In-Character
Full Name: Katherine Eleanor RussellNicknames: Kate
Birthdate: August 12th, 1872
Current Age: 16 Years
Occupation: Murderer's Daughter
Reputation: 4: although never convicted their father is generally assumed to be guilty of a gruesome mass-murder, and she and her brother are guilty by association since they’ve been living off the profits of said murders their entire life.
Residence: A rented house in North Bartonburg.
Hogwarts House: Unknown
Wand: 10 ½” Sandarac and siren scale, flexible. (Because Kate’s wand is made from inferior materials commonly found in Morocco, it tends to produce less powerful magic)
Blood Status: Halfblood
Social Class: Middle
Family:
Thomas Russell, father. Yes, that Thomas Russell.
Pauline Davies, mother.
Isaac Russell, brother.
Appearance: Kate is self-conscious of her appearance, since she was always an anomaly in Morocco for her light skin and will continue to be unusual in England for her relatively dark skin. Her hair is dark brown and falls in soft waves. Her facial features are soft, still working through some of her “baby fat,” and she has to use magical concealer to hide frequent pimples on her cheeks and chin. She dresses well, with expensive materials, though because of her foreign upbringing tends towards unfashionably rich colors. Most of her dresses sport gold embroidery on the collar, front buttons, and sleeves. She is unused to corsets and bustles and often walks and moves awkwardly when she tries to wear them.
Height: 5’0”
Build: Slender
Hair: Dark Brown
Eyes: Dark Brown
Hand: Right
History:
Early Years {1873 - 1879}Katherine was the first child born to middle-class parents Thomas and Pauline Russell. The family lived in a small home in the countryside, in a predominantly Muggle area with only one other wizarding family nearby, the Coopers. From an early age Katherine was very independent and enjoyed playing outdoors, and would sometimes involve the Cooper children (Lucy, a year younger than her, and Bradley, two years older) in her games.
A second daughter arrived when Katherine was still toddling, but died before completing her first year. When she was five, her parents had another child, Isaac, who proved a more permanent addition to the family.
The Cooper Murders {1880}Candlelight and creaking doors,
Someone’s been through Cooper’s drawers
Doxy eggs and spider webs,
The whole family torn to shreds.
Papa Cooper in his chair
Had a bolt shot through his hair.
Mama Cooper in her gown
From the window was thrown down.
Lucy Cooper in her bed
Now has gone and lost her head.
Bradley Cooper on the stair
Didn’t even have a prayer.
Nanny dearest at her meal
Didn’t have a chance to squeal.
Baby Cooper in his crib,
Leaked his blood out on his bib.
Thomas Russell down the street
With a joy that’s now complete:
Once he’d murdered all the fools,
Made off with the precious jewels.
Mr. Cooper, a high-ranking Ministry official, failed to report to work the morning of November 29th, a Monday. Later that the cook, who lived elsewhere, arrived and discovered the bodies of the entire Cooper family, along with their children's nanny. As none of the periodic staff were engaged to appear on weekends it was at first unclear when the murders had actually taken place, but the auror's investigation determined that they were most likely committed in the late evening on Friday, November 26th. The murderer apparently entered through the staff door at the kitchen, and first encountered the nanny, who was eating a late supper after having fed the three children. She was killed with a suffocating spell, but stabbed repeatedly post-mortem with a large knife.
The rest of the bodies were equally brutalized, and the timeline for the deaths following the nanny's is unclear. The main point of contention is that it is nearly impossible that the murderer killed his subsequent five victims without making noise, but no one in the house seems to have been alarmed, as there were no signs of struggle at any of the scenes. Everything of value in the house had been taken, leading the aurors to suspect a burglary committed by a large group, who would have been able to sneak up on the various members of the household simultaneously and not alert anyone else. They were only able to find indications of one murderer, however; all knife wounds were made with either the same knife or a very similar one, all footprints were the same size, etc.
Because of Mr. Cooper's position and the shocking brutality of the murders, the case gained immediate notoriety. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was under immense pressure to find the culprit. For nearly two weeks there were no leads. The only other magical family in the neighborhood, the Russells, were all questioned extensively, but appeared innocent.
A breakthrough came when Mrs. Russell was reported to be wearing a necklace belonging to the late Mrs. Cooper at a holiday party in December. The aurors arrested her immediately and questioned her, but she maintained that she knew nothing of the murders and claimed the necklace was a gift from her husband. She agreed to repeat her testimony under the influence of Veritaserum, which she did.
By the time the aurors arrived at the Russell home, it was deserted. Mr. Russell, after having been tipped off regarding his wife's arrest, had fled the country, along with his two children.
Morocco {1881 - 1888}Not that Kate knew much of that, when it was happening. She was old enough to be asked questions by the aurors during the investigation, but had very little to say and was not actually aware that anyone had died. The questions seemed so innocent: did she like to play with the Cooper children? Did she see them often? Did she know of anyone who was angry with the Coopers? Had the adults in the home ever said anything that sounded strange? Her answers, she had the distinct impression, were not considered helpful by the aurors.
Kate remembered the night her father burst into her room and told her to pack up a bag, although he made them leave before she could take much. When they left the country, she had no idea where they were going or why, and was told only that their mother would be joining them later. They didn't take Nanny with them, which meant she had to carry her younger brother. They got onto a boat and she didn't have any stockings, since she'd forgotten to pack them, and Papa wouldn't buy her any new ones so she had to go bare-legged for the entire boat trip. Then they were in Morocco.
In the following year, Kate slowly pieced together what had happened, partly from the remarks adults occasionally made about her father when he wasn't around to hear. She also deduced that Mama wasn't really going to follow them. As she grew she started going out of her way to find newspaper clippings, which said some truly awful things about her father. It was front-page news when her mother — now known as Ms. Davies, as she had been prior to her marriage — was granted a divorce in absentia. Reporters came knocking periodically — everyone knew, after all, where Papa was, or at least they did after the first few months away. The aurors just couldn't get to him, so long as they remained in Morocco.
Papa didn't talk to reporters. Eventually they lost interested in staking out the edges of the estate in Morocco. Their villa in Morocco was much bigger and nicer than their house in England had been — according to the newspapers, because Papa had sold off everything he'd stolen from the Coopers and was living off their money. Papa never mentioned the Coopers, and never talked about why they lived in Morocco now. He said their money went a lot farther in the foreign country, and that they could afford nice things now. Kate wondered if buying "nice things" was his way of making up for the fact that their mother never wrote to them or saw them after they left. She had been acquitted, Kate knew — she'd read that in the paper — and she wondered if she and Isaac would be living with her now if Papa hadn't taken them to Morocco with him. Then again, she never wrote, so maybe she didn't want Kate and Isaac around anyway.
Isaac was too young to remember Mama, or England, and he grew up well sheltered from the notoriety of their Papa. It was never spoken about in their household, and everything Kate knew she had learned from the newspapers. Isaac didn't read newspapers. He just grew up pampered and spoiled, the son of a very wealthy Moroccan man.
England {1889}Life continued on this way until 1888, when Papa decided that it was important that his son receive 'a real education' at Hogwarts. This stung Katherine more than she would care to admit. It had never been a consideration when she turned ten, and Papa did not seem to note the disparity now in claiming that it was important that Isaac be educated at Hogwarts, when a Moroccan tutor had apparently been good enough for his daughter.
In order to be taught at Hogwarts, however, one must live in England, which is impossible for Papa; there is still an outstanding warrant for his arrest, should he ever step into territory owned by England, France, Denmark, or the United States, all of whom have agreed to extradite him if possible. They can hardly sent Isaac alone, however, which is why Kate is included in the plan. At sixteen she is deemed capable of managing her brother’s education and keeping a small house for them in England — with Papa’s money, of course, which is to be dispersed by a solicitor. That’s the only option, of course: Kate knows without having to ask that everyone on her mother’s side of the family has disowned them, since it was included as a footnote in the article featuring her parents’ divorce, as have the remaining members of Papa’s family.
So they’re off to England.
Personality: Kate has a sort of quiet independence; she doesn’t like to argue and will tend to accept whatever is said to her, but will find ways to work around rules she doesn’t want to follow to find answers to questions she isn’t allowed to ask. She is very self-conscious and doesn’t like to be the center of attention. She is protective of her younger brother and guardedly affectionate towards her father.
Out-of-Character
Name: Lynn
