Nicknames: Van, Vee
Birthdate: 3rd September, 1873
Current Age: 19
Gender: Female
Occupation: Governess
Reputation: 7
Though the Wakefields are well-known as a cobbled-together collection of misfit girls under the guardianship of their eccentric “Aunt Clara”, Vanity, at least, has a feminine occupation and the secure knowledge that she was no one’s bastard child. (Of course, her father was deep in debt, an exposed fraud, and committed suicide, but that was more than a decade ago. That’s still better than a bastard, isn’t it?)Residence: Kensington, London, while working for the Prewetts. Aunt Clara and the ‘family’ home are in South Bartonburg, Hogsmeade.
Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff
Wand: Willow, 8 1/2”, unicorn hair, bendy.
Blood Status: Pureblood
Social Class: Middle
Family:
Gilbert Fanshawe | Father | b.18xxCharlotte Fanshawe née Vernier | Mother | b.18xx
Clara Wakefield | Adoptive Aunt | b. 1830
Perfidy Wakefield | Adopted Sister | b. 1864
Enmity Wakefield | Adopted Sister | b. 1867
Insolence Wakefield | Adopted Sister | b. 1869
Lunacy Wakefield | Adopted Sister | b. 1869
Malice Wakefield | Adopted Sister | b. 1871
Wrath Wakefield | Adopted Sister | b. 1874
Avarice Wakefield | Adopted Sister | b. 1875
Envy Wakefield | Adopted Sister | b. 18xx
Appearance:
At an unimpressive 5’0”, Vanity runs the risk of being outgrown by her charges, and is slender to the point of skinny. Her face is round, with brown eyes and a slightly piggy nose, and a smile that shows off large teeth and prominent rosy cheeks. Her eyebrows are so faint they almost disappear on her face, and her hair is a mousy in-between colour of dirty blonde and light brown, and so naturally limp that styling it into fashionable curls takes a great deal of upkeep, requiring rigorous bedtime routines. There is nothing particularly remarkable about her natural countenance, though – so much for vanity.Still, she has good posture, is right handed, and dresses neatly, in unassuming styles and shades. All the family jewellery she might have inherited disappeared in the wake of her father’s debts, so all she maintains from her former life is a small locket with a picture of her mother. Like some of her sisters, she would prefer to have nicer things, but with so many sisters is it difficult to obtain anything new that is not a hand-me-down. Besides, it’s not as if Aunt Clara would go for anything impractical. And Vanity is a governess now, anyway, so there is no excuse to have a flouncy wardrobe. Governesses don’t get to flounce. Life is so unfair.
History:
1873 | Gilbert Fanshawe and his wife, Charlotte, are living in Brussels – Charlotte’s birthplace – when they have their first and only child, a daughter named Pulcherie. She is doted on. They are comfortably middle class, and divide their time between Belgium and England. Life is happy.
1876 | Though Pulcherie is too young to remember, Charlotte dies of a long, drawn-out case of tuberculosis. Papa cherishes her even more after this.
1877 | Papa has always been a businessman – an investor and speculator – on the verge of making his fortune and propelling them to the upper class, but something seems to be on his mind these days. Pulcherie is far too young to understand what, exactly, but he pours money into new projects and has no end of new business partners, so he must be doing well.
1879 | Or, you know, not. As rumour turns to certain proof, the scandal all spills out: Gilbert Fanshawe is utterly bankrupt, the companies he has invested in – new potion solutions and dietary supplements and some Felix Felicis scam and so on – are all fraud and quackery, and the money he has raised from others are fraudulent stocks and shares and forged deeds or else from goblins who expect the loans returned. With all his remaining possessions gone and still facing debtors’ prison or worse, Azkaban, Gilbert flees to Switzerland and shoots himself in the head.
He did bring along the one thing he had left, though: his daughter. And what’s a six-year-old girl to do, alone in the world? Pulcherie is soon shipped back to England and the solicitor looks in vain for a distant Fanshawe relative. As it turns out, they’re dead too. The solicitor is ready to put her in the nearest orphanage or workhouse, but the solicitor’s wife takes pity on the poor girl and might have a better idea. It’s called “Aunt Clara’s”. At first Pulcherie supposes Aunt Clara is really her aunt – but in fact, she’s just an odd woman raising a household full of girls who aren’t her own.
From thence on, Pulcherie becomes one of them, and her new name is Vanity Wakefield. Maybe it’s for the best.
1880 | It takes some time to settle in, though, because Vanity is used to being a pampered only child, and has rather delicate constitution and fragile nerves, which doesn’t help her amongst these girls, some of whom are a little frightening.
1885 | But, by the time Vanity gets her Hogwarts letter and goes off to school, she is well and truly one of them. And she’s happy enough – the ‘Wakefield’ name, never even mind their first names, might get raised eyebrows here and there, but at least Vanity is not alone in it, and has elder ‘sisters’ to support her through school. By this stage she is perfectly happy to blend in with a crowd, and fortunately Hufflepuff, where she is sorted, is not the worst place to be.
1887 | Avarice joins her in Hufflepuff. Vanity chooses Ancient Studies and Divination, though the latter’s guesswork often stresses her out. She does take Art and Music through her whole school career, and these always feel safe.
1890 | In May, she comes to the end of her fifth year and takes her OWL exams. She does decently, but she suspects this is the end of her Hogwarts days – and that’s fine, for she has no great ambitions like some of her more outgoing sisters. Still, she has to do something with herself besides needlework and language-learning and more ladylike refinement and never-ending chores at home with Aunt Clara: she has no dowry, so it’s not as if she can debut or expect anyone to marry her.
1890 - 1892 | So she does a little teaching to local pre-Hogwarts children, and a little more educating herself, and takes up a position as governess. The first job is to some Bartonburg neighbours, but that gives her the good references to get something with a little more potential. Towards the end of 1892, she interviews for a position as the governess to Mr. Faustus Prewett’s children. He’s a widower, and about to be married to a young second wife, and has two daughters and a son from his first marriage, and the interview goes well and the girls seem to like her and promise they’ll put in a good word for her, but Vanity still isn’t sure he’ll say yes – but he gives her a chance! And now she’s set to start in January. So Vanity, naturally, spends the holidays getting increasingly nervous about the new job. Aaaah.
Personality: Prim. Proper. Demure. Empathetic. Loyal. Fussy. Anxious. Weak-willed. Gullible. Self-conscious. Indecisive. Clingy. Vanity tends to second-guess herself, so is constantly peppering people with questions and pleas for a second opinion. She doesn’t want to be wrong; rather, she aims to be agreeable to everyone... and might possibly possess a habit of annoying them in the process. When someone is mocking or short with her, she is usually sensitive: her constitution is too fragile to survive arguments. A little snobbish for somebody who has practically nothing to her name. Surprisingly lazy, for a Hufflepuff. Easily bored. A surreptitious gossip. Likes to be included. Wants better things for herself, but isn’t sure how best to achieve anything. Also wants better things for her sisters, so she is nosy about their lives and not above meddling, if she can see a way to help them. Er, ‘help’.
Other:
— Speaks fluent French and some German.
— Sings well and plays a selection of instruments.
— Reads a lot (both fiction and non-fiction), but has a very large collection of self-help books and etiquette manuals.
Sample Roleplay Post:
Age: 27
![[Image: TrSGeWR.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/TrSGeWR.jpg)