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**Wilber Winterbottom** · 12-27-2022, 12:45 AM

For those who belong in Gryffindor House, on the left side of the Great Hall is where your table awaits. Red banners containing an embroidered golden lion float above the polished table in honour of the brave Godric Gryffindor. Already placed on the tables are silver plates with accompanying cutlery and goblets. All that is missing right now are the mountains of food and pitchers containing your favourite beverages.

Though your stomach might be growling as you take a seat on one of the long benches next to the table, it is important to not get hangry -- gnawing your arm away or jabbing your fork repeatedly on the surface of the table will do no good whatsoever. Give everyone some time to get settled in and wait for Headmaster Winterbottom to deliver his speech. Keep yourself preoccupied by catching up with your fellow housemates or those who are visiting from the other tables until it is time to sink your teeth into the hearty and delicious meal prepared by the house-elves.

FearlessLeader19 · 01-01-2026, 11:57 PM

That evening, Idris had donned his red robes as he would be sitting at the Gryffindor Table. As he made his way there, a hand intertwined protectively with Paul’s, he scanned the Hufflepuff table, on the lookout for Zen. He easily spotted his sister and sent her a wave with his free hand. He had taken care to give her a big hug before they left the Express so she should be okay without him. It felt weird to look over at the Slytherin table and not see Jan, and even Ary. Id missed the two sincerely but had since come to terms somewhat that his big brother needed to be off doing his own thing and being independent. Speaking of brothers, why was his little one not yet old enough to be at Hogwarts? Id had half a mind to head back home since he missed Zarri too. But hey! At least Dad E and Dad D were there! And all the other familiar faces in terms of professors, it seemed.

As he and Paul reached the Lion’s table, he released the boyfriend’s hand; he didn’t want to make him uncomfortable with PDA. In any case, he still planned on sitting pretty close to Paul. And so he did, leaning slightly against the other boy’s arm. The Sorting would soon be starting and he was eager to see the new Lions and Lionesses!

Charely Potter · 01-02-2026, 06:03 PM

Paul wasn't really the type for closeness in general. But the summer taught him that continuing that path wasn't for the best. Despite losing his mums, he fought the urge to distance even further thanks to his Uncle TJ taking him in, so he now shared space with younger cousins. One of them, TI, was about to be sorted this year.

Of course, his boyfriend and their family letting him spend the summer there. Without them... he probably wouldn't have returned to Hogwarts this year. Not that he was comfortable enough to verbally say that in public. But here he was. Letting go, he sat down at the Lions table. Call it intuition, but he had a feeling his cousin might be joining them.

"You okay?" Paul asked while he sat down waiting for everything to begin.

Diego hadn't done what he was supposed to do, which was talk to Zen. He sat there thinking about the moment and the urge for him to run away. So here he was at his house table using his younger brother Dario for an excuse to delay the inevitable.

Oh.. He saw Idris, was he going to tell him off? No? "Hi..." Seeing him with Paul. Diego went quiet, knowing all that happened with Paul. He felt bad for them. Losing your mums, he understood that feeling all too well, with his biological parents no longer around. He didn't want to imagine the thought of losing his Papa and Daddy after that. So he gave an encouraging smile. If he wanted to talk about it, he could do so with him. But when he was alone, from experience, he liked normal more than the elephant in the room.

"Do you think we'll win the house cup again this year?" He asked.

PhoenixRising · 01-02-2026, 11:00 PM

Kara was all kinds of sad this evening. And it had completely everything to do with Diego Melo-Dreamer. Striding over towards him, she folded her arms across her chest to keep from smacking him. "You. Why didn't tell me you were quitting the Hippogriff league?" Yes she was annoyed. They'd played gobstones together for two years, somehow she had let her guard down to him enough to call him a friend and then he just up and abandons her?

"I hope you're happy now." As for the house cup? Was it wrong if Kara Walsh didn't really care about the house cup trophy? She was just going to ignore that question, because who knew what the next ten months would hold.

"Evening Idris. Evening Paul. You two have a good summer?" No she wasn't going to ask Diego how his summer was because he quit on her.

sweetpinkpixie · 01-04-2026, 12:41 PM

Bria practically skipped the last few steps toward the Gryffindor table - and nearly stumbled right on to her face because of it - cheeks flushed from excitement and the general hum of first night energy, a small knitted satchel slung cross-body and thumping against her hip. Fourth year. FOURTH. She slid into an open spot with zero attempt to contain her glee and the bench scrapped from the force. The blonde immediately began rummaging through the bag like a Niffler with a mission - only what she had was way WAY better than gold!

Out came a careful handful of feathers after careful handful of feathers, each seeming to shimmer uniquely in the torchlight. There were iridescent plumes with oil slick blues and greens, soft down mottled like moonlit moss, narrow flight feathers with elegant speckling, and many MANY other varieties. Bria beamed and lifted her hands as high as she could stretch them above her head. "OKAAAY....announcement!" she declared at a volume that absolutely did not care about ongoing conversations. Well, she DID care and truly did not mean to interrupt or talk over anyone - even if that was precisely what she was doing. But hey, erm, maybe her interruption would break some of the tension building? "I brought feathers! Creature feathers! All humanely collected too!" She nodded earnestly, as if this were THE most important legal disclaimer of the century. "Mum and dad wouldn't let me bring any of the SUPER cool ones though, unfortunately, like the ones from the phoenix and thunderbird that were temporarily in their care because THOSE ones - and others like them - they collected and sent to Ollivanders and some foreign wandmakers...BUT! These are all really cool and really pretty and and really special and come from really special creatures and," she paused to take a breath, arms lowering to her sides as well, "I was wondering if anyone wants one? For notes! Or bookmarks! Or just to look at because they're totally bonzer!"

Her grin widened, eyes bright as she scanned the table and she hardly waited half a second before carrying on and fully committing to her show-and-tell mode. She scooted up onto her knees on the bench, nearly knocking her goblet aside, and began carefully lifting individual feathers from the table and holding them up like priceless artifacts. Because they WERE! "Okay, okay, LOOK - this one first," she said, producing a long, softly iridescent plume that shimmered between teal and bronze as it caught the light juuuuuuuuuuust right. "Abraxan feather. Not from a wing though, this was a shoulder molt so one of the smaller feathers at the base of the wing." She wagged it gently for emphasis. "Arion is exceptionally proud, even for an abraxan, and also a bit dramatic dramatic when it comes to feeding times and prefers their whiskey slightly warmed...but gosh some of the prettiest feathers I've seen on a winged horse before! Dad says this summer was probably be our last one with Arion since his wing and legs are all mended now...which makes these feathers all the more special!"

Next came a smaller feather, pale grey with silver flecking along the edges. "Moondew is pretty shy and she hate loud noises but love being sung to badly, so her and I get along fantastically. She has been with us since she hatched and follows me around like a duckling even though she is a Great Grey Owl and tries to eat my shoelace every chance she gets."

"Oh! And THIS," she added, nearly vibrating as she held up a warm russet feather with a faint golden sheen, "Diricawl. Yes, that kind. They molt when they feel safe, which is very sweet and also very rude because they disappear right after." A tiny sigh followed. "I had such rotten luck when we worked with them in class last term. Even with Professor Menon giving me another chance, I didn’t really get to appreciate how beautiful their feathers are up close…" Her tone brightened yet again. "But over the summer, dad helped rescue a few young Diricawls that poachers had captured... apparently they were planning to use the feathers and skin for invisibility cloaks or some absolute nonsense. They're all safe now. The Diricawls," she added firmly, chin lifting, "and the people responsible are answering for it." She squinted at the feather, turning it in the light. "I think this one belonged to Asparagustus? Or maybe his brother. They have the same sort of sheen to their feathers."

Bria took another breath, kneeling on the bench, and fanned out the feathers across the table before her - cutlery, plates, and goblets somehow finding themselves in her blindspot despite being right in front of her too. "Soooooooooo... who wants one?! And what are you using it for, because I will ask follow up questions for additional ideas myself."

There was, as the pile indicated, far more variety than the few she had shared stories about, but for everyone's sanity it is best to not indulge her sharing - unless someone had a specific question about one of them.

FearlessLeader19 · 01-04-2026, 06:33 PM

Id knew all too well the stance on which Paul took when it came to affection. Or too much of it. Still, he couldn’t help himself. After all that had transpired over the summer, he felt even more protective towards his boyfriend. He was determined to always ensure Paul never felt alone, and he knew the Grunt-Feirgrund-Khanna family as a whole would join him in this endeavour. Id just secretly wished that Paul could live with his family instead of his Uncle TJ’s, but that was okay. At least the pair got lots of time together at Hogwarts.

“I’m alright,’’ Id said, wiggling a little because his energy level was at an all time high. That question itself wasn’t going to be returned; Paully had been asked that a lot over the last few months. “Excited to see TI get Sorted?”

He had been so focused on sticking close to Paul, that he hadn’t paid much attention to everyone sitting around him. Which was why it took him a moment to figure who said hi to him. “Oh, hello, Diego!” There was an enthusiastic wave from his end. Naturally, he knew all about the scenario with the other Gryffindor and his sister, and naturally, he held no grudges. He just hoped that Diego would find it in his heart to apologise and offer an explanation for running away. “I hope so! We need to ensure we work hard if we want to secure that Cup again!” He would try to do it for his Dad E! Id was about to say more but Kara strode up to the Table, and it was clear she had something to get off her chest. He winced at the tone and the annoyance on her face. Just how many girls had Diego messed up with? He would have liked to speak up in defense of Diego, perhaps using the insights that Diego might feel more comfortable doing Quidditch, especially since he often saw Diego helping Viano practice on the pitch. Instead, he simply said quietly to the male fourth year, “Your best friend must be happy.” Though Id was sorry Kara was so affected but maybe they could both support each other?

“Hey, Kara!” He tensed a bit, resisting the urge to glance at Paul. “It was… eventful,’’ he replied delicately before quickly switching the subject. “Want to visit the kneazle-cats with Paul and I tomorrow at Sanctuary?” Kneazle cats could never keep anyone being mad!

Bria’s enthusiastic arrival was well timed. At least it caused a major distraction with all of the feather talk. Id was fascinated with the objects, even as he tried to process all the information being dished out to the occupants of the table. Which was certainly… a lot. But Id meant this in the good sort of way. “I’d like one!” He waved a hand in the air, much like he was trying to indicate to a professor that he wanted to provide an answer to a question. “Er… I think I want one to use as a bookmark. Which would you recommend?” As one could tell, he was not that knowledgeable about feathers; kneazles, cats and kneazle-cats were his area of expertise. And obsession.

Charely Potter · 01-05-2026, 03:22 PM

Paul paused, though, to clap for his cousin Tómas, who did in fact get Gryffindor. "Thanks for bringing me here." He said softly to Idris. TI likely didn't expect to see him at the table, so he didn't mind that he sat at the far ahead away from where he was.

As if Diego didn't have enough guilt to weigh on him. Kara's eyes shot into him like a laser making him all but melt in his seat. "I..." Diego blinked multiple times as his eyes started to feel warm. I did... He wanted to say. After they lost the Gobstones cup last term, he apologized to her and mentioned he would be better off the team instead of taking up space on the bench. But this summer, perhaps she had hoped he would finish one more season before hopping off to Quidditch? Instead, he was in the audience watching after his Quidditch U-17 matches. The rest of the words said to him went in one ear and out the other. Oh dear, his lip was starting to quiver.

So what did Diego do best? He got up, "...Toilet break." He said softly to Idris. He headed down the hall as fast as he could so no one could see the liquid on his face. He'll be back, he promised.

Paul turned to see Diego was dashing off to... somewhere. "That guy sure likes to run..." He heard Kara say something to them, but he didn't focus on that until she asked about his summer. Well, the younger version probably would've snapped at the untimed question, but instead he said. "Fine. I spent most of it at Idris's." No need to dampen the mood even more. "You played a good game this summer, Kara." He did feel bad for Zen, despite their team winning the most didn't have a high enough total score like Hippogriffs. And yes, they did have a little appointment with the Kneazles.

As for Bria coming in with all the feathers. He blinked, recognizing just where those came from. Did she... pluck them from some poor creature? Oh, nevermind. The story was much more wholesome when she explained it before he could ask. "I'll take one too, any will be fine." He could use them for bookmarking the books they'll be studying through this term again.

SweetPeea · 01-05-2026, 10:58 PM

Elaine’s heart was still racing as she made her way toward the Gryffindor table, the echo of “Gryffindor!” ringing in her ears. She kept her shoulders squared as she walked, even though her hands felt unsteady at her sides.

The table seemed to stretch forever, packed with older students who looked far more at ease than she felt. After a brief pause, she slipped into an empty seat near the end, smoothing her robes as she sat, feet dangling just above the floor. She glanced around the table, taking in the red and gold, the laughter, the flickering candlelight overhead. If someone nearby looked her way, Elaine offered a small, careful smile; nervous, but genuine, before folding her hands in her lap.

Gryffindor, she reminded herself quietly.

She straightened, resolve settling in her chest, and waited for the feast to begin.

AlwaysSnapesGirl · 01-06-2026, 10:08 PM

Avalon arrived at her house table juuuuust in time for Bria's feather show-and-tell. Perfect timing really.

Where was Diego going? She did notice him suddenly walking away from Kara, but also Bria's description of the Abraxan and owl and others sufficiently captured Avalon's attention, so she was too distracted to think to follow and see where he was going. She liked hearing about Bria's creatures.

"Me!" She grinned, raising her hand as if they were in a classroom, though she was far more eager than she typically was in a classroom setting. "I want Arion's feather! The Abraxan." Just to be specific. Since Idris and Paul didn't have a preference in their claims, she figured it wouldn't be a problem to pick the one she wanted.

As for what she was planning to do with it...good question. She'd figure that out later.

And then there was new first year Gryffindor (Elaine) joining the table! Very exciting! "Hi, welcome to Gryffindor!" Avalon smiled. "I'm Avalon!"

PhoenixRising · 01-07-2026, 04:02 AM

Not the lip quiver. Kara did that to her mother when she was trying to get something she really wanted and it usually worked 99% of the time. Had Kara been her normal self she would have been ecstatic by the creature feathers or whatever that Bria was offering. She'd catch up with her and Avalon later, because the moment Diego said toilet break, anything said after that from Paul or Idris, had definitely not been heard. Shame too because she could have used the confidence boost from Paul

"Be right back," She hadn't meant to go off on her friend and now she felt the immediate obligation to go after him. She was still angry with him for abandoning her, but surely they could discuss things reasonably, he could explain in a quiet manner. What he'd already explained, but she'd clearly forgotten. And hopefully they'd be back in time for the speech.

FearlessLeader19 · 01-07-2026, 09:33 PM

How wonderful!

Paul’s cousin was also a Gryffindor! Id clapped along enthusiastically. “I look forward to getting to know him better,’’ he said earnestly. Any family that Paul got along with, he was all too happy to hang out with. Hearing the words from the boyfriend, Id smiled and said. “You’re welcome! I always have your back, Paully.” He always did, and always will!

Idris really felt for Diego. He already must be beating himself up due to things with Zen, and here Kara was unintentionally adding more to him. “Kara, I really think you ought to give him a break,’’ he spoke up. But it seemed Diego was already taking things into his own hands by… running away once more. Uh oh

But Di wouldn’t be alone: Viano, after throwing a dirty look at Kara went after him, as did Kara. Id watched them go, shaking his head. “Yeah, he does. But maybe it’s a good thing? It gives him a chance to regroup before dealing with the issue.” Providing that Diego DID deal with the issue instead of avoiding it.

Now that the Sorting was winding down, the sixth year scanned the Gryffindor Table once more. Oh! He’d missed one of the new arrivals {Elaine}! “Hi! Welcome to Gryffindor! My name is Idris. And this is Paul.” His head inclined toward his boyfriend. "You can always let us know if you have any questions about classes, or about Hogwarts in general!” How was it that he and Paul were already old enough to be looking over the younger ones?! And with regard to those feathers… it was nice to see that at least Avalon had a preference. “Abraxan’s a great choice,’’ he told her.

Id spent some time just living in the moment where he watched his Housemates interact, while he absently swayed from left to right so that he purposely brushed lightly against Paul. Even as the speech went on, he kept up with the swaying. Yes, he clapped at the appropriate moments, especially for Professor Amstern. But what was this about something festive? Idris doubted he’d be able to weedle any information from his dads but a guy could try, right?

Charely Potter · 01-08-2026, 12:42 AM

Paul glanced at Idris, knowing that look in his eye when they talked about something for them to look forward to. "I guess we'll be making two office trips soon, huh?" He nodded at the newly sorted Gryffindor. It was kind of nice to have someone introduce him since he wasn't all that talkative in general.

Diego always kept his promise. He and Kara had a private conversation, well, as private as it could get before Viano followed. That was sweet, but everything worked out. He was able to explain that they talked about it at the end of the term, but he still apologized for not mentioning the Summer season. He just made one quick little stop at Hufflepuffs to let Zen know he would like to talk soon sometime after the feast before he arrived back.

"Hi again... Wait, was that the Headmaster?" He had just sat down when he felt a brush of wind, the Headmaster was running to the podium. "Wow." Not that he expected him to be a slow man, but, it wasn't typical to see an older gentleman running let alone at that speed. He listened patiently as the speech was held.

"Oh yes, welcome to Gryffindor." Diego introduced himself, "I'm Diego, you can always count on us to help if you have any trouble." Like Hufflepuffs, though who would be more defensive is debatable.

sweetpinkpixie · 01-11-2026, 01:43 AM

Bria absolutely lit up the second hands went into the air.

"Oh! YES! Okay! Excellent choices, excellent vibes," she chirped with a little flap of her own ~~wings~~ arms, already scooping feathers into careful little bundles as though this were the most sacred of rituals. She slid one toward Idris first, eyes narrowing thoughtfully as she compared textures and specifically the way the colors and patterns appeared on each wing to try to find one that most felt like kneazle fur. "Bookmark, bookmark… hmmmmmmmmm," She selected a couple pale, softly speckled brown and cream feather with just a hint of grey and subtle striping. "These! Not only are they reminiscent of kneazle fur, showing that there are certain patterns in natural that universally connect all, but they are also soft enough to no crease pages. They also it smells faintly like hay and sunshine because the tawny owl they came from absolutely adores rolling around in the barn."

To Paul, the blonde pursed her lips and scrutinized her pile thoughtfully - though the choice soon felt entirely too obvious. "Dealer's choice then - something I am not sure I properly know what it means but feels applicable nonetheless," she said happily, bouncing in her seat and waving her hand over the pile until the draft she caused encouraged one to move. "Aha! I knew it. Asparagus' was calling to you from the start - here you go!"

Avalon's raised hand made Bria gasp like she'd just been offered front-row seats to a dragon ballet. "ARION’S?" she squeaked, reverently passing over the abraxan feather. "He'd like knowing that he was singled out like that so I'll be sure to let him know when I go home for the holidays that his feathers received the most enthusiastic claim."

She only noticed Diego leaving out of the corner of her eye... her smile faltered for half a second, concern flickering... but before she could say anything, Kara was already on her feet and shuffling off after them. Bria pressed her lips together, then quietly set aside a couple feather she'd been holding to save for them for later - she had been holding them when they took off, so that surely was a sign that they were destined for these feathers. Unless it meant the opposite... she really was rubbish at Divination and general reading the room of human behaviors. She would also miss them eventually returning to the table due to, well, enthusiasm.

When Elaine finally slipped into her seat, Bria's attention snapped back, warmth flooding her face. She leaned down the table a bit and did absolutely nothing to make her voice any less overwhelming. "Hi! Welcome... I mean HI! I'm Bria," she said, gesturing vaguely at the feather spread as if that explained everything. "If you want one, you're allowed. First years get first dibs on magic things. It’s a rule I just made up and is non transferrable to previous exchanges." So no one who already had feathers needed to worry about theirs being taken back, of course.

And then...Headmaster Winterbottom made a quick sweep by their table. She wasn't sure what had her suddenly freeze - what could possibly be wrong with a humble mountain of feathers around the promise of a grand feast appearing?! - but her stomach sank nonetheless.

Until it didn't and she realized the sinking feeling had been utterly unnecessary from the get-go.

Her head tipped back as she spotted the headmaster now up on the dais, feathered like some sort of jubilant sparkly bird of paradise, and she made a sound halfway between a laugh and a delighted squawk. "Oh my GOSH," she breathed, arms flapping once more. "He kept them on." That might have been the proudest moment of her entire academic career.

By the time the speech wrapped and the tables filled with delicious smells and food itself, Bria was positively glowing and heart very very VERY full. "Okay but GRYFFINDORS!" Bria blurted suddenly, hopping up on the bench and with a piece of broccoli skewered on her fork as the speech played over and over in her head, inspiring a bit of chaotic house pride to bubble to the surface. "Brave enough to try, loud enough to mean it, and if it goes wrong... we go wrong together! For the lions! For the tower! For doing the right thing even if it takes us three tries and a Hospital Wing nap!" And then she finally, blessedly, slid back onto the bench properly with the tips of her toes just barely brushing the stone floor beneath her, and smoothed her robes back into place...ish. "Best start-of-term ever!" she declared to no one in particular.

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