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
july 07, 1893 — fudge & son desserterie, diagon alley
Dorian wondered what he was missing back at the Flint Institute as he had gone to his lessons that morning but decided not to attend the social events afterwards so he could spend some time with his cousin since he knew she really hadn’t made any friends of her own yet. It was weird, he thought, having her around, since usually his family would visit his Aunt and Uncle at their vineyard all the time, but they would never come visit them at their estate in Wellingtonshire. But for some unknown reason she was now a ward of his family and his parents would probably kill him if he didn’t make her feel welcome, even if he did have school things.
“Come on, I’ll treat you to some ice cream,” he said, leading her through the crowd in Diagon Alley towards Fudge & Son Desserterie. It seemed with school out there were plenty of students as well as adults running around from shop to shop, peering in the windows and seeing what they could afford. “What do you think of London so far? Hogsmeade is great, don’t get me wrong,” Dorian continued, turning to look at Elise, who was holding his arm, “But there’s loads more to do around here, I think, so whenever I have the time I like to Floo over and have a look around. Mum said she took you to get some books a few times around here already.”
If she knew that Dorian had school related things to do, Elisabeth never would have agreed to spend the day with him, since she knew how important his education was to him and that included his social education which was what he got out of the events after his classes. But, she was grateful that he made time for her and she liked spending time with him, especially now that she felt so alone here since she moved here to go to the Pendergast School for Young Roses. In time, she was sure she would make friends of her own, but when you didn't go to the school everyone else in your peer group went to and you weren't old enough to be out, it was hard to meet people. Perhaps the girls at the finishing school would be kind enough to be her friend.
“Ice cream? That sounds delightful,” Elisabeth hadn’t had anything sweet in ages as her mother was always so particular about her daughter maintaining her figure, even with a corset shaping her just fine. She smiled at Dorian and relied on him to take them towards the desserterie, clinging to his arm as if she was afraid that she’d lose him. “It’s different, yet familiar,” she admitted, “Reminds me more of Paris than Champagne… the big city feeling of it, anyway. Though, admittedly, we didn’t get to leave the school for field trips often.” But when they did, it was usually to museums and art galleries. She then nodded, “Oh, yes. Aunt Ophelia took me to the library around here and then later to a bookstore since there were some titles I wanted to keep for myself. She’s been so accommodating to me, I do hope your parents aren’t too bothered by my presence here.”
Beautiful Set by MJ ♡ !
July 9, 2023 – 3:16 AM
Last modified: September 2, 2023 – 1:31 PM by Dorian Rosier.
Even if he was probably missing something fun at the Flint Institute today, he cared a lot more about making his cousin happy than whatever it was. Dorian smiled at her when she agreed they should get ice cream and he could already feel his mouth watering for it, especially with how hot it had been lately. “Familiar is good, I’m assuming? Don’t worry, you’ll get used to Hogsmeade too eventually. It’s no vineyard but it still has its charm - plus, you won’t have to deal with any muggles bothering you. Unlike that weird guy back there when we tried to get into Diagon Alley,” he laughed, though he certainly wasn’t laughing fifteen minutes ago when he was bothering them, “Anyway, I’m glad mum is taking you to bookstores and libraries; I told her you might like to get some things to read.” Plus, she wasn't as strict about appropriate books the way Aunt Beatrice was.
It was then that they arrived and he pulled out a chair for Elisabeth, ordered them two ice cream sundaes and sat down across from her. Dorian brushed the hair that was falling into his face back and shook his head, “No, no, don’t worry about that. If anything mother is thrilled to have a lady around that she can chaperone to all those dress shops and all of that nonsense. And father? Well, he’s too busy with his work at the ministry to even care, I’m sure.” He then grinned, propping his head up on his hands as he peered across the table at Elisabeth, ready to ask her what had been bothering him since this whole thing started, “So, Miss Champagne. Inquiring minds want to know how come you decided that Bellerose wasn’t the finishing school for you? I thought every debutante wanted to be finished in Paris. Mother says the reason was that it wasn’t the right fit for you but that doesn’t seem to make sense to me, personally - I think you could fit anywhere you wanted.”
“Familiar is good,” she smiled; at least for now, she was happy to have things that she recognized from home, but perhaps sometime Elisabeth would have an appreciation for all of the differences as well. She laughed at the memory of that muggle earlier that she was seconds away from hitting with her parasol, “Well, I’ll be grateful for that. I like Hogsmeade enough already, Dor. We don’t really have all wizard communities back home the way you do here, though I expect more will be developing very soon after seeing how well the one here is going.” It would help make wizards more comfortable using magic in public, she thought, since they didn’t have to keep an eye out for muggles. “That’s very sweet of you. You know you’re the only one who encourages my reading habits, well, except for Jean-Marie, but he's little so he hardly counts,” Elisabeth mused.
She smiled, thanking him when he pulled a seat out for her when they arrived at the desserterie and sat down, leaning her parasol against her chair while he ordered for them. Once he returned she found herself relieved to hear that she wasn't being a complete burden to his parents as that was the last thing she wanted, though she did roll her eyes at Dorian calling it ‘nonsense.’ “That’s good to know. If things change though, I’m relying on you to tell me because you know Aunt Ophelia and Uncle --- better than I do,” she knew she had to be on her best behavior, though, so hopefully that kept them from changing their minds. It was then she had to keep her face from falling because Dorian asked her about the elephant in the room - why did she leave Bellerose? And without thinking she got up and went to the counter to grab their ice cream sundaes.
It was one way to avoid answering for a minute but the moment she returned and set their treats down she knew she had to say something to respond to him. “It seems you’re wrong about that. Nothing more to say except I didn’t fit in there, no matter how much I wanted to, but I’m sure Pendergast’s School for Young Roses will be just what I need,” she said, doing her best to steady her voice, pulling a sort of tight smile to hide her real thoughts. Then, before he could possibly respond to her curt response, “Did you know her? The girl. In the paper this morning, the one who died in the storm, did you know her?” It was a dark conversation topic, but it was the first thing that popped into her head and she was pretty desperate to change topics.
Beautiful Set by MJ ♡ !
July 21, 2023 – 10:31 PM
Last modified: September 2, 2023 – 1:31 PM by Dorian Rosier.
Truthfully, Dorian was completely relieved that his cousin was enjoying her time in Hogsmeade and her trips out to London. He knew he absolutely hated when he first arrived here all those years ago, before he started at Hogwarts; he was still little, but even then he had attachments to his old home and didn't feel well adjusted to Great Britain until a little after making new connections at school. “I hope they do. Keep all the riff-raff out. Warding spells do wonders, but it’s good to know you can breathe easy around your entire community,” he mused, referring to his distrust for muggles. He chuckled at the mention of their baby cousin, then he nods, “Aunt Beatrice just doesn’t want you getting ideas. Personally, I think you’re more interesting when your head is full of nonsense like feminism.” He smirked at Elise, then winked, knowing his words would rile her up.
Once they were seated at the desserterie, he couldn't help but quirk an eyebrow as she expressed her worry that she was being a burden on his parents. Dorian didn't think he could recall a time when Elise wasn't the picture of confidence, which when paired with his arrogance, could be quite a perfect storm for their family. But, that was nice about their relationship with each other; they could be honest and true. “I promise, Elise, if they change their minds about having you around and I know of it, I will tell you as soon as I am able. But I doubt you have anything to worry about. My mother loves you and my father will deny it to the day he dies, but she tends to have more say in things like this than he does,” Dorian grinned at her, hoping to cheer her up.
The cheer, however, seemed to dwindle down rather quickly since he stumbled upon a controversial subject without meaning to. Dorian had an inkling that there was more to her leaving Bellerose than what the adults were saying, but he didn't know it was something serious enough that would make her uncomfortable to talk about. “Elise, wait…” his eyes followed her as she just got up and retrieved their ice cream; that’s how he knew there was something more to this - she would never do that. His cousin was a lady, she would expect him to go get their ice cream while she sat and waited, it was completely out of character for her, which must mean he upset her enough that she had to excuse herself. His mouth went dry and when she returned he didn't have time to apologize for upsetting her or really say anything because she went right on telling him he was wrong and it was as simple as not fitting in, only to smack him in the face with the mention of today's tragic news.
“I…what?” It wasn't often he was rendered speechless but he felt like she just hit him with a stunning spell and it threw him for a loop. He awkwardly cleared his throat, trying to compose himself, his hand gently touching the metal of the spoon in his ice cream - the cold keeping him grounded. “Well, not really, sort of. Miss Bixby was in the year above me and she was in a different house… we had some classes together, but we weren’t friends. I don’t think I ever spoke to her outside of class, honestly,” Dorian still felt a sense of sadness, though, to hear of her passing, not because he knew her, but because she was so young and it made him face his own mortality and it made him feel a little more protective of his younger brother and cousins. “Elise, look, I won’t press it if you don’t want to talk about what happened at Bellerose, but you don’t have to bring up… today was supposed to be fun, okay?” Dorian’s smile was weak, “Do you like your ice cream? Sundaes are a new kind.”
Truthfully, Elisabeth never had a poor experience with a muggle, as long as you didn’t count that weird one when they first got to the entrance to Diagon Alley, so she couldn’t say if they were people she should consider ‘riff raff’ as Dorian phrased it. But, she knew that her family did not like nor trust them and she didn’t have any evidence that spoke otherwise against their prejudice so she’d just smile and nod in agreement. “I’ve heard in non-magic communities you can’t use magic,” she said off-handedly; she liked how magic was out and proud in Hogsmeade and in Diagon Alley. Though her expression soured and she hit her cousin in the arm with her parasol at his sexist comment - teasing or not. “Careful,” she tsked, making a playful smile, “I was planning on sparing you once ladies take over. If you can’t hold your tongue, I may have to let them kill you.”
It eased her anxiety to know that at the very least, her Aunt Ophelia wanted her around and that she could make sure that her uncle didn’t oppose her staying with them. Elise didn’t think she would be a problem, as she would be staying at the finishing school most of the year and she promised she would be on her best behavior, not setting a poor example for their family. But, of course, even with all that being true, everyone had their reasons. Her smile and relief seemed to fade as Dorian asked about her leaving Bellerose and she barely heard him calling for her as she got their ice cream as an excuse to get away from him to think before sitting down and immediately changing the subject; she only wished she hadn’t picked a topic that was so grim.
Elisabeth tasted a bit of her ice cream, shocked at the cold and sweetness, but maintained her composure despite the mild brain freeze, and instead focused on Dorian’s own shock that she had asked about Sloan Bixby and confession that he really didn’t know her. Elise didn’t think that he did, not really, because he would have said something when they read the news this morning, right? But she supposed men were quieter in their grief than women were. “I see,” was all she managed to say, feeling rather strange speaking of a dead girl she’d never even met. She flushed pink as Dorian called her out on trying to distract him and she looked down at her ice cream for a moment, thinking of what she was going to say. “Ask me again later, okay?” she suddenly said, “Not right now, but later.” Maybe she’d tell him, but certainly not in a public setting like this.
“I do,” she smiled a little, hoping that they could move past the weirdness from before, “I’ve never really had anything like it before. Do you get ice cream sundaes often?” She rarely got to have such sweet treats as her mother was strict about her diet.
Beautiful Set by MJ ♡ !
August 20, 2023 – 9:42 PM
Last modified: September 2, 2023 – 1:31 PM by Dorian Rosier.
“Dying surrounded by lovely ladies is hardly a terrible death,” he replied, laughing at his cousin’s threat, not even minding the fact she’d hit his arm. It was one of the first times in a long time that he felt totally relaxed and was enjoying himself - not that he didn’t like his time at the Flint Institute, of course. It was just that being such a perfectionist, he put immense pressure on himself, especially when it came to his academic life, and spending time with someone whom he didn’t have to be perfect around even for an afternoon was relieving in a way that if he wasn’t completely horrified at the prospect, he could’ve cried.
It seemed, however, their relaxing day out was suddenly soured by his interest in the real reason that Elisabeth had come to Great Britain, as Dorian wasn’t satisfied by the lie that she simply wasn’t a good fit for a finishing school in Paris; if anything, he thought, the finishing school wasn’t good enough for her, and he’d testify to that. He raised an eyebrow when after that rather uncomfortable question about the dead Gryffindor girl, Elise told him to ask her about the school later, but he supposed he’d have to accept that. “Very well, Miss Champagne,” he smiled, “I will ask no more on the matter… for now.”
Dorian savored his ice cream, happy that despite the bumps in the road, they could talk about something pleasant. He laughed, then shook his head, “No, I’m afraid not. There’s nowhere in Hogsmeade that sells it and it’s the only place outside of Hogwarts we’re allowed to visit during the school term. But, I feel like if I had it more often, it wouldn’t be as much of a treat.” Plus, the concept of an ice cream sundae was new and it fascinated him - why hadn’t anyone come up with something like this before? “Speaking of term, will you write to me when I go back?” He hoped so, as he always enjoyed getting letters.
A feeling of relief washed over Elisabeth’s body when her cousin agreed to not press her for more information regarding her time at the French finishing school; she knew that she would have to tell him all about it eventually, as she knew that he wouldn’t ever just let it go completely, but she wanted time to think on it and certainly she had no intentions of getting into it in a public space where anyone could overhear her. Despite her relief, she didn’t feel it was warranted, as she had been having such a good time with Dorian all afternoon, just laughing and joking around, she doubted he would really spoil all of that just to watch her squirm. “Thank you, Dor,” she smiled softly as she started to relax, “You’re a sweet boy when you want to be.”
“That’s too bad, though I suppose you’re right,” Elisabeth mused, agreeing that having a treat too often could spoil it; she remembered that time she spent a holiday in Geneva and she was so sick of chocolate that the smell alone made her dizzy. She would savor this treat today, wondering if she would be able to venture out to somewhere like Hogsmeade on some weekends when she was attending Pendergast School or if the instructors would keep them all too busy for that. “I don’t know, should I?” she asked him, a coy smirk on her lips, “I might be too busy, you know, taking tea and cakes and practicing twirling.”
Beautiful Set by MJ ♡ !
August 26, 2023 – 10:39 PM
Last modified: September 2, 2023 – 1:31 PM by Dorian Rosier.
Dorian rolled his eyes at that, but he couldn’t help but smile anyway, letting out a bit of a half-scoff, half laugh, “You sound like my mother.” She was right, however, he wasn’t going to let this go forever because it sounded like it was some sort of juicy secret with the way Elise was trying to dodge his question, but whatever it was, he would never tell anyone about it because as nosy as he was, he’d never do anything to actually hurt her - at least nothing that would cause permanent damage.
“I’m always right,” he winked at her, between bites of his ice cream, though his cheery demeanor seemed to fall when she mentioned the whole ‘tea and cakes’ thing from their correspondence back in May when he was being harsh on her about her complaining about finishing school. “You’re not still angry with me about that, are you?” he asked her, “Look, I shouldn’t have been so mean about it, you didn’t deserve that. If you’ll forgive me, my lady, I would appreciate receiving your letters.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment, your mother is lovely,” Elisabeth replied, an amused smile already crossing her own features, her fear and anxiety regarding the previous conversation already melted away along with most of her ice cream if she didn’t finish it up soon. She was only teasing him, bringing up the argument they had, but she was surprised he actually apologized - Dorian never really did, they usually just stopped caring about fighting and made up. “I appreciate your apology, Dor, and no, I’m not still cross with you,” she admitted, honestly, she didn’t want to carry on a fight with the only person she felt comfortable to confide in, “If you wish me to send letters, as long as you promise to be nice to me, I shall send you some.”
Beautiful Set by MJ ♡ !
August 30, 2023 – 12:47 PM
Last modified: September 2, 2023 – 1:31 PM by Dorian Rosier.
Dorian smiled back at her, finishing up his own ice cream, relieved that despite the direction their conversation went, they were able to make up after their fight a few months ago and not completely ruin all of their fun. “Good, because I don’t know what I’d do without you,” he admitted, though he was sure he didn’t have to say it out loud, because Elisabeth should know. He was also relieved to hear she would continue writing to him while at Hogwarts; they were a good break from the stress he dealt with. “I promise to be nice to you, so long as you deserve it,” he winked at her, “Now before we get too mushy and weird, let's go. We have other things to do; I’ve been meaning to take you to the apothecary so we can get fresh supplies.”
![[Image: dorian-signature.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/h4LnDHt2/dorian-signature.png)
![[Image: elisesig.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/kgLYRV5L/elisesig.png)