| {Kick Out The Jams!} |
[Dec. 2nd, 2008|02:04 am] |
ooc
Name: Ana
Email: tazetta23@yahoo.com
AIM: ahoneymooninred
ic
Name: Andromeda Merope Black; goes by Andie, or Dromeda if you're Ted.
Age: 18 (born October 13th, 1953)
House: Formerly of Slytherin.
History: For most of her life, Andromeda went largely unnoticed by both her parents and vast extended family as the quiet, bookish daughter that would eventually grow into spinsterhood (much to the humiliation of the Cygnus and Druella!). As a child she was curious but very mild-mannered, being overlooked as the unfortunate homely child in comparison to Bellatrix's dark and mysterious looks or Narcissa's pretty little head of blonde hair.
As such, getting the least amount of attention from her family was actually a positive spin on her life. It allowed her a bit of discretion at home, and at Hogwarts, she lived comfortably under the radar after being sorted into the family house of Slytherin. She got perfect marks, stayed out of trouble, and incidentally the less she did, the better. No one would be troubled by a girl that was of little importance.
That is, until she hit puberty. And then her family couldn't seem to get enough of her - teeth that were once deemed "too big" became "a sign of good breeding", her small but not thin frame became "petite", and so on. In the past, she would hide in the study or her bedroom after being excused early from meals. As a teenager she was forced to stay and meet promising husband material picked out by her mother, an unfortunate occurrence that still plagues her today.
It was in her sixth year that she met Ted Tonks, a Muggle-born, and in the girls' toilets no less. However, it wasn't the poor sense of direction they shared that brought them together, and they struck up an unlikely friendship. For several months she employed the typical pureblood arrogance toward Ted and walked all over him, before realising that the only reason he never seemed to object to her poor treatment was because he was absolutely smitten. And similarly, she discovered the unthinkable for a Black - she was in love with someone of less than pure blood.
Their relationship was incredibly covert and not even her own sisters knew they were dating. But Andie wasn't simply looking out for her reputation -- she was concerned for her own welfare. There were stories about those Blacks that had been blasted off the family tree. None of them ended well. That didn't stop Andie from completely - and maybe a bit too enthusiastically - embracing the Muggle culture that Ted and his family exposed her to.
Personality: Once shedding the docile shell of her adolescence, Andie turned out to be a real firecracker -- and consequently, the nail that sticks up will be hammered down. It's been a long time since she's been under the brain-washed spell of pureblood infatuation that the Blacks and their associates uphold so religiously, but as stubborn as she is, she knows her survival depends on keeping up appearances to the best of her ability; there are eyes and ears everywhere, and the Black family likes to talk.
Essentially she lives a double-life, playing the (mostly) obedient daughter and struggling to hold her tongue at home. Outside the manor's gates, however, she's got Muggle fever: she doesn't wear lace-trimmed robes, she wears bell-bottoms, uses very unladylike language that would make Druella faint, and even indulges in a bit of drinking and smoking. The greatest offence? Andie is head over heels for a Muggle-born. Deep down Andie is fiercely loyal to her family and loves her parents and sisters to death, but at the same time, she's fighting between centuries of stiff tradition and becoming an independent young woman that uses her brain, not her bloodline. She sees the upcoming winter holiday as a chance to try to unite her two worlds, as well as to keep her family off her back with suitors by introducing them to Ted, even if he has to disguise as a pureblood.
She's been known to behave brashly: prone to throwing out a few biting remarks when her temper gets the best of her, giving dirty or immature looks (she's really not above sticking her tongue out at someone when they've got their back turned), walking away in the middle of a conversation, or, rarely, actual physical violence. But when you get down to it, Andromeda is the white sheep in the Black family. She has the capacity to be kind and selfless, sensitive to the needs of her family, although more often than not they make her want to club herself. She's a great listener and really can't stand to hurt someone's feelings so it's not uncommon for her to flat-out lie to others to make them feel better about themselves. That aunt missing about ten teeth? Andie convinced her that she has a million-watt smile and now the poor woman can't keep her mouth shut.
Unfortunately, being a nice girl doesn't earn that many points at family functions. Neither does the fact that, try as she might, Andie can definitely not stand with a rod straight back, walk with perfect elegance whilst balancing a book on her head, or sip tea daintily. The phrase "bull in a china shop" describes her to a 'T'. She's an awful klutz and manages to break expensive things around the manor when she's not busy tripping over her own feet.
Call it obsessiveness, call it hoarding, but Andie has always been a collector, having a magpie's eye for useless junk. Especially Muggle artifacts, which she is absolutely fascinated by. She frequents Ted's parents' home to hide her possessions, which include but are not limited to prized records, broken kitchen appliances, and gardening manuals. She's deeply curious about the world out there, and not just the one they share with Muggles, but the Wizard events that are simmering and are soon to boil over.
Reputation: Andromeda couldn't stay out of sight for long. The more people took notice of her, the more they realised that something wasn't quite right. She shows obvious disinterest in the family's petty little soirées and gatherings, refuses every suitor, and claims to have a boyfriend that, whilst bearing a respectable pureblood surname, no one has ever heard of before. Amongst the Blacks and their friends, she's one to keep an eye out on, and they're already beginning to suspect that she isn't loyal to the cause.
Details:
- In a very serious relationship with Ted Tonks. Ted, being the affectionate and sometimes spineless (in the best way possible, Andie points out) boyfriend he is, reminded her so much of her first and only pet cat that she christened him "Warshyboggles" after her first love: Leopold van Warshenboggle, possibly the ugliest cat to ever have existed. It's a bit childish but even after all these years Andie thinks the wretched creature is still out there. The truth is a house elf ate it one day but her mother insisted it ran away.
- Hates to wear her hair up or put on make-up. Unfortunately, those "skills" are very essential to a young woman of the noble Black heritage. When in Rome...
- A bit of a neat freak. Cleanliness is of great importance to her, although her room is often a disaster zone (hey, those piles are DISORGANISED organisation, buddy) that she's charmed to keep house elves out of.
- Has a knack for learning languages, which comes in handy what with all the traveling the family does; fluent in French, Spanish, German, Italian, Latin, and Mandarin (don't ask).
First Person Sample:
GREETINGS FROM THE FRENCH ALPS, MON AMOUR!
I swear, we'll be home in jolly old before you know it, Teddy. Before the week is out, if I can manage. You have no idea how difficult it is for me to even write to you with my sisters hovering over my shoulder like conniving hawks. Although I'm not certain of how conniving hawks are by nature, but if they were, they would be... buteo narcissus and buteo bellatrix, respectively. Nosy little buggers. If I didn't know any better I'd reckon they've officially turned into mother's spies.
You're going to have loads of fun with me at the manor though! Wait till you see the library. It's massive. Oh, but, we're not going to be able to spend the entire holiday together, so I hope you don't mind spending time with my family... on your own. I've taken up a new internship at the Ministry, but this one pays. Which can only be a good thing since, a) we need the money; b) I'm honestly not borrowing anything from my family. The Department of Magical Transportation is bollocks though. Come rescue me at work and such, gorgy!
Lovely love from,
Your Andie
PB: Felicity Jones
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