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!
And while you are sitting indoors waiting for the storm to pass I will be outside dancing in the rain
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Eva had a busy night and she couldn't even remember half of it. The woman rubbed her dry sore eyes even more as she was seated behind the bar. The woman needed her coffee and the pot was brewing but when the door swung open she let out a small whine. She might not be drunk but she was hella hungover.
"Mmm good morning lad." she said with a small yawn that she covered with her mouth before getting up and pouring herself a coffee. She eyed the bow with a raised eyebrow and cocked her head a bit.
"Can I help Hogwart's finest with anything?" she asked and eyed the boy as she grabbed a glass just in case he wanted something.
People would be surprised to see the seventh year Gryffindor walking to The Three Broomsticks in the morning, way ahead of everyone else. He wanted to see the blonde before he were to be sucked into a busy schedule of being a productive student. There was something about her that had been bothering him - and he wanted to get to know her better. Besides, she was a former student and sure he had known of her but never really got a chance to talk to her. So when he walked into the bar, he smiled when she saw her and headed toward her with a sweet smile of his.
"Long night?" he asked as he leaned against the bar, taking a seat and eyed her up and down. "Coffee sounds good. Too early for other stuff." he said and cocked his head to the side as he watched the female. She was the only female besides his friends that wouldn't jump on him, and he was curious about why. Usually his charms worked.
And while you are sitting indoors waiting for the storm to pass I will be outside dancing in the rain
❧
Eva looked at the boy and shook her head with a small smile. Wow he didn't give up did he? She caught him staring many more times than she'd like to count and she didn't do babies. The guy was still a boy to her and she needed a man after all.
"Coffee it is." she said and cocked her head a bit before pouring him a cup instead of the usual sweet drink the kids wanted. The truth is she was not looking forward to rush hour of teenagers running in wanting drinks and yelling.
God she hated the yelling.
"So what makes you come here so early? You know we don't serve alcohol till after dinner right?" there was a chuckle coming from the bartender.
Elijah eyed the blonde as she worked on fixing him a cup of coffee, the sweet smell of the caffeinated stuff. Reminded that he needed to keep his sisters girlfriend away from this place. She'd make things worse and last thing he needed was for this beautiful bartender to turn him down whenever he had the guts to ask her for a little date. He wanted to get to know her better - didn't want to just sleep with them and forget them. He had a track record of just leaving women and men hanging - he wanted to change that. He wanted to have a relationship. Grow up.
His hands wrapped around the mug and he sipped the coffee with a small smile. "Thank you. I needed this." he said politely. He just cocked his head to the side with a slight smirk. "Oh I know. I'm just....wanted to see if you needed help cleaning the place up a bit." he said slowly, trying to think of a better reason but it just came out. "And I figured you could use the company."
And while you are sitting indoors waiting for the storm to pass I will be outside dancing in the rain
❧
Eva always got flirts at the bar, it wasn't new to her anymore. Honestly they often annoy her and she would bitch them out, defending her own honor with it because most of the flirts were drunks but this was a guy who didn't look much younger than herself.
"Do you know how to handle a broom?" she asked and looked around the bar. She didn't know how much cleaner this hellhole could be but eh if he wanted to scrub the floors who was she to say no?
"Company is always nice but aren't you supposed to be in school?" she chuckled a bit and rolled her eyes.
"What are you really doing here... what is your name again?"
Elijah was mentally kicking himself as he watched the bartender closely, and he sipped his coffee peacefully. There was a time he would just flirt his way into someone's pants but this wasn't one of those times. He was there because he wanted to know more about her, befriend her cause she seemed like she needed a friend. Maybe it was a crush but he would deny it so hard if one were to question him. Bad enough his sister caught him staring at her a few weeks back. He would want to keep his friends away from this one.
"I do know how to handle one yes." he replied, grinning a bit. "And no, I'm free for a few hours before things get interesting. I got practice later." he raised an eyebrow at her for a moment as he finished the coffee, and headed toward the broom in the back.
"It's Elijah. But you're welcome to call me Eli. All my friends do."
And while you are sitting indoors waiting for the storm to pass I will be outside dancing in the rain
❧
Eva's job was not the most charming one and to see a boy offer to sweep the floors, it's strange and not something she has seen much before. Her eyes were on him and her lips were curled up in a smile, why would a guy do this? None of the jocks she she knows would do this, not one. Eva was actually surprised here and just sipped from her own drink as she watched him.
"Mmm I bet you can.." she hummed, god he was tall and quite handsome. Yet she didn't know him and often she didn't care but he was a student, she was not. Eva cocked her head a bit and hummed as he said his name was Elijah.
"How old are you? You don't look diaper age like most of the kids coming in here." she said and looked him over, that ass.
It would surprise his mother that he was doing actual cleaning work without his wand and that no one had told him to do it. No, he offered and for some reason he didn't mind it as he had got to work. Perhaps he can get a job here to work beside her for a tiny time but knew damn well his parents would not agree to this. His father would just tell him it's just a girl, and to get a real man's job but for some reason Eva had drawn him in. He didn't want to be away from her, and he wondered why the hell he was feeling that this when this girl would not give him a time of day. She deserved a much better man than him.
The male looked up when she asked him how old he was. "Almost eighteen." he said and eyed her with a small smile. "Yep." he then continued to work with the broom, looking away from her for a moment. "You used to play, right?"
And while you are sitting indoors waiting for the storm to pass I will be outside dancing in the rain
❧
Eva did used to play indeed, she wanted to play longer but honestly ever since Ava died she couldn't. She didn't even feel the love for the game as much anymore. Surely she was going to be fine one day but that wasn't today, not today at all. With a small sigh she eyed the boy cleaning the floors like he worked here. She had no idea why he even bothered.
"Almost eighteen.." she hummed to herself and bit her lip. She then cocked her head to the side a bit.
"I used to yeah.." she cleared her throat and chuckled. "Did you forget about me already?"
Elijah wasn't one to forget a pretty face, and even though he won't admit that she was indeed pretty out loud, he just shook his head as he swept the floor a bit. If only Ryker can see him now, how desperate he was being to get a girls attention. Usually he didn't have to try this hard but this girl was giving him the challenge and he was going to try his hardest to get into her good graces. Cleaning the bar floor was probably something she didn't expect of him but yet here he was, using a broom for cleaning other than riding.
"Nah, I didn't forget you. You were hell when your house played against mine. I couldn't keep up." he commented as he moved to another part of the barroom. "Then again, I enjoy a challenge." so he wasn't complaining.
And while you are sitting indoors waiting for the storm to pass I will be outside dancing in the rain
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She was so good at what she did. She was talent for the team she used to play for. Even her professors told her that she should make it to the pro's. She was so close to getting signed until Ava's murder. Everything seemed to have gone numb after that. She wasn't even sure she could ever get on a broom again and yet Elijah seemed to spark her need to play again.
"I won't be able to beat you anymore, I am not like that anymore." she said softly and poured a drink for the guy. He seemed to be trying too hard and though she appreciated it, she wasn't worth the trouble for him. He was in school and she was here feeding drunks and being drunk not soon after.
"I am no challenge to you anymore, I can assure you that. Are you going to try out for the pro's?"
Elijah was curious to why she had stopped playing after Hogwarts, but he didn't want to bother her with questions. Instead he just continued to work around the bar, making the place look brand new even if it was older than him. The male enjoyed coming here for the weekends, and sometimes enjoyed the company it brought him. But lately he hadn't been the player people would though him to be. He wasn't one to sleep around anymore, to just get laid and forget their names later on. Last thing he wanted was to be just like his father, a whore. He needed to settle down, enter a relationship and not fall out of it.
He paused for a moment, resting the broom near the bar and grabbed the cup she had poured for him as he thought over. "Oh I'm sure you're not that bad." he said with a little pout before looking at her. "I don't know. My future is unclear right now."
And while you are sitting indoors waiting for the storm to pass I will be outside dancing in the rain
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Eva had given up hope for herself because she blew it and the scouts wanted young people, not older ones who had blown their chances the way she did. Maybe she was forever doomed to be a bartender, maybe not but she saw no progress or chances that anything would get better anytime soon. The woman eyed the boy with a smile.
"Nah I blew it." she said and sighed a bit. "What do you mean?" she knew not all kids were sure about their futures after school but most of them had their plans laid out for them.
Elijah wish it can be simple to pick out a career, and stick with it until he either gets tired of it or gets too old to even do it. His parents were bickering about it before, and he wanted to tell them that it was his life even if he didn't want to disappoint either of them. If Mara was still around, he'd ask her what he should do but knew that she'd probably give him some snarky remark because it was Mara. For some reason he felt like his sister hated him, and it bugged him deeply to this day.
"Well, I know I have what it takes to play professionally but I don't know if I see myself doing it for the long run." he said and eyed her with a frown. "Do you see yourself bar-tending for the rest of your life?"
And while you are sitting indoors waiting for the storm to pass I will be outside dancing in the rain
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Eva had dreams and hopes like every other girl. Eva looked at Elijah and just smiled. The guy was weird trying to clean up the bar for her before the other students come in and want his attention. He was trying to get to know her and no guy ever did that either.
"I never saw me being a bartender in the first place but.." she sighed a bit. "After i fell off the wagon.. I never got back on." she admitted and stopped cleaning the glasses.
"What's bothering you? Don't you think there is a future for you out there?"