Fantasy Hidden Magic // (All spots full!)

[EclipseRosee]

Larkyn

The night was spent splitting his time between trying to reason with his future mother in law and getting his affairs in order at work. Thankfully this wasn’t a big enough hiccup to get him in any real trouble but they did let him know that he would simply be reassigned to the school as their resident auror, and that they would discuss it with school officials further in the morning. Well he supposed that was his job for the next year, part of him was sort of happy he already knew his assignment but kind of sad it wasn’t something new. Then he went and got whatever bit of rest he could.

In the morning Larkyn got ready and grabbed his suitcase as well as the cage holding his owl Lorne. Then he met up with Dru for the morning and the two of them met up with the others. He was mostly silent as they waited the short while for the ferry, he was usually pretty silent but more so in the mornings. Thankfully it didn’t take long for the boat to arrive and for their small crew to board.

The boat was driven with magic, there was no captain or driver. Simply just a large water wheel that kept moving by some invisible force. The boat itself was fairly large and held lots of different cabins for seating during the half hour journey across the water. The school was housed on an island hidden by both the elements and a veil of magic to keep it away from human eyes. The island was a bit larger than small and filled with rocky cliffs and expansive green field atop them. The area surrounding it all was always insanely foggy right up until you arrived. From the water you could see the school lit up at the top of the cliffs, old but beautiful. It stirred a bit of nostalgia in him as he gazed up at the thing before the ferry disappeared into a dark cave in the cliff side that would eventually lead them to their exit where they would find rocky stairs leading up to where horseless carriages would carry them to campus.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Loire

For once Dru was right, maybe they should have taken jail time. The red headed woman instantly began to ask what her and Dixie’s punishment and honestly that bothered Loire more than anything. Most of the night she was up stressing out about what was happening, but showing that she was stressed wasn’t going to help anyone. “All aboard, right.” A small sigh passed her lips as she walked past Cyrus to board the ferry. Honestly most of the time she would just sit in silence for the ride and pet Maximus, but something had been bothering her.

“Here.” Loire handed the clear baggies tied with ribbon to the ridiculously large two foot tall cat and leaned back in her seat. The fluffy black and white cat ran over to Cyrus and dropped the bag full of homemade trail mix on his lap, trotted over to Larkyn to drop the other one off, and ran straight back to Loire. Back in the day Cyrus and the twins used to be like family, so much time that they even got to know his parents. His mom asked the twins to keep an eye out for him before she got sick and Loire had every intention on keeping that promise, even if he abandoned them and even if she was mad at him. The trail mix had everything from fruit, nuts, seeds, chocolate, and pretzels. It wasn’t the most healthy meal, but it was the best she could do on the go.

Soon enough they arrived to the horseless carriage that was just big enough for the eight of them. Loire held the cat in her lap for the duration of the trip and read one of her books in silence. If she could make it through the days she could just go home and decompress there. “Welcome you guys! So good to have you.” Loire groaned at the sound of the Headmistress and hopped out of the carriage. “Now, I know you guys aren’t here for the best of reasons, but we’re happy you’re here nonetheless.”

“Can I just go to my class? I already know my role. Unless that’s changed?” The older woman was thankfully used to Loire and her attitude, so she was quick to laugh her off. “Now now, don’t be so antsy! You aren’t excited to have Larkyn here with you? Speaking of! Larkyn my dear, you were always so good with Quidditch, and we need a coach. That’s what you’ll be doing sweetie. Druella, you were ALWAYS so good with potions, so you’ll be assisting our potions teacher. Terran? Oh, let’s see. You’re our flower boy, right? Be a dear and assist Dixie with whatever she needs. Serraphina you know the muggle world better than anyone, we’re assigning you to muggle studies. Drake- Ah, no, Hunter right? You can assist in groundskeeping. And that just leaves you, Cyrus. Our poor Librarian is swamped most days, I hope you’ll do well in assisting her.”

Loire was anything but thrilled about having to work with someone, but she supposed it could have been worse.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Serraphina

Right as rain. The words were very Dixie and it made her smile to herself. She was the one good thing that Serraphina was getting out of this, otherwise she’d just be plain miserable. Already she had sent out a letter to her parents, and truth be told she was sick to her stomach about the response she was going to get. If she even got a response! All she ever wanted to do was make her parents proud. She did pretty well, up until she found out about being a witch. If only she could have prayed this magic away like her family tried. If only she could be proud of her magic like Dixie was.

During the ferry ride she leaned back in her seat and observed everyone. There was so much division in the world of magic between the pure bloods, mud bloods, muggles. It seemed the group here was a good mix of everyone, but the only one she could count on was Dixie. She was the only one that understood where she came from, what she was going through. God, she wished she could have been as brave as Dixie was. She was unapologetic when it came to her powers, she wasn’t living under her parents thumbs like Serraphina would for the rest of her life.

After the familiar carriage ride they found themselves standing in front of the old, magical building. The familiar headmistress was there waiting for them, she looked almost happy that they were all there. Glad someone was happy about their situation. “Muggle Studies? How fitting.” Maybe this wouldn’t be so bad? Muggle Studies was more about facts, books, history than magic alone. If she could just resist the urge to use magic then she’d be fine, she could uphold her promise to her father to be a good, human girl.

Her big green eyes looked over everyone again as they got their assignments. They all seemed…fitting. Larkyn was a Quidditch star back in the day, right? She had watched a few of his games, he was amazing. “Quidditch was rather boring after you graduated. Glad to see it’ll be fun to watch for this next year.” She couldn’t help but shoot a small smile over at him before looking back at the Headmistress. “Where will we be staying? The dorms like the old days? A hotel?” She much preferred the latter, but it was obvious they didn’t get much say in what they did.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Terran

Right as rain… What was the alternative, left as rain? Her statement had puzzled him so much that he tuned out everything until the ferry had arrived. Quickly he shook out his confusion and he nodded quickly. “Ferry. Oui, oui.” The woman was certainly a curious one. Quietly he hopped aboard the boat and tucked his hands in his pockets as he found a seat near the water. God, how long had it been since he had been here? Terran had been in the general area but he hadn’t crossed the water since graduation. He hadn’t stayed in more than one place for a few months since, well, graduation. It brought back nostalgic feelings he wasn’t sure he wanted to feel quite yet.

The carriage ride also made him feel even more uncomfortable, and for the first time maybe he thought this wasn’t a good idea. It made him miss his grandma, it made him sad that he didn’t have anyone in his life. But… this was the life he chose. He chose it because he didn’t have anyone in his life. It was the better this way, that’s what he had to keep telling himself.

It seems as though the Headmistress anticipated their early arrival. The gray haired woman was waiting right at the carriage drop off for them, and she was extremely cheerful about their arrival. She was quick to hand out what they would be doing for a next year, and he tilted his head to the side as he processed everything. “Dixie? That’s you, right?” He flashed his usual warm, handsome smile towards Dixie. Working with her would terrible, she’d be the first person he’d spent a year with. It’d definitely be an interesting time learning her language. “I’m Terran, I look forward to assisting you.”

 

[Sir Damien]

Hunter

“Dolt? Oi, princess I think you woke up on the wrong side of the castle today. Lovely to see you.” Hunter shot a small smirk over at Dru and Larkyn as they finally arrived. Really he thought Larkyn was not the type to marry someone like this, though the same could be said between him and Loire. Speaking of, she was rather peachy this morning wasn’t she? “Jail would not be nearly as entertaining, I can guarantee that. This crew together? They should make a sitcom.” He left it at that, and just as he was about to board the ferry he nearly flinched at the thing on Dru’s arm. “Holy shit girl, is that a bat? I mean, I guess it’s like a rat? But, like, with wings. Wicked.” Maybe Dru wasn’t that big of a stickler?

Hunter couldn’t help but smirk again as he found a seat on the quiet ass ferry. Why was everyone so mopey? “Come on guys. Liven UP. We can explore the school to our hearts content. What secrets do you think they have?” He knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but it was worth a shot. This was the oldest magical institution, it had to hold some type of dirt to help the cause. He was going to make sure this time wasn’t a complete waste of his time.

“Christ.” The headmistress, a friend of his fathers. A major pain in the ass. There was no way this woman would go easy on him. As soon everyone was off of the carriage the woman already began dishing out punishments—- Sorry, assignments. Everyone got cool as hell job, Larkyn even got to teach a fucking game, but they dish him out GROUNDSKEEPING? Oh, fuck that. “This is bullshit. Princess gets potions? You’re sticking me with groundskeeping? So, so boring.” It’d let him do a little digging, he supposed. The more he thought about it the better it got. “Fine, fine. Do I get a cool uniform?” A small smirk formed on his lips again, a tell tale sign that the known troublemaker was up to no good.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Druella “Dru” Arville

It had been a week since they were given their various assignments, the spent the time between their arrival and the first day of the school year getting settled in and having some training. Dru wasn’t particularly upset with hers, actually she was quite looking forward to it up until recently. She was meant to be the potions assistant, not the whole damn professor. But apparently the current, no old, professor had been looking to retire and after 5 days of working with Dru he decided she was ready. SHE WAS NOT. But what choice did she have now?

As if that wasn’t enough the living situation they were subjected to was awful. The house was astounding, Dru was probably the only one in the bunch who thought it was gorgeous. It was an old Victorian home, dark and classic. The inside still had all of its original charm and furnishings. It was covered in cobwebs sure but just needed a bit of love. The problem with it was that they were all sharing a home together. It was a large house but not for this many personalities, it meant some of them had to share rooms! Dru refused and that left her stuck with one of the smaller rooms meant for the last headmasters children. Truly awful.

After a week of getting settled, avoiding most of the others and Loires insane cleaning, it was finally the day students would arrive. There was no classes today but a welcome banquet as well as various activities throughout the day. It required the staff to be present unfortunately. So Dru woke up that morning and began getting so she could get heading to campus. Today she chose a pair of thick black tights to wear under and brown white and black plaid pencil skirt. On top she wore a black 3/4 sleeve turtle neck with a gold necklace. Her hair was pushed back with a brown headband and she had on simple makeup. The final piece of the outfit was the cloak provided by the school, black with dark grey lining and the schools emblem embroidered on the breast.

“I’m heading to the main building, is anyone else ready to go? Students should be arriving soon.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Dixie

Now they learned their part of the punishment. Apparently Dixie wouldn’t be allowed to stay in her loft during this period of time they were being punished. That meant no more beautiful, sunny, green loft. Instead they got the creepy old haunted building on the back of the property! Apparently it used to belong to the first headmaster of the school and it was where he lived and raised his children until he died and they all moved on with their lives. It had sat empty for years now! Dixie could even remember it being the subject of ghost stories back when they were in school, which of course everyone knew there was ghosts and most of them good, but the stories of these ones gave her the damn heebie jeebies! The only upside to the situation was that it really would be like old times, bunking with Sapphira and their pets. Only this time they would have to leave to go teach classes, not to attend them.

The week of getting settled was spent how it normally was for Dixie, finalizing lesson plans and tending to her classroom. When she wasn’t doing that she found time to help Loire clean and liven up the dingy old place. Most of that help was in the form of bringing in plants but still, greenery did a lot to liven up a place!

“Oh I’ll head out with you Dru, I want to eat something before it gets to crazy!” Dixie spoke from where she was resting with a cup of tea on one of the old loveseats in the family room. Their little group hadn’t done a lot but bicker and stick to their own little groups the last week but Dixie was determined to make new friends! She had learned that Druella preferred Dru and that Loire and her did NOT get along. Actually Dru didn’t seem to get a long with many people but it did seem that Dixie and Sapphira were at the bottom of the shit list so that made her feel good!

Dixie stood from the seat and adjusted her dress, it was a long cream and dusty blue floral print dress that wrapped around her midsection and was loose down to her ankles. On her feet she wore leather sandals that matched the color of the tanned hair pins in her messy blonde hair. The black cloak for staff was in her arms instead of around her shoulders, that space was occupied by the large cat sleeping peacefully like it was the most natural thing in the world. Turtle was a constant in Dixie’s classroom so he often made the trek by lounging on her shoulders.

“Sapph wanna come with?”

 

[EclipseRosee]

Larkyn

“You know, I’m sure we could talk them into letting you back into auror school after all this shit is over with.” Larkyn spoke with a smirk as he looked over at the red haired male. He had to be over at the main building earlier than some of the others due to his duties but had convinced Cyrus to tag along. The two of them hadn’t talked much since they all moved in, they were both kind of avoiding the awkward interaction but it was going to come sooner or later, might as well get it over with now before the year gets even more insane with students. “All it would take is a little bit of convincing, they already had a hard enough time letting you go. Everyone knows how much of a promising student you were, it was more there loss than yours to be kicked out.” He tried his best to sound reassuring because he knew how quick Cyrus was to blame himself or degrade himself. “Plus I wouldn’t mind if you had to stick around longer than a year, neither would Loire I’m sure. But Hunter is another story.” Larkyn laughed at the last part before draping an arm around his friends shoulder and leading him towards the banquet hall.

The school was much smaller than it’s sister school across the straits. It was only meant for students who showed speciality in elemental magic or who came from families with that lineage. So the banquet hall, while still quite grand in decor, was much less grand in size. Still at the front was a large table meant for the small staff, maybe 20 or so in total. Then beyond that were four large tables each inscribed with the elemental symbol for the 7th years who would soon be specializing and focusing on that element for their final year. The rest of the room was filled with various tables for the younger students to fill up based upon year and house. When coming in as first years all students were split into either air, fire, earth or water depending on lineage and personal factors, though it didn’t mean that would be their speciality at the end of their education.

“Come on man. The others should be joining soon before the kids arrive, let’s just take our seats and relax until then. I’m sure as soon as the others get here we will lose any hope of peace and quiet.”

 

[KAYDEN]

Cyrus

This whole thing was getting worse and worse. Being in this house with all the others was bad enough but having to be with Loire and Larkyn would be like personal torture. It already reminded him so much of when they were younger? All the time they spent together, the meals Loire would cook and all the fun they would all have. They were his family after his mom died, since his dad couldn’t be anymore. Cyrus didn’t want to let himself get close again, to remember all that or bring back those feelings. He knew how hard it was to walk away from once, he couldn’t let himself get attached again just to walk away in a year once this was all said and done.

Then to make it worse he had to help Loire in the library! He tried to ask if he could switch with Hunter but was basically given the answer of we can’t trust Hunter in the library for obvious reasons. Which… was true. But still!

“Right. I’m sure that’s exactly who they want catching dark wizards, other criminals.” Cyrus scoffed at Larkyn and gave the man a quick eye roll. Larkyn was sometimes blind to his privilege and this was one of those times. “Whatever man. I’m fine, really. Plus I can’t take the time to go back to training anyways, some of us got bills to pay. We all can’t have some fancy fiancé and mommy and daddy to handle our affairs.”

Cyrus laughed and was led into the hall by Larkyn. Instantly a wave of nostalgia washed over him. He could remember so many times sitting here with the twins, Hunter, members of the Fire Quidditch team. Back then he still wasn’t very social but he still had so many friends. It was sad to think about now, how now he didn’t talk to a single one of them. Well until very recently. “Right.” Cyrus was pulled from his little putty party by Larkyns words and found himself a seat towards the tail end of the staff table.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Loire

Honestly? Loire had gone to the headmistress begging for jail time after just one day in the house. The house was beautiful, covered in ages of dust albeit but the design and the furniture were lovely. It was the people that was overwhelming to her. Dru she dealt with minimally at social events or whenever she was around Larkyn, Hunter she couldn’t stand, and Cyrus didn’t even want to be around her anymore. Loire already wasn’t in the greatest of health, she didn’t want to subject herself to this kind of stress.

The headmistress said this was the punishment her and Dixie were to face, going back to live at her apartment wasn’t an option. So whenever she wasn’t obsessively cleaning, or cooking Loire did her best and steered clear of everyone. She would crash in her office while setting up lesson plans, anything to avoid some awkward conversation she didn’t want to be part of. “Loire dear, you must attend the banquet. See it as another part of your punishment, you’re going to have to participate this year.” Like today. Loire had everything planned perfectly so no one would even notice her absence, unfortunately the headmistress seemed to anticipate her plan and found her locked away in her office. Now she was being escorted to the event like a toddler…fucking stupid.

Quietly she made her way to the table and took a seat near her brother and across from Cyrus as she tried to think of a non angry or mean sentence. “I’m not my brother. I know you don’t want to be friends anymore.” A lump formed in her throat as she spoke. Nostalgia hit her like a truck as she tried to maintain her composure. “But we have to work together. Let’s just call a truce and try to get through this year together, OK?” Cyrus had been one of her only friends, her brothers best friend, and he was her first crush. She knew how to take a hint though. Normally she would give him the cold shoulder, but for the sake of both their sanity they needed to not be so awkward around each other.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Serraphina

The week was hell. The house was creepy and Serraphina was pretty sure it was haunted. Old headmasters house her ass. The school was haunted, it obviously made sense for the creepy Victorian home that was covered in dust and abandoned to have a skeleton or two in its closet. Thankfully she had lucked out and shared a room with Dixie like back in their school days, Turtle was adorable and surprisingly got along with Ludwig. Not to mention the fact that the Muggle Studies professor was 9 months pregnant with no one to fill in for her. The woman had all of her lesson plans ready for the year, but teaching the fucking class was not part of the game plan. Oh well.

At least Dru wasn’t terrible. Sure she didn’t seem keen on befriending anyone there but, truthfully, neither was Sapphira. She was a socialite like herself, albeit a magical one. The best part? Dru didn’t use much magic. It made her feel almost like a regular person, kinda like Dixie. It wasn’t that Serraphina didn’t like magic users, actually it was just the opposite. She admired them, wished she could have been born in a life where she could use magic without feeling shame. Like Larkyn, she had always admired him. He was strong, confident, and wickedly good with magic. Of course before this she had only ever watched him play Quidditch, pretty much every single game until he graduated.

“Better to be early than late I suppose.” Quickly she stood to her feet, straightened out the tight green dress she wore underneath her cloak, and took off with the girls. In her pocket she gripped tightly onto the letter she had received from her father last night. Behave. Don’t use magic, don’t shame the family. The words played through her head repeatedly as they made their way to the banquet.

“Who’s all incredibly excited to start the school year? It’s like we’re reliving the glory days all over again. I even have my favorite roomie all over again.” Serraphina flashed a cheerful smile to everyone at the teachers table as she took her seat. Muggle Studies meant she didn’t have to use any magic, she was approaching this like a normal teaching job. One that took place in a magical school. That would be what kept her spirits up every day.

 

[Colt Voltage]

Terran

“Save that for later, we have an event to get to.” The long haired chocolate haired man scolded Hunter as they finished taking inventory. It was clear that there was a lot of anger and pent up emotions in the house and Terran didn’t resonate with those emotions. Hunter was always cheerful and knew his way around town, so Terran took it upon himself to propose an idea. Booze. And a lot of it. They would drink, eat, be merry and get out all of the emotions. To have a successful year and to avoid possible casualties there was no other option. Already Terran had a few of his favorite bottles in his suitcase (a few good wines, sake, and his favorite bourbon and scotch), but he was sure most everyone wasn’t used to his Muggle brands. So, he tasked Hunter with procuring some local alcohol, something they were used to. That way they had options.

“Come, come. Let us leave.” Terran let out a small sigh before exiting the room Terran shared with Cyrus. He straightened out his white button up and black slacks underneath the long staff robe, adjusted his collar, and made his way out of the Victorian home. They only had a year of this experience, they might as well enjoy it. That’s why he wanted everyone to have a good time tonight and party.

Once inside the dining hall he smiled over at the table everyone was at. Dru would get over whatever grudge she had on him, at least he hoped she would. They were coworkers now, there shouldn’t be any animosity towards each other. Maybe after a night of drinking they could be friends? Acquaintances would even suffice. “My, don’t you all look fetching this evening.” A cheerful smile spread on his face as he nodded towards Dixie. “You look quite stunning, Miss Dixie. I look forward to helping you this year.” Oh, Terran. Ever the charmer. Of course he naturally gravitated to the only other positive soul in their awkward group. “Your name is the first I’ve ever remembered, I’m terrible with names.” He sat down at the table and looked around the room. God, this was reminiscent of the old days.

 

[Sir Damien]

Hunter

“Yeah, yeah. I just think this would be a lot easier drunk.” The dark haired male let out a heavy sigh as he tucked away the final bottles. He had just gotten back from making a run, and since people were still home he climbed through the window to sneak it inside. What they were doing wasn’t illegal by any means, maybe drinking on campus was frowned upon but that was it. They had to time this perfectly to get everyone to agree to drink. If they didn’t then yeah, the year would suck. He was used to Loire’s attitude, they had been engaged since he was five. She was the one she was supposed to marry, he had accepted that a long time ago. But Dru? She could stand to let loose once in a while! That Serraphina too, those girls were all too uptight.

Plus, he would never turn down the opportunity to get his goody two shoes brother in law drunk. The man was the epitome of a good pure blood son, and while he knew he didn’t necessarily share the same belief system he was still a golden boy. Hunter wanted his friend to cut loose and have a good time. So when Hunter wasn’t patrolling the grounds and getting himself reacquainted (and hunting for secrets) he was sneaking in local booze varieties. That, and bantering with Dru. She was a spitfire and fun as hell to rile up. Quickly he dusted off his black button up and black jeans and followed pretty boy.

Once to the table he rolled his eyes as Terran chatted everyone up. It made Hunter look bad if he didn’t say hi. “Larkyn my god, is Dru going to loosen the leash at all this year or are you willingly a whipped good boy?” A wide smirk spread on his face. There, that was a fine greeting. “Loire, baby, I was thinking we could get their opinion on China patterns.” He crashed down into a seat across from Dru, the smirk still as strong as ever. “I promise I’ll be good around the kids, I don’t get a fun job like you guys. Just boring old yard work. If anyone wants to help me look for school secrets though they’re more than welcome to.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Druella “Dru” Arville

The three women set out together, Dru honestly didn’t mind the presence of either of them. She could vaguely remember them from her time in school but they weren’t in the same speciality or year so it wasn’t like they should have been close. Dixie was obnoxious in her own right but at least she wasn’t as aggravating as Loire. Though these days even Loire was taking a backseat to her absolutely insane fiancé. The man was a nuisance! Just after dealing with him for a week she actually felt BAD for Loire. Was it kind of entertaining bantering with him? Sure. Did he actually make some educated and well thought out political remarks? Yeah. Doesn’t make him any less of a fucking idiot.

They arrived at the hall to find Loire, Larkyn and Cyrus already in attendance. The three girls found their seats, Dru placing herself besides Larkyn and taking a glance over at Cyrus and Loire. She knew a bit about the three of them growing up and his family situation but not much, just what Larkyn had shared. “Lighten up you two, you both have looks on your faces that will make the kids run scared.” Though Dru shouldn’t have talked. Because the moment Hunter and Terran walked in her face turned sour, even more so when the idiot opened his mouth.

People have always had opinions about Dru and Larkyns relationship, the whole Dru wears the pants thing wasn’t new but it was quite annoying. Larkyn was just a softer personality than his but he was fully able to do his own thing, and often did! It just seemed the opposite because Dru was… a lot. She wasn’t ashamed to say she was bossy and loud. It was just part of who she was.

“You wonder why they stuck you outside with the wild animals, you heathen.” Dru rolled her eyes at the man and sat back in her chair, crossing one leg over the other. “I think what’s really funny here is that despite Loire and I’s very obvious disdain for one another. I think I actually feel bad for her. Especially when it comes to the China, poor girl will get paper plates for a wedding gift at this point.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Dixie

Bad juju. Bad juju the moment they walked into the room. What was with all these folks? Dixie knew there had to be some history between them but weren’t like half of them family ? How could they be this prickly with one another. She was never close at all with her family but she at least always tried to make the best of a really shitty situation. These people didn’t know how good they had it!

“I am SO exited!” Dixie chuckled as she took her place besides her friend and mirrored her smile. Down the other end of the table Dru and Hunter were getting into it and Dixie simply rolled her eyes and leaned past them to greet the others. “Mornin’ y’all! You guys were out of the house so early I didn’t get to say bye!” When Hunter had arrived Terran had come too, sitting across from her and causing Dixie to blush slightly with his compliment . “Why thank ya. I appreciate it.”

The hall slowly began to fill with other staff, some coming over to say hello to Dixie and Loire. Dixie took the initiative to introduce the others to veteran staff as well when they did come by. After a short while the tables began to slowly fill with students, years 2-6. Then the first and seventh would join last, waiting to be seated until they went through their specialization or picked their house.

“Oh boy doesn’t this give you the chills! It’s one of my favorite parts of the year every time!” Dixie watched as the headmaster called up each first year by name, speaking to their briefly before announcing the element they picked. “This part does take a while though, it’s funny. I remember when I was a student I felt like it went so fast, like I was so nervous and hoping it would stretch so it wasn’t my turn but before I knew it I had to go up there. Now I realize it sure does take a while.” Around the room people were eating and vaguely paying attention.

Dixie turned back to the table with a smile, “Might as well start eating!”

 

[EclipseRosee]

Larkyn

“Aish woman. That was a bit heavy to be the first thing out of your mouth after sitting down.” Larkyn looked over at his sister with wide eyes, glancing nervously between her and Cyrus. The two were never the most eloquent social creatures but bloody hell this was painful to watch. Though he supposed that was nothing new, they had always kind of been this way. Actually it might have been more concerning if they were able to have totally normal and pleasant table conversation. “Also Cyrus, I handle my own affairs. All of them but my marriage, my house and my wedding. Okay, that sounds bad but-“ He was cut off from his rambling when others began to join them.

“Morning girls.” Larkyn spoke with a smile and a slight wave at all three of the women. Dixie seemed cheery as always while Dru seemed pissed off already. Sapphira seemed to be a lovely mix of the two honestly, not too happy but not being a total buzzkill. Not that that’s what Dru was! It was just her face 86% of the time. Honest.

Finally the last two of their household arrived and instantly made Larkyn drop his head to the table. “I genuinely think he likes to make her mad.” The sound of his voice was muffled by the wood of the table. Larkyn sat up and gave Hunter a look of pure annoyance. “I’m not whipped, it may shock you to know that this is how a fiancé should indeed act. Loire listen up this is useful for you as well.”

Their slight bickering went on until students and began to arrive. Then Larkyns own mood unexpectedly turned sour. He hadn’t expected to feel this way but, watching the students suddenly made this all very real. It wasn’t until then that he realized that two people who were very important to him had giant secrets, secrets in danger of being found out easily here at the school

Larkyn had stayed quiet most of the ceremony, only chiming in once or twice. Honestly at this point he felt like he could use a glass of whiskey, or twelve. “The kids are heading to their dorms. I’m off duty now for the night since I was the morning watch today so I think I’m going to head back.”

 

[KAYDEN]

Cyrus

“Loire.” Cyrus sighed and looked over at the white haired woman as she spoke. He didn’t mean to make her feel this way but he also didn’t know how to not. “It’s not about calling a truce, I want to be your friend. I am your friend.” He chose his next words carefully as Larkyn scolded his sister. “We are friends. All three of us. We always will be. It’s just different now okay? I’m different than I was.” The table was slowly filling with the others and Cyrus chose to put a pin in the conversation for now.

Loire was his soft spot, always had been. When he first met the twins he knew he and Larkyn would be best friends, he knew Loire would always be alongside too. But she was different, he felt differently about her since day one. When she fell and skinned a knee, Cyrus was more upset about it than if it had happened to himself. When she was sad he wanted to make her happy. When something good happened he wanted to share it with her. When something bad happened he wanted to share it with her! Everything. Honestly he knew from a young age that he was in love with her, he was fully convinced that he would find a way to marry her despite her arrangement. That is until his mother passed and everything went down hill.

The welcome ceremony went on without a hitch. Everyone ate and talked amongst themselves and honestly for a moment Cyrus was able to forget the shit show that waited for him just across the water. A moment.

“I’m with ya, I could use some relaxing before tomorrows bullshit.” Cyrus pushed back from the table and waited for the others before they all made their way back to their scary little home.

Once inside Cyrus dropped down onto one of the couches with a sigh, “If that already stressed me the fuck out, I’m scared for the rest of this year.”

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Loire

Why did the fact that he was still her friend feel more painful than him hating her? Loire was disliked by many people, she was used to it by now. Cyrus was the only person she genuinely enjoyed spending time with besides her brother. If he hated her, didn’t write her back, she was used to that. But he was still her friend and he distanced himself from them… that was painful. He didn’t trust them to be there for there for him? He didn’t want her to be there to support him through this tough time in his life? That hurt, that hurt more than she thought it would.

“Sorry Larkyn, I’ll do better.” She gave her brother a small forced smile, trying to hide her feelings like usual. She couldn’t even find it in her to argue with Hunter. “China. Right.” Plus, she knew not to engage with him or he’d just keep right at it. Dru was only egging him on by bickering with him.

During the hat ceremony Loire did what she did every year; she leaned back in her chair and took a nap. Houses, elements. The ceremony didn’t matter to her. You had to learn to counter the dark arts no matter what you were and that’s what she was there to teach. Being able to focus on something like this helped her keep control of her dreaded fifth element.

“Dru was actually right about something, you’re a heathen. You brought alcohol on campus?” When they banquet was over Loire went to retire to her study for the night only Hunter was quick to stop her and fill her in on the plans. He begged her to celebrate with them, and truth be told she would enjoy the shit show that was going to happen. So, she was in. She snatched one of the bottles of whiskey and small shot glasses before making her way to the others. “Come along kids, let’s take a shot.” Quickly she sat down the glasses and filled them to the brim. After the week they had she was sure none of them would turn down the offer.

 

[Pax Pardus Hale]

Sapphira

The peace of the table didn’t last long. It seemed whenever Hunter was around he was stirring the pot, trying to rile anyone and everyone. As irritating as his words were she found herself fixated on something. These people were all engaged? She had thought it was just Hunters stupid jokes. Unfortunately the kids started filling the room and the sorting started. It caused her to zip her lips on the topic and focus on watching each of the kids. Sapphira remembered the day like it was yesterday, she remembered the nerves and the excitement. Back then all she wanted to do was learn more and more about her magical powers. Back then she didn’t care if she disappointed her family.

Everything ended and the kids went to their dorms to prepare for the morning, as did the teachers. She was pretty prepared and as her and Dixie walked back she considered calling it an early night. Well, until Loire came out with shots. That was a dangerous thing for the extremely light weighted Sapphira. Almost every time she drank Dixie had to escort her back to her room, truth be told she avoided the substance most of the time. But… it was a rough week. “Come on Dixie dear, how long has it been since we had a drink?” Sapphira was suddenly chipper again as she handed a shot to Dixie, keeping one for herself.

It didn’t take more than the one shot to make her face as red as her hair. Gross, what the hell was that? “We should play some games! Kings cup, or something. And I actually have some questions for you guys.” There we were, one drink Sapphira was already feeling brave. “So you all are in arraigned marriages? That’s so 18th century. How long have you been engaged? I-I’m sorry, the pureblood world is just crazy to me. It’s so old school!” It was just like the old days when she would drink in dorm parties, she had absolutely NO filter. “So have any of you kissed and gotten butterflies at all with each other?” Sapphira had never actually gotten them herself, she had never found someone she really liked and her life was too complicated for love.

 

[Sir Damien]

Hunter

It was nice to know that he could still bother Larkyn, he thought all these years gone he had lost his touch. Loire didn’t even acknowledge his comment though…he’d have to try harder. But Dru, Dru was a fucking gem. She reacted exactly how he hoped and it caused a wide smirk to form on his face. “Aw, do you like me Dru? I’m spoken for, but there’s no use hiding it.” He shot a wink over at the irritated beauty across the table before the room began to fill with students. Boring, boring as all hell.

So boring he fell asleep. Actually he did that every year when the sorting began. Why did it matter to him? He was the fucking groundskeeper, he’d just botch everyone’s names and confuse them for someone else anyways. Honestly teaching was not in his future, and he was good with that.

“I know you want to watch everyone get trashed and be hungover for the first day tomorrow so quit you’re bitching. A sadist like you lives to watch the world burn, Loire.” Did he have to beg to get her to come back to the house? He won’t admit it, but yeah. It didn’t seem like she was running from the booze, in fact she was snatching up a bottle! It made him grin as he brought out the huge box filled with alcohol. “Ladies and gentleman I love you all, but you’re angsty as fuck. Like a house full of teenagers. If my boy Terran noticed then I think everyone can recognize the tension. What cuts that tension more than a night of drinking?”

Hunter deposited the box on the counter and grabbed a shot, handing it over to Dru. “Or are you going to be the one stick in the mud? C’mon, you’ve gotta have a fun side.” He had a big smirk on his face as he challenged her. Sapphira was on board and was throwing back a shot before proposing they play a drinking game. “Sapph, I’m glad you’re on board. To answer your question Loire has never kissed me so I really wouldn’t know. I’d love to test drive the car before the purchase, if you catch my drift. She has to marry me anyways, that’s just what our families have done for forever now, so she should really accept me with open arms, like Larkyn and Dru. The precious love birds were made for each other.”

 

[Colt Voltage]

Terran

Unlike most of the others Terran paid attention to the ceremony. He always found it interesting, and this time around he’d be teaching. Well, assisting the teacher, but same thing right? The memories that came back with the ceremony were happy ones. He remembered writing to the old lady telling him he was placed into the earth class like she had been a million years ago. She was his only family, she had always supported him and encouraged him to be his eccentric self. That’s why he was confident in living his life the way he did.

After the banquet was done he let out a quiet yawn and pocketed his friend into the pocket of his cloak before he made his way back home with the others. Home…what a weird feeling to be able to say that. Quickly he shook off the feeling as someone mentioned a drink. “Hunter and I have already planned something.” Almost as if on cue Loire and Hunter came out with all of the alcohol and he couldn’t help but smiling brightly. “It will help cut loose, yes?” No more of that awkward tension.

Except it seemed Hunter liked stirring the pot with the others. All Terran could do was sigh, roll his eyes and shake his head. “Hunter my boy, shut it before the girls shut it for you.” The red headed one was already red in the face, causing him to chuckle softly and grab two shots himself. “Miss Dixie, will you be partaking in an afternoon drink?” Terran handed the bubbly blonde the very full shot glass and held his up to hers. “I propose a cheers. To a good year filled with fun, adventure, and making friends. Anything you’d like to cheers to?” Terran flashed her his warm, handsome smile. He was naturally friendly and came off flirty most of the time…mostly because he was usually flirty. Right now he was just trying to be friendly though.

 

[ZombieBaee]

Druella “Dru” Arville

“I literally would not care if you dropped dead at this table.” Dru rolled her eyes at Hunters comments and chose to tune him out once the others mentioned the ceremony starting. For the most part she simply tried to zone out during the entire process. If she hadn’t her nerves would have likely been more shot than they already were.

NOT specializing in elemental magic was extremely normal. Hell it was actually kind of strange TO be a witch or wizard capable of this type of magic. It was a lot like being a seer, a veela, an animagus. They were just subcategories of a bigger population. But once you were in that world, especially the pureblood society of that world, it was very embarrassing to not specialize. If word got out that Dru wasn’t able to harness air, or any other element for that matter, it could ruin her societal standing. Her families! It was important that her secret didn’t get out.

After the sorting they found themselves heading back to their housing. Dru for one planned to simply head straight for her room and shut in for the night, maybe read a book or write in her journal. But instead she found herself quickly faced with hooliganism. “Excuse me?” She glared over at the man, he was holding a small glass of brown liquid in it that she eyed with the same glare. If there was one thing she hated, it was to be challenged. Or maybe she loved it deep down. But either way, she found herself taking it from him and downing the thing with a smile. Dru didn’t even flinch at the burn, she was a scotch and gin girl more than your typical champagne girl. “Just because I don’t feel the need to act like a fool doesn’t mean I don’t have fun, Drake.”

Dru turned and joined in with the others, albeit begrudgingly, even more so when the question Sapphira asked. “We’re not children and life isn’t a fairytale. That shit isn’t real.” She said it flippantly, not really thinking much of it. It was the truth, butterflies and stomach flips, all that mushy stuff. It was nice to read about, and for a long time she wanted it… but finally she realized it simply wasn’t real. If she didn’t feel it with Larkyn, a man who was quite literally the perfect husband, then it was just for stories right?

For a moment Dru found herself staring at Larkyn, thinking about the question a bit longer. However within moments Hunter was opening his mouth again and making her nearly gag. “You are absolutely vile. I honestly kind of hope that Loire slaps you.”

 

[ZombieBaee]

Dixie

“I-guys I don’t know if we can really have alcohol on campus.” One thing that had always been hard for Dixie was to stand up to friends, or people in general. At least when it was for herself. If she was standing up for students or her friends it was a completely different story. Her voice was near whisper level when she said it, it seemed the others all felt it was fine. Loire was even joining in and she was an actual staff member as well, so maybe it was fine? They technically weren’t on the main campus she supposed. The blonde woman decided to push her anxiety to the back of her mind and join in, at this point she might as well since it seemed there was no holding these guys back now.

The others had already taken their shot and were into a bit of bickering already when Terran offered her the full shot glass of the brown liquid. She took it from him with a wary smile, one that turned genuine when he turned the experience into a small toast. Hell, she even felt her face blush a little! “Oh well, heavens to Betsy you are puttin me on the spot here.” Dixie laughed and struggled to think of something to toast to. Just then she heard Sapphira’s question come out, followed by Dru and Hunters responses.

“What! No no no!” Call her naive but Dixie was a hopeless romantic. “Butterflies are TOTALLY real. Come on Dru! That little feeling you get in your stomach when he looks at you all sweet, or what about when you hold hands! You can’t tell me you’ve felt NOTHING. It might not be as dramatic as in the books but I promise you, they are real!” She had never really had a real boyfriend, when she was still in Georgia she wasn’t as pretty as the other girls. Plus Dixie wasn’t what anyone would consider thin and for a long time she was made fun of for it by boys. When she started school over here, it was a bit different but boys only wanted to hang out with her because American girls had a reputation, one that Dixie most CERTAINLY not follow.

“So, I guess I toast to butterflies?” Dixie chuckled and clinked their glasses before taking the shot and making a face. “Now do you have any Chardonnay in that box of goodies? Something that doesn’t burn like a red head in the summer?”

 

[EclipseRosee]

Larkyn

Aye aye aye. Could he just go back to his normal job? This was quickly becoming apparent that he would not only be working for the school, watching the kids and keeping the grounds safe, but also policing and babysitting all these guys! His sister was a mopey mess, as was Cyrus. Hunter and Dru were constantly arguing, though he supposed that kept her from taking off the gloves and going after Terran but Larkyn knew that was only a ticking time bomb. Dixie was… interesting. The only real breath of fresh air amongst it all was Sapphira, who was simply handling it all with grace and composure.

Larkyn could remember her from their time as students, she was younger than him but she hung out at the Quidditch pitch often enough that he saw her fairly regularly. They never spoke, he honestly assumed that she must have had a boyfriend on one of the teams. He could remember developing quite the crush on her, one that he obviously did nothing about because of his relationship with Dru. Now he had to admit that she grew into a beautiful young woman after graduation, even more than she had been the last time he recalled seeing her. She seemed kind and smart.

Until there was alcohol involved.

Then she seemed kind, smart, funny, cute. Larkyn couldn’t help but chuckle as she quickly reacted to the alcohol, kind of wobbling around and letting the filter go. Although he did have to admit her unfiltered question made him flinch slightly, even more so at his fiancés quick response. “We’ve been formally engaged since we were 17, but everyone knew since we were quite young. It just was a natural agreement between our families since we were so close as kids anyways. I’m thankful it’s Dru, a lot of people aren’t lucky enough to get someone they actually like being around.” Larkyn had chosen his response carefully, making sure not to deny butterflies as quickly as she had but also not to really put much out there about them. To be completely honest the two of them were intimately awkward, kissing her felt forced. PDA was horrid. It was all just awkward.

“Hunter watch yourself.” Larkyn looked over at the guy with a slight glower, “I think we should play a game. Sapphira is right, let’s do something to relax before the chaos. Something that won’t turn into another session if bickering yeah?”

 

[KAYDEN]

Cyrus

How the hell were they already talking about shit like this? Cyrus sighed and downed a few more shots by himself before finding a beer to settle in with. The group was talking about butterflies. Fuck that. Did he know what they were talking about? Yeah. Had he felt it ? Yeah. Was he low key kind of super interested in what Loire would have to say? Hell yes. But she stayed silent while the others all went back and forth, Hunter killing the conversation with his sad attempt at a joke that made Cyrus nearly want to kill him.

“Hunter what the fu-“ Cyrus was cut off by Larkyn, doing the same sort of thing that he was preparing to do. That was probably for the best because without it Cyrus actually felt like he might have hit the guy. Just from a little comment like that! Jesus he couldn’t let himself get worked up like that, even if it was about Loire.

“Right, game. Everyone get a drink and let me show you kings cup.”

-

Cyrus wasn’t sure what time it was, surely far too late considering they were working tomorrow. With students. In a school. But fuck it! Everyone seemed to finally be letting a bit loose, even though it now had taken 8 rounds of kings cup.

“Alright, last couple of cards.” Cyrus reached forward and pulled a card, a queen meaning all the women had to drink.