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!
The Ministry of Magic was always buzzing like a beehive, and for the better part of the past year or so it was more akin to that of wasps, to the point where any waves of new events were lost in the sea of problems that already existed. Issues just kept piling up and up, and it didn't seem that any news could shock neither him nor his colleagues.
But lately, something was off. For the last two months, Ivan had actively corresponded with Hope, one of his colleagues, who used to work with him ages ago, but now was the Ministry Liason at Hogwarts. They'd become good friends, he felt, and it was always nice to receive a letter that wasn't another report about something terrible happening somewhere in the Isles.
But for the last week, Hope hadn't answered his letters. Not even a single one, not even a short note. It worried Ivan -- had something happened to her? But there was nothing in the news, and nobody mentioned anything at the Ministry. He'd been considering going to Hogwarts himself until he saw her in the halls of the Ministry on the morning of Tuesday, the 7th. She looked all well and good, which calmed Ivan, but only for a split second.
Upon greeting her, Hope walked past him like he was empty space, not even sparing him a glance. Did I write something wrong?
Since he knew Hope was at the Ministry, the man put all his work on hold and staked-out in the hallway to the Auror's department until she'd come back out.
"Hope!" he called out to her as she exited one of the offices, "Wait up!" With long strides the man made his way over to her, trying to keep his pace along with her.
"What's going on? You haven't answered my letters, I've gotten the impression that you're pretending that I don't even exist!" he asked, his voice quiet so only she could hear him. There was no need to make a scene.
Post by HOPE GRIMBLEHAWK on Jan 9, 2020 5:29:54 GMT
Ever since Hope had received that letter, vaguely detailing the whereabouts of the Trossachs, she'd been laser focused on making sure every single detail was right before she acted on the intel. Today she had been in a meeting assembling the right team made up of Aurors to come with her - Alistair, Donovan, Derek had all put their hands up - and now as she left the department, she had serious expression drawn on her face because she needed to get somebody to figure out how to reactivate the portkey Teddy Lupin had provided her with. It was crucial that they were transported to exact correct spot, otherwise they had no shot at dragging Verandi Farley and the other Trossachs in for questioning.
Part of the reason Hope was so eager to get to this was because finally... finally they may have had some sort of concrete case to get Verandi behind bars and in turn, maybe she could persuade the woman to flip. Perhaps she could cut a deal to get some valuable intel on the Cursebreaker, the one who had been responsible for so many losses in Hope's lives - her parents, her husband, her child - that would send him to Azkaban for the rest of his foreseeable life. There was nothing Hope would like more to see than that cretin rot in jail like he so justly deserved to.
Stepping out into the hallway, portkey stowed away in her bag, Hope was so caught up in thought that she didn't even register someone was talking to her until they were right in front of her. Her blue eyes flickering up, she blinked. Ivan. "I'm... I'm not pretending you don't exist, I'm just busy, Ivan," she explained, shaking her head insistently before lowering her voice only for his ears. "Last week, I received word on the whereabouts of the Trossachs, and... and it's just been so busy, trying to organise something and ensure this whole mission goes perfectly. I've been waiting to have a shot at them for years, and now we have a reason to pull them in for questioning and... I'm not ignoring you. I'm just trying to execute this right so I don't mess it up."
Her pace was firm and direct, like a tank rolling through the battlefield, and Ivan had a gut feeling he never wanted to get under her fire. But some little part of him felt a little wounded that she wouldn't even give him 5 minutes of her time to write just a few sentences, so he wasn't going to just let this slide.
When Hope revealed the reason for her preoccupation, Ivan was baffled. "What?" he hissed, stopping in his tracks, brows furrowed and mouth slightly ajar, "First of all -- How did I, the Head of the Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, find out about this last?" On paper, Hope's office was under Ivan's department, so this already started to look unprofessional, something that he did not expect of her.
"And Hope, with all due respect, this is something the aurors should be working on, not you." he added. She'd gotten the information, by protocol she had to handing to the aurors and return to her post. But...Was he really fussing about protocol right now? "You intend to go into the den yourself, don't you?"
A sigh escaped his lips and he ran a hand over his face, "Hope, just... I know what this means to you, but, for my sake, please consider anything you do twice." I'm your friend. I don't want to see you hurt.
Post by HOPE GRIMBLEHAWK on Jan 9, 2020 9:38:43 GMT
Instead of Ivan understanding how big of a deal this was for Hope, for the Ministry, he was demanding to know why he found out last. Hope's back went ramrod straight, and her shoulders squared immediately. "First of all, you are not the last to find out. The only other department that has been alerted is the Auror department because it's our responsibility to use and carry out this information," she said, an authoritative edge creeping into her voice. "You were going to find out soon, I just had to get my ducks in a row before presenting my plan of attack. Not only that, but it wasn't marked as a top priority for you to know straight away because this matter hasn't much to do with the fact that they're a werewolf, but more so that they broke free people who attacked a school, and the person leading the charge decided to commit fraud via polyjuice potion in the process which is illegal in and of itself."
This is something the Aurors should be working on, not you. The words were like a slap to the face, one that left her cheek stinging and her mind really, and Hope's eyes narrowed into slits. "I am an Auror. I may be temporarily posted as the Hogwarts Liaison but just because I do that doesn't mean I stop being one and that I can't carry out a job, especially when directly given information pertaining to it. I spent six years training, and I'm not going to be benched when I am fully capable and not only that but have discussed it with Potter himself," she hissed straight back at him, her voice quiet. There was no reason to answer his question, he already knew.
"You don't know - you do not know what this means to me. By capturing Verandi for her crimes, I may be able to cut a not so lenient deal to learn more information on the Cursebreaker and..." That was more valuable than he realised, a step towards seeking justice on behalf of family. Jaw clenching, Hope shook her head furiously. "You won't ever know, not until you lose your entire fucking family twice in a lifetime to someone who only served twelve years, and got off free the second time." Even though she was speaking in hushed tones, controlling her voice, it felt like she was losing control trying to justify herself to him.
Taking a deep breath through her nostrils, then exhaling through her mouth, Hope leveled him with a look. "I know my limits and I'm not one of your daughters, Ivan. I don't need you to try and step up to the role of the overbearing father." With a shake of her head, Hope took one more steadying breath before she took a step back, trying to maintain some of her composure. "But for now, I have work to do. I'll make sure to put a form from Potter authorising me to do this as well as the fully documented plan from the Auror department on your desk in the next two days. If you have any concerns, I'm sure Potter will hear you out." After sending a tight smile in his direction, Hope took off towards an office down the hall, determined for somebody to investigate this bloody portkey she had shoved in her bag.
head of the regulation and control of magical creatures
MINISTRY OF MAGIC
45
OFFICIAL
HALF-BLOOD
He doesn't look a thing like Jesus | But he talks like a gentleman
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Post by IVAN KAREV on Jan 9, 2020 10:27:27 GMT
Tidal Wave
I CAN SEE IT IN YOUR EYES SEE IT IN YOUR FACE bANGING ON YOUR CHEST ACTING TOUGH LOOKING UNFAZED TRIPPING OVER LANDLINES CUTTING DEEP WITH A DULL BLADE RUNNING OUT OF UNREST GOIN' OUT OF YOUR MIND
The way Hope's back straightened like Ivan had stabbed her in her lower back was telling. In hindsight, Ivan should have known that everything he was about to say would backfire. He should have known and he should have kept his mouth shut. But he didn't and now he was getting a verbal beating the kind he'd never experienced. All he could do was just stand there, his washed out blue eyes darting all over Hope's face.
With every word she said, Ivan's shoulders slumped lower and lower, like he was a nail and they were the hammer that just kept hitting and hitting and hitting long after there was nowhere deeper to go.
He didn't say anything. Nothing at all. It would make things only worse. Instead, he stood there, his lips pressed into a thin line, looking right at her, until she turned around and left without a second glance. He lifted up his arm and drew an orthodox cross over her. 'Go with God' -- If she wasn't going to listen to him, he could still send her his blessings. He wouldn't be able to sleep at night if he didn't.
He turned around and started walking back to his office. Only once he locked the door behind him did everything start settling into his mind. The man felt physically nauseous.
'You don't know what it means to me'. You're right. I don't. I truly don't and I hope I never find out. But is it really worth putting your life at risk, Hope? I know it hurts, but...They're dead, and no revenge can bring them back. Revenge shouldn't be anyone's motivator, it blurs your senses and makes you commit mistakes of passion. You should be doing this for completely different reasons. He grabbed a pile of papers on his desk and tried to distract himself by reading about goblins and centaurs, but the brief conversation, if you could even call that, kept ringing in his ears.
'Not one of your daughters', and what's so wrong about caring for you like you are? You've got no one, Hope.
And only several days later, going over the conversation in his head for the thousand time did his brain latch on to an entirely different phrase.
'Overbearing father'. Am I really overbearing? Does my wish to protect really restrict my girls so much? Or, or is it them, and Hope who are too stubborn to see that I only wish well for them?
One thing was sure -- this would eat at him for a long time and, if she hadn't before, then now Hope definitely would look at him like he didn't exist.
Ever since Hope had received that letter, vaguely detailing the whereabouts of the Trossachs, she'd been laser focused on making sure every single detail was right before she acted on the intel. Today she had been in a meeting assembling the right team made up of Aurors to come with her - Alistair, Donovan, Derek had all put their hands up - and now as she left the department, she had serious expression drawn on her face because she needed to get somebody to figure out how to reactivate the portkey Teddy Lupin had provided her with. It was crucial that they were transported to exact correct spot, otherwise they had no shot at dragging Verandi Farley and the other Trossachs in for questioning.
