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!
Flora had a heavy, dark green cloak wrapped over her shoulders and bundled in her lap as she sat on the large wooden table in the abandoned greenhouse. Beside her was a pencil case and a water well, yet the young woman hadn't quite gotten to unfurling her parchment. The girl was in a bit of a daydream, with her eyes closed and listening to the faint sound of the world outside the greenhouse. She wasn't very knowledgeable when it came to birdsong, but the twittering brought a smile to her face nonetheless. Flora attempted to focus a little harder, trying to listen for the humming of busy bees but instead she heard the murmurs of students that passed by. None of the words were distinguishable, nor could she place the voices... but she could definitely hear that there were footsteps crunching ever closer.
Unable to control herself, the young witch opened her eyes once again and focused on where she had heard the footsteps. There was a small smile on her lips as she willed whomever it was to come that little bit closer. "Come in! Come in! I don't bite, I promise," Flora called out. "Well... I do bite food and occasionally my pencils, but I promise I won't bite you" Flora put a hand to her mouth and groaned at how stupid she must sound. OH well... the words were out now and she had no time-turner.
Richard was working in one of the greenhouses by leave of the Herbology professor as he had a bit of a green thumb as the muggles said. Mostly with trees, though the guy did try to make use of the same knowledge and skill when it came to magical plants. Hopefully it would lead him to wand woods previously undiscovered from plants and not just trees. Humming as he went along the route that he was told to water by the professor, trying to figure out what kind of play would work best on the violin. Finally staring on vocals, which wasn’t exactly his best if he said so himself he walked into the next, so called abandoned greenhouse. More like void of magical plants, but still teeming with plant life..
Just when he thought he was alone there was a voice coming from inside telling him she wouldn’t bite and that made him actually halt his steps. His hand in front of his mouth to stifle the laugh that was about to come out. ’’Can I honestly trust you on that. I have been told I appear a little stiff, almost like wood. Which your pencils are likely made off...oh my god that was terrible. I’m sorry.’’ He walked into the greenhouse proper and looked around to see if he could find a body with the voice that had spoken to him.
After all even in the wizarding world it was not a good sign to hear voices out of nowhere. Not being able to remember where he ever heard that line he looked at a rather good looking girl from Slytherin. If he wasn’t mistaken she was even in his own year. ’’It’s just Richard Frost, I believe we’re in the same year though?’’
Can I honestly trust you on that? the question caught Flora off guard - her credibility had never been questioned so openly before. Even the things whispered about her family or her Hogwarts house ... she'd never taken it on board, really. "Well I guess we can never truly know a person... are you daring enough to try your luck?" she called her reply, just as he began being even more awkward than she had been with his remark. "Oh that really was," Flora laughed easily but there was no malice behind her words. "Anyone would think you want to be bitten!"
Flora's deep brown eyes followed the movement of the door, keen to lay eyes upon the boy that was just as silly as she. The witch's smile widened into a large grin as her artist's eyes quickly took in the wizard boy's features and a figurative lightbulb flickered on as he introduced himself. "Frost! I... yes, we are in the same year," Flora realised, a little too late, that she'd been overly excited when he introduced himself. Calm your farm, Flora, she thought and took a deep breath. He didn't need to know that she knew exactly where he sat in most classes. Nor that she'd tried a time or two to position herself to be his partner in classes but at the last moment became too shy.
"I'm Flora. Selwyn. I... I don't think you're stiff like wood," she supplied, then glanced down at the pencils on the table before her and took a moment to tuck a long lock of chocolate brown hair behind her ear. "But then my cousins could often be mistaken for marble statues, so perhaps I'm a little too familiar with stiff. Whoever told you that? It's not a very nice thing to say to someone so.. nice.. as you."
The first thought in Richard’s mind was for his normal train of thought the epitome of naughty, which was that he absolutely wouldn’t mind to be bitten by the cute girl. Especially now he knew that he was right that the girl in front of him was Flora, the one girl in his year, that had pretty much the entire picture a guy in his teens could ask for. Brains, beauty, skills and a quirky sense of humour. Not that there was one chance in hell that he’d outright say that. After all he was no miracle worker with conversation in general, let alone with girls.
She was rather excited and even Richard noticed that, who wouldn’t? He had noticed her sitting near him a few times, but still had no clue as to why, but from that he gathered that she had gotten his name. It was after all how he had gotten hers, with how shallow conversation turned out most of the time. ’’I do remember your name Flora, I just didn’t want to come across like some creep or anything like that. Also thanks for not thinking I’m like a piece of wood.’’ Even though his dorm mates would be likely to make a crass comment about wood, or more specifically morning wood.
Smiling he couldn’t help himself as he moved along the route he had planned out before watering some of the plants while looking at Flora, trying to come up with a normal answer. ’’I don’t think it matters who told me that…as to being nice though.’’ A blush did rise to his cheeks as Richard tried to make normal conversation. ’’ Thank you, though I honestly think you’re the nice one, or rather the widely admired one, smart, good looking, skilled with pencils, tons of friends and a good sense of humour. Do you honestly have any idea how many girls would want to be you, or how many guys have a bit of a crush on you?’’
It would absolutely not do to tell her that he was one of those guys, but he took a small pair of scissors from his robe pocket and started pruning a bush that had been getting out of the set bounds. Even though the plants weren’t magical per se they did often get influenced by it, which made them grow erratically. ’’What brought you here today though, I honestly thought I was the only one in the greenhouses, which is why I had been…oh for the love of magic, why did you have to hear me sing?’’
Be cool, Flora, the girl thought to herself as Richard said that he remembered her name. Internally, she was squealing like some of her classmates did and bouncing around in circles wildly but Flora tempered that with how she imagined the ever graceful big sister Vinda would react... so naturally Flora's outward reaction was the midway point and ended in a graceful smile. "You're very welcome. I think I'd probably choose something a little more poetic, or ironic... I mean your last name has all sorts of possibilities when it comes to trying to describe someone that's a bit stiff. Not that you are... stiff... that is," Flora flashed an innocent grin as she internally chided herself for saying 'stiff' to a boy not once... but thrice now!
Flora used one of her water colour pencils to wrap her long chocolate locks up in a messy bun as she watched her new companion get to his busy work of watering. She liked taking in the details of his movement; noting each muscle movement and then the way that the water droplets fell from the leaves and caught the light on the way to the potted Earth. "Actually I have a pretty good idea; my friends do tell me how gorgeous I am on a regular enough basis... but then compliments fall from Viola and Elena's lips very easily," Flora said with a light hearted chuckle. She hoped that it didn't make her sound conceited by admitting that. "I'm truly blessed to have the friends I do. I'd be even more blessed if I could count you... as a friend?"
When Richard asked if she had any idea about how many girls wished they could be her, Flora laughed because... if only people knew how crazy her family life was. "I think there's a good case of 'be careful what you wish for' if that's the case," Flora put her paper down as Richard moved slightly out of her line of sight and she shuffled to keep watching him. "Boys crush on me? They're all rather painfully silent on that front. Except that one Gryffindor who always smells of some kind of alcohol or smoke... though I think that's a little less 'crush' and a little more 'lust'," Flora mused, her smile hardly leaving her.
"I'm afraid I'm not quite as industrious as you are," Flora lamented, "I'm here for recreation only. I like the warmth the greenhouses give... the special way the light filters through and the pretty shades of green." Flora tapped on her lips with her forefinger thoughtfully, "you have a lovely voice, by the way. What song was it? I'm woefully unaccomplished musically - I can almost tell the difference between Twinkle, Twinkle and Pop! Goes the Weasel!"
Oh why the hell did he have to be a man of flesh and blood, or so the young man thought when he literally was asked if he was stiff by an attractive girl, one he might have a small crush on. Not that he knew what to say or do in that matter, but that was for another time. No the thing that was that he blushed where he shouldn’t have to and thanked whoever had come up with wizarding robes and their ability to hide boners very well. He wasn’t paying attention to how she was putting up her hair using nothing but a pencil, he wasn’t a creep, of course he didn’t notice how playful it looked. Nor the fact that it looked to frame her face nicely when it fell a little bit out of the way she had done it.
He made a small weird movement with his scissors when she said she’d be blessed if she could count him as a friend and almost cut into his fingers with it, trying to get his head back at what he was doing he gave a short, but very honest answer. ’’I’d be delighted to call you a friend Flora, I don’t have that many to be honest.’’ When she commented on how boys were crushing on her and how that one Gryffindor was more or less lusting after her Richard did curse a bit in his mind and actually cut his finger with his scissors this time and cursed out loud this time.
Sucking on his cut finger he listened to her reasoning for being there that day, that she was less industrious as he was, the warmth, the light play and to make it worse for him she said he had a lovely voice. Not to mention asking what he had been singing as she couldn’t tell the difference between a lot of things. If Richard was honest he had been mixing a few songs before he came into this particular greenhouse, but when he entered the last one he had been singing the song piano man from Billy Joel. Richard wasn’t all that hyped on non muggle music, as the muggles often called music the real magic and explored it so much more. Fair enough the lyrics were a bit sad at times, or only slightly creepy, but he wouldn’t change it for the world.
’’I was singing the song Piano man by Billy Joel, who is still alive, but no longer makes any new music. I am not really sure why it was that song that was on my mind, but I like it anyway. I know music is basically a universal language, what kind of music do you prefer Flora?’’ Going back to sucking on his cut finger as he was no hero with healing spells. Well that and it gave his mouth something else to do than spout words everywhere that made little to no sense in that conversation. It was also a rather efficient distraction from everything else if he said so himself, trying not to think of what Flora could have possibly implied with the stiff.
The Hufflepuff boy was curiously quiet as Flora chattered on and she watched with quiet intensity during her brief pause. She had to wonder why he busied himself so much with the plants when they could be having a nice chat, but with a silent, tiny nod to herself she determined that he had come into the greenhouses for a reason. Still, the moment he turned to reply that he'd happily be her friend, Flora's whole face lit up with a big, bright smile. "Perfect! Awesome! … wait, you do know that it's not really important about the quantity of friends you have but the quality of their friendship, right?" Flora asked with a tilt of her head. She was lucky that she had a decent amount of friends, all so very different but spectacular. Her closest friends were the best though. "Isn't Liam in your dorm? I'd have thought he would be a good friend. He's a good friend to me. Skylar is lovely too. A little troubled lately, but lovely none-the-less."
Shortly, Richard was cussing and Flora slid off the table to step up to see how he was. "Oh goodness, what have you done to yourself?" Flora asked as she stood next to him, her angular face the picture of concern. She couldn't help but turn that frown upside down as he began to suck at his finger. How silly did he look!? She nodded when Richard tried to answer her question about the song. "Piano Man by Billy Joel. Interessting - is it a song about a transfiguration spell gone wrong?" she wondered aloud whilst she reached to take his hand in her own so she could check it. "What music … hmm I listen to the Wizarding Radio sometimes at home with my Pa. I like the Weird Sisters when they come on, but I can't say that I can remember any of the lyrics without them to sing along to."
Reaching for her wand, Flora turned Richard's hand over in her own. "Episkey," Flora said the incantation with confidence and gave the boy a smile as the wound healed itself. "Best to learn that spell rather than suck on yourself - don't want anyone thinking you're a vampire else you'll get blood lollipops in your Christmas stocking."
Richard was rather uncomfortable as she took his hand in his, it was more of an automatic action to stick his finger in his mouth after he wounded it. He knew that saliva was a natural healing component, same went for example for a dog’s saliva, but it apparently wouldn’t do for Flora. ’’I kinda cut my finger is what I did Flora, also no Piano man is not about a transfiguration spell gone wrong. Quite likely since it was a muggle singer who wrote and performed the song. ‘’ No, Richard would not comment on how her hand fit so well in his own, nor how soft her hands were, he would not do so, blushing even slightly at the thought of it as he made the observations.
’’ And here is the part where you’re going to look at me funny when I say that I have never listened to the wizarding wireless a minute in my life before.’’ Seeing her reaching for her wand he couldn’t help but shuffle his feet and notice he wasn’t fully calm. The incantation came and went, along with a slight tingling in his finger, only for him to see that it was fully healed as the tingling passed. ’’Yeah might want to do so, but I’m no hero with healing spells yet. More of a green thumb or way with creatures as you might hear when you ask around. But human saliva can often speed up the healing of one’s own wounds, nor is it likely to fester as it is a liquid that is produced by the body it won’t be rejected easily, but I get where you’re going with it. ….Could you teach me as you seem to be much more familiar with them than I am?’’
It was a long shot seeing as they hadn’t really had any contact before that day, nor was he great with words or people for that matter. No this might just be the thing he somewhat needed to develop some kind of skill with people, cute people when it came to Flora.
"Oh silly billy," Flora clicked her tongue as she shook her head with her dark chocolate eyes trained carefully on Richard's boo-boo, "did you mistake your finger for a twig?" she asked with a chuckle, glancing up as her thumb rubbed his hand comfortingly for a moment. "Oh Merlin, I must have sounded pretty silly but honestly... what's the song about? A man that plays the piano for a job?" Flora enquired, trying to understand why someone would make a song about an instrument - even one as large and elegant as a piano. "What is the artist's name? This muggle? … you know, just so I can remember and impress you next time maybe instead of sounding so silly."
In fact, Flora did look at Richard funny when he said she would; her left eye squinted and her right stayed wide because she couldn't think of a reason why someone hadn't ever listened to the radio before. "You're missing out - I particularly enjoy listening to Lee Jordan commentate the Quidditch games because he makes it so hilarious … it's almost better than being there yourself!" Flora actually quite enjoyed the sport which was the reason she thought she'd give it a go when there was a spot that opened on the Slytherin team.
As the charm fixed the other fourth year, Flora let go of his hand gently and leaned casually on the bench to listen to Richard's explanation of the good properties of human saliva. "Ahh is that why people enjoy kissing so much? Because saliva is so very good for you?" she asked coyly, tucking a long and stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I can definitely help teach you episkey so that you can put your saliva to better... use."
Silly Billy, now that was one that Richard had heard before, but he couldn’t recall ever hearing it from Flora ever before, now if you too that Ravenclaw, Viola he thought it was you’d hear it plenty. Grumpily mumbling on him seeing his finger as a twig, while in fact he’d been distracted by thinking about her being in the same room, not that he’d admit that. ’’The song is indeed about a man that plays the piano for a living and how he meets new people all the time while he does so in the pub and it’s sung by Billy Joel. There’s most likely a deeper meaning to a lot of the lyrics, but right now I wouldn’t be able to tell you as I’d need to look them up again.’’
When she commented about turning on the wireless to listen to Lee Jordan doing the Quidditch commentary so well it seemed you were there yourself. ’’I can honestly say I only have been to matches here at school and enjoyed being there, but didn’t get the urge to put on the radio commentary.’’ Still staring at his fixed finger and being slightly sad that her hand had left his as it made him realize what had been going on, even to the point he had no longer a clue what to say or think.
A blush forming on his cheeks when she mentioned that that must be the reason people enjoy kissing one another, though he guessed there was more to it than that. That he had no idea what to say about it either didn’t exactly make it better for him. Smiling when she said that she would teach him the spell and the blush getting deeper when she mentioned his saliva could be put to better use. ’’I guess that’s a reason, but thank you for willing to teach me the spell…while on the subject of teaching, perhaps you could teach me the other more…useful.. things I could do with saliva?’’
Thinking that that might be a bit odd he was trying to figure out what to put against that, but if he was honest he was running on fumes there. Plant fumes that was. The only thing he could teach her were about creatures and plants. ’’I mean I could teach you how to grow your favourite flowers? Man that sounds dumb, even for me…sorry I’m not very good at this.’’
"I like the deeper meaning behind lyrics. It's like the symbollogy used in Renaissance paintings where you can really get a feel for the message apart from just the pretty picture. I don't really use that kind of thing in my art; although I have noticed a difference according to my mood in the colours and straight lines versus softer, more curved... I like swirls when I'm happy and there's a lot of triangles when I'm angry, for example." Flora had unfortunately become aware that she was gibbering on about a subject that most people found indcredibly droll, so she bit her lip and smiled apologetically at her classmate. "I do apologise for rambling. I get caught up in... connections."
Flora's smile reached her ears when Richard said he'd been to the school Quidditch matches. "Oh! I joined the Quidditch team .... because why not? My cousin, Vinda, she's a sixth year you might have seen around... she's devastatingly pretty and incredibly gifted with potions," Flora gushed; she looked up to both her sibling-cousins even if she was the... the mistake. "Vinda says I'm an idiot for joining, but I'm looking forward to my first game soon against... hmmm Hufflepuff? I'm a chaser."
Then of course came the offer of teaching episkey to Richard and the blush on his cheeks was... well, now she completely understood why Viola gushed about how absolutely adorable a blush was on a person because by goodness. "... Richard, are you asking me to teach you how to kiss?" Flora asked with a coy smile, her head tilting to the side as she did so. The movement dislodged the watercolour pencil in her hair and the long locks of chocolate coloured hair fell down on her shoulders. "Hmm a kiss in exchange for gardening lessons... it seems like a fair deal," the girl reached out to take his wounded hand in her own, interlacing their fingers gently. "Are you ready?"
Richard was listening to Flora ramble on about what she liked and found that he could listen to it for a very long time and not get bored with it in the slightest. What he did think about was that he was different and yet the same. He was more about the plants he sought out when he was in a bad mood, or rather a good mood. ’’It’s okay to ramble about things you are passionate about. What you have with lines and shapes I find myself doing with plants. Plants and flowers I seek out and work with when in certain moods.’’
Hearing she had joined the quidditch team had him smiling too, now he would actually have a reason to go there and not just be dragged along to have a good time. ’’Now I’ll have a reason to go, watching you. Instead of being dragged along to have a good time. Even though house pride dictates that I’ll be rooting for the badgers. Also I have no idea who your cousin is.’’ Realising what he had said just before at an very awkward attempt at flirting, because that was one thing Richard was worse at than being a top of the line athlete, it was flirting, or normal social contact.
The blush on his cheeks reaching the point of cherry red he tried to find the correct words even though she had already continued. His brain only restarting when he heard her continue and even that threatened to freeze him up again. Her fingers interlacing with his own his heart was racing and he was both trying to find a way out and to actually go with the flow. His mouth suddenly feeling dry and sweat threatening to break out he swallowed loudly. ’’I guess as ready as I’ll ever be.’’ Richard managed to reply as he gave her hand a tiny squeeze and shuffled a tiny bit closer, his brain already shorting out and trying to get back into what he knew was normal and real. Eyes trying to not stare anywhere, but finding themselves being drawn to her chocolate brown ones. He knew she’d be able to feel his heartbeat by now, but his mind had literally gone blank already and that was without her lips anywhere near his.
