transitions @ 2008-05-08T03:13:00

2008-05-08T07:25:36Z

ALL ABOUT...
FULL NAME: Lavender Cerise Brown
NICKNAMES: Ven
AGE & BIRTHDATE: 23 March, 1984 ( twenty four )
HOMETOWN: Hastings, Sussex, England.
ALUM: Gryffindor
SOCIAL CLASS & BLOODLINE: Middle Class, Pureblood
SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Heterosexual
RELIGION: Spiritual, not religious

RELATIONS: Parvati Patil ( bff & bridezilla ), Neville Longbottom ( a dear friend and fellow movie advocate ), Terry Boot ( former husband and current target on dart board )

YESTERDAY...
PARENTAL HISTORY: Candace Jane Peterson graduated from The Salem Institute of Magic in 1980, and quickly left her conservative home in search of something more exciting. Her adventures led her to London, where she met Patrick Brown. The charming file clerk was swept away by the handsome Auror, who was quite different from the boys back home. Her parents, like most of the uppercrust in New England, played like Switzerland, refusing to take part in the war against the Dark Lord. Already quite put out over her move overseas, Candace's parents were furious to learn of her engagement to Pat. No matter how respectable his family may be, his life was simply too crass, not fitting for their daughter. They haven't spoken with her since the marriage, and when they speak of her, it's in past tense, as if she were dead.

Patrick Henry Brown comes from a family of nomads. He couldn't tell you if all the Browns were like that, but the last three generations rarely stayed in one place for long. Hogwarts was the only constant in his living arrangements, and though he enjoyed the experience of moving, he preferred the quaintness of the old Castle. Pat is the oldest of four boys. Daniel, who is only two years younger than Pat, lives in Montreal and has the extravagant life of a Fashion Photographer. Stuart, 32, is an Unspeakable, and it's only in rare moments that the family hears from him anymore. David is the baby, and at 26 he has been an Auror for almost five years now. Pat and Candace compliment each other quite well, despite their quite different home lives.

In the midst of spring in 1984, Candace gave birth to a daughter, whom she named Lavender, for the flowers Patrick brought her after the delivery. They raised their daughter the best they could, teaching her to be respectful and polite, to be open minded and not discriminate because of politics, race, religion, or bloodline, and encouraged her to be honest and sociable. They were perhaps a bit indulgent of their only child, and because of this Ven is a bit spoiled.

She was never exactly the perfect daughter, but she meant well, and she tried... Most of the time. The problem was, that when Lavender wanted someone to know something, she didn't hesitate to tell them. Quite bluntly. And rarely gently. Candace did try to curb her daughter's lack of tact, albeit halfheartedly, because it was so unlike her own childhood, and she didn't want to be like her own parents. Over the years Ven has toned down a little, but she still has her moments.

Lavender was eager to learn as a child, and absorbed everything she could get her hands on. She learned dirty French from her Uncle Danny, and the proper ones from his wife Bridget. She became a bit of a " know-it-all ", knowing random bits of useless information and spouting it off like it was physics. Her proudest moment was discovering her magical side, when she managed to will her hair to grow past her knees in an attempt to be like Rapunzel.

HOGWARTS HISTORY: She entered Hogwarts a Gryffindor, and quickly befriended Parvati Patil. She was immediately intimidated by Hermione Granger, however, who was obviously more brilliant than she, though she'll never fully admit that. Having been so used to being " the smart one " among her childhood friends and cousins, it was hard for her to accept at first, and is perhaps why she's never been the warmest of people to Hermione. She has more than one blamed the other girl for her own laziness and has been quoted saying "Hermione makes people not want to try." In truth she admires her peer for her cleverness, but it bruises her pride to admit it.

In her third year Lavender added Care of Magical Creatures, Divinations, and Ancient Runes to her curriculum. She was quickly a fan of Professor Trelawney after the woman " predicted " that she would grieve the death of her pet rabbit, Binky. The whole incident was entirely too silly as Hermione was quick to point out, but Ven stood her ground ( especially to her ), and to this day continues to defend the woman, even if her naive admiration has faded a little.

Ven attended the Yule Ball with Seamus Finnigan, her first and favourite of her many crushes over the years. If there is one boy she finds it impossible not to like, it's Seamus. She flirts with him incessantly, has mooned over him on and off for the past seven years, is half thrilled-half terrified at the idea of dating him, and thinks he's probably the only person who can make her laugh so hard her sides hurt.

While she initially believed the insinuations of the Ministry about Harry Potter in fifth year, Lavender was among the first to join Dumbledore's Army. She was always a fan of what she deemed a worthy cause, and even ended up joining SPEW, despite its creator.

" Won-Won! " The trademark year was year six, when Lavender started dating one Ronald Weasley. Well, perhaps not so much dated as perpetually snogged. It was the year Hermione Granger became known ( to her & Parvati ) as her " arch-nemesis ". It was also the lowest point of her life, in her mind, at least, because half the time she couldn't figure out if she was in the relationship because she liked Ron, or because it was something she could hold over Hermione's head. It was petty and jealous, and she wouldn't call herself the nicest of girlfriends either. It's not a period she really likes to dwell on.

When the time came to fight, Lavender was right there to jump into the fray. In the first months of her seventh year at Hogwarts she helped Neville, Ginny, and Luna to cause a stir, and created pamphlets that criticized the behaviour of the ministry and death eaters, and openly accused the new Headmaster of murderous intent. While she was careful to disguise her handwriting, and only signed the pamphlets as Your Friendly Neighbourhood Rebel, there was enough evidence gathered to incriminate her, and evenutally Ven was forced to keep to the Room of Requirement to be safe.

THE LAST SIX YEARS OR SO: The first six months after leaving Hogwarts a final time were spent with her newly widowed father, while taking cooking classes at the local learning annex. Patrick played guinea pig and sampled all of her experiments, as she tried to create unique and fun desserts and pastries. Almost a year later, she happened to run into one Terry Boot while buying supplies in Diagon Alley, and with an undeniable sexual attraction ( and a little help from a meddling apothecary ) the pair hit it off in a whirlwind romance the had them married only four months later. They were married a little over a year, finally separating at the end of 2005. Their divorce was finalized a month after Lavender's twenty-second birthday. He got the dog, she got their two bedroom flat, which is currently being leased out to Justin Finch-Fletchley.

After several months of serial dating when her divorce was finalized, Ven finally called it quits on the romantic aspects of life, and it's been over a year & a half since she's had any kind of fling with a male. She devoted her time to getting a loan to open her bakery in Diagon Alley, as well as getting a small one-room flat in Rhetoric Alley that was more suited to her single life-style. Within the past few months, she found a space for her shop, and is currently in the process of getting it ready to open for business. She's been calling the shop Crayola Confections, and is keeping her fingers crossed that she won't get sued when it finally opens. Otherwise she keeps herself busy helping Parvati plan her wedding to Theodore Nott, spending Thursday nights eating dinner and enjoying ridiculous movies with Neville Longbottom, and casually reminding Justin when his rent is due.

THE BIG TEN...
1-What do you value most in life? (1-2 sentences at least)
2-Do believe that people are inherently good or bad? (1-2 sentences at least)
3-What is your greatest regret? (1-2 sentences at least)
4-What do you see as your greatest achievement? (1-2 sentences at least)
5-How do you deal with someone you don't like? (1-2 sentences at least)
6-What do you feel you are entitled to in life? (1-2 sentences at least)
7-What's your favorite song?
8-How do you define "love" and "romance"? (1-2 sentences at least)
9-How do you define "right" from "wrong"? (1-2 sentences at least)
10-What characteristics of your Zodiac do you display strongest? (1-2 sentences at least)

IN A NUTSHELL...
Lavender Brown exemplifies the traits of both her former House and Zodiac sign. She has always been a social butterfly, eager to be a part of any conversation and highly encouraged by diversity. She believes in the individual, in house unity, and overcoming the labels that society forces upon humanity. At least that's how she tries to live. Even Ven succumbs to the negativity of stereotypes sometimes, especially when it comes to Slytherins. For the most part, however, she is true to her word, and willing to give most people a second chance.

For someone with commitment issues, it's very rare to see Lavender alone. Since her puberty jump in third year when she started attracting the attention of the male students at Hogwarts, she has rarely been without a boyfriend. Very few of these relationships lasted longer than a two or three months, the notable exceptions being Ronald Weasley, Kit Brighton, and her ex-husband - Terry Boot. But as a general rule, Ven bolted whenever it seemed her significant other was getting too close. Despite her experience with relationships, Lavender has a rather skewed opinion about how they're supposed to go, and if you were to ask her she would tell you that she's probably not a very good girlfriend. A lot of her commitment issues stem from the standards that she sets for herself and her significant other. Her interpretation on romance and love is rather warped thanks to a love of romance novels, and Lavender is not willing to give it her all until she gets that "forever" feeling. ( or to quote an Olsen twin -> "that can't eat, can't sleep, reach for the stars, over the fence, world series kind of stuff" )

Within her other relationships, however, Lavender has more moments of glory. With her emotions on her sleeve, she is honest and open. She has a hard time lying as her features and quirks give her away. This doesn't make her a very good secret keeper, although to give Ven her due, she does try. She is a good person to have around in any social gathering, as a social butterfly she likes to keep the scene active and upbeat. When it comes to more serious issues, Lavender is better at cheering someone up than offering practical advise. It doesn't stop her from trying, though, and more than once has a bad suggestion come back to haunt her. In the end, her friends know that she means well, and her busy-body behaviour is an extension of how much she cares, and not a completely selfish attempt to be involved in absolutely everything.

As a general rule, Lavender is not prone to malice, but there have been exceptions. There are a scant few people that she cannot seem to like, no matter how hard she tries, and her Arien nature gives her a more vindictive side. Many of her acts can be childish in nature - more than one rumour has been spread from the mouth of Lavender Brown. It is in these moments of deviousness that her words are more believable, as a lie spread is easier concealed than a secret kept. For someone with low self-esteem, or who is overly concerned about their status among their peers, she can make their lives a living hell when crossed. She is not quick to hold a grudge, but that doesn't mean she doesn't have them.

It's true that Lavender is no Hermione Granger, and she has little patience for those subjects she deems boring, but Ven is not without her smarts. She's a quick learner with those subjects she does enjoy, and has a good memory. Her knowledge is diverse in that it covers a wide range of subjects, however limited in that she tends to learn a little bit of information about a lot of different topics. Not to mention that this information tends to be specific to Lavender's interests and not necessarily beneficial in a real life situation. She has an addictive personality, so when she says she likes something, she loves it to death. She'll run the object of affection so raw that her friends will disdain to hear about it.

ASTROLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE: The Gryffindor Aries is extremely idealistic, and has a tendency to fight hard for many causes - the more lost, the better. Gryffindors born under this sign will also have very short fuses, and can be expected to fight regularly with other students, over ethical questions or over anything else that makes a good excuse. Since Mars is a planet that encourages war games and competition and bursts of hard physical activity, there may be many Quidditch players born under these aspects. A Gryffindor Aries is an open book; a truth potion would never be needed on one, because they are hopelessly honest and open. These wizards will display uncanny charisma and leadership ability, and will be among the most popular within their class.

( pb mandy moore )

lavender brown

transitions @ 2008-05-08T03:13:00