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!
O.W.L.'s were coming closer with huge strides, and Lars spent most of his awake hours practicing his spells and trying to slog through the mountains of magic theory that Hogwarts deemed important (and Lars couldn't care less about). He seemed to be one of the rare pupils of his house to care so much about doing well, which, at this point in time, didn't surprise him all that much.
But there was only so much dry theory one could stomach, even if they were as hellbent on getting good grades (for the express purpose of convincing Durmstrang that he would be a valuable asset to the school) and Lars had reached his. He didn't want to see another diagram, didn't want to utter another spell. He needed a break.
There weren't too many people in the common room -- some younger students playing cards in the corner, a few older ones exchanging notes, and one of his own year -- Lyubov Kareva.
Lyubov was a peculiar creature -- not only because she was, supposedly half-veela (he'd never felt any different around her, so he didn't really buy it. Lars was aware she had two more sisters. Come on, what kind of veela would give birth to not one, but three human children? Seemed like a load of drivel to him), but also because she was quite liberal with her partners. She was like the next stage of Viola.
While Viola had been very gracious to show Lars how to kiss, he still hadn't quite understood all the fuss about it. Asking Lyubov felt like the most logical next step.
Lars abandoned his books on the table and walked over to the blonde, greeting her and plopping right down on the couch, getting straight to business.
"So, here is the thing -- I've heard you're, how to say, very experienced in some areas of, uh," he leaned in and lowered his voice, his eyes shifting around to see if anyone in the vicinity was paying any attention to them, "Relationships. I had a few questions, if you catch my drift."
a charming young woman... ...capable of being terrible
GRYFFINDOR
16
SIXTH YEAR
1/2 VEELA
we're not running when the world's on fire/we'll be dancing in the smoke
73 posts
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Post by LYUBOV KAREVA on Feb 9, 2020 17:23:43 GMT
Lyuba wasn't studying. She knew she should be, but she'd already been trying earlier and she didn't feel like she was getting anywhere, so she'd given up. The only problem was that everyone else seemed to be studying all the time, at least all the people who actually had a chance to get any sort of good marks, so she was bored and alone. Fiddling with a packet of Exploding Snap cards, she sat in front of one of the common room coffee tables, trying to think of something new to build, when a rather unexpected person took the seat next to her.
She was pretty sure that Lars had never actually had a real conversation with her before in the several years he'd been in her class, which made it all the more confusing why he was leaning in close to her, nearly whispering. If she didn't know better, she'd think he was coming on to her, but he had never seemed like the type to do that--which, now that she thought about it, could be the reason he was talking in such a weird and formal way.
Or it could be Evan putting him up to it. Lyuba didn't know how close the two roommates were, but after Evan's comments about her ancestry in class, she didn't feel like she trusted any sort of questions about her experiences from any of the other Gryffindors. "Why do you ask?" she said, frowning. "I don't feel like being called names again, thanks."
To his surprise, Lyubov didn't answer in the usual frivolous tone he'd come to expect of her -- not that they really ever spoke, she'd always seemed a little bit too airheaded for his tastes.
I don't feel like being called names. Lars couldn't help but to blink a few times -- had he said something wrong? He felt like his wording had been respectful, but... No, it couldn't have been his fault.
"Uh, names? I don't-- I don't intend to offend you," he muttered, scratching the back of his head, "I wanted to ask your opinion and maybe even advice on a few things that have to do with, er, physical closeness. Until the last few months I haven't really cared about any of this stuff, but then I heard everyone praising Viola's and Delgado's kissing parties, and I started wondering about it," he continued, his voice still low, "And well, I've been asking around people who are known to indulge in, uh, certain activities..."
He cleared his throat, trying to figure out what should he ask first. About kissing? Or go straight for the kill?
"So, if you would indulge me, can you tell me why...Why do you like kissing people?"
a charming young woman... ...capable of being terrible
GRYFFINDOR
16
SIXTH YEAR
1/2 VEELA
we're not running when the world's on fire/we'll be dancing in the smoke
73 posts
0 likes
Post by LYUBOV KAREVA on Feb 9, 2020 18:04:13 GMT
To put it simply, Lyuba was confused. There were very few motivations she could think of for why her usually quiet and even standoffish classmate was babbling to her about physical closeness, and if it was anything other than him actually being attracted to her, she really didn't want to hear it. She didn't want to let people's talk ruin her enjoyment of life, but the more she had to hear about veela this and veela that and how people thought she was too loose because of that--no, she wasn't going to put up with it.
"I like kissing people because it's nice," she said, setting down her cards and crossing her arms. It was one of those things she couldn't exactly explain, just having known since a few years ago that it was something she wanted to do, that it felt good and warm and made her happy, and that was why she did it, again and again. "It feels good. Have you not ever kissed anyone? I know you weren't at Delgado's party." That was what was confusing her even more, the fact that she knew Lars had never been one for parties and stuff, so why was he mentioning it? "You just have to find someone you like, obviously."
It's nice. It feels good. Good Lord, have these people never heard of answering in full sentences? In short, Lars was dissatisfied with this type of answer. Viola had told him the same thing -- 'it felt nice'. What the hell was that supposed to mean, anyways? Was it the same nice as putting on socks that have been left on a heater for a while? Was it the same nice as scoring a goal during a Quidditch match? Was it the same nice as a bite of your favorite food? Those were all very different things in his mind.
"I, uh, I've kissed someone. Once. Or, well, once and a half times? I don't think that first one really counts, but it was purely to figure out what the fuss is about. " He explained without mentioning any names, because Mia-Rose would decapitate him if the word ever got out. Viola? Viola wouldn't really care.
"And what does it mean to like... Like someone? Like, I, uh, like my friend Lydia, she's a good friend and all, and she's all fine in the looks department... Does that mean I like her?"
a charming young woman... ...capable of being terrible
GRYFFINDOR
16
SIXTH YEAR
1/2 VEELA
we're not running when the world's on fire/we'll be dancing in the smoke
73 posts
0 likes
Post by LYUBOV KAREVA on Feb 23, 2020 4:29:35 GMT
"Hmm," Lyuba mused, tapping her fingers against her chin and sitting back against the couch. "Could be. I think you would know if you liked her, though. Do you feel, like, all warm inside when you're with her? Like you really want to kiss her, you know?" She hoped her description was good enough for Lars to understand. Lydia was a nice girl, Lyuba thought; she'd never been close with the Hufflepuff, but she'd had to jump to the other girl's defense in class once, which already made her feel softer toward her.
And it made her feel a little softer toward Lars, because if he was friends with Lydia then it was unlikely he was there to attack her. For whatever reason, it seemed like her classmate was being deeply honest with her. Did people just hear that her name meant "love" and assume she was an expert? That would be amusing if it was true--she found herself suddenly imagining Grace Longbottom as graceful as the best prima ballerina. Or her sister Vera as a nun or something.
Shaking her head, she tried to force her thoughts back to where she'd left off in the conversation. "Is Lydia who you kissed, then? I mean, you don't have to tell me, but I'm curious."
"To kiss Lydia? Never!" he shot out immediately, his nose wrinkling. "She's my friend, and I don't--" He interrupted himself. Mia-Rose was his friend too, and yet they'd kind of kissed, and that thought hadn't felt as repulsive. Did that mean he liked her?
"I need a moment to think," he continued, rubbing his temples with his fingers, staring at the red carpet under his feet. Why does the thought of kiss Lydia seem so wrong? Is it...Ah, it is because she said that she'd never snog me. She doesn't like me, and I don't want her either. And with Mia-Rose? She agreed to it, just as Viola. Okay, yeah, this makes sense now.
"So, what I've come to understand is that I do not like like Lydia, and neither does she like like me, so that's why... And no, it was Viola Rosaline. Since she's got her whole kissing list and all, I asked her to explain what was so great about kissing and... She showed me, too. I think I see the appeal now, but... It didn't feel like a big deal? It wasn't bad, but... I don't get it."
"Maybe you could tell me what you think of this whole kissing stuff?"
