1855: Archibald and Maura Allaway welcome their first child, Archibald Orsino after several years of trying for children. He has the brown-blond hair of his father and his mother’s blue eyes. Unfortunately, for Maura, he is also a large baby destined for his father’s height.

1857: The Allaways add the final member to their family on August 24th. Titania Ursula is born to ecstatic parents and a brother very excited to be a “big bubba.” Archie must be constantly watched as he is determined to hold his little sister all by himself. Archie can’t manage his sister’s name and calls her Anya. It sticks.

1863: While she’s shown little bursts of magic, Titania’s most obvious sign of power appears when the family dog broke a leg. While Archie ran back for an adult, a sobbing Titania stayed with the dog. By the time Archie returned with their father, Titania was giggling as her tears were licked by a dog standing on four healthy legs.

1866: Anya joins her brother and parents on the trip to Diagon Alley and, after seeing all of her brother’s books, requests a set of her own. To humor her, she is dreading losing her brother, father agrees. Archie heads off to Hogwarts and is sorted into Gryffindor. He writes home often, but Anya is devastated by the loss of her closest friend. The already bookish, quiet girl retreats further into her books.

1868: Titania is finally off to Hogwarts. While she is excited to join her brother, she is already overwhelmed by the amount of people on the train. Anya meets as many of her brother’s friends as she can, but quickly tires and stays behind in a compartment with the little sister of Archie’s close friend. Isobel is also a first year but seems to handle the packed train better than Anya. At the sorting, both Titania and Isobel are sorted into Ravenclaw.

Titania is grateful she began studying years in advance as it gives her time to focus on the classes she likes. The downside? There was no book for Flying and she hates heights. She also expected to want to join the Frog Choir, but the idea of performing before the school sounded a lot like a death sentence. While she makes friends, she does like people, it is difficult for her get comfortable around so many other students. For the first time, she feels a bit jealous of her brother’s ability to charm a room.

1869: Titania is more comfortable in the castle and is learning to deal with people gawking at her height. She is already as tall as many of the upper year boys. She summons up the nerve and asks if she can assist in the Hospital Wing. She can do little more than roll bandages and stock shelves, but her reward is an hour a week of study with the school nurse. Anya spends the whole week excited for that hour.

1870: Titania adds Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures to her schedule. She and Isobel volunteer to help Archie and his friends’ study for their OWLs. Isobel seems more interested in Archie, which totally escapes Anya’s notice.

A purist bitch in Slytherin asks if she took CoMC to connect with her troll ancestors. In a rare show of anger, Anya shoves her into the Black Lake. The loss of points is a worse punishment than the teasing. Isobel promises to help her right the wrong. She and Isobel earn the points back within a week.

1871: While shorter than Archie’s 6’ 4” and her father’s 6’ 3”, Titania reaches 6’ over the summer and is terrified to go back to school. The teasing is worse than she imagined and Titania is miserable. The bright side is the constant presence of Isobel and Archie. Even Anya can’t miss that Archie seems constantly focused on Isobel. It isn’t the sibling sort of focus. Anya isn’t sure how she feels about that.

1872: OWL year is the time for Titania to shine. She’s spent years hiding from people in books and assignments and she’d kept the study material from Archie’s OWLs, finally this would be her year. Anya’s normal hiding place in the library seemed packed with her yearmates now. After getting frustrated by a Hufflepuff boy’s constant mispronunciation of a simple switching spell, Titania offers to help him study. She quickly gains more than one stray Hufflepuff to tutor. Surprisingly, she doesn’t mind being the center of attention when it’s for academic reasons. In fact, she comes to crave it. By the time exams arrive, Anya’s sporting more confidence than her friends have ever noticed. The confidence is well-earned as Anya earns straight Os on her exams.

1873: Titania’s OWL score earns her congratulations from her housemates and she’s ready for harder courses, but this is the first year at school without Archie. She and Isobel are both saddened, but for very different reasons. She reluctantly narrows down her course load to spend more time on her passions, mostly focusing on things she’s certain she won’t be able to perfect on her own in the future.

1874: Anya’s dreading her last year of school for different reasons than others. She’s thrilled for her NEWTs and already planning curriculum for her study groups, but this year is the Coming Out Ball. The debut, the time when young ladies are finally eligible for courtship and marriage. Anya doesn’t need a seer to tell her this will be a disaster. Other witches are focused on gowns and matches; Anya’s got her sights set on a different achievement than a man that can be conned into proposing. Going to her Transfigurations professor, Anya declares her intent to become an Animagus. While he is supportive, he reminds her that the endeavor takes years of dedication. That’s exactly what attracts her to the possibility.

1875: May - Titania finishes her last exam with a heavy heart. She has a feeling this will be the last time she is truly good at something. She begs off of an afternoon celebration for the freedom to cry in the dorms. As she has been in all things, Isobel is at her side.

June – Titania’s NEWT scores are returned. As she wished, they are straight Os. She continues to pour every free second into studying Animagus transfiguration and magical creature study.

August – As her 18th birthday approaches, Titania goes to her parents with her request and an anxious heart. In a speech she’d been polishing for months and containing more words than she ever liked to speak at once, Anya makes her case for continued training. She wants to train as a healer. Mother is supportive but father is a harder nut to crack. In some strange parental delusion, he’s certain it won’t be long before she finds an appropriate match and hopes to marry. Anya hadn’t laughed that hard in months. To her surprise, Archie comes to the rescue with his own plea in support. Father caves, but it comes with plenty of conditions. The last thing he’d agree to is an arrangement that brought shame to his girl.

September – Titania receives an owl from a cousin of father. Her lessons will begin in a month’s time. Her books and first assignments will be in the morning post.

October – Titania begins her lessons under the direction of her uncle, a Professor of Magical Medicine in Glasgow. While she wishes she could continue in a classroom, she quickly settles into one-on-one lessons.

1876: Archie completes Auror training and, a shock to everyone, save Titania, declares he’s ready to marry. His choice of bride is a shock to absolutely no one. Following what he describes as the most frightening conversation of his life, Archie receives the blessing of the Greyback family to marry Isobel. It’s the only time the idea of a wedding doesn’t terrify Anya. Archie is bitter the engagement period lasts more than a few hours but behaves. The fact that he’s still friends with two of Isobel’s brothers and another is a senior auror may be the reason.

1878: Archie and Isobel are married in May. Anya serves as maid of honor and stands up with her brother and best friend proudly. She’s surprised that she even feels pretty in her wedding clothes. She meets the rest of the Greyback clan at the wedding and is amazed that someone can have a family that big. Anya observes that it’s the only society event where she didn’t look out of place. If it wasn’t for the red hair and different family tartan, Anya could have been a Greyback.

Isobel and Archie leave for their honeymoon on the Continent. Anya doesn’t mention that she convinced her father to contribute 30 galleons of her own dowry to the couple’s honeymoon fund. What better use is there than contributing to the happiness of the two people she loves most?

June - Anya finishes her training as a healer. Her uncle informs her parents that her social status is a shame, as he hasn’t had such a natural talent in in decades. She is quickly placed in Glasgow where she practices under her mother’s maiden name to avoid talk.

August – Anya’s happy with her work, she’s meant for the hard work and puzzles. She quickly proves a natural with young patients. The only thing bothering her is her Animagus work. Something just isn’t clicking.

1880: Archie and Isobel welcome their first child and Archie wins a transfer to the Investigation Unit. He shyly (shyly!) comments he has plans on a more domestic life and thinks his wife would prefer him to return every evening with all his limbs. Titania is in love with her new niece. If this is what it feels to be an aunt, what must motherhood feel like?

1881: Returning home after a difficult case, Titania is eager to share her success, but stumbles upon a conversation she wasn’t meant to hear. Apparently, talk of father’s unmarried healer daughter is making the rounds. While both of her parents are determined to shield her from the negative talk, Titania makes both the easiest and most painful decision of her life. The following morning, she owls her resignation to the hospital. She refuses to see or speak to anyone and won’t explain her decision. She retreats to a hunting lodge on the edge of the grounds, begging for privacy. What she doesn’t say – she doesn’t speak for a month; is she finally knows what she’s missing.

July – Titania returns to her family with a weighted sense of certainty about her and a new talent. Titania completed her transformation. When in her Animagus form, Titania is a Eurasian Brown Bear. Its fur is a light golden color, much like her hair. If you look closely, there is also a scar over the bear’s right lip, much like Titania’s that she received from a riding accident as a girl.

1884: Titania is truly now a spinster. Somehow, there is a sort of relief that comes with the knowledge. No more pretending she will one day be attractive, no more pretending that a man may come along and want her. While she knows the news has to hurt her parents more than they say, she is grateful that they continue to support and love her.

Anya’s found purpose in loving her niece and nephews and spending all the time she can with them. She quietly consults on medical articles under an assumed name and serves as the default healer for the family’s servants. She’s never to have the love that her parents or that her brother found, but she refuses to be useless. Perhaps, in a decade or so, she can return to healing professionally. It isn’t as if there will be another use for her.