Start of Year Feast!

[Ava King]

Professor Ava King joined in as the Great Hall filled with cheers and claps, welcoming the new students to each of their houses. Sorting was such an exciting time but Ava bet that many of the first years were relieved that it was over and they now knew where they would be for the next seven years. She remembered fondly back to her sorting day, though Hogwarts New Zealand didn't exist at that time; which was a scary thought and not one that she'd share willingly with everyone.
After the Hall quietened down slightly, Ava removed the sorting stool and hat, not wanting to deny the young witches and wizards of their feast any longer than needed. Approaching the podium, a silence fell over the Hall. "Before we begin the amazing feast that has been prepared for you all, I have a couple more things to say. I am Professor Ava King, and I am the Headmistress - as some of you may know. Our Deputy is Professor Justin Cliffeton, and if you don't know your head of house, you will get to meet them soon." Ava said, smiling.
Ava looked at the students, feeling her own stomach grumbling. Sorting had, of course, taken awhile and it was time to wrap things up knowing that the young student's stomachs were probably way more empty than her own. "I hope you have all emptied your brains and are ready for a year of learning - keep out of trouble, but have fun! Remember to keep an eye out for Vex. Poltergeist's like to have fun, so be on the watch for him. And now, we eat!" Ava grinned at the Hall as the plates filled with food. Ava swiftly made her way back to her seat before filling her plate with some food and turning to the Professors next to her and began chatting.

Out of Character:

Students and Professors are welcome and encouraged to post here
Please remember that this topic takes place after the sorting.

 

[Georgina de Lacey]

Surprisingly Georgina found that she was glad to be back at Hogwarts but it wasn't all that surprising. Given the choice between the school and the house she called home during the holidays, the school would always win the poll. Georgina had spent the winter (summer in the civilized world) holidays thinking about her sister and how she was only a couple of years from turning eleven, would she turn out to be magical too? Or would Georgina prove to be a strange anomaly in the de Lacey family tree, doomed to spend the rest of her life exiled in the outback. Shaking thoughts about her situation Georgina made her way into the Great hall, the welcome feast was one of her favourite parts about the school year, everyone was excited about the year to come, there were new first years, some with the potential to become valuable members of Slytherin house, and some who would become trouble makers, Georgina had no patience for them. The girl took her seat at the house table and listened to Professor King's speech, finally when the woman was done talking the food was summoned and Georgina began to dig in, she felt like she hadn't eaten properly since the end of the previous semester.

 

[Vex]

The start of the year was often Vex's most active time. The poltergeist was full of the pre-school excitement and post-sorting buzz that often oozed from the first years. It was a wonderful time, and the non-being had been very busy over the break. It wasn't easy going through the school and keeping up with all the interesting happenings, but Vex took his role very seriously. He had collected a large mound of feathers and stashed them within the grounds for safe keeping, but tonight they would not be making an appearance. Thanks to the help of some unsuspecting students and professors over the last few months, Vex found himself in possession of some pretty awesome slime, and the poltergeist was quite proud of it. Since his conception, it had been his goal, and it was finally realised.

Invisible in the beginning, Vex presented himself over the far side of the Slytherin table, first. The first years were his main target, but anyone near the area was at risk to the bombardment of slime that was propelled towards the newbies of the school. Without looking at the carnage, or whether they managed to save themselves, the poltergeist moved with the speed of a cheetah, repeating his onslaught to the other three tables. Hufflepuff, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw were crossed off his list one by one, until it was just the staff that remained. Kingy was there, to the non-being held off for now, and lingered towards the main chandelier, cackling with pride. He didn't mind that some of his slime was stopped from hitting the firsties by their headmistress - there was always other days to initiate them.
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[Victoire Fontaine]

Victoire Fontaine couldn't believe that she was head girl, the badge in the post had come as a complete surprise to the girl, she was pleased with her results and ready for another year, but being head girl, that was something else. She had always looked up to the various head people, both good and bad because in her mind they really did deserve the position they'd been given, that's why they had it, and to think she was now a head girl, she was, not anyone else in their year. The Gryffindor sat at the table, having applauded loudly for Venus and her sorting into Gryffindor with her, glad that she could at least help the girl in the beginning days of her time in Hogwarts, and listened to the head mistresses short speech, and the food filled the table. She really couldn't believe it, she was head girl, and she ate the dinner of the welcoming feast for the last time. Of course at the end of the meal the peace the hall had managed to achieve in all the noise was completely broken by Vex pouring slime over largely just the new students, and Victoire couldn't help but laugh a little while also being very glad after this year she would no longer had to deal with the pesky poltergeist.
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[Kaia Rosemary Grimm]

Kaia felt so proud to be starting her first year here. It was truly, a magnificent place and she was sure to bug her older cousins as often as she felt necessary during this year. Kaia didn't really care whether she annoyed them or not, she did want to make the most of it so that was what she was going to do. Nothing was going to stop her from doing what she needed to - after all, first years were supposed to get to know the school better, right? She smiled a little to herself as she sat at her house table in the Great Hall, slightly unsure about Ravenclaw. She had to get used to being part of a house, of course she knew she might love it, more so than if she were in any other house but Kaia wanted to feel comfortable. She wanted space too, so she was secretly glad that she hadn't been sorted in either Slytherin or Hufflepuff with her cousins. They told her they'd keep an eye on her but frankly Kaia wanted to find her own space. Not feeling very hungry right now, she watched after the headmistress gave her speech as a ghost - of all things, why a ghost? - floated from table to table, dropping something that looked really similar to green slob. "Yuck," she muttered in disgust, glaring at, was it Vex?, the no-brainer of a poltergeist as he dropped some onto her. She glared at him. She was going to come up with a plan to make his dead life miserable. That was one person she was going to watch out for. Little did she know that she didn't have much of a choice, the young Ravenclaw couldn't do anything. Rest assured, she was going to find a way.

 

[Jean Snow]

Jean had been utterly surprised when he'd opened up his letter to find the Head Boy badge inside. It had taken him days before he showed his siblings and mother. He'd arrived to school with it attached proudly to his robes. Quidditch captain, Head Boy. Jean was having high hopes for the year, especially since he knew that Victoire was Head Girl. They now had reason to interact, and Jean couldn't help but be happy of that. He sat, back straight, smug grin on his face as he listened to the Headmistress speak. Then came the feast, his last one though Jean wasn't usually the sentimental type. He was eager to be graduated, though he planned on enjoying things while they lasted. As the meal ended, of course Vex had to make an appearance. Luckily, Jean had been ready and had cast a shield charm on himself. He stood, unamused as he got ready to help the first years.

 

[Archie Renner]

Archie enjoyed the food in the start of year feast but he did not enjoy being separated from Orwell. They had spent most of the holidays together which Archie always considered to be a blessing and a curse. A blessing because he loved the Ravenclaw boy beyond words but a curse because upon returning to the castle they simultaneously returned to being separated by their houses. Archie looked over to the Ravenclaw table and waved his best friend. He then looked back down to his place and frowned at the thought of not spending every night with him as he stabbed his fork into a carrot and began chewing without a care for his manners. He continued to eat the food on his over stacked plate until a ball of slime suddenly fell on top of the food. He looked around the hall to see vex as the culprit and wasn't sure how to react. If it should be with anger because he was hungry or if he should laugh because it was a harmless prank. He picked up his glass of pumpkin juice and chose to drink that to fill his appetite instead of complaining about his food or giving the poltergeist the reaction it probably wanted. Archie was usually up for a joke but when he was both hungry and annoyed at being away from his favourite person in the world, laughing at a joke was far from his list of priorities.​

 

[Esme Lancaster]

The Start of Year Feast was a formality Esme took no great interest in - years of watching the insolent filth she had tolerated selling wands to be sorted into their houses lost its novelty after the first time, and she could not believe some of the hat's decisions. It was old and moth-eaten, and by now, they needed to update their Sorting system. It was becoming a chore, and the girl would have rather retired to her common room earlier than sitting through the event - especially with the manifestation of a poltergeist causing a headache for the more recent years. She bid the being no attention, as most people should, and being as far from the first year rabble as possible, she remained fairly unaffected by the slime. Being coated in the ooze was not a way Esme wanted to start her final year, nor was it what anyone else near her would have wanted to endure the aftermath of.

 

[Twyla Rothery]

Twyla could barely wait for the food in front of her to finish materialising before digging in, piling her plate full of whatever she could get her hands on. Her family was decently well off, not too poor and not too rich, so she was generally well-fed at home - but the food before her was magic food, and a true feast on top of that.

Only the ghost that suddenly popped through the table was enough to keep her from eating, and even then, she only glanced up at the ghost and giggled at its attempt to scare her. The slime it left behind was intriguing, to say the least, but instead of being properly disgusted, Twyla merely reached forward and prodded it with her hand. It didn't seem poisonous so she got a bit on her finger and licked it off. Definitely not the best-tasting ectoplasm.

She pulled her food away from the path of the ghost and kept eating until her belly was a little too full. She would be wobbly and slow when she ambled down to the Slytherin Common Room after the feast, for sure.

 

[Peyton Ó Ruairc]

Peyton looked around the Great Hall unamused, she misses her old school. If she just had agreed to give all her allowance to her brother, she and Hunter wouldn't be here. It was also a dissapointment that she was sorted into a different house than her brother. How could she keep an eye on the boy? The Gryffindor rolled her eyes at the Headmistress in front, she was introducing herself and another. Like she care?

Peyton buried her face on her palm, a muffled scream came next. She's so tired of introductions and when it's done and the food came by means of putting a charm in it, she lazyly pour her goblet some water and sip every ounce of it. When out of nowhere, a ghost pops up and dropping green goo everywhere, specially the first years. "Even the ghost here aren't even taught etiquettes." Peyton shook her head slightly at the commotion. At least she cast a protego to her brother before the dropping started.
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[Timothy De Luca]

Timothy watched the young children get sorted into their respective houses attentively. Most of the children were adorable, but there were a couple he would not look twice at. Timothy was a year away from graduating, and he was also months away from being seventeen. His mother was more excited than he was about it. The Hufflepuff had grown a lot since his first year. If he had stayed the same, Timmy would be worried. He stood straighter, revealing his tall stature. Most importantly, he learned ways to cope with all the extra information his brain processed. He was no longer so sensitive and scared. He actually felt kind of independent, which he tried to hide his excitement about. Timmy was going to start eating, but Vex showed up and ruined everyone's food. He was close to screaming, but he just pushed his plate away and pulled out his sketch book. There would be food in the common room. There was every year. Timmy settled on that.

 

[Anmoch Marcach]

The candles floating nearest to the Slytherin Table grew low, it's warm, golden flames dimming into a pale blue, announcing the presence of the horseman before he himself became visible. Ghosts were limited in what of the physical realm they could interact with, but the elements reacted to the presence of the departed. From the starry ceiling conjured to reflect the nights sky he descended, dressed in the ancient warrior's attire of his tribe, those who had visited and lived on the land long before the castle was built, thousands of years in the past. The man was perhaps the oldest ghost haunting the castle, born from an entirely different world to the one the living knew today. His sword, bronze in life, now as pearly white and ethereal as he, clung to his side. It's blade was sharp and unchanged in the thousands of years since his death, yet small flecks of dark grey blemished its otherwise clear metal, a reminder of the life he left. Silently, horse and rider touched down just inches from the surface of the table, the steed's hooves finding solid ground where there was none. It snorted, a huff of cold air breathed through it's nose and producing a thin cloud of icy vapor, before it began its slow trot down the length of the table. Anmoch Marcach, known to all but a select few as The Dark Rider, observed the students as he passed, and judged those new who a mere hat had deemed worthy of the house he represented, one that had not even existed while he were a mortal. He did not believe fabric could truly judge a person's character, but he would see for himself where their values lay over the course of the year.
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[Felix Warrick]

Felix could hardly believe it when the little blue prefect badge had arrived with his supplies letter. The new prefect had mixed feelings about returnibg to Hogwarts, one of the last things to happen before leaving for the holidays was Lydia breaking up with him so he wasn't relishing the chance that he'd bump into her in the halls, or even on prefect duty, he dreaded being paired up with her for patrols. The Ravenclaw made his way into the Great hall and walke down the table until he found a space on the bench to squeeze into. Felix sat and listened to Professor King welcome the first years and introduced Professor Cliffeton and herself to those who didn't know her. He didn't pay much attention, five years in he knew who the headmistress and deputy headmistress were. Instead he waited, scanning the room for familiar faces until the fod appeared.

 

[Evan Faire]

Hovering at the edge of the Hufflepuff table, Evan clapped heartily as each new Hufflepuff was sorted. He enjoyed sorting. It was such a happy, hopeful time. As the feast began, his enthusiasm dimmed slightly. It had been ages since he'd eaten a meal and so many favorites were upon the table. With a sigh, he shook that sadness off and smiled, making his way up and down the table to welcome all of the new first years. He was disrupted somewhat by Vex's attempt at gaining attention and shook his head at the poltergeist. Maybe one day Evan would be able to help him.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Stunned. Professor Kingsley hadn't quite picked her jaw up from the floor as her best friend stood to address the crowd. Her son, her Noah, had been sorted into Slytherin. Cyndi had been so looking forward to mother/son days, to showing her son her favorite parts of Gryffindor. Those dreams had just gone up in smoke.

"I blame Cameron" she muttered to herself. Of course, it had to be her husband's ambitions for the Minister position that had rubbed off on their first born. Otherwise, he'd have been in Gryffindor. She turned to her food, picking at some pot pie as she shot a look at her son, forcing a watery smile when he looked her way. He was so grown. This would be ok. She would be ok, she reminded herself, glad that someone else at the table had shielded them all. She'd been so distracted she hadn't even noticed Vex.

 

[Kennedy Pratt]

Despite the fact that she had started last semester, Kennedy felt like a newcomer since the start of year festivities were quite different than the start of a second semester. In the second semester things were already underway, the year halfway done, but the start of new school year brought the buzz of childlike chaos and fresh new opportunities, and maybe even a clean slate for those returning.

Kennedy still didn't know how long she'd be at Hogwarts for - she still saw the position as temporary - but she felt it had been in her best interest to move the rest of her family to New Zealand as well, instead of keeping the family long distance. She didn't feel like a good guardian if she was living in another country. Her brother Magnus had just graduated from Beauxbatons so he was free to make his own decisions, but Darcy still had quite a few years left, and Clementine was just starting out, so Kennedy transferred them here. She got to see her youngest sister sorted into Hufflepuff and at the far end she could see Darcy seated at the Slytherin table.

The oldest Pratt was barely getting settled at her position at the staff table and was about to dig into her dinner when she heard a large commotion and screams follow. She looked up to see many students covered in slime before the poltergeist continued on his rampage. Kennedy was glad he hadn't targetted the staff table but the professors still had to deal with the aftermath of the mess. Some students were shrieking while others were laughing in amusement. This was not the first impression she wanted her sisters to have of their new home, but there was no use in hiding it now. At least they knew what they were in for up front. With a wave of her wand, Kennedy began to clear up the mess for the students who seemed most upset by the slime one table at a time.
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[Bethany Zanders]

Bethany had never been so hungry in her life. Was it just her or were there about a million first years this year? She did not remember her class being this big when she first got sorted last year. The sorting seemed like it was endless and her stomach was grumbling loudly in protest. Just when the sorting was done, the Headmistress got up to speak and Bethany almost groaned at the thought of having to sit through a speech, but thankfully the Headmistress kept it short and sweet.

Soon enough the plates magically filled with food and the small Gryffindor sighed in relief, piling hers up with everything within her reach. Just as she took her first bite of chicken, she felt slime splatter her hair and as if that wasn't bad enough (it was going to take ages to get it out!), the slime had coated her food and contaminated it. Bethany gasped in indignation and followed the source of the commotion, invisible at first but eventually settled atop of the chandelier. Now Bethany was not only hungry but she was angry. The petite Gryffindor stood up which didn't make much of a difference from when she was sitting, and pointed at the poltergeist, "You'll pay for this Vex!!" She slumped back down in her seat with a huff and a pout, trying to find some scrap of food that wasn't covered in slime for her to eat.

 

[Solomon Mordaunt]

Solomon could safely say he was happy with the Sorting Hat's choice of house, despite being separated from the one friend he had made so far. Funnily enough, the two were sorted into what some people considered to be the rival houses, which came across as unsurprising given their initial meeting earlier in the Winter. While on friendly terms, they too, could be considered rivals. Given Merrill's knowledge on plants and potions, he viewed her to be competition. The Mordaunt boy found her from across the tables and quietly inclined his head in acknowledgement, while from above, slime descended upon the back of his neck. It was cold, slimy - as the name suggested, and generally unpleasant. Goop coated the back of his neck and trickled down his spine, sending an uncomfortable shiver through his body. The Headmistress had just issued warning about the poltergeist, but he hadn't expected to encounter it so soon.

Too hungry to waste the entirety of dinner attempting to deslime himself, having only had a chocolate frog since the train ride to the castle, the Slytherin wiped the splotches spattered across the back of his hands clean with a napkin and reached for some of the unspoiled food, while at the same time a ghostly horse hoof passed through his hand. A feeling like ice-cold water washed down his arm and he recoiled, eyes tracing the horses body up to its rider, his mouth slightly open in awe. Solomon hadn't seen many ghosts in his life, especially not a rider with his horse. These new experiences weren't the ideal start to the year, and he could only hope they didn't continue in the same way. Maybe, Castelobruxo would have been the better school option after all.

 

[Amber Chou Wilson]

Before she was sorted, Amber would have told you that she had no housing preference and would have been happy in any of the four houses. But now that she was seated at the Hufflepuff table, she decided that it was definitely the best house.

The people were so friendly, and Amber felt right at home. She chatted with anyone that made eye contact with her, though the conversations were brief and largely stopped as the food appeared.

She couldn't help but gape as the tables became laden with food, there was so much! Even with an entire table full of students, she couldn't help but think that lots of it would go to waste. Well, she could help with that. Enthusiastically, she started piling food onto her plate, eager to try everything she could get her hands on. But before she could take a bite, she had to duck out of the way to avoid getting covered in slime. To be safe, she slipped under the table, waiting for the worst to be over.

Unfortunately, when she resurfaced, her food seemed to be completely ruined. For a moment, there was a small frown on her face. But it was only for an instant before her smile returned as if nothing had happened. She grabbed a new plate and picked pieces of untainted food from the large dishes until she had a decent sized portion again. Nothing was going to spoil this first day at school, not even a slime-throwing ghost.