So, my laptop broke… sort of. I had to get this new one and I don't have my notes for my old stories. And, what with lockdown being what it is, I won't be able to get it looked at for a good long while so… time to start a new story.

I tried my hand at Harry Potter stories before and feel like I'm ready to take a run at a good, solid, fully fleshed SYOC. Quidditch, pranks, mystery, awkward teenage flirting - we've got it all.

Now, this is meant to be a real Hogwarts story. What I mean by that is that I want to hit all the staples of the series while also bringing a new story about new characters. So, without any further ado, here's a little opening… (Submission form is on my profile, PM it to me as 'The Heir of Dawn - [Character Name] - [Year] - [House]'.

A few ground rules…

If your character is from a country outside of the UK, you should come up with a plausible reason behind why they attend Hogwarts.

Coming off the last point, I am accepting students who previously studied at other schools, but they can only switch after completing their O.W.L.'s at their first educational institution.

When it comes to using the Room of Requirement, Shrieking Shack and so on - that's all fair game. Your character definitely might've discovered this, because Hogwarts has endless secrets and it's natural for characters to discover these. But, there's a difference between that and frequenting, say, the Chamber of Secrets.

Legacy characters - this is starting off in 2008, so we won't really be seeing any of the next generation in the Harry Potter series (mainly because I haven't read the Cursed Child, but it's also definitely starting off ) so your characters shouldn't have any of those familiar names.

Okay, let's get a move on.

13th July 2008

MURDER AT GRINGOTTS!

By Edward A. Kenton

Gringott's bank has long been associated with security in the Wizarding World. It looms over you as you leave the Leaky Couldron and enter Diagon Alley. Apart from two select occasions, the vaults within have never been breached by intruders.

That is, not until yesterday morning.

Blordak, 146, a long-standing Goblin of Gringott's, was found dead within the bowels of this renowned establishment, deep within Vault 688. Though his method of death has not yet been identified, spokesperson of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Frederick Grosvernor, released the following statement:

"Goblins are long-standing allies of the Wizarding World. We will not abide a cowardly murder in sanctum of our shared security. The days of dark wizards and witches are done."

Grosvernor has neglected to comment on the accusations that it was a Ministry official that committed the murder.

"We've had enough," Odbert, 134, exclaims. "Wizards have stolen from us, tricked us and oppressed us. We're slaves in all but name. It is not just the murder of a dear friend, but a theft from a vault. It's a breach of trust between us and our client. Another wizard's gambit to strip us of what little status we have left."

Newly appointed Minister for Magic, Marianne Adler, has vowed to see the culprit found and will be issuing a statement of how she intends to apprehend the perpetrator and address the accusations against the Ministry.

Gringott's officials have refused to state the stolen contents of the vault or the vault number, in an attempt to "preserve what little trust" remains between them and their clients.

An anonymous source from inside the Ministry has contacted the Bureau de la Justice Magique of the Ministère des Affaires Magiques de la France due to the theory that this murderer and thief may be one and the same as Pyromancer of Monts de Vauclose.

Grosverner has confirmed that the Department of Magical Law Enforcement has been conferring with MACUSA's Department of Aurors, which is a symbol of the 'great friendship' between the two bodies of government.