The Midterm Entertainment Board

October 22, 2010 7:40 PM

Everything is better at the Beach by The Midterm Entertainment Board

The Quidditch Pitch had been completely transformed – yet again -, but this time into a beach, and it would stay that way for the whole length of midterm. The sand was pearly white, with palm trees giving some shade from the burning sun, and there was beach furniture scattered about waiting to be used by the students. Various charms had been used to recreate a perfect beach setting. Part of the pitch was a bay with calm, crystal water, and one could see the sea creatures swimming around; the water was the perfect temperature, not too cold, not too hot. It was the ideal setting to pass the holidays, with no worries, and just calmness for the students to enjoy and relax from the hard work they had done throughout the first semester of the term. They deserved some well-earned relaxation time to recharge their batteries for the next part of term, which tended to be the most tortuous, because of exams. There were simple rules that the students needed to follow in order to use the facilities:

1) no bullying
2) Magic can’t be used within the beach.
3) Respect everyone
4) Furniture and tools used in the beach, should not leave their place
5) have fun!


An assortment of activities had been arranged for the entertainment for both staff and students. They could ride flying horses, scuba-dive, build sand-castles, ride hippocampus, or just lay on the sand and work on their tans. There was a small hut that would provide food for such an occasion, cold drinks ranging from pumpkin juice to smoothies, and any kind of food imaginable. The beach was equipped to fill everyone’s needs.

A DJ had been hired to play the best wizarding music all day and night, and at night, there would be a bonfire for the students to enjoy. For those that would miss playing Quidditch, there was a small scale pitch, so they could play some beach Quidditch scrimmages, smaller hoops were positioned in a specific part of the beach, even some small stands were there, so the people that wanted to watch could do so comfortably. There was really something for everyone to enjoy.

Various charms enabled the students to have the whole beach experience, weather charms would make sure to provide the beach dwellers with sunny, comfortable days, but there would also be rain from time to time. It was all about realism. Precautions had obviously been taken, charms to prevent serious accidents had been placed throughout the whole space, since the students’ safety came first. There was a life-guard that would ensure the safety, and preventing things from getting out-of-hand.
0 The Midterm Entertainment Board Everything is better at the Beach 0 The Midterm Entertainment Board 1 5

Nic Sawyer

October 25, 2010 12:35 PM

You'd think so, wouldn't you? by Nic Sawyer

Last year, he'd stuck around Sonora and nearly frozen to death. This year, the Floridian had been prepared for the midterm with a puffy down parka that almost tripled his girth, gloves that at least doubled the size of his hands, padded snow pants that made it difficult to walk without waddling or making a sweeping swish-swish sound, a hat lined with cutting edge muggle thermal wear, and insulated boots that had to weight at least as much as Nic did. There wasn't so much as a square millimeter of exposed skin anywhere.

It was not a good outfit for a day on the beach, and he stared at the water currently filling the Quidditch Pitch with confusion and dismay. Sweat dripped down his neck and back and he'd definitely take the scarf off and unzip the coat if only his gloves allowed his fingers any freedom of motion at all.

"You've got to be kidding me," he stated in disbelief, though it was kind of muffled, what with the scarf and high-necked coat zipped clear up to the bridge of his nose still being there. His snow goggles, worn in anticipation of tobogganing or sledding, started to fog up from the warmth and humidity of the place.

If he'd wanted a beach, he could have gone home, but he kept that complaint to himself. He was Nic Sawyer, after all. Whining was beneath him.

And his mom - stupid fortune-teller that she was - had warned him this would happen. Only she'd phrased it like 'Sweetie, you're going to be disappointed if you stay at school this midterm,' and he'd taken that to mean either Rachel Bauer wasn't going to be around, or Sam Bauer would figure out about Nic's tiny little completely inconsequential and entirely nothing to worry about because it doesn't even exist crush and explain that Nic was so not Rachel's type, which he already knew, and either of those disappointments wouldn't have come as too much as a surprise or really phased him too much so he'd stuck around anyway.

But this was different.

This was a beach where he should have been experiencing the strange and mysterious phenomenon known as winter for only the second time in his entire life.

"I am so overdressed," the tall twelve year old snipped, more to himself than intentionally aloud.
1 Nic Sawyer You'd think so, wouldn't you? 165 Nic Sawyer 0 5


Demelza Eagle

October 25, 2010 5:56 PM

I want snoooowwww :( by Demelza Eagle

Demelza Eagle did not want to go home for midterm. She wrote all her siblings (which equaled out to 10 letters) and asked if any of them were coming home, but every single one of them returned with a bummer reply: no! Well, except Glen, who lived at home and gave her a reply that read, "Yes, yes, yes! Come home, please!" Demelza considered coming home for her littlest brother, but then decided against it. That would be far too boring. Besides, she wanted to stay at Sonora and practice Quidditch and maybe meet new people. She still didn't know half of the people in the school, even if it was possible that at one point or another she had met them before this term, but, ah, because of her memory issue, she would not remember them.

Excited to see the midterm events that were expected to go on in the school, she woke up much later than usual on the first day of midterm. The brunette felt very lazy, so she didn't bother to change out of her pajamas or brush her hair. She just rolled out of bed, brushed her teeth, and walked right down to the Quidditch pitch. She wasn't much of a breakfast person, although she did stuff herself at lunch and dinner, which made up for her missing breakfast. Since it was so early, she didn't go about in her usual skip-cheerily way, instead walking like a zombie. However, that didn't mean that she wasn't excited!

Demelza was very, very confused when she saw the Quidditch pitch.

She was pretty sure that during the winter it was cold out... but it was pretty warm! Did she forget temperatures and seasons too?? But, not too long ago, it was cold! Why did people have to confuse her? She took a deep breath, rubber her eyes to make sure she wasn't dreaming, and then opened them again to see the same scene. Oh well. She couldn't do anything about it! Besides, who didn't love the beach? Trying to wake herself up, she ran onto the sand and then proceeded to make her way into the water, decided that would be a nice shower. She cautiously poked her toe into the surface of the waves, and then quickly withdrew it, realizing that there was no way she could swim in her Quidditch pajama pants (a bludger zoomed from one pant leg to the other) and yellow tank-top! She frowned and then peered at the rest of the pitch through her green eyes. Close by there was someone who was waaayyy overdressed. Demelza giggled and then made her way over to them, a funny comment starting to form and cloud her brain. However, they addressed her first. Or maybe the boy was talking to himself. Demelza wasn't sure.

"Really, I thought you were approximately dressed," she said, her thin, olive-skinned face wearing smirk. "But the winter is not usually like this, is it?" The tall fourteen-year-old then asked a less sarcastic question, hoping that she didn't get her seasons mixed up. "I'm Mel, by the way," she introduced herself because she had no idea who this boy was.
0 Demelza Eagle I want snoooowwww :( 157 Demelza Eagle 0 5

Nic Sawyer from Florida

October 25, 2010 7:23 PM

I guess you'll have to settle for sand by Nic Sawyer from Florida

Nic fought with his gloves and managed to get the left one off by trapping the fingers between his knees and yanking up hard. He nearly fell over backwards, but managed to narrowly avoid that fate. The heavy boots with super traction probably helped. Also, the fact that he hadn't grown much (a half inch, tops) since the Opening Feast meant he was almost used to his current height of 5'8" now and he wasn't fighting his own limbs anymore. Lately, they had almost always been exactly where he thought they were supposed to be. He hadn't walked into a wall or tripped over a stair in seventeen days (not that he was counting or anything).

Once he got his hand free, he released his other hand from its glove, took off his hat, goggles, and scarf, and unzipped the coat before addressing the other girl. Either she was younger than she looked, or it was her first time staying over midterm. "I'm Nic," he introduced himself, seeing no need for last names, full names, or even year and House. This was a beach. By definition, that made it a casual setting. Besides which, his hands were full of winter assessories so he didn't have one free for a handshake.

"Last year, there was definitely a non-tropical winter going on here," he answered her question. "There was an ice wall for ice climbing and everything." He waved the gloves and hat in his left hand in the direction of where the ice wall had been. "I'm from Miami, so it seemed really cold; this year I was prepared." He looked around at the water and the sand and the blazing sun and sighed. "I thought I was prepared, anyway." He frowned a little. "I didn't think to bring swim trunks."

He looked at her odd pants with the bludger (he was eighty-nine percent sure that was a bludger) jumping from one pant leg to the other. "I take it you didn't have a swim suit either?"
1 Nic Sawyer from Florida I guess you'll have to settle for sand 165 Nic Sawyer from Florida 0 5