Errand Lunar Year Lanterns Group 2

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Green eyes darted up and down the corridor furtively as Thora stood alone in the corridor. Professor Lian had set up a few errands that would have to do with Chinese lore, something the Irish girl would probably not have found elsewhere. The doors of the classroom seemed to be shut tightly, though, and Thora opted to stay outside, for fear of getting in trouble with the rather strict professor.

She had signed up for the Nian Monster group, which honestly piqued the paranoid girl's interest. She was no stranger to monsters, having encountered a couple--well, monsters in her opinion--at the ball, but it was simply a legend. It couldn't be that bad, could it? Again, she was 100% Irish--well, partly Scottish, but European nonetheless. Thora had no knowledge of Chinese folktales and such, and a little knowledge, whether important or a fact that would probably never serve a purpose, was welcome to her.

Although some might have called the little girl greedy for eagerly claiming every errand spot she could find, Thora was completely unaware. Errands were opportunities for points and a little pocket money, and she would jump at every opportunity. Better yet, Thora'd seen on the sign-up sheet that Griseldis might be there too. Gris was a Gryffindor prefect whom she had befriended over the past few months, and while they weren't the closest of friends yet, she seemed pretty cool. All of that said, Thora was more than eager to be hovering around the Transfiguration classroom than normal.

No, she wasn't a Transfiguration hater. It was simply difficult. Firing off charms and jinxes of all sorts typically wasn't hard for the girl, nor was cramming in information about the magical world--a subject she'd known about for just over a year--but something about magically forcing objects to change shapes just wasn't easy for her. Countless hours had been spent at the classroom, trying to transfigure something just a little better or at the library, poring over books that just might help her with her homework. Professor Lian was quite strict, also, which resulted in the class being her lowest grade. Simply said, Transfiguration was far from her favorite.

But for once, Thora was excited to enter the classroom. Though it was a school day, she could use a little time. She had forgotten her watch, which was unfortunate as it left her wondering what time it was. Since being punctual was important to the girl, she'd even gone early for fear of being late. Nobody seemed to be welcoming the students in, yet, so the snek continued to dawdle outside, playing with the edge of her robes.

So when the double doors opened simultaneously with a horrifically loud bang, Thora practically flipped over. "What the heck just happened?" the girl breathed as she glanced at the slightest trail of smoke coming from the door hinges, barely noticing the smarting spot on her arm where the door had hit her. But still, no professor. Well, that was some welcome. Professor Lian certainly had quite some style.

Thora ventured into the room nervously, glancing around at the very red room. Perhaps it was some sort of Chinese custom? "Hi Professor, I'm Thora," she smiled at the Transfiguration professor. It was reasonable enough to expect that the professor wouldn't know her name, as the classroom was hardly the environment to memorize all of your students' names. Still, Thora didn't doubt that she could match voice to name. Hanging around the entrance, the Slytherin waited a little longer until a couple more people showed up.

WC: 594/800

Teiki was late.

Admittedly, she had never had a good sense of time. Luckily for her, it generally ended up with her being early to classes, although there was always the off chance that she would be the last to scurry into the classroom. But even her wand suggested that luck was on her side, so tardiness was something the black-haired girl never had to worry too much about.

Until today, a few minutes before the errand started.

She quickly ran-walked down the corridor, an awkward amount of hopping and skipping included. A few steps of walking, into a skipping start, to a run. Eventually, she just stuck with her run, realizing how late she was. She climbed the stairs quickly, starting to walk down the corridor-

An explosion.

She paused, having no clue where it came from. Her blue eyes glanced between classroom and classroom, occasionally looking over at the stairs. The hallway stilled, leaving only the small echo of some conversations. It was then that she realized that only the Transfiguration classroom would be housing people at this time. She sighed into the rage House scarf worn loosely around her neck. She was entirely in uniform, although she generally did simply wear her scarf to wear her scarf.

She started forwards.

Her mind wandered back onto why she had chosen an errand. In all honesty, she had been quick to join any errand. It didn’t matter what it was about, but she found it fun to help out. Not to mention, errands could help win the House Cup, as well as give the students a little more money. She had been debating whether she wanted a pet, but she didn’t want to spend all of her money on adopting, simply to not be able to afford food for it. The girl winced once as she thought about it. Not to mention, there had been all sorts of trinkets that she had seen at some stores. They all looked really interesting, so she was planning to save for that as well.

She had chosen the Nian Monster for the assignment. Truth be told, her decision had mainly been between the monster and the rat wedding. Zodiacs, she felt, could be learned in astronomy, or even in her own free time. The others, however, were hidden. The First Year would have no clue where to start if she was suddenly told to do a report on one of the stories. But- a monster sounded more interesting than a wedding. Plus, she wasn’t a huge fan of rats.

She heard the music just as she entered the classroom.

The soft sound of strings brought a sense of calm to the young girl. She glanced around the room to see red. Not in a sense of violence or anger, but simply red. It was bold, confident, yet almost serene. She smiled softly, glancing down to see the colored paper stacked on circular tables. She found herself listening to her heartbeat, as it calmed itself. The harsh breathing of running was gone, replaced by joy and relaxation.

How a room could change a mood so easily.

She paused, glancing at the the people who had arrived before her. Both had introduced themselves, and Teiki realized that she had seen one of them around. Lily. She gave the girl a little wave, before turning towards the professor, as well. She suspected that the teacher already knew each of their names, but it still helped her fellow students as well.

“Hello! I’m Teiki.” She said it simply, her heels bouncing slightly. Even if the room had invited calm, there was only so much that the girl could handle. Eventually, she needed some movement and energy.

Word Count: 620/800

Again, there was an errand. And again, Bridget was a part of it. Nowadays she didn't think too much about what she would be doing or who would be there--all that mattered were the rewards. The Slytherin was far from rich, especially in magical money, so an opportunity to earn a few extra sickles had her signing herself up. Being very much European, Bridget didn't have a clue what the Nian Monster was and had never celebrated Lunar New Year before, but that didn't mean it she couldn't join. Broadening her knowledge was the goal of school anyways, was it not, and it was the brunette's personal opinion that the more you knew, the better off you would be. Maybe it was just a Slytherin thing, but Bridget hated being in the dark about what was happening around her and did truly believe that knowledge was power. With that mindset, it was no wonder she'd spent much of her first year at Hogwarts curled up in the library with any and every wizarding book she could get her hands on.

Despite every reason she had to be at the errand, somehow she'd lost track of time while doing a particularly frustrating essay for Defense Against the Dark Arts and found herself sprinting down Hogwarts' corridors to get to the Transfiguration classroom on time. Just as she turned onto the last hallway, a loud KA-BOOM sounded, causing her to freeze in her tracks. Had something just exploded? Any concerns she might have had about the cause of that sound were quickly replaced by an urge to see for herself what had happened. Perhaps she needed to work on resisting her curiosity, but today was not the day for her to practice caution. Bridget was still far from reckless or brave, but the snake liked to be aware of what she was up against.

Upon arrival at the opened doors, Bridget couldn't see what had cause the sound, although there was a bit of residual smoke hanging in the air. Besides, nothing seemed to be damaged and the Transfiguration classroom had too much to see for her to dwell on the noise. Brilliant red paint on the walls that matched the crimson curtains caught her eye, as did the drastically different furniture.

Bridget didn't exactly associate this particular classroom with happy memories, Transfiguration being the hardest subject and her lowest grade. Conjuring items out of thin air, vanishing them to who knew where, and changing their molecular structure so they looked entirely different--these feats were hard to both understand and perform with all the laws and limits she'd learned from her time in Muggle school. Although other subjects didn't fit with her old understanding and Transfiguration still had a science to it, the course was one she struggled with. Even besides the challenge it brought, Transfiguration was such a strict class that the artist in her felt a bit restrained. Bridget had always been a rule-follower, but Transfiguration was a bit too harsh.

Today was not a day for class, though, and Bridget had to remind herself she was here for an errand, for a story. The Slytherin continued her scan of the room, hazel eyes noticing the neatly arranged craft materials on the table and the harp that played itself, along with the other people in the room. There was Professor Lian, of course, along with two first years she didn't recognize. Apart from that, there was another first year, this one a Slytherin, who was in her dormitory, and another snake that caused her whole face to light up. Bridget hadn't known Thora would be here, but that instantly made the already probably enjoyable errand even better. Lately they'd hit a few rough spots in their friendship, but they were still friends.

"Hi Thora!" she piped up, giving a little slightly awkward wave. "Um, I'm Bridget," she said to the rest of the group, feeling her face heat. Talking to other people, particularly strangers, had never been her strong suit. Still, assuming these people were nice, it would probably be worth a moment of discomfort.

Word Count: 687/800

Heads-up, everyone: Entrance posts should be completed by 12am PST on January 25th, 2020. Those who have not completed their entrance posts by this time will no longer be included in the errand. If you need an extension, though, feel free to ask!

((Sorry for the late entry, I had a WIP set up and forgot to finish it last night!))

Though the clatter which came with the opening of doors was indeed enough to wake Pericles from his sleepy state, it was not the firecrackers which startled him most. It was the boldness which awaited all of them. There was a regality to that red, a proud shade of scarlet which defied time itself. That color reached deep back into the eons, yet was simultaneously fresh and new in its vibrancy. There was far more to the decor than this alone. Professor Lian expected utmost effort from all of her students, so the time and care poured into the thematic room would come as no surprise whatsoever. The display amazed and intimidated all at once. It was overwhelming in its intensity, but beautiful all the same. Drifting in at the rear of the group, the boy moved with an uncanny silence. He allowed the movement of his fellow students to mask his own arrival. When the time came for introductions however, he would speak, albeit last of all.

"Number Nine, from the morning class. That's... Pericles Dralt, professor." It was not in his nature to be shied into a quiet or evasive state of speech. It was regular for Pericles to seemingly minimize himself whenever in the presence of any professor. Interaction with homework as a medium was much more preferable, though his aversions were not enough from taking up a ripe opportunity errand, not only for points or sickles yet for new knowledge. Silence did not detract from his habits of observation however, and so the boy drank in the spectacle which awaited them, eyes drifting up and about to ponder the decor.

WC: 295

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Ruby walked through the corridors, heading to the Transfiguration classroom for the Chinese New Year errand. She was excited to see what it would be like, as she wasn't overly familiar with the culture but she liked the professor and knew that whatever awaited them was bound to be good. She reached the area outside the classroom and barely a moment passed before the doors flew open, accompanied by a bang as firecrackers seemed to be going off. It startled her but she managed to quickly regain her collected composure.

Yet she had to fight to keep that when she saw what was inside. Her jaw almost dropped. Red was everywhere, and her eyes were immediately drawn to the luxurious curtains, which were a stunning shade and careful, intricate images rested upon them. She took it in for a moment longer before letting her gaze wander elsewhere. A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she saw the harp—which brought gentle, quiet music to her ears. The desks had been replaced with larger, round tables. Chairs surrounded them—yellow ones with tall backs decorated with an image of white flowers. Upon the tables lay craft materials of many kinds. She took a step closer in order to discreetly examine them. They were neat stacks of coloured paper, stencils, and other equipment that they would be able to use which could contribute to their design.

Content that she had observed the room sufficiently, she looked up at the professor. Part of her outfit nicely matched the colour of the curtains, and her dress had intricate embroidery on it, including what seemed to be a dragon. Of the students that accompanied her, Ruby recognised a few. They went ahead and introduced themselves, so she took note of their names before stating her own with a nod. “Ruby Cazares.” She gravitated towards Pericles, who she had had several pleasant encounters with, and offered him a grin. “Hello,” she said softly before returning her attention back to the professor, waiting for instructions.

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