Climbing, for Beginners
The 6th of September, 2025, at 8.02 a.m. Hogwarts Grounds.
This was her first Saturday at Hogwarts. Ellaine chanced an absent-minded glance at the sky, watching the clouds swish and gather, gently moving along. It really was a nice Saturday, which greatly pleased Ellaine. She had spent the past few days attempting to familiarise herself with her new school, almost to the detriment of her sleep. That could've also been attributed to the fact that she spent many of them traipsing around the corridors. Alone.
She'd even sneaked up the top of the Astronomy Tower once, admiring the view from up above, before rushing back to the common room just shy of the curfew. A prefect had noticed her then, before gently warning her against missing curfews 'accidentally' before she actually learnt how to properly wield a wand. That encounter stayed her hands (or feet, as was the case) from wandering the halls willy-nilly.
It didn't stop her longing, though. She'd glimpsed the extent of Hogwarts then, wide and sprawling in all directions: a hut to the east -- most certainly Hagrid's, which meant the Forbidden Forest as well; the Great Lake over to the south; the Quidditch Pitch lying to the west; and finally the grassy expanse of the Hogwarts Grounds, shadowed by the misty mountains lying further away. That one glimpse birthed the impulse that niggled in the back of her mind all throughout the week, until this Saturday morning, where she found herself dressing in anticipation for a day outside.
Of course, Ellaine had made a brief detour for breakfast, but that was certainly not the point now.
Ellaine stood underneath the shade of a huge oak tree, hands hesitantly caressing its bark. Her gaze fixed on the thick branches, where she even spotted a burst of colour that certainly looked like a fluttering scarf. The thought bubbled in her mind, like a tea kettle on the verge of boiling, set on whistling when the time is nigh.
Ellaine really, really wanted to climb a tree. She'd never done that before. Her brother had done that, once or twice, but her vague fear of embarrassment stopped her from trying alongside him.
Now, just how was she going to do that?I have no set directions for this thread, so feel free to do anything, I suppose
Feel free to @/mention me anytime -- I'd probably reply quicker :]
‧₊˚♪𝄞࿐₊˚⊹
Last edited by Ellaine Weatherby on 3 Jul 2026, 12:37, edited 1 time in total.
Climbing, for Beginners
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ ☾☼☽ +:｡.｡ ༺❀༻ ｡.｡:+☾☼☽ ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
Mentions: @Ellaine Weatherby WC: 330 xxx Hex code: #0050b4 ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ ☾☼☽ +:｡.｡ ༺❀༻ ｡.｡:+☾☼☽ ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
Skylar hums to herself as she skips down the path towards the school grounds. It was peaceful here, especially in the morning. Skylar is normally not an early riser, but for some reason she woke up early enough today to see the sun rise. Though it felt quite weird, Skylar enjoyed breakfast in the quite Great Hall instead of it's usual bustling atmosphere. She also felt incredibly productive, completing her homework and doing some sketching. Yet despite completing all these tasks, it was barely even eight o'clock. So, in a moment of ambition, Skylar decides she was going to practice flying.
Skylar, despite being a bookworm, is actually surprisingly active. She has already passed all her flying classes and wishes to practice more. As she makes her way down to Professor Ruckus's shed, she sees a girl with flowing long hair standing under a tree. It almost looks poetic, in the way she stood. Quiet and peaceful as the wind flows around her. Skylar tilts her head at the pale figure, unsure whether she has seen her before. She wonders if she should shatter the quiet moment by greeting her or just standing to the side. She probably looks like a stalker though if she just watches the Hufflepuff.
Making up her mind, Skylar approaches the Hufflepuff and gave her small smile. Looking up, she realizes how large the tree towers over them. She turns towards the girl again, who was looking longingly at the tree. Skylar knew that look. It was the look she would always give her mom when she wanted to climb the tree in their backyard.
"Well I don't know about you, but that tree looks very climbable." Skylar shrugs and gives the girl a playful grin.
"Wanna climb?"
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
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Climbing, for Beginners
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Word Count: ~248/200
Ellaine blinked at the girl — where had she come from, anyway? — who seemed to have spawned into existence right beside her. Or maybe she was just that out of it.
Ellaine gave a hesitant smile back, feeling the corners of her mouth turn up. The question was so to-the-point that Ellaine had to wonder whether her face was really that transparent. Eyes flicking away and up again towards the tree branches, she tried to find what characteristics made this tree look climbable. Was it the thick branches? They did look sturdy.
“…You think so?” she murmured, before taking a moment to continue. “I want to. Never climbed a tree before.”
The words were out of her mouth like the flow of water. She only felt sheepish, thankfully not the weird embarrassment that usually accompanied these confessions, and for that she felt glad.
Ellaine turned around to get a better look at the girl, eyes immediately drawn again to the light-blue locks of her hair. It was certainly not a natural hair colour— though what did she know? Perhaps she had dyed it. Or it could be an odd trait of the family.
As they both stood still under the tree, a thought occurred to her; that this was normally the time when people introduced themselves— at least, she thought so.
“…I’m — Ellaine. Weatherby.” Ellaine didn’t recognise the girl’s face, nor voice, so she was definitely not Hufflepuff. Ellaine absentmindedly placed a bet that she was probably in Gryffindor.
Climbing, for Beginners
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ ☾☼☽ +:｡.｡ ༺❀༻ ｡.｡:+☾☼☽ ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
Mentions: @Ellaine Weatherby WC: 440 xxx Hex code: #0050b4 ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ ☾☼☽ +:｡.｡ ༺❀༻ ｡.｡:+☾☼☽ ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
"Ellaine Weatherby. What a beautiful name! I'm Skylar. Skylar Blue." She introduces. She gestures towards her blue hair for emphasis. Quirks of having your name as a defining physical trait.
Skylar listens as Ellaine tells her she has not climbed before. Yet the longing in her gaze as she looks towards the tree is nearly perceptible. She seems so calm, so collected, Skylar wonders how it must feel to maintain a calm facade every day. Does she ever want to break out of the mask that binds her? Perhaps that is why she wishes to climb the tree. To feel the wind on her face as she looks down below. To taste freedom at the tip of her tongue.
Skylar snaps herself out of her reverie. Woah. She has never though so deep like that before. Perhaps its the calm atmosphere and early morning that is making her feel extra philosophical today. Glancing at Ellaine, she realizes how long they have just been standing there and staring at the tree. What a sight they must be. Skylar turns as she hears footsteps, only to see a random student quickly turn on his heel and leave. Great, they look like a cult.
Tilting her head at the tree, Skylar slowly approaches it. She glances at Ellaine and gives her an encouraging smile. Right then and there, Skylar makes up her mind. She was going to teach Ellaine how to climb a tree.
"Come here! Don't worry, the tree won't bite." Skylar calls as she sets her foot on the base of the tree. "This tree has large knots that offer really good places to put your hands and feet. You want to set your foot on one, and grab one, and then..." Skylar narrates as she begins to climb. She turns and smiles down on Ellaine. "Don't be shy, it's really easy once you get the hang of it. Get it? Because we're hanging on a tree right now?" Skylar chuckles at her own pun. She continues to climb and points to a sturdy looking branch. "See that branch? It is large enough to hold both our weights. All we have to do is climb there..." Skylar huffs out as she reaches the branch. "And then we can bring our feet over it like we're getting on a broom!"
Skylar swings her right leg over the branch until she is sitting in a saddle position on the branch. She then scoots over and adjusts her position so that she is facing forward. Skylar kicks her feet in the air as she grins at Ellaine.
"Come on! It'll be fun I promise!"
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
sta • 5 | eva • 6 | str • 4 wis • 7 | arc • 7 | acc • 6 |
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Prodigal Flying Learner| Y2 | Y3 Y4 | Y5 | Y6 | Y7 |
Climbing, for Beginners
i'm sorry for the delay...
Word Count: ~323/200
Ellaine blinked up at Skylar, who was already straddling one of the sturdier-looking branches of the tree. She herself was kneeling near its base, folding her skirt, which she had earlier unlatched and stepped out of while listening to Skylar’s explanations. Placing it down neatly, Ellaine moved back a bit so as to get a better look at her.
There was no hesitation in her movements as she rose, finding holds in the knots and branches, and— surely she could learn how to do that, too?
“Fun,” mused Ellaine, thoughtfully staring up at Skylar. She looked so carefree up there, mouth wide in a grin, the wind kissing her hair, flowing just past her shoulders. How many times had she done this? Did she find freedom in nature, in its gentle caresses? Perhaps she liked flying as well. Ellaine wondered if asking her to fly together sometime would be too intrusive or not. Yes, probably.
Abruptly, Ellaine leaned forwards a bit, hands brushing over the weathered and old bark of the tree. Skylar had told her to put her hands on the gnarled knots as a hold…
Her brows furrowed as she tried to lodge her hands and feet on various different knots, testing them out carefully with what she considered a healthy amount of paranoia before proceeding. “Is it… like this?” Ellaine hesitantly called out to Skylar between her movements. “Okay, maybe it’s not that bad—” she momentarily lost her right footing— “never mind.”
Her ascent was a slow process; though a relatively stable one, if she’d say so herself. Ellaine thought that it wasn’t that bad— she didn’t even get any splinters in the process. Soon, Ellaine was also sitting on the branch, right beside Skylar, trying to carefully turn around to face her.
“That… was a successful attempt,” and here she paused, brushing her hands against each other to get rid of the mildly disconcerting feeling on her palms, “—right?”
Climbing, for Beginners
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ ☾☼☽ +:｡.｡ ༺❀༻ ｡.｡:+☾☼☽ ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
Mentions: @Elaine Wheatherby WC: 365 xxx Hex code: #0050b4 OOC note: Don't worry about the delay. It's alright! ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ ☾☼☽ +:｡.｡ ༺❀༻ ｡.｡:+☾☼☽ ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
Skylar watches as Elaine climbs the tree. She is doing pretty well, considering it was her first time. She called out encouragements here and there as Elaine continues to progress. Finally, Elaine reaches the branch Skylar was sitting on and plops next to her.
“That… was a successful attempt —right?” Elaine asks. She still seems quite uncertain, but Skylar gives her a bright smile.
"That was great! You did really well, especially since it is your first time. But you see, the fun part about climbing is not just the climbing..." Skylar says with a wink as she gestures for Elaine to turn. "...It is about where you end up."
Right before them, the beautiful view of Hogwarts floods their vision. Tall columns and towers seem to stretch on forever. The bright sky had a few puffy clouds drift past, the sun's radiant glow filtering through like the golden hour. The Great Lake was visible from here, its calm waters reflecting the trees and sky. Several witches and wizards, almost appearing as ants, go about their own business. Some were soaring in the sky on their brooms, others were walking on the grounds below them. Some were clustered in groups, collectively laughing at a joke. Some were sitting around the lake, seemingly at peace as the soft breeze flows past them.
Skylar sighs in content as she looks at the sight. She likes climbing because the view is always worth it. She turns to Elaine, giving her a smile. "It's nice, isn't it? From here, suddenly the world seems so much more... large. You can see everyone's stories from here. Like that guy over there seems like he just got some really good news. And that cute couple over there is having a date. Oh! Looks like the friend group is having a broom race." Skylar narrates as she watches, pointing to the respective people she was talking about. She gives a little chuckle as she spots a student giving his friend a wizard cracker. Almost instantly, his friend was wrapped in blue smoke and the student started running.
"I don't know about you, friend, but this is one hell of a sight to see."
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
sta • 5 | eva • 6 | str • 4 wis • 7 | arc • 7 | acc • 6 |
Shop | ENCYCLOPEDIA | Gallery I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. |
Prodigal Flying Learner| Y2 | Y3 Y4 | Y5 | Y6 | Y7 |
Climbing, for Beginners
Word Count: ~365/200
“It's nice, isn't it? From here, suddenly the world seems so much more... large.” Ellaine hums in agreement, eyes hungrily raking over the slivers of life so readily painted upon the canvas of this landscape. “You can see everyone's stories from here. Like that guy over there seems like he just got some really good news. And that cute couple over there is having a date. Oh! Looks like the friend group is having a broom race.”
Ellaine squints into the distance, attempting to keep pace with her new friend’s storytelling. She hasn’t managed to find the good-news-bearing guy, but she does find the couple on a date, sitting together on a little picnic side by side… Privately, Ellaine has to wonder what they both look like right now. Two shadowed creatures, creeping beneath the covers of a great tree… she prays that this is a usual sight ‘round here.
“I don't know about you, friend, but this is one hell of a sight to see.”
Lips quirking up, not quite of her own volition, Ellaine manages a response. “Well, yes it is, isn’t it?” She really does enjoy this. People-watching is a side hobby of hers, though she rarely indulges in such occasions. “We—” or is it I? thought Ellaine— “should really do this more. Or… perhaps flying is better?”
She briefly sneaks a glance to her side, hoping that her previous remark isn’t too presumptuous of her. Looking away, she finds her eyes drawn towards the dark and rippling surface of the Black Lake in the distance. Ellaine tries to imagine it, concepts swirling inside her mind— them both on brooms soaring above the lake, forests, and wizards, both students and not, all mingling down on the ground, while they both dart between towers and swoop low above the castle-roofs…
She sighs to herself, brushing away the sweet dreams of her fictitious reality. Riding a broom she can do, but manoeuvres like that are out of the question. While she has no doubt that Skylar can do it, flying isn't really her forte.
“It would be nice to go rounds above the lake sometime. Or swoop between the castle towers, I don’t know.”
Climbing, for Beginners
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ ☾☼☽ +:｡.｡ ༺❀༻ ｡.｡:+☾☼☽ ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
Mentions: @Elaine Weatherby WC: 319 xxx Hex code: #0050b4 OOC note: We're about go weee ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ ☾☼☽ +:｡.｡ ༺❀༻ ｡.｡:+☾☼☽ ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
“We should really do this more. Or… perhaps flying is better?” Skylar immediately perks up at Elaine's words. “It would be nice to go rounds above the lake sometime. Or swoop between the castle towers, I don’t know.”
Skylar grins as she excitedly turns towards her friend. "Flying? Definitely! I love flying oh so very much." She elaborates and sighs dreamily. "I just enjoy the fresh breeze and feeling of being in the air, you know? It is so much less... restricting, in the air. I actually finished all my flying classes ahead of time, so now I just occasionally fly around as practice." Skylar continues. She had signed up for the Quidditch team, but the positions are still filled. She wonders if she should also sign up for broom racing as well. However, to fly in itself already brings joy to Skylar. The freedom and peace she gets from all the way up is incomparable to anything else.
Skylar turns towards Elaine again and gives her a grand smile. "I would love to fly with you sometimes. Maybe we can even try reaching for the clouds! As long as we do not fly to close to the sun and fall like Icarus, we can continue our journey and persevere like Daedalus." Skylar states. Realizing she probably made some weird references, she gave a sheepish smile. "Sorry, I'm a mythology nerd. There is just something really beautiful in the glories and tragedies the stories include." she shrugs. But then, and idea hits Skylar. She looks at the setting sun, guessing that they had around an hour or two left till nightfall.
"Say, how would you like to fly. Like now. We have at least an hour till the sun sets completely, and Professor Ruckus's broom shed is still open." Giving Elaine a joyous grin, Skylar begins to climb down the tree.
"Come on, Elaine! We are going to fly!"
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
sta • 5 | eva • 6 | str • 4 wis • 7 | arc • 7 | acc • 6 |
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Prodigal Flying Learner| Y2 | Y3 Y4 | Y5 | Y6 | Y7 |
Climbing, for Beginners
Yay! (And sorry for taking a while, again…)
#5b6a50
Word Count: ~330/200
Hearing her acceptance of the idea eased a part of her, and Ellaine eagerly listened as Skylar talked. While she herself wasn’t an avid enthusiast for mythology, she’d always appreciated the symbolism and— well, the tragedy that often accompanied these legends. Ellaine wanted to say that she loved listening to her talk, but in the end she kept the words from coming out of her mouth.
"Say, how would you like to fly. Like now. We have at least an hour till the sun sets completely, and Professor Ruckus's broom shed is still open."
Ellaine blinked, somewhat surprised at the turn of events, but she only felt giddiness blooming inside her heart— She’d climbed a tree (for the first time in her life), made a friend, and now they were about to fly together!
"Come on, Ellaine! We are going to fly!"
Hurriedly, she followed Skylar down the trunk of the tree. Jumping the last few feet with a thud, Ellaine scrambled to stuff her skirt inside her satchel. Her eyes immediately searched out Skylar, who was waving at her just a few metres away, a wide smile on her face.
Heart thumping with excitement, Ellaine slung her satchel over her shoulder, running after Skylar, who had started as soon as she saw her coming.
“Wait up!”
Feeling the ground underneath her shoe-clad feet was certainly not a new experience, yet Ellaine chased after her anyway, a burst of adrenaline feeding her just the right amount of speed boost to run a few paces behind her. Exhaling sharp bursts of air, Ellaine kept looking forward, eyes straight ahead, trying to catch sight of the broom shed.
“Skylar—” she said, calling after her friend, “do we, like— need to get the Professor’s permission? Or maybe not,” she added hastily, as she finally caught sight of the broom shed ahead. She wanted to fly now, but where to?
“Well, where are we going to go?”
Climbing, for Beginners
꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ ☾☼☽ +:｡.｡ ༺❀༻ ｡.｡:+☾☼☽ ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
Mentions: @Ellaine Weatherby WC: 319 xxx Hex code: #0050b4 OOC note: Don't worry about it! I also have a lot of work to do and I may or may not be slightly behind ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱ ☾☼☽ +:｡.｡ ༺❀༻ ｡.｡:+☾☼☽ ꒰ᐢ. .ᐢ꒱
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
Skylar laughs breathlessly as they reach the broom shed. She grins as Ellaine catches up to her and opens the shed.
"Professor Ruckus has this sign-out sheet for the brooms. We just have to make sure to return it by sun down is all. I come here often to practice my flying." Skylar explains as she grabs a broom. She signs her name on the sheet and exits, making sure Ellaine got her broom as well.
"As long as we find an open area to fly, the sky is our only limit!" She states as they find an open area.
Setting down her broom, Skylar holds out her hand the broom flies straight into her palm. With practiced ease, she crosses over the broom and mounts it. She then turns to Ellaine and gives her an excited grin.
"Want to see a cool trick?"
Planting her feet on the ground, Skylar loads down and launches herself high into the air. However, just as she reaches the highest her power would take her, she flips her whole body backwards with force. Skylar whoops as her broom does a complete 360° turn, the wind whipping around her face. Finally, Skylar floats down a few meters above the ground, no longer upside down on her broom. She laughs with glee and she glances down at Ellaine.
"Isn't that cool? I actually learned how to do that by accident! I was trying to take off one time, but for fun, I decided to see how hard I can launch myself in the air. When I launched myself into the air, I lost balance and flipped backwards. However, I kept a strong grip on my broom, so I ended up doing a backflip instead."
She then tilts her head to the side as an idea comes into her mind. "Say, how would you like to learn how to do a backflip on the broom?"
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
sta • 5 | eva • 6 | str • 4 wis • 7 | arc • 7 | acc • 6 |
Shop | ENCYCLOPEDIA | Gallery I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. |
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