Rowan Charles Halvorsen
Histories
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-------Pre-Hogwarts
Rowan Charles was born in Greenpoint, Brooklyn in the early morning during a thunderstorm. Her mom always used to blame that whenever Rowan got upset as a child. She grew up happy, though.
Nikolas Thaddeus was four when she was born and just barely liked her. A quiet child, he was used to having his own silence, so a crying infant wasn't the most pleasant of surprises. Then, five more years later, Castille Lottie was born. All three of the children had a happy and nice childhood, nothing too special and nothing too bad.
Sometimes, though, the family would travel to London for the summer to visit her grandmother, Yalia. These were Rowan's favorite summers, as she fell in love with her stars and her grandmother was the brightest constellation Rowan could see.
When September came, Rowan would go to a no-maj public elementary school, starting at the age of 5. Her first year there – kindergarten – sucked ass. She hated it. But next year wasn't all so bad. In first grade, Rowan met Leo Isaiah Finch, a shy boy with an artistic heart. Well, as artistic as a 7-year-old can be. The two quickly became best friends and stuck together over the next five years. Both were lucky though: both of their families more than readily accepted the other child as part of the family.
Everything was going great. At age 11, Rowan was flourishing at Ilvermorny, a Horned Serpent – as much as she procrastinated – and she had a great family and a great best friend – Leo was a Pukwudgie though. Then everything came crashing down. On that fateful summer day, Arsène, her mother, and Cyprus, her father, took young Rowan to their jobs at MACUSA, having done the same with Nikolas when he turned eleven, the 14-year-old a Pukwudgie at Ilvermorny like Leo. The day went without disruption until 9:36 AM (EST) when a shudder ran through the building, an explosion ripped through two floors, Rowan and her parents caught just on the outskirts of the damage. Hours later, when Rowan came to in some magical hospital, she did not see her parents and could not feel one of her legs.
The explosion had killed both Arsène and Cyprus. One of her parents or a door or something must have shielded Rowan, the doctors had said. There was no way she should've survived. But she did. However, her leg was severely damaged and it took a few weeks for her to get out of the hospital, a few more in a wheelchair, and the rest of the year spent not walking properly on crutches. Although, in the last month she could deal with just a cane. When she asked why they could not magic her leg back to what it was before, a nurse explained (too simply) that the person who had done this to her family was a dark wizard, a terrorist who used a curse they had never seen before, much less reverse its effects.
Rowan's grandmother was quick to fly to America, almost forgetting to close her shop, she would later joke. But until their now legal guardian could arrive, Nikolas and Castille were taken into care by Leo's family for the night, their apartment above the family's coffee shop even more crowded, now holding seven children. When Rowan was released, she and her siblings were swept off to London to live in the apartment above their grandmother's shop in Diagon Alley: Yalia's Astronomical Emporium. -
-------During Hogwarts
On the first train ride to Hogwarts, Rowan didn't know anyone she sat with. At least, she didn't know them then and wouldn't until later in her school career. In general, the whole process of arriving at Hogwarts was unsurprising to Rowan, her brother have already described it to her in probably too much detail. Still, there were moments when she was amazed.
Sorted into Slytherin, Rowan quickly found her place among her peers in the same house. Cunning, quick-witted with interesting senses of humor, she fit right in. What she really liked, though, about the Slytherins was their unending and fierce loyalness to their own that she too would adopt before she graduated. They cared for one another, for some didn't have anyone else to do that.
Rowan, over the years, developed proficiency in Transfiguration and Charms with good grades in Defense Against the Dark Arts and Ancient Studies. (History of Magic bored her too much, though there's a chance.) She found herself always enjoying changing the way things appeared, shifting them, even if Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration frustrates her. Forever will she try to get around it.
Her third year, she met someone with whom she became very close to. Thick as thieves, they instantly connected, spending the Holidays at Hogwarts together that year. But it all went wrong once spring came again. The two had been hanging out and decided to take a little trip into the Forbidden Forest. As stupid as that is in itself, Rowan had heard some sixth years talking about a secret garden and convinced her friend to join her on an adventure. The pair made it to the garden fine – it was very beautiful – but the trip back was what proved to be disastrous. After having fallen asleep in the garden, where it seemed to be sunset for eternity, the second they exited the garden, night wrapped her cold arms around them. This was terrifying, sure, but what was worse was the creature that started chasing them through the forest. Rowan's friend sacrificed himself for her, allowing for Rowan to escape, but she came back, dragging the now unconscious boy back to the castle with help from Hagrid. He would survive, but Rowan would carry a feeling of guilt forever for bringing them there in the first place.
Rowan never saw the creature in its entirety. But in the few moments where she truly thought this was where she was going to die, she saw silver claws gleaming in the moonlight and the hulking figure of the monster that nearly killed her friend. It would traumatize her, becoming her boggart. It replaced fire, unbeknownst to her.
Things were calm fourth year, but by fifth, she had met Dominique Tyler. Unfortunately, Rowan was a bit oblivious at first and completely disregarded Dominique's advances on her, possibly offending her just a bit. But after the annual Yule Ball that year, the two got together, officially becoming a couple a couple days before Valentine's Day. They would be an item for the next year or so, up until Rowan's seventh year at Hogwarts. The two definitely got up to some antics, but Rowan really did love her and tried her best to show it. But, as everyone's greatest enemy, Time got between them and things ended. Fortunately, it wasn't ugly, and they remain on neutral/good terms.
Sixth year was also when Rowan met Bill, Roland, Ryan, Gen, Leah, Nessa, Cassandra, and, later, Okami through an internship at the Department of Mysteries. These became her closest friends at the time, though throughout her seventh year, she would grow apart from them slowly, acquainting herself with other people, including Ambrose. It would get worse when she moved back to the States. Through said internship, Rowan would also meet Ollie Fawley, the older brother of Enoch Fawley. Though brief, it was the first (but not last) time she would interact with the brothers.
After her time doing the internship at the Department of Mysteries, Rowan also briefly explored teaching when she was hired as a teacher for the FAA, or the Future Aurors Alliance. She very much enjoyed this, having a chance to show off her Slytherin tendencies. As well, she became closer with several of the members including Okami and Cassandra.
Ambrose – briefly mentioned above – was a witch Rowan officially met in her seventh year, having seen her around before but never talking. She thought she was pretty cute, and they attended a few balls together, but they never got together before she graduated. They still keep in touch, though.
Rowan graduated Hogwarts as a skilled young witch who had a good shot of getting a solid job in the Ministry of Magic, but her heart lay elsewhere. Choosing to move back to the United States, the last few days of the school year were soaked with sadness and reflection. And, as much as Rowan is not the sentimental type, it was hard for her to say goodbye to all of those she had known and would likely not see again any time in the near future.
