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!
  • Newbie Guide
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  • 1887
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    News
    You have found our archive! Charming lives on here!
    02.05 One last puzzle before we depart!
    02.01 AC? What AC?
    01.26 Impending URL changes!
    01.11 I've got a bit of a reputation...
    01.06 AC underway, and a puzzle to solve!
    01.01 Happy new year! Have some announcements of varying importance.
    12.31 Enter the Winter Labyrinth if you dare!
    12.23 Professional Quidditch things...
    12.21 New stamp!
    12.20 Concerning immortality
    12.16 A heads up that the Secret Swap deadline is fast approaching!
    12.14 Introducing our new Minister of Magic!
    12.13 On the first day of Charming, Kayte gave to me...
    12.11 Some quick reminders!
    12.08 Another peek at what's to come...
     
        
     
    Look Alive, Sunshine
    #1
    Open Thread 
    @'OPEN'
    WORDS: 244
    OUTFIT
    NOTES:
    DATE: February 16th, 1886
    To say she looked shifty would be an understatement. She wore a dark cloak over dress, the hood positioned in such a way as to obscure her face as much as possible. Had she anticipated her trip to Borgin and Burkes being necessary, she would have possibly gone so far as to use polyjuice potion to make sure her business was not made public. No one knew what she'd gone and done and she intended to keep it that way for as long as humanly possible. Hopefully it would not come to light because she had been careless and got herself killed.

    Mariana was browsing a pile of dusty tomes with a certain degree of haste, spotting one that looked potentially relevant, she picked it up and started to open the book. She had the cover half-way open and then found her elbow knocked as someone moved past her so the cover fell shut again. Annoyed, she slipped her wand from her pocked and wordlessly jinxed them from behind. As she returned her wand to her pocket, she couldn't help a smirk when the individual in question hollered loudly. She peered over her shoulder to look. What had started as a sprig of poison ivy was rapidly growing up their arm towards their shoulder and wouldn't stop until it was destroyed or had them covered from head to toe. Mariana tutted, "Hasn't anyone warned you to be careful of what you touch in here?"

    Thanks, Rune, for another beauteous set <3

    6
    #2
    Borgin & Burkes was never a place that an upper class gentleman should be seen in. As such, Xavier always took careful precautions whenever he had to visit the establishment. Dropping the bunch of short, brown hairs into his glass, the mixture bubbled and frothed until it attained an almost sky blue color. He downed it in one gulp.

    While polyjuice potion was never something that one could say tasted good, this batch was actually not that bad, and he found himself wishing that he had obtained more hair from the man. It had become common practice for Xavier to pluck hairs from unsuspecting muggles whenever he found himself in London or other crowded areas. Muggles were always his first choice, as they were the least likely to be recognized in the Wizarding World.
     
    His transformation complete, Xavier walked a few paces out his back door, and apparated to a deserted section of Knockturn Alley. He was now several inches shorter with light brown hair, brown eyes and a rather ruddy complexion. A few inches were also added to his waistline making his current suit a tight fit. Nothing a few twitches of his wand couldn't fix.

    A short walk brought him to the entrance of the dark shop and, pulling the door open, he stepped inside. There were only a handful of other customers milling about, but, as was the norm, most of them kept their heads down and eyes averted. Xavier followed suit and ducked into the aisles, searching the shelves for the items he required.

    Movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention and he looked up to see one of the other customers knock into a hooded figure holding a book. Then, without even a moments hesitation, the hooded figure cast a spell at the offending party! The spell looked particularly nasty too, as it produced a rapidly growing vine of ivy to crawl up the man's arm.

    A horrified yelp echoed through the store as the man attempted to shake the ivy off himself. The situation was further escalated when the hooded figure insinuated that the man's affliction was caused by handling some mysterious dark object. The ivy had managed to circle around the man's chest before the shopkeeper rushed over, though he too seemed to be at a complete loss as to how to reverse the spell.

    Taking advantage of the commotion, Xavier slipped through the aisles and came up behind the hooded figure. "You know... behavior like that is going to get you into trouble someday..." he murmured into the figure's ear.

    @'Mariana Macnair' - amg, this came out way longer than I intended it to XD
    Lilypie Maternity tickers
    [Image: Blacks.png]
    #3
    @'Xavier Smith'
    WORDS: 212
    OUTFIT
    NOTES:
    DATE: February 16th, 1886
    Mariana's eyes widened a fraction as she sensed someone approach only seconds before their voice murmured something in her ear. She turned her head towards the stranger to get a look at him from the corner of her eyes and found that she didn't recognize the gentleman in the slightest. He seemed well-dressed and thus likely to be of decent standing in the magical community. She supposed her social elusiveness was likely to blame.

    "Do you make a habit of approaching ladies you've never met and reprimanding them?" she murmured back, quirking an eyebrow curiously. If nothing else he was certainly bold. He likely also didn't know whom he was talking to, but that was why she was wearing a cloak that obscured her face better than most. "If it ever does get me in trouble I'm sure I'll find it quite diverting." She liked to think she was far too clever to get caught, but if she did she was sure it'd be entertaining to weasel her way out of it. She was a Lestrange and a former highly ranking healer, not to mention her husband had his own credentials - she could and had gotten away with murder. Not that that she'd allow that to make her lazy with discretion.

    Thanks, Rune, for another beauteous set <3

    6
    #4
    He stepped back, surprised that the voice that emanated from the hooded figure was that of a woman. It wasn't so much that Xavier didn't believe that women could be interested in darker magics, but that a woman would be so bold as to curse a person in public. That was something he hadn't expected!

    A small smile appeared on his lips at her question. Xavier had meant his comment more in a teasing manner than anything else, but he could see how it could be construed as a reprimand. Especially now that he knew it was a woman to whom he spoke.

    "I'm sure you would," he chuckled softly, looking down at the book that the woman was holding. "Especially if such dark texts hold your interests..." He trailed off, jerking his chin in the direction of the dusty tome.

    @'Mariana Macnair'
    Lilypie Maternity tickers
    [Image: Blacks.png]
    #5
    @'Xavier Smith'
    WORDS: 156
    OUTFIT
    NOTES:
    DATE: February 16th, 1886
    It was fortunate that the book in her hand didn't reveal too much into what she was trying to research, it likely wouldn't contain what she was looking for anyway. The book in question was on wizard-killing magical creatures - acromantula, manticores, etc. "You're obviously not one to talk if you're in Borgin and Burke's." She stole a glance at the gentleman she had hexed and found that the shopkeeper on duty had finally liberated the man from the vines and was apologizing profusely. The man looked quite shaken.

    Mariana smirked to herself. "I didn't spot you before I drew my wand or else I would've waited to make sure you weren't looking my way." She finally turned to face him properly, narrowing her eyes ever so slightly as her smirk faded. Just who was he anyway? More importantly, was he going to make a nuisance of himself? "You're something of a nosy parker, aren't you?"

    Thanks, Rune, for another beauteous set <3

    6
    #6
    Xavier couldn't help but smile as the hooded figure explained herself. She was certainly sharp, he had to give her that, but one always ran the risk of getting caught when jinxing people in public. If even a single person was looking the wrong way, your entire plan could go south in a heartbeat.

    As she turned to face him, he subtly attempted to get a better look at her face. Her voice was so familiar, he was sure that he had met her somewhere before, but, given their height difference, that damn cloak didn't allow him to see anything above the tip of her nose.

    "Now, why would you go and call a person something like that?" he asked, adopting a mock offended expression at her question. It was true, he was being nosy, but what was the fun of being in disguise if you couldn't mess with people a little?

    "I like to consider myself more of a... concerned citizen, thank-you-very-much," he said, turning his nose in the air and smiling slyly. "After all, someone's got to protect society from dangerous creatures such as yourself," he teased, chuckling lightly at his own joke, as if a woman could ever be dangerous...

    @'Mariana Macnair'
    Lilypie Maternity tickers
    [Image: Blacks.png]
    #7
    @'Xavier Smith'
    WORDS: 139
    OUTFIT
    NOTES:
    DATE: February 16th, 1886
    If only he knew the truth of it, she thought as he jested about her being dangerous. She wasn't like her brother Tybalt who had killed a number of people on a questionable whim, but she had taken her fair share of lives in a more discreet fashion. "Dangerous, am I?" she repeated in a tone of feigned surprise. "And just how are you protecting society?" The fact that he hadn't seemed to have taken genuine offense to her actions intrigued Mariana, it seemed that most people either disapproved of barely provoked violence or they disapproved of a woman doing anything but blushing and simpering. Just who was he?

    "By distracting me from my next victim?" she suggested jokingly. Of course, it was funnier still to her knowing that he'd not realize how little she was exaggerating for effect.

    Thanks, Rune, for another beauteous set <3

    6
    #8
    Victim? Merlin, maybe this woman was crazier than he thought! She certainly seemed harmless enough. Her clothes were of a decent quality and she appeared well groomed- nothing to suggest she was one of the crazies who lived on the streets of Knockturn Alley.

    And, even though she was clearly joking, something about the way that she had said that made Xavier uneasy. If only he could figure out what she was up to, and, for that matter, who she was. He hated not having the upper hand in any situation.

    "Yes exactly," he nodded, "for who knows what kind of mischief you would get up to if I had left you to your own devices." He paused, attempting to figure out a way to subtly determine just what the hooded figure was up to. Asking her outright was out of the question, but perhaps he could trick her into revealing it...

    Looking down at the stack of books that she had been rummaging through, Xavier grabbed one at random. Flipping to a page of a particularly grotesque drawing depicting a wizard cutting open various magical animals in order to harvest their organs, he held it up for her to see. "Though, I'm sure a lady such as yourself wouldn't be interested in anything this dark..." he trailed off, studying her reaction closely.

    @'Mariana Macnair' - I honestly don't know where I was going with this. But I have seriously redone this post like 6 times, so I just gave up XD
    Lilypie Maternity tickers
    [Image: Blacks.png]
    #9
    @'Xavier Smith'
    WORDS: 201
    OUTFIT
    NOTES:
    DATE: February 16th, 1886
    Mariana found him quite entertaining, but at what point did she draw the line? She had hardly ever concealed her questionable interests, but she also didn't announce it. Most ladies could tell there was something a little off about her, though it likely had more to do with the fact that she often had a look on her face as though she had just done something she shouldn't have and was very pleased about it. Needless to say, she had never been the most popular person at tea parties.

    "You offend my delicate female sensibilities," she announced as she eyed the book, sounding anything but disgusted. Making people uncomfortable was most satisfying for Mariana but she really didn't need this gentleman to go about telling people he had seen her in Borgin and Burkes and she had been acting suspiciously. "I was a healer until recently, I'm quite accustomed to the gruesome and grotesque." Her thoughts returned to the creature at home that had prompted her outing and she supposed there was a good chance the man could pose a risk to her liberty, even if he was entertaining. "Does my interrogator happen to have a name by any chance?"

    Thanks, Rune, for another beauteous set <3

    6
    #10
    The woman's reaction troubled him even further. Despite the fact that she turned away from the picture Xavier was indicating, she certainly didn't seem offended. And, even being a healer, he seriously doubted that she had encountered anything quite as gruesome as that particular image. No, she was up to something serious, he could feel it.

    And then of course the topic of names came up. In this part of town, anonymity was everything, but he definitely didn't want to make it seem like he was evading her question. Doing so would likely make her clam up and ruin his chances of finding out what she was up to.

    "Ben Johnson," he lied easily, giving the name of the Muggle whose face he was currently borrowing. "And you are?" He asked, hoping that the ease in which he had supplied her with his information would make her more prone to do the same in return.

    @'Mariana Macnair'
    Lilypie Maternity tickers
    [Image: Blacks.png]
    #11
    @'Xavier Smith'
    WORDS: 155
    OUTFIT
    NOTES:
    DATE: February 16th, 1886
    A sneer passed briefly over Mariana's features before vanishing again. Ben Johnson sounded such a common name, it entirely lack imagination. It also wasn't one she was familiar with, though she was sure there were probably twenty similarly named folk in the slums of Hogsmeade. It really was a disappointing name.

    The pressing question now was did she tell him her real name or use one of her alias names that she usually reserved for questionable letters and ads? She decided truth was ultimately the smarter move - if he were to recognize her at any point and realize she wasn't whom she had claimed, he would surely suspect she was hiding something. "Mrs. Macnair," she replied simply, feeling no need to enlighten him to which Mrs. Macnair she might be by offering a first name. "If you've ever been careless with a potion or poison, there's a good chance our paths have crossed before."

    Thanks, Rune, for another beauteous set <3

    6


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