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 1895. It’s time to join us and immerse yourself in scandal and drama interlaced with magic both light and dark.
Complete a thread started and set every month for twelve consecutive months. Each thread must have at least ten posts, and at least three must be your own.
Did You Know?
Did you know? Jewelry of jet was the haute jewelry of the Victorian era. — Fallin
She was not going to do this. He was not mean! He was being helpful! Her clear as day upset was misguided and misdirected! It wasn't his fault she had gotten lost.
As she walked off, Paxton went to shout at her when it hit him just what had transpired. He'd pulled her away from where her family was, took her toward the zoo, and then made her cry.
Suddenly, he felt his stomach churn and the water in his eyes well up. Moving toward her, Paxton took hold of her hand and turned her around.
"Sorry," He huffed and looked to the floor, "But I'm not mean."
After a few moments of pouting, Paxton rubbed his eyes and looked toward Flora, "What does your family look like?"
Flora had once again found herself in the middle of a crowd of strangers, and she was back to square one—or rather, square negative-ten, because she was much farther from her family then was when Mr. Fudge had found her! Fortunately, the foolish boy (she thought fondly, as she regretted leaving him the moment she realized how alone she was) found his way to her once more, and she gripped his hand as if he were her last life line.
With her other hand, she wiped her tears and then moved closer to him for fear that an especially boisterous adult would sweep her right out of his sight! It was irrational, but fear made her think the silliest of things.
"My Mama has dark hair like me, but she's much prettier—I've love to be half as pretty as she one day," she rambled through a hoarse voice. "My brother is taller than her, and looks much less like her, too. His hair is a little lighter and he's very thin," she explained, beginning to hiccup after each few words.
Paxton nodded at her words and sniffed hard, his hands running against his eyes again. So he was looking for a prettier, taller Flora and a Flora who was a thin boy.
Mentally noting the descriptions, Paxton tightened his grip on her hand for fear she would vanish. Despite their near-constant bickering, it seemed the two got on quite well. He rather enjoyed her company.
"You are quite pretty though," Paxton mused as they moved through the crowd. He didn't think much on his words - it was more a vocal observation. He certainly hadn't meant anything by it.
"Is that them?" He stooped and pointed toward a couple of people stood by a water feature. They kind of matched the descriptions Flora had given him.
As they looked for her family, Flora listened to his words without responding to them. She knew she was pretty—her friends' Mamas and her Mama's friends told her as much—but it was strange hearing it coming from a boy her age. She only opened her mouth to respond when Mr. Fudge pointed out a duo in the crowd.
"No, that's not them. Merriweather's not that much taller than Mama," she sighed, her disappointment (and exhaustion) obvious in her tone. "Maybe they've left me. Maybe Mama decided Merriweather is her favorite and that she doesn't need me anymore. She's always loved him lots." Oh what a sad existence that would be, to be unloved by one's mother!
Furrowing his brows at her words, Paxton turned to her and huffed. What an absolutely absurd notion!
"That doesn't make sense," He said with a confused tone, "Because why would she not need you?"
Of course, there were so many things that girls were important for. From what he'd heard from his father, from patrons of the resort, and also from... erm... other patrons, girls were good for looking pretty and cooking and becoming wives and... and.... "Who is going to have babies if you aren't needed!" Paxton shrugged.
He then decided to pull her through the crowd some more, stopping next to a couple of people; a man and a woman, who also sort of matched Flora's description.
Flora looked at Mr. Fudge as if he had two heads at his remarks. Her? Having babies? She was eleven!
"I hardly think my mother would keep me around for that reason," she nearly shrieked, her cheeks heating up at the remark. Besides, Merriweather was perfectly capable of doing something she couldn't do: carry on the Mulciber name. "Besides, I - I -" And then he called out to two complete strangers.
"No, Mr. Fudge," she huffed, tugging his arm so they'd move away from the people. "Those people are not my mother and brother. My Mama dresses better than that!"
It took everything in him for Paxton to not just allow his body to turn into a noodle and fall to the floor. Why were adults all the same! This is why he liked his father: he was a ghost! You couldn't lose a ghost!
Well, you could but that was besides the point.
Pulling from her arm, Paxton threw his head back and let out an exasperated grunt. He was done! This was too difficult.
"We are going to be lost forever! Our lives are over!" He drew his words out with emphasis, "We are never goi-" And then he saw, out of the corner of his eye, a familiar person!
"Miss Mulciber! They can help!" He said, pointing to one of the resorts servants.
His sudden outburst caused her to flinch, and she instinctively wrapped her hands protectively across her chest. He was so melodramatic, especially for the one who hadn't lost his entire family! Merlin, this resort was his home—did he ever get lost? Meet someone unwilling to help the proprietor's son? Probably not.
Speaking of someone willing to help, Mr. Fudge suddenly broke free of his hysterics and pointed towards a servant. Flora visibly perked up, her eyes glancing between her friend and the unfamiliar face.
"Are you sure they'd be able to help?" she asked, a hint of nervousness in her tone.
Nodding his head almost furiously, Paxton didn’t even bother answering Miss Mulciber before he found himself in front of the servant.
“Miss!” Paxton huffed in front of the servant and pointed to Flora, “She has lost her parents! It’s awful! Have you seen them?” He asked.
Of course, any normal person would assume even the staff would not know who some random child’s parents were.
And true as it were, they did not know!
Unless…. They were hiding something!
Oh no!
Turning on the balls of his feet to face Flora once more, Paxton swallowed and decided it was best to break the news to her quickly.
“I think…” He hesitated, “Miss Mulciber… I think… I think your parents have turned invisible.”
While she might believe certain, rational (if not slightly dramatic) scenarios, the conclusion Mr. Fudge was coming to was not one of them. She only tightened her arms across her chest, her eyes narrowed and lips pursed.
"You are one of the most illogical boys I've ever met. Invisible, really?" she questioned. "It's more likely that they've wandered off in a completely different direction!"
Why was she so… so… Incredibly irritating! Infuriating! Ugh, this is why he hated most girls! They were all like this! First she had decided to insult him, which prompted him to furrow his brows and cross his arms rather abruptly, and then she insinuated his perfectly sound idea that they’d turned invisible was illogical!
“We’ve been everywhere!” He huffed, “And still we cannot find them! Therefore, it is not illogical that they are invisible! If anything, you are illogical, Miss Mulciber! And a meanie! Every time I see you, you insult me!”
Ugh!
UGH!
Why did he like spending time with her?
She was the worst.
The absolute worst.
If anything, it was Flora who could not figure out why she'd continue to seek him out - and enjoy her time around him, bar the few times she'd almost cried. It was obvious he was trying to help, but he was really and truly awful at it. He over-exaggerated, jumped to conclusions without looking at every possibility, and yelled at her whenever she contradicted him. She would say that all boys were like him, but they weren't. Rex wasn't like that. Sirius wasn't like that. Most boys weren't like that - not really. But Mr. Fudge was, and she just couldn't wrap her head around it!
"We have not been everywhere," she huffed, resisting the urge to stomp her foot and flail her arms about in exasperation. "Not to the zoo, not back to my room, not to the other side of the resort! For someone who lives here, you have absolutely no grasp of the size of this place!"
Of course they hadn't been everywhere! She wouldn't let him take her anywhere! He could feel his cheeks burn a bright red when she said about the zoo! Much less when she had exclaimed he didn't know his own house! This was quickly taking a turn for the worst - as it seemed to with Miss Mulciber.
Stomping his foot on the ground and folding his arms, Paxton huffed in front of the servant who simply rolled their eyes and walked off as if this was a common occurrence with the Fudge son.
"I tried taking you to the zoo and you made me feel bad! Stop being so indecisive! I cannot help you find them if you keep being mean and not letting me help you!" Paxton huffed once again.
The frustration in his voice was abundantly clear and for a moment, he just stood there with his arms crossed in the hopes she'd apologise and let him actually try to help (even if his idea of 'help' manifested itself in the urge to go to the zoo and let the giraffes run free).
He made it so difficult to control the temper she didn't even know she had.
"I'm not saying they are at the zoo! I'm saying that you saying that they're invisible is completely and utterly stupid! You're so irrational and illogical and you don't have a sensible bone in your body," she complained, completely unashamed of her own bluntness in the moment.
"I'm going to find my family by myself - and if I get trampled and die, you'll be to blame." she added with disgruntled hmph. He'd be the one to face Rex come September when she wasn't at Hogwarts!
Stupid. Completely and utterly stupid. That’s what she was calling him! It was nothing short of perhaps the worst insult imaginable and Paxton didn’t have a single bone in his body that was not getting riled up!
Crossing his arms and glaring viciously toward her, Paxton waited until she’d finished before speaking himself; “The only stupid one here is you! You don’t know where you are going and you will get trampled by people and – and – and if you go to the zoo the giraffes will eat you.” He huffed before turning on the balls of his feet to walk away.
He got a few paces before noticing someone who actually kind of looked like Flora and so he turned around, “Also they’re over there, Miss Mulciber.” Paxton spat his words and pointed toward the few person.
He didn’t know if the person was Flora’s family but at this point he didn’t care. She was a bully!
Tears pricking at the corner of her eyes, Flora listened to his words. The wrath! The audacity! She would not be eaten by a giraffe, but the fact that he would even suggest such a thing - and with only the intention of frightening her - send the tears streaming down her face. Her chest shaking with sobs that were attempting to escape, Flora finally did stomp her foot down, only to turn around and run away.
They were not her mother and her brother, but she would rather be around anyone - even a slasher! - than be in Mr. Fudge's company any longer. He was a mean sort of boy who paid little mind to her feeling, and she hated him for it.
