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
I know that it was me who insisted on using pseudonyms, but when I actually got around to writing the letter, I couldn't get myself to write anything other than your name. You're Ben, my Ben, and it would feel strange to call you anything but.
How are you? It feels like such a silly quetion, but I didn't know how to properly begin this. It's been so long since we've written. The year has changed. A belated Happy New Year from me. I hope this one is kinder on us.
It's almost been a year since I've known you. It feels less, probably because we've been apart for most of it.
Oh, I really didn't want my letter to be sad and melodramatic, really! I wish that I could see you, in person, so we could have a good laugh and maybe roll in some grass field.
I'm glad you decided against the pen names. I hope we don't ever need them. Our letters shouldn't ever be getting into other people's hands any more, right?
I'm fine. I lost my cursebreaking job when I had to leave for Canada, so I'm sniffing around for a new source of income. My brothers would probably pay for anything I asked them to, but then I'd have to ask and we're still not really on the best of terms.
I'm not sure seeing each other alone is such a good idea just yet. Stargazing didn't really work out well the last time we tried.
Oh no, probably not. I don't think I'd want us to try anything involving stars anytime soon. I would like for us to be alone sometime. Some day, in some other country, far away from everyone. It would be nice. I know it can't happen, but I would like it nonetheless.
I'm sorry to hear about your job. Do you have any ideas as to what you could do? Maybe you could play Quidditch. Didn't you play Quidditch at some point? I've seen a poster of you.
Or maybe something at the Ministry. Almost everyone I know works for the Ministry and it doesn't seem as such a difficult job. Other than the important ones. But then there is the Centaur Department my cousin Yarrow works at. My cousin Tatiana visited him once and she tells us he's not doing anything all day and he's still getting paid and considered a 'Head'. Maybe you could get your brother to make you a Head of something. The Head for the protection of magical temples. Or something.
I can't play Quidditch anymore. Even if I could it seems like maybe I've lost my talent for it, anyway. I didn't do so well during the amateur bracket a few weeks ago.
I'm sure my brother would be all too happy to find me a job in the Ministry. Your family probably wouldn't complain about seeing you end up with a Ministry Head, either, is that what you were thinking?
I was only thinking about you when I was writing that. You could get an easy job where you do nothing all day and still get paid and have people patting you on your back for serving the country. Or wouldn't that not be nice? Perhaps your brother could even give you some kind of job that has to do with Americans, I hear you like them quite a lot.
I worked for the Ministry for two years after my parents died, and I was miserable the entire time, so no, I don't think that'd be nice. That's why I went traveling in the first place and ended up in America, you know, because life in Britain was awful and I hated it. And I wouldn't hold my breath for having Aldous send me back there any time soon — I think he purposefully picked out the one place on the planet worse than England when he shipped me off to bloody Canada.
Ben
MJ made this <3
March 11, 2018 – 10:04 PM
Last modified: March 11, 2018 – 10:06 PM by Reuben Crouch.
I didn't really mean to sound like that in my last letter. I'm not mad at you, or anything. I just get kind of touchy about people trying to make suggestions for how I ought to live my life, because my brothers have been doing it for so long. Your family's the same way, right? You know how it feels. Anyway, I didn't mean to come off like... like I probably did. Sorry.
Alright. I didn't mean to dictate what you should do with your life. I wouldn't like you any more if you became a Ministry person. Besides, if you did end up working at the Ministry you could actually end up liking it and become a boring, soulless person who can only talk about money and politics and whatever it is that their department specializes in.
I do know what it's like to have your family try to make decisions for you. At least your brothers don't try to make decisions as to what you should wear. (Or at least I hope they don't.)
I may be going to Crowdy Library one of those days. Did I ever tell you that I tried to become an animagus? I wrote to the Dept. of Education to give me permission to the advanced texts and all, but when I read what I actually have to do to become one I changed my mind. In any case, I really do enjoy reading about it and all the other advanced Transfiguration stuff so I go there from time to time.
Then I'm going to that Celtic festival in Hogsmeade later this month.
I wasn't ever the greatest at Transfiguration, so I don't know about all of that Anigmaus stuff. I always thought it was something only people who spend all their time with their noses in books tried to do. Don't get me wrong, you could probably have some fun running around as a mink or something, but I'm not sure all the work is worth it.
The street fair sounds like fun, but it's so far away. I might forget what you look like between now and then. I don't suppose you've got any more photographs handy to send me?
Ben
Modern version: Animagus? Lol nerd. Send nudes? ;)
It is something that only someone without a life could easily do. You have to keep a mandrake leaf in your mouth for a month without swallowing it and then wait for a lightinging storm to do some chanting and drink a potion. Among other things. It really isn't worth the effort when you're young and have places to go, especially if you end up turning into a fish in the end.
I do have some pictures to send you. I went to the zoo some days ago and took the loveliest pictures! I was pretty much kicked out by this very rude lady when I tried to photograph the erumpent, though. At least I managed to take pictures of the pegasi, they're my favourites!
Yours,
Ellory
Enclosed is a photo of Ellory standing in front of some trees and then a picture of an Abraxan. Also casually shading the ex lol
![[Image: spldSej.png]](https://i.imgur.com/spldSej.png)
