In-Character
Full Name: Sylvia Adelyn SwannNicknames: Sylvie, Sylv - brothers only
Birthdate: August 29th, 1864
Current Age: 27
Occupation: Crime and Politics Reporter for the Daily Prophet
Reputation: 7; spinster and a working woman; most likely remember her broken engagement
Residence: Swallowbury, Irvingly
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw Alumna '82
Wand: Walnut wood with a unicorn hair core, 12 ¼ and supple flexibility
Blood Status: Halfblood
Social Class: Middle Class
Family:
Eleanor Swann nee — | Mother | b. 1841
Everett Swann | Brother | b. 1861
Lucian Swann | Brother | b. 1863
Appearance:
Despite the fact that Sylvie is five foot five inches she holds herself in such a way that she seems almost taller than she really is, especially when she is fighting to be heard. Then she stands tall and firm. Despite this she is slender with respectable (albeit smaller than some might appreciate) curves. Her face is pale and framed by sandy brown hair that she tends to wear in a bun (sometimes held up only by a quill). She considers her vivid baby blue eyes to be her most striking feature. Although they give away when she is tired at the corners and in the droop of her shoulders. Hidden under her robes on her shin is an unfortunate burn mark from her bedroom fireplace. Her pale fingertips are almost always stained from ink. While Sylvie is ambidexterious and can do simple wandwork with both hand, she prefers to write and do complex spells with her left hand.History:
Sylvie prefers darker more professional clothes, especially wizarding robes over muggle fashions. While she tends towards maroon (perhaps she wears too much of it) she avoids wearing blue when she can. Her clothing is always neat and usually consists of several constants; her grandmother's empty gold locket, a pair of diamond studs, and her glasses. She smells of her favorite violet perfume wih a mix of ink (if she's leaving work) and cinnamon (from the pinch she likes in her coffee).
Personality:
August 29th, 1864 Not even a year after her brother Lucian's birth, Sylvia Adelyn Swann is born as the third and last child to her parents. Laboring is difficult for Eleanor and as a result she's advised against any other children. June 1872 Her first act of magic comes in the middle of the night after having snuck into the garden. She is caught between the rose bushes as her parents argue over finances and the stress of providing an inheritance for three children. When their voices dip too low for her to hear how they might require a loan sometime in the next year Sylvie's burning curiosity causes their voices to be amplified for the entire household to overhear. She's caught within seconds and is silently blamed for their housekeeper of ten years quitting within the month. Sylvie never attempts to sneak into the gardens to count the stars again. September 1873 Everett's schooling begins on an oddly warm and bright September morning. Without his presence the trio have to relearn their friendship dynamics (Lucian and Sylvie moreso than Ezra) . For while the boys are both older (a fact she detests more than she would ever admit to) they aren't the leader that she was born to be. It takes them until winter to settle into their new routine of schoolwork and games but they do eventually develop a new dynamic. September 1875 - August 1876
First YearLucian, Ezra and Sylvie all boa2MJrd the train with Everett in September. After an embarrassing hat stall (seven long minutes of hearing the hat ramble on in her thoughts), Sylvie is finally sorted into Ravenclaw. She was quietly convinced Slytherin was her best fit so the decision comes as quite the shock. Neither Lucian nor Ezra is sorted with her either, which isn't a great surprise but forces a shift in the dynamic once again. Mainly, her childhood friendship with Ezra fades until they're more akin to friendly acquaintances than playmates.
Alone in the Ravenclaw tower is where she's reminded of her love for the stars. It'd been three years since she last stayed out in the garden to observe the night sky, three years since she last felt entirely at peace. Sylvie takes advantage of her renewed love by charting the constellations at every feasible chance.September 1876 - August 1877
Second YearAfter having had to drop flying class, Sylvie joins the flying and quidditch clubs. She isn't talented enough at either to ever try out for the team (unlike her brothers) but she isn't entirely convinced her mother would allow competitive play anyway.
The summer between her second and third year is wrought with unspoken tension as their family quickly packs and abandons her childhood home. There hasn't been much talk of witches in their small town yet, though neither parent is willing to accept the risk of staying. Sylvie mourns the loss of all her favorite childhood hideaways just as surely as she would mourn a relative. At least the Sprout's move with them, someone has to help keep Lucian in line. Even if that someone is the increasingly annoying Ezra.September 1877 - August 1878
Third YearThe stress of moving erupts into stress over what classes she ought to add to her schedule. She isn't a bright or dedicated enough student to justify adding three and adding only one seems lazy. Ultimately, she decides against herself and opts for the lazy option of only adding Divination. Mother says she is to be a housewife, after all, and housewives had little use for Ancient Studies or Caring for Magical Creatures. September 1878 - August 1879
Fourth YearAs a whole, her fourth year is uneventful. She studies, passes some exams, nearly fails in Transfiguration. It's the talk her parents have with her over a Hogsmeade weekend that forces her to realize if she doesn't work harder at all her subjects and not just the ones she enjoys she will be removed from school without even her OWLs. Naturally, she refuses to allow either of her brothers to be more educated than she and doubles down on her studies.
Summer after fourth year is where things begin to get interesting. Mr Sprout, her mother's best friend's husband, steps outside his marriage. Sylvie can't help but notice the doubtful looks her mother shoots at her father, nor the way Mr Sprout doesn't seem all that sorry about what he did. It isn't long until the weekly dinners begin to be more spaced out. The distance isn't noticeable yet, and won't be for some years, but there's an unmistakable shift in the air.September 1879 - August 1880
Fifth YearWith Everett set to take his NEWTs in the spring, Sylvie continues on her determined path to not be the only uneducated Swann. She's still terrible at Transfiguration and mediocre at Potions, she is a skilled duelist and herbologist though. Ezra and she forge an unlikely alliance this year at the table midway through the stacks. Unsurprisingly, her passing her OWLs is largely due to their study sessions. September 1880 - August 1881
Sixth YearAfter a long summer of debate, Sylvie decides to only continue on with five classes (Astronomy, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Divination, and Herbology). She had nearly cut her list down to four but was ultimately swayed by Lucian requesting they share more than two classes together. Mildly resentful of her additional classload, Sylvie does only enough to receive a passing grade in Charms and focuses instead on her other favorite classes. September 1881 - May 1882
Seventh YearAt long last, Sylvie graduates with mostly decent grades in her courses. She debuts alongside her classmates and is quickly swept from the classroom into Society life. Summer 1882 Except, all anyone can talk about during the society events is the trail and their loved ones. Naturally, Sylvie is petrified for her father. Of course she would be, but to dwell on whether or not he would return wouldn't help him nor her. Instead, she focuses on receiving news from reputable sources and listens eagerly for any mention of her father.
Miraculously, he survives and her parents decide to build a larger house on the new plot of land they'd been granted. Sylvie does better with this move, though she's still saddened to not be near all her friends anymore.1883 The Amortentia Tea Scandal drastically effects Sylvie to the point that she's encouraged to begin courting [Mr Covell] in order to save her reputation. As luck would have it, few, if any, saw the pair kiss after drinking the tea. Still, her parents have never been risk takers and a courtship is decided upon immediately. It would have been an engagement if not for his family's reservations about marrying someone from a family of lesser means, so her parents take what they can get.
While courting takes up much of her time, Sylvie does begin submitting articles for Witch Weekly under a pseudonym. It keeps her thoughts occupied and unable to drift off wondering how she could ever be Mrs Covell. He's plenty kind and a true gentleman, there's simply no spark between them. Nothing like she had read about in the Jane Austen novels.1884 That [Mr. Covell] proposes comes as a surprise to none. His family reluctantly agrees when they learn she has a modest dowry to offer their third son. That Sylvie accepts and falls down the path of wedding preparations is more surprising. There's an endless list of arrangements to be made and decoe to be selected, it's overwhelming actually. She does her best not to show how anxious she was of this match, though some does come through on occasion when she has too little time to herself.
They're three weeks away from the wedding when the heavily debated topic of chastity cuffs comes up between them for the first time. Sylvie, a self proclaimed liberal who had indulged too heavily with wine, begins down a tangent of women's suffrage and how virginity oughtn't to be a requirement for marriage. Alarmed by this, [Mr Covell] breaks the engagement the next morning. Dowry or not, he wouldn't marry a sullied woman.
Her parents seethe, his parents nod as if to say "we told you, son", and Sylvie...well, she breathes a long sigh of relief to have finally been freed.
As if a broken engagment wasn't enough, their community is heavily hit by drought, plague, and fire. Her Hogsmeade home is among those turned to ash, her cousin dies of the plague, but they are otherwise, mercifully, unaffected.1885 Her damaged reputation makes it difficult for her to maintain her article writing for Witch Weekly. She can't exactly write about events she is no longer invited to, after all. Instead, she begins submitting political opinion articles, short stories, and news reports to papers all across England. Few are printed, none contain any indication that she is, indeed, a woman. It's an outlet, though, and one she's rather good at.
COB canceled1886 With no hope of seeing their daughter married now, the Swanns' decide they'll no longer support Sylvie as a debutante. What use is there buying her new dresses, shoes and accessories only for her to remain home more often than not? Their disappointment is obvious, especially as their own social calendar has too dwindled. 1887 The Wizarding Fair collapse is her desperately needed break in the clouds. She tracks a lost flying tiger from Hogsmeade to the expanse of Northern Scotland through frequent, fast flying letters, a handful of visits to her "grieivng friend" (the repeated lie she tells her parents) and an immense amount of luck. The tiger causes extensive damage, including a wizard's death, and her report on it is the first to be printed as 'S. Swann'.
The Daily Prophet decides to give her a chance as a staff writer when she shows them evidence of her few printed articles and all her notes required to draft them. It's a lifeline, one she clings to with all her might, even despite her parents' initial reluctance.1888 The summer is spent battling the Irvingly fog. Months of fear and a lack of communication with the outside world leaves Sylvie overwhelmed by stress. Eventually, the cause is found and she sobs from relief. Later that year there's another mishap with amortentia that she is, mercifully, spared. November 1890 A near deadly assault on a childhood neighbor has her following the trail of deception and violence. She never nears the source of it all, nor does she ever find enough of the pieces to put the puzzle together. However, she does argue her case to move from staff writing to crime and politics. Years of writing filler articles or for other people has created a passionate desire to report more urgent, pressing things. Spring 1891 After three months of agonizing silence surrounding her request, Sylvia is brought onto the Crimes and Politics team to cover the less pressing news. For the second time in her life she forces herself to be quiet, to not rock the boat too much in order to better fit in with her fellow reporters. It doesn't work well, for she's constantly the last to know about any major incident. This drives her towards sucess, though what success is she's yet to discover.
Stubborn. Curious. Nosy. Driven. Resilient. Passionate.Other:
Class OWL NEWT Astronomy O O Charms E E Defense Against the Dark Arts E A Divination O E Herbology E A History of Magic P - Potions A - Transfiguration P -
Out-of-Character
Name: EmmaAge: 28 (how the fuck did that happen?)
