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!
They had won. Ravenclaw had won the Quidditch cup, despite the fact that Bludgers were hitting their marks left and right during the match. Wolfgang had skipped out on the celebrations, instead choosing to spend the rest of his day in Isobel's embrace. Why? For one, his fingers had been bruised, and even though it took a short visit to the matron to fix that, Wolfgang had been feeling quite exhausted. And the other reason? He was angry. Upset with Emil for playing the goddamned hero. There was an entire stadium of wizards there, he didn't have to go and play the savior, leaving Wolfgang fend for himself.
But a few days had been enough for the chaser to let it go. They'd won, so it was worth it in the end. There would be no more practice sessions after which he'd return to the tower trudging through sludge, soaked from head to feet. No, now was the time to relax -- as much as he could relax during his sixth year exams.
That evening Wolfgang was lingering in the Ravenclaw showers way after curfew. Most students were already in their dorm rooms, except those few who were cramming for exams. Wolfgang couldn't focus on memorizing the theory for Nonverbal spells, not while Aiden Valentino was in the same room as him. So he sought escape underneath a stream of hot water and soap foam that smelled like oranges.
lived like you told me how, look at me now/the whole world's bringing me down
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Post by EMIL ZALEWSKI on Jan 5, 2020 17:38:30 GMT
Emil often went to the prefects' bathroom to bathe, but not always. It did require gathering all his clothes and walking down from Ravenclaw Tower and all the way to the statue of Boris the Bewildered, and then by the time he got there, there was no guarantee that it wouldn't be in use already. Sure, if it was, say, Rodrik Belanger, it wouldn't be an issue, but if it was someone like Aiden Valentino? He'd simply turn right around and head back to his dormitory.
And after a long evening of studying for his Astronomy N.E.W.T., he didn't feel much like walking anywhere. He would have a quick rinse in the regular Ravenclaw showers before he went to sleep. Grabbing his pajamas and towel, he padded over to the bathroom, pushing open the door. He felt as if he would be forever grateful for Skele-Gro to allow him to walk again after breaking his leg twice this year.
With the number of students who lived at the school, Emil had a feeling he would run into someone in the showers, but for some reason it hadn't crossed his mind that it would be Wolfgang there. After winning the Quidditch Cup, there hadn't been any more practices to go to, which meant no more locker room showers, which meant he'd been able to push Wolfgang out of his mind for a few days. But as his eyes met with the very familiar and very fit body of Wolfgang Kallenbach under the stream of water from the shower, he almost dropped everything he had in his hands.
Not in front of him, Emil, keep it to yourself, he told himself. Ever since the kissing party he'd been acutely aware of how the feelings that stirred in him for Wolfgang were too alike to the ones that he felt for Persephone or even Grace. It wasn't supposed to be like that, and yet--it very much was.
Trying to ignore Wolfgang, he started to pull off his shirt, resolved to get clean and out of the shower as quick as possible.
He'd been going over a list in his head of incantations they'd learned in the past year, when the door to the showers had opened. Wolfgang sighed, wishing that Hogwarts would get with the times and turn the showers into separate cubicles, rather than what he imagined a prison shower was -- one tiled room with several drains and shower heads. Usually he didn't mind the company, but tonight...
He glanced over his shoulder, and the annoyance he felt dissipated just like the steam around him. It was Emil, standing there, uneasy. Wolfgang decided to amuse himself a bit.
"Hey Emil, don't you think it would be polite to greet your team mate?" Wolfgang asked, turning off the stream of water and taking his bottle of shampoo in his hands. "I've noticed you swallow your tongue every time we're in the showers alone," he continued, casually squirting the yellow tinted shampoo onto an open palm,"And if you think I haven't noticed..."
"I know you've been staring at my backside the entire year, Emil," the lid snapped shut and he put the bottle back down, running his other hand through his hair and turning the water on for a moment to get some water onto the shampoo, "At least tell me if you enjoy the view, otherwise I have to wonder if there is something I should be acutely aware of."
MADE BY VEL OF GS, WW + ADOX 2.0
1.75m (5'9")| Open relationship with ISOBEL LINWOOD | Bisexual | English
lived like you told me how, look at me now/the whole world's bringing me down
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Post by EMIL ZALEWSKI on Jan 11, 2020 4:51:45 GMT
Polite. Of course it would be polite. It was just that, as Wolfgang had so helpfully pointed out, Emil's tongue felt like it was held fast by some sort of prank candy, only he hadn't eaten any such thing. It was all because of Wolfgang. Wolfgang and his too-accurate perceptions. How was he supposed to respond to that?
Swallowing hard, Emil forced himself to think through the options logically. He could deny it, and pretend that this and the kiss at the party and everything else had never happened. There was no more Quidditch where he'd have to run into Wolfgang, he was nearly about to graduate, he could write it off as a temporary fantasy. That was probably the right thing to do--not to let himself be taken over by lust for someone he shouldn't have. He shouldn't, he knew.
But that would mean pretending that he didn't--ah, enjoy the view, as Wolfgang had put it--and for all that Emil thought his teammate was rather arrogant, he couldn't, truly, say that he wasn't attractive. It was only putting it into words that seemed impossible. Because what would be the point of that? Humiliating himself because he was so weak that he couldn't make the memories of that kiss go away, couldn't forget the implications of Wolfgang's words afterwards, something that he'd replayed over and over in his mind, where nobody else would know?
"I--I haven't been staring. Not as such." Emil wasn't entirely sure what the phrases coming out of his mouth were intended to convey, and he blushed, feeling as if he'd lost control of the situation. He lifted his eyes to meet Wolfgang's, trying not to let them wander down, even as he wanted them to. "Don't mind me. I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable. I'll just--" He gestured toward another of the showerheads. Moving toward it, he turned on the water, hoping that feeling clean would bring him some new clarity.
'Not as such.' Just the fact that Wolfgang had no idea what the hell that was supposed to mean showed him that it was a lie, and a terrible one at that. And then Emil looked at him, with those doe eyes of his. Wolfgang looked right back, considering the situation. 'I don't want to make you uncomfortable', the only one uncomfortable is you, Emil.
"Uncomfortable?" he repeated, starting to rub the shampoo all through his own hair, the dark locks disappearing under a layer of foam, "Please, how can I be uncomfortable when someone so fine is checking me out?" A slight exaggeration on his part -- There were several guys at Hogwarts he found much more attractive than Emil, (Hello, Delgado), but Emil didn't need to know that.
He turned away so he could rinse out his hair, talking in between attempts to not let the foam into his mouth. "You know, that invitation after the kiss? It was genuine, Emil. I was even a little bit saddened that you didn't take it up, but... It's your choice. I'll still be here, that is, until you graduate."
And then he leaned down to pick up the other bottle, this time of shower gel, because of course he did.
lived like you told me how, look at me now/the whole world's bringing me down
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Post by EMIL ZALEWSKI on Jan 15, 2020 4:49:18 GMT
A flash of heat flushed through Emil's body as he was reminded of the party. The kisses. The touches. The way Wolfgang had mentioned so casually that Emil should join both him and Isobel at once, as if that was something that people did casually, every day... Denying that he wanted it was impossible, really, but he couldn't help but feel as if everything would change if he gave in. He'd never been with anyone like that, much less another boy. For all the overachiever had done in his life, this one seemed like a very big deal. Like it would change something for him, in him.
But Wolfgang's wet skin caught the light as he leaned over, and as Emil had been unable to stop himself from doing so many times before, he watched. It was somehow different, knowing that this time Wolfgang knew he was watching. He wasn't sure if he should be more or less ashamed. It didn't seem to bother Wolfgang, not like it would probably make Emil horribly self-conscious if he had been the one on the other side. In fact, he seemed to be enjoying Emil's eyes on him.
Was it true, then, that Wolfgang wanted this genuinely, that he wasn't just playing with the fact that he knew Emil's secret?
"If I were to, uh, take you up on the offer. If I was," Emil emphasized, "what would it--entail, exactly?"
He didn't need to have eyes on the back of his head to know that Emil was staring. The lack of any other sound besides the steady trickle of water was telling enough -- Emil was standing still, his gaze pinned to Wolfgang's back, he had no doubt about that.
How long would they play this game? Did Wolfgang have to start washing himself seductively too? Not that he had much issue with it, but... As much as he enjoyed teasing Emil, he wanted a clear answer - was his classmate ready for all that Wolfgang could offer him? Because if he wasn't, then the younger boy would cease immediately. It was only fun if both sides wanted it.
A smile appeared on his face once Emil finally spoke up. 'What would that entail?' Oh, it was easier to ask what it wouldn't.
"Well," he started, turning around, still holding the bottle of shower gel, "Since it is apparent that you've not done this before, it doesn't have to entail anything too, how to say, scandalous. I've heard many a compliment about my mouth," he licked his lips -- thankfully, there was only water on it. Had there been soap, the seductive move would have failed tremendously, "So we can start there. And then you'll tell me if you want anything else."
lived like you told me how, look at me now/the whole world's bringing me down
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Post by EMIL ZALEWSKI on Jan 19, 2020 1:00:16 GMT
It was obvious that he had never done anything of the sort before. Emil didn't bother trying to pretend that he had. After all, Wolfgang had kissed him like that at the party; certainly he would've noticed how awkward Emil's lips had been. Plus, they'd known each other for years. They were teammates. There was no hiding it.
This time, Wolfgang's offer was far less intimidating than it had been that night, though, in front of everyone, with Isobel there and all. There was, still, of course, something scandalous about the thought of Wolfgang's mouth, especially as Isobel was his girlfriend, but Emil knew about their arrangement, odd as it seemed to him. But it was a simple thought. One that didn't seem like it would be too difficult. Didn't seem to pose any risk of hurting him--and it would be Wolfgang whose conscience had to answer for the Isobel thing, wouldn't it?
He was weak. He was trying to reason himself into it--or was it reasoning himself out of it?
But there was Wolfgang's tongue, and, walking as if in a dream, Emil found himself turning off the water, having washed nothing except for what water had already fallen on his hair. The splashes as he walked over to Wolfgang were oh-so-quiet, but for him, they echoed throughout the whole room. He swallowed hard.
