Fandom Blood and Water

[Rise of Albion]

(Time Skip)


Night had fallen fast, cloaking the sky in a midnight black sea dotted with brightly shining stars as a wild man waited patiently on the edge of a train station, an ancient lamp blazing in his hand. Jason Archinson, keeper of keys and groundskeeper of Hogwarts waited with a mix of excitement and anticipation for the next year of students who would soon be arriving. As he had thoroughly learned over his duration of time at the school, he could never quite be certain what awaited him. One year, the children could be perfectly nice and quite, the others could be young children obsessed with keeping up with the times, troubling ones, or even a good mix of them all. It had been a few score since a specific batch had arrived at the school. Those blessed or cursed with beautiful, dangerous fates and destinies. He couldn't stay a smile as the train whistled in this distance, announcing it's impending arrival. Whatever came out of those train doors in the end, would certainly be forced to endure through an extremely magical year. Headmistress Faulkener would manage them as always, and hopefully, nothing too threatening would face those children during their time there.


Dakota kissed her singed fingers, even though she and Rosemary had stopped playing Exploding Snap more than three hours ago. Luckily, she wasn't going to be forced to live through her first day at her new school with no eyebrows or a badly blackened face. She had previously been given experience with the dangerous game, and was thankfully more skilled than a lucky first-timer. A devious idea to play such a game on their very first train ride, but fun none the less. And it helped to pass the time, marvellously. She was currently lounging on her side of the carriage, dressed in her black robes with a caged Nymeria sleeping atop her stomach. A journal and pen were in her hands as she wrote down her experiences of the day, both for a recount of the memories and so that she at least had something to send back to her brother and parents soon enough. If things managed to turn out the way that she hoped they would, she didn't believe that they were going to be given much time over the coming week for freedom and personal space. That would be for after they were all settled in, and at least some of the excitement and nerves had managed to calm down.


The train whistled, dawning their inoming arrival at the Hogwarts train station and Dakota forced herself not to jump up immediately and launch herself into the corridor with her eagerness. Nym blinked herself awake, slowly began to recognize her surroundings, and then perched up in her cage, sensing that something new was about to begin. She giggled and poked a finger through the bars to massage the bird's feathers for a moment. Outside in the corridor, it was evident that everyone else on the train had heard the whistle as well. The chatters of other cages grew steadily louder and more energetic, as people began to ready themselves for departure from their separate compartments. A broad smile lit up her face, and she gently moved her bird off of her stomach and then began to pack up her things, sending quick glances over to her companion to see what she was doing and feeling. She hoped that all the other first years would be as ecstatic as she was.


The train pulled into the station, and as the older years began to spill out onto the platform, chatting eagerly about the coming year, one voice could be heard above the rest. "First years, come with me! The others, you all know what to do." Jason Archinson roared his commands, a certain natural, wild power evident in his voice. Dakota grinned wider when she heard that, wished goodbye to her beautiful owl and then dashed out the door, intending to begin her first year at Hogwarts with an eager start.

 

[Rise of Albion]

Post to keep the thread open.

 

[Trignome]

The piercing shriek of the train’s whistle startled Connor from his book. Stretching his legs out slowly, he sighed and leaned over his seat to pull the top suitcase off of the barricade. Taking care to steady his luggage from the lurching movement of the train’s brakes, he unzipped the top of the suitcase and began stuffing his pile of books back into place. Then he stood up, finally, after what had seemed like an eternity of spells. Not that Connor had really minded much, reading through his textbooks, but with every page he turned, his incredulity at being a wizard had exponentially increased. Am I really a wizard? Pasta maggots. This all feels so surreal, perhaps I’m still dreaming in the warm comfort of my home? He pinched himself on the back of his wrist. No, this wasn’t a delusion of the mind; he was on this train, bound for a magical boarding school in the middle of the Scotland wilderness.


For a brief moment, Connor considered bailing ship by jumping out the window, since it appeared to be that the mammothian vessel was anchored for the night. Arrr, me maties! Thar be nothin’ but a fool’s tale fer yeh bones, if yeh follow the slaves to the galley below! But as he gazed out into the vast darkness that was the sea, grey eyes searching fruitlessly for some beacon of light, Connor decided it was best not to leave; the galley was a much safer, albeit torturously mind-numbing, place to be. Besides, he wasn’t on a ship; this was a train.


Sighing in resignation, he walked over to the doors of the compartment and peered through the glass paneling. There were kids already dashing up and down the corridor, no doubt excited to partake in this most unsuspicious of situations. They were a very hyperactive bunch of kids, to be sure. Loud, noisy brats…and most of them are older than me. He scowled. Act your age, people! A particularly grating pitch of squeals shot through the thin glass and smacked Connor in the face, causing him to flinch from the sheer volume of it. He opened his eyes just in time to see a gaggle of older girls strutting together down the hallway, intentionally jostling each other so their hair tossing and hip swaying could seem more natural. Too late, Connor realized that the girl second to the left was Giggles. True to her name, she managed to send a rapid series of high-pitched giggling in his direction, finishing the attack with a hair-flip/wink combo. Connor blanched and turned away from the glass. Health potion, health potion. I need one.


He knelt down to pull his other suitcase away from the door, using the movement as a distraction from the lingering traces of his disgusted expression. It wasn’t so much that he didn’t want Giggles to see his face; it was more that he didn’t want Caul to know he didn’t like girls. They’re annoying…but Silence would think I’m weird if I said I didn’t like girls…maybe. I’m not sure. Connor turned to look at the other boy in the compartment. He doesn’t talk much, does he? Hoisting his two suitcases up, Connor nudged the carriage door open and gestured to the rapidly emptying hallway with a tilt of his head. “Hey, you coming?”


(Also, in case anybody needs to review their character because I personally happened to have forgotten some of Connor's existence, here is the link to the OOC and character sign up threads. http://www.rpnation.com/threads/blood-and-water.35113/ I hope this helps some poor, unfortunate, lost soul like me from an hour ago)

 

[Listette]

Ear-piercing voice woke Chaos up from his day dreams. He had sat on his suitcase and petted Rattus who laid quietly on his shoulder. ”What do you think of this?” Chaos whispered to him and looked at the black eyes of the rat ”Uncle Peter really wants me to do this, doesn't he?”. When Rattus just stared at him like always not answering anything, just tilting his head like saying 'Why are you asking me? I am just a rat, a smart rat but a rat nonethless', Chaos stood up to straighten his wrinkled clothing.


What in earth I am doing here studying sorcery and what not? Didn't I leave that life behind a long time ago? Okay, not so long time but long enough. What if something happens?


Amidst of his thoughts Chaos realized that it was time to step out of the train which had stopped a moment ago. People were gathering their luggage all around him and he stood a while staring at the excited mass of children, some a little younger than others, that almost shone joy out of the every cell of their being.


Does magic have this effect on everyone? Chaos did remember the face on uncle Peter's face when a difficult spell worked just the way he had wanted and the disgusting glitter on his parents' face when they had worked on their own little projects. Magic makes them happy, really happy.


TV-series always had the special cases with magic and the chosen ones, like having magic was something wonderful and exciting. Chaos would prefer more the calm and normal life, maybe somewhere faraway, in a farm. He could take care of animals and maybe own a tractor. But since he was in Hogwarts to study that he really was about to do. The suitcase wasn't full of books for no reason.


It is a great honour to have a place in Hogwarts, Christopher. Not everyone has the priviledge to attend it. Uncle Peter had always great impression of Hogwarts even if he himself wasn't fortunate enough to attend it. Now Chaos could write to Jimmy about the school, he would love it.


Sadly the only thing why he walked out of the train was the white, empty paper in his suitcase that he had promised to fill with his everyday life and to sent it to Jimmy. The tobacco pipe in his pocket wandered it's way to his mouth even if it was empty. He felt more comfortable with it.


”Come on, it's starting,” he said to himself and lifted the suitcase to the other shoulder where Rattus didn't lay like he owned the whole place. Chaos limbed his way to the man who was yelling all the first-year students to him.


"First years, come with me! The others, you all know what to do." Chaos really hoped that they didn't have to walk a long way. Dragging a heavy suitcase behind him didn't do any good to the already useless leg that had started to ache the second he had stood to his feet.


”It is a nice way to start the school year. Or what do you say Rattus?”

 

[Widget]

The sky was made of colors, from angry red to the small patch of dying blue, they joined as one in melodious coexistence. Caul would have thought it was beautiful, yet it was anything but. He closed eyes against the conjoined brightness of the light, watching as tiny pinpricks of color danced across his sealed lids. The occasional sound of Connor rustling through the pages of his book remained the solitary barrier between the two young boys and complete silence, and Caul could almost see his companion's stare directed at the words below him, blatantly ignoring the presence of the other. Pressing his forehead against the cool surface of the compartment window, Caul let the soft vibrations of the moving train gently lull him into a light sleep...


It was the silence that first caught Caul's attention. The gentle breathing and page turning had ceased to fill the compartment, leaving him feeling more alone than ever. Did Connor leave? That much seemed evident, at least. The carriage door hung open, its glass door plastered against the inside wall across from him. A small twinge of disappoint briefly filled his insides, but Caul quickly banished the unwanted (and unneeded) emotion. Of course Connor would have wanted to leave now that he knew how different he really was. It would be idiotic to think otherwise. Gazing around the room with increasing distaste and bitterness. The stuffed cushions that he once had considered an unnecessary luxury were now overwhelmingly suffocating, absorbing all of the oxygen within their vast confines, while the large windows captured his every movement, eerily mirroring his face from impossible angles. He had to leave. Standing quickly from his immobilized position, Caul turned to exit the compartment, his heart thumping rapidly in his chest.


The train's corridor was equally vacant of human life, lit by a single candle that hovered above the narrow expanse like an indistinguishable ghoul. Taking an unsteady step out into the dim hall, Caul vaguely noticed that the adjacent compartment doors had folded themselves inward, similar to his own. Only one door, at the end of the corridor, remained closed, its thin surface gleaming as the candle's light reflected upon it. With mounting curiosity, he cautiously strode towards the anomaly, tracing the back of his hand against the bland coloring of the train wall. A quiet whimpering broke through the silent din of Caul's footsteps, causing the boy to pause in his path as quickly as he had followed it. Muffled words slurred together in unrecognizable patterns, forming strings of desperate sentences. Short gasps of breath accompanied the voice, inevitably interrupting the speaker as he (she?) grew increasingly uncontrollable. With an immense sense of dread, Caul crept onwards, unable to shake the feeling of familiarity as he placed his hand upon the glass door's delicate handle.


"I would not open that door if I were you."


Caul whipped around, his neck clicking painfully as he attempted to catch sight of the most previous speaker. A young man leaned heavily against the corridor wall, his thin arms wrapped tightly around his fold legs as though he feared he may lose them if he loosened his grip. Light brown hair framed his angular face, clumping unattractively to his flesh as sweat served its purpose once more as paste. But what struck Caul the most was the paleness of the man's eyes, drained of any color they may have previously held. If it was not for the nature of the stranger's voice and the tone in which he spoke, Caul would not have recognized the man at all. "Why not?" The question was out of his mouth before he even had time to stop himself, perhaps surprising Caul more than the nameless figure before him.


"Because," the man said, the same half-smile he had given Caul before reappearing on his pale face, "No one likes people to see them cry."


Caul blinked once in confusion (as he was wont to do), surprised by the simplicity of the answer. He had been expecting a long, monotonous reply decorated with flowery phrases that failed to seize his attention, yet was met instead with a single sentence. Somehow, Caul couldn't help but feel that the lengthy monologue he had envisioned would be easier to understand. So, instead of answering, he lowered himself to the train's hard floor, facing the pitiful man curled across from him. Fiddling nervously with his hands, Caul flinched as the soft whimpering gradually grew louder, the sound of heaving breaths intertwined dry sobs grinding in his ears with unbearable force. He barely resisted the urge to clamp his hands over his ears to shield them from the horrible noise. "I want it to stop." Caul said, his words seeming childish and cliché even to himself.


"You can't do anything; I have already tried." The thin man replied, gazing indifferently back at him through glassy eyes. "She doesn't want to see you. You'll only hurt yourself more if you try to help her."


"Who is she?" Caul asked, his stomach clenching painfully as the man's eyes grew even more distant. The silence that followed was suffocating, weighing heavily in the air like a blanket of water.


"Mother."


The sharp scream of a whistle resonated in Caul's ears, cutting through his vision with the effectiveness and efficiency of a knife. He jolted awake, blinded by the gleaming light filling his compartment. Connor stood peering through the glass paneling, his shoulders taut with agitation as the boisterous giggling of passing girls echoed through the air. A feeling of relief swept though him as he caught sight of the boy's form, for reasons he could not completely explain. Taking a deep breath, Caul stood from his seat, plastering his arms stiffly to his sides.


"Hey, you coming?" Connor called out, gazing at Caul impatiently from the corridor. With a brief, uncertain nod, he slid his well-worn trunk from the adjacent bench onto the floor, stumbling slightly as he struggled to control its weight. It was only when he reached the mundane hall and passed the closed (open) compartment that he realized that the thin man had been sitting on the exact spot that Connor had first found him.

 

[Rise of Albion]

"Welcome to Hogwarts. Please leave your luggage on the train, it will be taken to the school separately." The commanding voice repeated once again, the words magically rebounding along the length of the entire train. Dakota reasoned that it was probably the train's conductor who had been reminding them about the same set of instructions, three times over the course of the past five minutes. Although she had wondered about how such a ginormous task could be completed all in one night when he first announced it, now she almost completely dismissed the notice, already having said her temporary goodbyes to Nym before the train even finished stopping. In her eagerness, she was prepared. For one of the rarest moments in her entire life, Dakota Fincham was actually truly ready for something.


As she stepped out of the compartment however, her smile momentarily left her face as her eyes were accidentally drawn over to the two figures opposite her and the fact that they were also leaving their area at around the same time. She was upset about the fact that she hadn't managed to make a positive impression on either of them, but that was hardly their fault. Obviously she either hadn't tried hard enough, or she had simply been too annoying, too forward in her approaches. Those two had seemed to find a common ground, but she hadn't managed to get there with them. Of course, she was happy for the two boys, but... she was being selfish. The real reason why she was currently upset was because she was just sad that she didn't have two new friends. She had probably just introduced herself to them for herself.


Tears pricked her eyes but she quickly dragged the tip of her tongue across the roof of her mouth, repeatedly sending a slight tickling sensation across her mouth until the wetness receeded. It was a woman's tip, so it worked. Looking up, Dakota managed a bright, albeit slightly shy smile at both boys, before she tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear, and then set off down the corridor towards the exit of the train. The Hogwarts Express was almost completely empty by the time Dakota stepped out into the cool, crisp freshness of the night air and onto the train platform. It would not appear to be much of a hinderance to the giant, wild beast which waited patiently for them all at the entrance to a downward sloping pathway leading away from the platform and into the dark recesses of forest behind it. Maybe it was almost a tradition for first-years to be a little hesitant and awed. Or maybe, the wild man was simply patient. She appreciated it either way.


Jason glanceed over at the small, dark-skinned girl with the curling hair who just recently jumped off the train, glancing with fear at first, before she relaxed slightly. He nodded over in her direction, and was able to catch her gaze. She swallowed but he managed a slight quirk of his lips which might betray some sort of reassurance. Around his closer friends, Jason was a much less foreboding figure, but he felt slightly uncomfortable around these younger persons. "Are you the last of them?" He asked.


Dakota blinked once, and then a bright, confident smile spread across her face and she shook her head. "There are at least three others still on. They're coming though." Her voice was light and melodious, and Jason had known enough Hufflepuff's to understand that she was easily going to become one of them. He nodded another thank you in her direction, quickly checked his lantern's light, and then settled down into a more comfortable position. He could wait. Maybe not for much too longer. However, he did have a very loud, booming voice and if it soon required it, then he could always shout for them. However, Headmistress Faulkener didn't always approve of him accidentally scaring the new students, and it was only to be used as a last resort. Even though Jason Archinson was more a beast than a man, Faulkener didn't believe that many other people could fulfill the role that he did. Rubeus Hagrid would eternally go down in the history books as the greatest groundskeeper ever, but he could always try to at least fill his shoes.

 

[EternalMusic]

Celena looked out the window as she sat there in silence with her cat Luna who purred as it wrapped herself around Celena's neck. Sighing Celena thought about what a strange ride it had been just to come here. As she thought to herself a little more she then began to drift off closing her eyes falling slightly into a small trance like sleep.


As Luna purred and moved out of the way jumping down, Celena woke up with a start and blinked her eyes wide open. Startled she nearly fell out of her seat and then blinked as she noticed that many people were putting on their robes. Slightly groggy, Celena slowly began to follow the others and began to quickly but slowly get changed. Laying on the train seat with a happy purr Luna fell asleep once again. Chuckling Celena stroked the cat and thought about how many adventures it was possible for her to have.


As she heard the train horn blare as it approached the Hogwarts station, Celena couldn't help but feel extremely gittery. Her excitement on overload, she picked up Luna and swung her around in the cabin. The sleeping cat blinked with a startled expression and meowed angrily from being woken up so abruptly. Giggling Celena kissed the top of the black cat's head and smiled.


"Sorry Luna, it is just that I couldn't help myself. We are nearly there!"


Grinning bigger Celena rushed to the window and looked out to watch as they came up to the station. Looking at the window felt so surreal to her and she couldn't contain the excitement she had felt.


As the train halted, Celena made her way out of her cabin bringing her bags that she had carried on with her and smiled as Luna padded along near her. As she hopped off the train she glanced at a small dark skinned girl who was talking to another man before. Giving the girl a small wave she fumbled her way towards the girl and gave a weak smile.


"Sorry but I have no idea which way I am suppose to go..."


Looking at the girl, Celena wondered if the girl would be able to help her.


(Okay talking to Dakota here just so we are clear~ ^^)

 

[Akeira]

As night fell across the Scottish countryside, Rosemary sat in the train compartment, squinting out the window into the dark night. Though it was very hard to see, the young brunette still searched for any indication of Hogsmeade. Having been instructed to change into her school robes not too long ago, she eagerly awaited their arrival. She and Dakota had finished playing Exploding Snap hours beforehand, yet Rose could not help but look down at the slightly singed ends of her hair. She had been lucky, as she still had both of her eyebrows in tact. In reaching across the pile of cards to tap a particular one with her wand, a card near her hair had exploded, causing the ends to burn lightly. Although it was not a rough burn, she reasoned it would require cutting when she had the opportunity. She considered asking her elder brother, Brandon, after she got settled in her dormitory, though something about that idea struck her the wrong way. It was probably because there was a chance he would do something sinister, such as cutting off too much hair on purpose.


Minutes later, the train whistled, indicating their arrival at Hogsmeade station. With this sound, Rosemary perked up in delight, glancing at Dakota across from her with a smirk. She looked down at Hera in her cage, who was just waking up due to the noise resounding throughout the train. She smiled at her beloved owl, feeding her a small piece of bread leftover from a snack earlier in the trip. Turning toward the compartment door, Rosemary chuckled lightly, as a clamor commenced in the corridor. The chatter grew even more, making it obvious that the young first years were not the only ones excited about their arrival. Like her companion, Rose began to pack up her things, including the Exploding Snap cards they had been playing with. Seeing Dakota's glance in her direction, she gave her a thumbs up and a smile, showing her own elation in a compressed form.


Following the others into the crowded corridor, Rosemary made her way onto the platform, looking very lost for a short time. After a few moments, she heard a loud voice roar over the others, instructing the first year students to follow in that direction. The young brunette wished goodbye to Hera, setting her own with the rest of the pets and trunks. She headed in the direction of the voice, unsure to where it would lead. She could only hope it would be the exhilarating beginning to her new adventure at Hogwarts. Continuing down the platform, she could not help but wear more of her enthusiasm on her sleeve. She now openly grinned, as she was truly psyched. Having never seen the castle before, Rosemary was ecstatic to not only catch a glimpse of the landscape, but go also inside and experience the castle for herself. Now, she would not be envious of Brandon's stories of his own journeys.


Moving up ahead, she saw a crowd forming, recognizing Dakota and another girl with highlighted brown hair from the train. In walking closer, she saw that a man with flowing dark hair had been the source of the booming voice she had heard earlier. The young girl automatically thought that he was a large man, though part of this was probably due to her small stature. Rosemary instantly walked toward the group, waving to Dakota and Celena in greeting. "Do you two have any idea why they separated us from the others?" She inquired curiously, glancing over her shoulder to where the elder students exited the platform in the opposite direction. She thought it strange, though perhaps something special was in store.