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!
Often enough Runa cursed the school and the fact that she had chosen to become a teacher. Preparing lessons and grading homework could be so tedious. But at times like these she blessed it very much for the possibilities it opened for her. She enjoyed doing research and discovering what nobody had ever laid eyes on. School helped her with that. With the authority of the school she could important rare or potentially dangerous plants to the comfort of her home to study it in peace. And once she had extracted what she could, she enjoyed sharing the knowledge with her students, most often let them discover for themselves, trying to convey the excitement and satisfaction she herself gained from the task.
However it could be somewhat annoying at times to ask for permission for the import. So that was why Runa walked on bare feet decorated with leather ribbons, equipped with a stack of parchment, to the deputy headmaster's office. It contained all the information she had on a particular carnivorous plant which bloomed beautifully. Information on where it was found and how common it was as well as references to the import restricitions. Basically, she just needed the man's signature and the bundle of parchment would be on its way to the ministry.
With some difficulty due to the load of parchment, she knocked on the door of the defence teacher's office.
It was a gloomy Friday afternoon, the clouds dark and looming outside, and Jack sat at the desk in his office with his quill in hand, marking papers for his first and second year class. As he read Sally Jordan's, his eyes narrowed into a squint, trying to decipher... whatever that word was she had written down. Dipping his quill into the red ink pot, he scribbled a little note in the margin. He had no doubt in his mind that he'd have her crossing her arms and glaring daggers at him during the next class as a result. But oh well.
With a shake of his head, Jack had just put down the quill and wrapped his fingers around the mug of coffee to the left of him when a knock sounded on the door. Moving to his feet, Jack brought his mug with him as he opened the door, only to find Runa. "I thought it may have been one of the students. It's a relief to see you instead, Ms. Skarsgård," he said with a friendly smile, gesturing for her to come in as he took his place back behind the desk. Taking a sip of his coffee, he waited for her to get settled and comfortable before asking, "How may I help you this evening?"
6'0". IRISH. BIG HEART. LOYAL. BRAVE. WORKAHOLIC. BISEXUAL. SINGLE. distinguishing features: a big scar runs across jack's left cheek credit for award goes to ollie! <3
When Runa was admitted into the room, she had to do her best not to feel like a student who had been summoned to the professor's office. She had done nothing wrong and was a professor herself at that. "Thank you," she replied at the colleague's apparent relief and entered. Sitting down at opposite sides of the desk did nothing to help with her slight feeling of unease about the situation, but there was nothing to be done about that. Instead she tried to act as if she were comfortable and deposited the pile of parchment in a small free space on the desk and folded her hands in her lap to keep them from accidentally fidgeting. Not everyone needed to know that she hated social interaction with adults she didn't know well. Even though she had known the deputy headmaster for a few years now, that did not mean that she was entirely comfortable.
"I've come with a request for another import," she explained without preamble. "I've done all the paperwork, so it only needs your signature." She indicated the stack of parchment. "If you wouldn't mind, that is, Mr O'Connor," she added, wondering if she had been too forward.
With his coffee in front of him, Jack was about to raise it to his lips once more before he realised that he'd forgotten his manners. "Oh, my apologies. Would you like something to drink? Maybe a coffee or a tea? I have some chocolate too, if you're interested." Sliding open the top drawer of his desk, Jack produced a small bar of dark chocolate, tearing open the foil and offering for her to snap off a piece if she wished.
Runa answered Jack's question of what she was after a moment later, gesturing to the parchment she'd brought. It definitely wasn't the first time he'd signed something for her, and probably wasn't the last. "Just a moment," Jack said as he read through the pages of information, eyes scanning back and forth. Then pausing, he looked up at her with a twinkle of amusement in his eyes. "A carnivorous plant, hmm? Do you plan to scare the third years? They're rowdy, but surely not rowdy enough to try and feed to a plant." He was joking, of course, and the cheeky smile that slid onto his lips conveyed that.
6'0". IRISH. BIG HEART. LOYAL. BRAVE. WORKAHOLIC. BISEXUAL. SINGLE. distinguishing features: a big scar runs across jack's left cheek credit for award goes to ollie! <3
At the offer for something to drink, Runa actually wanted to refuse. She didn't want to stay for too long. But for society's sake she smiled. "A tea, please," she agreed, but wasn't too tempted by the chocolate.
Runa smiled kindly at the joke about feeding third years to the plant she wanted to import. She appreciated that O'Connor was joking around, making it a bit easier for her in her resolve to not get up and run out of the office the second she had the signature. "Not per se the third years," she mused in response, "but some of the fifth years could do with a reminder that there are things more powerful than them out there. Might do their egos some good to lose a finger," she commented with a kind smile in the spirit of her colleague's joke. In all seriousness though, she might want to ask for O'Connor's help with the safekeeping of the plant to protect both the plant and the students. She sometimes had the feeling that green house three where some of the more dangerous plants were kept, wasn't secure enough. And seeing as students sometimes used the greenhouses as hide outs, despite the rules prohibiting exactly that, Runa was a bit anxious when it came to her newest charge.
Post by JACK O'CONNOR on Jun 30, 2019 11:34:38 GMT
With a wave of his hand towards his coffee and tea station, Jack levitated a teabag into a cup then poured in the leftover hot water from the kettle he'd boiled moments before to make his coffee. Then carefully, making sure no tea sploshed over the sides, he levitated it to sit in front of Runa. "I hope that's too your liking," he said kindly.
Runa's remark that some of the fifth years could do with a reminder that they weren't all mighty and powerful had Jack nodding his head because by Merlin, yes. Some of those students... definitely had a knack for thinking they ruled the school, or even his classroom. Carrying on the joke with a chuckle, Jack said, "Just a finger? I'd say you're being too generous there. May as well do all or nothing."
As they fell into amicable silence, Jack reached out to grab his quill once more, dipping it into his ink pot before scribbling his signature towards the bottom of the page. "There we go," he said, handing the parchment over to her. "Just promise me you'll ensure all safety precautions are taken, yes? We had a visit from the aurors a few days ago after what happened in my sixth and seventh year class on Monday."
6'0". IRISH. BIG HEART. LOYAL. BRAVE. WORKAHOLIC. BISEXUAL. SINGLE. distinguishing features: a big scar runs across jack's left cheek credit for award goes to ollie! <3
"Thank you," Runa said politely when she received her cup of tea. To be quite honest, she didn't much like the tea they drank in the castle. It didn't compare to her more exotic tea leaves. However, she wasn't going to complain. It was still drinkable after all. And she wasn't going to start complaining about tea when the man opposite her was clearly a coffee drinker rather than tea.
Runa's eyebrows rose at the suggestion to simply feed not only a student's finger to the plant. And she'd thought that she had gone a bit far with the joke about the students' wellbeing. Runa found herself chuckling appreciately. "I'll have to disappoint you there, Mr O'Connor. I'm afraid the plant is too small to feed a whole human to it. But you don't have to tell the students that," she added a little mischievously. She could definitely appreciate some morbid humour.
She was glad when finally the signature was on her parchment. At least nothing could go wrong from here anymore. He had already given his approval. But when O'Connor spoke about safety and aurors, Runa gasped quietly. "Aurors?! I didn't hear about that. What happened?" she asked, genuinely concerned. Certainly, there were very different dangers in the castle than outside its walls. Children learning to cast potentially dangerous and difficult spells did that. But aurors?
Despite being a tad socially awkward at times, Runa had a wicked sense of humour that Jack could most definitely appreciate. "It'll be our little secret," Jack joked with a wink as Runa mentioned the plant being far too small to consume a teenage body. "I can't say I've ever had a green thumb and so if a Professor threatened me with that when I was fifteen, I would believe them and I'd definitely fall in line."
The gasp that escaped Runa's lips as Jack shared the news about the auror visit had Jack grimacing because he knew it was serious, and it was all his fault. He felt guilty that he'd brought this upon Hogwarts and as a result, all of the other Professors had to be uber careful because they were being watched more closely by the Ministry. "Alana Valentino is in your Herbology class, correct? As is Nadezhda Kareva? The students were practicing dueling in pairs up on a stage so I could evaluate how they're going with the non-verbals spells they're using, when it took a turn for the worse," Jack shared, shaking his head as the memory flashed through his mind. "Well, Alana cast flipendo at Nadezhda, and Nadezhda ended up bleeding as a result. Next thing I knew, Alana's face turned and she tried to attack her. A vampire, as it turns out. I noticed some changes in her this year but... not enough to accuse her of being a vampire. Headmaster McGonagall suggested I collect more evidence before chatting with her, something I agreed with."
Fingers combing through his hair, Jack moved onto the part of the story that made him feel the worst, in a lot of ways. "I... I never thought I'd use a spell on a student to knock them out, but I had to stupefy her. It... honestly, it makes me feel sick to my stomach that I had to, but I was worried that she'd injure Nadezhda further and... Merlin, I managed to eventually get the class out, but Aiden Valentino - Alana's brother - understandably argued with me, then two students, Kaylie Rousseau and Ryker young, punched one another and... it was, to be blunt, a disaster. So I contacted the ministry so they were aware of what was happening. I didn't want them to find out from another source and think I was hiding something from them, you know?"
6'0". IRISH. BIG HEART. LOYAL. BRAVE. WORKAHOLIC. BISEXUAL. SINGLE. distinguishing features: a big scar runs across jack's left cheek credit for award goes to ollie! <3
"I wish today's students were as much inclined to listen," she replied whistfully when her colleague expressed that he'd have been impressed by the thread in his youth. If only. As the more difficult 5th year students had little sense of danger to begin with, it wasn't really practical to threaten them with danger either. At least in her class.
Runa nodded but stayed silent when O'Connor started the tale of why the aurors had come to Hogwarts. It sounded familiar, the set-up of the lesson. They had had quite some duelling classes at Durmstrang. More than they had at Hogwarts, she had been told. And there had been blood at times. Quite often actually. However her eyes widened in horror at the revelation that Ms Valentino was a vampire! Her hand went up to her chest over her fast beating heart. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hear the rest of the story. But she did not interrupt. Biting her lip she was relieved when she heard that her colleague had been able to step in on time. However she felt for the man for having had to attack a student. It was not quite the same, but it was similar when Almir had to put a student's safety first a while back, which resulted in the death of a creature. Something like this could always happen in their subjects.
"Of course," she agreed in a small voice with notifying the ministry first before they found out on other ways, but she was shaking her head, shocked and saddened. "How horrible," she commiserated. "How could this have happened? Why weren't we informed?" she wondered aloud. It was a magic school after all. Accidents were bound to happen. Who had sent the child to school, knowingly endangering others, without having the decency to inform the headmistress?
Runa's reaction with the way she was clutching at her chest and widening her eyes, in all honesty, was not unexpected. He had already informed several of his colleagues including Headmistress McGonagall what had happened. It was most definitely something that was unexpected, that had never occurred at Hogwarts before... at least to his knowledge.
When she finally spoke, she had questions which, again, was to be expected and Jack was more than happy to answer them. "I spoke to Ms. Valentino, Alana, after class and... it appears she never told her parents when it happened. She was afraid of their reaction," he explained, a frown tugging at his lips as he recalled his chat with the tiny blonde student. "The Valentinos, they're Italian. Parents are Roman Catholic, and I've had my suspicion about them being quite... purist... for a while now, which isn't an accusation I throw around lightly but it would make sense. A few days after the attack... they posted an obituary in the paper. What kind of... family does that to their own child?" It made Jack shake his head in horror, the way they would cast out Alana over being a vampire instead of trying to get her help. It wasn't right, not by a long shot.
"We had a class a few days after the attack and we covered vampires as a topic... as I thought it would be quite useful, given that Headmistress McGonagall nor I wish to kick her out of school. I invited the students to share what they knew, but some... they obviously had quite strong biases. It's to be expected of teenagers, of course, and vampires as a whole have a reputation that makes you fearful.... but I feel quite awful that she had to sit there and listen to that. There were probably quite a few others who have vampire relatives or friends or... someone like that in their lives too, so I imagine it wasn't pleasant for them either," Jack divulged to Runa, eyes carefully watching her to see her reaction. He didn't know where she stood with vampires, but he supposed this would help solve that mystery at the very least. "The auror, Mr. Desford, he sat in the back and observed the class."
6'0". IRISH. BIG HEART. LOYAL. BRAVE. WORKAHOLIC. BISEXUAL. SINGLE. distinguishing features: a big scar runs across jack's left cheek credit for award goes to ollie! <3
"Mighty Allfather," Runa gasped. How could a family abandon their child like that? She didn't come from the most loving and accepting background, but would never inflict this on a child herself. "I will make sure that we take good care of her," she promised without a second's thought. If her family wasn't there for her, Hogwarts had to provide for her. There was no question about that.
Runa breathed out, letting the breath escape she didn't know she'd been holding. She could only imagine what kind of pressure it would've put on her if she'd been the one inspected by the ministry. And then with a difficult subject like this one. She did feel with her colleague. "This cannot have been easy for her or the other students," she admitted. "Or you, I imagine." Runa looked down at her lap. "I hope the ministry won't interfere. For the student's sake," she mused gravely. Runa had had enough run-ins with authorities to not be fond of decisions they could enforce on a well working system. She could only hope that it would not destroy what they had built.
"Mr O'Connor... especially under the light of what happened, could I ask you for help with .... additional security around the greenhouses? Especially with the newest addition, I feel like they are not sufficiently protected - neither plants nor students. I'm afraid students access the greenhouses outside of lessons at times and I cannot put a stop to it," she confided. It was difficult to admit for her whenever she needed help, but seeing that her colleague had confided in her about the difficulties he had faced in class, it was a bit more bearable.
Post by JACK O'CONNOR on Jul 21, 2019 12:57:08 GMT
Mighty Allfather... was a term that Jack had never heard before in his life and he was sure confusion was written all over his face as he asked Runa, "Is... is that a Swedish term, Runa? In Ireland, we typically just say Jesus, Mary and Joseph!" He had heard the phrase fall from his mam's lips plenty of times, growing up on the farm. Usually when his da, Maggie or himself gave her a bit of a fright. Runa's words, saying that she'd ensure Alana was well taken care of, had Jack smiling at her gratefully. "You're a good person, Runa. I appreciate you being so understanding."
Jack shook his head at Runa's next statement, that it wasn't easy. It certainly hadn't been for anybody involved. "I'm just... in all honesty, I'm just relieved nothing became physical. Again," he told her, before nodding. He, too, sorely hoped that the ministry stayed out of what happened to Alana Valentino and his subsequent classes. Mr. Desford had understandably watched one class, and hopefully would not continue to observe any more. He didn't need a bird on his shoulder for the rest of the year.
Runa's question of whether they could have extra security had Jack pausing for a moment, considering her. "There's... what we can do is provide some security measures for some of the greenhouses, however some do need to remain accessible for some students. I know there's a number of them who practice herbology in their spare time, and I'd hate to take such a valuable resource away from them, especially if they're not filching your belongings," Jack explained. "If you designate a particular greenhouse that needs more protection, we can move the more valuable, less common plants into there over the weekend and then I can tighten the security measures."
6'0". IRISH. BIG HEART. LOYAL. BRAVE. WORKAHOLIC. BISEXUAL. SINGLE. distinguishing features: a big scar runs across jack's left cheek credit for award goes to ollie! <3
"Oh, sorry," she apologised at her colleague's confusion about the term she had used. She hadn't thought about that. "It's... It's a term of the old religion, the... much like calling out to Jesus, it's... it addresses Odin, the father of the gods," she explained awkwardly. The old religion had been dormant for centuries but hat started to gain followers again as of late, Runa being one of them. She had been in need of some spiritual connection and had found it there.
"It is why we are teachers, are we not?" she replied embarrassed when OConnor said that she was a good person for wanting to protect a student. It was their job to keep the students safe, was it not? If there was any one teacher who thought otherwise, Runa would recommend them to find a new job elsewhere.
Runa listened gratefully to her colleague's suggestions about security measures, relieved that he did not judge her for not being able to do it herself. While she really preferred the students being in the green houses only in her company and especially as she was there quite often, she had to agree that it was a valuable opportunity for the more eager students to use the green houses without supervision as well. She nodded. "I will move the plants that need warding into green house three and seven then. Maybe add green house 5 as well to make sure there is enough room. The NEWT students should be up to the task of moving them alright. So... if you wouldn't mind... securing them? When you have time?" she managed to ask uncomfortably, hoping she wasn't asking too much. Maybe she should bake something for him for taking up his free time. "Thank you"
Post by JACK O'CONNOR on Aug 25, 2019 12:16:53 GMT
Runa was apologising to Jack and immediately, he waved it off, shaking his head. "You don't have to be sorry for saying a turn of phrase, Runa. I was just curious if it was something they said in Sweden. I've never been, but I've heard it's quite pleasant." He wondered briefly if he'd ever asked Runa and Almir what had brought the both of here, what had inspired them to leave their homeland. He was sure he probably had over the year but Merlin, after working alongside them for what felt like a lifetime... his memory was a bit foggy... or maybe that was just his old age getting to him again.
Runa's reply, tinged with embarrassment, made Jack look up sharply. Again, he found himself shaking his head. "Not as many professors would be as understanding as you'd think, Runa - that's a trait that shows that this was meant to be your career path. I've met plenty of professors not suited for this field, trust me. Hogwarts has a long line of ex-staff members." Unfortunately, a few of them had left not by choice too, their lives taken from them too early. This included Professor Elodie Mayers, the professor that Jack was convinced had been imperius'ed not only to set that werewolf student free so many years ago, but to kill herself. The memory of seeing her body floating in the lake... that had been an image that had haunted Jack for years after the fact, and still did.
"I think that sounds like a good plan," Jack said with a curt nod, smiling. He'd happily secure the greenhouses when the job was over. "Just tell me when, and I'll place some wards down. Was there anything else you wished to discuss today, Runa?"
6'0". IRISH. BIG HEART. LOYAL. BRAVE. WORKAHOLIC. BISEXUAL. SINGLE. distinguishing features: a big scar runs across jack's left cheek credit for award goes to ollie! <3
