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!
Finally Oscar was free! And he was supposed to feel it too, he supposed. But why didn't he? His life had been made miserable by his now ex girlfriend and her family and he had cut them out of his life to be happy again. So why was he not happy! It was true, he felt relieved now, but not happy. He was still missing something. Not Parker though. Aimlessly he wandered through the library, trying to think of what to do when he saw Parker's best friend Ollie sitting alone at a table. Just what he needed.... someone to remind him of Parker - not. It wouldn't hurt to ask how she was dealing with everything though, would it? As long as he didn't have to ask her in person. Rather take it from someone who he wanted to give a kick a little less.
Looking around in the aisle he stood in and along the next to make sure that Parker definitely was not in the library with her friend, he approached the table and pulled out a chair for himself. Turning it around, he sat on it facing the backrest and folding his arms on the top of it. "Heyyyy, Ollie," he greeted the girl as casually as he possibly could. "What're you doing?"
Ollie was a girl who was very much into not messing up this school semester! The girl was buried deep into her books, she had been telling her friends she wouldn't be around for the day because she really needed to focus. She couldn't focus with Gabriel's handsome presence, he would distract her and make her want to kiss him. Parker would talk about her ex and being sad which Ollie really didn't want or like. Parker shouldn't be sad if the boy was mean enough to dump her.
Ollie looked up from her books, some ink on her nose from itching it a second before a voice snapped her out of her progressive thoughts. Ollie's blue eyes stared right at the boy across from her, it was Parker's ex. Ollie had been told about protocols in place where friends and exes couldn't be buds but he was nice to her and she didn't understand most of these things either so it was all quite confusing.
Ollie gave him a small smile and chewed on her lip as she looked at her books like her surroundings weren't obvious enough.
"Hello! I'm studying, weren't you?" she asked and looked around if he was working somewhere else and just came to sit with her for no reason? She then looked back at Oscar and cocked her head. "Are you alright Oscar, do you need help with something?"
Parker's best friend had always been adorable. She could look at you in class after casting a difficult spell and would still have the big eyes and appearance of a child in wonder. It made him sometimes want to poke her nose. Oscar smiled gently at her when she offered help. Playfully he balanced his chair on two of its legs while trying to think of how to ask without sounding desperate. Thinking about it now, it was actually a rather stupid idea. Asking Ollie would get straight back to Parker. But he still wanted to know. "Nah, I'm good. How's life? Everything alright with you? We haven't talked in a while," he said conversationally. It would definitely come across wrongly if he asked straight away.
Ollie wasn't the type of girl who judged others for what happened to others, it wasn't fully her business no matter whether it concerned her best friend or not. Ollie wasn't a part of the fight, it almost would sound like she was the child in a custody battle she never truly asked for. The girl smiled a bit more as Oscar talked to her, he was nice so she didn't understand why there was such trouble in the first place.
"Life is good I suppose!" she said with her cheery voice and her bright blue eyes looking at Oscar. She honestly didn't think her life was that bad, she even considered writing her sister and asking her how graduation life feels like. Ollie really wants to be a healer and though her sister works for the ministry she could really learn something from Josephine.
"I am actually debating on writing my sister." she admitted and eyed him still. "I'm really well! I actually feel like I am a busy bee these days! Friends need me and my hugs, a boy likes me I think and I also have to do a lot of homework so busy, yep!" there was a giggle and a nod.
"I am sorry that we haven't talked much! What do you want to talk about?"
Oscar wasn't sure what he had expected when he had approached Ollie. He knew Ollie. And he knew what she was like. Why was he still surprised to be hit by such an onslaught of words? "I can very well imagine. Who wouldn't need hugs," he replied kindly. "I'm sure there's nobody who could not like you." Oscar was actually being rather honest in what he said. The girl was someone who would probably get away with murder because her innocent looks and the way she spoke would make anyone forgive her instantly. But he wasn't entirely sure if she meant that a guy liked her or 'liked' her. He decided he didn't much care. He had come with a mission. "Oh, nothing in particular. I just wanted to check up on my friend, you know. Make sure you're alright..." Here went nothing he really had to say what he wanted to ask or she would probably never catch on, he was sure. "And you're friends with Parker, right? How's she doing? Is she as busy as you?"
There was something about Oscar and she couldn't quite place it. She felt like it wasn't an accident that he found her here but then again the school was huge and he surely wouldn't be looking for little her would he? Boys had boy things to do right? Ollie though was not the type of girl who understood people's intentions unless made clearly in front of her, it wasn't like she didn't want to understand, she just didn't.
"Everyone needs hugs!" she chuckled and cocked her head a bit. He then said he was sure nobody could not like her but that was the complete opposite meaning of what Parker said when she mentioned Gabriel. Oh god did she see things wrong again? What were the signs she needed to pay attention to! The girl's cheeks flushed red a bit in shame and bit her lip before he asked her more questions.
What was with the questions? "I'm always fine!" she said and then nodded slowly. "Of course I am friends with Parker, ever since first year." she told him like he didn't remember. "She's alright I guess, she is a bit sad and I want to cheer her up, maybe get her flowers and a stuffed animal toy." she said and eyed him.
"She can be quite busy, we all have homework Oscar." she added with a small smile, her blush gone like the wind. "Do you miss her?"
Oscar chuckled when the girl blushed. Apparently people had not told her enough yet that she was pretty likable. Ollie was definitely too innocent. He wondered how a person as pure as her could be best friends with Parker.
The Slytherin let the comment slide about how she and Parker had been friends ever since first year. Of course he knew that. But he was not going to explain who he had asked that question if she hadn't caught on yet. His smile wavered ever so slightly when she said that Parker was sad. Was she really? Was she sad because he had broken up with her? Because it was over? Or.... He fought hard to remain impassive and listened to Ollie speak. But honestly, it didn't interest him how much homework Parker had. That really didn't matter at all. Oscar was very much caught off guard at her next question therefore. He had not expected Ollie to ask a question that actually mattered. Quickly he made up an answer. "Nah, this was for the best," he said, shrugging, and giving his best 'I don't mind' expression.
Ollie wasn't 100% stupid though she was surely 99% oblivious to the world. She had seen the pain of heartbreak, the nightmares Parker went through but also the fights the two of them had that made no sense. Why would they do that to each other? would she ever get into fights if she got a boyfriend? Because Ollie hates fights and would definitely cry and drown in her own tears. Truth be told that was certainly the way she expected to die.
Ollie eyed Oscar with a slightly arched eyebrow as he suddenly seemed to not care? What was with boys sometimes? Why couldn't they be honest with how they feel and she was sure Oscar wasn't honest with her. Ollie pursed her lips for a moment and shook her head, nope she didn't understand one bit.
"Why not?" she eyed him. "You look sad too, when you mention her." she said softly and looked at her books, closing them slowly. This was more important than studying.
Oscar cursed himself when he saw the arched eyebrow. He had given away too much and she had caught on. What had he gotten himself into? She even closed her books. He didn't want a therapy session! And he wasn't going to share his innermost feelings with his ex' best friend. That was just stupid. He wanted to laugh when she said that he could talk to her. Of course he couldn't. Oscar fisted his hands in his hair in frustration, his smile faltering. "Fine…" he sighed dramatically. "I'm still getting used to not having her, ok? I didn't have a choice…" he shared, looking at the ground and trying not to get angry again.
The Tyrell family was very intimidating for sure. When she first met them when she was a tiny little puffkins she felt intimidated and even slightly terrified! Ollie though thought the dad was nice to her, Ozzy always gave her hugs whenever they ran into each other and even the icy sister never really was mean and if she was Ollie surely didn't notice it. Though she did know people feared Ariella mostly out of all siblings, she was like the lioness no one seemed to want to anger.
"And why is that?" she asked with a frown. "I mean surely the siblings of Parker are not the kindest people when it comes to boyfriends and girlfriends but Parker loves you and when you left her she was very much hurt." she told him and shrugged her shoulders slightly. Ollie had been hugging her friend, telling her things would be okay.
"If you want her back, just get her back." she thought it was as simple as that, why wasn't it?
Oscar felt rather attacked when nice little Ollie accused him of hurting Parker. Well, he was just as hurt! But he would've been hurt on a very different level if he had stayed with her! Why was everyone making him out as the villain? "So was I, okay. It's not like I did it for fun!" he explained, getting more and more upset about the whole affair. "But even you know that 'not the kindest people' is an understatement. They threaten people, Ollie. And they mean it." But how could naive Ollie understand this. He felt like he was talking to a child.
"It's not that simple," he said quietly and pinched the bridge of his nose to calm himself down. If he could just get her back, he probably would. But her family had turned her against him. Her family didn't want him and neither did she.
What did she say to make him mad? He seemed mad and it made Ollie fiddle with her shirt. The girl was not here to attack him but he came to her, asked her questions and of course she would return the questions with honest answers whether he liked them or not. This was his own fault yet he talked to her like she was attacking him, like she was being the mean one here when she surely wasn't. She was merely stating facts here.
"I know they do, they are very protective much like my siblings." she said and shrugged her shoulders as she eyed him. "Doesn't make them bad people, just people in need to show power when threatened." she said softly.
"I just don't see why you should make it harder on yourself and her. She still loves you, you know." she sighed and shoved her books in her bag. She truly didn't understand.
"I think you both are just too stubborn to admit it."
Oscar began shaking his head in disbelief when Ollie said that they were just protective siblings. That was like saying 'he just wanted to play' to a person bitten by a dragon. "When threatened?!" Oscar repeated incredulously, "I didn't threaten anyone, they threatened me! I didn't do anything wrong and I don't know why everyone keeps blaming me!" he exclaimed and his voice was beginning to shake in despair. This was what was eating away at him the most. Everything seemed to be his fault.
The Slytherin boy huffed and looked away when Ollie said that her best friend still loved him. It was very hard to believe. "Well, she doesn't exactly act like it. It's kinda hard to tell when everyone warns me to stay away from her, you know." He hurried his head in his hands, then pushed them up though his hair again. He didn't know what he had expected of this conversation in the first place. It had been a bad idea.
Poor Oscar, it seemed like the Tyrell's really did something bad to him. He was just into Parker and they ruined him. Ollie got up and just moved around the table, he seemed in so much distress it was so sad to watch. She didn't think he was a bad person and she believed he would be a good boyfriend if they just gave him a chance. Ollie sighed and just wrapped her arms around him in a hugging manner. She felt like he could use a hug, he seemed so sad.
"I'm sorry they did that to you Oscar.. I know you are a sweet guy." she told him and kept hugging him. He really sounded like he needed a hug and she felt very bad for him. The blonde let out a sigh and just held onto him, if he wanted to cry he could cry and if he needed anything she'll help.
"She is hurt that you left her, I don't think she knows half of what her siblings did to you. You are not a bad person Oscar, I really don't believe you are." she assured him and ignored whatever people would think of him, to Ollie he was sweet.
"They just don't know how to deal with a good person like you, that's why you are special and they are just mean bullies."
Oscar's body shook a little when Ollie hugged him. It was such a relief that for once someone was on his side and not against him. He definitely wouldn't have expected that of Parker's best friend. She was supposed to stand with her friend in anything, wasn't she. The Slytherin had to swallow hard a few times to fight the emotions that were threatening to surface. Finally someone believed him. But still his voice was shaky when he spoke. "What am I supposed to do now?" he asked, suddenly feeling like the small child himself. He really didn't want to cry in public like this, but it was hard. It took all his willpower to force himself to breathe and not let the tears fall.
