Session Summary

Half-Term Activities and Ministry Scrutiny

Our three protaganists were temporarily separated during the break: Cassie Weasley and Basil Featherstone stayed at Hogwarts, while Viola Thorne returned to Thorne's Remedies to spend time with her parents.

• Basil's Situation: Basil remained at Hogwarts, having received dispatches from his father, Major Rudolph Augustus Featherstone, suggesting Hogwarts was safer than Mallory Court, and informing Basil that he was returning to the war office to fulfill his duty.

• Viola's Actions: While at her family's apothecary, Vi encountered Percival Graves, Dept of Secrets, who visited Thorne's Remedies asking questions apparently designed to implicate Professor Jackdaw Finch. Vi managed to secretly listen to the conversation despite her protective mother, Morwenna Thorne (Moira), attempting to conceal her presence using a powerful Fidelius Charm. Vi overheard her mother use the cryptic phrase, "Seeing that which is hidden," in connection with Vi’s unusual abilities. Vi successfully brewed an exceptional Sleeping Draught with her mother, utilizing the unprecedentedly aggressive flobberworm mucus the students had previously acquired. Vi decided to return the academic papers she had previously taken from Septimus Finch's old desk, acknowledging that they focused on themes of attraction, repulsion, magnetics, and proximity. Using the family owl, Puffin, Vi sent a message via the Messaging Scrap to Cassie and Basil detailing Graves's suspicious visit.

• Hogwarts Investigation: Cassie attempted to find information on the strange crystal found in the Cold Plant Room. Failing to find anything in the open section of the library, Cassie tried to access the Restricted Section using Alohomora, but was repelled by a powerful protective charm. Basil created a distraction by knocking over books on love potions and charms, prompting Cassie to fake Peeves the Poltergeist throwing a book at her to avoid trouble with Madame Pince. Despite the theatrical deceit, both were taken before Headmaster Dippet, who, finding the matter amusing, merely dismissed them with a warning. Cassie took the opportunity to question Dippet about the crystal, claiming she found it in the Forbidden Forest Test Pit; he replied they were inert unless imbued with power and showed no special recognition.

The Quest for the Crypt

Basil successfully tracked down The Fat Friar to inquire about the fate of Eleonora Humblewood. Basil was able to share an extraordinary vision of the Friar’s own death—executed by his fellow monks after imprisonment—leading the ghost to reveal a terrifying risk: ghosts can share memories and visions with Diviners if touched. The Friar warned Basil that this phenomenon was what had driven Eleonora Humblewood to madness, prompting his fear for Basil's well-being.

The trio subsequently found the Room of Requirement with ease.

• Testing the Room: Cassie successfully conjured a London Cheesecake, confirming the room's identity, but further attempts to conjure specific items failed. The room instead conjured a seemingly endless staircase leading downwards, presumably toward Eleonora Humblewood’s Crypt.
• The Descent: During their descent, Basil fell down a section that transformed into a slide. After landing, Vi tended his wounds as Cassie investigated a concealed door.
• The Manifestation: Opening the door revealed a plain brick wall, through which burst a small, aggressive blue mote of light, similar to a wraith Basil had previously seen beneath the Cold Plant Room. The mote moved directly toward Basil. Cassie swiftly cast Impervius, successfully repelling the aggressive mote, which retreated back into the wall. The trio suspected this blue light was a manifestation of Eleonora Humblewood attempting to contact or harm Basil.
• The Quake and Escape: Giving up on reaching the bottom, Cassie attempted to shorten the staircase, succeeding, but the Room momentarily held them captive. While stuck underground and protected by the Room, the trio experienced extreme ground tremors (an earthquake or seismic event) shaking the entire foundations of the school. Upon being released by the Room, they emerged into the castle proper to find a scene of extraordinary destruction, with an entire colonnaded section of Hogwarts having crumbled, accompanied by screams of terror and pain from the occupied parts of the castle.

Session Events

Event:: Cassie spends autumn half term 1939 at Hogwarts, in part as petulent refusal to consider The Burrow (plot) her home rather than The Weasley Tentement in London

Event:: Basil spends autumn half term 1939 at Hogwarts, receiving dispatches from his father suggesting (incorrectly, as it happened) that it would be safer than returning to Mallory Court. Maj. Featherstone informed Basil that he would be returning to the war office 'to do his part'

Event:: Vi spends autumn half term 1939 working at Thorne's Remedies and catching up with her parents - Morwenna (Moira) Thorne especially.

Event:: Vi reads the academic paper that Morwenna (Moira) Thorne co-wrote with Septimus Finch, Book - On The Properties of Star Grass, taking the half term opportunity to ask her mother about it.

Event:: Percival Graves, Dept of Secrets arrives at Thorne's Remedies asking questions that seemed to be trying to implicate Jackdaw Finch in something. Vi manages to eavesdrop despite her mother sending her out back on a spurious errand

Event:: Vi borrows Puffin (Thorne Family Owl) to send a message to Cassie & Basil at Hogwarts. She recounts the entire experience with Percival Graves, Dept of Secrets visiting Thorne's Remedies

Event:: During half term, Cassie seeks to research the ancient crystal she took from Cold Plant Room. FInding nothing in School Library (open section) she seeks to bust into School Library (restricted section)

Event:: Cassie is repelled when her Alohomora spell on the School Library (restricted section) gate is met with a powerful protective charm. Basil, tipping the nearest stack of books onto the floor seek to distract Madame (Irma) Pince

Event:: As Irma (Madam) Pince questions Basil's dubious literary choices (the stack of books he tipped over as a distraction was all about love potions and charms) Peeves the Poltergeist rocks up to bask in Cassie getting told off. In an attempt to avoid being taken to Headmaster Dippet, Cassie fakes Peeves the Poltergeist throwing a book at her.

Event:: Despite their best efforts Cassie and Basil are brought before Headmaster Dippet for causing a disturbance in the School Library (open section). The headmaster, seemingly more amused than annoyed, lets them off with a warning on the promise it will not happen again and that they report themselves to Mirabel Garlick. They do no such thing.

Event:: Cassie asks Headmaster Dippet about the crystal she took from Cold Plant Room (pretending she found it in the Forbidden Forest Test Pit). Dippet says that they are inert unless imbued with some sort of power and he seems unrecognising and unaware of any special significance to this particular crystal. Cassie does not share where she truly found it or the effect it seemed o have on them (and on Vi expecially)

Event:: Basil seeks out The Fat Friar (with some difficulty) to finally ask about his memories of Eleonora Humblewood (dec.). Basil shares an extraordinary vision of The Fat Friar's death, executed after a long imprisonment by his fellow monks. The Friar explains that ghosts can touch Basil and share what they saw in life. But if touched by a Diviner, there is a risk of seeing their visions. This is what caused Eleonora Humblewood (dec.) to fall into madness and is why The Fat Friar fears for Basil

Event:: Receiving Vi's letter via Puffin (Thorne Family Owl), Cassie & Basil use the Messaging Scrap to inform Jackdaw Finch that Percival Graves, Dept of Secrets visited Vi at Thorne's Remedies seeking incriminating information on him

Event:: Jackdaw Finch visits Thorne's Remedies to apologise to Morwenna & Thomas Thorne for his former Ministry colleague's (Percival Graves, Dept of Secrets) impromptu visit. Once again a protective Morwenna (Moira) Thorne attempts to hide Vi, this time using a powerful Fidelius Charm. Vi overhears most of the conversation nevetheless, including one particularly striking phrase from her mother regarding some of Vi's experiences at the Forbidden Forest Test Pit: "Seeing that which is hidden"

Event:: Vi works with Morwenna (Moira) Thorne to fashion the unprecedentedly aggressive flobberworm mucus into a Sleeping Draught. With such a potent ingredient and the expert hands of a professional potioneer, the results are exceptional

Event:: Vi studies the academic papers taken from Septimus Finch's old desk in Cold Plant Room. They seem to focus on themes of attraction, repulsion, magnetics and proximity. Not fully understanding them she undertakes to return them to Jackdaw Finch admitting their theft.

Event:: Cassie, Vi & Basil set out in search of the Room of Requirement and this time find it with relative ease - almost as if it was ready to be found. Entering into a seeming Broom Cupboard not too far into the disused section beyond the School Kitchens Cassie thinks hard about 'requiring' a London Cheescake as evience this is the Room of Requirement, thus making one appear.

Event:: Cassie, Vi & Basil seek to test the Room of Requirement's limitations. Aside from evidence that this is the right place they struggle and fail to make anything of their own choosing manifest. With the exception of a staircase - perhaps to 8.5.03 Eleonora Humblewood's Crypt - which the 8.5.02 Room of Requirement does permit them to conjure. Though possibly for reasons other than those the party intended.

Event:: Cassie, Vi & Basil start descending a seemingly endless staircase that appeared within the 8.5.02 Room of Requirement. Requiring a faster way down, they lose Basil down a slide that appeared. Catching him, they manifest a landing and Vi tends Basil's wounds as Cassie investigates a door that has appeared

Event:: Cassie, Vi & Basil open a door partway down the 'endless' staircase in the 8.5.02 Room of Requirement to find just a plain brick wall beyond. A small blue mote of light, (similar in colour to the wraith-like figure that swept towards Basil from the depths beneath the Cold Plant Room) hovers through the wall and towards Basil. As Cassie casts Impervius on Basil the mote, becoming aggressive, fails to find any purchase on Basil's mind

Event:: Repelled by either or both the mental fortitude of Basil and the Impervius charm of Cassie, a strange mote of blue light in the 8.5.02 Room of Requirement retreats back into the wall from whence it came. The DIADEMs interpret this to be some manifestation of Eleonora Humblewood (dec.) attempting to contact or somehow harm or aid them.

Event:: Late into the night now, with lessons due to start in a few short hours, Cassie, Vi & Basil give up on reaching the bottom of the staircase and turn back towards the occupied floors of the castle. Cassie wills the stairs to become shorter, which they do, however the 8.5.02 Room of Requirement seems to refuse to permit them to leave yet

Event:: Whilst underground, and protected by the 8.5.02 Room of Requirement, Cassie, Vi & Basil experience extreme ground tremors as some kind of earthquake or localised seismic event shakes the entire foundations of the School. Held in the 8.5.02 Room of Requirement the DIADEMs suffer no ill effects or injuries from the quake and the room seems to allow them once again to access the broom closet (and exit door) above

Event:: Returning to ground level after descending into the 8.5.02 Room of Requirement in search of 8.5.03 Eleonora Humblewood's Crypt, Cassie, Vi & Basil force their way out and back into the castle proper. They are greeted by a scene of extraordinary destruction, as an entire collonaded section of the castle has crumbled in the quake. Screams of terror - perhaps even of pain - can be heard coming from the occupied sections of the castle beyond