Closed First Year Entrance: Group 1 2023-2024 PV

[ september, 2023 ] ♥ outfit

action: join boat 4

When the tear stains finally dried and left an uncomfortable feeling on her streaked face, the train came to a halt. Her fingers were slack, head tilting to one side, WALL-E buried in the crook of her arms. The sudden jolt made the rat squeak indignantly, clawing at the sleeves of her mistress.

Xin tugged on her robes, snugging into it as she exited the steam engine. Her robes were plain black, so frail in the night wind. "Come on, " she muttered, the cold moving in only to meet the warmth of her blood, eventually freezing it into chunks that pierced her lungs. It was September in England, the perfect autumn month, yet the cold was seeping through her clothes.

She was met by the gloomy and ever darkening sky, the murky river, and the crowds of students, with cats and owls meowing and hooting in an ear splitting racket. She held the rat a bit tighter, her slender fingers caressing its soft fur.

Her gaze was met by the flimsy lantern in the depths of the dark, beckoning her towards the boats. A woman was holding the lantern and calling out to all the first years; behind her, the murky waters seemed to rouse. Terrified yelps could be heard all around the girl as she made her way through the crowds and onto a boat. She sneered; WALL-E laughed too, and took his usual seat - on top of her head.

There were three other students on the boat when Xin arrived; she recognized Pyxis but had never seen the others before. The two girls seemed like friends, although the firstie had unnerving feelings about the one with ebony hair - she seemed like those snobbish purebloods who detested muggles. "What a field trip, " she snickered, and took a seat beside Pixie.

"Hi Pixie," Xin smiled shyly, thank goodness it was dark and no one will be able to see the red slowly forming of her cheeks. "How are you doing?" It was a terribly bland and boring greeting, but her brain had suddenly gone blank the moment she saw him. The girl gave another polite nod to the other two girls, definitely some pureblood, she thought with a grimace.

The boats departed. Xin watched the sea, lost in the rhythmic percussion of waves. Her eyes are steady to the horizon, watching the castle getting closer and closer, before twilight beckons the stars. Her lips bear the semblance of a smile, just enough to show that she is enjoying her thoughts, whatever they may be.

And then there was lurk. A jolt. And a even larger crack of wood. The boat was veering off way from the caretaker. WALL-E scrambled into her pocket. She felt someone lean on her before quickly moved away. Another sudden jolt. Xin yelped slightly. Her fingers clasped a robe corner before quickly withdrawing it. She heard the cries, the swears, the splinters, they were slowly tightening around her neck, eventually choking the girl until no more. The darkness was closing around her, like an invisible cage bounding her tight.

Take a deep breath.

Her crooked fingers slacked. She managed to must out the words "Yeah, I'm fine," although it felt anything but fine. "An-n-nd you?" Her words jumbled a bit, as she gave the boy a shaky smile.

@pyxis hellebore & @helena rose & @remedy norden –––––– ♥

Twists and Turns

Whatever strange fate that had befallen this group of first years was only going to become stranger and stranger.

The creaking of wood could be heard once more, though this time not from a splitting or cracking of the boats. Slowly but surely, the boats would begin to spin. Hardly noticeable at first, especially to the already panicked caretaker, but when suddenly the boats were all facing different directions, it became hard to ignore.

What the hell is happening?

As Finley fumbled for her wand (despite what some of these first years thought of her, Finley was not the most adept at magic), the boats began to spin faster and faster. First it wasn't a bother, perhaps it would be a bit fun. Faster and faster they turned as students were surely now being knocked into one another by the sheer force and speed.

The caretaker pointed her wand once more at her own boat, "Finite Incantatem!" The boat slowed, allowing a dizzy Fin to aim at the other boats surrounding her. "Hold on, I'm going to stop your boats!" One by one, Finley put an end to the spinning of the befuddled boats, each coming to a slow stop. Just as Fin raised her wand to stop the last boat (Boat 5, @Lucy Summer, @Kit Isabelle Blaine, @Kenyi Diallo, @Edmund Ayala), the speed would become too much for the four students inside, as each of them were flung out of the boat, now finding themselves in the icy cold waters of the Great Lake.

"Oh no..." Finley mumbled under her breath. "Right, no one else move! I'm going to stop your boat and then we'll try to get you back in!" The caretaker cast the general counter-spell on the now empty boat, before diving in herself to help aid the students back to their boat.

And surely the rest of the students would stay calm and seated, right?

All Aboard! → Seperation Anxiety → Twists and Turns → ??? (October 31)

OOC notes:
This is going swimmingly, isn't it? Boat 5, you have bee flung out of your boat! The four of you are allowed to briefly mention Finley helping you back into your boat should you choose. The rest of you, how do you react? Are you going to try and help? Sit and laugh?

As a reminder, please do not write beyond what I have described in the mod posts (seeing the castle, the boats moving, etc).

The list below is for tagging purposes. Only the list in the first post will be regularly updated. Assume all boats are full, as any newcomers will be acting as if they have been there from the beginning.

Reducio

Boat 1: Finley Greer, @Ashley Young, @Astra Norrick, @Sere Nade
Boat 2: @Joyce Cromwell, @Kerry Foster, @Ulysses Drake
Boat 3: @Boston Cardoni
Boat 4: @Helena Rose, @Remedy Norden, @Leaf Shard, @Pyxis Hellebore, @Fang Yun-Xin (Due to an oversight on my part, this boat is allowed to have 5 people in it as a ONE-TIME EXCEPTION. Your boat has been specially fitted to allow for an extra person, you're not squished).
Boat 5: @Lucy Summer, @Kit Isabelle Blaine, @Kenyi Diallo, @Edmund Ayala

Something odd was definitely happening. The boats started moving around and soon they weren't in such a neat formation as before. At first, Leaf didn't really think much of it- after all, the caretaker was with them and would undoubtedly solve any minor problems like this. So there was no need to worry.

But things have a habit of going wrong when you least expect them to: and this was a perfect example.

All the boats drifted further and further into disarray. Spinning, turning, rocking from side to side. It was all very terrifying from Leaf's perspective, as they were a little afraid of water. The idea of falling into the dark depths of the chilling lake was unbearable itself.

When they had adjusted to the terrifying movement of the boat, Leaf looked to the caretaker, who had her wand out and was casting some spell that Leaf couldn't hear because of the sound of the wood splitting. It's alright. You're not going to fall in.

Just as all the boats were ceasing to spin, the fifth boat wouldn't stop, and all its occupants were flung into the lake. Leaf didn't know who they were, and so they didn't really care. But something made them feel petrified. What if they also fell into the lake? Would they drown? Despite being back and comfortable in the steady boat, they could see themselves out there in the water, struggling to breathe.

The caretaker looked just as panicked as Leaf felt. They didn't make their fear visible, though. To anyone else they'd just be peering over the side of the boat. The best way to help is to stay out of the way, They thought, if you try to help, you'll only be another addition to the chaos.

Kerry, sitting on the boat which had not yet started, was looking around her, trying to get used to this undoubtedly typically Scottish landscape. She felt excited, slightly, but also anxious to be on the edge of what she called "her new life".

Another pupil came to sit in the boat, a well-groomed but incredibly tall boy. Kerry stared at him for a second before remembering that staring at people was not exactly polite. The student then introduced himself and Kerry stared him again, the head suddenly empty. Now it was her turn to introduce herself. A moment's hesitation later, she replied:

- Hi Ulyss... Uly. I'm Kerry. Um... Nice to meet you.

"See Mum, I'm polite." The little girl didn't know what else to say, chatting to strangers really wasn't her talent, even if at this very moment she was enjoying the company. And then, the boats launched themselves onto the smooth water of the lake... With a shaking, startling Kerry with surprise. Was this normal? She didn't really know.

And to make the journey worse, just as the boats were sailing in only one move, they suddenly began to separate from each other. Was this normal again? Kerry turned her head in all directions, remaining wisely in her seat, but the other boats were now barely visible. She could hardly hear Miss Greer anymore. Then Uly spoke, and he really didn't sound worried. "Folk?", Kerry had never heard that word before. She shrugged her shoulders at her neighbour's words and said:

- It's all right...

But apparently the first years weren't over their surprises, because suddenly the boats started to spin... Faster and faster... So fast that Kerry felt like she was going to be blown off the boat for good. Her pulse racing, she dug her fingers into the wood, doing her best to keep her balance. The little girl shouted:

- This is really not normal!

And suddenly their boat stopped spinning. Kerry caught her breath and realized that it was Miss Greer who had stopped their boat with a wave of her wand. And she was already focused on the last boat... Which suddenly ejected its passengers. Kerry opened her mouth but no sound came out, she was completely shocked by the scene. And to add to her shock, it was now Miss Greer who dived and disappeared into the water. Somewhat unconsciously, she straightened up, no longer really sitting down, trying to see the children and Miss Greer who were into the icy water. In the name of Merlin, what on the Earth was going on with this crossing?

Boat Four [@Helena Rose @Remedy Norden @Fang Yun-Xin @Leaf Shard]
Potentially interacting with one of @Lucy Summer @Kit Isabelle Blaine @Kenyi Diallo @Edmund Ayala

Most of his boatmates hadn't responded, and that left Pyxis thinking that they were either fine or too shocked by the sudden off-kilter movement of their vessel. He turned to Yun-Xin, a girl he came to know from the summer camp in July. Before things went south, he had responded to her greeting and gave a nonchalant answer, alluding to a particularly boring summer. He did wish to converse with her more about everything that awed him, but the boy simply could not stop being awed to have a chat. Thankfully, Yun-Xin seemed alright after the short fiasco.

"Yeah, I'm go- WOAH!" Pyxis' calm was suddenly interrupted by their boat now beginning to spin out of control. He grabbed the base of his seat again to steady himself and expected that the shift would soon stop on its own like the forceful jerk had. To his surprise, the boy began sliding across the bench, bumping into whoever was sitting next to him and he hoped that the contact wasn't painful or uncomfortable for them. But he really couldn't do anything about it while becoming disoriented from the rotation of the boat.

Relief came soon after as the vessel slowed its pace and Pyxis could spot the form of Miss Greer holding out her wand at them before the dizziness claimed him. The boy shut his eyes and braced himself, begging the feeling to go away. It seemed like he was right to be wary of the boat trip after all, and while the feeling in his tummy was nothing close to what happened after his first portkey trip, he still wasn't having a good time.

But before he could throw himself a pity party, he heard several splashes and opened his eyes to see several people in the water. As Miss Greer jumped in after them, Pyxis watched on helplessly. He did want to be a hero, but he wasn't daft. The fleeting summer air would have had no effect on the lake as the dark waters were sure to be freezing. So instead of getting his expensive robes wet - there surely aren't drycleaners at Hogwarts, are there? - he put one hand on the gunwale and leaned over the side of the boat, hopefully not enough to cause it to tip. If any of the members of the last boat were nearby to him, he would stick out his other hand and beckon them over, intending to pull them aboard.

Boat Two!

@Joyce Cromwell, @Kerry Foster, @Ulysses Drake

"Aaaa!!!"

The fourth in boat two finally spoke up- screaming with delight as the boat suddenly began to spin. The entire ride so forth had been awfully boring to the girl. She had spent much of the trip watching the ripples in the water, wondering if the giant squid would make an appearance. Now that the boats were separated and things were spinning, the bored girl seemed to come alive with noise and joy!

For the others not in the second boat, what would likely draw attention was her suddenly laughing as the spinning stopped but another boat was met with misfortune.

"Pft- Haha!"

The sound of boisterous laughter could be heard coming from the second boat in the flock of oarless rowboats. The source of the loudness was a rather small thing, a girl with wild curls that hung and shook messily as her head rocked back and forth from both laughter and the swaying of the boat. It seemed she took the incident at boat five as a source of great entertainment! It was fine, right? Everyone seemed alright, so it was okay to laugh, right?

Rhys leaned back with a crooked grin. She rested her body weight against the edge of the boat. Her hands clasped the rim of the boat with a wide grin while scouring the water for any possible fallen hats or other things from the incident. It was a fun game, right? Her eyes flickered up to the other boats.

The girl glanced over her shoulder to the others in the boats, a wicked grin flashing across her face as she chattered out.

"Do you think maybe the giant squid’s causing all this?! I wonder if it’s got a tentacle on each boat! Maybe it’s gonna eat some of the kids that went overboard!?"

Riley wasn't paying attention. She was too distracted wondering what kinds of creatures were in the trees and lake to notice what boat she was shoved into and didn't mind the other students as she sat at the back of the boat looking back at the waves it's movement created. She wondered if she could see something following along one of them when she heard a ruckus happening in another boat. She had turned to see what had happened only to find some students laughing. The castle was not in sight yet so Riley returned her gaze to the water and found that whatever had been there was now gone.

With it's absence, she noticed the bright stars reflected and looked up. She had never seen such a bright sky back in Dublin and the sight took her breath away. Then, lights filled the sky and the first glimpses of the castle came into sight. Riley's brother had told her that the castle was larger than some of the buildings in the city but failed to truthfully relay the spectacular sight. It was in this moment that Riley also noticed fireflies and all the living insects that, like the students, floated towards the great lights with hope in their hearts for food, comfort, shelter, and home.

Under the inky sky, the first-years gathered at the edge of the Black Lake, anticipation coursing through the air like magic. The giant squid lazily breached the surface, adding an element of mystery to the moonlit waters. Yehor and his fellow students, each in a small boat guided by an older student, embarked on a tranquil journey towards the imposing silhouette of Hogwarts Castle.

The enchanted boats glided smoothly, their surfaces reflecting the shimmering stars above. The soft lapping of water against the wooden hulls created a soothing melody as the castle drew nearer. Towering turrets and twinkling windows hinted at the magic within.

The castle's reflection danced on the lake's surface, creating an ethereal pathway that seemed to beckon the young witches and wizards. The Forbidden Forest whispered ancient secrets, and the air held a blend of excitement and apprehension.

As they approached the castle, the warm glow of torches illuminated the castle walls. The boats gently docked at the castle's entrance, and the first-years disembarked onto the stone steps. The giant oak doors swung open, revealing the welcoming glow of the Great Hall.

Yehor, wide-eyed and filled with awe, stepped into Hogwarts, his heart brimming with the promise of magical adventures. The Sorting Hat ceremony awaited, marking the beginning of his extraordinary journey into the world of witchcraft and wizardry.

Joining Boat 6

Quinn looked at the boats around her and tried to see if anything had happened to hers. Quinn had been distracted by the night sky and had almost missed getting on the boats for first years only. She had chosen a boat that had nobody in it and was to the very end. Quinn was broken from her thoughts when the boats suddenly started whirling around and the boat next her tobbled over. The contents of the boat (4 people) fell into the water! Quinn had heard some of there conversation while sitting in her boat but now they were all in the frigden cold water. Maybe my boatmates will help me. Quinn thought. Quinn decided to try and help get the kids out of the water. Reaching down Quinn grabbed the person nearest to her and tried to heave her out of the water. Quinn eventually found a way to brace herself against the sides of the boat and heaved a first year girl out of the water.
"Are you ok?" She asked.
"I'm Quinn, sorry about your boat situation, maybe we can get you back on your own boat. It's a litttle cramped with you here." Quinn smiled and tried to remember what her mum had said about warming people up.
"Are you cold?"