With the capture of Verandi Farley and several high-ranking Trossach members, the British wizarding world has finally caught a break. The rate of rogue werewolf attacks have started dropping at a steady rate and, hopefully, things will stay that way. The Ministry is starting to loosen some restrictions, like not arresting werewolves standing on the street for loitering, however there’s still an obvious power imbalance between wizardfolk and werewolves.
The Cotswolds pack are continuing to advocate for the rights of werewolves and petitioning to change the legislation that has been set in motion by the current Minister for Magic, whilst the remaining Trossachs members are trying to stay out of the spotlight and keep a low profile… for now.
Whilst the British wizarding world seems to have calmed down, the same cannot be said for over in Northern Europe where a rebellion of magical creatures has risen. The state of things has gotten so bad that the European Ministry has enacted protocols to protect those under eighteen whilst their adult witches and wizards fight to keep control of their countries.
Students from Durmstrang have been sent to Hogwarts to keep them safe and those not old enough to attend school have been sent to live with relatives or designated British Ministry officials outside of Europe for the time being.
Will the low rates of werewolf attacks in Britain continue? How long will Durmstrang students stay at Hogwarts? Will the creatures usurp the wizardfolk in Northern Europe? Only time will tell.
SEPTEMBER 2019 It's been a very long, eventful summer in the wizarding world. A baby was stolen, several high ranking Trossach members were imprisoned, and werewolf attacks have drastically dropped as a result. What will happen now school has returned?
MAY 2019 An attempt to capture the beta of the Trossachs has been launched. Were the Aurors successful in their mission? Go read more here!
With a clearing of his throat after watching his students file in - well, most of them, there were definitely a few latecomers who were going to receive detention and a docking of house points - Jack decided to jump straight into his lesson, the features of his face transforming into an expression of complete seriousness.
"Good afternoon everyone. Today's lesson is a very, very important one, and I'm going to start by reassuring everyone that we will not be performing the following spells we're discussing, nor will we be viewing them. We're just going to stick to a discussion today," Jack began, eyes sweeping over all of his students before he announced what they'd be talking about today. "We're going to be discussing the three Unforgivable Curses. Now, I'd like you to raise your hand if you can tell me one curse and what it does."
For Jack, this was often the hardest subject to teach. Even more difficult than werewolves or boggarts or the like. When he was in Hogwarts as a sixth year, he'd became very well-acquainted with the Cruciatus curse, and just... torture in general. His back was proof of that, littered in scars that had been too deep to heal by the time Madam Pomfrey had come to save him from the Carrows, hidden deep away in the dungeons. But the scars Jack had endured from that experience and his sixth year at Hogwarts in general... they weren't just physical. They were mental too, and it had taken him a long time to recover from it.
6'0". IRISH. BIG HEART. LOYAL. BRAVE. WORKAHOLIC. BISEXUAL. SINGLE. distinguishing features: a big scar runs across jack's left cheek credit for award goes to ollie! <3
Clary was still feeling a bit dreamy as she walked into defense against the dark arts class, her eyes on the professor. He looked very serious and right there and then she decided he will get a hug at the end. He seemed to need a hug. The girl sat down next to an empty seat hoping someone fun will join her and bit her lip as the professor spoke about unforgivable curses and right there and then she started to shiver. Those were nasty and one actually killed someone.
She rose her hand and frowned. "I - I can't pronounce it but the death curse... when you use it... the other person dies.. even when you hit their finger." she said and felt her cheeks flush red. "Why are they called unforgivable professor? I mean I assume sorry doesn't really count when that is used against you but why not just call them curses?" she asked a bit rambling.
"Sorry." she lowered her hand and fidled with her fingers.
With a scowl on his face, Greyson made his way into Defense Against the Dark Arts just in time. It wasn't that he feared being late - oh, no, big house deduction points, how scary - but it was because he was bored out of his bloody mind and when O'Connor removed the impressively large stick out of his arse, then sometimes they got to do shit like dueling one another. Often that resulted in Greyson being hurt which he liked and hurting others which he also liked. It was a win win really.
Sitting down next to the girl with the weird arse hair who had done a surprisingly not bad job of snogging him at that spin the bottle party, Greyson ran his eyes over her. She was pretty fit as long as she kept her mouth firmly shut so those silly little squeals didn't escape her.
As O'Connor introduced the topic of the day, Greyson wanted to let out the longest groan known to man because unforgivable curses? Been there, done that, watched his dad kill Cassidy's dad with it whilst huddled up in the corner with her. Sending a glance over his shoulder at Gabe, then at Cassidy, he wondered if she could remember the day as clearly as he could... if it plagued her when she went to sleep at night, if she drank to forget it had ever happened, if it had helped aid the downward spiral of her life too.
Clearing his throat and wanting a bottle of some goddamn booze stat as the memories of that day start flooding his brain, Greyson lifted his head to stare at the ceiling. He didn't want to talk about this - not now, not ever.
Now they were talking! Mark peeked up from behind the book he was reading while the professor had settled down the class after the last students have found their seats. He was leaned casually backwards against the back of his chair as a lock of dark hair fell in front of his eyes. The three unforgivable curses. Well, listing them as unforgivable was debatable… After all, didn’t it depend on who they were used against? Were they so unforgivable if it was someone who deserved to die or get tortured a little?
“Why don’t you want to say it?” He murmured behind the book uncertain whether Clarissa would hear him or not, before closing it, sighing and raising his hand. “Avada Kedavra!” Mark spoke out loud and looked at the professor. “Another is the Cruciatus Curse!”
He let someone else say the incarnation for that. No need to speak more than necessary. Mark did not want to reveal that he has read ahead on today’s lesson, because he could not wait to learn about these three dark curses. In his opinion, Dark Arts should be a part of the curriculum. And not only to talk about – to practice!
Cassidy wasn't prepared for this class, she wasn't prepared for the subject as she took a seat beside her best friend. The blonde watched the professor who suddenly turned very serious and spoke about the unforgivable curses. Of course her mind had drifted off back to the time where she was only a child, eight years old or so, when her uncle barged into the house and killed her father in front of her. The screams of her mother echoing in her head, the shock she experienced making her freeze.
Cassidy's eyes found Greyson's, for once they met and her sadness, her pain were visible in her entire features before she managed to look away from her cousin. His father killed hers and on that day both children were traumatized but where Greyson went downhill with his life, Cassidy hung onto her mother for dear life and her mother even when she was in pain always tried to give Cassidy the best she could. Cassidy swallowed a big lump in her dry throat, making her feel like she was about to choke.
"C-Casey I can't.." she wanted to leave but she knew she wasn't allowed to. It was then that Mark pronounced the spell out loud, making Cassidy flinch and lower herself in her seat some more. She wanted to be invisible. "Please let this be over soon.." She mumbled to her best friend, her eyes a little foggy from tears she was holding back.
The dead look of her father's eyes. Her hands clung onto the dogtags that belonged to him, squeezing it hard enough that they could cut her if she didn't relax soon.
Post by JUNAID ZALAYAT on Oct 7, 2019 20:01:44 GMT
To Jun this was a normal day of school until the subject was brought up. He didn’t have any personal experience with them, thank Allah. However, he could almost see Greyson tense up in front of him. He remembered the conversation they had. Junaid was ashamed still for his own behavior and words that day. But he understood Greyson a tiny bit better after hearing his story. This topic could probably be hard for him. Junaid wanted to be there for his friend, he didn’t even know if the friendship was mutual but Jun didn’t really care. The Hufflepuff leaned forward. “Hey if it gets a little too much, I wouldn’t mind coming up with something so you can leave to take a breather,” he whispered to the Gryffindor before him.
Aside from the tension from the topic, he also sensed another tension. This one was happening between Greyson and the girl sitting next to him. The prefect’s lips turned into a thin line. He couldn’t put his finger on it why but he didn’t quite like it.
Casey had been expecting anything but this subject, but as soon as the word unforgivable curses had left the Professor’s mouth, her eyes had landed on her best friend. The female can remember when Cassidy told her what had happened to her father, and it was the moment Casey swore she’d protect her friend from such talk. There were times when her friend would wake up screaming, and Casey would have to get out of bed to comfort her, even fall asleep beside her to make sure she was safe. There was no way this was going to be over anytime soon - and so she had grabbed her best friend’s hand, squeezing it gently.
The moment the killing curse was said out loud, she had sent Mark a cold hard glare and shook her head. Goddamn idiot. Good thing he didn’t have his damn wand raised when he called it out. ”Not cool, Grimstone. Don’t call out the actual curse.” she snapped, her hand not leaving Cassidy’s at all. She had scooted her chair closer, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as she wanted to make sure her friend was safe.
”The Cruciatus Curse is the one for torture. It inflicts excruciating pain on the recipient.” she stated. ”They’re all called the unforgivable curses because once you cast the spell, you’re life is ruined and off to Azkaban for the rest of your life.” she said, her eyes going straight for Mark.
Post by CLARISSA JONES on Oct 7, 2019 20:10:29 GMT
Clary noticed that Grey was sitting beside her and her body tensed a little but not in a bad way. She just didn't know what to do, how to act. What if he thought she was being a simple dumbass just by not being able to pronounce the curse that sounds like a bunch of pokemon smooshed together. Wait.. did the creators of pokemon know that? Or is that just a lucky shot? The girl almost let out a squeal but stopped herself when some guy whispered behind her.
"Because it sounds like a bunch of pokemon don't you think?" she whispered back before turning her attention to Greyson who didn't seem to be okay with this topic. She figured it was quite uncomfortable if you experienced it and somewhere in that messy brain a lightbulb flickered. Did he experience a curse? Dangnabbit that's not nothing!
"Hey.. you should totally give me one of those." she nodded at his tattoos. "Sounds fun." she said and then turned her attention back to the class.
Finally some actual quality content. Were they going to learn curses and how to protect yourself against them? Now that was what Dio needed in his life. The future before him after Hogwarts looked like it was going to be riddled in darkness and violence. He’d better step in prepared. So this was one of those rare moments where the Slytherin was actually somewhat paying attention. They lost him when they started talking about Pokemon whatever that might be.
However something did cause a confused look on Dio’s face. The blonde arched and eyebrow and started mumbling. “Wait, the cruciatus spell isn’t illegal, right? My ma uses it all the time when I-” His mouth was ahead of his brain. But when it caught up, Dio quickly closed his mouth. “Oh-” The Slytherin went awfully pale when his mind put the combination together. Shit. Now he’d said some things. Dio went quiet now, trying to come up with a way to talk himself out of this one if someone started asking questions.
Charlie was all ready for the lesson in Defense Against the Dark Arts because it’s a class she actually enjoyed. To her, the professor was pretty awesome and she always enjoyed learning new things in this class. So when she had arrived for the lesson of the day, she had taken a seat and had taken out her book, and parchment paper to be prepared. Her hands were folded in front of her as she heard what the lesson of the day was, and her heart dropped a bit. Sure, this was bound to happen sometime but she wasn’t expecting it to be today of all days.
But she remained silent, her eyes on the professor, and she listened to the students speak. Truth be told, she almost jumped out of her skin when the Slytherin boy had yelled the killing curse, and she was about to speak up before the Ravenclaw seeker had lectured him. Idiot. she had thought before she heard her sister’s comment.
Her eyes landed on her, and she made a face. ”Weirdo…” she had mumbled under her breath, watching her sister. Was she flirting with Greyson? She had no idea, but she was not liking this.
When Clarissa Jones, an eager young Gryffindor raised her hand, Jack called on her and listened to what she to say. She was talking about the Killing Curse, one Mark Grimstone provided the incantation for a moment later, ending up with him getting chided by Casey Stevens who sat beside an upset-looking Cassidy Mason. A twinge of sympathy hit Jack because he knew the girl's history when it came to Unforgivable Curses, however... he still needed to talk about them. It was apart of the curriculum and crucial information for those doing their OWLs.
"Five points to Gryffindor, Clarissa. You're talking about the Killing Curse which uses the incantation that Mark just called out. I know that it's a difficult phrase to hear for some, as are the rest of the incantations for these curses, however... simply saying the spell out loud won't cause anyone harm, I assure you," Jack said with a nod. "Five points to Ravenclaw, Casey. Thank you for answering Clarissa's question. Anyone who uses these spells gets a life sentence to Azkaban, provided the Ministry can prove it."
The next curse that came up was the Cruciatus Curse, and after steeling himself at the mention of it, Jack gave a curt nod. "Five points to Slytherin because you're correct, Mark, another is the Cruciatus Curse. You've gained another five points for Ravenclaw, Casey, because that's exactly what the spell does - it's... a very, very painful curse to be hit with, I assure you. But the effects all depend on the caster - for the person hit with it to be in truly excruciating pain, the caster must despise the victim and enjoy causing pain." Before moving along to the last Unforgivable, however, Dio Greyback spoke up and Jack fell quiet as he caught the boys words. The cruciatus spell isn't illegal, right? My ma uses it all the time when I - Immediately, Jack's stomach plummeted, especially as he saw how quickly Dio's lips slammed shut and caught his paler than usual appearance. He made a mental note to talk to the boy after class, and urgently at that.
Moving along for now, however, Jack prompted the rest of the class: "There's one more Unforgivable we've yet to list, everyone. Who can tell me the third curse and what effects it has?"
6'0". IRISH. BIG HEART. LOYAL. BRAVE. WORKAHOLIC. BISEXUAL. SINGLE. distinguishing features: a big scar runs across jack's left cheek credit for award goes to ollie! <3
Frankie had sat silently in the front as she thought about the unforgivable curses, her mind heading straight to the night her parents were murdered. The real killer was still out there, and she wanted justice for her parents and her now deceased brother. Sure, the curses weren’t used in the murders, but the moment the words that had left the Slytherin’s mouth, and the reaction it had on Cassidy Mason, she needed to speak up but instead the Ravenclaw seeker had snapped at the boy.
She had raised her hand to answer the last question. ”The Imperius Curse. It’s like a mind control spell. It puts the target in a dreamlike state and.they’re usually calm, and doing what they’re not able to do normally.” she said.
”What is a… pokee-moun?” Mark asked the red-haired Gryffindor, assuming she talked about the names of some strange magical creatures – or house elves.
Then Casey snapped at him for saying the incarnation out loud. Mark slowly turned to look at her, narrowing his eyes and striking up a conversation in his mind with the Ravenclaw. It is not like saying out an incarnation would automatically send a spell at someone. Especially not a curse as difficult as the death curse. Has she not read the books? One needed to truly want the victim dead in order for the curse to work. He was not even sure he would be able to produce anything but some sparks if he had found his wand and pointed at the professor… bla bla bla, bla bla bla.
Mark really wanted to open his mouth and say these things to the Ravenclaw, but he did not dare. He was not a kid that caused trouble in class, and he did not want detention for speaking out of turn. Yet, as the professor said exactly what Mark had been saying to Casey (in his head), he arched an eyebrow at the girl, mimicking “see?” and smirked. The girl probably had no idea what he was looking at her for, because the conversation never happened.
He could feel the tension in the class from several students. Why were they so darn scared of talking about these things? Knives could kill too, but you didn’t see anyone freak out each time they ate dinner. He took a deep inhale and turned his attention away from Casey giving Cassidy a small smile before rereading the section about the Cruciatus Curse.
“Professor?” Mark raised his hand and spoke quietly – for some reason, hoping that only the man could hear him. “What would happen if you demonstrated one of these curses… on a spider, for example? Is that not allowed either?”
And did you have to have your wand out all the time, while your victim is under the influence of the Imperius Curse? Do you say your orders in your head, or do you need to speak out loud? He had so many more questions, he omitted from asking.
Cassidy snapped out of her bad memory flashbacks by Casey's touching her and she just felt really grateful right there and then. Cassidy gave her a small smile, the only one she could manage and just looked at the professor who gave people housepoints for giving the right answers. Cassidy didn't blame him for wanting to teach these subjects, she read the books and it was required for them to pass their owls.
Mark then asked a question after he gave Cassidy a small smile and she shook her head. No don't hurt a poor creature. "P-please don't..." she said and frowned for a moment. "Why would the professor desire to hurt a poor spider? Make it scream in pain? It's not right." she commented with a shaky voice and just looked at Casey with the question I'm right right? on her expression.
"Though, not all people can be subdued by the curse professor.." she said raising her hand slowly after Frankie answered. "There are some of strong mind and will who have been able to resist the curse.. it's rare but it happens." she added and bit her lip.
Casey had smiled back at Cassidy as the professor awarded their house their house points. She had kept a protective arm around her friend’s shoulder, sending Mark a glare when he asked about doing the spells on a spider. If she didn’t need to comfort her friend because of this traumatizing subject, she would have happily gotten out of her seat, and slapped the Slytherin hard across his face but instead, she had remained next to her friend, and just watched Mark for a moment then looked at Cassidy. ”I highly doubt he would show off the curses.” she told her friend in a low tone.
She moved her head to the side, leaning it on Cassidy’s head for a moment. ”I don’t think it’s wise to do the spells in class.” she had said out loud. ”And if he decides he wants to do them. I will be taking Cassidy out of here.” she said, stroking her friends arm.
”Damn idiot.” she mumbled only for Cassidy to hear her.