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!
Roxanne knew she should probably be in bed at this hour. She had already seen the sun set outside the walls of Gryffindor Tower several hours ago, having to move closer and closer to the fire to get light on her book as the stars came out. By now she was sprawled on her stomach on the floor directly in front of the fireplace, already in her pajamas, but not wanting to go to bed until she finished one more chapter--but she'd said that for the last three chapters. At this rate, she was going to fall asleep on top of the book, and she had to admit that had happened before.
It wasn't her fault that tales of medieval wizards were just that good!
Plus, she had one cousin that shared her love of a good book in the evening--or at night, as the case may have been now. And while Roxanne really had wished she'd been in Ravenclaw instead, she was glad that Rose was in the same house as her. The redheaded witch wasn't really that much younger than her, so of course they'd hung out whenever their giant family all got together. It felt nice to have someone around who did want to swap books every once in a while instead of just pranking her with joke shop items.
Post by ROSE GRANGER-WEASLEY on Jun 13, 2019 11:22:15 GMT
I'M YOUR CH-CH-CHERRY
BOMB| CHERRY BOMB| CHERRY BOMB|
GET DOWN LADIES, YOU'VE GOT NOTHING TO LOSE
Rose had been in a mood. Not a bad mood just yet but a mood for sure. She wanted to sleep but she couldn't, she had been thinking of one thing and that was mainly a person. A girl actually and it was driving her slightly insane because why was she lying in bed.. thinking about a girl? The ginger girl had been thinking about Frankie. Why was she thinking about her? About her funny pink locks making her want to play with them.
Or why was she thinking about cuddling her again? The night they cuddled on the couch in the common room and fell asleep like it. It was strange and Rose really needed to get out of bed and clear her head. With a sigh she got up, tiptoeing out of her dorm down to the common room.
With a yawn she headed for the fireplace, maybe she could sneak out to the kitchen for a glass of milk? Rose looked around and rose an eyebrow when she spotted her cousin in her pajamas on the floor.
"Have you forgotten that we have couches and chairs cousin?"
"Well, no..." Roxanne said, though she felt her face heat up a little bit, though that just might have been from how close she was to the fire. "It's just that there's the most light here." Sitting by the fire was easier than trying to hold up her wand with a Lumos under the covers of her bed without waking up all her roommates.
She was at least glad that it was Rose who ran into her. She didn't think she would like it much if it was one of her more obnoxious Housemates. Or a prefect with far too dumb opinions on when she needed to be asleep. Roxanne was convinced that everything interesting happened at night, anyway. The ghosts must be more active, the stars could tell the future, the forest must be full of mysteries--though she was often content to just read about that last thing until she got a little better at Defense Against the Dark Arts. Getting killed by some giant creature out there was not on the list of what she wanted to do this year at school.
"What's got you down here, Rose?" she asked, stifling a yawn. She didn't want to sleep quite yet! Maybe if she talked to her cousin, she'd be able to stay awake longer.
Post by ROSE GRANGER-WEASLEY on Jun 15, 2019 15:41:24 GMT
I'M YOUR CH-CH-CHERRY
BOMB| CHERRY BOMB| CHERRY BOMB|
GET DOWN LADIES, YOU'VE GOT NOTHING TO LOSE
Rose had hoped to be alone or to see Frankie here and this was neither of the two. She couldn't ask Roxanne to leave either so she felt quite stuck in the situation where she would have to socialize with her cousin in order to appear normal. The redhead hummed a bit as Roxanne told her about the fire being the closest light and it just made the pale ginger shrug her shoulders before taking a seat on the couch herself.
"There is a lamp right here.." she nodded at the little coffee sized table near the couch. She was seriously unsure of her cousin's intelligence but she didn't mention that, she was honest to god trying not to come off as mean. The girl let out a small sigh and pulled her legs up a bit.
"I couldn't sleep, was hoping to sneak out to get a hot chocolate to help me sleep." she admitted and shrugged her shoulders.
"Oh, there is." So there had been a lamp all along. Was this what people had meant when they said she had "tunnel vision"? Reluctantly, Roxanne got up from her place on the ground, her socked feet padding over to the table to light the small lamp. She set the book upside down next to it and sat on the other side of the couch from Rose, pulling her feet up onto the cushion. Her socks were thick and hand-knitted, not the most fashionable item she owned, but they were warm, and they had been a gift, and they were good for staring at while she considered why Rose was being so standoffish toward her.
It was probably nothing, she figured. There were lots of reasons that Rose could be so short with her. It had happened before, it wasn't weird--and yet she couldn't help but feel like she'd done something to make her upset. The mention of hot chocolate had really made Roxanne want some as well, but she felt like Rose didn't want her to come along. Where was the nice cousin who would happily curl up next to her with her own book?
"It's a really good book!" she said, hoping to cheer Rose up a little. "Medieval stories--it's really hard to know if they're true or not, though I hope they are." She bit her lip before saying the next thing. "I'd like hot chocolate too--but if you don't want me to come with you, that's alright." Well, it was... kind of alright.
Post by ROSE GRANGER-WEASLEY on Jun 23, 2019 13:30:18 GMT
I'M YOUR CH-CH-CHERRY
BOMB| CHERRY BOMB| CHERRY BOMB|
GET DOWN LADIES, YOU'VE GOT NOTHING TO LOSE
Rose was often known as the kinder girl who was not too shy to cuddle up to her cousin but cuddling up to a girl had been starting to feel weird like.. in a good way but odd. Maybe she shouldn't do it anymore, she was thirteen after all. The redhead swallowed a big lump and just watched Roxanne, not saying a word as she pursed her cherry red lips trying not to judge her looks as she did so.
What was up with her? She never judged her family's looks, yes she did, and she never really cared either, yes she did. Rose listened to Roxanne talking about the book and just nodded a bit. She never cared for mideival stories, they weren't boring but they seemed very bad in describing how anyone could live the way they lived.
Even kings and queens who were royal and supposed to be amazing in looks and yet they were filthy like the commoners? It didn't make sense. "I believe they're not but there are quite lots of museums that would easily show you true tales written by them." she said and smiled a bit.
"Sure you can come along. I don't mind." yes she did but she didn't want to be rude. "How was your day?"
"Yeah, I suppose a museum would be better, if I wanted to learn things..." Roxanne glanced back at the worn cover of the book on the table, tracing the embossed letters of the title with her eyes, avoiding Rose's eyes even though she could feel that her cousin studying her closely. "Not--not that I don't want to learn things, of course. I do. But I like the book." Maybe it was just too late in the night to form thoughts. She wrapped her arms around her legs, settling one cheek onto her knee. It was a touch colder away from the fire, and she was waiting for the wool and flannel she was wearing to warm her up again.
This was why the suggestion of cocoa sounded so appealing, and she was glad Rose hadn't rejected her offer to come along. "Let's go, then," Roxanne said, though she didn't move right away. "Ever wish we were in Hufflepuff, so it would be easier to sneak down to the kitchens?" For all Roxanne claimed not to be like her parents, she was perfectly willing to sneak around the castle. It wasn't like they could buy so many treats every Hogsmeade trip to last them for every time they wanted a snack--or at least that was how it seemed to Roxanne. "I had a nice day, I suppose." She picked at a stray bit of wool that was falling off her socks. Rose already seemed to be in a mood; she didn't need Roxanne complaining about the drama of the day's classes.
Post by ROSE GRANGER-WEASLEY on Jun 29, 2019 20:34:11 GMT
I'M YOUR CH-CH-CHERRY
BOMB| CHERRY BOMB| CHERRY BOMB|
GET DOWN LADIES, YOU'VE GOT NOTHING TO LOSE
Rose was just in a place of confusion and she didn't need Roxanne to be worried about her. Besides she had no idea how her family would respond to her like a girl. She didn't even know how to respond herself! The redhead was frustrated and hot chocolate was meant to calm her down. Rose got up on her feet and waited for Roxanne to get up and come with her.
"Not really, my mother and father were proud of their house, it's red, it's where I like to be the most." She said softly and shrugged. Everyone who knew Rose knew she was addicted to the color red, it was in every outfit, in every accessoire.
Rose crawled out of the tower entrance and looked around as she headed right for the kitchens. "Are you sure? You don't sound so sure."
Roxanne really would have liked to say she was proud to be a Gryffindor as well. But so far, she had yet to figure out exactly the reason she was supposed to be here. Sure, both of her parents had been in the same House, just like Rose's had been, but that didn't always mean anything; some of her cousins were in other Houses. Maybe her bravery was just her willingness to sneak down to the kitchens at night. Yeah. She could just think of it that way. It was better than trying to figure out just what the hat had been thinking all those years ago.
And hey, at least she didn't look too bad in red.
But as for now, she was wearing gray pajamas instead, free of any signs of where she was supposed to be. She followed Rose over to the portrait hole, trying to keep as quiet as possible as she climbed out after her. She was pleased to find that, although her socks might get dirty walking through the whole castle, they made her steps extremely quiet. Even less risk of their cocoa adventure being interrupted!
"Eh, it's not really a big deal," she whispered as they began to walk through the halls. It was true--she didn't want to worry Rose with small things. She might have been the younger sibling in her own family, but she was the older cousin in this case, although only by about a year and a half. She needed to be strong, or something like that! But, she thought as they reached a staircase, what was the point of having friends if you couldn't chat to them about your day? "Mostly just James losing points for Gryffindor again. I shouldn't let him get to me, but I do. It's hard to get away from him when we have nearly every class together."
Post by ROSE GRANGER-WEASLEY on Jul 3, 2019 10:11:46 GMT
I'M YOUR CH-CH-CHERRY
BOMB| CHERRY BOMB| CHERRY BOMB|
GET DOWN LADIES, YOU'VE GOT NOTHING TO LOSE
Rose walked to the kitchen quietly on her bare well manicured feet and sighed for a moment. She just liked the silence when no one was around but of course she had to deal with Roxanne being with her. She likes Roxanne but when she didn't wanna talk about it Rose dropped it. She didn't need to listen to her then which was fine.
Rose enjoyed silence. The ginger looked around a corner and started walking down the magical staircase. God this staircase creeped her out so much. "James?" she didn't think he would get into trouble a lot but she was obviously wrong there.
"Did you tell him how you feel about his behavior?" she asked and peeked down the stairs.
"Well--no, I didn't tell him. I didn't have a chance to say anything to him." Roxanne hadn't even been sitting near James--what would be the point of yelling across the room just to tell him he was annoying and made her look bad? It would only make him tease her more. She was perfectly aware of that. And she had well enough of that at home; she didn't need it at school as well. Maybe she was just trying to justify herself to Rose, but it was true, wasn't it? Better to leave it alone. Better to surround herself with people who actually cared about the same things she did, family or not.
Right?
Roxanne watched her own feet as they made their way down the staircase, careful not to step on anything squeaky or dangerous in the dark corridors. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Rose's bare feet, and was amazed that her cousin was not freezing while touching the cold stone of the stairs. Did she not have socks? She must have socks, Roxanne knew, and for some reason didn't want to wear them. Didn't Rose remember that they were friends, and didn't have to look perfect in front of each other? She knew that she cared far less about her appearance on a daily basis than her cousin did, but she thought that at the very least, on a cold night, the redheaded girl might wear at least one warm knitted item. "Aren't you cold?" Roxanne whispered to the girl in front of her, keeping her voice quiet.
At least she wasn't wearing shoes that would echo along the halls. No use in getting caught for hot cocoa, no matter how delicious it would be. Maybe in the kitchens they'd finally be warm, and maybe then she'd see Rose in a more cheerful mood.
Post by ROSE GRANGER-WEASLEY on Jul 12, 2019 8:46:07 GMT
Rose was still scared to even tell Frankie how she felt, she knew all Roxanne wanted was bonding like they usually do but ever since Rose's feelings got in the way of that, she couldn't just open up right now. The redhead tiptoed as she made her way to the kitchens and listened to Roxanne as she did so. "You could've told him off after class perhaps? He is a teenage boy but teenage boys are complete and utter useless idiots." she said and looked at her cousin.
"Cold? Why would I be cold?" she then looked at her feet and let out a simple "oh." before turning her attention back to Roxanne's feet. "Not really, I actually enjoy walking on my bare feet." she explained and shrugged as she did so. She adored her cousin but really, Rose was doing just fine. She happily made it to the ground floor and let out a happy sigh.
"We're close now, cousin." she said and snuck towards the kitchens.
Finally, something they could agree on that night! Roxanne had to crack a smile at that. "You've got that right. Plenty of useless idiot boys around." As if their cousin wasn't already bad enough, many of the boys in her classes drove her mad at times. A few of them were alright, but most of those were the few fifth years who seemed to have finally got the message to grow up. She could only hope that those in her own year would do the same, hopefully as soon as possible. Would calling them out really encourage that? Maybe she would need to try it. "I'll tell him the next time he does something stupid. You know he will again." Rose had spent nearly as long as James's cousin as Roxanne had. She would know.
Roxanne tiptoed after Rose toward the kitchen door, glad that they had made it safely, when her foot landed on a particularly loose stone in the castle floor, and she fell backwards, yelping and cursing as she landed on her backside. She scrambled to her feet as quickly as she could with the sudden pain, looking around in fear that someone patrolling was about to appear right down the end of one of the nearby corridors. "Let's get inside!" she hissed, grabbing Rose's hand and pulling her toward the door. "If we're in the kitchen, the caretaker will probably think we're just house-elves making noise." So much for a relaxing evening--but maybe it would be rescued as soon as they had the cocoa in their hands.
Post by ROSE GRANGER-WEASLEY on Jul 29, 2019 10:48:17 GMT
When it came to boys it was a very simple statement of Rose that she fully believed in. Boys had their uses but not for anything good most of the time. The redhead looked at her cousin who seemed to agree with her statement, not like there was anything to disagree about anyway. "I am very much of the opinion that less than 10 percent of the boys here have a brain that functions properly." she told Roxanne and hummed a bit as she stayed on guard.
"Mother said that my father was one of the brainless boys in school." she said and snickered a bit. "Thank god I got her brains." she said and rose an eyebrow. "Of course he will do it again, he is a damn Potter. Have you ever read the reputation of that family? Trouble is going to be the death of him." she assured Roxy and that was when she heard a yelp. The girl watched her cousin slip and fall over a loose stone and hissed a bit.
"Crabcakes!" she cursed and held onto her cousin as Roxanne grabbed her hand and tickled the pear to get into the kitchen. Once inside Rose let out a sigh, she went from calm to slightly annoyed and just sank down in a chair. "That was close."
Roxanne breathed a heavy sigh of relief as the door shut behind them. House elves didn't give detention or really even judge why anyone was in the kitchens--they always seemed happy to give out treats. "I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to trip," she murmured to her cousin before turning to the nearest elf. "Would you be able to get us some hot cocoa? We're cold and can't sleep," she explained. More like she was cold and Rose couldn't sleep, but it wasn't like it mattered much to them. The warm drink would calm them both down, right?
Leaning against the wall while she waited, Roxanne twisted a curl around her finger, pulling it toward her nose, and released it, letting it bounce back into place, before pulling on it again. Just when it had looked like Rose was cheering up, she'd had to go and ruin it by being clumsy. Why couldn't she ever be good at something, even something as simple as walking through the castle at night? She sighed again, this time out of frustration with herself.
"Don't even start on having brainless boys around," she said ruefully. "If I have to hear one more story about what my dad got up to when he was at Hogwarts, I think I might just explode." Her lips pressed together as she thought if she should share what she wanted to say next. "I'm just... afraid I'll be stuck with that forever, you know? Even if I am a girl. How am I supposed to be not brainless if I'm fourteen and still tripping over rocks?"
