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!
Strutting into The Three Broomsticks, Vinda's head was held high and her shoulders were kept level with the line of her ramrod straight back. Her posture was impeccable because it was a sign of her good upbringing, one that was filled with lessons on how to carry yourself as a well-breed pureblood lady, mostly thanks to her Grand-Mère Perrine who insisted upon it. She didn't want an uncouth pig for a granddaughter after all, she wanted one who would impress all of the other pureblood families at social gatherings.
Roaming her hands over the side of her dress, Vinda made sure that it was still picture perfect - and of course, it was, that's what happened when you spent hundreds of galleons on expensive articles of clothing instead of cheaping out - before taking a seat, her legs crossing one over the other. Glancing up to try and catch a bartender's eye, the gleaming of alcohol bottles caught her attention instead, lips immediately curling with disdain as she was reminded of her mère. The woman was a joke, who drowned her non-existent sorrows into a bottle of vodka every night, and then hid in her room throughout the day. She was weak. No wonder père had thought so poorly of her.
When a bartender finally finished serving another customer, Vinda cleared her throat loudly, eyes scoping over them critically. Who would even choose to work in a bar? The uniforms were so drab, so... disgusting, and they were always filthy. It was a job for the poor, no doubt, for those with zero aspirations in life. "A macchiato," she ordered shortly, making it abundantly clear she had no interest in them beyond that. As they rushed off to go make her drink, the tell tale scraping of a chair sounded from behind her. Who on earth?
Turning her head, Vinda cast them an icy look, eyes sweeping over them only to realise who it was. That... boy. The one her Grand-Mère Perrine had wrote to her about only this morning, informing her that she was to be engaged to him and she wouldn't hear any arguments because Vinda wanted to make her family proud by carrying on the pureblood line, right? "Adrian. What a... pleasure. I assume you've heard the news by now, yes?"
Post by ADRIAN ANDERSON on Jul 1, 2019 1:54:59 GMT
Adrian's footsteps crunched heavily on the snow, his face set in a concerned frown. He was still processing the life that now laid before him. The cold filled his lungs as he took deep breaths to keep himself from panicking. The letter declaring his engagement to Vinda Selwyn was not anywhere on him, and instead, tucked under his mattress. He had wanted to crumple it into a ball and toss it into the fire but it was not a reasonable and sane thing to do, so he'd just pushed it out of his sight. His father had indicated in an early missive that he had wished for Adrian to be married, however, he hadn't expected such an engagement to made so soon after the first mention of it. The whole idea just filled him with anxiety.
The idea of an arranged marriage was always something that had Adrian was aware that could happen, but he'd always expected his father to allow him his own choice. To trust him to make a good choice. Wolfgang had mentioned it to be a "reward" and a "blessing for both families", but it just made Adrian sick to his stomach. He wished he could change his reaction, he was sure that others in his situation would be elated. Vinda was the queen bitch, a beautiful lady who came from a great pureblood family. He'd always known that he'd have to marry for convenience, for heirs and for power. Purebloods did not just get to fall in love with whomever they wanted to, especially homosexual ones. It was just the suddenness of the whole affair that really shocked him.
The walk to Hogsmeade had settled him a little, and his attention focused on the restaurant nearby. He didn't have much to purchase in Hogsmeade, but he didn't particularly want to discuss the engagement with any of his friends. A lot of them had stayed back in the castle that morning, so he felt like he could walk in peace for a bit. He was starting to feel a little peckish, so it made sense for him to get something nice to eat. It wasn't like he could be seen in a pub like Hogs Head. Or that he'd want to eat there anyway.
He waited for a family to leave, giving them a polite smile as the father kept the door open for him and stepped throuh into the bar. His eyes quickly found Vinda, the most elegant in the room. He took a deep breath to reign in any sort of negative reaction he'd have to this situation. Amidst the rush of anxiety, he also felt a little bit of curiousity. Despite everything in his head telling him to pretend to have not seen her, the Huffelpuff approached and pulled up a chair beside her. He gave her a tight smile, noticing her hesitation when she said pleasure and nodding once. "Good afternoon to you too Vinda." He said pointedly, before shrugging. "Yes, I did recieve the news this morning. Unexpected, but not unwanted." Adrian was a very good liar at this point, it took nothing to flatter Vinda.
As Adrian opened his mouth to respond, Vinda's eyes busied themselves with sweeping over his form, taking him in. He didn't have a dreadful taste in clothing, so that was most definitely a pro, although did it cancel out the massive con of him being a Hufflepuff? Definitely not. A person would have to do a lot to overcome that strike against their name in Vinda's books. "I knew it would be coming soon, Grand-mere has been hinting at it... but it came faster than I expected. It's rare I'm caught of guard," Vinda said, before taking the macchiato handed to her.
Sipping at the hot beverage for a moment, Vinda considered Adrian carefully for yet another moment. He was probably in the same shoes as she was, forced into this marriage for the sake of making their families happy, and there was no harm in bringing her plan to his attention earlier. "Adrian, I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume that you have the intelligence to understand the importance of what I'm about to say next," Vinda said curtly. "For the past few generations, the Selwyns and Rosiers have had arranged marriages. This has been common knowledge to the rest of the public and as a result, this has openly shown their weak spot: they will do anything for family." Eyes hardening, Vinda's voice left absolutely no room for argument as she told Adrian firmly, "I am not a weak person. I do not want people to think my family controls my actions."
"So here's the plan. You and I will be making out to everybody that this is a legitimate relationship," Vinda told him, the steeliness of her voice softening just a touch. "That we both chose to enter this of our own accord, that we are happy. I don't care if you are not, but that is the facade I want to present to the public, if you are on board."
Post by ADRIAN ANDERSON on Sept 25, 2019 12:55:40 GMT
"Hmm. So you knew about as much as I did... To be completely honest, I had expected that I would chose my own wife. My father had never indicated to me that we would be arranging anything for me." Adrian's gaze was a little critical as he gazed as his bride-to-be. She was pretty, even he could see that. She was also friends with Mia-Rose's supposed annoying older sister, so if he had to spend long amounts of time with her friends, he could still have a friend nearby. It just seemed odd to him that the decision had been made so hastily. Which of their parents had pressured the other, he couldn't tell. Could it be out of convenience? Surely not, Wolfgang trusted him enough to chose his own bride, right? Suppose his plan had been to find a rare pureblood lesbian so they could spend their days miserably together. At least then he could fulfil her monetary and companionship needs without needing to worry. Sure, it would be a difficult thing to do, since people didn't regularly advertise it when they were trying to marry pureblood men but he'd had it planned out in his head. It twisted his gut just to think about how much he wouldn't live up to Vinda's expectations.
Adrian leaned forward minutely as Vinda spoke, making sure he understood what she meant. She had asked him to listen and understand, and so he would attempt to do so. He pursed his lips as she contradicted herself, claiming that she was not weak, despite saying that it was a weakness to listen to family. He would not point this out to her, he wouldn't dare. The Hufflepuff wasn't so sure that Selwyn would like him too much. Surely he was one of the weak purebloods she spoke of. Here he was, accepting an engagement to a woman he would never love, to appease his father and uphold the standards. He tried to pull a more neutral face, but ended up just frowning at her. "There's nothing illegitimate about our engagement, despite what people might say." He cast his eyes downwards to her fingers, "I suppose we will have to go ring shopping? I wouldn't trust my judgement on something you will be wearing." for the rest of your life, was left unspoken. He didn't want to voice it anymore than he assumed she would, especially with the way she looked at him.
"I don't think we should make things any more difficult than they need to be. Of course I'll agree. So... I guess this could be our first...date?"
Post by VINDA SELWYN on Sept 29, 2019 12:57:29 GMT
It was almost cute how Adrian had the expectation that he would get to pick his own wife. "I've never been that disillusioned. I have no say in the matter. My grand-mere has picked the family she feels is the most beneficial in progressing my own," Vinda said, matching the gaze Adrian placed on her. Was it meant to be intimidating? Was she meant to be scared? If that was the intended response, then he wasn't going to get it from her... not now, not ever. They were not going to be that arranged pureblood marriage couple where he was in charge and she was just a simpering little house wife who obeyed his every rule. It was not in her personality to follow orders from somebody who wasn't blood and even those who were blood related... well, her obedience was shaky at times.
"People will have a lot to say, and often they're too foolish to keep it to themselves. To correct myself from earlier, we are making out that this is a legitimate relationship before we announce the impending marriage, not one where we've been ordered to do as we're told or else. We need to make out like we're truly interested in one another, genuinely interested." Vinda paused, letting Adrian soak in what she had just told him. Then he asked if they should go ring shopping together and the arch of Vinda's eyebrow spoke volumes: obviously. "It will be a while until I start wearing the ring itself. It's usually traditional to give a family member's ring, but I refuse to be seen in some gaudy dress piece from the 1960s. We can go ring shop on the next Hogsmeade weekend, however?"
Our first date. It was... surreal to think that Vinda's first date, her first ever, wasn't one that came organically. He wasn't genuinely interested or attracted to her, there hadn't been any flirting touches or innuendos in conversations prior to this, she hadn't said yes or no when he asked her via a sweet note in class. It was just... thrust upon them. "Yes, let's say that. I don't kiss on the first date, though... I suppose we ought to get used to displaying our affection in public if we're going to sell this relationship. You're..." Merlin, these words were hard to dislodge from her throat. "... welcome to hold my hand for now, unless it's sweaty. Then you can keep it in your own lap."
Post by ADRIAN ANDERSON on Sept 30, 2019 13:04:43 GMT
""I am not disillusioned Selwyn," He replied sharply, before turning his head away and trying to soften his tone. "My father chose his own wife, and his father too. Forgive me for being a little unsure of my place." Adrian had never been one to suck up, and being around his new betrothed made him feel defensive and prickly. If you asked him why, he wouldn't be able to tell you. Maybe it was nerves...maybe there was some kind of anger linked to being forced into a marriage he had not expected nor wanted. Could be either, honestly. His frown tilted upwards a little, not nearly resembling a smile but there was a little humour in his eyes as Vinda spoke of how people were foolish to not keep their thoughts to themselves. He nodded as she stressed the importantance of making them seem like an actual couple. The Hufflepuff tried to look sincere as he spoke, "That shouldn't be hard. What man wouldn't be interested in a beautiful pureblood lady?" He immediately decided that he did not like the way those words tasted in his mouth, like fondant. Entirely too sweet, dry and flat. Of course he was the defect, the one man who wasn't interested in her at all. Not even as a friend although he supposed he'd have to cultivate that relationship.
He knew that she was trying to curb her own embarrassment by doing this, it was plain as day. Adrian did know better than to comment of this, however, just nodding at her suggestion of ring shopping in a few weeks time. She had agreed to his offer, and suddenly there was a server delivering Vinda her drink of choice. He gave the server solemn nod, "A cappuccino please, two sugars. Oh, and two ham and cheese croissants." He ordered, his eyes drifting back to Vinda as she offered her hand to him. He blinked a few times, wiping away whatever sweat that may bave been on his cold hands and picker up hers. It was awkward, unfeeling and just a tad uncomfortable. Adrian eas sure he was supposed to smile as he did so, but he couldn't find it within his turmoiling gut to pull himself together. "If we are going to be together for the rest of our day," he started hesitantly, "we should also get to know each other. You probably already know that the Anderson Family are from Germany, but my mother was a Blishwick from right here in England. Not only do I come from a pureblood background, but my father is a businessman. Since you will be my wife, I feel obliged to tell you that currently I am on the path to take over in my later adult years."
The tone which Adrian decided to address Vinda with next, all sharp edges like broken glass, immediately had the girl assessing him with a critical look. Normally, if somebody spoke to her in that way, they would be on the receiving end of a tone just as shrewd and cutting, but she had to be nicer than usual. So instead, she settled with asking, "Did I offend you, or do you usually struggle with having a handle on your emotions, Adrian?" She was used to rubbing people the wrong way, she'd done it her entire life, but she'd try to reign in her own manner of speaking if it helped him from keeping his feelings at bay in public. What if one day she pushed him too far and he decided to shout at her out in the open? That simply wouldn't do. Those things ought to be kept behind closed doors.
When Adrian decided to butter her up with a compliment and called her a 'beautiful pureblood lady,' Vinda wasn't entirely certain how to feel. Was he just saying that because he felt a sense of obligation to? Because one day they were to be married and so he better get used to it? "Thank you," she said after a moment's pause before forcing a smile to her lips. "I appreciate that. I'm quite certain out of all the boys in Hogwarts, I ended up being betrothed to one of the... better ones." It was half-true because whilst he could have the personality of an absolute toad (it remained to be seen, she didn't know him well enough yet), he was presentable. At least he hadn't embraced the Merlin ugly trend of wearing his boxers tucked out of his pants, and he appeared to at least own an iron - or he cared enough to ask the house elves to iron his clothing for him. "What are your interests, Adrian? Perhaps we have something in common."
Vinda's drink, which she felt like she ordered a lifetime ago, finally arrived at the table and she took a tiny sip at it, listening to Adrian order a cappuccino along with two croissants. Immediately, she was sitting up ramrod straight because did he just order for her, or was he simply a greedy guts? "I don't eat carbs," she said, stomach churning at the thought of filling her mouth with something so... buttery and full of fat. A croissant would go straight to her thighs, and a glance at the mirror this morning told her that they were already getting too fat. Just in case Adrian wondered, Vinda felt it was imperative to tack on, "I'm trying to watch my weight, and bread makes you expand like a balloon. Besides, I've already eaten too much today." That was, for the most part, a lie. Unless you counted a very small apple as 'too much.'
Adrian's hand folded itself around her a minute later and it was... uncomfortable and unnatural, but Vinda had never held hands with anyone before so perhaps that was the way it was meant to feel? Trying to push past the weird feelings it gave her, Vinda focused on Adrian's explanation that they should get to know each other and the consequent spiel about his family. "German is your first language, correct? Will you be running your family business from Germany and will I be expected to move there?" she asked expectantly, before it was her turn to speak. Her family history didn't sound nearly as lavish as his did, but she refused to be ashamed nonetheless. "My father was a Death Eater, and he's currently serving a life sentence in Azkaban. He was born and raised British. My mother, a Rosier by birth who spent most of her life in France, spends majority of her day at home, caring for the house." More like herself and her bottle of booze. "Most of our fortune comes from family money, however I plan to keep the fortune coming in by becoming a world renowned potioneer."
Post by ADRIAN ANDERSON on Oct 13, 2019 10:27:50 GMT
Adrian raised an eyebrow before shaking his head, “My apologies.” He eventually stated, “You definitely offended me there, but I shouldn’t have spoken to with such tone. You are not the reason for this abrupt change in my future plans.” He bowed his head as she thanked him and then tried to return the compliment. “I can’t imagine your family would have settled for less.” The Hufflepuff knew his father would be proud, to have a family name and reputation enough to get a wealthy Selwyn, and therefore so should he. He supposed it was because he hadn’t done enough for the reputation of the family that there was an absence of satisfaction. He knew her words were mostly empty as they had almost nothing to do with each other before now. He knew of her, but it would be rather bold of him to assume she knew him.
He gave a shrug as she asked him about his interests, “I enjoy hiking, volunteering with the magical animals for class…uh.” He was used to these kinds of small chats with others, but he couldn’t quite say he was the most comfortable with Vinda’s full attention on him as he spoke. “I practice my piano and harpsichord quite often, I’d count that as hobby too. And you?”
After the order left his mouth, Vinda was already disagreeing with him. He clenched his jaw and took a few moments before responding. It really put him in an awkward situation, having thought it would be polite to order her something too while eating. “That’s fine I suppose. I thought you may want a bite to eat. You’re wasting away as it is- but that isn’t important. I’ll either eat the extra croissant or take it with me for later. I was trying to be considerate.” He would not apologise for that, no matter what sort of assumption he’d made.
“Yes, German is my first language. I moved here in about 2011, a year before going to Hogwarts. I may need to travel to Germany frequently but it is not an expectation that you move there with me. Unless business requires me, I do not plan to live in France either.” The information about being related to Death Eaters didn’t exactly surprise him. His father had always been a little impartial about families that had ties to the Dark Lord. “I like the sound of that.” Adrian’s smile was a more genuine, and he gave her hand a little squeeze. “I don’t know you as well as I wish, but from what I have seen, you would make a brilliant potioneer.”
Adrian, much to Vinda's surprise, actually apologised to her for speaking to her in that manner. It was... rare that she ended up getting an apology from her peers. Most of the time, they attempted to give it back to her as good as she gave. "I hope you don't apologise to everyone you speak to in that tone. Some people would deserve it," she said with a small nod, the words 'however, not me' being left unsaid. Then curiousity took her over and she asked, "If your father and grandfather got to choose their own wives, then why was that opportunity seized from you? In my family, it's tradition. Well, I suppose... that tradition doesn't really include my brother - he's gay. Gold star, as he likes to say. I'm quite certain that grand-mère refuses to put the time and effort into find a suitor he'll refuse to bear children with, let alone go to bed with." Meanwhile... the expectation for her to have offspring with Adrian, lay with him in that way... it was huge. It weighed on her shoulders, so heavy that it had her knees wanting to buckle. It was only through sheer determination that she refused to.
Hiking, working with magical creatures... all mundane stuff that didn't really capture Vinda's attention, however, she was interested when he listed the piano and harpsichord. "How long have you been playing the piano and the harpsichord? Have you got any talent when playing?" Then he was asking her what her interests were and Vinda paused for a moment, mulling it over. "I enjoy music too. I've been playing the violin well since I was seven or so, however I started when I was four. Most people believe they can pick up and instrument and just start playing, that they don't have to invest any time and effort into it but that's simply not true. If you aspire to be more than just ordinary, then you need to practice on honing your craft. That's the attitude I apply towards potion making too."
You're wasting away as it is. His words weren't true, and Vinda knew it. She gazed at herself every morning in the mirror with a critical eye, and she knew what parts needed improvement. But she knew that by arguing with him, it would only incur arguments back, and so she clamped her mouth shut, glancing away from him. "I appreciate the thought," she said, words sounding empty, and then that was the end of that. She didn't want to talk about it any more. When the croissant came, she'd pick at the flaky crust and claim that she just wasn't hungry, like she'd said.
"Are you primarily planning on working from the UK then? Do you not miss Germany?" Vinda found herself asking him. She imagined that if she ever moved away from Britain, she wouldn't miss it one iota. What was there to miss? The constant offense to her eyes by people wearing ill-fitting clothes? The country's reputation for loving butterbeer and the untalented sport of flying around on a broom and hitting balls?
The smile that Adrian rewarded her with, along with the small squeeze of his hand, was... warm. It was not what she expected because most people were normally on edge and irritated with her, or they were meek and scared. They didn't treat her like this. "Thank you," she said, the ice in her voice melting a little as she glanced up at him. "It's not often that... well, people don't usually want me to get what I want. They'd rather see me crash and burn. I suppose I can be rather... ambitious because I intend to prove them all wrong."
