❧ Childhood (1873-1884) ☙
Seneca could have been a very insignificant member of her family, seeing that she was the youngest girl. What saved her from such a fate was her unusal gift, her metamorphic powers, which began to manifest in the early months of her life. Her father, a Transfiguration enthusiast, took an interest in her. (Possibly because her powers could be useful in the future.) To add to her merits, Seneca was a well-behaved child.
It didn't take her long to realize that she was 'special' and, from a young age, Seneca had a sense that she was an important individual. She was a member of one of the most esteemed families in the magical world and she had a rare power - clearly she was destined to greatness! She took an intellectual interest from a young age - talent and a rare gift alone wouldn't take her far in life!
As it has been already said, Seneca was a well-behaved child. That being said, she wasn't an angel to everyone. She was to those she deemed important, but to those she didn't find as such, she could come off as rather arrogant. She didn't have an easy time making friends with children she couldn't boss around.
She didn't have a good relationship with either of her sisters growing up. Seneca thought herself better than them, though she knew better than not to at least treat Valeria with respect, seeing that she was the oldest. Cornelia she deemned unimportant and unclever. She was lucky to be pretty and a Lestrange. With her brothers, her relationship was better, mostly because Seneca was always nicer to them.
Seneca lost her mother when she was eleven, in the February of 1884. She wasn't exactly devastated - she's always liked her Papa best, because he was the parent that it was important to have on her good side. Mama was a vapid woman and she seemed to feel uncomfortable about Seneca's powers. Seneca never enjoyed a feeling that wasn't sheer admiration from people.
❧ Hogwarts (1884-1891) ☙
Seneca was sorted into Slytherin, which was no surprise to anyone. That being said, Seneca felt it so important that she is sorted into her father's house and not, Merlin forbid,
Hufflepuff, that she actually urges the Hat to sort her there.
She's a dilligent student so she does well in her classes. It pains her that she can't naturally be good at all of them, though. Especially Transfiguration. It is her father's most favourite branch of magic and she's a metamorphmagus, besides, Transfiguration is in her blood in a way, yet she has no exceptional talent for it. Her talents lay in the Dark Arts and Duelling. She's lucky to be her father's special snowflake girl, which gives her his permission to duel, an activity that is generally frowned upon for girls.
In 1885, her father has a task for her. He asks her to pretend to be him on her brother's Cassius' bedside. She doesn't question this at all. She's always had blind faith for her father. Little does she know that her father asked her this in order to break her crazy uncle Tybalt from prison! She'll likely put the pieces together sometime in the future, if she ever thinks of this.
In the autumn of 1886, her father remarries to a spinster named Belphoebe Lestrange. Seneca doesn't like this - she views Belle as a threat. She knows better than to openly antagonize her stepmother, though, and she keeps her feelings to herself. She even enjoys a pleasant relationship with her, in spite of her private feelings.
In the summer of 1887, Seneca becomes interested in the arts of Legilimency and Occlumency. In spite of her young age, Seneca thinks herself perfectly capable to master those skills, because she's so gifted and special. She asks her cousin, and a ward to her father, Tiberius Lestrange for help. She also happens to have a crush on him, because her's her Papa's favourite younger Lestrange and, in a perfect world, they'd be the power couple that would put all power couples to shame.
She's not too pleased when her place as the youngest child is usurped by a brother, in the October of 1887. She views young Cicero, as a potential threat to the family dynamics.
It is no surprise to anyone when Seneca is named prefect in her fifth year. She is a good student and she is influential amongst Slytherin. She joins a long tradition of Lestranges getting student positions.
Seneca completes her fifth year in 1889 with excellent grades. She continues with Ancient Runes, Charms, DADA, Potions, Transfiguration and adds Alchemy to the mix, a class that she was planning upon taking since her third year, so she had put extra effort in getting the required grades.
In the June of 1890, both Claudius and Cornelia marry to one of their Pendergast cousins. Claudius to Ellory on the 9th of June and Cornelia to William on the 24th. While William and Cornelia had been betrothed for years, Claudius and Ellory had been betrothed that same year. Seneca hopes that she won't also be betrothed to some unimportant first cousin.
❧ Finishing School & Debutante Years (1891-present) ☙
After her graduation from Hogwarts, her father deemed it necessary for her to attend a year at her late aunt's finishing school. Although Seneca had complained at the time, she later recalled that it was for the best. For one, her eldest sister's death in
September of 1891 would have made it impossible for her to participate in any sort of Seasonal event. Furthermore, Seneca is an introvert with no natural talents to make her a successful debutante.
She spends the year mastering her feminine skills: dancing; conversational skills like how to keep her tone gentle and non-threatening; some basic piano pieces; how to hold intellectual conversations that don't threaten men's egos, etc.
She debuted in June of 1892 with medium success in the season. Hopefully, her brother Cassius' nuptial announcements that same summer would distract the media from her not securing a match of her own that same Season.
