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.
That was a smooth enough recovery, though that owed very little to Ford's clumsy attempts to lighten the mood. Still, Ford was grateful for it; even the brief flicker of expression on Tycho's face was enough to make his own insides twist uncomfortably. Ford had always been particularly empathetic to what other people were feeling, and he was particularly sensitive to grief over lost fathers after the death of his own two years ago. It was better for both of them not to dwell on that.
"Well, don't be in any hurry about the beard," Ford said through half-suppressed laughter. "I can't picture you with a beard at all, long and white or otherwise."
Tycho laughed as Ford told him that he couldn't picture him with a beard. "Do you not think it would suit me? I could stroke it when I am thinking as one does a cat. Would it not make me look wise?" Though he had tried growing a beard once but it had not quite worked. Likely because he had been all but thirteen at the time. "What about long hair that flows all the way down to my ankles?" Though in this instance, he did not personally want to know what that would look like with his mass of curls. Though maybe the weight would make it more wavy than curly? He had no idea, maybe he would try to find out after all.
Can we dance like we're all alone
Stop the time and make it still
Hold you like I always will
"I don't know of anything that would make you look wise," Ford retorted with a grin. He was mostly joking, but also, of all the adjectives he might use to describe Dodonus he wasn't sure that wise would make the top of the list. He was clever, definitely, and some of the things he built were genius, but the term wise implied a more well-rounded sort of intelligence, Ford thought. Someone who was wise knew just what to do in every situation, adapting to the circumstances that the moment called for. Tycho was more likely to disregard those circumstances entirely and make up his own rules. That wasn't necessarily bad, but it also wasn't what came to mind when Ford thought of wise. Maybe when he was older he would be less spontaneous and he could pull it off — or maybe not. Maybe that was just how he was.
"D'you want me to get you a hair-growing tonic for Christmas?" he teased (though secretly he was hoping Tycho would say yes, because getting people potions for Christmas was easy and inexpensive when one had a potioneer brother). "Then you can give it a go for a few days and cut it all back off."
"I feel like I should be offended but you are just so adorable that you could tell me I look like a dragons backside and I would think it a compliment," Tycho said teasingly, reaching over to pinch his friends cheek.
He scoffed at the idea of getting a hair tonic for Christmas. "I would rather you find me some dew that has somehow not seen sunlight or been touched by human feet for a week. I've been studying to be an animagus and that is one of the steps. Between that and the mandrake leaf in the mouth, no wonder most can't do it. I think I've swallowed two of them by now." Which meant that he had initially had to start over.
Can we dance like we're all alone
Stop the time and make it still
Hold you like I always will
Ford brightened at the suggestion. He could do that. There were plenty of spots in the Forbidden Forest where people didn't normally walk, and where the sunlight didn't often reach through the trees. The only difficult part would be ensuring the same dew drops stayed for a week, without rolling down into the ground or freezing into tiny icicles, but presumably he could find a spell for that with a little bit of research. It would be easier for Ford to accomplish it than Tycho, too, because Ford knew the Forbidden Forest reasonably well after his months of visiting the dementor wardrobe out there, and he didn't mind waking up before the sun to go find morning dew (Tycho, on the other hand, didn't seem like a morning person). It probably wasn't the best idea to go wandering in a dangerous forest before dawn to get someone a Christmas present, but Ford didn't mind. It wouldn't be the first time he'd opened himself up to the risk of bodily harm for the sake of a friend. He'd be sure to avoid full moons this time.
"I can find you dew drops," Ford said. His tone was indulgent and he was relishing it, because it wasn't often that Ford was able to be indulgent. His generosity of spirit was handicapped by his situation in life and so often he found himself having to assume the persona of someone strict and no-nonsense in order to justify turning down even the smallest requests. This was a wonderful change (and worth the risk of the Forbidden Forest, Ford thought). "You're serious about all that, then? I thought —" Ford shrugged. To be honest, when Tycho had first mentioned animagus studies Ford had assumed he'd get distracted and lose interest before things got too serious, but apparently he was wrong. He didn't really want to say that, though, in case Tycho got offended by the implication that he was easily distracted. Instead, Ford continued, "Isn't it sort of dangerous?"
"Oh, would you? I absolutely dread having to get up before noon," Tycho said as Ford said he could find him the drops. He was perfectly capable of waking up before then - had even randomly encountered Ford in a shop during one such 'early' morning of his. But he definitely was not the type that was awake before the sun.
"Oh very serious. I've been studying for a while now," Tycho said when Ford asked if he had been serious. He smiled and gave his friend an affectionate hug. "My dear friend. Did we just not have this conversation?" He let go and stood up as if the passion of this declaration was too much to express while sitting down. "Possibly being able to master this great feat and getting to become an animal would be simply marvelous! Definitely something worth doing."
Can we dance like we're all alone
Stop the time and make it still
Hold you like I always will
Tycho may have been all smiles and hugs, but Ford wasn't sure this was a good idea. He probably should have said something to that effect the first time it had been brought up, but again, he'd never expected that Tycho was actually planning on going through with it. Being an animal sounded fine, Ford supposed, but there was a considerable gap between something being worth doing and worth dying for. Didn't animagus attempts often lead to people dying, or was Ford misremembering something? He definitely thought he'd heard stories about people getting stuck with mangled, half-animal limbs, at least. Not that either of these were likely to deter Tycho.
"Maybe you could try it at a hospital the first time," he suggested with a frown. "Just in case. I don't want anything to happen to you." Ford had said this without thinking, but on hearing it out loud it seemed too vulnerable an admission. He wasn't normally one to shy away from sincerity when the moment called for it, but it seemed like they were out of step on how serious this moment of the conversation was. Tycho was making sweeping gestures with his arms and emphasizing the word marvelous, while Ford was more or less admitting, through his tone if not necessarily in words, that he would be distraught if anything were to happen to Tycho.
"None of my other friends' dinner parties are half so interesting," he joked, a feeble attempt to match Tycho's levity and distract from what he'd said a beat earlier.
Tycho considered his friend as Ford suggested he try his first transformation in a hospital. He smiled softly when Ford said he did not want anything to happen to him. He could understand where he was coming from. He had researched the horror stories of what could happen.
He settled on the floor in front of Tycho so that he was looking up at him as he tenderly took Fords hands into his own. "Hey now. You don't have to worry. I am being quite careful and I am making sure I thoroughly research, study and understand every step that it is going to take. I am not even going to think about attempting a first transformation until I am sure I have everything done perfectly."
Can we dance like we're all alone
Stop the time and make it still
Hold you like I always will
This was exactly what Ford had been trying to avoid by adding in the attempt at a joke at the end. Now they were having a moment, and Ford didn't think he was up for moments. He'd started this conversation with veiled complaints about Macnair stringing him along and bemoaning the impact of his whole family situation on his social life. He didn't have the emotional bandwidth left to deal with Tycho kneeling on the floor and holding his hands and looking directly into his eyes and everything.
"I'm not worried," he said, though obviously that was a lie. Ford steeled himself and forced a smile, hoping he could dispel the softness that had settled in the air around them and snap Tycho back to his usual gregarious self. "I know you'll be brilliant."
"You can't lie to me, Ford Greengrass. My Seer eyes can see straight through them," Tycho said though he knew Ford would know he was joking. "And I am brilliant, aren't I? But come, I just remembered another project I wanted to show you." He got to his feet and bounded off without giving much option for Ford to agree or disagree.
