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.
I hope I'm not the one to tell you, but....your mother's taken quite ill, according to the letters Maxwell and I have received from your household, and...your sister Wisteria is gone. It's all so horrible. They're saying dragons attacked London. Unfortunately, I don't know too many details beyond that.
By this point in the day, Jessamine was curled up in Francesca Garlick’s lap in a corridor alcove and shaking like a leaf, dreading what sort of news was coming next. She tensed when the next owl came; this time, it was from her other sister-in-law, and after reading the letter, deep in her gut she knew she wasn’t lying. As much as Minnie didn’t always treat her nicely, she trusted Angelique far more than she ever did Liliana. It took awhile for her to reply, as her writing hand kept shaking.
15th September, 1893
Angelique,
Liliana wrote to me first and she didn’t break the news nearly as decently as you did and I didn’t believe it was true, but now I do. Please keep me updated if you can and I’ll try to get a copy of the Prophet to read up on what they’re saying. Tell my mother I love her so much, I miss her, and I’ll write to her soon. Thank you for letting me know. Give my best to my brother and nephew.
I never thought I would use this stationary. This ink.
I am certain by now you will have seen the Prophet and will already know. But I wanted you to hear it from me. My mother was...found. They've refused to tell me the details, just that she wasn't...whole, when they located her. I hadn't even been aware she was in London.
Maxwell has been a rock since this morning. I've only just stopped crying.
Minnie hadn’t done much other than stare silently at her food, picking at her dinner since she had heard the news the day before of her sister and mother. Her usual uniform was now adorned with mourning jewelry and she hardly had the energy to put on her beauty charms so the light remaining bruises from the fight with Autumn were visible. She winced hard when an owl dropped a letter on her lap, terrified this was the one from her father, but was relieved, if only for a moment, it was not.
18th September, 1893
Angelique,
I’m so sorry to hear about your mother, Angelique, she was always so kind to me, even when I’m not certain I always deserved it. I don’t know what to do, I feel so helpless here at Hogwarts. If I’m allowed, I’d like to attend her funeral as well as my sister’s and pay my respects. My heart hurts for you, Max, and Henri, I just want to hug all of you so you won’t disappear. Chessie said that her father is ill with dragon pox, and another friend lost her brother, so the pain is felt among all here at Hogwarts too. I will see you soon.
Your presence would be most welcome at the funeral, and if you ever have need of it, my home will always be open to you.
How has school been thus far? I remember my seventh year. The coming out ball. Witch Weekly said my gown shined gold in the candlelight. They also said I was most likely to reject a proposal, but obviously they got that wrong.
Thank you, I will be there, and you’re so sweet for saying that. You’re a better sister to me than I’ve ever been to you and I’m sorry. The rumors about you were always rather weak anyway and I was awful for believing them over you.
School seems so trivial right now, as has everything that happened to me since I’ve gotten here. My first night, I got into a bit of a spat with a fellow student and ended up losing a lot of points and worse yet, the respect of Professor Foxwood, who’s been my mentor in Transfiguration and someone I look up to immensely. He didn’t write to my father about it all, and for that I’m grateful, but I’ve been acting like that’s the worst thing that can happen, but it’s not.
Like all that petty stuff I said to Miss Valenduris and Miss Fairfax, I wish I could take it back because maybe it felt good to say it at the time, but it’s all stupid compared to all of this, you know? But I suppose what’s done is done.
Really? You know, I would have taken that as a compliment. That I was so lovely that I was going to have all the options in the world and have to decline a few and only the best would satisfy me, and I think that’s true about you too. I mean, you didn’t settle - Max is a catch. Is it wrong to still look forward to my debut? I’ll be out of mourning by then. Perhaps I’ll be lovely like that too.