Lydia Harleston

[Lydia Harleston]

In-Character Full Name: Lydia Harleston Nicknames: Aunt Lyddie (kids in care), Nana (grandchildren), Widow Harleston (parents of kids in care) Birthdate: May 14, 1824 Current Age: 63 Years Occupation: Childminder; Sometimes Midwife Reputation: 5 Residence: The slums of Hogsmeade Hogwarts House: Gryffindor Wand: Applewood, 10", inflexible, Augurey tail feather Blood Status: Pureblood Social Class: Lower class Family: Husband: William Harleston (October 1822-1875) Son: Leopold Harleston (b. 1851) with wife and children Daughter: Caroline __ née Harleston (b. 1853) with husband and children Daughter: Lucinda __ née Harleston (b. 1855) with husband and children Son: Wilford Harleston (b. 1858) with wife and children Brother: Charles Burress (b. 1819) with wife and children Brother: Roland Burress (b. 1821) with wife and children Appearance: Standing at five feet even, Lydia Harleston doesn't cut an imposing figure, with her salt-and-pepper hair in carefully arranged curled styles, kind hazel eyes, and round, aged face. A bit stockier than the aging socialites, wide-shouldered and not very narrow in the waist, she is rather homely. Her wardrobe consists of exactly five dresses, all in a style that she sees as flattering to her frame - the wider skirts of the 1870s are her preference, and she refuses the bustle - in simple shades of brown, with only one being a light blue. Always, she wears her coral necklace, and carries in a sewn skirt-pocket her late husband's watch. She is left-handed. History: 1824: She is born Lydia Burress to parents Elizabeth and Henry, the third child and first daughter to survive infancy. Elizabeth is housekeeper to a purist family, while Henry is the family's cook. 1827: Lydia displays her first signs of magic when her mother brings her in to work one day, accidentally turning the lady of the house's sheets a rather bright shade of yellow. Elizabeth reverts the color before the mishap is discovered, and proceeds to send her daughter to the nearest childminder rather than risk any further mishaps. 1835: Lydia recieves her Hogwarts letter, finding herself sorted to Gryffindor after three and a half minutes beneath the Sorting Hat, which had been torn between Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. She chose Gryffindor because her father had been in the house of the brave, and neither of her brothers had been sorted there. It is that evening that she meets William Harleston, a fellow Gryffindor a year ahead of her. The two become fast friends, and he begins tutoring her early on. It is with his tutoring that she is able to remain at Hogwarts on scholarship. 1840: Lydia's fifth year of Hogwarts ends. When she recieves her OWL scores, they are thus: OWL SCORES Astronomy P Charms E Defence Against the Dark Arts A Earth Magic O Herbology O History of Magic A Muggle Studies E Potions E Transfiguration O 1841: During the summer after William departs from Hogwarts, he and Lydia make a choice - once she finishes hew NEWTs, they will do as their parents had done, and move in together. Lydia tells him she always dreamed of a church wedding; he tells her that one day, she'll have it. 1842: Shortly after moving into the new house with William, Lydia receives her NEWT scores. They fall as thus, and she decides that she can actually follow a career as a healer of Creature-Induced Injuries: NEWT SCORES Charms E Earth Magic O Herbology O Muggle Studies A Potions E Transfiguration E 1847: After five years of working, Lydia in her position as a healer, William as an employee in the Department of Magical Accidents & Catastrophes, dotted with three miscarriages and the loss of her mother and his father, the couple finally are wed in the eyes of the church. 1851: After a grand total of five miscarriages since the beginning of their life together, Lydia gives birth to a baby boy, whom they name Leopold for William's maternal grandfather. During the late stages of pregnancy, Lydia made the difficult decision to leave the hospital, preferring to focus on her family for now. 1853: The budding family is graced with their first daughter, whom they name Caroline. 1855: Another daughter, Lucinda, is born, with a stillborn twin sister whom the family never mentions again, though Lydia begins wearing her mother's only piece of precious jewelry, a chain of coral beads, in memory of the lost daughter. 1858: Lydia's pregnancy with Wilford is the hardest of all, to the point where she stops getting out of bed for fear of losing this child. Thankfully, he is born whole and healthy. Lydia and William make the conscious decision to abstain from further activities in order to ensure that Lydia does not lose her life to health complications. 1862: Leopold receives his acceptance letter to Hogwarts. 1864: Caroline joins Leopold at Hogwarts. 1866: Lucinda begins her education. 1867: Leopold receives his OWLs results, and chooses to leave his days of education behind, pursuing a career as a mediwizard. 1869: Caroline receives her OWLs results, and chooses to leave her education behind in favor of training to become a hit witch, much to her mother's chagrin. Come September, Wilford begins his Hogwarts education. Leopold marries a week before Christmas. 1871: Lucinda receives her OWLs results. Unlike her siblings before her, she chooses to continue on with her education, aspiring to become, one day, a Hogwarts professor, with a second choice career of following her mother's footsteps as a healer. 1874: Lucinda graduates from Hogwarts and begins her internship as a healer at St. Mungo's. Wilford receives his OWLs, and follows Lucinda's path, though he aspires to be a curse-breaker. 1875: William Harleston passes away peacefully in his sleep in April. Leopold moves home with his wife and children to help support his mother. Caroline marries, leaving her career as a hit witch to become a law intern. 1876: Wilford graduates from Hogwarts, taking the path to follow his curse-breaker aspiration. 1877: Though their home in particular is never attacked by irate muggles, their dear neighbors are burned alive in their home for being suspected of magic. In reaction, Leopold moves to Hogsmeade, becoming an early resident of the slums. Despite his initial insistence, Lydia does not move with him. 1878: Lydia gives in, selling everything of William's but for his favorite watch, to obtain travel and a small home in the Hogsmeade slums. Very quickly, she establishes herself as a childcare provider, only asking a nominal sum she cares for that does not share a blood relation to her. Lucinda marries a fellow healer. 1884: Lydia escapes the Laughing Plague, though it does steal a few of the children she cares for, including one of Leopold's daughters, Olivia. It does leave her sad, for the loss of young lives is always something that affects the aging widow deeply. 1887: As a childminder in the Hogsmeade slums, Lydia feels an obligation to remain in the same, small home, where others know to find her, especially her children. She also has taken to helping expectant mothers with their pregnancies, knowing that proper care can help keep away the sorrows of losing an unborn child. She does not demand a penny for these services. Childcare remains inexpensive, with only a slightly higher rate for the care of children under a year. Personality: ESFJ-A - the Consul Out of Character Name: Elaine Age: 23 Contact: PM, Skype (elainesage-themerciful) Other Characters: See my CML - gawd I'm horrible

  

[Odira Potter]

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