Welcome to Charming, where swirling petticoats, the language of flowers, and old-fashioned duels are only the beginning of what is lying underneath…
After a magical attempt on her life in 1877, Queen Victoria launched a crusade against magic that, while tidied up by the Ministry of Magic, saw the Wizarding community exiled to Hogsmeade, previously little more than a crossroad near the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. In the years that have passed since, Hogsmeade has suffered plagues, fires, and Victorian hypocrisy but is still standing firm.
Thethe year is now 1894. It’s time to join us and immerse yourself in scandal and drama interlaced with magic both light and dark.
Trystan was pleased to have gotten the older bunch – he was keen to see if there were any prospective overachievers (and thus, prospective Auror trainees) amongst the set.
“Now, this isn’t too tricky a potion to start, ” Trystan advised cheerfully, as Babbling Beverage and its corresponding recipe appeared on the board before them, “so I’m hoping to see some near-perfect brews. Raise your hand and step away from your cauldron when you’re finished – and your time starts now.”
Oh my, Mister Selwyn was handsome. So that was where Cad Selwyn got his looks from. Taking her thoughts off the potion referees looks, she set about brewing her potion. She rose her hand and stepped away once she had completed it.
Paxton looked around at who he was competing with. This was going to be a tough one and he wasn't exactly a talent when it came to potions. Even so he got started and once he was done, he rose his hand and stepped away.
Abraxas Crabbe saw potions as a puzzle of sorts—and once you knew the solution to a puzzle, in theory it was easy to replicate. Yes, some sort of baking probably would have been a better analogy, but as a wealthy young man, the Hufflepuff had never even been in a kitchen, and so was unlikely to actually use that analogy.
A babbling beverage was not the most practical of brews, Rex thought, but it was easier than some of the complex concoctions the N.E.W.T.-level students had been tasked with in class, so he thought it a welcome, relatively easy entry into the day's competition. The sixth year worked diligently and then, when satisfied his brew was done, Rex stepped back from the cauldron, his hand raised in the air as directed. Hopefully his potion would be of high enough quality that, while he had not finished first, he would still be able to progress to the next round of the competition.
Her movements and gestures as she worked on her brew were deliberate and precise. Honour was something that had been driven into each of the Adebayo children from a young age, the importance of bringing success and praise upon the family. There was, in Iphigenia's mind, no room for failure.
Her efforts complete, the Slytherin stepped aside from her cauldron, hand raising in the air with the same confidence she had displayed throughout the affair.
No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings
Although Nico had improved in his wandwork, he still found classes like potions which relied less heavily on wandwork took less effort to excel in. Potions lacked the stress that came with Transfiguration, there was a recipe and all he had to do was follow it, it ought to be foolproof and it seemed that way to Nico. Perhaps one reason he found it easier than some of his classmates was the eye for detail drawing had given him - he found it incredibly satisfying chopping ingredients into uniform little pieces.
The first potion was a Babbling Beverage. Nico agreed with Mr. Selwyn, it was a pretty easy start, although he wasn't going to get careless if he could help it.
Taking a deep steadying breath, he began.
Finally, his potion seemed ready. He was fairly certain it was the exact shade it was supposed to be but he was starting to doubt himself. Before he could talk himself into messing with it, he stepped away from it and thrust his hand into the air. Outfit | Tag: | Notes:
It has been a hell of a year- thankfully her school work was still something she could lose herself into. She waited for the instruction to go and when told she put her head down and began to work on her submission. When complete she indicated to mister selwyn and sat with her hands folded primly in her lap
Well, well, well – it was plain to see who had not followed the instructions here. If he had tasted Mr. Fudge's handiwork, he probably would have found himself capable of reciting a few Shakespearean soliloquies off the cuff. Miss Adebayo's Babbling Beverage looked rather disappointing, and Miss Flitwick had not quite finished within the allotted time.
But the others had done reasonably well. "Excellent work, Miss Slughorn," he offered particularly, because she had finished first and brewed a perfect potion. The others would need to work a little harder at this next one. "This time I would like to see an Elixir to Induce Euphoria. You may begin."
He knew her name. Never mind the fact that the man had a list of who the competitors were. That little fact was besides the point in Alcyones Opinion. She didn't need a taste of the next potion to feel Euphoria. Mister Selwyn saying her name and praising her was doing very well in creating the same effects all on their own.
Even so, she began brewing and once she was done, she stepped back with her hand raised once she had finished her concoction.
Rex smiled to himself as he began working on his second potion—after all, in a timed competition, there was not much opportunity to rest upon one's laurels.
The Elixir to Induce Euphoria was a more difficult brew, and the Hufflepuff had less confidence as he measured the ingredients, performed the precise stirs in his cauldron. Even if he did very well indeed, Rex knew he might not make it into the next round of the competition. Ah well—it was, he decided as he stepped away from his cauldron, as good as it was going to get.
No bird soars too high if he soars with his own wings
Nico was shocked when he found himself still a contender in the competition while Miss Adebayo wasn't. He suddenly felt far more confident than he had at any other point in the competition. If he could best Miss Adebayo, an animagus and older student...
Arguably Nico didn't need a euphoria inducing elixir to be feeling some semblance of euphoria. Hopefully it wasn't about to go to his head.
It was a more challenging potion than the others thus far but Nico wasn't disheartened. He brewed swiftly for the most part, although there was a point where he slowed up due to some inadequate chopping (in his opinion) and had to reslice the ingredient with greater precision. Finally, he was finished and he noted with a pang of insecurity that he was the last to do so. Outfit | Tag: | Notes:
"You may find there is such a thing as too much euphoria, with that," Trystan remarked with a furrowed brow at Mr. Crabbe's attempt, which was slightly off in colour. The other two were – not perfect, but both very good for students. This would be a strange final round to witness indeed: Miss Slughorn had been completing her potions in half the time as Mr. Zabini. The hare and the tortoise.
But Trystan readied the hourglass to be turned once more. "And now, The Draught of Living Death, if you will."
Alcyone was quite proud of herself for having made it this far. And that was with the rather unexpected distraction in the form of a handsome moderator too! She began brewing, doing each step carefully. Her previous potion had not been perfect. And she wanted to be impressive.
The competition time waned, and Mr. Zabini and his cauldron had disappeared behind a worrying cloud of smoke – so that made the winner of this bracket fairly clear, by the by. "Well, congratulations, Miss Slughorn," Trystan announced wryly, as he began to usher everyone towards the exits before the other cauldron and its dubious contents could erupt over anyone. It would be a shame to maim a perfectly talented young potioneer in the process.
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