1860
Useal Maclodon, nicknamed Ronan (gaelic for 'Little Seal'), was born to the wealthy pureblood Maclodon clan on October 14, 1860. She is the second child to parents Ian and Charlotte Black Maclodon, and has an older brother named Jordan who is three years her senior. For a time they lived what most would consider to be a quaint life on the Maclodon Estates in the high end of Dublin, Ireland. The family of course being raised Irish Catholic.
1866
Over time, Ian diminished his trust fund to nothing via gambling and drinking. The Maclodon clan unwilling to bare this shame, cast him, his wife, and their offspring out of the clan. As such Ian was forced to relocate his pregnant wife (who was blasted off her own family tapestry) and two kids to the wizarding slums, where they quickly were drawn into the fold and under the protection of Ian's gambling buddy Tommy O’Malley.
Tommy as part of his protection found Ian work, taught Jordan in the art of pit fighting, and trained Ronan to be a grifter. Ronan being so young ran in a whiz mob with Tommy's son leading, Eli who was the same age as Jordan. A percentage of the gains from such jobs of course always end up as Tommy’s cut. When she wasn't thieving she was doing odd jobs, helping her mother do rag work (fixing clothes and shoes), making silk flowers to sell on the street for fancy ladies hats, selling water cress for a few knuts or pennies. There was little time for education, but Ronan did learn how to read, write, and do basic math, though she has never been very good at the reading and writing bit, being more comfortable with math.
Charlotte on the other hand, contracted a dire illness shortly after arriving in the slums, and in the winter, she nearly died following the birth of Ella. Ronan and her brother took care of the infant while she recovered, and their father worked to keep the family afloat. They ended up indebted to Tommy again as he helped get Charlotte the medication she needed to battle the sickness. Ronan’s mother eventually recovered, but never in full. Her sickness continued to give her issue and bouts of illness.
1872
Ronan, like her brother received her acceptance letter to Hogwarts, but her robes and supplies were hand me downs from her brother's first year, and her wand was cheap, containing a troll nose hair as it's core. She was sorted into Ravenclaw, but her potential is never realized as she didn't even last half a year.
Throughout her duration at Hogwarts she quickly becomes known as Sticky Fingers, as she is often thieving, hosting betting pools, and other illegal functions. In the end Ronan is expelled after being caught with elicit substances, which she of course stole. Granted, it isn't as though her family could afford to send her another year.
In December, shortly after Ella's birthday, and after arduous labor, Ronan's mother dies as her illness returns and the family cannot afford to eat much less the medication to save their mother. Ian makes the decision to send his girls to Sisters of Magical Mercy, a Magdelene Laundry that promises a good education, and training in a trade as wash women.
It was the worst way to bring in the New Year ever. As it turned out the nuns were cruel, and the lessons were only in so far as basic reading, writing, arithmetic, and what little magic was required to complete the grueling work of washing away their sins, via the laundry given to the Sisters of Magical Mercy.
1876
In July, a turf war broke out in Dublin's wizarding slums. Ronan’s father and brother, who were loyalists to Tommy, died protecting him, which delivered a devastating blow to the Maclodon girls livelihood, as it sealed Ronan and Ella's fate as a Maggie. The only other way being out is if a man agreed to marry one of them, but who knew of their whereabouts?
1877
Tommy's son, Eli, discovered Ronan's whereabouts quite by accident when he got a job picking up laundry which he used to smuggle goods for his father throughout his route. The two fell in love through secret meetings when it came time to deliver or pick up the laundry (though the meetings were often brief, a minute here and there). Eventually Eli requested from his father and mother that he have their blessing for marriage. Tommy remembering the good Ian and Jordan had done in their service to him agreed. However, Ronan had to throw a wrench in the mix saying she refused to marry Eli unless they could take Ella with them too. The man gave a nod and the trio began life together. Shortly after the wedding Ronan became pregnant.
1878
A healthy baby girl was delivered in June, which Ronan named Alina. Eli was disappointed the child was not a boy however and claimed that it was not his, and that Ronan had cheated. Thankfully this was only mentioned behind closed doors, Tommy didn't need his son spreading rumors about the O'Malleys not being able to control their own women, besides he knew it wasn't the case and that Ronan had been loyal. He told Eli to leave the matter at home and thus the domestic abuse began.
1881
Ronan could take a hit or two or three, but she drew the line when anyone tried to harm her sister or the "wee bit," as she fondly called Alina, and in an act of rage a rogue spell flew from her wand and knocked Eli unconscious. Fearing he could be dead she gathered her sister and child and fled the homestead before Tommy or his wife could figure what happened. Her sister and her escaped to Scotland where she took up work at a cotton mill, and Ella took care of Alina through the long grueling shifts.
1882
Ronan fell in love with a Scotsman who was a Thestral Racing bookie, by the name of Tolliver Rourke. Everyone called him Tolly for short. He was an older man nearer to Tommy’s age and seemed to have a soft spot for children. Things went swell, and soon the two were living together with Ronan balancing his books along side her own work at the cotton mill. Her poor hand writing helped Tolly because the facts could be fudged with an baffling word or two.
The decent from Cloud 9 was a gradual one. It started with simple demands and escalated to violent outbursts. Ronan felt trapped, and the world was none the wiser, as all the abuse occurred behind closed doors once more. Believing the errors of their relationship to be all her fault, Ronan further enabled the violence by using potion and magical serums to make the bruises and cuts quickly go away.
1884
Ronan's luck with the poor hand writing ran out, and she made a mistake in Tolly’s books that cost him a lot of money and nearly her life. Luckly, Ella found her laying in a pool of her own blood and quickly took measures to get her help. Shortly after her recovery Ronan took to the dirt path again with Ella and Alina in toe. They arrived in London, England where Ronan sought a bit more freedom from the drudgery of factory work. One night while sharing a loaf of bread among them Ronan, Ella, and Alina came across a vaudeville show where they hosted a burlesque act. It was from that point on Ronan fell in love with the idea of being a burlesque dancer and began a life in show business if only in partial as it couldn't support her family entirely.
1889
Today Ronan lives in London, England with her sister and daughter where she helps her family eek out a living by working at the Qaulity Quaffle and Snitch factory and doing everything from laundry, seamstress work, and burlesque on the side. She works to the bone to give her family a better future in the best of times, and in the worst of times to keep them out of the workhouse. Their current abode is a boarding house in a small room shared with three other families, but it's better than the stair step which was their humble abode when they first arrived in overcrowded London. They could afford slightly better accommodations, but Useal's daughter is going to Hogwarts and she wants to give the lass a fighting chance at a second and even third year financially speaking.
Personality: Strong willed, temperamental, rough around the edges,resourceful, and clever.
Other:
- Her knowledge pertaining to magic is lacking due to a poor education and she knows spells only pertaining to the work she has done like laundry and making quidditch supplies.
- She isn't illiterate but she isn't the best reader either, not having much in the way of time to read and often relying on her sister and daughter to help her get through various articles in the news paper. She often requests her sister's help to write letters not because she can't write, but because her hand writing is quite sloppy and often illegible.
- She has occasional coughing fits from the fluff in her lungs gained from her years working in the Cotton Mill.
- Great bruises often occur if she has to work on the bludger line. She used to use creams and ointments to cover bruises and the like, but she rather save the money for her child's future these days. Most of the time she stitches leather padding and quaffles together, and tends to special orders for quidditch uniforms when they come in due to her experience in the textile industry.
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