| Ida's history |
| 1873 | Ida was born. Her parents name her Ai-Mei, which translates loosely into beautiful love. It was her father’s way to honor her Mei-Ling and the love they share. She proves to be a shockingly passive and quiet baby. |
| 1877 | As conflict between Muggle and Wizarding worlds escalated, Huan Bo held fast in London, hopeful for support from the broader Chinese migrant community from the job opportunities his trades business provided. This all changed when Mei-Ling and her children were verbally accosted by a man who followed them home, swinging a knife that very nearly missed Ida’s brother’s head. Combined with recent reports of murders, the Chang family shuttered their operations in London and fled to Hogsmeade. Their business nearly halved when they eliminated any connections with Muggles. |
| 1880 | Ida’s youngest brother is born amid financial troubles.
At 6 years old, Ida exhibits her first sign of magic when she screams at her older brother for stealing her toy, and shatters all of the glass in the room. Fortunately, no one was badly hurt, though to this day she has a small scar from window glass that seared her forearm. |
| 1882 | The Changs are among the first wizarding families to relocate to Irvingly, when Huan Bo gets an opportunity to buy a large amount of inexpensive land nestled on the furthest outskirts of the growing town. Over the years he turns this land into farm crops, storehouses, and their family home. He forges deeper connections with shopkeepers in Hogsmeade that rely on his variety of herbs and spices, and meets significant potion makers who choose to purchase rare and high-quality ingredients from him directly.
The same year, Ida’s eldest brother enrolls in Hogwarts. She envies him. |
| 1884 | Ida starts her first year at Hogwarts with few preconceived notions, because her older brother likes to keep everything good to himself. So she hardly had a preference in terms of her house, but the Sorting Hat weighed between Slytherin and Ravenclaw for some time. Ultimately, it told Ida that her ambition may always be abstracted by way of rational thought. Whatever that means.
Ida's blunt conversational skills earned her a few quick friends who thought it was funny, but alienated her from some of the students from better established, old wizarding families. After a few confusing starts with her peers, Ida decides to go exclusively by the name Ida, rather than her given name Ai-Mei. This unwittingly marks her first rejection of her own culture.
Despite her efforts to fit in, being one of the few people of Asian descent at Hogwarts exposed Ida to plenty of cruel comments. In part goaded by her brother who thought she might have better luck as a girl, she’d never let those comments pass without asserting that person’s stupidity and ignorance. It sets aback even some older students, who reported her behavior as inappropriate. Though as the circumstances of the situation became clear, her own Head of House encouraged Ida to hold her ground, noting “here we are all students of equal footing.” |
| 1886 | Just as Ida approached the end of her second year, her mother tragically drowns. She and her brother return home two weeks early to come to terms with their tremendous loss.
This changes the Chang family forever. Ida’s father grew distant, and weighed heavier responsibilities on his eldest children. Her brother was expected to take a greater hand in the family business, while she was expected to take on her mother’s duties in managing the household and helping care for her baby brother. |
| 1887 | Ida and her brother appeal to their grief-stricken father to return to Hogwarts for another year. Her brother made the case that completing his fifth year with strong O.W.Ls will give their family business a more advantageous position appropriate to their class. But her father did not see the value in his daughter’s continued education, and expected her help with the household.
In her fury, Ida said the unthinkable - maybe if her mother had known more magic, perhaps she wouldn’t have died in the first place. Some days later, Ida’s father reluctantly agreed to let her go, on the condition that she would return to household duties during all school breaks, and work menial tasks for the business to pay tuition. Ida immediately agreed, though she and her father have had a strained relationship ever since.
When Ida returns for her third year, the girl is almost an entirely different person. She had the pressures of upholding her family reputation and succeeding in school now, and life had shown her just how cruel and unfair it can be. She became reclusive, and rarely participated in the extracurriculars she enjoyed before. She enrolled in additional subjects of Arithmancy, Ancient Studies, and Ancient Runes, and dropped Music. |
| 1888 | Ida’s brother did not return to Hogwarts after his fifth year O.W.Ls, and the mysterious fog that started in Irvingly wreaked havoc on their ability to do business.
Ida gladly kept her distance from family woes, having earned a Full Academic scholarship to continue at Hogwarts for her fourth year. She focused on schoolwork at the expense of any friendships, hobbies, and her own health. |
| 1889 | Ida made the case to return to Hogwarts for her fifth year by presenting her father a strong letter of recommendation from her Professor, encouraging her continued study. She keeps her Full Academic scholarship a secret from her family. This allowed her to work in simple aspects of the family business during break under the auspices of paying tuition, which left her a bit of pocket change for the occasional treat in Hogsmeade or new book.
Ida wears independence well. She began to gain back some weight and color in her cheeks. While she started having more friendly exchanges with her peers, she rarely talked about herself.
Despite the aggressive curriculum, Ida’s discipline and determination earn her E’s and O’s in all courses. She began her studies to one day become an Animagus. Her patience in tutoring peers earned her a more positive reputation at school. |
| 1890 | In her sixth year, Ida realized she needed to think more about her future outside of school. Where other girls started diligent preparations for their debut or future husbands, Ida developed severe anxiety about the idea of marriage. An aggressive courseload helped her ignore the rest of the world.
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| 1891 | Afraid of a future of caretaking and housework like her mother’s, over summer break Ida repeatedly broached the topic of starting work with her father and brother. For reasons she can’t comprehend, her father refused Ida’s involvement in anything beyond the menial tasks she’d done for most of her childhood. Her older brother’s reluctance to support her also wounded Ida more than she’d like to admit.
So begins her seventh year, in outrage and anxiety about her future. There is no doubt she could apply her considerable expertise to a career, but her father’s rejection shattered her hard-won confidence. Should she risk a life of rejection and disapproval by forging a path of her own, or strive to be a proper woman and fall in line? |
