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!
Hogwarts. The school his mother had wanted Ludwig to go to, and the school his father forbade him to set his foot in. Hogwarts. The stage where so many 'what if?' scenarios of Ludwig's life played out in his head until he knew them by heart. Hogwarts. The guardian of so many answers that he needed to find. But to do that, he needed to find his brother. Wolfgang Albert Kallenbach.
How hard could it be to find one student in a school with less than a thousand pupils, when you know the age of your target, which already eliminates most of the candidates? And when you vaguely know how they look?
Ludwig had thought that by today he'd already have spoken to him and cleared things up, but he had severely underestimated how much Hogwarts didn't want to let go of its secrets. There were places he wasn't allowed to go, and the amount of places he was allowed was simply overwhelming.
Their relationship - or the scraps of it, really - was tumultuous. Ever since Ludwig became old enough to attend school, his father had taken up all of his time and the brothers slipped away further and further apart. The last thing he remembered was Wolfgang calling him a traitor as he left the house alongside with their father. His brother had been, what, 13 at the time? A mere child, in any case.
He didn't expect that Wolfgang would come running to talk to him. Maybe his brother simply didn't know he was here? He'd graduated several years ago, and they hadn't been in contact, so Wolfgang had no way of knowing. But word traveled fast in places like this, so... Maybe he did. And if he did, he probably had no desire to make contact. It hurt just a little bit, but he could understand why.
Seeing as the strategy of trying to catch Wolfgang by chance was unreliable at best, Ludwig had decided to approach people. People who looked the right age, like...
Like the blonde girl sitting at the nearest table, enjoying her breakfast.
He fixed his Durmstrang uniform sweater and without much ceremony sat down across from her.
"Good morning," he spoke, his German accent thick. Lessons at Durmstrang happened in German and Russian, he scarcely ever used English, and it showed. "I'm Ludwig Kallenbach, the library assistant for my duration of stay here. I have a few questions, if you aren't in a hurry." His tone was very direct and official, so if the girl had any illusions about a Durmstrangian trying to flirt with her, she needed to toss those out of her mind right now.
Post by GRACE LONGBOTTOM on Apr 23, 2020 9:25:50 GMT
Today was going to be a lovely day, Grace was quite certain of it as she sat at the Hufflepuff table, her steaming mug of tea (with a dash of honey, as always) sitting in front of her. It didn't matter that she had classes that sent waves of anxiety crashing through her because she was determined to succeed and not have to resort to the calming draught she had stowed away in her bag. She could do it because she believed in herself... right? She had to. That's what the books said. In order to do well, she had to have faith and that's just what she planned on doing.
Steadfastly not dwelling on the voice in her head that whispered, 'you're going to make a fool of yourself, Gracie,' Grace reached out to grab a slice of toast because eating was a great distraction. But just as she neatly nibbled on it, there was a... boy - no, a man sitting in front of her wearing a sweater. He was too old to be a student, surely. Unless Durmstrang had some magical water that made their seventh years look several years older than her and her classmates. She had seen some of the boys that had taken up space in the Hufflepuff common room sporting what looked like full grown beards, come to think about it.
But then suddenly the man was speaking, his voice with a strong German accent, and he introduced himself as the library assistant. Oh. Studying him closer, Grace blinked because for some strange reason, this man looked vaguely... familiar? Which was wild because she'd never been to Germany before, let alone left the UK. There was no way she knew who this man was.
"I - hello," she said tentatively, before realising that gosh, no, she was being rude. She didn't want to make a bad impression. "I mean, good morning, sir. It's nice to meet you. Welcome. To Hogwarts, that is. Not the Hufflepuff table - which, I mean, you're welcome to the table as well. Any time you want - not that you need a formal invitation. I -" She was rambling and shaking herself out of it, Grace bit her lip before registering that right, he'd said he wanted to ask her some questions. "You can ask me anything. Did... did you need to know where the bathroom was, or something? Because I'm happy to show you - I mean, to show you where it is. Not... not the bathroom itself." Averting her eyes to her piece of toast, Grace took another nibble because if her mouth was occupied, she couldn't continue blabbering, right?
As soon as the girl opened her mouth, Ludwig could tell that he'd missed the mark. He didn't know his brother very well, but there was no way his brother was friends with someone so...Inarticulate. Right?
He couldn't be certain about that, though. Might as well get something out of her.
"That will not be necessary," he answered, putting his elbows on the table, his right hand curled in a fist, his left folded over it, lingering at the height of his chin. "How old are you?" First, to see if she would even know him.
"I am looking for a particular student," he explained, "though I know only his name and age. He should be 17now, didn't want to bother you if that wasn't your age."
"Maybe there is a list of students somewhere that I could look at? I'd prefer to involve the least amount of people possible in my search." He continued. That would save him conversations with people who could scarcely finish one sentence without tripping over their words.
Then he took a moment to consider the student sitting in front of him. Never mind the bumbling, she seemed very high strung. And Ludwig? Ludwig was a stranger to her, coming from establishment with a very dubious reputation. Perhaps she wasn't so high strung on a daily basis, and it was simply out of fear that she was more keen on considering the piece of toast rather than Ludwig's face? And if this thread of thought was right, then perhaps, if she knew Wolfgang, maybe she knew what he thought of Ludwig, and then she wouldn't be very willing to reveal anything to him. There was much to consider, but he knew that his silence would only increase the tension she felt.
"Don't worry, he's not in trouble," he said, offering her a brief smile. For encouragement.
Post by GRACE LONGBOTTOM on Apr 26, 2020 8:32:37 GMT
Perhaps luckily for Grace, the man ignored all of her rambling, instead answering her shortly that nothing that she was offering was necessary. But then he caught her off-guard, asking her age. Grace blinked. What... a bizarre question, and so out of the blue. He hadn't given her his name or asked Grace for her own, and yet he wanted to know how old she was?
"I..." she started, but then the man continued, explaining he was trying to track down a student her age. "I may know them, if they're 17. I mean, since I'm 17 as well. I probably share classes with them. What... what's his name? Maybe I can guide you in the right direction."
When the man asked for a list of students, then said he'd prefer to involve the least amount of people possible in my search, a strange pit developed in Grace's stomach, leaving her uneasy. Why had asked her to help hunt down a student instead of approaching a Professor for help? Why was he so determined not to ask her straight away if he knew a student by whatever name? It just didn't sit right, and Grace carried on nibbling at her toast before saying, "Sorry, sir. If there was a list, I don't have access to it. I only, um... well, I only really know of the Hufflepuff students I have to keep track of, not the others. I'm sure that Professor O'Connor wouldn't mind giving you a hand if you need it."
Don't worry, he's not in trouble. Immediately, Grace's response was the complete opposite - of course, she was worried. This situation was off, and the smile that this man gave her... it didn't feel very genuine at all.
He listened to her speak, maintaining eye contact. If she would be hiding something from him, he'd know immediately. Her rambling was sign enough that this wasn't someone good under any kind of pressure, perceived or real. As he had built a barrier between them with his hands, so had she with the help of her piece of toast. Uneasy.
He nodded briefly when she mentioned that he ought to turn to one of the professors. O'Connor, the one that addressed the school at the feast, if he recalled right. Yes, that might make Ludwig's mission that much shorter and easier, but he was yet to meet a student who didn't dread hearing that they'd been called to a professors office, especially out of the blue. No, that would be his last straw, if he wouldn't be able to get Wolfgang alone for a conversation. There was no need for such a fuss.
"Ah, Hufflepuff, I see. I don't know in which house he is, but you're the right age. Then you might know a Wolfgang Kallenbach?" He asked, closely watching her face, trying to gauge whatever reaction she'd have to that name. If she didn't know him, it wouldn't be much use. But if she did... "He's my brother. Haven't seen him a while."
Post by GRACE LONGBOTTOM on Apr 29, 2020 0:49:27 GMT
Wolfgang Kallenbach.
With that one name, it was like the fogginess of why this man looked so familiar dissipated and everything became crystal clear. This man was the very same person who had taken the form of Wolfgang's boggart last year, the one who had sent the usually collected Ravenclaw into the throes of panic.
Grace didn't like Wolfgang - no, he had been cruel to her, said awful things, had tugged her along like toddler with his toy wagon for his own personal gain - but as much as she disliked him, he'd never set her on edge as much as the man sitting opposite her. She couldn't imagine being related to this man, and as they spoke... she could see why he was Wolfgang's boggart, and she felt a pang of sympathy for the Ravenclaw boy.
Lips parted, Grace was quiet for a moment before she finally said, "I... yes, I do, but I think he's got Quidditch practice this morning, sorry, or was it patrols? I can't remember. Sorry, I'm like that sometimes - a bit forgetful." Grace wasn't in the habit of lying very often and she wasn't terribly good at it either, but this man didn't know her. Perhaps he wouldn't realise she was giving him the run around. "I - sorry, you've got to excuse me. I've got to talk to my Herbology Professor before class starts. It was nice meeting you, um... perhaps we'll talk again."
With a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes, Grace rose from her seat before exiting, scanning the hallway for a flash of red hair as she walked. Talking to Isobel about this man looking for Wolfgang wasn't desirable at all, it definitely wasn't in her top ten list of things to do, but she'd much rather approach the Slytherin girl than Wolfgang himself about this man's questions and off-putting demeanour. She was slightly easier to talk to - well, as long as she didn't accuse Grace of having feelings for her boyfriend again.
Today was going to be a lovely day, Grace was quite certain of it as she sat at the Hufflepuff table, her steaming mug of tea (with a dash of honey, as always) sitting in front of her. It didn't matter that she had classes that sent waves of anxiety crashing through her because she was determined to succeed and not have to resort to the calming draught she had stowed away in her bag. She could do it because she believed in herself... right? She had to. That's what the books said. In order to do well, she had to have faith and that's just what she planned on doing.
