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!
Post by LEIF GUSTAVSON on Dec 12, 2019 21:24:51 GMT
in the midst of life, we are in death
Leif knew what people thought of him. They found him...unusual. That was the kind word for it, at least. As an adult, other adults often were forced into kindness. There was something nice about that, but on the other hand, Leif often found himself missing the abrasive truth of his childhood. A child would tell you what you were - a freak, a loser, and whatever other truths were your own. Few adults would ever be so liberal -so honest- with their choice of words. An adult would shake your hand and smile while fighting the urge to beat you bloody. Leif didn't like that. The world would be an easier place if all the monsters showed their teeth.
It wasn't often that he found himself in Knockturn Alley, partially because aside from work it was uncommon for him to find himself anywhere that wasn't' home. Still, there was something he liked about the dark shadows. He found it...peaceful. He didn't know why. He knew that, by most standards, Knockturn Alley was the underbelly of wizarding London, and they were probably right. Everyone here had teeth, and they weren't afraid to bare them.
Seemingly from out of nowhere, Leif stopped and craned his neck, looking for the source of the sound that had caught his attention. It was a kitten, a stray from the looks of it, scratching at one of the garbage bins. The little animal noticed Leif and meowed at him, fur on edge. Leif smiled at this and reached into his snatched, pulling out his lunch and peeling the turkey off his sandwich before offering it to the kitten. "You picked a bad neighborhood to beg for scraps," he told the kitten as it sniffed at Leif's offering before it started to eat the meat, growling as it. Leif knew that he probably didn't really need another cat, but he couldn't leave the little one here. He told himself he would only keep the kitten temporarily, despite the fact that he knew that wouldn't be the case. While the kitten was still eating, he picked up the little creature in his other hand and put it into the front of his jacket, still holding the turkey aloft in his other hand so the cat could keep eating. "I guess I ought to give you a name," He said to the kitten, who only growled and kept eating, having no concern for silly things like names. "Well, you're no help."
Post by ASTRID SØRENSEN on Dec 14, 2019 23:17:33 GMT
If anyone were to ask Astrid what she was doing in Knockturn Alley, they would have received an easy answer in return - she had decided to go and visit the owner of The Starry Prophesier, to try and determine whether or not they were a legitimate seer.
As far as she knew, she was the only one hanging around in Britain at the moment, and the idea of hanging out with someone who had similar skills was definitely appealing.. But as it turned out... the answer was no, they were not a legitimate seer. Their descriptions of what experiencing a prophecy was like was completely off, and when Astrid asked them to do a tea reading for her... they had totally botched it. It was a shame, really.
Rounding the corner to try and find her way back to the city centre, Astrid stopped as she heard a familiar scratching and meowing, followed by a low voice. It was somebody talking to a cat, no doubt, and Astrid moved forward towards the sounds until she was planted in front of a man with the most intriguing eyes she'd ever seen. "You're a kind soul, helping a poor little kitten," she said, a smile lighting up her face. "Most would just walk on by, thinking that they have no responsibility to help an animal in need, which is totally incorrect. I think as people, we have a responsibility to help all living creatures, don't you? Doesn't matter if they're a human, or a... toad."
Post by LEIF GUSTAVSON on Dec 16, 2019 6:36:21 GMT
in the midst of life, we are in death
The kitten finished his meal and immediately started batting at Leif's hand. He wasn't a stranger to having cuts on his hands so he let the little one take his hand into his coat, where the kitten started gnawing on his fingers. When the cat tried chewing on the ring he wore on his middle finger, Leif told the kitten, "Stop that. You'll hurt your teeth."
In the midst of talking to the kitten, Leif hardly noticed that he and the cat weren't the only ones there anymore. When he looked at the woman his eyes went wide and his shoulders became stiff. Humans were harder to talk to than animals were.
It didn't help that the woman was pretty. Pretty people made him nervous. He knew of one person who had called him 'pretty', but Leif was pretty sure they were being facetious He thought that he looked awkward. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to be saying once the woman was done. He felt like he should have said something.
When she smiled at him he swallowed a lump in his throat and said, "My brothers used to call me toad face as a kid...I...um...I mean, yes, I think we do as...as people. I'm sorry. I wasn't expecting anyone to talk to me here. Not that I'm complaining, of course." The cat meowed at him and he looked down into his shirt at the kitten. "Yes, little one, I know. I've put my foot in my mouth."
Post by ASTRID SØRENSEN on Dec 16, 2019 7:48:18 GMT
The vibe that Astrid immediately got from this man was that he was socially awkward - it was apparent by the way his shoulders seized up, and the way his eyes widened to the size of saucers upon seeing her. It was cute - actually, no, he was cute full stop and Astrid showed absolutely no shame as her eyes skimmed over his figure.
When the man very unexpectedly shared a childhood nickname, seemingly out of blue, it startled a laugh out of Astrid. Yeah, not only was this man awkward, he was weird too. She liked it. "I hope they don't call you that anymore," she said, her smile only brightening. "When I was in school, there was this one kid who used to call me Ass-Turd - they said it's 'cause they thought that was my name, not Astrid, but really... they were just a huge prat. I'll make you a promise - I won't call you Toad Face if you don't call me Ass-Turd. You'll just have to tell me what I'm supposed to call you instead - what's your name?"
As the man glanced down and started talking to the kitten about how he'd put his foot in his mouth, Astrid found herself shaking her head in amusement. "Maybe only a toe or two - not the whole foot," she said, a twinkle in her eyes. "Do you know the kitty's name?"
Post by LEIF GUSTAVSON on Dec 16, 2019 18:37:38 GMT
in the midst of life, we are in death
"They do," he said, when she said that she wished his brothers didn't use his old nickname anymore. "I usually deserve it when they do, though. Besides...they aren't exactly wrong." Children were brutally honest. It was, perhaps, the only thing that he liked about them. He knew his features were a bit...well...his eyes were big and his mouth was wide, like a toad. He didn't mind, though.
"You have my word that I won't call you....Ass-Turd," the way he forced the word out made it clear just how undignified he found the name. "Astrid's a nice name, though. My dad's a bit zealous about how Scandinavian we are so you'd fit in nice. Not that I'm saying you should want to fit in with my idiot brothers. They're all a bit mad, to be honest. My family's got an Odin, an Alvis, Ragnar, an Erik and a Leif. That one's me. Leif. I'm...I'm Leif"
It took all of his will power to not slap his forehead. She must have thought he was the idiot. He, frankly, wouldn't blame her. When she asked what the kitten's name was he pulled the little tabby out of his coat and gave the kitten a good look over. "I haven't decided yet. Maybe I should take after my father. Behold, the mighty Thor!" The cat meowed indignantly at this and Leif burst out laughing, holding the kitten into his chest so he wouldn't drop it as he used his free hand to cover his mouth and stifle his laughter.
Post by ASTRID SØRENSEN on Dec 16, 2019 22:01:28 GMT
"Well, I find toads endearing," Astrid said, rather than argue with the man about the whole thing. If somebody truly believed something, even as mildly horrible as that, she wasn't about to expend her energy trying to convince them otherwise. What she would do was try to get them see it in a more positive light. "I hope you've got a good nickname to call them back… when they deserve it, of course."
Yet again, Astrid was laughing. This time at the way the word Ass-Turd was forced out so unnaturally from his lips. "Thanks. Is that your way of asking me to meet your family? It's a bit soon, but I won't say no," she reassured him, eyes sincere. "It's very Scandinavian. My dad's Norwegian, but mum's a Brit. I guess I'm kind of the oddball with my name - my brothers and sisters are Perseus, Ophelia, Callisto and Apollo. All names from Greek mythology." Then again, both her parents hadn't played apart in naming them as technically they were half siblings. Striking her hand out as she learned his name, Astrid said, "Leif's a nice name," mirroring his words for earlier with a playful glint in her eyes.
Merlin knew that Astrid had a soft spot for anyone who treated animals with kindness,and so the sight of him cuddling up to the kitten whilst laughing warmed her heart. "Thor. Such a fitting name for a sweet little kitty," she said, before moving forward to lightly stroke her fingers over the cat's fur. "My cat's probably loathe me for giving them such boring names. I have a Sage, Willow and Wren. You should meet them sometime. They'd like you, I can just sense it already."
Post by LEIF GUSTAVSON on Dec 17, 2019 6:30:24 GMT
in the midst of life, we are in death
'She finds toad endearing?' he thought to himself. He wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not. Despite this, he managed a short, "Thanks? I think, anyway. I'm not sure. I'm not actually a toad, as long as you don't count the mornings before tea. Not that I think that...you think I'm...actually a toad" In his mind, he told himself to shut up for the first time in his life he could manage it. It didn't seem like he couldn't though. He had a tendency to jabber when he was nervous. "I mostly just call my brothers idiots, because that's what they are. I still love them, but...we're not exactly friends."
When Astrid said she wasn't opposed to meeting his family he had a thought that was fleeting and utterly mad. 'Is she...flirting with me?...No, no she wouldn't be flirting with me. That's the dumbest thing I've ever thought in my entire life.'"I can relate as far as being an oddball. My brothers are all...burly. I'm...not so much." He rubbed his chin subconsciously as he thought of all his bearded brothers. He was not fond of facial hair. He'd grown a mustache once, but promptly shaved it when he realized it made him look like a pedophile.
He was about to say that he had two cats of his own - soon to be three. He wasn't going to be giving up the little one. He'd come to grips with that on his own. When she told him that he should meet her cats his eyes went wide and he tensed up again. Oh shit....she was flirting with him. This realization sent a new wave of anxiety over him. 'Say something, you idiot.' He thought to himself. 'Say anything, Merlin's beard.' Finally, he managed, "Cats are easier than humans, in my experience. Yep, I'd rather take care of a cat than a human any day."
Post by ASTRID SØRENSEN on Dec 17, 2019 7:45:01 GMT
Leif had... lost her, somewhere along the lines of not counting the mornings before tea, but she wasn't too phased. Instead, she just nodded her head along before saying, "Don't worry, man. I can tell the difference between a living, breathing man and a little green toad. Impressive, hey?" Astrid's cheeks dimpled as she teased it because it was just so easy, and she liked the nervous rambling it brought. It was refreshing hearing that than some person trying to play it cool, be someone they weren't.
Leif was rubbing his chin, mentioning that his brothers were burly opposed to him, and Astrid studied him carefully for a moment before asking, "Do you always compare yourself to your brothers? I mean, you're your own person. I bet you have things they don't that they're jealous of. Your hair is rather pleasant, for one. Beyond that... the surface, that is... you seem to be rather placid and compassionate." She nodded towards the kitten cradled in his arms, as if to say, 'well, compassionate towards cats at least.' She wasn't so sure about when it came to humans - she didn't know him well enough to say yet.
The way Leif tensed up all of a sudden at her suggestion that he could perhaps meet her cat had Astrid's head tilting and she couldn't help but joke, "Maybe we'll have to smoke a thing or two first. Can't have someone so skittish around my cats. Don't want to scare them." Did she just proposition this near-stranger to come smoke up with her? Yes, yes, she did and Astrid was somewhat curious to see whether he'd take her up on her offer or not. It'd probably be good for him if he was interested -it'd help take his shoulders down a notch, mellow out a little.
When Leif finally spoke once more, sharing that he preferred cats over humans, Astrid enthusiastically nodded. "Merlin, same though. Babies are sweet and all but I could never dedicate a life to raising them." She didn't want to pass on her talents either. As much as she enjoyed being a Seer... she wouldn't wish it onto anyone. It was a very intense life, and the prophecies... they could drive you literally insane, something she knew all too well. After the 2016 attack at Hogwarts - the one she hadn't been able to stop, despite pouring her heart and soul into trying to figure it out - she'd been involuntarily committed to St. Mungos. They had been the longest three months of her life.
Post by LEIF GUSTAVSON on Dec 19, 2019 0:40:49 GMT
in the midst of life, we are in death
Leif gave an uncomfortable laugh and averted his eyes. "I'm sure you know the difference. I'm not that...small." He wanted to make a comment on how tall he was, but thought better of it. Most people didn't seem to have any issues with someone being too tall, unless those people were giants, or half giants, but Leif wasn't either of those things. At least he didn't think he was. His family was a brawny as hell so it was possible there was some giant in him, but he didn't think it really mattered.
Though Astrid probably didn't intend for her question to be so thought provoking it was. Did he really always compare himself to his brothers? He supposed he did. "I don't mean to," he admitted at last. "I think it's subconscious.Plus I heard it all growing up and still hear it all now. I...talk to much."
"Yeah, I probably could use a fag," he admitted as he started patting at his coat, looking for his pack of cigarettes. He was trying to quit, but he was especially anxious right now. He couldn't find the box, though and he was starting to panic. "You don't smoke by chance, do you?"
When Astrid called babies 'sweet' he made a disgusted face and shook his head. Babies were terrifying. They were fragile and small and loud and exhausting and messy. "Sweet...isn't the word I would use. One of my brothers, not to bring them up again, I'm sure you're sick of that, but he has two children and one of them just....points at me...for ages. Doesn't move or anything, just points at me with these big, empty eyes and I don't care for that shit at all."
Post by ASTRID SØRENSEN on Dec 19, 2019 7:43:53 GMT
"No, I think I'd know if you were that small. You'd be staring at my toes - that'd be a bit strange, if you were a human... then again, man. Different strokes for different folks. If you're into feet, who am I to judge?" Astrid mused, twisting the ends of her braids thoughtfully. She didn't want him to think she was some sort of kink shamer. It was just that his possible foot fetish wasn't a kink they had in common.
Astid's brows knitted together as Leif mentioned that growing up, he was constantly compared to his brothers. She didn't get that - why couldn't siblings be treated as individuals? Why compare their success to members of their own families? "I'm the oldest by about... six years. I've always done my own thing, so I don't think my parents use me as an example for my siblings," Astrid said with a small shrug before her eyes crinkled with amusement at a sudden memory. "If they did, it'd probably be an example what not to do. The only time I really remember them getting cranky at me was when Flitwick caught me about to go skinny dipping in the Black Lake and that was because O'Connor sent them a letter saying I nearly sent poor Flitwick to St. Mungos." Eight years later, and the sight of Flitwick's bright red face as she stood in front of the lake in a pair of knickers still sent her into stitches at times.
Leif seemed onboard with the idea of having a smoke and after glancing around, wondering whether it was wise to have a joint or two in the middle of Knockturn Alley, Astrid shrugged. They weren't going to get into trouble here - after all, much worse went on in these parts. Reaching into her bag, Astrid produced two joints, handing one over to Leif and balancing one between her fingers. "You're lucky I had two, otherwise you'd have had to share with me," she said teasingly.
"Maybe they're actually a Seer, and they're just stuck in a trance - could be wordless because they don't know how to speak yet, maybe? Apparently my eyes get all fogged over and I do strange things when I have a bigger prediction or prophecy," Astrid mused, before grabbing a muggle lighter from her bag too and flicking it so the flame appeared. Taking a step towards Leif and into his personal space, Astrid sent him a grin before she reached up to light his cigarette for him. "So, what do you do with yourself?"
Post by LEIF GUSTAVSON on Dec 30, 2019 1:21:02 GMT
in the midst of life, we are in death
He raised an eyebrow when she suggested he'd be staring at her toes. "I'm sure your toes are fine, but that's not my stroke....or....I'm just going to stop talking about toes and...strokes." Leif didn't want to stop talking about foot fetishes because he had one, but because he...didn't have one. He, personally, thought feet were disgusting.
"My mum tried to get my brothers to be more like me, actually," he admitted. "I think that's just how some parents are. I mean...I don't think they mean to be. When you're a kid you think that adults just have their shit together, but we're all really just...fuck ups in our own way. No parent wants to fuck up their kid, but I've yet to meet someone who doesn't have scars from their parents in one form or another." He didn't know what to say to her when she mentioned she'd gone skinny dipping, but his cheeks did start to burn a bit. "I was a prefect for most of the last half of my time as school so I never really did anything like that."
He didn't understand why she seemed to be nervous. It was just a cigarette after all. "Thanks," he said as he lit up the cigarette, and took a drag, coughing a bit when the smoke entered his lungs. He didn't want to say anything, as it would be impolite, but the cigarette she had given him was....disgusting. Still, tobacco was tobacco so he took another long drag, resigned to muscle through and finish the fag. Not to finish it would be rude.
Leif scoffed at her suggesting the baby was a seer. "I doubt it. Though I wouldn't know. Never met a seer. I mean, I guess the old divination professor was one, but I didn't take that class." He took another drag of the cigarette and forced himself to not make a face as the cigarette burned down almost to the end. "I'm afraid I can't say what I do," he said. He smirked and added, "I'm an unspeakable. I've got a shit sense of humor, and that's literally the only joke I can tell about my job. What about you?" He finished off the cigarette and dropped the butt on the ground, putting it out with the heel of his shoe. "What kind of cigarette is that? I've...never had that kind of cigarette before. I usually smoke Sterlings."
Post by ASTRID SØRENSEN on Dec 30, 2019 2:49:15 GMT
Did Astrid have scars from her parents? Thinking about it, the only answer Astrid could provide was, "When my mum and dad started having babies with their partners, I remember feeling left out for a little while. Like, as much as we played big wholesome families - my dad, mum, their partners, my brothers and sisters - during holidays and stuff, the new baby excitement left me in the dark for a while." There had definitely been times where Astrid had felt ignored, often playing with the family cats for company instead, but she didn't feel that way any longer thank Merlin. The blush in Leif's cheeks returned at the mention of her skinny dipping, and Astrid's reminiscing on her childhood scars faded in favour of appreciating the red tinge in his cheeks instead. "Are you telling me you still haven't done something like that?" She grinned, her brows doing a little wiggle. "I think everyone should at least once in their life time. It's not as scandalous as people make it out to be - I mean, it's just a naked person swimming in a pool of water. You can't get any more at one with nature than that can you?"
When Leif let out a cough, Astrid's head tilted curiously. Despite asking for a smoke, he really didn't seem that used to it... perhaps he was just used to smoking other ways than via a joint. "If you ever want to chill again, I have a vape you can smoke it through - maybe you'll take it a bit better," she said with a shrug. She also had a recipe for brownies... er, somewhere. She wasn't typically a baker unless it was for special occasions.
Never met a seer. Astrid hummed for a moment before deciding to just be upfront. "Well, congratulations. You have now, man." He didn't seem the type to argue with her about whether seers existed or not, however... if he did decide to pick a fight, she would just walk away because she didn't have the time for that. She had better things to do - like go and tend to her plant babies. Leif's joke about his job had Astrid letting out a small laugh, her head tilting back. "Is that a departmental-wide joke? Maybe that's what you Unspeakables actually do at work - you brainstorm bad jokes... how did you know you wanted to be an Unspeakable if you didn't know what they did beforehand? Or is it one of those... go for an interview, get the job, then find out sort of deals?"
"I'm actually a Professor at Hogwarts, believe it or not. Divination. It's only recent though, I was travelling in an effort to find myself and learning about my craft from Seers around the world and then... well, I saw the ad in the paper and it kind of felt like it was fate. Like that was what I was destined to do." She wasn't sure how long it would last, but she was enjoying the job a lot currently and the most trouble she ever faced was students fudging their dream journal. Taking a drag from her joint, Astrid inhaled before exhaling the smoke, then paused at Leif's next question. "It's... you asked for a smoke. Not a cigarette. It's -" Shit. Did he not.... had she just gotten another Ministry employee high? "It's... it's weed, man."
"I'm sorry. I know how you feel...sort of. I mean, my family is all...my family. Parents are still married and all, but I get what it's like to feel like...I dunno...the human equivilant of a spare button, I suppose...that's probably not at all helpful...I'm sorry." Leif really wished he was capable of shutting up. His face turned redder when she kept talking about skinny dipping. "I'm afraid I'm not really the skinny dipping sort of bloke. I'm a bit boring, to be honest."
He glanced down into his shirt, where Thor was now asleep, snuggled in tight. Truth be told, the kitten needed a bath, but he was sure that once he was somewhere clean the kitten, and Leif's other cats, would clean him up. He raised an eyebrow at the word 'chill', but didn't make any comment. "I've never used a vape. Seems too complicated, really. I'd rather just light it up and go, but I don't have anything against it."
When Astrid admitted to being a seer he simply said, "Alright then," utterly unphased by it. He'd been in the Hall of Prophecy so he wasn't going to argue that seers weren't real. It was just...a thing."No, I'm afraid I'm the only one who makes dumb jokes like that, as far as I know. I actually can't talk much about my job, but it's really not that interesting." He knew a lot of people would disagree, but being an Unspeakable wasn't ever really what he wanted. He'd wanted to be a magizoologist, but that didn't seem like an option anymore.
He didn't understand why she seemed to be nervous. It was just a cigarette after all. "Thanks," he said as he lit up the cigarette, and took a drag, coughing a bit when the smoke entered his lungs. He didn't want to say anything, as it would be impolite, but the cigarette she had given him was....disgusting. Still, tobacco was tobacco so he took another long drag, resigned to muscle through and finish the fag. Not to finish it would be rude.
"Well, no one better than a seer to teach divination. Not that I'd really know. I never took divination, but anyone else trying to use divination, honestly, seems as pointless as pouring a glass of water into the ocean to make the tide come in." He was checking on Thor again, who was stretching out when Astrid admitted that the cigarette she'd given him wasn't really a cigarette. His eyes went wide and he looked at her, panic clear on his face. "That was...that was...oh no...oh no!" He lowered his voice to a whisper and bent down so she could hear him better. "I can't smoke drugs! What if my superiors find out? Oh Merlin'sbeard, what if animal services finds out and they declare me unfit to be a pet owner?? Oh god they're going to take Juniper and Nyx!Oh my god what is my mother going to say? Oh god my father! Oh bloody hell, what am I...how am I..." At this point, Leif put a hand to his chest and started breathing heavily, pancik settling in deeper. He tried to take long deep breaths, but that didn't help.
Post by ASTRID SØRENSEN on Jan 5, 2020 12:50:54 GMT
A spare button was an accurate way to describe how Astrid had felt back the but not so much now. "I suppose I'm a used button - that doesn't make sense, but they've taken me out of the box and sewed me back on with the other buttons now," she said with a small shrug. She had an inkling with the way Leif spoke about his family that perhaps he still felt like a spare button tucked away in a box, but she didn't want to keep bringing it up - it was somewhat depressing, and the way he was currently blushing at her suggestion of skinny dipping was too amusing. "Maybe one day I can convince you to come with me... and boring is the last word I would use to describe you."
"Vape's not my tool of choice, I'm usually a roll and I'm done kinda woman. The simpler, the better," Astrid said, eyeing the kitten that now held the sleeping kitten because... adorable. It was adorable - the kitten, and the man snuggling it. "Are you going to take Thor home? You and him seem like you'd make a good pair."
Just like that, he accepted her being a seer and the decision to stay was as easy as that. There weren't many people who took her at face value when she shared that particularly scrape of information and so it was refreshing. "Sweet. You know that means we're friends now, right?" she said with a nod of her head. Blinking at the mention of Leif's job being uninteresting, Astrid wondered... "You, like, realise not everything involving you is boring, right? 'Cause... self-love is stellar, and I support you loving yourself."
Leif's assessment of divination and the students enrolled with it got pushed to the wayside as he started panicking which, like, was the complete opposite of what you were supposed to do when you smoked some good shit. "I'm so sorry, I thought you were asking -" But it didn't matter because Leif's breathing got heavier to the point where he was hyperventilating which obviously wasn't good, but Astrid wasn't about to freak out about it. "I'm going to take your arm, and we're going to go apparate to a very quiet friend's apartment right about now, okay? Hold on to Thor."
Reaching out to grab ahold of his arm and outstretch her wand with the other, Astrid visualised Zoe's apartment. The last time she'd been there... well, she'd done a lot more than smoke some weed with her coworker but Leif didn't know that. With a loud snap, the horrible feeling of apparate hit her, but then they were standing in the middle of Zoe's living room floor. "Let's sit, yeah?" she said, before planting her bottom down onto the carpet. "Okay, so. Firstly, man, your parents aren't going to find out - I don't plan on telling them, do you?"
Leif smirked a shook his head, slightly amused by the prospect of himself skinny dipping. "You're welcome to try, but I wouldn't get your hopes up. And if you go to know me better I'm sure you'd be bored stiff."
"I'm taking him home 'temporarily'. Which means that he's coming home with me, but I'm trying to convince myself that I'm not going to adopt another cat. I have a tendency to take in strays. At least I got to him before he lost a limb or an eye." He had two other cats and one of them had three legs and the other only had one eye so...he spoke from experience.
His eyes widened when she candidly said that they were friends. "That sounds like a bad idea on your part." he said. He didn't really have friends, come to think of it. Even in school he didn't have friends. He was too odd for friends.
Leif didn't bother arguing when she took him by the arm. Rather than sitting next to her, he stayed standing, looking around the house and adjusting his grip on the kitten. She did consider for a moment if he was going to tell his parents. He knew, in retrospect, he was probably overthinking things, but he wasn't really adventurous. "No, I suppose I won't tell them. I'm sorry, I've never smoked...drugs before so I'm not really sure what to expect."