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!
Lunch time meant a break from the studying Rowan was supposed to be doing and really, thank Merlin for that because he hadn't really had an excuse to stop pretending he was just staring at a page anyway. Lumbering into the great hall, Rowan clapped one of his mate's shoulders before nodding over at the Hufflepuff table. It went without saying that it was about that time of week that Rowan went to go and bug Sally Jordan about his sister's whereabouts. Sure, maybe Rowan wasn't the brightest lumos caster around (yeah, that metaphor totally worked) but he knew that Rue would have been more open to a friend about her situation than her brother. He definitely would have been if he were in her shoes, just because he wouldn't want to worry her.
Moving to sit down next to Sally, trying to squish his long legs under the table in the process - a feat within itself - he quickly realised that was a mistake because the second year was groaning loudly, already proclaiming, "No, no, stop being an arseface and asking me because I don't know anything!" before he could respond to anything she was saying though, Sally was out of there with a glare, an elbow swinging into his ribs as she got up, and then her bag thunking him on the head as she went to leave. Probably on purpose, knowing her.
"I'll catch you later, Sally!" he shouted, trying to make lemonade out of the situation with a grin. He got a finger in return, which left him grimacing as he reached up to rub his head through his air. Merlin, she had a good aim. Trying to make up his mind of whether it was actually worth the effort to move from this table to the Gryffindor table, Rowan's opinion was wholly swayed when he saw the mouth-watering array of pumpkin tarts. To nobody in particularly, he exclaimed, "Pumpkin's bloody killer, isn't it?"
they judge me like a picture book/by the colors, like they forgot to read
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Post by DANICA LLEWELLYN on Dec 3, 2019 4:56:15 GMT
There was a new face at the Hufflepuff table--and Danica had just watched Sally smack that face with her bag, wincing as it collided with the Gryffindor's head. Sparing a glance at her friends and deciding they were fine talking about what happened in the morning's classes with each other, she slid her plate over, scooting down the bench to sit across from Rowan, who was talking about pumpkin to empty air. She hoped that the blow hadn't been that bad. "You alright there?" she asked. "Didn't expect her to think you were a Bludger, but hey, at least she didn't have a bat." Unlike Dani, the second-year was the rising star of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and she was pretty sure that if they were going to win the Cup, it would be half thanks to Sally. (And none to Gabe.)
Too late, Dani realized that maybe it was kind of weird to be this concerned about Rowan's head. She tucked her hair behind her ear self-consciously, trying to decide if she should take a pumpkin tart to occupy her hands with something. "So what brings you over here? Decided to challenge the Sorting Hat's wisdom?" she asked, the words spilling out in an effort to fill the space of the table. She didn't dare look to see what was happening at the Gryffindor table at the moment, remembering what had happened last time her sister went near there.
Still rubbing the spot on his head tenderly, Rowan's eyes darted towards the voice that spoke towards him before he relaxed into an easy grin. Dani. He'd shared classes with her a few times, but now he was in sixth and she was a fifth, they didn't have much to do with one another. She seemed like a cool chick though. "If she had a bat, I think she'd get more than just the side of my head," he joked back. He was an avid Quidditch fan and he'd seen her play. By Merlin, last game that chick had taken out nearly all the Slytherin players. She had taken out Vinda Selwyn's little sister. "How 'bout you? Are you handy with a bat? Need a back-up partner in case the zombie apocalypse hits, after all."
"Me vs. a hundred year old hat. I'd say it'd be an epic showdown, but man, I'd get my arse beat," Rowan said, letting out a laugh that dimpled the corners of his cheeks. He very purposefully didn't answer her question about what he was doing here. Besides bugging Sally about Rue... he didn't talk about her too much. It wasn't because he didn't care about her, of course he did, but talking about her made him feel... down. He knew she was alive now which was a relief, but she was still literally missing. He had no idea where she was besides not-Hogwarts-Scotland. "Uh, I've heard that the Hufflepuff table has the best tarts." Shit, no, that didn't come out right. "Pumpkin tarts. Heard that the elves like you guys the best. Isn't fair, you know, that Hufflepuff favouritism." His eyes twinkled with cheekiness as he reached over to grab a tart. He knew very well that Hufflepuffs didn't receive a single bit of favouritism from anyone, but it was a fun rumour to tease her with anyway.
they judge me like a picture book/by the colors, like they forgot to read
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Post by DANICA LLEWELLYN on Dec 7, 2019 5:14:43 GMT
"Me?" Dani shook her head. "Nah, else I'd have tried out for the team already." She was pretty sure her bones weren't cut out to handle Bludgers. Her uncle might have flown like a madman, but while she liked flying, she didn't think she would be able to face any of the injuries the Quidditch players always seemed to get. The thought of having her limbs broken in a way that couldn't be easily healed was alarming. "It would be cool if I did, but they've got Sally. I've got other things to fill my time." Although dancing wasn't so fun when she was doing it on her own--but still enough that it always made her happier to do it.
She almost choked on a carrot when Rowan corrected himself--she had been thinking of the food until he implied the other meaning of tart, and even as it made her laugh, it sent a bitter wave of frustration for her sister through her. "Don't say that," she said, covering her mouth as she tried to swallow the carrot while still wanting to giggle. "I'll have you know that we are all totally straight-laced here. None of us have ever even flirted with anyone." Her eyes glittered with amusement. "We only care about house-elves and food. And that's why we're the favorites." With that, she delicately took a pumpkin tart from the dish in the middle of the table, placing it on her now-empty plate.
"Note to self: don't enlist Dani Llewellyn as an apocalypse partner then," Rowan said with a very serious nod. He could still remember back in his second year when the news hit that the famous Dai Llewellyn's nieces and nephew were on the Hogwarts Express. He had been uber excited, his mind racing with the prospect that they could have a very rare first year make a Hogwarts team and fly just like their madman uncle did. Maybe they'd have a future famous Quidditch star in their ranks! Of course, that dream had swiftly died when it was discovered that the Llewellyn triplets weren't Quidditch stars in the making but mooncalf farmers instead, but... it was cool whilst it lasted and mooncalfs were awesome too. One of the cooler creatures out there at least. "Other things, hey? Like what?"
Rowan cringed as he nearly made Danica choke on her carrot and if she weren't across the table, he would have leaned over and gave her back a smack. But lucky she was recovering and he grimaced, trying to salvage the conversation. "Would it make things better if I said I love tarts?" Uh, no, that did not sound better. "Shit, man. Not in - I mean, literally. I literally love pumpkin and caramel and... apple tarts. They're kick arse. My mum makes the best tarts." What was he even saying?
Letting out a huff and pushing his hair out of face, Rowan tried to change topics again, eyes glittering with amusement as Dani proclaimed that the Hufflepuff house was totally straight-laced. "You expect me to believe that when your house name is Hufflepuff? I bet you guys all get lit in your dorm rooms. The common room's probably a smoke den and you all jam out to The Clash. That's why the house elves love you - you just want food all the time to feed your munchies and they inhale second hand smoke in the meantime." It was a ridiculous story, one that made Rowan let out a loud guffaw at his only words because shit, the idea was just so stupid and hilarious to him. Especially when he took into account that his very innocent sister would have partook in those activities back when she went to Hogwarts.
they judge me like a picture book/by the colors, like they forgot to read
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Post by DANICA LLEWELLYN on Dec 12, 2019 4:56:43 GMT
"Well, I dance." Dani pulled the sleeves of her robe over her hands, wanting to give herself a bit of comfort from the motion. It was something she loved, but she wasn't sure if Rowan would be impressed or just think it was silly. It was one thing to dance at a party just for fun, but the kind of stuff she worked on when she could get an empty classroom to herself--well, she hoped it would be impressive if she ever got a chance to perform it in front of someone again. "So maybe I'd be okay at Quidditch. I just don't think I'd do good with the Bludgers." She held up a thin wrist, as if to demonstrate just how dangerous it might be to her bones.
She left the tart on her plate as Rowan continued to speak, wanting to avoid any more threats of choking. "Merlin, I wish it was like that sometimes. Would make some of these people chill out. But we've got prefects like the rest of you. We've got to Hufflepuff in other places. A shame, really." Breaking off a small piece of the tart's crust, she popped it into her mouth, swallowing before she continued, eyebrows raised playfully. "So, The Clash? Got a punk side to you I've never heard about?" That was intriguing, and an image of the boy in leather pants floated into her mind before she could stop it. Way cooler than whatever sixty-something witch was popular on the wizarding radio nowadays.
"Oh, sweet. What kind of dancing? I do a kick arse worm. You know, the one where you lay on the floor and you kind of -" How to describe the worm without sounding like a weirdo... it was a challenge Rowan had never faced before and he grimaced before reaching back to tighten the bun at the back of his head. Then as Dani held up her wrist, talking about how she wouldn't fair well with bludgers, Rowan let out a low whistle. "Yeah, that'd snap in two pretty quickly, dude. Can't have that. You need your wrists to... like, write and stuff. You'll be doing that heaps soon, won't you? With your OWLs. Man, my wrist cramped so bad I thought I was dying. Went to the school healer and everything." Of course, the school healer had laughed at him and told him to imagine what girls went through every month. If he thought wrist cramps were bad then man, involuntary stomach cramps would be killer.
We've got to Hufflepuff in other places. The sentence made Rowan's bushy brows quirk up, along with the corners of his lips, because he'd been joking but hearing her say that... well, maybe Hufflepuffs getting lit wasn't so much of a joke. Maybe some of them actually did, like the sweet brunette sitting opposite him. Who would have thunk? "Yeah, and what other places are these? You guys got a basement hidden under the basement I haven't been lucky enough to get invited to yet?" he asked, giving her the best puppy dog eyes that would surely warrant an invitation to this other place.
"There's a lot you haven't heard about me, Llewellyn. I'm a mystery. I'm like... an enigma," Rowan said playfully, wiggling his brows and all. Truthfully, he was just glad he remembered the word enigma because it made him sound all smart and shit. Then he was answering her question with an enthusiastic nod. "The Clash kicks arse and takes names, dude. Like, don't get me wrong, The Beatles are great and classic and stuff, but I totally rate The Clash above them. I mean, have you heard Should I Stay or Should I Go? Or London Calling? They rock." Leaning over, Rowan grabbed a pumpkin tart of his own, taking big bite out of it before swallowing. "Tell me you listen to cool music, please. I think I'll cry hard enough to refill the Black Lakeif I find out a cool chick like you listens to the Biebs or One Direction or something."
they judge me like a picture book/by the colors, like they forgot to read
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Post by DANICA LLEWELLYN on Dec 22, 2019 6:07:48 GMT
"Well, ballet, mostly," Dani said, feeling herself blush. She wanted to believe she was still good at it, but how was she supposed to know for sure when she only danced alone nowadays? "I always wanted to do hip-hop, but it's hard to find classes for that in the middle of Wales." Yes, being a witch helped quite a lot with transport, but it didn't change the fact that the Llewellyns lived out in the countryside with plenty of farm work to do. "I don't think I've ever done something like the worm. Maybe if you get me in the right party mood," she mused.
She broke off another small piece of her tart and ate it, letting the sweet taste of the pumpkin fill her mouth. "The basement under the basement is just the dungeons. You don't want to go there," she said with an amused smile, her eyes flicking toward the Slytherin table. "Just go to the towers or something when class isn't going on. That's what I do." The Astronomy tower was a great place to go on nights when there wasn't class being held there, with its great views of the castle below and enough breeze to carry away any smoke.
"You can probably get some invitation as long as you're cool with McCartney. Lennon, you can drag him all you like, but don't touch my favorite Beatle." Dani would give Rowan his very understandable love for The Clash, but she wasn't going to let him speak ill of one of her favorites. "Of course I listen to cool music. What do I look like to you, some pureblood who's never turned the radio to anything except Wizarding Wireless?"
The thought of Dani leaping and bounding across a stage hit Rowan like a ton of bricks because, well, one he was a teenager boy and the thought of her wearing a leotard was... astounding, and two, it took a helluva lot of co-ordination to do that. "Shit, man. You must be real flex -" Not a good topic starter, "- good on your feet to do that kinda stuff, all twirling and... on your toes." Did he know much about ballet? The answer was a big fat no, but that didn't mean he wasn't interested in knowing more. "I've never been to Wales. You guys live on a farm, right? Least that's what I've heard. Now I know one thing about it: Wales has a shortage of hip-hop classes and if I ever need one, I'll have to look elsewhere." As Dani mentioned she'd never done the worm (really, never?) Rowan wiggled his brows and he shot her a grin as he said, "We'll have to party together then. Do the worm. Have a worm-off."
"Yes, the dungeons. Super scary. Might get abducted by some big tough Slytherin who'll make me do their homework for them," Rowan said with a grave nod, before he followed her gaze to the Slytherin table and gave the lot of them a friendly wave. Then his eyes flickered back to Dani, and his grin from before broke out into a great big beam. "Rebel without a cause, are we? Having free time in the Astronomy tower where anyone can come and catch you, and trying to drag me along with you now. That's very Gryffindor-esque of you."
"McCartney's the superior Beatle. Best hair, too. You'd think those lot were wizards - I mean, shit, their hair was always so smooth," Rowan mused aloud, before his eyes lit up with complete and utter amusement yet again as she proclaimed she wasn't some pureblood with no music taste. "I just wasn't sure if they had radio stations that listened to cool music in Wales. I mean, since you guys don't even have hip hop classes. An absolute affront, by the way."
they judge me like a picture book/by the colors, like they forgot to read
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Post by DANICA LLEWELLYN on Dec 27, 2019 3:09:45 GMT
Danica wasn't sure what to think of Rowan's reaction, and she twisted her hands together under the table, looking down at her half-eaten tart. "Yeah, on a farm. The mooncalf farm," she said. "I know people say things about it, so don't get the wrong idea or anything, it's perfectly nice, except--" There's no hip-hop classes. Or pretty much anything else that anyone would think was cool. "I think I'd like to live in a big city if I had the chance. The music scene would be about a million times better." Some part of Dani had always wanted to be in a crowd at some giant concert, dancing with flowers in her hair, like the pictures she'd seen of old festivals.
But for now she was at Hogwarts, which was alright, she supposed. At least, alright if people like the Averys and Wood could leave them all alone for once. "You don't have to be a Gryffindor to be brave enough to go out at night," she said, "you just have to know how not to get caught." That was one reason she liked the Astronomy tower, because what kind of prefect actually wanted to climb all the way up to the highest tower in the school to do their patrols? "I could show you, 'cause I know what days there are and aren't Astronomy classes. If you want." One brown eyebrow lifted slightly, Dani's eyes sparkling with a challenge.
"Mooncalves must be pretty cool. I've been hoping we'd learn about them in Care of Magical Creatures from Almir and stuff but..." Rowan shrugged. It hadn't been on the curriculum yet, but maybe one day he'd get to encounter one. Just maybe not during a full moon because he wasn't really that into shoveling mooncalf dung. "Man, they're so lucky in the city, hey? Always get the best artists and all that. Us not-so-big-city folk, we wanna see them too." He grinned, jabbing his thumbs towards himself.
"Yeah, I suppose that being stealthy isn't just a trait reserved for Gryffindors and ninjas," he said with a big stupid grin, reaching out to grab a tart all for himself and taking a bite from it. What she was saying was true though - bravery wasn't just a trait reserved for Gryffindors, even if it was a pretty known quality of the people in their house. "That was kinda... dumb, wasn't it? Saying that it was Gryffindor-esque. I kinda do that sometimes - put my foot in my mouth. Pretty impressive, given the size of it but... yeah." Rowan trailed off into quietness, giving her a sheepish smile this time.
But then Dani was offering to show him and he leaned forward, eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. "Totally, man. Let's do it. You and me. Then I won't just be a Gryffinpuff in theory, I'll actually be one. Awesome," he said enthusiastically, reaching across the table with his large hand to shake on it with her.
they judge me like a picture book/by the colors, like they forgot to read
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Post by DANICA LLEWELLYN on Jan 1, 2020 18:45:27 GMT
"They're nice creatures. Really shy, though. They'd never be Gryffindors." Even living on the farm, Dani didn't even get to see the mooncalves most of the time. They were always in their burrows, and except at the full moons, most of the care for them was simply making sure they had enough food and water, without even getting to see them. Despite growing up with them, Dani didn't think she had very much in common with them.
Except, maybe, for the tendency to go out at night. That was something she had plenty of experience with.
She stifled a laugh at the mention of Rowan's big feet, wondering if he knew just what he was implying there, or if he was actually just talking innocently about them. "You know what they say about that," she said with a smirk, leaving her comment there to see if he would notice.
"It's a deal, then," she said to Rowan's offer, extending her hand, feeling oddly formal. She couldn't remember the last time she'd actually shaken hands with someone--except maybe when they did duels in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but she couldn't remember the last time her year had done that, either. "The younger years have class on Wednesdays, but Thursday it should be free. As long as you don't mind staying up when there's class in the morning. I don't have anything too important then, so I should be fine." Only O.W.L.s, but all she needed was to pass them, right? She was never going to get all O's, so she didn't feel like there was too much point in spending all her time studying.
"Being a Gryffindors not all it's cracked up to be. I mean, you know the amount of times there's been a spider in the common room and no-one's been game enough to try and catch it? We're a bunch of liars, saying how tough we are. May as well send us to Azkaban." Despite the apparent shyness of the mooncalves... Rowan still wanted to see them. They sounded pretty neat, and if he managed to get Dani to come with him to see them then that would be killer.
You know what they say about that. Rowan's eyes widened to the size of two saucepans, before he was letting out a loud laugh because, "I can show them to you one day, if you want." His feet, that was. He paused for a good few seconds before he gave her a grin and a wink, "That way you know what kind of socks to buy me for Christmas. You know, since big feet, big socks and all."
Rowan wasn't really sure why he'd decided to shake Dani's hand, make things all formal like but... ah well. It was nice nonetheless and at least he didn't totally bro out and, like, spit in it before shaking her hand to seal the deal. "Man, sounds good. If I end up fooling asleep, you won't tell everyone about my ogre-like snoring, right? 'Cause then I'd have to make up some bad thing you did and that's way too much effort," he joked, shrugging. Lack of sleep... it was kind of a perpetual state for him during class. Not because he didn't sleep, but because he was crap at time management and always went to bed at a stupid time because he got distracted by everything.
they judge me like a picture book/by the colors, like they forgot to read
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Post by DANICA LLEWELLYN on Jan 12, 2020 1:52:56 GMT
"You don't get sent to Azkaban just for lying, silly." Danica shook her head, amused. "If that was true, half the school would be out of here by now. No, more than half," she mused, glancing around the hall. Merlin knew that she told a few white lies sometimes. But it was for things that were important, like getting away from bullies and pretending she didn't feel like everyone saw her as a country bumpkin from the land of unsavory sheep jokes. "You should still catch the spiders, though. They won't hurt you."
It was lucky that she didn't have any food in her mouth at the moment Rowan replied to her feet comment, because then she was sure she would have swallowed her food all wrong for what felt like the millionth time in the past few minutes. That would've been so embarrassing--she wanted to be smooth. "Ah, yeah. I'll be sure to get you some big socks. Wouldn't forget that."
Releasing Rowan's hand, Dani set her elbows back on the table, shaking her head. "Don't worry about falling asleep. I'll levitate you back to the Fat Lady if I have to. Or I'll just start using you as a pillow. Bet it's warm enough to sleep up there by now." Heat bloomed in her chest at the thought of laying all over him, and she only hoped she hadn't said something too awkward. "Meet me there at eleven, then?"
"Here I was, thinking all those Death Eaters were in there for just lying. What a surprise," Rowan said with a laugh, shaking his head. He wasn't about to heed her advice and catch any spiders - he had somewhat of a fear that when he went to catch them then they'd transform into big bloody acromantula all of a sudden and eat him. Maybe it was a little bit of an irrational fear. but it was one he'd had since he was a little kid - one that was possibly encouraged by seeing shadows of spiders in his room on his wall, amplified by the light. "Yeah, I'll... uh, keep that in mind."
"You can use my body however you wish," Rowan announced before pausing. Okay, no, that sounded downright creepy. "You can, uh, definitely use it as a pillow is what I meant. I have it on good authority I'm like a heat source of my own, in case you get a bit nippy up in the Astronomy tower anyway." Finishing what food he had in his mouth, Rowan only just resisted the temptation to shake Dani's hand again (seriously, why did he want to keep being all formal and shaking her hand and stuff?) at her suggestion of a meeting time. "Yeah, sounds like a plan! I'll see you then." With that and a cheeky little eyebrow wiggle, Rowan stood up from the Hufflepuff table as he spied one of his other mates nearby. Shooting Dani one last a grin, off he shot off towards said mate, heart racing just a little bit faster than usual. He couldn't wait til he saw Dani next.
