Your Nickname: Nuri
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Is this a Primary or Secondary Character?: Primary




Physical Description:
Harper is in possession of a solid, feminine figure with a generous chest and a roll of puppy fat in her hips. In her work heels, she stands at about 5’9’’ but without them, a good two inches shorter. There is something about the way she walks that tells you she would look better barefooted in the summer, rather than in work attire. Her hair is long and red - well taken care of.

She is at home with her freckles and worry lines. Harper’s blue eyes tend towards emotion but her lips are mean and thoughtful without intending to be: as a result she always looks a little sorry for you.

Her wardrobe is simple. Work robes, where necessary, and plain knit dresses underneath in the winter. Harper prefers casual wear: midi skirts with floral prints, practical blouses, thin knit sweaters. She enjoys painting her nails but more often than not, they are chipped.

Personality Description:
A bookish witch. There is a confident, assertive undercurrent to Miss Graves when she speaks, though on the whole she is a rather quiet person who would rather stay at home with the Wireless than go out for drinks. Which isn’t to say she doesn’t attend social or work events, only that she faces the introvert’s nightmare of having to recover from such things.

At the Ministry, in the privacy of her own office, Harper talks to herself. This is usually when she has to appear before the Wizengamot or participate in various legal inquiries. She is composed during procedural situation in a soft and unflappable way. Her coworkers would say she takes on more than she can chew but Harper is aware of her habits, and will try to pace herself if she is feeling stressed.

Although she speaks in a gentle voice, it is with the purpose of drawing the appropriate attention when she must be louder and more forceful. Her accent, a polished Manhattanite cadence, is obvious. Harper is a naturally sympathetic and emotional person; she has always been like this, and she tries to make it work to her advantage.

Otherwise, you might consider her a bit of a stereotype - enjoys long walks and sunsets, is definitely a dog person, sings as well as your average Fwooper, and will happily indulge in retail therapy.


History:

AMERICA
Harper was born in Manhattan to a wizard and a muggleborn witch in their mid-forties, and named after the author of To Kill a Mockingbird. The Graves might be known as distant relatives of Percival Graves, whose identity had once been stolen by Grindwald in the 1920s.

Mr and Mrs Graves had fallen in love only recently and chose to start their family late - in the end, it turned out that she was the only child they would have. Parenthood rather took the pair by surprise and Harper had been a hyperactive child. Loud and imperious in the privacy of their little apartment… painfully shy around strangers. Suffice to say she spent a couple of months every year with her grandparents on their horse range outside of Odessa, Texas.

A lot of her childhood was spent minding herself; she burned through what little literature for children her parents provided, and would go on to read from the grown-up’s library instead. Harper wasn’t always the brightest child but she had a good memory and a knack for persuasion. When she began school at Salem Witches Institute of Magic, this same tendency helped her to make many friends (as well as enemies).

Harper met her future husband shortly after graduation from Salem with above average grades. He was a British wizard of similar age, and the pair found one another whilst she was celebrating in Las Vegas for a witches’ weekend with her friends. They clicked instantly but did not - contrary to stereotype - drunkenly get married on the great strip.

However, they did get married in Manhattan a week later, after Jeremy had met her parents. It was a small ceremony and the start of a great adventure for the young woman. She did not take his surname in marriage.

UNITED KINGDOM (1991 - 1997)
Harper moved to London in a year that others might only recall because Harry Potter had finally arrived at Hogwarts. She was able to catch up on a great deal of contemporary history in Great Britain by reading articles on the subject of Potter, as well as his preceding history.

Her husband was training to be an Obliviator at the Ministry of Magic - they were both extremely busy people, as she shortly went on to begin studying wizarding law. Although very much in love, she and Jeremy only ever saw one another every evening for dinner and restful slumber.

When the second wizarding war broke out, Jeremy insisted that Harper return to America for a while. He had the disposition of a man who believed he was responsible for his wife: she would only be a burden to protect. They exchanged angry words. Harper was a skilled dueller and a deceptively shrewd person. Protecting her was not necessary. Ultimately, she did end up leaving before the Battle of Hogwarts - not because of the political climate but because she wanted to separate from Jeremy. When events were solved by 1998, Harper returned to the UK to continue her work but rented a small cottage in Surrey instead of going back to her husband. Jeremy was served papers for divorce not long after.

DEPARTMENT OF MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT (1999 - 2005)
Harper continued to work as an attorney at the Ministry of Magic, mostly taking general cases for trial before the Wizengamot.  After her divorce she chose to specialise in criminal defence, especially as they were in great demand due to events of the wizarding war. Although she did not always sympathise with her clients (some who were dark wizards) she was adamant on upholding her principles in the fair treatment of these prisoners. To mistreat them, Harper reasoned, would be as bad as aligning oneself with their unethical conduct.

It is fair to say that these busy years helped her  acquire reputation for being a hindrance to the prosecuting parties of level two. Still, she made it a point never to intentionally antagonise the MLE. Her social life was as occupied as her professional one but always on a more superficial level. Harper had the odd brief relationship with various Aurors, Ministry workers, and other lawyers.

PRESENT DAY (2005 - 2011)
There has been little else variation in Harper’s life over the past five to six years. Every Christmas she returns to New York to visit her parents, and every Spring to Texas for her grandparents. Her ex-husband has since remarried and they are civil to one another outside of the odd argument in the elevators (when neither of them have had enough coffee). Sometimes, to the displeasure of his wife, Jeremy will have dinner with Harper and they will speak of old times.

The highlight of her day is coming home to her small cottage in Surrey, where she keeps a dark brown Field Spaniel and a little herb garden. It is a peaceful bit of greenery just outside of the muggle residential area, surrounded by farmland and young wilderness. Harper is friendly with the non-magical locals but she does not socialise with them, in spite of her own upbringing in a muggle city. Even though she is dedicated to her job she sometimes feels like she has lost direction in life, and wonders if she is missing out on something more interesting.


Describe your job duties and how you go about them:
As a Defence Attorney, Miss Graves is assigned to criminals who are unable to afford their own lawyers. If she is particularly keen on a case she will volunteer herself for the role. Harper  has two caseloads going at any given time: one of them usually requiring court presence and the other an over-the-table negotiation with the DMLE. If there is an unusual influx of criminal arrests, she can be pressed to handle three to four more cases in different capacities. It is her preference to give each client her full attention.

As soon as she gets in at about a quarter to nine, Harper will begin to prepare to meet clients. This is usually done over breakfast in one form of another. Her afternoon is spent knee-deep in paperwork or research; she is conscientious about putting the Ministry's librarians to good use and has a good rapport with many of them. Harper frequently runs an hour into overtime to put together what she needs for the next day.

If she has a court trial, she will be certain to begin prepping long before the appointment time. Her presence at the Wizengamot is typically a welcome one - in spite of her determination, she is known to be level-headed and witty in her statements. Best of all, she rarely holds a grudge. She is known to her colleagues as "Miss Graves" but likes for her less repugnant clients to call her by her Christian name.

Elaborate on your expertise in your field:
Harper began training and then working as an attorney at the Ministry of Magic since she was 21 years old. After seven years of general and wizarding trade law, she began to specialise in criminal law. She has been functioning in the capacity of a Defence Attorney for the DMLE since the early 2000s.

Writing Sample: N/A

Sum up your character in one paragraph:
Harper Graves is a defence attorney in her early 40s, who has a reputation for being sympathetic but professionally efficient. She is pleasant enough to be around and is committed to her work. Harper might have made a better Healer or Librarian, yet her desire to see justice carried out properly is what drew her to become an attorney.