A WORLD OF MY OWN

LILY: just saw the weird sisters -- it was AWFUL!!

LILY: what is this, their third reunion tour? time to accept that your glory days are behind you, wagtail.

LILY: and let's just say tremlett has...aged poorly lmfao

LILY: okay, do i want to see celestina warbeck or the bent-winged snitches next??? 🤔

PEYTON: funny enough, i was never really into the whole weird sisters fad when they were popular lol

PEYTON: so i guess i'm kind of impartial that their fame has died down after ...what'd you say?? THREE reunion tours?? yikes.

PEYTON: but if you really want my advice or if you even care, neither of those performers are that great either tbh

Laughter spilled from her sparkling lips as she let Peyton pull her close, not having a qualm with being seen on his arm. He was one of her dearest friends, after all, and their friendship had long since reached the point she felt completely comfortable in their affections (almost) one hundred percent of the time. She did, in fact, know him quite well - and she knew of his excitement for the festival food, and that he was just as distract-able as she was. 

“You forgot to eat too, didn’t you? I bet you’ve been walking around even longer than I have. Well shame on you.” Verity lifted her free hand and lightly tapped Peyton’s nose as she pretended to scold him. “You’re supposed to be the more responsible one! But here I am, takin’ care of you. Tsk-tsk.”

She seemed even more upbeat and a little bit sillier than usually, and that could be chalked up to both the festival and her current company. She had always found it hard to be calm when she was surrounded by so much energy and joy - it amped her up. And of course, she could be as silly as she wanted with Peyton. 

“Hmmmm.” Verity hummed loudly, biting her cheek as she considered his question. Did anything not tickle her taste buds right now? There were so many vendors here, each of them selling something unique and enticing, from the savory to the sweet. “Oh, I don’t know, everything? It all smells so good. I passed this stall selling bread bowls earlier, with stew and chili and stuff? There’s a suspiciously eager man selling burgers floating around somewhere. Mm, chips sound good, though. With cheese. Clearly, for dessert, I want something dipped in chocolate.” 

          There was something about the way Verity’s face lit up when she was happy. The way a jolly feeling seemed to escape from the pit of Peyton’s stomach and the way the sun had somehow toppled down from the sky and made a home right there in his heart  — undoubtedly racing faster as he laid his gaze upon her upbeat behavior talking about grabbing food with him; the possibilities are endless at the festival. She had the kind of happiness that made you feel happy to be alive and just feel a little bit more human. 

          However, her laugh. Oh her laugh. What a great sound it was. People think of laughing as a noise that comes from the mouth, but when Verity laughed it was nothing like that. The laugh was in her eyes, in the way her face changed into that vision of relaxed joy and unrestrained mirth. Her laugh came from within, it was just the way she was wired and he loved every bit of it. Although, he couldn’t help but playfully roll his eyes as she teasingly scolded him for being irresponsible as he snapped out of his light daydream. ❝ Oh please, ❞ he spoke softly, giving her a cheeky smile. ❝ As if I ever have the time be irresponsible knowing I have a friend like you keeping me on my toes so we don’t end up in the infirmary. ❞ he continued, gently poking her nose right back.

           In all, he loved having Verity around; adventures and all that came with her friendship. It was that kind of friendship that blooms in the center of your heart - that kind of friendship that grows from the seed basking in the warm soil to a vast tree with many ups and downs, many - but not enough to disguise the enormity or the grandeur of such a tree, the sheer brilliance and beauty of it. Although he would probably never admit aloud to her, he was going to truly feel lonely when she graduated in the Spring of next year. 

         Although he doubted he wouldn’t see her again — neither of them would probably allow it —  it just wasn’t going to be the same when she no longer roamed the halls. So, in retrospect, he was grateful for the time he was getting to spend with her now. Smiling again as he was lost in thought, he glanced around the different vendors and contemplated. Glancing down over at Verity, he gave her a crooked smile and said, ❝ Earlier I saw a vendor selling an array of foods down this way. ❞ he gestured down the street they were walking towards.  ❝ Looked to me like he had roast beef, roast chicken, fried sausage, lamb chops, shepherd's pie, and those bread bowls you mentioned. Interested? ❞

Who: Open 

Location: Hogsmeade Music and Arts Festival 

When: July 29, 2023 ; Noon 

        The festival was customer galore for Fred Weasley II. It was evident that the copious attendees were drawn to the music, food, and beverages at the venue. For the Gryffindor Chaser, the festival was an chance to unwind and advertise for WWW at the same time. He praised the notion of day drinking and partaking in pixie dust to a variety of music. Even more so, the wizard relished convincing others to spend a few galleons on WonderWitch goods. Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes had been popular in Diagon Alley since its inception. Dull moments were few and far between at the shop, which Fred was grateful for. The festival gave him the brilliant idea to advertise products and attain more customers. It was the perfect place for mischief in his mind. Consequently, Fred trekked through the festival grounds with a grin and a large wheelbarrow filled with commodity.        ❛ Step right up! Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes here for one day only! ❜ He called loudly to young wizards in the vicinity. ❛ Don’t be shy! Just imagine how much more fun the festival would be with a portable swamp! ❜ The Gryffindor continued with a jovial smile. His eyes scanned the growing crowds before landing on a familiar face near the outskirts. ❛ Oi, can I interest you in any whiz-bangs? Dungbombs? Thor’s thunder cracker? C’mon, I’ll make it worth your time. ❜ 

          Peyton was walking unusually slow, almost robotically, as if his brain was struggling to tell each foot to take the next step. It was as if he were in a stupor; like someone under hypnosis in one of those Scooby-Doo cartoons. He had been dazed by the colorful atmosphere surrounding him; bright lights, the smell of delicious food, the sounds of people’s laughter and talking. It was as if he was in his element without knowing what to do. The celebration was a riot of color, everyone a little more hyped up than they should be. Peyton’s eyes ate up the scene like a huge feast, his limbs feeling supercharged and his head giddy. Everything about the flowing crowd made her want to dance, his feet moving with grace and his heart beating with joy.  

          He was busying himself with taking photographs of the festivities for his portfolio when a loud voice rang over the already rambunctious crowd directed towards him. Glancing over, he spotted a familiar looking face, waving him down with a cart full of Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes products. Curious, he began walking over to the vendor and embraced a smile as his eyes skimmed over the wheelbarrow. ❝ By any chance, do you happen to have any Pygmy Puffs available? Because I know of a neighbor’s daughter who sadly lost her rabbit about a week ago and has been miserable ever since. Maybe having something as cuddly as a Pygmy would bring her mood up a bit. ❞ he said, with a smile still plastered on his face as he idly looked over a Skiving Snackbox in his hand.

◄ MALCOLM. what does honor mean to you?

❝Honor to me, simply means “worthy of respect by others”. It isn’t necessarily tied to “goodness” because respectability also depends on the moral standard we’re referring to. Just like someone can be respected by thousands, but doesn’t justify they’re a good person, correct? It also takes different forms in different segments of life, but certain universal attributes are part of honor to me —truth, courage, justice, loyalty, and love all require honor to be all that they can be. It’s the pursuit and conduct of life in a proper manner. ❞

◄ MEDEA. do you have any quirks?

❝ I’m not particular sure if this would be deemed a quirk, but whenever Autumn begins and the leaves on the trees start to fall to the ground, I always go out of my way to step on a leaf that looks crunchy. If it isn’t crunchy, I typically get disappointed. ❞ he beings to chuckle quietly to himself, as he shakes his head with a small smile. ❝It seems pretty stupid, but it always brings me some sense of joy. However, if we’re on a roll of listing quirks, another one of mine would be I’m susceptible of drawing random doodles on any piece of paper in front of me, especially on the corners of my homework sheets, and carries a quill to facilitate this habit.❞

◄ MERCUTIO. is there anyone you would die for?

❝ As morbid as it may seem to think, absolutely. ❞ he was nodding his head, a serious expression on his face. ❝Death is a huge part of life and so is sacrifice. I would like to believe that if it came down to it and if I needed to, I would sacrifice my life to save someone else’s. My family, of course, would be my number one priority and in most cases, the people I also hold close in my heart too.❞ the last part made him turn a bit hot in the face, but he gave a causal smile nevertheless before he continued. ❝And as much as this quote has nothing to do with the topic at hand, a very famous snowman once said, ‘some people are worth melting for’ seems to be very fitting nonetheless.❞

WHEN: About 10:15 of 29 July 2023

WHERE: Hogsmeade Music and Arts Festival, Campgrounds

The last concert for the first night was still going strong as far as Teddy knew, having long abandoned as an upswell of attendees came for the bigger artists that were performing that evening. Though he was always for a good time, he could only take so many people per square foot before he got uncomfortable with squeezing past. And, as tempting as it was, he didn’t want to risk hopping through hundreds of thousands of legs here. Hogwarts was one thing since children moved in small hordes, but this was an entirely different environment with mounds of food and drinks in the mix. He was thankful enough to be present for the festivities as is; if Teddy had his own way, he’d still be back in London, working those dinner rushes at the Leaky Cauldron. His godfather pulled out the “you’re still young, go have fun” card though, and insisted on having the eighteen-year-old take the spare sleeping cot in the family tent that they’d kept open for him.

Since he decided to not take part in the late night life at the festival, he instead was throwing a small get-together in the outskirts near the forestry with a firepit and some lawn chairs. Now, every gathering when Teddy’s involved wasn’t complete without certain vehicles for entertainment. Tonight? Solo cups to help share a few big bottles of firewhiskey, a sizable stash of Honeduke’s sweets that he managed to tow away after picking up the alcohol during his quick run to the village, and very much secret shares of his medically prescribed cannibis provided by yours truly. He didn’t forget the sober ones in the group, of course; outside the butterbeers, he had a few liters of soda from the local grocer. It never was a trademarked Teddy party without some consideration since he liked to include everyone.

Having been the first one here, he finally lifted himself out of one of the seats, taking brief pause to readjust as his legs did their best to wake after not being in motion for a while, his vision adjusting to the dim lighting outside the circle of warmth. Pacing a bit, he noticed someone deciding to enter their little corner of the grounds and. Straightening up his collar slightly just in case it was an adult – more particularly Ginny, who never approved of Teddy’s over-sharing habits – he waved. “Heeey, howzit?” 

           The costumes were as colorful as a summer garden. Bold yellows, magenta, cyan and emerald green. There were sequins and neon lights sparkling in the brilliant dead of night; brightened by the full moon and feathers of every color. Wherever someone looked, there were painted faces and masks. The stilt walkers marched down the middle of the crowd blowing bubbles or waving as they went. The band was the heartbeat of the crowd and they swayed long limbs in time to the beat. Food sellers weaved through the mass of onlookers and the aroma of their wares perfumed the air. The parade danced it's way down the Hogsmede street that usually was jammed with students or other customers on any given day.

          Something about this festival always brought high hopes for Peyton. To see the joys and laughter in people’s voices and faces filled him with happiness. He, of course, always had a great time and he knew that he captured so many amazing photos during the day to put in his portfolio. Not to mention, it was the festival of lights that made it all the worthwhile. Along the usually dark summer sky shone hundreds of lamps; illuminating with their flickering candles. The light was cast in every color by the tinted panes and Peyton couldn't help but be reminded of candy. It was as if the sky was iced by the baker on the high-street, and even better than the cake he had last birthday. Everywhere there were folks in their summer festive garb, sandals, sunglasses, and hats. To add to the gaiety, most children carried a lamp of their own making, only to disappear into the inkiness with the rest of the lamps. This truly was magic.

Date: July 29th 

Time: Mid-Afternoon

Location: Hogsmeade Music Festival, Festival Grounds

Verity had been looking forward to this festival from the very first moment she’d heard of it. It had sounded like a wonderful time - and it certainly didn’t seem like it was going to disappoint. The campgrounds and festival grounds were already overflowing with wix, all of them looking to have a good time in one way or another. There was music playing everywhere you went, and people were singing and laughing and shouting, drinking and dancing and connecting. The mingling scents of the festival food were nearly overwhelming, and impossible to ignore. The atmosphere was loud and chaotic and fun, and Verity was thriving. She hadn’t stopped smiling since she arrived, and she didn’t think she would until the day it was over. She certainly hoped she wouldn’t. 

A soft grumble interrupted Verity’s thoughts, drawing her attention away from her appreciation of the festival and to the emptiness of her stomach. She’d spent much of her day wandering about the camp and festival grounds, taking in the scenery, getting a feel for the layout, subtly trying to take note of each security guard. She supposed she’d forgotten to stop for lunch. No matter, though - her Hogwarts ID granted her both a discounted ticket and a bit of food money. She could get herself a nice meal without spending a dime out of her pocket, but it wouldn’t be any fun to eat alone. Festivals were about people, after all. About making connections, and memories - and you couldn’t very well do that eating alone. Verity glanced around the crowd, looking for a familiar face. She smiled widely, and strolled right up to the first person she saw. 

“Hey there, cutie.” She gave them a playful wink, “Wanna grab a late lunch?” 

           The music was as loud as thunder; it made the ground beneath his feet rattle like an earthquake. Neon lights flashed everywhere like police sirens, but much more colorful. Peyton loved the festival better than his own birthday. In the months leading up to it, his life was a frenetic whirl of anticipation and excitement all put together for this exact moment. He took in his surroundings at the pure laughter and joy everyone was having and he knew he was in his element.

          Peyton had been there since opening this morning and since then, he has witnessed multiple people on stilts and colorful costumes roaming around Hogsmede. There were six of them in total and they would weave through the crowds, nobody taller than their chests. Children would reach up to hold their hands and their smiles shone through their elaborate face paints. They were butterflies, frogs, nymphs and woodland sprites; for this was the festival to welcome in the Summer. The music floated on the warm breeze like the Summer blossom petals; raining down from the trees.

          He had taken it upon himself to be in charge of taking photographs of the festivities and placing them in his current portfolio titled ‘SUMMER 2023′ in remembrance of a great, adventurous Summer he and the people close to him were having. In all that time and focus on capturing memories, he failed at the one thing he was most excited about being at the festival for: the delicious food. He made it his goal, come Summer, that once the Hogsmede festival started, he would ransack every food stand there was. But, knowing Peyton, he caught himself in a flurry of inspiration and forgot all about it. So of course, when the Lord and Savior took it upon herself to offer the sweet sounds of food, Peyton couldn’t deny it. ❝ You know me too well by now, Harper. ❞ he enthused with a smile as linked his arm through hers, pulling her close. ❝ Anything tickle your taste buds? Because I know I could eat a whole house right now. ❞ 

WHO: ??? WHERE: hogsmede music & arts festival WHEN: early afternoon, july 29th

Loud music and uncharacteristic sunshine quickly became a comfortable backdrop for Niamh, who was less interested in live music and more interested in pre-Quidditch party festivities. Mingling among the crowd, dancing with strangers and flirting with the few who caught her eye, slipping shots from a flask into drinks too sweet to drink normally – Niamh could almost pretend she wasn’t surrounded by wizards. It was disappointing somehow, still trapped by her surname and her aptitude even surrounded by people she only barely knew. Yet, it only took a full introduction for opinions to form, only took a video of her Quidditch highlights to cause moods to change. 

Hiding out behind a building, Niamh found herself leaning against the cool bricks, more as a respite from the noise and the heat than the annoyance of others. Sipping slowly on lemonade (with nothing else in it, she’d decided to quit for the day), she found herself more and more relaxed, tuning in and out of the noise from the festivities. More than anything, after staring at the rolling grass away from town, she’d rather be playing a pickup game. 

Niamh’s spot didn’t stay secret for much longer, footsteps approaching causing her gaze to snap up. “Hey, stranger,” she said, getting up from the stone, brushing off the small amount of grime that’d ended up on her shorts. “While I’m sure playing this elaborate game of hide and seek has been fun, I’ve been bored for a hot minute and so, your reward for finding me can be showing me a good time.” she joked, smile plastered across her face. “Joking. But hows the whole festival thing going for you?”

           The festival was always something of a street party, an excuse for the whole town to let their hair down and be silly. Everywhere you looked the painted faces of children and adults grinned back at you. In the center of Hogsmede were performers of every type — there were jugglers and magicians, mime artists and dancers. Most people would tip some coins into each collecting hat and move on to the next. It was the festival of the year and Peyton loved every bit of it. However, with loads of fun comes the inevitable exhaustion, which was exactly what Peyton felt in the moment. It was only early afternoon, but he had been there since the early hours of the morning; chatting with friends, neighbors, and new acquaintances.

          As always, he had brought along his camera in the likelihood of finding heaps of inspiration for his current portfolio titled, ‘SUMMER 2023′. He wanted to capture some of the best moments of the summer, knowing some of his friends were graduating after this year. It was a goal of his to capsulize a time where they were all together, drinking in the last bit of summer of their youths at Hogwarts, before reality hit them all like a ton of bricks called adulthood. He, of course, had been madly successful with doing just that. So many pictures had been taken  — tiny sized movable images to be forever looked at.

          And as much as he enjoyed socializing and taking photos of people he cared for, he also wanted to take some time for himself as well as look at the photographs on his camera away from the beating sun. He had been walking towards a shadowed area away from the festivities with his eyes focused to his camera, when a voice caught his attention. Glancing up from his camera, a embraced a small smile, laughed and played along. ❝ As honored as I am to hold such a prestige title as the person to ‘show you a good time’, I don’t believe we’ve had the privilege of being acquainted just yet. Luckily for you, my mum would hold it over my head if I didn’t show such manners. ❞ he held out his hand, a smile still plastered on his face. ❝ I’m Peyton — what a pleasure. As for how the festival is going, I absolutely love it. It’s my favorite time of the year, other than going back to Hogwarts in Fall. ❞ cocking his smile, his eyebrow furrowed slightly at a thought. ❝ Although with you hiding out behind a building, I can only assume you’re not having any fun yourself? ❞

DATE: JULY 29TH TIME: 17:35 LOCATION: HOGSMEADE MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL

Lucy hadn’t even wanted to come to the festival in the first place; it was her mother who had pressured her to go because, apparently, sitting at home reading about muggle scientific discoveries was not what one should consider fun. Still, Lucy didn’t mind the music. Or the food. All in all, if it wasn’t for how loud everyone was being, this could have been considered quite enjoyable. Some people, however, seemed to be enjoying themselves a little too much. For a brief amount of time, the brunette considered telling someone — after all, they could easily do some lasting damage to themselves — but she thought better of it. She’d told on enough people in the past to know that it didn’t exactly make you likeable to others. Therefore, she sighed and rolled her eyes at the people not too far away from her as she sat down and started eating the candy she had just bought. Lost in her thoughts, she almost didn’t notice that someone had sat down next to her until they took away a piece of her food. “Hey,” she exclaimed, before turning around and seeing who it was, and her next words were said in a much lighter tone than the first: “Go get your own.”

◄ BENVOLIO. what comes to mind when you think of peace?

❝ That’s an interesting question, V, and it allows for interpretation. ❞ he smiled, genuinely intrigued.❝ In truth, when you’re at peace – when you are engaged with life while also feeling relatively relaxed, calm, and safe – you are protected from stress, your immune system grows stronger, and you become more resilient. Your outlook brightens and you see more opportunities. A feeling of peace prevents overreactions, increases the odds of being treated well by others, and supports you in being clear and direct when you need to be.❞

◄ HORATIO. who do you love most?

chuckling quietly, he beamed his brightest grin. ❝ If I answer with the word ‘you’, am I able to get away unscathed? ❞ chuckling again, he shrugged nonchalantly. ❝ But in all seriousness, I have a lot of love to give to many people; to some who need it, to others who want to have it, or even to those who won’t accept it but essentially deserve it. However, to answer the question I love my parents, my friends / acquaintances, and my cat Ginsberg the most. ❞

◄ SEBASTIAN. is violence ever the answer?

humming quietly to himself, he contemplated. ❝ This is a conflicting question for many reasons and it sucks that I have many pros and cons for this answer. I will always say that violence is born from hate which is born from ignorance. One form of nonviolent self defense is agreeing to disagree and finding terms to live peacefully.  When someone is aggressive and violent towards you, the proper response is nonviolence. This is the only way to make sure you have the legal and moral upper hand. It also prevents any situations that may be escalated or that may turn into a vicious cycle of retaliation. As the saying goes, kill ‘em with kindness. ❞

◄ CELIA. do you want to fall in love?

❝ Without a doubt. ❞ he fondly said, embracing a smile that reached his eyes. ❝ It’s the greatest feeling to be able to fall in love with a person who intentionally makes you feel on top of the world. To find someone who wants to invest in you, learn from you, see you win, support your visions, and endlessly fall in love with you daily like it’s the first time all over again is an incredible experience. ❞ shrugging nonchalantly, he began to laugh carelessly for a short second before ending with a dopey smile. ❝ If only loving someone like that were as easy for everyone. ❞ blushing slightly, he glanced on the ground in embarrassment. ❝ Or at least accepting the love they deserve from others. ❞

◄ CRESSIDA. what makes you feel trapped?

he bit lightly on his bottom lip, eyebrows furrowed and his eyes glossed over in contemplation. ❝ As a person who prides himself as a daydreamer of adventuresome escapades and uninhibited freedom, I’m easily apt to being attached emotionally to feeling trapped. ❞ sighing uncharacteristically, he rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. ❝ I suppose one thing that makes me feel trapped is conformity. In truth, we’ve been so conditioned to try and please others, to do what’s sociable acceptable, that we’ve forgotten one really important thing —to be ourselves, to trust the little voice inside our head, and to just fucking go for it. ❞ the passive-aggressiveness in his voice was pretty clear at this point, but he wasn’t going to stop there when he was on a roll. 

❝ I mean… remember when you were a kid? When you had an idea — even if it was wild, crazy, and might get you in trouble… you’d just go for it. You saw a cool looking tree and you wanted to climb it? Two minutes later you’d be hanging from the top, your friends looking up in awe. Then you’d realize that “holy shit, this is pretty high”. But you were already up there, so you’d just figure it out. And somehow you’d come out of it in one piece, with a smile on your face, which made why childhood was so damn fun.❞ taking a deep breath, he shook his head with a slight smile. ❝ Long story short, I guess what I’m trying to say is we only get one shot at this great adventure called life. Don’t conform to what people want of you. We’re blessed with more opportunities than any generation of humans before us, yet we as soon as we face a bit of resistance, we give up so many of our dear ambitions and dreams.We just need to realize that as my homeboy Ralph Waldo Emerson said, ‘All life is an experiment. The more experiments you do, the better.’ ❞

◄ HIPPOLYTA. what is your biggest regret?

he paused for a second thought, but started laughing loudly as he remembered the memory. needing a moment to collect himself, he still embraced a humorous grin. ❝ Oh boy, this is probably the most regretful thing I’ve ever done, but overall, a lesson left learned and something I will never do again. ❞ laughing again, he clapped his hands together enthusiastically before continuing. ❝ This was the summer before my incoming Third Year and a friend of mine, who will remain nameless for the sake of privacy, had just turned thirteen and were having a huge birthday party to celebrate. Their parents had let them plan the party however they pleased unsupervised, but of course, with limitations. Of course, this nameless friend had the intention of sneaking alcoholic beverages behind their parents backs and serve them at the party among underage friends. Needless to say, long story short, shit hit the fan rather quickly and there were many drunk thirteen to fourteen year olds by the end of the night. Mind you, this was my first time drinking anything alcoholic before and I, nevertheless, was screwed however survived the night without my parents finding out anything. Everything would’ve be fine and dandy if I didn’t have to attend Mass with my family the next morning, so I was basically dead. Karma was coming for my ass and I didn’t even know it.

My alarm goes off nine the next morning and strangely enough I felt fine. Fantastic, right? WRONG. So VERY wrong. Although, as I’m walking, it starts to dawn on me that maybe this isn’t a good idea. Breakfast really didn’t help and had made me feel so much worse, but by now I’m at the church and meeting up with my family. Mass begins and I feel like death warmed up. My head is pounding and I feel so sick. Then comes the call to communion – this involves the priest placing a little round bit of bread known as the “host” into your mouth. To Christians, this bread is literally the body of Christ. I know I don’t want to be doing this but there’s no escape and I’m in the line before I realize. The second this awful wafer bread touches my tongue, there is nothing I can do to prevent the calamity that is about to unfold. I vomit spectacularly over the priest – whose hand is still right by my mouth, mind you – and also partly into his bowl containing the other bits of Christ’s body. The rest is a bit of a blur. Basically, parents were horrified, apologized profusely and then just dragged me outside and took me home. I had to carry on going to that church until I converted when I was fifteen. ❞