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!
Post by NIKOLAI KAREV on Apr 26, 2020 12:43:41 GMT
With a long, weary sigh, Nikolai turned on his heel from the hospital bed he had just dumped one of the students - Miguel or Michael or some name he didn't care too much to remember at this present time - on to be treated, the boy still cackling like a hyena behind him.
Apparently the kid had the bright idea to ingest two vials of Alihotsy Draught as a laugh for his mates and quite ironically, he had not stopped being in hysterics for 24 hours straight. When he'd sheepishly arrived at the hospital wing, Nikolai had only needed to take one very unimpressed look at the boy before deciding that he needed a visit to St. Mungos because Hogwarts was not equipped to deal with the situation. Nikolai, meanwhile, would have been just fine if the school provided the tools to help the kid out.
Sparing a glance at a healer nearby, Nikolai cleared his throat loudly to get their attention before saying in his gruff, Russian accent-tinged voice, "There's a student over there who, in all of his brilliance, decided to drink two Alihotsy Draughts. I would be perfectly capable of helping him under regular circumstances, but apparently Hogwarts last matron was so inept they stopped stocking anything stronger than skelegro. Are you able to deal with him or not?"
"No, Mrs Fitzherbet I cannot treat your crup," Pierre insisted, unfortunately not surprised that the woman on his examination table casually took her crup from out of her charmed handbag. "I should have known when the welcome witch told me you were vomiting from suspected digestion of lilies to send you away. But no, the Head Healer never listens to me. Do I look like a magizoologist, Mrs Fitzherbet? No, my robes are impeccable and completely fur free (not to mention of good taste). I would suggest you get that puking mess out of my consult room asap," Pierre's nose wrinkled as he pointed his wand dramatically to the door. Whilst many of his patients were thicker than a rat, he certainly was not animal healer. Ew.
No sooner had the whimpering old lady and (her little dog too) left the room than a much better looking subject entered in a flourish that Pierre could really appreciate. The hyena in the background didn't detract from the way the gruff man moved - Pierre pictured just how easily he would be jostled about by him. It's one of the reasons he didn't immediately go in to assist, actually.
"Yes, his laugh is rather grating," Pierre replied nonchalantly when Nikolai turned his attention to him. "Alihotsy seems to be a real problem at that school," Pierre moved regally across the floor towards a nearby cabinet. "I've the Glumbumble treacle that will remedy his laughter ... but as matron of the school I'm sure you're aware that we have to dose him slowly so as to get the balance absolutely correct... Otherwise you'll end up with a melancholic depressive to take back to the castle with so many accessible... well, it wouldn't be advisable."
Pierre's delicate fingers wrapped around the large vial of grumbumble treacle and returned to the patient and carer. "If honey is the nectar of the Gods, this stuff is what comes from Hell's sewers ... Enjoy, bête." With a quirk of his brow, Pierre motioned for Nikolai to assist keeping the kid's head still.
Soon after all but launching a tirade at the healer, Nikolai slowed down to actually take in the person he was speaking at because the guy, based on the way he spoke, seemed to know what he was doing and Nikolai liked that in a person. He didn't have the patience for people who fluffed about or rambled nervously.
Eyes raking over the man as he spoke, one thing stood out to Nikolai loud and clear: he was posh. It was obvious through the way he dressed, his robes immaculate by healer standards and his hair 'effortlessly' swept off his face. 'Merlin, he must take hours in the morning,' Nikolai thought critically. All he did was roll out of bed, shower, brush his teeth and rake his fingers through his hair. Paying details to such little things seemed like tedious, somewhat useless work, even if it did make Nikolai's gaze linger a little longer than strictly necessary.
Clearing his throat, Nikolai trailed behind the man as he maneuvered to the potion cabinet, grousing, "They study alihotsy or what-have-you once in class and think they're experts, then they're surprised when things go wrong. I'd like to keep faith that it's just a phase they grow out of that when they leave school, but I know all too well just how stupid and reckless some adults can be."
When Nikolai was instructed to hold Miquel's (?) head still, he wasn't nearly as gentle as some of the softer healers he knew and he ignored the complaints between laughter that he needed to 'loosen his grip.' If he were to do that, Nikolai faced the possibility of the kid throwing his head back to cackle and breaking his nose in the process - he'd had his nose broken three times before, so no thanks. "Keep still," he ordered, watching as the grumbumble treacle was administered before loosening his grip. "There. Done. Stay put."
Nikolai's eyes darted to the healer once more before he remarked bluntly, "You look young. I'm surprised you're so confident when it comes to healing. How long have you been doing this?" It wasn't an offensive question, at least in his opinion. People liked being told they looked youthful, right?
As Pierre's digits closed around the Glumbumble treacle vial, Pierre's thin lips curled in a miniature smirk because whilst most Hogwarts students would not master better than leviosa!, he was one of the rare few that could learn something within moments. It's what had helped him gain his prominance as a potioneer and healer at the top-most wizarding hospital in England before he'd even turned a quarter-century old. With a glance towards his fellow adult, Pierre knew in an instant that to point out some students were just that clever would be ... a resounding mistake.
"It's the folly of youth," Pierre replied with a rather elegant shrug of his shoulder. "I prefer to view it as nature's way of thinning the herd - making sure as few of the stupid, like Sir Gigglepots here, don't make it past adolescence to contribute to the gene pool," Pierre cast his very judgemental eyes over the teenager on the bed. When Nikolai said that he liked to keep faith, Pierre's brow arched skeptically in his direction, his hand steady over the patient as a droplet began to form. "It's a wonder you didn't fall for the whole 'I didn't drink the juice - i accidentally inhaled the vapour while making a totally innocent potion for Ms Tyrell's class' with that level of naïvety," Pierre said with a small curl of amusement to his lips before he turned his baby blue eyes back to the fluid as it dropped into the open mouth of the giggle-monster.
"Ah, it looks like you've held a man down before," Pierre was definitely not testing the water. He was definitely only referring to the application of healing practices. "We will give it about 1 minute and apply another dosage. When he starts grumbling about how sore his sides are, well... that will be all your problem and not mine," Pierre stood back from the patient so that his wild wiggling couldn't disturb his robes. Of course, when Nikolai complimented his good looks - yes, you read right, because saying he looked young was indeed a compliment - Pierre's thin smile turned into a rather pleasant grin. "I've been on this ward now for seven years and earned my Master of Potions in 2016. I gather you've not been in your position at Hogwarts for very long?" he asked just as he began to unstop the vial once more, ready to administer another dose. "Ready to go again Mr....?"
The bluntness about thinning the gene pool surprised a deep, brief chuckle from Nikolai before he was shaking his head. "Unfortunately, all too often a side effect of being young and stupid is teenage pregnancy - so in a way, I guess their contribution to the gene pool still happens, regardless of whether they make it past adolescence," he said with a one-shouldered shrug. Since starting Hogwarts, he'd seen an alarming amount of scared, young women walking through the doors of the Hospital Wing, timidly asking for a pregnancy test potion. More often than not, they were alone because apparently their partners in crime didn't want to see the possible repercussions of unprotected sex.
The very well-maintained eyebrow that raised in Nikolai's direction was met with flat stare in return as Pierre started going on about his naïvety, voice drenched in a condescending tone and all. "Ah, and I thought English was my second language. I said I'd like to keep faith, not that I do," he said. "Maybe you've been hit with an ear-shriveling curse that prevents you from hearing properly. You ought to get that looked at." Two could play at the game Pierre had started and Nikolai wasn't about to cower away like he suspected so many people did when faced with the man's sharp tongue and scrutinizing looks.
It looks like you've held a man before. The words had Nikolai look up, giving Pierre an assessing look because that did not sound like such an innocent statement. "Once or twice. Body strength comes in handy sometimes," he said neutrally, before adding, "Of course, given we're wizards, restraining spells help in pinning someone down as well." Nikolai may have been referring to using them in a professional setting, but the raise of his brows towards Pierre may have been an implied otherwise.
"Karev. Nikolai," he answered, giving Pierre a curt nod before holding down the insolent student once more. It was for his own well-being, and he'd rather get this done quickly. A Master of Potion was.. impressive, and Nikolai's interested look at Pierre said as much. He wouldn't have guessed the man would have been healing for seven years though - he didn't look like he was close to around twenty-five years old, more like... his early twenties. "I haven't been at Hogwarts long, no. Only since May, but I've been a healer for twenty-three years." Most of that time had been spent in Australia too, working his way up to the illustrious position of Healer-in-Charge of the Werewolf Bite Ward.
Teenaged pregnancy, the very mention of the occurrence sent a notable shiver up the young man’s spine. If either of his little sisters were to disgrace the family with total lack of control like that… no. They simply wouldn’t. ”Thank Merlin I never had those problems in school,” Pierre had enjoyed many, many sexual trysts and not once worried about the aftermath (other than being caught and beaten to a pulp by closeted dicks who were jealous that they weren’t getting a piece of the action). ”Although one has to wonder exactly how hard is it? to remember to wrap a dick?”
As the prickly man levelled Pierre with that hot stare and made the rather dry remark of English being his second language, then continued with the fact that Pierre needed his ears checked… well, Pierre couldn’t help the smirk. Touché, thought Pierre though he’d never admit it. Instead, he mirrored the one-shoulder shrug he’d been served with earlier and returned, ”it is not? You hide that fact so well.” Nik’s grasp of the English language, thus far, was impeccable but his accent was heavier than his pregnant mother was with Flora. ”If I’m to believe the merde that some ladies placate their husbands with – the size of an organ does not necessarily effect its usefulness – so I doubt the state of my ears being cursed or not had anything to do with my ability to hear you. Though I appreciate your concern about my well-being,” Pierre finished with a half-smile because he quite liked the idea of the bear of a man concerned about how good he felt. Do not drop your gaze… and he did. His piercing blue gaze was drawn much lower than that stern face that had just told him off.
Pierre had missed the reaction his little comment about pinning a man had made, too busy assessing Nikolai’s formidable physique whilst simultaneously administering the glumbumble treacle. ”I imagine so,” he said, swallowing away his NSFW train of thought as the kid mumbled about the taste of the treacle and began laughing once more at his own joke. ”If only we could use those spells to gag our giggling friend,” Pierre replied so very innocently. There was no agenda to mentioning gagging at all.
”Enchanté, Monsieur Karev,” Pierre said with a tap to the treacle vial to punctuate. The child was becoming more manageable by the drop. He paused for a moment, placing the treacle on the tray next to the bed as he boasted about his medical career to a clearly impressed man. Normally, Pierre didn’t divulge to too many good looking men lest they come looking for his … expert touch. Given that Karev already knew, Pierre was free to bask in his own professional prowess as he attempted to convince the other man to sample his sexual prowess.
”Only since May…?” Pierre tapped his hip-bones beneath the robes and he was about to ask if he had previously been The Karev. One of the big Head of Departments that was always in the Prophet because the state of things for the Ministry was… a shamozzle. ”Were you placed at Hogwarts by a particular Ministry employee? That Karev guy in the Prophet?” Pierre wondered exactly how many spies the Ministry were going to send to that school. He also couldn’t think of any other reason to end up a Matron after such a long time being a healer… unless the ineptitude he’d earlier blamed on the previous Matron was all for show. Merlin, Flora & Vinda, do not get yourselves hurt.
Nikolai's watchful eye didn't miss the shudder elicited by the other man at the mention of teenage pregnancy, one that made him wholly amused because he felt the absolute same. No matter how often he had children swearing up and down they were ready for a baby, prepared to take care of it, in most cases he knew... that was a lie. No sixteen or seventeen year old was prepared for how drastically their life was about to change, how difficult a newborn could be. "It's children having children," he remarked, raising his eyebrows as Pierre said he never had to face those issues in school because well. That was all but confirmation that they shared one thing in common - they were both firmly into men. "I didn't have those problems then, and I very much doubt that I'll have those problems in the future." Pierre's comment about wrapping a dick had the side of Nikolai's lips quirking, but only for a minute. It was a very upfront way of putting it, and it was nice to see he didn't sugarcoat it like so many healers he'd met who stammered around the word condom. "Apparently it's very hard - that's usually an aid when 'wrapping' one's dick, but not in their cases, evidently."
Nikolai knew for a fact that his accent was still quite prominent, despite living away from Russia for twenty years, and Pierre pointing that out had him raising his brows. "Ah, yes. What a stinging barb," he said dryly. "I don't hide the fact that I'm Russian, nor would I try to." He may have run away from his home country, but that wasn't out of shame in regards to his heritage... more so over what had happened. Falling for a man, then spiraling into addiction - well, those were things that would make his Orthodox Christian parents turn in their metaphorical graves.
"I wouldn't believe those ladies - they're obviously not truthful if they're filling their husbands heads with such blatant lies," Nikolai said honestly, though he did appreciate Pierre's attempt at convincing him that the size of one's organ didn't equate to how well it worked. He found himself returning his half-smile, even, before noting how Pierre's gaze had dropped much lower than strictly workplace appropriate. Interesting.
Nikolai's eyebrow quirked once more at Pierre's not-so-subtle way of bringing up gagging and for a second, he let his gaze linger on Pierre's rose pink lips before he said just as innocently, "I've used those spells too, once or twice, though normally a hand works just as well if you need to silence someone who's being far too loud." Briefly, Nikolai let himself wonder - was Pierre vocal enough to have those spells cast on him? His head tilted to the side as he assessed the man, giving him a loaded look before glancing away.
"Yes, I worked in Australia beforehand - for twenty years, in fact, but I needed a break from the hospital environment," he said curtly, not offering up any other details beyond that. It wasn't any of this man's business, quite honestly. He shook his head at the question posed, a small amused grunt leaving him at the thought that he would ever do the Ministry's biding. "No. The man you're thinking of from the paper's is my brother, Ivan. He's the Head of the Magical Creatures division. He's much more tactful than me - I could never deal with the pleasantries that come with being in such a role. They'd fire me in a heartbeat."
With a long, weary sigh, Nikolai turned on his heel from the hospital bed he had just dumped one of the students - Miguel or Michael or some name he didn't care too much to remember at this present time - on to be treated, the boy still cackling like a hyena behind him.
"No, Mrs Fitzherbet I cannot treat your crup," Pierre insisted, unfortunately not surprised that the woman on his examination table casually took her crup from out of her charmed handbag. "I should have known when the welcome witch told me you were vomiting from suspected digestion of lilies to send you away. But no, the Head Healer never listens to me. Do I look like a magizoologist, Mrs Fitzherbet? No, my robes are impeccable and completely fur free (not to mention of good taste). I would suggest you get that puking mess out of my consult room asap," Pierre's nose wrinkled as he pointed his wand dramatically to the door. Whilst many of his patients were thicker than a rat, he certainly was not animal healer. Ew.