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+------- Thread: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open (/showthread.php?tid=600)
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Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - The Narrator - 10-20-2025
The chaos of the carnival didn't end at the large, shimmering gates. With creatures on the loose and a madman having snatched three students, the professors had been pushed into high alert. They had hurried through the carnival grounds, enlisting the help of each house's prefects and many of the older students to corral the students back inside the castle.
Without a full understanding of the situation, danger seemed to lurk around every corner. Every shadow was another potential threat, every noise that came too suddenly set many nerves on edge.
Keeping careful count of all that remained, the professors brought the students to the great hall. They checked and double-checked their numbers, keeping an especially close eye on the youngest of students who may have been prone to getting lost or running off in panic.
The professors made several sweeps of the large room, checking every crevice and corner for areas of compromise. They searched for any figures that may have been lurking, hidden from plain sight. Wands interrogated the room for even the faintest traces of magic, wanting to ensure they had brought the students to a safe location.
With everything verified, the large double doors swung closed, shutting them all in while locking the threat out. On the other side of these imposing doors, several of the castle's statues had been animated and stood guard.
A few professors left before the closing of the doors, led by the headmistress and deputy headmaster, in search of the students who had been taken. The rest remained behind, trying to regain order and offer up assurances where they could.
All the tables were stacked near the front of the room, allowing a wide open space for the students to move about. Some searched for their friends or siblings. Others simply searched for a place to hunker down until the disaster passed. A few professors offered blankets with their assurances. It wasn't much, but the students were free to any spot they could claim along the ground.
Already, several small groups had formed. Many students huddled together. Whispers floated to the ceiling, which had lost its enchantment in the previous week. Frantic words co-mingled, creating a hushed cacophony of unintelligible noise. In all this, the voices of the professors rang out, urging calm while offering pleasant, if not tense, promises of figuring it all out and returning the friends some of them had lost.
The castle and its inhabitants were in for a long night.
Welcome to the big site plot of the 1920-1921 school year.
This thread is open to all students and professors. You can find additional threads regarding this event in the Carnival and the Dark Tower.
RE: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - Oilibhéar Ó Coigligh - 10-20-2025
Again?
Again was all he could think as he walked down the hallways being corralled towards the Great Hall. The reality was he’d left the carnival early and had been in the castle when everything had happened. He’d just been in the wrong spot and a panic’ing house elf had all but dragged him and the book he’d been reading into the line of students being corralled. Bear being in the line seemed to calm the house elf somewhat before the small creature ran off.
He just walked with the crowd quickly noticing professors counting them all as they walked. Then his eyes drifted towards his fellow students seeing varying states of concern and panic. Though there were those who attempted to stray and were nudged back into the line of students being corralled.
It was only the panic of some of the younger students which he even let one of the first years have his hand as he said comforting reassurances. With the most reassuring thing he said to the first year being “ Whatever’s happened already happened. “ He hadn’t cared who overheard hims say that having zero clue the sensitivity of the situation. In fact he had little clue of the situation at all.
The door to the great hall locking didn’t go unnoticed.
Naturally he accepted a blanket when it was offered to him. Though it made him acknowledge he wasn’t going to be able to leave anytime soon and this situation was much more serious than he’d of liked.
He said in a calm neutral tone “ It was all fun and games till “ then he paused and looked around at those near him. Then he added questioningly “ What? “ Hopefully someone would fill in the blank of the mystery of why they were all in the great hall and he was sitting on a blanket against a wall.
Even worse, his book was not one that would be good for entertaining the younger kids as he couldn’t imagine any of them caring about the divination principles behind sight as they related to time. He wasn’t even sure he was interested in it right now as it sat on his lap closed.
RE: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - Cassian McCormick - 10-20-2025
Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit.
Cassian was trying to be calm. A life on the stage made it an easy face to wear while many of his peers dissolved into their panic and fear. On the inside? His stomach was twisting. Everything had happened so suddenly. One minute, he and Rosie were dancing to the sound of jazz that poured out into the evening and the next...there was smoke and panic and the voice of their astronomy professor giving instructions.
The Ravenclaw had managed to glean little pieces of information here and there, learning enough to have new reasons to panic. There were three students missing and no one he'd spoken to had been able to verify WHO in the middle of all the panic and shuffling. A lot had been expected of him in the moment. As both a prefect and an older student, Cassian had been required to help gather and count off the students. It was the sort of busy work that kept him from worrying too much about Rosie, who'd been driven off in another direction for help but that could only last so long.
The moment they got into the great hall, his arm was around her waist again. Cass held her close, afraid that if he took his eyes off her for even a second, she might be the next to vanish.
The headcounts were in. The missing? Little Maevie Golding with her sweet smiles, Everleigh in all her flustered glory and...Ruth. His blood went cold. The last one hit the hardest. While Cassian considered himself on good terms with all three girls, Ruth was his friend--they had many friends in common actually. The firecracker of a girl had managed to get herself taken in all the chaos and it left him worried sick.
Having Rosie gone on top of all that would've been too much for the sensible boy to handle.
He collected a pair of blankets for him and his shaking girlfriend before leading her to an open spot along the floor. The doors swung shut, locking them in and cementing in his mind the true gravity of this situation. This wasn't the moving staircases going a little wonky, or some headmaster trying to turn them into muggles. They were in danger, real danger, the kind where people could get seriously hurt...or...not come back.
Cass sat with his legs apart, inviting Rosie to sit between them before wrapping his arms around her again.
"It'll be fine." He kissed the top of her head, trying to reassure her in any way he could. "We're here, the professors are working on it. I heard the ministry's even being called in. They'll have this sorted in no time, you'll see."
He hoped. It would be a shoddy time to be wrong.
“It was all fun and games till ...What?“
Before he could reply, another student--someone visibly shaking--proceeded to chastise Bear for the poor timing of what she assumed was meant to be a joke. She tried laying into the boy about being more serious but Cassian waved her off mildly. "Get off it," he told her. "There's enough tension to go around already."
The student wrapped her blanket tighter around her shoulder before rising to her feet and stomping off to find a new spot.
"Ignore her," Cass said to his housemate, gesturing him closer. "It's crazy how Thayer's gone rogue, isn't it? I always thought the man was a bit off but this shit...?" Cassian shook his head.
The boy's gaze swept across the many terrified faces near them, knowing that though he couldn't see her, his girlfriend was among them. It was better to keep things light. No one needed to dwell on how terribly this could all end. "Must be all those late nights up in the Astronomy tower staring at the stars. The Professors are already on it. We should be heading back to our common rooms by the end of the night."
He paused a beat, puffing his cheek while he tried to think of something to say.
"Anyone seen Benji?"
RE: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - Benji Laurence - 10-21-2025
Benji was not calm.
There was not a single part of him that was calm. He'd managed some, in the time it had taken to help wrangle up students and get Matilda to the Great Hall. He'd managed to hold it together while the headcount came. All the while his eyes had searched for her, growing more and more panicked with each moment that passed and he didn't catch sight of that curly hair.
"She's...she's here, Ging? Yeah?" he asked, as his heart began thudding in that uncomfortable way that told him he wasn't going to be having a good time. He dropped his friend's hand, rushing up and down the Great Hall, scanning every face, pushing through groups of students that had gathered in circles. She...she was short. Tiny. If they crowded around her, he wouldn't be able to see her.
She wasn't here.
Fuck. She wasn't here!
His mum. She had to know so she could tell the professors that were heading to rescue...and...
"Julia!" Benji shouted, panic completely taking over him. He heard Cass's voice and his name, but couldn't focus, rushing towards his mum who already had her hands full. "They took Rae," his voice was raised, shaking and full of rage. Why? Why would Thayer take her?
She wasn't listening, busy trying to soothe both Kate and Professor Barlowe's baby. "Julia," he tried again, but she was waving him off, talking to the Head Boy about something. He didn't care. He didn't care what she had to do, or what she was trying to focus on. "Did you hear me? They took Rae!"
Nothing mattered. Nothing but the fact that Rae was in that tower and he didn't know what was happening. No one was listening. No one was paying attention. Everyone was busy and frantic.
"THEY TOOK MY FUCKING GIRLFRIEND!"
RE: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - Matilda Nordstrom - 10-21-2025
There were no tears… yet. She was in a state of shock and confusion, not yet fear. Without Benji, she would be in a much worse state. Still clutching his hand, her eyes darting left and right all over the Great Hall, looking for her friends and family.
The gash on her head was still bleeding, headwounds always bled more, but it could wait. They needed to find Rae and Ren. Alice was in the corner of the room, she would meet up with her later. Her eyes landed on Ren as well, her heart stuttering with relief.
“Benji, I don’t see Rae or Ever, do you see them?” Raising up on her tip-toes, looking over the heads of the students running this way and that, finding their people.
"She's...she's here, Ging? Yeah?" No. They weren’t. The realization was hitting her. As the crowds were settling, people taking seats and talking quietly, everyone could be seen. Except three. The three that were missing. Rae, Everleigh and Maevie. Oh god, this can’t be happening.
The tears were falling now, hot and wet on her face, mixing with the blood that still flowed from her wound. It couldn’t be true. It couldn’t be them. "Julia!" Benji shouted, "They took Rae.”
Tilly followed him over to his mother, who had her hands full with the little ones as well as the rest of the kids in the school. She could see it happening, the fear in his eyes. Like a caged animal, she didn’t know what to do for him. Dealing with her own feelings was hard enough, but watching Benji realize that Rae was in the hands of a mad man was almost too much to bare.
"THEY TOOK MY FUCKING GIRLFRIEND!"
Tilly came to stand in front of Benji, grasping his shoulders to turn him towards her. Then moving her hands to his face. She needed his eyes. He needed to see her. “They’ll get her back Benji. They’ll get Rae and Ever and Maevie back. They have to.” Her voice cracked. She needed him to believe her, but that was difficult, since she wasn’t sure she believed herself.
RE: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - Julia Barlowe - 10-21-2025
She was a small woman, but let it never be said that Julia wasn't as strong as a nundu when push came to shove. With her nine-year-old on her hip, and Maddox's two-year old on the other, Julia stood in front of the Great Hall, watching as each student filed in, the prefects running their headcount in the process. Kate had refused to leave her side, clinging tightly to her neck, and with a squirmy toddler fussing for equal space, it was all she could do to remain upright after that hike up to the castle.
As the last student entered, she followed, setting Kate down beside her and drew her wand, flicking it over the door to lock it. Thayer had lost his mind - or perhaps he'd never had it. He'd been a professor here since before Halloway, and his insistence at remaining onboard - disparaging the former headmaster every opportunity he had - had fooled them all.
Julia tried not to focus on the three students that were missing, instead recognizing that all of her attention needed to be here. The students in Great Hall were scared, confused. Some were oblivious as to what had happened, having not been at the carnival, others were in tears, crying for their friends.
Dylan, the Head Boy rushed to her. "All accounted for, except for three, Professor," he said breathlessly, looking over his shoulder at the prefects who were murmuring behind him. "Everleigh Ravenstone, Maevie Golding and Ruth Elliot."
Julia felt her shoulders slump as Kate pulled on her cloak and Evander fussed again throwing his head back and arching in frustration. "Thank you, Dylan," she said, as Benji was somewhere next to her shouting about something. She waved him off. Now was not the time for her son's antics. "The Hospital Wing brought down blankets. See to it that everyone gets one. We're likely in for a long night." The prefect nodded and hurried off, just in time for Benji's explosion.
"THEY TOOK MY FUCKING GIRLFRIEND!"
"I know," Julia said sharply, peeling Kate's hand from her cloak and placing it firmly in Benji's. She rubbed Evander's back, shushing him, "They're going to get her back, along with Everleigh and Maevie. I need you to focus here." She nodded at his sister, "And get her calm and situated. I understand you're upset, but there's nothing you can do for Rae from here." She turned, her eyes scanning for Rosalie, finding her curled up with Cassian against a wall.
She snagged a blanket, wrapping it around Evander and stooped down in front of the two. "I need you to hold him. See if you can't get him to sleep," she said with a slight nod, and before either of them could protest, she straightened and pointed her wand at her throat to amplify her voice.
"Students!" she called out, waiting until all were paying attention. "I need each of you to draw your wands. Now." As they did, she pointed her own to the ceiling, and indicated for all of them to do the same. "Protecting each other is everyone's responsibility." She followed the end of her wand with her eyes.
"Protego Maxima."
RE: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - Rosalie McCormick - 10-21-2025
She was shaking.
One moment they'd been having a great time, her arms draped around his neck, his around her waist as they danced to one of the slower pieces the jazz band had finally acquiesced to. She'd had the thought that nothing could have spoiled it. That finally, they were having a night that centered on nothing but them and finding the carefree rhythm of just being happy kids, with no ghosts hovering at the edge of the room.
Of course nothing could ever be that simple. When the carnival had exploded around them, she'd clung to him in terror, not understanding what was happening until it was too late. Almost immediately, as the wind settled, she'd been pulled away from him to help gather up the Gryffindor students and take a headcount.
Now, as they filtered into the Great Hall with his arm around her waist again, all she could think about was the girls that were taken.
Professor Thayer was...well she didn't know what he was doing or why. He was someone they all trusted, someone they thought was like all the other professors. He had Maevie, sweet and soft, always with a cute smile on her face. And Everleigh, quiet and had never bothered or hurt anyone.
And he had Rae. Her little mouse. Her stomach twisted as she went easily with her boyfriend, leaning against his chest between his legs and holding tightly to the arms wrapped around her.
"We're here, the professors are working on it. I heard the ministry's even being called in. They'll have this sorted in no time, you'll see."
She nodded as he kissed her forehead, snuggling against him as she draped the blanket over them. The Great Hall wasn't cold by any means, but at this point, she'd try anything to stop the trembling. It annoyed her in some ways, that even after everything she had been through and come out the other end stronger for, that she still frightened so easily. She wished she could be like Cassian, or...Julia...or anyone that seemed to be holding it together.
She spaced out for a moment, think of the girls and how terrified they all must be. She wanted to do something to help, but knew she'd only be in the way of the adults who had gone after them. They were in good hands. Professor Barlowe was brave and wrangled dangerous creatures, and Professor Blackwood was a war veteran. The Headmistress had to run an entire school of unruly children. She knew if anyone could get their friends back, it was them.
Cassian was barking at some girl, snapping Rosie back to the here and now, and her eyes fell on Bear who was looking rather confused about it all. "Come sit with us, Bear," she said softly, patting the ground next to Cassian. "What are you reading there?"
"Anyone seen Benji?"
Nope, but she could hear him. She grimaced slightly as her cousin ran shouting through the hall, as though making a big scene would help anything. She understood, though. Had Cassian been taken, she would have been beside herself as well. Before she could gesture him over to come and sit in their little group, Julia was plopping Evander down in her arms, a blanket wrapped around the fussing toddler.
"Oh...um, okay," she said as her cousin hurried away again, and she looked over her shoulder slightly at Cassian. "Guess we're on babysitting duty." A small smile tugged at the corner of her lips. If nothing else the sweet boy would be a good distraction. She reached for her bag, pulling out the stuff diricawl Cassian had won her, and handed it to the toddler as she nestled him closer, letting him snuggle into her chest, as she snuggled into Cassian's. She ran her hand idly over the baby's hair, stroking his head and urging him to sleep.
"I need each of you to draw your wands. Now."
Instead, she held up her palm, aiming towards the ceiling with everyone else. "Protego Maxima."
RE: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - Oilibhéar Ó Coigligh - 10-21-2025
He looked up and saw one of the girls shaking as she chastised him. Apparently he should be more sensitive to a situation he was clueless on. He wished that little house elf had just locked him in the room he’d been reading in with a blanket and a midnight snack. Looking around the great hall away from the girl as he had little clue what to say he realized they probably weren’t getting a midnight snack.
Thankfully Cassian said something as everything that came to his mind would make the situation worse.
Let her stomp. There wasn’t much any of them could sitting in the great hall from what he was overhearing.
"It's crazy how Thayer's gone rogue, isn't it? I always thought the man was a bit off but this shit…?”
At least Cassian had information and seeing as the older boy was usually right he just nodded and said ”Right” agreeing.
"What are you reading there?”
With a smile he said “ A more theoretical divination book I found in the library that tries to relate how seers can see things with the impact of magic on time. “ Words he said as he moved to sit closer to Cassian and Rosalie as he was sure he’d overhear more information sitting by them. Plus, he wasn’t a fool if things were really this bad he knew he wasn’t the best at hexing people. Though he did have some creative spells under his belt for dealing with hallway problems.
He blinked as he heard Benji. There was no missing his shouting about Rae. There was no missing alot of things as he watched Professor Laurence hand off a baby to Rosalie.
Naturally he raised his wand when told. Naturally he said "Protego Maxima" when told swishing his wand properly for the spell. Naturally his wand just had some sparks come off the tip in a whisp of failure for the spell.
He said quietly “ Want me to take the kiddo. My mother works at a hospital so I know how to hold them. Unless materials appear for me to make an altar like in Dark Arts class I’m probably not much help. “
Then after a pause he said quietly “ Think I could summon them from Professor Laurence classroom? “
RE: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - Roisin Blackwood - 10-22-2025
All hell was breaking loose, and that really was a bummer. After spending the last couple of hours walking around the Carnival with Fiona and Gideon, this new… development involving kidnapped children and an insane Astronomy professor put a damper on that.
The redhead ushered everyone inside, after watching Gideon take off. Fiona was upset, crying and panicking about it all. Rose looked down at the girl. “Go, you’ll be safe with them. I’ll be right there and I’ll find you,” she promised her seven-year-old. She watched the girl run off into the crowd, and then turned around and made sure that everyone else was ahead of her before finally making her way into the Great Hall.
Rose spotted Evander with Julia, which was fine, but the boy was upset. She’d get to him in a moment. Gideon, the Head of Hufflepuff, was dealing with the kidnapping, so she took it upon herself to try to lead the Hufflepuffs. Afterall, she was a proud one anyway.
She was hopeful that Hufflepuff had been untouched by the maniac in the Dark Tower but… as she counted, listing off names of those she knew to be in the house, her stomach dropped. A first year was among those that was taken.
Briefly, she thought to send word to Gideon, however he had his hands full and he would probably find out soon enough. The other names of the missing included a Ravenclaw second year, who she didn’t know very well, and Ruth Elliot – one of the more advanced students helping in the Hospital Wing.
"THEY TOOK MY FUCKING GIRLFRIEND!"
Roisin’s head snapped in the direction of the panicked voice, spotting one of the Hufflepuffs. One of Julia’s kids. And then she spotted her two-year-old, arching his back trying to get out of Julia’s arms. Just as the redhead was going to make her way to her, she spotted Alice – a fourth year Hufflepuff who looked like she was going into a full spin.
Evander was safe, with Julia, so Rose took the girl by the hand to try to calm her down. Everleigh was her sister and was the Ravenclaw that was missing. “Alice, I know that you are scared right now for Everleigh, but you’re going to have to try to calm down.”
She stopped as she heard Julia’s voice ring out, commanding everyone to throw up protection charms. “Please, just breathe. If you can, try to help,” Rose said before standing up and pulling out her wand.
“Protego Maxima.”
Rose then looked back at Julia and didn’t see Evander anymore. Narrowing her eyes a bit, she looked around until she spotted her cousin, Rosalie with the boy. She breathed and nodded. Yes, he was safe with her.
Now, if only Maddox was safe… he wasn’t in the Great Hall, she realized, and she could see his daughter looking more than a little concerned. Rose then made her way over to Julia. “Where’s Maddox?” she asked, worried momentarily. Of course he had gone to deal with the paddock, but he should be back by now.
RE: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - Cassian McCormick - 10-22-2025
Oh....there was Benji.
Automatically, Cassian's gaze drifted across the room to the sound of the hysterical yelling. He supposed the boy had already heard the news then. The Ravenclaw didn't want to imagine how he'd have been had Rosie been one of the missing, and while he wasn't wishing that fate on anyone, in that very human moment, Cass was selfishly relieved that it wasn't a position he would have to figure out.
Of course, he fully believed the professors would get the situation under control, but until then, he didn't know that anything would be able to console...his...friend...
Julia?
"Guess we're on babysitting duty."
No, they were not.
Cassian was old enough and trained enough to know one didn't make faces at babies when they were handed to one's girlfriend, but that didn't prevent the massive, internal side eye he shot at first Julia, then the toddler, who continued to fuss. He thought he was having a bad night, until he saw the ball of tired, tantruming rage that was Evander Barlowe. You'd think the kid had personally suffered loss, though he supposed in baby terms he had. His father was...off somewhere, and his mother was busy comforting others. It was a full crisis and the professors couldn't afford to spare extra hands for a fussy baby, but Cassian had seen the kid's fan club and wondered why he hadn't been palmed off to anyof them.
Rosie didn't need ideas.
He'd keep it to himself, though, especially after realising what a good distraction he was making for her as she leaned into him and the baby into her. With someone to actively care about, he knew she would be less likely to fret about others and the situation at large.
Evander was certainly making that possible. The boy did take the diricrawl plushie, for a moment seeming to be placated by the vibrant blue, soft fur. Dare he hope? There was no time for that before the boy started wiggling to break free of Rosie's gentle grasp. He squealed his distress while rubbing at his eyes, stiffening his body against her.
He did not want to be on the floor, not if she was going to be crouched down there. The boy wanted to be rocked and swayed through his screaming until he finally ran out of steam.
“Think I could summon them from Professor Laurence classroom?“
"Maybe not. You nuked everyone's power last time, and it's looking like we may be needing it if things really do go south," Cass replied in a light tease, a boyish grin tugging at the corners of his lips despite the way his stomach continued to do flips. "Does your mum work at Mungo's?"
At Julia's instructions, he removed his wand hand from around Rosie's waist and drew his. He pointed to the ceiling and joined the chorus of, "Protego Maxima." Fortifying was never a bad idea, he supposed. It didn't have to mean they were worried something would get in...right?
"Anybody got any ideas to pass the time?"
It wasn't that he wasn't taking this seriously, but rather that, without further instructions, locked in here, there really wasn't much else they could do.
Calming the baby might have been a good place to start, for the sake of everyone's eardrums.
RE: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - Alice Ravenstone - 10-22-2025
The world around Alice was a blur; once she got inside the Great Hall and tried to find Everleigh, unsuccessfully, and then got confirmation that her sister was taken by Thayer, she felt her whole world was falling apart. She firmly believed that her entire purpose for living was to be the girl’s big sister, to protect her and guide her. But now…
Maevie and Ruth being gone stung too, but all she could think about was her sister and how terrified she must be. Their mum and dad would lose their minds if their youngest wasn’t brought back safely.
Alice didn’t know what to do; she barely even knew how to breathe with her sister missing. And the room itself felt like it was falling apart. She’d heard the screams when they were still outside, before running inside, and didn’t realize that her sister had been the source of one.
Everytime the girl was able to calm herself down, even a smidge, another wave of anguish would make its way over her.
Benji yelled loudly, and Alice wanted to yell back at him that her sister was missing too and he wasn’t the only one struggling, but she didn’t have the strength to do that. Instead, she spotted Julia, the head of her sister’s house, and made her way towards the woman.
Professor Blackwood was gone, she supposed with the others searching, but Rose (who insisted she be called that because she did not like titles) seemed to be taking on his role for the time being. Alice looked at the woman, panic on her face, tears in her eyes, various emotions coursing through her veins. The redhead took her hand in an effort to calm her.
“Alice, I know that you are scared right now for Everleigh, but you’re going to have to try to calm down.”
She gave a pathetic nod, though so many thoughts were racing through her head that she couldn’t focus on anything except that Everleigh wasn’t there.
“Please, just breathe. If you can, try to help.”
Alice didn’t move for her wand, instead deciding to join Rosalie and Cassian, both sixth years who were older than her and could maybe help her a bit with the calming down and breathing part of Rose’s instruction.
Rosalie, however, had the squirming toddler and Alice looked at the boy after sitting on the floor, irritation taking over again. “He really needs to stop, he’s making it impossible to not panic right now,” she spat, looking over at Bear.
He was nice, she liked him. She didn’t know a ton about him though. His suggestion just annoyed the hell out of her though. She rolled her eyes.
"Anybody got any ideas to pass the time?"
Brown eyes darted to Cassian. “Nothing you can think of will help time pass. Who knows what the fuck he is doing to my sister right now, and if time passes she might be bloody dead when she’s found.”
The thought caused a tumble in her stomach. Please don’t let her die, she thought to herself, deciding to calm down and keep her mouth shut. She pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapped her arms around them, and then buried her face. Breathe… she told herself as she took a deep breath.
RE: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - Morgan Barlowe - 10-22-2025
As soon as the paddock broke, Morgan ran after the animals. It was engrained in her to react that way because of how much her dad loved them. He saw her helping and she could tell in his eyes that he’d rather her not, but with how chaotic everything was, he didn’t argue. With her help, the creatures were quickly accounted for and the paddock secured.
Morgan then darted in the direction of the Great Hall, where the other students were, knowing that her dad was going to save the day. She wasn’t worried about his safety; to her the man was just about invincible.
Rose, Evander’s mum, was right behind her as the doors to the Great Hall closed. Then she remembered her baby brother – who she still affectionately called the Blob even though he was much less blob-like. She looked around as she heard Benji yell. Weren’t he and Rae broken up? Or were they back together now? Honestly, the Gryffindor didn’t know. That was way too complicated and after the Kiss incident, she just had no interest.
She ran over to him and spotted the others. Tilly was off, so the girl pulled her by the arm towards the rest of their friends.
Blob was fussing, and now in the arms of Rosalie, which was fine. She trusted the girl with her baby brother. Rose’s other kid, Fiona, made her way over too and sat down with them. Morgan didn’t know about her. She hadn’t really been around her a whole whole lot, but she was seven and more annoying – more like Blob was.
Upon the call for Protego Maxima, Morgan joined in and then put her wand away. And then, out of seemingly nowhere, a toad hopped into her lap. Through all of the chaos, she had forgotten about David (gasp), but was instantly thankful the amphibian had found his way inside with the other students.
She hugged him to her neck, smiling. “Hey, Blobbie, look,” she said to Evander and held the toad up for the boy to look at. The creature usually quieted the toddler, but with how chaotic things were around them, she didn’t know if it would work or not. “He’s wearing a Lion t-shirt today because Gryffindor is the best, and you better be one too,” she said, a bragging tone in her voice.
Permission to powerplay Tilly approved by player <3
RE: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - Benji Laurence - 10-23-2025
"And get her calm and situated. I understand you're upset, but there's nothing you can do for Rae from here."
Benji's chest heaved with the panic that was coursing through him, his eyes dropping to the hand that his sister's had been deposited in. There was nothing he could do for Rae. He - he knew that, didn't he? They were trying. They were going to get her - and the other girls - back. But he'd heard the voice. Heard what Professor Thayer had said.
Bury. He said the word 'bury'. As in...not alive. As in...
“They’ll get her back Benji. They’ll get Rae and Ever and Maevie back. They have to.”
Matilda was there, her hands cupping his face, and he realized he must have looked absolutely insane. "I'm - I'm alright," he nodded, his voice quieting as he glanced to the cut on her head. "You should get that looked at, Ging. I'm gonna..." He didn't know what he was going to do. He didn't know what to think, what to feel, what to say.
He felt a soft tug on his hand and his eyes shifted to bright blue. She was pulling against him, wanting to go with Julia. Right. This...this he could do something about. "It's alright," he said, not quite believing it himself, but not knowing what else to say. "C'mon. Let's get you a blanket."
Feeling defeat coursing through him, Benji took up a blanket for Kate before finally sliding down the wall to deposit himself next to Cassian. He tugged on Kate, bringing her with him, before wrapping the blanket and his arm around her. He glanced sideways at his friend, not knowing what to say, but with the comfort in that Cass would get it. If it had been Rosie, Benji knew Cass would be beside himself. As it stood, it wasn't, and the boy could feel the dread coursing through his veins, poisoning his thoughts so he could think of nothing but her.
"Protego Maxima."
The words came quiet and defeated, but worked all the same, shots of silver light pulsing from his wand to join everyone else's, shielding the Great Hall in a translucent bubble that seemed to emit a lunar quality.
“Nothing you can think of will help time pass. Who knows what the fuck he is doing to my sister right now, and if time passes she might be bloody dead when she’s found.”
Benji glanced up at Alice, his eyebrows coming together in irritation. He knew good and well that her sister was up there with Rae, and as upset as he was and as much as he could relate, Cassian hadn't said anything insensitive. "Could we not?" he asked, his voice a little sharper than he meant it to be, "I mean, there's nothing we can do. Snapping at each other isn't going to make this better." He shrugged, pulling Kate in a little closer to him.
Even Morgan joining them with Larry wasn't enough to distract him from what must be going on in that tower.
Fuck. He didn't know what to do.
RE: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - The Narrator - 10-23-2025
As the remaining staff and students huddled together within the seemingly safe walls of the Great Hall, their shields came together like a blanket over the room. It appeared for the moment, the worst was over. The walls held and the wards hummed faintly, cocooning its inhabits within its gentle grasp.
It was an illusion.
It began as a light tremor; a vibration that started somewhere outside the doors and down the long corridor. A prickle at first within the ears, not quite sure the sound was what the listener thought it might be, until it grew, bit by bit. Closer and closer, louder and more pronounced it came as Maevie's scream suddenly shattered throughout the room, a symphony of agony amplified by something dark and cruel. The Great Hall became a chamber of echoes, every surface reflecting audible terror and agony back at them.
The screams reached a pitch that made the lights quiver. Glass rattled high in the windows, the shields overhead holding strong against whatever dark force was causing the poor girl to shriek and wail as she was. For one breathless instant, it felt as though the entire room was shaking beneath Maevie's screams.
And then...silence.
It hit harder than the noise, the uncertainty of what came next held in the breath of their chests.
A soft whisper sounded from somewhere in the room. It slipped beneath the silence, gone before anyone could trace it.
The candles dimmed, while the shields began to shiver. Their silver edges rippled as though touched by invisible hands. The air shifted, thickening and folding in on itself. Whatever it was wasn't coming from outside.
A second whisper, unheard as all focus trained on the shields overhead.
All at once, the Great Hall exhaled a long, hollow groan. The shields suddenly shattered overhead, exploding with sparks that scattered in all directions and were snuffed out before they hit the ground.
With a soundless collapse, the room fell pitch dark. The candles extinguished. Lumos failed. Incendio fizzled out before it sparked. The darkness wasn't absence but presence, something thick, living, swallowing their defenses thread by thread.
The glow of wands snuffed out mid-flare, their tips sputtering into nothing, leaving the Great Hall's inhabitants completely blind in anticipation of what came next.
RE: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - Ellen Graymere - 10-23-2025
..
Ellen..
There must be something wrong with her. She thinks. Something fundamental. Because by all rights, she has no idea why the same wave of terror washing over everyone else seemed to be breaking before it reached her.
She saw it all with a clarity that felt obscene. She saw Benji's raw, animal grief as he screamed for Rae. She saw Alice's face. Saw such a visceral, literal fear. She saw the younger students huddled under blankets, their shoulders shaking. She registered these things as facts. Perhaps. She understood them, intellectually. These were the correct, the proper, emotional responses to what was objectively a horrible situation currently unfolding.
And yet, inside her, there was a strange and present quiet. It wasn't a lack of understanding, obviously not. The facts were horrifying, yes. She knew that. But the horror felt... distant. Abstract. William was here, safe; she had seen him across the hall only moments ago. The girls who were taken... she knew them, of course. Everleigh, from the library. Ruth. But they were not her sisters, not her closest friends.
That, equitably, was the truly awful part. The quiet wasn't peace; it was a hollowness. A sign that her empathy had a perimeter, and that this.. this, was happening just outside of it.
So, she breathed. And let it go.
It was a concern, but ultimately useless. Just as useless was the thought of a fourth-year student like her 'helping' with Protego Maxima. What was her contribution, really? One more wand among hundreds, one more voice in the chorus. The spell would hold or it wouldn't based on the skill of the professors and the older students, not because Ellen Graymere had added her modest magical strength to the mix.
The castle’s ancient wards were the true defense; the real battle was already underway at the Dark Tower, with those facing the actual threat.
And that was that.
This casting, to her, seemed less a genuine fortification and more an empty gesture, a way to give frightened students a sense of purpose. Morale. The optics were there, but she was not one for such acts, and thus—
.. she, very abruptly stopped.
There..
There was a sound.
A..
a strange sound.
RUM, RUMB, RUM.
A vibration, not just a sound. It punched up through the stone floor, a physical blow, climbing the bones of her feet, rattling her teeth in their sockets. A finger rose, a useless gesture, trying to place the high-pitched whine that sliced through the RUM. Not faint. Not distant. It was a tuning fork struck inside her ear canal, a hot wire of sound that just.. MULTIPLIED.
SCREAMING, GRATING, SCREAMING.
—tearing itself apart. A billion voices pressurized into one continuous, serrated shriek. No, no, IT WAS JUST ONE. ONE. MAEVIE'S. It wasn't like scraping, it was scraping—a raw, over-amplified noise that felt like it had jagged edges, everything, everything—
PHYSICAL. NOW. Ellen thrashed, hands flying up, CLAMPING over her ears, pressing until her nails dug into her scalp—
but-
USELESS. NO. The sound wasn't out there. It was INSIDE. It was IN her head, RUMBLING, RUUMBLING, a white-hot STATIC that clawed behind her eyes. She stumbled, vision shearing, crying- SCREAMING out—a raw noise she couldn't even hear over the WALL OF SOUND.
Silence.
Through watery eyes, throbbing temple, and whining ears, Ellen's breath was gone.
Then the dimming—
the groannn of the castle itself, and the sickening crackle of the shields overhead. She dazedly looked up just in time to see the shimmering dome of Protego Maxima shatter into a million silent, dying sparks.
The stars were dying overhead.
And so darkness fell. Not a simple absence of light, but in totality. The candles went out. The enchanted ceiling vanished.
Blindness.
RE: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - Matilda Nordstrom - 10-23-2025
"Protego Maxima."
She needed to stay close to Benji. He was her safe space. He always had been, from the first day on the train. "You should get that looked at, Ging. I'm gonna..." Kate pulled on him, giving him something to focus on. Her cut could wait.
With the rest of the students, Tilly did her part. They needed all the help they could get. Morgan seemed to find her, pulling her towards the large group of friends staying close.
“Nothing you can think of will help time pass. Who knows what the fuck he is doing to my sister right now, and if time passes she might be bloody dead when she’s found.”
Her attention landed on Alice. Her cousin and Everleigh’s sister. Her feet took her to Alice without a second thought, kneeling down in front of her and enveloping her in a tight hug. “I know, I’m scared too, but Alice,” She said, holding her face in her hands and looking her in the eyes. “Ever is strong. Stronger than us right?” She smiled, thinking of her stoic, strong younger cousin. “We need to be strong for her, think good thoughts. They WILL save them. They have to.”
Saying the words made her believe it a little bit more. They needed to save those three girls, and fast.
"Could we not?" Benji directed his words towards Alice. "I mean, there's nothing we can do. Snapping at each other isn't going to make this better."
Tilly shut her eyes and took a deep breath. Holding back the tears that wanted to pour out. She was so tired, so scared, but they could not start fighting. “Guys, everyone take a breath, the last thing we need to do is start fighting.”
Screams. Loud, horrible screams. Tilly took Benji’s hand in one, Alice’s in the other. Holding on tight. Tilly shut her eyes tightly, wanted to escape the screams, but there was no getting away. They would rattle around in her head forever. And then, nothing. All light was sucked from the great hall. Shocked gasps, a few curse words and a sob were heard in the air. You could taste the terror.
Squeezing his hand once again, “Benji, please don’t leave me.”
RE: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - Julia Barlowe - 10-23-2025
With her son finally off and settling down with his sister, Julia could focus solely on the issues at hand. The safety and protection of her students were paramount, and she trusted that between Benji, Rosalie and the others that surrounded them, her daughter and Evander would be safe.
The woman watched as silver sparks shot out of the end of her wand in unison with those of her students, enveloping the room in a soft hazy glow. It was a start at least, and would reinforce the wards if nothing else. Whatever this was all about - and she could hazard a wild guess or two - seemed to be isolated to the Dark Tower. While the woman felt helpless, wanting to do more for the girls that had been taken, she was relieved that it seemed the Great Hall and the students would be left alone. They'd likely be in for a long, boring night, but it was preferable to the alternative.
“Where’s Maddox?”
Rose's voice had her turning, and she gave a little shake of her head. "He had to gather up his creatures and I'm assuming he went to the tower with Gideon and Ruby. You know he wouldn't stand by if he could help." Maddox was a Gryffindor at his core, and though he often seemed aloof and disinterested, he did care about the students and wasn't the type to see one in danger and not step in. "He'll be fine," she tried to reassure the nurse, and nodded over her shoulder towards Rosalie. "Rosie's got Evander if you want him back. Maddox handed him off to me in the chaos and - "
Julia quieted, hearing something strange rumbling from outside the door, the smallest of sounds, so far away and yet it grew, as though it were racing down the corridor, rushing to meet them. Her eyebrows came together as she tried to make sense of it, turning to look over her shoulder at the large wooden doors.
The screams crashed through the Great Hall like an explosion causing Julia's breath to catch in her throat. All around them, the room vibrated and came alive with the sound of poor Maevie's screams, and the woman stood still, clenching her wand a little tighter as anger rushed through her chest. Thayer was torturing them - three little girls.
Before she could make sense of it, the screams vanished casting the room into stunned silence. Her chest heaved slightly as she remained still, but her eyes cast upward, watching as the shields they'd just cast began to tremble and fray. She had to try. "Protego Maxima," she said again, looking to Rose and the other professors for help. They could hold the shield, at least for awhile until Thayer was apprehended.
It was no use. Despite several of the other professors stepping up to do the same, the shield faltered, shattering in a low groan and vanishing into thin air. The woman took a step back, her mind racing, trying to understand. Thayer was nowhere near the Great Hall, and to break that shield would have required someone...on the inside.
Julia felt a chill run up her back and she turned quickly, her eyes scanning each of the professors, trying to make out who it was, before the room suddenly plummeted into blinding darkness.
RE: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - Rosalie McCormick - 10-23-2025
Evander had always been a very active baby, but he was extra wiggly and fussy at the moment, it being well-past his bedtime. She'd babysat for him before, and while he was always good and relatively easy to look after, he was overstimulated and uncomfortable. While the plushie had helped for a few moments, the addition of several others to their group had wound him back up, and the toy went flying, bouncing off of a nearby Slytherin's head.
Rosie grimaced, nodding to Bear as she accio'd the plushie back to her hand, deciding to keep it in her bag since the toddler seemed to have no use for it. Evander squealed, arching his back, despite Rosie's attempt at shushing at soothing him. "If you ever want to discuss it, I'm finding that..." Evander kicked, letting out a shrill wail as she sat him up, bouncing her legs to soothe him. Sometimes, babies just need to feel swaddled to calm down. "Well...I'm not a seer but..." Bear's offer to hold the baby fell on deaf ears, and Rosie looked to Cassian, apologizing momentarily as she stood, realizing Evander wasn't going to be settling with her, no matter what she tried.
Nurse Byrne was talking to Julia, and Rosie was ready and willing to hand off the bundle of mad, when a shrill scream suddenly broke what felt like the actual sound barrier. Rosie shrieked, wrapping her arm around Evander to cover his little ears, and hurried to his mother. As Maevie's screams reverberated off the walls, the toddler wailed and clung to the girl, but she knew she wasn't the best for him in this situation, when his mother was readily available to soothe him. "I'm sorry Miss Byrne," Rosie said as she peeled the toddler from her and deposited him with the head nurse. She was happy to babysit him another day…when dark wizards weren't afoot.
She rushed back to her group, huddling once more against Cassian as her eyes widened, watching the shield above them tremble and fracture. "What's happening?" she whispered, not wanting to startle the younger students more than they already were. The professors were trying to hold the shield, but in an instant it shattered above them.
Merlin. The room was dark in an instant, blacker than any shade she'd ever seen. She raised her hand, placing it so close her palm touched her nose. Nothing. They were completely blinded. She heard murmurs raising throughout the room - some crying from some younger years in the far corner. This...this wasn't normal. This wasn't supposed to happen. Rosalie retrieved her wand from her pocket. "Lumos," she tried, but the wand only glowed for a second, not bright enough to penetrate the darkness before snuffing itself right back out.
Dark magic. It had to be.
Quieting, Rosalie nuzzled herself against Cassian's chest, wrapping his arms tightly around her as her hands rested on them.
She could hear Benji and Matilda talking, finding relief that they hadn't vanished when the dark settled over them.
“You okay?" she asked softly. She and Cassian had been through terrifying things before - not quite like this, but life-changing all the same. She liked to think they weren’t as easily shaken now, but she knew better - at least for herself.
Looking to where she knew Morgan and Alice were, she checked in with them next. "Are you all still there? Bear, you too?" They needed to keep track of each other, less Thayer got anymore bright ideas about taking kids.
RE: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - Oilibhéar Ó Coigligh - 10-24-2025
It was becoming more and more apparent every second the seriousness of the situation they were in. Even with that his breaths didn’t increase in speed like many of the others who were exhibiting signs of panic. There wasn’t much he could do, and him panic’ing would only distract others from dealing with the real problem.
“He really needs to stop, he’s making it impossible to not panic right now,”
He looked up towards Alice realizing that of all of them she had one of the biggest excuses to panic. Though he had no idea what she wanted him to stop so he said nothing.
"Well...I'm not a seer but…”
With a smile he looked at Rosalie who was struggling with the baby though appeared interested in what he was reading. He said quietly “ I would. Another day. “ As this certainly wasn’t the time to debate the impacts of time and theories on how being a seer worked.
"Maybe not. You nuked everyone's power last time, and it's looking like we may be needing it if things really do go south,”
He said quietly to Cassian “ Right. Though maybe if we summoned them and I only did something if things got really bad. As no one being able to do magic would likely throw them off and we have to outnumber them. “ Then he paused rather unsure and added a soft quiet question of “ Right? “ to Cassian.
Then he added quietly “ I’m from Belfast so my mother works at a local wizarding Hospital there big things go to St. Mungos though. She just got a battlefield promotion as her boss puts it to Junior Healer from being a Welcome Witch. “ The last part said proudly even if his voice was still quiet.
Though as he said the last part he realized the parallels potentially between the situation he was in now and the situations at home in Ireland. Experiences like this were what his mother was trying to protect him from by sending him to Hogwarts - so naturally it would go unmentioned in any letters he sent home.
He looked up at Alice as she vented about Cassian looking for suggestions to help time pass. A statement he fully agreed with as at least he was useless and the best thing he could do was be less of a distraction to the more useful. As humiliating as it was to realize even with everything he studied over the years he was useless. Thankfully, Benji who was near equally impacted said something to Alice similar to what he stopped himself from saying.
He had no idea what to do or say especially as he watched the sparks above him from the shield they made as a group fail. An act he saw as Professor Laurence trying to focus them and make them think they were helping. Or did Professor Laurence think they could help. He hoped for the latter, but his own uselessness made him believe the first idea he had was more likely.
Even sitting here he was a distraction to those that were trying to help.
Then it got dark and he just sat there quietly not responding to the situation. As he didn’t want to be a distraction when he had nothing to offer in the situation.
”Bear, you too?"
He said quietly “ I’m here. Hopefully the theatrics with the darkness a sign of desperation out of them as they are losing. “
Hopefully. Though he knew he was grasping for any sign of hope in the darkness.
RE: Site Plot: The Kidnapping | Open - Kaede Tanaka-Worthington - 10-25-2025
She still couldn’t wrap her head around what had happened.
The chaos, the screaming, the thudding of paws against the ground. None of it made any sense. None of it felt balanced.
Her head feeling light, Kaede allowed some teacher—or prefect, or maybe even just another student—to guide her inside, having separated from both Rosalie and Cassian in the mess of it all.
Feeling disoriented, she had followed the first person who had looked her way, and that’s how she had ended up there, sitting alone in a corner, dark eyes watching everything unfold in front of her.
She blinked a few times, then put her hands on her lap.
It an eerie feeling—to know she didn’t have a role whatsoever in what was happening.
Kaede didn’t know the kids that had been taken, she hadn’t been paying attention to the darkness that was unfolding.
She had lived in her own world since she was a kid, and it had both protected her and isolated her greatly.
With a sigh, she closed her eyes, having the quiet feeling that things would resolve themselves.
The universe always found a way to find its balance, even when people tried to tamper with it. Se wasn’t worried.
(And maybe she should’ve been.)