much like every year before, aurelius institute invites its students to the traditional feast of the first night at aurelius institute in welcoming the start of the school year. held in the great hall on the night of september first following the arrival of all students on the aurelius express, the sorting ceremony will take place for first years before the feast begins.
unlike the previous years, however, it is not the late headmaster albus dumbledore who greets them, but instead the new headmaster severus snape. the speech is different than years prior, with mentions of 'reform' and 'ministry approved changes', that raises more than a few eyebrows. and much unlike the eye rolls it received in the past, the reminder of the forbidden forest being strictly off limits to students is met with tense glances all around.
sighs of relief can be heard when the headmaster announces the start of term festival is still to be held the next day in the viaduct courtyard. as always, there will be booths run by different clubs and student organizations on campus attempting to recruit new members for the upcoming term, along with food, games, and music. the mood is noticeably more strained than ever before, but students are encouraged to let loose and enjoy the safety aurelius' castle and grounds provides them despite the uneasy air all around.
OOC INFORMATION:
—- START OF TERM is sept 1 in game, and will be starting sept 1 in realtime as well. the event will last a week, and everyone is welcome to do tumblr or discord threads and starters, as always!
—- THE CARROW SISTERS were the masterminds behind the 'HFCS' ( hestia & flora carrow station ), a radio station many students loved to tune into. with that booth missing this year after their deaths, there's a new one in its place.. will your muses be signing up for the 'WOLFSBANE' club run by second year student haven truly, a heavily anti-werewolf club planning on actively fighting against minister gaunt's werewolf inclusive protection division ( 'WIPD' ) in the ministry, before the booth is publicly denounced by headmaster snape a few hours into the festival?
The moment that Colin had stepped foot onto the familiar cool pavement of the Aurelius grounds, something felt strange. There was nothing particularly strange when he entered the school. Nothing seemed out of place. It felt like a dream, one of those dreams where it was simply so mundane and day-to-day, that it must be real. Though, in those very dreams, something would felt off. Not right.
It was when Colin had stepped into the Great Hall with Dennis Creevey and a few other friends, where the large crowds of tense students and the staff were, that it made sense. That there was no question that there, in fact, was something wrong. Unfortunately, this was no dream. With Albus Dumbledore dead, Severus Snape took his place and Colin felt a very uncomfortable twist in his stomach. A gut feeling that signified that there was going to be much to come this school year and it was not going to be sunshines and rainbows.
Or hey. Maybe, it was just Colin’s anxiety.
Today was the start of the term festival and Colin had just escaped from the Viaduct courtyard. Too many students were there and he had done his due diligence for the Aurelius Tribune and snapped a few shots and collected a few story ideas with direct student input. It was the least Colin could do, knowing he would inform Draco in the next week, that he wasn’t going to be continuing with the Aurelius Tribune. He’d disappointed the older boy more than enough last Spring, with his declining efforts in his written work, and he didn’t want that to continue.
With the hallways empty, Colin pulled out a silver cigarette case from his pockets. This was a gift, from one of his older romances from early in March, with a fortune that would have allowed Colin and his loved ones to live lavishly the rest of their merry life. It was quick, one-sided for the most part, and Colin was not the one hurt in that relationship. Rather, he was prized with that stunning cigarette case that cost more than every material item in his childhood home combined. It was adorned with a custom engravement of his initials and a beautiful hummingbird, and it was accompanied with a plethora of cigarettes that tasted like delicious sweet whiskey. He had only started smoking after receiving this present and hadn’t stopped since.
Though, he had a preference to keep this new habit quiet.
Colin pressed the cigarette between his lips as he strode down the hallways, lighting it with the tip of his wand. He was heading in the opposite direction of the Viaduct courtyard, towards the Aurelius Greenhouse. His fingers were clicking through the photos he had taken on his camera and while he had been historically very prideful of his work, at least in the years before the last, his thoughts were quite hypercritical this time around. Though to anyone else, they would look like pretty damn good photos.
Colin exhaled the smoke but his eyes remained focused on the screen, his brows furrowed slightly. He was hardly paying mind to his surroundings. Despite that, he managed not to trip over anything or bump into any hard surfaces. Although, he didn’t notice a certain old lover appearing in the very same hallways in his distracted state.
the snow glistening on the rooftops of wizarding britain isn’t the only thing setting a chill into the bones of wixkind this new year. in the early morning of january 2nd, more werewolf attacks suspected to be connected to the previous attacks and disappearances were reported. multiple wix are being treated at st mungos for injuries, but no names have been released at this time.
EXERPT FROM THE DAILY PROPHET, JAN 27
the list of missing wix has risen dramatically in recent days, causing concern amongst all of wixkind. in response to the disappearances, the ministry has put forth a curfew, urging wix to stay indoors after 10pm. it’s said that there are murmurings amongst ministry officials that there is pressure from the public to choose a new minister as soon as possible, but the election has yet to be pushed up.
EXERPT FROM THE DAILY PROPHET, FEB 19
BREAKING: there have been attacks on the children of the current minister candidates — cormac mclaggen, flora carrow, hestia carrow, morien gaunt, alister rosier, and pansy parkinson. all of the victims are in critical condition at st mungos, with no further updates.
EXERPT FROM THE DAILY PROPHET, FEB 20
in the early hours of february 20 following the attacks on the minister candidates children, it has been reported that flora and hestia carrow, daughters of amycus carrow, have succumbed to their wounds and are officially reported dead. alister rosier, son of evan rosier, and cormac mclaggen, son of titus mclaggen, are still in critical condition. morien gaunt, daughter of thomas gaunt, and pansy parkinson, soon to be step-daughter of evan rosier, have reportedly been released from st mungos after being treated for multiple lesser injuries.
EXERPT FROM THE DAILY PROPHET, FEB 25
following the tragic passing of his twin daughters, hestia and flora carrow, minister candidate amycus carrow has reported that he will be stepping down from the election. the ministry has also released a statement that the auror office has strengthened their task force to locate the parties behind these ongoing attacks.
EXERPT FROM THE DAILY PROPHET, MAR 1
BREAKING: minister for magic candidate and frontrunner, titus mclaggen, was found dead this afternoon just outside of the ministry building in wizarding london. no suspects have been named at this time, and the ministry would not like to reveal any further details at this time.
EXERPT FROM THE DAILY PROPHET, MAR 12
long-standing headmaster for aurelius institute for advanced magical learning, albus dumbledore, has been reported missing. he was last seen at aurelius institute on march 10th, and has not been seen or heard from since. if any wix has seen or heard from albus dumbledore, or has any information on his whereabouts, please notify representatives at the ministry immediately.
(what really happened: dumbledore has really been missing since before halloween, and the “dumbledore” that’s been serving as headmaster has actually been a mystery wix posing as the headmaster via polyjuice potion. the headmaster that set up last year’s controversial halloween scavenger hunt was actually the fake dumbledore, and said fake dumbledore has now left their post, and real dumbledore is still being held captive by unknown means.)
EXERPT FROM THE DAILY PROPHET, MAR 23
the body of the missing aurelius institute headmaster, albus dumbledore, was found early this morning and he is confirmed to be dead. the death of the great albus dumbledore being the latest in the long string of attacks and disappearances has many ministry officials pushing for the election to be held as soon as possible to bring about a new, stronger leadership administration.
EXERPT FROM THE DAILY PROPHET, MAR 25
ministry candidate, evan rosier, has reportedly stepped down from his candidacy, citing full support for the upcoming administration of soon-to-be appointed minister thomas gaunt.
EXERPT FROM THE DAILY PROPHET, MAR 26
minister gaunt has officially been appointed into his position, and has informed the daily prophet in an exclusive interview that his first order of business will be to locate the source of the recent attacks, with the help of the auror task force, which has been reformed to include aurors and ministry officials hand-picked by the minister himself. he re-iterates the importance of catching the culprits, and his consistent dedication to bringing them to justice, especially after the attacks on his own daughter, morien gaunt, and the many deaths that are reportedly connected to all of the attacks over recent months.
EXERPT FROM THE DAILY PROPHET, APRIL 4
the ministry’s reinvented auror task force has reported that they have captured multiple suspects in relation to the recent werewolf attacks, and should soon be apprehending more suspects. most notable among the suspects are silas crump, julian norden, and callidora khan — all unregistered werewolves involved with what is assumed to be a rather large werewolf pack.
EXERPT FROM THE DAILY PROPHET, APRIL 14
the ministry has continued to apprehend werewolves in relation to the attacks in recent months, most of which have been interrogated, tried, and sentenced to azkaban sentences for their crimes. our sources within the ministry have explained that the reasoning behind the werewolf uprisings was due to wixkind’s continuous discrimination and unfair treatment against werewolfkind.
EXERPT FROM THE DAILY PROPHET, APRIL 25
BREAKING: minister gaunt has issued a statement formally launching a new task force within the being division of the ministry’s department for the regulation and control of magical creatures, stating that he would like to improve relations with werewolves to avoid any more potential uprisings in the future.
EXERPT FROM THE DAILY PROPHET, MAY 30
in the newest of many changes under minister gaunt’s leadership — the minister, with the support of the werewolf task force within the ministry’s beings division, will be launching a new division within the department of magical law enforcement to support and protect wixkind and werewolfkind alike. minister gaunt has appointed the werewolf fenrir greyback as head of the new werewolf inclusive protection division (WIPD), whose goal is to support werewolves and allow werewolfkind the opportunity to help wixkind and offer their support, rather than casting them aside and criminalizing them.
EXERPT FROM THE DAILY PROPHET, JUNE 23
violent riots broke out at the ministry today, with a group of “protestors” invading the ministry’s atrium in opposition of the DMLE’s werewolf inclusive protection division, who they claim has been invading wizarding establishments, apprehending innocent wix for petty crimes or crimes they did not commit, amongst other outrageous allegations. the rebels were arrested and will be tried before the wizengamot for treason and discrimination.
— TDLR: tom gaunt (aka tom riddle, as he’s known in hp canon universe) manipulated his way into being the minister by recruiting an army of werewolf lackeys to commit an uprising, creating contention within the wizarding community and oust minister fudge from his position, getting rid of dumbledore, killing the other frontrunner (titus mclaggen) when he refused to step down from the race, and manipulating the other runners into stepping down from the race as well so he would inevitably be named minister. after gaining his minister position, he has begun to change the ministry swiftly, putting his own people into the task force looking into the attacks, and quickly finding the “culprits”, but it was all part of his scheme to make everyone believe he’s a strong leader and that he’s making positive change, when really he was the one who orchestrated the attacks all along. now, he’s slowly beginning to enact new laws and legislation that britain’s wix community at large aren’t comfortable with, including creating a new section of the ministry called the werewolf inclusive protection division (WIPD), which he claims is to protect werewolves and wix alike, but he’s really just employing werewolves in that division to create an official werewolf army to do his bidding. there is a couple of groups of rebels who believe that minister tom is ruining the wizarding world and want to overthrow him, but they are mostly separated into people who hate him because they hate werewolves and they deem him a werewolf lover, and people who actually believe he’s stripping away wix rights and aren’t against him because of prejudice against werewolves.
aurelius institute for advanced magical learning cordially invites all students and staff to the annual winter lights festival held in hogsmeade central square, with the three broomsticks, honeyduke's sweet shop, and madame puddifoot's tea shop all participating in providing drinks and food for all in attendance. students are encouraged to attend and dress warmly and festive for a night of music, entertainment, holiday spirit, and well-mannered frivolity.
there will be heightened security due to recent events, but have no fear, any and all wix can be expected to have a grand time amongst the winter wonderland illuminating every corner of hogsmeade village. wix can participate in ice skating upon the now frozen river running through the village, visit the many shops in hogsmeade all offering special winter sales, and gather at the end of the night for the lighting of the large tree at the center of hogsmeade central square.
a special announcement is also said to be broadcasted from the square once the tree has been lit, and families at home will be tuning in from their winc to see just what this announcement from ministry officials turns out to be...
OOC INFORMATION:
—– THE WINTER LIGHTS FESTIVAL will only last one night in game, but 2 weeks in real time, giving players an opportunity to write threads, post outfit inspiration, etc, for the event !! for more information and details on the event, check out the WINTER LIGHTS FESTIVAL CARRD with handy links and more ♡
—– THE EVENT will occur on december 11th in game, but begin march 11th in real time. the last day in game for the event will be march 27th, but threads from the event can still continue / be wrapped up after the event is over.
when the time comes, all students who signed up for the scavenger hunt portion of the night are gathered together just inside of the doors of the great hall and receive a golden bracelet that will glimmer as each group captures their coin. the students are sorted into groups of four and the head of the group ( determined at random ) is given the first location by means of PARCHMENT, only listing the location itself and no additional information on how or where they'll be able to find their clue . . .
anthony goldstein, delilah goldstein, gregory goyle, and pansy parkinson are given the location of the viaduct stone bridge.
lisa turpin, ripley jinyoung ahn, valerius snape, and elowyn prewett are given the location of the waterfall.
amara ahmadi, fred weasley, minji moon, and scarlet potter are given the location of the gatehouse.
padma patil, penelope clearwater, weston burke, and neville longbottom are given the location of the black lake.
george weasley, seamus finnegan, rolf scamander, and alphina black are given the location of the viaduct courtyard.
blaise zabini, charlotte lestrange, effie lestrange, and lavender brown are given the location of the stone bridge.
oliver wood, fleur delacour, lilian oliveira-moon, and viktor krum are given the location of the armoury.
aria ogden, cedric diggory, ernie macmillan, and micah hwang are given the location of the quidditch pitch.
aster rosier, luna lovegood, vincent crabbe, and willow maharani are given the location of the third greenhouse.
hermione granger, harry potter, gabrielle delacour, and ron weasley are given the location of hagrid's pumpkin patch.
leonis selwyn, zehra kaplan, astoria greengrass, and kaius mulciber are given the location of the dungeons corridor.
daphne greengrass, draco malfoy, cormac mclaggen, and zacharias smith-jeong are given the location of the ravenclaw head's office.
once the students begin searching for their first clue, they notice it’s far more difficult than it’s been in ANY of the previous years.. the clues and tasks have been challenging in the past, of course, but never have they been considered deadly . . .
nevertheless, the golden bracelets glimmer with each group that's able to gather their coins, but at a certain point they burn with words etching into the golden surface : abandon your task and return to the great hall at once. when the students are gathered back at the great hall, a hush falls over the room as headmaster dumbledore approaches the podium to speak, and it seems as though he's reluctant to dampen the night with the recent discovery.
madam rosmerta's body has been discovered on aurelius grounds by students participating in the scavenger hunt, with writing on the wall declaring MALA TEMPORA CURRUNT, seeming to be written in blood. in latin, the phrase translates to bad times are upon us.
no one is certain how long her body has been there or what the message means for wixkind, but no students who visited the music wing earlier that very day recall seeing anything out of the blue. the special guest, the minister of magic himself cornelius fudge, is also announced to have left almost immediately after hearing the news from the returning student groups.
six and seven year students are recruited to assist professors and staff to lead all students to the safety of their common rooms, and they're urged to remain in their dorms for the entirety of the night. students are overheard wondering if aurors will be called in to patrol the halls, why the minister of magic fled once he heard the news, how madame rosmerta's body came to be in the music wing, and much more on their way back to the dorms.
OOC INFORMATION :
—– THE SCAVENGER HUNT was cut short due to group ten and eleven discovering the body of madame rosmerta in the music wing, where they were supposed to encounter another task / clue. each group's members were chosen by a randomizer, as was the matching of character groups to tasks. some groups completed all of their tasks in the time before the body was discovered, and some only got partially through them.
—– CLASSES have been called off for an entire week, from november first to november eighth as aurelius is having its security tightened and protective enchantments around the castle put in place. a curfew is in effect until further notice, requiring all students to be in their respective common rooms or dorms by 7PM sharp. students will notice aurors patrolling the halls and roaming the grounds, and they might be occasionally stopped by aurors or staff to be questioned on what they're doing / where they're going.. aurelius students are asked to be cooperative and understanding, since they're only being questioned for their own good.
—– THREADS for the scavenger hunt were originally supposed to be held on discord, but we thought it might be less confusing to divvy up the tasks this way! if you'd like to hold threads taking place during the scavenger hunt for your groups, please feel free, but it's not necessary; you can also just plot through what happened with your characters based on what tasks they were delegated through messages if you'd like !
—– INJURIES during the scavenger hunt are to be expected, but for any major injuries, please get with an admin for approval! scrapes, sprains, and minor injuries that can be healed by just visiting the hospital wing are fine, but any other major injuries are subject to admin approval.
—– THE HALLOWEEN EVENT is being extended a week, as discussed in the discord! instead of ending on 2/9, it's extended until 2/16. and thank you for reading all of this fun stuff that i hope was enjoyable for you guys!! we love y'all.
minister for magic, cornelius fudge, has been sacked after an investigation following the happenings at aurelius institute for advanced magical learning this past halloween. this follows the growing frustration in the wix community over recent months due to the minister's inaction after pushes from the ministry and community for more to be done regarding the increase in recent attacks and deaths.
minister fudge was meant to be a special guest at aurelius institute’s annual halloween ball, but his appearance was cut short when the body of revered business owner, madam rosmerta, of hogsmeade’s beloved pub the three broomsticks, was found during the annual aurelius scavenger hunt. madam rosmerta had been previously reported missing one month before her body was found on aurelius property, though the auror office has assured the daily prophet that they believe she was killed outside of aurelius and her body was moved there to purposely be discovered.
it has been reported that minister fudge fled the scene upon hearing of the discovery of the body, but it is unknown as to the reasoning. when asked for a statement, the former minister’s party declined to comment on the matter.
the investigation is still underway as to who killed madam rosmerta, brought her body onto aurelius grounds, why they tampered with the annual scavenger hunt, and how — especially with the minister himself present.
the ministry of magic has reported that the former minister’s senior undersecretary, basil spavin, will act as interim minister until a formal decision has been made as to the new minister for magic. the ministry will make the official announcement for candidates at the ministry’s annual tree lighting ceremony, which will take place in hogsmeade.
there is much to be said about the happenings in the wix world as of late, but one thing is sure — change is coming !
aurelius institute for advanced magical learning cordially invites all students and staff to the annual halloween masquerade ball. held in the great hall on the night of october 31, students are encouraged to attend with dates in tow for a night of music, entertainment, food, drinks, and well-mannered frivolity.
among the night's many entertainments are fire charmers, live bats, dancing skeletons, musical guests ( most notably 'the unforgivables', a band comprised of aurelius students ), and the annual halloween scavenger hunt. students who wish to participate in the scavenger hunt will be separated into groups of 3, and will solve a series of riddles that lead them to clues that will ultimately lead them to one of many gold coins hidden among the grounds. these large gold coins each have a number from 1-15 that corresponds with a prize. scavenger hunt prizes include a vial of felix felicis, a state of the art broom compass, a self inking eagle feather quill, a pouch of instant darkness powder, a pot of self correcting ink, a remembrall, a set of nose-biting teacups, a runespoor egg, a pot of everlasting ink, a pouch of powdered occamy shells, a quick-quotes quill, a brand new self-stirring cauldron, a puffskein, a pair of omnioculars, and a vial of veritaserum.
following the scavenger hunt, headmaster albus dumbledore will announce the winners and make his annual halloween address to the school, which will be followed by special halloween themed treats and a special guest.
—– THE BALL will only last one night in game, but a little over 2 weeks in real time, giving players an opportunity to write threads, post outfit inspiration, etc, for the event !! for more information and details on the event, check out the MASQUERADE BALL CARRD with handy links and visuals ♡
—– THE EVENT will occur on october 31st in game, but begin jan 24th in real time. the last day in game for the event will be feb 9th, but threads from the event can still continue / be wrapped up after the event is over.
—– THE SCAVENGER HUNT will be taking place on discord, for those wishing to have their characters be involved ! there will be lots of fun and interesting twists regarding the scavenger hunt, so we encourage everyone to participate !
the night of october first is filled with revelry for the students of aurelius, the celebration thrown by pansy parkinson in draco malfoy's honor going off without a hitch. students get their fill of the wide selection of food and drink while they socialize and play with their new model dragons, and despite professor dumbledore's consistent warnings every year not to, some even do a bit of swimming in the black lake.
the party is already winding down when it happens — there's a group of people mucking about in the lake, most of the rest of the partygoers hanging around the edges socializing, when heads begin to get sucked underwater, certain wix being dragged beneath the depths of the lake without returning.
the party swiftly descends into panic and pandemonium, people trying to figure out who was taken and some of the bystanders diving into the waters to try to help, to no avail. a pack of grindylows and hippocampi are waiting to defend the merpeople, keeping all of the other partygoers at bay — by force, if necessary.
aria ogden, george weasley, and draco malfoy are among the group who attempt to go after the captured, sustaining mild injuries in the process.
kaius mulciber, alphina black, and cormac mclaggen sustain more severe injuries upon trying to save the captured students, the grindylows in particular being harsh with them to try to keep them back.
it's five whole minutes before the captive partygoers return to the surface, and the rest of the party finds ellie ogden, flora carrow, hermione granger, delilah goldstein, mint chearavanont, and effie lestrange all looking dazed and a bit traumatized as they're dragged back to the shore.
after prompting, they let the rest of the people present know what exactly the merpeople had wanted with them: to leave a message. they aren't sure exactly how, but they had enchanted them to breathe underwater with them so that they could speak to them. their message was clear, ringing in their ears even after coming back to shore:
