Big headlines mean big problems
From the start of her second year, Olivia had started subscribing to The Daily Prophet. It was a good way to spend breakfast where she usually had no one to talk to, and she and in case she might catch a glimpse of her father's name in some article.
The term passed without any particularly interesting article that really caught Olivia's attention. Not until the morning of December fifth. Olivia stared at the front page where the headline "Former Hogwarts Staff Arrested!" was written in large letters.
After scanning the article, Olivia sat completely still, unable to speak or move. How could this be possible? When she read the names of the injured, she felt a great relief that her father's name was not on it. But she knew that Julius Ringwald was very skilled; her father had mentioned him several times.
Then she thought of Marcus Iwasaki. Olivia remembered how proud and relieved she had felt when she first learned that there was another werewolf at school. Such a skilled werewolf who had managed to get the position of Ravenclaw's head of house. But now he was under arrest. Olivia knew that if he hadn't taken his Wolfsbane potion it would be because he didn't want to or couldn't. No werewolf would forget to take Wolfsbane.
Olivia walked around with the article spinning in her head until December thirteenth when the next big headline came: "HOGWARTS' WEREWOLF DRAGGED TO AZKABAN". For a moment she thought they were referring to a student and her gaze wandered over to the Slytherin table. When she saw Colin she returned to the article and then saw Marcus Iwasaki's name.
She sat glued to the article. Reread certain sentences three times to make sure she had read them correctly. When she finally finished, she was furious. Olivia stood up with such force that she knocked over her empty cup and received looks from several students around her.
She held her The Daily Prophet tightly in her hand and hurried out of the great hall with stomping steps. Of course, all the classrooms and corridors would be packed with students. Outside, the rain was pouring down so Olivia couldn't take refuge outside.
Finally, she found an empty classroom, thank goodness. She went in, slammed the door shut hard and kicked a chair so that it flew across the floor. Throwing someone to Azkaban like that. Olivia's breathing was labored. That's when she heard the door creak open. She spun around to see who was interrupting her outburst of rage.
Reducio
Last edited by Olivia Williams on 11 Mar 2026, 18:07, edited 1 time in total.
| Olivia Williams - Gryffindor | Whether you're a werewolf or human, love is still love. Betrayal is still betrayal. |
Big headlines mean big problems
Jack was not the sort to butt into other people's business for no reason. Sure, maybe he followed his roommate around to make sure he didn't get into too much trouble. And stalked him as a fox animagus. Plus eavesdropped on his conversations with his pet snake. But it was all for his own good. He didn't normally stick his nose into the business of complete strangers. Everyone had their own issues and drama, he knew. Many just wanted to deal with theirs on their own.
When he saw someone in pain, however, he couldn't help but want to try to do something about it. If they turned him away, he could understand that, but Jack had never really been able to ignore people he thought might have been lonely; probably because he was a pretty lonely individual himself.
So when the redhead saw a young brunette gryffindor with slightly curly hair and freckles stand up with enough force to knock over a cup at her table, his thick brows corrugated with concern. Rather than turn to anyone around her or address someone she might have had a problem with, the young lady hurried out of the Great Hall with a copy of The Daily Prophet clutched tightly in her grip. That was when Jack excused himself from his own table to get up and go after her.
He hurried after at as far a distance as he dared, not wanting her to realize he was following, but also wanting to keep up close enough that he didn't lose her in the maze of people, corridors, and staircases. It wasn't until he finally saw her disappear into an empty classroom that he transformed into a red fox with blonde and brown highlights in his fur and attempted to push the door open just enough that he could slip through.
The fox's ears perked and then lowered back against his skull as a thrown chair clattered on the ground. Its tail tucked between its legs meekly as it realized its entrance had been noticed when the girl who had thrown the chair turned to see him near the door. He froze for an instant, unsure of what to do, before slowly attempting to approach her, his timid fox paws almost soundless except for the noise of his claws against the stone ground. When he was about a foot away, he stopped and tilted his head questioningly, silently asking what was wrong.
@Olivia Williams
PC: Jack Burnett | iNPC: Ginyami Midorimori
Big headlines mean big problems
Olivia completely forgot her anger for a moment. “What the…” she muttered. Of all the things she thought she could see in the doorway, it certainly wasn’t a fox. But this fox was very special. It had brown and blonde tones in its red fur.
Then the fox started moving towards Olivia and when it stopped it tilted its head sideways as if to ask what was wrong. Olivia smiled a little. “Ugh,” she said to the fox. “It was just this thing about Marcus Iwasaki that was in The Daily Prophet.” It looked like the fox was listening so Olivia settled down with her back against the wall.
“I don’t know why my mood got so out of hand,” she continued. “It could be because of anything, actually. But there’s something about when society jumps on werewolves, I just lose my mind then. Happened several times, actually.” She paused. “You see… I’m a werewolf too.”
She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes for a few seconds. “And here I am, talking to a fox,” she opened one eye and looked at the fox with a smile before closing it again. “If anyone else saw me now, they would think I was crazy. But animals are a thousand times easier to talk to and understand than humans. Maybe that’s why I don’t have many friends…”
Olivia’s voice trailed off and she pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in her arms. The tears weren’t falling yet, but they were close. As if everything that had happened recently had filled a cup that was now about to overflow. Olivia looked up at the fox. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Reducio
@Jack Burnett
| Olivia Williams - Gryffindor | Whether you're a werewolf or human, love is still love. Betrayal is still betrayal. |
Big headlines mean big problems
Glad that at least the girl had stopped feeling angry enough to throw things about, the fox's ears rose a little to catch her words a bit better. He had guessed it would have been a better idea to approach her as a small, timid fox than a person. Especially as a seventh year male Slytherin.
He sat patiently where he was about a foot away from the girl, respectfully keeping his distance as he listened to her speak and explain the cause of her distress and anger. At the admission that the girl was a werewolf too, he tilted his head again, but of course said nothing.
That was the thing about talking with animals. People found it easy to talk to them because they couldn't talk back. They couldn't interrupt; couldn't judge. People seemed to ignore the concept that animals probably couldn't understand, either. Sometimes people just wanted someone - anyone - to talk to besides themselves. It made them feel less alone in the world - which, Jack thought, was understandable.
The Welsh teen also found that talking things out, no matter to whom, often helped to get difficult feelings off of one's chest. He smiled as only foxes could smile when the girl commented on the fact that she was talking to a fox.
At least she wasn't the sort that seemed to try to delude herself into thinking that animals could understand or care like humans could. But if she could understand that, then he figured she would probably benefit more from talking to an actual other human being than a fox.
When the Gryffindor was finished talking, the fox ran up to the girl, rubbed against her legs affectionately in a similar manner to a cat, and then ran back the way he had come, and disappeared back behind the door once more. Then he changed back into a teenage boy and knocked on the door softly before peering back inside.
"Hello," he greeted with a small, shy smile, raising a tentative hand in salutations. "...Heard you could use some company."
@Olivia Williams
PC: Jack Burnett | iNPC: Ginyami Midorimori
Big headlines mean big problems
Olivia watched the fox as it brushed against her leg and then hurried out of the room. Olivia was about to call the fox back when a knock was heard on the door and someone poked their head in. Olivia looked up at the doorway when this someone spoke. And this someone was a seventh year Slytherin boy.
Olivia raised an eyebrow at him, not buying his smile and wave. “Company?” she snorted and looked away from him. “How did you even find me? Did you follow me?” she asked without looking at him, her tone neither warm nor cold.
The anger that had so suddenly disappeared when the fox arrived was now slowly finding its way back and Olivia felt irritated. Just the guy’s presence irritated her. “If you’re going to keep me company, you better come in, it’s no use standing there grinning,” she snorted, nodding at the floor next to her. “And close the door.”
She waited, pushing away her irritation. “By the way, did you see a fox outside?” she added, wondering where the fox had gone. She glanced sideways at the guy. He had red hair… very red hair… with little blonde and brown highlights. “Wait a minute,” Olivia muttered as she put one and two together. “Were you the fox?”
Reducio
@Jack Burnett
| Olivia Williams - Gryffindor | Whether you're a werewolf or human, love is still love. Betrayal is still betrayal. |
Big headlines mean big problems
When the girl raised an eyebrow at him skeptically, Jack's smile turned sheepish, for he knew he couldn't blame her for being suspicious or dubious. Slytherins had a reputation, teenage boys had their own reputation, and even he himself had a reputation of his own even if he doubted the girl knew of it or him personally.
Still, he wanted to put her at ease and all those reputations weren't helping. At least she hadn't tried to throw anything at him or yell at him yet and even if she seemed wary, she wasn't acting rude or cold or being curt. He considered those as good signs so far.
It was even better when the Gryffindor urged him to come in, so he quickly did so and closed the door behind him as she bade him do. He went to go sit on the floor where she had indicated with her nod and waited patiently for her to come to the conclusion he guessed she would eventually arrive at - the same conclusion that also happened to be the truth. At her final question, he laughed.
"Yeah, that was me," he answered, ducking his head bashfully as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I...got concerned when you ran off. So I thought I'd check up on you to see what was up. My name's Jack Burnett, by the way. Most people just call me Burnett. Or Chatter Fox," he added with a wry grin. "Mind if I ask your name?"
@Olivia Williams
PC: Jack Burnett | iNPC: Ginyami Midorimori
Big headlines mean big problems
“Olivia,” Olivia replied, still a little stiff. Then she looked at him. “Why not Jack? It’s a pretty nice name after all,” she asked, tilting her head a little. Then she picked up the two issues of The Daily Prophet that had caused her rather dramatic exit from the Great Hall.
“Here you go,” she said, pushing the papers into Jack Burnett’s hand. She waited for him to finish reading. She didn’t know exactly what he thought of werewolves yet, but since she had expressed herself so clumsily and he was still talking to her, she assumed he wasn’t hateful towards them.
“I hate it when society jumps on werewolves like this.” She nodded at the paper. “No werewolf in their sensual ways just ‘forgets’ to take Wolfsbane potion. No one.” She could attest to that. Nights with a full moon were the worst nights, and they only happened once a month. As if that weren't enough, you get severe side effects from a transformation, with or without Wolfsbane.
"I'm not saying it's not terrible that two were injured and one died," Olivia quickly added, though. She thought about how she herself would have felt if her father had been an Auror who had been injured. She looked at him. "Please say something, I can't bear to have a huge complaint monologue," Olivia said with a smile that didn't reach her eyes.
Reducio
@Jack Burnett
| Olivia Williams - Gryffindor | Whether you're a werewolf or human, love is still love. Betrayal is still betrayal. |
Big headlines mean big problems
"Oh. Thanks," he commented in surprise when she said Jack was a nice name. "I guess...I just find using first names to be pretty intimate and I worry about people wanting to be friends because...well, having friends hurts people," he sighed. "So I try to use last names and tell people to call me by mine."
But Olivia hadn't given him her last name. So all he could do was smile and say, "Nice to meet you, though I wish it was under better circumstances."
Readjusting his posture, he accepted the papers pushed into his hand and read - properly, this time - the article that had seemed to cause her such distress. Then he nodded.
"I agree. They really shouldn't have just made assumptions like that. That professor and head of house was really responsible from what I knew of him. I wonder..." Tapping his chin thoughtfully, he turned back to Olivia. "Would you...maybe like to try to write him a letter and send it by owl? I think even Azkaban prisoners can get owls. And maybe we can find out what really happened."
He paused, then brightened. "And if we find out the real story...maybe we can get the Hogwarts Headliner to publish it...which in turn might make more people aware of the truth and then they can get bigger papers like The Daily Prophet to clear up the misunderstanding, too. What do you think?"
@Olivia Williams
PC: Jack Burnett | iNPC: Ginyami Midorimori