#olevent

HEADMASTER’S ANNOUNCEMENT

Breakfast in the Great Hall was the usual clamorous affair when Headmaster Vauxhall stepped up to the front of the hall and called for the attention of the students. As the dull clatter of knives and forks ceased, eyes turning toward the front, a silence fell and the Headmaster began to speak.

“Apologies for disturbing so many of you at such an early hour,” he said, voice ringing out, clear and magnified across the hall where the sunlight filtered in from the eastern windows. “But there is a pressing matter that I believe is more important to tell you than skirting around the sensibilities of those night owls among us.” The Headmaster looked around the room. “I won’t dance around the issue and instead tell you upfront that the dungeons and all rooms below are hereby to be evacuated and sealed off until further notice.”

The uproar of confusion and protest was instantaneous, students half-rising out of their seats, but none more so than the Slytherins. Many of their number loudly protesting, while others looked unsure and bewildered.

“Quiet, please,” said the Headmaster. “I have not made this decision lightly, but I believe that it is in the best interest of the school’s safety that we take this step to ensure our home is protected. We are led to believe that there is a possible breach of the castle’s security - a way in that could be used by those seeking to harm us - and it is our duty to each and every one of you that we fix it. Until such a time, alternative arrangements have been made, which are as follows: all potions classes will be relocated to the second floor where four rooms have been assigned and appropriately furnished for potions. Professor Whitmore has ensured that the Potions Club will have after-hours access to these rooms as needed. Similarly, arrangements have been made for the Slytherins.”

The Hall was dead silent as they waited for Headmaster Vauxhall’s instruction.

“After much consideration, we have decided the best way to house our Slytherins comfortably is to split them. Boys from first to seventh year will dorm in Ravenclaw according to their year, while girls will dorm in Gryffindor similarly.”

The uproar was almost deafening, this time Ravenclaws and Gryffindors standing up in protest. The Hall rang with noise, angry and disbelieving, calling for Vauxhall to reconsider - as well as few less than polite terms.

“Please,” said the Headmaster, voice louder and ringing over the top of the students’. “We urge for your cooperation in the spirit of Hogwarts tradition. Our houses are important, but not more so than uniting together in the face of adversity. We urge our hosts, Gryffindor and Ravenclaw, to be welcoming to the Slytherins and to embrace the school spirit in these difficult times.”

The Headmaster knew that the student body was lost at this point, and concluded quickly.

“All students’ belongings will be brought up to the respective dorm by the day’s end, and Heads of House will be on hand to assist with the transition.”

Quickly stepping down, Headmaster Vauxhall whispered something to Professor Markle, who nodded, before stepping out the back door into the staff room. The Great Hall surged with noise, much of it angry and confused with the new arrangements - of which no one knew how permanent they’d be.

OOC:

Here are the details of this plot to help players.

Slytherins will now live in either Gryffindor or Ravenclaw.

Boys will be housed in Ravenclaw and need to answer the same riddle as the Ravenclaw students in order to gain access. If a Slytherin is unable to solve the riddle, they’ll need to wait for another student to assist them. Students will be housed according to year. For example, a sixth year Slytherin boy will sleep in the sixth year Ravenclaw boys’ dorm.

Girls will be housed in Gryffindor, where the password has been reset. Please note that only the Gryffindor prefects are made aware of the password changes, and it is their duty to spread the password to the Slytherins now in their house. The current password is Godelot. Students will house according to year. For example, a sixth year Slytherin girl will now sleep in the sixth year Gryffindor girls’ dorm.

Extra beds have been placed in the dorms to accommodate the changes. The room remains set up the same, but has been widened by magic, and the beds are placed among the others’.

Slytherins’ trunks and all belongings from their dorms have been placed in the same position as they were in their old dorm. This means that if you had a book on your bedside table, it will now be on the bedside table in the Gryffindor/Ravenclaw dorm.

Heads of House will be checking in on the dorms to ensure that there is no fighting, but this check will occur at 9pm. Before or after those hours is at your discretion, and if there is a problem, characters should report it to their Heads of House.

No character should go into the dungeons without first messaging the admins, as we have a very specific reason for this event. If your character needs to go down there, please message us and we’ll help arrange it and give you some extra information.

This plot is indefinite. It won’t be forever, but there is no current end to the plot so that threads and conversations can continue. Please use this as a chance to clash with other players or build friendships; think about the intrusion of characters upon your own character’s space, or the alienation of the Slytherins in a foreign place.

Please note: Hufflepuffs have not been forgotten and will get something to use for their characters as well.

BREAKFAST

The Minister, Lowell Tegus, arrived at Hogwarts quietly. His retinue of aurors immediately set about establishing a perimeter around Hogwarts - only Taejin Callow stuck by his side, escorting Lowell to the quarters he would use as a small office, before returning to the grounds, coordinating the others. Lowell Tegus was a charming man, still youthful looking with sharp blue eyes and a strong jaw. It was easy to see why he had graced the cover of every wizarding magazine at least once a year since his inauguration as Minister of Magic in 2014. Now, over ten years on,Lowell Tegus was a man in control and still looking to make changes.

The school was buzzing with talk of the Minister in their midst - it was rare that outsiders were allowed inside Hogwarts, but the close relationship between the Minister and Headmaster had been long documented. The Minister never inferred, but instead came to see how he might be of help, and the Headmaster welcomed him warmly each time. The students assembled en masse in the Great Hall for breakfast that morning. Some had already gone to Hogsmeade, too impatient to wait for a glimpse of he man himself, but most were there, squirming in their seats. Food had already been laid out, but most were too excited to touch it - they wanted to see the Minister and settle their minds. For most, he was just a man in photographs in the newspaper; to others, he was a shiny and charming politician. And to a small few who had met him in person, he was a familiar face at parties and dinners.

Lowell Tegus entered and sat beside the Headmaster at the professor’s table, polite enough not to demand the position of authority. The cacophony of chatter in the Great Hall rose as more people twisted and ducked around one another to see him, the noise rising excitably until--

“LOWELL TEGUS IS NO CHAMPION OF HOGWARTS! THERE ARE NO HEROES HERE! STUDENTS OF HOGWARTS, RESIST!”

From above, below, echoing around on all sides came the warped voice screaming at them. Some students clapped their hands over their ears; some winced under the volume of the message.

“WE CAN AND WILL VALUE ONE ANOTHER! WE CAN AND WILL STAND WITH YOU! YOU KNOW WHERE TO FIND US! AND WE STAND WITH YOU, HOGWARTS! DEFEND ONE ANOTHER’S RIGHT TO STRUGGLE! DEFEND ONE ANOTHER’S RIGHT TO EQUALITY!”

The professors were up and out of their seats, wands in their hands, looking stricken; the doors to the Great Hall were opened, and some of Lowell’s aurors poured in.

The man himself sat serenely with his gaze turned upward, amused. 

“THESE ARE WORTH SAVING! RESIST THE DENIAL OF LEGISLATURE FOR THE EQUAL RIGHTS AND THE FAIR AND HUMANE TREATMENT OF EVERY MEMBER OF THE WIZARDING COMMUNITY! RESIST THE SYSTEMIC DEVALUING AND CONTROL OF NON-PUREBLOOD INDIVIDUALS, WEREWOLVES, HALF-BREEDS, AND ALL OPPRESSED MINORITIES BY THE MINISTRY AND THE GENERAL WIZARDING PUBLIC! WE SHOULD FIGHT FOR THESE AND OTHER OPPRESSED GROUPS BECAUSE WE ARE THESE GROUPS!”

The Headmaster leaned down and yelled something in the Minister’s ear; the Minister waved him away, smiling. 

“WE WILL RESIST! BEINGS NOT BEASTS! FREEDOM FOR ALL!”

The message stopped, and the ringing silence was almost as deafening. Students, some groaning, one or two first years crying, turned to the head of the Great Hall where the professors were uncertainly milling around - only Lowell Tegus remained seated, taking a sip from his goblet before standing. The silence fell an octave. 

“That’s quite the welcome,” said the Minister, eyes as sharp as his smile. “I’m glad so many of the students here are taking politics seriously, as well as the value of every life. Let me assure you that I, too, share this feeling. In fact, I’m here today to make sure that the quality of your lives, the students of Hogwarts, is protected. I am no hero,” he said, hands open and honest. “I don’t proclaim to be, but I do care about your safety and seek to protect you against those that would harm you. I’m doing no more than your professors here would,” and he gestures to the gaggle of them to his right. “Nor am I doing more than what you yourselves would do for each other, given the ability. I come to help, and will leave tonight knowing you’re safe.”

With that, Lowell Tegus sat down to polite applause led by the members of staff. It petered out as people ate, but they hadn’t forgotten the Howler messages - and those students who had missed it would hear soon enough exactly what had happened.

The Minister of Magic, Lowell Tegus, has arrived at Hogwarts.

From today until Sunday (7th of April to the 9th), the Minister will be visiting the school. This event takes place on a Saturday in canon, so students may come and go from Hogsmeade as they please. While no particular event is scheduled, you will still receive updates over the next few days about what Minister Tegus is up to - but students will find him on a tour of the school and checking the facilities, as well as out in the grounds and talking with professors about the charms in place to protect Hogwarts. He will join students for all meals that day, with a planned candlelit memorial service to Professor Vector to be held in he evening. 

Students should also note the increased presence of aurors (the LRU) in the grounds, who patrol tightly, Lowell’s presence usually accompanied by that of Headmaster Vauxhall, and Lowell’s enthusiastic and positive demeanour.

If you have a plot you wish to put into play this weekend, please don’t hesitate to message me and we can sort it out, as Lowell is ready and willing to engage with characters in big or small ways. Please remember that he’s already talent scouting for the Ministry, with a particular emphasis on seventh year students, and would be happy to encourage anyone to consider the Ministry and their vision for the future. 

EVENING

The majority of the Minister’s time during his Saturday visit was spent reviewing the grounds with the Headmaster by his side or speaking with students in small clusters. He turned no one away: any student with problems, questions, or ideas was welcomed into the Minister’s rooms and given a personal audience with the man himself. Ranging from complaints about his anti-werewolf policy, a request to allow the adoption of dragons, and one memorable conversation about the importance of recognising Blast-Ended Skrewts (delivered by a passionate and well-meaning second year), Lowell had to close his doors to the students and instead turn his attention to that evening’s memorial service.

The loss of Professor Septima Vector had created uncertainty, and it was for that reason the Minister saw how important it was that he be there for the official memorial service to help foster solidarity. It was a solemn hour - Headmaster Vauxhall leading a candlit vigil for the murdered professor, speaking warmly of her intelligence, humour, and dedication to not only the students of Slytherin, but also the students of the school. “It is with great sorrow that Professor Vector passed, and her presence is missed every day. We will remember her.”

Erected beside the front door, right where her body was found, the Headmaster erected a plaque commemorating Professor Vector’s sacrifice. And the candles, held by the students and ignited by magic, were laid around it on the grass, creating a sea of light that spread out toward the impenetrable darkness. The Minister did not speak, but bowed his head solemnly throughout the memorial service, shaking the Headmaster’s hand afterward before placing his own candle among the others. 

With the service over, the Minister and his group of aurors quietly, and without fanfare, left the castle and grounds, escorted out by the Headmaster and a few of the remaining professors. Students, already in their dorms due to curfew, woke up to a Minister-free castle on Sunday, and once more, life began turning a little more normally.

END OF EVENT & RETURN TO HOGWARTS

All students returning to Hogwarts board the Hogwarts Express at 9am, waving goodbye to family who they’d been staying with over the unexpected break. For others, there’s an unfamiliar absence on the platform - a reminder that this was not a normal holiday. Many students had spent the last three weeks at the Sleeping Dragon in London, spending their day in the safety of Diagon Alley, rejoicing in the lack of homework and the onset of spring weather. For some, returning to Hogwarts has been a source of anxiety - one of their own professors had been murdered, afterall - but the Daily Prophet had promised that the school was safe, and with added protective spells to Hogwarts’ perimeter, all students have been promised increased security.

An hour into the journey, just as the train passes through the outskirts of the Cambridge countryside, the normal punishing speed of the train slows. The Hogwarts Express does not slow or stop - it charges through to Hogsmeade without halt or delay, but today, something has caused the breaks to ease on, the train slowly rolling to a stop. Confused, students begin to poke their heads out of the compartments, trying to find the answer for the delay. Prefects begin heading through the carriages, looking to speak to the driver or perhaps the Head Boy or Girl. But the train has been stopped for no more than a minute when everyone hears it - the howling, seemingly on all sides of the train. From every direction - above, below, within - come the howls, the snapping barks, the whines of werewolves, unmistakable and distinct from any other animal. Magic - forceful, strong - snaps all the curtains shut on the train and holds them there: no one can look out, and the whole train is shuttered in darkness. Panicked students try to force them; some draw their wands; most are out of their seats, listening to the sound of the werewolves.

They circle the train. There’s the sound of paws scratching on the roof. And then the scratching starts: it sounds like metal tearing, high-pitched, like nails on a chalkboard as up and down the train, everyone listens to the werewolves tearing through the sides of the train. Terrified, many scramble away from the windows, rushing into the hallways where they squash together, wands out and pointing at the sides of the train. A minute passes; a second minute passes.

And a howl cuts the scratching off, bringing it to a halt immediately. Another minute passes, quiet reigning, and when the curtains snap open, almost everyone jumps. Beyond is the clear blue skied countryside, showing no sign of what had just transpired - the ground is clear, full of nothing but green grass. There are no screams of pain or distress, just silence as everyone waits. 

Eventually, the train starts up again as if nothing was wrong, and though not exactly comforted, it feels better to be on the move for most. The Hogwarts Express arrives at Hogsmeade in the early afternoon without any more interruptions, and the students are met on the platform by their new Arithmancy professor, Sorcha O’Reilly, who has her wand out and is staring shocked and pale-faced at the sides of the train. There, carved with sharp claws that only a werewolf could possess, is the same word repeated once on every carriage: FREEDOM, and right beside the word are the now infamous three claw marks found in the south a few months ago. 

“Let’s get to the castle,” Professor O’Reilly says, trying to herd everyone to the carriages waiting. They’re met by the other professors rushing from the castle after hearing about the train, and they begin exchanging hushed details in urgent whispers while students head back to the castle. 

This Tuesday is Valentine’s Day! Hogwarts, a place for education, doesn’t quite recognise it as a holiday worthy of celebrating beyond professors enduring love letters zooming through the hallways or enchanted flowers bursting into bloom in the middle of class. For some students, Valentine’s Day is an event which they plan something special for a significant other in their life; for others, it’s a bitterly lonely holiday. This year, as per Hogwarts tradition, a house will host a party in lieu of anything official from the school. The professors know it happens, but they turn a blind eye, knowing that when the students put their mind to something, it’ll happen with or without consent. 

This year, the party will be hosted in Hufflepuff house! On Tuesday the 14th until Friday the 17th, the party will occur within Hufflepuff’s magically expanded common room for all players wishing to attend. Organised by the Head Boy and Girl (as per tradition), the party will allow drinking, socialising, dancing, and other activities otherwise frowned upon by the school. Since it is an unofficial party organised by students for students, almost anything goes (if you’re concerned about a potential plot since as anyone making trouble/causing damage, please message!

(following on from THIS self para by Smith)

A scream is what broke up the party in Hufflepuff house on Valentine’s Day, not long after midnight. The sound tore through the party, over the music, and effectively silenced everyone - frozen, people waited, until the door burst open and a crowd of distressed, crying students came through, all talking over each other. Only the students near the doors could understand, but word quickly spread throughout the party - someone was dead.

Many rushed out of Hufflepuff house to verify this, leaving the distressed third year to slump in an armchair, in shock. Outside, the castle was just beginning to stir from the screams of bloody horror - and students surged forward, their own chattering loud, until they came to the front doors of Hogwarts, which had been thrown open.

There, lying sprawled across the doorstep, was Professor Septima Vector, Head of Slytherin House - or what remained of her. Something violent had attacked her, and her eyes stared back at the students, open and unseeing. In her hand, which lay stretched out between herself and the students, was her own heart. 

A few students at the front of the crowd who saw it up close began to push the other students back, barring their view - they weren’t Prefects, but people began to listen - some already crying, some confused. The students were pushed back, and Prefects who had been drinking at the party began to sober up with the reality of what was happening - and all students were quickly put back into Hufflepuff house. Those who had seen the body left once more to find professors, but when they left the house again, the professors had already arrived. And the looks on the professor’s faces...

All students were called to the Great Hall for an emergency announcement by Headmaster Vauxhall, who confirmed the attack and death of Professor Vector.

“One of our own was killed in the most brutal of ways,” he said, still clearly shaken himself by the murder. “Right now, we must think of the safety of our students. It’s what Professor Vector would have wanted. Because of this, we’re sending you all home. Tonight. Those who cannot confirm with their parents by the end of the train ride to London will be given accommodation at the Sleeping Dragon until Hogwarts can be reopened and her death investigated by the Ministry.”

With the announcement over, students were ordered to pack their trunks and head to Hogsmeade train station, which was escorted by professors with their wands drawn. A sense of urgency filled the air as everyone bundled onto the train, many still tipsy, and headed for home, leaving behind a castle now stained in blood.

OOC: All students are now either in one of two locations: the Sleeping Dragon, a wizarding hotel in the heart of London OR at their family’s house. Students may go between the two after receiving an owl from their parents, calling them home or vice versa, when their parents give consent for the student to go to the hotel to be with their friends. Because all professors are required to be at Hogwarts for questioning and security, students at the Sleeping Dragon are given much free reign in London - Diagon Alley is only two streets away. Their care and protection has been given to Zoe Blackthorn, the young Dragon Rearing teacher, who performs a morning and nightly rollcall to ensure everyone is there. 

Players with concerns, questions, or wanting clarification on their character’s specific plot circumstances can contact us as these queries arise! Until further notice, all students are at the hotel or their family home, unsure of when they’ll go back. For roleplay’s sake, you may choose to go to the hotel or London with another character; starters made at the hotel should specify that location so others know. Characters at home may wish to take some time to write interactions with family regarding this plot, or eventually stay at the hotel/have a day out with friends in order to RP fully (or, alternatively, a character could go to your house). Let your imaginations run wild, and if you want to double check if anything’s okay, don’t hesitate to message!

Happy roleplaying - and RIP Professor Vector.