Big Top and Main Stage

[Zoe]

Witches and warlocks, children of all ages, the Worple and Warmsley Magical Travelling Carnival is proud to present a creature feature like nothing you've ever seen before! See the enchanting erumpent walk the tightrope! Witness the daring demiguise fly through the air on the trapeze! Behold the disappearing diricawl magic act! No matter what your pleasure, the main attraction is sure to delight and

A sprawling red and black striped tent looms tall and proud in the center of the carnival, its front flaps pulled apart to allow guests easy access to the main attraction. Cheery carnival music and several large posters advertising the acts greet all who approach. Located just to the left of the entrance is the ticket booth where a sign proclaims: Admission - 4 Galleons; Children 5 and under get in free.

Inside the tent, several rows of bleachers line the sides. The center space is occupied by the main stage, a varnished wood structure decorated in red and black bunting to match the big top. A long tightrope stretches overhead, and a few small trapezes dangle. A possible hint of things to come? A red and black curtain separates the backstage area where the animals and ringmaster go to relax between acts; this area is off limits to the audience.

So step right up and take your seats! It's only a matter of time until the lights dim and the show begins. In the meantime, don't forget to check the schedule for a rundown of the acts.

Text Cut: Schedule

Act 1
The Flying Demiguises - 7:00 PM

Act 2
Occamy Obstacle Course - 7:20 PM

Act 3
Erumpent Tightrope Walk - 7:40 PM

Act 4
Diricawl Magic Show - 8:00 PM

Act 5
Chimaera Taming - 8:20 PM

Act 6
The Dukuquwa Cannonball - 8:40 PM

[Augustus Skender]

Augustus stood watching, waiting for the chimaera to appear, and... nothing. He might've guessed. Leonidas was one of his more difficult costars. A lion head finally peeked through the curtain, and the beast let out a growl.

Augustus's heart beat faster as the chimaera pounced. No matter how many times he did this act, there was that nagging thought at the back of his mind that this might be the time he wouldn't survive. But he didn't let any fear show on his face. The beast would pick up that, and what's more, he didn't want to start a panic in the audience. All part of the act!

The creature collided with the shield. Augustus took an automatic step back as the chimaera gave the shield a whack with its dragon tail, but his wand arm remained steady. His eyes followed the beast as it circled around him. He needed to do something to distract it before it got bored and decided to make a meal out of the audience!

Acting quickly, Augustus lowered his shield and immediately cast an impedimenta at the beast, then another and another for good measure. Just in case none of those spells worked, he had other tricks up his sleeve. While carefully backing away from the animal, he cast a confundus charm; then summoned a large slab of red meat, gently depositing it in front of the chimaera. There, eat up, you big brute! he thought, keeping a watchful eye on the creature, gripping his wand tighter poised to react if none of his efforts distracted it.

[CHIMAERA!]

Not realizing that the shield had been lowered, Leonidas continued to circle the ringmaster. But it soon realized what was going on when it registered in the beast's mind that spells were being casted. The circling stopped and it leapt forward.

Turquoise light moved toward the beast and made contact with it's lion head and goat body, hitting him three times. Instantly the Chimaera slowed down, moving in slow-motion as a roar sounded. Though the hybrid was moving at a much slower rate for the time being, it was still a rather terrifying sight.

Ten seconds of slowness went by. ... Twenty seconds. ... Thirty. ... Then suddenly Leonidas was moving at a rapid pace, his mouth snapping at the ringmaster. He was done playing with his food. It was time to feast.

All of a sudden, the behind of the beast sat down on the floor, dragon tail moving back and forth, a blank expression on its lion face. Where was he? Why was he there? What was...

Oh look! A juicy slab of meat! Leonidas' mouth began to water, drool dripping onto the stage floor, as the meat moved closer and closer.

Gently the Chimaera gave the slab a nice long lick and then latched onto the slab with his teeth. Seeing no need to be wherever he was, the lion-goat-dragon exited through the curtain that had opened ever so slightly. When the dragon tail was out of sight, the curtain closed.

[Bazinga]

Jorge had been having fun with his family and enjoying the day, but he was thankful to sit down a bit to watch the show. It was impressive, though he was surprised there weren't some animal protestors around. It seemed with circus-type shows there were always those to protest against it.

Popcorn in hand he sat with his children and wife as the next show came on, the Chimaera. It was interesting to watch all the different acts and how the beast moved around the center stage. He hoped it was well trained because the last thing he wanted was to have to use his wand today.

"Are you enjoying this?" He glanced around his little group.


Alejandro was on the edge of his seat and his eyes were huge, this was amazing. How did they keep the animals that calm and how did they train them so well? The boy ate his popcorn as he continued to watch not blinking at all. He even forgot his family was next to him for a few minutes until his dad spoke.

Once the tail and the creature went behind the curtain Alejandro jumped up and clapped as loud as he could before turning to his family.

"This is the best day ever!"

[Augustus Skender]

Augustus half-expected the chimaera to pounce the moment his shield was lowered, but luckily,
it kept circling him, giving him a few seconds to formulate a new plan. His eyes widened, and he practically jumped back as the creature leaped. In the nick of time, he saw the turquoise light from his spell make contact.

The series of impedimentas bought the ringmaster enough time to cast another shield, just in case his confundus charm missed. But it hit, just as the beast started snapping at him.
Whew, that was close!

Augustus kept his eyes locked on the chimaera as it sat on the floor, then noticed the slab of meat floating toward it. It was only when the creature retreated hackstage with its snack that he lowered hus wand. He turned to the audience,
flashing a dazzling smile as he basked in the applause. "Thank you, thank you!" he said, bowing dramatically.
"How about an extra round of applause for our chimaera,
Leonidas!" He gestured toward the backstage area where the lion-goat-dragon was likely munching on its treat.

When the clapping stopped, he went on, "And now the moment you've all been waiting for, our grand finale... the dukuquwa cannonball!" With a wave of his wand, a
cannon appeared at one end of the stage and a large tank of water at the other end. "Watch in amazement as our daring dukuquwa shoots out of this cannon-" He pointed his staff at the cannon. "-as a human, transforms mid-air and lands in that tank-" He pointed to the opposite end of the stage. "-as a shark!"

Without further ado, Augustus bowed offstage to make room for the main attraction

[DUKUWAQA!]

As soon as he saw the Chimaera dash by with a slab of meat in its mouth, Semesa immediately took to the stage. Wearing Fijan clothing, the muscular man walked in silence toward the cannon. He knew what needed to be done.

Feet stepped onto a platform and he carefully stuffed himself inside the tight confines of the cannon. It was by no means a comfortable fit. Regardless, he was able to stick a hand out and wave, seemingly out to the audience but it was a sign he was ready to carry on with the act.

A drumroll sounded...

The cannon was lit...

BOOM!

The Dukuwaqa shot out of the cannon with great speed, a puff of smoke following after him, up high toward the top of the tent, just barely nicking the ceiling. He made a series of grandiose flips as his body began to descend.

Slowly but surely, Semesa's body began to transform. It started first with a large dorsal fin producing out of his human back, then his mouth began to stretch and grow razor sharp teeth, followed by legs and feet joining together to make a caudal fin. As his skin changed colours and body grew larger and larger, his arms shifted into pectoral fins and gills appeared.

With the transformation complete and his target nearing, the Dukuwaqa dove nostril first into the clear tank of water.

SPLASH!

The striking impact the creature made caused a fair amount of water to fly out of the tank and scatter, giving those seated in the first few rows an unplanned shower.

As Semesa swam around in his preferred form, wet-start, no-heat fireworks suddenly set off and showered the inside of the tent and music began to play.

[Charely Potter]

Justin had been watching the show with his kids while Zach had some errands to take care of. It was nice, getting to spend the extra time with his kiddies, Lucy, and twin boys Francis & Freddie. They were entertained by the whole show and even he himself was pretty impressed.

"Whoooa, look at that!" He only had to cover the boys eyes at the sight of the Chimera. It was pretty wicked, Lucy definitely was enjoying it as they had sat down together with enough popcorn to enjoy. Just as the man transformed into a shark in mid-air. Now that was excellent. They had to applaud for that as well.

[Augustus Skender]

Augustus was careful to stand several feet away from the stage as Semesa appeared. He was in no mood to be splashed tonight! This outfit was rather expensive, and it had taken him nearly an hour to get his hair styled right.
He was going to watch the final act from behind the safety of the curtain, thank you very much!

He peered around the edge of the curtain just in time to see Semesa sail through the air, do some flips, and land in the tank in shark form. His eyes scanned the audience to gauge their reaction. The6 really had saved the best act tor last!

When Augustus heard the fireworks go off, he knew it was his cue to take the stage one oast t8me. He stepped through the red and black curtain, applauding loudly. "Witches and warlocks, give it up for Semesa the Dukuwaqa!" he shouted above the fireworks. "Thank you, Semesa! And thank you all for coming! You've been a wonderful audience!" He gestured dramatically toward the audience.

"That concludes our show for tonight! Have a safe trip home!" Augustus doffed his top hat to the crowd and bowed with a flourish, slowly backing offstage until he'd disappeared behind the curtain.

[Birchwoodmom]

Lucy dashed to the big top, hoping she hadn't missed all the shows. The Leaky had been far too busy for her to get away earlier in the day. As she entered the tent, she heard the final announcement. "Oh, no. I've missed it all." Her heart sank. She could feel the excitement all around her and knew it had to have been a great show.

She slowly backed out of the tent, trying to avoid the flood of exiting families, and stepped to the side. The show might have been over, but the night would go on. "If anyone is looking for an after carnival place to meet up, the Leaky Cauldron is open. Head on over and show your big top ticket stub for a half price dessert or starter." She might as well try to drum up some business.

[emjay]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bazinga

Jorge had been having fun with his family and enjoying the day, but he was thankful to sit down a bit to watch the show. It was impressive, though he was surprised there weren't some animal protestors around. It seemed with circus-type shows there were always those to protest against it.

Popcorn in hand he sat with his children and wife as the next show came on, the Chimaera. It was interesting to watch all the different acts and how the beast moved around the center stage. He hoped it was well trained because the last thing he wanted was to have to use his wand today.

"Are you enjoying this?" He glanced around his little group.


Alejandro was on the edge of his seat and his eyes were huge, this was amazing. How did they keep the animals that calm and how did they train them so well? The boy ate his popcorn as he continued to watch not blinking at all. He even forgot his family was next to him for a few minutes until his dad spoke.

Once the tail and the creature went behind the curtain Alejandro jumped up and clapped as loud as he could before turning to his family.

"This is the best day ever!"

Regina was a bit on the grouchy side. Why did she have to sit here with her parents and her little brother? She was twelve years old for Circe's sake! A pre-teen, almost an actual teenager, and here she was being treated like a little kid. She should be sitting with her friends.

Oh that's right, she didn't have friends here anymore.

Truthfully, she was being very dramatic. But she hated the fact that she had to go to school in Brasília while her friends and relatives went to Hogwarts. And as a result she lost touch with pretty much everyone here while they were off making other friends. Of course, she did make friends at Castelobruxo.... but they were an entire continent away while she sat here with her family.

But she knew how to put on a good show, or at least tried. "Sí, Papá," she said sweetly though with hardly a smile as she leaned forward to look him. "It's a very good show." But ugh, why was Alejandro acting like an excitable baby? He was ten years old! She leaned back in her seat and politely applauded the chimera, even if she couldn't understand why the man needed to cast so many spells at the poor creature. Maybe the next show would be better.


Mariel was glad to have this little excursion with her family. Now that she stayed at home and did freelance work, it felt more apparent that Regina was gone while she was off at boarding school. Plus she felt like her daughter was starting to pull away from her. She supposed that was natural for her age, but she wondered if there was more to it. This would be some good and fun family bonding.

She smiled over at Alejandro as he stood and cheered for the chimera. This wasn't exactly her type of show - "taming" dangerous creatures with stunning spells - but she was so glad her darling boy was obviously having a good time.

"Perhaps some games after the show?" she suggested to her husband, though that was a question for all of them. But she was sure there was at least one more attraction here and she turned her attention towards the stage again.