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.
Sage greatly preferred the tomes of knowledge that the Flint Institute stored but the Crowdy Memorial Library also suited his purposes most of the time. So here he was, perusing the selection before him. It appeared that some new books about potions and poisons had come in which interested him greatly. Using wandless magic, Sage summoned the books to himself, the books elegantly moving from the shelf to hover near him as he pondered other choices. He turned into the next aisle where his solitude was now rather diminished by the presence of a young blonde that he was not at all familiar with.
"I hope I am not disturbing you," he said with a polite but nonetheless charming smile as he gathered his books into his arms. He shifted his gaze away from her so that he could look over title spines on the shelf that was closest to him.
It had been too long since Elisabeth had been inside a proper library, as the one at Bellerose had such a limited selection and she'd been essentially forbidden from reading anything not pre-approved once she arrived back home. But, her Aunt Ophelia had been rather accommodating to her niece's interests - more than her own mother - and promised to take her into London that afternoon so she could pick up a few things to keep her occupied and Elisabeth couldn't have been more thrilled.
While her Aunt looked at books of her own taste, Elisabeth quickly found the section full of books on potions, alchemy, and even poisons, which intrigued her deeply. A delicate finger traced over the spines of each book, trying to decide which one was best to pick out to read, when she was joined by a young gentleman in the aisle. “Oh, no, not at all,” she blushed slightly, hoping she wasn't getting in his way as he probably knew what he wanted more than she did, seeing as he knew what he didn't want. She smiled, then looked back at him, deciding she may as well ask, though he obviously was not a librarian, “Pardon me, but since you are in this section I presume you have plenty of experience with potions and such. If you were to choose any of these tomes, presuming one was interested in becoming a potioneer or alchemist of sorts, which would you recommend?”
Sage would have been content to simply ignore her existence after she had affirmed his presence wasn't a bother. However, she seemed to feel otherwise as she was now asking him for his opinion. Seeing as he was both those things, he supposed he was uniquely qualified to help in this regard. "Are you starting from the very beginning aside from school classes?" He asked, wanting at least a vague gauge of what her current knowledge level was. Truth be told, he was more inclined to suggest she take courses at the Flint Institute but that would be a bit too much if she was a complete fledgling. If she did have some knowledge, then perhaps he would put forth the idea. Unlike most of the other gentleman of the school, Sage had no discrimination towards women seeking deeper knowledge. His mother was Mariana Macnair, after all, a very learned and skilled potioneer and witch.
It wasn’t his fault, of course, and it was a perfectly valid question given what she had asked him, but still, the man’s question frustrated her as it wasn’t quite simple and she didn’t know what to say so he wouldn’t laugh in her face. Technically, she had four years worth of potions and alchemy classes to go off of, which was O.W.L. level, but without the scores. She had studied on her own time during the summers and with the materials that Dorian would send to her dorm at Bellerose by owl, but that was nothing compared to learning from an actual professor who could gauge where her actual level of understanding was.
But, she couldn’t just not answer him after bothering him for his opinion so she tried not to look like she was shrinking back into herself, “I’ve studied on my own time - read quite a few books on the subject, and Beauxbâtons starts alchemy at an earlier year than Hogwarts so I have more background than I would say most Hogwarts students my age, but I…to answer your question, I suppose, yes, I’m starting just with what I’ve learned at school. You don’t think that would prevent me from ever gaining a higher level of understanding, do you?” She did fear that she was too far behind with three years of school lost.
Beauxbatons teaching Alchemy earlier than Hogwarts did was going to be a great benefit for the girl, Sage felt. That did give him some insight and he felt the Flint Institute would be a good place for her. "I have a couple of books I can recommend," he mused after she had finished speaking, taking them out of their respective spots for her rather than making her hunt them on her own.
"Aside from these, there is an establishment in Wellingtonshire called the Flint Institute. Most with a yen to learn may partake in the lessons and seminar there. It is recommended for those that were taken out of school before their NEWTs and they have specialty courses as well." He then smiled, almost coconspiritly. "And they have more specialized literature that can help you on your quest." He knew the Institute did allow for women to attend courses as he had been to lessons with a few.
She smiled over at the man when, instead of laughing at her for not having the kind of qualifications that he probably had or even a student her age with their O.W.L. scores had, started handing her books that he could recommend to her. “Thank you so much, sir. I appreciate your help,” she said, running her fingers along the spines of the offered books, reading their titles. Elisabeth looked back up at the young gentleman as he told her about the Flint Institute of Advanced Magic, a place where she could study and learn a lot more about alchemy and potions. The name sounded vaguely familiar, she'd heard it before, Elisabeth wondered if that was where Dorian was studying at this month, she would have to ask him when she got back home.
“It sounds wonderful, I’ll have to ask my Aunt Ophelia if I can go,” She wondered if she would be able to take classes and attend finishing school or if she would have to wait until she was done with it. But, it excited her to know there was a place she could study even if she didn’t have her N.E.W.T. scores - she just would have to see if her lack of O.W.L. scores were a problem, since she only finished her fourth year before being pulled out for finishing school. “Did you go there, sir? Based on what books you’ve been looking at, you must have a lot of extensive knowledge on the subjects I’m interested in - even more so than what they probably teach at Hogwarts,” not that she was too familiar with the last two years of Hogwarts subjects.
"You are very welcome," Sage said. One less dumbass in the world was always a good thing. It was understandable though that she would have to ask her Aunt. Most young women of good standing could not just freely flit about. "She should not take issue, the school is run by a very reputable family and there are other women who are in attendance there."
Sage smiled as she asked if he went there. "I do. There are many books, lectures and seminars they have that are of interest to me. I am a potioneer and alchemist but they have deeper knowledge that benefits even us already active within the field."
“That’s wonderful to hear,” Elisabeth was sure that if anything, that would convince her Aunt Ophelia to allow her to go. If a reputable family was running the school and other young women were in attendance, certainly it wouldn’t be considered inappropriate for her to go. Sure, she would have to work much harder with a tutor besides her finishing studies to get her up to speed with the students her own age there, but Elise was not afraid of hard work if it meant succeeding in her ambitions.
Her eyes widened and she looked truly impressed, as if she was a small child who just stepped into the most amazing toy shop they’d ever set their eyes on. An alchemist and a potioneer? A real one? More than anything, Elise wanted to be one and she was envious of Sage at that moment. “Oh, you are so very lucky,” she gasped, though she did try to keep a hold of herself, no matter how much she was looking at Mr. Macnair with starry eyes and a little ‘o’ of surprise on her lips, “It is my greatest dream to improve upon Monsieur Flamel’s work and while I’ve done a little bit of experimenting with my cousin, as he also has an interest in the Alchemical Arts and Potioneering, I know it’s nothing to what you must have done so far. Tell me, is it as grand, getting to spend all that time working on your experiments, as I imagine it to be?” Elisabeth held her book to her chest and gazed up at him in anticipation for his reply, holding her breath, almost afraid to hear his answer. If it was as great as she thought, she would become even more envious than she already was, but if not, she’d hate to have her dream ruined.
It was pretty clear that the other was impressed. She really was invested in Alchemy, wasn't she? Her reaction made that an easy conclusion to draw. Sage patiently listened as she continued to speak. She mentioned a cousin and he wondered if the cousin was of similar age to her. It was comforting to know that not everyone in the world was content to be an unintelligent layabout.
"It is marvelous. Even more so to not have anyone to answer to," Sage confirmed. That aspect was the most important to him as his methods were not always... ethically sound.
Elisabeth could have swooned the way she gushed about how much she wanted to be an Alchemist and a Potioneer, just like Mr. Macnair. It was almost as if she was discussing a man she had fallen in love with instead of a branch of magic and her heart skipped a beat when he confirmed that it was as amazing as she thought it was. It was a huge relief, as she had been afraid for a moment she’d been desiring something so terribly boring. “Oh, I am so happy to hear that!” she continued to gush, “Being your own boss sounds lovely as well; you can do all sorts of experiments and don’t have to worry about anyone else.” She spent her whole life being ordered around, so it sounded quite magnificent, “Thank you for sharing that with me.”
Sage allowed for a small smile to cross his lips. It was endearing to see her excitement about subjects he adored. And there wasn't many things in life he found to be endearing. Indeed, most fellow humans tended to just be an annoyance and a hindrance. "Exactly. It seems I am remiss in my etiquette today for I have not even introduced myself. My name is Sage Macnair," he said, offering her a half-bow of greeting.
Elisabeth smiled back at him and though in the back of her mind she worried that her Aunt would say no, or perhaps the Flint Institute wouldn’t allow her to join because she only had four years of real education with no O.W.L. scores, Mr. Macnair made her believe in the possibility and for the moment, that was enough. “Oh! I forgive you for your minor slip up on etiquette, don’t worry,” she returned his bow with a slight, but elegant curtsy, that reflected a completed year at a Parisian finishing school and even a playful smile, “It is lovely to meet you, Mr. Macnair, My name is Elisabeth Champagne.”
The young woman had elegance in spades which was greatly appreciated by him. "I must be on my way but perhaps we will meet again soon as schoolmates," he said with a smile. He did commit the name to memory, curious to see if she would end up within the hallowed walls of Flint Institute.
Elisabeth clutched the books that he helped pick out for her as if they were the most important things she owned, feeling her heart race as the possibility of actually achieving her dreams felt more real than it ever had. She smiled at him, “I do hope so. Thank you so much for your help today, Mr. Macnair. Good luck with your work.” If she did make it to the Flint Institute, she thought to herself, she would have to thank him for giving her the confidence that she needed to fight for the chance.
![[Image: elisesig.png]](https://i.postimg.cc/kgLYRV5L/elisesig.png)