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Post by Fergus Reinhardt on Apr 13, 2023 21:53:57 GMT -8
Fergus was still taken by his kiss with Gwen. It felt nice. She didn’t have any ties to his family. No commitments. He sighed to himself, wishing it was that easy. Fergus smiled as she cheered on the acts.
As Gwen took to the stage, he clapped and whistled. Fergus was impressed with her charm of crows. He cheered until she returned to him, “That was absolutely amazing,” He said smiling. Fergus took her chin and kissed her then.
He rolled his eyes at Oliver O’Shea’s sorry performance. It wasn’t very skilled or creative. Fergus yawned, scanning the crowd. His attention was recaptured as Anneli strolled up to the stage. Fergus was still as he watched her. Her black dress hugged her curves. He smirked as she winked. Fergus tore his attention away from her blonde halo…
“What are your plans for after the dance?” He asked, smiling at her and pulling his arm around her waist to bring her in closer.
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Post by Professor Viktor Dimitar Valko on Apr 13, 2023 22:10:41 GMT -8
Professor Valko stood at the back of the dance, nodding to students and taking a drink from his flask. His knee was freshly injured, so there would be no dancing for him tonight. Not that he thought there would be. He was present mostly as an extra chaperone. Viktor smiled as Professor Gunvald announced the contest, moving closer to his colleagues. He hadn't made any formal introductions yet. Viktor had lead a fairly nomadic life for some time.
"I'm impressed thus far," He said, smiling to Professor Barnes and Gunvald. Viktor smelled vampire in the air. A metallic scent. His nose burned for a moment. He looked to Professor Ghica, "I don't think we've met yet, I'm Professor Valko. Or just Viktor." He laughed heartily, "Care of Magical Creatures." Viktor rubbed the back of his neck, hoping he wasn't interrupting.
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Post by Poppy "Pip" Blomst on Apr 13, 2023 22:26:36 GMT -8
Poppy didn't have a date. That didn't matter. She was happy to enter the dance with no one on her arm. Pip had been lost in a magazine about magical creatures when she looked up to the grandfather clock. It was far past the dance's start time! She gasped and leapt from her bed, tossing her dress on. Poppy skipped through the corridors happily, realizing that she had forgotten shoes. She arrived just in time to watch the contest performances. Pip sang the school song in a high-pitched melody. She stood by Zander and Niamh. They seemed kind. She giggled at the release of the blue pixies, gasped at Gwen's beautiful dress, and cheered for Anneli's pumpkin. She skipped to the stage then, taking center stage. "Hi all" Her airy voice rang out to the crowd. She ignored the prop box. Instead, Poppy directed her wand at her own feet, "Tarantallegra!" She shouted, her body suddenly swayed. Her feet began to dance uncontrollably while Poppy laughed. She pranced around the stage wildly, the charm working as intended. As her bare feet calmed, she bowed with her dress and then exited the stage to greet Zander and Niamh, "Hi guys!" She greeted.
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Post by Professor Dragomir Ghica on Apr 14, 2023 5:47:41 GMT -8
“Ahh… yes, They might be fully capable… I on the other hand, have not taught charms with that precision of wand movement in some time. I’ve found letting them feel it out for themselves works best with Defense.” He would gladly help with the judging. He smiled when she accepted the offer to dance. “I shall hold you to that.” He actually found himself looking forward to the opportunity to dance with her. The unmistakable musty scent of wet dog permeated the air in the Great Hall. Something he expected he would come to get used to. He turned to their newest addition and nodded at his introduction. ”Dragomir Ghica, Dragomir or Drake is fine. Defense Against the Dark Arts” He added. He stepped away from the group for a moment, lifting a cup from one of the 7th year’s hands, before re-joining the group and standing directly next to Isadora. ”May want to have the house elves do a quick inspection on the punch bowls.” He offered, wondering what on earth they were spiking their drinks with these days. Then again, when he was their age, the options were much more limited. He turned his attention back to Viktor. ”Welcome to Hogwarts. I hope the students do not make it too hard on you your first lesson or two.” He offered, directly thinking of a few students and student interactions that could pose some trouble in all of their classes. He watched as the students took the stage, one by one. Ms. Reinhardt first. The frog chorus had everyone singing and even caused the band to stop momentarily. The magnification charm had worked as intended and she’d cast it well. Ms. O’Shea conjured Pixies from the box and his wand was immediately in his hand. He noticed Isadora had done the same. If whatever she attempted to do failed, they would need to be quickly rounded up. But her charm worked, they were all frozen. Not bad given the distance between them all. Although some of the decorations had been torn. He watched Ms. Shaw conjure birds from her dress, impressed she had chosen a source other than the box. He nodded his approval, as did the gasps from the crowd. Mr. O’Shea followed Ms. Shaw to the stage. He managed the severing charm, but given the subject matter, the violence with which the actions took defeated the purpose, in his opinion, not to mention the message was rather expected. Ms. Oden took the stage next and he chuckled to himself, wondering what she might have in store. The antics of the pumpkin had the crowd laughing. The enlargement charm seemed perfectly applied, The pumpkin filled the stage, but did not overflow it. She added a second charm, Incendio. Fire Given her lessons he probably should have guessed fire would be involved. He nodded his approval, not that she was paying any of the judges a bit of attention. Ms. Blomst took the stage next, the dancing feet charm cast neatly on herself. It amused the crowds and worked as intended. Two stood out among the others as not only being proficient in the charm itself but grabbing the crowds attention with unique twists to the charm. Professor Ghica’s Contest of Charms Scores thus far: Rating scale reminder: 1-5 (1 = needs work, 3 = proficient, 5 = excellent)
Ms. Reinhardt – 4 Ms. O’Shea – 3 Ms. Shaw – 5 Mr. O’Shea – 2 Ms. Oden – 5 Ms. Blomst - 3
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Post by Ameryn Hahn Davies on Apr 14, 2023 14:52:24 GMT -8
Ameryn laughs as she and Wolf twirl slowly around the floor, “Oh yes he can be…” Her voice drifts off, “But, I like to think I can be the life of the party too.” She smiles. Ameryn admired how Wolf moved across the floor. He was a good dancer.
She looks at Wolf's face and then forms an exaggerated look of shock. “Herbology can be just as crowd-pleasing as anything else.” She asserts. Herbology might not be her strong suit, but it is a key foundation in many areas of the wizarding world. She winks at Wolf and then, after seeing Poppy depart the stage, rushes forward. With one hand lifting her large heavy skirt she waltzes onto the stage.
From the prop box she summons a beautiful rose, sans stem, the exact deep red color of her gown. It sits round and full, in her hand the full size of her palm. “Geminio!” She shouts and the rose doubles, freshly blooming before everyone's eyes. And then it doubles again... and again... until the stage fills with roses. At first Ameryn grins, but the roses begin to spill off the stage. They keep doubling and doubling and Ameryn’s hand lifts to cover her mouth instead of blatantly saying, “Oops.” She freezes for a moment, trying to recall how to stop the charm.
Aracely would know. She scans the crowd for her sister’s face and sees her near the refreshments table and like a switch she calms. “Finite Incantatem!” She says quickly and the roses immediately stop duplicating. She takes a deep breath and, trying to play it all off finishes with “Ventus!” The windy charm. It sends the roses up and out into the crowd, slowly drifting down among all the attendees.
She happily leaves the stage and returns to Wolf, “I don’t about crowd-pleasing, but, I gave it a go, don't you think?” She says, handing him one of the flowers. “Red for Gryffindor” She laughs with a little wink. She was happy with what she’d displayed. Yeah, she lost it for a second there... but she had the courage to try and the ability to correct her mistake. That made her proud of herself.
At least nothing caught fire or exploded. That was a win in her book.
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Post by Professor Juniper Barnes on Apr 14, 2023 17:02:50 GMT -8
Juniper looks to Isadora as she asks about judging the contest. She claps her hands together and nods happily, “Oh, absolutely.” She is excited to see not only the skills of the students but who are willing to go on display in such a public manner. The most skilled charms master might not perform best under this much scrutiny. A teenager in front of the whole school? Either way, Juniper would consider any student willing to participate impressive. Juniper turns to welcome Care of Magical Creatures Professor, Viktor, he introduces himself. “Hello, It’s great to meet you.” She says honestly, offering up a kind smile. "Juniper Barnes." She adds. "Charms Professor." Juniper had always been deeply interested in magical creatures and perhaps if her life had taken a different route, that would have been the career path she would have followed. Regardless, she sustained a love for the animals. “I hear that Hogwarts offers a great course in that area.” She says, “I’d love to pop in for a session or two, if that wouldn’t be too intrusive.” She ask, hoping it’s not too forward, and that he’d agree. She focuses her gaze to the large stage as Isadora announces the start charms contest, Juniper feels a surge of excitement. “This should be fun.” She chuckles aloud to her colleagues, already having quite a good night. The first contestant steps forward, a determined-looking Gryffindor girl with firey hair. Juniper watches closely as the student performs a well-executed amplification charm, bringing on the singing frogs. Juniper notes the precise wand movement and clear incantation. The second contestant is a shy-looking Ravenclaw, who performs a clever charm that freezes some unleashed cornish pixies. That could have been chaotic had she misstepped, those pixies are devilish little creatures and it can be tricky to freeze the entire bunch in one try. Juniper is impressed by the student's proficiency and bravery. Another Gryffindor, executing a difficult charm that meshes transfiguration and charm. Juniper laughs and applauds, watching the crows fly around the room, impressed by the student's skill and finesse. It was a beautiful display. A Gryffindor boy follows with an elementary charm that cuts into a cloth. It wasn’t as exciting as the previous shows, but if used inappropriately, could cause death or injury, so at least he avoided any of that during his performance. A slytherin takes the stage, a tall pretty girl. The one that had been pointed out to her as the center to some relationship drama amongst students. She displays quite the show with a giant pumpkin and enhanced it through use of incendio. It was executed with an adeptness that examples her capabilities. Plus it was very on-theme, for the season. It made Juniper smile. A slight Hufflepuff girl takes the stage and charms herself with the dancing feet spell. Juniper delights at the sight, applauding the girl. Most people used that charm to humiliate their target, this young girl took it on with glee, and put on quite the show. It wasn’t complicated, but it was fun. “Another Gryffindor!” Juniper notes aloud. “They do seem to be the bravest of the bunch, at least tonight. What a nice display of house pride.” She watches the girl duplicate roses which at first seems simple and sweet. It’s a very easy charm, so long as pronunciation is clear… but, as the pile grows large and the girls eyes widen Juniper feels herself lift her wand before she even thinks about it. Juniper is second away from uttering the stopping charm when the girl seems to collect her thoughts and take control. Juniper smiles and lowers her wand, placing it back into the concealed pocket on her dress. The girl uses a wind charm to float roses out into the crowd, Juniper grabs one that comes near her head. It is soft and the detail is good. She was more impressed by the girls’ recovery than the initial charm. It’s important to be able to keep your wits about you even when things go wrong. “Wow, quite the show so far, ” Juniper beams, handing the rose over to Isadora with a chuckle. Juniper was more excited than ever to be teaching these wonderful kids. Professor Barnes' Contest of Charms Scores thus far: Rating scale: 1-5 (1 = needs work, 3 = proficient, 5 = excellent)
Isla Reinhardt - 3 Niamh O’Shea - 4 Gwendolyn Shaw - 5 Oliver O’Shea - 2 Anneli Oden - 5 Poppy Blomst - 3 Ameryn Davies - 3
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Post by Theo Cole on Apr 14, 2023 21:37:16 GMT -8
Theo watches as Isla strides confidently up onto the stage. He hoots and hollers out words of encouragement and pride. No one beat the Gryffindor enthusiasm. Not a quiet voice among them. He grins at the sight of his date instructing the frog choir to belt out the classic, Hoggy Warty Hogwarts. He laughs and cheers some more.
He watched her on stage so the frog’s song ended and she took a deserved bow. He watches her hair fall as she bends at the waist gracefully. The way her dress fits on her… he shakes his head, embarrassed as if everyone around him can read his thoughts.
When she returns to him she takes his hand without hesitation and he feels like they’ve just won a quidditch match. He gives her hand a light squeeze, “You were great. And the first one to get up there?” He leans close to her ear and speaks low. He can smell the sweet scent of her shampoo, “That’s gotta be bonus points or something.”
Theo turns back to the stage to help cheer on more students, none getting as loud a response from his as Isla had, of course. He sees Gwen takes the stage and watches in awe as she utilizes her outfit for her charm. It was, well, magical. He pulls his gaze away from her like it was wrong to even be watching the show.
He looks down, realizing he's still holding the drink he'd gotten her and passes it over. "Are you hungry? Can I get you anything?" He asks, again leaning in but not as close this time. He wanted to make sure he was doing everything a good date would be doing.
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Post by Heather Nicholson on Apr 14, 2023 22:47:21 GMT -8
Heather can't help but smile against Wesley's mouth as he goes in for the kiss. Okay yes, this was an excellent evening already. She slid one hand up to cup his cheek as they kissed. When she pulled away, she was fully blushing. She bit her lip. She giggled. Yes, that was definitely great.
"I'm really glad you asked me to be your date," she tells him in response. "I'm glad we met in the bar."
Ugh. Could she have lucked out any better? Here was this gorgeous, charming, kind, thoughtful guy who had asked her to the dance and had brought her flowers and had kissed her. She really hoped she wasn't dreaming, cause that would really suck to wake up from.
"And I certainly hope we see more of each other after this evening," she tells him.
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Post by Liam Greenway on Apr 14, 2023 22:52:18 GMT -8
"Cordelia, darling, please tell me you don't always make that face when you're drinking." He says with a smile. "We need to get you more in practice, if so. And for the record, my fan club meets daily. I've heard they have a happy hour in which they all meet after classes end." It's a joke, of course. He looks over his shoulder as some of the girls and gives a wave before he turns back to those in front of him.
"So do we think the teachers will finally let loose for once or what?"
Liam takes a sip of his drink as he looks around. Then he tucks a piece of hair behind his ear. He couldn't decide if he wanted it out of his way or not. He did tend to look better with a piece hanging in front. He let it be. Better to just let it slide than appear nervous or anxious or self conscious.
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Post by Headmistress Isadora Gunvald on Apr 15, 2023 15:57:23 GMT -8
Contest of Charm Winners Announced/End of Homecoming Dance
Professor Gunvald froze in place at the sound of Professor Valko’s voice. A distant howling ran through her head. A pack of wolves growled in the corner of her mind. She would need to drown them out. He was a member of the faculty. A valued one, at that. Even if his presence terrified her. Isadora steeled herself, turning to him, “Hello Professor Valko,” She said, “Yes, this cohort has been especially impressive to watch.” The painted smile washed from her face as she turned again to the stage. She was happy She chuckled at Ms. Blomst’s dancing charm. It was admirable to cast it upon herself. Professor Gunvald watched in amazement as Ms. Davies’ doubled the beautiful frown. That amazement quickly turned. She took out her wand, frowning toward the overflowing stage. The aroma of roses filled the hall. Just as she was about to cast, Ms. Davies collected the roses and tossed them toward the crowd. The crowds cheered. Isadora smirked at Professor Barnes, leaning her head in, “Gryffindor is definitely showing out…” She took the rose from her, smelling it before scanning the room again.
Professor Gunvald’s Contest of Charms Scores thus far: Rating scale: 1-5 (1 = needs work, 3 = proficient, 5 = excellent)
Poppy Blomst: 3 Ameryn Davies: 3 Winners Announced/Audience Vote
She took to the stage to end the contest and the dance. “Thank you all for a grand night. I am infinitely impressed with each of your skills. Professor scores have been tallied. In third place…..NIAMH O’SHEA! Although risky, a talented use of the freezing charm. You have earned +5 points for Ravenclaw.” Isadora clapped along with the crowd, “In second place….ISLA REINHARDT! Fantastic use of the amplifying charm to entertain the crowd. You have earned +10 points for Gryffindor.” She grinned widely as the cheers grew. “And now, for our first place winner,” She paused, her voice echoing through the halls, “We have a tie between GWENDOLYN SHAW! For her beautiful use of the bird-conjuring charm. Tied, ANNELI ODEN! For her use of two skilled charms to enchant us with a fiery, gigantic jack o' lantern.”
Student | Gunvald Scores | Ghica Scores | Barnes Scores | Totals | Isla Reinhardt | 4 | 4 | 3 | 11 | Niamh O'Shea | 3 | 3 | 4 | 10 | Gwen Shaw | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 | Oliver O'Shea | 3 | 2 | 2 | 7 | Anneli Oden | 5 | 5 | 5 | 15 | Poppy Blomst | 3 | 3 | 3 | 9 | Ameryn Davies | 3 | ? | 3 | ~9 |
“This is where I will need your help. Audience cheers will decide our final winner…” Professor Gunvald looked to the crowd, announcing each name and using a volume meter to detect of the crowds cheers to dictate the ultimate winner of the Contest of Charms! VOTES NEEDED: OOC: There is a Poll in the Trophy Room to vote for either Gwendolyn Shaw or Anneli Oden as the “ultimate” first place winner. Whoever wins the audience vote will earn +25 points for their house. Second place in the audience score will earn +15 points for their house. The ultimate winner will also receive their own trophy, which will remain in the Trophy Room. Poll found: Here!
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Post by Loce Vaisey on Apr 15, 2023 18:07:37 GMT -8
Loce grinned as there was an announcement for the Charm’s contest. “That’s my girl.” he said kissing her deeply, then releasing her to wink at her. He reached up and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. It would be close, they both had a lot of friends. He was more interested to see who Fergus would vote for at this point.
He glanced around again and a group of Third years came barging into the Great Hall, making enough noise to wake the dead. He chuckled, having a good idea what the disruption was about. He listened as they invited everyone to the Black Lake for the Grand Finale. He grinned, he couldn’t wait for Anneli to see… actually he couldn’t wait to see how it turned out.
Loce turned to the group. “Shall we head down to the lake? I don’t think you’ll want to miss this.” He said, then turned to Anneli. “Det här vill du inte missa, älskling.” He said, giving her a quick wink. “Shall we?” He asked, offering her his arm.
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Post by Aracely Minh Davies on Apr 15, 2023 20:04:45 GMT -8
Aracely stands quietly to herself, enjoying the show her classmates were putting on. She was impressed by each of them. Her head turns when a Slything boy approaches her she feels her heart rate spike a little, her anxieties over social interactions slowly making themselves known. He knows her name and she racks her brain, stumped only a moment because the interaction takes her off guard. “Y-yeah.” She clears her throat.
The boy, Loce she recalls suddenly, mentions Ezra. He knows whatever the mysterious thing was had him running off. “Sure, that’s really sweet of you.” She composes herself and follows his gaze to the group of Slythrins. She offers up a tiny smile at his remark that they don’t bite. “Well, if you’re sure.” She says attempting to joke. She following him back to where he stood with Anneli Oden. Anneli Oden. Aracely wasn’t sure she’d ever interacted with the girl before. She was intimidating. She wonders if Ameryn could see her.
If she had been wondering what Ezra was up to before, now she was downright fascinated.
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Post by Professor Dragomir Ghica on Apr 15, 2023 20:38:21 GMT -8
Drake watched the last of the contestants. Ms. Davies conjure the roses and almost lose control of them. She recovered nicely, if a bit late. It was a good attempt, she was definitely proficient in her abilities, even if a bit of stage fright took over. Can’t blame anyone for that. He watched a group of third years enter the room, a bit boisterous before announcing a grand firework finale at the black lake. He turned his attention to Isadora, meeting her at the bases of the stairs to the stage. “I assume this was not on the official agenda for this evening?” He asked, curious if maybe she had left something off the official agenda for the staff. He glanced over his shoulder at the dance floor, then turned back to her. “Do we follow the kids to the lake, or take advantage of the band while it is still here? Juniper and Viktor should be able to handle the crowd at the lake for a bit. That and someone will need to stay back and close the hall.” He said. Not sure what he would rather. He was curious about this grand finale, and if those that put it together were capable of what they claimed. Pyrotechnics could be dangerous. Professor Ghica’s Contest of Charms Scores Ms. Davies: 3
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Post by Gwendolyn Shaw on Apr 15, 2023 21:10:19 GMT -8
Gwen feels exhilarated after her chance on stage. It wasn’t like her to get up in front of so many people, but the atmosphere was so joyous. So lively. So exuberant. She feels a little breathless. There are hints of negativity around her, she can feel it tugging ever so slightly at the edges of her happiness. Some friends arguing nearby, and a couple on the verge of a breakup. There was never a time when she was out where someone's sadness didn’t exist, but tonight it was muted by all the good.
Fergus compliments her and he nudges her chin up for another kiss. She grins at him, “Merci beaucoup mon beau.” She whispers, standing on her toes even in her black heels to get closer to his ear. Maybe it was all the couples in the area, all the lovey-dovey-ness and allure of young love. It was seeping into Gwen’s senses and making her feel light-hearted. No matter what tomorrow brought, tonight would be fun.
When Anneli takes the stage Gwen has to strain to keep her eyes on the stage so as not to see the look that crosses Fergus’ face when he sees her. She focuses her energy on politely clapping and encouraging her classmates but Fergus pulls her attention. “After the dance?” She cocks her head to one side and absentmindedly her hand reaches up to touch the beautiful item around her neck. “None? Why do you ask?” She raises an eyebrow at him, a smirk playing on her lips.
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