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!
a charming young woman... ...capable of being terrible
GRYFFINDOR
16
SIXTH YEAR
1/2 VEELA
we're not running when the world's on fire/we'll be dancing in the smoke
73 posts
0 likes
Post by LYUBOV KAREVA on Aug 11, 2019 19:22:36 GMT
Sprawled out on her bed, Lyuba leafed through a magazine, idly glancing at the moving pictures inside. It was a rare day that she was already in her pajamas at this hour, but she'd had such an exhausting day that it felt like the perfect relaxing thing to do. She'd spread one of Nadya's plant concoctions on her face, and even popped some cucumbers on her eyes before she realized that she wouldn't be able to see if they were there. So instead, she rolled onto her stomach, fluffy-socked feet up in the air, and took out the latest Witch Holiday? magazine, flipping it open to see excursions to Brazil. It would be fun to travel someday, Lyuba thought, and she had subscribed to the magazine in hopes of finally convincing Papa to take them somewhere over the summer.
"Ever been to Brazil, Aggy?" she called over to the only roommate who was also in the dorm at the time. "Or anywhere really fun? Not that London's bad, but I live there, you know? Plus I want to go to the beach." Sure, Hogwarts's lake technically had a beach, but Lyuba wasn't dreaming of that. Scotland had sunshine, but not quite in the amount she was hoping for. "I can't remember the last time I was swimming. I think it'd be fun." And if you thought she was going to try to swim in the Hogwarts lake with the giant squid? Never. She may have been a Gryffindor, but there were some things she just didn't want to face.
She hoped her chattering wasn't bothering the other girl too much. Lyuba was, in general, under the impression they were friends, but Aggy had been so--prickly the last couple years that Lyuba worried she'd done something wrong. But then again, Aggy was like that to everyone, so she hoped she didn't have to worry too much. She had been around the redhead enough to know that idle chatter wouldn't necessarily put her in a good mood, but she could hope.
Post by AGNES CLEARWATER on Aug 13, 2019 9:15:45 GMT
It was one of those kinds of days. The kind where everything went wrong, starting from the absolutely delightful letters she got from both her mum and dad at breakfast, both of them demanding she spend an exorbitant amount of time with them at Christmas. Aggy had sent back an equally... cheerful letter saying that unless new science had been developed since September, it was not physically possible for her to divide herself between the two households like that and didn't they remember the custody agreement that had been in place for four years now? Sometimes - no, scratch that, most of the time, it felt like she was the reasonable adult instead of the unruly teenager when it came to her dynamic with both of her parents.
Laying on her bed, curled up on her side with a book about ancient runes in her hands, Aggy was finally winding down from her block of hellish classes. It wasn't that the afternoon classes were difficult, per se, more so that she just didn't give two rats arses about them. Herbology put her to sleep - in fact, she was sure Evan had nudged her side more than once to keep her away; and then potions with Professor Tyrant was enough to make her one to dunk her head in one of the cauldrons and drown herself. It wasn't that the content was boring, it was that the Professor was an absolute arsepiece who was absolutely unsuited for this line of work.
Thumbing to the next page of her book, Aggy was just about to delve into the fascinating subject of logograms when a voice broke through, asking if she'd ever been to Brazil of all places. "Nae, I've only seen the beautiful plains of Scotland and all it has to offer in it's scenery which is... a bunch of old bloody castles that look like they're about to crumble at any given time," she said dryly. Lyubov started waxing poetic about swimming and the beach and Aggy's red brows raised because that did not sound like a fun time to her. She didn't enjoy the outdoors at all. "Yeah, I can't imagine anything as fun as being burned to a crisp and getting sand in your swimsuit whilst being ogled by strange men who think they're entitled to stare at your body just because they're male. Sounds like an absolute treat."
Despite her sarcastic words that painted a not so pleasant pictures, Aggy's lips twitched with amusement because she wasn't being entirely serious or malicious even. It wasn't like she disliked Lyuba at all - the girl was up for a banter and she wasn't dumb as a rock and overall, it made for interesting conversation. If Aggy didn't want to talk to her, then her words would have been a lot more cutting and a lot less... tolerable of small talk, that was for sure.
a charming young woman... ...capable of being terrible
GRYFFINDOR
16
SIXTH YEAR
1/2 VEELA
we're not running when the world's on fire/we'll be dancing in the smoke
73 posts
0 likes
Post by LYUBOV KAREVA on Aug 19, 2019 18:24:37 GMT
Ah, Scotland. Lyuba had never been before attending Hogwarts, even when her sisters had taken the train to school before her, but now the northern country was deeply familiar. It was no Brazil, but it had its own charm. "Think this castle'll crumble at any given time?" she asked, smiling back and pushing her magazine away a bit. "I think it's all held up by magic at this point." She glanced at the tower walls, which always kept them cozy but were clearly worn away by centuries of students. Lyuba's father had gone to Koldovstoretz, and her mother to no school at all, but Lyuba could add herself to the many, many students who had lived in this room. Despite the problems that came along with life at school--like every single one of the classes she'd had that day--she enjoyed the charm of the old castle.
But, still, no proper beaches. Aggy didn't seem to share the same enthusiasm Lyuba had for the idea--but that could be debated. "Oh, but if you're in the water, then there's no sand and nobody can look at you," Lyuba said, rolling over onto her back to look at Aggy upside down. "You've got to swim!" Truth was, Lyuba was used to being stared at. It was a fact of life for her, and sometimes she really did like showing off. She only wished that it wasn't old men who did that, and she had to admit that her roommate had somewhat of a point. Even if she loved being the star of a party, too many times she'd been gawked at just walking in the streets of London, and she was only sixteen. "Where would you want to go, then? Somewhere cold, so you can put on a giant coat? Or just somewhere indoors?"
Post by AGNES CLEARWATER on Sept 2, 2019 11:00:56 GMT
"I dunno, I saw some of the walls looking pretty raggedy. Ten galleons I don't have says that the one in Potions class will be the first to go," Aggy quipped, before nodding. It was probably all held together with magic, that much was right, but how long could magic really last? What happened if a big attack was launched one day? It wasn't entirely out of the realm of possibility, given the Second Wizarding War. "Hope O'Connor's magic is strong enough to hold the castle up when McGonagall kicks it otherwise we'll all be goners. Rest in peace us, am I right?"
"Ah, yes. That magical bit of ocean that doesn't have sand at the bottom and can completely cover you as well as an invisibility cloak does. Totally forgot about them," Aggy said dryly. Swimming didn't sound like a blast to her at all and she could list the reasons why. They were endless once she got to thinking about them... but that's what a strong aversion to the sun bred, right? Hatred.
Lyuba asked where she'd want to go and Aggy contemplated the question for a moment, wracking her brain. "Anywhere without my 'happily divorced' parents. They'd probably have a competition about who could take me to the 'best place' but they'd be so blind to my actual interests that I'd end up in Hawaii or Australia or something," Aggy said with a shrug. It sounded ungrateful, having parents that could afford to take her fancy places and give her nice things but they tried to outdo each other constantly and in the process, they ignored what she wanted. "I guess... somewhere cold with books and away from people."
a charming young woman... ...capable of being terrible
GRYFFINDOR
16
SIXTH YEAR
1/2 VEELA
we're not running when the world's on fire/we'll be dancing in the smoke
73 posts
0 likes
Post by LYUBOV KAREVA on Sept 11, 2019 14:29:14 GMT
"Yeah, and it's the dungeon. So the whole castle'll probably fall down on us. At least then no more Potions lessons, am I right?" Lyuba had never been a fan of Potions, and she was not much of a fan of the new professor, who didn't look much older than Lyuba herself and never explained anything in a way she could understand. "But maybe we'll be fine. Well, McGonagall's like, super old, so I hope he's getting ready. Like the dude with the earth on his back." Lyuba had few problems with the Headmistress, in fact being impressed by her in general, but she felt like she was making an obvious observation. And it didn't have to be death. Retirement was a thing, right?
She let Aggy answer her question, just in case she had a better idea than her ideal beach. It wasn't like Papa was actually going to take them anywhere anyway--and not like she had a mother to take her to Hawaii or anything. It had never bothered her when she was little, before she knew that most people's mothers actually showed some sign of existence, but once she'd gotten to school age and found out, she always wondered what it would be like. She knew it wasn't fair to be jealous--from what she knew about Aggy, her parents made her life miserable by both being there--but sometimes she was.
"A holiday to the library, then?" Lyuba asked, putting a smile back on her face. "It's got cold, it's got books, and if everyone's left for the break, it's got no people." She rolled back over, putting her chin on her crossed arms. "I've only got the one parent, so maybe you can donate one to me."
Post by AGNES CLEARWATER on Sept 12, 2019 1:48:58 GMT
"What a shame. I mean, personally my favourite class is potions. Gotta love Professor Tyrant, am I right? Nothing I want more in a professor than someone with a superiority complex," Aggy said, her eyes rolling much in the manner she'd seen Professor Tyrell's do. She didn't have one iota of respect for the woman and she wasn't about to pretend to, though she doubted the woman actually cared. Lyuba's reference to "Atlas? Is that who you're talking about?" caught Aggy by surprise because she'd always been under the impression the other girl was raised solely in the wizarding world. That wasn't to say she couldn't know muggle history, but it took her by surprise.
"As long as the library isn't in Hogwarts itself and people aren't taking their pants off like Delgado does, then yeah. A trip to the library. Maybe I can cast silencio and get some peace and quiet," Aggy said with a thought hum.
But then Lyuba asked her to donate a parent and Aggy was coughing out a laugh because she wasn't serious, right? Yeah, she had two parents, and she knew Lyuba had just her dad but... her parents? They weren't very good at parenting. Some days she thought if one disappeared, then things would be much happier for her because then the fighting would stop, right? "Sure, which one do you want? The mum who I walked in on shagging someone other than my dad? She's a delight, saying she'd never have cheated if dad had done his job and kept her happy," she started flippantly, before continuing, "or do you want the dad who used goes through girlfriends like their pairs of underwear but makes sure he moves them in first for when I come back from school?" Aggy gasped dramatically, waving her finger at Lyuba because she was enjoying this too much. "Or do you want a combo deal? You're welcome to both of them. No refunds, so think carefully."
a charming young woman... ...capable of being terrible
GRYFFINDOR
16
SIXTH YEAR
1/2 VEELA
we're not running when the world's on fire/we'll be dancing in the smoke
73 posts
0 likes
Post by LYUBOV KAREVA on Sept 18, 2019 0:12:35 GMT
Lyuba giggled, a loud and bright sound. "I know, right? She's all high and mighty, but I totally bet the other professors mistake her for a student sometimes. I sure would." Then a terrible thought came to her mind. "Dear Merlin, I hope the seventh-year boys haven't tried to flirt with her for that. But on second thought, maybe they deserve the shit they'd get for it. On both sides." Lyuba loved flirting, but she couldn't think of much that would be quite as gross as hitting on a professor. "Yeah! Atlas, that's who it is. I totally had a mythology book once upon a time, but I couldn't remember exactly." It had never been her favorite book, but that was only because all the murder and stuff sounded awful. At least it came in handy for sounding like she knew something about history.
"But Delgado's hot! Why do you get to see him with his pants off and I don't?" Lyuba gave a fake pout, looking far too dramatic for the subject matter. "Get him out of the library somehow and I'll be happy to keep him out of your hair."
But then things got serious, and Lyuba had to sigh, her face going back to a more neutral expression. "Dude. That sounds miserable. Parents are weird. I'm pretty sure my Papa hasn't shagged anyone in sixteen years--not that I want to know if he does," she said, shuddering, "but he still wears his freaking wedding ring. Sixteen years. Like, we need some sort of middle ground. Is there a way to magically share bits of personality or something?"
Post by AGNES CLEARWATER on Sept 25, 2019 8:59:22 GMT
Lyuba's words had Aggy letting out a laugh, and a genuine one at that because... well. Tyrell did look like she blended in with the student body. "One day, in a few decades, we'll find out that her secret is just sucking all the youth and joy out of her younger siblings," she joked, before grimacing because the thought of anyone hitting on Professor Tyrant was gross. "Mm, yes, I can't imagine anything turning the seventh year boys on more than a woman with a Napoleon complex. Except maybe Professor McGonagall. I bet all the boys go to bed at night thinking about her." Another snort escaped Aggy as she finished speaking, and then her nose scrunched up because yeah, she had totally made that worse.
"I'm just that lucky, I guess. Must have pleased the deities with all the good deeds I do on a daily basis. You know, the deeds where I definitely don't smoke or drink and just sit there twiddling my thumbs all day," Aggy said, fluttering her eyelashes and injecting her voice full of angel-like innocence. But then she dropped the act a second later and shook her head. "Why don't you go and find him in the stacks? He likes to dwell in the books near the Ancient Runes."
"I don't know what you're talking about. It's not miserable at all. In fact, I file it under 'pros' in my 'perks of being alive and kicking' list," she said, her lips twitching because she wasn't serious obviously. If she was being serious, that would be depressing. Aggy looked up however, face turning serious as Lyuba mentioned her dad still wearing his wedding ring sixteen years later. "Bloody hell. That's... wow. Where'd your mum bugger off to? Narnia? Did she forget her way back to the wardrobe?"
a charming young woman... ...capable of being terrible
GRYFFINDOR
16
SIXTH YEAR
1/2 VEELA
we're not running when the world's on fire/we'll be dancing in the smoke
73 posts
0 likes
Post by LYUBOV KAREVA on Sept 29, 2019 23:59:26 GMT
"Better Delgado than McGonagall any day. Wait, he hangs out by the Ancient Runes? Huh," Lyuba said, considering. She hadn't thought of Mat as the type to be into a complicated subject like that, but maybe she'd been wrong. It wasn't like she took that class, so she wouldn't know if he did or not. Maybe she'd have to hang out with him more. She'd spent much more of her time admiring the older boy with his shirt off than knowing things about him. Rodrik did a lot of Ancient Runes, too, even if Lyuba wouldn't have thought him to be the type either. And didn't Aggy, too? So that was like--a fair number of her friends. Why hadn't she noticed that before?
Alright, now she was taking way too long to respond as her brain sorted through what felt like everyone she knew and their opinions on Ancient Runes. She shook her head, trying to clear it and actually hear what her roommate was asking her. "I mean, you tell me where she is. Could be anywhere. Could be six feet under. She could've gone to Narnia, I guess. Where's that?" There hadn't been a single trace of Lyuba's mother since she'd been six weeks old. It had to be like that, because if Papa had found any information about her at all, they'd definitely know. They still had albums with pictures of her holding Vera and Nadya--Lyuba always tried to pretend she wasn't sad that there were none with her.
Post by AGNES CLEARWATER on Oct 5, 2019 8:31:22 GMT
Okay. She could give Lyuba that. Delgado was more attractive than crony, creaky old McGonagall by a long shot unless you were weirdly into stern old Scottish women who transformed into cats. If Aggy ever met somebody genuinely into that, then she'd send them straight to therapy so they could talk it out. "Yeah, he seems to be under the misguided notion that musty old books really want to be knocked off the shelf by his bare arse," Aggy said, eyes going rolling once more. There was also the fact that the Ancient Runes section was shoved all the way at the back of the library... ergo, he was less likely to get caught.
Ah, people who grew up in the wizarding world only with no concept of muggle things amused her greatly and so she took the time to answer Lyuba's question of where Narnia was with an expression of the utmost seriousness. "America," she said, with a firm nod, before the conversation plodded along. All joking aside, Aggy wondered aloud, "Ministry can't track her down in all their grand wisdom? People don't just disappear off the face of the earth."
a charming young woman... ...capable of being terrible
GRYFFINDOR
16
SIXTH YEAR
1/2 VEELA
we're not running when the world's on fire/we'll be dancing in the smoke
73 posts
0 likes
Post by LYUBOV KAREVA on Oct 20, 2019 4:34:32 GMT
Lyuba snorted at Aggy's words, finally figuring out what her roommate was getting at. "Probably the most fun those books have seen in a century." She was sure that the Victorians probably had done some wild things, what with all that repression--but was that a century ago or two centuries ago? History of Magic had never been her best subject, so she shrugged and moved on.
"It's Russia. It's the size of like--at least a thousand dragons. Of course people can disappear," Lyuba said. The Russian Ministry couldn't search every inch of the place, and if her mother had left the country, then even that was useless. Lyuba knew that her father had worked there long ago, but she didn't think it would be any use to ask him about the subject. Nadya had tried plenty of times, and it had resulted in no answers and a rather sad Papa. "And I doubt the Americans would find her if she was there. They've got mountains and stuff where you can disappear, plus they probably expect veelas to live out in the middle of nowhere." Did veelas live in America? Lyuba wasn't sure, but if all sorts of other creatures could make their way across the pond, why not them?
"But that's just how it is. She's not going to turn up." Lyuba said this with an air of finality. Either she was dead or she didn't want to be found, and that was that. "What, looking for a way to make yours disappear?"
Post by AGNES CLEARWATER on Oct 28, 2019 10:27:11 GMT
"Yeah, it's a grand old idea to rub up against old books with our arses and knock their fragile pages all around. We should all do it. Maybe it can be the next school club," Aggy said dryly, the corners of her lips quirking upwards. Merlin, what a sight that would be, a bunch of school students whacking books with their bare bums. It sounded simultaneously traumatising and hilarious.
Aggy found it highly unlikely that, unless dead, someone could just disappear without a trace. In the muggle world? Sure. In the wizarding world? With all the spells and charms and potions and magic? She was skeptical as hell but she wasn't about to say that aloud to Lyuba because saying her mother was probably dead wasn't about to go down well. Instead of disagreeing, Aggy held her tongue - she had self control... sometimes. "Who knows what Americans expect really. Even just watching them on the telly... totally different culture to us over here," she said with a shrug.
She didn't want her parents to disappear, as much as she objected about their existence in her life, but... did she want the arguing and the manipulating to stop? Of course she did. The one and only person she wanted to disappear most in the world was him but she couldn't do a thing to... to... get him gone. Since it had happened, the thought of even facing him or telling someone or... it made her sick to her stomach. Pushing past the ill feelings that even thinking about him was bringing, Aggy forced a small smile to her face. "You offering to get rid of someone, hey? What are you, part of the Russian mafia?" she tried to joke.
a charming young woman... ...capable of being terrible
GRYFFINDOR
16
SIXTH YEAR
1/2 VEELA
we're not running when the world's on fire/we'll be dancing in the smoke
73 posts
0 likes
Post by LYUBOV KAREVA on Nov 10, 2019 18:24:17 GMT
Lyuba had to giggle. Herself? As the mafia? Sure, she knew the Russian mafia had plenty of power, but that was a small group. Definitely not her family, who had really only started to make good money when her father had gotten his promotion--and that was here in Britain. "I'm not in the mafia! Can you imagine me as a mob boss, though? I'd look awesome in a pinstriped suit." Sure, they probably didn't wear outfits like that in 2019, but if she were in the mafia, they totally would, she thought. "So I'm not going to kill anyone. I can vanish things with magic, but, well--that's not going too well for me either." Lyuba frowned. She really didn't want to get on that topic, or she'd feel even worse.
"Maybe I should just whack the books about Transfiguration with my arse," she said darkly, shaking her head. "That's what they deserve for not teaching me how to do anything. I think I'd need one of those vanishing box things to actually make someone go away. So if I ever find one, I'll let you know."
The concoction on her face was finally all dried, and speaking of vanishing, it would be so convenient if she could just use her wand instead of going all the way to the bathroom to wash it off. "Hey, Aggy, are you any good at it? Can you get the mask off my face?"
Post by AGNES CLEARWATER on Dec 23, 2019 10:53:00 GMT
"I can never decide if pinstriped suits look more mafia-worthy or pimp-worthy. I suppose I'll decide the day you wear one - you'll be the deciding factor, consider yourself blessed," Aggy said before pausing at Lyuba's implication - well, no, her outright statement that she was doing poorly when it came to vanishing spells. "I can always help, if you can stand listening to me for an hour or two. A hardship for many, I know, but I'll make you get the hang of it."
"I've gotta go meet Llewellyn in the library - which one, I can't remember - for an assignment, but here -" With a wave of her wand, Aggy cleared the concoction on Lyuba's face before standing up with a nod. "All clean. You're forever in my debt. You're welcome." With that and a very sarcasm-laced 'toodles,' Aggy jetted off towards the library to go and face... uh, one of the Llewellyn triplets.
