#will carewyn find jacob?

[carewyncromwell]

"Everyone’s a writer -- painter -- poet! Everything is avant-garde or chic!

We’ll be in the know before we know it... When you’re in the know, it’s -- Oh, it’s magnifique! To find in Paris what you seek..."

~"Paris Holds the Key (to Your Heart)" from Anastasia (musical)

x~x~x~x

Jacob Cromwell's graduation from Hogwarts truly was an underdog story, to most people's minds. After getting roped into the likes of R, losing his two closest companions to petrification and death respectively, getting expelled, and finally getting trapped in a magical portrait for seven years, it was something of a miracle when he was able to turn it all around with nothing but his astounding intellect and magical talent, graduating with full honors in the spring of 1991. Many presumed that after the trauma he'd undergone, Jacob would settle into life at home with a respectable new career in the Wizarding World -- his sister Carewyn certainly did, taking a much more peaceful job at the Ministry of Magic as a lawyer.

Jacob, however, celebrated his graduation and freedom by traveling the world and doing and learning as much as he could -- and in those travels, he ended up making quite a name for himself, not as "that delinquent Jacob Cromwell," but as a freelance magical researcher. One of those people who took immediate notice of Jacob's brilliance in this regard was a witch who ended up becoming a very good friend of his -- the statuesque Headmistress of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Olympe Maxime.

It all started when Jacob finally -- after pecking away at it off-and-on for about two years around his travels and random Cursebreaking expeditions -- finished a scholarly essay applying the principles of Muggle chemistry to various Potions ingredients. It was a subject he'd first experimented with in his fifth year at Hogwarts (right in the middle of his Potions OWL, ridiculous as it was), but Jacob had felt more prepared to return to the subject after doing more research and even covertly sitting in on a few Muggle chemistry classes while traveling abroad. Then over the span of the next twenty months, he wrote out a full piece on all of the research he'd done, adding in some theories about a variation of the periodic table possibly being applied to various Potions ingredients and how applying the principles of organic chemistry to Potioneering could spur the invention of new Potions. Jacob sent a copy of his essay to his former professor and friend, Horace Slughorn, and the ex-Potionsmaster reacted with great enthusiasm.

Pleasantries aside, though -- Jacob, my boy, your essay! I spent an absolutely lovely afternoon reading it over a glass of brandy, and I was simply enraptured by it! I hope you don't mind, but I've already sent a snippet of it off to a friend of mine who writes for The Practical Potioneer, to see if he'd be interested in publishing the whole thing in some future edition -- such a thing awaiting your explicit consent, of course.

Jacob enthusiastically gave Slughorn the "go-ahead" to send the rest of his essay along, if his friend expressed interest in publishing it. Later that year, when Jacob came home for Christmas, he was able to surprise his mother and sister with their own first editions of the potioneering magazine containing his essay. Lane was so delighted and proud that she actually ended up bursting into silent tears.

"The Practical Potioneer," she breathed, her wispy voice choked with emotion. "Oh, Jay...I used to read that every month, when I was in school...whenever the Hogwarts library got in a new copy that I could check out...and now..." She brought her hands up to cradle her son's cheeks, "...now my little Blue Jay's gotten published in it!"

Jacob opened his arms in anticipation of the big hug his mother gave him, squeezing her tight. Despite being just as strong of a Legilimens as Carewyn, he'd never been as good at sensing people's emotions as she was -- but in this moment, he was positive: his mother was so, so proud of him. And that feeling filled Jacob up with so much vindication and warmth that he too felt close to tears.

Both Lane and Carewyn would put Jacob's article in positions of honor. Carewyn framed all four pages of Jacob's essay and mounted them on the wall of her office under a print of Hogsmeade village Badeea had painted for her. Lane herself left the magazine with her son's essay out on the side table by her favorite "reading window" for the rest of her life, and she shared it with every single one of the few visitors she invited to her cottage.

x~x~x~x

As fate would have it, a French Potioneer traveling abroad on holiday picked up several Potioneering magazines from the countries he visited, so as to read them on his long train ride home. One of those such magazines ended up being that very edition of The Practical Potioneer, and the French wizard was thoroughly charmed by the theories presented by the British researcher called Jacob Cromwell: so much so that he translated the essay into French and then sent it and the original magazine to the French Wizarding World's main newspaper, Le Cri de la Gargouille. The paper then published the translation of Jacob's essay in their paper in February 1994, specifically as part of their Mode de Vie Magique section -- a section that was, in fact, a favorite of one Olympe Maxime.

About a week after Le Cri de La Gargouille printed Jacob's translated article, Jacob received a letter via owl post that was sealed with a light blue seal marked with a cursive "B" over two crossed wands.

Monsieur Cromwell, Firstly, I must apologize if this letter reaches you more than once. When seeking out an address for you, I was informed that you currently have no permanent address, and so I had to get creative to find a way to contact you directly. Fortunately it seems that the Owl Office in Paris is most resourceful in locating witches and wizards while they are on holiday abroad. But now, to business. A week or so ago, while reading La Cri de La Gargouille, I came across your essay regarding the application of Non-Magic chemistry to our own Potioneering, and to put it simply, I found it absolutely enthralling. I profess no expertise in Non-Magic science, aside from the psychology books I've read by Non-Magic authors, but your knowledge of the two subjects is clearly thorough, and your conclusions in comparing the two were fascinating. Your application of Non-Magic chemistry to Potioneering is a subject I would like very much to share with my older students, in preparation for their entry into the Wizarding World. And so it is because of this that I cordially invite you to the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic for a high tea on the afternoon of March 1st, at 3 o' clock. Please RSVP as soon as possible -- I hope that since my return address is so prominent, your response should not take long to reach me. Chaleureusement, Olympe Maxime Directice of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic

x~x~x~x

To say Jacob was thrilled at the prospect of visiting the famous Beauxbatons Academy would be an understatement. He was so over the moon at the prospect that he sent letters to Carewyn, Lane, his best friend Olivia Green, Horace Slughorn, Filius Flitwick and Madam Rosmerta about it, before he finally calmed down enough to remember that he hadn't even RSVPed to Madame Maxime's invitation properly.

Salut, Madame Maxime! Mon français n'est pas très bon, mais j'ai pensé que je devais répondre dans votre langue, parce que vous m'avez écrit dans mon langue. Le français est une belle langue aussi -- c'est ma préférée des langues gallo-romantiques. J'aimerais beaucoup te rendre visite! J'ai lu beaucoup de livres sur votre école. Je ne peux pas attendre! À bientôt! Jacob Cromwell

Jacob then had to immediately set about making travel plans to France. First he took a boat from Rebun Island (his current location) to Tokyo; then he took a very long plane ride from Tokyo to Frankfurt, Germany; once he'd gotten his bearings, he then took a train to Paris, where he was able to take the Floo Network from le Place Cachée to the Wizarding village of Lapinfort, by the outskirts of Lourdes. It was in Lapinfort that Jacob was handed a response from his sister Carewyn, which had arrived via owl the previous day.

Dear Jacob, I just got your letter. I can't believe you're actually going to visit Beauxbatons Academy! I know how much you've always wanted to go there, and to know you've been invited there by Madame Maxime herself...I'm so proud of you! I'm not exaggerating when I say I'm rereading your letter as I'm writing this and I can't stop smiling. Truly, though, I hope you get on with Madame Maxime, and that your lecture for her students goes well. I met Maxime once when she accompanied my school friend Penny's penpal Aurelie Dumont on a visit to Hogwarts, and she's a very glamorous woman. But please, Jacob, I'm begging you, don't make ANY comments about her size -- she's even taller than Hagrid, and I get the feeling she's secretly very self-conscious about it. The last thing I want is for you to make a bad first impression!! As the French say, "bonne chance!" Write to me as soon as you get this, and then be sure to also write to me all about your meeting, after it's over -- I want to know everything. Love you, Carewyn

Jacob wrote Carewyn a quick note to let her know of his safe arrival. Then, once he'd finished, he went into town and found a carriage led by flying horses that could take him over the Pyranees mountains and to the famous Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.

It was truly as beautiful of a school as Jacob's books had claimed. Just as Hogwarts was a mysterious, grand stone castle, Beauxbatons was likewise a kind of palace, though one far more ornamental and delicate: a true French chateau, framed by elegant gardens trimmed with fairy lights.

As Jacob disembarked from the carriage, he found himself enchanted by the tiny seashells embedded into the cement paths that led through the gardens. He soon found himself wandering the left of these paths, rather than looking for the entrance properly, and found himself embarking on a quest to locate the center of the hedge maze he'd found himself in. It wasn't until about a half-hour later that he found his way back out and to Beauxbatons' entrance.

When Jacob reached the grand, white front doors, they sparkled with silver sparkles as they opened for him. Clearly the school knew this was a welcome guest, rather than an enemy -- Jacob's eyes lit up at this thought, and only became brighter seeing the school's interior.

The ceilings were even high than Hogwarts's, and shining as bright white as a spring-time sky full of angelic clouds. The halls were framed by large, beautiful, painted marble columns trimmed with gold, as well as countless living portraits trimmed with ornate ivory frames. There were crystal chandeliers decorated with colorful glass flowers and ivy that sparkled with even more fairy lights. Living statues were mounted in displays of honor down the hall, and they all turned their heads to look at Jacob as he passed. Everything was so bright and pristine, and yet not flimsy. There was power here, inside of this ageless, seemingly fragile beauty: the kind found in the Greek Parthenon or the palace of Versailles.

"Ah...Monsieur Cromwell."

Jacob looked up, startled, to find a very foreboding, but beautiful woman dressed all in light blue satin with a white feathered-shawl around her shoulders, approaching him. She was large before she got close, but once she had, she towered over him, nearly as tall as the ceiling.

Like Hagrid, Jacob recalled.

The thought of the friendly gamekeeper, as well as of Carewyn's letter, made Jacob grin from ear to ear.

"...You must be Madame Maxime!"

"Oui," she said lightly. "You are late, Monsieur Cromwell -- I expected you 'alf an 'our ago."

The Directice's dark eyes flitted over the much smaller man, taking in his incredibly informal white t-shirt and jeans with muted disapproval.

Jacob, however, was blissfully unaware of this.

"Oh yeah -- sorry about that!" he said brightly. "I was just exploring your gardens -- fabulous hedge maze you've got, on par with the one at Villandry Castle. I think I found at least one of its treasures in my wanderings -- that is, if you don't count the absolutely beautiful Herbology specimens...nearly got caught in that French Devil's Snare, when trying to examine your color-changing peonies. But at the center of the maze, I found your garden of wood nymphs -- "

Maxime looked very startled. "You found eet?"

"Yeah! Bloody brilliant use of Concealment Charms, though -- took me about ten tries, before I got the order of turns right...but yeah, so I found the garden in the center, and that tree...absolutely stunning! I don't even know what breed it is exactly, maybe a variation of Wiggentree, but it's exquisite! Is it unique? It surely must be -- I've never seen one so big! Anyhow, the wood nymph Queen wasn't so keen on me getting close, but once I showed her I meant no harm, she pointed the way out for me...who knew wood nymphs would be so keen on Whitney Houston? Though really, I don't blame them -- Whitney's got a wicked set of pipes -- obviously I couldn't do her song the same justice she would've, but hey..."

Many a person had found Jacob's talkativeness exhausting to deal with, in the past. Even Jacob's first friend and love Duncan Ashe had frequently had to tell Jacob to shut up now and again, whenever he'd go off the deep end in rambling. Surprisingly, however, Madame Maxime didn't seem the least bit uncomfortable or overwhelmed -- if anything, her expression bloomed into something a bit more intrigued.

"You zaid zat you not only found our garden for ze wood nymphs in less zhan an hour," she said, "but zat you also earned zheir favor? Monsieur Cromwell -- I do not zhink you are aware of quite how rare zat is."

Jacob cocked his eyebrows, smiling fully. "Why, because of your Concealing magic? Ah, well, I am a freelance Cursebreaker, a lot of the time...puzzles are my favorite thing. And magical creatures are always groovy -- you should meet my friend Hagrid, he works at Hogwarts, he's swell with creatures..."

"What I mean is zat conquering zat maze is a test all seventh year students must face 'ere at Beauxbatons, in order to graduate," Maxime said, her smile spreading more fully. "And most only reach ze garden, before 'aving to quickly leave it. Ze wood nymphs are very protective of zheir tree -- which, yes, is a one of a kind specimen: I rescued it on a trip to Greece myself," he eyes twinkled with a bit of mischief.

Jacob blinked. Then his face broke out into a bigger smile than ever, his skull-like light blue eyes positively alight with delight.

"So does that make me worthy of touring the hallowed halls of your Academy, Directice?" he asked, raising his eyebrows eagerly.

Maxime beamed. "Quite worthy, Monsieur Cromwell."

"Groovy!" cheered Jacob. "Because I was meaning to ask about your school's architecture -- everything I've read about Beauxbatons states that it was built in the 13th century, but all of the decor and landscaping I've seen since I got here is distinctly Baroque -- more properly, Rococo-inspired, which wasn't popular until the 17th century at the earliest. I would assume Beauxbatons has gone through some structural changes thorough-out the years -- understandable, given the history of war on France's borders, in contrast to the isolated Scottish Highlands where Hogwarts is situated -- but are these original from that period, or was it brought back in a revival, after the fall of Napoleon and the virulent anti-monarchist views held by the common man had calmed enough that such beauty could be celebrated again, rather than solely condemned?"

Maxime indulged Jacob's questions as they walked down the long hall and then up a grand staircase to her office. Once there, she offered Jacob some tea (which Jacob drank to be polite) and a dish of endlessly duplicating chocolate madeleines (which Jacob couldn't stop eating). While drinking their tea, Maxime asked Jacob some questions of her own about the kinds of magical research he'd been working on, which prompted Jacob to go off on a tangent about poisons and antidotes, which in turn got Maxime eagerly talking about the perfumes she mixed herself, using the flowers grown in the Beauxbatons gardens.

"Truly, it iz also not zo different from your non-Magique 'chemistry,'" said Maxime. "Just as with Potions, you zimply need zome zort of essential oil, a proper base, and zhen different 'notes,' to achieve ze desired effect. Combine jojouba oil, lavender, and rose with just a 'int of Lady's Mantle as a top note, and voila! You have a perfume zat not only makes you feel relaxed and beautiful, but makes you both smell and appear even more beautiful, to ze people around you."

Jacob's eyes lit up. "Using Beauty Potion ingredients in perfumes! What a groovy idea! I can't wait to tell my Pip -- she's always liked lavender as a scent..."

Maxime beamed, clearly very pleased by Jacob's enthusiasm. "You can zee why your piece about applying non-Magique chemistry to Potions interested me zo much. I would frankly love to 'ear 'ow you'd explain your theories to my students...if you would be willing to let me 'sit in' on your lecture."

"Of course!" Jacob said at once, without any hesitation. His grin was so big he could hardly contain it. "Mais oui! I'd be honored!"

Maxime and Jacob would go on to talk for another whole hour, long after the tea was gone. It was only then that Maxime brought Jacob downstairs toward the Potions classroom, where a set of seventh years had just filed in, and introduced Jacob to the class before settling in the very back of the room as he started his lecture. Although Jacob went on quite a few long tangents in his lecture, his enthusiasm captivated the French students, so much so that they couldn't even look down too much on the weird Briton with the crazy hair and sloppy clothes. He was so animated and intelligent when he talked that soon all of the students were raising their hands and engaging with him, asking follow-up questions and even challenging his conclusions, which Jacob reacted to with almost more enthusiasm than he did to the questions. By the time Jacob's lecture was through, Maxime's eyes positively radiated with how charmed she was by this tiny, quirky little wizard with the messy curls.

"You will have to visit again, when next you publish anozher zuch work," she said insistently.

"Oh, totally!" said Jacob eagerly. "I'd love to come again sometime. Even just to explore some more -- your school really is smashing! I'd love to see your library next time..."

"Mais oui -- but of course."

Jacob's enthusiasm clearly pleased Maxime greatly. It made her give a slightly-too-hard pat to Jacob's cheek that ended up more feeling like a slap.

"Au revoir, Monsieur Cromwell," said Maxime with a warm smile. "I do 'ope zat you shall visit France again soon."

Jacob blinked. Then he smiled a bit more awkwardly.

"Well, uh...my travels kind of keep me on the move. I don't really know when I'll be anywhere a lot of the time -- I just sort of figure it out as I go along. But that doesn't mean I wouldn't like to come back sometime, obviously! And until I do, I could always send you letters, if you'd like. I love sending letters," Jacob added with a grin.

Maxime cocked her eyebrows. "You do not zeem to like receiving zhem quite so much, if you do not have a proper return address."

Jacob laughed uncomfortably. "Oh no, it's...not me not liking receiving letters, I just...keep forgetting to file for a proper collection box, with the Owl Office. Pip's always getting on me for that -- she ends up getting most of the letters for me, and she thinks it'd be a lot easier if people just sent them straight to me, rather than her having to figure out where to send stuff to me based on what I tell her of where I'm next going..."

"Your 'Pip' iz right about zat," said Maxime with a cool smile. "I would zuppose she is just too nice to tell you to stop making 'er pick up after you."

Jacob laughed a bit more fully, though still rather uncomfortably.

"Yeah...yeah, I guess you're right..." He smiled a bit more fully. "All right -- when I get a proper collection box, I'll let you know straight away."

"Good," said Maxime. "I would not like to 'ave to zend three of ze same letter again. I am not ze zort of woman who likes to appear desperate."

Jacob laughed again despite himself. "Desperate? I wouldn't have said that. I thought that it just made you determined, honestly. It sounds like just the sort of thing my Pip would do, to make sure she reached me."

"I have met your zister before, Jacob Cromwell, however briefly," said Maxime, her wry smile widening a bit. "Zo I know, both because of 'er and because of your clear esteem for 'er, zat your comparison is a great compliment."

Jacob grinned. "Better believe it is."

Sure enough, with Madame Maxime's prodding, Jacob opened up a collection box with the Owl Office and enchanted it so that his mail could seamlessly appear in a collection tray on the desk inside his portable room in a suitcase. With this, he was able to receive and send letters a lot more quickly and efficiently -- and it was because of this that Jacob received the news of Cedric Diggory's death so quickly from both Carewyn and Maxime and he was so quick to return home to the United Kingdom in the spring of 1995. Jacob would lose touch with Madame Maxime when she went with Hagrid to negotiate with the giants, but they would reestablish contact after her during the War and especially after, when they no longer had to send messages in code.

The two would remain friends for many years to come, sending letters and gifts to each other while Jacob was traveling. One of Jacob's favorite gifts from Olympe Maxime ended up being a custom cologne she brewed for him, made of cocoa beans, leather, Egyptian musk, and Lady's Mantle. It was a scent Jacob wore chiefly on dates, when he really wanted to look and feel his best, and whenever anyone asked him about it, he was always incredibly proud to boast about his talented friend, the stately Directice of Beauxbatons herself.

[carewyncromwell]

Adding Carewyn and Jacob to the mix! 😘

Connection is still kind of out so have a bunch of meme charts with Veruca, Carson and Coby!

Feel free to tag your OCs!

[imagitory]

“Remember the song? ‘Go too far, and you’ll be drowned’ -- who will stop you from going too far?”

I can’t draw, but...sorry, this scene of Elsa and Anna in Frozen 2 really gave me MC and Rowan vibes. (As it also did for @dat-silvers-girl​!) The lines directed at Elsa feel especially appropriate for my MC Carewyn, as she so desperately wants to be everything that everyone needs even if it overwhelms her and she resents herself whenever she falls short, so yeah, this exchange reminded me a lot of Rowan and my girl’s relationship in particular. (Also yes, in my headcanon, Rowan is 5′8 while Carewyn is 5′3″, hence the height difference.)

[usernoneexistent]

A/N: Okay, so Alvina is here, @oneirataxia-girl​ OC and I realised that some things are different from Alvita’s story so let’s call this an alternative timeline from each other where the relationships are the same but the whole missing brother and vaults thing are slightly different same goes for others who will be appearing throughout.

OCs mentioned: Carewyn Cromwell @carewyncromwell​ OC and Ywa Hana another of @oneirataxia-girl​ spawns.

Warnings: Heavy used of the Scottish accent, discrimination against another house. 

The scream of the alarm ringed in Juniper's ears. She set it up nice and early so she could get ready on time, including her mum. Her mum promised that this time she would make it. The smell of dough flooded the entire house which was unusual, as normally it was Juniper in the kitchen. To her pleasant surprise, she found her mum busy making pancakes.

"Your up early, ma," Juniper quipped. 

"Well, I thought since this is yer first day at Hogwarts I would make you something this time."Julia smiled without reaching her eyes, it had the same glaze over when she realised Jacob disappeared, "And I have to learn to stop depending on you so much Juno."

Juniper doesn't say anything, decided it was best to not comment. Julia planted a kiss on Juniper's forehead as she gave her her breakfast. Her mum took small bites of her pancake but left the plate unfinished. It was more than usual, however, Juniper could sense that her mum was going through a lot today. A bittersweetness that was going to stalk them all day. After their breakfast, they finished packing the final things and brought all the luggage to the living room. 

"Let's take a picture together. For the photograph album." Julia took her wand and levitated their old camera, "Smile." 

The smile pained her, probably pained her mum even more. The uneasiness worsened in her stomach. It felt wrong not having her brother, heck, even her father too. He only sent one letter to say that he has high expectations of her and to not get into trouble. Juniper dressed up in her casual wear and helped her mum to grab all her luggage. They travelled to Kings Cross Station, something that Juniper never understood why all the Scottish wizards and witches have to travel down to London when they could just take a train in Scotland to Hogsmeade. They found a cart to carry all of Juniper's things. Mewles flapped about, squawking as she was startled by the rattles of the wheels. Juniper hushed Mewles as they make their way to platforms 9 and 10. 

"Now, we just need to go through there, remember" Julia held onto the cart, "Together?" 

"Together."

They pushed the cart into the brick pillar. Juniper closed her eyes tight while knowing that they would walk through but somewhere deep in her mind, terrified that for some awful reason they do crash. Slowly, she lifted one eye. Platform 9 3/4, a familiar sight. The last time she was here was when they watched Jacob be sent off to Hogwarts for the last time. Now it was her turn, only without Jacob and without her dad. She felt the stares from everyone. Naturally, they would stand out. Pity, disgust, ignorance, even anger show in their eyes. Julia clung to Juniper feeling the same. 

They manoeuvred through the crowd, most avoided them as if they jad some sort of virus and left her luggage to be collected to put with the other luggage and took Mewles with her on board the train. She looked in and out of different compartments only to be quickly rejected but soon enough finds one. There she saw the shiny, black hair that she has been missing for a month now. 

"Rowan?" 

"Juniper!?" Rowan shoot up and squeezed her tightly, "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Rowan," After what seemed like an eternity passed, they finally let go. Rowan pulled Juniper to the window, "Juniper meet my parents."

Rowan introduced Juniper to her parents. She had her mother's face except for the eyes, they belonged to her father. Her older brother who just graduated the year before also showed up. He is helping out with the family farm while recently working at the ministry. Her parents seemed happy for their daughter to have found a friend. Juniper was secretly thankful that they didn't bring up Jacob and treated her normally and did not look at her pitifully. Not long after, Julia caught Juniper and ran over to the window. 

"There you are," she huffed, out of breath. 

"This is ma mum, Rowan." Juniper introduced her mum not only to Rowan but to her family too. The two mothers hit it off. Juniper hoped that they maybe could be friends too. Goodness, Julia needed someone that can keep her occupied and give her some company. The toll of the bell alerted everyone that it was time for the train to leave and said their last goodbyes until the next time they met. Rowan and Juniper stuck their heads and waved goodbye and off North to Hogwarts. The girls sat down once their parents were out of sight. 

"I'm so happy we found each other so quickly," Rowan remarked. Juniper couldn't help but nod in agreement, "Aye, I have tae confess. I couldnae wait to see you again." 

Rowan sighed out a relief, "I'm glad I wasn't the only one who felt that way." 

A couple of people passed them by, a few saw Juniper's hair and immediately scurried away to find another compartment. Rowan constantly looked at Juniper with concern, unsure if she was offended. The blue-haired remained indifferent towards the judgement. Too be honest, she would rather have people whisper and ignore her than harass her. Her main goal is to find Jacob and to be left alone. Well, she added the goal of making some friends. Juniper wasn't expecting much but a few would be nice. At least she has Rowan on her side. They snacked on their confectionary bought from the trolley witch, comparing and swapping their frog cards.

"I have two Dumbledores, do you want one?" Juniper asked, Rowan's eye widen, "Oh that would be great Juniper, thank you! Dumbledore cards are really rare."  She took the card and added it to her collection.

"Dumbledore was in Gryffindor, wasn' he?" She wondered out loud.

"Yeah, he was," Rowan affirmed, she paused, "Do you wonder what house you'll end in?"

Juniper shrugged, "I haven' got a scooby. Maybe Hufflepuff? Most of my family were in Hufflepuff." She never really thought about houses, she knew that her mother's side usually ended up in Hufflepuff. She changed the subject back at Rowan, "What about you?"

“Well, I wouldn’t mind Ravenclaw because that’s were most intellectuals are,” Rowan answered, but added, “But I wouldn’t mind Hufflepuff, they sound very nice too.” 

“Well, whatever house we end in, I hope we’re in the same house.” Juniper remarked. She really didn’t want to be alone with other strangers in a dorm. Having Rowan would be so great for her.

The train chugged on as the sun starts to set and the lights inside brightened to accommodate for the changing lights. Everyone was changed into their school uniform, the first years' black ties ready to be determined for their new colours for the next seven years. The motions of the steam engine slow to halt at a wizarding village. 

"All firs' years! This way 'ere," The deep voice boomed across the platform. All the first years head turned to the giant figure illumenated by the glow his lamp. Juniper noted her surroundings, the many students that followed along the path until they reached to a lake. Boats with little lanterns hanging were prepared. "Don' push. Only four people to a boa'" The giant instructed the students.

Rowan and Juniper made sure to stick together, unseperable. A boy with tidy blonde hair and perminant worried look to his face joined them in their boat. He was skittish, constantly looking around while fiddling with his fingers while a more calmer red headed boy climbed in with them. They gave a quick little greeting but their attention was more focused on towards the enormous catsle that was awaiting them up on the hill. The castle looked very similar to a muggle castle ruins nearby Juniper mused. The boats moved on their own and took them steadily across the lake and once everyone has left the boats. The giant took them inside through these grand wooden doors. It was like being in a fairytale or medival era history book. Many students gasped audibly in awe, they were certainly feeling the same way too. A woman with a stern look and round spectacles waited for them. Her presence alone quieten down the first years students.

"I am Professor McGonagall, deputy headmistress and one of your teachers during your time at Hogwarts. Now follow along to the great hall." She opens another set of grand, dark brown, wooden doors. The great hall was certainly great, grand even. There was four sets of tables for each house and looking up the ceiling seemed to merge with the night sky lighten by stars and floating candles. Porfessor McGonagall lead them down the middle and to the front of the teacher's table. In the middle of the raised platform stood a stool and an old, dusty matted hat on top. 

"Welcome to Hogwarts. Before the Welcoming Feast, we must sort all the first year student into their proper houses." Professor McGonagall's posture was straight and almost feline if Juniper had to describe. "The Sorting Ceremony is very important. While you are, your house will be something like your family within Hogwarts." Juniper hopes those words will be true. 

"The four houses are called Gryffindor, the brave and chivelrous," Chivelrous my- Juniper cut her own thoughts quickly. That's the only house Juniper vowed to never be in, no matter what it takes. Her brother told one too many horror stories how a group of older Gryffindor boys bullied Jacob for befriending someone, "Hufflepuff, the kind and diligent. Ravenclaw, the witty and wise. And Slytherin, the cunning and ambitious. Each house has its own noble history, and each has produced outstanding witches and wizards." 

Professor McGonagoll paused, "I hope you all will be fine additions to their ranks. When your name gets called, please sit up here and the hat will be placed on your head. First up Ali, Badeea."

The girl with the starry blue head scarf behind Juniper pushed through and sat on the wooden stool. Professor McGonagall placed the hat on top of her head. 

After a couple seconds passed, the hat yelled,"RAVENCLAW!" 

The ravenclaw table cheered for their first new addition. Badeea's tie and robes correlated with the blue colours of Ravenclaw and joined the table.

"Arcane-Zheng, Alvina." Professor McGonagall read out the next one. An Arcane, in her year. Everybody knew about the Arcanes, powerful and rich from their enterprise Vistas industries. Funny thing is, is her beloved second once removed cousin worked with one of the bosses of the business to help bring down you-know-who. Though Juniper does know a fair bit about the Arcanes but she has never heard of Alvina but to be fair, all she knows is their reputation and not much about the family.

The short girl wore her sleek black hair in a ponytail walked up to the stool. The sorting hat was placed on her head. It took considerably longer than Badeea but the hat came to a final conclusion.

"RAVENCLAW!" Another Ravenclaw. There was a Diego Caplan out into Hufflepuff, the skittish boy from earlier was a Benjamin Copper who was sorted into Gryffindor ironically. A girl with gorgeous red hair, Carewyn Cromwell was put into Slytherin. Professor McGonagall goes through the list. Juniper's stomach churned as her name gets closer and closer to being called. She prayed that the teachers listened to her request of being referred as just Moss not Hasni-Moss. 

"Haywood, Penelope." Juniper breathed a sigh of relief as the blonde girl excitedly stepped on the platform.

"HUFFLEPUFF!" The hat cried instantly.

The students gathered in at the front shrunk in size as more and more names are called out. There was almost half left, "Khanna, Rowan."

"Its my turn now. I hope I see you soon," She whispered, she brushed her fingers against Juniper's. Rowan's turn to be sorted, Juniper bets she would make Ravenclaw, it suited Rowan the best.

"RAVENCLAW!" Juniper clapped along the rest of the Ravenclaw students. She almost yelled out how happy she was for Rowan. She glanced around as Professor McGonagall listed through Ks and Ls. The red haired boy from earlier standing next to her was unusually calm. At closer inspection, she noticed how his hair wasn't just red but a fiery red. He stood out almost as much she did with their hair. She focused back on the sorting ceremony, rightly so, "...and now for..."

She glanced at her list, "Moss, Juniper." 

Finally her turn, the students whispered amongst themselves. Juniper face flushed bright red. She thought she was over this. The whispers. The stares. The assumptions and falsehoods spread by rumours. But this is her life now and it would always follow her. She stepped up the platform and took her place at the stool. Her nose wrinkled slightly at the dust residue that fell as the was placed on her hair. 

"Hmm...a Moss, very interesting," A voice tickled in her ear, "It's a tricky things when families have long lines in the same house. Now, now...where to you place you. A very determined little thing you are and an incredible loyalty you possess...ah...like your brother, you hold a certain darkness deep in your hearth too. I wonder how to handle that darkness...hmm..."

Could you hurry up please, I really couldnae care less what hoose I'm in. Juniper thought to the hat. That was a lie, she really didn't want Gryffindor but if she had to choose it would Ravenclaw as both her friend Rowan and her brother were in.

"Impaitent too. I believe Hufflepuff would not be suited for you," The hat amused, chuckled even, "And thus the chain of Hufflepuffs is broken for the Moss family…but what about Gryffindor. You certainly are daring and bold, facing your obstacle head on.

Please no! Any hoose but Gryffindor. Juniper tensed up, she started to crack her finger one by one. "I see…what a shame however I cannot put you in a house which you seem to detest which leaves us to Ravenclaw and Slytherin. Both worthy houses but which is worthier? You certainly have intelligence but also individuality, you know who you are and what you want, but with Slytherin, that could untap a flood of potential waiting to be explored and an ambition to be achieved in you."

Great, could you just put me in whatever hoose that would help me the best to find Jacob, Juniper thought increasingly more frustrated by the hat's hold up. The hat mused, "Hmm…You care deeply for your brother, alright then. I know now, best put you in;" 

Juniper edged against the sit, for the annoucement, "RAVENCLAW!" The hat roared. 

The Ravenclaw table cheered with mixed emotions. Some happy others a little disgruntled but Juniper couldn't focus on that. She jolted towards Rowan and the two shared a hug. 

"I'm so glad we're in the same house." Said Rowan as the sat down, "Aye, me too." 

Juniper sat between Rowan and a boy with tight curly short afro and deep brown complexion. Professor McGonagall moved onto the next person. 

"Murk, Ismelda." A girl with dark hair covering her face merged from the group with was now down over half it's number. The girl was sorted into Slytherin.  Juniper started to lose focus on the sorting ceremony, clapping anytime a new Ravenclaws entered their midsts. 

The ceremony was almost over when two boys and a girl where left, the red headed boy was still there. Juniper felt bad for him having to stand there for so long. The other was a skinnier boy with his brown hair slicked back and the girl was really short compared to the rest. 

"Weasley, Charles." Announced Professor McGonagall. Juniper noticed the boy that she had been staring the entire time finally moved to be sorted to his house. Weasley was a familiar name to Juniper, she heard about them before. Apparantly there was this joke in the Scottish wizarding community that the Weasley family were the English Moss; distinctive hair, poor and blood traitors. The hat took a minute, maybe it was debating like it did with Juniper.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The hat annouced. Charles seemed overjoyed by the choice and ran up towards a taller boy with the same fiery red hair. That must be his older brother, how nice. It pained Juniper a little and made her think of Jacob, he would be twenty-one now and was past his Hogwarts years but still, if he was around Juniper could write letters to him and have the brotherly advise she needed. Professor McGonagoll called out the next name which tore Juniper away from her thoughts, "Winger, Talbott."

The last boy, cool and collected approached the hat with no hesitations. The hat was placed for a couple seconds before making the last decision of the year, "RAVENCLAW!" 

He joined the table across from the Arcane girl. Finally, the last girl was announced, “Ywa, Hana!”

The hat deliberated but finally concluded with Hufflepuff. With the final sorting, closed the sorting ceremony to an end. 

Everyone settled down very quickly for the headmaster's speech. The teacher was decked out in a purple robe, lined with golden threads and embroidery fashioned on top of his head was a matching golden hat. His eyes twinkled of something curious behind his half-moon rimmed glasses to all that laid eyes on him. 

"Welcome! Welcome to another year at Hogwarts." He began from the rusty golden podium shaped like an owl, "The past few years have seen a great weight lifted from our world. The boy who lived, Harry Potter, is safe. Years from now, young Harry will be old enough to attend Hogwarts...But for now, it's your turn!"

Deep down, Juniper had the feeling that he was talking about her. Not that she wanted to be pretentious or anything but something in her gut was telling her, it has to do with Jacob. That she will find some answers about him, just something. Dumbledore resumed with his speech, "Remember, while you are at Hogwarts, your triumphs will earn you House Points, while any rule-breaking will lose House Points. At the end of the year, the house with the most points is awarded with the House Cup, a great honour. I hope each of you will be a credit to your house. Please enjoy the feast."

The room bursted into chatter again as the food popped upon the once empty platters. She never had such good food before, she wanted to complement the chefs who made the food, where ever they are. Juniper was stuffed beyond belief but the food never seemed to disappear. Rowan was the same, the girls laughed and no dared to approach or ask Juniper anything about Jacob so it seems that this was a good day, for now. 

Previous Chapter: Chapter 1

Next Chapter: Chapter 3

[angellazull]

Hogwarts Mystery Profile: Angelo Lancaster

Finally I updated Angel's profile, model of the form was made by @hogwartsmysterystory, hope this clarifies better.

(@immagrosscandy art)

Name: Angelo Nikolas Stellair Lancaster.

Gender: Male.

Age: 17.

Birth Date: August 23, 1972.

Species: Half-veela.

Blood Status: Half-Blood.

Sexuality: Pansexual.

Alignment: Chaotic Good.

Ethnicity: Caucasian.

Nationality: Brazilian/British.

Residence: Royal-Garden, England.

Myer Briggs Personality Type: INTJ-T.

The Mage

1st Wand:

Acacia – 30 cm – Slightly Springy – Dragon heartstrings core (Antipodean Opaleye).

A very unusual wand wood, which I have found creates tricky wands that often refuse to produce magic for any but their owner, and also withhold their best effects from all but those most gifted. This sensitivity renders them difficult to place, and I keep only a small stock for those witches or wizards of sufficient subtlety, for acacia is not suited to what is commonly known as ‘bangs-and-smells’ magic. When well-matched, an acacia wand matches any for power, though it is often underrated due to the peculiarity of its temperament.

Ebony – 35 cm – Slightly Springy – Veela hair core (Provided by Leonor Lancaster). With a sapphire at the end of the handle and silver details.

2nd Wand:

(Art by @kyril-but-magical)

This jet-black wand wood has an impressive appearance and reputation, being highly suited to all manner of combative magic, and to Transfiguration. Ebony is happiest in the hand of those with the courage to be themselves. Frequently non-conformist, highly individual or comfortable with the status of outsider, ebony wand owners have been found both among the ranks of the Order of the Phoenix and among the Death Eaters. In my experience the ebony wand’s perfect match is one who will hold fast to his or her beliefs, no matter what the external pressure, and will not be swayed lightly from their purpose.

Animagus: A black Bombay cat, with a streak of blue fur on its head between its ears.

Misc Magical Abilities: Veela charm, hypnosis and sensitive to emotions.

Boggart Form:

4st-11th year: The Royal-Garden boys laughing at him and humiliating him.

11th-13th year: His friends turning away from him for being a Veela.

13th year onwards: His most important people dying without him being able to do anything.

Riddikulus form: The previous person juggling puffskeins.

Amortentia: Smell of new book, roses (the smell of Penny), peaches and apple pie.

Patronus: Cat bombay.

Patronus Memory: Jacob and him skating on ice when he was a child and his brother saving him from drowning on the ice.

Mirror of Erised: He graduating as an auror and his dad congratulating him and saying that he is proud of him.

Favourite Spells:

Animus Glacius❄️

Expecto Patronum🐈

Blue Sparks🎆

Aguamenti💦

Colovaria⚪➡️🔵

Voiceclaim: Asa Butterfield

Game appearance:

Height: 1.79 m

Weight: 60 Kg

Eye Colour: Blue sapphire

Hair Colour:

White (original)

Royal Blue (Colovaria)

Skin Tone: White

Body Modifications: N/A

Scarring: A scar on the back of his head hidden by his hair, caused by the time the Royal-Garden boys pushed him and he hit his head on the wall of the fountain.

Inventory: His wand, a notebook , A pen, current reading book, keyring earned from Kyril on his birthday.

Fashion: 

Casual - A black jeans, with his sweater with the coat of arms of Ravenclaw, with his blue All Star.

Summer - A royal blue T-shirt, black vest, dark blue denim shorts, and black sneakers.

Winter - A plain T-shirt, a wool sweater, and his furry white overcoat, with winter boots.

Formal Wear - Midnight blue smoking, with a white bow tie and black shoes.

Allegiances

Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw

Illvermony House: Horned Serpent

Affiliations/Organisations:

The Lancaster family.

The Stellair Family.

The Trindade Family (Renegade).

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Circle of Khanna.

The Order of the Phoenix.

Professions:

Auror - 1991 - 2011.

Obliviator - 2011 - 2012.

Charms professor in Hogwarts 2011 - present.

Hogwarts Information

Class Proficiencies:

Astronomy - O

Charms – O

DADA – O

Flying – E

Herbology – O

History of Magic – O

Potions – E

Transfiguration – O

Electives:

Ancient Runes - E

CoMC - A

Quidditch: Seeker

Extra Curricular:

Transfiguration Club.

Charms Club.

Frog Choir.

Sphinx Club.

Favourite Professors:

Minerva McGonagall - Angel likes how Professor McGonagall believed in his talent for Transfiguration and did not compare him to his brother, Jay. Although she is very strict in her classes, she is always willing to help you.

Filius Flitwick - Angelo likes how the classes are fun and are never monotonous, being a Ravenclaw, Angel is very curious and likes how the teacher always clarifies his doubts and teaches him several spells, even if he is not in his class schedule and is used in their search for the Cursed Vaults and the Khanna Circle.

Least Favorite Professors:

Severus Snape - Angel admires Snape's ability and great knowledge in Potions and the Dark Arts, however he doesn't like how Snape insults him or says he is incompetent, he likes to be stimulated to learn more, with lessons in Snape, he just hopes to survive until the end of class without making his cauldron explode.

Patrícia Rakepick - Angel has always had a back seat with Rakepick, perhaps it was the way in which she found herself unshakable and unattainable. Although he learned many things from her, he never really liked her personality and always stayed away from her as much as possible. And after she murdered Rowan, the boy developed a deadly hatred for the ex-professor.

Relationships

Brother:

Jacob "Jay" Alexander Stellair Lancaster.

Half-blood.

Half-veela.

Ravenclaw.

He was a member of the Herbology Club and the dueling club until he was expelled from the school.

Hippogriff club.

Father: Charles Michael Lancaster ✞

Pure-blood.

Ravenclaw.

Ravenclaw Quidditch Team Chase.

He became an auror after he graduated from Hogwarts.

Member of the Order of the Phoenix original.

He was killed in a duel against Evan Rosier.

Mother: Leonor Mary Stellair Lancaster.

Veela.

Did not attend any magic school.

Specialists in elemental magic.

Specialist in healing spells.

Loves to sing and draw.

Has a great talent for gastronomy.

Love Interest(s):

Canon: Penny Haywood.

(sorry for the low quality image.)

Mc x Mc: Kyril Vasiley @kyril-hphm (Kyril Art)

Best Friends:

Canon:

🦡Penny Haywood.

🦅Rowan Khanna (Dead).

🦅Talbott Winger.

🐍Barnaby Lee.

🦡Chiara Lobisca.

MCs:

🐍(💛)Roger Lopez @hphm-roger

🐍Kyril Vasiley @kyril-hphm

🦅Elaiza Schuyler @annabelle-tanaka-official

🦅Candy and Paula Vigiere @immagrosscandy

Rival:

🐍Merula Snyde.

🐍 Ismelda Murk.

🦁Sebastian Anguslow.

Enemy:

Patrícia Rakepick.

Wizard in white robes.

"R" members.

Dormmates:

🦅Rowan Khanna (dead).

🦅Talbott Winger.

🦅Andre Egwu.

🦅Arjun Singh. @hogwarts9

Pets:

Arthy, the black cat.

Rowena, the snow owl (Jay owl).

Nevasca, the ice salamander.

Closest Cannon Friends:

🦡Penny Haywood.

🦅Rowan Khanna (dead).

🦅Talbott Winger.

🐍Barnaby Lee.

🦡Chiara Lobisca.

🦡Nymphadora Tonks.

🦁Bill Weasley.

🦁Charlie Weasley.

🦁Jae Kim.

🦅Badeea Ali.

🦁Ben Copper.

Closest MC Friends:

🐍(💛)Roger Lopez @hphm-roger

🐍Kyril Vasiley @kyril-hphm

🦅Elaiza Schuyler @annabelle-tanaka-official

🦅Candy e 🦡PauLINE Vigiere @immagrosscandy

🐍Jason Novak @death-or-sleep

🐍Carewyn Cronwell @carewyncromwell

🦅Flavio Ceccere @sirfluffig

🦅Montague Donohue @montaguehphm

🐍Dusty Emerald @dusty-emerald-hphm

🦡Stephanie Alexeev @hanihonii

🐍Lith Thorne @slytherinliththorne

🦁Aishwarya Mehra and 🦅Arjun Singh @hogwarts9

🦁Ethren Whitecross @hogwartsmysterystory

🦅 Simon Cahill @cursed-vault-ravenclaw

🦅Wendy Gordon @drinkyoursoupbitch

🦡Honey @hmhoney

🦅Luna Silver @lunasilvermorny

🦡Jackeline Peterson @jackie-and-the-curse

🦁 Tu Liang @wangxianforever000

🦅Samanta O'Connell @samshogwarts

Background/History:

Pre-Hogwarts: Angelo was born on August 23, 1972, in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, while his father (as the son of a Brazilian) did international work in the South American country. But he returned to England at the age of four, going to live in the small village of Royal-Garden, near the south coast of the country.

At 6, Angelo suffered the first blow of his life, his father was murdered in a duel against death eater Evan Rosier.

Because of the instability of his Veela powers, he can never interact with Muggle children, because of the risks of revealing the Wizarding World. And after learning about his nature, some wizard boys who lived in the Royal Garden began to bully him, which made him stay away from the children. The only person who knew all this was Jay, and defended his little brother.

When his brother disappeared, Angelo completely isolated himself, he started to stay inside the house reading his father's and brother's books.

At 8, Angelo won Arthy as a birthday present from his mother, and that made the rest of his childhood bearable.

1st Year: While traveling on the Hogwarts Express, Angel felt very insecure about being a half-veela, so in an attempt to change the color of his white hair to black, he ended up turning his hair blue. During the first year, Angel avoided to relate with the other students, having Rowan like its only friend. His teachers, with the exception of Professor Flitwick and McGonagall, were the only ones who didn't compare him to Jay.

After his duel with Merula, Angel met Penny Haywood, when the girl was so kind to him, that from that moment, Angel always blushed when she spoke to him.

He thought he would be a normal student, but no matter how much he avoided it, the curiosity to know what happened to his brother spoke louder, then with the help of Rowan and Penny, they decided to investigate the appearance of the "mysterious ice".

2st Year: As soon as he returned to Hogwarts, Angelo was increasingly determined to discover the truth about his brother and what led him to become involved with the Cursed Vaults. After finding Ben trapped in the ice, he realized that he would need to do what he could to break the curse.

When they found the first vault, and when Rowan was wounded, Angel spent every minute of his free time, studying how to get through the ice door.

The more he investigated, the more bad rumors of his brother were coming, but he refused to believe that Jay was a bad and selfish person as they say he is.

When it was finally time to enter the ice vault. Angelo, Penny and Bill, with much effort, managed to break the curse.

3st Year: With clues to the next Vault, he had to deal with Sebastian Anguslow, a boy who always bullied him at the Royal Garden, so after explaining his situation to Talbott Winger, he agreed to help him become an animagus. After five months, he managed to become a black Bombay cat. So he was able to avoid Anguslow and all his followers.

When he managed to enter Jay's office, after defeating Merula in a duel, he found several notes from Jay about the second crypt, but the image of a loving and protecting brother was undone by the facts.

When entering the vault, Angel, Tonks, Tulip and Barnaby had to face their fears to break the boggarts' curse.

4st Year: As soon as he got back to Hogwarts, his convictions about Jay were pretty shaken, he didn't exactly know what to believe, but if there was one thing he did know, thanks to his Veela skills, he was able to feel a negative energy emanating from her, which meant he should not trust Rakepick.

While steadfastly refusing to be Rakepick's assistant, he learned of a Dementor's invasion, and that it had affected Penny, he told Tonks that he would resolve this and find out the truth behind said. After Tonks taught him to cast a patronus, he discovered that he took the form of a Bombay cat, like Arthy.

After the incident with the Dementor, the relationship between Penny and Angel strengthened each time more, and this resulted in an invitation to the Celestial Ball.

When he met Torvus, the centaur's revelations made his convictions about his brother melt away before the facts presented. This left him devastated, the image of the heroic brother he had from his childhood had been left in a past that seemed unreal.

While investigating, Professor Flitwick suggested that Angelo try to become the Ravenclaw's new perfect. But he knew that it was only a responsibility to divert his search, but the privileges of a perfect one would only help him in his search.

Once his ticket to the secret crush had caused a real mess at Hogwarts, he tried to solve it with the help of Tonks and Charlie, taking the courage to invite Penny on a date, it was an even bigger mess, but in the end, in the light of stars were all perfect, and Angelo finally realized that he had nothing but himself to be accepted, mainly due to his crush. Penny Haywood.

When he finally managed to return the arrow to Torvus, it was time for Angel, Penny, Hagrid and Torvus to enter the forest vault. From that moment, Angelo began to resolve the curses to clear the Lancaster family name and free Hogwarts from these dangers.

5st Year: After returning to Hogwarts to earn his class schedule with the time of his detention, he joined Bill and Merula, despite many protests, joined the Rakepick apprentice group.

Once again Angelo had a personal reason to break the curse, Beatrice, Penny's sister was one of the victims of the curse, so during this year, he had to manage all his time between classes, study for the owls, train and play Quidditch, and investigate Cursed Vaults.

Upon learning that Jay was directly involved in Duncan's death, Angel believed that the caring brother and that he protected him no longer existed.

Without the motivation to find Jay, he simply continued his investigations to protect his friends and clear the Lancaster's name.

During Valentine's Day, even with Lockhart's interference, Angelo and Penny had a great date and in their moment alone in the greenhouse, Angelo asked Penny for a date and gave her first kiss.

After successfully spreading the chaos and getting the painting with Peeves, Angelo, Charlie, Bill, Merula and Rakepick entering the fourth vault. After discovering the truth about Rakepick and meeting his brother again, he had the revelation that thinking about him was the only thing that kept Jay's sanity. And even though Jay was left in the crypt, he had little hope that Jay would still be the brother he was during his childhood.

6st Year: (Pending year)

7st Year: (Pending year)

Order of the Phoenix / 2nd Wizarding War: As soon as they graduated from Hogwarts, Angelo and Talbott started their Auror training with Auror Kingsley Shacklebolt, thanks to their school friendship, the two Ravenclaws formed a great pair, becoming partners.

After finishing the training, Angelo and Talbott were assigned to small missions until they acquired enough experience for large missions. Until one night in 1995, Angel received devastating news, Kyril Vasiley, one of his best friends, had died, which left him devastated. The next day, he received news of the death of Cedric Diggory, another school friend, that was horrible for the blue-haired boy.

A few days after Lord Voldemort's return, Angelo was visited by Albus Dumbledore, who recruited him into the Order of the Phoenix. From that moment on Angelo became a member working on missions on behalf of Dumbledore.

In the battle of the department of mysteries, Angelo was with Tonks and they immediately went to Harry's aid.

During the time that Pius Thicknesse was minister of magic, Angelo works together with some friends to help Muggle-borns and other wizards unfairly accused of the persecution of Dolores Umbridge

After Harry, Ron and Hermione invaded the ministry, Angelo was forced to flee, after sending Leonor and mr. and mrs. Haywood to live at Jay's home in Brazil, he and Penny moved to a small cottage on a deserted Cornish beach.

Quando souberam que Harry Potter estava em Hogwarts, Angelo e Penny sabiam que Voldemort iria atrás dele, então rapidamente eles foram para Hogsmeade para ir até a escola pelo Hogs Head Inn. During the battle, Angelo dueled against the Death Eaters, especially against Cadmus Mulciber, one of those responsible for the death of his father.

Post-War: After the Battle of Hogwarts, Angelo was one of the Aurors appointed by Minister Shacklebolt to track and arrest Death Eaters and wizards who conspired in favor of the dark lord and bring them to trial.

Angelo was one of the Aurors responsible for removing the dementors from Azkaban. And he was tasked by the minister to oversee Harry and Ron's Auror training.

He worked as an auror until 2011, after retiring as an auror, He worked on the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad for a year. Until he received an invitation from Professor McGonagall to replace Filius Flitwick as a charms professor at Hogwarts in 2013.

Old Age & Death: Angelo worked as a teacher at Hogwarts for several years, until he turned 89. Then he said he and Penny lived in a house in Hogsmeade until Angel turned 103, when he died of old age.

Personality

Logical: Angelo always likes to make his decisions based on logic, it is extremely rare that he makes a decision based on emotion.

Empathic: Thanks to his Veela skills, he is able to feel the emotions of others, so he always tries to make people feel better, he cannot see his sad friends, he always tries to make his friends feel better.

Shy: Angelo due to his complicated childhood, he is a very shy boy, not being able to approach new people easily, always preferring to stay in his comfort zone. But he makes an effort when he really wants to meet someone.

Intelligent: Thanks to his photographic memory, Angelo is very intelligent, and he uses that intelligence to help his friends with their homework, mainly in History of Magic, and sometimes he doesn't mind writing essays for them.

Strategist: Due to his timid personality, many people the underestimated and don't believe they can sell him in a duel, but while his opponents try to beat him by force, he studies his opponent and waits for the right time to attack.

Affectionate: After he feels comfortable with a person, Angelo is not ashamed of being affectionate with him, hugging and caressing any friend he needs.

Misc:

The Lancaster is a purebred family, but it stopped caring about the status of purity in the late 19th century, with the family patriarch, Leonidas Lancaster.

Angelo is a descendant of two pure-blood families, the Lancaster and the Trindade, family of his paternal grandmother, Damares Trindade, a Brazilian pure-brood family, but he was disinherited when they learned that his father had married a Veela, and had half-Veela children.

The Stellair family, is a family well known among the French Veela.

Angelo developed a passion for ice and snow magic after almost drowning in a frozen lake.

He has visited the Veela sanctuary in the interior of France several times, where he can assume his Veela form while there, but wizards can only enter the sanctuary with a permit from the French Ministry of Magic.

His little habit of reading while walking comes from when he learned to read, at the age of 4, he used to read the Tales of Beedle the Bard.

And Angel likes to assume her animagus form and stay in the lap of her closest friends, receiving ear strokes, mainly from Kyril, Candy, Elaiza, Roger and Jason.

When he needs to be alone to think or just cry, he can be found sitting under the beech on the shores of the black lake, but when he is there he doesn't like to see anyone.

[carewyncromwell]

How cute!! :3 I went ahead and made my three female MC's as wittle ones --

Carewyn Cromwell, as a little girl, cut her hair into a very short pixie cut to prevent bullies from pulling on her braid. She was a very self-sufficient, yet lonely child who lived largely as a latch-key kid while her single mother Lane worked long hours and who loved nothing more than when her big brother Jacob came home from Hogwarts and they got to have fun together.

Anastasia Read, most often called Ana, was always very soft-spoken and dreamy, even as a child. Her best friends have always been books -- she would get so lost reading the likes of The Chronicles of Narnia and Alice's Adventures in Wonderland that she'd tune out the whole world and often not hear her mother Bonnie call her for dinner the first five times. Even when Ana started preschool, she took her copy of Corduroy with her every single day just to look at the pictures, until she finally learned how to read it herself (earlier than all of her classmates, as to be expected!)

Desiree Lestrange sadly didn't have much of a childhood. From the time she was three, she knew her life was dictated by her role as older sister to her parents' golden child and heir, Marius. Rather than toys, she had equipment. Rather than games, she had lessons. As a result, Desiree grew up way too fast and honestly learned how to have any real fun (outside of finding class material at Beauxbatons engaging) until she became an adult and met Jules Aquila.

Tagging @dat-silvers-girl @kathrynalicemc @ariparri @drinkyoursoupbitch

Hey everyone! I found this cute picrew and wanted to share it with you all if you would like to use it to make your own MCs or other OCs

Tags (no pressure): @catohphm @carewyncromwell @not-that-gilbert-blythe @babygaunt @hphm-jeniferltheman

[immagrosscandy]

So uh... I made this as... idk how to explain this

I felt like drawing some MC again (yeah) but this time I wanted to draw Candy and Paula's friends... if you guys are okay with that of course :')

@maleliddell Male and Paula are such a chaotic duo! I love them so much!!! (I was gonna draw Charlie but I'm lazy)

@rompemaldiciones Candy and Vega will talk about the birdboy until the end of time! That's a fact actually xd (hope you're doing good :D)

@gayandvibin @wandsandrings the Tiny (actually Shorty ;u;) Squad is back!! I love Robbie and Kay so much!! Rowan is such a lucky fella

@kyril-hphm Kyril deserves love and the Vigiere sisters are there to give him all the hugs and kisses he needs (fuck you Jae)

@lunasilvermorny I love Luna so much she's such a mood. Fuck you JC, just fuck you we make our canon with Rowan whether you like it or not

@angellazull After the events of Angel falling off the stairs, Candy will find every opportunity to remind him not to read while he's walking (and to laugh at the scene in her head)

@carewyncromwell My head exploded when both of our Jacobs had the same Patronus! Like wow :O Now Carewyn is friends with the Vigiere sisters >:3

So i guess that's it

These people over here have amazing content to look at and I've admired them even before I started to post my drawings xd

Going back into my cave see you guys i love you i hope you're not mad with drawing your MCs :')

[carewyncromwell]

"In my life I feel like a prisoner, in a light...

Are you feeling me?

'Cause the way you make my

Break my, shake my walls around,

I feel like I'm breaking out!

Show me your colors --

Show me your colors --

'Cause without you, I'm blue..."

~"Hurry Up and Save Me" by Tiffany Giardina

x~x~x~x

~Inspired by a concept by @ag907 💜~

In the story of Jacob and Carewyn Cromwell, the two siblings had to face a lot of tragedy in their lives. One of the single largest was the loss of Duncan Ashe, Jacob's first friend and love. But what if Duncan hadn't died prior to Jacob's expulsion? What if Duncan had been with Jacob, Peter Pettigrew, and Patricia Rakepick on that ill-fated jaunt to the Portrait Vault that resulted in Jacob's imprisonment? What if, after Rakepick's supposed "betrayal," he decided he'd force the Gringotts Cursebreaker to help him save Jacob from the Portrait Vault and R, by any means necessary? And what if Lane Cromwell and little nine-year-old Carewyn caught wind that the last person known to have been with Jacob before his disappearance was his now-graduated Slytherin classmate, Duncan Ashe?

x~x~x~x

The end of Duncan's Hogwarts career had been very turbulent. However he'd imagined ending his time at school, it certainly wouldn't have involved him becoming an Apprentice Cursebreaker at Gringotts under the tutelage of a R stooge he was currently blackmailing to keep from fleeing the country. It also hadn't included being alone at his graduation ceremony -- sure, he hadn't expected anything more than detached applause from his father and stepmother...but he'd always imagined Olivia and Jacob on either side of him, when he finally accepted his graduation scroll from Dumbledore. And he'd certainly not expected to exchange such a piercing look with the Headmaster while doing it.

"If I'm to help Jacob, then I need to know everything you know about the organization he joined, Duncan."

"I already told you, Jacob and I know next to nothing about R! Even those people who've joined it don't seem to know much about it, and they've done that on bloody purpose. I don't need your help, Professor -- I just need access to Hogwarts. Once I find the enchanted portrait again and break all the Vaults' curses in the proper order, I can save Jacob. I will save him and Olivia, damn whatever R might do."

"You might feel that way, Duncan...but as Hogwarts' Headmaster, I must care about what R might do. I won't hinder you from visiting Hogwarts, should you reach out to me -- but if you are to have free reign, you will have to convince both me and the Minister of Magic that you will not likewise give the Dark Wizards Jacob has aligned himself with access to my school and the students I protect. And you mustn't forget -- Jacob himself now poses a threat, with his own forced allegiance to R."

"...So you don't want Jacob to be free..if it means R could use him to hurt people?! Jacob would NEVER want to be with R -- he would fight them with everything in him, if he could! Whatever dark magic is in that mark they put on him, he'd be doing it against his will! Jacob would never -- !"

"I know. Truly, I do. But until R is rounded up and brought to justice, it sounds as though Jacob will still be a weapon they can use against others, whether he likes it or not. And Jacob is powerful and talented enough that he would be a very valuable weapon for such people. I don't like the situation, Duncan...but until the people holding Jacob's chains are dealt with...it may be safest for himself and others if he -- at least for the interim -- remains contained.”

His last conversation with the Hogwarts Headmaster played over Duncan's head off and on the last month, flooding the Slytherin alum with resentment and rage. It seemed to crop up most whenever he and Rakepick headed to work -- perhaps because just about every time they collided in the Leaky Cauldron, Rakepick would be shooting furtive looks over her shoulder, monitoring their surroundings.

"Take a chill pill," Duncan remarked once dryly as he walked through the brick wall into Diagon Alley, not even looking at her. "Are you expecting some knobhead in a red cloak to pop up in broad daylight?"

"Don't be a fool," Rakepick hissed back coldly.

The twenty-six-year old witch took another critical glance around as they walked side by side down the street.

"R is always watching, Duncan Ashe. Neither of us know the extent of their numbers -- even I can't assess who is a member and who isn't without touching them."

"Let 'em watch -- I don't care," scoffed Duncan. "They only really have the ability to threaten and coerce, to get their way. R has nothing I want, and what little family I do have they can threaten all they want."

Something darker passed over his face.

"I've already lost the two most important people in my life, thanks to them," he muttered. "They've lost all power they could have over me."

Rakepick's lips knit together grimly. She looked away.

"Don't underestimate just how much the wolves of R can take from you, Duncan Ashe," she said lowly. "They feed on far more than just physical flesh."

Duncan didn't answer. Instead he adjusted the collar of his dark green robes and started up the stairs of Gringotts bank.

"Did you track down the portrait yet?" he asked.

Rakepick scowled. "I checked Pettigrew's old flat, but it hasn't been touched since Black supposedly killed him, so it's not there. I frankly don't know where else he might've hidden it -- it's not like he has any friends left in the world, with him having to play dead. It's frankly a miracle I was able to pressure him to help us with the Vault in the first place..."

"If by 'help,' you mean leave us for dragon chow," Duncan said scornfully.

"Beggars can't be choosers, Mr. Ashe," Rakepick shot back coolly. "We needed at least four people if we were to fight a dragon. And I don't believe you, Jacob, or I were about to ask any of the Hogwarts faculty to help."

Duncan scowled, but otherwise dropped the issue.

"We'll have to keep looking, then. Even if we break the other Vaults' curses again in the proper order, it won't mean a thing, if we can't get back to the Portrait Vault..."

"Pettigrew and his little Hogwarts buddies had plenty of old hiding places back on the Hogwarts grounds," said Rakepick, and her lips actually quirked up with a cool smirk. "But I daresay Dumbledore will want a proper explanation for why my Apprentice Cursebreaker would want such unfettered access to the school and would demand proper oversight. The Minister and our Head Cursebreaker, as well."

Duncan shot her a glare.

"I may have been assigned to study under you, but don't forget my terms, Rakepick. I won't tell Dumbledore or anyone else about what you did to Jacob, but you need to help me set him free. Therefore I'm the one calling the shots -- don't you forget it."

"And don't you forget," Rakepick shot back just as coldly, "that you made those terms out of desperation, since the only other great wizard offering you help is more interested in dealing with R, not the Vaults. Without me, you'll never save Jacob."

Almost as soon as the two entered the bank, they were flagged down by Griphook. Rather than give them an assignment as they expected, however, the goblin looked rather critical as he handed a sealed envelope to Duncan.

"A 'Lane Cromwell' sent this to the bank very early this morning for you," he said irritably. "She did not have your current address, so she followed up here instead."

Both Duncan and Rakepick stiffened sharply at the sound of the name.

"Cromwell..." murmured Rakepick.

"I initially thought to dispose of it -- after all, I am no owl, and if the woman had any friendship with you, I would think she'd already know you've been renting a bed at the Leaky Cauldron for the last two months," Griphook said stiffly as he handed the letter to Duncan and then crossed his arms. "But thinking it could be business-related, I thought best to let you deal with the initial letter, and then only burn any subsequent ones she might try to send through me."

He was tapping his long-nailed fingers beside his forearm, seemingly awaiting an explanation. Duncan looked from the letter to up at Griphook and tried to compose himself.

"Sorry. Yes, I...I'll deal with it at once. Thank you."

Griphook gave a sniff and then trudged back toward his desk.

Duncan looked back down at the envelope warily. Written in very neat, but slightly shaky handwriting in dark blue ink were the words:

Duncan Ashe

Gringotts Bank

Diagon Alley, London

The envelope was not the sturdy, wizarding parchment variety, closed with a wax seal. Instead it was very thin and made of simple white paper: a standard Muggle-produced envelope.

Just like Jacob used to use...

Duncan could feel Rakepick watching him. Stubbornly ignoring her, he ripped the envelope open and read the note inside.

Flat 13, 43 Harrison Way

Liverpool

Dear Mr. Ashe,

We have never met, but I'm Jacob Cromwell's mother. I understand you and my son knew each other at school.

At your earliest convenience, I should dearly like to know about your last interactions with Jacob, prior to his disappearance. If a private in-person meeting could be arranged, I am available on weekends. You will need to use the Knight Bus or careful Apparition, however, as my home is in a Muggle district and my fireplace is not connected to the Floo Network. If you'd prefer to simply give me a written account, I'm willing to accommodate, but please expect follow-up questions by Owl Post, preferably at your home address. Slytherin's new Head of House Severus Snape didn't have anything on file for you aside from your family's address, but he signaled you were unlikely to still be there after your graduation.

Hope this finds you well.

Lane Cromwell

"Well?" said Rakepick.

Duncan read the letter a few more times, considering the words carefully as he swallowed.

He hadn't reached out to Jacob's mother at all after what happened. How could he? He felt guilty enough about what happened, and he didn't know the woman at all -- how could he even begin to explain everything he, Jacob, and Olivia had kept under wraps so long? It had been their secret, their goal -- even now that everything had gone so out-of-control, it was hard to reach out for help with it. Especially when Dumbledore flat-out admitted he thought it'd be too dangerous to set Jacob free as long as R still existed and had power over him...

That, and...Duncan knew how much Jacob loved his mother. Not just her, but his little sister, Carewyn. Jacob's love for his sister overwhelmed just about everything else. It had been Carewyn's life being threatened that had scared Jacob so much. It had been Rakepick saving Carewyn that had coaxed Jacob to trust her, only for Rakepick to end up being part of R too. It was Carewyn, and to a lesser extent his mother, that made Jacob do as R said...made him not just run away and change his name and start a new life in freedom far away from R and their threats, the way Duncan had thought they could...

It was Carewyn -- and Lane -- that Duncan knew Jacob would always choose. Over his own safety, over his own life...over any kind of future with Duncan.

Resentment twinged in his mouth as he bit the inside of his cheek.

Rakepick said Jacob's grandfather has links to R, he thought. Anything I might write could get intercepted...knowing them, they probably have Jacob's flat under surveillance, so they'd know if I visited too...

He reread Lane's letter one more time.

Her "L's" had the exact same swirling flourish that Jacob's did.

His eyes narrowed as he finally lowered the letter.

"We're going to meet her," he said brusquely.

Rakepick was taken aback. "What?"

"Jacob's mother wants to meet me to talk about Jacob. You're coming with me."

Rakepick gave something of an shocked, offended cough.

"Have you lost your senses completely?" she demanded. "R explicitly instructed me not to go anywhere near Jacob's family! If you or I made any contact with them, then R would retaliate against both us and them -- "

"'Beggars can't be choosers,' isn't that what you said?" Duncan recurred very dryly.

He folded up Lane's letter and put it into his robes. Rakepick's eyes flashed.

"R already tried to hurt Carewyn Cromwell once," she hissed at him. "I know -- I was there -- "

"Good," Duncan shot back. "Then you can Apparate me cleanly over to their Muggle neighborhood without us being seen."

"If I hadn't turned against my companions that day, then Jacob's sister would've been crippled or worse!" said Rakepick, and her cold, angry voice betrayed the very slightest strain. "She and her mother have already been emotionally destroyed by his disappearance. Do you truly think that Jacob would want you putting his sister in R's cross-hairs again by doing this? Do you have no moral compunctions, putting the most important people in Jacob’s life -- one of them a nine-year-old child -- on the front lines?"

Duncan met her glare head-on.

"'They've already been destroyed by Jacob's disappearance?'" he repeated accusingly. "Then you've already seen them."

Rakepick flinched. Then her eyes narrowed.

"Only Carewyn," she murmured. "And only from afar."

"Well, I’m not such a coward," said Duncan. His own voice was sharper now, more confrontational. “If you want to talk about moral compunctions, how do you justify refusing to face the family of the bloke you got trapped in a portrait?”

Rakepick’s face was almost forcibly stoic, but she could offer no verbal response. Duncan turned his back on her.

“I need a way back into Hogwarts and into the Cursed Vaults. Maybe some angry mother yanking at his beard will make Dumbledore reconsider his stance.”

[ariparri]

INFORMATION

Here you can find all posts related to the Cardverse AU.

All official roles listed have already been filled out, but I am leaving this open for MCs as well! If you want your MCs to be part of a particular region, you totally can! I would love to see others take part in this! (⁀ᗢ⁀)

You can also find other related posts through the #hphm cardverse tag! Other tags. To Do List

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Country of Spades

Perseverance | Reason |Acceptance |Productivity

The Country of Spades is known for its productivity with labor. Spades are very goal oriented, high achievers who want to reach their true potential. They hold big plans for their life and know how to achieve them. They are ready to put in hard work. And because they are exceptional at self-discipline, it becomes easier for them to accomplish any goals they set for themselves. They are always eager to learn new things and expand their development. They are incredibly passionate about self-improvement, and they keep embarking on self-growth journeys that can help them become even more proficient individuals.

King of Spades

Chancellor of Spades

Former Ace of Spades

Trolley

Jacob's Capture

Queen of Spades

Ace of Spades

Jack of Spades

Meeting The Ace

The Abraxan

Flowers For Your Garden

The Admirer

The Happy Times

The Best Ideas By Jacob Cromwell

The Chancellor Meets A Genius

The Runaway Candidate

A New Friend

The Man from Hearts

Undeserving

The Puppeteer (NEW)

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The Land of Clubs

Knowledge | Intellect | Communication | Mind

Clubs are more in touch with the side of nature, the kingdom resides deep in the forest. Its path is cerebral and focuses on information, communication, intellect and reasoning. The club wants to think and know. Club is mind. Wonderfully creative and very fast learners, even the careless ones in Clubs have keen intelligence and insight. Their spiritual abilities are impressive, and they are very intuitive. Many believe that the past lives gave them access to great wisdom. Meditation can also be the perfect anchor to control all their racing thoughts when stress arrives in their life.

King of Clubs

Jack of Clubs & Design by @helenadurazzo

Ace of Clubs (TBA)

The Wanderer

Tragedy of Reality

Life of Threes (NEW)

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Kingdom of Hearts

Devotion | Emotion | Love | Passion

The Kingdom of Hearts, with its journey of love and its time of youth and passion. The path of hearts is emotional and focuses on relations and the home. The heart is sensitive, emotional, innocent, and vulnerable. Heart is devotion. People pursue the most amazing feeling ever known to humans and enjoy the best things that life has to offer. They are easily distracted by expensive and beautiful things. They love to be the center of attention, but it’s not just attention that they can attract.

They can attract financial profits effortlessly. They are very confident and know their worth. No one can bring them down. It’s almost impossible not to feel like the world revolves around them. This can have a negative impact, and they can seem a little selfish, which they are very prone to become. It’s important to recognize boundaries and try not to be self-indulgent. They are also incredibly romantic with high demands for love and expect nothing but an epic romance.

King of Hearts

Queen of Hearts by @carewyncromwell

Ace of Hearts

Jack of Hearts

Queen's first impression

Hearts' Gardener

Mother/Daughter Reunion

Hearts' Predecessors

Declan x Rosalie

Sarahi's Masquerade

Carewyn's Abraxan

That's What You Do For A Friend

Student Showcase

Caring for the Queen

Lovable Ace

Cromwell Sibling Reunion

Passion Ball

You Look Like A Fool

Nightmares

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Diamond Empire

Wealth | Value | Liberty | Security

The Diamond Empire, also known as the Empire of Wealth by many. Yet there is more to Diamonds other than wealth, the Diamond Empire is known for their Value, Liberty and Security. The journey of the diamond is a journey into the creative fire of materialism. In the time of fall, the time of maturity, and harvest. The path is material; the focus is on turning energy into tangible assets. It is determining what is of value and defining what is worth.

Those within the Diamond Empire are known to have a keen eye for talent. You’ll see artists at every corner of the street taking in the beauty of Diamonds on their canvas or fill the air with music. Because of their nature in the hunt for success, they also tend to hang out with mindful people who can motivate them to keep up with their ambition and cheerful personalities.

Queen of Diamonds

King of Diamonds by @akikocho

Ace of Diamonds & Design (MC @nerdyliv)

Jack of Diamonds & Design by @/Franz

Penny's Harpastum

Duchess of Avery Manor

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Jokers Domain

Jokers are notoriously eccentric and eclectic. They have a super-creative approach to love, life, and work. The Jokers can represent originality, or the beginning of an adventure or quest. They can represent surprises and unexpected events outside of the seeker’s control. The Joker can represent foolish behavior or immaturity. The Joker can indicate secrets, hidden agendas, or that not everything is as it appears to be in the area where it falls.

Tulip and Tonks

Escape Artist

Beast Tamer

The Carnival (TBA)

The Joker and the King (part 1)

The Joker and the King (part 2)

Ismelda & Beatrice's Role

The Tables Have Turned

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Other

The Map of Cinderhaven

Cinderhaven Title Screen

Residents List

Events of the Regions

Region Stamps

Spades Card

Steam Train Design

Queens of Cinderhaven

Lightening Up

DieRuca - Is beauty all that matters?

Takes Two To Tango

Cardverse Game Ad

The Queens Meet

Letters

Horrible Flirting by Diego

DieRuca

Free Real Estate

[ramblings-of-a-mad-cat]

Not the anon that mentioned Carewyn's post, I'm the ramble-y one, but I think I can explain. I didn't see the post that started it all, but apparently someone wrote a post calling people out for having "Same Face Syndrome White Bread MCs" or something along those lines, and essentially saying that everyone's MCs were too similar and not unique enough with a heavy focus on race. And then said that people who were getting defensive of their MCs needed "to look inside and find out why they felt so threatened by that", implying that, y'know, people were being racist simply by defending their white MCs. Instead of, y'know, realizing that people's MCs are something personal to them and that by saying that they were all the same a bunch of people's feelings were rightfully hurt. Carewyn's post was one of the more well spoken, level headed responses and if that was your introduction to the drama it probably made it seem less... I don't know, childish? I guess? I agree that her post felt more like part of a rational discussion about diversity.

The funny thing is, Carewyn’s post was the one that I first saw about all of the drama going on, but I have no idea how the other anon could have known that? I guess it’s a safe enough bet since I tag her in a lot of the tagged posts that I make but still, that was what had me confused. I’m also not sure who the “straight Merula fanboy” was supposed to be, was there someone who re-blogged Carewyn’s post? Or was that supposed to be me? 

Either way, yeah, it’s been a whole mess. I definitely saw some of the posts that talked about “white bread” MCs. While I can laugh as much as anyone at the posts that make fun people who are privileged, I also feel like there’s a difference between doing that and mocking someone’s character. Probably best to avoid doing that as writing is such a personal thing and even if folks don’t mean any harm, it could strike a sensitive spot. 

Almost reminds me of the discourse about Hermione and what her race is. There’s a post out there that sums it up perfectly and I cannot find it right now, but it’s basically a comic where a bunch of Harry Potter fans talk about how they interpret Hermione. Some interpret her as white, some interpret her as black, some as Latina, some as mixed, the list goes on. In the comic, everyone is celebrating and getting along and everyone’s head-canons are deemed as valid. When it comes to Jacob’s Sibling, a character who is literally ours to design, I think we should probably adopt a similar mindset. 

[imagitory]

Just thought I’d share a little of my progress in the game Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery! Right now I’ve just started year 5, and yeah, while the game definitely isn’t perfect, I’m having fun! If you want to read more about my character, I put in a cut! (Sorry about my character holding hands with your character Alana’s bae, @weasleyismyking540​ -- if I could’ve picked Chiara as Carewyn’s other half instead, I would have!)

My character, Carewyn “Cursebreaker” Cromwell, although she resembles me quite a bit visually, isn’t exactly like me, but one thing that she and I do share is a love of fashion! She changes outfits all the time depending on what she’s doing, from wearing all black when she was tailing Rakepick to wearing the Weasley sweater she got from Bill when she was trying to become Prefect. The outfit she’s wearing in her screenshots and in the biggest sketch I did is her usual “adventure” outfit, though she will break out the black version when she needs to be stealthy, like when she sneaked into the Forbidden Forest in fourth year. She also managed to become a Prefect, despite her disregard for the rules! In my head, I imagine it’s largely due to her maternal streak, rather than any astounding respect for rules and regulations: even if she’s a Slytherin, she likes protecting and looking after other people, especially social outcasts, since she herself has had to deal with a decent amount of people misjudging her. 

Backstory -- Carewyn is the second child and only daughter of the half-blood Cromwell family. Her father, Evan Bach, was a Muggle who left his family when his son Jacob received his Hogwarts letter and his wife, Lane, revealed her magical ancestry to him. After that, both Jacob and Carewyn took on their mother’s maiden name, Cromwell. Carewyn was a late-in-life surprise for her parents, being born only two years before Jacob started at Hogwarts. Jacob disappeared when Carewyn was eight years old, and ever since, Carewyn has been starved for news about her lost brother. Part of her worries that Jacob -- a Ravenclaw who was kind of obsessed with learning and achieving every single thing he could -- has gotten roped in with some bad people or, worse, that he might not even want to be found, so as to not shame her or their mother or to keep them from harm. Whatever his reason is, though, Carewyn knows she has to find out what happened to Jacob and remove the shadow of the Cursed Vaults looming over her if she has any hope of living her life the way she wants. Carewyn is close with her mother, Lane, but has greatly downplayed her involvement with the Cursed Vaults so as not to worry her.

Carewyn’s biggest flaw is her pride. Although she’s made a lot of friends at Hogwarts, she has difficulty showing vulnerability and tries to be perfect in absolutely everything she does. If she doesn’t think she can do something, Carewyn tends to ignore it and/or pretend it doesn’t matter. To complicate matters, when she started at Hogwarts, she actually dreamed of doing all of the normal things Hogwarts students do, like joining clubs, the Quidditch team, and the Frog Choir, but because of her brother Jacob and the Cursed Vaults, she’s had to basically put all of her more selfish ambitions on the back burner. After writing to her mother for advice, Carewyn selflessly gave up her spot in the Frog Choir -- something she really, really wanted -- to Merula with the thought that since she earned the spot once, she could always get it back the following year when there would be room for both her and Merula, but even that ended up having to be put off because of her quest to find the Cursed Vaults. Carewyn enjoys watching and playing Quidditch, but is reluctant to commit to the Slytherin team because she’s afraid of letting them down. Carewyn is actually kind of a stick in the mud too! Unlike her brother Jacob, Carewyn is a meticulous organizer and planner who believes everything has its place, and despite liking Tonks and Tulip quite a bit personality-wise, she can’t stand the idea of most pranks, thinking they end up really mean-spirited and kind of stupid rather than anything funny. (This of course only makes her a fantastic target for pranks among her friends, who think she needs to lighten up!) Appropriate to a Slytherin, though, Carewyn can also be a little manipulative -- despite having a very strong moral compass, she isn’t above putting on an innocent face, playing mind games, or out right lying if it’ll help her reach her goals. She likes to look her best around everyone, both in her fashion sense and in how she behaves, and she hates it when her more negative impulses or insecurities peek through. Her biggest insecurity is her lack of control about her own life. Because she feels like she’s the one with the most drive to find the Cursed Vaults and break their enchantments, Carewyn has subconsciously assumed all responsibility for the fall-out and blames herself if anyone else is put in danger because of her search for her brother or because of the Vaults. She wants to control absolutely everything in her life, but the most she can control nearly all of the time is her attitude, her workspace, and how she presents herself, so she does so. Her greatest fear would be a threat she’d have no hope of controlling or overcoming -- namely, Voldemort.

Relationship-wise, Carewyn’s closest friends are Chiara, Bill, Talbott, Charlie, and Barnaby. She also really respects the eccentric Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team, Orion, and fancies Ravenclaw’s own “Style Wizard,” Andre Egwu, who shares her love of Quidditch and fashion. The thing Carewyn likes best about Andre is how passionate he is about his interests and therefore how much fun their conversations are. Fortunately Carewyn’s interest is reciprocated -- Andre and Carewyn attended the Celestial Ball together and have now been on two dates, one at Madame Puddifoot’s and one in one of the Hogwarts Greenhouses after a Valentine’s party hosted by Gilderoy Lockhart that neither of them remember very well. (META NOTE: As mentioned, I probably would’ve paired Carewyn with Chiara if ANY of the dating events would’ve let me, but I really like Andre too. And after choosing him for the Celestial Ball, it only felt right for Carewyn to stick with him, as I see her as a very monogamous sort, relationship-wise.)

Carewyn latched onto Chiara very quickly because of her “outcasted” status as a werewolf, and since then, she’s sort of become Chiara’s own personal Sirius Black, using her hawk Animagus form to keep Chiara company when she transforms. The Weasley family (Bill especially) sort of filled the hole that Jacob left in Carewyn’s life, but because Carewyn loves magical creatures, she really enjoys talking about dragons with Charlie and everything else with Barnaby. (Barnaby really enjoys whenever Carewyn sings to the creatures she’s working with to try to calm them down.) Carewyn was also pleasantly surprised to find out that Talbott enjoys poetry, given that she loves the arts (music especially), so she encourages him wholeheartedly in his writing, even if her enthusiasm kind of weirds Talbott out a bit. (He likes it, though.) Carewyn clashes most with Tulip (largely because of Carewyn’s aforementioned dislike of mischief), Ismelda (her sadistic streak turns Carewyn off big time), Skye (Carewyn was really upset when Skye started telling rumors about Erika Rath without any proof!), and Professor Rakepick (who Carewyn at present doesn’t trust at all, but will be play nicely with if it’ll help her find out what happened to her brother). (META NOTE: I also adore that Carewyn and Rakepick have some physical similarities, even though that wasn’t on purpose -- it just makes for great visual symbolism, considering that Rakepick is clearly trying to groom Carewyn as one of her apprentices!) Carewyn is also pretty protective of Ben and now Penny, since her younger sister Bea has gotten trapped in a portrait thanks to the Vaults’ most recent curse.

Although the so-called “Most Powerful Witch at Hogwarts,” Merula Snyde, would love it if she were Carewyn’s main rival at school, Carewyn’s kind of gotten tired of the old song and dance Merula’s done with her these last five years and now tends to just ignore her terrible behavior. When Merula is willing to play nice, Carewyn’s glad for her help, but she honestly just isn’t interested in indulging Merula when she’s being awful anymore (which is often). And as much as Carewyn may think of Merula as immature and irritating, she knows that Merula had it rough growing up and that the two of them have a few things in common, like their love of music, and her mother (who was a Ravenclaw like her brother) would counsel her to choose the more peaceful route over active hostility. Carewyn wouldn’t call Merula a friend exactly, but she’s more of an ally of an enemy purely out of necessity, and for that, Carewyn shows Merula the base level of compassion and respect, but nothing more.

Carewyn’s favorite professors are Flitwick -- who taught her about Wizard Dueling and teaches her favorite class, Charms -- and McGonagall -- the one teacher who she respects above all others and would never have the heart to lie to. Being a Slytherin, Carewyn also trusts Snape’s judgement, even if she gets little of the standard favoritism from him: she was all too eager to try to help him spy on Rakepick. She also adores Care of Magical Creatures and probably would enjoy History of Magic more if Professor Binns didn’t teach the class, since her mother Lane works as a magical historian.

Carewyn’s love of magical creatures has prompted her to adopt several pets and magical creatures on the Hogwarts grounds. Her most constant companion is her orange tabby cat Mimi (named for the halfhearted “meows” she gives), but Tulip also gave Carewyn a toad she named Sir Robin the Brave, or “Robin” for short (kudos to anyone who gets the reference!!). At the magical creature preserve, Carewyn has trained a Niffler named Wicket, a Fairy named Belle, a Welsh Green Dragon named Esmeralda, a Porlock named Tumnus, and an Abraxan Winged Horse named Arjuna. Carewyn’s connection with her Abraxan is also beautifully reflected in her Patronus, which is also a Winged Horse.

I’m looking forward to seeing where my curse-breaking baby goes from here! For those of you who have advanced further in the game than me, I can’t wait to catch up with you!

[carewyncromwell]

Okay, I seriously came home to find ALL this going on, with this Anon storming the inboxes of some very lovely people I follow – namely @indigobackfire, @lifeofkaze and @cursebreakerfarrier​ – and I just want to add this, for the record.

Yes, I am just barely over 30, and I am a fan of the Potterverse and of the game Hogwarts Mystery. Yes, I am very fond of certain characters that are minors in that game. 

But here’s the thing. Just because you like or even find a character attractive for whatever reason doesn’t mean you want to have sex with them. Just because you’re a fan of a character doesn’t mean you have to be “creepy” – just like people can enjoy real-life celebrities without being creepy about it. 

In a lot of cases, we grew up enjoying these things like Harry Potter, and just because we grow older doesn’t mean that we don’t still enjoy making content for that universe. And writers write plenty of stuff featuring characters that are both older or younger than them. Stephanie Meyer wrote about her teenage protagonist falling head over heels in love, getting married, having sex, and getting pregnant in her Twilight books. Does that make her a creep? Not really. Many romantic shows and shoujo anime are set in high school or center around high-school-age characters. Does that make the writers of those shows creeps? Not really. Jo Rowling herself wrote stuff featuring teenage characters, including romantic stuff. Does that make her a creep? No. Her stance on transgender rights and other things does, but that’s beside the point.

In my case, I don’t really do NSFW stuff, but I do still enjoy writing romantic content between my original characters and characters from the game. My Jacob with Duncan Ashe? OTP for life. Carewyn with Orion? Hellz yeah. Even writing stuff between my characters with other people’s characters, whether still at school or not, is fun! But frankly, even if I did write NSFW stuff, the way some other writers in this fandom do…if it’s properly tagged, which it just about always is, then minors can curate their own viewing experience. I don’t really delve into NSFW stuff much at all, so I can testify that if you don’t want to see it, you can avoid it. (Except for those obnoxious-as-hell p*rnbots that follow you and like your stuff, but hey, that’s what blocking/reporting is for.) And admittedly, I remember, even when I was a minor, how very frequently non-adults like me dipped into more “adult” tags with little regret or care, and in the end, that is their choice. As much as we want to encourage a safe online environment for minors, again, if it’s tagged properly, it is ultimately up to those minors to draw the line for what is appropriate and safe for them. If they see those warnings, then they can not open it. If they click on it anyway ignoring those warnings, then that’s their decision. And when the NSFW content is about these characters aged up (which it just about always is, I’ve seen almost none where it’s not, and there’s certainly none by these creators in question), then I don’t even think there’s an argument for anything being particularly “creepy.” Just because these characters are a certain age in the game doesn’t mean you can’t write content for them in an AU or even just in a possible future where they’re a different age, right? 

I realize that from this Anon’s perspective, I would probably be the worst out of everyone, given my age…but truly, all I can feel is sorry for them. Fandom is meant to bring joy out in people….and I’m sorry, but going into people’s inboxes on Anon just to harangue them for the things that bring them some happiness…again, I’m sorry, but you’re not bringing about any good, through doing that. You’re not protecting anybody. You’re not standing up for any principles. You’re not making the fandom a safer or more welcoming place. You’re just tearing people down…and to what purpose? Is it to make yourself feel like you’re accomplishing something? Is it to make yourself feel morally superior, over these people you don’t even know? Either way, it just sort of makes me feel sorry for whoever you are, Anon – that rather than be the positive change you clearly think the world needs, all you can do is put out singular, judgmental negativity, which never can bring that positive change about. 

And yes, for the record, I am turning off Anon messages on both of my blogs for a while, in case you decide to stroll into my Inbox too. If you wish to speak to me as yourself, Anon, then I shall welcome you and show you as much respect to your position as possible. You can even reply to this if you want. But I hope if you do, your response will be written with the same decorum and respect that I should like to show you, if you want to have an actual adult conversation. 

Lmao, you’re even worse, you gush over Orion when you’re apparently almost 30 and he’s at most 18 in the game. Absolute creep behavior.

Okay let’s do this. I’ve been waiting for you 😎

First of all, coward. I can’t and won’t respect anyone spreading hate behind an anon mask.

Secondly, I’ll let you in on a little secret.

I wasn’t born 30 😂

I’ve been 15, 16, 17, 18, I’ve been all of these ages and everything beyond up to 29, which I am now, and I’ve made my experiences and had lived my life. You ever think back on the past and remember it fondly? No? Aw, I’m sorry for you, that’s really sad.

I said it on the reblog that sent you here - you don't have to stop liking a character’s design or concept because you hit a certain age point. Fictional characters don’t age unless we or other creators make them.

So you liked Harry Potter and wrote and created for the characters? It's your 18th birthday today? Sweet, happy birthday, now get out of the fandom you've loved for years.

Have I liked the mysterious, thoughtful characters (with great hair) ever since I entered my first fandom when I was a literal child?

Yes.

Have I liked them in the animes I watched when I was a teenager, and in the books I read back then?

Also yes.

Do I still get intrigued by this character trope in the thrillers, crimes, fantasy books I read, games I play, films I watch?

Hell yes.

Will I stop letting them inspire me because some random anon coward thinks they need to go on a crusade and white-knight a fandom which is - guessed from the people I've talked to, which are a lot - at least 80 % over 18?

Hahahahahaha, good one.

I will continue to love the characters I love, I will continue to write form them what I write, and I will continue to rave about them however much the fuck I like.

Had you even read any of the things I've written, which you clearly haven't, you'd even seen that as long as a character isn't of consenting age, there's literally nothing the greater parts of teens isn't doing at an even younger age than my OCs and the characters I borrow. Everything beyond, they're adult, and it's clearly stated so with proper warnings and disclaimers.

And I'm not hiding that either.

That being said, come off anon, have an adult discussion with me or stop trying to tell an adult about the rules of being an adult.

Otherwise, gtfo off my blog, unfollow and block me if you like and leave my friends alone.

Look, I even brought you something to help you find your way:

[carewyncromwell]

 “It's time to stand up -- stand up! Show me what you're made of! Hands up, hands up! Fight the fear...fight the fear! Rise up from the ground -- Gonna make you a believer!”

~”The Fear” by the Score

x~x~x~x

a sincere thank you to @catohphm​, @jackies-ear69​, @hphm-jeniferltheman​, and @ariparri​ for brainstorming about MC’s friends’ boggarts with me!

x~x~x~x

The year she took on the task of teaching Defense Against the Dark Arts, Patricia Rakepick soon became many students’ favorite professor. Scholarly sorts like Rowan Khanna appreciated her extensive knowledge of the subject, while more avant-garde sorts like Jae Kim and Nymphadora Tonks liked her dry sense of humor. This didn’t even touch aspiring Cursebreakers Bill Weasley and Merula Snyde, both of whom Rakepick had a pointed interest in and greatly esteemed Rakepick for her skills.

There were students who didn’t take to Rakepick as well as others, though. Ben Copper could never completely relax around Rakepick, thanks in large part to how critically her eye always seemed to fall on him. Even serial rulebreaker Tulip Karasu got bad vibes from Rakepick, suspecting ulterior motives to the professor’s seemingly more kindly actions. 

And of course there was the last student Rakepick had taken a targeted liking to, and arguably the strongest liking at that -- Hogwarts’ infamous Cursebreaker, Carewyn Cromwell.

Carewyn had distrusted Rakepick from the moment she first arrived at Hogwarts the previous year to supposedly help deal with the Cursed Vaults, and Carewyn’s opinion hadn’t softened toward Gringotts’s Head Cursebreaker anymore now that she was a professor. Even when Rakepick ended up saving Carewyn from an Imperiused Ben the previous school year, it only served to make Carewyn all the more wary of Rakepick’s intentions. After all, Carewyn couldn’t help but think, how was it that Rakepick caught up with her and Ben so fast, that night? Had she been keeping tabs on her? However concerned Rakepick had seemed for Carewyn, the Cursebreaker still left her, Bill, Charlie, Hagrid, and Torvus to deal with the Forest Vault, rather than going with them or dealing with it herself. Even now that Rakepick was a professor, she kept trying to get Carewyn, Bill, and Merula to work “with her” (read: under her leadership) to reach the next Cursed Vault. Admittedly Carewyn planned on searching for the next Vault and rescuing Jacob with or without help...but she couldn’t help but agree with Tulip that Rakepick clearly had her own motives. The Head Cursebreaker had even said herself that she intended to find the Cursed Vaults and “reveal their secrets” -- therefore Rakepick was mainly interested in retrieving the Vaults’ so-called “treasure”...something Carewyn didn’t give a damn about, in the face of finding and saving her brother.

Carewyn’s distrust of her didn’t seem to bother Rakepick in the slightest, though. If anything, the professor only seemed to expect more from Carewyn and single her out in class more because of it. 

Once Rakepick quizzed the entire class on protective wards, only to insist that Carewyn tell her the difference between Protego Diabolica and Protego Horribilis. (Carewyn correctly explained that the first was a Dark curse intended to kill any enemies who tried to cross the boundary, while the second was a strong form of the Shield Charm specifically intended to protect against Dark curses, and Rakepick awarded Slytherin ten points before moving on.) 

Another time, when Rakepick brought an entire swarm of pixies for the fifth-year class to defend themselves against, the professor insisted that Carewyn use a spell other than Immobulus, the spell they’d been actively studying, to stop them -- apparently Rakepick knew Carewyn had gotten help with the spell from her ex-Prefect, Felix Rosier, in the past and she thought that the assignment would be too easy for her on its own. (Carewyn responded to the challenge by using Impedimenta to slow down each pixie enough that she could levitate them one by one back into their cage with a Locomotion Charm before closing it -- a solution that brought a satisfied smirk to Rakepick’s face.)

It was therefore no surprise in late October when Rakepick decided to give her fifth-years a proper review on boggarts, the Cursebreaker-turned-professor had Carewyn come up to the front of the class first to deal with the creature.

Carewyn was a bit startled despite herself.

Rakepick’s lips turned up in a smirk.

Carewyn frowned deeply at Rakepick.

“Of course not,” she said with a faint huff. 

She glanced over her shoulder at the rest of her class with a grimmer look, her jaw setting as she rose to her feet.

“...I should let you know, though,” she spoke very clearly despite her eyes being averted and her voice being low, “my boggart is You-Know-Who.”

A few of her classmates exchanged glances. Rakepick’s eyebrows raised.

“That is not an uncommon fear, Miss Cromwell,” said the professor.

Carewyn’s eyes narrowed a bit without looking up.

“I know,” she said curtly. Her gaze lingered on the desk she’d been sharing with Badeea. “That’s why I want to make sure everyone knows it -- I don’t want to scare them.”

Rakepick’s confident look seemed to darken, becoming a bit grimmer as well. “You won’t have to, Miss Cromwell. The boggart will do a good enough job of that -- your classmates may as well just accept it.”

Carewyn looked up at last, her eyes narrowing a bit more, as Rakepick indicated the box to the side of her desk with a clipped nod.

“You may begin when ready. Though I’d advise you not to keep me waiting -- I only have so much time allotted to me for this lesson.”

Carewyn pursed her lips. Walking purposefully around her and Badeea’s desk, she shot a glance back behind her. Her eyes glided over Rowan, Ben and Charlie quickly before finding Talbott; when Carewyn made eye contact with him, the Ravenclaw straightened up a bit, his hawk-like eyes narrowing a bit upon her face as he nodded.

I’m okay, his look seemed to tell her.

Carewyn inhaled quietly through her nose, giving him a very short nod in return, before she faced the wardrobe, her wand held high.

“...Alohomora.”

With a shriek of the hinges, the box’s lid was thrown open, and a huge, black mass erupted out of it. The huge black cloak was accompanied by skull-white, spider-like hands and the face of a monstrous man -- one tall and pale with heartless red slits for eyes.

A couple of people in the class inhaled sharply despite themselves, seeing the Dark Lord Voldemort standing before their classmate. Rakepick, however, spoke to them with dry reassurance.

“Don’t you, Miss Cromwell?”

Carewyn kept her focus solely on her boggart rather than respond. Raising her wand, she pointed it right at her target and bellowed,

“Riddikulus!”

CRACK.

In an instant, Voldemort was seated at a full dining table of Mrs. Weasley’s home cooking with a red and white checkered napkin comically tied around his neck, looking completely bewildered.

Charlie laughed loudly, but louder still was Barnaby, who actually got up from his seat.

“It’s just like I said!” he said excitedly through his laughter. “It must be impossible for You-Know-Who to enjoy any good food without a nose!”

Others started to laugh too -- even Talbott had to chuckle. Carewyn bit her lip as she grinned in amusement too.

“Quite good, Miss Cromwell,” said Rakepick, very pleased. “All right, now, class, prepare yourselves -- when I call you up, you shall come forth and face your boggart. When you see your fear, think up a way to turn it into something humorous -- then cast Riddikulus to defeat it. Ready now...Mr. Lee!”

Barnaby eagerly scampered around the desk, raising his wand. 

“I’m ready for this!” he told Carewyn brightly. “I’ve been thinking about it ever since we went into the Fear Vault...”

Boggart Voldemort shifted his gaze over to Barnaby, his red eyes flashing --

CRACK.

The boggart had become a clown -- a rather menacing, fanged, Voldemort-looking clown, but still a clown.

“Riddikulus!” said Barnaby.

CRACK.

A bucket of water appeared over the demonic clown’s head, before turning over and splashing all over it -- it sputtered in confusion as all of its face paint was washed off and its curly red hair lay like flat curtains around its face.

Barnaby gave a fist pump. “Yes!”

“Good job, Barnaby,” Carewyn said, beaming proudly.

“Miss Tonks!” said Rakepick.

Tonks darted forward just as eagerly. The sopping wet clown shifted his gaze over to her -- then, with another CRACK, it had become herself, only with mousy brown hair and eyes, colorless, friendless, and insecure -- 

Tonks, without her Metamorphagus abilities.

“Riddikulus!” laughed Tonks.

CRACK.

Boggart Tonks had shifted into Tulip, holding up a bottle of hair dye potion and laughing as loudly as Tonks herself. The real Tulip was also laughing from her own desk.

“Disguising yourself as someone and wigging them out -- that is a good idea for a prank, Tonks!” Tulip called out with a wicked grin.

“Mr. Winger!”

Talbott leapt up onto his feet, sweeping across the room with the grace of a bird coming in for a landing.

CRACK.

Boggart Tulip had transformed into a black-hooded figure holding a wand alight with acid green, the Dark Mark glowing in the sky over his head -- a Death Eater set to kill him like they had his parents --

“Riddikulus!” Talbott spat out with venom.

CRACK.

The Death Eater’s cloak seemed to expand into strips of fabric that lashed around it in strips, wrapping the frantically wriggling figure up tightly like a mummy.

“See, Andre?” said Talbott with a cool smirk over his shoulder. “I told you long cloaks only get in your way.”

Andre crossed his arms, his face appearing rather sassy. “A stylish person knows how to wear a cloak properly...and also doesn’t consider wearing American-style cowboy hats unironically in public -- ”

“Mr. Weasley!” Rakepick cut off the two Ravenclaws’ debate at the legs.

Charlie hopped nimbly right over his desk and zipped up to the front.

CRACK.

The boggart had become a very official-looking desk piled high with paperwork stamped with the purple seal of the Ministry of Magic.

“Being stuck working in an office for the rest of my life,” Charlie explained helpfully to Carewyn, and he gave a shudder. “Still reckon Mum wants me to go that way, like Dad did...”

Carewyn offered him a sympathetic smile. “You’ll never belong in an office, Charlie.”

Charlie grinned as he faced the boggart. “Yeah -- I guess it is pretty ‘Riddikulus!’”

CRACK.

The desk chair was suddenly filled by Charlie’s brother Percy, who’d organized all of the paperwork perfectly -- only for his younger twin brothers Fred and George to barrel on through on their brooms and send the tall stacks of papers flying.

“Miss Haywood!”

Penny, as devil-may-care as she usually was, hesitated just a bit before running up to the front. Her face hardened with focus and determination, even as her wand hand trembled.

CRACK.

The boggart had transformed into a hulking, furry werewolf, its fangs dripping with blood as it growled ferociously.

Carewyn shot a quick look over at Chiara. Her face had gone very white as she shrank back in her seat.

“RIDDIKULUS!” Penny shouted as loudly as she could, even as her voice cracked.

CRACK. The werewolf became a giant stuffed toy, which flopped down to the floor face-first.

“Mr. Caplan!”

Diego had been ready a good five minutes ago -- he slid right in front of Penny with the grace of a dancer, his wand raised.

CRACK. The boggart became a wrinkled, hunched-over old woman in ragged clothes with a face shaped like Diego’s. She clearly wasn’t human, though -- she smelled horribly, like rotten eggs and petrol, she grunted and groaned like a zombie, and her eyes bulged unnaturally out of their sockets.

“That’s La Tunda!” said Rowan. “Tundas are shapeshifting creatures that make themselves look like your loved ones in order to lure you in, trap you, and then drain you of your blood.”

“Take five points to Slytherin for anticipating one of my future lessons, Miss Khanna,” Rakepick said very lightly.

Diego’s hand clenched that little bit more tightly around his wand, murmuring something very quietly under his breath before pointing his wand at the boggart.

“Riddikulus!”

CRACK.

In an instant, a flock of monarch butterflies flew out of Diego’s wand, attacking the Tunda and knocking it backward off their feet. The rest of the class laughed, though Diego gave a slightly weaker laugh himself.

“Sorry, Abuela,” he said sheepishly. “I don’t like the butterflies anymore than you do...”

“Miss Murk!” said Rakepick.

CRACK. The boggart became four people, all of whom looked very clean-cut and uptight -- the youngest of them, a girl who looked identical to the older sister standing beside her -- had Ismelda’s face.

“Riddikulus!” Ismelda cried, her mouth spread into an almost manic smirk.

CRACK. The four people were all splashed with mud, and the other three members of the family ran off in disgust and humiliation as Boggart Ismelda splashed happily in the mud puddle by herself.

“Mr. Kim!”

CRACK. The boggart became a cold, empty house with no furniture and barren cabinets with no blankets, clothes, or food.

“Riddikulus!” shouted Jae.

CRACK. The house fell apart like a movie set, revealing a bunch of TV crew shouting at each other in Korean about the poor craftsmanship.

“Miss Lobosca!”

CRACK. The boggart became a rather pretty girl with curly brown hair, curled up in a ball in the corner and her wide, terrified eyes streaming with tears.

“Get off of me!” she screamed. “Get away from me -- !”

Selina, Carewyn realized in horror.

Chiara’s face had lost all of its color, but she faced Boggart Selina with a very strained, strangely gentle expression.

“Riddikulus,” she whispered.

CRACK. Selina became Tonks, doubled over in fits of laughter from a Tickling Charm.

“All right!” she choked through her laughter. “All right, you win -- you’re better at the Tickling Charm than I am!”

The real Tonks laughed too. “Oh come on, Chiara -- no need to rub it in!”

Chiara gave both Boggart Tonks and the real Tonks a very small smile before looking up at Carewyn. Seeing the concern in her friend’s face, Chiara gave her her best reassuring smile.

“Are you -- ?” started Carewyn, but before she could finish, Rakepick had already called up that one Gryffindor boy who was terrible at Wingardium Leviosa to take his turn.

CRACK. A laughing crowd of students became a surprise birthday party.

CRACK. A mirror reflection turning invisible became an incomplete portrait being painted by an admirer.

CRACK. A demonic-looking Merula Snyde was suddenly decked out in bright pink and ribbons, crowing about loving lollypops and unicorns. (This one in particular prompted Merula to take out her wand and threaten to hex both Tulip and Carewyn in the face for how hard they were laughing.)

“Miss Khanna!” barked Rakepick, so as to put a stop to the escalating fight.

Rowan dutifully came up to the front of the room, her shoulders locked beside her head and her wand held high with determination.

CRACK.

Whatever Rowan or anyone else had been expecting, it wasn’t what the boggart became. Instead, it transformed into the spitting image of Carewyn.

The class looked from the fake Carewyn to the real one, incredibly taken back. Rowan faltered.

“Carewyn?” she said.

Boggart Carewyn, however, didn’t answer. Instead she merely turned on her heel and started to walk away.

“Carewyn!” said Rowan.

Forgetting herself, she reached out as if to grab Boggart Carewyn’s shoulder, only for her hand to get knocked out of the way. A fake Charlie Weasley had appeared out of nowhere wrapped his arm around Boggart Carewyn’s shoulder and was steering her away.

“Come on, Carey -- let’s go play Quidditch!”

Rowan flinched. Out of nowhere also appeared a fake Bill, wrapping his other arm around Carewyn and continuing to steer her away.

“Now, Charlie, don’t forget, Carey and I still have to deal with the Vaults -- ”

“Hey, Cursebreaker!” a fake Andre’s voice called out in the distance. “Still up for a midnight broom ride tonight?”

“Carewyn!” called another voice in the distance that almost sounded like Barnaby’s. “Carewyn, you just gotta see this new Mooncalf at the Magical Creature Preserve -- ”

“Carewyn, I just finished listening to the CD you sent me over break -- ” said a voice vaguely like Chiara’s. 

“I don’t suppose you have any time to give this a read, Carewyn?” said a voice like Talbott’s.

Soon the voices were all piling up on each other. One kind of like Liz’s -- one kind of like Tonks’s -- kind of like Orion Amari’s -- one like Rosmerta’s, and Hagrid’s, and Rakepick’s --

Rowan’s dark eyes had become very wide behind her glasses. She’d gone very quiet and her wand hand had fallen slack at her side. Carewyn looked from the boggart to Rowan, her concern giving way to alarm, as she dashed forward -- Rakepick, however, stopped her, sweeping in front of Rowan first.

“Step back and collect yourself, Miss Khanna,” she said brusquely. “I don’t need Miss Cromwell throwing herself in front of you to protect you.”

Rowan blinked rapidly, awareness and then shame flooding her face, as Rakepick tossed her hair to look over her shoulder.

“Mr. Copper!” the professor said sharply. “You next!”

Ben looked as if he wanted nothing less than to leave his desk. Still, knowing he had no choice, he swallowed back the lump in his throat and -- raising his wand -- stumbled forward.

Boggart Carewyn -- still flanked by the fake Charlie and Bill -- turned to look over her shoulder at Ben, her blue eyes oddly blank and penetrating. Then, in a moment, the shapes all seemed to contort together, morphing and twisting --

CRACK.

The boggart disappeared completely. The entire class stiffened, staring at the spot where the creature had been. The silence dragged. Then, suddenly...

Attack.

A voice filled the room. It was a cold male voice that dripped through everyone’s ears with the softness of silk and the frigidness of icy water -- a voice that made Ben crumple in on himself like a piece of paper.

“No,” he whispered.

Attack. Again. Attack.

“No -- no, no -- ”

The boggart Carewyn had reappeared -- but this time, she wasn’t the least bit nonchalant. This time she was crumpled up on the ground, her eyes very wide as spells from nowhere rained down on her, cutting at her face and clothes and blasting her wand out of her hand.

The real Carewyn moved forward. “Ben -- !”

Once again, though, Rakepick stopped her, this time by actually taking hold of her arm.

“You can’t save your friends from their own demons, Miss Cromwell,” she said very lowly.

Do it, said the voice filling the room. Finish her. Kill h --

“DEPULSO!” Ben screamed.

BAM.

The boggart Carewyn was blasted backwards. It seemed to flicker, for an instant becoming Merula, and then the clown, and then the werewolf, before hitting the wall. Ben, however, had not lowered his wand -- his brown eyes were wide with terror as he pointed it at the boggart again.

“STUPEFY!”

The stunning spell knocked the boggart right back into the open trunk with so much force that it lost consciousness. Then Ben pointed his wand at the trunk and cast “Colloportus!” to lock it. 

Breathing hard, Ben looked up at Rakepick, who was frowning deeply as she released Carewyn, crossing her arms. 

“I don’t believe I said anything about locking that boggart back in its cabinet, Mr. Copper,” said the professor very coldly.

Ben bowed his head in shame.

“...No, professor,” he said very quietly.

“And yet you did it,” Rakepick challenged him.

Ben swallowed. “I...didn’t know how to make the Imperius Curse funny, professor.”

Rakepick’s eyes narrowed as her eyebrows rose. “Your lack of creativity doesn’t excuse not following the assignment.”

Carewyn was outraged.

“Ben used quite a bit of creativity,” she defended her friend fiercely. “He knew he couldn’t defeat his boggart with laughter like the others did, but he still came up a way to defend himself and everyone else from it. If that isn’t ‘Defense Against the Dark Arts,’ I don’t know what is.”

“If you truly knew all that Defense Against the Dark Arts encompasses, then you would not be a student sitting in my classroom, Miss Cromwell,” Rakepick reminded her very coolly. “Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Copper, for putting an end to our lesson early by stunning and re-trapping our boggart without direction. Mr. Copper and Miss Khanna, you shall face your boggarts again next week with Messrs. Hayden and Egwu and Misses Ali, Tuttle, and Snyde -- and in that class, I expect a proper demonstration of Riddikulus.”

Merula shot a scornful look over at Ben as he sat back down next to Charlie, who patted his shoulder reassuringly. Rowan slunk back down into her seat too, her head bowed in shame. 

“...Yes, ma’am.”

Carewyn looked from Ben to Rowan, her blue eyes rippling with pain. Then, shooting a venomous look at Rakepick, she -- rather than returning to her seat next to Badeea at the front of the class -- switched seats so as to sit down next to Rowan in the second row.

Rowan looked up at Carewyn, startled. The red-haired Prefect didn’t look at her, instead keeping her hard gaze up on Rakepick at the front of the classroom, but she lightly pressed her shoulder up against her friend’s.

That boggart isn’t true, Carewyn prayed Rowan would understand. I won’t leave you -- please don’t believe that...

Rowan, however, couldn’t meet Carewyn’s eye. Instead she shifted away and started to quickly pack her books into her bag.

Carewyn’s heart clenched.

“Rowan -- ”

“Miss Cromwell,” said Rakepick curtly. “A quick word, after class.”

Carewyn looked up from the desk to glare at Rakepick. Then, glancing at Rowan reluctantly, she rose from her seat and approached Rakepick in front of her desk. 

Once the rest of the class had filed out, Rakepick spoke again.

“I’m sure you think I was quite unfair to your friends just now,” she said seriously. “Undoubtedly because you yourself probably feel some trace of responsibility, for the forms their boggarts took in the first place.”

Carewyn’s eyes flashed, but she tried not to let the pain show on her face. She did not want Rakepick to have any inkling of just how spot-on her guess was.

“But you will not always be able to protect them from harm, Miss Cromwell,” said Rakepick. “On the contrary -- it is likely you will be forced by circumstance to solely focus on your own survival. Ben Copper’s attack of you this last spring is more than enough proof of that.”

“And yet you still act like Ben was a villain in that whole affair,” Carewyn challenged her. “Even after seeing visible proof that his greatest fear was being controlled by the Imperius Curse, like when he attacked me, you still take pot shots at him.”

“I’m not the only one in your circle who harbors doubts about Mr. Copper’s story,” Rakepick said very quietly. “Just as I’m certain you’re not the only person in my class that harbors doubts about me.”

Justifiably so, Carewyn thought resentfully, and her eyes narrowed.

“However much you may doubt my intentions, Miss Cromwell,” said Rakepick, “I am here to instruct you and your class in how best to defend yourselves. And however much potential you possess, both as a leader and a protector, I do not want you sacrificing yourself for people incapable of doing the same. You deserve allies strong enough to protect you just as much as you protect them -- ”

“I don’t want my friends to sacrifice themselves for me, Rakepick,” Carewyn snapped. “And I will not have you advise me on which people deserve my loyalty -- only I have the right to do that.”

Carewyn turned on her heel and prepared to leave. Rakepick didn’t stop her, but once Carewyn reached the door, the professor made the Prefect pause when she spoke again.

“I know you intend to go to Knockturn Alley. Mr. Kim is an admirable choice of back-up -- but if you intend to get there, you’ll need a fireplace connected to the Floo Network: something not easy to find, inside the castle walls. Meet me outside Dumbledore’s office on Monday, and I can get you inside.”

Carewyn cocked her eyebrow suspiciously. “And get both Jae and me caught on our way back to Dumbledore’s office and be banned from Hogsmeade for the rest of our school careers? No, thank you.”

“I have no interest in you being hindered from finding the Cursed Vaults, Miss Cromwell,” Rakepick said lightly. “Nor do I have any interest in Mr. Kim being prevented from moving as he pleases -- he does Gryffindor house proud, and as I said, his knowledge of Knockturn Alley makes him useful.”

Rakepick’s Niffler, Sickleworth, scampered up her arm to curl up on her shoulder. Rakepick scratched under his neck idly.

“My interest is in you succeeding in your undertaking, Miss Cromwell,” she said levelly. “Your success will bring both of us closer to the Cursed Vaults -- so it’s only right that I ensure that outcome by giving you the means to succeed.”

Carewyn crossed her arms, the suspicion not shifting from her face. Then, after a long moment, she said,

“...Fine. Jae and I will meet you outside Dumbledore’s office on Monday. But we have our own way back into school -- so don’t bother tipping Filch off to when a pair of shady-looking students might be popping up back through Dumbledore’s fireplace.”

Rakepick smiled wryly as Carewyn left the room, closing the door with a sharp snap behind her.

[carewyncromwell]

💐 for Jacob and Desiree? P.S. I'll be traveling to South Korea for vacation for the 1st half of October, specifically Seoul and Busan. Wish me luck. If they need a recommendation to visit a new country, I want to suggest Korea to Jacob and Desiree. And you as well.

Ahhh, that should be a most wonderful trip!! I'm so envious! Have so much fun!! xoxo

💐- Where is this oc's favorite place to relax?

Prior to attending Hogwarts, Jacob's place to relax after school was actually more a person: namely, his baby sister, Carewyn. He would always find it easier to let go of his anger and resentment toward his life and the people around him whenever he had time to be a good big brother to his little Pippa, so going up to her nursery after school to go see and talk to her (even before she understood anything he said) was a highlight of his day. Once he started attending school, Jacob, Olivia, and Duncan used to use the Hogwarts boathouse as a "hideaway" spot, both for the three of them and individually -- in fact, after Jacob got out of the Portrait Vault, this was where the ghost of Duncan Ashe found Jacob hiding out. Post-Hogwarts, when Jacob becomes a traveling vagabond wizard, he finds it easiest to relax when he finds a place suitably isolated and high in elevation, like the top of a mountain -- every year on his birthday, wherever he is, he actually goes out of his way to find the highest and most isolated location he can so he can take some time to himself and send gold sparks up toward the sky, as a tribute to his first love, Duncan.

Prior to joining the crew of the Empyrean, Desiree honestly had little opportunity to take time for herself and relax. Her life was so overloaded with work, suitors, cleaning up her younger brother Marius's messes, and catering to her parents' selfish desires that there really was no time or place that Desiree could ever claim as her own. Even at Beauxbatons, her whole life was defined by her family's overbearing expectations. Once she left France and took to the skies, though, Desiree found her cabin on board a wonderful hideaway where she could take time to herself, solving puzzles, looking over artifacts, and of course reading. It was the first time she'd really had true privacy in her life and although it felt strange at first, it was also so, so welcoming. It actually took a while before Desiree would even let anyone else spend any time in her cabin, solely because she was so overwhelmed by how special it felt to have this little space all for herself that she was afraid of sharing it. The first person Desiree did invite into her room was -- predictably -- her first true friend and soulmate, Jules Aquila @kathrynalicemc. (They sat on her bed together while Desiree translated the runes on this super cool old shield they'd found on one of their adventures.)

Emoji Ask!

[carewyncromwell]

🌙 for Carewyn and Jacob? [ellie-e-marcovitz 😊]

🌙- Does this oc have any unusual hobbies?

LOL, Jacob is an eccentric scholar type, so he's all about trying out weird and unusual things at least once. While traveling the world, I see him going out of his way to take classes on weaving silk in Japan or chocolate making in Switzerland. One of his favorite things is solving puzzles -- even since the end of the Second Wizarding War, Jacob has loved being able to attend the Muggle World Puzzle Championship whenever he can, and he also collects different kinds of puzzles when he travels and keeps them both in his flat in London during the War and in his portable office-in-a-suitcase. Another weird thing Jacob's been very passionate about is potioneering, with a focus on researching various magical poisons so as to create cures. In that aforementioned office-in-a-briefcase, Jacob has his own mobile Potions lab and with the help of Magizoologists like Barnaby Lee, Charlie Weasley, and Sarahi Silvers @dat-silvers-girl, he's helped create tonics for different kinds of magical creature venom.

As for Carewyn...hmm. She's honestly such a workaholic that she often doesn't have time for she often doesn't have a lot of time for hobbies, even things she enjoys like singing and broomstick flying. I guess one thing Carewyn likes doing that is kind of unusual is thrifting -- she's always loved fashion, especially vintage fashion, and since she grew up poor, Carewyn isn't always comfortable with going into designer stores, even now that she's more financially independent and stable. And since in her line of work, it behooves her to always look her best, Carewyn really loves it whenever she can find dress robes as well as Muggle clothes that fit her aesthetic and not pay an arm and a leg for it. She's never gotten to the point that she'll completely make something by hand since she isn't talented enough at sewing or designing, but Carewyn will work hard to track down specific pieces second-hand and sometimes even recruit her Best Fashion Friend Forever Andre Egwu to help her magically alter them to make them exactly what she wants. One of Carewyn's favorite finds at a Muggle thrift store ended up being a very old and moldy leather jacket with these wonderful sharp silver studs on the shoulders. Although the leather ultimately was too badly damaged for Andre to fix it, he did help Carewyn salvage the studs by transferring them onto the shoulders of a set of black silk robes Carewyn had bought on sale from Twilfitt and Tatting's. Carewyn ended up wearing these modified dress robes (which Carewyn mentally dubs her "Punk Prosecutor" look) before the Wizengamot several times, including when she served as the prosecutor of Dolores Umbridge's trial after the Second Wizarding War.

Emoji Ask!

[carewyncromwell]

"Break the rules, ignore the signs, And color way outside the lines! Go off the script -- do what you like! They hate it? They can take a hike! Why live your life to someone else's plan?! Stick it to the man!"

~"Stick It to the Man" from School of Rock (musical)

x~x~x~x

Easter had never been a holiday Carewyn Cromwell paid much attention to. Chocolate eggs, spring dresses, and Easter baskets were something her mother Lane could often not afford while Carewyn was growing up, and Carewyn expressed zero to no interest going on egg hunts with the Muggle kids in her neighborhood, not only because she knew her two favorite people -- Lane and Jacob -- wouldn't be able to come with her, but also many of those same children bullied Carewyn at school. Even at Hogwarts, the most Carewyn ever really did to mark the holiday was eat some of the handmade chocolate Bill, Charlie, Percy, and/or Fred and George would receive from their mother Molly -- perhaps because her boys would mention sharing her treats with their friends, Molly Weasley always went out of her way to send them a lot, so Carewyn couldn't help but associate Easter chocolate with the Weasleys despite herself.

Perhaps it was appropriate that Easter made Carewyn think of the Weasleys -- for it was not long after Hogwarts's Easter Break in the spring of 1996 that Carewyn was summoned to Fudge's office to settle a matter regarding that very family.

It was a rather abrupt sort of affair -- Carewyn had actually been ready to reassemble her current three files and put them back in their proper places in her file cabinet so she could head home when an inter-office memo from the Minister flew into her office, stamped as "urgent." It was very taciturn and to-the-point, insisting that Carewyn come upstairs to the Minister's office immediately.

Her brows furrowing as she discarded the memo, Carewyn shut her files as is up in her file cabinet, locked it, and got to her feet, adjusting the high black collar of her dress robes as she swept from her office over to the lift.

When she entered the Minister's office, Carewyn was startled to find more than just Cornelius Fudge there waiting. Standing over by the fireplace with her arms crossed and her toad-like face scrunched up impatiently was Dolores Umbridge and -- even more shocking -- sitting in one of the chairs with a cup of tea in his faintly shaking freckled hands was a familiar ginger-haired young man of 19 years wearing spectacles.

"Percy?" said Carewyn in surprise.

Percy looked up at Carewyn when she entered, haphazardly putting down his cup of tea on the coffee table as he stumbled to his feet.

"Carewyn? What is -- ?"

"Close the door, please, Miss Cromwell," said Fudge in an oddly stiff voice. "I'd prefer privacy, for this meeting."

The stiffness in his voice was more than just skin-deep: Carewyn could sense great discomfort swirling around the Minister like some kind of grumpy cloud. It was magnified by the intense, hot anger pulsing off of Umbridge only a few feet away as her long-nailed, stubby fingers impatiently tapped the inside of her arm.

With a deep frown, Carewyn nonetheless did as she was told and slid the door shut behind her. Fudge shot another furtive look at the closed door before he cleared his throat and strode over to the fireplace.

"Now, then...ahem. Miss Cromwell, I thank you for coming so quickly -- I realize you're set to be off in the next ten minutes..."

"I shall happily extend for pay, if I can be of assistance, Minister," said Carewyn promptly.

And figure out what kind of legal issue is so bloody urgent. Especially one that involves Percy.

She shot a quick glance at the third-eldest Weasley. He was trying his best to look brave, but his face was quite pale as he looked from Fudge to Umbridge to Carewyn.

"I thought you might feel that way," said Fudge, attempting amiability. "Or, at the very least, hoped you -- "

Umbridge, however, was getting impatient, and even her most sugary interjection couldn't obscure this.

"Minister," she said through a smile so fake it looked like a monkey baring its teeth, "we're quite short on time, if we want to avoid the criminals in question escaping capture -- perhaps we should simply get Miss Cromwell's input and then get right to dispatching the Hit Wizards?"

Carewyn's brows furrowed. "'Criminals?'"

"Yes, well..." said Fudge, clearing his throat, "that...is the heart of the matter. Mr. Weasley."

He turned to Percy, who straightened up as abruptly as a scared cat.

"Earlier today two of your brothers were caught after transfiguring a hallway at Hogwarts school into a full-size swamp, complete with all the usual mess and creatures."

The mental image was nearly enough to make Carewyn laugh. She didn't, though -- the air in the room was far too serious to allow for that.

Whatever relief Percy had clearly felt upon finding out that he wasn't in any trouble quickly evaporated, giving way to exasperation and then utter humiliation. He bowed his head in a vain attempt to obscure the dark blush consuming his face.

"Fred and George, for goodness's sake..." he mumbled.

"You know of this?" Umbridge pounced on this, her pouchy eyes usually wide. "Have you not claimed multiple times that you're no longer in contact with your family?"

"I'm not!" Percy said very quickly.

"Fred and George Weasley have always been the sorts to break school rules, Madam Umbridge," Carewyn came to Percy's defense immediately. "Anyone who attended school with them would know that...let alone anyone who lived with them. I only shared two years of schooling with them as their Prefect, and I remember full well how much trouble they got up to."

"Well, they've certainly gotten themselves into some trouble now," said Fudge lightly. "Some real legal trouble."

He folded his arms behind his back, his eyes solidly on Carewyn as he strolled over to his fireplace.

"The Messrs. Weasley -- prior to receiving the punishment allotted to them by their Headmistress -- allotted to flee school on a pair of confiscated broomsticks and take up residence back here in London. But as Madam Umbridge has so astutely pointed out to me, their legal guardians never filed the formal paperwork needed to withdraw them from Hogwarts school."

"Meaning that those miscreants are still enrolled students -- ones I can punish accordingly," said Umbridge, her eyes gleaming viciously around her sweet smile. "And I've already drafted up the paperwork on my end needed to expel them once and for all! Once the Minister signs it, their wands will be broken in two and their property in Diagon Alley can be confiscated!"

Pure unadulterated fear seemed to flash over Percy's face. Obscuring her own anxiety as much as she could, Carewyn whirled on Umbridge with her sternest look.

"Madam, you as Headmistress of Hogwarts have no legal authority to evict your students. Unless one counts from Hogwarts itself."

She paused a moment to collect herself.

"...As for expelling Fred and George Weasley...had you elected to expel them prior to their departure?"

Umbridge looked bewildered. "Of course not! I wanted to ensure they faced proper discipline, in the light of their -- "

"Then your expulsion would only apply if George and Fred's stated intent to leave school didn't serve as an adequate withdrawal. And I can surmise they did, in fact, say that they were withdrawing from school?"

Umbridge looked incredibly irritated. After a moment, Fudge granted, "...I believe so. In so many words."

"Offhand remarks, Minister, are not legally binding!" Umbridge said shrilly. "If they'd wanted to withdraw from Hogwarts, then their parents should've sent a proper appeal to their Headmistress!"

Once again Carewyn met Percy's eyes. He was looking at her with a bizarre kind of anxiety -- something both cautioning, wanting her to do what was right for the Ministry, for her job -- therefore, in his mind, right overall...and yet there was also something oddly hopeful too...pleading...

"I've told you a million times, Fred, you and George are going to throw away your entire futures if you keep at this nonsense -- !"

Carewyn's lips came together grimly sensing the memory through Percy's eyes. Her own eyes drifted up toward the ceiling as she crossed her arms -- then she turned to Fudge. She tried to put forward her calmest expression even as her mind raced.

"...Minister," she said slowly, "you and Madam Umbridge have both said that the Weasley twins' legal guardians didn't file any paperwork to withdraw them from school."

"That's correct," said Fudge.

"How old are these two boys again? My math may be a bit off -- " This was a blatant lie, but one Carewyn didn't regret in the slightest, " -- but I recall that Fred and George Weasley started their first year when I was in my sixth, so I'd hazard to guess they're already of legal age in the Wizarding World."

Fudge faltered.

"Oh -- well, yes, that...must be right, I suppose..."

He wasn't pleased to admit this. Umbridge was quick to counter.

"Legal age or not, they did not file the paperwork needed to formally withdraw from school!" she said. "Therefore they're still my students, by law and by the rules of Hogwarts!"

"Hm," said Carewyn, resting her hand on her chin as she pretended to consider this. "I wonder about that..."

Umbridge's eyes flashed with anger. "What?"

"Well, one's seventh year is already superfluous, as far as Hogwarts's educational system goes," said Carewyn. "The only required exams a wizard must take in order to enter the Wizarding World are one's O.W.L.'s. A students' NEWT years are truthfully optional, so long as the student is of age."

Umbridge had become rather red in the face. "You -- !"

"My brother was expelled from Hogwarts because he'd chosen to remain at school after turning of age and Albus Dumbledore then elected to wrongly punish him," said Carewyn, and she didn't even bother disguising her righteous anger discussing this. "But in this case, George and Fred Weasley decided to evade a more minor punishment by verbally and physically withdrawing themselves from school. A self-inflicted punishment in its own way, I would think, given that it hinders them from both an academic and career perspective...but if the two boys are of legal age, it's a choice they would be allowed to make. It might not be very common now...but there's plenty of precedence historically of OWL wizards not attending Hogwarts in their sixth and seventh years, so as to pursue an apprenticeship under a more experienced magical craftsman. I remember Garrick Ollivander telling me his grandmother elected to bypass her NEWTs so she could study abroad with a wandmaker in Bulgaria. Zymunt Budge, as well...he didn't even complete his OWL's before leaving school to pursue his potionmaking, and yet he was allowed to continue legally carrying a wand."

Carewyn turned to Fudge with a harder look in her eye.

"Minister, I realize that Madam Umbridge may seek some justice for the Weasley twins' misbehavior -- and believe me, I admire that wish -- " Another blatant lie, but once again, Carewyn felt no regret for it, "...but from a legal perspective, I don't think she has any authority over them remaining. They're legal adults who cast some advanced transfiguration on a school hallway. I don't even know if that would be a felony from our standpoint, considering that there were no Muggles present, the spell was cast on inanimate objects rather than people, and the magic presumably would not constitute permanent damage to the school itself."

Umbridge had seemingly swollen up like a bullfrog. Her tiny fists were clenched at her side as she huffed and puffed, struggling to come up with some counterargument. Fudge, however, seemed to have resigned himself to mild disappointment.

"I see. Well, I suppose those two boys were never our original focus, however much it would be good to show the students a proper example..."

He moved to his desk, picking up the papers Umbridge had undoubtedly drafted for him and ripping them up.

"Best return to Hogwarts, Dolores," he said, blissfully unaware of just how much fury shone in Umbridge's face behind him. "We have quite a few people still at Hogwarts who need proper supervision."

He gave Umbridge a significant look. The little pink-dressed witch looked very displeased about not getting her way -- even with how purplish-red her round face had become, however, she still somehow forced a toothy smile.

"...Of course, Minister," she said simperingly. "There is much work to be done."

She turned around, shooting a very quick, venomous look at Carewyn as she crossed to the fireplace and -- with a toss of emerald green Floo powder and a high-pitched cry of "Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry!" -- disappeared.

Percy looked from Carewyn to Fudge and back apprehensively.

"Sir..." he said, "is...is that all you wished to speak about...?"

"What?" said Fudge a bit too harshly. Then he became more dismissive. "Oh -- yes, Weasley, that is all. We'll need no assistance on your part in apprehending your brothers, if we don't have enough legal standing to bring them in..."

Once again, he seemed mildly disappointed about this, but shrugged it off relatively well. Trying hard to keep herself from glaring at Fudge, Carewyn shifted her focus over to Percy and brought a supportive arm around him.

"We'll take our leave then," she said quietly. "Good day, sir."

With this, she steered Percy from the Minister's office. She then walked him out of the Ministry and out to the local coffee shop for a quick cup and chocolate croissant to cheer the poor boy up.

"And here I thought after graduating, I'd no longer have to answer for Fred and George's schoolboy misbehavior," Percy said tiredly.

He covered his face with his hand, his glasses propped up over it, as he sighed. Carewyn gave his shoulder a supportive squeeze.

"I can understand why you were worried," she said gently. "However much I know you and your family aren't on good terms...well, Fred and George are still your brothers. Even when everyone thought the worst of Jacob, I still loved my brother."

Because I knew those people were all full of it. But even so...

"Mm..." was all Percy would admit. Instead, as he looked up at Carewyn, he put on his best attempt at reproach.

"Tell me the truth -- were you trying to get Fred and George out of trouble, back there? Or was that your real legal analysis?"

Carewyn's eyes grew a little smaller. "Of course it was real."

Seeing Percy's disbelieving expression, Carewyn lied -- this time, far more regretfully than she had any of the other times.

"I would've done the same thing for Lucius Malfoy's son, if he'd been in their place. The Headmaster of Hogwarts has no right to destroy someone's life...I have more than enough reason to believe that."

Her quieter words seemed to soften Percy enough that he chose to believe her.

"...Mm, yes...I suppose I do forget just how much Dumbledore hurt you and your family, for what he did to Jacob..."

He paused. He looked down into his coffee and put on a very weak smile.

"...I know it's stupid...but I want to yell at them. All that tutoring I offered them for Transfiguration at school, and they decide to show off their mastery of it by turning a hallway into a bloody swamp."

Carewyn bit her lip in amusement. "I can't imagine it's something McGonagall would've assigned them."

Minerva must be so proud, though -- seeing them use her lessons to stand up to the likes of Umbridge, she thought warmly. Oh, how I wish I could send those two some chocolate right now...the biggest chocolate Easter egg I could find!