Welcoming Feast 2026 Official Thread

𝕿he welcoming feast is it's own kind of hell. Robin made peace with socializing itself, especially when he's exchanging academic opinions with other students. The hell part, in his mind, is how loud these big feasts can be. Chatters flood his surroundings and pour into his ears, thumping on his drums like it's some important festival. It's not. It's just a welcoming feast, and you should eat at a feast. Why is everyone talking and shouting anyway? Robin tried to ignore the noise and made his way towards his designated table. He looked sideways at the neighboring Department of Magical Law Enforcement, slightly envious of their decor. His own Department of Mysteries table isn't bad, he just prefers blue and grey or silver over sparkly purple. Why are there constellations? Yes, the cosmos is full of mystery, but astronomy and astrology aren't the only question marks among magical disciplines.

Apart form that small complaint that Robin does not plan to voice out loud at all, the vibes are at least comfortably serious, not too cheery and inviting to terrifying extroverts. The boy adjusted his tie and took a seat, then guided his hand towards the menu with a creeping sense of hunger. The items are very appealing to a food-loving twelve-year-old, he licked his lips in anticipation. I should go to the buffet tables, he told himself. Get the first round of food I want, then come back to eat in peace. Robin is aware of the ice-breaking activity, the paper prompt is sitting in his pant pocket right now. That isn't his priority, not even on his mind to be honest.

As more students started filing in, Robin seized the opportunity to get in line for the buffet before it gets too crowded. He quickly arrived at the front of the line and composed his initial plate: goat cheese and herb crostini and herb-crusted roast pheasant. He did not forget to grab a drink, the non-alcoholic firewhisky-inspired cinnamon cider sounded interesting. Long name, but equally intriguing. Almost making up for them not providing any sort of tea.

Robin made sure to evade any excited peers running around the area as he navigated back to his table. His previous seat was not taken yet, but there were a couple of other students of various ages in the vicinity. He picked a corner of the table where he would be neighboring nobody else, then sat down and started working on his meal.

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open to any and all interactions! feel free to overwhelm robin with excess socialization lol

| Outfit: ❀·❀·❀| Date: 01. August 2026 | Word Count: 337 |

Although she still wasn’t fully sold on the summer camp experience, Lorelei had to admit it felt good to be back on the Hogwarts grounds. After spending a few months home in the muggle world, everything magical that surrounded her now inspired an even greater sense of wonder. The instruments that played themselves, the perfectly crafted weather, and the incredible table settings gave her pause as she approached the feast, needing an extra moment to take it all in.

Lorelei grabbed a slip of paper as she walked towards one of the tables set up with an incredible buffet. She unfolded the prompt in her hand and glanced down at the words, smiling as she read them.

Find someone who speaks two languages that you don’t speak.

Well, that won’t be too hard, she thought, given that my department’s focus is literally on international co-operation. She tucked the slip into the pocket of her corduroy jacket and grabbed a plate, filling it with nearly every vegetarian dish available. Noticing that she was among the first students to arrive, Lorelei chose a place at the table with empty seats on either side, allowing other members of her department to elect to sit next to her if they wished.

She didn’t really mind if she remained alone, though. The table setting was entertainment enough. Her meal was quickly pushed to the mental back burner as the detailed maps and flags in front of Lorelei took precedence, and she traced her finger over a vague cartograph. To her delight, it began to morph into a map of the UK, more specifically her hometown of Bath. As she watched it a little longer, the map shifted once more, this time detailing the land of Aotearoa, her ancestral home. She smiled to herself as the Māori flag traced itself in the upper corner of the map, and she became so engrossed in watching each contour of the natural scenery develop that the surrounding atmosphere of the feast faded softly into the background.

A slow, meticulous cut came from a metal, refined knife. It pressed down, dragging into the meaty flesh of a medium-rare venison steak. Dark-skinned hands took careful precision in making small, easy bites for a black lipstick-stained mouth to feed upon. A small, succulent piece was generously dipped into the fruity sauce. A simple chew and swallow, and Vale was whelmed enough by the complimentary liquid component.

Myoglobin danced across her knife's blade, releasing itself onto the ceramic plate underneath each bite she obtained for herself. It left a stain of wondrous, red juice that reminded Vale that the meat was left only long enough to cook its raw texture away, allowing its juices to remain. A refined meal. The gamey taste of the meat that she loved so much is softened by the tarty, piney taste of juniper berries that equals the very taste grounds that Mother Nature has offered in such a brilliant manner. The chef who catered this dish respected animals. The creatures that lived for themselves and then onwards to others were given a chance to prove their life indeed did have meaning.

Not a single bite of the meat so far had any rude surprises of charred pieces. The meat was cooked evenly.

Vale, in her ever-gluttonous and yet stingy critique of all things edible, had multiple dishes surrounding her at the table of Magical Law Enforcement. As if she were a food critic rather than a mere student partaking in the camp elements meant to immerse her in governmental affairs. She kept her eyes closed, relishing the taste in front of her first before she allowed any available sight to partake in her meal.

She smacked her lips, smiling. Yes, she decided. The feast was to be a pleasant one.

Vale wiped her face politely with a fancy cloth handkerchief. She hummed out a musical note, expressing her pleasure. She went onwards to the potatoes next, and soon enough she opened her eyes. Red pupils scanned the plate before her, catching the earthy mushrooms and creamy potatoes that still existed on her plate. She refused to waste such delectable ingredients.

She stabbed into the potatoes next with a fork instead of a spoon. She twisted her fork around, finding them to be of dense quality-

They were homemade, the potato peels included. Vale kept her smile. Her father would be thrilled to see such refined quality.

A bite.

Creamy, just as they appeared.

Vale smacked her lips once more and took the time to pull out a note card that she was gifted before the feast would commence. She twirled it between her black nails, inspecting the paper more than the writing itself on it:

"Find someone whooooo…
always causes chaos"

Vale only crackled at the words, dropping the paper down onto the table as she returned to finishing up her first meal. Onwards to the pheasant, she decided. Poultry was prone to going bad quickly in a room-temperature space, so it was important to consume it while it was fresh and hot. Chaos. Who would do as well as Vale in causing such an ordeal? Her eyes scanned the muddy crowd, and they stopped. And they stared for an awfully long time at her proposed target. Someone so alone and evasive of the wonders of other humans usually had inhumane qualities of their own.

She had already placed her new name tag against her robes, her legs folded politely at her seat amongst 'future Aurors'. If anyone wished to interact with her, they'd likely be faced with an ominous feeling, as they would find Vale ensnared with burn scars across her body.

She moved her dreadlocks behind her to avoid the miserable surprise of having hair caked with potatoes.

Vale took a bite of her pheasant, chewing fully before grabbing her note card again. She stood up loudly, her chair dragging across the surface before halting. A click of her heels, and she plopped herself shamelessly into a seat across from a poor Ravenclaw boy (@Robin Lockett). Her black, sharp nails tapped the table at a quick pace. She kept her smile and finally decided to speak.

"Hello, Blue."

OOC: Hello, Robin! Hope Vale isn't too scary to interact with. Promise she doesn't bite. She was very much told that's not a good thing to do. /joking
—
Fearless ✳ Poison Resistance ✳ Terrible Presence ✳ Prodigal Potions Learner ✳ Restricted Potions ✳ Blindvision ✳ 7th Year Ability
Note: Vale has incomplete achromatopsia, making her blind. She wears special contact lenses to help her see.

After an eventful day getting settled into his cabin and meeting his cabin mates, Strike was quite tuckered out; even more so than after his daily training regimen. Who knew meeting and socializing with people was so exhausting? He had known his mother worked hard being active for her work, but he hadn't realized his father, who he knew to do more socializing than physical activity for his job, had his own share of hardships. Perhaps his job might have even been more difficult of the two, but the way he carried on when Strike watched him work, he made it look so easy. Perhaps some people were just better equipped and prepared mentally to interact with others and some were not.

That was probably at least one reason his parents had sent him to summer camp, though. Since he had clung to Liron for so long and hardly had any social interaction outside of his own family and Liron's, his parents had probably wanted him to get more experience socializing and getting along with other children before school started. He wouldn't have them to help him then any more than he did now, after all, so he had to learn to get used to it. It was just...so much more difficult than he had expected it to be. People were so unpredictable.

With a heavy sigh, the 4'6" child entered the place where the welcoming feast was to be held and noticed that each student had the option to take a small folded card. Tired as he was, Strike's curiosity got the better of him and he decided to take one. Opening the card almost immediately, he found that it read:

Ask someone which magical creature they absolutely do not want to encounter.

Well, that was easy enough. He normally liked being given things to do because that meant it was a chance to earn someone's praise, approval, or good will, but this time, he had no idea who was asking him to do as the card said. Perhaps it was simply an aid to get the campers to mingle with one another. Either way, he felt obligated to do as he was told, so he would...even if he was already tired from dealing with the people in his cabin. If he tried socializing a little more, maybe he could manage to increase his ability to endure longer periods of socialization. Now he just needed to find someone to ask.

Grabbing a plate for food, Strike hastily took a few things onto his plate from the buffet tables before going to the ones designated for sitting and eating at. The food was quite a bit more extravagant than the food he was used to, even as a pureblood, because his parents preferred their family stick to simple, healthy, efficient meals than splurging on fancy dinners like the one laid out for the campers. He was excited to try different things, but he also didn't want to take more than he could stomach, so he opted to get a very small amount of a few things and decided he would come back for more later if he could finish what was on his plate.

Once that was done, he took his plate over to the themed tables and noticed a girl sitting by herself. The table she was at had many small flags on it and he guessed she wasn't signed up for the same Department of the Ministry that he had been, but there were no rules stating that one couldn't sit at a different table than the one designated for your Department of the Ministry, so he decided to take a seat across from the girl.

"Hello," he greeted, smiling politely. "I'm Strike Allen. What's your name?"

Interacting with @Lorelei White, but open to more interactions!

| Outfit: ❀·❀·❀| Date: 01. August 2026 | Word Count: 218 |

Lorelei didn’t notice the boy approach her and sit across the table until he spoke.

At the sound of his “Hello”, her head snapped up, and she found herself taking in the young student across from her, the cold plate of food she’d completely forgotten about, and, somewhat belatedly, the fact that she was staring at him with a far harsher expression than she’d intended, one finger still awkwardly pointing toward the table setting.

As he introduced himself, she quickly withdrew her hand, folding it into her lap and sitting up just a tiny bit straighter.

“Hi!”, she said, still a little flustered from being startled, “Um, I’m Lorelei? Lorelei Witte. Are you in my department? Do you speak any other languages?”

The questions came out a touch faster than usual, her words tumbling over one another.

“Sorry. Not that you have to be in my department. Or that you have to speak any other languages.” She paused, wincing slightly at herself before reaching into her jacket pocket. “I just—”

She pulled out the small slip of paper and unfolded it, turning it around and presenting it face-up to him.

“I just mean I’m meant to be looking for someone who speaks other languages,” she explained, tapping the paper lightly with one finger. “So, um. Do you?”

Interacting with @Strike Allen, other interactions welcome as well!

The girl had her mousey brown hair into two neat braids and Strike thought it looked very nice on her. He felt bad, though, when he appeared to have startled her, mentally berating himself for not having found some other way to try to let her know he was there before he had spoken up. He had clearly seen she had been busy looking at the map on the table before her. Well...at least she didn't seem too displeased by his presence since once she responded to him, she was actually asking him a question about himself rather than asking him to leave.

“Hi!”, she had said instead, though apparently a little flustered. “Um, I’m Lorelei? Lorelei Witte. Are you in my department? Do you speak any other languages?”

"Nice to meet you, Lorelei," Strike said with a small dip of his head. "I don't think I'm in your department," he answered, his smile turning a little more shy, "but I speak Greek. I'm trying to learn other languages, but I only really know English and Greek well right now. What about you?"

He thought he remembered briefly hearing something from his parents about a few students from foreign schools potentially attending Hogwarts' summer camp as well, but he couldn't have been sure and he hadn't exactly gone around asking people what school they were planning to go to once the school year started, either. Perhaps that was part of the reason so many kids weren't wearing their Hogwarts uniforms - because they didn't even attend or mean to attend Hogwarts.

Then again, most kids seemed to wear more muggle clothes unlike himself, who more or less had a whole wardrobe consisting of simple, light-colored, short-sleeved, old-fashioned tunics consisting of light-weight fabric. He should have known better than to assume all kids would be wearing clothes like him. Even other purebloods like the Lamont twins had more extravagant and luxurious clothing than his own, setting him apart. Not that he could really do much about that now. At least his clothing was fairly practical for outdoor sports and his daily training regimen and the like. He had to stay active, after all.

"I'm in a cabin that's themed after the Department of Mysteries," Strike went on to explain to Lorelei in case she cared to know. "My dad picked it for me, though. I don't really know what they do there, but I don't think most people know. How do you like the food here? Did you get to try any, yet?"

Oh, that was right. He had his own question on his own card to ask her. With a sheepish smile, he unfolded it and turned it around to show her like she had shown him hers.

"Oh, and...what magical creature would you 'absolutely not want to encounter'?"

@Lorelei White

"Food."

That was the only thing Aaron was thinking about as he was walking towards the dining tables. It was a long day of getting to know other people. He knew it would be tiring, but didn't know it would make him this hungry also. The only thing that made interacting a bit easier was that there was one familiar face in a sea of unfamiliar people, which he considered to be nothing short of a miracle considering that every one from across the world were invited for the camp. What was interesting was that only Hogwarts was hosting the summer camp, no other school was hosting one, or at least hadn't made it public for all wizards and witches like Hogwarts did.

As he was reached the dining pavilion, he heard a piano and a harp playing. He searched for the source to see the two instruments playing on their own, relieved that it wasn't some pre-recorded music or something from the radio.

Upon entering the pavilion, he saw some folded cards which were optional to be taken. He took one to see they contained prompts to help people interact with others.

"Hmmm. Ask someone whether they would rather travel by broom, Floo, Portkey, or Apparition. Regular, instant, mass travel, or skill."

It wasn't hard to find the Department of Mysteries table. Dark shades, locked boxes, veils and more made it identifiable from a distance. He sat down and took a look at the menu. He thought of taking a drink in hand and a couple of entrées before roaming around and meeting with other people.

Thus, after eating some Miniature Savory Pumpkin Tartlets, Aaron took a glass of Blackberry Sage Cordial and began to roam the hall in search of someone to speak with and get to know.

𝕽obin noticed the older girl come towards him, he truly did. He thought she was just heading his way to pass him and get more food, blissfully unaware that the Slytherin had already bared her fangs. The poor boy was glued in his seat when she sat down next to him. Ach, the decor is still too inviting for extroverts I see. Robin tried to ignore the aggravating nail clicks and sent another piece of cube-sized poultry up to his mouth, then he nearly jumped out of his seat when the girl addressed him directly.

Her blood-red pupils stared into his soul like a hunter confidently teasing her frozen game. Robin broke eye contact as soon as he could, let his gaze dart around for a moment before settling it on his unfinished plate. What's she got to do with me? One of those prompts? Which one? The boy forced his spiraling thoughts to a halt by setting down his utensils. He wiped his lips with a piece of cloth in case this conversation goes on too long, then took a subtle deep breath and responded, still not looking directly at the older girl: "Hallo to you too," he started, "Can I help you with anything?" His expression and tone was stoic as always, like a cold hard rock the same color of his eyes. Even though he maintained his usual expressionlessness, one can probably still tell that the boy is nervous. He tries not to show it, but even he knows that his attempt is useless against those piercing eyes.

Robin looked around the area to find an excuse to leave. Yes, he had not finished his meal, but if he saw someone he recognizes he'd be able to take the plate with him and sit with them. Yes, that makes sense. That is normal. Even normal kids would prefer to eat with their friends. Especially normal kids. That's a great plan and all, but the thing is, none of his acquaintances are in sight. He had not seen Corrine and Paul recently, his roommate Nick is probably somewhere but to be honest they don't know each other that well, he wasn't sure if Emil came, and Mikaela . . . Robin was quite certain that he heard something about she not coming to camp this summer. There's a girl about the same age as him sitting across the table, someone he might've seen in hallways or classes or the common room—somewhere, anyway, but she didn't really count as a familiar face and was therefore off his "social emergency contact list".

Dang it. Plan B. Robin turned his head ever so slightly to take in the name tag of the scary girl. He was too busy being a nervous wreck that he forgot to gather information on the crisis at hand. Vale Ashwood . . . never heard of her. That being said, Robin never really "hears about" his peers, even less so a senior student, even if they're generally considered famous in Hogwarts. He turned his head back to stare at his plate once more, still half of the roasted pheasant laying on the ceramic. Plan B: getting this over with. The only explanation Robin can think of for a senior to randomly approach him was the prompts. Just get that out of the way, and he'll be left alone.

"I see you come from the Magical Law Enforcement table. Do you perhaps want to be an Auror in the future?" He had just pulled out the slip of paper he kept in his pant pocket all this time, grabbing one end of it with one hand and using a finger from the other to tap on it in mid-air. Two taps, then he set his other hand to rest while the one holding on to the slip stayed in place, only slightly adjusting the angle of his wrist so he can see the words on it easier himself. He's lucky that his prompt just so happened to apply in this situation. Imagine asking her if she's a dog or a cat person out of the blue.

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nah don't worry! he's scared, yes, but i'm personally excited for him to meet new people, both pleasant and terrifying:D