Absit Omen RPG

The younger Hufflepuff's gasp was expected, the dark mark was serious business, even so long after Voldemort's defeat. She looked towards the headmaster as he moved to find what looked like a tiny bottle near Professor Malfoy's seat. How strange. Her gaze shifted back towards Aoide. "No, he wouldn't hire anyone that was a danger to us," she reassured the girl. Not intentionally in any case. There was so much speculation that ran rampant about the Potions Professor, but it was all in his past. "He was not on the right side of things during the war, but he was also not much older than us then."

Aoide asked if she liked the professor and she grew thoughtful for a moment, then gave a delicate shrug of her shoulders. "I don't not like him, I suppose, but I'm not sure that I'd say that I like him either. I don't know him as a person. He's one of our professors and should garner at least some respect for that.  I don't like what I know about him from his past, but that is his past. I should hope that he's grown and changed by now." It was hard to come back from such a dark, checkered past, she supposed, but she was all about second chances, even for someone with such a questionable past and so far he'd done nothing to worry her about his intentions towards the school and it's students.

The other girl was so young and innocent and the things that this prank surrounded didn't even occur to her. She seemed to take it at simple face value. They did to Charlie, once her attention was brought to it, but that was because she studied all the time and history and the wars absorbed a great deal of her time. The 'face' wasn't perfect, but she'd seen enough and the headmaster's words only confirmed it.

"It wasn't anything done to his person, no... but the 'face' represented a dark time for everyone. If I'm not mistaken, it was meant to be a Dark Mark. Or rather look like one. Someone was reminding him of his past." It was not a spectacular past to be sure, but she figured that he was trying to move on and make up for his past by teaching... or something along those lines. Unfortunately, some pasts were harder to escape.

Charlie blinked as she fully drew her attention out of the book and into the dining hall where it seemed that mild chaos had erupted as Professor Malfoy realized what was going on and stormed out, much to the amusement of the students. Her pale gaze shifted to Aoide and she gave the young Hufflepuff a little smile at her query. "It is if you really like plants," she replied before the headmaster's attention to the matter made her swallow nervously despite having had no hand in the mischief.

"Rancid... in very bad taste. That was a horrible prank." Of course, she couldn't help the stab of guilt at her own momentary amusement, but the headmaster was right about there being better ways to express discontent. She closed her book and decided to focus on eating as the hall gradually settled down, making sure to give Aoide another smile so as not to discourage her from asking questions. She remembered being a first year all too well and there was nothing wrong with being inquisitive.

She gave a slow nod as the other girl explained her predicament. She had never really considered just how heightened a werewolf's senses might be. How crazy was that? But it made sense as they were far more than the humans they had once been. "I can only imagine what that must be like," she said, making sure to talk a bit more softly so as not to add to the mix that Lucinda was dealing with any more than she already had.

They'd certainly seen each other over the past years, but she hadn't really ever struck up a conversation with the other girl in the past. Even if she seemed a bit distracted, Charlie was glad that she had done so today. "I don't think so. At least not in recent years. About time to make up for lost time?" she offered hopefully. A tiny shrug accompanied a sheepish smile at the question on her classes. "All of them. Along with Ancient Runes and Care of Magical Creatures, of course. This is my favorite elective class. Well, most days it is. Today... not so much. How about you?"

There were days when she interacted more with her fellow Hufflepuffs at mealtime, looking lively and enjoying the banter that often abounded when everyone came together, but today was not one of those days. Today she had her food off to one side slightly, half ignored as she took the occasional bite while reading a book on herbology. She didn't really register the tittering and outright laughter at first as her focus was wholly on the tome in front of her, but it was hard to miss as more and more students reacted to something. She looked up, blinking in confusion before her gaze followed the looks and fingers of the other students, at her own house table and at the others. What she saw had her eyes going wide and an 'o' forming upon her lips before she snapped her mouth shut, her own lips twitching at Professor Malfoy's predicament.

Of course, she was immediately contrite when he fumbled and flailed, trying to see what had everyone laughing at him. That part was funny to see, she'd be lying if she said otherwise, but she couldn't help but feel bad for him as he stormed out of the hall between the long length of the tables. He certainly didn't have the best past by any means, but what a humiliating thing... and in front of the entire school!

She nodded as Lucinda confirmed the event and her expression grew more serious as the other girl mentioned that it wouldn't be fun. Things like that rarely were and thankfully were not a frequent occurrence. She couldn't even imagine how it might feel from her fellow student's point of view given her recent transformation. She certainly hadn't asked to be turned and now she was suddenly in the crosshairs of people that hated because they were scared or didn't understand. Or more likely both. Charlie felt bad for not really considering just how much it might have effected her on a more personal level and she was glad that she had decided to talk to her. "I don't imagine any protest is, but I hope that it goes well for you," she offered softly.

Charlie gave her a little smile at the likely rhetorical question. "Yes, you should definitely go afterwards if you want to. You deserve a bit of fun!" Especially if she had to do the protest first. She caught the slight wince as Lucinda closed her eyes and her brows furrowed with concern. "Are you all right?" She of course had no clue what Lucinda was going through with her senses, but she was worried nonetheless. Something was bothering her!

"Hogsmead? Why would... Oh! Is that tomorrow already?" She had completely lost track of the days and events and she felt bad because that was an important one. She wasn't sure that she was ready to be a part of any protests or anything, but for what it was worth, she liked Lucinda and others that been turned into werewolves. She had no illusions that they were dangerous in their beastial form, but right now, she was just a girl, another student just like her and she deserved to be treated as such and not scorned for something that she certainly hadn't asked for.

She suddenly felt self-conscious for her lapse and blushed a bit when Lucinda asked if she really didn't have any plans at all for tomorrow. "No, I don't, or at least I didn't. Maybe I should go too? It might be fun to loo around afterwards, shop a little maybe." She wasn't entirely sure what the plan was for the whole SAWS thing, but she could plan around it if Lucinda didn't mind filling her in. She opened the large door and held it for Lucinda, then breathed a sigh of relief as it closed and the outside chill was cut off from them.

She started as a rather large burst of flame came from Lucinda's wand and was unable to help the feeling of relief that followed her surprise that there wasn't really anything nearby to catch fire before the mini-inferno shrank down to the size of a candle flame. The other young witch agreed to join her and blew out he flaming wand as if it were a giant match stick, which had her smiling for some reason as Lucinda stood and joined her. Charlie turned gratefully towards the castle with her newfound companion, eager for both the hot chocolate and warm fires within.

At Lucinda's question she gave a slight shrug of one shoulder. "Nothing much for now, other than a bit of studying." It was rare that a day went by that she didn't have her nose in a book to expand on something that she already knew or to read up on something new. It wasn't the be all, end all of her life of course, but it was a big part of it. She gave Lucinda a friendly smile. "What about you? Anything interesting planned?" she asked, curious to know more of the girl that often seemed too serious these days. Granted, she understood that she was going through quite a lot under the circumstances and must have a lot on her mind.

She saw the other girl flinch, but wasn't quite sure why. Maybe she really did just want to be alone? She almost decided to just give her a wave and head off when she said that she was okay, but she knew that she'd worry and wonder and she could leave straight away if that was what Lucinda really wanted. She'd been through a lot and didn't need a busy-body... but maybe she needed a friend? "Yeah, or you can call me Charlie if you like, either is fine really." Her mother hated her nickname, but it seemed so much friendlier than her full name and she loved it.

"Good, I'm glad. You just looked a bit distracted or something and it's so cold out..." She really wasn't sure how to respond to the almost curt reply. It couldn't hurt to reach out in friendship though. It wasn't as if they hadn't seen each other forever in the halls of Hogwarts with both being fourth years, but they'd never really gotten to know each other or anything. Lucinda being a werewolf now didn't scare her, although perhaps it should have on some level, but all she saw was a fellow-student in the other girl. And maybe a friend? "I was thinking of getting some hot chocolate, would you like to come?" she asked, figuring a simple invitation to join her was a good a start as any and she could tell her to sod off just as easily, so it was all up to Lucinda.

She was in a hurry to get inside, but she caught sight of Lucinda flopping down on the grass. She couldn't tell if she was just bored or upset about something. Cold as she had gotten, she couldn't imagine lingering outside because of boredom, which meant that it might be the latter. Lucinda was not part of her house, but she was a forth year too and they were in pretty much every class together. Even if that were not the case, Charlie knew that she'd at least check on her, or anyone that seemed out of sorts, unless there was something really pressing calling her away. Getting herself warm was not that pressing, all in all. "Hey there Lucinda! You all right?" She couldn't help but watch the little flame on the end of the other girl's wand. Probably not very warm, but still very nice!

She arrived a bit late to the party, having been distracted by a book that she had been reading, which was nothing new for her of course. Her gaze rose to see the others up in the air and she had to smile, loving the comradery between the different houses and years that she saw up there. Charlie had no interest in joining the game, far happier to be on the ground in this case, although she did rather love flying on her broom... just not for Quidditch. Smiling and waving to all of them, should they be looking, she took a seat on the ground with a few other spectators to watch the makeshift game.

She was frowning slightly in concentration as she tried to get the details just so. She would have to remember the coloring later as she didn't have her colored pencils with her right now and of course, that was what had caught her attention in the first place, but she was fairly certain that her memory would serve her well. With her attention so focused on the drawing pad she didn't hear the other girl's approach and even began to hum softly to herself, which masked it even farther and there was no reason to be cautious in here. The gardens were a place of peace and quiet to work or reflect on the beauty of the world around you... or simply enjoy the view.

Being attacked by a young Mandrake-screeching banshee was the farthest from her mind.

The scream had her gasping and nearly dropping her pad. Her pencil did clatter to the ground as she fumbled to both recover her drawing pad and try to spin around to see whatever had made the spine-chilling scream. Her head whipped around faster than the rest of her and she caught sight of Gwenna leaping at her. Her silvery blue eyes went wide and she stumbled away from the girl in a awkward half side-ways, half backwards move, lost her footing altogether and ended up on the ground even before the girl had a chance to make contact, if she even did. Charlie's pad went flying after all, landing on the ground a couple feed away from her.

Yesterday had been considerably warmer and the sudden drop in temperature had thrown her completely. Normally her excitement in class over whatever magical creature that they were learning about would have been enough to distract her from the discomfort of being so cold, but flobberworms were hardly the most stimulating topic to keep one's attention in the first place. They were ugly,  boring and disgustingly large, although surprisingly useful . Their one redeeming feature was that they could be used in various potions. This was the first time that she'd seen live ones up close though which she couldn't decide if it had been a good or bad thing.

Other than that fact they had been entirely uninspiring and had done little to take her mind off of being cold as her cheeks and nose took on a decidedly rosy tint. By the time the class had ended she was chilled to the bone, having gotten distracted reading before class and had rushed outside without her scarf or gloves, unprepared for the surprising chill in the air. As the class began to dissipate she grabbed her satchel and hurried back towards the castle, intent on warming up and maybe getting some hot chocolate or a steaming cup of tea to drink. Anything to warm her up. For once she was grateful not to have another class outdoors. Normally she loved it, but her forgetfulness today had her more than eager to get inside and stay there.

Charlie strolled through the gardens, a soft smile upon her face as she took in the beauty of the flowers and breathed in their delicate aromas as she passed each one, in no particular hurry. Normally when she found herself here, it was to investigate one plant or another for a potion that they'd been learning about in class, not to while away time aimlessly. She had a tendency to delve deeper into the ingredients required when time allowed her to, fascinated by the incredible variety of uses for even some seemingly mundane plants and flowers. Classes had let out and she simply had felt the need for a bit of a quiet break and her wandering steps had brought her here.

She saw a particularly beautiful cluster of rose bushes, a riot of pinks and white and red blossoms... with a single yellow rose among them. The sight gave her pause and a bemused look touched her face as she came to a stop. Reaching out she brushed her fingertips across the soft petals, wondering how it seemed to be growing where it shouldn't be. Surely there were other yellow buds hidden away, but for now, it alone shone like a ray of sunshine. Shifting her pack she dug through it until she pulled out a sketch pad and pencil before she let it settle to the ground by her feet. Flipping to a clean page she began a rough sketch. She wasn't great at it, but was getting better and drawing the beauty of nature, even in a controlled environment, simply brought her joy. It only took a few minutes for her to get lost in her task and lose track of anything beyond her little bubble.

Your Nickname: Jenn
Have you read and do you agree to the Code of Conduct?: Yes
Are you over thirteen? Yes
How did you find us and decide to write with us? Friend
If you have written other characters here: No
If Yes, list them all: N/A
Is this a Primary or Secondary Character?: Primary

Full Character Name: Charline Ánnailís Sinclair
Character Birthday & Age: June 11, 1997; 14yo
City & Country of Birth: Belfast, Ireland
Pureblood, Halfblood or Muggleborn: Halfblood
House & Year: Hufflepuff, 4th Year

Wand: 11” pale golden Applewood wand with Unicorn Tail Hair. The wand is slender, straight and smooth, with just enough burnished ‘knot’ in the handle to allow for a sure grip.

Physical Description:
Standing at 5’5” Charlie is not particularly tall or short, but she is exceptionally striking with a slender frame and long thick waves of honey blonde hair that cascade easily to her waist. Her skin is a soft ivory tone and still has the flawless look of youth. Long thick lashes frame large startling silvery-blue eyes that seem to see everything and that come alive when she smiles.

While she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and has her fair share of fancy clothing, she has never let her status dictate her look and can be found in anything from a formal gown for a black tie event to cowboy boots and jean shorts to cashmere sweaters. She is most often found in comfortable jeans and a nicer quality blouse or shirt. It all depends on her mood, really, so anything goes.

She knows that she is pretty enough, but her looks really aren’t overly important to her (that is more her mother’s department). She likes to look nice, but it’s more for herself than for anyone else… although she does take pride in her impressive mane of hair and is fond of trying different styles… which most often translates to different ways of braiding all or part of it and occasionally adorning it with flowers.


Personality Description:
From the time she was a young child, toddling about her family’s estate, she was friendly and curious, never having met a stranger and ever ready to explore and see what new things that she could discover about the world around her. Not much has changed in that respect as she’s grown into a young woman that is just as eager to learn and that has a quiet zest for life. Charlie (a nickname that her mother does not approve of, but she adores) loves to make friends and she loves learning new things, soaking up information like a sponge and asking for more, whether it be from books, classes or real life experiences. As much as she loves to explore and learn hands-on, when it is time to hit the books, she takes it quite seriously and has been known to overdo it on the studying and need reminding to eat and sleep when she gets fixated on something.

Her family means the world to her, even if they drive her crazy sometimes because of her adventurous nature clashing with what is expected of her. It’s not very lady-like to go traipsing through trees to investigate something that you read in some obscure tome when you should be primping for one party or another! Her father at least tries to understand her drive, but her mother all-too-often frets over her lack of decorum. Her eldest brother is the only one in the family that truly seems to get her in every way and she looks up to him more than he'll ever know. She wouldn’t trade any of them for the world.

Friends are near and dear to her. She makes them easily and while not everyone ends up in her inner circle, those that are closest to her hold a special place in her heart, bestowed and unshakable devotion and surprisingly fierce protectiveness given her soft and gentle nature. She trusts easily and will help anyone that she can, but this also opens her up to being hurt when her naive belief that everyone is good is put to the test. Even so, she is assuredly one to give second chances. And thirds… And even forths...


History:
Charline Ánnailís Sinclair, better known to her friends as Charlie, was born to Caylan and Angelique Sinclair, almost ten years to the day after her brother blessed the young couple as their first child and only son. Charlie was their youngest and only daughter and was doted on greatly from the day that she was born. Her parents were an odd pairing to be sure, with Caylan being far more down to earth and Angelique always striving to better their family name and boost their status in any way that she could. That is not to say that they weren’t a loving family, they were, even if unconventionally in love. Charlie was especially close to her brother and from the moment he first held her as a baby they shared a special bond.

She laughed and played like any child, but her days were equally filled with dance classes and lessons on etiquette, as well as her regular scholarly classes. Of course, those lessons were through tutors as her mother had no desire for her daughter to mingle with ‘ordinary’ children. Perhaps one of the reasons why Charlie figured out early on that she far preferred to learn about the world around her first hand, rather than from books and why the magical side of her world fascinated her beyond measure… a love that was only fostered when her brother went off to Hogwarts and made sure to write her frequently while he was away, telling her of some of his adventures in various classes and how much fun it was to be a part of the wizarding world. 

She counted the days until her letter finally arrived and you couldn’t have found a more excited girl in all of Ireland when the missive found her eager young hands. While her mother fretted about sending her off on her own, to be subject to who knew what influences without her motherly intervention, she was also eager for her daughter to prove herself a powerful witch and bring more status to the family. Charlie looked forward to the freedom that Hogwarts would allow her and to the simple prospect of learning in a new and exciting setting where she would be free to meet new people and make lasting friendships.

Her first year at Hogwarts was a chaotic whirlwind as she adjusted to everything, but other than a few stressed sessions worrying over particular tests, she settled in quite well and quickly grew to love everything about the school, her home away from home. She was more than eager to fit in and make friends and that was exactly what she did, regardless of year or House.

Charlie’s second year also seemed a blur to her, but her third year stood out as that was when she began her transfiguration classes and learned of the Animagus spell. No, she didn’t need to learn it for any particular reason, but she’d always had an affinity with animals and nature and the idea of getting closer to that through such a difficult, challenging spell struck her as exactly right. Right enough that she is now on her fourth attempt since learning the spell the year before,... her last attempt this year before time runs out on the time-consuming spell and she has to wait to try again until her fifth year begins.


Classes:

Core Classes Astronomy Charms Defense Against the Dark Arts Herbology History of Magic Potions Transfiguration No

Electives Study of Ancient Runes No Care of Magical Creatures No No

How Do You Fit Into Your House?:
While there seemed to be a moment of contemplation of her placement from the Sorting Hat, ultimately her deeply ingrained sense of loyalty and devotion won out over even her thirst for knowledge and she was placed in Hufflepuff, where she's been quite happy and at home these past years.

Writing Sample:
Charlie had read and reread the spell so many times that she could have explained every detail of it in her sleep by the time the full moon rolled around once more. She was determined for it to succeed this time. She had done everything right, she knew it, and yet fretted over the possibility of another failed attempt. The taste of the mandrake leaf in her mouth was all-too-familiar by now and the incantation Amato Animo Animato Animagus had been recited countless times at sunrise and sunset during her previous and current attempt at becoming an Animagus.

She hurried outside as the sun descended, her heart beating excitedly in her chest. This was the closest that she had ever come in the process. Holding the phial and the other precious ingredients clenched in her hands over her heart as the moment of sunset hit, she whispered the words, “Amato Animo Animato Animagus.” And because it seemed right to do so, she repeated the chant once more, feeling the plea to her magic deep in her soul. “Amato Animo Animato Animagus.” Now… now, she need only wait for the moon to rise.

Far too excited to go back inside she walked farther out, her silvery gaze cast upwards, brows furrowing as the clouds began to slowly roll in, threatening everything yet again. “Go away,” she murmured to herself in a whisper, her tongue touching the leaf tucked into her cheek as she thought what it would mean if the clouds continued to cover the sky as the moon began to rise. She would have to wait another month and start again. Hot tears burned her eyes, threatening to fall, but she blinked them back and took a calming breath. There was time yet… The night sky began to brighten as the moon came over the horizon and then the cloud cover grew even thicker and she clenched her teeth as disappointment rolled over her. “Go away! I’ve done everything right… just, go away!” she yelled out to the uncaring sky.

A single beam of moonlight broke through, touching the ground a hundred yards away, as if to tease her. Hope filled her and she took off running, determined to get there in time. She had to make it...


Sum up your character in one paragraph:
Charlie is friendly and outgoing and tends to make friends easily. She is loyal and committed to things that matter to her and is rarely deterred once she gets her mind set on something. She loves to learn and doesn’t mind a bit of adventure in the process. She takes her studies very seriously and is tenacious and determined to succeed with any undertaking,... such as finally completing her Animagus spell. Third time’s the charm,... right?