Professor Pye
October 07, 2016 10:09 AM
HoH Speech by Professor Pye
A few years ago, while gathering the new Aladrens to follow him to the common area, Alfie had called to mind a cartoon that a Muggleborn witch he’d once been sleeping with had forced him to watch. Ever since, he hadn’t been able to shake the thought from his mind and thus generally found himself in a pretty good mood when taking the students around. This year, however, his mind was elsewhere and so as he called the new Aladrens to him, he refrained from remarking to himself rather funny thoughts about the new batch of students who would all return to their normal states the next day and introduced himself as “Professor Pye, your head of house and Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher.”Although the students had recieved a proper tour of the grounds from
Back at Hogwarts it had been pretty easy to deduce where the various rooms were despite the large size of the castle and on a few occasions students would sneak their friends into their house for a Quidditch after party. Sonora was a great deal smaller in size than Hogwarts so it stood to reason that most students would probably be able to figure out where their classmates lived, but the smaller size also meant that it would be more noticeable if one were to sneak someone from a different house in. It was a small population size and most students—the ones who were any sort of intelligent anyway, would know all the first names of their classmates by the end of the second week at the latest and the names of the rest of their schoolmates by the end of the year.
He reached out and pulled on the birds of prey book that was the lever which revealed a hidden door, making sure all the students could see which book it was. He stepped back, allowing the first years and the prefects to enter first, closing rank behind them to make sure no one had been left behind in the migration to their new home. “At Sonora we have a tradition of naming prefects in the upper years. Prefects are around to answer questions and help the younger students adjust. This year, your prefects are John Spencer, John Umland, and Clark Dill who is also our Quidditch captain. Aladren has a fantastic team and are looking for players so I encourage those of you who are interested in the sport to sign up.
“You may do so here,” he gestured towards the notice boards. “Mr. Dill should be posting the sign-up list rather soon and any questions regarding Quidditch can be asked to him or Coach Grase who will be teaching your first flying lesson tomorrow afternoon. Also on the notice board you should be able to find announcements regarding clubs and other events so if you have an idea of something that might interest you it might be a good idea to pay attention to this.
“All students must be back in our common room by ten pm. Though you are allowed to stay up later than that if you are in House, I would recommend taking an early night’s sleep so you can function properly at school the next day. As for dormitories, the boys’ staircase is to this side, the girls’ to that,” he gestured in the direction of the staircases. “No gender mixing is allowed, so please do not try to go up the opposite sex’s staircase as there will be consequences—I’ve been told that they are enchanted.” He figured phrasing it as loosely as possible was the best way to go because then the students could come up with their own idea of what would happen. If anyone did decide to be daring then they would likely end up being sent back to the corridor with a nasty bump.
“If there are any questions now would be a good time to ask them, otherwise you can mingle, talk to your prefects or find me in my office which is just down the hall that way. Welcome to Aladren House!”
OOC: Welcome to Aladren! You are now allowed to post at any board. You may also continue your threads at the feast, due to something we call “fuzzy-time” —this is where you are posting in two or more threads at the same time but they are taking place at different times from your character’s perspective, therefore s/he is not in two places at once. If your character has any questions you can reply here, otherwise feel free to settle in, meet your roommates but most importantly have fun!
Subthreads: Making Friends by Kit Reid
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Kit Reid
October 07, 2016 7:01 PM
Making Friends by Kit Reid
Kit went along with the rest of the Aladren first years when called. She wasn’t sure what she thought of the man who introduced himself as Professor Pye. He was the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, which by default made him slightly intimidating. Anyone that taught such a course was bound to be a little scary. She couldn’t imagine the experience one must have in order to teach such a thing. She wasn’t even sure it was a course that she even wanted to take. Eventually, learning about creatures like vampires and werewolves would be cool, but she was sure there were things out there that she didn’t want to learn about. Of course, she didn’t really have choice since it was a required class.What she did love though was that their House entrance was situated in the Library. She adored books and wished she could have brought her family’s library with her to school. Though, there was no way she would be able to bring all of them, even with magic. Being in a library though made her feel at home. Maybe that was part of the reason that she had been chosen for Aladren. She took a deep breath, letting the smell of the Library wash over her. It was absolutely wonderful! The only thing that could have been better was if the Head of House told them that the Library was Aladren’s house. But still, having it as the entrance was simply divine.
She paid attention to the book that Professor Pye used to open the entrance. She had no intention of being lame and getting locked out of the House tomorrow. That would have been absolutely embarrassing and would surely have others laugh at her. No, she couldn’t have that. She was only a first year and didn’t want to go the next seven years being known as the girl who couldn’t get into her own House, an Aladren girl no less. How awful that would be!
Once in the House, she took a good look around. The colors were not the colors that she would have preferred, but they were the House colors. She assumed the room would be the same. At home, her room was decorated with white furniture mixed with pink and white textiles with silver accents. The closest House for colors would have been Crotalus, but then she would have been by herself in a room since it didn’t appear that Crotalus had any first year girls, which she thought was rather odd. Regardless, she would just have to make due. Blue and black could be incorporated into a color palate.
Quidditch? Kit hadn’t really thought about Quidditch, but apparently Aladren had a fantastic team. The sport appeared to be popular here, which meant it would be a good opportunity to meet people. However, she knew that her parents wouldn’t approve. Girls didn’t play Quidditch. But it would be a good way to stay in shape. She rode horses back home. Would it be that much different? She would have to think on it and maybe see what her roommates thought about playing Quidditch. Plus, it wasn’t like her parents would know that she was playing. She was miles away from them and they had wanted her to make connections. Though, it was moot point at the moment since she still had to learn to ride a broom.
Once the lecture was finished, Kit didn’t really have any questions, so she opted for mingling. She brushed her fingers through her blonde hair quickly to make sure it wasn’t a mess before approaching the nearest person. “Do you think that you’ll be joining Quidditch?”
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Amelia Layne
October 12, 2016 5:59 PM
I hope so! by Amelia Layne
In all the excitement of arriving at school, mixing with her classmates, taking a tour with the Herbology teacher, getting Sorted, attending her first Feast, and meeting Flo (who she thought she might actually get to be friends with, if she played her cards right) and Emerald, Amelia had managed to forget one very important thing: in the state she had spent all her life in – and, perhaps more importantly yet, started her day in – it was three hours later than it was in Arizona. Near the end of the meal, though, just about the time Amelia registered how delicious Sonora’s version of an Italian cream cake was, reality caught up with her and exhaustion hit her all at once. She felt as though her head was full of fog and wrapped in gauze.She tried to hide it, of course, just like she did when she tried to wait up until midnight on New Year’s every year at home, but she was sure her new roommates noticed as she began to yawn a lot even if they missed the part where she started to blink far too much and answer things said to her far too slowly. It was a relief when a very good-looking wizard stood up and announced that he was their Head of House and that it was time to head for the dormitories.
She tried to notice the things Professor Pye (more proof of just how sleepy she was: Amelia had to fake a cough to keep from giggling over his name) pointed out as landmarks along the way to Aladren, but she didn’t really retain anything she saw until they actually stepped into the library. That made her eyes widen of their own volition even though their lids still felt like lead weights. They were actually going to live in the library? No wonder Aunt Anne and Alicia spoke so fondly of their time in Aladren….
Amelia followed the others into a somewhat less book-dense room behind one of the shelves, managing some curiosity about her new home even through the fog of sleepiness. She noticed the prefects mainly because one of them had a name she had actually heard before and she wondered how anyone told the other two apart in conversation (were they supposed to call prefects ‘Mr. Umland’ and ‘Mr. Spencer’, she wondered, or hope that only one Guy Named John was nearby when one spoke to one of them, or what? She’d read novels set in Muggle boarding schools where everyone went by their last names, but if she was going to be ‘Layne’, how would anyone tell her and Lionel apart?), but most of what was going on in the common room slipped in one ear and out the other until another girl, one of the roommates Amelia had not met at the Feast, approached her.
“Hm – ye – ye – ah,” said Amelia, the word distorted by another yawn. She covered her mouth up with her hand quickly, embarrassed by her faux pas. “I mean, yeah, I think I will,” she said. She knew she did not exactly, with her longish hair and thickish waistline, look the ideal of a Quidditch player, but she didn’t think her godmother would ever forgive her if she didn’t at least ride the bench for a while. Plus her cousin politically supported witches playing, or so Granddad said, and he made it sound important, and everyone said that being involved was a good thing in school.... “I think it’ll be a good way to get to know people, anyway,” she added, lest the other girl suspect her of secret prowess she didn’t in fact have. “I’m Amelia,” she added. “It’s – ah – “ She yawned again. “Nice to meet you,” she finished at last.
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Amelia Layne
I hope so!
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Kit
October 15, 2016 11:54 PM
Definitely so! by Kit
“Oh, good!” Kit stated, happily, glad that someone else was interested in Quidditch. “Have you ever played before? I haven’t. I’m not even sure if I’m going to actually play or not. My parents would never approve. But it just sounds like so much fun! And you’re completely right that it’s a great way to get to know people.”She was hoping that would be true. Kit wanted to get to know everyone in her class year and the year above her and maybe the year above that. So far, she had met two people, now three, meaning that she had a long way to go, but she didn’t let it discourage her. She figured she had lots of opportunities. There were classes, obviously, plus extracurriculars, which she definitely planned to get involved with.
“It’s nice to meet you, too, Amelia,” she continued. “My name is Kit Reid of the Connecticult Reids.” Her family wasn’t well known everywhere since they were a small group, but they were known among the societal elite in the Northeastern area of the country. Amelia hadn’t given a last name so she wasn’t sure if she was societal or not, but Kit wasn’t terribly worried about it. She had already rationalized how to be friends with anyone her parents wouldn’t approve of.
The other girl was making her a little sleepy from her yawning. It was one of those things that tended to be contagious. “It’ll be great to get some sleep after the long day. Though, it’ll be a little weird to not be sleeping in my bed at home.” Her bed was a huge white canopy, decorated with a pink bedspread. It was really comfortable and she hoped that the bed here would be equally so. “Did you have a long ride here?”
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Amelia
October 18, 2016 10:40 PM
Yay friendship! by Amelia
Kit asked so many questions, one right after the other, that Amelia almost missed the bit about her parents never approving of her joining the team. Amelia hoped this didn’t mean they were doomed to be opponents in some way, as half her family would never approve if she didn’t.“I’ve never…really played, with teams or anything,” said Amelia. “But my godmother and my uncle taught me positions and things.” She decided not to mention that they were both past Aladren captains, as it might sound like she was bragging or name-dropping or something. Somehow, she didn’t see that as the way to make friends. She’d find it really obnoxious if someone did that even with someone a lot more important than a House Quidditch captain from twenty-odd years ago or something….
Kit Reid, of the Connecticut Reids. Another one with a fancy name – though this one not one Amelia had heard before. Aunt Anne and Uncle Geoff had never said anything about it, but she had gathered from Lionel that Aladren had a lot of…that sort, at least these days. Still, it didn’t mean they couldn’t be nice people, she supposed. She really wanted to be friends with all of her roommates, if they were willing to be friends with her, including Emerald and now Kit.
Amelia felt her first real stab of homesickness in hours when Kit mentioned how weird it would be not to sleep in their own beds. “I’m sure we’ll get used to these,” she said, determined not to be That Girl, who got all weepy for her family on the very first day. “We’ll probably miss them this summer.”
She nodded when asked about her ride. “Yes,” she said. “I’m from South Carolina. I think my whole body thinks it’s three hours from now still.” She rubbed her eyes. “I’m sorry if I make you start yawning, too,” she added.
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Amelia
Yay friendship!
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