Post by Aphra James on Dec 31, 2017 1:48:35 GMT -5
Accepted! Welcome to Hogwarts: The New Ages!
Full Character Name: Perdita Aphra James Xavier Arias
D.o.B./Age: February 22, 1981; age 48
Place of Residency: Cornwall, UK
Blood Status: Half-blood (Muggle mum, Wizard dad)
Former School / House: Hogwarts (1992-1998); Slytherin (ambition, abilities, wit, selfishness)
Wand: Yew, unicorn hair, 12 ½ inches, reasonably pliant
Position Requesting: Magical Lore Professorship
Credentials: She has many years in the field of archaeology, sacred text preservationism, and museum curatorship (see all below).
NEWTS (Hogwarts School, 1997-98)
| Arithmancy | A |
| Charms | O |
| Defense/Dark Arts | O |
| Herbology | O |
| History/Magic | EE |
| Potions | EE |
| Runes | O |
| Transfiguration | O |
Curator Work (various, 1998-2006)
- Student Intern, Cambridge University British History Museum (Cambridge, UK): 1998-2000
- Junior Curator, Cambridge University British History Museum (Cambridge, UK): 2000-2002
- Associate Head Curator of British Artefacts, The Natural History Museum (London, UK): 2002-2006
Archaeological Work (various, 2009-2016)
- Artefacts Expert, The Ark of Bukhara Archaeological Site (Bukhara, Uzbekistan): 2009-2013
- Artefacts Excavation Manager, The Ark of Bukhara Museum and Archaeological Site (Bukhara, Uzbekistan): 2013-2016
Sacred Texts Preservation Work (varied, 2017-2021)
- Chief Preservation Consultant of Philistine scrolls, Bible Lands Museum (Jerusalem, Israel): 2017-2019
- Chief Research Analyst of Pre-Judaic Texts, Bible Lands Museum (Jerusalem, Israel): 2019-2021
Teaching Experience (2021-2028)
- Guest Professor of Sacred Texts and Ancient Literature, Yale Divinity School (New Haven, CT, USA): 2021-2024
- Honorary Professor of Ancient Mythology and Magical Lore, Trinity College (University of Oxford, Oxford): 2025-2028
- Honorary Professor of Magical Lore in Archaeology, University College (University of Oxford, Oxford): 2026-2028
Please include the following: Significant People in your character's life, Pets, and economic status.
Aphra's father's family originated in the Kingdom of Leon in Spain. Despite their surname (San Xavier), Alberto's family raised him near their hometown of Santiago de Compostela (a Christian pilgrimage city in northwestern Spain). Aphra's mother's family has ties to Germany, but the Stranges have been in England for almost 150 years (Aphra should know; she did the research herself).
Aphra is happily married to her husband, Roger Angelo de Mejia Arias (6 March 1981) in the spring of 1999. They were both just 18 years old and they were (and remain) stupidly in love with each other. Roger's family comes from Guatemala and Belize, but he was raised in Manchester. Aphra came onto his radar when one of his best mates in school began dating her adopted sister, Carina. Not often have two people actually fell in love at first sight, and for Aphra, the probability of that happening to her is even slimmer. And yet, Fate laughed and Roger and Aphra fell desperately in love with each other. Roger is "mostly Muggle"; his family is of mixed blood and he is a Wizard. He never attended wizarding school, which is a truth Aphra struggles with even to this day.
Angelo James Francisco Arias: Aphra and Roger's first son, Angelo, was born on 12 October 2002. They knew he was a wizard early on, and following in his mother's footsteps, he was accepted to Hogwarts in 2014. He was sorted into Ravenclaw House (disappointing Aphra) and did quite well there. He graduated in the spring of 2021 and quickly enrolled at Cambridge University to study foreign languages. He met his future wife, Elisabeth Willingham (3 July 2005) while studying at Cambridge; she was still in Secondary School in Cambridge, but Angelo met her at a social function. Elisabeth enrolled at the University of Oxford (rivals!!!) in the autumn of 2022, and soon after she and Angelo began to date seriously. They became engaged in the spring of 2024, and on 1 June 2025 they were wed in Oxford. Angelo graduated that same spring and began to teach French, German, and Secondary School level Spanish (his second language by way of his grandparents in Guatemala and Belize) outside of London. On 20 January 2027, Angelo and Elisabeth Arias welcomed their first child, Andra Margaret Arias, into the family, making Aphra and Roger grandparents!
Luisa Mejia Beatriz Arias: Aphra and Roger's first daughter, Luisa Mejia Arias, was born on 27 February 2004. They were not certain she was a witch as quickly as they were certain with her brother. Her first display of magic was in Primary School when she brought a goldfish back to life after it had been fed too much by the class clown and died. She was accepted into Hufflepuff House at Hogwarts in 2015. Her sorting was less of a disappointment to Aphra after Angelo was sorted into Ravenclaw. Luisa flourished in Herbology throughout her time at Hogwarts. Incidentally, she met her future husband, Kyle Murphy (5 September 2000), in Greenhouse 3 at Hogwarts while in her second year (his fourth year). They began officially dating in Luisa's fifth year (2019-2020) and continued to date beyond their graduations from Hogwarts (Kyle's in 2020, and Luisa's in 2022). Luisa began work immediately as a Medicinal Herbologist. Inheriting her mother's knack for research, she became a part of the research team connected to St. Mungo's, and was able to relocate to London. Kyle joined her in 2026, and after a year of living together, they announced their engagement. They were recently married in September 2028.
Alejandra "Andra" Perdita Arias: Aphra and Roger welcomed into their family their third child and second daughter, Alejandra Perdita Arias, on 30 July 2007. Roger claims he knew after conception that Andra would be a witch, and Aphra claims she wasn't sure. Incidentally, the daughter most like Aphra turned out to be a Squib. Andra displayed no magical powers at all, which initially disappointed Aphra, but her wicked sharp wit and her almost identical personality to her mother helped soothe those disappointments. Andra grew up inside the Church of England parochial school system, receiving a very good education that earned her a spot at Trinity College in Dublin. She studied Anthropology there and graduated at the top of her class. This past autumn, Andra was hired by the National Irish Historical Society to begin anthropological work around western and southwestern Ireland.
Maria Xavier Arias: Aphra and Roger third daughter, Maria Xavier Arias, was born on 2 May 2010. She was practically casting spells upon being born, and her magic seemed the most powerful of her siblings. When she was sorted into Slytherin House at Hogwarts in 2021, Roger claims that Aphra basically burst into tears. At last, another Arias girl had found her way into Slytherin. The two proved to be quite the perfect match as the years passed. Maria's best subjects are in Charms, Transfiguration, and Defense Against the Dark Arts...the spellcasting magic. She graduated this past spring (2028) and has recently been hired by the Ministry of Magic.
David Roger Arias: Aphra and Roger's last child and second son, David Roger Arias, was born on 21 March 2013. Neither Roger nor Aphra thought he was a wizard until he was accepted to Hogwarts in 2024. David was sorted into Gryffindor House, shocking everyone except for Roger (who was convinced he would have been a Gryffindor if he'd gone to Hogwarts). He mostly deals with the fact that his mother could be a Professor at his school, and he's not planning on taking any of her classes either. His best subjects are the book-heavy subjects of History of Magic, Astronomy, Runes, and Arithmancy.
How did your character's parents meet?
Alberto Rodriguez San Xavier (b. 1946) was the greatest disappointment to his family of wizards and witches, all of whom had made something of themselves in their homeland of Spain. Alberto, though, never seemed to get it right. He fumbled the Quaffle as a Chaser, thus helping his side lose nearly every match they played; he was a highly-functioning klutz, breaking all his glass Potions equipment before reaching the third year in school; and, when it came to asking girls out, Alberto was worse than tongue-tied: he said too much!
Louisa Strange (b. 1944), on the other hand, excelled in every subject she entered. She was exceptionally bright as a school girl, but she lacked social skills. She was a beautiful Muggle girl, yet she favored boys who would play with her roughly rather than those who fell all over themselves for her. She was most interested in the earth sciences - geology, archaeology, meteorology, and anthropology - and spent most of her childhood recesses smashing rocks together to discern the physical properties of each. Her best friend was a girl named Anastasia, and the two girls shared their findings on rock-smashing.
Anastasia (b. 1945) became involved with the Xavier family in her years at university, when they sponsored an expedition into ancient conquistador ruins in the Yucatan - an expedition Anastasia, the geologist, was invited to join. She quickly developed affection for the clumsy Alberto, particularly in staving off his many blundering advances on her. She thought that Alberto's awkward personality might actually complement the strength (if blunt to a fault) of Louisa's own character. She arranged a holiday near Palenque, Mexico and invited Louisa to join. It was there that Alberto and Louisa, against a backdrop of impressive Mayan ruins, fell in love. It was the stupidest, most nonsensical romance since Romeo and Juliet, and yet where love should not have flourished, it took hold and never let go.
How did your character's family react to their acceptance letter to Hogwarts?
Señora Xavier approached the news that her oldest child was a witch with equal amounts of interest and deference. "It doesn't change who you are, Perdita, and you are my child," was her response. Señor Xavier was incredibly excited to find he'd managed to pass down the magic gene (ergo he'd done something right!). "You are joining a long line of San Xavier witches and wizards, mi querida," he responded. (Of course, the record was set straight for Aphra later, when she learned that the gene had actually skipped three generations in her direct line and was thought to be gone entirely until her Abuelo discovered he was a wizard. Neither abuela nor Aphra tried to correct Alberto though. Love, love, foolish love.)
How does your character get along with their sibling(s) and parents?
The Xavier Family and Aphra: Aphra's family is large and complicated, and very international. In 1982, following Aphra's birth (b. 1981), Louisa and Alberto decided to reach out to all children in the world, regardless of their nationality, sexual orientation, heritage, religious background, or Muggle/Magical status in life.
Aphra's Family Grows (Carina): Sharing a love of children and people in general, Louisa and Alberto became adoptive parents to a young Basque French girl, Carina Leona Xavier (b. 1983) soon after making this decision together.
A Natural Child Arrives (Beatríz): Carina and Aphra got along very well for more than a year together before welcoming Beatríz Victoria Xavier (b. 1984) into their home as well. Beatríz was the second natural daughter of Louisa and Alberto, and she came as a big shock for Aphra. Carina was quick to love Beatríz; Aphra was quick to put her natural sister down: she was an imposter, after all, and could not be loved. The three girls struggled in this way for a couple of years, with some reprieve coming in Aphra's beginning school in 1986.
A Mayan Wizard's Son (Ernesto): Behind the scenes, though, Louisa and Alberto wanted another child and a son, but their oldest daughter's reaction to a natural child had dissuaded them from going the natural route this time. Instead, Alberto learned of a Mayan Mexican wizard family that feared their lives and needed someone to take their children. He offered to take their newborn son, Ernesto (b. 1986) and foster him until the trouble had passed. The Xavier family never heard from Ernesto's family again, however, and by 1996, Alberto and Louisa decided that official adoption was necessary. Ernesto was already a part of the family by then, however, and to their delight, he was a favorite of Aphra's.
Another Xavier Son (Louis): In the meantime, Carina and Beatríz were thick as thieves while Aphra became like a second mother to Ernesto. Aphra was also beginning to display remarkable similarities to her mother in her interests in anthropology, archaeology and smashing rocks. Her first display of magic was, in fact, combusting a pile of rocks in anger at Beatríz's interest: a blessing and a challenge Aphra remained for a few years yet. Then, in the late 80s, Louisa made the mistake of helping one of her female university students; by becoming her confidante, Louisa bought for herself the burden of her student's pregnancy out of wedlock. Knowing the girl's parents were fundamentalists frightened Louisa, and when it came time for the child to be born, she had no other choice than to offer to adopt him. Louis Stephen Xavier (b. 1988) came into the family with love and fear in this way. Louisa has never forgotten his true mother, Stephanie, and loves Louis with trepidation that she may, one day, lose him.
A Third Son is Born (Rodrigo): Perhaps Louisa (now, age 45) and Alberto (now, age 43) should have stopped having children. Perhaps they laughed too often at the warnings of their age. Perhaps they wanted to be dirt poor with five children to raise. In truth, when Rodrigo (b. 1989) came, none of these things crossed their minds. Love, love, foolish love, makes you do things you'll later regret. Aphra (8), Carina (6), Beatríz (5), Ernesto (3) and Louis (1) seemed not to notice that another child was in the house. Aphra was used to taking care of her brothers, developing an even more intimate bond with Ernesto than the others, and Louis (as well as Louisa and Alberto) relied on her help and mothering. Beatríz and Carina could be counted upon to play with Ernesto and Louis, and Beatríz was particularly eager to welcome Rodrigo into the house - more so than the others. Because of this, Beatríz and Rodrigo became as close with each other as Aphra and Ernesto.
Enough With the Children Already! (Izem): At the ages of 48 (Louisa) and 46 (Alberto), the seventh and final child in the Xavier family arrived: Izem Hafidi (b. 1992) was added to the family as a Moroccan refugee fleeing hostilities in the Moroccan-Berber community in North Africa. Louisa and Alberto agreed to adopt Izem but were insistent upon continued contact with his family of origin, lest he chooses to return to them at the age of emancipation (18 in most countries). Aphra was off to Hogwarts and her bedroom was available for the seventh edition of the Xavier clan, thus there was room for him.
What did your character want to be compared to where they are now in life?
Growing up, Aphra wanted to be important, but she wasn't sure how she wanted to achieve that feat. When she was 8, an authoress came to her Primary School class and spoke about being a professional writer. Aphra decided she wanted to be a writer. She wrote the blandest pieces of work, filled with factual information and never ceased to amaze (and bore) her audiences. At age 10, she decided she was going to write her first book. Every day after school, she raced home and wrote for an hour (obviously she was very disciplined at this young age). When the year had ended, Aphra had produced a highly researched account of mythical monsters and why they all lived in Siberia now. It was a staggering 400 pages (about 350 pages too long) and even she had to admit it wasn't very good or interesting. Large portions of it were practically plagiarized from her research. Nevertheless, her teacher and her parents set to work helping her refine her studies. In the midst of this revision period, Aphra discovered that she preferred to do research instead of writing.
Using her time and resources at Hogwarts to help further her goals (after all, ambition was one of the traits that got her into Slytherin in the first place), Aphra sought out research opportunities and became a fixture in the Library.
Today, she remembers the times she spent in the Library and throughout the castle working toward her dreams, and she remembers them fondly. Her desire to be a writer led to her desire to work in research, which in turn opened up a door to be an archaeologist and preservationist, and that too led her to discover that she wished to teach not only at the collegiate level but back at her old school. She is working on another book based on her time in Israel and the Levant, so, as fate would have it, she still desires to be a writer after all!
What was your character's life like while growing up?
Chaos. The Xavier house rarely lay quiet and peaceful. If she wasn't feuding with Beatríz, Aphra was mothering Ernesto, playing with Carina, working on her book, reading as much as she could (Newt Scamander was one of her favorite authors), and helping raise Louis and Rodrigo. After leaving for Hogwarts, Aphra mourned the loss of her relationship with her sisters, and when she would return on holidays, often she shared their room. In 1995, Aphra's relationship with Beatríz and Carina changed. Beatríz (now, age 11) and Carina (now, age 12) had seemed to cool down in their love of each other. Beatríz sought her older sister's company more as the negative effects of puberty began to drive a wedge between Carina and her. Beatríz and Aphra made space for each other during this time, scared to lose the other again, nervous that one might decide not to love the other because of their past; somewhere in the liminal space between fear and desire, the two girls found each other in a very wonderful way. Aphra and Beatríz, after a long, long time of discomfort with each other, at last, became loving sisters to each other. Curiously enough, Carina's relationship with Beatríz diminished as Aphra's relationship with her increased. It soon became evident that Carina and Beatríz could not be together unaccompanied lest one try to kill the other. Aphra remains wary that her sisters might attempt to kill each other even to this day.
What is your character's and their family's views on the Statue of Secrecy having been broken?
The strongest reaction was from Ernesto (age 39 in 2027) who remembers stories from his family being persecuted for being magical. Though few letters were exchanged between them, too many of them contained accounts of burnings and torture of Mayan enchanters and enchantresses in Chiapas, Yucatan, and Guatemala. Ernesto feared that some worldwide census would be released with all the names of the witches and wizards on it. He feared his family's persecutors would find him at last.
Personality and Fun facts: [2 good sized paragraphs: 6-8 sentences each]
What is your Character's core personality like?
Aphra can appear genteel and sweet, but she doesn't hesitate to become fiery when triggered. She's been described as a terror, a Snow Queen, a b***h, a wicked witch, and even a monster by the same people who have described her as prodigal talent, a success, a masterpiece, a remarkable person, and a wonderful mother. At her core, Aphra challenges everyone in her sphere of influence to be the best person they can be.
What are likes and dislikes your character has?
Aphra does not like to be challenged. She despises any spark of defiance or rebelliousness from anyone.
Aphra does not like men who think they control her. Being a beautiful woman has led many men to believe she isn't particularly smart, and some of them, upon finding out they are idiots compared to her, have attempted to exercise physical control over her. She can deal with them, but she doesn't like needing to.
Aphra does not like carelessness. To her, the highest form of being is being with intention. Her students and crew members have been held to high standards because of her avarice toward carelessness.
Aphra likes children. Much like her parents, Aphra didn't expect to like being a mother, and yet along with her husband, Roger Arias (b. 1981), she had five children: Angelo James (b. 2002), Luisa Mejia (b. 2004), Alejandra "Andra" Perdita (b. 2007), Maria Xavier (b. 2010), and David Roger (b. 2012).
Aphra likes teaching. Mainly, she likes feeling superior to others (though her husband forces her to accept that he is her equal, and in many ways he really is), and teaching puts her in a position to be in charge of and superior over others.
Aphra likes learning. To her surprise, teaching has been a learning experience for Aphra in that her students have found ways to teach her as well as she can teach them. She loves being surprised like this.
Does your character have any special talents?
Of her non-magical talents, Aphra is an exceptional researcher and she can remember facts very well. She is a skilled teacher, keeping her students accountable for their successes and never pulling punches when they challenge her. She stresses the importance of ambition with her crew, colleagues, and students because she is extremely ambitious herself, and therefore her standards are very high.
Of her magical talents, Aphra reads runes very skillfully. She has several prized runic inscriptions in her possession from various museums she's worked with and for in her career, but her favorite runes are those with magical properties. She's also very skilled at remembering the folklore of many of the ancient civilizations she's done work within the modern day. She has many journals of stories she's collected from her work abroad, and she keeps a pensieve as well to help her keep all these quickly fading tales.
Is there anything in particular that will set your character off in a bad mood?
Defiance. Aphra has absolutely no time for rebellion on her work crew, in her classroom, or among her colleagues. Any spark of defiance is a challenge to her to snuff it out before it catches fire. She can transform from a clever, sexy, smart woman into a Snow Queen very quickly when defiance rears its head.
What is something that can always make your character laugh, no matter how much resistance is given?
Stupid answers have always made Aphra fight off laughter. She lives on stupid questions as well, using her wit and cleverness to make her students understand the idiocy of their questions and therefore know not to ask so stupid a question like that again. She never means to put them down, but very often she does anyway (she is a Slytherin after all).
Physical Description:
Height: How tall or short is your character's stature?
Aphra is 5'11
Build: Is your character pudgy, svelte, muscular, ruler-like, have a hidden figure?
Sheis best described as "statuesque".
Skin Tone: Caucasian, dark-skinned, olive, etc
Aphra tans easily and well, but she is naturally very fair skinned.
Hair Color and Style: Does your character sport blonde, black, brown, or reddish hair? Maybe they constantly dye it? And is it long, short, crew, bobbed, pixie, etc?
Aphra is naturally blonde but she likes to dye her hair dark blonde so as not to attract unwanted attention.
Eye Color: Shades of blue and brown abound, green, grey, black, lavender, and hazel are all available.
Like her father, Aphra has steely grey eyes.
Clothing Style: How does your character choose to dress?
Depending upon the occasion, Aphra likes to wear khaki trousers and government issue black boots with a sturdy cotton white button up blouse and a white crew neck undershirt. When teaching, she always wears a conservative length skirt and a silky blouse (usually with a complimentary scarf in cold weather months or in Muslim countries). For an evening out, Aphra pulls out the stops; she enjoys wowing men (mostly her husband, with whom she is intoxicated in love) with a sensual cocktail dress or evening gown. When she's been invited to see the King of England, she's covered up appropriately but still dresses to impress. But she'd rather be in khakis and a cotton blouse, really.
Personal Scent: What scent would be associated with your character? Others want to know...
Other: Does your character have a smattering of freckles, scars, moles, hairless arms, glasses, left-handed, always wear a particular piece of jewelry, etc?
Lilacs, Aphra smells like lilacs. Other than her simple wedding band, Aphra only wears a precious amber amulet on a white gold chain around her neck. Only she and her husband know its story.
RP Example: [MUST be written in 3rd person past tense. At least 2 good sized paragraphs: 6-8 sentences each]
Andra sat quietly and studied her mother's rough draft article titled "Ancient Coinage (and its usage) in the Persian Empire". Aphra hadn't needed to ask her for help; she offered her proofreading services freely (so long as she got to go on the next archaeological dig). Aphra paced from one table of artifacts to the next, labeling and documenting her finds. A small pile of coins sat on a paper towel haphazardly, unlabeled. Aphra busied herself with the menial work of documenting, being careful to ignore that problematic small pile. Andra knew what her mother was doing though, and she smirked. "They'll have to be sorted soon enough, Mum," she said as she corrected an awkwardly phrased sentence (one of many, regrettably). Aphra sighed quickly and finished her documentation. She couldn't ignore the pile any longer.
"You're a proverbial thorn in my side," she said to the pile as she stood before it. "Can't you just sort yourselves?"
In truth, this pile had stumped her. She'd been adding to it since her archaeology days in Uzbekistan, but of all the artifacts she'd collected, these coins made little sense to her. They were not of the period she had expected them to be in, and while she had considered them to be traded along the Silk Road, some of them she could identify as being from the shogunate era of Japanese history. She selected one of the smaller coins with a square cut in the center. It was a Japanese coin, she knew that. It was in circulation from the 12th-15th centuries, around the time the Silk Road was fading in usage, but it was also a time when Japanese trade was very exclusive. The puzzle, for Aphra, was that there were pieces that fit and more pieces that didn't. She was frustrated. "UGH!!! Just tell me why you were found along the Silk Road!" She clenched her fists so as not to pound them on the table. Andra was by her side in no time flat. "It's the Japanese mon that are really messing me up, dear. Help, if you can. You know as well as I do that there shouldn't be any Japanese coinage found in an Uzbekistani Silk Road city!" She said, crossing her arms.
To her surprise, her daughter grinned and picked up two coins. They were identical except for their place in history. "Look Mum. What is the difference between these two coins?" Aphra laughed, mirthlessly. "One is from before the Meiji Restoration and one is from after it." Andra shook her head slowly, still grinning. "You get one more guess." Aphra looked harder. A thought dawned on her. "Wait," she said as she looked closer still. "They're not both Japanese." She grinned. "Actually... neither are Japanese!" Andra was grinning broadly as well. "Correct. Or did you forget that the Japanese traded in Chinese coin until the Meiji Restoration?" Andra gave her mother a knowing look that said one thing only: And you call yourself an expert.
How You Found Us: (Optional)