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!
Two large suitcases that looked like they have travelled all around the world dropped at his feet as he let go of them with his hands. He stopped in the middle of the entrance with the wooden double doors open wide. The sun as setting behind the dark lake in the distance, and the view also showed the unused track that led to Hogsmeade. His hazel eyes shifted to blue as he looked at the familiar large staircase that led up to the higher levels of the castle. It has been so long, since he was here last.
Taking a deep inhale, Ulric felt bound to the place his feet had stopped walking, and he just found himself standing and beaming upwards as his eyes turned back to normal. Dirty blonde hair fell in front of them, and he slowly reached up to run his fingers through it to brush the locks away. He then found the buttons to his winter cloak and took it off, exposing a pair of highly tattooed arms as sleeves of his worn-out shirt were rolled up. It was stuffed carelessly down a pair of slightly ragged black pants that disappeared into heavy army boots.
He probably looked like a homeless junkie who had gotten lost, but Ulric did not care. He had at least put on a shirt for this occasion! He chewed on the back of his cheek as he wondered whether he should go to the headmaster’s office, or just go straight up to the Hospital Wing on first floor. After all, all staff members should know that the new healer would be arriving today. Him, the new healer at Hogwarts… It sounded almost surreal.
Post by ASTRID SØRENSEN on Oct 8, 2019 8:33:38 GMT
Finishing her trek down the stairs of the grand staircase, Astrid was intent on going to fill her stomach with some food - veggies, beans, lentils, anyone? - and chat with some of her more... exciting coworkers, like Almir, the man she'd discovered who was like a giant teddy bear, or Alicia who she had seen... more than one side of, before realising that the woman worked at Hogwart, when a bizarre figure standing near the two double doors caught her eyes.
It was a man, too old to be a student with tattoos peeking out of his well-worn t-shirt. It took a moment, as it often did, for Astrid to recall the words of Professor O'Connor in the staff room. They were getting a new healer, one to replace the cranky old lass who'd quit mere days after Astrid had arrived, quoting that she was too irritated with the constant influx of students who weren't actually sick but just skivving off instead.
A solemn crossing her face, Astrid moved towards the man with a whacky wave of her arms, akin to the moves she'd seen Trelawney put on back in the day when she'd taught Astrid. "I've been expecting you," she said, attempting to make her voice as 'mysterious' as possible before cracking a smile and dropping the act entirely. Striking out her hand, she said, "Astrid. I'll give you three goes to guess what I teach."
Ulric had not expected a welcoming committee, but he was happy that the first person he met upon his arrival was not a student. He would have recognized her immediately, if she had worn a Hufflepuff uniform, but now that they were ten years older the man did not know the woman who came at him. She was quite pretty though. Tanned skin, long dark hair and a strange eerie aura surrounded her.
She moved her arms around and said with a mysterious voice that she had been expecting him. Resembling a bit too much the former divination professor. What was her name again? Trelawney something… Ulric had not taken divination back at school, because he considered the subject to be completely whacko. Nevertheless, he did not want to give this stranger the satisfaction of guessing her act, so instead he crossed his arms as his eyebrows went all the way up in surprise, and he even took a step back.
“Well, from what you have just said, I actually expect you to be the caretaker or something.” He smirked and tilted his head slightly after hearing her name. “Wait a minute…” Ulric narrowed his eyes. “Didn’t we have detention together once?”
He vaguely remembered that he had managed to call the young Hufflepuff girl Ass-Turd. Ulric had been caught playing fanged frisbee with Nessie, and he remembered having been forced to clean slug jars with a Hufflepuff that looked very much like professor Astrid.
“Ass-trid… I am Ulric Pitt… So, you teach here now? How long have you done that for?”
Post by ASTRID SØRENSEN on Oct 8, 2019 12:34:04 GMT
"Yeah, we've got your grave out the back. Surprise. It's a new service we offer, man, you get to climb in yourself," Astrid teased, before suddenly... realisation appeared to hit the man, and he asked if they had detention together back in Hogwarts. Wait a second...
Astrid's dark eyes skimmed the man once more, this time picturing him minus the tattoos that marked his skin. She didn't have the best of memories, but the mention of sharing detention with him, along with his name, was starting to get the cogs into motion. Clicking her fingers at him, an easy grin returned to her face once more. "Yeah, you did. Ul-cer, right? You called me Ass-Turd. I think you expected me to burst into tears or something," she said with a shrug.
Was that the detention that Astrid had been sent to for loudly protesting the riding of hippogryffs in Care of Magical Creatures? Or the one where she'd been caught climbing trees in the forest in the middle of the night? Or on one notable occasion, she'd been caught skinning dipping in the prefect baths with some pretty prefect by the unimpressed Head Girl? It was hard to say and Astrid squinted as she thought back. "What was I in there for again? Wait, what were you in there for?"
"Mm hmm, yep. Divination, two months. Last one left after the winter ball attack," she said. The last one had cracked under pressure, it seemed, by everyone asking why she hadn't predicted that particularly event happening - like she was able to choose what predictions she had, when it didn't work like that. "You're the new healer, right? Worked in a school before, or just St. Mungos?"
”Yeah, I probably did!” Ulric said as he rubbed his chin when the woman remembered him calling her Ass-Turd back in the days. “Not one of my brightest moments.” He made an apologetic grimace while thinking back at his younger self and how stupid he had been.
Ulric was not considered a bully, nor was he a part of any pureblood Slytherin gang. He and his friends kept to themselves and rarely cared for any other students – nor professors… Which often got them in trouble. It had after all not been his first detention for playing fanged frisbee in the hallways. He bit his bottom lip while placing a hand on each hip, trying to remember what Astrid had gotten in trouble for.
“I don’t remember… But I do remember you saying something I considered rather stupid… Was it a protest? Did you protest against anything? House Elves’ Rights?” Ulric tried to recall. “I was in detention for playing fanged frisbee. As if cleaning jars would teach me a lesson.” He grinned with an eyeroll.
He has heard about the Winter Ball attack, and he felt sad for not having been there and helping out. If Ulric had only been hired a few months earlier, then maybe he could have done something. It seemed like Astrid was also fairly new among the staff crew.
“I was at St. Mungos before. Janus Thickey Ward… And prior that I worked in the Magical Bugs Ward.” Ulric replied. “So, what do you think about working at Hogwarts so far? Are you tired of the kids yet? And what an eventful Winter Ball you all must have had.”
Post by ASTRID SØRENSEN on Oct 9, 2019 9:58:12 GMT
At the apology - or at least, kind of apology, Astrid shrugged. "What's in the past is in the past. Can't change it, just move on from it," she offered up. During her time overseas, travelling the world, she'd learned that lesson and it was invaluable. She couldn't change what had happened to Hogwarts in 2016, she had no conceivable way of doing so, and her employment at the school now... well, she just hoped that somehow she could make a positive impact at the school.
The way Ulric bit his lip, hands placed on his hips, made him look so very serious. Almost like a grandpa about to tell kids to get off his lawn that he'd taken so much care tending to. Fiddling with the braids in her hair, running over fingers over the bumps of each one, Astrid waited patiently until the man answered, jogging her memory. "Oh, yeah! That's... what was it..." Astrid clicked her fingers. "Hippogriff rights. Didn't think they should be kept on the grounds, ridden by students. I mean, what did they do to deserve such a fate? I still think they should be allowed to roam free instead of being kept in the forest to be inspected like some sort of specimen instead of a creature." Looking back on the memory fondly, despite Ulric calling it stupid, Astrid tacked on, "It was a peaceful protest. I just laid on Hagrid's pumpkin patch and refused to move for dinner until Sprout came out and gave me an earful. Despite my beliefs... I was a good girl who obeyed any Professor with a stern tone and got up quick smart."
Ulric stated that cleaning jars didn't teach him a lesson about playing with a fanged frisbee and Astrid let out a laugh because detention had deterred her from innocent troublemaking either really. "How many more times did you end up in detention after that?"
The mention of St. Mungos... it brought back not so pleasant memories. Had he been there after she'd been involuntarily committed all those years ago after her breakdown? "When did you start there?" she asked simply, before shrugging once more. "I think out of all the classes, I have the least amount of kids... and trouble makers, really. I'm finding it quite enjoyable, as a whole though. Most of the children who take divination are truly interested in the art which is nice. I arrived just after the Winter Ball. Are you looking forward to working in the hospital wing?"
”When I come to think of it, Hagrid was not particularly nice to the creatures he kept. He always imprisoned them somehow, because he had a weird obsession with large animals. Didn’t he also hide an acromantula in a box when he was a kid, or was that just a rumour?” Ulric asked and chuckled when Astrid mentioned that professor Sprout had come and given her and earful. “I remember professor Sprout. She had a very high-pitched voice.”
He remembered how Hagrid had always grown large pumpkins in his garden, and Ulric wondered if they were still there. Well, not the exact same pumpkins, but if there were still many pumpkins and ravens. He made a mental note to himself to go down there and check to see what has changed and what has remained the same. Ulric did not know that February was not the season for pumpkins.
“I have no idea how many times I got in detention. I did not keep count… But maybe… Once every second month… If that can do it.” He scratched the back of his head as he tried to recall.
When Astrid asked when he had started at St. Mungos, Ulric sent her a smile.
“Right after graduation. First as a trainee, then as a healer.” He replied and suddenly realized that he has been there for quite some years until now. “It feels strange leaving that place, but I feel that I will get more challenge caring for students here. Then I do not have to stick to only one department or damage. I need to use all of my skills.”
He nodded when Astrid told him about her class.
“I can imagine that those who are taking divination are students who have an actual interest in the subject. After all, it is an elective, so you won’t get any of those who are sick and tired of it like you do in the mandatory classes.” Ulric shrugged. “And yeah, I look forward to start… I guess, I am up for the challenge. So it is just a dance on roses being a professor, or are there less jolly days?”
Post by ASTRID SØRENSEN on Oct 10, 2019 8:02:32 GMT
Finally, finally someone saw the point Astrid had been trying to make for years and she raised her hands, shaking them with empathetic eyes because, "Exactly. I mean, the dude's nice and stuff, don't get me wrong, but keeping all those beautiful creatures imprisoned and locked up? It's not cool." Astrid had vaguely heard the rumour about the acromantula in a box circulating once or twice, and she grimaced. "Yeah, he kept them in a box... but how'd he get ahold of an acromantula in the first place? They're native to Borneo, not Scotland." The idea of somebody smuggling a creature out of the country they belonged to and into a foreign land hurt Astrid's heart in more way than one. It just wasn't right.
Astrid frequented detention quite a bit less than Ulric, it appeared. She was in there once in a blue moon, usually for more innocent wrongdoings, and she wondered out loud, "What was the wildest thing you did to land yourself in there?"
"So seven years of your life dedicated to healing. That's some heavy commitment right there," Astrid said with a hum, before nodding. It made sense him coming to Hogwarts with his explanation because he could utilise all the skills he'd learned during his traineeship, make the most of his qualifications as a healer. "So, you a workaholic then?"
"Yeah, those who are into the art... or just view it as a fun course to skivv off on. You should read some of the dream journals I end up with from some of the students," Astrid replied with a laugh because just yesterday, she received a journal going into great depth about a dream of people have waffles for heads and then self cannibalising right at the end. "Mm, I haven't really had less jolly days -" Purely because the actions of students usually left her unbothered, "- but I know Ariella, the potions professor, had a boy down a bottle of wine the other day, and then curse out her family... I can't imagine the wine was very nice though. Would have tasted better if it were tequila instead."
She was joking, of course, the corners of her mouth twitching. She wasn't sure if Willy - who actually took Divination - had woken up on the wrong side of bed that day, or if Ariella had said something to rub him the wrong way, but... it had sounded like quite the messy situation, and resulted in a lot of house points being docked.
”I have no idea how he managed to sneak an acromantula into the country, but the man was not smart. I never liked him very much. He always seemed to get in trouble, and he was extremely clumsy. I know that he didn’t graduate because he was expelled, but I believe that he would not even be able to take his N.E.W.T.S in the first place.” Ulric said, not feeling very sorry for Hagrid, because it was a man he had rarely interacted with.
The idea of him having a weakness for dangerous creatures and working at a place like Hogwarts seemed silly, because he was clearly putting many students in danger. As if Hogwarts was not dangerous enough without having a half giant around with a fascination for beasts.
“The wildest thing I have ever gotten detention for?” Ulric had to think for a moment. “I accidentally released some dangerous fireworks in a classroom filled with first years. No one got hurt, but the walls were completely black afterwards and some of the tables were burnt down.” He replied scratching his head – Ulric had no idea what made him want to practice healing, because he tended to get people in very dangerous situations back when he was younger. “What about you?”
Calling him a workaholic felt strange, because Ulric did not see himself as one.
“Nah, I just like the subject. I don’t work a lot. I would much rather be on holiday… But my mortgage is not going to pay itself.” Ulric replied and listened to Astrid talking about her job, not really recognizing the name of the professor she was mentioning, but the situation sounded like one he could have gotten himself into, when he had been a student in his sixth or seventh year. “Isn’t divination a class you can easily cheat in? I mean, you can always make up dreams and just lie about what you see in the crystal balls…” He knew that he would definitely have played the teacher if he had taken divination back in the days.
Post by ASTRID SØRENSEN on Oct 11, 2019 8:09:54 GMT
Astrid didn't have much of an issue with Hagrid's intelligence or his clumsiness, mostly just his treatment of animals. "I didn't take Care of Magical Creatures because of him. I think it went too much against my morals," she said thoughtfully, bypassing Ulric's debate on whether Hagrid would have been able to pass his NEWTs or not. "I took Divination, and... uh..." Wait, what other subject had she taken? It was less than a decade ago and she couldn't exactly remember. Memory like a sieve, her mum used to say to her as a kid.
"Oh, shit. How'd you accidentally release them? Man, I bet the first years would have been terrified," Astrid mused. She wasn't particularly fond of fireworks - not when they were being let out in places like forests, harming the creatures who dwelt there. Ulric's question about what the wildest thing she had gotten detention for, however, had Astrid's lips twitching in a smile. "I got dared by someone to go skinning dipping in the lake. I was just about to drop trou too when Flitwick caught me. I've never seen someone turn so red in my life." She supposed most people would have been embarrassed to be caught near naked by their professor, but... well, Astrid had never thought nakedness was something to be ashamed of. You were born like that, why was it considered so scandalous?
"Mortgage... you own a house?" Astrid asked curiously. She was the same age, and hadn't even contemplated trying to save up and buy one. It sounded like a lengthy process and the thought of being stuck, tied to one place and one country until the mortgage had been paid? Terrifying. She'd rather spend her money on travelling anyway.
The subject came back around to divination and how easy it was to cheat in and Astrid shrugged. Sure, maybe. "I guess a lot of the kids take things too far. They don't really get that the simpler the lie, the easier it is to believe. I mean, waffles for head and self-cannibalism? It's... definitely too bizarre and I don't think the student really liked it when I said we'd be doing analysis of those dreams either."
Ulric nodded when Astrid told him that she had not taken Care of Magical Creatures because of Hagrid. He did not take the subject either because it did not interest him the slightest. And when she mentioned the obvious, she had taken divination as one of her electives. The man chuckled and bowed down to lift in his suitcases. They were enchanted to be as light as if they were empty. He walked towards the staircase in front of them and took a seat on the third step. He was tall, almost 6ft 4, and his long legs reached the ground easily. He leaned his elbows against his knees and looked at Astrid.
So, how do you accidentally release fireworks? One might ask. Well, it had been a complete miscalculation from his part, because he had thought they were harmless. Besides, he was sure that Nessie had put him up to this. Bad jokes were her department. He usually made good pranks.
“Well, I thought that it was some fireworks that would make a huge farting noise once you threw them inside and make brown smoke rise up for a minute before disappearing. I had accidentally switched them, so the ones I threw into the classroom were for outdoors use.” He looked down at his tattooed hands as he chuckled – yeah, as if there were some fireworks that were made to be used inside…
Hearing about Astrid being caught skinny dipping in the lake, sent the weirdest images of tentacles, giant squids and small animated girls inside his head. Damn, those moronic muggleborn friends he had, who had showed him some weird cartoons on their… What did they call it again? Comb-pewter? Fortunately, he kept his thoughts to himself.
“I can imagine that Filch had a blast once he came back to his chambers!” Ulric arched an eyebrow as his hazel eyes looked teasingly back at Astrid. “Did you go swimming with someone in particular?”
When she asked about his house, Ulric shrugged and ruffled his dirty blonde hair.
“Yeah, I had some inheritance after my parents died, so I could afford to buy a little place of my own after my graduation.” He shrugged.
Ulric rarely talked about his parents, so when they started talking about students who Astrid had caught lying in her class, he let out a loud laughter.
“That definitely sounds like an interesting dream to analyse!”
Post by ASTRID SØRENSEN on Oct 12, 2019 12:15:12 GMT
As Ulric moved towards the grand staircase, Astrid followed him out of pure curiousity. Was he going to lead her somewhere exciting? Take her on an adventure? But then he sat down on a step, his long legs dangling in front of him, and it appeared he was stationary for the moment. Leaning back against the railing, Astrid decided on not sitting down. She liked to have the freedom to move as she needed to and sitting didn't allow that. Instead, she watched as Ulric leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.
Then he started talking about fireworks that farted with brown smoke and she let out a laugh, her head tilting back because okay, right. Fart fireworks sounded so much better than regular fireworks. "How long did you end up with detention for?" she asked, eyes lit up with amusement.
"Yeah, for some reason... Flitwick never looked me in the eye again after that." It could have been because he only come up to her knee before that, but Astrid like to think she'd embarrassed him too much. Old people and their old ways. She thought for a moment on Ulric's question, clicking her tongue before saying, "Well, if I remember correctly I was hoping to convince the person who had dared me to join in once I was starkers, but that didn't happen. I think it was some... chick? Er... Cami, maybe? Or... maybe it was some dude, er... Westwick or something or rather."
"Your parents... they been gone long?" Astrid asked, head tilting in curiosity. Most people were too afraid to broach the subject, too afraid of death in general but it was inevitable. There were fates far worse than death and Astrid had seen them in her predictions.
How long did he end up getting detention for? Ulric did not remember, but what he remembered was scrubbing the walls clean until they were spotless. Back then it had felt like an eternity. But did it only take two weeks? He had honestly no idea. He just remembered the smell of the enchanted soap that was specially made for the walls.
“I have absolutely no idea. But I remember that I had to clean the classroom all by myself for days afterwards.” He told Astrid with a shrug.
Ulric was sure that he would not look Astrid in the eye either, if he had caught her skinny dipping when she was a student. It was a situation he hoped to never put himself in. Seeing someone your own age was no problem, but you could really get in trouble if it was one of the students. What if the accident was to get misinterpreted? He could lose his job as easily as he had gotten it.
“And did the other person end up skinny dipping with you?”
When Astrid asked for how long his parents had been gone, Ulric replied without much emotion in his voice. He has dealt with the loss and gotten over it.
“Nine years.” He said. “They were followers of Fenrir Greyback.”
Post by ASTRID SØRENSEN on Oct 15, 2019 6:03:30 GMT
"I guess that's a just punishment for letting off fireworks inside," Astrid said, letting out a chuckle. She'd probably dole out the same sort of one if someone were to let out explosives in her classroom... or perhaps not. Did she really want to sit and supervise someone carrying out detention? She had what felt like more imortant things to do.
Astrid shook her head at Ulric's question, grinning. "Nah, don't think so. I mean, I got caught literally with my pants around my ankles. Not much time for swimming after that," she said with a shrug before laughing, "Though... I did end up sleeping with Cami and Westwick later, I think. Not at the same time, but..."
During her time at school, Astrid had gained a reputation for being 'easy.' It wasn't an incorrect reputation either, but like nakedness, she had felt no shame over the title. She didn't think that safe sex between two consenting individuals was something to feel ashamed about and it wasn't about to influence the way she approached things either. "You dating anyone?" she asked Ulric suddenly, curious.
Followers of Fenrir Greyback... the name made a shiver travel down Astrid's spine. He had been responsible for starting the Trossachs in the first place, then surpassed by his son as alpha... and the Trossachs had been the reason the 2016 attack had happened in the first place, or so rumour had it. "How do you feel about werewolves?"
Two large suitcases that looked like they have travelled all around the world dropped at his feet as he let go of them with his hands. He stopped in the middle of the entrance with the wooden double doors open wide. The sun as setting behind the dark lake in the distance, and the view also showed the unused track that led to Hogsmeade. His hazel eyes shifted to blue as he looked at the familiar large staircase that led up to the higher levels of the castle. It has been so long, since he was here last. 
