Disclaimer: This information is provided as a guide so that you can further enjoy the SS School RPG. This information is subject to changes as more information about the characters is revealed in the story. Also, please remember that some of this information may not be known to your character "IC".
| House Point Totals | |
|---|---|
| Ravenclaw | 1047 |
| Gryffindor | 912 |
| Slytherin | 911 |
| Hufflepuff | 192 |
Another summer drew to a close, and once again September 1st rolled around and it was boarding time on the Hogwarts Express for all the new and returning students. An uneventful train ride and a smooth Sorting later and it was already time for the opening speech. Headmaster Trent certainly left everyone nervous with an announcement regarding increase in the presence members of the Board of Governors and a… project? The hall was abuzz for a moment, before everyone was then distracted by the delicious meal prepared by the house elves. After they'd been stuffed full, it was time for bed and off to the races of academia.
The first week of classes was a whirlwind as everyone settled back into the schedule, and before they knew it it was time for the mysterious ‘project’. It was almost a relief to find it was simply beautification project, with fresh plants provided by the Board to place wherever desired around the grounds. Some students questioned at first if this was an attempt to make up for the disaster that was Healer Poppy, the individual who the Board was responsible for introducing the term before, but this suggestion was not taken kindly by the Board and so professors stepped in and split the group into three parties. It was decided to plant the new foliage in the Greenhouses, the pathways, and around the lake.
After the first day of beautification, more plants were added throughout the weeks to continue the beautification. Most of the additions were not notable, except for one particular plant with vines, blooming with beautiful flowers. This particular plant was admired for days, but the more students visited the greenhouses, the more and more apparent it was that while this plant was flourishing, those surrounding seemed to be withering away. Not long after this, the plant also began to… glow? Research began regarding this, but as it was confined to a singular greenhouse it was not too large of a concern.
However, the concerns grew when a gathering of students at the lake’s edge were approached by Sir Bartholomew Henry, with a request for assistance, as the Great Lake’s ecosystem was in danger. Sir Bartholomew Henry advised the plants in the lake were withering away and dying, taking away homes, foods and safety for many of the inhabitants. The students gathered water samples and were off to inform Professor’s Paszek and Professor Kazmi of the warning, figuring the Care of Magical Creatures Professor and Groundskeeper would have ideas on how to best to handle the situation.
Meanwhile at the greenhouse, things just continued to get curiouser and curiouser. A thick, toxic gas began to fill the greenhouse and began to seep outside of it, barring students from getting any closer. Professor Flamsteed managed to cast a charm to lock it in from escaping any further, however the magic only lasted so long before the gas continued to stretch outwards. Around the rest of the school as well, vines began to cover all the surfaces imaginable - covering classrooms and entrapping students as weeks passed. It seemed even with how often Diffindo was cast, the vines just kept growing and growing.
During one particular Herbology lesson, the students were gathered and discussing what they could figure about the vines and the best ways to rid the school of what was quickly become a pest. Atlas Flamsteed mentioned going after the root, while others continued down various other routes. Discussion was interrupted when a scream was heard, and when the class and Professor Flamsteed went to assist, they found the vines attacking Professor Carton. The vines also snatched up Violet Blackthorne of Slytherin, and some of the remaining students and Professor Flamsteed jumped to aid. The vines were fought with Reducio, Glacius, Diffindo… but nothing was working as a permanent solution as it seemed all their efforts did was slow the vines, not stop them.
Once they’d freed the Transfiguration professor and Violet, it was decided to turn Herbology into a field trip into the restricted section of the library, with other students and faculty meeting them there. The intention was to locate a book that could have something about what was plaguing the school, but the library was so large they weren’t sure how they would get anywhere on their own. It was like looking for a needle in a haystack, until one book tumbled from the shelves and landed at the feet of Daniel Yoon. Daniel picked up the book and was then crowded by his peers, each house represented in the clustering of students, as they read the open passage. What they read described a plant called the Pharaoh’s Triumph, a specimen that had the ability to blend in by taking the appearance of any other plant, usually vined, and slowly suck the life from the flora around it as it grew it’s own power. The Pharaoh’s Triumph was described to have semi-sentient vines with flowers growing from it, and when it was reaching it’s full power it would begin to excrete a toxic fog in order to place a curse upon land and leave it entirely desolate. The only way to destroy it was to go to the root of the issue - the original plant itself, just as Atlas had suggested, and burn it.
With the fog already in full force, the party had no time to waste. It was immediately to the grounds with the intent of burning down the plant, though no plan in place on the how.
Once everyone had arrived at the greenhouse, it was decided that despite the heartbreak it would cause to their own Professor Flamsteed and the other students of Herbology, the only way to truly eradicate the Pharaoh’s Triumph was to burn the entire greenhouse to the ground. With the how decided, Professor Kazmi suggested the group use the knockback jinx in order to throw torches into the greenhouse. The group complied, sending torches crashing through windows until a loud screech was heard and the ground began to shake. They had triumphed over the Pharaoh’s Triumph.
With heavy hearts, they all retreated back to the castle and the rest of the term was spent cleaning up the vines how they could and preparing for examinations. Before everyone knew it, another term had come to a close and it was the final feast. It was at the ending feast that Headmaster Trent then announced his retirement, and the end of the Trent era at Hogwarts. The feast came to a close and it was back to the train to travel home to their families.