“toilets are through that door and to the left-” she directs automatically, lifting one hand to point them the right way while she uses the other to very bravely attempt lifting four empty pint glasses at the same time. she’s not confident she’s going to make it to the bar with them, but the last thing she wants is to have to do any more journeys than is absolutely necessary. “and there aren’t anymore vol au vents, if that’s your problem.” tom would have told her that her manner needed work, if he could hear her, and she’d have replied that he could do with hiring a few more members of kitchen staff - she wasn’t often roped in to an hour of waitressing, but she never enjoyed it when she was. it usually ended with the unkept self promise of never again, and this was heading in much the same direction. ten more minutes, and then she’d be free. that was the only thought getting her through. “i’m not carrying a bottle of wine, and i’m pretty sure the sign says it’s a serve yourself buffet, so-” she's forced to wrap her other hand around the glasses, so she’s only getting more aggressive & only then turns to face them, “what do you want?”
“actually, i’ve never been one for politics.” knox shrugged while watching the crowd of people with a bored expression. “i came for a drink. didn’t really know about this, haven’t been reading the prophet lately.” she shrugged and turned back to the counter, lazily stirring her drink along. perhaps she was slightly buzzed, yes, that should explain her sudden urge to be more talkative than usual. it was a clear sign she was sober no longer when she willingly conversated with someone who approached her or happened to be frequenting the bar just like her during this event.
her thick brows furrowed in thought, “what’s the lass whose running for minister’s name again? flavor? flower? i know for sure i’m not voting for anyone named flavor.”
❝ WE INVITE YOU TO AN EVENING with special guest flavia scrimgeour for the launch of her election campaign ! ministry hopeful scrimgeour will look ahead at the election to come, talk of her previous work as head of the department of magical co-operation and officially launch her bid for minister of magic. we’ve organised what will surely be a brilliant evening complete with a specially made feast, free flowing wine and forty minute q & a session with flavia and her campaign managers ! please arrive from 5.00pm for a prompt 6.00pm start, and don’t forget to share word of this event with friends & family - miss scrimgeour can’t wait to meet you all ! ❞
WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHERE :
technically, flavia scrimgeour’s campaign for minister of magic began the minute her assistant contacted the daily prophet & asked them to be present at the address she gave in front of the fountain of magical brethren. if it WASN’T at that minute, a case could certainly be made for it beginning the moment she set down roots at one of the café’s on diagon alley & began recruiting. the upside of being the first person to challenge a wizengamot vote of no contest in over a decade is that you’re able to get away with quite a few ‘start of campaign’ events, in that first, blissful week, and flavia’s people certainly take full advantage of it. the leaky cauldron launch & dinner party is a stroke of genius from one of her newer recruits - everyone frequents the pub enough to be comfortable upon entry, and seeing her in such a laid back environment can only make her more personable to the voters that matter. anton karkaroff, someone says, would never stoop down to the level of the leaky. that’s not exactly true - but flavia gets there first.
the promised wine isn’t of the most expensive sort, and the ‘dinner’ is really just a couple of tables covered in white linen and weighed down by a fend-for-yourself buffet, but the real highlight of the evening promises to be everything else. there’s a BUZZ around the idea of a real fight for minister of magic - something that most people forgot could still happen ( and used to, quite regularly ). the last time the community watched political hopefuls go head to head was in the months before cornelius fudge was elected, so for a lot of young people, especially, this is their first experience of an election. that’s what makes seeing flavia at the heart of wizarding london so important, if you ask her campaign managers. it’s why she needs to mill with the people that show up to see what she’s made of, why she has to make shake hands & learn names & make small talk and, after an appropriate amount of wine has been drunk and the tables are looking a little empty, why she’ll take the floor to answer the questions posed to her and give a little insight as to what everyone can expect, if she’s elected.
the leaky cauldron has been booked out entirely by flavia scrimgeour’s team - including most of the rooms up above - and everyone is welcome, but diagon alley is just as busy. there’s a real excitement for all that’s coming in the air, and anyone who tires of politics and ventures out into the street will discover the new year sales are still in swing and that the night is just starting to come alive. amortentia even has a new drink in honour of their minister hopeful - some sort of gold rum lychee champagne thing, named the flavia.
OUT OF CHARACTER :
since january will always be a very slow month, and flavia scrimgeour has just announced that she’ll be challenging anton karkaroff in the upcoming ministry election, it felt only right to make our first strictly on dash event since the holidays something a little more relaxed than normal ! the campaign launch & dinner is a huge change of pace to events of nox past, and while it may not be every characters cup of tea, it’s a brilliant opportunity for characters to suss out how they feel about their new minister hopeful - or avail of the free booze and buffet, if that’s more their speed.
you’re welcome to take the setting / plot point this event creates and run with it how you please - take a chance to get to know flavia, if your character is interested in what she has to say, or have them wander in and not even realise what’s going on ! make them sit through the whole ordeal because it makes them look good, or let them slip out the back door and into diagon alley, which promises to be as busy a monday night as always regardless of what’s happening at the leaky cauldron ! once again, the world is your oyster, and this is the first of far more exciting things to come !
this very chill return to normalcy begins with the posting of this message and will carry us through to january 31st !
for anyone who tags it : the location of the launch & dinner is the leaky cauldron, but feel free to set event adjacent starters anywhere else along diagon alley your characters might head to.
event related starters ( which can include private ones ) should be tagged nox.event022 !
if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to message the main, and give this post a like once you’ve read it !
EVENT: SCRIMGEOUR CAMPAIGN LAUNCH
LOCATION: LEAKY CAULDRON
starter for @mxterfxciendo
Historically, Andy avoided politics. They did not always avoid her - in fact, politics seemed to be following her, between the Muggleborn husband, the auror daughter, the werewolf son-in-law...she never could catch a break. She’s not sure why she came today - the impossible hope that a change in government officials meant a change in the tides of war, she guesses. She promised herself, for the sake of family both living and dead, that she would not shy away from being more present this time around. But is this really the place to be? She decides she’ll permit herself to leave after another half hour of mingling. Setting aside an empty glass, she scans the room for someone to strike up a conversation - happy to spot someone she not only recognizes, but has been meaning to catch up with. She reaches out a hand to gently tap Pandora on her shoulder. “I hope I’m not interrupting - I’m just happy to see a familiar face.”
location: just inside the scrimgeour campaigning lobby
status: closed for marcus greengrass ( @pariiahs )
The part of her that is effectively her sister’s daughter knows damn well that avoiding him is the best possible option. Nothing good comes of picking a fight with a Greengrass in public; he is a Greengrass, this is very public, and she doesn’t know how to do much else other than be rude to him. The part of her that is Luca’s sister, however, knows how much fun this could be. So she steps up beside him with a wicked, wicked grin and offers a quiet, “What a surprise to see you here, Marcus. I didn’t take you for the politicking type.”
Tracey had been keeping a somewhat low profile since returning to England. There was something that her former classmates had lived through that she simply hadn’t, that she couldn’t quite relate to. Oh, she had been there when the Dark Lord had started to gather followers to the Cause, but she certainly hadn’t lived through the horror of the Carrows and she certainly didn’t carry the scars of the myriad of Battles or the fresh wounds of those who had been left to pick up the pieces. Beauxbatons had sheltered her from the worst of it.
So it wasn’t that she was hiding, necessarily. She just didn’t know what to say to those who had stayed when she had run. She hadn’t actively been sending out owls to her former friends to meet up for coffee or cocktails. She would put her head down when walking through Diagon after work on her way to her flat, and normally, that wasn’t an issue.
Tonight, though, the Alley was crowded, and in the crush of bodies she collided with someone. “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t paying attention-” She began as she looked up to meet the eyes of the person she’d rammed into. “Theo? Theo Nott?”
“well aren’t you a sight for sore eyes.” knox tilted her head to get a better look at him. she seated herself down in the spot next to him and leaned on the counter with a lazy shrug. now knox and goyle may not have interacted much back in school but she knew of him enough to sit next to a familiar face rather than a complete stranger she cared little for. it had been awhile, a long while actually. she had a lot of questions, especially about the years she’s missed during the war, but she kept them to herself and instead ordered herself a drink. “didn’t think you were much for politics or are you here for the drinks?”
for: @solapuerx
where: somewhere in diagon alley !
“it’s michael corner, isn’t it?” penelope could be forgiven if she couldn’t remember every child she had come across as a prefect at hogwarts ( and she OFTEN forgot even the more significant faces ), but every now and again a face would spark something. she’s stopped the kid in question in the middle of diagon alley, something akin to fondness barely hidden behind her polite exterior. “you were a chaser, am i right?” of course this would be what helps her remember : an avid watcher of all the matches ravenclaw played, there was a time where she could identify her housemates on the team from a mile away ( they usually got a more lenient time if she caught them up to no good ).
