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!
The autumn air was stifled in the basement, Alexander felt. He'd been told that the kitchen was down here...somewhere...but he didn't know specifics. He'd spent a few lessons away from his Aggy, annoying the fuck out of Dio and existing kinda separate from his friend group. He was trying to be quick, knowing that he was running late but if he charged down the stairs any faster he's go head first. Obviously, he wasn't speaking from experience. He hadn't raced down the stairs in 2nd year and plummeted to his doom. In any case, Hogwart's stairs were tricky and he didn't want to make life more difficult for himself. Alex just hoped that Isidora (or was it Izzy that she prefered) had requested that he show her around Hogwarts. As a prefect, not only was that kinda his job- but she seemed pretty interesting.
He finally reached the bottom of the stairs, collected himself for a moment and walked purposefully down the corridor. His amiable expression brightened as he noticed the Durmstrang student waiting for him. "Hey Izzy," (or was he supposed to call her Isodora?), "sorry for keeping you waiting. How're you going this morning? Had breakfast?" Sure, it was after lunch on a Saturday but you could only guess at another person's sleeping schedule. He was looking forward to showing her around despite not knowing every secret of the castle. He was sure that people purposefully kept some rooms hidden from him because they thought since he was a prefect he'd rat them out if he found them there after lights out. They were right, but it didn't annoy him any less.
Thinking about his so-called friends was a mood killer, so he tried to shake out of his head. "Anything in particular you wanted to explore today?" He asked.
It was one of those days where Izzy was supposed to act like she was one of the many other colorful students here. She refused to wear robes like them, she refused to even be like one of them because she knew the truth everyone else knew too, she isn't one of them. Izzy always had a hard time adjusting to things she wasn't familiar with, things that she knew nothing about. Izzy was also one to not think about how things would turn out and just face it head on without consequences on her mind.
The redhead was standing outside the hufflepuff common room, she agreed with the help of one of the students to get a tour around here so she maybe wouldn't get lost so easily. Izzy wasn't really sure how to go about this place well, she had found the outside with ease because that's where her heart always seemed to be at, outside. Outside of walls, out in the fresh air and the rainy days. Out in the open where she could gaze upon stars and clouds alike. While hugging her hand knitted poncho she was given by one of her neighbors back home, Izzy was actually looking forward to this tour.
She had no idea who this Alexander person was but he was friendly enough and so she wasn't going to assume he was one of the stuck up ones. Maybe he knew how to have actual fun! The moment he approached her and called her Izzy was the moment she snapped out of her thoughts and gave him a smile as she waved at him. "Good morning Alex." Izzy replied before lowering her hand. Izzy didn't want to come off as one of those awkward kids who waved too long or had muscle spasms.
"Don't worry! I haven't been waiting for that long," she told him and looked around for a brief moment. "Oh I haven't really felt hungry, your food is quite... different," to say the least. The boy seemed quite sweet and reminded her of her cousin, he had a smile just like him in a way. Maybe one day they could meet and have an actual feast. "Well aren't you supposed to know the fun things in this castle? Surely that shiny pin confirms that?" Izzy asked in a teasing tone. She had no idea how much he knew about the castle and maybe she shouldn't assume as much.
"Do you have animals here? I have seen the lawns and though being lost somewhere could be fun, I am not very fond of getting lost in a castle."
Alexander quirked his lips at the thought that Izzy hadn't eaten yet, "It's good to eat breakfast-er or even lunch. Maybe ask a Hufflepuff for the direction of the kitchens so you can ask the house elves to cook something more to your taste?" He suggested, commenting, "I really struggled with all the puddings and heavy foods that'd keep you warm but also make you super tired." The muggle school he attended in Brisbane hadn't been a boarding school and hadn't provided food. The stuff he could get from the canteen were things like meat pies and bland spaghetti.
He shrugged and gave a small laugh, "I mean, my friends like to keep the more adventurous locations out of my prying eyes, so I can't catch them doing getting drunk, I presume. I do, however, know all the important locations except the kitchens. How does one live in a castle for so long and not know where to find the kitchens? I really couldn't explain it."
He gestured for her to follow him up the stairs, assuming the role of a serious prefect as he spoke. "All Hogwarts students are allowed one of three kinds of animals, a cat, an owl or a toad. We have an owlery at the top of one of the towers; I could end our tour up there if you'd like?" The owlery held good memories, but also some terrifying ones. He glanced up the staircase to avoid her, noticing any kind of emotional affect. "Do you take Care for Magical Creatures? Professor Askeland has a few animals on the property. He sounds pretty friendly, so if you wanted to hang out with some cool animals, I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
Alexander continued, "Getting lost in Hogwarts is almost a kind of initiation, don't worry too much about it. The staircases move, some more than others and there are almost innumerable secret passages that are more than often found by accident. Obviously, I can't show them to you, but I encourage you to find them yourself."
It was one of those days where Izzy was supposed to act like she was one of the many other colorful students here. She refused to wear robes like them, she refused to even be like one of them because she knew the truth everyone else knew too, she isn't one of them. Izzy always had a hard time adjusting to things she wasn't familiar with, things that she knew nothing about. Izzy was also one to not think about how things would turn out and just face it head on without consequences on her mind.