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.
Though she knew she was expected at the Millers house and there was bound to be some tea offered, Amelia thought perhaps Eva might like a few extra treats. Being holed up unable to move was neither of their ideas of a good time, really. She figured Eva must be missing the animals at the zoo too. With a basket filled with treats in one hand and some flowers fresh from the market in the other, Amelia set them down in the seating area. "I brought some of your favorites, Eva, dear!" she chirped, tapping her wand on the bouquet so it floated over to her friend on the couch.
She looked well, though being one of her best friends, Amelia knew Eva was probably positively fed up with being cooped up in the house. She did her best not to seem too pitying; besides Eva was made of firm stuff and could handle what the pregnancy threw at her. "You must be tired." Tired of being stuck here and not at work, and also tired of the great physical task of growing another human being.
Thank Merlin her friends still made the effort to come see her. Otherwise she would have certainly gone mad by now. Fortunately poor Fergus was tasked with being her daytime babysitter while Beau was at the zoo, but she was paying him here and there to tend to the chickens and the new Scottish cows, Henrietta and Herman when she couldn't find the energy. He seemed quite content with the arrangement anyway, it couldn't be too boring.
She'd just sat down after putting the kettle on when she heard Amelia announce her arrival. "Oh, these are lovely, thank you!" It was nice to have some fresh flowers in the house during this time of year. "I'm exhausted. This whole growing another human business is a lot of work."Her whole body ached at some point in the day, she wasn't sleeping well, but she could nap and she was coming round the final stretch. "Only another month or so, as far as we can tell." That was mildly terrifying.
"I'm so happy to see you though! How are you, how's Mr. Fisk?" She raised an eyebrow at her friend in genuine curiosity. Eva patted the couch next to her, inviting her friend to sit.
Of course Eavan would cut straight to the chase; if Amelia were in her shoes and incapacitated like Eva was, Amelia would certainly want to cut to the chase as well. She sighed, amused and sat down next to her friend. But not before placing the basket in her lap and setting out snacks and things for them to munch on.
"Straight to the point, I see," she replied, taking her time to set everything out. Her friend may be heavily pregnant, but Amelia wasn't beyond teasing her just a little.
When she'd made up a plate for Eavan (she took extra care to stack some fruits and vegetables on Eavan's) and one for herself, she sat back against the couch. "To answer in succession, I'm happy to see you as well. I'm doing quite well, work is less busy as usual though I expect it'll pick back up once it's Valentine's Day. And Mr. Fisk is doing well — his work keeps him busy, so we keep correspondence."
It had still been more than a few months since he'd asked her to court. While she wasn't a society lady, she also wasn't entirely unaware that it was customary to expect a proposal a few months after a man asking a woman to court. And yet...
She picked at the grapes on her plate absentmindedly. Her eyes wandered over to the basket where a large feather lay at the bottom. "Oh! I forgot I'd put it there." She reached down to hand the elegant feather to her friend. "Astra shed this earlier, I thought you'd like it."
Eva had always been straight to the point. Almost to a fault sometimes.
Amelia's answers were quick and also to the point, which Eva could certainly appreciate. "Well I'm glad to hear everything is going well." Both with the zoo and her personal life. Eva suspected things with Mr. Fisk may be a bit... strained given their class differences, but she sincerely hoped things worked out in her friend's favor. As long as this baby was well out before they decided to have a wedding, so Eva could enjoy herself.
Taking the feather with a smile, Eva sighed softly. "I cannot wait to go back to work." She chuckled as the kettle sounded. "Would you mind? My hips are aching something fierce. Everything is on the counter." She'd set the tray up before sitting down but now that she was down, getting up was quite the process, one that required help most of the time.
Amelia smirked. Knowing Eva, if she suddenly came up with a way for the baby to not encumber her, she would likely be at work this very minute. Reaching out, Amelia patted her best friend's arm. "It'll still be there when you return, Eavan." she pointed out, though knowing very well that wasn't the issue. It was one of the reasons why she and Eva got along so well; working with animals was a livelihood, and one that they missed when they were forced to the side.
Nodding, Amelia got up and went into the kitchen to busy herself with the tea. As she poured the hot water into the teapot, she kept speaking. "I should hope it is." she said, continuing their conversation of everything going alright. The problem was, it was as if she was waiting for something to go wrong. "Though I don't think..." she trailed off slightly, fiddling with the lid of the teapot. "Do you figure his family will mind me being...well, lower class?" She wasn't a scandalous person by any means, but the combination of her past with Barnabas Skeeter, being a working woman and Konstantin being a high profile figure had her worrying how she'd be perceived.
She carried the tray into the sitting room, setting it down on the table and pausing to allow the leaves to soak. Her lips pursed slightly, conveying her inner troubles. "I wouldn't want to cast a bad light on him." The words sounded foreign to her. A few years ago she didn't figure herself to be someone that cared about men and their worries about society. But the Fisks were still a known family in the community, and the last thing she wanted to do was cause any sort of animosity.
Eva knew the zoo wasn't going anywhere, but she felt like it was her first baby. So much of her blood, sweat and tears had gone into that place and now she was the most senior staff member too, it was a little weird to think about, but with the arrival of the new Mr. Podmore, Eva had taken on more responsibilities simply because she knew the most. Then she was ousted into the land of idleness by the baby and she really just missed it. Fortunately she would be able to go back shortly after the babe arrived.
Fortunately (well, that was selfish, but in the moment, true), Amelia had something to distract her from her working woes. "I think that would be mark against them, not you, darling." Amelia was a beautiful, talented, passionate person who was simply the best there could be and she deserved at much. "You couldn't cast a bad light on anyone, ever." Eva was convinced of that.
"As long as you're happy, and he's happy, that's all that matters." Eva didn't know too much about Mr. Fisk, only from what Amelia had told her, but that was more about him than his position in life. All Eva knew was that he worked some high-level ministry job and may or may not be related to the Minister somehow. There would be some pressure on Amelia, society-wise, if they were to pursue their current course, but Eva had the utmost faith in her friend.
It was just starting to occur to Amelia how similar her and Eavan were in that they were both in situations they likely would never have figured themselves to be in a few years ago. Eavan, whilst being warm and nurturing, had never struck Amelia to be the motherly type; yet here she was just about due. Amelia, never one to fawn over men, was just about certain she would do anything to keep Konstantin safe if she knew his life was at risk.
Her change of character was strange, yet oddly comforting, as it was something that felt right and safe and wonderful. "I should hope the fact that he's happy would be some sort of factor as well," she added with a laugh as she picked up her tea and settled into her seat. Questions of marriage and...other sorts, swam through her head and she contemplated which ones she would ask of Eavan now and which she would save for later when the time was more...appropriate.
Literally had this in my drafts and just never hit 'post' -facepalm-
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