28th May, 1893 — The Great Hall, Hogwarts Coming Out Ball

It was slowly but surely sinking in – he was going to miss Hogwarts.

He had thought about staying; making a break for it once and for all, before he was confined to the Urquarts’ manor again forevermore. But while Aubrey could picture himself living in some cottage-esque tree root at the edge of the forest, or some (other, nicer) student’s lost boot perfectly happily, Aubrey could also picture Urquart summoning him back from his hiding places by unrestrained force and him ending up splatted against the castle walls in the process. Sure, his life wasn’t much, but still, that wasn’t how he wanted to go out. And if he was going to be torn away from his newfound home at Hogwarts after tonight, then so be it. Aubrey intended to fuck it all, and go out with one last grand feast. He might have been a footman once, but tonight, tonight he was one of the guests.

Which was how Aubrey had ended up scurrying along a refreshment table in the middle of the Coming Out Ball, snorting his way through a tray of canapés and lapping up a puddle of spilled champagne next to the array of glasses. Well – for a moment or two, at least, before he was seen.

A mutter, a quiet squeal, movements in his peripheral vision as a couple of people pulled out their wands. Aubrey rear-ended some of the drinks in an attempt to dodge a vanishing charm, but the jets of light were coming at him too fast. The spells hit him, and for one suspended second Aubrey was convinced he was going to die.

Anyone who had studied Transfiguration at all in their lives – and Aubrey had learned plenty, curled up in textbooks or sitting in Professor Foxwood’s office – ought to know how complex the science of this magic was. Fraught, delicate; where proper alteration of a subject was linked to deepest accuracy in the spell-casting. Transfiguration had parameters and due process. But Aubrey Davis was a transfiguration anomaly. No longer a man, but not quite a true hedgehog either – the magic of his fate undefinable beyond its origins from a demonic toddler’s darkest, most primal urges. Accidents happened.

Happened, and happened again. For Aubrey did not vanish into non-existence as this thoughtless spell had so intended. If anything, he seemed to be bursting beyond the bounds of his body: he was thrown up by the force of it and came crashing back down into the refreshment table in a tangle of flailing limbs, the hedgehog vanished – and a hairy, scrawny ginger man in a footman’s grubby old clothes sprawled out in his place.

Aubrey, too overwhelmed to comprehend any of this, let out what he supposed would be a familiar hedgehog scream. Instead it sounded low and hoarse and guttural, and not like a hedgehog at all.

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open to multiple people and/or one-off cameo reactions!

The following 9 users Like Aubrey Davis's post:9 users Like Aubrey Davis's post
   Aldous Crouch, Alice Dawson, Basil Foxwood, Chandrima Meredeth, Daffodil Grimstone, Diana Selwyn, Fortitude Greengrass, Madeleine Backus, Rashmika Meredeth

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Formerly known as Davis, Elijah Urquart's pet hedgehog.

The night was going well. It was a shame that her mother's family was almost completely not in attendance, but it would have felt like a ghastly funeral to some of the more traditional relations. Still, her decent down the stairs with her sister and the rest of the seventh year girls was spectacular.

People were dancing and mingling by this point, and Rashmika was chatting with her friends near the refreshment table. The line up of food was no new sight for her, though she found it to be rather dull in some aspects. She gazed over it as she casually began to mention the menu that would be featured at her and her twin's private coming out ball, when she noticed the strangest thing. "Isn't that Urquart's hedgehog?" Before her friends could really began to comment, she could hear one of the socialites of the evening squealed and spells began to fly.

Rashmika didn't know what she was expecting to happen next, but this certainly wasn't it. Startled, she accidently backed into one of her friends. Seeing a little hedgehog turn into a grown man was a huge shock. She muttered a silent curse word in Hindi, of which she soon realized that her older sister's would surely judge her for if they had heard her. She could hear one of her friends let out a scream.

OOC: If it's not OK to mention Urquart, let me know. Not sure how much it's common knowledge that Aubrey was in Urquart's possession for forever, but they shared a common room for seven years.

  

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Magic by Elaine

Chandrima had been some ways away down the ballroom, along the wall, when she heard a familiar shout — her father's voice, casting a spell — and saw glimpses of bright light from near the refreshment table. Frightened that something truly horrible might happen, she picked up her skirts and began jogging towards the refreshment table, to find a most startling sight. Rashmika, close to the refreshment table, where among the upturned sweets and spilled glasses of champagne there now lay an unkempt footman, letting out a scream. She would recognize a footman's livery anywhere.

The footman wasn't the only one to scream, but Chandrima went straight to her twin, gently laying her gloved hand on Rashmika's upper arm, just below the hem of the other's glove. "I confess, I'm most confused. What happened?" she asked, unfortunately not as quietly as she would have liked. "Why is there a footman among the champagne and cake?"

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Neither Alfred nor Zelda were particularly keen on fancy parties, but they were both invested in supporting family. Between Katia's numerous children and the Fudges (who were technically related to Zelda, but over time had come to feel just as much like family to Alfred) there were multiple nervous teenagers to support, so here they were. Neither of them seemed entirely sure what they were supposed to do to support said nervous teenagers, though, other than being present and offering compliments on cue — so it was not surprising that Alfred was lurking near the refreshments table, checking his pocket watch to see how much longer the night went, when the commotion started.

He hadn't been the first to notice the animal, but he did look up quickly enough to spot the hedgehog before the spell hit it. He assumed the hedgehog — conjured or loosed in the Great Hall, he didn't know — was probably a prank on behalf of one of the students, and a fairly good one. It was likely to cause a bit of chaos without launching a proper disaster. The immediate magical reaction was a bit of an overreaction by the guests, he reckoned, but that was how society types were sometimes. He certainly wasn't quick enough with his wand to either add to or counter any of the magic. And then the hedgehog disappeared, replaced by a very disheveled looking gentleman.

Alfred hadn't the faintest what had just happened, but moved on instinct towards the man to offer him a hand up. Unfortunately not everyone seemed to have noticed the hedgehog was gone — while most of the crowd nearby had fallen into shocked silence, there was at least one spell still flying, and it hit unsuspecting Alfred in the shoulder.

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

If people were talking or gasping or shrieking around him, Aubrey didn’t much register them. He was on his back, but his spine felt like it had been broken and stitched back together out of shape, his limbs pulled from their sockets, his field of vision suddenly limited to what was in front of him. Aubrey blinked, dizzied by that, and gave an ungainly roll off what remained of the refreshment table.

It was then he noticed the crowd of people around them, so disfigured in his vision that they felt small, or he felt like a giant, but – the old instincts remained. So as one man moved towards him, Aubrey lurched forwards with gnashing teeth, more than ready to swipe a bite at the proffered hand.

Fortunately, he saw the spell coming over the man’s shoulder, and scrambled onto all fours and then launched himself up onto two feet – the floor felt slippery, his balance a mess – but all Aubrey could think was get away, get away. Disoriented and teetering on his human legs, Aubrey shoved past the man and a couple of girls in white like a drunken beast. He didn’t spare much thought for which way to escape, because his skin felt itchy and on fire – long, dirty-fingernailed hands scrabbled savagely at his – his? – clothes. “Get ‘em off, get ‘em off me,” Aubrey muttered to himself, hardly noticing if it was coming out loud. Instead, he tore rabidly at the waistcoat and shirt and trousers and kicked furiously to get rid of the shoes, because after fifteen years of fur and prickles, being trapped in clothes felt horribly wrong.

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The following 2 users Like Aubrey Davis's post:2 users Like Aubrey Davis's post
   Chandrima Meredeth, J. Alfred Darrow

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Formerly known as Davis, Elijah Urquart's pet hedgehog.

Everything was chaotic and horrific. Who was this man and why had Elijah Urquart of all people have him as a pet for seven years?! It had always been a tad peculiar that a Hogwarts boy was carrying around a hedgehog - which was never meant to be allowed at Hogwarts in the first place, not that anyone would snitch - but to then turn around and find out that this 'hedgehog' could have very well been a person this whole time? This was a new sort of unsettling.

The glance at her sister was a brief one, as Rashmika could hardly take her sights off of the whole scene for long. This was madness at it's finest. "Merlin only knows." She muttered. Before she could put together a better response, the mad man was frantically pushing people away, practically running over the Meredeth twins and their accompanying friends. "Ew, don't touch me!" She shrieked in a knee jerk reaction to the hedgehog-man shoving through them as he attempted to claw at his clothing. Merlin have mercy. She did her best to pull Chandrima behind her, despite the fact that none of them were the steadiest now to begin with. Again, who was this man?!

The following 1 user Likes Rashmika Meredeth's post:1 user Likes Rashmika Meredeth's post
   Chandrima Meredeth

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Magic by Elaine

This was horrifying. Chandrima was beyond confused, and as the strange footman shoved past them, she stumbled, but thankfully didn't fall over, steadied as she was by her sister pulling her behind her. When she finally got her bearings, the only thing she could do was let out a squeak of fear and smack her hand over her eyes. She didn't want to see someone tearing their clothes off (no matter how she wished she could get rid of her corset).

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Alfred wasn't adept enough at magic to recognize a spell based only on the way it felt on impact, but if he'd had to guess at its purpose it was probably something along the lines of get it the hell away from me. It certainly had that affect on him, anyway, knocking him forcefully off course and away from the man he'd been trying to help to his feet — which turned out to be a good thing, because had the man actually just tried to bite him? Everything was moving rather quickly and Alfred couldn't be sure that he'd seen and interpreted things correctly, but suffice to say he was considerably less inclined to offer any assistance at this point.

"Stun 'im," Alfred suggested from his inglorious vantage point on the ground amidst the remains of the refreshments table. He wasn't talking to anyone in particular, but he happened to know that at least a few of the surrounding crowd had their wands already drawn and had been willing to fire spells off willy-nilly at what was presumably an innocent animal, so someone ought to have been up to the task. Alfred had no idea what was happening here — his initial theory that the hedgehog had been part of a student prank seemed unlikely now that the hedgehog had become a crazed and aggressive man — but in any case, a stunning spell could buy someone a little time to figure it out.

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The following 1 user Likes J. Alfred Darrow's post:1 user Likes J. Alfred Darrow's post
   Elias Grimstone

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

The Coming Out Ball: another year at its conclusion. Basil was relieved his first year as Head of House was coming to a finale. The additional responsibility had been taxing but rewarding, and now he was going into the summer with a little more confidence that he was competent enough not to have muddled this entirely.

It had been a difficult decision this year to attend the COB however. He’d only decided it out of responsibility to his Ravenclaws (and realized that as HoH he likely didn’t have much of a choice). Unlike years prior where he had taken part out of staunch duty and even danced with a handful of seventh year girls out of respect, this year Basil was feeling more flighty than usual. This would be his first social event since… the debacle, and certain someones he’d been avoiding like the plague might be in attendance. (He could hardly stomach the idea of running into Ms. Victoire still, and Atticus all but made him nauseous. Luckily the latter would be too busy to attend and the former… he would have to skirt as delicately as possible.) As for Lissington… well. He’d just avoid Skeeter altogether and be fine.

The Great Hall was large enough that it had many pockets in which to hide. Every year it reminded Basil of all the students that had passed through and gone on to build their lives after their schooling careers. Some, like Ms. Chang, were out there driving towards academic achievement. Others, like Ms. Dashwood, were driving towards more domestic goals. But all of them settled fondly in the professor’s memory, filled as he was with nostalgia. It was with this distraction in mind that Basil thought he saw something skitter along the refreshments table. Grey hues blinked quickly, then narrowed into a squint, disbelieving. Was that… Cecil?

The scene unfolded before Basil could think to intercede. People screamed, wands were drawn, spells flew left and right, then— with a crash, the transfiguration took place. He spotted it in disbelief before the poor creature had even landed. Oh bollocks.

There were a handful of attempts to manage the situation before Basil could fully cross the small space himself and grey hues watched as he neared, academic mind skipping from one course of action to the next based on the man’s reactions. He looked unsteady, flabbergasted himself even, at the sudden transformation. His behavior was still mildly feral, indicating it had been a long time since he’d been human, and he even gnashed his teeth at someone in an attempt to flee. Basil cut to the right to intercept the man before he could reach a doorway. Hands up in deference, wand still tucked into his waistcoat for the time being, the brunette hoped to stop the man in his tracks. Would Cecil recognize him in his disoriented state? He certainly hoped so. Basil had no intention whatsoever of harming the former hedgehog or startling him worse than he was.

“Please wait!” he called out as he stepped directly into the man’s path.

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Aubrey Davis et. al <3

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The following 3 users Like Basil Foxwood's post:3 users Like Basil Foxwood's post
   Aldous Crouch, Diana Selwyn, Elias Grimstone

Aubrey had been on guard for all kinds of owl and cat attacks over the years, so he was on his guard now, and greeted the direction to stun ‘im with a snarl. “Don’tyoubleedin’dare,” he exclaimed in a breath, again to no one in particular, tearing the rest of his old clothes off in a frenzy and flinging them back behind him in case it helped obscure anyone’s aim. Down to his underwear and feeling all the freer for it, his sights had set on the doors to the entrance hall, but before he could skitter all the way there, a new obstacle presented itself.

Or rather, himself. It didn’t matter how bewildered he was, Aubrey would know Foxwood’s face – and Foxwood, who fed him scones and read him dull-as-ditchwater articles and tucked him away in a robe pocket from time to time, was a sanctuary.

Aubrey, already forgetting he was no longer the size and weight of a small pincushion, barrelled right at Foxwood with the intention of launching himself into his arms. It was a plea for help and an act of desperate affection – to him.

To everyone else, it might have looked like he was trying to tackle Foxwood to the floor.

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The following 4 users Like Aubrey Davis's post:4 users Like Aubrey Davis's post
   Basil Foxwood, Diana Selwyn, Fortitude Greengrass, Henrietta Davis

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Formerly known as Davis, Elijah Urquart's pet hedgehog.

The scene was getting more and more horrific by the moment. Rashmika watched on in horror as the hedgehog-man was now down to his undergarments. The room was spinning and she heard a thud behind her. Then she saw the hedgehog-man dart towards Professor Foxwood. "Professor!" She cried out in a panic. "Someone help him!"

The following 3 users Like Rashmika Meredeth's post:3 users Like Rashmika Meredeth's post
   Basil Foxwood, Chandrima Meredeth, Elias Grimstone

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Magic by Elaine

Someone help him, a woman had called, but as Alfred watched the lunatic (for a lunatic he surely must have been; he was down to his underwear now and although he was speaking his words were all but unintelligible) launch himself at the man who had stepped into his way, the prevailing thought on his mind was better him than me. And yes, he recognized that was uncharitable, but he'd just been hit by a rogue spell and had yet to pick his way out of the collapsed table, so he felt it only fair to leave the rescuing and containment efforts to someone else.

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The following 1 user Likes J. Alfred Darrow's post:1 user Likes J. Alfred Darrow's post
   Basil Foxwood

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MJ made the most Alfredy of sets and then two years later she made it EVEN BETTER

Dorian was rather excited to be able, for the first time, attend the Hogwarts Coming Out Ball as a fifth year. Any excuse to see gorgeous, dolled up debutantes twirling around like ballerinas around a dance floor was enough for him as he made sure he looked as neat as he combed his hair and admired his own waistcoat in the mirror. When he made his way down into the Great Hall he was hit with a wave of delicious smelling appetizers and beautiful music playing to welcome the latest graduates when it was their time to shine. He would smile at anyone who caught his eye, swiping a glass of champagne, even winking once or twice at a few guests, feeling comfortable in this sort of elegant environment. Dorian was the eldest boy in his immediate family, so he was sure it would be up to him to accompany Eirabella and Elisabeth to grand balls like this when their time arrived to debut, but that time wasn't for a long way off as they were only second years now.

He was rather enjoying himself when a frown crossed his face when he spotted a rodent or at least, one that looked like one in his not so humble opinion, running around the refreshment table. In a matter of moments all hell broke loose and spells were being fired at the creature, as clearly everyone else was as disgusted as he was, and in great commotion the creature became a man and not just any man, a servant. That wasn't even the horrific part! The fact he was still acting like a beast and gnashing his teeth, trying to crawl around and snap at innocent ladies. "Get the hell away from her!" he found himself yelling, shielding one lady he saw, unfortunately in all his primping to get down here, he forgot to bring his wand so he couldn't help the chaos.

"Are you alright, my lady?" he asked rather gently of the woman he had instinctually shielded, not wanting her to see this disgusting display of practical nudity by the former hedgehog. He may not have had his wand, but he did want to be of help, and it seemed like maybe Professor Foxwood could handle this situation on his own.

The following 2 users Like Dorian Rosier's post:2 users Like Dorian Rosier's post
   Basil Foxwood, Elias Grimstone

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Beautiful Set by Athena ♡ !

As clothes flew left and right, Basil could feel the urgency of the situation simmering under his skin. He’d read about encounters like this before where a human lived so long in the form of their transfiguration that turning back was like being dunked into a pool of ice water. Everything hurt, hypersensitive and unprepared as the feral mind was. Madness sometimes overtook those who had adjusted to hardly having conscious thought and sometimes even death befell the worst cases. This would not be one of those. Basil was determined to prevent as much.

He held firm as the red-headed man (bloody why was it always a red-head?! Did he have a sign on his back or something?) spotted him. Recognition seemed to flicker across that squirrel-y face in slow motion. Basil clocked the moment Cecil seemed to zero-in on him, but it was too little too late to do much about it.

They collided with a thud that then knocked the both of them to the ground. Basil saw stars behind his eyeballs but his arms came to wrap securely around the half-naked man out of instinct. He didn’t want Cecil to get away; he needed help, and by George that was exactly what Basil was going to give him! “Big buggar aren’t you,” the brunette heard himself grunt.

(In retrospect, it was a rather tactless comment, but Basil too was still trying to wrap his head around how the very hedgehog that he’d carted around and fed so many evenings could possibly have been a real person right under his very nose. Again, damnit!)

Around them the crowd was still gathering, whispers and comments floating in one ear and out the other. Basil shoved himself up and rolled the other off himself just enough to reach for his wand. Without warning he conjured up a blanket and quickly tried to toss it over the man. “Here,” he said gently. “Take this and we can get you out of here.” Yes! A ticket to freedom. For both of them.

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Aubrey Davis et. al <3

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The following 2 users Like Basil Foxwood's post:2 users Like Basil Foxwood's post
   Aldous Crouch, Aubrey Davis

Well, that had been something to witness. A professor seemed to have things under control with the man. At least from where he was standing. It was all chaos, really. "Are you all right?" He asked of a particularly shaken young woman.

can be either one of the Meredeths or someone else that he is speaking to!

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beautiful set by the incomparable MJ!

Tonight had gone from a triumph to an outright disaster. Whoever this man was, whatever was going on between him and Mr. Urquart, and now Professor Foxwood, was beyond her understanding. A grown man had been wandering around their common room for seven years. That was unsettling at best. One young man stepped forward and asked if she was alright. "No, I'm not entirely sure that I am." She responded softly.

  

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Magic by Elaine