Miss Ida Chang would prefer to maintain her reputation by going entirely unnoticed and keeping her information about her family private. While it is no great secret that the Chang trade business is successful, it’s also unassuming, as only few people have cause to interact with the merchants of exotic ingredients. Even so, her family’s immigrant working class history embarrasses Ida. She’s forged her own excellent reputation in school, and rarely puts herself into positions of leadership lest she become the center of attention.

• Mr. Huan Bo Chang - b. 1846
  Ida’s father is a wizard and brilliant merchant. Born in China, Huan moved with his father to London in the 1850s as working class migrants, leaving his mother and sisters behind. Where his father was a simple tradesman, Huan’s natural charisma and earnest demeanor helped grow their modest earnings into a profitable spice and herb trade that propelled their family to a middle class station by the 70s. His pioneering spirit championed their businesses’ survival when they moved to Hogsmeade, and found them even greater success when they moved to Irvingly. Today, the Chang family business supplies many of the ingredients for shops in Hogsmeade, as well as astute potion makers seeking rare ingredients from the Eastern world.
  
• Mrs. Mei-ling Chang - b. 1850, d. 1886.
  Cheerful and kind-hearted, Mei-ling was betrothed to her husband in an arrangement between Mei-ling and Huan’s parents. They first met each other in London, the day she arrived from China and the day before their marriage. Their parents chose well, and their relationship was full of love. She was a doting mother who threw herself entirely into managing the Chang household and teaching her children. Ida suspects her mother emphasized education so much due to regret over her own illiteracy and limited magical ability. She perished in a fire.
  
• Mr. -- Chang - b. 1872
  Ida’s older brother is clever and business-savvy like his father. He was the first of the Chang family to pursue an education at Hogwarts, though he dropped out following his O.W.L.s to assume his responsibility as presumptive heir to the Chang family trades business.
  
• Mr. -- Chang - b. 1880
  Ida’s youngest brother has few memories of his mother, a fact that never ceases to break Ida’s heart. Not being home to take care of him creates a lot of guilt for Ida, despite the fact that he is a very cheerful boy. He will start at Hogwarts next year.
  

Ida stands at 5’7”, much to her dismay, as it feels rather tall for a lady. Her thick, black hair reaches to her mid-back when loose, though she almost always wears it up in braids or chignons. It’s a severe contrast to her pale skin, and try as she may to soften her look with fashionably romantic curls laid on her forehead, they always fall limp and straight within the hour.

Ida’s almond-shaped eyes are dark brown and inquisitive, engaged in every detail in her surroundings despite not saying very much about them. She likes to wear a soft, rosy hue on her lips, cheeks, and around her eyes. As she’s gotten older her cheekbones are more pronounced from her soft oval face, and her clothing filled with the slight indication of a womanly figure, though she’s destined to keep a thin and almost boyish frame.

Her choice of dress errs on simple and modest western garments, rarely the latest fashion but always appropriate for the occasion. She mostly wears neutral colors of black, white, or the lightest floral or checkered patterns - an almost direct revolt to the harsh reds, greens, and golds found in the elaborate eastern garments her mother left. She is right-handed, and deals magic with graceful and exacting movement that is neither bigger or smaller than needed.

Early 1850s to 1870 | As a child, Huan Bo Chang and his father moved from China to London to follow burgeoning trade opportunities between Western and Eastern worlds. As Huan Bo came of age, he took over the family business, and built a profitable spice and herb trade that served muggle and wizarding communities alike.

1871 | Ida’s parents are arranged in marriage by their families. The two meet for the first time in London, and marry promptly the next day. Mei-Ling’s modest dowry supports an expansion in the family business through the purchase of property and supplies. Over the next few years, business became profitable enough to elevate the Chang family into a modest middle class station.

1872 | Ida’s eldest brother and family heir is born.

1874 | Ida is born and named Ai-Mei, which translates loosely into beautiful love. It was her father’s way to honor her Mei-Ling and the love they share, and Ida looks quite like her mother. 
She proves to be a shockingly passive baby. Her prolonged silence would cause her parents to make many frequent panicked checks on the cradle, fearing they’ll find her dead. She smiles up to them and giggles at their worried expressions each time.

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 decades of growth and job opportunity his trades business provided. This all changed when Mei-Ling and her lady companion went for a typical walk about the park with the children. They 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 business operations in London and fled to Hogsmeade. While Huan Bo was able to maintain many of his supplier connections, their business nearly halved when they eliminated any connections with Muggles.

1880 | Ida’s youngest brother is born, amid financial troubles of the Chang family re-establishing their business. She and her older brother interpret their parents’ increased fights as their new brother’s fault, so they summarily hate his guts. Though as the daughter, Ida is still largely responsible for his well-being when mother is busy, and she doesn’t let on to her older brother that the baby is actually quite funny.

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 a glass window that seared her forearm.

1883 | The Chang family are among the first wizarding families to relocate to Irvingly, when Huan Bo discovers 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 wide 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, and she envies him terribly. Mei-Ling promises her daughter that she will be off to Hogwarts soon.

1885 | Ida starts her first year at Hogwarts, and has few preconceived notions or expectations, 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 and lead her in her path towards righteousness. Whatever that means.

Ida is a cheerful and observant girl, her naive and straightforward manner earning her a few quick friends though alienating 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 proceed to report 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 is finishing her second year, her mother tragically perishes in a fire. 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 grows distant and throws himself into work, and weighs heavier responsibilities on his eldest children. Her brother is expected to take a greater hand at the family business, while she is expected to take on her mother’s duties in managing the household and helping care for her baby brother.

1887 | Together, Ida and her brother appeal to their grief-stricken father to return to Hogwarts for another year. Her brother makes 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. Her father is less keen on Ida’s departure. He does not see the value in his daughter’s continued education, and expects her help managing the household.

She says the unthinkable - that going to school is what her mother would have wanted, and had she known more magic, perhaps she wouldn’t have died in the first place. Some days later, Ida’s father reluctantly agrees to let her go, on the condition that she will 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 has the pressures of upholding her family reputation and succeeding in school now, and life has shown her just how cruel and unfair it can be. She becomes reclusive, and rarely participates in any of the extracurriculars she enjoyed before. She enrolls in additional subjects of Arithmancy, Ancient Studies, and Ancient Runes, and drops her Music course.

1888: Ida’s brother does not return to Hogwarts after his fifth year O.W.Ls, and it’s just as well, because the mysterious fog that started in Irvingly is wreaking havoc on their crops and ability to do business.

Ida gladly keeps her distance from family woes, having earned a Full Academic scholarship to continue at Hogwarts for her fourth year. She focuses on schoolwork at the expense of any friendships, hobbies, and her own health. 

1889 | Ida makes 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 studies. She maintains her Full Academic scholarship, though keeps it a secret from her family. This allows her to work in simple aspects of the family business during break under the auspices of paying tuition, and leaves her with a bit of pocket change for the occasional treat in Hogsmeade or new book.

Ida wears independence well. She starts to gain back some of her weight and color in her cheeks. While she starts to have more friendly exchanges with her peers, she rarely talks about herself.

Still maintaining an aggressive curriculum, Ida’s discipline and determination earns her E’s and O’s in all courses. Her patience in tutoring peers earns her a more positive reputation at school.

1890 | In her sixth year, Ida understands that she needs to start thinking more about her future outside of school. Where other girls begin diligent preparations for their debut or future husbands, it’s only at that moment that Ida realizes the same expectations would apply to her. An aggressive courseload has been her crutch for ignoring the rest of the world for quite some time.

Unfortunately, she doesn’t seem to be capable of escaping it. The idea of finding a gentleman her father would approve of is one thing, but her anxiety at the idea of opening herself up so completely to someone else ultimately discourages Ida from thinking about it further. While she’s been able to rekindle a handful of friendships at Hogwarts, her focus stays in her studies, where she earns O’s in five of seven courses, an E’s on the rest.

1891 | Afraid of a future of caretaking and housework like her mother’s, over summer break Ida repeatedly broached the topic of starting work as a merchant with her father and brother. For reasons she can’t comprehend, her father refuses Ida’s involvement in anything beyond the menial tasks she’s taken on for most of her childhood. Her older brother’s reluctance to support her also wounds Ida more than she’d like to admit.

So she starts her seventh year in outrage and anxiety about her future. There is no doubt she could apply her considerable expertise to any career that takes advantage of her best subjects, 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?

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