In-Character
Full Name: Louisa EmbryNicknames: Lou, professionally - L. Embry
Birthdate: March 3rd, 1863
Current Age: 28
Gender: Female, perceived as female
Occupation: Art Conservator & Restorer
Reputation: 6 - Widow haunted by a rumor that she murdered her late husband
Residence: Hogsmeade
Hogwarts House: Slytherin
Wand: Hornbeam, 12 inches, thestral hair, solid
Blood Status: Halfblood
Social Class: Working
Family: Optional.
Appearance: She is taller than average at 5’5” but her ginger hair and deep brown eyes are more notable at first glance. She wears muggle clothing almost exclusively, favoring unremarkable styles. The exception being that when working she will don robes or a smock of sorts to protect her clothes. She is right handed but because she occasionally uses her wand as a mahl stick she has become accustomed to doing minor spellwork with her left hand.
History:
1863 | Louisa is born and enjoys an unremarkable childhood
1874 | After arriving at Hogwarts she is sorted into Slytherin
1877 | Louisa's family faces ruination after being ousted from their home and livelihood by muggles on a literal witch-hunt. They go to live with a distant relation who lives in the countryside; his home is often empty as he makes his living as a painter and travels for commissions.
With the Ministry working to return the wizarding world to anonymity and the adults in the family out trying to patch their lives back together, she is left to her own devices in the painter's house. She comes across a portrait who quite literally badgers her into taking painting lessons from it and she spends the summer under the portrait's bizarre tutelage.
A few weeks into the following school year she receives a letter from her great uncle saying he'd found her paintings from over the summer thanks to a portrait ranting about a student shirking her lessons. He noted that she had great potential but regrettable technique. It turns out a portrait of a teacher makes a poor substitute for a real one. He offers to see her legitimately taught during her summer holidays.
1878 | After spending the summer working as her uncle’s assistant and learning to paint in her own right she decides not to return to Hogwarts. She is happy to continue her work and her parents are happy to not pay her tuition.
1881 | She meets her future husband while assisting with a portrait commission in Ireland. The portrait was to be of a young debutant and the commissioner - her older brother. Their courtship was brief, both in time and quality. Being separated by no less than the Irish Sea complicated things but as her mother said - you can get to know them after you're married. He was pleasant enough and an established man of comfortable means so when he asked, she accepted.
1882 | Their marriage was a loud and turbulent one, almost from the start. He was far more controlling than she could have ever guessed and had a mean temper when he drank.
1884 | Her husband meets an untimely death and Louisa is a primary suspect either because theirs was known to be an unhappy marriage, because his family forced the issue, or some mixture of the two. There was a thorough investigation and despite everyone's best efforts, she was found not guilty. Of course her official innocence could do nothing to save her from the rumors that now marred her reputation.
1886 | The rumors that she orchestrated her husband's death followed her even as she returned to her hometown and her maiden name. It probably didn’t help that she didn’t seem especially sad about his dying, though she dutifully completed her mourning period. Her widow's dower affords her a modest living and she returns to painting in earnest.
1887 | Despite being a skilled and talented painter she sees none of the patronage showered on her great uncle and other artists of similar caliber. Instead she finds opportunity in art restoration and conservation, a profession that sees much less gender discrimination by virtue of the fact that she is largely unseen by her clients.
1891 | She is hired to work for a new gallery soon to open in London
Personality: Guarded, Determined, Good-Natured, Self Sufficient
Out-of-Character
Name: FawkesAge: 32
Contact: PM or Discord.
Other Characters: Temerita Reid
How did you hear about us?: RPG-D
