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!
I do have standards, you know. Just... not high ones.
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Post by SOPHIE DUNSTABLE on Apr 22, 2020 22:31:53 GMT
S
ophie sighed heavily. Worrying just was not a state of mind with which she could find any empathy at all, not because she didn't understand it but because she'd never been inclined to do it. She sailed through life more or less unperturbed by everything and taking it all in her stride; when she met an insurmountable obstacle, she just found someone to use as a battering ram and stood back whilst they cleared the path for her. Early in life, the brunette had learned that she had certain attributes which, when she used them correctly, would persuade the majority of people, or certainly the majority of male people, to do whatever she asked of them so long as she smiled in the right way. And Sophie had spent a great deal of time practising smiling in the right way. After that, it was just so much common sense, and once you had that down, you could do more or less anything, because the Hufflepuff had always maintained that common sense was a significant misnomer, and so possessing it placed you a step above most of the population.
"You ought to try some sort of meditation, love," she observed with a smile. "Or they say having your hair done is very relaxing... Do you want a plait?" Grace's next comment would have had a girl with less self-control laughing her head off, but Sophie's smile merely widened a little as she shook her head. "I've never been lovely in my life, Gracie, so don't you believe anyone who tells you otherwise." And that was possibly the truest thing that the brunette had said in the last ten years or so. When it came to the matter of beds and windows, even she had to give up; she'd been keeping track, to a greater or lesser degree, with her roommate's thought processes for six years now, which had felt considerably longer, but on occasion, even Sophie had to admit that there was no way any normal human mind could keep up the mental gymnastics required to maintain a conversation with Grace. "I'm sure they'll let you keep your bed," was the best that she could manage before thankfully seizing onto the girl's next conversational gambit.
"Oh, I had a lovely summer," the brunette assured her roommate, taking the dish with a smile of thanks and spooning a little onto her plate. "I went to France, spent a lot of time sunbathing on the beach. Met a boy from London; we became... very good friends, if you know what I mean." She flashed just the slightest suspicion of a wink. "And how about you?"
Post by LYDIA LLEWELLYN on Apr 23, 2020 5:27:26 GMT
School had returned and if Lydia was being frank - something she quite often was - she had to admit that she was not looking forward to it. Not so much because of the classes - she could mostly handle the stress that came from the overload of work and pressure to perform well - but more so because of the social side of things. Talking to people and making friends was something she'd struggled with since she'd arrived at Hogwarts five years ago and she didn't anticipate things going great mate-wise this year either especially considering she found herself in quite a pickle with her classmates.
"Why do I do these things to myself, Dani?" Lydia grumbled from where she sat beside her sister, plonking her head on Dani's shoulder as her gaze traveled over to the Gryffindor table where the two Wood brothers sat. Both of whom she'd... not so purposefully snogged last year - well, one of them was on purpose but the other was a drunken accident because she'd thought Evan was Thomas and - okay, that didn't make things any better. She realised that. "Is it too late to whip out the guillotine? You know, off with my head? If I were dead, I wouldn't have to share classes with them at least."
they judge me like a picture book/by the colors, like they forgot to read
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Post by DANICA LLEWELLYN on Apr 23, 2020 17:01:34 GMT
feathers in my hair
As Danica followed her sister's gaze over to the Gryffindor table, she had to agree: neither of them knew how to make good decisions. Her eyes landed on the top of Rowan Howard's head, careful not to make it look like she was staring, just in case he decided to look up from his plate. She was such an idiot, crushing on him when it was obvious he just wanted to flirt with lots of girls--girls like Mavican who had something to offer besides weird countryside accents and farm stories.
"Even sitting on this side of the table was a bad idea," she groaned, although there was still a joking tone to her voice. "The Ravenclaws never abandoned us." She patted Lydia's hair as the other girl rested her head against her shoulder. Pursing her lips, she thought about the prospect of the guillotine. "I guess it's not too late. But if you're going to channel Marie Antoinette, we should at least eat some cake first." Reaching toward the center of the table, she took a piece of the dessert for each of their plates, ignoring the fact that they hadn't finished what the actual dinner was.
"They should give us wine, too. I want to make a toast to sisterhood. We'll never break each other's hearts," Dani said. "Pumpkin juice isn't quite as fun."
Post by ALEXANDER GREENAWAY on Apr 24, 2020 6:30:31 GMT
As Alex sat at the Ravenclaw, 'basking' in the news that a whole bunch of Durmstrang students would be joining their school, one crystal clear thought ran through his mind: I don't want to be here.
It wasn't the first time he'd thought that this evening, but it was the most strongly he'd thought it. He'd read in books and heard from other students that Durmstrang didn't accept muggleborns. At all. They didn't think that muggleborns - like himself - were worthy of achieving a magical education. Even though it probably wasn't fair to judge and stereotype a whole group of people he'd never even met before, Alex had a lurking feeling that they were predispositioned to hate him already just based on that.
After filling his plate with a few bread rolls and chicken thighs, Alex had only just begun picking at his food when a voice floated into his ears - wait, were they talking to him? Glancing up, Alex blinked at the girl with red hair who was apparently trying to converse with him. Uh. "I... er... the first years don't ask me for directions in the first place," he mumbled, before shaking his head. "Aren't you... a prefect? Aren't you meant to help people?"
Post by VIOLA ROSALINE on Apr 24, 2020 6:57:28 GMT
As Professor O'Connor with his very serious, grumpy, wumpy face announced that for the rest of the year the Durmstrang students would be joining them, Viola could have wet her knickers in sheer excitement because, "Oh my Merlin. They are so fit!" she exclaimed, gesturing wildly to the new girl who sat beside her. Did she know said new girl? No, not yet but certainly planned to become acquainted with her. Not just because Vi's aspirations to expand her snogging list was a goal of hers this year, but because she was determined to befriend as many people as possible. "What's your name? Gosh, your hair is stunning. Has anyone ever told you that? It's, like... the most wonderous shade of gold I've ever seen in my life."
Turning her head at a familiar voice, Vi was quickly beaming as Skye danced into her vision because oh, Skye. How she adored the girl! What, with her cutie patootie accent and pretty sky blue eyes that inspired Viola to pick up a paintbrush every time she saw them. "Hiiiii, Skye," Vi sing-songed, reaching across the table to pat the girl's hand. "You're looking particularly splendid this evening. You must have had the most magnificent summer of your life, right? You'll have to tell me and our new friend -" Vi looked at the blonde-haired girl, shooting her a wink, "- all about it. Like, every single detail. I want to know everything, okay?"
This morning had started out so promising and Zoe was still clinging to the hope with which she had woken up. In the staff debriefing, Zoe had been quite excited by the prospects of the new year with some of the restrictions lifting and the Trossachs terror regime coming to an end... then the new teachers and students from the prestigious Durmstrang Institute were announced and Zoe was even more excited. Some of her favourite teenaged memories were of European backpackers and their Devil May Care attitudes to literally everything.
Her experience thus far of the faculty? Not nearly as pleasant. One of them appeared to be the very embodiment of the horrid people that had tortured Jack in those dark years when he was a student at Hogwarts - in the five minute exchange, Zoe had somehow been made to feel as small as a flea on a mouse that scurried in the basement, too afraid to scamper into an actual house. The Australian, muggleborn Muggle Studies professor was very probably the bottom of the food chain, despite being Head of Hufflepuff and a very accomplished professor. She just wished that she hadn't had shown her wandless magic weakness when the Durmstrang teacher had rapped on her classroom door by mistake. Zoe's bright blue eyes glanced in the Professor-in-Question's direction and shivered under the cold, hard glare that was returned. The woman quickly diverted her gaze towards a much friendlier face - Jack. Watching his address made Zoe tingle in all the right places and if she caught his gaze, she'd raise a glass with a nod that only the privvy knew meant I have plans for you.
"... the Hogwarts Blitz, eh Fleur?" Zoe asked with a chuckle, referring to the last time the British went up against these people. There were so many nationalities that attended Durmstrang, she knew, but to remember them all? "Lets just hope we fair better than the monks in the monastery did all those years ago..." she was pretty sure the person she encountered earlier today was a direct descendant of those Vikings that decimated the English coastline over a thousand years ago. Yeesh.
Zoe glanced out into the crowd to watch Alex as the new students marched in like a tiny malitia. She wanted to comfort him, to stroke his hair and cuddle him tight because he was such a little worry-wart... but that wouldn't be cool. Besides, the wine glass before her was begging to be drowned despite the knot in her muggleborn stomach. "Well, Profs, here's to an exciting and safe new year!" she toasted her colleagues. "Don't worry, I'm a long way from home too and the castle grows on you quick enough... as does my accent, I promise," she smiled sheepishly, having found she was getting much better with the Russian accent since she'd been spending quality time with the local baker. Hopefully there were more friendly ones like him amongst her new colleagues. Maybe not quite as friendly. Three or more friends with benefits under the one (very large) roof? Whenever would she find the time to mark all those assignments? ? ?
kye eyed her Housemate for a moment. "Yes, Alex; that was sort of the point." She was doing her best not to be snippy tonight, but she had had a long day travelling all the way down to London to get the train all the way back again, which she considered to be a blatantly ridiculous state of affairs, and now she had before her the prospect of an equally long night spent answering interminable questions about what Hogwarts was like, who the teachers were, what were her favourite subjects, and where were the bathrooms. She enjoyed being a prefect, really she did, and the corridor patrols and so on weren't all that much of a problem really, but she just didn't feel up to it tonight.
She glanced across at Viola with a slightly overenthusiastic smile, lacing her fingers through the other girl's for a moment and giving them a gentle squeeze. "I had a great summer, thanks, Vi," she told the blonde with a grin. "But I'm sure, ah..." Still unsure of the new girl's name, she had to settle for a slightly awkward inclination of the head in her direction and hope that her meaning was taken. "... doesn't want to be bored with all the details; I'll tell you later. Did you have a good time?"
Post by FLEUR WEASLEY on Apr 24, 2020 17:06:26 GMT
F
leur raised her eyebrows and gave a melodramatic sigh. "My dear Zoe, you do exaggerate. I should not imagine for a moment that any one of our visitors has the slightest intention of razing the place to the ground, and even if they had, I might remind you that we somewhat outnumber them." Of course, the Blitz was even less relevant to her than it was to most of those present; her family had not even been in Britain at the time, although of course her husband's presumably had... it was not a fact into which she had ever thought it worthwhile to enquire. For that matter, it did not often arise.
"Besides," she continued briskly, reaching for her own glass. "If we are to begin disliking people because Britain has at some point been at war with them, we might find it rather difficult to retain any friends, don't you think? For a small country, she has made a remarkable number of enemies over the years." After all, her own country had spent most of the past nine hundred years at war with Britain on and off, but she was glad to think that she had not met with an overwhelming amount of hostility as a result. As for the monks... Well, to be honest, being a monk had never been a brilliant decision throughout history; for quiet men seeking a life of contemplation and religious devotion, they seemed to have met with a quite astonishing selection of unpleasant fates at the hands of various different groups over the years. Such a shame. Personally, she thought it was probably because more worldly men, the kind of people who had armies, found the quiet philosophy distinctly off-putting.
Fleur was by no means disinclined to dislike the newcomers, but she preferred to do it on a sound factual basis rather than due to preexisting prejudices. After all, that was very much a slippery slope, and there were few things which the blonde disliked more than slippery slopes; once you'd reached the bottom, it was so damnedly difficult to get up again. She would admit that the few people she'd met so far had not impressed her very much; there was a sort of sneering superiority in the background which put Fleur's back up, and they were so bloody cold. She kept expecting one of them to hex her as an experiment, or else to demand her sacking- she was part-Veela, of impure blood, but it could be worse, she supposed. It was the look in their eyes that really got to her... Disdain.
seems that i have been held in some dreaming state/a tourist in the waking world, never quite awake
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Post by GRETA ROWLE on Apr 24, 2020 17:26:54 GMT
in some dreaming state
"Oh, I'm Greta. It's nice to meet you!" The blonde had to resist the urge to reach out to shake hands with the redheaded girl as she'd been trained to do when making a proper introduction. It wasn't something she actually saw anyone her age doing, and while the lack of formality was sort of refreshing, it wasn't something she had ever prepared herself for.
But she couldn't help but grin when the other blonde--Vi, was it? complimented her hair, and she twisted a few of the strands in her fingers, beaming. "You really think so? Thanks!" It was hard to be proper when someone had that much energy, and for the first time in perhaps her entire life, Greta felt like she wasn't the only person in the whole world with so much excitement to bubble over.
Plus the girl was talking about the Durmstrang students in a way that thrilled Greta, and she watched them enter, wondering if one of them would be the one to finally sweep her off her feet. "Do you think there will be a dance or something?" she asked her two new companions, eyes sparkling. "I want to meet them all!"
aila really wasn't sure what sort of country she'd come to. Yes, the castle was very impressive, she was sure, but so far as she was concerned, it appeared to be occupied chiefly by lunatics. That Hogwarts accepted Muggleborns, she knew; it was an unfortunate fact, but not one that she could reasonably expect to alter in the relatively short time that she hoped was all that she would spend here. But the place appeared to be poorly maintained, home to an astonishing array of poorly-behaved ghosts and even more poorly-behaved students. She did not look forward to having to deal with a classroom full of them, and she could quite understand why whichever individual had been unfortunate enough to hold the position of History professor previously had found it to be too much for them. But she was made of firmer stuff, she was confident, and they would soon find out that if they wanted to mess around in a class, it would be far better for them to pick on a different professor. Her own students ought to have mastered the concept by now, but you never knew; there were one or two terminally stupid individuals for whom the idea of consequences was too abstract to be fully grasped. It was a shame, but there was little to be done.
She glanced along the staff table at her new colleagues, her lips twisting slightly at one or two individuals. Merlin above, some of these people didn't look in the least qualified and she didn't at all look forward to having to appear to cooperate with them. It occurred to her that some of them probably would not have gained admission at Durmstrang in the first place, and it further occurred to her that that would not necessarily have been a bad thing by any means. She gave a thin-lipped smile in response to the Australian's comment and the barest inclination of her head in the woman's direction as recognition, but that was as far as Laila was prepared to unbend before getting on with the task of draining her glass, which, so far as she could see, was likely to be a significant help in the momentous task of getting through the rest of the year. If nothing else, at least Hogwarts had some decent stuff in the cellars, and that was a veritable godsend.
Post by KATARZYNA DĄBROWSKA on Apr 26, 2020 1:58:29 GMT
darkest before the dawn
It was only day one, and Katarzyna already missed Durmstrang. They should have been having their own feast at this very moment, safe in the walls of the centuries-old school, the institute that Katarzyna dedicated her life to now. But no--they were in Britain, far from home--because Durmstrang was home to her.
Her lips pressed together as she listened to the Hogwarts faculty give their speeches, impatient for the fuss to be over. The sooner this feast was over, the sooner she could get back to trying to make her life normal again--to organize her office the same way it was at Durmstrang, to check on her students to make sure that the disruption wasn't destroying their education for the year.
But the discussion going on next to her was threatening to destroy her patience with the event, and she patted her face with her napkin, gaining her composure, before turning to the Hogwarts professors next to her.
"Are you quite sure that your comments are appropriate?" she said under her breath, raising her eyebrows. "Or should I let my Polish family know that you believe we were on the other side of the war?" She let her eyes travel between the brunette seated directly next to her and the blonde she had been talking to. The both of them were so pretty--it probably helped them get away with saying offensive things, she thought bitterly.
So many years had passed since the Sorting Hat had once been placed upon her own head - back when Alicia hadn't the mind to tame her wild, dark afro that made the hat itself sit a good two inches from her scalp. The very edges of her mouth turned upwards in a nostalgic smile, not in the least perturbed by the awkward pre-teen she had once been because she was intensely proud of the woman she had become. Her soft, brown eyes followed as a new student tottered over to the Gryffindor table to the excited throng of welcoming students and Alicia allowed herself a moment to search for the faces of her own children. Their first year had been traumatic, but they had spent the summer amongst seasoned athletes and helping the poor so Alicia was positive they had a better perspective going into their second year. As her daughter caught Alicia looking at her, she chuckled because she was given the face. The stop looking at me look. It was just in time for the end of Jack's speech about the new addition to the Hogwarts family. Durmstrang.
"Oh Fleur, a little friendly rivalry gives life a little bit of spice," Alicia added into the discussion between Zoe - someone whom Alicia couldn't quite connect with on a deep level, but she was sweet enough to tolerate - and Fleur, whom Alicia had enormous respect and love for. At the end of the day, Alicia lived for a good bit of ribbing between opponents and she couldn't think of anything worse than a fluffy, friendly 'oops, here you have the quaffle because you seem so beautiful today'... oh dear, Alicia almost vomitted a little in her mouth at the thought. Her attention turned then to the newcomer. The Dark Arts professor. Alicia took a long sip of her own wine, a sense of comraderie beginning to light in her belly with the drink.
"You're in for a long year if you're that worried about appropriate conversation with Savage. I'd have thought you'd have thicker skin .. then again my experience with those who practice Dark Arts is that they've always been fragile," her tone reflected a sarcastic sympathy, deciding that Professor Dabby was now Princess Dab. Carefully cutting a piece of lean meat into a bite-sized piece, Alicia turned her attention to Deputy Jack with a kind smile. "How was your summer holiday, Jack? Please tell me you did something other than school work?"
It was amazing how ever year, without fail, the students launched themselves face first into the piles of food that sat in front of them. Impressive, actually. Jack suspected that quite a few would be returning to the dormitories with belly aches that evening because their eyes were too big for their stomachs.
Reaching out, Jack filled his own plate with food - potatoes, meat, gravy... that was the kind of man he was. Of course, his mam's voice still sounded in his ear even as he hovered near the vegetables - Merlin, he was nearly forty, when when would that end? - and with a sigh, Jack added some carrots and peas onto his plate too, lest he disappoint his mother who was still very much in country Ireland and couldn't even see him. But somehow, she'd know.
Looking over at Fleur, Jack's lips twitched with a faint smile at the half-veela as she congratulated him on not referring to the Durmstrang lot as invaders. "I wouldn't want to make a bad impression on our new company by referring to them as such," he said, a joking tone to his voice before he sat back, scooping up some peas with his fork.
When Zoe's sweet voice, so familiar, too familiar, floated into his ears, Jack's amused smile faded into one that was more polite and professional. Ever since he'd gone by her apartment in the holidays to bring her some tea and seen some man leave her apartment, he'd made the executive decision to end whatever relationship they had formed. It smarted a little, but it was for the best. He didn't want to stand in the way of Zoe and her romantic life, or lead her down a long road of disappointment as he had done with Derek when he became too consumed by his work. She deserved better than that, better than him. She deserved someone who could dedicate every waking moment to her and besides, she was young. What would she want with an old man like him anyway?
Swallowing the food in his mouth, Jack only half-listened to the conversation that was transpiring between his colleagues because they could handle themselves and they didn't need his interference. He trusted them all to remain professional and if not... well, he'd unfortunately have to pull them into his office for a discussion later down the track. But that was an issue for a later junction in time.
Glancing up at Alicia when she addressed him, Jack let out a small chuckle because... well, even he let himself have a small reprieve from school work over the three month long holiday. "My summer was fine. I spent a lot of it at the farm with my ma and da, giving them a helping hand." Merlin knew now that they were getting on, they needed one. Even if his stubborn as a mule father refused to admit that and regularly carried bags of animal food that were far too heavy for him. "How was your summer, Professor Spinnet?"
6'0". IRISH. BIG HEART. LOYAL. BRAVE. WORKAHOLIC. BISEXUAL. SINGLE. distinguishing features: a big scar runs across jack's left cheek credit for award goes to ollie! <3
Darius was distinctly not a fan of change. Despite the 'danger' that the creatures presented to the student body, Darius was of the opinion that as capable wizardfolk they should be able to squash them easily and get back to the business of educating young minds. His father, the Headmaster of the Durmstrang Institute, as well as important Ministry Officials believed otherwise. Honestly, the man was almost almost driven to using dirty language in front of his father as he was dismissed to leave for the inferior Hogwarts.
He had waited with the Durmstrang students at the doors to the Great Hall, dressed in a very smart, staff version of the school uniform. His back was as straight as if he had a wooden rod firmly wedged up his backside and his shoulders held perfectly - he was modelling the perfect stature for the students before they entered under the watchful gaze of the fluffy, untrained little miscreants that were Hogwarts students.
"Remember your manners, even when they appear to have none," he warned his students as the doors opened and they filed into the large room. Darius looked up into the night sky with its candelabras and his eyes twinkled their reflection. The decor was quaint enough, Darius conceeded with a half smile as he lead the procession towards the staff table.
"Good evening," Darius spoke with a deep tone, one that was melodic yet purposeful as his fingers curled around the back of his chair. It was seated next to Doamna Issa, a favoured (if not infinitesimally cold which was ironic given her homeland) colleague of his. "Thank you for your hospitality, our Headmaster would like me to personally pass on our gratitude. I am Domnul Dascalu - for those that are not aware I am the Ancient Runes Professor and I've taught the subject for... more years than I care to admit. Please forgive me for asking your positions and names? I've focussed too long this afternoon on the children," he finished with a sheepish smile, always guilty of putting his profession first.
TAG: OPEN Mentions: LAILA ISSA {seated next to} ... {open for interaction} Note: Domnul = MR & Doamna = MRS in Romanian
Post by ILEANA DASCĂLU on Apr 26, 2020 6:41:20 GMT
Stepping into the room they were so graciously invited into, Ileana was buzzing with excitement as she glanced around. No, not because of the decor - really, it didn't look that different from the Durmstrang castle... maybe a little more drab - but because of the sea of students that sat before her, separated by colour. There were so many prospective victims friends and she could not wait to become well acquainted with them, to test their limits beyond their wildest dreams. There was just... so much fun. to be had and she couldn't wait to get started.
Turning to her brother Constantin, Ileana looked up at him before standing on her tiptoes to whisper with a wicked smile in his ear, "Don't forget to be as difficult as possible to your roommates, Stan. See which ones are the most fun to bother, so you can tell me tomorrow. I'll do the same and then tomorrow during class... we'll see how long it takes for them to crack." There wasn't any if, buts or ors over whether they would crack in the first place because Ileana knew from experience that she was excellent at pushing people to their breaking points. In fact, it was somewhat of a hobby of hers.
As the Professor at the front announced they were able to join the house they had be assigned to, Ileana's smile melted into one that was a bit more sweeter, more innocent. Sliding into her seat, Ileana's fingers reached up so she could coyly play with her hair. If she was to sit there for long enough, looking nervous (a laughable feeling, if you asked her), someone was bound to offer her a brand of friendship and offer to introduce her to these new surroundings.
School had returned and if Lydia was being frank - something she quite often was - she had to admit that she was not looking forward to it. Not so much because of the classes - she could mostly handle the stress that came from the overload of work and pressure to perform well - but more so because of the social side of things. Talking to people and making friends was something she'd struggled with since she'd arrived at Hogwarts five years ago and she didn't anticipate things going great mate-wise this year either especially considering she found herself in quite a pickle with her classmates.
As Alex sat at the Ravenclaw, 'basking' in the news that a whole bunch of Durmstrang students would be joining their school, one crystal clear thought ran through his mind: I don't want to be here. 
As Professor O'Connor with his very serious, grumpy, wumpy face announced that for the rest of the year the Durmstrang students would be joining them, Viola could have wet her knickers in sheer excitement because, "Oh my Merlin. They are so fit!" she exclaimed, gesturing wildly to the new girl who sat beside her. Did she know said new girl? No, not yet but certainly planned to become acquainted with her. Not just because Vi's aspirations to expand her snogging list was a goal of hers this year, but because she was determined to befriend as many people as possible. "What's your name? Gosh, your hair is stunning. Has anyone ever told you that? It's, like... the most wonderous shade of gold I've ever seen in my life."
Stepping into the room they were so graciously invited into, Ileana was buzzing with excitement as she glanced around. No, not because of the decor - really, it didn't look that different from the Durmstrang castle... maybe a little more drab - but because of the sea of students that sat before her, separated by colour. There were so many prospective 
