welcome to chimera!

the JOURNOS

a small troupe of writers drawn together by their own self-importance and the fear that runs through the school during Grindelwald's reign of terror and the Walpurgis mischief. they form the first student newsletter that Hogwarts has ever seen, and maintain it for the other students while keeping it secret from those who might stop them. while doing a vital service in keeping the school up-to-date with information being suppressed by staff, they also act as a rumour mill, the paparazzi, and something of a debate corner for those who wish to submit articles or write in. the somewhat questionable nature of what they do leads to quite a lot of secrecy among them, to the point where it is hard to say which articles are written by which member. or even who the members are.

the journalist troupe will become fairly important later on when the basilisk is released; they'll keep the school up-to-date with all the latest victims and sightings and advice on how to keep safe.

7 ♂ cuffe, barnabas hufflepuff

- - - - future editor-in-chief of the daily prophet
• while not particularly academically gifted, cuffe possesses an easy charisma and a talent for writing concise, interesting stories.
• a very moral person, he dedicates himself wholeheartedly to the cause of keeping the students informed when the school tries to cover up what is happening.
• if it weren't for his more moral stance, he'd get on nicely with the pranksters; he has a keen, easy sense of humour.
• reads the daily prophet (and several other, more obscure newspapers) religiously. he's also a fan of radio.
• while a huge fan of responsible, quality journalism, he is increasingly jaded and frustrated with the apathy of the student body and how much other students are interested in petty gossip.
• frequently at odds with braithwaite and gulch.
• suggested pb: bradley james

6 ♀ hurtz, grizel hufflepuff

- - - - future emotional advice columnist for the daily prophet
• bubbly and friendly, but with a slightly judgemental undercut to her writing.
• slightly racist in a subtle kind of 'and would you look at that, the muggleborn can do magic just as well as me!!' kind of way.
• not particularly clever, more 'mumsy' and bumbling.
• gets snippy quickly when corrected in any way; has a tendency towards bitchiness.
• not that interested in journalism, to be honest. more kind of nosy.
• suggested pb: beata grabowska

5 ♀ braithwaite, betty gryffindor

- - - - future reporter for the daily prophet
• most of her stories consist of hyperbolised rumour and speculation on who's dating who.
• her nosiness has a tendency to get her into trouble with embarrassed authority.
• despite her flexible morals on what she'll write about, she's bright and articulate, and could be a quality journalist if only she'd find the news more interesting than the gossip.
• a keen photographer as well as a writer.
• has no prejudice towards or away from muggleborns; she treats everyone as a target.
• perhaps a little reckless in the targets of her stories - she isn't afraid to point the finger.
• best friends with virginia peakes from the troupe. she is more of a protege to her elder friend's gossipy ways.
• suggested pb: anna jagodinska

6 ♀ gulch, zamira slytherin

- - - - future advice columnist
• the brains of the operation; gulch is one who points cuffe in the direction of journalism as a business rather than an ideal.
• cynical and acerbic in day-to-day life.
• while she is genuinely interested in dissemination of the news, she recognises that people would much rather read personal interest and gossip.
• she supports blood-purity in a back row bored flag waving kind of way, but finds violence and force to be genuinely abhorrent.
• isn't actually all that interested in people; she reads the advice columns to laugh at people with problems.
• quietly disdainful of other slytherins (such as the riddle gang) who resort to violence to achieve their ends
• suggested pb: valerija kelava

5 ♂ twiddle, mallory ravenclaw

- - - - future daily prophet reporter
• an idealist, like cuffe, he is starry-eyed about Informing The Public.
• lacks much writing ability, but makes up for it in enthusiasm.
• talented at dada and will later be able to write FAQs on how to defend oneself from the things happening in the castle.
• feels it is his duty to report small injustices or annoyances as he considers, somewhat comedically, these to be as important in principle as the dangers of the school.
• suggested pb: james mcavoy

7 ♂ wiggleswade, dempster ravenclaw

- - - - future legal advisor to the daily prophet
• pompous and academic, dempster is intelligent and extremely condescending
• has something of a photographic memory for tiny details and facts; history of magic is his favourite class and he will become a lawyer in later life
• coincidentally, the drone of his voice has often been compared to professor binns
• egotistical and reliant on his intelligence, he often comes off as brash and unfriendly, and is rarely anything other than cruelly sarcastic; he has a massive superiority complex and looks down on almost everyone else
• is so arrogant that he can often be tricked into doing the homework of other students just by their assertions that "he can do it better"
• mostly ignores the politics of the rest of the group, but considers it his duty to wade in an mediate; this usually results in the rest of the group becoming annoyed with him instead of each other
• suggested pb: kyle gallner

early twenties ♂ spleen, helbert faculty

- - - - future medical advisor to the daily prophet
• the school doctor, helbert is only a few years out of hogwarts himself, and finds it difficult to get along with the mostly-older staff
• though he not an official member of the journalists, his dislike of professor dippet and his handling of the school rumours leads him to leak information to them from time to time - like who has been petrified, when the basilisk attacks begin
• has bigger aspirations than what he sees as "school nurse", and can sometimes come off as slightly resentful of his job
• gets on better with students than fellow staff members
• will later become a well-respected healer who writes a column for the daily prophet
• suggested pb: tom hiddleston

barnabas reopened!

MALLORY IS MINE, KAY? I've obviously just come down with a bad case of Chime disease and have just fallen in love with him.