♛ INTO THE INFERNO.

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.

Stepping back onto Aurelius grounds felt like something out of a fever dream. Sweat-slicked and clothes clinging to Vincent's sunburnt skin, he and other schoolmates filed into the castle, the last remnants of summer upon them as they began yet another school year.

With Dumbledore gone, tension was thick in the air, surrounded by uncertainty about what would happen next now that Severus Snape was headmaster. And what a wild thought that was, Vincent thinks--Snape was headmaster, Gaunt was Minster for Magic, and werewolves were at the center of every story printed in the papers as of late. It was like waiting for a bomb to go off and Vincent was quite sure he would somehow end up in the middle of the crossfire when it finally did.

The summer holiday spent in Romania for his dragonology apprenticeship has left Vincent wondering if he should have returned to Aurelius at all. Time amongst the dragons was grueling work, given the injuries on his hands, but it was rewarding all the same. If it wasn't for the apprenticeship and a pit stop in Australia, the bearded dragon tucked away inside Vincent's cloak, burrowing into the crook of his neck, wouldn't be with him now. Vincent found himself yearning to be back there, but studies, apparently, came first.

The start of term speech ends, students and staff alike departing and scattering among the castle as they see fit. Vincent trails off into the Viaduct Courtyard, hand hovering close to his right shoulder to keep Luther close. He scans the crowd with a bored gaze, popping the gum in his mouth with a plan to head down to the lake, but a familiar sight catches his eye.

Colin Creevey.

Vincent watches him for a quiet moment, gaze lingering as the other man strode across the courtyard, camera in hand, pointer finger clicking away. Guilt pools at the base of Vince's stomach and sits there like a weight the longer he stares at Colin.

The one that got away, Vincent laments with a sigh. Their--what should he call it? Their relationship didn't last long. Vincent spent most of his younger years teasing and bullying, Colin being just another target until the teasing turned into flirting and the bullying turned into kissing. After one too many nights, the realization that it could have turned into something more, something softer, it scared the hell out of the both of them.

So why did Vincent find himself approaching him? "I've never seen you smoke before," He pries the cigarette from Colin's unsuspecting lips, putting it between his own as he takes a drag. "Smoking isn't good for you, y'know," Vincent tuts, blowing the sweet smoke into Colin's, and the camera's, face. "It's a bad habit," he rolls the cigarette between his two fingers, recalling the same words that were spoken to him again and again, chastising him for his chosen vice. Vincent pops the cigarette back into his own mouth and it dangles from his lips when he asks, "When'd you pick up smoking?"

HOW have the new ministry happenings and the attacks during the time jump affected your character? 

VC: Vincent has waited with bated breath for something to happen, like a pin waiting to drop. The happenings and attacks came as no surprise to them, though the danger pricks at his skin. As if all of Vince's defenses haven't been up this whole time anyway.

MB: Ever since the body was found at the bottom of the lake, Mandy has been on edge. The Wix world appears to be getting more dangerous with each passing moment. Mandy hopes this school year they will learn ways to defend themselves.

DID any of the disappearances or attacks involve someone your character knew? 

VC: Pansy Parkinson and Vincent go way back. They run in the same circles and mostly have the same friends. Learning about Pansy's attack was a shock to Vincent's system. Knowing how headstrong Pansy is, Vincent fears that future attacks could happen to anyone.

MB: No. Mandy only knew them in passing and barely spoke to them in school. However, Mandy does feel for them and sends their regards.

HOW did your muse react to the news that their classmates ( aster, cormac, flora, hestia, mori, and pansy ) were attacked? were they concerned to learn of aster’s coma? did they go to visit aster or cormac in st. mungos during the months they were there?

VC: Vincent wasn't close with Flora and Hestia, though they often ran in the same circles. Their passing though came as a surprise to him. They did briefly visit Aster and Cormac in St. Mungos once while visiting Pansy.

MB: Mandy was shocked to hear the news and wore their concern on their sleeve despite not being close to any of them. While she didn't visit them in the hospital, she did send out flower arrangements.

DID your muse have any connection to the carrow sisters? what was their reaction to flora and hestia’s tragic passing?

VC: Vincent wasn't very close with the Carrow sisters, but they did have similar circles of friends. Their deaths came as a shock to him, though Vincent appears to be unfazed by it.

MB: While Mandy had no connection to the Carrow sisters, they were shocked and distraught by their passing.

WHAT are some notable things that your character did over the time jump? any big events? did they have a birthday?

VC: Vincent spent most of the winter holiday backpacking through Britain to avoid going home for the holidays despite the warnings of his friends. He stayed with multiple friends, hopping from place to place to avoid sleeping on the streets. Their birthday came and went in July where Vincent had spent the summer in Romania. While spending a visit in Australia, Vincent adopted a bearded dragon, smitten with the lizard's name, and named them Luther after spending the summer listening to the muggle artist, Luther Vandross.

MB: Mandy spent the winter holiday at Aurelius in the quiet of their dormitory or the library. They celebrated their birthday in March, the day after the announcement of Dumbledore's death. They spent the day overthinking over mugs of tea in Hogsmeade, trying to read books but finding themself too distracted, mind wandering, and having to re-read the same passages over and over again. The summer holiday was regretfully and painfully spent with her mother, swallowing words they wished they had the courage to say.

WHAT did your muse do over the summer? 

VC: Vincent spent the summer in Romania as part of an apprenticeship for his Dragonology major. Desperate to have something to do over the summer besides returning home to the Crabbe family cottage, the cruelty of his father and siblings, and the indifference of his mother, the opportunity to study in Romania appeared to him right before the end of term. It was grueling work, and he acquired superficial injuries and burns from handling the young dragons, as well as a deep tan from the sunburn to his skin, but to Vincent, it was all worth it.

MB: Mandy visited her mother in Glasglow in an attempt to avoid returning home to their father and the childhood home in Edinburgh where Mandy's older sister Sam had died years ago in a fire. Much to their disappointment though, their visit to their mothers wasn't what Mandy had expected. She came with the expectation that she would reconcile with her mother and move past the resentment that Mandy still harbors over the fact that her mother had abandoned her children for another man. Despite Mandy's mother's warmth and excitement that her daughter would be spending the summer with her, Mandy still holds onto guilt and their grudge.

WHAT’S your character’s stance on werewolves now, after all of the happenings and attacks over the past year?

VC: Given that Vincent's best friend is a werewolf, it doesn't faze him. He's skeptical, sure, but since he is already close with a werewolf, he is more concerned about the stigma that they will face after the news of these attacks.

MB: Mandy is shook. They aren't sure what this means for the werewolf community, but they are most definitely wary of being in harm's way.

WHAT was your character’s reaction to the news that dumbledore was missing? what about when it was revealed that he died?

VC: Dumbledore was old--everyone knew that. Maybe the werewolf attacks are unrelated, who really knows? Vincent is aware that a powerful wizard has fallen, but death eventually catches up with everyone. He is curious to see what will happen to the school now that Dumbledore is gone.

BASICS

full name: amanda “mandy” mabel brocklehurst

gender identity & pronouns: demigirl & they/she

age & d.o.b: twenty-four & march 13th

place of birth: scotland  +  gutraidh

sexual orientation: lesbian

traits: naïve, sentimental, adventurous, and withdrawn

PHYSICAL

height: 5′4

hair & eye color: brown, dyed blonde & green

glasses & contacts: reading glasses

scars: crescent moon shaped scar on left thigh

piercings: earlobes (3), septum, belly button

tattoos: link tba

clothing style: link tba

TRAITS

zodiac: pisces sun / pisces moon / libra rising

vices: pride, envy

virtues: chastity, diligence

personality type: isfp

dominant hand: right

character parallels: hannah washington (until dawn), gwen stacy (into the spider-verse), ezri dax (star trek: deep space 9)

HOGWARTS

specialization: magical history (archiving)

year: fifth

house: ravenclaw

student activities: swim team, astronomy club, choir

blood status: halfblood

wand: 10″ Sycamore, Phoenix feather, swishy

patronus: Butterfly

amortentia: firewood, sandalwood, pine, grapefruit

boggart: her dead sister, Sam

ABOUT

growing up a half-blood, mandy had the best of both worlds. her mother, a witch, and her father, a muggle. though their marriage was a rocky one, mandy always had her older sister sam to take care of her and look after her. they were best friends as kids, leaning on each other as much as possible. as they grew older and their parents finally divorced, her mother moving in with her new boy toy, sam and mandy's relationship started to strain. sam got married and moved out of the house, leaving mandy with her alcoholic father. while sam continued to look after her sister from afar, mandy harboured resentment for her sister for leaving her like her mother had, and was determined to prove that she could take care of themselves. but one day after a nasty fight--something mandy no longer remembers about what--a fire was caught on sam’s home, leaving her trapped inside. mandy only found out what happened to her sister afterwards. riddled with guilt even to this day, mandy tries to find ways to bring not only herself peace, but sam’s spirit as well.

during their early school years, mandy was a shy and quiet girl, often keeping to herself. she did not have many friends at first, finding it difficult to come out of her shell. she managed to wrangle a few friends in the end, those of which she tries to keep close. these friends in particular get to see “the real mandy”, as she feels comfortable enough to let her guard down and can become a real wild card.

at aurelius, mandy continues her journey in self-love and self-acceptance, making more efforts to be sociable despite her chronically low social battery. she is determined to free herself from all self-restricting natures, but in trying to become more of a social butterfly and life of the party, she wonders if it will only cause her to slip further and further away from who she really is.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

exes ;  i’m sure mandy had their fair share of relationships! capping this at two.

hookups ; self explanatory! 

childhood friends ; & old schoolmates?

best friends/close friends ; from either gutraidh or aurelius

study buddies ; nerd like nerd

unlikely friends ; the oddest of matches pls