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!
ne thing was for certain; it was going to be a very long year. Fleur had to admit that she was not the biggest fan of the bearish man's interpretation of a hug either; it always felt rather more like being suffocated by a wayward Labrador. Still, his heart was in the right place, and she appreciated that; not everyone around her was so genuine, after all. That was the way of the world, and they had all had to adapt to deal with it, but herself, Fleur found it oddly touching. Almir was not inhabiting quite the same universe as the rest of the school, in her admittedly non-expert opinion, but there was nothing wrong with that; she was almost entirely sure that none of the students were occupying the same universe as any of the staff anyway. It was just one of those things that kept life a little bit different; the ginger in the biscuit.
The world was getting far too complicated these days, she reflected, as she regarded the woman on Zoe's other side. It was quite difficult enough having to teach a classful of students without remembering that half of them came from an entirely different school and had probably been taught in an entirely different way. They would have to adapt, of course, but then so would she.
"Professor Askeland is our Care of Magical Creatures teacher," she told the other woman flatly, her tone carrying a warning. Almir might well not be one of her closest colleagues, but he was a colleague nevertheless, and Fleur's idea of loyalty was as high as any Gryffindor's. Or possibly Hufflepuff's, one or the other. If this Durmstrangian woman thought she could come in and start deriding the staff then Fleur was going to have a few short, sharp words for her, and she didn't doubt that they would not be appreciated. To be honest, that would very much be the idea. She was not in a particularly appreciative frame of mind herself just at the moment.
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
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Post by LYUBOV KAREVA on May 2, 2020 15:40:34 GMT
dancing in the smoke
Boarding the Hogwarts Express had been strange this year, because for the first time, Lyuba was doing it alone. Just when she'd gotten used to Vera not coming to school, Nadya had graduated as well. This year she wasn't riding the carriages with either of her sisters, wouldn't be meeting eyes with them across the Great Hall every time one of the professors' speeches got too long.
That wasn't the only thing that was different, though. Ever since her mother had appeared on their doorstep just one month ago, Lyuba had been on edge. As far as she knew, Alisa hadn't made any more contact with any of her family in the last month--either that, or nobody was telling Lyuba, after the events of the kitchen table. Lyuba, for the record, was proud that she had gotten away with just grabbing her mother's arm instead of setting anything on fire. That's what I think about being a veela.
The unsettled emotions had carried over to the feast, as Lyuba sat at the Gryffindor table, shifting uncomfortably on the bench, spending more time playing with her fork than actually eating anything. She wasn't sure if she wanted to hide from everyone or complain loudly to the whole of her House, even the new, confused first years.
when there's nowhere else to run/is there room for one more son?
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Post by SKYLAR REID on May 2, 2020 19:55:59 GMT
simple twist of fate
Skylar wasn't entirely sure why he should care about this year's feast. He hadn't been given a prefect's badge to show off, not that he'd ever expected it. He still didn't have an older brother sitting at the Slytherin table. Even the one face that he'd found himself searching for without thinking about it--Dio's--was nowhere to be seen, and Skylar wondered if maybe the Slytherin boy had decided to drop out. It was something he'd thought about himself, except that he knew the professional Quidditch leagues didn't exactly want players who didn't have the discipline to finish their exams.
Secretly, he hoped Dio was here after all.
But, as usual, he was staring over at the Slytherin table while stuck with the Hufflepuffs. The Head Girl this year was a Hufflepuff, which was nice, but Skylar thought it might mean that she'd crack down on shenanigans in the common room. Two of the Llewellyn triplets were having a strangely affectionate sisterly moment, and Skylar looked over toward the green table yet again, looking for hair the same shade of red as his, trying to remember the last time he'd had one of Morgan's comforting hugs.
He wondered if, in the buzz of the arrival of the Durmstrang students, if he could just snag some food from the table and head to his dorm right away. It wouldn't be the first time he'd left a gathering he really didn't want to be at...
Post by EVAN OLIVER WOOD on May 3, 2020 3:34:55 GMT
The summer had been wonderful and the Wood siblings had been dropped off to Hogsmeade by both their loving parents. It was really wonderful to have them both their - Katie had recently hired a wonderful person at the Quidditch shop and Oliver had made time in the team's training schedule to see the kids off. After the tumultuous past year, Evan's parents had really stepped up the family game during the summer and Evan had personally loved teaching his parents how to ride a horse - his father was particularly hilarious, given he was such a skilled athlete on a broom hundreds of metres above the Earth yet... well let's just say there was a lot of shaking up on that poor equine. Emily was a natural and Evan had no doubt that she'd be getting a pony for either her birthday or Christmas and James even invited his girlfriend along for quality time with the family on horseback. All in all, Evan was refreshed physically, mentally and spiritually and he was excited about the new year at Hogwarts. In fact, the teenager had the biggest smile as he watched the entire ceremony and couldn't help but laugh heartily when Aggy talked of self-mutilation. Surely she wasn't serious, after all.
"Did you bring the red lipstick? Or do you think O'Connor will be supplying us that? Pretty sure I'll need your help cuz my legs are way too hairy for housewife duties... I bet yours aren't," without thinking of personal boundaries, Evan snaked his hand under the table and lifted up the trouser leg closest to Aggy's so that he could rub his hairy calf up against hers a couple of times just so that she could feel exactly what he was talking about. It was as if in this past 3 months Evan had become a veritable blonde ape (yes, those muscles were really starting to grow in nicely too). "I know, I know, all that fuzz makes it hard to resist cuddles tonight and it's been so long... so just know you won't have to," Evan dropped his trouser leg quickly and as the Durmstrang students filed in, Evan expertly wrapped his arm around Aggy's waist, his hand spreading across her belly as he pressed his best buddy up against his side. "I've missed you!"
TAG: AGNES CLEARWATER NB: The Emperor Penguin is Evan’s corporeal patronus, when he learns it.
Post by ELENA COLDWATER on May 3, 2020 9:08:44 GMT
Elena, being the usual social butterfly she was decided it was only right with all the looks that the Durmstrang students we're receiving... And giving in return that the half-veela would break down some of the walls. She knew full well what the school was known for promoting and how they felt about people like... Well, her for example. However, as much as she hated the idea of purism she wasn't going to assume they were one, big hive mind that all felt that way. When she noticed a boy offer her a cheeky smile she decided to seize the opportunity.
The young girl smiled in return, " Well, It's time to be proper hosts and such. Any you've sized up for smooches yet?" She chuckled softly as she nudged Vi playfully before giving her friend a peck to the cheek, " I'll be back!" She insisted before she made her way back over to the Slytherin table, sitting next to the cheeky Durmstrang boy. "Hello, " She greeted him simply, " Hope you don't mind me sitting here. Saw you when I was talking to my mates and figured i'd come greet you properly given we'll be in the same house in a sense. I'm Elena. Elena Coldwater, " She smiled cheerfully.
Aggy had not, in fact, been joking and as she parted her lips to tell Evan that assuming that she brought the red lipstick just because she was female was sexist, she stopped dead in her tracks because his coarse-haired leg was brushing up against her own. A wave of strong discomfort washed over her, but then things went from bad to worse in a matter of moments.
Evan began talking about cuddling, something they'd done a lot through the end of last year when her nightmares were particularly vivid, but the thought of even Evan touching her so intimately now made her feel sick to her very stomach. Suddenly, his arm wrapped around her body like it had so many times before and bile rose into her throat, so acidic that she thought she might choke on it. She no longer just wanted him to stop touching her, she needed him to.
"Don't touch me," she choked out, her voice thick and breathing ragged as she stood abruptly from the table, roughly pushing his hand off her. "I-I've got..." She didn't finish her sentence, instead leaving all of her belongings behind as she bolted from the Great Hall, shouldering past anyone who stood in her way.
Post by MOLLY WEASLEY II on May 3, 2020 12:01:04 GMT
I
t seemed forever since she had last sat in the Great Hall surrounded by her fellow Gryffindors, and although she had had a fairly good summer, Molly was still glad to be back. Her mother had definitely been beginning to get on her nerves over the last few weeks, and it was probably best for everyone that they were separated for a while, which was why she had no intention of writing home for a while- getting a reply would only illogically annoy her, and although she knew that it was only reasonable to get one, she didn't feel up to dealing with that. Far better for everyone if she took a while to breathe freely before reminding herself of the existence of her parents. This was a relatively mature course of action, and she was proud of herself for taking it. With a slight nod for no-one's benefit save her own, she reached out and began serving herself from a plate of... well, she didn't know what it was, but she was sure it would be fine.
Glancing up from loading her plate, she happened to catch the eye of the girl opposite, who, in her opinion, didn't look too happy. With an awkward look down at the pile of food in front of her then back up at her Housemate, she paused, then ventured, "Everything OK?"
Post by AIDEN VALENTINO on May 3, 2020 12:51:58 GMT
How was it humanly possible that Jones made Ravenclaw capitan and Rodrik was made Head Boy all in one fell swoop? Aiden had his theories, some of which had to do with discrimination against the fact his twin was a creature. Others were more colourful and inventive, but Aiden tried not to grit his teeth as Alana caught his green-eyed glance. This wasn't her fault. It was humiliating, though and the thought of sitting at the table with his fellow Ravenclaws grated on his nerves. The look on his roommate's face was promising, if Aiden really felt like testing Roderik's leadership abilities tonight then Aiden could very easily poke the Kallenbear. Just as he was about to do so, Aiden's eyes caught the glint of honey-blonde hair and a flash of that smile that could melt ...
"Buona serata, Alana. Fidanzata tua é laggiu con gli occhiali di sole... a notte. Non é un'altra vampira?" Aiden whispered, his bushy brow raising in the direction of Kaylie. Alana lifted the side of her lip at her brother, the candlelight glinting on the point of a fang in playful warning to her brother. Aiden left the table after the Durmstrang students settled in enough that it wasn't a complete and utter chaotic event to get to the Hufflepuff table. It wasn't as if he hadn't seen Grace in a long time but goodness she looked resplendent in her uniform, amongst her peers.
"Buonasera, Sophie," he turned to the Hufflepuff version of Mavican with a polite nod of the head before turning a softer smile to Grace. "Ciao, bella," Aiden greeted Grace, standing on the opposite side of the long table to the girl. "Auguri - congratulations - on becoming Head Girl. Do you mind if I join you ladies for dinner, before I must assist the other prefects settle our newest guests and the bambini into our towers?" Aiden gave the glance to whichever Hufflepuffs were in his way of sitting down and they parted without question. Let's see Rodrik have that much power.
Post by ALEXANDER GREENAWAY on May 3, 2020 13:25:37 GMT
The ginger haired girl's response... seriously, what was her name? was short and abrupt, promptly making Alex feel a bit stupid for asking if showing the first years around was her job, given she was a prefect and all. Quietening down, he glanced at the particularly interesting thread on his jumper, toying with it. If all interactions with people were going to go like this then he didn't want to talk this evening. He'd just make his peers think he was even more awkward than they already did.
His resolution to keep to himself only lasted a couple of minutes though because suddenly, Liam came rushing over to the table, looking... well, shit, looking like some sort of superhero with the way his bulging biceps threatened to burst through the material of his sleeves. It... it made Alex's throat go dry, his cheeks reddening because even though he wasn't exactly closeted anymore, he shouldn't be staring. He willed his eyes to look away, instead darting up to Liam's face. "I... hey. You look -" Good. No, shit, he shouldn't say that. It sounded lame. "I like your... uh, hair." Well, there went his attempts at not sounding lame. "Did you have a good, uh... break?"
If he was honest, he wasn't really expecting too much by trying to talk to Liam with the presence of the always-so-bubbly blonde gang about, a.k.a. Viola and Elena. They were always so... loud and... uh, well, blonde. He wasn't very interesting compared to them, and so he understood if Liam would rather talk to them than him.
I do have standards, you know. Just... not high ones.
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Post by SOPHIE DUNSTABLE on May 3, 2020 17:20:16 GMT
S
ophie glanced up at the Ravenclaw then across at her roommate with a slight smile playing around the corner of her lips. "Buenos noches, guapo," she returned pleasantly enough. If she were to start disregarding people because they weren't as excited to see her as she thought they should be then there would be very few people in the castle to whom she could still speak. It was one of the sad facts of life, but no doubt they would all come to regret their nonchalance when they no longer saw her every day, and by then, of course, it would be too late. Much too late. "Si, no es un problema..." Here, her stock of Spanish ran out, and she resorted to making a sweeping gesture in the direction of the newly vacant space on the bench in which he had no doubt been planning on sitting in any case. "And I'm sure Grace won't mind a bit- hey, chica?" She grinned, sliding an empty plate in the Ravenclaw's direction. Control of the situation, that was the key; you didn't have to have it, but you had to make it look like you had it. Clearly a concept which Aiden was grasping far better than Grace ever would, judging by the way he'd cleared the bench; Sophie made it a habit never to be impressed, but even she had to admit that it had been effective.
"Doesn't she look gorgeous tonight?" Sophie also made a habit of gently embarrassing her roommate every so often, not out of any particular malice but because the girl was far too easily flustered for her own good and she really would not like to think that Grace could come through a whole seven years with her without having been cured of that particular trait. Plus, of course, she looked even more gorgeous when she blushed, but Sophie made it a habit never to go down that path with people that she had to share a room with. Well, not unless they were really hot. It just made things far too awkward in the long run and she didn't have the patience to put up with that sort of atmosphere.
Post by CONSTANTIN DASCĂLU on May 3, 2020 20:17:39 GMT
Constantin shrugged at the rejection, taking it very lightly. “Still a proper lady like ever,” he mused as he shot a smile her way. That was just who Vivica was. He respected how hard she worked to live up to her family’s expectations. Being a boy did have it’s privileges, he still could do as he pleased without risking too much, as long as he didn’t go too far. Although he was pretty sure Ileana was as free as he was at this point. Good thing for them their father was blinded by the ‘my children are perfect’-curse.
Unlike Ileana’s method of playing a sweet girl, Stan wasn’t going to try to fit in. He was just going to be himself. The people of Hogwarts should decide if they liked it or not for themselves. He didn’t live to please any of them. “Bună ziua!” Constantin grinned playfully at the blonde in green robes. He leaned casually in his chair, holding a confident yet approachable posture. “I don’t know. Hard to judge if I’d mind knowing so little about you thus far. I see a lovely face so that’s already in your favor,” he winked in amusement. Hogwarts was going to be a nice playground. He’d snogged half of the Durmstrang girls already, it was quite nice to meet some new people. Even if a lot of the Hogwarts folks were probably daft, they could still have some purpose. He hoped Elena had a good set of brains in her head, because he just decided to welcome the intersection. “Let’s give it a shot. You’ve left your friends for me and all. I’d feel rude rejecting your company. Elena, huh? Meaning shining light.” Usually he had no problem rejecting company. Well… Male company was easily rejected. Guys had the tendency to annoy him with their dumbassery. Augusts had a talent in that, if it weren’t for the years invested in that so-called friendship, he would never have put up with that guy.
“I’m Constantin but you can call me Stan, most people do,” He introduced himself, deciding not to share his surname. This time he wanted people to know him as who he was, not as the son of. He was sick and tired about that. “Say Elena, could you help me out. I bet you know which dishes are the tastiest of these.”
Post by VIVICA THOSTENSON on May 3, 2020 22:07:51 GMT
T
he barest hint of a smile played around the corners of Vivi's lips at the boy's words- whether he meant it as a compliment or not, she wasn't sure, but she fully intended to take it as one, because she didn't get an awful lot of them. "I do my best," she told him as flippantly as she could contrive, sliding into a space on the bench next to him and inwardly groaning as he immediately began flirting with the poor girl opposite. Dear Merlin... He hadn't the faintest idea what he was doing. Or alternatively, he had every idea what he was doing and she was just totally oblivious, which she supposed was equally or more possible than the former option.
"I am sorry," she apologised to the Slytherin girl with a subtle tilt of her head towards her fellow Durmstrangian. "He is..." To be honest, Vivi wasn't quite sure what he was and she was having difficulty expressing it even in her own language, so that she hadn't a hope when it came to doing so in English. She had to make do with half a shrug and an apologetic smile. "I am Vivica, but please, call me Vivi."
Post by GRACE LONGBOTTOM on May 4, 2020 5:18:21 GMT
Grace didn't even try to explain to Sophie that she had tried meditation and it had ended up going... mediocre, at best. She'd been too worried that she was doing it wrong the entire time, and ended up in such a tizz about not being able to meditate of all things that she'd had to go for a run by the lake instead to calm herself down. "Don't you believe anyone who tells you you're not lovely," Grace insisted, taking up Sophie's offer of a braid. "Not everyone volunteers to do someone else's hair so often - that's a trait of a kind soul." She was somewhat joking, but if you asked Grace... people who were unlovely certainly didn't offer to braid hair.
She'd never been to France but it sounded wonderful and she listened intently to Sophie's retelling of her summer, smiling towards the end. "It's always good to make friends. Perhaps you'll still see each other in the holidays, maybe even get some ice cream together. What was his name?" she chattered, completely oblivious to the fact that Sophie was likely not interested in simply being friends with this boys. "My summer was -"
Grace's sentence died as soon as it began because suddenly, Aiden was standing in front of her and Sophie, and it was hard to remember what she was about to say because he was just so... pretty that it made her breath stutter in her throat. Merlin's beard, honestly, how did he look so perfect all the time? "I - hello. Hi," she said, cheeks flushing pink as he greeted her as 'bella,' right in front of Sophie who started speaking to Aiden in... was that Spanish? Grace wasn't sure of that, but what she did know was that she hadn't gotten the chance to tell her dormmate that they were dating as of the holidays - it felt so awkward just... randomly bringing that up in the middle of a discussion - but Sophie was smart, so maybe she didn't need to tell her. Perhaps she'd put two and two together.
Reaching up at the mention of her badge, thumbing the shining metal, Grace broke into a smile at the congratulations because it had been a rather pleasant surprise. But as she looked down at his chest - for totally innocent reasons, of course - she noticed that he was still wearing a prefect's badge, not a Head Boy's badge. "I - Aiden, I'm sorry. I know you wanted to..." she started, nibbling her bottom lip before deciding that maybe this discussion was best left for behind closed doors. "You look nice tonight. Um, very... very handsome. Did you have fun on the train? I mean, I suppose, as much fun as you can have on the Hogwarts express, right?"
Grace nodded along as Sophie mentioned her not minding if Aiden sat with them because of course she didn't. However, as her dorm mate started teasing her, asking Aiden his opinions on if she looked 'gorgeous' tonight, her light blush from before turned into one a lot deeper. She didn't... it seemed like she was fishing for compliments or that she had asked Sophie to do that, and Grace squirmed from where she sat. "Not as gorgeous as you," she said, her smile turning into one that was less joyful. It was true - in the looks department, she was never going to beat Sophie, or most the girl's in their year. She was nothing special, she was rather... plain in comparison to them. Trying to change the subject, she asked, "What classes did the two of you take this year? I... I heard there's going to be a healing class. I might see if I can take that on top of the rest of my workload maybe."
Post by ELENA COLDWATER on May 4, 2020 21:26:50 GMT
To be honest, Elena was too excited to even fully embrace the idea of anyone trying to hit on her. She was already an overly friendly individual. She could usually sense it, but maybe it was the fact she always had her eyes set on Liam. With a lack of interest, it made it easy to completely miss things. "It's so nice to meet you both!" She replied simply, " I love your hair, by the way, " She complimentary the other girl before looking at the food, " I prefer the sweets personally, but for dinner? Hmm.." she considered a favorite for both of them, having many, " You seem like a turkey leg kind of guy with some mash, maybe? And hmm... Viv maybe try the salad with the Madarian oranges? The salad is one of my favorites. No iceberg lettuce thankfully, " She hated iceberg lettuce, " The salad is probably my favorite alongside the pasta."
She looked over at Viv, noticing Rosalia was smiling at her, trying to contain her giggles as she leaned in, " I think Rosa fancies you already, " She chuckled, " She's pretty, though a tad... angry, maybe? But she's always been fine towards me, " Considering the purists she dealt with, Rosa was a bloody sweetheart.. And that was saying something. "If you need any introductions, let me know! I'm sure it's not easy switching between Durmstrang to here, but it has its charms!" She smiled.
If the Sorting hadn't been humiliating enough--Kalevi stood head-and-shoulders above even the tallest of the first years, sending glares at anyone who dared to give a questioning look as to why he was there--what came immediately after was like a punch right in the gut. Kalevi had come to Britain for a fresh start, but the second he saw the all-too-familiar face of Domnul Dascălu leading the entire student body of the Durmstrang Institute into the hall, he knew it would never happen.
His hands itched to drink something, anything, and he immediately regretted his attempts to turn over a new leaf by at least keeping his vodka in his trunk during the feast. It wasn't as if he could've known what was going to happen, but, he told himself, he should have, because it was just his luck. It would be better to drink something, because there was no way he was going to eat anything at this point. It was bad enough if the students at Hogwarts had heard about him and Felix--it would be impossible to escape when those who had known them were right there.
Kalevi sat frozen, fists at his sides, doing all he could not to look at a single one of them, not even the ones that sat at the Ravenclaw table. The feast that appeared in front of them was impressive, but his plate remained empty. Instead, he met the eyes of a black-haired boy across the table who looked nearly as miserable as he was. He had no idea why, but it felt far better to see his suffering shared than to stare at the reflection of his eyes in his own empty plate.
kasia's not-so-angelic blond // 5'8" // single (future: augusts straume) // born in finland // lives in lintusaari (a magical village in eastern finland)
The ginger haired girl's response... seriously, what was her name? was short and abrupt, promptly making Alex feel a bit stupid for asking if showing the first years around was her job, given she was a prefect and all. Quietening down, he glanced at the particularly interesting thread on his jumper, toying with it. If all interactions with people were going to go like this then he didn't want to talk this evening. He'd just make his peers think he was even more awkward than they already did.
