The Daily Diviner - Issue 63

TABLE OF​	CONTENTS​
Feature​	Reputations' Fast Approaching​
Editorial​	Who's Got the Magic and the Talent?​ Vlogging with Droobledore​
Student Spotlight​	Party Games Master​
Lifestyle​	It's Smoothie Time​ The Heat is On!​
Original Works​	An Unfortunate Event​ Can You Keep a Secret?​

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Reputations' Fast Approaching
Feature
Written by Silquer
Edited by m1tskl​

Hello dear readers, and welcome to the sixty-third issue of the Daily Diviner! In the midst of store releases, events, and roleplay dungeons, a new update is being quietly worked on: the much-anticipated Reputations release! Behind the scenes, the Game Design Team has been hard at work creating this massive content release for Potterworld. From new tasks to exclusive rewards, there is a lot to look forward to!

You may be asking: what is Reputations? The Reputations update will offer players small, repeatable task-like quests throughout the map. The tasks will be split into six categories: Cooking, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Divination, Herbology, Potions, and Transfiguration. One representative of each of these categories will be present on task boards all throughout the towns, and will be completely repeatable. There are just over a hundred new tasks for players to discover!

Each task category follows a theme. Although every task is unique to its town, it will follow a sort of template. What could some of these task categories look like? Fortunately, I had the honor of playing through a small section of the update, courtesy of High Unspeakable Lbby!

I traveled to Hogsend, where a brand new task board awaited in front of the Broomsticks Inn. The first task I accepted was for Defense Against the Dark Arts. Willow Davies was willing to give me a place at her inn if I curbed the Poison Toad population just south of Hogsend. I accepted the task, defeated the pesky toads, and returned to Willow to complete the task for a small reward.

Another task caught my eye after that. A help wanted note posted by Ms. Mairan, the town’s Herbology expert, directed me to a house covered in flora. Finding her was simple, and after accepting the task, I was instructed to collect a certain number of Asphodel for a patient in St. Merlin’s. Once I accepted the quest, I was on my way. After finding the Asphodel and giving it to Marian, I received gold, experience, and reputation in return! How will reputation work in-game? You’ll have to wait to find out!

Tasks in this update are different from quests in a few key ways. Firstly, as you may have been able to tell, tasks are much shorter than quests. They are specifically crafted to model small quests that one would see on a help wanted board. Secondly, tasks are more focused on individual skills than quests. Quests may contain several skills, while tasks are closely related to their task category. However, there is still plenty of variety!

Besides tasks, there is a lot to look forward to. Tasks will give all students a convenient way to obtain gold and experience. All players will be able to pick and choose which towns they want to build their reputation in, and new players can gain valuable gold and experience early on. Even after all of the main quests are finished in a certain town, there will always be something to come back for! Another new incentive for tasks are town-themed collectables. Each town has a set of tiered rewards that you can work towards. Experience bonuses, gold, and… is that a new pet? Hats, scarves, and pets are all rewards players can receive by giving residents a helping hand and gaining reputation!

The impact of Reputations will stretch across all forms of gameplay on Potterworld. Traveling across the map will be easier and more common than ever, players can go back to towns often and explore the different tasks, and quests will no longer be the only reason to explore towns! The depth of town interaction and lore will also increase. Even from my short exploration in Hogsend, it is obvious that a lot of time and care has been put into these NPCs. It feels as if there are real lives going on in the background!

What do you think of the new update so far? Are you as excited as I am to play through these new and exciting tasks? I hope so! Reputations is the next big update for Potterworld, and it looks like it will bring great improvements to every player’s experience. A huge thanks to Libby for offering her time to show me the new features! It was incredible to see firsthand all of the hard work being done in the background. Make sure to look out for any news on the update’s release, and play it when it comes out. Have a great month!

 

[The Daily Diviner]

Who's Got the Magic and the Talent?
Editorial
Written by Creme_de_Creme
Edited by Calliequeen
​

Hello lovely readers! Welcome back to the Editorial column. This past month, on May 9th, the 1.5.0 Gameplay update was released. With this update, the Systems team and the Engineers have provided us with a long-awaited update on magic and combat. This update included the release of talents, magic, and gear updates, as well as other general releases and patches.

To start us off, let me explain what talents are. There are three types of talent categories: Duelist, Transfigurer, and Mediwizard. Each category allows you to select one talent out of the three available categories for each tier. There are a total of 5 talent tiers. These tiers are unlocked at levels 16, 31, 51, 61, and 71.

The Duelist talent category is more focused on dealing damage. In my opinion, some of the highlight talents in this category include the tier 1 and tier 5 talent. The tier 1 talent, otherwise known as “Quabbleball Player’s Range”, is focused on extending the range of a spell. For duelists that are especially accurate at long range, you may want to consider this talent. The tier 5 talent, otherwise known as “Serpent’s Bite”, is focused on dealing more damage across all spells that you cast. For duelists that like to knock out a player as quickly as possible, this might be the talent for you! I would also like to mention that for those of you that favor curse, charm, or transfiguration spells, it may be worth taking a look at the tier 2 talent from this category as well. This talent specifically improves Area of Effect (AoE) spells such as Venenox, Devoronox, and Baulectrius!

The Transfigurer category is more focused on survivability. Some of the best talents in this category, in my opinion, include the tier 2 and the tier 3 talent. The tier 2 talent, otherwise known as “Magical Guard”, reduces all defensive cooldowns. This means that you can cast counter-spells such as Purificus (removes fire effect) or defensive spells such as Fortifius at a more frequent rate. The tier 3 talent, otherwise known as “Transfigurer’s Dash”, gives you the resistance effect with each mobility spell that you cast (which gives the same effect as if you casted Fortificus). Another talent that is worth considering is the tier 5 talent from this category. Instead of increasing your damage, like the tier 5 talent from the Duelist category, this talent instead gives you an extra 2,500 health. You will have to decide for yourself if you prefer having more health or dealing more damage.

The Mediwizard category is more focused on healing. Depending on what spells you prefer as well as what fighting style you choose, the talents in this category may be of varying use to you. There is one talent in particular that I do recommend from this category. The tier 1 talent, otherwise known as “Wand-work Proficiency”, gives a cast-time reduction to ALL spells. This is important because it means that you will be able to fire any spells you may need more quickly including damage-dealing spells and defensive spells.

During this update, not only were we given talents but in order to make talents work, there were many adjustments made to spells and gear. Gear still affects spells and combat, but it has been significantly reduced due to the effect talents have on spells. Additionally, the Unspeakable team has added a new checkpoint to the Library parkour in Hogsworth, so if you don’t have your restricted key yet, I recommend giving it a try!

I would like to thank all of the Potterworld teams that made this Gameplay Patch possible. I have enjoyed figuring out the talents that go with my dueling style, and I can’t wait to challenge the next contender to a duel. Are you up for it? In the meantime, have a wonderful day! This has been Creme_de_Creme reporting for the Daily Diviner.

 

[The Daily Diviner]

Vlogging with Droobledore
Editorial
Written by SnowyKitty
Edited by maddinq
​

The first two Systems blogs have been released! If you’re a fan of the Game Design or Tech & Dev blogs, this will be no new thing for you. Instead of a written blog post, though, the Systems team has gone for a video format presented by Droobledore. The first Systems vlog was released on May 8th and the second one recently came out on June 8th. If you haven’t seen them already, you can check the first one out here and the second here! Since we’ve only had a few days to process this new vlog, this article will just be covering the first vlog.

Like the previous introduced blogs, Systems blogs are here to bring transparency to the community. They hope to engage the community more with the Systems team, and they’ve been doing great so far. For example, they released a poll over spell points to the Discord server. This feedback was used to create talents and showed the benefit of utilising community testing. The Game Design department is determined that Potterworld won’t be staying in the past; we’re going to keep up with the movement of our playerbase.

The vlog started with information that had previously been revealed. We got an update on reputations, which are being introduced soon. They will be available in all towns, and there’ll be over 100 repeatable quests! Each town will have unique gameplay and rewards, so everything will be worth checking out. You can read the Feature of this issue for more information!

There was also the first-year experience rework. The Unspeakable and Systems teams aim to make levels one to ten a tutorial for the server. It’ll be easier to comprehend than our current quests and efficiently introduce new players to the server.

In terms of new information, we got a taste of quests! A new questline is coming to Potterworld! Rising Healer will range across six parts and bring you across the United Kingdom, revealing the new St. Merlin’s build at the end of it all! Two new fast travel quests are also in the works. Woodshire, a new upcoming town, was briefly mentioned, but there’s no current information on it. Don’t worry; we’re sure to get new quest content with it!

Along with quests, they are reworking the mob AI. Currently, fighting mobs is repetitive and doesn’t meet the skill level of the players attacking them. While plans are only conceptual at the moment, the main goal is to give mobs a new way of attacking. Mobs will have different attacks and attack directions, for example: hitting straight forward, doing a spinning attack, attacking from the front and behind, and so much more!

The final thing covered was roleplay. Roleplay is going to go through some significant changes. The Seer team will merge with the Unspeakable team after this final event. This doesn’t mean roleplay is over, though! Player-ran plots will continue on, but the staff team will no longer direct events. Instead, we will be introducing the main storyline. There’s no information on it yet, but keep an eye out! It’s sure to be big.

Interested in helping develop these projects? Systems (Curse Breaker) is a staff-only position, so you cannot apply to it if you’re not staff. However, consider applying for Unspeakable! Unpseakables implement things that aren’t directly “Systems,” such as working with reputations and Woodshire.

Thank you to Droobledore for recording this vlog! I can’t wait to see more in the future. Hearing any news from the Curse Breaker team is always exciting, and these blogs are sure to pique my interest. I hope you all have a wonderful day, and I’ll see you next time!

 

[The Daily Diviner]

Party Games Master
Student Spotlight
Written by ivyronincheez
Edited by Calliequeen
​

Welcome lovely readers back to the Student Spotlight column of the Daily Diviner! Every day someone on Potterworld is doing amazing things and we here at the Daily Diviner love recognizing those players. In the past, we’ve had people who show their amazing art or show support to other players around the server. Today we had the great pleasure of speaking with CarzyLizard and their love for Party Games. Without further ado, let’s queue up and go into the article.

You once ranked second on the leaderboard for Party Games. Do you know where you happen to fall now? How do you feel about ranking so high on it?

Ah yes, I believe I am currently second on the leaderboard. It's very fun getting to see your name on the leaderboard, but I don't think it means a whole ton beyond I just like playing a lot of party games. I know plenty of people who are very good at the game but are not on the leaderboard. Though, I think it adds some extra competition to see who can pass who!​

Out of the minigames on Potterworld, which one is your favorite and why? Which minigame do you play the least and why don’t you play it often?

Party games are definitely my favorite! I like how it's fast-paced and each game is a little different. I also like how it's easy to improve on with a little bit of practice. My least favorite would probably be hide and seek, as it can be pretty slow and, depending on the seeker, can just be sitting there for 5 minutes, but it definitely can depend on the group of people in the game!​

When playing the minigames do you play for your own pleasure or do you play for the daily tasks? Or do you have another reason for playing the minigames?

Generally, I'll play more for my own pleasure. I just find they're a fun way to meet new people and spend time on the server. Though, I do find myself trying to play more for the dailies during competitive house cup seasons.​

What is the best advice that you can give someone about playing Potterworlds minigames?

Just keep practicing and don't get discouraged if you don't win every time! You would be surprised how much you can improve by playing the same game once or twice a day for a couple weeks!​

I would like to thank CarzyLizard for their time and for being our Student Spotlight on this issue! I’d also like to thank everyone for reading and hope that you take what CarzyLizard has said and apply it when you play Potterworld’s minigames. This has been ivyronincheez reporting for the Daily Diviner.

Do you know anyone on the server that stands out (cool housing, a museum, active in RP, do something cool outside of PW, etc.)? Nominate them here for a chance to be our next Student Spotlight!​

 

[The Daily Diviner]

It's Smoothie Time
Lifestyle
Written by ivyronincheez
Edited by snotflower
​

Hello lovely readers, and welcome back to the Lifestyle column of the Daily Diviner! With the summer season fast approaching, it’s time to discuss what kind of smoothies you can make to help you feel refreshed and energized. Without further ado, let’s blend into our first smoothie!

Our first smoothie is a Four Ingredient Banana Smoothie, which, if you couldn’t guess, uses only four ingredients. To make this smoothie, you will need 1 cup of frozen banana, ¼ cup of milk, ¼ cup of Greek yogurt, and ¼ teaspoon of vanilla extract. The vanilla helps give it a bit of sweetness. The reason we use frozen bananas is because fresh bananas tend to ripen faster, so the frozenness of the banana helps it stay fresh. Once you have all your ingredients, you can blend everything together, pour it into a glass, and garnish it off with a banana piece. If this smoothie isn’t your first choice, then we have another one for you as well!

The second recipe that we have for you is called the “Green” Blueberry Smoothie and has a total of five ingredients. To make this smoothie, you will need the following: 1 cup of spinach, 1 cup of frozen blueberries, 3 teaspoons, ⅓ cup of plain Greek yogurt, and lastly, ¾ cup of milk. To help with this smoothie, I highly recommend that you blend the oats together, and then put the rest of the ingredients together. This is a nice healthy smoothie that we’re sure you’ll love. An extra tip: if you’re not a fan of spinach, the taste is easily hidden by the other ingredients. If this smoothie doesn’t suit your liking, we have one more for you.

The final recipe that we have to offer is a berry-ful Strawberry Oatmeal Smoothie; this is almost a bit of a classic recipe that most people can enjoy. To compose this smoothie, you will need 1 cup of milk, 1 banana, ½ cup of oats, 1 cup of frozen strawberries, ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract, and an optional 1 teaspoon of sugar. The sugar can be optional because you already get sweetness from the vanilla. The oats make a delicious and nutritious addition to your smoothie. To add an extra chill to the smoothie, you can freeze the banana. As said for the second smoothie, blend the oats first then mix everything together.

I hope these smoothies seem tasty and delicious to you lovely readers; I know I want to try the last smoothie. Out of the three smoothies, which one do you want to make and try the most? I hope everyone enjoys their summer. This has been ivyronincheez reporting for the Daily Diviner!

 

[The Daily Diviner]

The Heat is On!
Lifestyle
Written by kvmw
Edited by Compost__King
​

Hello, dear readers, and welcome back to the Daily Diviner! As we dive into the beginning of summer, many of you will begin to notice a key feature of the season: the heat. I know I have, and personally, it’s been miserable. My mind often gets murky when it gets too warm, making it near impossible to do any work, and I have deadlines to meet. So recently, I have started my day by contemplating ways I can cool down, and in the article, I’ll be sharing some of my insights with you!

1. The Early Bird
Waking up with the Sun (or before it!) is one of the best ways to avoid the summer heat. Late afternoon is the hottest time of day, so if you can get all your work done before then, your evenings are free to spend with friends, relax in the shade of a tree, or sleep early! Of course, that involves waking up at dawn, so if that lifestyle isn’t for you…

2. Night Owls
At the opposite end of the spectrum is staying up late. The afternoon’s heat usually begins to die down as the Sun sets, leaving you the entire night for productivity! Of course, there are downsides to this: most people don’t want to meet up at one in the morning (a problem I ran into while trying to arrange interviews), so you should be prepared to live life as a recluse. But if that’s a lifestyle that speaks to the introvert in you, this is definitely a viable option!

However, if you are not an early riser and have life obligations to attend, perhaps another solution is…

3. When Life Gives You Lemons
Exploding lemonade! And no, it’s not as dangerous as the kind served in the Cauldron Inn—I can guarantee you will not die. Its explosion comes from the special ingredient that differentiates it from regular lemonade. But what is that ingredient?

To make exploding lemonade, simply take any lemonade recipe and add the dried, powdered leaves of Achillea ptarmica! This plant is also known as Sneezewort, and as you can probably tell from the name, it makes you sneeze! Have you ever sneezed and suddenly felt more invigorated than before? Well, the same idea applies here. If you’re ever feeling groggy, simply take a sip of exploding lemonade. You’ll feel better immediately!

(Side note: be careful to not buy the ingredient from any Unmagical store—their powder will fail to work after being added to a drink.)

Of course, this can get impractical rather quickly. After all, sneezing every time you took a sip wouldn’t be great! I suggest making two batches—one with exploding, the other with regular lemonade—which is the perfect excuse to get matching cups. But if sneezing isn’t for you, I offer a more magical answer…

4. Cloud Nine
Have you ever visited the headquarters of the Ministry of Magicians and wondered how the temperatures were maintained? Well, with Atmospherus, also known as the Atmospheric Charm! To perform this spell, wave your wand in a cursive L-shape while saying the incantation at-mo-SPHERE-us. If successful, you should be able to control the weather around you. However, casting requires an extreme amount of mental strength and focus, as well as magical ability, so be cautious when using this technique! Slipping up can mean waking up to rain and a soaking bed (not that I’m speaking from experience).

If you find that you cannot master the Atmospheric Charm, I present one final option…

5. Breeze Along
If you live near a lake, this will be perfect for you: all you need to do is construct a raft and pitch a tent on top! The best materials for your raft will be light woods like spruce, as they will float better on the water. Then, use the Affixifise Charm to bind your wood logs together, using as many as necessary to fit your tent. Voila! The perfect vacation home.

Some of you may be tempted to use an Unmagical tent, but I do not recommend doing so. For one, its unnatural bulk will sink your raft in a heartbeat, so use a tent with an Undetectable Extension Charm performed on it! That way, you can fit anything you’ll need—like a bed, stove, bathroom, and couches—without worrying about going for an unexpected swim. The added comfort is a bonus!

Even if a lake isn’t within your vicinity, this would be a good way to spend a free weekend. The breeze generated by the lake is very comfortable, and as you and your raft float in the azure expanse, you gain an appreciation for nature and life. And even though we cannot live this way forever, the moment of respite offers a break when life gets too hectic.

Oh dear, I got too philosophical. Quick, make a joke!

(That was your cue, readers.)

Anyway, as with all good things, it is time for this article to come to a close. I hope that at least one of these tips has been helpful to you in your quest to cool down during the summer, and if you have any suggestions of your own, please let me know. This has been Iris reporting for the Daily Diviner, and I hope you have a lovely day!

 

[The Daily Diviner]

An Unfortunate Event
Original Works
Written by SnowyKitty
Edited by m1tskl
​

“You can’t actually be serious, right?”

I stared at my mom in disbelief. Why would I lie about this?

“Can’t you see? I saw!” I insisted.

“Quincy, why in Merlin’s name would you be seeing now? Ophelia just got her glasses; if you even saw anything at all, why would you see them break?”

“Why in Merlin’s name would I be lying about this, Mom?”

She huffed in annoyance. “You probably just saw Ophelia’s glasses in the reflection of the crystal ball! Stop being ridiculous!” In a lower voice, she added, “Let it go, Quincy. It’s my birthday. Can’t you just let me enjoy myself for once?”

Really? “It was not a reflection,” I rolled my eyes. “You think I haven’t seen something reflect off a crystal ball before? This was obviously different!”

My mother rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’ll check. Would that make you feel better?” She scoffed. “Though I doubt I’ll be seeing anything remotely like that.”

I stepped back as she reached for the crystal ball beside me. In mere seconds, she said, “I don’t see anything I didn’t see this morning, Quincy.” She pinched the bridge of her nose. “Are you sure you want to keep going with this?”

She spoke to me like I was a child playing make-believe. This was becoming frustrating. “Maybe someone else will be able to see it? Everyone’s here for your party, after all.”

My mom’s smile confirmed my thoughts. “Ophelia, would you like to try to see Quincy’s vision?”

I glanced down, surprised to see my younger cousin. She had been there earlier, but I thought she had wandered off.

With a nod, she came up to the table. I watched as Ophelia stared into the crystal ball. For a while, she was silent. Her eyes shone with an intrinsic understanding which I could never hope to achieve. I didn’t know what she was seeing, and I don’t think I wanted to.

After a few minutes, she looked up. “I don’t see anything like that,” Ophelia confirmed.

“Though,” she continued as her eyes wandered over to me, “why don’t you just transfer the vision to a prophecy record?”

Ophelia looked at my mom. “Don’t you have glass balls stored around the house, Aunt Julia? I know you love being prepared.”

”Good idea, Ophelia! They took Divination, after all!” My mom turned her attention to me, practically fluttering her eyes. “You know how to do that, don’t you, dear?”

I had never heard someone sound so condescending before. “You know I never actually saw anything in Divination! Why would I learn how to transfer visions when I had nothing to transfer?” I retorted, my voice rising with each word.

“Now, sweetheart–”

“Why don’t you just trust me!”

My mom’s eyes turned cold. Without a word, she tugged me by the arm and led me into an adjacent and empty room.

“If you’ve never seen a vision before, why would you now?”

I stared back at her. I didn’t have an answer for that.

She placed her hands on my shoulders. “I’m proud of your studies at Hogsworth. You tried Divination, and it didn’t work out, and that’s okay. You’re graduating this year, and you’re doing great.”

My mom smiled. “The whole family is here for my birthday. Why don’t we just drop this and enjoy the party?”

She almost had me, but–

“You don’t need to make things up for attention, sweetheart.”

Really? That’s what she finished with?

How dare she think I want into their little club after the rest of the family had basically rejected me? This wasn’t a treat for me. I liked hiding in the shadows. This family was full of dramatics, and I could not fathom why she thought I would want to fit in after all this time.

Before I got a chance to refute her, a yelp and a crash sounded from outside the room.

Before I knew it, my mom was rushing out of the room. Once my mind caught up, I quickly followed behind her.

The crime scene was laid out in front of us: the corner of the heirloom rug was curled over, Ophelia slowly sitting up and inspecting her scratched knees. My eyes trailed to her side, breath catching in my throat.

Her glasses had broken in two.

It… actually happened?

The room stood in shock. It had happened.

I finally overcame my surprise. With a smirk, I triumphantly announced, “You see? I saw.”

 

[The Daily Diviner]

Can You Keep a Secret?
Original Works
Written by Silquer
Edited by kvmw
​

There is an unused storage room in Hogsworth that remains, for the most part, untouched. It’s small, dusty, and full of useless things: old brooms, unbound pages from a book long lost under the crates and barrels, and even the occasional rat.

A young ghost lived here (an unfortunate accident had changed his residency status at the castle permanently), and although it cannot be said he livened the place, he certainly made it home. He collected countless trinkets and belongings from his own time being alive at Hogsworth, and although it was no Common Room, it was his home.

He was a decidedly lonely ghost. The other ghosts of the castle were too old (and ghastly) for him to be close to any of them, and the actual students were too alive for him to be friends with, so he remained invisible.

That all changed one Saturday morning as he sat in his storage room, sulking behind a crate. Suddenly, from the silence, he heard a giggle from the hallway and a scattering of whispers just beyond the storage room door before it was thrown open by two students.

So startled was the ghost, he very nearly revealed himself, but he hid behind a crate with wide eyes as a tremble ran through his invisible form. The students were laughing and talking as they closed the door behind them, and they began setting something up on the floor. Peeking out from behind the crate, the ghost could see a collection of maps scattered on the stone.

“What are you doing here?” the ghost asked, much to his surprise. The two students shrieked in shock; the ghost was quick to shush them.

“Who are you?” one student asked.

“Where are you?” asked the other.

“I’m hiding in a secret spot,” the ghost replied quickly before they could look for themselves. “I’m a second year.”

“So are we,” exclaimed the first student. They seemed to have calmed down quickly after the shock. “The name’s Clay, and this is Andal.”

Andal gave a little wave that the ghost returned automatically before remembering he was rather transparent.

“What about you?”

He panicked. “You can call me Ghost,” he said, wincing.

There was silence from the students before Clay laughed. “That’s a really cool nickname.”

Crisis averted. “Thank you.”

The two students conferred with each other, turning away from the crate and speaking in hushed whispers. Finally, they turned back.

“Say, Ghost, can you keep a secret?” Andal asked.

“Sure.”

“Andal and I are trying to sneak into Honeysweets. We’re searching for a hidden passage.”

Andal nodded his head. “And we’ve decided to make this our base of operations. Do you want in?”

The ghost hesitated but decided that he had nothing to lose. “Why not,” he replied, and the other two began murmuring excitedly.

“Okay, we’ll meet back here in two days.”

Two days passed quickly. The ghost already knew exactly which passageway to use; for once, he was appreciative of his ghostly form. When the three reconvened that afternoon after classes were dismissed, the ghost was ready.

“There’s a passage under a gargoyle on the fourth floor that leads to Honeysweets. You can use that to sneak right into the basement.”

Clay and Andal were stunned, but immediately recovered and both grinned wildly.

“Perfect. We can use it today, right Clay?” Andal asked.

“Yeah. You coming with, Ghost?”

Oh, that was unexpected. When was the last time he had been asked to go on an adventure with a friend?

“You go without me,” the ghost managed to mumble out. The two exchanged a curious glance but nodded anyway.

“See you soon, Ghost!” Andal called behind him as the students left the storage room. “We’ll bring back sweets for you.”

It took two days for them to return. Just as he was preparing to give up hope, the storage room door opened, and Clay and Andal slipped inside sheepishly.

“Ghost? Are you there?” Clay asked into the empty air.

The ghost hummed in response.

“Oh, good.” Andal breathed a sigh of relief. “I was worried you forgot about us.” That was funny. Him, forgetting the kindness of two new friends? He would have thought it was the other way around. Andal continued, “We may have been caught and got detention.”

“That’s why we didn’t come sooner. Sorry,” Clay apologized.

“It’s alright,” the ghost replied. “Did you at least have fun?”

“Of course!” Andal exclaimed.

“Absolutely worth it,” Clay added. “We should probably get going though. Curfew, and all. Do you want to meet here again tomorrow?”

“Yes,” the ghost answered, but his mind was elsewhere. The two made for the door, but before they could reach the handle, the ghost made a decision.

“Wait,” he began. The two stopped and turned. “Can you keep a secret?”

Andal and Clay looked at each other, then nodded.

The ghost stepped out from behind the box, and for the first time in a while, revealed himself.

“You’re a ghost?” Clay exclaimed, jaw open.

“That’s so cool!” Andal added, rubbing his hands together with a devious twinkle in his eye. “Why didn’t you tell us? Think of all the mischief we can get into.”

“Andal’s right, Ghost. The school has no idea what’s hit them…”

For the first time since becoming a ghost, he sat down with friends to discuss mischief and felt content.