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 don't always wake up in the mornin'
Pour myself a strong one
Ah, but when I get lonely I do
Your memory gets burnin'
Lean back on the bourbon
Sure as hell can't keep leanin' on you
Tala's avoidance of London was mostly by design; with an ex-fiancé and an ex-husband who both frequented this particular section of magical society, Tal preferred to keep to Hogsmeade or to the farm, but sometimes it couldn't be avoided. Plus she did have friends she would like to see every now and then. Her new position with the Hillickers kept her in England at the very least. She had enjoyed her travels and her time away, but she was also glad to be back.
Not to mention there was some sort of political storm brewing with the upcoming election and she rather fancied a trip to the Augurey to see what everybody was doing. But first she had to make a quick trip through the Cauldron and down the Alley to handle some business for the farm. She hadn't made it more than five steps from the fireplace when a familiar face came into view.
"Abernathy," She greeted with a wry smile. They were some amalgamation of "friends" but had never been particularly close. More like they ran in similar circles and tried not to overlap. They did enjoy a good battle of wits every now and then. It had been far too long, so she softened her expression a little and slowed her step. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes." She teased, shifting her bag from one shoulder to the other.
Normally Kieran haunted the Augurey far more often than he could be found anywhere else, but every time he went to the Augurey nowadays people were talking about Jude's run for Minister. Today, it had simply been too much — so Kieran went to the Leaky Cauldron instead, where he had a pint of beer and a copy of a rather bleak novel.
He'd settled into the first chapter of the book when he heard a familiar voice. Kieran looked up and grinned at Tala. "Back in the country?" he asked brightly. Did Asha know yet? Maybe they should try being married again.
"In a manner of speaking. Came back a month ago, got a new position, but it's not local." She thought it was a good match, even if she would get some form of complex from the Hillickers and their completely opposite dispositions. "Good to be back though." She had missed this part of the country, even if she tended to avoid it. Both could be true. Perhaps enough time had passed now that she could breathe a little easier in London.
"Been busy?" He hadn't been the type to sit still for very long, at least in her memory of him. "Still at the Prophet?" Tal had to admit, he was at least, a talented photographer.
Kieran shrugged his shoulders. "Always busy, you know," he said, smiling at Tala over his beer. "Still at the Prophet. Are you still doing trees?" It would certainly be odd if she wasn't; but she was now divorced and cut-off from her fiancee etc. Lots of things had changed for her; maybe her career had too.
Doing trees. Tala had to snort a little bit at that. His vague response didn't surprise her either. "Still doing trees. I was apprenticing in a couple of different countries for the last couple years. Got a new position with the Hillicker family in Porchester. Doing some general upkeep for them and in return they're letting me work on some hybrid woods for wands and brooms." It was her new passion, trying to make specific woods for specific magical purposes. She was so curious to see how it would work out.
"How have things been around here?" She climbed onto a bar stool next to him and got the barkeep's attention. She wasn't much of a drinker, too small, but requested an ale anyway.
Kieran didn't know the Hillickers, but he nodded thoughtfully at Tala. Her hybrid wood project was interesting — over his head, but interesting. "Haven't you heard?" he said, with a laugh that veered bitter. "Jude's running for Minister."
It was a good thing she hadn't taken a sip of the beer that had arrived right as Kieran dropped his figurative bomb on her. "You must be joking." Not that she didn't think Jude would make anything but a spectacular minister; she just didn't think he would ever get there. She wasn't very caught up on the wild world of London politics outside of some of her friends and the suffragette front, but she supposed she shouldn't be all that surprised.
"I wish him the best of luck." She raised her pint at that and took a deep sip. "How's the campaign going?"
"No one's tried to assassinate him yet," Kieran answered darkly. He did not have an abundance of faith in magical Britain. He took a sip from his beer. "I dunno, I guess it's going well. He's incredible, you know?" Jude was — inspiring and charismatic and unstoppable, and looking at him was like looking into the sun. Kieran was almost jealous to share him with the rest of the wizarding world, especially as people dismissed him — or reluctantly came around to some of Jude's ideas. They didn't deserve him. Kieran didn't deserve him, either — but the rest of the people certainly didn't.
Tala nearly snorted. That was setting the bar quite low. "I would hope not." Tala didn't know Jude quite as well as she knew Kieran, only in her periphery, but she had always thought pretty highly of him.
"I hope it works out favorably for him," Tala could hope, but privately she rather thought it would be a long time before Wizarding Britain would be ready for such a progressive leader. Who knew though, they might get lucky. "Are there any upcoming events I should be attending?" It wasn't like she could vote (ugh) but she could show support some other way.
Political forums were sort of lost on Tala, since her opinion was of little importance to society, but she could go her support anyway. "I'll do my best," it wasn't like she had much of a social life anyway these days. It mostly consisted of bickering with Cliff and keeping Meena entertained and out of her trees. That was turning out to be almost as full time of a job as her actual occupation.
"I'd be happy to help out if there's anything else I can do, too." Tala had taken the last couple of years to focus on herself and felt like she was in a good place these days. Certainly she could step a little out of her comfort zone for a good cause.
Kieran grinned — he was charmed by Tala's willingness to help. "He's throwing — a lot of events," Kieran explained. "We're going to need help with planning them. I design the flyers, but we'll have to get them up, too." It would be good to have Tala around at them — she was outspoken and inventive, and people liked her. There were plenty of people who would be more likely to listen to Jude if Tala was advocating for him.
(Was Kieran seriously on board for this campaign? Resentfully, he noted that he was.)
"You, ah, may see your ex-husband," Kieran added. He raised an eyebrow at her.
"That's perfectly doable." Tala could put up fliers and do a little campaigning, she supposed. She was pretty good with people most of the time and could chat with anyone typically. Kieran didn't seem too enthusiastic about it, but it was rare for her to see him show much emotion one way or another; he was always frustratingly neutral, unless he was taking the mick out of someone.
At the mention of her ex-husband (having to specify husband and fiancé was actually ridiculous!), Tala surprised herself when she didn't automatically stiffen. Of the two, at least he was easier to be around. They had a somewhat distant friendship, no expectations, just support through a mutual problem. It was her ex-fiancé who really harbored most of her hurt. That had cut through her.
"We're fine," she assured Kieran with a smile. She could handle it. Really.
Kieran grinned at her, crooked and pleased. "Good," he said. "Welcome back, Tala." He hoped that she would stay this time — it was always refreshing to talk to her, and secretly Kieran did not think that she and Asha had been the worst couple he'd ever seen. Oh, he doubted they'd ever get married again — but he was glad that they were now friendly enough to be in the same room.
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