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
Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor & Hufflepuff Head of House
32 year old Pure
5 ft. 10 in.
❤ Widowed
Played by Gin
553 Posts
357 Likes
1 Sept 1895 - Hufflepuff Common Room
Gus and Thea had done their best to make the common room a picturesque welcome: warm fire crackling, plants bowing cheerfully in their pots, shelves stacked with old House trophies and trays of yellow and black treats, courtesy of the house elves. Gus of course had taste tested a couple before slipping down to the Sorting Ceremony to ensure they tasted good, and much to his delight, they passed his standards.
The ceremony had been fine enough despite the hiccups that always seemed to happen, with each student finding their perfect house, although Gus would be lying if he said he didn’t clap harder when a wide-eyed first year was sent over to the Hufflepuff table – his table. Eventually it ended and all the Hufflepuffs were corralled together toward their new home. Gus trailed behind the prefects who led them to the common room, stepping in behind them once the barrel opened and they began to shuffle inside.
Then the stinksap twitched as someone brushed against it before it gave a low, suspicious pop. A second later, a spray of noxious green stinksap splattered across the room – and all the students standing nearest to it.
Gus pinched the bridge of his nose, both in annoyance and to block the rancid smell. Welcome to Hufflepuff, he thought grimly.
Dorothea Potts will post next, then open to all Hufflepuffs! 2/2 posting rule.
The joys of a sorting ceremony had been long forgotten and fondly relived by Thea, even the inevitable dramas that always happened when dozens of first years were suddenly exposed to this new world, and each other, all at once. The new Hufflepuff cohort had been let to the den and shown the special trick that was needed to gain access. This was their home potentially for seven years and first impressions were so important. The scent that assailed the students when they had arrived was of freshly baked pastries and cakes for them to sink their teeth into. Or save for later if they so chose, they had just had their welcome feast after all.
Except that delightful smell was very quickly replaced. "Oh Merlin... that's... oh dear." she placed her hand beneath her nose to try and to protect her senses, and also supress a bemused giggle. It was one of those things you had to laugh or you might cry, noone liked getting sapped. At least it might help to show Thea which of the students might be a little more emotionally vulnerable. A suprise sapping now could help Thea prepare for the fallout from a boggart or unfortunate miscast later in their careers.
There was a glint in her eye when she looked at Gus, this was bonding experience for the whole house.
Lou had not been surrpised to see that it was Professor Lissington who had filled Professor Skeeter's shoes as head of house. While she was hardly the sort to meticulously track to which house the school's teaching faculty had once belonged, his nature was such that it seemed rather natural to see him take that place. It was sad, of course, but not horrible.
That would be saved for the first herbology lesson.
The new matron, however... Miss Potts, on observation at dinner, had struck Louisa as kind, but the fourth year had not otherwise formed much of an opinion as of yet. It seemed rather mean that Hufflepuff should have to have a new head and matron in the same school year, though; they were a steady bunch, for whom stability was almost always prefera—
Someone, likely one of the first years who knew no better, jostled a Mimbulus mimbletonia near the door, a fact the redhead knew only because she was now coated from nose to bosom in stinksap. Louisa froze in horror, each breath she took filling her head with the vulgar stench. Blue eyes began to water, though whether from genuine tears or just from the acrid smell, even Lou herself could not have had.
"Ungh," the young witch let out, a soft groan of dismay and disgust.
Wren was brimming with the pride of being named as a prefect. It was almost enough to make her forget that she would not be seeing the man who she'd grown used to as Head of House.
Death was strange. What was worse was that Wren could practically count her years at Hogwarts by who had died. Her father, Professor Pembroke, and now Professor Skeeter. And then that Ravenclaw girl had made such a clatter over at their table. She hoped it wasn't an omen. Maybe it would be best to speak to someone about that. Perhaps that was what Miss Potts was there for?
She'd fixed her uniform up specially for the Sorting Ceremony and Welcome Feast. Not a single thing had been out of place, and she had attempted to be both friendly and loud enough to be heard over the chatter when she and the other prefects had led the first years to the common room.
Wren was just explaining a magical concept to a Muggleborn first year when she felt something wet hit her. And then, almost at the same moment, the smell. There was a reason she didn't like Potions, and stinky stuff like this was just it.
Wren made several, not exaggerated at all gagging sounds, holding her hand to her nose to avoid the smell. But it didn't quite work that way, and she continued to smell it. Maybe there really was something out there trying to make her Hogwarts experience unpleasant as possible.
Cassie was so excited to see the Hufflepuff common room and all — she didn't expect to be the source of so much chaos on her first night! It wasn't entirely her fault, though!
Cassie was talking to one of her fellow first years when she took a step back, bumping into the Mimbulus mimbletonia — a plant that, despite her magical upbringing, she'd never seen before. Mum and Dad didn't keep very many magical plants, and the ones they did keep, Cassie wasn't allowed to go near. She and her siblings weren't even allowed in the greenhouse.
"I'm sorry," she whined, though she, too, was drenched with stinksap. "What is this?" she then groaned, her face wrinkled at the stench.
Antelope was chattering away, congratulating their new male prefect and getting ready to offer the same congratulations to Wren when the unthinkable happened. She saw the student who touched the plant, it insulated for a few seconds, just long enough for Antelope to take a step back and avoid the spray, calling out a little warning that was obviously unheard in the hubbub of the arrival to the den.
She shook her head, she adored plants but they we misbehaving lately. She scratched at the scar on the side of her neck from her encounter with the Manchineel during the summer as she spoke to one of the new members. "That my dear is the sap of the Mimbulus mimbletonia, you can call it stinksap though, as, well...." she shrugged and wrinkled her nose in an exaggeratedly feline way that only a metamorphmagus could. Then she giggled, then gardens club president would never judge a plant for being stinky. "If you'd like to know more, gardens club meet in the greenhouses on Wednesdays!" She looked around the room longingly. Even though she had attended professor Skeeter's funeral in person she somehow still expected to see him when she got to the den.
Instead she greeted her new head of house, a professor she obviously knew from classes and she quite liked. "Good morning Professor Lissington, and... Miss, Potts? Is it? Antelope Grace, sixth year girls prefect, how do you do." she had seen the name on her notes before she arrived and she thought she recognised the older woman from seeing her with Millie Potts. Antelope beamed. She was so glad to be back.
Maeve couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips the moment she became drenched in the noxious green stinksap. She couldn't help it. It was just another incident in what had been just a shitshow of a year. Of course somebody would set off the Stinksap. Of course they would. She stared at the her housemates all attempting to prevent themselves from breathing in the disgusting smell. She inhaled as she giggled and the disgusting smell just set of another spurt of near hysterical giggles until she couldn't stop.
"This is just-" She wheezed. "Absolutely perfect."
Maeve is in the Gobstones, Creatures, Art, Charms and Transfiguration Clubs.
Maeve's Electives are Ancient Studies, Care of Magical Creatures and Ghoul Studies.
Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor & Hufflepuff Head of House
32 year old Pure
5 ft. 10 in.
❤ Widowed
Played by Gin
553 Posts
357 Likes
Watching a good half of his House dripping with reeking green stinksap made Gus wish that he could start the day over; this certainly wasn’t how he envisioned his first day as Head of House going, but it could be worse. It could always be worse. Thea caught his eye and he managed a small smile accompanied by a small shrug; it wasn’t his plant. It probably had belonged to Mason and hadn’t been moved back to the greenhouse prior to everything happening today.
Miss Weasley looked as though she might combust on the spot,and Gus gave her a sympathetic look. “Deep breaths Miss Weasley… Well, actually, maybe take some shallow ones.” He considered telling her and Miss Burroughs, who was gagging, the smell faded quicker if they didn’t fight it, but he didn’t want to lie to them. The smell would linger for longer than anyone would have liked, although he had a feeling (or was at least hopeful that Thea had some kind of spell up her sleeve to make it dissipate quickly.)
Blue eyes swept through the group and landed on who he thought looked the guiltest of the bunch. Miss Grace was quicker to answer her question. Finally there was Miss Halloran, who was laughing like the whole ordeal was the best thing she’d ever seen. Gus gave her a flat look, though the corner of his mouth curled into an amused smile. He tried not to breathe too deeply.
With a resigned sigh, he straightened and clapped his hands together. “Alright, if you’ve been doused, step over here.” He waved to the left. “We’ll get you sorted out before the smell seeps into your robes. And the rest of you who’ve managed to stay dry, help your housemates. Fetch some water and see that they’ve got a change of robes ready, as long as they’re okay with you getting things from their trunk.” He turned toward Thea, wondering if she wanted the stinky girls or the dry students; it was best to divide and conquer.
“Miss Grace, please ensure no one else brushes against the plant, and Miss Halloran, let’s put that energy to better use, shall we? Can you summon some linens for them to stand on?” Because they were dripping onto the floor. Ugh. “Miss Weasley, why don’t you sit down before you pass out on us?”
"I didn't mean to, I promise," Cassie announced mournfully, as she followed the directions Professor Lissington gave. "Mum never let us in the greenhouse..." She let her words trail off, pulling at her robes slightly. She didn't even bother trying to cover her nose — it'd splattered on her face, after all. The curse of being small. This was not how she'd envisioned her first night at Hogwarts going, no, sir.
Thea laughed and shook head sympathetically at Cassandra Eade"Its ok my dear, I'm quite confident noone deliberately gets themselves sprayed in stink sap."
She nodded and began to help the students remove their soiled robes and placed them into a pile in the corner where they could easily be cleaned. Anyone whose clothes had been soiled underneath their robes would be taken by the appropriate gendered prefect to change properly, everything seemed to be going well, but looks on the faces students was not the joyful entry she had hoped for. With water fetched people could use cloths to wipe away the excess, the smell was ripe in the air still, so Thea had a thought. Removeō Odos she retrieved her wand and cast a spell that had come in handy many times since she had learned it in her old job. Everyone was sticky and slimy, but at least the horrid scent was removed and students of weaker constitution needn't fear enjoying their welcome feast in reverse.
"Ok, once the robes are all together, someone hit the pile with a cleaning charm."
She noticed that the house elves had also begun their part, appearing as if from nowhere with mops, brushes and little pails to clean the floor and the furniture.
Maeve stopped laughing and tried not to actually express her disappointment at being put to responsible work - wasn't this why Wren Burroughs had her nice shiny prefect badge? Didn't that mean that Wren would have to help and be responsible whilst Maeve could blissfully disappear into the background and exist where she chose to exist. She knew she was deluding herself however that's why such things were called delusions and not reality.
"Yes Professor." She responded, cowed and having decided that actually arguing her point would be useless, she retrieved her wand from the holster that she made in her sleeve. She actually knew how to conjour linen. It was rather useful and would probably be more useful if she could actually do it outside of term time.
She flicked her wand with a practiced flourish, more dramatic than necessary, really, and summoned a stack of linens and with a sigh that suggested she was sacrificing something grand.
“Linens acquired,” she announced, dropping them with a thud that was somehow both helpful and theatrical. “Now if anyone needs me, I’ll be over here pretending I’m not responsible.” She said and began to edge away, and hopefully out of the professors sight... if she lingered there she had a feeling that she may be recruited into doing further prefecty things and actually dealing with the mess... and that was something she did not want to do.
"I will however be cheering all you on whilst I..." She glanced down at her now disgusting robes, "Eww...." She wished she could start laughing again as she realised that the blasted plant had damaged one of her finite number of nice robes. Perrrrfect.
Maeve is in the Gobstones, Creatures, Art, Charms and Transfiguration Clubs.
Maeve's Electives are Ancient Studies, Care of Magical Creatures and Ghoul Studies.
Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor & Hufflepuff Head of House
32 year old Pure
5 ft. 10 in.
❤ Widowed
Played by Gin
553 Posts
357 Likes
Before Gus could open his mouth to assure the young first year that it was alright, mistakes happened and no one was blaming her, Thea was stepping in. He nodded at her, more thanks than approval, before he was helping to move whoever was affected to the sides they should be on as Thea helped to take care of the odor. Good – Gus really didn’t want it to linger in the common room and make it unbearable until it finally aired itself out.
“Thank you Miss Halloran.” Gus said with a small smile, although as his gaze flicked to her spoiled robes and the grimace on her face, he couldn’t help but to give a short huff that might have been amusement. He tipped his head. “Go join those with the spoiled robes.” He left Thea to move them onto the linens so they wouldn’t stain the floor before wandering over to the pile of robes.
He crouched, pulling his wand free. “I’ll take care of the robes before we lose them to permanent ruin.” Gus knew that not all of them could afford new ones, and he’d hate for them to lose a perfectly fine robe for something as silly as a mistake with a plant, especially when it happened in his common room. With a practiced flick, he cast a scouring charm over the pile, careful to make sure the sap dissolved rather than spread.
“Alright, badgers,” Gus clapped his hands as he stood up. “Crisis averted.”
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