☪ the very first page ☪ | hogwarts | closed

[nnewtscamander]

caroline magnolia joseph - gryffindor - low key panicking really hard

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All this talk made Carrie's head spin. She just wanted to shut herself up in a closet somewhere or find out that the lack of food and break time from studying had actually tired her out and she would just wake up in the library, having dreamed this all up. Of course, she was in a library, but she wanted to wake up in the library of her Hogwarts. The one that could be found in her timeline. The one where she could stand up, go to the great hall, and eventually get back to her Gryffindor common room and her bed. That is not the library she is in, but it is the one she wishes she could be in.

As she looks at her companions, she realizes that none of them were really doing anything to change that unfortunate fact. So, she took it upon herself to change that. "Aubrey, dear, if there is an actual reason this damned thing chose us I'd like to find the person who came up with that reason and give them a swift punch in the kisser, but that person isn't here and, even if they were, punching them doesn't sound like something that would change our unfortunate situation at all." She balls up her fists, preparing to make a bit of a speech. That is definitely not something she does often. "Look, I hate to be the one to break it to you but all these guesses and thoughts aren't doing us much help. Apparently, this situation doesn't only call for thinking but action and proactivity. Now, I may skim around a whole lot but I won't this: we've only been here a few minutes and so far I've been a major arse. I'd love for that to stop being the case because, frankly, I don't want to die. But one of us is going to have too. So, do you want to stay here chasing your tails or go out and do something? Cause I'm going to go ahead and pick the latter. As much as it pains me to say, Elliot's original idea of looking around is probably our best bet. So, why don't we test all our ideas and check the possible places we need to go?" Carrie takes a deep breath after making her point known. A phenomenon rarely seen is a honest, open, and talkative Carrie. The most logical explanation for her sudden courage is pure, unadulterated fear. Hopefully, all that fear will lead to the sparing of her life. If worst comes to worst, at least she will have died with bravery.

[daz]

ｅｌｌｉｏｔ
elliot mauve . slytherin . qudditch seeker . tag{s};; all
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elliot couldn't help it; his face lit up a tad when his previous idea was positively acknowledged. he jammed his fists into his pockets, propping his body against a dusty bookshelf located behind him. "i say yes, we look around now. it's the best opportunity we have to start riddling out options for this... puzzle," he explained, gesturing awkwardly towards the book. the words inscribed into the aged paper haunted him, forcing a sickened feeling into his stomach. someone was to die, and he didn't want it to be him. it was clear to him that everyone would now start to try and kiss up to one another, likely desperate to thrive for as long as possible. they'd drop their sassy, sarcastic attitudes and attempt to become the most optimistic spokesman in the room. he could already see the change occurring in carrie, who even admitted to her sudden aim towards being kinder. a mild chuckle escaped his lips, his eyes rolling as a quick impulse from his exasperation.

"alright, really, no one has to turn into a complete opposite of themselves to ensure their life. i won't feel the need to kill you any faster if you're an overly witty arse," elliot decided, shooting them all a determined glance.

[blackbird.]

l a n d o n . o ' c o n n o r
ravenclaw | quidditch captain and chaser | sixth year | seventeen

>>>Landon nodded in agreement at Aubrey's words. It seemed she was warming up to them, and actually contributing her opinions. He found it good that she was aware of how much help they needed. A puzzle as perplexing as that could make anyone desperate for ideas. Then she raised up another point. And a good one, at that. Why them? As far as Landon was concerned, there was no 'why' when it came to prophecies. It just was. Tough luck, or some divine plan. Or maybe the 'I' in the note had crafted it all. It could be anything from luck to a careful, well thought-out plan. Just then, Carrie spoke. And she went on in a long speech about how they weren't doing anything except talking. Not only that, but she had targeted Aubrey as part of her speech. Her tone was nice enough, but Landon saw through that easily. Or rather, he had the pre-conceived notion that Carrie wasn't exactly being sincere about it, which made Landon strangely upset and protective. It was probably because Aubrey was actually trying to help by saying her ideas and giving more thought-provoking questions, which was much more than what she was doing. He felt his heart rate increase steadily and he had to pause to calm down.

There was no point in getting upset, and negative emotions would only get in the way of his judgement. He took a deep breath in, then out. In, then out. He continued his deep breathing as Elliot spoke, merely agreeing with Carrie. It was strange that the Slytherin was actually quite passive while the Gryffindor was the one who was provoking everyone. But Elliot mentioned a good point. Were they subconsciously trying to make the others like them just so they wouldn't be chosen to die? No, Landon decided. He wouldn't be like that. "Don't worry, Elliot. No matter what, when the time comes, we will figure it out. There's always a loophole. No one's going to die here." He looked at the others, trying to convey how serious and determined he was not to let any of them die. "But that being said, there's no real reason to be an overly witty arse," he said, turning to Carrie. "You're probably frustrated. Maybe even afraid. I get that. But guess what? I'm pretty sure we all are, so that doesn't give you the right to lash out at us. Because quite frankly, I don't see you contributing to the discussion. You want to go outside and explore, do you? Well, that's mighty fine, except that we won't know where we're going. So why don't we first decide where we're going, then actually go there." With that, he finally turned to Aubrey, the person he minded speaking to the least. "Honestly, I don't know why we were chosen, but I don't think it matters. We'll find out eventually, won't we. Let's just focus on solving the riddle first, yes?"

[auroraphoenix]

A U B R E Y
tags everyone
hufflepuff
anxious, confused
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Apparently, everyone besides Landon hated her. Well, she could kind of expect that. Most people saw her as naive. Aubrey didn't understand why Carrie was suddenly targeting her, just for speaking out a little bit. However, Aubrey didn't say anything. Arguing with a Gryffindor probably wouldn't be the best idea. She looked at Landon, ignoring the other two. "Right. I was just confused. And worried." Aubrey shrugged, not bothering to say anything else about it. "Landon, you're right. The clues are more important. I suppose exploring would probably be better. The clues referenced could be physical things that we could, you know, see, touch or smell. Probably not taste or hear." She nodded, taking a few steps away from the group, in an attempt to start 'exploring.' "Sorry for trying to be helpful." Aubrey mumbled under her breath, rolling her eyes slightly. Aubrey didn't really get why Carrie and Elliot were so against her, but maybe it was just because Carrie was just frustrated with everything and how it was turning up. Besides, she was hungry. People weren't themselves when they were hungry. Aubrey bit down a silly smile, remembering the Snickers slogan. She hesitated a little bit, wondering if she should go ahead of the others, or by herself. Thoughts grazed her mind, but they would only get her worked up. "So all of us will go up to the heavens... Possibly. Heavens, heavens.." Her tone was soft, trying not to let the others hear. Aubrey averted her gaze to the spines of the books, tilting her head sideways to get a look at the titles.

[nnewtscamander]

caroline magnolia joseph - gryffindor - frustrated and stubborn

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There is no word for the feeling of falling. There is no word for the feeling of your gut going numb and trying to escape through your ever tightening chest. While there may never be a word able to adequately describe that feeling, Carrie still knows it very well. It comes with one of her greatest fears : being misunderstood. Unfortunately, she had managed to get herself into a familiar situation once again.

When your words are few and not often, you pay particular attention to proper phrasing. Sometimes, even careful calculation can fail a person. It is moments like these that are why Carrie turns up her nose and shoves a cold shoulder to the world. Her philosophy is that it's better to not speak up at all than be misunderstood. Even so, her initial response is to try and salvage whatever peace she had with Landon and Aubrey. "I wasn't trying to lash out. I'm sorry if it came out that way. Quite the contrary, I was trying to lighten the mood and joke around with Aubrey. And.." But she was floundering, reaching for words like a fish gasping for air when thrown on a dock. As well as she understood that it wasn't the time nor place for defensiveness, she couldn't seem to help herself. "And I think that you, Landon, are in no position to be speaking to me about how I had addressed Aubrey. If she had an issue with me, she should have grown a pair for herself and spoken up. But she wouldn't have because if you hadn't misunderstood me and opened your damn mouth, I'm sure she wouldn't have been offended. So, mind your own, alright? Yes, I'm scared. Just like you said, we all are! I understand that. I was just trying to take action, dispel the fear and invite some courage in. I definitely wasn't lashing out. Now, this? This is lashing out." Somehow, Carrie willed her legs to step towards the nearest exit of the library without her knees buckling. Once she was nearly passed the threshold, she swings around to make a parting comment, all of lies she lets slip through her teeth, "You go ahead, though. Think on it all some more and continue tip toeing around the facts. Don't take matters into your own hands. I honestly couldn't care less at this point."

With that, Carrie turns and walks briskly into the barely familiar corridor, doing exactly what she said she would. Acting instead of just speaking. In that moment, she had no way of knowing if her actions would lead to her demise. What she did know, and would never confess, was that she wanted nothing more than for someone, anyone or everyone, to follow her. She wished they would come, embrace her, and tell her she was doing what was right. She wanted someone to say she was proud of her bravery. Wrapping her arms tightly around her body as she is suddenly feeling very cold, she understood that would not happen. Not now, probably not ever. Despite that, she trudged on.

[auroraphoenix]

A U B R E Y
tags everyone
hufflepuff
angry, surprised
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Aubrey had no words for the way Carrie spoke to her. She was just a huge jerk. Aubrey had thought that they had the chance of being friends, but not anymore. No, Aubrey just wanted to get away from these snarky little up-tights. Carrie just made her feel like she couldn't speak for herself, when in reality, Carrie had no freaking idea what she could become. When she wanted, Aubrey could grow (figuratively, she was quite small) in size faster than anyone. Her words could cut deeper than the sharpest knife, or cast someone out. Aubrey was in the next row of books over, frozen in place. Her face heated up, angry and slightly hurt. Aubrey rolled her eyes as she listened to how Carrie thought she could just lash out and everyone would be ok with it. Aubrey could understand what Carrie was saying and to why she was saying it to a certain extent. They were all scared, that was a given. Being magically transported to an unknown library could potentially make you go nuts within the first five seconds of arriving. So many books, yet one clue. But fear should not let someone lash out uncontrollably at the people who were trying not to let fear consume them. Wasn't that an unspoken code of the Gryffindors? Of course, Aubrey had been placed in Hufflepuff for a reason, so she really had no idea. It wasn't in Aubrey's place to judge how Carrie reacted as a Gryffindor, but at least she had an idea. I wouldn't talk about 'growing some,' you little hypocrite, Aubrey thought bitterly to herself. If you were truly a Gryffindor, you could have more control of yourself. That's what it is. Aubrey continued walking after Carrie finished her little spiel. Aubrey was angry, yes, but at least she could control it. And besides, getting angry at everyone was not exactly helping their case, was it? Actually, dwelling on it wouldn't help them either. Therefore, Aubrey concluded that she should probably get back to work. She twisted her head to get a better look at the spines of the books. The only book that stood out to Aubrey was one called "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them," but she figured it probably wouldn't give them a great headstart. Well, at least until they faced one of the beasts listed in the book.

[blackbird.]

l a n d o n . o ' c o n n o r
ravenclaw | quidditch captain and chaser | sixth year | seventeen

>>>Landon grew more and more agitated as each moment passed. How were they ever going to escape the place they were in if they were fighting non-stop? They needed to work together, not fight amongst themselves. He immediately threw the blame to Carrie in his head, because he knew that she had started it. What, with her constant complaints about how hungry she was, and her ceaseless sarcastic and snide remarks. She had claimed that she wasn't trying to be mean, but how could he actually believe that? Gryffindors were supposed to be honest and brave. Carrie seemed like the exact opposite. The only kind of bravery she possessed was blind stupidity. And, of course, causing more disharmony by making Aubrey angry. He had never seen Aubrey, the kind and sweet Hufflepuff, get angry like that. That was exactly the situation he had hoped to avoid by defending her, but Carrie, ever the catalyst for chaos, had other plans. Landon could feel the anger bubbling in him. But he couldn't lash out. He had to be rational. There was a way around it. He clenched his hands into fists and ran out the library, following Carrie. He was just a step outside the library, so those Aubrey and Elliot who were inside could still hear him.

"Fine!" he called out. "You want to split up so badly, fine by me. But what's not fine is being stuck here for heaven knows how long. So I'm going to find a way out of here, and if you'd like you could actually do something to help." He took a deep breath in and glanced back at the other two people. "I'll go with Aubrey, you can go with Elliot. We meet back here in an hour. If either of us find anything..." he paused to think. How could they possibly communicate from one side of the school to the other? Think, Landon. If only there was a way to make yourself heard. To shout so loud that... of course. "We use the Sonorus charm. I'm not sure if it'll work, but it's better than running around the whole school looking for each other." He looked at each of the other three, hoping to get a positive response from all of them.

[daz]

ｅｌｌｉｏｔ
elliot mauve . slytherin . qudditch seeker . tag{s};; all, carrie
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elliot groaned as the others continued bickering pointlessly, discussing things that realistically didn't matter. with all of their lives dependent on their escape, this persistent banter was becoming tiresome. he placed his face in the palm of his hand, lightly running his thumb over the side of his temple. he would likely have attempted to intervene, but he felt it would be hypocritical of him. why intervene if he considered this all senseless? it was stupid, so instead he kept his mouth shut. he only lifted his face from his hand when carrie stormed out, abandoning the rest of the group to their own devices. she had definitely overreacted, flailing beneath their judgmental stares. he couldn't say he blamed her for leaving, seeing as everyone had made it quite clear they disliked her. it wasn't their fault, though! carrie seemed easily unlikable, as she wasn't afraid to express her opinions and doubts... a bit... brutally. nevertheless, he felt no reason to criticize her for it, seeing as it was just her personality. el figured he couldn't be any more tolerable, simply standing about and not contributing in the slightest.

landon took it upon himself to follow carrie, rushing after her so he could express himself before she vanished from earshot. he jammed his fists into his pockets, listening in himself as he knew the message was intended for all of them. he smirked to himself as the ravenclaw scolded the gryffindor, defying any and all stereotypes for people in his housing. generally the slytherin was the spiteful, stubborn one, determined to go off on his own. the hufflepuff became the peacemaker, the gryffindor the leading fighter, and the ravenclaw the genius who controlled the masses with his wit. so far, none of them had truly kept to that stereotype. elliot liked that, it provided the hodgepodge of a group they were some fascinating chemistry. perhaps the mere fun behind observing how they'd interact would be enjoyable, thus keeping him sane throughout this process?

elliot's head shot up once he heard his name, uttered amongst the words landon shot at carrie. a short scowl appeared on his face, his chocolate brown irises piercing into the ravenclaw's back. "oh, as if i wanted to go with her?" he mumbled, but shrugged his shoulders with a shake of his head. happy thoughts, happy thoughts... revert back to the way you saw carrie previously. be sympathetic. anything to keep you calm! he lifted one fist from his pocket, adjusting his green and silver tie in one swift, agitated motion. "carrie, wait up!" elliot finally called from his position in the library, eventually forcing his rigid muscles to work once more. he pushed past landon, giving him one final look of disgust, before rushing to catch up to carrie. at last he made it to the gryffindor's side, walking with her towards... well... wherever they were going. he furrowed his brows, attempting to take in their surroundings. hogwarts definitely had seen better days! the entire castle was so... disorganized. the multitudes of cobweb and dust that collected in the air made him want to gag in displeasure. how foul!

"so you're the one that chose this direction. where are we going, exactly?" elliot quizzed, finally peering down at the girl he walked beside.

[nnewtscamander]

caroline magnolia joseph - gryffindor - curious and vaguely hopeful

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Then, there were two.

It didn't bother Carrie that she had been stuck with Elliot. If anything, it's much more accurate to say that Elliot was stuck with her. She wasn't about to deny that. It wasn't entirely her intention to push away these relative strangers, but she already had. Thankfully, Elliot didn't seem able to easily jump to hating her as the other two had. And, although she would never admit it, she saw a kindred spirit in the Slytherin. Maybe it was that they both have temperaments that are not easy to get used to.

Whatever the reason, Carrie wasn't unhappy about his presence. What did make her unhappy was the question her new companion asked. It had nothing to do with the asker or the question itself, more with her own inability to answer it. With the big tantrum she had made about going out and exploring, you would think that she had already thought through what she would be exploring for. Carrie had gotten herself into the spot between a rock and a hard place. So, she thought back to the suggestions made pre-tantrum. "I figure we should go out to the grounds, check out the area by the Great Lake. That is, if we can find the grounds. We're only assuming that this Hogwarts is that of the past. Could be a very dreary future. That would present the possibility of the configuration of the castle being different." Carrie explains, carefully eyeing the desolate state of the place she would usually call home. But this wasn't home. The environment and emotion was entirely different and there were far too many dusty, cobwebbed corners.

Despite a lingering feeling of empty dread, she starts following the path she would usually take in order to go from the library to the grounds, hoping for minimal surprises. Not wanting to be the only contributing opinion, she glances towards Elliot with the question of, "What do you reckon?"

[daz]

ｅｌｌｉｏｔ
elliot mauve . slytherin . qudditch seeker . tag{s};; carrie
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elliot kept a decent pace up, careful not to stretch his long legs to their fullest potential. he could easily trump carrie's current speed just by extending his legs a bit further, although he refrained. doing so would likely make him feel a bit selfish, especially considering their current situation. at this point, they were meant to act as a team. if they didn't try and put their heads together in every way possible, then what sort of team were they? one that wasn't any good, of course. it did require a bit of extra concentration, but he was more than willing to offer it up for the benefit of their compatibility. they'd get along and avoid the bickering for as long as possible! so far, so good. neither of them had blown their tops, and carrie had already seemed to calm down from her argument just a few moments before. perhaps she might've been a bit more bitter if he'd been replaced by landon or aubrey, which for her benefit she wasn't. that likely had been the ravenclaw's thought process: to not stick the gryffindor with the ones she didn't get on as well with. admittedly, smart. more progress would be made if everyone would quit the fighting.

"right, yeah, alright. sounds logical enough," el replied swiftly, offering up a quick smile. he glanced down at carrie briefly, listening to her as she continued speaking. "that would pose a bit of a problem, wouldn't it? although, i have a few doubts. i feel like everything would be much less... rustic-looking, if that makes sense. i'm getting an old vibe from this place. although, what do i know? i might just be getting mixed signals from how dirty this place is."

elliot reached out to the side of him, brushing his fingertips against the walls. immediately, an overpowering amount of dust began to coat his flesh. he didn't flinch away in disgust, likely because he'd predicted for it to happen. just as he expected, as he drew his hand back into himself, the tips of his middle and forefinger were completely black. how foul! somebody hadn't given this place a proper dusting in forever.

"what do i think?" he echoed breathlessly, not taking his eyes off of his dirtied fingers as they continued onwards. "i think that this entire situation is absolutely ridiculous, of course. i'm god-awful at solving riddles, so i honestly haven't got the faintest idea. i'm just a follower for now, at least until i come up with my own theories. currently, i can only agree with going and seeing the lake. it sounds reasonable enough, i guess. what did it say again?" he mumbled, finally looking up and off into the distance thoughtfully. "'where the earth meets the sky', correct? sounds like a body of water to me."