Physical Description

Charlotte is not excessively tall, standing somewhere between petite and average, but has a pleasantly proportioned body and nipped waist nonetheless. She has light skin with yellow undertones, and can manage the tiniest bit of tan in the summer months before her complexion caves to the English rain. Her hair fairs much better, however, and while her delicate nose will turn pink at the onset of a cold, her locks never change with the seasons. From birth to adolescence to the present, Charlotte has always possessed rich dark brown hair, a few inches past her shoulders and often nicely wavy. She secretly, constantly compares her own best feature to the similarly lush locks of a certain cousin.

Charlotte’s eyes are a wan blue, and appear more intense than they probably are, due to the stark contrast of her brunette hair. Dark lashes and barely-arched brows frame her childish gaze. Her mouth is similarly noticeable, mostly because it seems plump against her oblong face and small ears. Her puffy, pale pink lips are often set in an unreadable line beneath Charlotte’s pert nose.

The young woman’s smile is much less icy than the rest of her features; big teeth and a slight overbite couldn’t possibly be intimidating, anyway. When she grins genuinely, Charlotte’s eyes crinkle above steadfast cheekbones.

Personality Description

Generally friendly (sometimes overly-friendly) toward the people she likes or finds interesting, Charlotte is usually good company. At least on a short term basis, or in small doses. For those people she dislikes, she is annoying and even something of a threat. Like many a Slytherin, she has a hard time letting things go. But, on the flip side, she expects others to quickly forget or forgive. This sometimes leaves Charlotte standing in the rain, for lack of a better phrasing.

Charlotte is someone whose priorities one might question. While her nature is not bad, her heart is not always in the right place, either. She often thinks about herself before others, sometimes simply out of habit and not to be purposefully sabotaging. While she is clever and worldly, she also frequently dons a pair of rose-colored glasses, so to speak. When they come off, she tends to overdramatize her own hurtles and belittle or neglect the troubles of others; this is a major flaw for those who befriend her. In fact, Charlotte is a young woman who, despite being perfectly matured, still has trouble keeping friends long term. She has plenty of fair-weather acquaintances, being sociable and fun-loving, but not many people upon whom she can depend... or who can depend upon Charlotte.

When faced with something forgotten or underestimated, or in making a terrible mistake, Charlotte will oft respond with simple, devastatingly passive surprise, even in times when she knows full well what’s happened (and she is quite often aware). Putting the blame anywhere but on her own shoulders seems the safest route. Extreme guilt and consequence are things she’s still learning to feel. There are times, too, when she’s genuinely naive.

Still, Charlotte has much more upstairs than the average, fellow moneyed twenty-something. She enjoys being a witch, enjoyed the magic she learned school, and she enjoys discovering new things, too. She doesn’t quickly buy into the waves of fear or gossip that habitually spread through the little wizarding community on hot, boring, summer days, but there are some things she is unrealistic about (such as her own goals in life, the boundaries that bind her, or the meaning of true hardship). The young woman rolls her eyes at blood prejudices, and, considering herself a “self-made” witch (haha), she doesn’t write off every unemployed nobody or societal outsider she meets (though she doesn’t exactly go looking for them, either).

Charlotte can be quite catty when the mood strikes. Hogwarts brought of the best of it, but it hasn't died by any stretch. She is good at arguing, and is hardheaded when it comes to backing out of a challenge. She hates being wrong almost as much as she hates losing-- and those are two very different things. Her willingness to keep up a quarrel has proved interesting when it comes to dealing with her cousin, Quincy, of whom Charlotte is quite possibly jealous.

Though she has grown a bit more cautious and apparently tame over the years, there is still that temptation for underhanded trickery and reckless fun. Charlotte is good at evading the the causes of her own problems, and is also good at pushing people away, or avoiding important obligations. She is childish in this sense. She is also sensitive, and often lets it be known. Charlotte live in bouts of fast and slow, and her way of showing affection or apologizing for things (when she can bring herself to do it) has a similarly sporadic pace and fuzzy message.

With a sweet tooth and a knack for indulgence, Charlotte sometimes gets herself into trouble. She will do or say things she shouldn’t do or say, and will rise to challenges that are morally questionable (though not exactly purely evil).

Charlotte privately wants to find herself. Despite her easy success, she often feels stuck in a snow globe. She has spurs of inspiration that spark and fade, leaving her bored or restless or let down. When she does find something she loves and sticks to it, she can be quite engaging and sincere, and really lives up to her own standard.

History

In startling contrast to her darling cousin, Quincy Pratt, Healer-to-Be, the numbers of Charlotte’s brood are exactly zero.

But that, of course, is quite the jump through time to the present.

It all began for this twenty-something (alright, twenty-four-year-old)... or rather, didn’t begin... when the very honorable bachelor Nicolas St. James wed the fresh-faced Grace Coriander with both families’ encouragement. It was two years before their first son and heir, Nicolas Jr., was born, and another two before their second son, Noel, came about. The twins (another pair of boys) arrived the next year, and the St. James family were sure they were destined only for boys.

For three years, having fulfilled matronly duty, and producing not one, but four gorgeous sons, Grace pined for a daughter. Nicolas obliged for want of giving her something to distract herself, and the baby of the family, Little Lottie, breathed her first breath in a pretty spring.

Nicky was father’s ‘boy’, Noel was mother’s sensitive soul, and the twins had each other, but Charlotte was the one whom both parents wanted to pamper and please and call their own. In fact, while this St. James couple were hard-pressed to disagree during any incident in which they could defended their Little Lotte, they were also always comically competing for the rogue child’s affection. Charlotte, who took what each had to offer, could never quite be tamed (though her parents hardly wished to admit it)

Much like her older cousin Quincy’s parents (and perhaps much to the same effect), Charlotte’s mother and father had a harder time than usual sending her away to school. It had been infinitely easier, even exciting, to put the boys on the train and hear the inevitable news of their doing Slytherin house proud. But with Lotte, the thought of her babyish face not poking around her father’s office or popping up in her mother’s vanity mirror was dreadful. However else would they justify their own selfish lifestyles, if not by convincing themselves that Charlotte deserved a good life, and thus a pair of parents to lead by lavish example?

The first semester of school was a bit of a screeching halt. Sharing a room, abiding professors who couldn’t be conned quite as easily as the teachers she had before attending Hogwarts, and eating the things and at the times the school dictated didn’t come as easily as it should have for such an ambitious and precocious child.

But by that Christmas, and with four older siblings to pay her shoulder or get her out of trouble, Charlotte began to excel. She did best in Transfiguration, having a certain flourish for visually-dramatic magic and wand work. She also loved Charms, particularly those Charms that weren’t particularly useful in everyday situation, but which seemed to make Charlotte a very lucky girl at the right moments. In short, she learned to use magic in a very traditionally Slytherin way.

When her brothers left school, Charlotte’s rebellious years appeared to peak. She had her first taste of Firewhiskey, dated a few boys in the year above her, and even skipped a few lessons. (But only a few, for Charlotte knew that keeping her parents at bay was important, at least until the end of school). Concerned letters from home occasionally made their way to the breakfast table, but Charlotte had a way of soothing her parents with good marks and careful prose.

Adam Sugarbee was thirty-three when his eyes found the witchy youth across the bar in The Three Broomsticks. It was a cliched Valentine’s Day, and, thus, fate in Adam’s opinion. Charlotte, who was on a day trip with the school, spent half-an-hour smiling vaguely and making eyes at the man before disappearing without so much as an introduction. They met again when Charlotte spilled coffee on him in a Diagon Alley cafe in the summer before her seventh year. They began dating in secret, and were engaged the Christmas before Charlotte’s graduation.

While Sugarbee was a perfectly respectable suitor for anyone’s daughter, Charlotte was much too young to be his bride, both families agreed. It was with grumbles from Mr. St. James, and suspicious eyes from Adam’s mother that the two continued to see each other.

The fluffy, lovely-dovey mood lasted another healthy seven months before Adam began pestering Charlotte about setting a wedding a date, and attending to those trophy-witch duties. In short, he, as a filthy rich thirty-something, was expected to produce heirs just like Charlotte’s own mummy had done. He needed wedding-banded arm candy for dinner parties, and a perfect wife to entertain the older, blander spouses of his workmates. Charlotte thought up reasons to hold him off. In truth, she was frightened at the idea of marrying so young.

To everyone’s dismay, poor Adam perished during a business trip to Sweden, in a wonky Floo fire. The news brought tears and... admittedly, relief. Charlotte was, quite honestly, sad to see him go. She’d had affection for him, after all. But she also felt free. And the lovely sum of money-- Adam’s entire fortune-- left to his beloved fiance in his shockingly-updated will, helped the young woman in over her head to soothe the pain (or at least she assumed so, initially). In truth, Charlotte had already long ago decided that she was nowhere near ready to have screaming Adam Juniors, and had come to believe that Adam, her soul sate, was not actually her soul mate.

The fight to keep her fortune was long and drawn-out, with much protest from those pesky Sugarbee in-laws. But the papers were drawn, and the money signed over to Charlotte, with the promise that she would distance herself from the family name (as if she weren’t planning on it) and let the family keep their stuffy old estate (she happily obliged). Though certainly she persisted for her own benefit, her reasons were not entirely selfish. Charlotte knew that the Sugarbees' parent-pleasing son would smile at her victory behind closed doors... if he were still around, that was.

Moving to London at age nineteen, Charlotte bought herself a sky-high penthouse outside of Diagon Alley, and began a slew of charity work that any respectable young almost-widow would be admired for. Plus some. She soon earned a name for herself as an up-and-coming socialite, and the articles with Adam Sugarbee’s name attached became less and less frequent. By twenty-one, Charlotte St. James was simply Charlotte St. James in name and in spirit.

At twenty-four, Charlotte is currently, leisurely pursuing career options... or, rather, new forms of entertainment. She spends many days bored, and others indulging her every whim. They’re much one in the same. Her brothers have become like a second pair of parents, always owling her or annoying dropping in to spy on their over-moneyed, under-experienced baby sister.

Occupation

What is your occupation? How do you go about it?
How did you get your current occupation?
How does your past and abilities justify your current skills?

Charlotte’s occupation is Not Being Occupied. She’s not crazy about the idea of a nine-to-five, though she’s always looking for something new to hold her attention. Mostly (or undeniably) Charlotte lives on the money of her parents and her deceased fiance. She enjoys being a socialite, casually contributing her time to various community activities that look good on paper, and sticking her adorable nose where it doesn’t belong. She is looking for a more permanent, passionate pursuit in life, however. It is a slow self-fulfillment.

Writing Sample

With a bouquet of sunflowers handpicked (from a stand on a London street corner), and miraculously attained for free (the excuse of having no cash not being entirely false, as Charlotte technically didn’t have any money that a muggle might accept), the young floated into the waiting room of St. Mungo’s, and headed straight for lift with a smile and a wink at the baffled and suspicious receptionist.

Was she supposed to sign in?

Ah, well, no time!

At least she wasn’t ill or contagious. She was no harm at all, really. Only a happy face baring flowers. And who didn’t love fresh flowers?

Letting the doors slide shut before the flustered woman could bombard her with various forms and varying degrees of the word ‘no’, Charlotte began the assent to the floor where she had a surprise lunch date. (Hopefully said date actually had a lunch hour that coincided with Charlotte’s own hunger).

Stepping out the lift, she looked right, and then left, and then straight ahead, her teeth revealing themselves in a victorious smile when she spotted-- of all the people in the world (or in the hospital, anyway)-- the very same dashing person she’d come to visit.

“Quincy!” She called, her voice echoing through the long corridor. Charlotte moved swiftly toward her favorite rival cousin and extended her arms, wrapping the woman in an embrace before Quincy could dare protest. “I heard you got a divorce. Congratulations,” she said, pulling back and smiling at the woman as if she’d announced much happier news. “We can celebrate together.”

Handing her the flowers (Charlotte’s own favorite, for she hadn’t bothered to find out which sort Quincy liked), the younger woman stood there, waiting as if she expected her cousin to simply waltz out and have a drink with her. Charlotte couldn’t wait to get the details on what the new ex was up to.

“You look tired,” she mentioned,  yawning even as she said it. The smile returned to her lips, and she shrugged. “I guess we’ve both been too busy to keep up lately...” As if either of them had bothered. Generally, the pair couldn’t stand to be in the same room together for more than twenty-minutes without some controversial remark being tossed around. "How are my army of little cousins?”

Sum up your character in one paragraph.
Charlotte is a charming woman, but a bit more self-absorbed and a bit less stable than someone her age should be. She is simultaneously defiant of and unconsciously nervous about the idea of settling into a routine life. She can be competitive and catty, or sweet and engaging. She tends to be too sorry, too late, but she is learning.

Aries
The spring equinox, March 21, is the beginning of the new zodiacal year and Aries, the first sign, is therefore that of new beginnings. The young ram is adventurous, ambitious, impulsive, enthusiastic and full of energy. The Arian is a pioneer both in thought and action, very open to new ideas and a lover of freedom. They welcome challenges and will not be diverted from their purpose except by their own impatience, which will surface if they don't get quick results.

Aries subjects are courageous leaders with a genuine concern for those they command, being responsible people, it is rare that they will use their subordinates to obtain their own objectives as leaders, but occasionally it does happen. They do not make very good followers because they are too "take charge". They may be unwilling to obey or submit to directions for which they can see no reason, or with which they disagree. They are much concerned with self, both positively and negatively - self-reliant but also self centered (sometimes) and concerned with their own personal advancement and physical satisfaction. Their immense energy makes them aggressive and restless, argumentative occasionally, headstrong, quick tempered, easily offended and capable of holding grudges if they feel themselves affronted.

As the first sign in the zodiac, you, as an Arian (as you are referred to), is to simply "get something started and lead the way". The Sun in this zodiac position gives your will free rein to express itself. You could be doing this in the form of some leadership role, or by forcing others to look at themselves in a new way. You can accomplish this by knowingly carrying out a deliberate act in the name of some cause that moves you. A negative effect of this sun sign is that you could sometimes unknowingly make it hard for others to relate to you, as you really are.

In your personal relationships Arians are frank, direct and candid, and make enthusiastic and generous friends. You are liable to have a high sex drive and make passionate but fastidious lovers. There is, however, a negative side to your associations with other people. You can easily be irritated by slowness or moderation in your companions and, though yourselves sensitive, ride roughshod over the sensitivities of others. The intensity of your sexual urges can drive you to promiscuity and a Don Juan-like counting of conquests of the opposite sex. It can also trick you into early unwise marriage which may end disastrously. Arians are highly devoted to their children, even to the point of laying down their own lives, so that they might live. You will not find a more defensive and loving parent in all the zodiac.

It is preferable to be aware of your pioneering spirit and not disregard it. For in acknowledging it you not only enjoy life more, but you avoid being pushed around by others. Your nature is usually push or be pushed, with little middle ground. This can at times be objectionable to others, but you must have the freedom to act, rather then just thinking about it, getting pent-up in the process. At all costs you need to avoid negative emotions such as resentment, regret and self-pity, for they would deny you what is essential to your nature: straightforwardness.

Mentally Arians are intellectual and objective, but can be in rare situations bigoted and extremist in religion and politics. They are good champions of lost causes and last-ditch resistance. They are quick-witted but sometimes foolhardy and over optimistic, lacking thoroughness and the ability to evaluate difficulties in the undertakings into which they often rush impulsively. The great need of Aries natives is to exercise an iron self-control, to discipline the qualities and tendencies of their character to the advantage, not the detriment, of the society in which they move.

As an Arian, you like a challenge that will stir you to action. This challenge may just be frustration; or at a more controlled level, you may have clear direction and know what or whom you're fighting for. If your direction is not clear, then ask yourself and listen to your inner voice. You will come up with an answer. An Arian without a direction in which to go, or a without a cause to fight for, would be against your nature and make you more a "sheep" then a ram!

Arian, do not be afraid to be forceful, for this is the very core of your nature. If you feel fear in your heart, then look for a history of negative events in you personal history, such as violence or abuse from others. Being fearful may also indicate a household in childhood that negated independence and personal initiative in you. This could have inhibited your natural urge to go forward into life as the leader and champion you were born to be. Conversely, such bad influences could also have led you to be overly forceful, or to be unsympathetic to your own need and sensitivity.

You make good athletes and climbers, doctors, explorers (of new ideas as well as uncharted territory, the latter in these days including adventuring into outer space), soldiers, sailors and airmen, and leaders, though awkward subordinates, in industry and politics.

Much as you are the Ram, there is still the little lamb in you, which means that at times you would attain your goals more easily by gently giving in without resistance to the demands of a given social situation, rather than getting your horns entangled in something larger and more powerful than yourself. This is a talent akin to knowing the difference between what you can change, and what you cannot. This of course takes patience, the acquiring of which is definitely your greatest achievement, along with your sense of your own inner softness.

L I K E S
    * Action
    * Coming in first
    * Challenges
    * Championing Causes
    * Spontaneity

D I S L I K E S
    * Waiting Around
    * Admitting Failure
    * No Opposition
    * Tyranny
    * Other people's advice