Merry Christmas to @flareshogwarts, my darling little Toffifee, the ray of sunshine of our group, the one that goes above and beyond to make all of us smile on a daily basis.
Thank you for screaming YES when I pitch some wild ideas to you (Hamilton anyone?), for letting me be part of your creative journey, and for being my outlet when the old gaming excitement rises again.
Frohe Weihnachten, FlareBear! Ich freu mich so hart auf nächstes Jahr! 🎄✨
A/N: OCs featured and mentioned belong to @samshogwarts @whatwouldvalerydo @kc-and-co @the-al-chemist and @that-scouse-wizard
“Have I told you lately that I love you?”
Dylan and Dana exchanged glances as Reva slumped into a seat at their library table.
“What do you want?”
“Can’t I express my affection for my two favourite people in this world without there being an ulterior motive to it?” Reva pursed her lips innocently. “But since you’re asking… you’re friends with Phil, aren’t you?”
“Here we go,” Dylan muttered while Dana raised her eyebrows.
“So are you.”
“But Dylan is really, really good friends with him. And you…” Reva shrugged. “You’re friends with everyone.”
“Spit it out,” said Dylan, already rubbing his eyes in exasperation. “What have you done?”
“So there’s this thing Phil has been getting excited about. You know, this Christmas thing,” Reva waved her hand impatiently. “It was supposed to be some Secret Santa event, or something, for all the Quidditch teams together. As if I wanted to exchange gifts with a Slytherin,” she added with a snort.
“According to Scarlett, you’ve been exchanging a little more than gifts with one recently,” muttered Dana, quickly falling silent when Dylan raised his brows at her.
“Anyway,” Reva hurriedly continued, “Robin and I got curious about what he had in store, so we nicked his list with names from him. We sat and read it in the changing room after practice, but Rory ran off with some Ravenclaw girl and we wanted to see who it was, so…”
“Let me guess,” Dylan sighed deeply. “You forgot the list and someone from another team found it. Does Phil know about this?”
As if to answer his question, the doors to the library burst open and in stormed Phil Baker. He headed straight for Dylan’s and Dana’s table, leaving Reva just enough time to jump behind an adjacent shelf.
“Where is she?” Phil called out, his face screaming murder. “I know you know where she is.”
“If you mean Reva -” Dylan began but stopped himself when Dana kicked him underneath the table.
“We haven’t seen Reva all day,” Dana said sweetly. “Is anything the matter?”
“She went and ninja-looted my Christmas surprise. Looted, I tell you! It’s the worst breach of GTCs ever! She’s a grinch, is Reva. A grinch who stole my Christmas!”
“That’s awful,” Dana said, her eyes expressing sympathy. “Have you checked with Zadie?”
Phil blinked. “Uhm, no, I haven’t.”
“Chances are good that she’s with her.”
“Will you send me a notif if she spawns in the meantime?”
“Uh, sure thing, will do.”
When Phil had gone, Reva emerged from her hiding place, grinning broadly. “Perfect acting, Dana. Thanks.”
Dana didn’t seem to share Reva’s good mood. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. “How do you plan to sort this mess?”
Reva shuffled her feet. “I was hoping that -”
“No,” Dylan immediately said.
“But -”
“He is right,” said Dana. “You can’t just ruin Phil’s hard work and then expect us to clean up after you.”
“Robin and I never meant to ruin it!”
“You shouldn’t have tinkered with it, then.”
“That’s unfair!”
“Miss Amari,” came the voice of Madam Pince as she passed their table with a stack of books floating behind her, “this is a place for studying, not shouting.”
“Madam Pince? Is that someone reading the notebook on your desk?”
The old librarian paled and rushed back to where she had come from. When she found her desk to be deserted, she turned to Reva with a glare.
“Five points from Gryffindor!”
“You mustn’t shout, Madam Pince. This is a place for studying.” Reva turned to Dana with a frown. “She can’t actually deduct house points, can she?”
“No, but I can, and will if you don’t learn to behave yourself,” Dana replied darkly. “You keep riling people up for fun and expect there to be no consequences.” She purposefully looked back down at her book. “You’ll have to find out how to make things up to Phil alone.”
“And how am I supposed to do that?”
“I don’t know. How about you apologise for a start?”
Reva snorted. “He’d obliterate me where I stand.”
“Then do something nice for him first.”
“What did you have in mind?”
“Reva…”
“No, I’m serious. What does someone like Phil enjoy?”
“He enjoys a lot of things.”
“Like?”
“Like…” Dana frowned. “Yeah, like what?”
The eyes of both girls went to Dylan. He sighed. “He’s been into something called Mario’s Cars lately.”
“Mario’s Cars? What’s Mario’s Cars?”
“And who is Mario?”
Dylan shrugged. “Do I look like I know?”
“And how do I find out now?” The look in Reva’s eyes was pleading as she turned back to Dana. “I know what cars are, but not who this Mario bloke is and what makes his cars so special.”
Despite herself, Dana tapped her pursed lips with her finger. “Scarlett might know.”
Dylan looked sceptical. “Why would she?”
“Well, because… oh, never mind,” Dana hurried to reply, colour rising to her cheeks. “I’ll go and see what she thinks. Maybe she can wiggle something out of Phil. Information, I mean,” she added hastily, slamming her book shut and leaving with a burning red face.
***
It took Dana a lot of coaxing, prodding, and the promise to sneak some of her mother’s modified Pepper-Up Potions against hangovers back to school, but eventually, Scarlett had agreed to help them.
Reva’s eyebrows rose higher and higher when Scarlett provided her with a detailed explanation of what she had pieced together from Phil’s ramblings, but her confusion soon turned into determination.
Cars, obstacles, and throwing stuff at other people? That was something she could work with.
Shortly before their Christmas break, Reva’s surprise for Phil was finally ready. Barely able to hide her excitement, she waited for him by the entrance of the Great Hall, bobbing up and down with impatience.
“You really think this is a good idea?” her best friend Zadie asked for the fourth time. “I’m not sure about this, Reva.”
“Don’t be such a Diricrawl, Zadie,” Robin rolled her eyes. “This is going to be great.”
“Exactly,” Reva agreed, craning her head to see where Rory and Lachlan were eating with Phil. “I don’t see what could possibly go wrong.”
“If you’re asking like this,” Victoire Weasley, the fourth girl waiting by the door with them, began, but she was immediately hushed when the three boys rose from the Gryffindor table.
“They’re coming. Get into position.”
The four girls hopped behind the suits of armour flanking the double doors. As soon as Rory, Lachlan and Phil came into view, Reva and Robin jumped from their hiding places. Robin, who was almost the same height as Phil, pulled a bag over his head while Reva slung her arms around his midsection to keep him from fighting.
“This is an abduction,” she laughed, holding on tighter as Phil tried to break free. “You will now be escorted to your Christmas surprise.”
“What has glitched in your head?” came Phil’s muffled voice from underneath the bag. “Did you sleep through patch day, or what?”
All Reva had to spare him was a giggle as they marched the incapacitated Phil to a side entrance. After a short but stumbly walk across the frozen grounds, Reva undid the knot on the drawstring securing the bag on Phil’s head.
“Three, two, one… Merry Christmas!”
Her shout was repeated by several voices as the bag was pulled away and Phil blinked into the sunlight.
“What in the name of Oblivion is this?”
“This,” Reva said proudly, “is a racing course.”
She gestured at the curvy trail they had set up on the grass, its winding bends and loops stretching over the terrain before them. Parts of the course were laid out with wooden tiles with arrows painted on them, as well as little bumps and sconces. Right in front of them, a black-and-white chequered line ran across the ground. A wild assortment of vehicles had been set up there - tiny cars that looked like they were meant for Muggle children; small bikes with or without passenger seats; and two skateboards that could only belong to Dylan and Reva.
“How do you like it?”
“Intelligence boost dispelled, stat drop to 40 %,” was all Phil could stutter as he took in the scene. “What is this?”
“This is my apology -”
“Our apology!” Robin called from the refreshment table.
“- our apology for ruining your Secret Santa game. Look,” Reva said and pulled Phil by the elbow, “we have the cars and the race track, and we even got the bananas and the fake turtle shells, even though I don’t know what they have to do with everything. I wanted to make some farb bombs, too, but Dana said no.”
“I don’t understand.”
“No, me neither. They would have been the cherry on top.”
“That’s not what I mean,” Phil shook his head.
“Well, Dylan said you liked Mario’s Cars. We wanted to do something nice for you, so here we are.”
A look of understanding formed on Phil’s face. “Do you perhaps mean Mario Kart?”
“That’s what I said.”
Phil opened his mouth to correct her but was silenced when Scarlett stood next to him, pressing a silver flask into his hand.
“What’s that?”
“For speed.”
Phil sniffed the flask sceptically. “I suppose my chances at rolling energy are about zero.” It was only now that he noticed the costume Scarlett was wearing - green dungarees and a matching hat on her black locks. A bubbly laugh escaped him. “Are you dressing up as Luigi?”
“I’m dressing up as ‘drink this and shut up or else you’re going to regret it’, Baker,” Scarlett hissed, raising the flask to his lips before passing it to Reva and lastly taking a big swig herself. “What now, can we start this thing? It’s time you eat my dust.”
“In a second,” Reva said and rummaged through the pockets of her own costume. “We have the cars, but we still need our Mario.”
Before Phil could object, she had pulled out a big fake moustache and stuck it onto his face. With a flick of her wand, his clothes changed to red dungarees matching Scarlett’s green ones, while Robin pushed a red cap onto his head from behind.
They were about to turn away and claim their vehicles when Phil suddenly cried, “Stop!”
Confused, everybody turned to him. With a broad grin on his face, Phil drew his wand.
“Not without protective measures. Mario Kart is a vicious affair.”
He waved his wand through the air, conjuring big, fluffy pillows that tied themselves to the front and back of every race participant. Almost incapable of moving, Phil waddled to the passenger seat of the bike Scarlett had chosen, picking up a banana and a red turtle shell from the props table on the way.
“Alright, everyone. You have no idea what you’re in for.”
He lowered himself into his seat as best as he could and pulled his hat deeper into his face.
HPMA Appreciation Week Day 4 - Favourite Ship of Others
These two were so immediately obviously my favourites that I couldn’t not pick both…
Nova Mae and Marceline Lane-Adler @kc-and-co and @slytherindisaster
These two colourful and chaotic girls are so perfect for each other. Their backstories are wonderful, and so is their bright future. I love them both separately, but even more so together.
Scarlett Tempest and Phil Baker @whatwouldvalerydo and @flareshogwarts
These two shouldn’t be perfect for each other, and yet - somehow - they are. It’s a classic case of opposites attract, and I love the warmth the pairing brings out in both these characters.
A/N: Apologise for the delay. I had to cut out two prompts to make it in time. To start off on 'the journey', we will following Flynn and how his troubles lead him to starting Hogwarts a term late. Thanks to @cursebreakerfarrier for this challenge.
Characters featured: Rory McTavish @the-al-chemist, Dana Parkin @lifeofkaze.
Characters mentions: Phil Baker @samshogwarts.
Warnings: description of physical injury, uncontrolled magic.
There's one cow on the white field. Flynn stared, bored out of his mind out of the window. He was already over the game of counting every animal that passed by on the train. The young boy sat alone in his compartment, getting odd stares from passengers as they walked, wondering who he was.
The truth is that this was Flynn's first day at Hogwarts, and it wasn't his parent's first choice for his place of education. To them, going to a muggle high school while focusing on his football career at Southampton Saints academy after school. Instead, he ended with a suspension. Flynn had never meant for the windows to shatter simultaneously or send many flying footballs at Andrew Gibson. Or the referee only made whistle sounds out of his throat, and the math teacher only gave all the answers when he struggled with the math problems. He knew all that was to do with the magical powers he previously knew nothing about until an elderly lady showed up at their house in July.
It was just a typical day; Flynn returned from football practice. His father, Jan Nowak, handed him a letter. He ran up eagerly, hoping that he had been accepted into the Southampton academy again. Still, in his disappointment and confusion, he was accepted into Hogwarts school of witchcraft and wizardry. This was a hoax, right? A bad joke from his friends. They always laughed about how sometimes Flynn pulls off miracle stunts during a match that even left the referee scratching his head. The strange letter was chucked in the bin before the doorbell rang. A woman dressed in dark green velvet robes contrasted against the sweltering summer heat sternly looked and introduced herself.
He found that she was Professor McGonagall, Headmistress of Hogwarts. She came personally to their home to help explain that Flynn was a wizard. His mother was shocked and shaken by the news, while his father seemed fidgety. His older sister, Isla, stood at the living room door glaring at the surprise guest while his little sister, Harper, clung to him. Flynn was ecstatic, a wizard, and he could use cool magical powers like Merlin on CBBC. Jan and Elizabeth were hesitant about sending their only son off to a boarding school in Scotland, and Isla protested. Claiming it was unfair that she had to go to an ordinary high school while Flynn could go to a special private school, and how would that be fair on Harper too?
Flynn tried to argue back, but Isla ultimately won like she always does. His parents declined Flynn's placement and said he would attend high school instead. On top of that, Flynn had a prosperous football career to think about and shouldn't be distracted by magic. Despite the Headmistress disagreeing with Flynn's parents' decision, Professor McGonagall respected their wishes and told them that Flynn would always have a place at Hogwarts. With that, she left, and Flynn's life resumed usually. As expected.
The first term seemed to be okay, at least for Flynn. He had his mates and his football, and yeah, there were the occasional mishaps, but as time went on. More unusual things would happen anytime Flynn was around, and the staff and students were catching on. Until December, Flynn would end up hurting some students and faced the head teacher.
His mother was furious, while his father looked quietly disappointed. There was some yelling from everyone apart from Flynn and Harper, but it was finally settled that Flynn would get sent to Hogwarts. Just until he can manage his powers.
"Whoops, sorry wrong compartment." His thick Scottish accent pulled Flynn out of his trance. Red hair and a lopsided grin greeted him. "I don't think I've seen you around. Are you a second or third year?
It wasn't impossible to believe Flynn was older than he actually was. Thanks to his Polish genes, he had always been a head taller than the rest of his classmates. "This is my first time going to Hogwarts. I'm a first year."
"Really?!" Rory seemed surprised. He hadn't seen him around or in any classes either. He wondered why Flynn joined so late but saved the questions for later. "Well, I'm Rory McTavish, by the way. I'm a first-year like you."
Flynn's face seemed to brighten up. He had hoped he could make new friends after leaving a hasty note with his old ones. "Nice to meet you, Rory. I'm Flynn Nowak."
He leaned against the door frame. "Why don't you join me and ma pals? Must be boring being here all by yourself."
"Sure thing."
Flynn grabbed his stuff and followed Rory to another compartment. He introduced Flynn to his other friends. Most were curious about the boy who arrived late though he was relieved to learn that Rory was a muggleborn like him. Flynn was so ill-equipped for the magic world, having to travel to Diagon Alley with a giant named Hagrid to buy his school supplies. Though Flynn remained optimistic that he would have a fun time. Even classes looked so different and exciting. First of all, he had no more boring Math classes or English though he missed the IT classes, mucking about and playing games on the computer while the teacher turned their backs.
The night fell quickly, and the lanterns were lighting the Hogsmeade station when they arrived. The bricked platform and the quaint, colourful buildings straight from the British countryside. The snow had settled, leaving a blanket of the white sheet covering the roofs. Flynn followed Rory only to hear the thudding footsteps catching behind them.
"Flynn Nowak!"
"Hagrid?"
"Thank Merlin I caught up with yeh," The friendly half-giant cast a shadow over the first years. "Professor McGonagall wanted me ter escort yeh ter hogwarts castle. Just so yeh wouldn't get los' an' accidentally stumble inter the forbidden forest."
"What's the forbidden forest?" Flynn whispered to Rory. He simply grinned back, "I guess you'll find out soon enough."
Hagrid walked with Flynn while Rory caught up with his other friends on the passageway to Hogwarts.
"Hagrid, is the forbidden forest dangerous?"
"Course it is. That's why it's called forbidden." He chuckled lightly, but his thick brows furrowed in. "But if yeh wan' ma advise, is ter never wander ter the forbidden forest alone. It is dangerous. Too many students have gotten injured or los' there."
The castle glowed from the inside, standing impressively on top of the hill. The castle looked a little out of Horrible Histories or a medieval documentary. No wonder Isla was so jealous of him. He gets to live in a castle for most of the year. Inside it was more impressive, the sheer size. He thought he had seen massive at the 2010 football league final at the Wembley Stadium when Southampton won the cup that year. Still, there was something so intricate about Hogwarts.
"In there is the great hall. We'll wait on the stage until the Headmistress calls yeh up fer the sorting ceremony." Hagrid pointed towards the open archway, guarded by moving statue knights. Most students were seated and sat at one of the four large tables. Flynn caught the many stares from the other students. He noticed no roof but a starry sky lightened by floating candles. Floating banners with animal symbols aligned above the tables. Adults sat at a long table at the very back of the hall. Flynn presumed they were the teachers. Some wore colourful clothing, which he found sort of amusing.
"What's the sorting ceremony?"
"D'you remember abou' the Hogwart's houses?" He was referring back to their trip to Diagon Alley. Hagrid gave him a crash course about Hogwarts and what to expect. Including was about the four Houses that every student would be sorted into. He remembered Gryffindor, the brave one. Ravenclaw is the smart one and the one his older sister would love. Hufflepuff, the nice one had a certain appeal, and Slytherin, where the ambitious students go.
"Yeah, I remember."
"The sorting ceremony sorts yeh inter yer house. That's Professor McGonagall starting her speech. Get ready."
Hagrid nudged Flynn to straighten out as the Headmistress walked up to the golden eagle podium. She wore the same green velvet dress as she had that previous Summer to his door. The day his life ultimately changed.
"Welcome back everyone, I hoped you had a great Christmas and a..."
Despite Flynn's best efforts, he struggled to focus on the speech. He got distracted by the flickering candles that swayed with the wind. He wondered how it was possible for the ceiling not to exist, yet outside there was a roof. He believes. Was that the actual sky? Does it change with the weather to the outside? Is it a mirror so they can see the weather? Wait, was that a ghost just there?
"Mr Nowak!"
"Yes, Ms." Flynn panicked; he was supposed to pay attention until she called him. He had missed the majority of the speech.
"Call me Professor or Headmistress McGonagall, not Ms, Mr Nowak." The students erupted in laughter, and Flynn nervously grinned back, laughing off his mishap. Hagrid (probably meant gently, but it wasn't) pushed Flynn towards the chair next to the Headmistress. She was holding an old and musky hat that resembled a face. He sat down on the chair, unsure what would happen next. She placed the hat on his head.
"Hmm...my, my, we have a late comer...I do love them..." Flynn almost squirmed at the ticklish mess of the voice. His leg shaking on the stool. "They usually are the most interesting..."
Who are you? Flynn wondered. Or what are you? It's what, right?
"I am the sorting hat...you are very open and unafraid of new things and unafraid to ask questions...yes...I know where to place you...GRYFFINDOR!"
The middle left table cheered, which Flynn assumed would be the Gryffindor table. Professor McGonagall took the hat off, and Flynn walked towards them, unsure. He quickly spotted Rory making space for him.
"Welcome to Gryffindor, the best house ever. So happy to have you joining us mate."
Before Flynn could open his mouth, Professor McGonagall calmed the rowdy Gryffindors down with an unwavering stare alone. He hurried to sit down to avoid further embarrassment with the Headmistress.
"That concludes the start of term speech. Enjoy the feast." Professor McGonagall concluded.
Food appeared magically, and the drinks would continually replenish themselves. Flynn couldn't wait to uncover more magic as his time went on. Of course, he couldn't escape the barrage of questions from his new classmates, not that he minded much.
"Why'd you start Hogwarts now?!"
"Were you held back?!"
"Did your magic develop late?!"
Flynn answered as much as he could while trying to eat his meal. It was surprisingly tricky. He found out who his new dormmates were, Rory naturally, and Phil Baker, who he found out very quickly, was into video games and manga. Phil seemed happy when he asked what games Flynn played and that he knew a little about manga. He had 'borrowed' some from Harper, who read them religiously.
"Okay, give him some space guys." An older girl interrupted them. She had dark hair framing her delicate face. "I hope they haven't bothered you too much. As you can see we're a little rowdy but everybody means well."
"No, it's fine but thanks for the help anyway..." Flynn searched for her name.
"It's Dana Parkin." She shook his hand with a friendly smile. "I'm in the year above you but if you need any help. Please just come to me."
"I will, thanks."
Flynn seemed more assured that his stay at Hogwarts would be an experience. Everyone he had met so far was friendly, in his opinion. Good or bad, he is looking forward to his stay and secretly hopes it will be a long one too.
