, love. And since I do not particularly want your dhampy self," and she totally cracked up at her intended pun there... "waving a wand at me to dry me off, I have a good, old fashioned Muggle solution. No offense, but you might actually catch me on fire, and THAT I do not want to go through again, handsome," and she winked, or tried to do a close facsimile of one. Numbness was still a prevalent concern at the moment. "See? I brought this goose down quilt. If you will just hold it up, I can step between these bushes and do a quick change. Then I will be happy to do the same for you. No one can get to the area behind us and the bushes will be cover from the sides. So long as you promise to be a good boy," and she arched an eyebrow at him, hoping he would tease that he could make no promises, but it was simply ceremonial because she knew he would be a good boy.

"You will have a much happier girlfriend once I am out of these wet, freezing clothes. You do not want me to get pneumonia before our hot date tonight, do you?" Then she bent over and kissed the top of his wet head while dropping the quilt into his lap.

"I do admit to a wee bit of an ulterior motive here. Once we are in dry clothes, nothing says we cannot wrap ourselves together in the quilt and see where things go from there," and she raised her eyebrows a couple of times at him before moving over to the bushes.

Interacting with the fabulous @Simon Kincaid

Hades had known about a small event that captured his attention, something called Polar Plunge. He didn’t know the details so well, but he was intrigued. It wasn’t a common enough thing for miss Greer to organize this sort of thing, and it would be nice to socialize a little. Even though that would mean he had to get into the lake... The mere fact of putting his body in hellish temperatures would be too much for him. After hearing that many students were going to participate in it, he had changed his mind and decided that he should not retract.

x

It was true that it might seem quite attractive but every risk had to be limited and justified. What would it do if he got sick from getting in the cold lake? There was a potion that helped a lot for colds, so Hades didn’t really care much.

Hades came to the place where he was supposed to attend, in his attire that allowed him to keep warm at these temperatures. For him, he thought this was quite daring. Hence the reason why it had motivated him to go ahead with whatever it was he had to do. He stared at the pieces of parchment given to him by miss Greer. He said nothing, actually he just heard what that woman was saying and started writing on the paper. It was quite difficult because his mind was in chaos.

Reducio

It is difficult to set a clear goal for the new year, but I hope I can find all the answers to the questions I am asking. I would also like to solve family problems, because I no longer trust my parents since I discovered my real name. I find myself in a confused situation, and even in a dark place.... I hope I can get out of there soon and find the happiness I need. So my goal is to be happy all year round. Ah and I wish I could succeed to join the duelists!

He smiled pleased because at least he had finished writing his goals. Or so Hades believed. There was something that made him feel like it wasn’t enough. Maybe the fact that he could have added more things? He should have, but he felt it was stupid because the truth is that he only wanted to focus on the goals that had their greatest importance, in which they had greater meaning for his own development. He would already have time to focus on other goals.

The boy was so distracted that he did not realize that someone had said his name. He came out of his daydream and looked at the adult women, then laid his eyes on the lake “My apologies.” the badger muttered. Following the given indications, Hades walked into the water. The first thing he felt was the icy cold that embraced his legs, then a cold current that he covered by the thorn “Merlin's beard! It is very cold!” Hades complained, placing the paper in the water and could see how it was dissolving. It made him look surprised. When the paper dissolved completely, Hades hurried out of the water as he trembled, feeling his skin had frozen. His legs barely held but he made an effort to maintain his composure. Unfortunately, his talent betrayed him, his eyes had become almost white and his hair almost gray, a reaction to contact with the cold water. He stood there while rambling that it was crazy and he would never do it again.

Time : N/A

Clothing : Grey Sweater, White Shoes and Black Jeans

Reducio

Location : Great Lake

Word Count : 502

He did not know what drove him to wanting to jump into the great lake on a very very cold January day. Probably the thrill, the adrenaline of being cold. He didn't see the use since he was already used to it. In the backyard of his family manor, there was a lake which froze over during the winter, and he had forgotten to check the thickness of the ice before skating on it, that was the reason why he was completely soaked on a cold winter day. You'd think he had learned his lesson, not until the 5th time apparently. That was also why he realized that he should seriously work on remembering different things. I should probably write that down. He thought as he walked down to the great lake where the event was arranged, he was seriously thinking if he should change clothes. After all, he was in normal clothes. Regardless, as he got there, he received a slip of parchment from professor Finley and was instructed to write something that I would see myself in 2023. She also said that after we would be jumping into the lake, but on the shallow part only. I nodded and reluctantly wrote. It took me a while to write the things down on my slip of paper.

1, Keep my straight O streak for the rest of the year and hopefully until I graduate
2, Be more friendly rather than always focusing on school work every second I have
3, Learn how to fly on a broomstick and hopefully become a quidditch player
4, Be more adaptable to the things that happen around me, including the different challenges I face with friends
5, Attempt to keep no secrets to anyone else
6, Overall care for my peers more than myself, kind off
7, Being nicer to those who have wronged me in the past
8, Remember to work on remembering to do non school things

He had just finished writing on the piece of paper when the caretaker said that that was everything, hurriedly he got up and ran to the edge of the lake. "Everyone ready? Set GO!" He jumped in shouting in joy "Woo Hoo!" he hit the water and could already feel the cold embracing his body, but oddly it felt quite nice, he could hear other people screaming that it was cold. Jumping into the shallow water was fun, but the water was a bit- too shallow, when he plunged in he twisted his ankle on impact with the floor, being tall sometimes sucked. "Ah Shit! My ankle!" He screamed, he had taken some water through when he screamed, and he was struggling to get up and out of the lake. It took around 4-5 minutes, thankfully he was used to the cold, since that would be another thing aside from his ankle. He gasped for some air, he was holding his ankle, he cursed under his breath. “Why did I think this was a good idea?”

English : #15a2ed | Korean : #59b565 | Others : #787878

Mentions :@Lilliana Havenmore