In-Character
Full Name: Temerita Louise ReidNicknames: Meri
Birthdate: June 26th, 1866
Current Age: 22
Occupation: Apprentice Wandmaker at Ollivander’s
Reputation: 8 - general oddness and working middle class unmarried?
Residence: Irvingly
Hogwarts House: Hufflepuff
Wand: Silver Lime, unicorn hair, 10.5 inches, swishy
Blood Status: Halfblood
Social Class: Middle Class
Family:
Sean Reid | Father [1831-1884]
Adaline Reid | Mother [1836]
Philander “Andy” Reid | Brother [1855]
Appearance:
While she would naturally stand at 4’9, during a particularly lively wand fitting she was hit by a ricochetting hex and grew to 5 times her usual size. She may or may not have let the accidental magical reversal squad believe she was a bit taller than she was and is now 4’11. Her face is distinctly heart shaped; with high cheekbones, a tapered chin and prominent eyes of slate blue. Her dark hair stands in contrast to her pale skin though a smattering of freckles often decorate her cheeks and the bridge of her nose in the summer. Her wand is almost comically long compared to her height but she wields it with ease in her right hand.
History:
1866 | After two late-term miscarriages and 3 children that did not live a week by the time Meri was born her parents had grown wary. She was a bright eyed and eager child who showed no signs of illness or weakness and when she reached her first birthday they finally began to breathe easier.
1870 | By the time she was four and old enough to communicate complex concepts her mother began to suspect there was something unusual about her. Drawing inspiration from old family tales that her grandmother had a gift for foresight she asked Sean if such a thing existed in the magical world. He dismissed the possibility out of hand.
1873 | Temerita is vaguely aware of her Sight mostly because of the confusion it caused her between sensory input she doesn’t feel equipped to process and incongruous information in her head and and fact that her visions were often incongruous with her regular life her mounting confusion was unavoidable. Her father is still forcefully in denial, refusing to accept what she had was more than cleverness and inordinate lying skills.
1875 | Any doubt of of the source of her oddities is removed entirely when her father witnesses her one known trance-vision. He is unsettled and from then on forcefully ignores the topic of her Sight entirely, often growing agitated when it can't be avoided and voicing the need for normalcy in the family.
1877 | While shopping for wands it was very quickly apparent that Meri was destined for one of Silver Lime but due to the high demand and strong affiliation with Seers her father was strongly opposed to it. The wandmaker tried to warn him that the inferior wand option would have poor results but Sean was determined that his daughter would be average for once. Meri is sorted into Hufflepuff and as predicted her use of the 'normal' wand produced less than desirable results and she ended up with a new Silver Lime wand by the time she returned to Hogwarts for her second year.
1879 | Though momentarily concerned her father would not let her return for her sixth year, she suspect he’d rather have her at school another two years than at home full time again. She enjoys all wand-based classes and is quite fond of Herbology if not exactly remarkable at it. For electives she takes on Muggle Studies and Divination, both seeming like a natural placement for a Seer with a muggle mother. The fact that arithmancy and runes sounded like actual torture at the time only made the decision easier. Muggle Studies turns out to be as suited to her as she expected but Divination was almost instantly her most aggravating class by far. Not only was being a Seer not an advantage, to her it seemed a distinct disadvantage. Her inner eye often felt in direct contrast with the results she’d get with practical methods.
1880 | Meri begins to actively explore her Sight, reaching into that part of her that felt indescribably ‘other’, eager for some kind of clarity or control over the sixth sense that pestered her. She is at first intrigued and fascinated by what she finds but it is not long before she pushes too far and, as best she can describe it, gets “stuck”. Outwardly she was catatonic for hours but inwardly it was a terrifying and relentless onslaught that overwhelmed her so that when she is finally released and comes back to herself it is with a new respect and fear for her Sight.
1882 | Meri gets her OWL in Muggle studies and is content to drop it. It's a class that comes easy to her but she doesn’t see a point in pursuing it at a NEWT level. She keeps Divination out of spite along with Charms, Transfiguration, and Herbology. The family moves to Irvingly once the accord is reached. Having lived in the English countryside for years, secluded enough to be able to maintain a magical household away from muggle eyes but close enough that Adaline could visit her parents regularly, Irvingly seemed like an ideal way to bring his family closer to a magical community without isolating Adaline.
1883 | Her frustration with Divination becomes most apparent with arrival of the new, distractingly handsome, Divination professor. Part of her truly respects Professor Carmichael’s academic approach to Divination but it's nearly impossible to for her to personally accept it when every reading she does feels wrong. She, quite notably, was not above storming his office to insist her tarot cards were broken.
1884 | Graduation comes and she participates in the class Coming Out Ball. It's not as successful as her father might have hoped, since she didn’t walk away with a marriage proposal, but she did dance with Professor Carmichael which was an unexpected... thing that happened.
That summer disaster strikes Hogsmeade and while Meri has the good fortune of remaining safe and unscathed she is also left with a lot of free time. Calamity has a funny way of canceling social plans. She takes up correspondence with her former professor and rather enjoys getting to know him as a person rather than Professional Divination Torturer. Sean gets trapped inside Hogsmeade for the Quarantine and Meri is only vaguely guilty for feeling relieved that he is not looming around the house disapproving of her general existence, never fully considering he was in real danger. He dies from the Laughing Plague shortly before the cure is discovered and his prolonged absence prior to his death makes grieving a confusing process. Andy moves back home, at least in some capacity, and Meri takes employment in Ollivander’s, mindful of the precarious position of the family’s finances but also glad for the distraction.
Apparently not enough happened in 1884 and the Ministry faces another crisis. With family trapped inside the collapse, Mr. Carmichael seeks her out, asking for a reading on their well being. She agreed despite knowing first hand what happens when you ask too much of the Sight. When they touch it’s as if their Inner Eyes collide, overwhelming both and leaving them terrified.
1885 | Meri enjoys working far more than she ever expected to and struggles with guilt because of it; guilt for enjoying herself while in full mourning, guilt for loving something she could only do because her father died, and guilt because she wasn’t especially sad about his passing. Its not long before her zeal for wandlore is noticed and she is offered an apprenticeship in wandmaking, redoubling both her happiness and guilt. She is thrilled to learn more about wands but she worried that accepting a craft meant potentially turning her back on what she was always raised to do: get married.
1886 | After a particularly successful game of cards with a house elf breeder Andy finds himself in possession of a flock of house elves. He gives one to both Meri and Adaline which means Meri has a house elf following her around now. Which is weird.
1888 | Meri is now selling wands of her own crafting though she still has plenty to learn and continues to delve deeper into wandlore.
Personality: Stubborn - Impassioned - Cheeky - Reserved
Other: Meri is a Seer who, despite having fairly regular moments of foresight, is not particularly influential with her Sight. Often her ‘visions’ are so insignificant they go unremarked, are largely benign, or are difficult to make sense of as her mind sometimes struggles to interpret the extrasensory information. She has found mirrors can help provide clarity in these moments and usually carries one on her.
Out-of-Character
Name: FawkesAge: 29
Contact: PMs
Other Characters: Edmund Grimm
How did you hear about us?: RPG-D
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