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!
"Thank you," Jack said warmly to the person at the counter as he gratefully accepted the two beverages he had ordered - a coffee for himself and a tea for Padma who he was expecting to arrive from her break at any moment. Well... hopefully was expecting. Things weren't always the most punctual in a hospital with the constant influx of patients and everything.
Taking a seat at a nearby table, Jack pulled out a magazine from his bag along with a muggle pencil, flipping open to the page with the latest crossword he'd started attempting. He'd only put pencil to paper when the sound of footsteps approached and glancing up, Jack broke into a smile. "It's good to see you, Padma," he said, before handing her the tea he'd ordered. "You can chuck it if it's not what you're after, but I figured since you're likely on call... it'd be good to have a tea here, ready to drink, just in case you get pulled away." With his explanation over, Jack put his pencil and magazine back into his bag before saying, "You said in your letter you wanted to talk to me about something in person?
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
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Post by PADMA JOSHI on Nov 1, 2019 3:03:26 GMT
Padma hurried up the stairs toward the visitors' tearoom, tapping her hands with her wand as she went, to clean anything that might be on them. She was a touch late to meet Jack, having been caught up in helping Lockhart back to his room--he was one of the more cooperative patients in the ward, but that didn't mean she could be any less patient with him. Finally she had gotten to go on her break, and she walked quickly, spotting her old friend nearly immediately.
"Good to see you too," she said, face breaking out into a smile. She slid into the seat across from Jack, accepting the tea gratefully. While she always made a particular kind of tea at home, she was happy to drink the tearoom's version when she needed a bit of relaxation in the middle of the day. She could already smell the aroma of tea from the steam rising from the cup, and breathed in deeply, letting herself unwind a little.
She'd asked to meet him in person, even though she knew he was busy, and to be fair, she was busy too, had struggled to carve time out of her day to meet with Jack at a time that he could get away from Hogwarts--but that was exactly why she'd asked. Something made her want to speak to a familiar face about her worries, not simply write letters and feel helpless.
"How are things going at school?" she asked, small talk that still managed to get at the point of what she was doing here with him. "The students have calmed down, I trust? Or has anyone else been causing trouble?" What Padma hoped was that all those who were causing unrest were being treated in this very hospital, but she feared there were others as well.
It was nice to see a smile don Padma's lips. It wasn't that she didn't often smile, but... it was good to see it replace the serious expression she usually wore, always focused on the task at hand and wanting to get the job done. He was quite accustomed to that look - he'd first been introduced to it way back in school when they'd worked alongside one another in Dumbledore's Army, then spent a hellish year under the Carrows reign. "How's work going?" he asked, watching as Padma gratefully accepted the tea, her shoulders seeming to loosen a notch as she breathed it in.
It turned out the first question that Padma had for him was about his work too and Jack let out a small chuckle, head shaking. "Workaholics, the both of us. Do your parents get on your case about never having time to see them too?" he said, lips twitching up into a smile. His certainly did although they worked hard too, always busy doing things on the farm. If they didn't work, they didn't have a livelihood, is what they'd always told him. Jack couldn't see them retiring for another... twenty odd years when they were well into their 70s. "School is good. A bit hectic, trying to get all the NEWT and OWL student ready for their exams in a couple of months."
At the question of trouble, Jack paused before admitting, "I can't say there's been zero trouble. Since Ms. Grimblehawk started after the school break, it seems like classes have just gotten more disruptive. They don't like her presence in the school, they feel like she's there to invade their privacy." And they weren't wrong. That's exactly what she was there to do, but Jack was powerless to stop them - hell, Hogwarts as a whole was powerless. A schooling institution was no match for the British Ministry, the people who literally ran the wizarding world in their country.
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
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Post by PADMA JOSHI on Nov 2, 2019 2:27:46 GMT
Of course, Padma hadn't expected Jack to say that things were perfect--they would never be; she was used to the world being unstable, unsteady. But what she had hoped is that perhaps the wizarding world had learned from their past mistakes. Essentially, she had been convinced that Hope--who she had only ever heard good things about, who had been given rules and goals so that her position at Hogwarts couldn't be abused--would calm the rumblings of war. They wouldn't install another Umbridge, they could never. Not after they'd won the war against people like her. Padma wanted to trust the Ministry; she was sure that so many people she knew and trusted were there--Harry Potter was the Head Auror, for Merlin's sake--that they would be able to avoid the threat of violence.
"Ah, yes, my parents say the same--but they get to watch the boys fairly often, so I think that helps them." It was small talk, but it reminded Padma of who she was meeting Jack about, who she wanted to protect most of all. She took a deep breath and long drink of her tea before continuing, feeling the weight of her worry settle in her chest. "You say that there's been a lot of backlash to Ms. Grimblehawk--who is it coming from? Has she overstepped the rules of her position, or are there students still to worry about?" In her own ward, they had been attempting to isolate Theo Nottingham, who seemed to be the leader of them all, but Padma had the uneasy feeling that it wasn't enough. "I worry often, you know. My kids--they're meant to start at school in the fall, but all this makes me want to keep them at home forever, you know?" The words came with a small smile, but her heart felt heavy. She had lost so many people already--she couldn't lose them.
"Ah, right. Ravi and Chandra - how are they, by the way? I haven't seen them in a while," Jack remarked. They'd be approaching the age where they'd start Hogwarts soon, if memory served right. He wondered whether they'd be sorted into the same house, or separated like Padma and Parvati had been at Hogwarts. In a way... perhaps it was better to be separated as twins because it gave you more of an opportunity to develop individually rather than as a duo, but was it a curse too? Having the title of 'Brave Twin' or 'Smart Twin' slapped onto you as a way of telling the difference wasn't likely great for one's self-esteem. "How's Parvati, by the way? I haven't seen her around much lately. What's she doing with herself?"
Unsurprisingly, Padma pushed on the subject of Ms. Grimblehawk. People wanted to know more about the Ministry presence at Hogwarts which was to be expected. There was a certain curiousity whether the woman was similar to Umbridge who'd been sent from the Ministry back in the 90s, or whether this Ministry official was different. "It's coming from the children, mostly. They feel like their privacy is being breached, like she's there to implant ideas of how awful werewolves are into their minds. I think a lot of it comes from fear - if they're writing to werewolves friends or relatives and they slip up on whereabouts or... say the wrong thing, then the Ministry may use that information to hunt down those people," Jack explained, lips twisting into a frown. He honestly wouldn't be surprised if that was exactly what was happening too. After all, the Ministry killed werewolves who were roaming about freely on a full moon instead of subduing them, and who was to say that the Ministry weren't murdering werewolves who were good people every other day of the month? "She hasn't overstepped. In fact, she's sticking to the rules of her position pretty firmly."
Jack nodded gently at Padma's admission of wanting to keep the boys home. "It's a frightening time to have kids in this world," he said, but he wondered if perhaps his words meant less to Padma because he wasn't a father himself. "But keeping them at home only stifles their ability to learn magic, stops them from reaching their full potential."
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
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Post by PADMA JOSHI on Nov 5, 2019 3:39:05 GMT
"Ravi and Chandra are well. They don't have quite the worries we do, so they're always cheerful." Padma had been so young when she'd started having to care about serious things. It came with the territory of being Harry Potter's classmate, she thought, but her own children deserved better. "They turned eleven in the fall, so they'll be in your class for the next year, provided everything goes well. Maybe they'll be Gryffindors, though I'm more partial to Ravenclaw, as you know." There was a good chance they would be Gryffindors, though, Padma thought; their father had been, one of Jack's very classmates, and she saw his face in theirs every day.
And Parvati had been, too, who shared her very own DNA--so who was to say the next generation wouldn't be just like her? "Parvati's moved out to Hogsmeade. She's got a whole project of turning Gladrags into a high fashion spot. I think she's much happier there--she hadn't been herself recently, not with hearing the name Greyback come into everyone's vocabulary again." It was impossible to forget the murder of someone you cared deeply about, and both Padma and Parvati knew that well.
She swirled her tea around in its cup, mixing the cream even further before taking another drink. "I'm glad to hear about Ms. Grimblehawk, though. I understand why the children might be upset--" oh, she knew, remembering their own secret society, "--but I think the Ministry's changed, you know? With our generation as leaders." So many of the old group had powerful positions now, Jack himself even being the Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts!
"I still worry, though." Worry, worry, worry--it was the thing Padma could never seem to get out of her mind. "I know I can't keep the boys at home with me forever, but after the attack, it's hard to send them off." She took a deep breath. "That's why I'm here. To ask you if you'll help protect them, when they're at school."
What Jack would give to be cheerful... sure, he had his happy moments. He had a decent few of them, in fact, but to be cheerful and carefree all of the time? It was enviable, but... it would never happen for him in this lifetime. He was always going to be worrying about the state of the world around him, his family and his friends. "I hope they continue to be worry-free, Padma. I... really hope that we can change the world before it gets worse," Jack admitted quietly. Was it naive to wish that? Maybe, but making the world better for generations to come... it would be nice. When Padma mentioned the twins would be in his class and their possible houses, Jack laughed and shook his head. "Maybe history will repeat itself and they'll be split into Gryffindor and Ravenclaw. I'm... partial to Gryffindor myself. House of the lions and bravery - stupid bravery, half of the time unfortunately." He was house proud, but he was also well aware of the fact that Gryffindors had the tendency to be rash and not think things through. He had done that a lot when he was younger... even now, although it was rare.
"Parvati's always been quite fashionable, hasn't she? I remember her in school, always making an effort to elevate the school uniform." He'd never had such a desire himself. He just pulled the uniform on, and that was that. No need for fashion when you were just going to class. At the mention of Greyback, Jack shook his head solemnly. It was an awful name to be hearing again, it really was, and with what had happened to poor Lavender Brown during the war all due to him... "That was such a horrible time, and given how close Parvati and her were... it would have hit her hard. Please let her know if there's anything I can do... I'll do it."
Jack disagreed with what Padma was saying, point blank. "I'd like to think that but... I can't. I don't think this Ministry is any better. I mean, they're trying to eliminate the rights of a whole group of people," Jack said, head shaking once more. There were a few bad apples when it came to werewolves, he understood that, but that didn't mean the entire werewolf population deserved to have their rights stripped from them. His sister definitely didn't deserve that happening to her.
Immediately, at Padma's request to help protect her boys, Jack was nodding, face drawn into a serious expression. "Of course I will, Padma. I promise. I'll keep an eye on them to the best of my ability," he told her, looking her straight in the eyes to show her that he meant 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
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Post by PADMA JOSHI on Nov 25, 2019 2:53:20 GMT
Merlin, Padma hoped her boys wouldn't end up full of stupid bravery. Regular bravery--that she hoped they had in spades, but she didn't want them running off into dangerous situations until they had studied much more. Even Dumbledore's Army had trained before they'd gone off into battle. "I want things to change too, Jack. I hoped it'd all be peaceful after the war, but I suppose people can't just let the world be," she said, sighing. "At least if they're in Gryffindor, they'll have you. The head of Ravenclaw--she was my roommate back in the day, and I always liked her, but her family, they aren't the best." Her family, they were the reason my husband died. "I would rather see them with you."
"You should go visit Parvati sometime, if you ever get enough of a rest to leave the castle again. I'm sure she'd love to see you." Parvati seemed stressed every time Padma checked on her, and she bet that seeing an old friend would help her sister as much as it was helping her. "Things are hard on her right now, but I think spending time with people helps. Gets her mind off it."
She set her elbows on the table, pursing her lips, trying to figure out how to respond to Jack's opinion of the Ministry. "It's tough, isn't it? You know there's people out there like Professor Lupin was--" the very man who had held Jack's job for some time when they'd been in school-- "but then you've got the Greybacks that are still out there, and their whole pack, and they can't just--get away with murder." There had been murder; there had been the attack on Hogwarts that some people, including Padma, were certain was the younger Greyback's fault. And there was that one poor boy down in the Dai Llewellyn Ward--she blamed him for that, too.
Merlin, did Jack relate to wanting peace post-war. Back when he was seventeen, he'd thought with Voldemort defeated, all the strife would end. and that everything would restore itself back to normal. He'd been wrong, very wrong. The nightmares that had plagued him ever since the torture he'd endured from the Carrows in sixth year had grown worst, and he'd been embedded with fear every time he had passed the dungeons after returning for his seventh year. It had been a rough time, one that didn't truly improve until he gathered enough courage to ask for help. Then of course, after a small lull of peace, things had returned back to hell in the late 2000s when Maggie was attacked and since then, things just kept tumbling downhill.
"Perhaps it's naive of me, but I just wish we could all live in peace one day. Life would just be so much easier, wouldn't it?" Jack mused, before nodding as Padma explained her reasoning for possibly wanting her boys to be in Gryffindor. "I can always advise Gwyneth to keep an extra eye on them, if need be? I know she's had a rough go of it with her family and all, but she's an excellent Head of House... hell, they all are. Zoe - she's the head of Hufflepuff - and one of the most caring women I know... and then Astoria, she wouldn't stop at anything to protect her students. They're all truly wonderful at their job." He sounded like he was waxing poetic about all of his colleagues and maybe he was, but they were the best group of Head of Houses he'd had the pleasure of working alongside for a long time.
"I'll try," Jack said, honesty in his eyes. He'd try and get out to see Parvati - he wasn't sure how appreciated it would be, but Padma sounded confident that she'd enjoy the company and so he'd make an effort nonetheless. "Perhaps we could all catch up, maybe go out for dinner or something? I mean, if we can make our schedules align. I know how busy we all are, but perhaps they'll be a lull during the school holidays." Although with Gladrags... maybe not. Perhaps business would pick up with every parent and their child roaming about, doing shopping together when they wouldn't typically get the chance.
"I hate knowing that the reputation of the Greybacks cruelty... leads to the assumption that majority of werewolves are like that when they're not. There's a few bad apples who do terrible, awful things and they're the ones who make the news. You never hear much about the good actions of werewolves - it's always overshadowed," Jack remarked, letting out a sigh as his fingers raised to circle the temples of his brows. People assumed that Maggie was dangerous, as soon as they found out what she was one night a month, and yet she was anything but that. She was a kind, loving soul who worked her arse off on their parents farm. "They can't get away with murder, I'd never think that was okay - but... not every werewolf should be punished as a result of a few tragedies."
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
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Post by PADMA JOSHI on Dec 18, 2019 5:36:04 GMT
"If they happen to be in Ravenclaw, of course I'd appreciate that. It's so hard to predict for them; the hat can always surprise you." Padma knew she could talk to Gwyneth herself, and probably should, but she had no idea where to start with her old roommate. Too many things had happened in the years since they had been friends. Maybe she should reach out--maybe if there was time when she wasn't working. "I suppose they could be Hufflepuffs or Slytherins too. We won't know for a while yet, so I'll try not to worry about it."
She stared into her cup of tea while Jack spoke, as if the beverage might contain all the answers to fixing wizarding society. It was full of complications. In this very hospital were people affected by the rise in werewolf attacks in all sorts of ways, from the poor boy who'd been attacked in Hogsmeade to the students who had tried to avenge their relatives. Understandable, but dangerous...
"All I want is peace. And I think that's what most people want, too. No reasonable person wants to live in fear of any kind of attack. Not wizards, not Muggles, not werewolves. We all simply want to live our lives." She sighed deeply, taking a long drink of tea. "But the whole phrase is that a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch, and that's what I fear. You know your sister, you know that she'll be a good person--but I simply can't say that for everyone. What happened at Hogwarts--I have a sinking feeling that they were influenced by Greyback. It's him who needs to be taken down, and then I'm sure there will be fewer attacks." The attacking students hadn't been particularly forthcoming with information, but Padma was sure that they would reveal something sooner or later.
"I've always said that the hat is more knowledgeable than most the people who ever enter Hogwarts," Jack said with a sure nod. It had been around for centuries, after all, and sat on the Headmaster or Headmistress' shelf for years upon years. Jack had no doubt it had seen a lot. "Regardless of what house they're in, I'll be certain to keep an eye out for them. You have my word."
Peace. It sounded good, albeit... somewhat unattainable. Jack suspected it would be a few years for them to reach peace regarding werewolves, and then after that... well, if history had anything to say about it then they'd likely be facing another conflict in the wizarding world. What would that be? He didn't know. "Peace would be nice, I'm just not holding my breath," Jack admitted quietly, reaching up to drag his fingers through his hair.
"Greyback needs to be arrested, I do agree, along with a few of the other higher up members of the Trossachs... I'm not certain if it was just his influence that fueled this attack, however. Those students who attacked - it was hugely because they were mad at us, for not being able to continue their siblings education, for not fighting harder against the legislation that banned werewolves," Jack said with a shake of his head. Those students, they didn't know how hard he or McGonagall had fought against that legislation when it had been brought in. But at the end of the day, it was comply or risk having the school entirely shut down and a result of that, there would be no magical school in Britain for any young witches and wizards.
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
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Post by PADMA JOSHI on Jan 12, 2020 2:50:42 GMT
"It was enchanted by all four founders. Four heads are always better than one," Padma said. There was always something to be said for the power of working together. It was what made the hospital run smoothly, it was how she got to make sure the boys were taken care of while she was working, it was how, all those years ago, they'd been able to win the war--it was important. And it was why she was asking Jack to take care of her sons as well. "I believe you. It's just good to hear it straight from you. Their school years don't need to be--like ours." They shouldn't have to take up wands against anyone--and yet, Jack's class was still a core part of the curriculum, wasn't it? Padma frowned, her heart feeling very heavy.
"I'm sorry to have turned this talk so political." It was just supposed to be a nice lunch where she'd gotten Jack's word to keep an eye on Ravi and Chandra. "It's just so hard to avoid these days." So often the Daily Prophet had news of some new attack, never any progress on finding Greyback and bringing him to justice. It made Padma lay awake at night even after long, exhausting days. "What we're trying to find out is who orchestrated it, Greyback or otherwise. It's hard to believe that Nottingham did it all on his own, but we're not Aurors--it's not our job to interrogate him, simply care for him and see what we can find out."
Post by JACK O'CONNOR on Jan 14, 2020 10:08:32 GMT
"The four founders brain trust," Jack joked lightly. What she was saying was certainly true - more collaborative thinking power, the better. Jack found himself nodding very solemnly at the mention of how Padma's boys' school life didn't need to be a repeat of their own. He never intended to let life at Hogwarts get that dire, not one bit. The last thing he wanted was history rehashing itself - to this day, he still had nightmares about his time at Hogwarts, ones that made him sick to his stomach and about ready to retch. Those had been bad, rough times. "I agree. If anything ever even appears to be heading that way, I'll be letting all the families know as soon as I can. That would be my first course of action."
Hearing that the staff of St. Mungo's appeared to have a vested interest in figuring out who orchestrated the attack, even though they couldn't lead any official investigations themselves, had Jack a little relieved. It was good news to hear. Glancing up at the chiming off the clock, Jack's brows raised slightly because was it that time already? "I must get back to Hogwarts, but perhaps we can do this again soon, Padma? I'll be sure to visit Parvati too," he said, a warm smile lighting up his face as he reached across the table, offering his hand to the woman.
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
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Post by PADMA JOSHI on Jan 25, 2020 19:05:32 GMT
When she'd been younger, Padma had never understood why her parents had wanted to pull her out of school so much. It had only been the mandate for pureblood and half-blood students to return to Hogwarts that had forced them to let her and Parvati go back. Times had been dangerous, yes, but the thought of giving up on her education for it? It sounded so counterproductive. You couldn't get anywhere without proper exam scores.
Now, though, she felt like she could do the same in a heartbeat. Knowing that violence had come to Hogwarts yet again, to the castle that was easily the safest place in the country save perhaps the inside of a Gringotts vault--sometimes it made her want to lock her whole family in her house instead. She was well aware that going that far was completely irrational, but with the amount of too-young deaths she'd experienced in her life, the thoughts remained.
But she knew Jack. She trusted Jack, to tell her if such things would be necessary, even if she disagreed with him on the Ministry's actions. "Then I'll trust you to know the situation." Getting up from the table, she shook her old friend's hand before starting to head back downstairs. "I have to return to work as well, but I've enjoyed seeing you again. And yes, go see Parvati when you get the chance. She'll be just as happy." Maybe that would give her twin peace of mind, as well.
"Thank you," Jack said warmly to the person at the counter as he gratefully accepted the two beverages he had ordered - a coffee for himself and a tea for Padma who he was expecting to arrive from her break at any moment. Well... hopefully was expecting. Things weren't always the most punctual in a hospital with the constant influx of patients and everything.
