Some changes are afoot at Hogwarts with Karina Ivansko at the helm!

Author Topic: filling the basket [open]  (Read 105 times)

Chelsea Kathryn Williams

    (05/01/2025 at 23:07)
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beginning of the term
after classes



Chelsea shouldn't have been surprised to get sick on her first day at Hogwarts. What did she expect when she spent her entire last night home by the cliffs, only realizing how long she'd been there when the ink black sky slowly turned gray. A massive headache from lack of sleep and nerves kept her in bed the first night, and while it was a shame to skip the opening feast, she was even more bummed to not be able to immediately explore the outer grounds of the castle. They had a forest! Granted, a forbidden one, but the kinds of things growing there must be the stuff of her dreams. Her modest Cornish village was home to a wonderful variety of plants and herbs, but a lot more were just pictures and descriptions she'd read in books.

Hogwarts also had greenhouses that were certain to contain all sorts of interesting plants, but there was something about foraging one's own ingredient stash that brought a special kind of satisfaction. Chelsea even brought the basket that she's used for foraging since she was seven, a gift from her mother who finally had enough of her taking random containers from the kitchen. She even wore her sturdy gloves, in case she needed to pick plants with thorns. Which proved to be a wise decision, as she bent down to pluck some nettles from the ground. So far there isn't anything she hasn't seen before, but she figured that the more interesting things lay deeper in the forest. Should she go have a look? She might even get lucky and find unicorn hair.

The sound of footsteps over dry leaves caused the Raven to get up, hiding the basket behind one of the trees. It wouldn't be very convincing to say she's lost when caught carrying a large woven container filled with souvenirs from the forest she's not supposed to be in.

Ren Al-Sayeed

    (07/01/2025 at 13:37)
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Ren had started the term the same way most students he knew did.

Staying up past curfew.

The headmistress had the wherewithal to reestablish the hall monitors, for which Ren promptly signed up for. He wasn't in a hurry to let her know that majority of the students who signed up for it, him included, used it for their own purposes. Her own varitable junior prefect squad, and their success rate was just as abyssmal.

He walked the border of the Forbidden Forest after his first day of classes. Ren had abandoned the first night of the feast, opting to walk around the grounds and reinitiate himself with his haunts from the past year. The night of the opening feast, he spent it in the greenhouses, his favorite unofficial place to be in. Tonight, his goal was to restock whatever herbs had been missing from his own stash.

However, it seemed that his gentle, solitary stroll on the outskirts of the dangerous forest wasn't in the cards tonight. At least, referring to the solitary part.

A few minutes into his rhythmic cadance, he'd overheard a familiar sound. Any other sound might have escaped his ears, or would have been attributed to the creatures of the forest. But picking herbs? It was a sort of music to his ears. There was only one kind of creature who picked at herbs like that, and it was called a Hogwarts student.

He pulled out his wand. Luckily he had both the justification and reason to not have to sneak around this time. Both a pseudo-patrol, albiet by a slightly short 12 year old, and a smart way to alert the creepy crawlies around of his presence was behind him calling out "Lumos". He stepped from behind the tree to where he heard the sound, crunching the leaves under his foot.

"Hello there," he said, moving his wand to the side so as to get a clearer view of the girl in the forest. "Are you okay?"


Chelsea Kathryn Williams

    (07/01/2025 at 18:39)
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"Oh, hey," Chelsea tried to keep her tone casual, not wanting to look suspicious. The light from the wand revealed a young face, a boy who seemed to be her junior. He didn't look familiar, so she was almost certain that he wasn't from the same house.

"You gave me a fright," she gave an awkward laugh, and tried to brush her bangs away from her face--with her gloved hand. Great. Not suspicious at all. Chelsea gave a sheepish sigh and retrieved her basket from where she tucked it away.

"I read somewhere that silvershade grows around here, and i've only ever seen it dried." Her mother always added it to healing potions whenever she had them, which was not very often. It's supposed to have a silver sheen under the moonlight, and was even more potent when used fresh. "I guess i'm in trouble now, aren't I?" Which was...not ideal, but was bound to happen eventually, because she wasn't about to let the opportunity to forage under the moonlight pass.

Ren Al-Sayeed

    (08/01/2025 at 00:38)
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"I guess I'm in trouble now, aren't I?

Ren sputtered a chuckled at the thought. Even now that he was technically not the lowest on the totem pole, he could never imagine getting anyone in trouble, let alone invoking someone to ask him that question. In fact, the kindred call of herb collection had tempted him to get out his own gloves and join her.

He was still considering it.

If that's really what she was doing.

"Haha, I suppose if I was a professor, you might be. But you've still got a day or two before the adults get serious about patrols." He looked around as to confirm the situation. The forest, aside from them, remained silent, save for the occasional winds shaking the trees. "But you should know more than me about that." Turning back to look at her, it seemed strange that this, clearly older girl, was thrown off by Ren.

"Nox," Ren said in a whisper, putting his hand down but not away. It was never wise to leave it out of reach, even though the darkness hadn't reached it's peak. The forest was raw like that. He looked over to the girl, eyes adjusting to the loss of light.

"If you don't mind, would you like to get some silvershade together? I'd like to learn more about it, and two people are always better than one in this place." He motioned to the deeper part of the forest, still cautious of the dangers within. But his curiosity for the herb and the girl sated whatever caution would otherwise have hiim leave.


Chelsea Kathryn Williams

    (08/01/2025 at 19:13)
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"Haha, I suppose if I was a professor, you might be. But you've still got a day or two before the adults get serious about patrols. But you should know more than me about that."

Chelsea frowned, for a moment confused at the boy’s response. “Ah, sorry,” understanding dawned in her features, “I’m new here.” Which was why she didn’t know exactly what getting in trouble entailed, both in meaning and consequences.

At least for this time she seemed to have the all clear.

The Raven blinked a few times as the boy extinguished the light from his wand, eyesight adjusting back to the dim light that the moonlight brought. She thought that would be it and that he would be heading his own way, and so his offer caught her by surprise.

"If you don't mind, would you like to get some silvershade together? I'd like to learn more about it, and two people are always better than one in this place."

Chelsea slid the basket to hang on the crook of her elbow, considering. She didn’t have to think for too long though. He probably knew the forest better than a first-timer like her. “Sure, why not? It’s supposed to be hard to find when it’s not the full moon so it’s better to have an extra pair of eyes.” She gestured for him to take the lead, “I don’t think Acromantulas venture this far out, right?” After all, it would be hard to keep foraging for anything if she became giant spider food.

Ren Al-Sayeed

    (09/01/2025 at 01:21)
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“Sure, why not? It’s supposed to be hard to find when it’s not the full moon so it’s better to have an extra pair of eyes.”

The boy smiled at the older girl, glad to have his offer be accepted. The news of her being new here made it all the more clear he should accompany her. Aside from the dangers of the forest, someone new should be welcomed graciously. Although the girl probably had people she knew in her common room, or even in her age, it never hurt to be a friendly face amidst the cold, stone walls of the castle.

"Thanks for letting me help." He rolled up his sleeves and tucked his wand into his belt, still wary of whatever acromantula would also want to accept the offer. "I've never the name, but there are some shiny looking herbs on the other side of the forest. I never had the time to pick them out though." Although he'd had the time last year, he didn't have the confidence to wander around last year. Back then, he couldn't summon a piece of paper without setting it on fire This time was different though. He looked back at the girl every few steps, making sure she was within sightline and safe whenever possible.

"So, you said you were new? Where did you come from?" He asked, afterwards realizing he hadn't even gotten to their introductions before he started walking. "Oh, I forgot," he said, stopping suddenly and turning around to face the girl. "My name's Ren. I'm a second year here. What's your name?"

Chelsea Kathryn Williams

    (10/01/2025 at 07:42)
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Chelsea adjusted her grip on the basket as he led the way deeper into the forest. She gave him a nod of thanks when he looked back to check on her, appreciating the gesture even though she wasn't too worried about getting lost-- not yet, at least. Her sturdy boots crunched softly on the leaf-strewn path, and along the way scanned her surroundings, mapping the plants that catch her interest to collect at a later time.

She paused as he turned to introduce himself. "Nice to meet you. I'm Chelsea. Fourth year. I just transferred from home, in Cornwall. My mum and dad decided it was time for me to come here instead of independent study." The Raven glanced around the forest now that they've stopped, the pale glow of the moonlight filtering through the break of the trees. "I've read a lot about this place, but it's a whole different thing seeing it for myself. It's so much bigger than I imagined." It was certainly a different experience foraging here compared to the cliffs of Port Isaac. "Honestly, I was more excited to come here than to attend the Opening Feast."

Bending down to pluck some dandelions on the ground, Chelsea peered at the younger boy curiously. "What about you? You seem to know your way around already. Have you been sneaking out here for a while?" Her tone was inquisitive rather than accusatory, the corners of her lips quirking with a hint of amusement.

Ren Al-Sayeed

    (11/01/2025 at 13:09)
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"Honestly, I was more excited to come here than to attend the Opening Feast."

A lady after his own heart.

Chelsea seemed to be interesting by all accounts. Ren continued to pick at the herbs around the area as she spoke. He didn’t even know magical education had an independent study option. And her fondness for dark forests over large, crowded opening feasts sat as well as could be with him.

"What about you? You seem to know your way around already. Have you been sneaking out here for a while?"

Ren chuckled, more amused than he had expected to be tonight. “Me? Any student with…lets say a whim for breaking rules will have spent a lot of time here.” The thought of his best friend Rae strolling with her pet through the edge of the forest, or the older students snogging in every other dark corner immediately came to mind. “Not that I like breaking the rules myself,” he picked a particularly fragrant herb with a grunt of effort, “but sometimes I think the rules are just suggestions. My friend got so many detentions last year, the professors just stopped giving them to her.”

He stood up, stretching his back and looked at the girl.

“You know, if you’re interested in herbs so much, we could always use your help in the hospital wing. The Greenhouse there is amazing.” The boy relished the thought of Chelsea and he working in tandem. Her presence had made the cold night a little warmer, and Ren smiled a genuine smile for the first time in a while.

He kneeled down to pick another herb, lost in the comfort of her company.



Chelsea Kathryn Williams

    (12/01/2025 at 21:59)
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Chelsea chuckled at Ren's story, brushing some dirt from her gloves as she straightened up. "You're friend must have quite the reputation." Though she had to give it to the boy's friend; getting to that point took guts that she probably didn't have. She was stubborn in her own way, but still had a some fear of consequences instilled by her parents.

"Rules as suggestions, eh? I could get behind that, though my parents probably won't hesitate to send a Howler if I manage to get detention on my first week here." The rustling of leaves due to a soft breeze cut through the silence of the forest, and Chelsea looked up to watch the branches sway along the wind's rhythm. As Ren spoke about the hospital wing and its greenhouse, her interest was piqued. "It must be very well-stocked," she wondered what ingredients she's never seen before would be right there within reach. "Not sure about volunteering, though it might be my only chance to poke around the Greenhouse."

She looked at Ren, noticing his ease among the plants. He looked so at home here, even for someone so young. "So do you usually come out here for herbs too, or have you gone deeper in the forest just because?"

Ren Al-Sayeed

    (13/01/2025 at 12:31)
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"Poking around in the greenhouse is probably the best thing to do at this school." He stayed knelt, looking for a particular herb that caught his noses attention. Although he wasn't sure what the herb Chelsea was looking for smelled like, he had to follow his nose. After all, the nose knows.

"So do you usually come out here for herbs too, or have you gone deeper in the forest just because?"

"Unfortunately, I'm only twelve," the boy mentioned, a bit sad that he was still at that age. There was so many reasons he would have liked to been older. He wanted to be better at magic for one. There were so many spells he could do if he was only just a bit older. And maybe Iris...

"I would like to, though. I can go a little farther this year, at least. Some older students try to make private herb gardens deeper in the forest." He thought of Tigran, and all of the older students who had the capacity to defend themselves. He wanted to be able to do that too.

Destimonia Blackthorn

    (17/01/2025 at 20:47)
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Dessy was lost. Again. This time she found herself in a forest? She wasn't at all surprised that Hogwarts had their own forest. She began wandering around, past the trees, through the under brush and past the chittering creatures. As the inky black sky settled around her, she looked around realising she had no idea where she was. Oh She thought to herself, well this is clever. Why did I do this? Great I'm probably gonna be eaten by some sort of magical creature. Oh happy day! Her sarcastic thoughts echoed in her head as she tried to find her way out.

"Well at least the view ok" she muttered under her breath. Tregging through the forest, managing to stay calm, she wandered and wandered to see if she could find her way out. She had a very good habit of getting lost.

As she walked and walked some more through the grass and vine covered forest floor, she heard voices. A conversation not too far way from her. Thank god she silently thought to herself. She lit her wand "Lumos"

In the distance she saw to figures "Hello! Hi! I'm lost and...yeah I'm just lost"

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