The Fall Equinox Potluck Errand

Mentions: @Maya Maxwell, @Bella Light, @Xio Arcana

WC: 620
Open to Interactions

Aster had been looking forward to autumn since the previous winter. Fall was her favorite season, for a variety of reasons. Back home, it was a busy season of harvest, full of fresh vegetables and fruits. Aster and her family worked hard to collect muggle vegetables: carrots, turnips, pumpkins, squashes, kale, potatoes, onions, and artichokes, to name a few, as well as magical plants such as shrivelfig, Chinese chomping cabbage, and dittany. Aster always enjoyed the tired feeling of a productive day of harvest followed by the smell of fresh fruits and vegetables in the kitchen.

She also loved the brisk weather. The summer months could get hot, and the winter was too cold, but autumn was just right. She enjoyed feeling the cool breeze while she wandered to her favorite place on the grounds to read a book or paint a new picture.

Her favorite thing about Fall, however, was the opportunity to crochet new clothing. She enjoyed making sweaters, scarves, and hats to keep her warm and stylish in the cooler weather.

Today, Aster was wearing a new green sweater with pumpkins on the pockets and a new hat: orange, with yellow geometric lines. She had crocheted both especially for the occasion, staying up late in the Ravenclaw common room several nights in a row. The hat had turned out slightly lumpy, which made it look a little like she was wearing a pumpkin on her head, but she thought it was appropriate for the occasion.

Aster had carefully prepared her dish that afternoon: a hearty lentil soup full of fall vegetables that reminded her of home. She had helped her mother with this dish many times in the fall months, and cooking it today brought back happy memories. The soup smelled delicious, savory, and flavorful.

When she finally finished the soup, the potluck had already begun. She hurried to pour it into a serving dish, cast Scourgify on the dirty pots and pans, and headed towards the grounds.

As she approached the potluck area, she saw rows of picnic benches illuminated by strings of fairy lights. Pumpkins were stacked up, and orange and yellow leaves fluttered about. She found an empty spot on one of the tables and carefully set her soup down before adding a little label: Lentil and Vegetable Soup (Vegetarian). Then, she set off to peruse the wide variety of foods already on offer: chocolate strawberries, apple crumble, several kinds of cider, herb-roasted chicken, pasta, scotch pies, and many more. Her friend Maya had made some delicious-looking cinnamon cookies, and Bella's handwriting announced "Lemonade" and "Mini Lemon Cakes"

Aster placed an apple crisp, a cinnamon cookie, a lemon cake, and a serving of pasta on her plate, then headed over the the barrel of Pumpkin Juice cider. Bella was there with Xio and a couple other girls Aster recognized. She waved excitedly at her friend. "Hi, Bella! Hi, Xio! Happy Fall! I love your foods!"

She poured herself a cup of the cider and took a bite of pasta. "This potluck was a great idea! It's good to see everyone and take a break from classes." She wrinkled her nose, thinking of the homework that was waiting for her in her dorm room. "I'm going to sit down, but let me know if you guys want to play Summoner's Court later or corn-hole later!"

Aster headed over to where Maya was sitting. "Hi, Maya! It's good to see you! What foods did you decide to try? I got one of your cinnamon cookies. They look delicious! You'll have to show me how you make them." She set her plate down, then hesitated. "Do you mind if I sit here?"

Interacting with: @Aster Gillespie
Open to other interactions

Maya had decided to sit somewhere and eat some of the foods she saw other students have brought there. She gifted herself some of her own cookies, strawberries with chocolate, an apple crisp, a slice of pasta and lemonade. She sat down alone and gave in to her hunger, eating the apple crisp first. It was delicious! In fact, all the food were delicious that Maya silently send a gratitude to everyone whoever made them. Her own cookies ended up very good too. She was busy eating her food and drinking her lemonade until she heard her friend Aster’s voice.

Maya smiled at her “Yeah, of course you can sit!”

Aster was wearing a cute green sweater with pumpkins on its pockets and a hat that kinda looked like a pumpkin, she was very well fit for the occasion.

“I love the way you dressed! It really fits the occasion, and its good to see you here too!”

They talked for a while, Aster asked about the food here that Maya tried and enjoyed the most. The slytherin girl thought for a bit “I don’t think i can choose only one! I really loved them all, including my own cinnamon cookies” She grinned “How about you? Do you have a favorite? Did you like my cookies?” Maya hoped her cookies were good, it was her first time baking, and usually she wasn’t a baker..or a cooker.

“I hope you like them, i made them for the first time ever…and what did you bring?”

Maya noticed her drinking a pumpkin juice cider. “Is that pumpkin juice? Where did you get that? I think i missed that one”

=

Equinox.

There are two in a year, one in fall, the other in spring. Luckily for Aaron, he was going to be able to experience the Fall one soon. And that soon was today. A couple of people have planned and organised a fall equinox event to celebrate the same. The poster for the event included to bring food for the event.

Aaron wasn't sure what to bring. He didn't like to cook much, and wasn't a person with much ideas. So, he did what any sane person would not suggest not doing, consult his owl. Sure, she was named after the ex-Headmistress of Hogwarts, and the Roman Goddess of intelligence and wisdom, but that didn't mean she would be of much help, as she couldn't talk.

But, somehow it was while discussing with Minerva, he realised what to do: owl home. He owled his mom asking her for a recipe to take to the fall equinox when she suggested that he just bake a simple apple pie and take it.

So, after getting many of his ingredients via owl and collecting some others from the gardens, Aaron headed off to the Room of Requirement, where he baked an apple pie.

Pie in hand, Aaron headed off towards the Hogwarts Grounds where the Fall Equinox Pot Luck was going to take place. As he exited the castle, he looked up to see the sun slightly more brighter than what he was expecting. That was how he bumped into someone in front of him.

That someone, he realised, was a second year, Ophelia Vanderbilt, a Gryffindor with whom he had played his first unofficial quidditch match with.

His apple pie was saved, but he wasn't sure what he could say about the Gryffindor.

"Are you alright Ophelia? Is the food you brought for the pot luck all ok?"

he asked.

He kept his apple pie on the side, and stated helping the fellow Gryffindor.

"Hopefully nothing wrong happened?"

he asked again.

Mentions -	Outfit	Date - dd/mm/yy
@Marcella di Angelo @Amalie Leclerc	boop	WC - 379 Location - N/A

After putting my chicken pizza on the tabl I looked around the field. There were so many things to try but the leaf pressing activity caught my attention.

I had never tried it before so I decided to go there first.

I walked towards the table looking at all the different leaves that had been collected and kept ther. Some were yellow, some orange, and a few were still green. They looked really pretty together.

As I reached the table I noticed a girl already standing there.

She seemed to be looking at the leaves and the things needed for the activity. There was also a little creature nearby wearing a cute ghost costume. I could not help but smile when I saw it.

I looked at the girl again.

She seemed nice but I didn't know if I should go and talk to her.

I stood there for a moment quietly looking at the leaves.

Then I decided that it would be rude to just stand beside her without saying anything.

"Hi" I said softly giving her a small smile.

I looked down at the leaves.

"Are you doing the leaf pressing too?"

I picked up one of the leaves carefully and turned it around in my fingers.

"I hve never done this before" I admitted. "So I don't really know what I am supposed to do."

I glanced at her and gave a nervous little laugh.

"I'm Penelope, by the way."

My eyes then moved towards the desserts she had brought earlier.

I had noticed them when I arrived but there were so many things happening that I had not looked closely.

"Did you make all those desserts?" I asked pointing towards the table.

"They look really good."

I smiled a little shy before looking back at the leaf in my hand.

"I hope I don't mess this up." I said quietly.

I placed the leaf back on the table and looked at her.

"Maybe you know how to do it?"

I felt a little less nervous now. At least I had finally talked to someone here.

The fairy lights above us glowed softly while the autumn leaves moved in the cool breeze.

I smiled to myself.

Maybe this was a good way to spend the evenng.

"Magic can make anything happen. It reveals itself only to those who have eyes to see it"

OOC Notes -

ABILITIES
Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | Year 4 | Year 5 | Year 6 | Year 7

STATISTICS
Stamina 7 | Evasion 6 | Strength 6 | Wisdom 5 | Arcane Power 6 | Accuracy 5

Outfit: ✧

Hair:

WC: 634

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Note OOC: join if you want^^

Color: #944444

Throughs: bold

"Dialogue" A gust of wind sent a slight shiver through Sofia's body, although she had dressed accordingly to the autumnal weather Hogwarts had been receiving recently, she still felt the chill of the bitter wind. It wasn't too bad just yet, and she couldn't complain anyway, Sofia loved fall. The amber leaves, cozy jumpers, halloween just around the corner, the smell of cinnamon. Speaking of cinnamon, the smell rose from a tray filled with cinnamon rolls and apple fritters that Sofia had spent all morning making. Baking gave her an unusual amount of relaxation which was one of the reasons she was even brave enough to go this potluck. Most of the time she avoided these types of events, too crowded, too noisy. But her earlier baking escapade had soothed her nerves.

Sofia had gone for a more autumnal outfit than usual, there was no pink in sight and she felt almost out of place. But she didn't want to draw attention to herself by wearing her usual pink outfit. Anyway it was almost the exact same as her favorite outfit, but brown. She hugged her jumper closer to herself, hiding away from the sudden chill of the wind. She glanced up at the sun, which was already setting. The days had been getting shorter for a while now. The thought made her eyes drift away and look towards the soft glow of light appearing out Hogwarts windows. She had never known the coziness that Hogwarts made her feel. Sofia shifted the tray of cinnamon rolls in her hands careful not to accidently spill any. The smell of cinnamon wafted up her nose, reminding her of home and almost making her forget about the chill of the wind.

Almost.

She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before continuing on her voyage to the 'Fall Equinox Potluck', her shoes crunching the fallen leaves laying on the ground. A few students hurried past her, laughing amongst themselves. Sofia gave them a small smile as they went by but too afraid to ask to join them she held back. She had never been particularly good at approaching people first, especially when it seemed like everyone else already had their own little groups.

Still, she had promised herself she would try.

And anyway, it was only potluck. What was there to be afraid of? There was nothing scary about doing something as simple as sharing food. And if there was one thing Sofia was confident in. It was her baking. Oh how she loved baking, she could spend hours in the kitchen, measuring ingredients, kneading dough and watching something come together in the oven. Baking was easy. It was predictable. If she followed the recipe and gave it enough time, things usually turned out just fine. The same could not be said for people.

With a quiet sigh, she adjusted her grip on the tray and stepped towards the grounds. The sound of conversation grew louder as she approached. Sofia could already see students gathering around the tables, some carrying plates of their own creations while others had apparently come solely for the food. That, at least, was something she could understand. She placed her cinnamon rolls and apple fritters down on the table, inspecting her work. They were a little uneven in places, and one of the apple fritters had come out rather more crooked than she'd intended, but they were homemade, and she'd put a great deal of care into making them.

"Right," she murmured to herself, drawing in a steadying breath. "You can do this, Sofia."

She lifted her chin, tightened her hold on the tray and stepped into the room, hoping that the smell of cinnamon would make a better first impression than she ever could.

ooc notes :: open for interaction

xx

𝕷Avery was fashionably late thanks to the batch of Bara Brith she had chosen to bring. Bara Brith, or literally translated from Welsh to Speckled Bread, was a delicious delicacy of her home country. It was basically just a regular loaf of bread, but with a special twist within. Fruit. Avery had specifically added raisins as that was what her grandmother had always done. Avery entered to find many already there. That was fine with her. A few stood out to her as people she had passed in the halls or even people she had personally interacted with, but not one of them was the person she had hoped to see. None of them were probably coming. They were all busy with their own lives, and that was alright with the lioness. Soon enough she would track down her boyfriend. And her best friend. And even her closest friends. She missed them all. Avery set down her Bara Brith before walking to a more secluded corner. Normally, she would be the one in the center of the crowd and getting to know everyone but today was not the day for that. Avery was exhausted from waking up late and forgetting that she had to bake the bread still. Thankfully it never took her long after making it so many times with her grandmother, so she had at least been only a little late. Seclusion was more her cousin, Dylan's thing, but Avery wanted to have a go with it. Sometimes watching from the shadows as the darkness threatened to creep in but never consume. Was this how Dylan always felt? It was a terrible feeling, but it would have to do for now. If someone wanted to chat with her, she would happily oblige, but for now she was satisfied where she was. Even if it wasn't her favorite thing to do. Though the food did look marvelous. Though Avery was wary of it. She knew deep down her fellow students would not intentionally cause havoc, but she had seen what magical events could do to food. She recalled one of the balls she had attended in the past having some drinks spiked and other times where the food was magically made to cause her to sing or do something else embarrassing. She was not about to go through that again. So, for now, she would just stare longingly at the food. The lioness vaguely listened to the chatter around her. Nothing caught her attention just yet. Though she did wonder why exactly this event was being held. Yes, it was fall and all that, but why have everyone bring dishes together and mingle? Was something bigger coming? Something much bigger than she realized at first? She had learned the hard way that nothing was what it seemed. Every moment had a hidden motive or a secret ulterior move that was only noticed when it was too late. She could only wonder what that would be in this instance. Avery shook her head and brought herself back to the present. What was going on with her? This had never happened before. Why was she falling into the thoughts that only brought darkness and nightmares back to life? This was the exact opposite of what she wanted. She wanted to move towards the light again and be as she used to. She did not want to be consumed by the darkness. Darkness only destroyed. Nothing good came from it. She just hoped she could keep herself for the rest of the day from going there again. Everything depended on that. Everything.

xx

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⟡ STATS ⟡
⟡ sta: 5 ⟡ eva: 10 ⟡ str: 10 ⟡
⟡ wis: 3 ⟡ arc: 2⟡ acc: 10 ⟡
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Word Count ⟡226⟡
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