Errand Pride Day at Hogwarts

I might have told a few people that my favourite colour was black(not that I wear it very often, especially in spring and summer)and they were surprised and all that, but I haven't really told many people that my second-favourite colour was the rainbow. I think that matters a lot now in June since it was pride month, and rainbows were everywhere right now.

However, Pride Month was a wonderful time when people could really be themselves, and it was a time for accepting people as they are. Actually, that should be a year-round thing, 365 days and 52 weeks entirely! But now especially. I was so happy they were doing an errand on it anyway because they were certainly many kids in this castle who needed that kind of support. I was wearing a rainbow tie-dye shirt with shorts, and I even had rainbow beads in my hair. A bit much, perhaps?

Well, I was only in the spirit. I froze in my tracks as I entered the castle courtyard. It looked like a rainbow had thrown up on the place. There were balloon arches, that were of course rainbow, and a handful of students doing different activities. There was a station where we could create poetry and share it with others, a station for beading pride-themed necklaces, and even a paint-and-sip station where we could sip butterbeer while painting on canvas.

Okay...I wanted to do everything, honestly, but I was going to pace myself. I decided to do the pride bracelet beading first. At first, I didn't know what colours to do the bracelet by, since I was a straight, cisgender girl(for now)who did not identify with the LGBTQIAP+ community. But I smiled and decided that I would express my artistic soul and my support/encouragement in any way I could. So, I decided to go wild with it and use all the colours.

Soon, my bracelet was decorated with red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, brown, light blue, pink, white, yellow, and purple, trying my best to put as many colours from the pride flag as I could. I made two of these, and put both of them in my pocket, hoping to give them to someone or keep one, I wasn't sure yet. Next, I went over to the canvas painting section, hoping to "unleash my artistic soul", as some might say.

I took my first cup of butterbeer(and promise myself to never tell anyone in my family that I did), and decided to try and unleash my artistic soul. Easier said than done. I sipped the butterbeer and looked at the empty canvas. Then, in a sudden bout of inspiration, I snapped my fingers and took a paintbrush, then dipped it in black paint. I brought it halfway across the top of the canvas, then let the paintbrush dry a little, and then I proceeded to use the last remaining wet paint to create a "fading black sunset" illusion if that makes any sense at all.

After that, I took some vibrant red paint and drew an arch on the canvas, then orange, then green, then blue, etc., until I had used all the colours of the rainbow. Then, at the bottom of the canvas, I painted a yellow line but stopped halfway. Then used the quickly drying yellow paintbrush to create another fading paint illusion until I reached the rainbow. So basically it looked like half of the canvas was painted black and yellow with a rainbow separating them.

On the other side of the canvas, I drew rainbow stripes along the remaining canvas space, finishing it off with a flourish. Not bad! Now I didn't have the energy to make a poem though, because I had used up all my creative/artistic energy for this. Wiping my hands on my clothes, I stepped back, finished sipping my butterbeer, and then admired my artwork. It wasn't museum-worthy, but it did look very nice, and very colourful too.

Banner Credit: Caoimhe Kyle

At Hogwarts, it was a stunningly shiny day outdoors today, making it yet another joyous occasion to celebrate. Ashley had set aside time to spend with his significant other. And at the moment Professor Galim has planned a lovely errand regarding Pride. Ashley had never celebrated a month of pride or understood what it entails. The boy who was only 11 years old, had no notion of what he was doing with the other lad, but he nevertheless understood that he felt something for him.

But today they were honouring an important occasion. love amongst people of the same gender. Ashley's affection knew no constraints, but everyone has preferences, and he instinctively knew he would constantly be with the other boy. However, only fate can determine how far they will be able to go together. The other youngster had to be ready for everything because life was filled with a wide variety of experiences and uncharted adventures.

The boy was to celebrate his first-ever pride occurrence, so he stood patiently waiting for Lucian to emerge soon so that they could start with the errand and perhaps Ashley will display his terrible creativity that will be meaningful to the other boy. However, with his mind shifting away from those thoughts, it was time, time had come for the lad to visit the courtyard and complete the errand assigned to students by Professor Galim.

Interacting with @ Lucian Mornstern

I was quite nervous for this. I had come to Ashley with this event I had saw, asking him if he wanted to attend with me. It was pride. Pride of your sexuality. Pride of yourself. Pride of others and accepting this fact about yourself. To be prideful and happy with who you are and how you live your life.

I… I didn’t quite know what I… was to be proud of. I was new to this. All of this urm, what was it, new to this LGBTQ plus community. I didn’t even know if I was part of it but a voice in my head every night that wouldn’t make the image of Ashley Montez fade from my brain. His warm and welcoming smile as well as his angelic voice. The fact that he is hotter than most girls in this damn place and the fact that I would like to look at boys just as much as girls. Yet… there will be not afraid to be who they are attending and what they are but me… I will always have to hide a part of me. I can never be as open as them.

I cleared my throat and scratched that skin that connects the front of your ear to your face. I ran my other hand through my hair. I looked in the mirror. Marvellous. Simple T and shorts with some sick ass trainers. With that, I left my dorm in search of the Courtyard where this would be held. The thought of someone seeing me there was scary as I hadn’t told anyone about my feelings for a certain Ravenclaw. He was… just amazing. I could star into his oceanic eyes for days upon days and seconds upon seconds and I’m not usually like this.

As I walked the halls of Hogwarts, I grew anxious by the second. I assumed I would be the one meeting Ash there given that I am not the most punctual in the world.

And I was correct.

There. In all his beauty. My blue eyed boy.

"Hi," I whispered to him as I got closer, my eyes wandering around the yard as I took everything in. "Are you nervous? Because… because I am a little," I told him, smiling softly. "This is my first urm pride," I revealed, "It yours too?" the urge to take his hand. To feel his skin in mine and announce to the world that I, Lucian Michael Bauer Mornstern, heir to the Wesley Fortune and first born grandson of Adrian Wesley, am very much gay for Ashley Montez.

"Hey, want to go write poems?" I had one in mind.

Banner Credit: Caoimhe Kyle

Ashley had been watching different kids from different houses connect with one another when he caught a glimpse of what appeared to be a divine being moving towards him. "There he comes, compose yourself!" he said himself at the time, but it didn't seem like the words were helping at all as butterflies were fluttering around in his stomach, and he felt his knees slowly weakening. He felt his heart beating a little bit faster and his cheeks reddening at the moment.

Now, what would he do? He didn't arrive with a present that he would deliver to the other young man. He was only trying to find the appropriate words to say because he was a little apprehensive. He found himself getting lost in thought once more, wondering what he was feeling for the youngster. We are, of course, celebrating the LGBTIQ+ community, but where does the boy even fit in all of this? Ashley first noticed something fascinating in Lucian the instant he set eyes on him. Although he did not give much mind to his sexuality before that, but from that moment on, Ashley became cognizant of what he was feeling. But he is unable to truly put a finger on it.

"Hi,"

When the other boy whispered, Ashley was startled out of his never-ending thoughts. His eyes both were twinkling when he turned to look at the other lad. He reddened and said, "Hi," to him. "Are you nervous? Because… because I am a little,". The boy then turned to face the rest of the courtyard while going completely silent. He struggled for a while before finally finding the words to say as his gaze turned back to Lucian. "I'm more than a little anxious". To prevent panic, he attempted normalising his rate while whispering under his breath. "This is my first urm pride," The other youngster said, then asked right away, "It yours too?" .. He exhaled deeply before saying, "Yep!"

The other boy had asked Ashley if she would want to go with him and compose poems, but the lad was really unsure and not very good at poetry, but there was another activity he kept an eye on. Then, he would accompany Lucian and attempt to write a poem for him.

Interacting with @Lucian Mornstern

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𝑀𝑒𝓃𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈: @ 𝐼𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇𝒶𝒸𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃𝓈: @Mahlioz Evethisawe

⟵ ---------------------------------- Thoughts | Speech

𝒪𝒪𝒞 𝒩𝑜𝓉𝑒 Reducio

Mellani noticed the surprise on Mahlioz's face as she greeted her, and knew that she should probably have stayed away. The silence was slightly awkward for a while. Mellani guessed Mahlioz had plenty of questions, although she obviously wasn't asking them at the moment. It wasn't like Mellani didn't have questions too. She did, but she knew that not everyone was comfortable with sharing, especially since Mahlioz and Mellani didn't even know each other that well.

Mellani had to say, she really found the mystery flag intriguing and longed to know what it stood for. Mahlioz said it looked slightly like the aro flag, and after a closer look, Mellani saw what she meant. It did look a bit like the aro flag. Mellani loved the colours, and she agreed with Mahlioz about it looking pretty. "I know right! I wish someone would tell us which one it is...", she said.

It was then that Mahlioz asked her which flag was her favourite. That wasn't a hard question to answer. Mellani had always loved the gay flag. She knew the question might also be a way of seeing whether she belonged to the community, and if yes, where exactly she did belong, but Mahlioz sounded innocent asking it, and Mellani doubted it was anything but an innocent question. "I've always liked the gay men's flag. The blues and greens look really good together. What about you?", she asked.

WIS: 8 ACC: 7 STA: 5 EVA: 5 ARC: 6 STR: 5
Fearless

Open to other interactions

408 + 238 = 646/400

Interacting with @Amadea Campbell | Word Count: 530/400

Serena had joined in the Pride celebrations at Hogwarts for a number of years now. Whilst she was not part of the community herself, she was an ally and supported those who were - though she was not entirely sure how many of her friends were. It was not really something that came up with people - mostly because she was incredibly awkward and bad at understanding her own emotions - and whenever she did, it had gone wrong in the past. She had learned her lesson and basically now just avoided talking about crushes with anyone. If she would, she would also avoid getting feelings for anyone. Luckily, her past feelings had dissipated over the year and hopefully, this just meant she would be crush-free for the rest of twenty-three.

Making her way to the Courtyard, she smiled at the display of colour everywhere. It reminded her of the time when she painted the courtyard a few years ago with - Amadea?! Think of the person and they shall arrive! Or rather, be spotted! Serena was just recalling when a group of people, including Amadea, had painted this very courtyard with colour and glitter and decorations. It was truly magnificent.

The badger grabbed some supplies. She grabbed a bowl of beads and thread, before making her way over to the fellow Hufflepuff, Serena grinned as she appeared near her, "Hey, mind if I join you?" Hoping for a yes (assuming it was a yes), Serena would perch down nearby - literally on the floor near the canvases - so that she could join her friend, even if they were doing different activities.

As she sat down, she placed the bowl of beads and threads in front of her carefully and allowed Pizza Rat to adjust. He had been on her shoulder the whole time but he quickly ran into her lap once she sat down and curled up into a ball when she crossed her legs.

"Watcha painting?" She asked her out of curiosity as she started to work on her own bracelets. Opting for rainbow colours, she picked out some red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple thread noting that the flag had six instead of the usual seven. She then pondered for a few moments before nodding to herself as though she had come up with an idea and took out some black, brown, lighter blue, pink and white thread.

Serena did not work with thread all that often but she had been given a jewellery-making kit for beginners by her father some years ago, which gave her an excuse to play around with the different supplies. Thread friend bracelets become something she found quite easy and fun to make - even though she never really gave them to anyone. In fairness, she also made them once or twice a year. Maybe this time, she ought to make a bunch and actually give them to her friends. Now that was a thought! For now, she focused on making a pride bracelet. She laid out the thread carefully, cutting them down to the right sizes before she started to plait them, trying to create a pattern with them.

Once upon a time, a brightly coloured event full of rainbows and crafts would have been right up Aly's alley. Perhaps she would have even complained about the distinct lack of flower-crown making and happily called herself the "Aly ally" while attending the Pride day with all of her friends. But it had been a tough year, and she had come alone... partially because she didn't have anyone to come with at the moment, and partially because she wanted to see the celebration from a perspective of someone who wasn't there to support other people, but perhaps, now, from someone who wanted to be supported.

She wasn't sure yet. She didn't know. But in the five months she'd been away, the fourteen-year-old - now fifteen - had certainly had her moments of panic, manic, and everything in-between, save talking about it all. Would her mother be disappointed if she knew her only daughter was whiling away her Saturday doing... this... instead of catching up on her studies? Probably, but Aly was trying to learn to like herself, and her attendance here was a large step forward to that.

She didn't know anybody around; there were a few older students who would probably have been sixth-years, and what seemed like a bazillion different gaggles of younger students like first- and second-years, who looked even smaller to Aly now after her absence than they had before she'd left Hogwarts in December.

What a relief it must be, to know yourself so young, the teenager marvelled as she moved between the stations, eyeing the bead station and spoken-word poetry with all the fear of someone with not-so-nimble fingers and a newly-developed fear of the stage. They can't be more than a few years younger than me, but they're so sure of themselves. Merlin, what I wouldn't give to be like that.

Still, the fact that she was here was more than nothing, and she found herself drawn to the easels and paint on the left instead of the other stations; Aly had zero artistic talent whatsoever, but she did have a great sweet tooth and an equally strong love for Butterbeer, which was something familiar in this strange world of brilliant rainbows and laughter. The fourth-year made a beeline for the refreshment, picking up a plastic cup that crinkled oddly in her tight grip and filling it with a ladle and a half's worth of Butterbeer. Then she turned, taking a deep breath, to eye the folks at the easels nearby.

The two sixth-years were here, neither of whom Aly really knew, and there were plenty of younger students, probably second- and third-years, but again, their faces were unfamiliar to her. Still, there was an easel open at the end of the row, and Aly cautiously approached it and took a seat in front of it.

The blank canvas stared her down like an enemy in a duelling ring or an opposing Chaser flying at full breakneck speed towards the hoops she had once so loved to guard. Aly's face fell. What in the name of Ravenclaw am I supposed to draw?

Aly had never really studied what it meant to be a student of this community, so she knew absolutely none of the flags - save one, the only banner she had ever thought could possibly, just maybe, apply to her, someday in the future, when she wasn't so scared to be herself. Well, here she was: not as scared anymore. Still not ready to say it, but perhaps painting could be her words.

The young Ravenclaw picked up a nearby trio of brushes and dipped the first in a navy blue, the second in a vibrant violet, and the final in a truly horrifying shade of screaming flamingo pink.

Now she had her colours. All she had to do next was figure out the subject... but, for now, squiggly lines on a canvas would have to do, whilst she figured out both the painting and herself.