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
  • Apps
  • Rules
  • Playbys
  • Policy
  • Buddy System
  • History Lists
  • Occupations
  • Census
  • Adoptables
  • Hogwarts '87
  • CML
  • Daily Prophet
  • Witch Weekly
  • Lonely Threads
  • House Points
  • 1887
  • Events
  • New Posts
  • Map
  • Suggestions
  • Maintenance
  • Stamps
  • Documentation
  • Toggle Cbox


    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...
     
        
     
    Mary Baines
    #1
    Full Name: Mary Anne Baines (nee Hughes)
    Nicknames: None
    Birthdate: February 22, 1856
    Current Age: 25 years
    Occupation: None
    Hogwarts House: Former Ravenclaw
    Wand: Ash, 10'', sturdy, single unicorn hair
    Blood Status: Halfblood
    Social Class: Lower
    Family:
    • Robert Baines Jr.- Husband
    • Richard Hughes- Father
    • Margaret Hughes- Mother
    • Helen Hughes- Sister, married
    • Jacob Hughes- Brother married
    • Alice Hughes- Sister
    • Elizabeth Hughes- Sister, married
    • Andrew Hughes- Brother
    • Edward Hughes- Brother
    • Rose Hughes- Sister
    Appearance: Mary, since the day she was born, has always been somewhat underweight; as a baby she was always a little light to carry, and as a young girl looked as if she was made of the very sticks she used to play with- never has she been a round, healthy child. At first her parents were distraught about the fact that she might have been born with an ailment, but soon discovered that her lithe figure was just a part of her genetics. The poverty that has continuously followed her throughout her life has not helped her petit silhouette either; she easily looses weight and it is very difficult for her to gain it back; she has been yo-yoing from 100 to 105 lbs. Her slightly less than average height of 5'4'' also helps her look smaller and meek. Her skin is extremely pale which looks even lighter with the contrast of her shoulder-length copper tresses. Her blue eyes, though of an extremely light shade, are not as alarming as one would think. The creamy entirety of her complexion make it that her eyes blend in naturally; they are slightly rounded which also gives her a youth-like appearance. Her lips resemble a petal in the way that they are small but full. All in all, coupled with her less than fashionable, but sensible, attire of maid-like dresses and aprons, she would seem like a quiet individual appearance-wise; the only thing that usually stands out is her fiery hair. She is also right-handed.

    During her pregnancy, however, Mary has gained a good fifteen lbs, although if it was not for the prominent swell of her belly and her larger bust, one would not even think she would be with child. She has also experienced swelling of the ankles and feet. Mary recently discovered movement in her abdomen as well, so is usually seen with her hand protectively clutched to her stomach.

    History: Mary Anne Hughes was born on a small cottage on one of North Yorkshire's many moorlands on a chilly February day. While quite poor themselves, the Hughes family tried to make due of what they had. Mary's father, a muggleborn, carried on the family business of shepherding (usually selling wool for cheap), while his wife ran a sustenance farm which grew the food the family needed to survive, and often made the children's clothes. The upside of growing up in a rural setting was that Mary was never bored; the breath taking scenery around her drew her in like a moth to fire. However, her carefree youth was soon ended abruptly; as soon as she was old enough to carry a pail she was sent to work, often helping her mother clean and cook. When her siblings entered the world, babysitter was also added to her list of chores. When she went to town, to play, or to go to school, she had to take the lot of them. In reality, she never minded because she had always felt a sense of responsibility over them, despite their growing number.

    At first, when Mary promptly received her Hogwarts letter, her parents refused to fund her education through the end. As much as this upset her, she also understood it was a question of circumstance; they had eight mouths to feed. Luckily, her uncle, a successful con artist who had struck a good deal in America, had heard news of the family's condition and decided he was feeling generous enough to help the oldest child throughout her education. In truth, Mary wasn't exactly aware of what she was going to go through; her mother and father had never completed their education, so Mary was more or less setting up a precedent for the rest of her siblings.

    At Hogwarts she was sorted into Ravenclaw, was diligent in her work, and lived up to her House's reputation. She usually gravitated towards the library for she was awestruck of the amount of books that could be contained in one room. Throughout the years, she found a refuge of the constant crying and fussing of her younger siblings and the manual labor she had to endure as a child; nonetheless she still has a healthy relationship with her parents and sisters and brothers. Because of her constant studying she never became attached to a fellow student, but her general pleasantness attracted many acquaintances. Mary, after being inspired by her experience in Hogwarts, took the O.W.L.'s and N.E.W.T.'s required to become a healer.

    By the time of her graduation, she and her family were scant broke again. In order to find better job opportunities, Mary took Helen and Jacob with her to London to live with her mother's sister. Soon after their arrival Jacob, who had dropped out of Hogwarts in his fourth year (he said he didn't have a head for books), ran away to live on the streets as a thief; her sister also moved out to live with a wealthy muggle family as a maid. Alice had been motivated by her eldest sibling's actions and followed their example by moving out to the city in the hopes of rising from poverty, but after being kicked out of her boarding house for her lack of rent, was forced to turn to prostitution. No one knows about her whereabouts except for Mary who has been sworn into secrecy. The rest of her brothers and sisters still live in the small village where Mary was born in the countryside, and some have even married.

    As for Mary, despite her education, the only stable and decent paying job she could find was in the Ministry of Magic as a Welcome Witch, mostly due to the fact of her social background and gender. After the 1877 incident which forced the magical people underground, she moved to Hogsmeade when she was twenty-one with her aunt. Unfortunately, she was unable to bring any of her city-dwelling siblings along, but continued to work for the Ministry. During her time there, she began being courted by an obliviator. At first, she had no intention of getting married, but soon after she had fallen in love with her beau. So much so that the obstacles they both faced during their courtship, while distressed her, did not deter her decision to marry him.

    Mary prefers to describe her wedding as a humble and simple occasion. Only extremely close family and friends were present (which were not many), and Mary was touched when her parents scraped enough for their transportation to attend. Her wedding dress was her Sunday's best; a modest but rather plain cream dress. She did her best to make it appear more festive by attempting to decorate it with pieces of her mother's old lace, but it was obvious it was a low-budget cause. In any case, they were married, and Mary is now pregnant.

    Personality: Mary is a generally quiet and mellow individual, yet was born with a leadership quality that she has taken advantage of with her siblings. She is often more comfortable with traditional and familiar experiences and she rarely ever takes risks. She has always been an organized and reliable individual and has believed in an unwavering work ethic, no matter how lowly of a position she might have titled; since her school years she easily concentrated at the task at hand, and if she was to commit herself to something, it was going to happen. While she tends to shy away from large social functions, Mary still enjoys the presence of others, though she often likes to sit back and watch interactions.

    Mary is considerate of other's feelings and has a compassionate, warm, and comforting aura which almost seems motherly. Through her circumstances she has learned to never judge a book by its cover and tries to be as courteous to everyone as possible. Mary has also learned to become positive with any situation dealt to her. Her forgiving and resilient nature roots from her overall patient attitude, because one had to be with seven other children. With her overall kind and pleasant nature, her ugly side contrasts vastly from her normal self. When angered, which is not often, she releases everything that she has been holding inside. The building of these repressed feelings always leads to an emotional explosion that would challenge any volcano; this spectacle is fortunately rarely seen as it is difficult to make Mary upset.

    Patronus: Rabbit
    Boggart: Robert's corpse still holding a bottle of whiskey; the fear of her husband succumbing to alcohol.
    Amortentia: Her mother's beef stew, purple heather, and old parchment.
    Sample Roleplay Post: See Cordelia Carmichael posts.

    ______________________________________________________________________

    Name: Asha
    Age: 19
    Contact: PM preferred.
    Other Characters: Cordelia Carmichael
    How did you hear about us?: Google
    #2
    APPLICATION ACCEPTED!
    ù You should be titled in a few moments. Please post with your new character in the Character Master List thread. ^^

    ù If you have a playby you would like to claim, you can go here.

    ù Not sure where to start? Our Networking thread is specifically designed to network new characters. Be sure to read the rules before posting. You can also hop in one on a thread in our Lonely thread list or start an open thread of your own.

    ù Don't forget to check out our Stamp station for some extra fun!

    Thanks for deciding to join us, we hope you have a blast! :D
    Please tag Barnabas Skeeter in replies.
    [Image: visig_zpstvfnsede.jpg]
    [Image: Stamp3_zpsc250b732.png] [Image: HamletBt_zps96feccff.png]
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