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

Full Character Name: Ricci "Rich" Sarah de Luca
Character Birthday & Age: May 11, 1993 | 16
City & Country of Birth: born in Siena, Italy, lives in Snowdonia, Wales
Pureblood, Halfblood or Muggleborn: Pureblood
House & Year: Gryffindor, 5th


Wand: Ricci’s wand is at a solid length of 10 ¾ inches and made of canarywood. Its core is fairy hair, passed down through the women of the Manieri, and was placed into her wand by an Italian wand maker. It is fairly springy with an intricately decorated shaft, making it superior at Charms, especially love and beauty charms.

Physical Description: Even though maturing at an early age, Ricci has always liked her body. She is taller than the average woman, measuring in at five feet eight-and-a-half inches. As for her shape, she has curves and she’s not afraid to flaunt them.  She weighs about one hundred and twenty pounds which she deems a perfectly healthy weight, claiming that one being skinnier than another does not mean one is more attractive in any way, shape, or form. Her skin color is a light caramel brown which she gets from her intensely rich Italian heritage. Her family comes from all parts of Italy, which is why it is only natural for her skin to be the hue it is. Rich’s face is oval shaped and contains hazel eyes and plump lips, which she likes to keep moisturized by lip gloss and/or lip stick. She loves dabbling in makeup, but never applies more than is needed. Sometimes, she will apply outrageous colors of eye shadow and/or eyeliner, but only in minimal amounts.

On the topic of hair, Ricci’s is complicated. It is ever-changing, not by personality or mood, but rather simply wanting to change its color or style. So far, she has only changed the style of her hair once, but expects to change it again fairly soon. It is currently a spiky boy cut with bangs which she occasionally styles so they are spiked up, almost defying the laws of gravity. She was born with dark-almost-black-brown colored hair, but since second year, she has changed it twice; first to a light brown and second to its current black.

She has two tattoos; a star on her left ear and a cluster of stars trailing down her neck. Ricci is fascinated by the Muggle art of tattooing due to her aunt introducing it to her in fifth year. She plans to get more in the future. Rich also has multiple ear piercings in which she accessorizes with her outfits.

To say that Ricci is concerned about her appearance is an understatement. She will not leave her place of residence until fully presentable. She likes to wear girly pieces, such as dresses and skirts. Whilst at Hogwarts, she will wear a pleated black skirt and a long-sleeved shirt white button down with a black fitted vest embellished by scarlet, and, of course, her Gryffindor tie. As for the de Luca’s shoes, she has an extensive set of heels, both normal and outrageous. These are the footwear that she is normally seen out in. However, since they are not allowed to be worn during school hours, she has three pairs of acceptable footwear that she wears: normal black Mary Jane’s, a scarlet pair of flats topped with a tiny gold bow on each, and grey boots garnered with silver buckles. She has one pair of tennis shoes that are a staggering color of white, and only wears them when she doesn’t feel like wearing anything else. Out of school, Rich is usually spotted wearing dresses, skirts, and fashionable shorts. During the winter, she wears tights topped off by sweaters or dresses accessorized by scarves. She will also wear skinny jeans of any color (paired with the right top, of course). Of course, living in a place where hiking is a prevalent hobby, she doesn’t wear dresses to hike. She’s not that dimwitted. She wears the norm while doing so: plaid flannel shirts, jeans, and, of course, hiking boots. Her usual accessories are multiple rings and earrings, along with the occasional bracelet and necklace, when called for.

Personality Description: Coming from a family like hers, it’s no doubt that Ricci is a well put together young lady. Their supportive and caring nature helped develop the Gryffindor into what she is today. Although her self-confident demeanor often paints her portrait as vain, the fact is that she is just proud of herself and who she has become. Throughout her life, she has constantly been told to love herself as she is, and that is exactly what she does. She doesn’t care what people say about her; words fly right past her.

She also has a way with words. Whether trying to persuade her parents to have her way, giving a speech, or writing an essay on a particular topic, it is a great asset that Rich acquired very early in her life. Her words can move people, which is why many come to the young de Luca for advice. And giving advice is absolutely one of her favorite things to do.

Ricci is a relatively happy person, with a brilliant sense of humor. A large grin on her face is a constant. She will take any joke with stride, and even laugh off the occasional prank or two. But watch out; when you get Rich laughing, she usually doesn’t stop, especially if the joke strikes her funny bone particularly hard. Her laughter isn’t annoying, though. In fact, it’s a light noise, sounding like the tinkling of bells, but a tad bit rougher. It is quite loud, though.

The young de Luca is extremely punctual, never late to a class or a meeting of any sort. She finds wasting time a rotten thing to do, so she hates doing so. The biggest quality Ricci features is her dependability. Never, ever will she leave someone hanging. Her friends and family are her biggest priorities, and she will always be there for them.

Of course, despite being mature for her age, Ricci’s downsides are prevalent, but that’s just because she doesn’t care what people think about her. She’s fairly judgmental, calling people out by her first impression of them. Her first impressions of people are based on how they interact with her, however, not simply what they look like. Ricci doesn't judge a book by its cover, but rather its first few pages. They say it is the first impression that will either open the door or close it. And if you want to be friends with this witch, you better make a good one. This makes her come off as unkind when one first meets her.

It takes a lot for the Italian to trust a person. You know that old saying keep your friends close, but your enemies closer? That is not how Ricci rolls. If she can’t trust you, she will write you off her list faster than you can say ‘Lumos’. She’s not an overly ambitious girl, either. She doesn’t exactly know what she wants to do with her life, much unlike most students in the time of their seventh years.

Above all things, one amazing way to get on this girl's good side is sweets. Rich is a sucker for sweets of any kind: cookies, cake, licorice, lollipops; you name it, she likes it. She also loves to bake, a quality most wouldn't think of when looking at her.

One of Ricci’s greatest fears is flying. Due to a traumatic experience in her first year at Hogwarts, she hasn’t been able to get on a broomstick. Although she does watch Quidditch, she would never play, and is always worried for the players whilst being a spectator. The Gryffindor is also particularly concerned about the subject of flying when it comes to her younger brother, Cappi. He has taken a great interest in it, and she does not want him to be hurt in any way.

LIKES:
+sweets in general
+tattoos
+exotic places (especially the Caribbean)
+laughing
+hiking
+talking
+baking
+jokes in general

DISLIKES:
-rain
-cleaning
-waking early
-people with social phobia
-Astronomy
-confined spaces
-people who insult or disgrace her family and friends in any way

STRENGTHS:
+confident
+Charms
+dependable
+charismatic
+punctual

WEAKNESSES:
-eating too many sweets
-flying
-comes off as vain
-not trusting
-sweet smells


History: Both Carlo and Lucia de Luca come from large pureblood Italian wizarding families, so it was only expected of them to have multiple children themselves. The first to come along was Senna, who was a quiet baby, and never made much of a fuss about anything. Their next child, Lancia, born two years later, was the complete opposite. He was interested in everything, taking a liking to making “music” with the pots and pans, and was continuously discovered in the cabinets around the family’s house. On their third child, Carlo and Lucia finally seemed to produce a well-rounded baby. Ricci was born May 11, 1993 on a particularly rainy day in Siena, Italy. The girl was raised in a tightly knit family, visiting a different member every weekend. However, both Lucia and Carlo worked in an organic food shop in the Wizarding part of Siena, so the de Luca children were introduced to floo powder at a very early age. Whilst working, they would have their kids floo to a relative’s; and since there were many to choose from, it mainly depended on who was available that day. The de Luca children were usually shipped off to their Aunt Marissa Warren’s house, where they played with their cousin, Storme.

Ricci’s first experience with floo powder was at the age of three. She was extremely excited, seeing that she had watched her older siblings do this for quite some time, and it was her first experience travelling with magic. Her experience, however extravagant, was sullied by the immediate feeling of soot in her lungs. By the time she had gotten to her aunt’s, she was hacking loudly, and was forced to lie down for the rest of the day.
Although Ricci spent most of the day with other family members, the de Luca’s are a tight-knit family. Both siblings are protective of their baby sister, especially Lancia. Although Storme and Lancia were of the same age, they continuously included Rich in whatever they did, whether it be swimming or playing some sort of game, not minding the age difference. This suited Ricci, for she loved being by others, and especially loved talking to them. She found a love for laughing and talking early on in her life, mostly because of her father, who was the prankster of the family, was continually making jokes and pulling pranks on various members of the family.

When Senna was almost of age to start her wizarding education, the family had to make the decision to move to Snowdonia, Wales. Lucia and Carlo wanted all of their children to receive the best education they could, and Carlo had recently taken up a job at the Ministry of Magic, so it was only logical to move closer to the main office. But Ricci, being only four at the time, did not understand this sudden uprooting of everything she had ever known. She didn’t want to leave the family’s villa in Siena for one second. And, as children usually are when they don’t get their way, she wasn’t exactly a happy camper. For the first few weeks at their home in Snowdonia, Ricci was a torment. She wouldn’t leave her room and she would whine at any time she could. Surprisingly enough, the only reason she started venturing outside of her room was to watch her mother bake. She had always liked to watch her mother cook, because she knew just what to add without measuring anything, and her skills with the kitchen utensils were remarkable. Her mother also held a certain grace that came to those with cooking abilities. This was also around the time when she displayed her first sign of magic, having made a spoon stir for itself whilst helping Lucia cook. Her mother, to say the least, was absolutely delighted. Her hudband was sent an owl immediately, and he appeared at home thirty minutes later, absolutely thrilled. It had been this way for all the de Luca children, yet their parents never seemed to get less excited.

The next year, Ricci’s older sister left for Hogwarts, and the young girl seemed to appreciate where she lived much more. She took an immediate interest in hiking, one of the activities Snowdonia is most known for. Rich found a love in all of the natural surroundings, and started spending a lot more time outside. It was a few years after Lancia started Hogwarts that she was deeply rooted in fashion. Visiting Italy often, she saw many different wizarding fashions as well as muggle ones. She bought any sort of fashion magazine she could, and posters of models started appearing in her room, wearing outrageous clothing. Ricci thought it was magnificent. All of the different designs and colors melded together seemed like an art for her, and she was entranced.

Upon entering Hogwarts at age eleven, Ricci found it to be one of the most exciting things she had experienced. The sorting hat had placed her in Gryffindor, alongside her brother, and she was finally at the establishment where her entire family had honed their magical skills that made them into what they were today.

During this time, Lucia found that she was pregnant with yet another baby. It was a shock to the entire family, including Rich’s grandparents and extended family. Her parents, per usual, were their usual joyful selves, and considered the pregnancy a blessing. In winter of 2003, Cappi de Luca was born, and Ricci was probably the most thrilled, being that she wasn’t the youngest in the family anymore.

Although she had no difficulty in making acquaintances due to her talkative behavior, taking in one step further with her peers was a difficult situation. Ricci didn’t seem to trust anyone she met and was quite biased with her first impressions of people, so she didn’t really give any of her fellow students a chance. The only people she would converse with regularly were her brother, who didn’t mind much, and sister, who didn’t want to be bothered with her, being a seventh year. This made Hogwarts lonely for the girl, and she soon found that, after the first few weeks of her preliminary Hogwarts year, trusting people would be beneficial in the years to come, and she couldn’t hang around her older siblings forever. Plus, going through school without any friends was quite a difficult feat. This conclusion resulted in making Ricci into what she is today. Although she is still not entirely trusting, she’s more open to making friends and accepting others.

During her first year, Ricci found that she had a particular talent in Charms, and she liked Potions as well. However, she also found that she disliked one of the most exciting things about the wizarding world: flying. As all first years do, she was required to take an introduction to flying class. The young girl was excited by the prospect of it, but when she finally got onto the broom, it was an entirely different story. She first had difficulty with raising the broom, and she had no control over it whatsoever whilst flying, causing her to almost fall from an extremely high height. The Gryffindor has sworn off flying ever since then, but likes going to Quidditch games as a spectator.

Rich is determined to make her fifth year at Hogwarts brilliant. She is determined to do well in all of her classes (even Astronomy) and get through the year with relative ease.

How Do You Fit Into Your House?: Being fiercely loyal to her family and friends, Ricci will stick up for them no matter what the cost. She is absolutely not afraid to stand up for what she believes in, getting her point across however she can using whatever means possible. She’s a proud one; proud of whom she is, proud of where she has come from, proud of whom she has become, and proud of whom she will be in the future.

Writing Sample: The sweet, savory smell of treacle tart floated through the corridors of the de Luca house, all scents leading towards the kitchen and its maker: Ricci. Her quiet humming was barely decipherable above the bustle going on around her, but it could be heard, if only faintly. She had been baking for a few hours now, due to the high demand of the sweet at her mother’s organic food shop, and this was her third and final batch of the day. She always enjoyed making this particular dessert, mainly because of the ingredients and procedure. It was an old family recipe, first made by her great grandmother on her mother’s side of the family. It was composed of solely organic foods, and the girl knew the recipe by heart.

The stove’s bell made a sound, and Ricci hurried over to it, careful not to hit the used pans that were scattered across the counters and the floor. Opening the door, the scent of it wafted into her nostrils and she sighed, content. It was yet another perfect batch to sell in the store. The girl’s late great grandmother would have been proud of her cooking abilities. Remembering to slip on the forest green oven mitt, she grabbed the baked goods and placed them on the window sill by the others. The first batch had cooled a while ago, and the second was nearly the same. The cool Welsh breeze was doing an excellent job of cooling the warm pastries, being that Ricci had only set the second pan out for a few minutes or so.

‘Hopefully we have enough floo powder for the trip to the shop…’ Ricci thought to herself, eyeing the fireplace. She grabbed the jar inside the cupboard closest to it, and found a good handful of silver powder. ‘Just enough!’

Waiting just a few more minutes, she grabbed all three pans of treacle tart, and, placing them in a circular basket, walked over to the fireplace. She stepped in, making sure she did not scuff her new patent leather navy heels, and stood still. Floo powder and pastries in tow, she stated the name of her mother’s store in a loud voice, threw the powder on the ground, and disappeared with a puff of smoke.

Sum up your character in one paragraph: A sweets-loving fashionista, this Gryffindor comes from a long line of pureblood Italians. She is always up for a good time, and is usually seen (and heard) laughing, her great sense of humor coming in handy at odd times. She will do anything for her family, and has a great sense of loyalty to them, as well as her friends.