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.
Professor Sleptov had stepped out to deal with some sort of explosion in the hallway. Elijah had heard it, of course, but paid it little mind as he disarmed for the umpteenth time the Hufflepuff he had been matched at. It was such a boring spell now that he was in second year—and Elijah Urquart was not a boy who enjoyed being bored.
The professor’s absence, however, opened up a world of opportunities.
Behind his partner stood the know-it-all Ravenclaw paired with Miss Scrimgeour, his back to Elijah as the first years practiced their own disarming charms in turn. He gestured for his obliging partner to shimmy slightly to the side, then gaily shot a stinging hex at the unaware Ravenclaw.
Nathan was in the midst of side stepping miss Scrimgeour's attack when a hex wizzed past his head, right where he had been just a moment before. He acted on instinct and pointed his wand behind himself casting the disarming spell. Due to the speed at which he reacted the spell impacted the far wall. Elijah UrquartHolly Scrimgeour
Holly really did enjoy dueling, especially against mudbloods who seemed to think that a little book work would be enough to get them through life! No, dueling involved raw talent, and she was certain she had more of that than her partner! Holly hadn't even noticed that Mr. Urquart (who Holly had thought was very cute) had cast a spell towards her opponent. She reacted as any confused onlooker would: brows furrowed and a flickering glance between the boys.
It was quite fortunate with Mr. Blackwell's impulsive, aimless spell-casting resulted not in the injury of Mr. Urquart as intended, but rather the shattering of a nearby window. Perturbed, Holly's shot the Ravenclaw a dirty look.
"Could you not be so reckless?" she scoffed, beginning to bring up her wand. "If you're going to cast a spell at someone, you need to do it like this." And with that, Holly shot a nasty knockback jinx at Mr. Blackwell.
Elijah would have been more annoyed had the Ravenclaw not tried to do something ~fancy and made an utter fool of himself. Typical mudblood, the second year thought to himself. They always think they know more than they do, and they never actually understand how magic works.
Blackwell's antics had made him smile, but at Miss Scrimgeour's own assault, Elijah let out a full-bodied laugh.
Nathan was becoming slightly annoyed at this point but he calmed himself and let instinct take over first casting a shield charm which absorbed the hex that his opponent had sent at him followed by a disarming spell the instant the shield lowered. He shifted his stance so he could see both Slytherin students at once. He refused to stoop to their level and use hexes in a duel, so had a long defensive fight on his hands untill help arrived.
The laughter in the classroom might have suggested she might come upon a more pleasant scene than Professor Sleptov was dealing with in the corridors but instead Connie found what appeared to be some kind of stand-0ff between three students in the unattended classroom. There was no way this was good.
"What on earth do you think you're doing?" She frowned, eyes focussing on the obvious damage to the wall. "And I dearly hope someone has a explanation for that."
Holly's heart began beating faster when the Slytherin matron made an appearance, but it was soothed when she realized she wasn't at fault. As Slytherins, the house matron would obviously believe them, right? She knew them!
"Madam Sykes!" she greeted a bit too eagerly. "We were practicing dueling just as Professor Sleptov instructed, and then Mr. Blackwell decided to take his anger out on the wall. It was absolutely dreadful — right, Mr. Urquart?" she asked, turning her attention to the second year with brows raised in a position that suggested he comply, lest they all end up in detention.
Elijah nodded, figuring it a safer route than opening his mouth and risking undermining Miss Scrimgeour's efforts. He quickly glanced at a couple of the other students present—surely they knew it was better to get one person into trouble than two, right?
— Elijah has heterochromia. His right eye is green and his left is blue. —
— MJ is a graphics goddess ❤ —
After hearing the other two attempt to deflect all blame upon him, he responded firmly but politely. "Madam, the simplest way to the truth is to test all wands, Mr. Urquart attempted to interfere in the practice duel by casting a hex at me. While I admit I did attempt to retaliate with a disarming spell, I did miss and hit the window. Miss Scrimgeour also decided to attempt, and fail, to hex me. While I did damage the window and take full responsibility for that act, it was in defense not malice that the damage occurred." With this he even proffered his want to the professor.
April 13, 2018 – 11:16 PM
Last modified: April 13, 2018 – 11:20 PM by Constance Sykes.
Miss Scrimgeour’s eager explanation that, frankly, would have satisfied her quite well in her capacity as a temporary overseer of the class whilst the Professor dealt with matters in the corridor was rather soundly overridden by the young Ravenclaw’s suggestion. He was rather more forthright than Connie would have anticipated in a student of his age – especially one faced with two students from families such as theirs – and she had to admire his courage. Even if she wasn’t overly impressed with his suggestion that she perform a tricky bit of magic rather than trust her own judgement.
“I can assure you that won’t be necessary Mr…Blackwall, isn’t it?” She guessed, not overly familiar with the newest brood of Ravenclaws just yet. “I can see for myself that Professor Sleptov was wrong to put his trust in all of you if you behave like this the moment you’re left alone,” glancing around the students assembled with the same disapproving face that had made many a former charge lower their heads in shame in the schoolroom she flicked her eyes to the wall again. She doubted the good Professor would be overly impressed with his student’s aim either.
Holly scoffed at his accusations, specifically the one that targeted her.
"We're in dueling class, you daft dunderhead!" argued, her cheeks reddening in anger. "I'm supposed to fire at you and you're supposed to fire back, not shatter the windows. Mr. Urquart never attacked you — I would have seen it!" she declared with her nose high in the air.
She might have lost her temper, but she couldn't stand such accusations being spouted by a know-it-all, snitch of a mudblood! She turned her attention back to Madam Sykes, regaining her composure. "Madam please, Mr. Blackwell was attempting to perform magic beyond our year. All I did is cast a simple knockback jinx!"
"It's true, Madam Sykes," Elijah spoke up at last. He had little to do with the house matron, but found her far more approachable than the head of house, likely due to her sex. While he knew better than to try to charm her—that would most assuredly backfire—surely it coudln't be too difficult to appeal to his female sensibilities?
"Blackwall was attempting to show off, dangerously so, and wouldn't stop when Miss Scrimgeour warned him. She did cast the knockback jinx, but only to get him to settle down. I was about to go for Professor Sleptov when you stepped in," the Slytherin continued. It had been rather daring of Miss Scrimgeour to admit to the jinx, and while Elijah might have appreciated a certain degree of ballsiness, he was not about to echo it.
— Elijah has heterochromia. His right eye is green and his left is blue. —
— MJ is a graphics goddess ❤ —
"While I did cast a spell of a higher year, it was a defensive one in response to her attempting to jinx me after he had tried to hex me. The moment Professor Sleptov left earshot a hex flew right where I had been standing. That is what set off this unfortunate series of events." He was still completely calm, their attempts to cast the blame on him left him unfazed. Then he realized something. The hex that had missed him was a stinging hex which would have left a mark wherever it had landed. His eyes studied Mr Urquart as his mind began calculating the trajectory based upon where he himself had been standing and where the instigator most likely was. "Madam, I believe I can tell you where his hex landed. The front left leg of Professor Sleptov's desk. Correction, the rear right from our prospective."
Connie doubted a knockback jinx would have done much to settle anything down but with accusations flying as quickly as any spells could it was hardly the salient point to focus on. In fact it was difficult to pick apart any of the accusations when she could feel her temper rising at the general attitude of the three.
“Miss Scrimgeour, calm yourself,” she began tersely, keeping the sigh out of her voice as best she could as she realised the two would likely back up each other’s story regardless of the truth simply because they were of the same ilk. Children could not help how they were raised, though she dearly wished it were not the case. “I don’t need to know where the jinx went Mr Blackwall, it’s quite enough to know that it was cast in the first place and I am yet to hear a reason for why your spell has caused quite so much damage.”
Pulling her wand from her pocket Connie swept it towards the glass and neatly the shards began to fly back into place. There was no lasting damage done at least: Hogwarts would likely withstand a stronger blow than a first year could deliver.
"Five points from each house and we'll hear no more about it. Mr Urquart, perhaps you could practice aiming if you managed to hit the table leg? And Mr Blackwell, some control in future would not go amiss.” Turning back to the lone girl of the three Connie’s features fell to disappointment. “We shall discuss this in my office after dinner,” turning back to the boys she clapped sharply to marshal them all. “Back to work all of you.”
Holly's face reddened as she faced her punishment. Now she couldn't even enjoy Mr. Blackwell losing points because Slytherin had now dropped five as well! Holly cast a deadly glare at the mudblood, one that told him that she'd be back, likely with a metaphorical (if she was feeling generous) knife to slit his throat. You know, as proper little girls did.
She moved away from the two boys and stepped closer the house matron, nodding solemnly. She would speak to Madam Sykes, and she'd make sure her opinion was heard! — hopefully without losing points this time. "I'll continue working, but not with that thing," she mumbled under her breath, side-eyeing the Ravenclaw boy.
Five house points between the two of them wasn’t so bad, and Elijah seemed to have largely avoided Madam Sykes’ ire. He shot Miss Scrimgeour a look that screamed be quiet before surreptitiously turning back to his earlier partner. His misdeeds had all but gone unpunished. This was a victory, and Elijah wanted it to stay that way.
— Elijah has heterochromia. His right eye is green and his left is blue. —
— MJ is a graphics goddess ❤ —
![[Image: jGi0wPk.png]](https://i.imgur.com/jGi0wPk.png)