Charming is a Victorian Era Harry Potter roleplay set primarily in the village of Hogsmeade, Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and the non-canon village of Irvingly. Characters of all classes, both magical and muggle — and even non-human! — are welcome.
With a member driven story line, monthly games and events, and a friendly and drama-free community focused on quality over quantity, the only thing you can be sure of is fun!
"Are you always this forward?" He asked teasingly since it would be a very short thread if he just ignored her entirely. — Tobin Cartwright in Take A Peek
Did you know? Churchgoers and worshippers had to endure a foul stench during prayers due to the amount of bodies often stored within the vaults of churches and chapels.
Aldous was not thrilled to be having this conversation in a church. Frankly, he was not thrilled to be having it at all. With his sister clad in the white dress that signified both her purity and the fact that it was about to be despoiled, however, he knew he had little option. This was, in his understanding, typically the mother’s responsibility, but alas, their mother had been taken from them some years ago. He did not think that November was well-acquainted enough with the existing Mrs. Malfoy to be comfortable hearing such horrendous things from the older woman, though—and she could not enter her marital chamber with no notion of what was to come.
(While he was generally happy that young ladies completed their schooling without any lewdness shoved into their minds, Aldous wished now that they had at least educated his sister on the workings of her body. His own understanding was only in the academic sense, but it was better than ignorance!)
“November,” he said softly, clearing his throat awkwardly, as the two sat alone in some anteroom or another at the church. “Before—before things progress any further, there are…there are things I must say to you. Please know that I do not relish being the one to voice them, but as your brother, I did not think it right to let you walk into the future blindly. You deserve the truth,” Aldous said with a bit more confidence, “and I would be remiss if I did not give it to you.”
after a splinching incident in july 1884, aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp. set by bree
Had Nova any notion of the sort of information that was about to be thrust upon her, she might have made a break for it. Not really though, she hadn't waited until the ripe old age of 21 going on 22 to finally be getting married, only to run away.
She was anxiously patting down her dress and fussing over her bouquet when he started to broach the subject. From his tone and what he was saying, she grew very concerned, very quickly. Had he secretly blackmailed Mr. Malfoy into marrying her? If that was the case then she supposed she ought to thank him really, it took the satisfaction away a little of finally marrying, but it was still better than spinsterhood. Or maybe he dying? Oh how cruel of him to mar her wedding day with news of his approaching death! No, he surely wouldn't, he would at least wait until she was settled - unless his death was imminent? Oh dear. He did look a little pale and quite uncomfortable. Oh sweet brother I shall miss you. "Whatever's wrong?" she inquired cautiously, fearing the worst.
@Brynn Malfoy | AUGUST 22ND, 1885 | OUTFIT | 188 WORDS
He cleared his throat again. How naïve she was of the ways of the world—why did he have to be the one to force that ignorance from her grasp?
“My dear sister, I am afraid that I,” Aldous began, “and the world at large have not been wholly honest to you about marriage. You will, of course, see to the running of Mr. Malfoy’s home and bear his children, but the getting of those children…am I correct in my belief the no one has ever explained the, er, mechanics of it to you?”
after a splinching incident in july 1884, aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp. set by bree
Oh he wasn't dying, nor was Mr. Malfoy marrying her against his will. That was good.
Still, he seemed very agitated and it was quite worrying. "Well..." she began, brow furrowing as she thought about what she knew about the production of children which was, admittedly, not a lot. "No, no I suppose I don't know. I assumed it was something that just happened after a time when one is married. Is it not so?" The matter of children out of wedlock was a curious one but so disturbing that she had never dared think about it.
@Brynn Malfoy | AUGUST 22ND, 1885 | OUTFIT | 97 WORDS
“After a fashion, yes,” Aldous acknowledged sheepishly, wondering if the buzzing in his ears was normal in times of great discomfort or if he was genuinely about to die of embarrassment. “In the sense that one does not conceive a child whenever they choose. However certain…ingredients are necessary to form a baby, which requires a physical effort on the part of both parents.”
Ingredients. Like brewing a potion. Brewing potions was something everyone did (except Aldous who seldom had the time or desire), something anyone could relate to. Something that didn’t require equating his sister to one of the dogs his father had attempted to breed.
“It is nothing strenuous on your part,” he rushed to assure her. “You need only lie back and spread apart your legs. I am told it can be uncomfortable,” the wizard acknowledged after a moment’s hesitation, “but should not cause you any harm. Our mother, after all, survived it on numerous occasions.”
It was a shame Alberta Crouch had not been similarly immune to the ravages of collapsed buildings.
“There is a…” his face was definitely very red indeed at this point. “There is a hole there, you see, which Mr. Malfoy—” Merlin now the image was in his head good Lord why could this not be abstract! “—will endeavor to fill with the piece of him that makes him a man. I cannot rightly say how long such a process would take, as it is different for each gentleman, but I am afraid it is something you will have to endure tonight, to make your marriage to him legal. It is, in fact, your chief duty as a wife, and so while I do not imagine you will enjoy it,” the words were practically somersaulting from his mouth now, “you should take great pride in being able to perform such a service for your husband, and greater pride still in the notion that it will bring him physical pleasure as well as an eventual heir.”
after a splinching incident in july 1884, aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp. set by bree
What he was saying was rather fascinating. At first. It didn't make a lot of sense to her, she hadn't thought creating children was such an involved process that one needed to procure ingredients of some sort. Was there some potion that a person had to brew and then take in order to make a child? That didn't explain the physical part. What did explain the physical part was the suddenly very alarming description her brother was giving her.
Though she was still not fully aware of what she meant, she sensed some vulgarity in his implications and was consequently blushing. It certainly didn't help that her poor brother appeared to be growing more uncomfortable by the second. Nova wondered if he was in danger of taking ill. Nova wondered if she was in danger of taking ill.
And somehow it got worse. Her brother looked like a beetroot. She was surely a few shades away from matching him. What he had described, in his entirety, sounded awful. "Oh, Aldous!" she exclaimed, deeply scandalized by this revelation. "Is there no other way? And what of the ingredients? I don't think you named the ingredients, what are they? Must they be bought from an apothecary?" As horrified as she was, she had ALL the questions. There was also the fact that he had made it sound vaguely life-threatening. Wasn't having children life-threatening enough? Did creating them have to be dangerous too? If only she was marrying a widower with a son!
@Brynn Malfoy | AUGUST 22ND, 1885 | OUTFIT | 250 WORDS
“It takes only two ingredients. One lies within you,” he explained, eyes trained upon the floor after his sister’s scandalized cry, “and one within Mr. Malfoy. The…physical nature of your marriage will allow the two to mix, turning you into a fruitful cauldron.”
Back to potions metaphors. Nice, safe potions metaphors. Aldous thought it best not to elaborate too much on such a mixing, as November was already very uncomfortable without learning of potential mess.
after a splinching incident in july 1884, aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp. set by bree
She had an ingredient inside her? Nova might later remember that she gets periods and that this is involved somehow but she's presently too disturbed to even remember the other disturbing bodily functions that exist. More disturbing still, was the comparison to a 'fruitful cauldron'. It made sense from what he had told her, it was true. But it was still most peculiar to consider oneself a cauldron.
"Does that meant then... Does that mean every time these ingredients are... put together... that a child happens?" Nova realized then that she didn't know how long children took to make. "What about married people with no children? How is that possible?" She then realized that her brother knew all of this in the first place, but how? "Aldous, how do you... know all of this?" What other secrets had he kept from her? Had her brother partaken in this? She felt distinctly nauseous.
@Brynn Malfoy | AUGUST 22ND, 1885 | OUTFIT | 152 WORDS
How did he know all of this? A natural curiosity and the ability to read were a good start, and cruder conversation overheard of some of his younger acquaintances filled in any gaps that he had been missing. That, however, was an altogether different line of discussion—Aldous did not wish his sister to know that she could read such vulgarities, nor that even crude gentlemen would discuss such things.
“All men know of it, just as all women know of other aspects of their bodies,” Aldous said simply but firmly, not wanting any more discussion of that. “As to less successful unions, some ingredients are of a better quality than others, I would imagine—” he was hardly a healer, after all “—and like many potions, timing can also be a factor. The latter, I believe,” he paused again to clear his throat, “is why so many men insist on attempting the brew with great frequency. I have one acquaintance who once crudely expressed that he set upon his new wife thrice daily until she was successfully with child, and only redoubled her efforts when the babe proved to be a daughter. Such callous self-indulgence is surely not to be expected from Mr. Malfoy, but I would not be surprised if he chooses to take you at least twice weekly, for the first while.”
Aldous did not want to be thinking about the sexual appetites of a man whose company he enjoyed socially.
after a splinching incident in july 1884, aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp. set by bree
Nova, being of decent intelligence, doubted it was simply innate knowledge men were born with. However, Nova had far more prudishness than she had curiosity in the matter, and decided not to pursue that line of thought for even a moment lest she come to a conclusion so deeply disturbing that she couldn't unthink it.
If Nova had thought all the horrible parts were out of the way, she was quite mistaken. The ingredient quality business made sense, she supposed, but it was what came after that nearly made her swoon with dread and horror. Even Aldous' choice of words made it sound like a horrific assault. The man set upon his wife? Like a murderer sets upon their victim? She had thought Mr. Malfoy very handsome and gentlemanly up until this point, would he really set upon her? And twice a week?! What if her new husband was to be more ambitious - he was a Slytherin, after all - and sought to do such things with her with disturbing regularity? "Brother, what if he is more like that other gentleman? Is it possible to die from these altercations?" Yes, Nova just asked if she was going to get fucked to death. "And how will he know when it has worked? How long will it take to tell? Is it instantaneous?" Oh she hoped it was obvious immediately after, that would be easiest.
@Brynn Malfoy | AUGUST 22ND, 1885 | OUTFIT | 234 WORDS
“It most certainly is not!” Aldous insisted, horrified that his poor sister would worry about such a thing. Oh, but he had made a mess of this; what had been intended to bring November some warning, some comfort, was plainly just causing her distress—and right before the ceremony, too!
“I assure you that it is not so dreadful as I described,” the wizard back-tracked, unable to honestly make any such assurances but not wanting his sister to faint or do something rash like call off the wedding so close to tying the knot. “Mr. Malfoy is a gentleman who will surely take your own sensitivities into account, and I should be flabbergasted if he does not desist immediately when he inevitably learns that you are with child. As to when that will be, you will assuredly be the best judge.”
after a splinching incident in july 1884, aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp. set by bree
It was a small relief that she wasn't about to die on her wedding night - it would be a shame to finally get to the point of marriage only to die straight after. That being said, she would much prefer dying a married woman than dying a spinster. Yes, even if her brother's answer had yes, she would have sex and die, that she would willingly choose it over dying a lonely virgin. At least she wouldn't have to worry now that her death certificate would state her cause of death as too much marital relations.
"How am I to know when I am with child if it has never happened before? How long does it last?" Nova had obviously seen gestating women before but it wasn't as though Victorians announced to the world the precise moment they conceived and the precise moment they popped a child out. "I apologize for asking so many questions, but I should rather ask you than Mr. Malfoy."
@Brynn Malfoy | AUGUST 22ND, 1885 | OUTFIT | 165 WORDS
If Aldous hadn’t thought himself out of his element before, he absolutely did now. He had never expected his sister to be so curious, had hoped to just divulge the uncomfortable information and then walk her down the aisle without this troubling conversation in between. It was a mercy that he had no more sisters, for the wizard was very concerned his heart would give out on him if he ever had to have this particular discussion again.
“I should prefer that also,” he replied stiffly, uncomfortably, not certain if he meant it or not. “But as to the ins and outs of childbearing, you would be better off talking to your new mother-in-law. After all, she bore several children, and you may have noticed a lack of childbirth in my own lifestyle.”
Jokes. Jokes were good. Or would have been if he were a humorous man by nature.
after a splinching incident in july 1884, aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp. set by bree
"Oh..." she uttered, embarrassment renewed by the fact she had obviously gone and pestered her brother for answers that he could know little more about than she did. Still, she wasn't sure she knew how to ask about that sort of thing from her soon to be mother-in-law. How did one bring that up in conversation? Was it even polite to discuss that sort of thing? Would Mrs. Malfoy think her dense?
Having spent months, years even, consumed by her own unattached state, Nova had quite overlooked her brother's similar state of being. Not to say she hadn't noticed he had no wife, but she hadn't considered the fact that he wasn't single by choice but by default, as she had been. He was the family heir and so he really ought to find a wife, especially as none of neither twin had found wives either. Factor in the bad luck their family seemed to have and he was probably as panicked as she had been. Maybe it wasn't the time, maybe there would never be a time for it, but she did it anyway. Placing a hand delicately on top of one of her brother's she looked at him sorrowfully. "You shall find someone too, Aldous. Were I not your sister, I would have happily been your wife." It was meant to be reassuring.
@Brynn Malfoy | AUGUST 22ND, 1885 | OUTFIT | 225 WORDS
Aldous flushed at November’s comment. He, too, missed entirely how pseudo-incestuous others might take it, but was both immensely touched and immensely thrown off by her comment. They were not talking about his life, they were talking about hers! He was not so foolish as to be oblivious to his bachelor status, but that did not make it something upon which the wizard liked to dwell!
Uncomfortably, he cleared his throat.
“Yes. Well. I would not say that where Mr. Malfoy could here,” Aldous attempted levity, “for he might grow jealous, and that is hardly the way to begin a marriage!”
after a splinching incident in july 1884, aldous walks with a cane and pronounced limp. set by bree
Nova thought that an odd thing to say, why should her fiancé be jealous of her brother? It wasn't as though she actually liked him in the way a wife ought to like a husband, he was her brother and she was supposed to feel more affectionately toward him than a gentleman she had only known for a year or so. Wasn't she?
Mr. Malfoy surely wasn't so sordid as to actually think she might inappropriately love her brother, was he? Then again, her opinion of sordid had changed since the start of their conversation. Personally, she thought he entire process of making children very sordid indeed, far more offensive than an abnormally deep fondness for a sibling, but society only fully condemned one of the two. Nevertheless, she blushed a little as she felt she had said something she oughtn't. "I meant nothing untoward," she tried to assure him, just in case.
@'Aldous Crouch' | AUGUST 22ND, 1885 | OUTFIT | 154 WORDS
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