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.
If you can see me in the sun, the stars, and the moon, perhaps you might take an interest in my sister. She is exceedingly more available and looks just like I - but prettier, even!
July 28th, 1888
Dear Mr. Gladstone,
I truly feel sorry for any gentleman who loves me, and I do not say that out of self-pity!
July 27th, 1888
Dear Mr. Gladstone,
You had an entire year, but somehow managed to wait until I was nearly destitute to decide you loved me.
In return, you must be aware that I am filled with affection at the mere mention of your name. You were the first gentleman who managed to charm me following graduation, and you continued to do so as we walked the halls of St. Mungo's together. If this adoration might have become known to me prior to the incident that saw my father arrested, I may have been able to return them in some manner of permanency. My feelings towards you will never be anything but warm, but to properly act on them would only prove to society that I am the woman they always believed me to be: a selfish, greedy woman who only pays mind to what she wants.
Perhaps I already am the woman society makes me out to be. I have held onto your heart, fully knowing that I cannot give you mine in return, and yet I recoil at the prospect of releasing it for another woman to claim. You are kind gentleman who has so much to offer a woman, but you must be with a woman who does not shame you and your family. The only thing I will ever have to offer is the warmth of my embrace, and that is not enough.
It is my heart to give to who I see worthy of it. No one else can do so for me and if you hold onto it, it is because I have chosen for you to do so. How is it selfish to hold onto it when I deeply desire for you to do so?
What woman could outshine you? I fear such a woman does not walk this earth, in my humble opinion.
I suppose it would depend on your definition of "outshine". I was always a vibrant young woman, but it is that same quality - combined with my unconventional attitude and disregard for societal norms in pursuit of friendships - that left me judged. How can you know that I am the same woman you once knew?
I was much changed since we last spoke, and I'm afraid the traits that society once judged me on have only been amplified by the experiences the past few months have put me through. I always believed that a life of spontaneity was the life for me, but there are things that change that: homelessness, hunger, desperation. I may not be the same Annabelle Scrimgeour you knew - and apparently grew to love along the way. The people in your life would never accept me as your acquaintance, let alone an object of your affection. And for all you might not care, I do.
What do you think, realistically, that we might do?
I have told you time and again that societal convention means little to nothing to me. I cannot think of society when they cause my heart to be so wretched. Damn the lot of them for what they have brought onto you. I am aware that some of the incidents were only worsened by your own actions but they have only worsened things to a degree that has left you destitute.
I think that one of the first things we might realistically do is find a place we can speak neutrally, a place where societys spies might not be privy to our conversations.
There is also the damning fact that I am at a loss as to what we could realistically do when you are so focused on insuring that I keep my so-called good name. You doing so only makes my adoration for you deeper.
Forgive me for not writing sooner. It was nearly noon on the 1st of August I unfurled fresh parchment with the intent to write a letter that would see you cease all contact with me forever, but the sudden dissipation of the fog seemed like a warning—or perhaps a plea from fate—not to proceed.
I have thought for many long hours about our recent exchange and can not find it in my heart to say I never wish to see you again. I wish I could express my true feelings—my affection, my fears, my desires—through writing, but I know I lack the eloquence to do so. We should meet, but in private, where no one might ever see us.
I never thought that I would be grateful for that fog then. I did worry that you had decided to simply cut contact. I, myself, have been occupied with tending to the aftermath of the fog.
I am not well versed in secret meetings so I cannot think of a place beyond one of our own residences. That wouldn't feel quite right but I feel like you have probably had quite enough of public scrutiny to chance meeting in any relatively public space.
Another alternative is to go away entirely. Anywhere in the world, where would you want to go?
Work and other obligations I have to the family I work for have kept me busy over the past few weeks. It's much more unpredictable job than my internship at St. Mungo's, especially considering that my employer is housing me.
I'm not sure my employer's family would appreciate bringing a gentleman to the home, nor do I expect I'd be very welcome in yours. Your question is such a broad one; I'd definitely like to visit Italy and Greece and perhaps Denmark, but for the sake of our meeting, I think some rural Welsh town would suffice. My biological family has Welsh roots, but I've never spent much time there.
I am so glad that you have found both a place to reside and an occupation. That is some worry alleviated. And you are right, I doubt either would be very respectful to our respective cohabitors.
A rural Welsh town would be adequate, a muggle one too just in case.
