Start of term feast 2021 (open/multi/rf)

The sorting of first-year students, as well as the private sorting of new transfers and exchanges in the side chamber, had now been concluded. Everyone who was supposed to be in the Great Hall was there - Professors at the platformed staff table and students sitting on their respective house tables. Before the feast appeared, Professor Riddle took to the podium.

The smile he had creased his eyes too much, as they swept amongst the masses.

"Welcome back to Hogwarts," he called over them, ensuring that his voice carried enough to put a stop to any linger of conversation. "For those who are returning students, you may have already noticed a few changes to the staff table. In my former position as Deputy Head and Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, we have Professor Oathwaite, a very dear friend of mine. Further along, we have the new Health teacher, Professor Renshaw, whose classes will be vastly more informative than years gone by. And sitting right at the end there is the new dancing instructor - Professor Selwyn.

"Both Health and Dancing classes will be mandatory, as of this year. I won't bang on about the details, as in both classes you will undoubtedly receive the information. All that I ask of you is to give them a warm welcome to the school, and give them the respect and courtesy they deserve."

He paused briefly there, waiting for a lull of conversation that picked up again to subside.

"But those aren't the only changes - aside from myself being your new Headmaster as of this year - there are a few matters that I have addressed, which I am sure all of you will benefit from," he said, glad to be arriving at this moment finally, after many years of trying to get that woman thrown out. Professor Riddle didn't give himself away, though. He never did. "The biggest change will be the introduction of the duelling system."

"All disputes, arguments, fights and disagreements do not have to resort to violence - they can simply be solved within the rules and boundaries of a proper wizard's duel. Back in your dormitories, I have supplied more information about the duelling system which you will need to read, understand, sign and hand into your Head of House tomorrow morning, in your house common rooms. For now, however, I want you to enjoy the start of term feast and get a good night's sleep tonight: the prospect of change can be unsettling for anyone, so I do not wish to overwhelm you with a torrent of words when we're all hungry and tired from our travels."

He chuckled quietly.

"I am making changes not to appease myself, or to cause discord, or to assert authority. I am making these changes because I want Hogwarts students to produce the best, brightest and most talented and reputed students in the world. It isn't just a possibility - but an inevitability. You each deserve the best education to realise your full potential, and go on to be confident adults who will make their mark in society. We will achieve this, and you will see: once you leave here, doors will open to you. All I need is your cooperation to make it happen."

He looked around the sea of faces, and drew back from the podium slightly.

"Now, let's get onto the good part: the food and drink. Enjoy to your heart's content!"

Giving a clap to signal the elves' delivery, at once the feast appeared at every table. Some of the food this year included some good old American favourites as a favour to the exchanges: hamburgers, pot roasts, southern fried chicken, biscuits and gravy, cornbread, mac n' cheese and mountains of french fries and tater tots, to name a few. For the desserts, when they appeared, Lochlan had chosen key lime pie, which was one of his personal favourites.

By that point, the potion that was splashed onto his face had worn off, but he was still phoneless. Cernunnos sat at the Hufflepuff table sulking slightly as he turned to one of his housemates. "OMG, it was that new dance professor who took my phone~! I thought he was sooo sexy too, but he threatened me with Ministry action!"

Marilyn glanced over at one of her housemate's plates, seeing the biscuits and gravy that was in front of them. Even though she had attended Ilvermorny for a bit, the concept of an American biscuit still confused her.

"Wadey, are they eating actual biscuits? Why would you eat biscuits with gravy?! Their gravy has to be full of grease!"

In front of her was a very simple mince pie; she was sticking to the British classics.

@Wade MacKenna

Proudly sitting at the staff table, Frederick looked down at all of the students who filled the seats of the Great Hall. His plate was kept pretty healthily, a carryover from his career as a personal trainer/healer, being full of proteins and vegetables.

"It feels great to be back at our old stomping grounds, Leythan," Frederick said as if they'd always been friends, as if there wasn't a 20-year age difference between them.

@Leythan Selwyn

Mackenzie tried her best to tune out her fathers voice. She didn't really care all too much about these new rules. She just wanted to spend time with Tiernan. She looked over at the gryffindor table and smiled at him, blowing him a kiss. She sighed a bit, she wished she could sit with him without her father throwing a tizzy. 

@Tiernan McLaggen

Persephone sat at the Hufflepuff table, listening to Headmaster Riddle as she poked at the roast chicken on her plate. She wished she could be at home with Ptolemy and Alayna and the twins.

"Professor Selwyn? Was that the change? That bloody son of a banshee!"

Thius glanced over at the staff table briefly before turning back to his girlfriend and their friends. "We got a lot of practice to catch up on, babe... I'm looking forward to it quite a lot." He licked his lips as he gazed at her profile. "I'll have to show you my dorm after our duel tomorrow," he whispered, "It's the most private spot in the entire castle..."

@Bellona Lestrange @Comarth Selwyn @Dahlia Travers

Jerome didn't know how to take Riddle's speech, but he didn't like the sound of it. Health classes - okay, fair enough. Dancing lessons? It was as if Riddle had been a fly on the wall at the muggle party, had seen how badly he'd danced, and felt like making him a laughingstock in front of an entire class. Then there was this duelling thing. What was that all about?

"So... he wants us all to leave Hogwarts as pirouetting duellers?" he voiced aloud to whoever was around, eyeing some of the beef burgers. There were all sorts of condiments and extras on the side too - pickles, relish, mustard. He took one and started building it up begrudgingly, casting his gaze over at the Slytherin table. Someone looked very happy with himself, he noticed. Jerome narrowed his eyes at Melanthius Burke as he continued: "At least he didn't replace the entire faculty, but that woman looks like she's from a pureblood family and Selwyn is a Selwyn. Renshaw is probably one of them too..."

Wade snorted.

"I ain't doin' any dance classes or puttin' gravy over bread."

He'd taken heaps of the fries though, paired it with steak, and was now drowning everything with ketchup. The bottle let out flatulence in protest.

"Maybe in health class they ask ya how much ya can bench."

@Marilyn Grayson

Tiernan flashed a cocky grin over to Mackenzie, who was blowing kisses at him.

"Seeing as you can hardly get ketchup out of a bottle, you're clearly not lifting as much as I am," he said to Wade, still with his eyes on his girlfriend.

The only thing that could distract him from a girl was food, and now he was piling his plate up where the skies were the limit.

"I'm not worried about dancing classes - how hard can it be? I just know I'll be called on a lot in Defence this year though - I know that Oathwaite woman, and she hates my guts."

Ugh, why did they have to serve yankee food? It probably tasted like mud! Some of it looked disgusting, Jeneva couldn't understand why anybody would eat them. She kept checking her nails for any imperfections, having paid little mind to the speech as usual.

As soon as he'd seen his brother and aunt sat at the staff table, he'd planted his head onto his empty dinner plate and groaned continuously through the entire duration of the sorting ceremony. When Riddle was making his speech, he was stabbing his fork down on his napkin and managed to shred it in several places. Now he was casting his gaze over the feast that had appeared and looking rather sick. He hadn't touched anything. Usually by this point he would already be scarfing through his first helping.

"That's my Mother you're talking about as well, Melanthius," he groaned at him, his hair flopping like curtains across his eyes. He uttered another, rather loud groan of despair. "I can't believe this... both of them? How am I to get anything done with them breathing down my neck?!"

He started smashing a tomato to pulp with the side of his fork.

@Melanthius Burke @Dahlia Travers

Although his uniform was now on, Lazar kept wearing the cowboy hat. He had to be looking so much cooler and less dorky! Well, he would be if his mouth and throat didn't feel dry as the various sounds, sights, and smells of the Great Hall overstimulated his senses. His eyes were opened widely as he stared down at the chicken pot pie that was steaming in front of him. Chicken was one of his preferred foods, so at least he had that to keep him going.

"C-c-c-can y-y-y-you qu-q-uh-quiet d-d-d-down? I-I-I c-c-cuh-can't think!"

"Oh how will they survive?" she jeered, looking over at the Gryffindor table, "Now they're being forced to have an ounce of sophistication. Duelling, dancing - this is certainly off to a good start."

She giggled at Melanthius.

"You see - there's no reason to fear. Their own inadequacy will shine right through..."

She looked at Selwyn and Dahlia. "Perhaps you two ought to brush up on your skills as well. And stop sulking, Selwyn, you're making my food taste bad!"

@Melanthius Burke @Dahlia Travers

Marilyn giggled at her boyfriend's response. Oh, her Wadeykins was so cute and charming and dreamy! What a dreamboat!

"What if health class has us do yoga?"

Her fork dug through the mince pie with a degree of care; she was going to enjoy and savor every bite of it after such a long train ride.

"What do you in a health class?"

Looking over at Tiernan, Marilyn remarked, "Oathwaite scares me! It's not my best subject! She might give me a troll just for attending!"

@Wade MacKenna @Tiernan McLaggen

Layla smiled slightly at Persephone, noticing that she seemed out of sorts.

"Hey," she said gently, poking her on the arm, "You okay? Do you want to try some of my pot roast? It's really good!"

@Persephone Rowle

Thius chortled thinking of it - all of the faces that will plant on the floor, all of the twisted ankles, all of the stepped on feet.

"Certainly so, we shall get a free show out of their delusions of grandeur. We won't have to move much of a finger for them to realize their place in the ecosystem. They're the bottom-feeders, the parasites. We? We are the top of the kingdom, the ultimate predator."

The small amount of fear he had, informed by Comarth, were swiftly quashed by Headmaster Riddle's speech. Yes, there was nothing for them to worry about.

He gave Bellona a kiss on the cheek, toning down the more physical aspects of their affection now that they were among the rest of the student body. Cutting up his medium-rare steak, Thius rolled his eyes at Comarth's whining. "Didn't you say you were capable of hiding from your family?"

@Bellona Lestrange @Comarth Selwyn

Darcy's spider stood near his non-dominant arm as he picked off some of the breading from his southern fried chicken for his faithful companion to try.

"Does it taste good, buddy?"

Receiving a happy wave from his spider, Darcy smiled at him and started digging in himself, making sure to save some bits for his pet.

"And yet it feels much better to be seated up here than being down there," he remarked haughtily to his new friend. "There is that boy who I confiscated from. Hm - Hufflepuff. I wasn't expecting that..." Nodding over to Cernunnos Largo, he swept his hair over pompously with his hand and moved his eyes to the Slytherin table. "And that boy over there that looks my double - that's Comarth. He never used to be so despondent about having me as his teacher. They grow up so fast..." He fake pouted, chuckling.

@Frederick Renshaw

Persephone looked up when she heard Layla's voice and smiled, "Yeah. That sounds great. I'm ok. I just miss my nieces. I really wish I were home with them instead of here. Theyre going to be so big when I see them again." 

@Layla Cartwright

Just as she hoped, Eustace and her twin were in different houses. Pretending to not be related her was going to be much easier now that they wouldn't be stuck in the same common room or dorm just like at Ilvermorny. However, she was stuck at the Slytherin table, and she could tell that she wasn't exactly welcome to the club. Her resting face was full of bitchiness as usual as she groaned, poking at the vegetables of her pot roast with her fork.

Siobhan walked into the great hall wearing her Brand new Gryffindor cheer uniform. She was ecstatic to see Marilyn's stupid face when she realized she was going to cheer this year. And she was going to be way better than her. She took her seat at the gryffindor table and made herself a small plate of food.

Mackenzie bit at her lip before picking up her plate and walking to the Gryffindor table. She glared at the unknown student sitting next to tiernan until they scurried away and she sat next to her boyfriend  she kissed his cheek and smiled at him, "Hello love." 

@Tiernan McLaggen

"Hufflepuff? That is surprising. They usually cause the least amount of trouble..."

Frederick nodded at the students as his colleague pointed them out, doing good to keep their names and faces in mind. If he was able to get them to think that he already knew who they were, his informative words would ring through their ears better.

Stroking his shadow, he replied, "It's like you have a clone..."

He observed the Slytherin table some more, starting with the people Leythan's brother was sitting with. "I assume the boy near him is Burke?"

@Leythan Selwyn

Dahlia had a feeling that Comarth hadn’t even thought of the worst part of his family being on the staff at school. At least before they could let down their act when they were at school. Her face looked as if she might be sick as she looked over the food she would usually be digging into by now. She had lost her appetite. ”That means we will have to keep this little act up while here as well. Your brother and aunt could report back to our parents that it is all an act and my father would be furious we tried to manipulate him.” she said with a frown. Oh, Bellona and Thius had to be loving this.

@Comarth Selwyn @Melanthius Burke @Bellona Lestrange