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.
With the same account, complete eight different threads where your character interacts with eight different usergroups. At least one must be a non-human, and one a student.
Did You Know?
Braces, or suspenders, were almost universally worn due to the high cut of men's trousers. Belts did not become common until the 1920s. — MJ
January 4th, 1895 — Sixth Year Girls Dormitory, Slytherin Dungeon, Hogwarts
Polly's things had magically arrived in the dormitory a short while ago and ever since Hesper had been eagerly awaiting her imminent arrival. Polly! Hesper couldn't quite keep ladylike composure when the dormitory door opened to reveal her friend. It had been a pleasant enough Christmas and certainly less lonely than it would've been with her great aunt, but she'd been the only girl in the dormitory at night and all the best people in Slytherin had gone home leaving the common room almost deserted. She'd had Rupert, her cat for company (and he had certainly appreciated her not going home since she couldn't bring him with her) but he wasn't the best conversationalist.
She set aside Rupert (who'd been busy getting fur all over her robe) and slipped off her bed to greet her friend properly. You look well, how was your Christmas? Decorum was restored. Then Hesper remembered it was her friend's first Christmas without her father and her smile faltered, reforming into something altogether more solemn. Outfit | Tag: Hippolyta Pucey | Notes:
That was how long Polly Pucey had been home before she'd wished she had remained at Hogwarts for the holidays. She had known, of course, that they would be strange without Papa, but had been eager to see her mother, her aunt, the Abercrombies. What she had not anticipated was her uncle. Oh, seeing Uncle Bernie straight on had been fine; she had always recognized which man was her father and which his twin. It was the glimpse out of the corner of her eye that had done her in, had cut a fresh wound into her heart, and left her particularly dour for the duration of the Christmas holidays.
But she was back, now, at Hogwarts, away from the unexpected reminders and, as an added bonus, able to ignore Juno for long stretches of time once again. Plus, Hesper was here, and she always felt bad for leaving her friend at Hogwarts for the holidays.
Polly had almost given up waiting to surprise Hesper and gone in search of the other girl, but the dormatory door opened just in time, revealing her favourite prefect. With a bright smile she popped off of her bed, upon which she had been perched, and bounded over to embrace her friend.
"Oh you needn't look so dour as all that," she dismissed lightly, as though she herself hadn't been carrying around the weight of her father's passing since the tragic event had taken place. "Christmas was quite lovely, even if you were here—I hope you weren't too dreadfully bored?" By now, the Slytherin had a hand on each of her friend's shoulders, a symapthetic pout on her lips.
When everyone tells us what we can be
How can we rewrite the stars?
Hesper's smile began to return albeit in a more tempered form than before.
Had she been bored? Yes, and lonely too, but she was used to much worse deprivation over summer and so it was really an improvement on what might've been. Hogwarts really had spoiled her though, if she didn't marry in her first season she might go completely insane. It was infinitely preferable to my great aunt's house. She chose to avoid confirming it for the sake of keeping the conversation light and not making her friend feel bad for her. I swear almost all of the seventh years went home though, so it was mostly younger students around. Plenty of prefecting to do. I caught one of the third years trying to find the kitchens Christmas night, somehow they were still hungry! Speaking of food, Hesper's stomach growled. Good thing a feast was imminent. Outfit | Tag: Hippolyta Pucey | Notes:
"You must come home with me for the Easter holidays," Polly declared, as though the matter were a done deal. "Fewer young ones to boss about, of course," only the twins and Kingsley were younger, "but much more ability to get out and about. And I should say, a great deal brighter than your great aunt's house, too!"
Even if Papa was dead, leaving a gaping hole in Hippolyta's heart.
When everyone tells us what we can be
How can we rewrite the stars?
Hesper would love nothing more than to spend a holiday with her friend, Hogwarts was always preferable to her great aunt but sometimes only marginally if all of her friends were gone. Would she be allowed? She wasn't sure, Polly's family were perfectly respectable and the right sort of people but it was hard to tell what her great aunt would and wouldn't object to. Perhaps she could just tell her she was staying at Hogwarts for the break? How would she find out otherwise? She fixed her friend with a tentatively hopeful expression. Really? That would be... There were so many words for what it would be that they seemed to have all jammed at the back of her throat. Delightful! It was a word but it didn't quite cover the full range of the feelings she felt. Outfit | Tag: Hippolyta Pucey | Notes:
If Polly noticed any hesitation—never reluctance though, of course—from her friend, the Slytherin did not show it in the least. Instead, she beamed at Hesper, quickly launching into Planning Mode.
"I shall write to Mother tomorrow so that she might make the arrangements; Great-Aunt Jessamine cannot possibly say no if the invitation comes from Mama directly; it would be ludicrous to do so of course! Has she other relations? I should rather not invite her to Easter supper but it is altogether possible that it might not be avoidable, and—" Hipployta caught herself at last, realizing belatedly how quickly she had been speaking. "I—that is, I got rather carried away," she offered sheepishly, an apology without apologizing.
When everyone tells us what we can be
How can we rewrite the stars?
Hesper's enthusiasm faltered as her friend mentioned her mother writing to her great aunt. Maybe she wouldn't have an issue with it and it'd be fine, but what if she did? It wasn't fair that she had to live with under such tyranny, wasn't it enough that she'd lost both her parents and her sister? If there's any other family, she never mentions them or sees them. I think it's just us. Merlin, how many hours had she spent wishing that wasn't the case? The idea though of attending any sort of event with her great aunt was enough to send quakes of terror through her.
She bit her lip. I think maybe it would be better if I wrote to her, or perhaps your mother could send the invitation to me and I'll send it on with a letter of my own? Outfit | Tag: Hippolyta Pucey | Notes:
Hippolyta frowned—no, perhaps pouted would be a better word for the form her mouth took entirely instinctively whenever she met with a hurdle she had not expected or did not care for.
"She would not refuse," Polly insisted, despite having never actually met the woman and, to be honest, not having recieved a particularly glowing review of her from Hesper. "Mama has a... a way with invitations. Or perhaps we just don't tell her?"
The idea of a scheme (a benign one, of course!) was rather thrilling, now that the Slytherin considered it.
When everyone tells us what we can be
How can we rewrite the stars?
To her delight, Polly reached the same conclusion she'd had and didn't seem to be opposed to it. That was what I was thinking... she confessed sheepishly. I usually stay at Hogwarts anyway, if no one tells her otherwise she has no reason to think I'm anywhere else! As long as Polly's mother could be persuaded not to write any of her famed invitations or any other communication that might feel necessary. Outfit | Tag: Hippolyta Pucey | Notes:
"If we tell Mama that your guardian knows, she will have no reason to believe otherwise," the Slytherin affirmed. "I may simply... bring you back with me to avoid any potential mishaps—that will be easier; she will be so distracted trying to account for you that any sort of follow-up will escape her altogether!"
Distraction had found Cosmina Pucey with ease since her husband's passing.
When everyone tells us what we can be
How can we rewrite the stars?
Polly was grinning and suddenly Hesper was too. Do you think it'll really work? That your mother won't send any letters? If Polly thought it was possible then she would believe her and maybe, just maybe they could pull it off. The idea of spending the break with Polly was... She didn't know what to expect but it would surely be wonderful. Outfit | Tag: Hippolyta Pucey | Notes:
"Oh, Darling," Polly chided affectionately, "when have I ever been wrong?"
Indeed, there were likely a good many times, but the Slytherin could not think of even one at the moment (not that she tried particularly hard). In this, she was confident: Hesper's guardian need never know the prefect was not safely ensconsed in the castle, at least not until the Easter week-end concluded and it was too late to do anything about it.
"Besides, between my sisters and my cousins—what's one more young lady around the house, anyways?"
When everyone tells us what we can be
How can we rewrite the stars?
That was all the permission Hesper needed to let herself get excited. Oh, Polly! she squealed, clasping her friend's hands in each of hers and bouncing on the balls of her feet. This is so exciting! I've never seen your home, I bet it's wonderful! Her thoughts lingered too long on what Polly's home might be like and something suddenly came over her. Feeling the warning signs of tears, she suddenly wrapped her arms around her friend so she wouldn't see. She wouldn't cry, she wouldn't. Outfit | Tag: Hippolyta Pucey | Notes:
"Gracious, Hesper!" Polly exclaimed, surprised, though she did not pull away. Her friend was usually reserved, but bouts of strong emotion were not a foreign occurance. Affectionately, she placed her hands lightly on the other girl's back.
When everyone tells us what we can be
How can we rewrite the stars?
Hesper blinked hard for several seconds and continued willing her eyes to stay dry. She took a slow, steady breath in and opened her eyes again, feeling more in control of her tear ducts than she had before. Good. She pulled out of the embrace and smiled sheepishly at her friend. She might have maintained her dry eyes but it had still been a rather abrupt and exuberant display of emotion.
I can't wait, she announced, suddenly very stoic and composed. Oh, we should get ready to go down for the feast. And Hesper was eager for a couple of minutes of not being the sole focus of her friend in case her emotions rose up again. Outfit | Tag: Hippolyta Pucey | Notes:
For a moment, Hippolyta looked at her friend, really looked at her, the beginnings of a question forming in her mind. The thought passed almost as quickly as it formed; the Sltytherin had long been more comfortable in the realm of the superficial, after all.
"Yes, let's," she agreed brightly. "I am positively famished—I should hate to waste away altogether before classes began!"
