Login

Marion Flourish · February 16, 2025 – 7:42 PM

In-Character

Full Name: Marion Elsbeth Flourish née Hawthorn
Nicknames: N/A
Birthdate: 14 February 1860
Current Age: 35 Years
Gender: Female
Occupation: Wife of Edward Flourish; Proprietress of The London Athenaeum
Reputation: 10; she comes from an upper-middle class respectable family of wand makers and is married to a respectable man
Residence: London
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw Alumna
Wand: Hawthorn, 12 ¾", Bendy, Dragon Heartstring; Lapis Lazuli hilt
Blood Status: Halfblood
Social Class: Middle
Family:

Established in 184 BCE, the Hawthorns are trusted wand makers in Great Britain whose wands are known for responding particularly well to elemental and earth magic. Their wands can be found most commonly among those with professions like archeology, anthropology, botany, herbology etc.

Hawthorn Wands are physically characterized by a single raw gemstone embedded somewhere in the hilt, usually at the tip of the pommel.

Edward Flourish; Husband; b. 1856
Elijah Flourish; Son; b. 1881
Matthias Flourish; Son; b. 1883

Lilian Hawthorn née _____; Mother; b. 18xx
Marcus Hawthorn; Father; b. 18xx
Tobias Hawthorn: Brother; b. 1854
Autumn Hawthorn; Sister; b. 1855
Spencer Hawthorn; Brother; b. 1859
Carlisle Hawthorn; Brother; b. 1863
Melody Hawthorn; Sister; b. 1866
Isidore Hawthorn; Brother; b. 1870

Appearance:

Face Claim |Golshifteh Farahani
Height | five foot three inches
Eyes | Brown
Hair | Marion's black hair is naturally wavy and often escapes its updo not long after it's been put up.
Fashion | Her sense and knowledge of fashion is neither advanced nor delayed. She follows trends when she notices them, but is not in a rush to do so. She favors brighter colors where she can and, though hardly anyone else knows, always enjoys wearing bright, multi-colored socks. They're her favorite thing to get as a gift for the holidays and her birthday. Her favorite color is a rich cerulean blue.
Deportment | Marion moves about the world as someone who is used to being overlooked, for one reason or another. She knew she was never going to be a traditional English Rose, and with being the middle child in her family, she often got away with slightly less-than-perfect posture or with fiddling with her gloves or the cuff of her sleeve. Sometimes, especially when in deep concentration, she slouches or curls into whatever corner or chair she can find to dig further into her research. Her wand arm is her left, however she writes with her right hand.
Scent | Citrus & Bergamot

History:

Childhood

1860 Marion is born the fourth child of Marcus and Lillian Hawthorn, in an uncomplicated fashion, in an uncomplicated household and an uncomplicated little town. Her older siblings regard her with the range of emotions that can be expected of siblings their respective ages: from disinterest and perhaps dread to excitement and perhaps jealousy.

1863
Another one, thank you: Carlisle is born. Still young Marion is decidedly uninterested after being told that her baby brother would not be able to play with her until much later.

1864
Marion looks up to her big sister Autumn who, on the eve of Christmas, exhibits her first sign of magic in the form of changing the ribbon colors on the tree.

1870
Another one, thank you: Isidore. At nearly 10 years old Marion is chomping at the bit to go to Hogwarts. She displays her first sign of magic when assisting her father in his workshop. When asked to organize the gemstones by size, Marion makes the raw materials immediately line up within seconds.

Hogwarts

1871-72
First Year Her first year as a Ravenclaw at Hogwarts proves to be extremely pleasing; while she enjoys being at school with her siblings, Marion truly has a taste of what it is to find some independence. She enjoys every moment of it and tries to find an identity for herself away from the family name. Marion has trouble finding her purpose right away; she likes studying, she likes being with a group of friends but is often the more quiet one amongst them. Even in group activities she tries to mirror the more outgoing of her friends, but it always takes more energy than she is comfortable with. She looks to her older siblings, all of whom are extroverts and tries to imitate them with little success.

1872-73
Second Year During this particular summer between her second and third year, Marion realizes that she's brought home a book from the school library on linguistics. It's rather thick material, but she sets her mind on trying to understand it, if only to prove that she can. It turns out to be a quite captivating subject, and from then on Marion commits to learning languages.

1873-74
Third Year This is the year she really is set upon finding a purpose. Summers holidays at home have gotten more lackluster. It's loud, it's always busy with activity, and Marion feels like hardly any of her ideas for the business are taken into consideration. As a young adolescent, it is extremely frustrating. It shows during the year in the form of becoming a fierce defender of all of her friends. Especially one named Annette, who fancies another Gryffindor named Nick Blott. Always one to know how to hide in the background, Marion observes a few of their interactions before confronting Nick about it. Oddly enough, from that moment on, Marion finds a friend in Nick. He listens to her ideas and, to take it a step further, actually seems to find merit in them, rather than just brushing her off like the rest of her family does; she knows they love her and value her, but her parents attention divided amongst seven children means sometimes it is only half-hearted.

Nick, on the other hand, seems to have attention to give in spades, and whether Marion realizes it or not, she capitalizes upon it. It's because of this that she always likes to talk to Nick alone, or at least as alone as one can be in a school filled with chaperones and matrons around every corner.

1874-75
Fourth Year She vents to Nick about this when they get to school, going as far as sitting at the Gryffindor table during the Welcome Feast to comfort herself in her friend. That's when she realizes one of his year mates talking him up; a girl year mate. It obviously makes Marion feel some type of way because she immediately leaves the Gryffindor table to go back to Ravenclaw and her other friends as soon as she hears Nick laugh at one of the girl's jokes, which wasn't that funny. Eventually she brushes it off, trying to distance herself.

As an OWL student, Marion studies her butt off, or at least tries to. She finds herself depending upon the tutelage of Nick to help her keep the momentum going save for her aptitude for Charms class; she easily aces every test and quiz and practical lesson given there and is relieved to know that, if anything, at least she has that going for her. One of her friends teases her at this point for her friendship with Nick, especially considering he's an older student. Marion balks, insisting that she doesn't have any feelings for him, and simply enjoys his companionship. And his knowledge of linguistics. And he has a nice smile. And nice eyes. But that's all.

1875-76
Fifth Year The entire summer before her fifth year, Marion tries to work through her feelings about Nick Blott. Eventually she comes to the horrible realization that she might have feelings for him. It's terrible. She avoids him like the plague for a month or so, but is eventually unable to resist the fact that their conversation always rivets her in a way that she can't replicate with her friends. So like the adult she decides she is, Marion buys her feelings as deep as she can. Nick is graduating at the end of the year and it would only make their friendship awkward if she admitted to having feelings.

1876-77
Sixth Year This is the year where she’ll loose Nick. Marion therefore makes sure to go as far as sitting at the Gryffindor table during the Welcome Feast to comfort herself in her friend’s presence while she can. That's when she realizes one of his year mates talking him up; a girl year mate. It obviously makes Marion feel some type of way because she immediately leaves the Gryffindor table to go back to Ravenclaw and her other friends as soon as she hears Nick laugh at one of the girl's jokes, which wasn't that funny. Eventually she brushes it off, trying to distance herself.

1877-78
Seventh Year Her seventh year leaves Marion without one of her closest friends. They keep in touch via correspondence, but Marion remains skeptical because she's never been the best at putting pen to paper (esp now that the person driving her to do so is gone). It turns out that she IS able to keep up with her school work after all and really finds the confidence she needs to do well in her classes. While she mourns Nick being gone, she is extremely happy to realize that she isn't dependent upon him after all. She finds some momentum. She's a NEWT student after all and must prove herself in the form of getting good grades; maybe that would make her family notice her. When exams roll around she is pleased to realize how much easier they are than she thought they would be. That's not to say they were a piece of cake, but she leaves the exams knowing that she had to have done well. The end of the year sees her debut and begin debutante life; something she's hardly enthusiastic about, except for the fact that perhaps she can start exploring something with Nick...

Adulthood

1879
In the end, debutante life suits Marion quite well. She finds herself well read and that the scheduled life of a debutante works rather well in helping her keep a regimented schedule. She keeps a secret journal that she managed to charm to look like a boring linguistic book when in reality, it holds all her thoughts on the suitors she meets (and more). During a particularly cold winter's night, she's so busy writing in it as she exits from a ball that she incidentally takes the wrong carriage. When she realizes her social faux pas, she is mortified and immediately rushes back to correct the mistake. It's a quick interaction but nonetheless noted in her journal before she heads back to home for the night.

It's during a Society Ball that she runs into Nick and (hark!) the very man whose carriage she had stolen less than a month ago. Edward Flourish is handsome, charming, intelligent and someone that Marion finds herself completely smitten with. Though very much aware that this attraction is surface level, Marion holds out hope that - given his friendship with Nick - Mr. Flourish doesn't think taking on advice of the fairer sex is something beneath him. It's to her delight that she is proven right and soon their friendship evolves into something more. Mr. Flourish often pays calls to her but soon it's Marion that also pays calls on Mr. Flourish at his bookstore under the pretense of seeing Nick about one thing or another (an opinion on translation, conjugation, what have you). By the end of the year, Edward Flourish proposes and Marion happily accepts.

1880
She's excited for the wedding and excited for a wonderful joining of families. On top of that, something in the family is finally happening that centers around her. However very much turns out to be a battle of wills against Ned's mother who apparently sees it as her final act of control to exert over the woman who has stolen her son away from her. She makes it through the wedding having shed not a small amount of tears over a multitude of disappointments.

On top of this, shortly after the wedding Nick decides to leave the bookshop and interns at the Ministry instead. While Marion tries to be supportive of this, she also tries to hide the fact that she feels as if her and Ned have pushed him out somehow. Not wanting to make waves however, Marion deigns to keep these thoughts to herself (and her journal). In addition to this, Marion still clashes intensely with Ned's mother who continues to be quite possessive of him. Again, not wanting to cause trouble, Marion keeps this (relatively to herself). Besides, she and Ned are learning the trials and tribulations of running the bookshop. It's a learning curve but one she is thrilled to be able to look after, and she eventually realizes that this might be the vocation she was looking for all along.

However, not long after this realization, Marion discovers she is pregnant.

Motherhood

1881
While excited for the pregnancy, Marion is apprehensive about what this is going to do to her relationship with her mother-in-law. In the end, she has little to worry about; she is doted upon, given food and stews that are focused on the health of her and the baby, and Marion eventually looks forward to the visits by her mother-in-law. Ned's mother is even understanding when Marion tells her that the only other woman she wants in the delivery room is her own mother.

The trouble comes when Elijah is born. Her husband's mother immediately turns possessive, complaining that Marion does every little thing incorrectly from holding the baby, to the flowers she choses for the house, and even the time of day she has the curtains and windows open to give the baby some fresh air. At her wits end, Marion finally confronts her husband about this and demands he send his mother away. To her great surprise, Ned agrees and soon his mother moves out of the house to a smaller flat in London.

While grateful for the space, Marion comes to realize she has very little to do around the house when not running around doing her mother-in-law's bidding. Thinking this is to be expected of a new mother, she settles into the life with little protest and even writes occasionally in her journals, disguised as regular books on her shelves meanwhile just enjoying spending time with her infant son.

1883
This years sees Marion pregnant for a second time. It is a rough pregnancy, but a smoother delivery than she expected. They name the baby Matthias. During this time Marion sees Ned bond more with Elijah than she'd previously observed and is delighted with the progress. After the arrival of Matthias, Marion experiences the same boredom she did after Elijah; it isn't a depressive sort of boredom, merely a....restlessness that she can't seem to shake. She manages the house as best she can which has become second nature to her at this point; she has help looking after the boys with their governess and nannies; but she wants more.

1884
So it's around this time that Marion wants to pick up her duties at the bookshop again, and when Ned gets home from work one day she has a talk with him about it. He is receptive to it, which pleases her and the next week she enters their bookshop with a new found vigor. The next few months see her settling into it as easily as last time, but this time with more ideas, more improvements, and more events. She loves asking authors, sending letters out to publishers, and even learning how to balance the ledgers. It's everything she could want and more.

A Business Venture

1885
Everything is fit as a fiddle and wonderful. Her sons are doing well in their learning, her husband and her seem like a dynamic duo and they even alternate working late so they might be able to have some alone time with their children. That's why Marion is so startled to be confronted by Ned about some letters she'd been passing back and forth between an author she'd been trying to track down for weeks. She's hurt by this assumption, and while she doesn't like to be directly confrontational, she freezes him out instead, opting for working later nights or making the excuse she needs to spend time alone with her boys.

It's during this time, and thanks to a fit of boredom that Marion comes across some texts she had put aside. Some erotic texts. After perusing the catalog, she is intrigued by the idea of the education this could provide to the public. Knowing, however, that it is certainly not something a respectable establishment could openly stock, she starts to chew on the idea of keeping a secret library within Flourish & Blotts.

1886
Things have mended themselves between the couple, however it more resembles a bone that hasn't been set right or a wound that has not healed properly: underneath it all, there is still the pain of knowing that her husband didn't trust her. On top of that, Marion clashes still clashes with Ned's mother on what seems like everything under the sun: this food isn't right to feed the boys, she should start looking into beauty potions, she needs to spend more time by herself, she's not spending enough time with her husband or her children. And it seems that every time she tries to bring it up with Ned, he takes his mother's side in things.

On top of that, she finds out through a customer one day that Ned is writing a book. Marion is humiliated to learn this knowledge second-hand and while she supports her husband's ventures, is still put out by the fact that he hadn't even deigned to tell her about it.

Fine. If her husband can have his private projects, so can she.

Marion has always made it her job to know her customers, especially those who frequent the establishment regularly. They bring the business that lets them keep the doors open. When working late one night, Marion accidentally leaves out some of the erotic texts she's been perusing when Mrs. Evangeline Rowle walks in. Completely mortified, Marion tries to cover her blunder quickly, however it's too late. And it turns out that it's not as much of a blunder as she thinks it is. After striking up a conversation with Mrs. Rowle, Marion comes to realize that they might have a unique opportunity for business on their hands. And thus, The London Athenaeum is born: a secret erotic library, filled with informative and empowering texts for everyone ranging from the women of Society to those of the working class.

Having brushed up on her Charms, Marion easily provides the spells necessary to hide the books in plain sight. The only thing that might hint at the books being something more is the inclusion of a thin red ribbon as the bookmark to what is otherwise a very ordinary looking book.

1893
It's time to send Elijah to Hogwarts. Marion is beside herself with a mix of sorrow and happiness to know that her son is growing up, but with one child out of the house it leaves more room for the issues between her and her husband to expand. They share a bitter-sweet moment on the Hogwarts Express platform, however it is short-lived.

Marion continues to curate The London Athenaeum with Mrs. Rowle who thus far has been responsible for helping covering the costs (and providing the man face of their innocent business) of their veunture.

Personality: Polyglot & history buff. Loves books and studying and organizing. Feels like no one really gives her a shot at excelling at things because everyone else is an overachiever, while she just merely wants to…achieve. Can be selfish at times. Is an expert at convincing herself her feelings mean one thing when they actually mean another. Hard working. Likes to root for the underdog.

Out-of-Character

Name: Lady

Elias Grimstone · February 23, 2025 – 12:33 PM

Application Approved!

Your character is now all set for play! If you’re a new member, you'll be assigned a buddy—they should contact you within 48 hours. If you’re not (or while you wait!), be sure to…
— Add your character to the Character Directory
— Claim your face, if you choose to use one
— Secure your spot in Charming’s history
— Introduce yourself to the community
— Start networking, or just jump into a thread!

Please feel free to contact me or any member of our staff team if you have any questions.

We hope your time here is magical!

look ANOTHER beautiful bee!set <3

Childhood
1860	Marion is born the fourth child of Marcus and Lillian Hawthorn, in an uncomplicated fashion, in an uncomplicated household and an uncomplicated little town. Her older siblings regard her with the range of emotions that can be expected of siblings their respective ages: from disinterest and perhaps dread to excitement and perhaps jealousy.
1863	Another one, thank you: Carlisle is born. Still young Marion is decidedly uninterested after being told that her baby brother would not be able to play with her until much later.
1864	Marion looks up to her big sister Autumn who, on the eve of Christmas, exhibits her first sign of magic in the form of changing the ribbon colors on the tree.
1870	Another one, thank you: Isidore. At nearly 10 years old Marion is chomping at the bit to go to Hogwarts. She displays her first sign of magic when assisting her father in his workshop. When asked to organize the gemstones by size, Marion makes the raw materials immediately line up within seconds.
Hogwarts
1871-72 First Year	Her first year as a Ravenclaw at Hogwarts proves to be extremely pleasing; while she enjoys being at school with her siblings, Marion truly has a taste of what it is to find some independence. She enjoys every moment of it and tries to find an identity for herself away from the family name. Marion has trouble finding her purpose right away; she likes studying, she likes being with a group of friends but is often the more quiet one amongst them. Even in group activities she tries to mirror the more outgoing of her friends, but it always takes more energy than she is comfortable with. She looks to her older siblings, all of whom are extroverts and tries to imitate them with little success.
1872-73 Second Year	During this particular summer between her second and third year, Marion realizes that she's brought home a book from the school library on linguistics. It's rather thick material, but she sets her mind on trying to understand it, if only to prove that she can. It turns out to be a quite captivating subject, and from then on Marion commits to learning languages.
1873-74 Third Year	This is the year she really is set upon finding a purpose. Summers holidays at home have gotten more lackluster. It's loud, it's always busy with activity, and Marion feels like hardly any of her ideas for the business are taken into consideration. As a young adolescent, it is extremely frustrating. It shows during the year in the form of becoming a fierce defender of all of her friends. Especially one named Annette, who fancies another Gryffindor named Nick Blott. Always one to know how to hide in the background, Marion observes a few of their interactions before confronting Nick about it. Oddly enough, from that moment on, Marion finds a friend in Nick. He listens to her ideas and, to take it a step further, actually seems to find merit in them, rather than just brushing her off like the rest of her family does; she knows they love her and value her, but her parents attention divided amongst seven children means sometimes it is only half-hearted. Nick, on the other hand, seems to have attention to give in spades, and whether Marion realizes it or not, she capitalizes upon it. It's because of this that she always likes to talk to Nick alone, or at least as alone as one can be in a school filled with chaperones and matrons around every corner.
1874-75 Fourth Year	She vents to Nick about this when they get to school, going as far as sitting at the Gryffindor table during the Welcome Feast to comfort herself in her friend. That's when she realizes one of his year mates talking him up; a girl year mate. It obviously makes Marion feel some type of way because she immediately leaves the Gryffindor table to go back to Ravenclaw and her other friends as soon as she hears Nick laugh at one of the girl's jokes, which wasn't that funny. Eventually she brushes it off, trying to distance herself. As an OWL student, Marion studies her butt off, or at least tries to. She finds herself depending upon the tutelage of Nick to help her keep the momentum going save for her aptitude for Charms class; she easily aces every test and quiz and practical lesson given there and is relieved to know that, if anything, at least she has that going for her. One of her friends teases her at this point for her friendship with Nick, especially considering he's an older student. Marion balks, insisting that she doesn't have any feelings for him, and simply enjoys his companionship. And his knowledge of linguistics. And he has a nice smile. And nice eyes. But that's all.
1875-76 Fifth Year	The entire summer before her fifth year, Marion tries to work through her feelings about Nick Blott. Eventually she comes to the horrible realization that she might have feelings for him. It's terrible. She avoids him like the plague for a month or so, but is eventually unable to resist the fact that their conversation always rivets her in a way that she can't replicate with her friends. So like the adult she decides she is, Marion buys her feelings as deep as she can. Nick is graduating at the end of the year and it would only make their friendship awkward if she admitted to having feelings.
1876-77 Sixth Year	This is the year where she’ll loose Nick. Marion therefore makes sure to go as far as sitting at the Gryffindor table during the Welcome Feast to comfort herself in her friend’s presence while she can. That's when she realizes one of his year mates talking him up; a girl year mate. It obviously makes Marion feel some type of way because she immediately leaves the Gryffindor table to go back to Ravenclaw and her other friends as soon as she hears Nick laugh at one of the girl's jokes, which wasn't that funny. Eventually she brushes it off, trying to distance herself.
1877-78 Seventh Year	Her seventh year leaves Marion without one of her closest friends. They keep in touch via correspondence, but Marion remains skeptical because she's never been the best at putting pen to paper (esp now that the person driving her to do so is gone). It turns out that she IS able to keep up with her school work after all and really finds the confidence she needs to do well in her classes. While she mourns Nick being gone, she is extremely happy to realize that she isn't dependent upon him after all. She finds some momentum. She's a NEWT student after all and must prove herself in the form of getting good grades; maybe that would make her family notice her. When exams roll around she is pleased to realize how much easier they are than she thought they would be. That's not to say they were a piece of cake, but she leaves the exams knowing that she had to have done well. The end of the year sees her debut and begin debutante life; something she's hardly enthusiastic about, except for the fact that perhaps she can start exploring something with Nick...
Adulthood
1879	In the end, debutante life suits Marion quite well. She finds herself well read and that the scheduled life of a debutante works rather well in helping her keep a regimented schedule. She keeps a secret journal that she managed to charm to look like a boring linguistic book when in reality, it holds all her thoughts on the suitors she meets (and more). During a particularly cold winter's night, she's so busy writing in it as she exits from a ball that she incidentally takes the wrong carriage. When she realizes her social faux pas, she is mortified and immediately rushes back to correct the mistake. It's a quick interaction but nonetheless noted in her journal before she heads back to home for the night. It's during a Society Ball that she runs into Nick and (hark!) the very man whose carriage she had stolen less than a month ago. Edward Flourish is handsome, charming, intelligent and someone that Marion finds herself completely smitten with. Though very much aware that this attraction is surface level, Marion holds out hope that - given his friendship with Nick - Mr. Flourish doesn't think taking on advice of the fairer sex is something beneath him. It's to her delight that she is proven right and soon their friendship evolves into something more. Mr. Flourish often pays calls to her but soon it's Marion that also pays calls on Mr. Flourish at his bookstore under the pretense of seeing Nick about one thing or another (an opinion on translation, conjugation, what have you). By the end of the year, Edward Flourish proposes and Marion happily accepts.
1880	She's excited for the wedding and excited for a wonderful joining of families. On top of that, something in the family is finally happening that centers around her. However very much turns out to be a battle of wills against Ned's mother who apparently sees it as her final act of control to exert over the woman who has stolen her son away from her. She makes it through the wedding having shed not a small amount of tears over a multitude of disappointments. On top of this, shortly after the wedding Nick decides to leave the bookshop and interns at the Ministry instead. While Marion tries to be supportive of this, she also tries to hide the fact that she feels as if her and Ned have pushed him out somehow. Not wanting to make waves however, Marion deigns to keep these thoughts to herself (and her journal). In addition to this, Marion still clashes intensely with Ned's mother who continues to be quite possessive of him. Again, not wanting to cause trouble, Marion keeps this (relatively to herself). Besides, she and Ned are learning the trials and tribulations of running the bookshop. It's a learning curve but one she is thrilled to be able to look after, and she eventually realizes that this might be the vocation she was looking for all along. However, not long after this realization, Marion discovers she is pregnant.
Motherhood
1881	While excited for the pregnancy, Marion is apprehensive about what this is going to do to her relationship with her mother-in-law. In the end, she has little to worry about; she is doted upon, given food and stews that are focused on the health of her and the baby, and Marion eventually looks forward to the visits by her mother-in-law. Ned's mother is even understanding when Marion tells her that the only other woman she wants in the delivery room is her own mother. The trouble comes when Elijah is born. Her husband's mother immediately turns possessive, complaining that Marion does every little thing incorrectly from holding the baby, to the flowers she choses for the house, and even the time of day she has the curtains and windows open to give the baby some fresh air. At her wits end, Marion finally confronts her husband about this and demands he send his mother away. To her great surprise, Ned agrees and soon his mother moves out of the house to a smaller flat in London. While grateful for the space, Marion comes to realize she has very little to do around the house when not running around doing her mother-in-law's bidding. Thinking this is to be expected of a new mother, she settles into the life with little protest and even writes occasionally in her journals, disguised as regular books on her shelves meanwhile just enjoying spending time with her infant son.
1883	This years sees Marion pregnant for a second time. It is a rough pregnancy, but a smoother delivery than she expected. They name the baby Matthias. During this time Marion sees Ned bond more with Elijah than she'd previously observed and is delighted with the progress. After the arrival of Matthias, Marion experiences the same boredom she did after Elijah; it isn't a depressive sort of boredom, merely a....restlessness that she can't seem to shake. She manages the house as best she can which has become second nature to her at this point; she has help looking after the boys with their governess and nannies; but she wants more.
1884	So it's around this time that Marion wants to pick up her duties at the bookshop again, and when Ned gets home from work one day she has a talk with him about it. He is receptive to it, which pleases her and the next week she enters their bookshop with a new found vigor. The next few months see her settling into it as easily as last time, but this time with more ideas, more improvements, and more events. She loves asking authors, sending letters out to publishers, and even learning how to balance the ledgers. It's everything she could want and more.
A Business Venture
1885	Everything is fit as a fiddle and wonderful. Her sons are doing well in their learning, her husband and her seem like a dynamic duo and they even alternate working late so they might be able to have some alone time with their children. That's why Marion is so startled to be confronted by Ned about some letters she'd been passing back and forth between an author she'd been trying to track down for weeks. She's hurt by this assumption, and while she doesn't like to be directly confrontational, she freezes him out instead, opting for working later nights or making the excuse she needs to spend time alone with her boys. It's during this time, and thanks to a fit of boredom that Marion comes across some texts she had put aside. Some erotic texts. After perusing the catalog, she is intrigued by the idea of the education this could provide to the public. Knowing, however, that it is certainly not something a respectable establishment could openly stock, she starts to chew on the idea of keeping a secret library within Flourish & Blotts.
1886	Things have mended themselves between the couple, however it more resembles a bone that hasn't been set right or a wound that has not healed properly: underneath it all, there is still the pain of knowing that her husband didn't trust her. On top of that, Marion clashes still clashes with Ned's mother on what seems like everything under the sun: this food isn't right to feed the boys, she should start looking into beauty potions, she needs to spend more time by herself, she's not spending enough time with her husband or her children. And it seems that every time she tries to bring it up with Ned, he takes his mother's side in things. On top of that, she finds out through a customer one day that Ned is writing a book. Marion is humiliated to learn this knowledge second-hand and while she supports her husband's ventures, is still put out by the fact that he hadn't even deigned to tell her about it. Fine. If her husband can have his private projects, so can she. Marion has always made it her job to know her customers, especially those who frequent the establishment regularly. They bring the business that lets them keep the doors open. When working late one night, Marion accidentally leaves out some of the erotic texts she's been perusing when Mrs. Evangeline Rowle walks in. Completely mortified, Marion tries to cover her blunder quickly, however it's too late. And it turns out that it's not as much of a blunder as she thinks it is. After striking up a conversation with Mrs. Rowle, Marion comes to realize that they might have a unique opportunity for business on their hands. And thus, The London Athenaeum is born: a secret erotic library, filled with informative and empowering texts for everyone ranging from the women of Society to those of the working class. Having brushed up on her Charms, Marion easily provides the spells necessary to hide the books in plain sight. The only thing that might hint at the books being something more is the inclusion of a thin red ribbon as the bookmark to what is otherwise a very ordinary looking book.
1893	It's time to send Elijah to Hogwarts. Marion is beside herself with a mix of sorrow and happiness to know that her son is growing up, but with one child out of the house it leaves more room for the issues between her and her husband to expand. They share a bitter-sweet moment on the Hogwarts Express platform, however it is short-lived. Marion continues to curate The London Athenaeum with Mrs. Rowle who thus far has been responsible for helping covering the costs (and providing the man face of their innocent business) of their veunture.

Marion Flourish