#carewyn also has a modified waffle iron and mini-fridge in her office and her ministry buddies often pop in for a pick-me-up on late nights

[carewyncromwell]

“A perfect happy ending -- That's how it should be!”

~“Who I’d Be” from Shrek the Musical

x~x~x~x

Whew! These outfits took a while! But yeah...this is a very weird song choice, I know, but Shrek’s lines in this song actually really gave me Talbott vibes at certain points. Like, take this stanza --

“Or I could be a poet and write a different story -- One that tells of glory and wipes away the lies... And to the skies I'd throw it -- the stars would do the telling -- The moon would help with spelling, and night would dot the ‘I’s.  I'd write a verse,  Recite a joke, with wit and perfect timing --  I'd share my heart, confess the things I yearn,  And do it all while rhyming! But we all learn...but we all learn....”

So I decided to draw Talbott as an Auror (as he becomes in my canon: not that I mind ones where he becomes a Healer or something else instead!), alongside the two coworkers he works with most -- his partner, fellow Auror Nymphadora Tonks, and his good friend, Ministry lawyer Carewyn Cromwell. (While listening to this song and sketching this out, I couldn’t help but imagine Carewyn singing Fiona’s part and Tonks singing Donkey’s, and it made me oddly feelsy!!)

Since it’s canon that Talbott isn’t as good at dueling as some of his other friends, I see Talbott being much more into the investigation side of the Auror Department, while Tonks is the more action-oriented of the two. Basically Tonks is the one out there actually going on undercover assignments (being the resident Metamorphagus) and kicking Dark wizard arse on a daily basis, the way a cop would, while Talbott is the one making connections, running down leads, and making sure that they have enough evidence before making an arrest, the way a detective would...and so the two end up being a really awesome team, when put together, especially when they’ve also got Carewyn in their corner as legal consultant. These three became very close while working at the Ministry together, especially in the lead-up to the Second Wizarding War -- I personally see this image being set right around the time when the three realize that the Dark Lord is returning, and they’ll have to take up arms to fight the evil of their parents’ generation. I see Tonks as the only one of the three who actively joins the Order of the Phoenix, but I do see Carewyn and Talbott helping the Order covertly all the same. Carewyn secretly tipped off Dumbledore to the changing of Harry’s hearing time and place and sabotaged the writing of the Ministry’s Educational Decrees while Fudge was in office, while Talbott ended up being a pivotal correspondent for Potterwatch during the War itself -- and both Talbott and Carewyn ended up helping smuggle plenty of fugitives (including Carewyn’s future ward Erik Apollo and romantic partner Orion Amari) out of the Death-Eater-controlled Ministry during the War itself too, with help from Carewyn’s brother Jacob and others. And then after the War and after Tonks’s death, I see Talbott and Carewyn being central to the effort to track down and imprison every last Death Eater left alive, and Talbott in particular as Harry’s mentor when the Boy Who Lived joined the Department post-Hogwarts. 

As you can see, as adults, Carewyn, Talbott, and Tonks each embrace a different kind of fashion sense. Carewyn, as always, is a little lady who tends to embrace formal floor-length dress robes more often than not at work, since she has to be so image-conscious while working with clients, the Wizengamot, and the Minister’s support staff and especially while she’s in the courtroom. (Her look is based off this dress!) Talbott, on the other hand, has much more of a “Western” look, largely because in the game, he’s been given that kind of an aesthetic in the past. I did tweak the hat to look more like a fedora, though, so as to allude to the “detective”-like role he plays in the Auror Department, and I also gave him a wand holster on his leg (because it’s bad-ass) and added his mother’s necklace, a few woven bracelets, and a black “Ace” ring on his middle finger, which I’ve drawn Talbott wearing previously. Finally Tonks’s look was largely based on this design, though I personally imagined it a rich magenta color, more like this costume she wears in the films. You’ll also notice that both Talbott and Tonks are right-handed, while Carey-bear is left-handed!

Hope your night is going well...and if you liked this, please consider liking/reblogging/commenting! 💙🤎💗

[carewyncromwell]

Carey, for 10?

Carey-Bear! ^.^

1) “Carewyn” was originally an old family name that Lane vaguely recalled from an old family tree tapestry hung up in the dining hall at the Cromwell estate. Ironically enough, Charles Cromwell’s mother Isabelle, who Carewyn got her red hair from, had “Carewyn” as her middle name, though temperament-wise, Carewyn and her great-grandmother aren’t very much alike.

2) As a young girl, Carewyn was bullied by a Muggle boy in her neighborhood named Bobbie Mathis and his friends. Bobbie was a few grades ahead of Carewyn and went to the neighboring middle school, and he delighted in tormenting the small girl because of how overly sensitive and therefore easy to tease she was -- and considering that Carewyn was prone to “acting like a freak” (i.e. magical outbursts) and came from a very poor family, there was plenty of ammunition for him to work with too. Bobbie bullied Carewyn and others largely to vent his frustrations about his own unpleasant home life with his parents: it’s very likely that he would’ve eventually grown out of his bullying of Carewyn on his own, since in his later years, he sought out counseling and became a slightly better person...but after a particularly rough day that resulted in Carewyn’s dress getting ripped and her getting beaten up, Jacob Cromwell permanently put an end to Bobbie’s bullying by punching the younger boy in the nose and threatening him to never come near his sister again.

3) Carewyn wears a size 8 narrow shoe, which makes it very difficult for her to find shoes that fit comfortably on a budget. Interestingly this is also a problem my own grandmother struggled with, when she grew up during the Great Depression -- and like my grandmother, once her financial situation improved as an adult, Carewyn amassed a rather impressive collection of well-fitting and fashionable shoes!

4) Carewyn is a prolific letter-writer, as an adult. The person she writes to most often is her BFF Bill, followed closely by her unofficial twin Charlie, her brother Jacob, and Deputy Headmistress and later actual Headmistress Minerva McGonagall.

5) In her tiny office at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Carewyn has several Muggle appliances that have been modified with magic to work without electricity, like a coffee pot, mini fridge, and waffle maker. It’s very common for her Ministry friends like Aurors Talbott and Angelo @angellazull, Hitwizard Ben, COMC worker Wendy @drinkyoursoupbitch, and fellow lawyers Chester and Manon @that-ravenpuff-witch to stop into Carewyn’s office for a quick cup of coffee and a stack of waffles, when they’re working late night/early morning shifts.

6) Carewyn’s go-to Dueling spell is “Incarcerous.” She also prefers spells that Stun or otherwise prevent her opponents from attacking or running away, such as “Immobulus,” “Petrificus Totalus,” “Impedimenta,” and “Stupefy.”

7) After Orion and Carewyn become legal partners, they wear a set of rings they saved up for and selected together at a jewelry store in Diagon Alley. The rings are trimmed with engraved stars and spirals, with tiny personalized messages engraved on the inside -- Carewyn’s for Orion says, “I’ll always fight for us,” while Orion’s for Carewyn says, “Snidget, Fire Crab, Phoenix, Abraxan.”  (Those animals were ones Orion associated with Carewyn, as he got to know her -- first he saw her like a Snidget for her small size and interest in Quidditch; then a Fire Crab for her passionate, relentless fire; then a Phoenix for her beautiful singing voice and ability to inspire others; and finally an Abraxan for her desire for freedom and independence and soul that so resembles his.)

8) Even though Andre and Carewyn are no longer dating, they still love chatting about fashion and Quidditch together. It’s not uncommon for them to dissect and analyze the newest clothing trends. One time, the two spent almost a whole hour ranting about the absolute abomination that are crocs.

9) Carewyn’s best subjects are Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, History of Magic, and Care of Magical Creatures. Her weakest subjects are Transfiguration and Divination.

10) Even after leaving Hogwarts, Carewyn continues to send Christmas packages to Hagrid for her centaur friend Torvus. On those few occaisions Carewyn is able to visit Hogwarts and its centaur herd, Torvus (now full grown and towering even more over Carewyn than he did before) is always very pleased to see her, in his own understated way. He will walk very closely beside her whenever possible (something real-life horses do, when they’re around other horses or animals they’re fond of) and will, when they’re sitting down casually somewhere, fix and/or braid Carewyn’s hair. Firenze, as the new Divination co-professor, will frequently have predicted when Carewyn’s coming and will take some time to come out and visit with her too.

10 Facts!