Evelyn Babham

[Evelyn Babham]

Full Name: Evelyn Cantwell Babham
Nicknames: Evie
Birthdate: August 7th, 1857
Current Age: 26
Occupation: Housemaid
Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff
Wand: Hazel, 9"½ inches, springy, Demiguise Hair
Blood Status: Halfblood
Social Class: Lower Class
Family:
Father : William Thornton Babham
Mother: Honora Babham nee Cantwell

Brother: William ‘Will’ Cantwell Babham
Brother: Frazier Cantwell Babham
Brother: August ‘Augie’ Cantwell Babham
Sister: Eleanor Crossly nee Babham
Sister: Winnifred ‘Freddie’ Cantwell Babham
Sister: Corrina Cantwell Babham

Appearance: Evelyn Babham is of average height, standing only five feet two inches tall. Copper haired and freckled, her hour glass figure lends to that over-used stereotype of the buxom country girl. She tends to wear her hair pulled back in a tidy knot, and habitually wears the dark, practical clothing of those in her profession, where modesty, discretion, and the need to hide random stains are a must. Even when off duty she tends towards the same mode of dress; plain and practical.


History: There probably wasn't a girl in the county who wasn't half in love with William Babham, including Evelyn's mother, Honora Cantwell. In fact, she loved him well enough to put away her wand and turn quite a few noses out of joint in the process. But then the Cantwells were mixed bloods to begin with; her -great-grandmother was a muggleborn, and everyone knew it. What could one expect from those sort of people? William worked on his father's farm, where Honora went to live the year after their marriage and was shortly pregnant with their first child. Her mother-in-law thought her daft, but a sweet girl, and patiently taught her the rudimentary of cooking, sewing, cleaning, and endless chores that went with life tilling the soil.

First came William, named for his father, called Little Will by all. Then a year later, Evelyn. Her grandfather died and William (the elder one of course) inherited the farm. The rest of the children came in quick succession, and so the already busy house was always filled with noise and scuffles, laughter and crying, and the patter of little feet. Evelyn learned as much from her grandmother as she did her mother, all the practical knowledge that went with caring for a large brood and a productive farm. Evie can scarcely remember a time when she wasn't responsible for someone, or something, and she always rose to the occasion, whether it was changing soiled nappies, making cheeses, taking the sting from bee stings with a dab of mustard, or chasing down a wayward sibling who refused to take a bath. From her mother she learned her letters and arithmetic, and practiced her reading with books leftover from Honora's childhood. She was a clever girl with a sharp mind, and more than that, things had a way of happening around her. Strange things that made her muggle father and grandmother very nervous. Honora both hoped and dreaded her daughters eleventh birthday.

But until that day, odd occurrences aside, she never thought of herself as more than an ordinary girl. When her letter arrived it caused a great debate in the house. On one hand Honora was proud her oldest girl had been accepted; on the other, Evelyn had been raised in the muggle world, and with her heritage and background she had two strikes against her so far as wizarding society went. And then there was the money. How would they afford it? Her father has his reservations as well, not seeing what good a fancy education would do for her future, but at the same time afraid of what would happen if she didn't learn to control her 'happenings'. Evelyn herself was excited and afraid at once of this whole new world on the verge of opening up before her. She wanted it, badly. In the end her father sold two of his fattest pigs, and her mother took her to Diagon Alley to buy everything she'd need for her first year of formal education.

Her persevering nature helped her through her first year. There weren't many students who worked harder, and that was her saving grace, what helped her win the scholarship that kept her in school. While clever, she wasn't as naturally gifted as some, and academic achievements were gained through painstaking study, hard work and dedication more than anything else. An earnest student, she found she had a knack for Transfiguration, one of the more difficult areas of study, and even helped other students as a tutor. And while her school years didn't go without their trouble, she did well. Until fifth year. Most students are stressed at the prospect of taking the OWLS and Evelyn was no exception. There's no explaining it. After all the years of pressure, she cracked. Her marks plummeted like a stone.

She choked.

And that was it. She lost her scholarship, and went home. After a year on the farm, she decided to go in to service. Her brothers and sisters were old enough to see to themselves, and there were simply too many mouths to feed. A school friend recommended her for a housemaid position, and she stayed with the family for 9 years, long enough to watch the oldest son go off for his first year at Hogwarts. The family decided shortly thereafter to move, and not wanting to be further parted from her family, Evie decided to seek employment elsewhere.



Personality: Kind/Generous/Resourceful/Practical/Hard Working/Feisty
Sample Roleplay Post: When she'd first arrived, David had been such a shy boy. Evelyn could still remember him hiding behind his mother's skirt the first time they were introduced. So polite, introspective. Totally unlike the boisterous youngsters she was used to. Picking up the small, dark robe from the bed she held them to her face for a moment, taking in the clean smell of fresh laundry before folding the robe neatly and placing it in the trunk, with everything else he'd be taking to school with him. He was a growing boy and she knew he'd be embarrassed to see her make such a fuss over his school clothes.

Nothing was second hand, everything bright and new, spic and span.

Closing the trunk she sighed and went over the room one more time, even though it was hardly necessary. The family would be moving soon, and she'd be staying on long enough to see everything packed and well ordered before they departed. For nine years this had been her life, and now it was over and she couldn't help but feel a sense of loss. Moving to the bedside she smoothed the coverlet over one more time before hearing the door creak. Turning, she saw the mistress of the house, "Everything is ready, ma'am. I'll go and see to the young miss if you've nothing else for me to do."

OOC:
Name: Lili
Age: Old as time itself
Contact: PM
Other Characters: None
How did you hear about us? Affiliation tab

  

[Violet MacFusty]

APPLICATION ACCEPTED!

---

— You should be titled in a few moments. Please post with your new character in the Character Master List thread.

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

— Don't forget to record your character's past position(s) in our history records.

— Not sure where to start? You can introduce yourself in a new topic here and fill out the plottage preferences form so people know what you're interested in.

— Our Networking Forum is here. You can also hop in on a thread in our Lonely thread list or start an open thread of your own.

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

— We also have a member submitted and staff run Daily Prophet that reports on in character happenings. Check it out so you can see how it might effect your future plots.

Thanks for deciding to join us, we hope you have a blast! :D