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!
For the last few months, ever since what had so stupidly occurred at the Spin the Bottle party, things between Vinda and Adrian had been... tenuous, and Vinda had been trying her very best ever since to ensure that Adrian didn't drop their whole 'boyfriend/girlfriend' act. That simply wouldn't do and she refused, point blank, to let all of her hard work in selling this relationship go to waste. It didn't align with her long term plans.
As much as Vinda despised grovelling to people, she had been doing so in her own way. In small, yet significant ways. She'd been making a concerted effort to compliment Adrian on his appearance, even when it was less than stellar and she itched to readjust his tie; and she had left several gifts on the Hufflepuff table where he sat each morning for breakfast, ranging from small, more inexpensive gifts such as a silver-dipped quill to an antique harpischord book she'd hunted down via owl and her connections. It was little things like that Vinda believed was slowly getting her back into his good graces, something sorely needed to move them to the next step of making the public believe their relationship with genuine.
Her fingers intertwined with his, Vinda's mind was focused on this next step and making it happen during their walk back to the dungeons after dinner. Surely, with all the work she had been putting in to make him feel a bit more positively towards her, it was time. He'd go along with her, right? "Thank you for accompanying me. It's nice, spending time with you," she said, before glancing up at him. Compared to her, he was so tall and... and she liked that in a man, right? Willy was tall. Taking a step forward into his personal space, Vinda took a big breath. She needed to do this. It was necessary. Balancing onto her tiptoes, Vinda's fingers cupped Adrian's cheek as she pressed a small, gentle kiss against his mouth, her eyes fluttering shut as she anticipated his lips moving against hers any moment now.
Post by ADRIAN ANDERSON on Jan 3, 2020 13:36:25 GMT
Adrian had noticed Vinda's sour attitude sweetening in the few days of animosity between them. The longer he held her at an arms length, the more lengths she went to please him. It was uncomfortable and disconcerting. She was trying ever so hard...just to make him go along with her plans. She was so desperate to keep her image up in front of others, that she was willing to go above and beyond for him. It was...mystifying to the the Hufflepuff. He had to admit that the book had been rather...thoughtful and had certainly helped him feel about the situation but he was still not feeling completely eased. It wasn't her, it was him. They were walking, hands intertwined and all he could think about was school work and how hungry he was. He'd had a small lunch, under the ever scrutinizing gaze of Vinda.
His inability to feel comfortable holding Vinda's hand was not just because of his distraction...it had something to do with one of the letters that was slotted into a DADA book. His messages to Pierre weren't exactly secret...but he hadn't told her about them. They were certainly private, he wasn't sure that Vinda would approve and so he'd decided to just...avoid talking about them or showing them near here. Adrian gave her fingers a light squeeze, about to pull away when she began to talk. It was a little bit sudden, at least it was for the Hufflepuff. They'd been walking in silence for most of the way, and he was blinking quickly to process her gratefulness.
"Uh sure." He replied, stopping as she did. He wished he could be more eloquent, like Vinda always seemed to be. He was taken off guard, and totally unprepared as she closed the distance between them. His protests died in his mouth as her soft lips pressed to his. He was shocked still for a few, before her flowery scent overwhelmed his nose. She smelt so feminine and was so soft, yet it was so wrong. He placed a hand on her to give a gentle push as he stood back. His heart was beating a hundred minutes, and he glanced either side of the corridor to see if anyone had seen that. Words wouldn't leave his mouth, and he found himself floundering in confusion and frustration.
"Wha- could you have warned me?" His voice was gruff, the voice he used on most people. He hadn't been expecting to be kissed, not at all and it made him feel unsteady. He was all-off balanced. He didn't even apologise for his lack of enthusiastic response, taking a small step back and shaking his head.
6'1" | german | grumpy | introverted | closeted | single Signature credit to Ollie
There were a few things that Vinda noticed as she stood there, awaiting Adrian's lips to move back against her own... she expected his lips to be drier, for one, definitely not soft and lush like he put chapstick on in his spare time; and he smelt nice, not at all like most of the boys in their year... but the thing that stood out to her the most was he had tensed up. He was frozen like a statue, and he wasn't kissing her back, but instead physically pushing her out of his space before looking around, seemingly panicked that somebody had saw them. Like... he was embarrassed to be seen kissing someone like her, and the thought that she was inadequate stung more than anything. "I... was it bad?" she breathed, more vulnerable than she ever would have liked.
'Could you have warned me?' The words, combined with the gruff tone and the shake of his head had panic clawing it's way out of Vinda's chest because why was he rejecting her? Was she unattractive to him? Did he see all the bad parts that she did, every single morning when she raked over every inch of her body with a critical gaze? Vinda never cried in front of anybody - she hadn't for years, always escaping into a hidden location so nobody could see she had emotions but tears were welling in her eyes before she could help it. Merde."I thought that... I thought you would have wanted to. It's - we're going to have to do it sometime, right?" Normally, Vinda wouldn't have looked away, wanted him to know that she was strong and not weak but the tears were threatening to trickle over, and she didn't want him to see her cry. Ducking her head, Vinda adopted a more defensive tone as she spoke next. "We're getting married and we'll have to do a lot more than that, Adrian. We... we need to get used to it. We don't have a choice."
Post by ADRIAN ANDERSON on Jan 4, 2020 0:59:02 GMT
Adrian rubbed his left eye with his palm as she asked if she was bad. “I don’t know. No?” he snapped, angry at himself but also at her for not warning him. Fuck. He’d messed this whole thing up, he was darn lucky that no one had been there to witness his misstep. He couldn’t imagine how furious Vinda would be if someone had seen him push her away. It’d ruin her plans, and she’d ruin his life. He hadn’t missed the vulnerability in her voice though, so he pushed past desperate reasons for an excuse. Things like, ‘you’re not really my time’ or ‘It’s not me, it’s you’ were eager to be said but he had a feeling that would make Vinda feel awful. Which was the opposite reaction to the one he was aiming for.
“I’m not…this isn’t for me. We should have practiced it somewhere before…somewhere more private. I’m…I’m not used to this yet, okay?” He didn’t know what to say to clarify things. How was he supposed to tell her, ‘look I’m extremely uncomfortable with the thought of doing anything intimate with you because I’m a homosexual’. The simple thought of telling her, was terrifying. His heart felt like it was being squeezed by a vice, panic making it hard to think clearly. If Vinda knew, she could break up the engagement…and tell his father. Dread that filled his lungs, suffocating all thoughts to a solitary one. That cannot happen.
He managed to claw back some sense of clarity as he realised, she looked distraught. His mouth fell open, he’d never thought she cared all that much, and he needed to attempt to rectify things. “I’m- I should okay. I should want to…but I don’t. You’re so beautiful…” He felt like a petulant toddler, shouting about how they didn’t want to do whatever they’d been asked to do. “Don’t you think I know that Vinda?” His voice became snarkier the more defensive she got. “I’m sorry that I can’t acclimatise as quickly as you can. I thought- I thought I’d get at least a few years of freedom, but my father’s found another way to trap me down.” It was clear how he felt about their betrothal. He’d just laid it out on the ground in front of them.
6'1" | german | grumpy | introverted | closeted | single Signature credit to Ollie
I don't know, followed by a 'no?' that was more like a question was a pathetic answer, one Vinda didn't want to hear because it was coming abundantly clear to her that his uncertainty meant yes. Yes, it had been bad - why was he so furious with her if it had been good?Instead of saying something straight away, knowing that she would continue to sound too vulnerable and open, Vinda just stood there, trying to gather her composure back as she breathed hard through her nostrils. It wasn't working though, and she needed - she needed to not be here right now, but running away would make things worse. "I'm sorry that I'm not up to your high standards then," she finally said, when she thought she'd finally gained enough control to speak - but with the way her voice wobbled over 'high standards,' she'd thought wrong.
It wasn't for Adrian, and Vinda's teary eyes leveled him with a look that said, 'and you think it's for me?' If she had a choice in the matter at all, she wouldn't have been betrothed. She had aspirations higher than becoming some trophy wife to a Hufflepuff who clearly didn't want her, and her family didn't care - they wanted her to carry on the Selwyn legacy by bearing children, not by becoming a world renowned potioneer. "It's been four months, Adrian, and you haven't even mentioned practicing," she said.
I should want to... but I don't. Her eyes burned, not at all caring about the fact that she didn't want to cry in front of him, and then the dam broke - wetness started flooding down her cheeks without her express permission. "You need to want to, otherwise this isn't going to work. How am I supposed to marry someone who doesn't even want to kiss me?" But then he said the worst thing imaginable, and all efforts to hide the expression her face went out the window as her head snapped up. She didn't say anything for a long time, just breathed because whilst she knew this wasn't a desirable position for either of them... trapped? His father had trapped him with her, like she was some sort of punishment. It stung, but Vinda's voice was small she said quietly, "I see."
Post by ADRIAN ANDERSON on Jan 4, 2020 4:03:14 GMT
"I didn't say you weren't up to my high standards." He murmured churlishly, folding his arms cross his chest in a defensive manner. He knew she was upset, her teary eyes screamed this to him yet he didn't know what to do and what to say. She wasn't making this any easier on him and part of him resented her for it. She may have been just as stuck as he did, but she didn't understand! She never would! When she brought up the fact they'd been dating for 4 months, he cringed and relaxed his arms. "Look, I didn't want to okay? I thought we could hold it off long enough..." Long enough for what Adrian? To break the engagement? For him to find some dark secret about the Selwyn's that he'd use to break the engagement? For him to man up to his father? "Well you didn't mention wanting to. How am I supposed to know? I'm not actually your boyfriend." In fact, he was her arranged fiance. He didn't know if that made it better or worse.
As tears began sliding down her cheeks, the guilt hit him sharply. This wasn't supposed to be what happened. She wasn't supposed to cry...she was supposed to tell him off and arrange for them to practice kissing. He'd dread them but at least he'd get desensitized to it. He couldn't bring himself to make those arrangement...he had thought about it once or twice but each time that pit in his stomach opened up. Her demand for him to want to kiss her, made him scrunch up his face and rub both of his eyes. "I don't know Vinda. I've been asking myself the same question for the past 4 months. Don't you think I wish I wanted you? Don't you think I wish I could be a good son and a fucking fiance?"
He regretted swearing at her the instant the words came out of his mouth. His face went ashen and he raised a hand to place on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"
6'1" | german | grumpy | introverted | closeted | single Signature credit to Ollie
"No, you just said you didn't know whether it was bad and pushed me off you which speaks volumes," Vinda shot back waspishly, her heckles rising at the tone he dared to take with her. She had been hurt before, and now that hurt... it was transforming into anger and sheer mortification. Why hadn't he told her that he wasn't attracted to her months ago? That would have saved her from making an absolute fool of herself trying to kiss him. She would have... she would have stuck to hand holding, or even worked something else out for them.
Vinda had said, had hinted at that ridiculous party earlier in the year, that they could try kissing afterwards. Of course, everything at that party had gone terribly wrong due to her rashness, but she'd still put it out there. "No, you're just my fiance who's expected to do a lot more than kiss me in the future." She'd gotten the impression that he wasn't a complete imbecile over the last few months, but maybe that had been false if he didn't realise in the next five years, he'd have to go to bed with her. She wasn't going to have a miraculous conception, and she wasn't about to repeat her mother's past and get pregnant by some other man.
He was making himself out to be some sort of victim, like the spineless Hufflepuff he was, and repeating again and again that he wished he could want her. The constant reminder that she was so unwanted, so undesirable to him didn't help the tears that just wouldn't stop falling, despite how many times Vinda swiped at them with the back of her hand. The next thing she knew, he was swearing at her and going to touch her like he had some sort of right to do that after everything that happened. "Go fuck yourself," she hissed out, batting his hand away as she beelined for the common room, spitting out the password and leaving him outside.
For the last few months, ever since what had so stupidly occurred at the Spin the Bottle party, things between Vinda and Adrian had been... tenuous, and Vinda had been trying her very best ever since to ensure that Adrian didn't drop their whole 'boyfriend/girlfriend' act. That simply wouldn't do and she refused, point blank, to let all of her hard work in selling this relationship go to waste. It didn't align with her long term plans.
There were a few things that Vinda noticed as she stood there, awaiting Adrian's lips to move back against her own... she expected his lips to be drier, for one, definitely not soft and lush like he put chapstick on in his spare time; and he smelt nice, not at all like most of the boys in their year... but the thing that stood out to her the most was he had tensed up. He was frozen like a statue, and he wasn't kissing her back, but instead physically pushing her out of his space before looking around, seemingly panicked that somebody had saw them. Like... he was embarrassed to be seen kissing someone like her, and the thought that she was inadequate stung more than anything. "I... was it bad?" she breathed, more vulnerable than she ever would have liked.