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!
The raid on Trossachs, by all accounts, had been a fiasco. To put it lightly, the cunning werewolves had pulled the Ministry's leg, and you didn't have to be a genius to figure out that it didn't bode well for the werewolves. Their actions had caused a lot of pain and anger as it was, and this blatant mockery of the Ministry... Ivan was sure that, in the event of their capture, some people would handle them a bit rougher than the law would allow, which, in turn would elicit justified complaints from said werewolves, and, if their supporters would catch wind of this...
He could just imagine the mountains of Howlers that would pile on his desk, even though he had virtually nothing to do with the situation. That was one of the reasons why Ivan had a scroll of parchment hidden in his desk drawer -- he was only one signature away from resigning.
Yes. He could just sign his name, hand it in and go home. He'd spend his days looking after Nikolai's dog, reading books, watching movies... And he would have Nadya lose all respect toward her own father. She expected him to be some kind of freedom fighter for the rights of all creatures.
Oh, the unquenchable flames of youth. To be so ignorant of the complexity of life...
She was one reason why he was still here, walking through the halls of the Ministry. It was her hope for a better future that Ivan didn't want to destroy.
And then there was another Hope.
Hope Grimblehawk.
Hope, who Ivan had considered a friend. He still did consider her a friend, but the feeling wasn't mutual. Not after their last encounter.
He'd expressed worry for her safety, in the process insinuating that she was less than professional when it came to dealing with werewolves for personal reasons, and with someone as headstrong as Hope...It hadn't went down well.
At first, Ivan had been upset with her. He'd thought she was acting like a child, stubbornly refusing to listen to someone who knew better. He'd mulled their brief argument over and over in his head, and it didn't let him sleep at night, he tossed and turned in frustration, talking to her in his head over and over, until...
Until he'd managed to step back from it and look at the whole situation at a different angle. A particular phrase she'd thrown out -- him being like an overbearing father -- it had hurt more than anything.
He decided to ask the people that would know the truth. His own daughters. Their verdict -- 'Yes. You are.' Of course, it wasn't as simple as that. Nadya had been very upfront about it, not even trying to soften the blow to his ego. Vera, on the other hand, denied it, saying that she knew he only wanted what was best for them. It wasn't like he would lock them in their rooms and never let them go anywhere (though those ten magical locks on the door might give a different impression). And Lyuba, his sweet not-so-little Lyuba had reminded him that his daughters weren't small children anymore and that he couldn't guard them from every difficulty in life.
It was a hard pill to swallow, no doubt about that, but it also made him reconsider his relationship with Hope. Was he latching onto someone new that he hadn't spent his entire life protecting? She was about 10 years younger than him, a full blown adult, she'd made it through hell and high water on her own, and yet Ivan felt the need to protect her from the world.
She didn't want his protection. He could understand why -- who was he to try and insert himself as a guardian figure in a place where he didn't belong? And yet, the desire to do so didn't wane.
He was convinced that she needed someone to lean on, especially now, when something she'd put so much of herself into had backfired. But first, they had to make amends. That meant apologizing.
He'd found out when Hope would be at the Ministry, and, after drinking a mug of tea with a calming draught mixed into it (work was taking a toll), he was ready to face the music.
He knocked on the door of her office and awaited to be called in. He didn't give her enough time to tell him to get out, immediately speaking up as he opened the door.
"Hope, I only want a minute of your time," he said, "I came to apologize."
Post by HOPE GRIMBLEHAWK on Feb 4, 2020 11:17:23 GMT
Ever since that bloody tragic mission that Hope had been apart of, the one that was plastered all over the Daily Prophet (albeit framed as them receiving deceptive information from a werewolf), she had been fairly quiet. Not just because she was disappointed - though, of course she was, because the mission she had led had been unsuccessful - but because by exposing her emotions to the general public, they were inclined to comment on the negative outcome and taunt her about her failure. By putting on her stony, resting 'bitch face' (as she'd heard some in the Ministry refer to it as), she refused to give them a reaction altogether which meant for the most part... the taunts ended as quickly as they started.
Sitting in her office at the Ministry, Hope mulled over the paperwork in front of her yet again, trying to figure out just where the mission went wrong and how to sum it up concisely. Despite what the Daily Prophet were saying, she didn't think the information given to her by Teddy Lupin was incorrect or intentionally misleading. That wouldn't have been in his best interests, to string her along like some puppet. The portkey he had given them was to the correct location as well, obviously one that was once occupied by a group of people once upon a time.
The only conclusion Hope had come up with was that the Trossachs had been tipped off by somebody. Was that person a rat in the Ministry, or somebody in public who had overheard a conversation involving some careless official who'd played apart in the mission itself? She didn't know, but she certainly intended to find out, especially given that over the upcoming school holidays... she was taking a break from her Ministry Liaison position at Hogwarts and resuming her usual role as an Auror.
Looking up at the knock on her door, Hope invited the person in before pausing. Ivan. Their last conversation had gone... poorly, to put it into less negative terms, and she'd raked him over coals for insinuating she was both unprofessional and incapable of carrying out her job. She supposed he was right in regards to the latter, although only in relation to her last mission. Hope didn't regret anything she'd said in that conversation - okay... maybe calling him an overbearing father - but she did regret losing one of her only friends that day, to the point where she'd cried as soon as she got home that night.
Just as Hope unsealed her lips to ask him what he was after, she was caught off-guard by Ivan apologising to her. Well, that was unexpected. "I appreciate that," she said, giving him a slight smile. "You've heard then, that the mission didn't quite go our way."
1. "God", Interjection, Russian. (Sounds like 'gospodyi')
Ivan had been bracing himself for a sharp order to leave, or a cold stare and tightly pursed lips, or something just as unapproachable and hostile. But what he got was a smile. It wasn't a wide one, but it also didn't quite seem like one forced just out of politeness and professionalism. He was taken aback by it, for a moment losing his train of thought, having to inhale sharply to remind himself why he was here.
"Ah, yes," he answered, closing the door behind him and stepping closer to the desk, grabbing one of the visitor's chairs and digging his fingers into its back, "The news made it to me, eventually," a laugh left his mouth, as he harked back to their argument. He immediately regretted it, a blush starting to creep to his cheeks.
"Bad joke. Uh, where to start," his eyes darted around the room for a few seconds as he tried to get all of what he wanted to say in order.
"First of all, I want to apologize for being so brash and demanding. From a professional standpoint, you are only my subordinate when it comes to your position as Liaison Officer, not as Auror. Since this operation was a matter pertaining your Auror position, I had no business to demand any information from you in the first place, and--" he stopped abruptly, shutting his eyes as his head snapped upwards.
"Господи,1" he sighed, looking at her, "This all sounds so wrong and official and fake, I can't- Point is, I'm sorry for acting like a, how it goes, a dick about it. You're completely capable of your job as an Auror, you're no hot-headed trainee who needs to be protected from themselves, which leads me to my next thing. You were right." He was rambling now, and yet he couldn't manage to stop himself. The words were pouring out of him -- and it made him feel like he was losing control, as the last thing he wanted was to shoot himself in the leg and damage their friendship even further.
"You were right. I am an overbearing father. I will admit, I was very angry with you at first about that line in particular, because you know my daughters mean the world to me, but...I decided to ask them and," despite everything, a small smile appeared on his face as he thought of the letters and the conversation with Vera he'd had. "Indeed, I am an overbearing father. Nadya didn't even try to tiptoe around her feelings, she was glad that 'I've finally understood', as she put it. But they also know that I do it only out of love and that it isn't an attempt to control them."
"So, when it comes to you... I apologize for insisting on protecting you when you're fully capable of doing it yourself, and I'm sorry for being patronizing. You aren't my daughter."
His fingertips glided over the top of the chair, and for a few moments Ivan let himself think only about the rough feeling of the fabric, his light blue eyes losing focus. But only for a few seconds -- soon enough he was looking right at Hope, meeting her gaze.
"But you are my friend. And I still care a whole lot about you. Just...Just wanted you to know that."
"And then I have to apologize for pretending to know your pain. I... I'm sorry, Hope." At this point in his long monologue, the river of words had run dry -- and so had his mouth. He didn't know how to apologize for this last part. Everything his mind offered sounded bad.
Silence is golden.
And now he stood there, his body tensing up once more, waiting to see what would happen. Would she send him out the door?
Post by HOPE GRIMBLEHAWK on Feb 6, 2020 7:34:32 GMT
It took more than a small... okay, mid-size argument for Hope to hold a grudge. The only ones she held at the moment were towards the Trossachs, most werewolves and old hat Ministry officials who believed that a woman should not be an Auror because they claimed that women let their emotions get the better of them. Hope found that last one particularly ridiculous because when a job went wrong, who were the first ones to fly off the handle and let their temper flare up? It most certainly wasn't her, nor was it the very few other women she worked alongside.
"Just like last time, I'm sure you weren't the last to know then," Hope returned, her lips twitching further because if Ivan was going to make a bad joke, then she most certainly was going to return the favour. But her cheeks didn't redden like his, instead remaining the same colour as the rest of her complexion.
Throughout Ivan's following apology, Hope was quiet for the most part, nodding at certain intervals when he made points that she agreed with. He was correct in the fact that he had no right to demand information, and that she was capable. But... he was wrong about one thing - he wasn't nearly as overbearing as she'd implied, nor was it her business to comment on his parenting methods. It had been a low blow, one that would have infuriated her if... if it had been directed her direction when her sweet little Arwen was still on this earth. Just that thought had Hope reaching for the necklace around her neck, toying with the locket that contained a photograph of both her passed husband and daughter.
"Ivan..." Hope began when he had finished wrapping up his apology, glancing up at him from where he stood behind a chair. "I shouldn't have said that you're overbearing, even if it is accurate. It was a gut-punch of a comment, one that should never have left my lips. I understand that you would do anything for your daughters and if my Arwen was still here, I would go to the ends of the earth for her too. Like you said, it comes from a place of love and it's amazing to see that you care for them so much."
It was a relief that Ivan had reaffirmed that this spat of theirs hadn't dissolved their friendship and Hope reached up to push a blonde curl behind the curve of her ear, this time she broke into a wider smile than she had before. "You're my friend too. I don't have many in my corner, and... to know that I lost you would be devastating," she said genuinely. "I care for you too. A lot."
The last part of Ivan's apology that Hope addressed... it was the hardest, because he was absolutely correct. He didn't know her pain, and for his sake... she hoped he never would. Losing two families - it was... it was something that broke a part of you. "Thank you for apologising," she said, before gesturing to the seat in front of her desk. "Please... sit down. I can fetch us some tea, if you'd like?" She had a small tea making station set up in the corner of her office for such occasions. "Not a lot of people have the stones to admit when they're wrong. I really do appreciate it."
JSYK: In Russia, the wedding ring goes on the Right hand.
He hadn't even noticed that after finishing his speech, he'd inhaled and kept holding that last breath in until Hope addressed him. It came out as a heavy breath of relief, making his chest and shoulders sink and his fingers uncurl from the back of the chair.
He wanted to interrupt her, to tell her that she didn't have to explain herself or apologize to him in any capacity, but he held his tongue, instead just offering her an understanding smile and a few small nods. It was better if they both got their feelings out in the open -- that way there would be less miscommunication.
When it came to reaffirmations of friendship, Ivan watched her reaction closely. He hoped that she caught the underlying meaning of his words -- I care about you, so I will protect you. Perhaps not physically, as he wasn't the trained Auror in the room, but if she ever needed a shoulder to lean on... She knew where to find him.
He watched the movements of her hand, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear -- my, what a lovely shade of blonde -- and he found that her words, they tugged at the man's heartstrings. Devastating? That is a very strong word. Without even thinking about it, he responded with a smile just as wide, squinting for a brief moment.
"Thank you for listening," he answered, sitting down in the same chair he'd held onto for dear life just moments ago. "I just had a cup before coming here, but I think I could go for another one."
He folded his hands in his lap and toyed with his wedding ring for a few moments. How to proceed? Should I ask how she's been, even though the answer is kind of obvious?
"Do you...Do you remember when I mentioned my brother?" he began, a little hesitation in his voice, "I hadn't seen him for 20 years, until a few days before our encounter. Now, I don't know how much time you've spent in Hogwarts recently, with the raid and such, but... You've got a new Matron at the Hospital Wing now. And I have a dog now."
Post by HOPE GRIMBLEHAWK on Feb 9, 2020 3:59:13 GMT
"Consider it done then," Hope said, retrieving her wand and flicking it towards the station of tea wordlessly. As she turned her attention back to Ivan himself, the kettle started boiling and bubbling, preparing to make a strong cup of tea for the both of them. "Any preferences when it comes to flavour?"
The movement of Ivan's hands going to his lap caught Hope's eye, and she followed them, not missing the way he started playing with his wedding ring. She'd noticed him wearing it before, of course, it was her job to observe every minute detail of other people... but for perhaps the first time, she wondered why he was still wearing it after his wife disappeared from his life so messily? Was he still attached to her, hoping she'd come back? Did the ring serve as a reminder for all of the good times they'd had together? Cautiously, she decided to broach the subject. "My wedding ring lives in my jewelry box. As... as much as I loved Osian, it's too painful a reminder and I'd hate for my ring to get damaged on the job," she said gently.
Hope nodded as Ivan brought up the subject of his brother. She did, indeed, remember their conversation about him. But the last thing she expected was for Ivan to come out and say that his brother was back in his life. "Oh," she said, eyes widening at the realisation that, "Yes. Nikolai, right? Rather... surly, right? Tattoos everywhere. I think I said hello to him the other day and I got a grunt in reply." She hadn't been too offended by that, more so amused that someone with such poor social skills had become a healer of all things. The mention of a dog had Hope letting out a surprised tinkling laugh. "I hope it's a cute dog. What's their name?"
"Not in particular, no," he answered upon sitting down, "Though on second though... Whatever it is, could you make it sweet? Thank you." He was feeling the need for a pick-me-up and a few spoons of sugar felt like they could do the trick.
As Hope mentioned her late husband and the pain it brought her to think of him, a wave of guilt washed over the older man. For a few moments the golden band on his finger burned like white iron, making him clasp his left hand over his right, trying to get the ring out of Hope's sight. Idiot, your fidgeting will upset her, and that is the opposite of what you're trying to achieve here. He quickly turned the conversation to his brother -- someone who was very much alive and okay.
"The puppy is named Daisy, she's an English Bulldog, I think? One day Nikolai just Floo'd into our apartment with her on his hands, scaring the life out of Vera. It was all very sudden, but I'm glad to have him back." Ivan said, becoming more animated and relaxed, a bright smile as he spoke,"He's so... Different now. He used to be this thin bag of bones... And now I'm the scrawny one!I'm very eager to learn what kind of person he's become during all these years -- even if he isn't the most talkative."
He leaned back in the chair, closing his eyes and trying to recall Nikolai's face from their childhood -- sadly, he hadn't thought to grab an album with him to show Hope (and something told Ivan that Nikolai wouldn't be too keen on his brother showing everyone their childhood photos). So much had changed, so much... So many questions he'd held in his heart for years, Nikolai answered them all, even if the truth was hard to process.
But his brother had asked one simple question. One question, that had thrown a spanner into the works of Ivan's life.
He'd asked about the ring, sending Ivan spiraling down into the depths of his mind. In truth, he'd been wondering about it himself, for at least 5 years now, but he somehow always found a way to distract himself, by diving headfirst into work, just so he wouldn't have to think about Alisa. Just so he wouldn't have to figure out how he felt about her.
But now, mere weeks before his 45th birthday, now, that his brother had miraculously appeared after all this time, Ivan couldn't find any peace.
The smile faded and once more he was fidgeting with the ring, eyes a little glazed over as he retreated back into his head.
Post by HOPE GRIMBLEHAWK on Feb 11, 2020 2:15:24 GMT
Hope nodded at Ivan's request to make his tea sweet, and in the background, the tea making tools did the work for her. Making herself tea was just so routine now that she didn't really have to concentrate her attention on it too much because the magic worked like muscle memory at this stage. When the tea was made, two teacups floated onto the desk in front of them. "I hope you like rooibos tea. It's been taking my fancy lately," she said, letting her own tea cool down for a moment.
The way that Ivan's left hand quickly clasped over his right, as though he'd just been scalded by his hot tea, didn't escape Hope's notice... nor did the fact that he entirely avoided her question. Perhaps it was one best saved for later, not when they had just freshly reconciled. Maybe he'd be more comfortable talking about it then... or perhaps over a glass of wine. With that thought in mind, Hope let the subject be, instead addressing another part of their conversation.
"Daisy the English Bulldog. That's so sweet," Hope cooed, a smile lighting up her face. "My parents, they were magizoologists, the both of them. We used to have plenty of creatures and so I've always had a soft spot for animals." She'd never owned any type of animal in her adult life, she hadn't thought it to be fair given how much she worked, but she definitely adored seeing them when she was out and about. "Poor Vera. I'm glad he's back in your life... did he have an explanation for where he's been all of these years?"
As soon as the cups appeared on the table, Ivan reached for his, ignoring the fact that the tea was boiling and the teacups themselves weren't exactly cold. He didn't mind though -- the heat would help him keep his attention on the here and now, rather than let his mind wander to subjects he didn't want to deal with.
Cradling the cup in his hands, he turned his head to face Hope -- it was only polite, after all -- and listened to her talk about her parents with a smile on her face. It was good to see that she could talk about the good memories without sorrow following her every word, and Ivan couldn't help but to smile back.
Once again his smile faded as soon as it had appeared. Nikolai's explanation. Hope had every right to ask, and Ivan wanted to answer -- he had plenty of worries about the subject, ones that his daughters wouldn't be the best advisers on, but a part of him felt like it really wasn't his place to share Nikolai's secrets with anyone else. After all, Nikolai had asked to speak in private, without Vera around...
A long pause followed, during which Ivan stared at the liquid in his cup as if it contained all the answers in the world. After taking a sip of the hot, yet very sweet tea, he looked at his colleague once more and sighed.
"Yes, and..." he hesitated for a moment. Am I betraying Nikolai's trust? Or am I just doing what's right for me?
"I trust you, Hope. So I ask that what I am about to say doesn't leave these walls, and that Nikolai doesn't find out that I told you anything."
"He left for two reasons - because he got addicted to Felix Felicis and because he fell in love with a man. The second part, well, it doesn't matter to me now, but...I doubt my mother would be as understanding as I am. She wasn't too happy with me having children with a veela, so this..." Ivan grimaced. He loved their mother, but her views were reflective of times long-since gone.
"And... The only reason I'm sharing this is because," he took another sip from his cup, "I worry. He says he's fine now and that he moved to Hogwarts to be in a less stressful environment, so he wouldn't step on the same rakes again, but-- I worry that he might start again. And I don't know if I should be keeping a close eye on him or-- Am I being overbearing again?"
Nikolai was a grown man. He could make his own choices, pick his own path, and Ivan had no right to try and control him. And yet, now that Nikolai was back, the last thing Ivan wanted to experience was losing him once more. It was tempting to ask Hope to take a closer look at Nikolai's letters, to see if he would ever be ordering copious amounts of ingredients or straight up made potions that weren't meant for healing. But that would be a heavy breach of privacy. Lord, this giving me a headache.
Where do you draw the line when caring about someone?
Post by HOPE GRIMBLEHAWK on Feb 14, 2020 2:26:45 GMT
In all honesty, Hope's intention when she'd asked if Nikolai had an explanation for his disappearance hadn't been to withdraw information or gossip from Ivan. A simple yes or no would have sufficed. But the fact that he trusted her, something he just outright said, was something that got to her. It made her insides feel warm and toasty, as though she'd just sipped on the tea that sat in front of her on the table. "I won't relay this to anyone else, Ivan. Promise," she told him sincerely, ensuring that she looked at him deep in the eyes. She wanted him to know that she truly meant it. "This just stays in this room."
The subsequent explanation caught Hope off-guard, however. For some reason... she hadn't imagined that was why Nikolai had left, but she could certainly see how that would cause him to leave in the first place. "Addiction... it's a nasty thing. He seems sober now, however, judging from our short exchange. I'm glad he managed to pull himself out of the potion addiction hole, even if... it meant he left you and your parents in his wake," Hope mused. As horrible as it was for the man to disappear from his families lives completely, it was certainly better than him dying as a result of too much Felix Felicis. "Your mother sounds very... old school. Reminiscent of some of the old hats that work for the Ministry, in fact."
Hope could understand where Ivan was coming with his concern, and it was a sign that he was a good man. However, it had her gently shaking her head. "I should think the last thing he'd want is his older brother looking over his shoulder like a hawk and observing him. Just... continue building a rapport with him, and if anything troubling comes up, then I'm sure he'd tell you," she said softly.
Ever since that bloody tragic mission that Hope had been apart of, the one that was plastered all over the Daily Prophet (albeit framed as them receiving deceptive information from a werewolf), she had been fairly quiet. Not just because she was disappointed - though, of course she was, because the mission she had led had been unsuccessful - but because by exposing her emotions to the general public, they were inclined to comment on the negative outcome and taunt her about her failure. By putting on her stony, resting 'bitch face' (as she'd heard some in the Ministry refer to it as), she refused to give them a reaction altogether which meant for the most part... the taunts ended as quickly as they started.
