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
September 15th, 1888 — Jamie's Shack, Hebrides James MacFusty
Was it normal for a man to let a woman watch his house when he way away? Normalcy was the only thing she was concerned about, because it certainly wasn't proper. She supposed it was a good thing, then, that propriety wasn't an important factor here in the Hebrides. She regularly wandered around MacFusty house with shirtless, sweaty, unmarried men; went out into the fields with no chaperon supervision; and sometimes—if she was doing something physical—wore a sleeves dress that brushed the top of her ankles.
Jamie was coming back today after his week with the toddlings, and Bella was finishing up the final touches on his home. She'd swept and polished the floors, shaken the rugs, rearranged his supplies, sorted through books and paper and miscellaneous object that were scattered about—basically, she'd changed everything. (And on top of that, she'd made him something to eat, but she'd let him find that out for himself once she'd left.)
Bella was outside taking sheets off the clothing line when the figure of Jamie came into sight. She stopped what she was doing and threw the remaining sheets into the clean laundry basket.
"I thought you'd never come back!" she called, waving a hand in the air in greeting.
— MJ is MAGICAL —
October 10, 2018 – 2:45 AM
Last modified: October 10, 2018 – 2:51 AM by James MacFusty.
The week on the island had been mostly uneventful. The toddlings were getting boisterous and even Dagda seemed to have hit a growth spurt. But, luckily, the beast was still alive and had even begun making a name for himself in a sense. Bella, no, Miss Scrimgeour would be quite pleased with that.
It hadn't taken Jamie long to get his fear cleaned up so he could be on his way to the shack to see what kind of damage the insufferable woman had done. Also, he'd get to see how the pups were getting along. They may have even opened their eyes which was an exciting thing. But, even though they had use of their wands when on the island, they still didn't have the most basic of niceties and so he looked very much (and smelt) the part of a rugged mountain man when he came into how of the shack.
His steps faltered as he saw the lass standing outside andv seeing to some laundry. It was frustratingly domestic. It also made him feel things he never thought he would. He gave his head a visible shake as he drew nearer and heard her words.
"Surely you'd have loved that," he quipped, trying to avoid the desire to let his eyes rake over her form as she stood there with laundry on her hip.
Bella smacked her lips in mock-annoyance at his words, her free hand digging in her dress pocket. "I mean, I wouldn't mind keeping the house now that it's up to my standards, but I'm sure I'd get lonely after a few days," she teased, scrunching her nose as he neared her. His stench was even more noticeable with the smell of fresh laundry to her right, so once Bella finally managed to extract her wand, she sent a weak spurt of water in his direction. She'd get him some cologne for Christmas. "Don't go inside looking like that. I just finished cleaning," she scolded, but her wide smile erased any hint of seriousness. "I've set up an area outside the shack where you can clean off. I attached hooks for dirty clothes and shoes so you can clean them." (As handy as that made her sound, a wand and a good grasp of magic could do wonders for home improvements.)
Jamie quirked a brow regarding the shack being up to her standards. That could mean a whole slew of things, many of which he'd rather ignore. He was, however, a bit hesitant to go in. He had a feeling he wasn't going to be exactly pleased with how she'd cleaned up the place and made it to her standards. "You'd have had Arawn and whatever you called the white one to keep you company," he ended up saying instead.
But then she shot a spray of water at him and he returned a look of soggy anger back to her. "Was that really necessary?" he asked, bringing his hands up to wipe the water from his face. He really wasn't keen on the idea of stripping out of dirty clothes outside of the house, especially with her around. He'd likely never hear the end of it from Mac or Immie.
"I think I'd rather take my clothes off in the comfort of my own room," he said with a huff as he made his way toward the area she indicated to ditch his boots at least. He'd see to them later. All he wanted was a decent scrubbing from the wash basin in the shack, a new pair of clothes and a hot mug of coffee spiked with some whiskey. And sleep. On his bed. The woman could be damned and do whatever she wanted from then on out.
Bella knew Jamie was a grouch, but she hadn't expected him to be this much of a grouch after a week of being with the toddlings. Had she done something wrong? Surely a little spurt of water wasn't enough to upset him... She tried not to think about it, instead gathering up the rest of the laundry while he marched away to remove his shoes. Fortunately among laundry were fresh bed sheets, so Jamie could change in his room if it was truly necessary (and considering how stubborn he was, she imagined it might just be).
The laundry secured in the basket, Bella chased after him. "The pups were well-behaved!" she called again, leaving some distance between herself and the changing area so Jamie could do what he needed to. "They opened their eyes last night, but they're still not walking. I made them blankets, too!" (And to think Jamie had thought Frideswide wouldn't survive her first week!)
As she began to walk towards the shack's entrance, Bella glanced over her shoulder. "While you clean up, I'm going to put the clean sheets where they need to do. There wasn't one think in your house that wasn't dirty," she mentioned with a tsk tsk. (Maybe she could be a laundry maid if Mac ever fired her.)
Jamie nodded simply and grunt in response in regards to the pups. He was glad to hear they were doing well and that their eyes had opened. He'd need to take a look at the white one though and see for himself how it was going to hold up. He still wasn't convinced keeping it alive would be in its best interest.
With his boots off and at the front door, he did strip out of the dirty and stained shirt and threw it on one of the hooks she'd indicated before he moved inside. He, however, stopped dead in his tracks.
Everything was off. It was clean, sure, but things were all out of order. And not only that but it smelled different. He didn't like it. Not one bit. Quite frankly, he was regretting ever telling her she could clean up the place. He'd never expected it to go to such an extreme as it obviously had. It was almost like walking into a new shack entirely.
"What in Merlin's beard have you done to this place?" he asked, eyes blazing as he turned to look at her.
Bella had not considered that Jamie would hate it. It might have been a drastic change compared to the former state of his lodgings, but it wasn't anywhere near comparable to the comfort of Immie's home. The surprise that crossed her face at the anger in Jamie's tone when he first walked inside—well, it was flustering to say the least.
Her eyes lowered to the ground and her arms crossed over her chest defensively. "I cleaned it up," she explained, her voice going soft. "I just... rearranged some things... did laundry... swept... hung up a picture or two." Please don't yell, please don't yell, was what she wanted to say, but she found herself waiting silently, the anticipation agonizing. Then, a moment later, she bravely added: "Is it that bad, Jamie?"
Jamie was certainly full of anger and fury in that moment. Everything was different and he was very much a creature of habit. His shack may have been a mess to an outsider but it hadn't been to him. He'd at least known where everything was at all times. But now.. well know it was all wrong.
And though he wanted to yell and throw a fit about it, the sudden change in her demeanor and softening of her voice managed to hit him right in the chest. The heart even because, yes, he did actually have one of those. And then she said his name. She never said his name even if he'd insisted on being referred to as Jamie so that it didn't sound to formal and stuffy. She usually referred to him as some random nickname, anything that wasn't his name, and that had been enough to deflate all the damned anger he'd felt just moments before.
Rubbing his face with his hands and then through the thick locks of brown hair, he sighed and shook his head. "I just didn't expect it," he said simply even if it was so much more than that, "How the hell did ye even manage it all?" He tried to soften his tone as best he could as he looked up to her to await her response.
There was a moment of silence in the room. Bella could feel her chest tightening with every moment passed, wondering what he'd say—if anything. Jamie's usually stoic expression shifted from confusion to frustration to pure fury, and for a moment Bella wondered if she should pull out her wand again so she could apparate away if Jamie lost his temper. He was certainly a simple, down-to-Earth sort of man, but definitely one with a narrow mind—hence her surprise when he took a breath and responded with calmness.
"Magic," she responded just as simply, intentionally avoiding his gaze. She scanned the floors as if they were the most interesting thing in the world, noting the dirt that he'd dragged in despite wearing no shoes. "There was so much dirt and dust when I started. I just thought it would be more comfortable. For you, for the pups..." She bit down on her bottom lip. She peeked up at him hesitantly, blue eyes meeting brown ones. "I, um—I left food in the kitchen. I'll just go put the sheets where they belong and I'll leave you be. You probably want some alone time," she added, knowing that the further he walked into the shack, the more drastic the changes got—and she was not prepared for that wrath.
Jamie nodded a bit stiffly when she said magic then went on to explain things further. He hadn't really noticed how bad it was apparently. When it was all one had, their only way of living, he supposed you just got used to it. And, truth be told, he wasn't in his shack a ton to begin with. When he was there, it was just long enough to eat and sleep. He did very little else there really.
"Thanks," he ended up saying as she went about her business with replacing the sheets. He moved into the kitchen and set to eating the food she'd left for him. The kitchen was immaculate as well and he couldn't help the wrinkling of his nose at the clean smell of it all. It would take some getting used to, that was for sure.
Bella scattered away to Jamie's bedroom, where she spent two minutes trying to decide whether or not to actually change the sheets. He'd not taken well to the other changes, but his bed sheets—which were supposed to be white—were tinted brown from weeks (potentially even months!) of dirt build-up. Finally deciding to change them, she used her wand for most of the work, determining it to be both the quickest and cleanest means.
Then, glancing out the doorway to make sure Jamie wasn't there, she discarded her own stained dress and slipped on the replacement she'd brought with her, the sound of the whining pups all the while filling the room. She would gather her things, say goodbye to the pups and Jamie, and then run back home before he could find something to yell at her about. Perhaps an additional week free from her presence would suffice as an apology.
With her things gathered up and the pups kissed goodbye, Bella hesitantly moved through the shack and towards the kitchen, the floor creaking under each footstep. She approached Jamie from behind, making an effort to make enough noise with each movement so he wouldn't be spooked. (The last thing she needed was him tossing food in her direction.) She touched his arm gently, looked down at him, and stifled a laugh at the realization that more than half the plate of food was already gone. Was there a masculine stereotype that he didn't fit?
"I'm going home. I'll—see you soon, I suppose," she said with a soft, almost sad smile.
The food that Jamie had throughout the week when he was on the toddling island was always quite minimal. There was only so much that could be brought, after all, and there weren't things to do a bunch of cooking with. He knew magic made a big difference in their lives but there was still a bunch that couldn't be done. Not when there were toddling dragons about at least. So, when he'd settled to eat, he'd scarfed the food down relatively quickly. He hadn't had a chance to finish off his plate entirely, however, when he heard the creaking of the floors indicating she was coming back to the kitchen.
Still sitting shirtless, he glanced up to her as she touched his arm and seemed to be saying her goodbyes. He was a bit torn at that. Part of him couldn't wait for her to leave so that he could see just how much she'd destroyed his home but the other part of him was exhausted with being alone. He'd already spent a week with only himself as any sort of companion. Which, obviously, wasn't much of one.
"Have you eaten?" he asked before motioning to the remaining food. Not what was on his plate, of course, but there was still enough left for another meal. Probably not one of his proportions but he couldn't really see a woman of her size eating half as much as he had already.
His question caught her off guard. Jamie had never given her any indication that he cared about her needs, and to be honest it was a little... unsettling. There was a moment where she wondered if a toddling had conked him on the head as she stared down at him with arched brows, her gaze flickering between him an the food. "Are you... inviting me to stay?" she asked, chewing on the inside of her bottom lip. "You don't have to do that, you know. I made the food for you, not me," she added quietly.
Jamie shrugged, brow raised at her question, "If you'd like to." He'd asked after all, hadn't he? He was pretty sure that indicated that she was being invited to stay. But only if she wanted. Not because he longed for some companionship for a few more hours before he wound up in solitude again.
"You made plenty for more than just me," he ended up adding, trying to assuage any guilt she may have over the matter.
Bella wordlessly nodded as she took a seat in the chair beside him, self-consciously tucking stray strands of hair behind her ear. She grabbed what she could fit onto one plate, grabbed a fork, and slowly began eating.
"Were the toddlings well?" she asked quietly. "I was hoping for good news about Dagda."
Jamie had all but forgotten his good news in regards to Dagda. He'd planned on telling her right away but things had taken a quick turn for the not so great. As such, he'd forgotten. Luckily, she asked. It helped to take his mind off the tension as well.
"He's actually doing pretty well," he said between mouthfuls. He did at least make a point to finish chewing before talking but talking wasn't about to slow down his eating. Nothing ever slowed down his eating. "Starting to make a name for himself in a way," he added after drinking some coffee he'd scrounged up with a healthy dosing of whiskey, "Put on a bit'o'weight and is filling out some. Looks like he may stand a good chance after all."
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