Nova Temperance Windthorpe
Caged Bird
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"She has been through more hell than you will ever know.
But that is what gives her beauty an edge.
You cannot touch a woman, who can wear pain
like the greatest of diamonds around her neck."
– Alfa
N O V A
Feminine | "New" | LatinT E M P E R A N C E
Feminine | "Restraint" | English (archaic)W I N D T H O R P E
Masculine/feminine | Family name
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PERIPHERY
⎨NAME⎬
She was named Nova Temperance Windthorpe at birth.
⎨ALIAS(ES)⎬
Nova is short enough as it is, so no nickname has ever stuck with her for long.
⎨AGE & BIRTHDAY⎬
She is 17 years old.
Born on July 11th, 1961, which makes her a Cancer.
⎨BLOOD STATUS⎬
She is a pureblooded witch, a characteristic her family values greatly.
⎨CURRENT RESIDENCE⎬
Whenever she is not at Hogwarts, she resides with her family at their manor in Somerset, England.
⎨SCHOOL⎬
She studies magic and serves as a prefect at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
Slytherin House, 7th year.
⎨HEIGHT⎬
She measures 165 centimetres.
⎨BUILD⎬
Quite skinny to behold, but stronger than she looks. Her limbs are slender and elegant, and she moves with a dancer's grace.
⎨COMPLEXION⎬
Her skin is light with a golden-olive tone to it and a slight tendency to freckles in the summer.
⎨EYES⎬
Her eyes are hazel in colour and almond-shaped surrounded by long, dark lashes and framed by full brows.
⎨HAIR⎬
She has dark brown hair which curls ever so slightly. It grows just past her shoulders and is often tied back with a silk or velvet ribbon.
⎨TRADEMARKS⎬
Several scars and bruises all over her body. Strategically hidden, so that only those who knows of their existence will notice.⎨FAVOURITE SUBJECT⎬
She has shown a rare aptitude for the study of Potions, which has come in handy whenever she needs a strengthening tonic.
⎨LEAST FAVOURITE SUBJECT⎬
Divination neither fascinates her, nor is she any good at it.
⎨STRENGTHS⎬
Her ability to keep her head clear, her back straight and her face clear of emotion, her incredible focus and her impeccable intelligence. Apart from that she is a trained ballerina.
⎨WEAKNESSES⎬
Lacks spine in any family-related matter, keeps her emotions to herself, shuts people out, never asks for help.
⎨LIKES⎬
Dancing, rain tapping on the window, cashmere sweaters, the smell of old books, being the little spoon.
⎨DISLIKES⎬
People sticking their nose in her business, family meetings, sleeping alone, cold tea.
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SCRATCHING THE SURFACE
"It's so much safer not to feel,
not to let the world touch me."
– Sylvia Plath
SHE FALLS APART
DAY BY DAY, LIKE WILTED ROSE PETALS
Nova Temperance Windthorpe was born on an unusually cold and rainy day of june, 1961. The wind was howling like a warning of winter, and tearing at the delicate petals still adorning the trees at that time of year. It was a day of pride for her parents, Howard and Gemma Windthorpe, who had been trying (and failing) for a child for many years. When her mother finally got impregnated, she and her husband were aware, that the little girl in her tummy would be their only offspring, and so they decided to make the absolute most of their one child.
Young Nova longed for nothing in her childhood years; Her parents were filthy rich (both with influential positions at the Ministry of Magic and the Daily Prophet respectively), and so they made sure she was well provided for. With private tutors in writing, dancing and fencing, she grew up to be quite the little prodigy; the perfect image of a daughter, and a suitable face for the future of the Windthorpe-lineage.
The praise for her went on as she started attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and got sorted into Slytherin house (another personal victory for her proud parents). Her report-cards were flawless from day one, and she rarely got herself into trouble. She knew what would happen, if she did. Coming from a proud family of purebloods, her parents had very strict views on how she was expected to behave, who she was to befriend, and especially who she was not in order to maintain the family legacy.
But behaving like a good girl and working hard to please her mom and dad was lonely work. Although she was not exactly disliked by anyone in her house, she did not have any close friends either. Nobody to confide in, when her dad had been in a particularly cruel mood over the holidays, and no one to share her tiny victories with.
"If you have the courage to make it through a lonely night with nothing but your self destructive thoughts to keep you company, darling, you have the courage to make it through anything."
– Unknown
One could easily think that she preferred being on her own: Nova usually stays to herself, works alone and rarely speaks to anybody. And it is true, that she isn't exactly a ray of sunshine at social gatherings. That being said, she experienced friendship once and found, much to her own surprise and horror, that she thoroughly enjoyed it.
She met Frederique Lemaire (commonly referred to as Freddie) by accident as they were seated opposite one another in potions class and were assigned partners. She had some serious warming up to do, before she felt truly comfortable with his level of openness, but by the end of the lesson, she had cracked the first smile, which would be the first of many in his presence. For the first time she felt an urge to share things about herself which she would otherwise have considered private, although she never truly opened up to him.
However wonderful it felt to have a friend, because the pair of them grew thick as thieves over the course of a few months, Nova was well aware, that her parents would never approve of the match. Freddie's family differed from her own in every way imaginable, especially regarding their views on muggles and muggle-born wizards. Purposefully, she refrained from telling Freddie the truth, just like she never mentioned his name at home.
But the truth has a way of seeping out of even the smallest of holes, and that is what happened. Her father was furious with her and made sure to let her know. She was away from school for weeks, and when she returned, she had retired back into her shell of quiet solitude. She never told Freddie the truth. That her father had forbidden her to speak to him and threatened his life, if she ever defied him like that again. To him, her friendship with the kind Hufflepuff was complete and utter betrayal to her heritage. He would rather have her be sad and lonely than to have her mingle with wizards below her status.
So lonely she became. Freddie, naturally, distanced himself from her after being turned down several times. She could see the confusion in his eyes, and it killed her not to be able to talk to him. It still does. Yet she keeps her mouth shut, in order to keep him, and herself, safe.
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AT THE CORE
"You found me when I knew nothing.
You molded me to your own designs. To your desires.
And you thought that I could never break free.
Well, you were wrong."
– Colette
▻ O B E D I E N T
adj. | obe· di· ent | ō-ˈbē-dē-ənt
1. Complying or willing to comply with an order or request, 2. Submissive to another's authority.
Nova was raised to obey her parents, and anyone who have ever demanded anything of her. Of course, she does have a will of her own, but doing what she is told comes quite naturally to her. She rarely complains about being given orders either.▻ C A R E F U L
adj. | care· ful | ˈker-fəl
1. Making sure of avoiding potential danger, mishap, or harm; cautious, 2. Showing thought and attention.
Going hand in hand with being obedient, she has learned to be quite careful not to step on her father's toes over the years. He has quite a temper, and so she has learnt to read even the smallest of signs in his behaviour to avoid getting herself into trouble.
▻ P E R F E C T I O N I S T
n. | per· fec· tion· ist | pər-ˈfek-shə-ˌni-zt
1. Refusing to accept any standard short of perfection.
Whatever it concerns schoolwork or extracurricular activities, Nova always puts a lot of hard work and effort into her doings. Being a perfectionist takes up a lot of her energy, but she is very persistent and enjoys harvesting the fruits of her efforts.▻ C O L D
adj. | cold | ˈkōld
1. Lacking in passion, emotion, enthusiasm, ardor, etc.; dispassionate, 2. Not affectionate, cordial, or friendly; unresponsive.
Appearing cold on the surface is more like a mask she wears in order to have the outside world keep a healthy distance from her. She does not particularly enjoy pushing people away, yet she believes it is a necessity.
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ASTROLOGY
C A N C E R
"I feel so much that it is hard for me at times
to feel anything at all."
– Mary Kate Teske
Imaginative· Intuituitive· Sensitive individual· Loyal and giving, and rarely expects anything in return· Faithful· Loves deeply· Admires those they are close to.
This woman wears her heart on her sleeve. She endures. She is the daisy bending in the wind and rain, always surviving. She is calm. Sympathetic. Her heart can heal any wound. The natural nurturer of the horoscope wheel, Cancer energy helps us connect. She is infectious. She is both peaceful and passionate. She is strong-willed and persistent. She is emotional, symbolised by the Crab, with its imprenetrable shell and vulnerable underside, she is a host, a carer and a protector with the power of a ruler.
Queen of the waters, this woman is ruled completely by the moon, the celestial body of feeling and emotions. She brings warmth and fruition. She pays attention to moods, she is gentle and compassionate. She is feminine and romantic. Beautifully refined. She is a woman of sensation. She judges the world through intuition and emotion, as opposed to logic. Her ambience tells a tale about her truest beauty. She rules the inner self, arousing our souls deepest desires and emotional cravings. 'Suddenly everything was beautiful. The way she viewed the world was nothing more but a reflection of herself.'
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POWERS & ABILITIES
W I T C H
PUREBLOOD
"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings oblivion.
I'll face my fear and permit it to pass over me and through me."
– Dune
Wizardkind are humans that are born with the ability to perform magic. The magical ability is an inherited trait, usually passed from parent to child. While pure-bloods are born of two wizarding parents and half-bloods are often born of one wizard and one muggle or muggle-born parent, muggle-born wizards and witches are born with their magical abilities because they are distant descendants of a squib (a magical child with no magical abilities) whom marries into a muggle-family. From that point on, the branch of the wizarding family often loses all traces of its wizarding legacy, which resurfaces many generations later in a muggle-born descendant.
|CHARMS|A charm, also known as an enchantment, is a spell that adds certain properties to an object or individual. Charms are distinguished from transfigurations in that a charm adds or changes properties of an object; it focuses on altering what the object does as opposed to what the object is. For example, the Colour Change Charm causes something to flash different colours; the Levitation Charm causes an object to levitate, the Cheering Charm improves upon a creature's mood.
|TRANSFIGURATION|Transfiguration is a branch of magic that focuses on the alteration of the form or appearance of an object, via the alteration of the object's molecular structure. Transfiguration can be done to most (if not all) objects and, as with most forms of magic, it includes - but is hardly limited to - Transfiguration spells.
|JINXES & CURSES|A curse was a type of dark charm which was used for the worst kinds of dark magic. The most heinous of the three dark charms, curses came in many strengths and forms, but were usually reserved for causing immense suffering to the victim, such as excruciating pain, mind control, or even death.
|POTIONS|Potions (Latin potio, 'beverage') are magical mixtures commonly brewed in cauldrons and used to create a number of magical effects on the drinker. Potions range in effects, nature, and brewing difficulty. An example of a beginners potion is the Cure for Boils, which is the first potion learned at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredibly advanced and challenging one is the Polyjuice Potion, that even adult Witches and Wizards have trouble with.
|APPARITION|Apparition is a magical form of transportation, in which the user travels instantly from one location to another, without traversing the space in-between. This is accomplished by having the user focus on a desired location in their mind and then purposely disappearing from where they were, to reappear at the desired location. Apparition is by far the fastest way to get to a desired destination, but is tricky to pull off correctly and disastrous if botched. The ability to apparate was a relatively advanced skill for wizards.
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SIGNATURE
"She knew she was really sad
when she stopped loving the things she loved."
– Atticus
