In-Character
Full Name: Matilda Ellen Zabini (née Longbottom)Nicknames: Tillie
Birthdate: August 26th, 1856
Current Age: Thirty-Four Years
Occupation: Socialite
Reputation: 9. When her husband was revealed to be a halfblood, Matilda was put in a precarious situation in pro-pureblood circles. Some saw her a victim to her mother-in-law's lies; others saw her a blood traitor, as she stood by her husband through the scandal. On the bright side, General Society probably applauds her for not becoming a divorcee.
Residence: London, England
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw Alumna ('74)
Wand: Rosewood, 11 inches, Demiguise hair, Unyielding
Blood Status: Pureblood
Social Class: Upper Class
Family:
Domitian Zabini, Husband [1854]Appearance:
Nicodemus Zabini, Son [1877]
Zenobia Zabini, Daughter [1879]
Eldin Longbottom, Father [1825]
Hermione Longbottom (née Potter), Mother [1831]
Annabelle Bones (née Longbottom), Sister [1850]
— Henry Bones, Brother-in-law [1843-1884]
— Rosamund Bones, Niece [1868]
— Arthur Bones, Nephew [1869-1869]
— Eldin Bones, Nephew [1871]
— Vesta Bones, Niece [1872]
— Beckett Bones, Nephew [1884]
Gladys Wilde (née Longbottom), Sister [1853-1884]
— Alexander Wilde, Brother-in-law [1837-1884]
— Rufus Wilde, Nephew [1882]
Rufina Mulciber (née Longbottom), Sister [1855]
— Ernest Mulciber, Brother-in-law [1847]
— Merriweather Mulciber, Nephew [1871]
— Flora Mulciber, Niece [1877]
Louisa Lovegood (née Longbottom, formerly Crabbe), Sister [1858-1885]
— Abraxas Crabbe, Nephew [1877]
— Orlando Lovegood, Brother-in-law [1855]
— Adele Lovegood, Niece [1884]
— Auberon Lovegood, Nephew [1885]
Beckett Longbottom, Brother [1859]
Marcella Weasley (née Longbottom), Sister [1861]
— Catigern Weasley, Brother-in-law [1853]
— Louisa Weasley, Niece [1881]
— Caroline Weasley, Niece [1883]
— Wesley Weasley, Nephew [1884]
— Celeste Weasley, Niece [1886]
Matilda is very much her mother's daughter. Dark brown waves, chestnut eyes, and a slender 5'4" frame would mark has as fairly average if not for her delicate features and a lifetime of taking special care of her figure and porcelain complexion. She goes to great lengths to remain youthful in appearance, from beauty spells to light makeup to—at times—potions that her apothecarist recommends against.History:
Fashionable but no trend-setter, Matilda would rather follow the crowd than risk making a fool of herself in front of one. Still, rarely can she be found in anything she perceives as gimmicky and prefers to show her wealth through her clothing's fabrics and tailoring.
She carries herself with an air of quiet authority, and has been known to give stern glares to those who she perceives as acting out of turn. A smile rarely graces her face, and when one does it is usually directed at her children. She wields her wand with her right hand.
1856 | Matilda is born the fourth daughter to Eldin and Hermione Longbottom.Personality:
1858 | Another daughter, Louisa, is born to her parents.
1859 | Finally her parents have a boy, and they name him Beckett.
1861 | One last child, Marcella, is born to the Longbottoms.
1862 | Matilda is six years old when her first sign of magic makes an appearance. She gets into an argument with one of her sisters about who a toy belongs to. When her mother gives a stern glance, Matilda backs down; however, later that evening, the toy vanishes out of thin air altogether while Matilda is watching her sister play with it.
1867 | Matilda begins her first year alongside Rufina and is sorted into Ravenclaw upon arrival. She settles in just fine, and with three older sisters watching over her she does not want or struggle for anything. She takes to her classwork with ease, but less to the social scene. She is clever and knows how to carry a conversation, but she is quiet as a mouse and does not take initiative in social situations. Most of her friend group is comprised of girls she knew before school, and some that are friends with her older sisters.
1868 | Her second year is less dull than the last, but only because fewer courses leaves more time to get involved in extracurriculars. Matilda is not the nerdy sort—or at least she does not view herself as one—but the task of making friends seems less daunting when there are shared interests to speak about. She develops a crush on a less wealthy, non-pureblooded boy in the year above her after he spends time with her going on long tangents about magical artifacts that curse-breakers have discovered, but the fear of having her feelings recognized by her sisters (or worse, the boy himself!) causes her to withdraw and become emotionally cold.
1869 | Louisa joins her sisters at Hogwarts. Matilda adds two courses to her roster: Divination and Care of Magical Creatures, the latter out of her childhood fascination for fairies and gossip that they would be using them in class. She does see her fairies, but she also nearly faints during a demonstration with a live ashwinder (Matilda is not fond of snakes, or bugs, or anything that does not have fur.)
1870 | Beckett boards the Hogwarts express with his sisters and is sorted into Gryffindor.
1871 | The summer before her fifth year Matilda receives her Ravenclaw prefect badge as Rufina receives her Slytherin prefect badge.
1872 | Matilda begins her sixth year with six classes on her schedule: Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, and Divination.
1873 | Neither Rufina nor Matilda are appointed head girl, and Matilda does not spare a single tear. There are far more important things to worry about: her NEWT examinations, her final year with her friends before they are separated by distance and circumstance, and her impending debut. She is informed over Christmas break that a marriage has been arranged for her, though the details of the arrangement are not revealed yet; though her parents trust her sense, they also know that her curiosity is a forced to be reckoned with, and leaving details such as a name might prompt her to investigate further.
1874 | Matilda graduates and debuts. She is sent away to be properly finished, which confuses her given that Rufina was scheduled to marry merely a month out of Hogwarts before the unfortunate passing of her betrothed. She has questions and none of them are answered, but Matilda, always one to handle conflict with graces, shuts her mouth and does as she's told.
1875 | Eldin Longbottom finally gives and reveals the name of her betrothed: Mr. Domitian Zabini, eldest son of Mr. Cosmo Zabini. Suddenly it all makes sense; the young Mr. Zabini is a mere two years her senior, and a hit wizard (why not an auror?, she once asks, to none her father's amusement) who is not yet settled. She has her preconceived notions about, but she does not hold too tightly to them; she is merely concerned for herself, her future security, and her happiness.
1876 | Matilda is released from her finishing and is married to Domitian Zabini in a lavish but equally intimate ceremony. It does not take long for Matilda to develop a fondness for her husband, even if she cannot quite call it love. He is clever and kind and certainly attractive enough, and he allows her to operate within her social sphere and does not complain when she requires his presence. That is, she decides, the best she could have hoped for. He visits her bedchamber frequently enough, and it is not long before she is with child.
1877 | Nicodemus Zabini is born. He looks more like his father than mother for which Matilda is initially insecure about, but he quickly becomes the light of his mother's eyes. Her affection for her husband deepens in the months after birth, as he seems more willing to spend time with her when his child is in her arms. She even begins to call it love, though she cannot bring herself to admit it to him.
1879 | A second child is born, this time a daughter who Matilda and Domitian name Zenobia. Matilda dotes on her daughter even more than her son, and tries enjoys dressing her in all sort of impractical yet cute outfits.
1881 | Their life is happy. Nicodemus is nearly old enough to have a rational conversation with, Zenobia is cute as can be, and Matilda loves her husband even though she cannot find the words after years of marriage. She begins wondering how to ask him for more children, but before she can the scandal breaks. Her husband—who she always thought was unquestionably pureblooded—is a halfblood as a result of his grandmother's lying. Matilda is understandably distraught: her friends are nearly all pureblooded, and plenty of them question her directly about her plans moving forward. There is some unspoken expectation that she ought to be outraged and visibly angry, but Matilda does what she has always done and rides out her suffering in silence. Gone are the jokes about arranging marriages between her children and her friends' children, and she feels embarrassed to face her siblings, who, apart from apparently herself, have not failed to meet their parents' expectations in that respect. In truth, Matilda is angry, but not as her husband. She worries for him, and still loves him, though expressing it is even more difficult than it was before. Even though her feelings do not change, their relationship does: the conversations they'd once had while the children play on the floor end abruptly, and he seems more distant than ever. Still, Matilda is resolved to stand by his side.
1882 | But then Domitian's father remarries, and Matilda holds her breath. Domitian fears he'll be disinherited if Cosmo Zabini's new wife delivers his a pureblooded baby boy, and Matilda carries similar concerns. Her son—poor, halfblooded Nicodemus—is at his of losing his inheritance.
1883 | A baby born is born. Not to Matilda (and it seems unlikely that one will be born for sometime due to her husband's newfound preference for wrapping himself during his visits to her bedchamber) but rather to Cosmo Zabini's new wife. His name is Sebastian Zabini, and Matilda does not hesitate to evaluate his flaws when seeing his form the first time. Tensions are high and Matilda holds her breath. If her husband is disinherited her options are limited, and she is not yet sure which of those options is the right one.
1884 | By some miracle, Sebastian dies in the laughing plague while the rest of the Zabinis survive. It seems ironic that her husband's muggle heritage seemed to have saved her family from a plague rumored to target the pureblooded population, but that does not stop her from wishing the heritage could have remained secret. What tiny joy she feels at the death is overshadowed by despair when her sister Gladys dies.
1885 | Louisa dies, leaving behind three children. Matilda makes an effort to visit them regularly.
1888 | Nicodemus begins his Hogwarts career. Matilda is loath to see him go, in part because she worries how he will be treated by other children, but also because it means losing control over the narrative he's exposed to. Up until now she has been able to think of her children as extensions of herself, as though they're still purebloods at heart despite their great-grandmother's lies, but with them gone she knows none of the pureblooded children at Hogwarts will view them like that. They will forever be others.
1889 | Matilda thinks herself pregnant, only for her period to arrive a week later than usual. She realizes that she would love to be a mother again despite her husband's apparent aversion to the idea.
1890 | Zenobia leaves the nest and joins her brother at Hogwarts. Lonely and stressed, especially now that Cosmo Zabini has married yet again, Matilda is forced to begin thinking of herself and her own desires again. She knows two things: (1) her children are the most important things to her, and their future must be secure, and (2) Cosmo Zabini's wife is young, fertile, and—to their family—a threat.
Contemplative. Thinks before she speaks. Values wisdom above all; it does not matter how smart someone is if they are unable to put it to good use. Affectionate towards her husband and children, but very few others. Stoic while in public, but much less concerned about how she expresses herself in the privacy of her home. Prideful. Can be ruthless when she feels threatened.Other:
— SKILLS —
- Fluent in French and her native English. Can read Latin. Capable of dissecting a conversation in Asante Twi, but cannot speak it.
- Like all women of her upbringing, Matilda is skilled in the feminine arts, but she would much rather read for relaxation than embroider.
— TRIVIA —
- Although she once valued her blood purity as much as most women value their virtue, her opinions on its importance have changed drastically since her husband was revealed to be a halfblood.
- She has never been able to cast a patronus.
- Amortentia smells like a collection of scents that she can trace back to her husband and home.
Out-of-Character
Name: BreeAge: 21