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!
You suggested I talk to somebody before I have an absolutely disgraceful, pathetic temper tantrum à la O'Keeffe... and with each passing day, I feel like the reign I have on my emotions is slippingand I may just lose it in front of everyone.
So guess what, you're now that somebody who is going to talk to me because I don't have a single other soul in Hogwarts I can semi-trust right now.
Meet me in the Astronomy tower as soon as you can. I'll bring the vodka.
- V.S.
It was not just any day that you would find Vinda Selwyn laying willingly on what she was quite certain was a star-speckled carpet that had likely never seen a good clean in it's fifty years of existence (except for the one she'd attempted unsuccessfully beforehand), but today was different because she was... for all intents and purposes... completely drunk off her hide. Those two shots of liquid courage she'd had before sending that letter off to Wolfgang maybe weren't such a good idea after all.
At the sound of footsteps ascending up the Astronomy stairs, Vinda only just managed to lift herself up on her elbows to greet Wolfgang. "It's not manners for one person to bring a gift such as vodka, and the other person not to have brought a single thing so I hope you..." The world was spinning from the angle, and Vinda gave up half-way through her sentence before laying back down on the floor. "I tried to scourgify the carpet before, but I kept dropping my wand so this will have to do."
This had been a completely ordinary evening at Hogwarts. Wolfgang had had dinner and settled at the desk in his dorm to study, trying to ignore the existence of a certain dorm mate of his. All nice and uneventful, until an owl started pecking at his window. He immediately knew this wasn't a note from Isobel -- that would have been an airplane, like he'd taught her, and he wasn't expecting any other correspondence. His surprise was even greater after reading the contents of the small note.
Vinda Selywn. Inviting Wolfgang to drinks, for a heart to heart of sorts. An alluring thought, indeed, yet...Perhaps it was a trap of sorts? Perhaps she wanted to get something out of him? Wolfgang was no stranger to intrigue and the rumor mills of Hogwarts. Maybe to some it seemed like petty squabbles of teenagers, but when petty squables can lead to ostracism (like the Hufflepuff he'd been hearing whispers about), you'd have to be a fool to not take it seriously.
He burned the note as soon as he'd read it, and quickly pulled on one of his black dress shirts and blazers, ditching his house tie. A few hasty minutes of trying to tame his curls with the help of a hairbrush, some gel -- hello, old friend -- and a little bit of magic, and a few more rummaging through his luggage, and he was out the door.
The sight he saw upon opening the door of the Astronomy tower shocked him. Vinda Selywn was laying on the ground, and it was obvious to any fool that she was completely out of it. Wolfgang didn't let the shock and, quite frankly, a mix of amusement and even pity, show on his face. Instead he closed the door behind them and, as she was speaking, conjured up a dark blue reclining chair. He had no desire to lay on the floor.
"I wouldn't be so impolite to come empty handed," he said, opening his blazer, reaching into the magically expanded inner pocket and pulling out a bottle of bourbon and...a packet of oatmeal cookies. It was the only snack he could find in his stash at such short notice.
He sat back in his chair, crossing his legs and putting his hands on his lap. "If I am honest, I am quite surprised you asked me to come. If anything, I thought you'd call upon Isobel, or Wagtail."
He paused for a moment.
"Would you like a chair, or at least a pillow before we continue discussing whatever...it is that needs to be discussed?"
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Why hadn't I thought of that? was Vinda's first thought when she saw Wolfgang levitate a recliner into the tower, and immediately she attempted to push herself back up to her elbows to look at him because she wasn't impolite. She was raised correctly - as in, by purebloods - and refusing to look directly at somebody whilst they spoke was the height of rudeness... unfortunately, looking at Wolfgang just so happened to make her dizzy. Again. "The bottle of vodka is... somewhere." Right next to her, on her left hand side. "I didn't drink much, only one or two mouthfuls."
Hazily following Wolfgang's hand as it reached into his pocket, she watched as he first produced bourbon, followed by... cookies? Were those cookies? Vinda's traitorous stomach let out a loud grumble - Merlin, she was starving - but she didn't ask for one. She couldn't ask for one because it was loaded with carbs and sugar and fat and all sorts of bad things that would go straight to her thighs. "My mother drinks bourbon," she said off-handedly, deciding to focus on the bottle he held instead. Her mother drank more than that - Pierre had said once or twice not to leave the perfume near her, in case she'd drained the alcohol cabinet dry again.
"You're the one that said I needed a productive way of dealing with my issues and as much as I enjoy the company of Isobel -" And she really did mean that. "- I don't feel like she'd want to hear about my issues, and I'm not talking to William after that stunt he pulled in Transfiguration the other day. He's an arrogant idiot with a blatant disregard for my relationship with Adrian." Vinda's words were all venom, spat out between them, but fuck Willy. Why did he have to make everything so hard? Why did he have to make her want him so bad?
"I'd like a chair, but not one of those school chairs. You'd think Hogwarts, the only educational institution in the country, would be able to afford chairs that didn't leave you with a sore arse. I suppose some may have grown up with furniture like that, but I certainly didn't," Vinda said, tone haughty as she blindly reached for the bottle of vodka beside her but to no avail. Seriously, where was it?
Oh, dear. She's completely lost it, hasn't she? was the thought that formed in Wolfgang's head as he watched Vinda try and fail to notice the vodka bottle that was lying right under her nose. Had he ever drunk that much? Would he even remember? He didn't know, but there was one thing he was sure about -- never in a million years did he think he'd ever see Vinda in such an undignified state. It was even a little amusing -- how the great fall from their heights.
"I see," he answered when Vinda had explained why he of all people in Hogwarts was getting to indulge in this view AND when she'd given her rich-bitch opinion on the furniture of the school. As someone who came from a lot more humble means, it often annoyed him immensely when people complained about such basic things. But he didn't let it show, no, he always agreed with them.
"I can only offer you another one of these," he said, tapping on the recliner he'd conjured up. He could conjur up another one for sure, he just wasn't sure how long it would last.
"I suppose we don't have any glasses either, so if you don't mind sharing straight from the bottle," he continued, Accioing the bottle of vodka from Vinda's side and opening it, before taking a sip.
"So, what will it be, then?"
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I see. The curt answer cut through the fogginess of Vinda's brain like a big red flash, warning her not to share too much, and if she somehow managed to remember that... she wouldn't. "I may be drunk, but if you betray my trust and tell anyone what I tell you... then my... relationship with you, if you can call it that, is done," she said. Her friendship with Isobel too, come to think about it. She wouldn't be able to stomach maintaining a six year friendship with someone who's partner stabbed her in the back.
"A recliner would be good," she replied with a curt nod, before vaguely wondering if she'd even be able to stand and walk over there to sit down. But that was a problem for the future and she'd hurtle over that obstacle where it came her way - unfortunately, that turned out to be sooner rather than later and Vinda let out a string of French curses before attempting to scramble to her feet. Usually her balance was impeccable, but with two shots of vodka on an empty stomach... well. Her walk to the recliner was less than graceful, and she collapsed into it as soon as she got there.
"Oh! The vodka. You found it," she said, blinking as the bottle in Wolfgang's hands floated in front of her vision. Extending her hand, Vinda plucked the bottle from his hands after he'd drank from it, wordless taking him up on the offer. "I've... I've never been drunk before. At meal times, we'll have a glass of wine or two and... and of course, I've had one or two with Willy but it's never been like this. I feel like I can't feel my legs."
Vinda had never indulged in drinking to this point before, always too afraid of becoming a replica of her mother and embarrassing herself, sullying her family name even further in the process. Her mother had was blacklisted from pureblood party after party, only ever attending when grand-mère took pity on her... which, of course, was poor judgement on grand-mère's behalf because she always ended up having to apparate early, tightly clutching Vinda's mother's arm.
"Please," he threw out, raising his arm up to fix his hair, "You insult my intelligence by assuming I'd tell. I know better than to compromise the people that matter." Everyone knew Vinda had an air of self-importance to her, and Wolfgang wasn't stupid -- After all, she was a pureblood and her's was a household name. Wolfgang loved to spread rumors, there was no denying that, but not when it could cost him dearly. And the last thing he wanted right now was for Isobel to have a reason to be disappointed with her boyfriend.
He averted his eyes when Vinda made her way to the recliner, deciding not to offer his help, lest she be offended that he pointed out the lack of dignity in her state. Instead, he occupied himself with procuring the bottle of vodka. He turned his face back to her once she'd snatched the bottle out of his hands, putting his left elbow on the arm of the chair, leaning a little forward so that his chin would be between his index and thumb, the rest of his fingers curled in a loose fist. An attempt to hide his scars from sight.
"I'd suggest you have a cookie or two," he answered, balancing the plastic bag of oatmeal cookies on the same arm of the chair, "It'll help it last longer. I don't suppose there is a water bottle present?" It was obvious that Vinda had no idea how to drink, and Wolfgang wasn't looking forward to holding her hair back while she vomited on the carpet.
"Now that you're comfortable, might I hear why exactly you've called me here? What's on your mind?"
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Wolfgang's declaration that he knew better than to compromise the people that matter had Vinda's chin raising with pride because it was nice to be respected especially by a person she viewed to be somewhat of an equal to her. "You should have gotten prefect, Wolfgang. Some people who got a badge... well, it's evident to me that they don't rank intelligence very highly when selecting prefects," Vinda said, her lips curling into a frown. If they did, Rebecca Sheridan would never have received prefect over her, and Grace Longbottom wouldn't have had a single chance at the title.
"I don't want to get even -" Fatter. The words died on her lips before she could finish her sentence and again, her stomach was growling loud, audible in the empty silence. "Can you accio fruit from the kitchens instead? I don't like oats. They make me bloat." It was a lie, but it was better than admitting the truth. "You can accio a bottle of water too, can you not? I didn't bring one." She hadn't thought that part through, just the drinking part.
What's on your mind? A lot of things, and that was the problem. She thought about somebody she shouldn't way too often for someone who was betrothed to another, and then there were issues with the betrothment itself. Adrian... she'd been stepping on eggshells around him ever since she messed up, and him being angry at her - well, it didn't fit with her plan. Plus, she believed people were doubting her and Adrian because their public displays of hand-holding stopped beyond that. They hadn't even kissed yet, which spurred her to ask without even thinking,"Do you think that a man always has to make the first move?"
"Thank you," he nodded in agreement, before a slight smile appeared on his face," albeit I have a tendency to stay out after curfew a lot more often than a law abiding student should. And I've no interest in taking responsibility for the, how to put it lightly," he hesitated for a moment, "the ruckus that our schoolmates tend to cause at any given opportunity." Valentino and Zalewski can waste their time herding cats, Wolfgang had far more important things to focus on.
'I don't want to get even-' Wolfgang's eyebrows raised up, waiting for the continuation of the sentence, but instead he got an abrupt stop, which was telling enough. Of course, someone like Selywn, who valued looking impeccable, would be worried about her looks to the point where it became an unhealthy obsession. A topic to tiptoe around, indeed.
"In theory, I could Accio the fruit and the water, yes, but there is no telling from where it would come. It could be from the kitchens, or straight out of the hands of some snotty first year, and I doubt you would like that." He explained, rubbing his chin as he spoke, "Have you figured out how to summon the house elves? That would be a much safer to get what we want. Or, if you are willing to wait at least 15 minutes, I could go all the way to the kitchen..."
Vinda's question sparked Wolfgang's interest, and he leaned towards her ever-so-slightly, a thoughtful expression on his face. After a few moments, he finally spoke.
"No, I find that it is a notion better left in the past. If you always wait for someone else to take the first step, you might find yourself waiting your entire life. And we only have one life...So take what you want when you want it, because it might not be there tomorrow. At least, that's how I try to live my life. Perhaps a hedonistic outlook, but so far I'm enjoying it."
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The news that Wolfgang tended not to obey the rules as strictly as he should have wasn't terribly surprising to her - she'd met him, after all - and she nodded at the mention of not wanting to deal with schoolmates. She supposed... for her, the appeal in becoming prefect was the title itself and the power it would have given her - one that she wouldn't have abused to her favour, but she would have reveled in nevertheless due to the fact that nearly everything else in her life seemed to be out of her hands. "Perhaps it's for the best you didn't get prefect then. You'd definitely have to deal with some... undignified rule breakers who wouldn't be overly receptive to being told what to do," she remarked with a small nod.
The house elves weren't under her thumb, she wasn't their master, and so summoning them wasn't an option... and the idea of being left behind for such a long period of time was completely unappealing to her so hesitantly, she reached out to take an oatmeal cookie from him where she broke off the smallest piece to place between her lips. She would limit herself, but with how woozy she was starting to feel... food was a necessity. She could run it off later. "I'd rather pass on the first year germs," she said curtly, before she was slouching against the chair, body loosening.
Vinda's lips pursed together at Wolfgang's advice as she listened because... take what you want when you want it was not a luxury she could afford because if she did that, then she messed up the entire course of her life. She'd be... an embarrassment to the family, and that? She couldn't stand. She didn't want to sully the family name, drag it through the mud. "Do you not worry about what other people think of you? What if living in the moment and seizing what you want... leads to undesirable consequences?" she asked, before swallowing hard. She was thinking of someone she shouldn't have been as she spoke, and she needed not to do that. "Adrian and I have been taking it slow, and... we're yet to do things that most people our age have." And there went the alcohol, making her lips loose again, and she should not have told him that. By Merlin, that was - but he needed to know she was thinking of Adrian currently, not anyone else.
"Of course I worry what other people think," Wolfgang admitted right from the get-go. A couple of months prior he wouldn't have been so candid, but time's had changed and it would be a blatant lie to say that he didn't. He didn't spend so much time on looking and sounding impeccable just because he liked it. "That is why I plan ahead as much as possible. Contingency plans, too. Make sure you're in complete control of the situation, and minimize any gaps in your plan. By bribing, inducing fear or...Whatever the situation calls for."
It all sounded very official, dry and easy the way Wolfgang put it now, and he knew full well that things never went smoothly. But then again, if everything would be so easy to get, where would be the fun of it? Where would be the thrill?
A small 'hmm' escaped his lips when Vinda finally revealed the reason for her worries. He'd seen the two around and there definitely was something missing between them -- and taking it slow provided one explanation.
"There is no shame in taking your time," he said, stirring in his seat and putting his hands behind his head, stretching, "And I apologize for my possible stupidity, but I don't think I quite understand what the 'undesirable consequences' of this situation may be." Was she afraid of getting pregnant because Adrian didn't know what a condom was? Or that he had no idea what to do with what Nature had given him? Or?
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Wolfgang admitted outright that he cared what people thought, adding that he had contingency plans in place as well. "So take what I want, plan for the worst possible outcome?" she repeated, her lips thinning as she thought. She was a planner, a perfectionist as some would say, so that somewhat appealed to her. "You'll go far in life with thinking like that. A career in the ministry, perhaps."
Vinda had heard the rumours. She... very much knew of Isobel's... uh, propensity to use certain parts of Wolfgang's body as furniture to... sit on, and Vinda's unfocused eyes wavered over his jaw for a few moments before pinkness rose in her cheeks - from the alcohol, no doubt - and her gaze tore away. "I can't imagine you took your time," she said, chewing the inside of her cheek for a few moments before reaching for the bottle of vodka, twisting the cap off and take a drink straight from it.
It was abruptly clear that she had fumbled word-wise earlier as Wolfgang said he didn't understand what the undesirable consequences were and merde, this was... this was why alcohol really wasn't that good. It brought loose lips, and slips of the tongue - later when she was sober, she'd be kicking herself for it... if she remembered. "I just meant in general. Anyway, I'm... quite certain he'll be very talented with... many things. He plays the piano," she proclaimed with confidence, before her eyes were widening because fuck, okay, she shouldn't have said that and a vision of... of somebody that was decidedly not Adrian, but instead Willy who also played the piano, popped into her brain and she needed to stop thinking of him.
"Exactly," he said, and then nodded lightly in Vinda's direction with a polite smile on his face, "Thank you. I do plan to pursue the career of an Unspeakable as soon as I graduate." He'd made this decision way back early December, after the conversation with Isobel in which he'd mentioned wanting to be a secret agent. He hadn't found anything on wizard espionage -- perhaps it was just very well hidden, but the position of an Unspeakable had caught his attention. It seemed to require excellent theoretical knowledge of magic in as many shapes and forms possible, and Wolfgang took pride in his skills, especially in Transfiguration and Charms. Slowly, but surely, he was working toward his goal.
Vinda's next words elicited a short laugh from the boy. "Guilty as charged," he answered, taking the vodka bottle from her, "I knew what I wanted... Though I can't say everything went smoothly right from the bat, so if you've got any worries about that... Fear not. Practice makes perfect." There was a cheeky smirk on his face as he took a few gulps from the vodka bottle, hissing as the alcohol burned his throat.
"Piano fingers, hmm?" he repeated, barely containing his smirk from growing any more devilish. Boy, the vodka was getting to him and his ability to be subtle and unassuming. "Must be nimble, indeed. And if Adrian seems to be too slow on picking up how they're supposed to be used in certain situations, you can send him over to me. I've got a few tricks up my sleeve." He didn't intend to brag, but if Isobel and the few other girls he'd bedded over the year were any indication... He was good.
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"An Unspeakable," Vinda repeated, the job curling around her lips... she actually had respect for people who worked in the Ministry because given the tragic state of events right now, it certainly wasn't a desirable job to be in. "There's a certain air of mystery to an Unspeakable's job - I'm sure you'll excel there and if not, well... whatever knowledge they'll teach you is bound to be transferable." Nobody knew exactly what an Unspeakable did, there was a lot of speculation, but somehow the enigmatic job seemed fitting for Wolfgang who she barely anything about. A fault of her own, mostly, for not caring enough to get invested in other people's lives. "Do you have family in similar lines of work?"
Practice makes perfect. The words had Vinda letting out a nervous laugh of sorts because she'd heard that before, followed by 'luckily I like to practice a lot in my spare time.' It had been just after she'd confessed to Willy that she was worried she'd not live up to his expectations. What was it she had said before that... "Vinda Selwyn - a disappointment to deflower," she thought, before blanching because no, nope, she'd said that out loud to Wolfgang and not in her brain. "Not that I'm - perhaps I've done things with other people. Virginity is a social construct, is it not?" But her cheeks were blazing red, so undignified, and it was 100% a tell that she was lying. That's what was awful about being drunk - it was much, much harder to conceal your emotions.
She'd spent far too long staring at the hands and fingers of a certain somebody, and it was until Wolfgang said 'Adrian' that she remembered right, she was supposed to be thinking about him. But just as that clicked, Wolfgang was telling her to send Adrian to him if the Hufflepuff didn't know what to do and she sat up straight so fast that her head spun. "I will do not such thing," she said, trying her best to sound affronted - of course, it ruined as she giggled a second later. Oopsies. "Up your sleeve... more like under your gloves."
Receiving complements on from Vinda Selywn, albeit a very drunk Vinda, only bolstered Wolfgang's self-confidence. The mystery was exactly what he wanted from this job position -- it made him an enigma, which would intimidate people and make them less likely to try to mess with his plans, or poke into his past. Which...was what Vinda was doing right now, without meaning any harm or so he hoped. He had two choices now -- to lie outright that his father had never worked at the Ministry, and that lie would fall apart if she ever saw a list of employees or anything of the sort. Or he could pretend that he was still working, so there would be no further questions.
"Father's a curse breaker," he said, "Works for a bank in Nuremberg." Oh, half truth's, half truth's. Indeed, Alfred Kallenbach had worked as a curse breaker for a bank in Germany, but he worked at a branch located in England, and for reasons Wolfgang didn't want to think about, his work took him through the corridors of the British Ministry of Magic more often than your average curse breaker.
Vinda Selywn - a disappointment to deflower. Wolfgang was glad he wasn't drinking at that moment, because he knew he would have made a spit take and that would have been on par with social suicide at this moment. Her cheeks were red and there was a hint of shame in her words. Now, Wolfgang didn't particularity care about her feelings, but shame wasn't something that should ever be on the face of someone like Vinda.
"In my humble opinion, the construct of virginity is only useful for gauging how comfortable your partner might be with your actions. That's it. All that 'saving until marriage' nonsense, it's just...Nonsense." He stated, opening the bottle once more and taking a few sips. His head spun for a moment - he wouldn't be much of a talker before long.
Vinda's sudden change of tone made his eyes widen, but her giggling was infectious, making Wolfgang chuckle too as he waved his right hand in a dismissive manner. "Oh, details, details."
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A curse breaker was a job that Vinda could respect too, one that was quite important and required a lot of dedication and hard work. Vinda got a taste of that in her Ancient Runes class, however she had zero plans to go into the field of curse breaking herself. No, a world renowned potioneer was what Vinda had her sights on, and a marriage would never stop her from achieving a goal Vinda had worked towards her entire life - she'd made that much crystal clear to Adrian, ensuring he knew she would never be a house wife.
In all honesty, Vinda wasn't sure whether or not she intended to wait until marriage. She knew sleeping with Adrian was going to happen at some point - it wasn't that they had much choice in the matter - but she hadn't considered when said act was going to occur. It felt like she was getting ahead of herself in a way, because they had yet to even kiss and they didn't need to have sex in order to sell their little act. "Perhaps this is a conversation I need to have with Adrian."
Relaxing in her chair, Vinda took yet another sip of the vodka as she assessed Wolfgang, the two of them slipping into smaller, shorter conversation for the rest of the evening.
