Dorcas Meadowes is still alive (![[info]](https://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} _dorcas_) wrote,@ 2022-03-26 14:07:00 |
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 { Dorcas Meadowes Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear. ~Ambrose Redmoon | |
NICKNAMES: Many have tried, none have succeeded. AGE | DOB: 37 | 14 April 1960 HOGWARTS HOUSE | YEAR: Gryffindor | 1971-1978 BLOOD STATUS: Muggleborn RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Single. SEXUALITY: Straight, but she is very open-minded. OCCUPATION: Looking for work, previously worked with animals LOCATION: London, England after a long stint in Northern Russia. She is planning on staying at The Leaky Cauldron until she can find a place of her own. FAMILY BACKGROUND: FATHER: Robert, deceased. MOTHER: Melina, deceased. SIBLINGS: Hektor, deceased. Dorcas couldn't have had a more normal childhood. The second child of Robert and Melina Meadowes, she was a bit of a tomboy, always playing catch up with her older brother, Hektor. They lived in a suburban London community, where Hektor and Dorcas made many friends and played outside until the moon came out. Until her eleventh birthday, 'magic' was the stuff of the make believe stories that she and Hektor told when they were little. All of that changed when Dorcas got her letter from Hogwarts. At first her father threw the letter away thinking that it was a joke, but soon owls brought copies on a daily basis. No longer able to keep the letters from the family, Robert let Dorcas open one three days after her birthday. She was ecstatic, having never imagined such a school or even the possibilities of magic. A rift soon formed in the family. Her father was less than thrilled, but it was her mother that insisted Dorcas attend the school. She traveled with Dorcas to Diagon Alley, helping her to buy her school books and other supplies. Like her father, Hektor was unamused by Dorcas's sudden introduction to the world of witchcraft. He teased her and no longer welcomed her to spend time with her group of friends, calling her his 'weird little sister.' Dorcas was heartbroken, and became closer to her mother than ever as she and her brother drifted. Unfortunately, the differences that sprang up within her parents quickly became more and more apparent, and during the summer between second and third year, Dorcas's parents divorced, and while Dorcas moved out with her mother, Hektor stayed with their father. Unable to keep from blaming herself for the problems, Dorcas nearly refused to return to Hogwarts. How could magic be more important than family? Dorcas's mother insisted that her daughter return, but her enthusiasm was lost. | physical appearance It's full speed, baby, in the wrong direction _______________________________ Dorcas has never looked in the mirror and called herself pretty. Brown hair, brown eyes, and the most plain complexion, she's always felt like such a tomboy that looks never mattered much to her. This is not to say that it isn't a sore spot. Always jealous of her Gryffindor roommates that were good with boys and makeup, Dorcas felt a bit left out. Wide-set eyes always convinced her that she was ugly, and she didn't have long, slender legs like most pretty girls. She does, however, have a smile that can light up a room. Dorcas has always considered her mouth to be a weird, wide shape, but when she is beaming, the girl just radiates joy. On the flip side, she has a pretty menacing glare, and she is certainly not afraid to use it. She has changed a bit since her time at Hogwarts, where she was quite the firecracker. Her sense of style at Hogwarts was sometimes loud and colorful, and she especially loved to weave beads or even feathers into her hair. Her stint in Russia, however, has changed that. She has certainly tamed her style of dress, having lived in near poverty for just under twenty years. Though she does miss her loud clothing, Dorcas now places value in comfort and quality rather than statement. Mud is also not an unfamiliar part of Dorcas's wardrobe. In fact, she rather likes it. Dorcas is not thin, but nor is she curvy. As a kid she was very much into sports, playing backyard football with her brother and his friends. Dorcas also trained in fencing starting at the age of seven, and continued taking private lessons when she could manage, once enrolled at Hogwarts. She is fairly toned and fit due to her athleticism, which has continued as she worked with animals. While 'outspoken' is the first word that might come to mind with Dorcas's personality, it isn't a far-off description of her mannerisms, either. She has a brisk, confident walk, and one might say she always seems to be in a hurry. Being prim and proper is probably the furthest thing from her mind, so slouching in a chair or flopping on the couch would never bother her. Her voice is strong and often loud. At least, this is how most will remember her. Like her dress code, Dorcas's mannerisms have also shifted to be more internalized while she was on the run. |
personality I'm wide awake and I can see the perfect sky is torn _______________________________ Dorcas is no stranger to mood swings. Anyone who knew her in her first year could attest to the fact that she was practically a different person by her fourth year, and yet another all together by the time she'd reached her seventh. Dorcas has a hard time not taking things to heart, and so feels all of her emotions as if they were amplified. Loyal to a fault, she is willing to make excuses for a friend beyond the point of reason. She exudes confidence and optimism, though underneath there is an emotional fragility that she does her best to hide. On the surface Dorcas might seem to be cheerful, even if she is only pretending. But she can turn on a dime. Having been a bit of an outsider most of her life, Dorcas has a tough skin. It takes a lot more than an insult to boil her blood. She could even laugh off being called a 'Mudblood,' (Dorcas loves mud! Mud is fun!). But cross her -really cross her- and she will come at you with fists blazing. Dorcas is an opinionated person, and she wants people to know what she thinks. She is not at all afraid to get in someone's face in order to express her point of view. She loves a good debate, and never backs down from an argument. She hates to apologize, even when she is wrong, but can always come to reason when the situation calls for it. Though her anger and temper may lead one to believe that Dorcas is a negative person, she actually has an extremely idealistic point of view. She just wants everyone to love each other and get along, and hates how stupidity and ignorance seems to tear people apart. Guilt has plagued Dorcas for much of her life. Even at an early age, Dorcas blamed herself for her parents' dissolving relationship and divorce. This lead long spells of depression in which Dorcas's friendships and education both suffered. Later in life, she would blame herself for the deaths of her family members, not to mention a good handful of Muggles that she didn't even know the name of. She is morally opposed to suicide, though the thought has crossed her mind on many an occasion. Dorcas has no idea that people think she was a powerful witch for having been defeated by Voldemort personally. She sees herself as a coward, and has not forgiven herself for her actions. Her fear lead her to do terrible things, and she often still has dreams that take her back to such an awful time in her life. Dorcas considers it a good day when she gets a full night of sleep without nightmares. She loves to run, and often clears her head with an early morning jog. Nothing calms her like a good workout. Despite feeling that she relates better to animals than people, Dorcas has never owned a pet, having always preferred to take of other people's animals instead. When she is in a sour mood, everyone knows it. Dorcas doesn't mean to pout, but she finds it hard not to wear her emotions on her sleeve. Although living in Russia has mellowed her out a bit, Dorcas still finds it difficult not to be honest when something is on her mind. She loves warm, comfortable clothes and a good blanket. She rarely sleeps in if she can help it, but often finds it difficult to get out of bed on a cold morning. Butter should go on everything, because it adds the most comforting flavor. Butterbeer is hard to come by in Russia, and Dorcas has missed it greatly. She hates the taste of vodka, and can't stand being hung over so much that she tries not to drink past the point of a faint buzz. ASTROLOGY: 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. | ‹‹ Many people had a poor opinion of Dorcas due to her tendency to defend her beliefs with her fists. Towards the end of their fifth year, Dorcas stumbled across Mary MacDonald being tortured by a Slytherin student named Mulciber. Catching the boy off-guard, Dorcas managed to break his concentration by punching him in the face, and then running to get Professor McGonagall. Mary spent a month in the infirmary, and Dorcas spent a week with nightly detention for punching. ‹‹ Dorcas bears a long scar that runs from just under her collar bone to her the middle of her ribs on the right side, which she received from Dark Magic. The only person to have seen the scar is her husband in Russia, who she lied to about it's origin. The story has something to do with an ill-fated fencing match that ruined her hopes and dreams of reaching the Olympics. ‹‹ Dorcas spent much of her sixth and seventh year focusing on human transfiguration. Having always loved animals, and wanting to work with magical creatures after completing her education, she thought that it would be useful to become a registered animagi. The process promised to be long and very difficult, but Dorcas is nothing if not determined. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, and her presumed death, Dorcas was never able to complete the process, and never had the heart to try once she had gone on the run. ‹‹ During her seventh year, Dorcas got news that her mother was in grave health, suffering from an advanced stage of ovarian cancer. The news was sudden, and caught her entirely off guard. During the Christmas holidays, her brother and father came to spend time with Melina on her dying bed. Dorcas and her brother came together to cook a delicious holiday meal, and the family spent Christmas eve reunited for the last time around the dinning room table. ‹‹ When she was eight years old, Dorcas decided that she wanted to be a vegetarian. Although she claimed it was because she loved animals so much, the real reason was that she hated her mother's style of chicken. She remained a vegetarian all throughout her time at Hogwarts, never admitting the truth behind her choice (The one exception to her vegetarianism was the above mentioned Christmas dinner). This changed when she fled to Russia and had less choices available to her for food. Dorcas found that she really enjoyed some of the dishes, including pelmeni (meat-stuffed dumplings) and kotlety (pan-fried meatballs). |
biography Look at the tiger jumping out of her mouth _______________________________ The only things Dorcas remembers from her childhood are skinned knees and grass stains. To be fair, those were the most important parts. When you're eight years old, everything in your world is perfect, and Dorcas was no exception to that rule. She had a pretty cool dad, who was a gym teacher at a local high school, and a very beautiful mum. Her days were never short of adventure, and she and her brother were nearly inseparable. Having always loved animals, Dorcas thought it was pretty cool when a large barn owl perched itself on their estate a day or so before her eleventh birthday. It was spring, and she still remembers the way there was a fog over the family's property. The owl swooped in out of the mist when she had gone outside to get the paper for Dad. And it had a piece of parchment attached to one leg! The girl ran inside so fast her legs could barely keep up with her. The parchment was an invitation to a school, and not just any school: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Dorcas had never heard of such a place, and before she knew it, her world had turned upside down. For one thing, her father staunchly disapproved of his girl not only leaving home, but to go to a school to learn such blasphemy. On the other hand, her mum was fascinated. Having always fancied other cultures, the woman encouraged Dorcas to get excited about the possibility of learning magic. Dorcas's first year was everything she could have hoped and dreamed for. Magic was new and exciting! Even just riding a train to the school seemed much more exciting than the one she'd ridden from Yorkshire to London! Once at Hogwarts, Dorcas was sorted into Gryffindor. That meant little to her at first, but she swelled with pride, and for Christmas that year her mother bought her daughter an entire wardrobe of red and gold. Dorcas took especially well to flying and history, though her mother was the only one willing to listen to Dorcas's tales about witches and wizards past. That summer, the tone at home was very different from the sunny childhood Dorcas remembered. The rift between her parents had grown. Aside from their different views about magic, suddenly arguments seemed to be popping up left and right. Or had they been there before, and Dorcas hadn't noticed? To make matters worse, her brother had become withdrawn and distant. Dorcas wanted to tell him all about the intricacies of transfiguration and the mystery of the Forbidden Forrest, but Hektor was more interested in girls... and he even seemed to resent his 'weird, little sister,' more than just a bit. Nevertheless, Dorcas returned to school for her second year and dove head first into another round of classes. It wasn't until the next summer that things really began to fall apart. Away from her family, Dorcas was somewhat sheltered to the falterings of her parent's marriage, so when they told their little girl that they were getting a divorce, Dorcas was emotionally destroyed. Though there was much more to the reasoning behind it, Dorcas couldn't convince herself that it wasn't her fault. She spent a long, long Sunday afternoon crying and begging her parents to give it one more shot, but the damage was done. Robert and Melina seperated that August, with Hektor staying with their father. Melina brought her daughter to live with her grandmother, but they would be forced to live a very different lifestyle. Melina hadn't had an extended education, so her career options were somewhat limited, plunging her and Dorcas into a level of poverty neither were prepared for. The Dorcas that returned to Hogwarts for her third year was very different from the Dorcas of the past two years. So upset about her family's sudden division, Dorcas had nearly refused to return to the school. She suddenly found herself very opposed to the House system and the rivalries it created. Her grades plummeted, and Dorcas struggled to stay afloat, especially in classes like Charms and Potions. The only redeeming thing she found that year was a love of Care of Magical Creatures. Dorcas enjoyed spending time with animals much more than she enjoyed spending time with her classmates. Dorcas was so outspoken about her beliefs in House Unity that she often got into fights. She was not afraid to punch people that offended her, and so became very well acquainted with detention. She didn't mind, especially detentions that brought her into the Forbidden Forest. She also took up the Dueling Club, which she found to be a great way to burn off excessive, angry energy. In her fifth year, Dorcas was invited to try out for the Quidditch Team, but she declined. The last thing she wanted was to be affiliated with a team that promoted division amongst Hogwarts students. Around that same time, Dorcas overheard a story about the problems between the Black brothers, Sirius and Regulus. This struck a chord with Dorcas, who had not talked to her own brother in several years. One night, Dorcas suddenly found herself angrily confronting Regulus for his treatment of his brother. But upon hearing Regulus's side of the story, a strange, love/hate relationship formed between the two of them. Despite much snarkiness and constant fighting, Dorcas found that she could go to Regulus when she really needed to. Finally finding a connection, albeit a shaky one, helped to calm her internal fire. Dorcas's grades steadily improved, though she was never a model student. She found renewed interest in her school subjects, emphasizing studies in human transfiguration, with the hope of one day becoming a registered animagus. She also gave in and tried out for the Quidditch team at the start of her sixth year [position TBD]. By her the end of her seventh year, Dorcas felt like she had already lived a lifetime. News of her mother's sudden death hit hard, and for a while her grades slipped again. She found that she was relieved to be done with school. But by then, the Wizarding War was in full swing. The very idea of divisions and seperations in the community of the last people that she could call family broke Dorcas's heart. With new determination, she joined the Order of the Phoenix. She had planned to pursue a career working with Dragons and other magical beasts, but found that both that and her skills as a Duelist were both desired and much needed. Dorcas was also able to put her skills in transfiguration into good use for disguises, and she was steadily working on achieving her license as an animagus. Dorcas often felt impatient with the Order, especially Albus Dumbledore, for not acting fast enough. Despite being on opposite sides, she found that she continually found herself meeting Regulus when she had no one else to turn to. When he was forced to torture a group of people, one of which vaguely resembled his own brother, somehow they found themselves pushed together. A very brief, tumultuous relationship was formed. So sudden and confusing was it, that Dorcas almost didn't know it had happened until it was over. It was during this time that someone found out about their secret friendship. Privy to a very profound Death Eater secret, Dorcas suddenly found herself in grave danger. Regulus had vanished, and before Dorcas could tell her secret to the Order, she found herself being hunted down by Lord Voldemort himself. For three endless days, Dorcas was held in a basement where she was tortured with the Cruciatus curse and other Dark Magic. It took every ounce of strength she had to hold on to her sanity. She found herself constantly wondering why she wasn't simply killed, and why Voldemort hadn't sent any of his henchmen to do his dirty work. At the time, she had no idea that the secret Regulus had told her was one that many of his own Death Eaters were not aware of. Often tortured to the brink of death, and then healed, one day Dorcas woke, alone, on the dungeon floor. Unable to apparate and without her wand, she searched her surroundings for a way out, but found none. Determined not to die a victim, she hid in a corner to wait for the perfect moment. When a Death Eater came to check on her state, Docas attacked, hitting him over the head with a rock and stealing his wand. She barely managed to find her way out of the dungeon before Death Eaters were hot on her heels. Dorcas stumbled through the night, and against her better judgement, raced into a Muggle town. In a state of panic, she began to try to confuse the Dark Lord, transfiguring the hair or height of various Muggles to be similar to her own. Though she did manage to allude Voldemort, many Muggles were killed that night before he was was satisfied. Dorcas returned to the panicked town once Voldemort had gone. Sobbing throughout, Dorcas took one of the dead bodies that was similar to her size and shape, and switched their clothes. The hair and other features were transfigured, but Dorcas could not get the face to be just right. In one of her lowest moments, she blasted off part of the face so that the identity of the body could only be assumed. Just as the Ministry arrived to tend to the surviving Muggles, Dorcas fled the scene, leaving her identification and the stolen wand behind with the body. She suddenly found herself in the one place she had least expected to be: her childhood home. In a state of panic, she went to her father to beg for money, who turned her away. It was her brother that saw the fear in her eyes and softened, dragging Dorcas to the bank and giving her everything he could. She begged her brother to come with him, but he just couldn't understand the true danger of the situation. Since then, Dorcas has had a difficult life. She fled to Russia, but knowing very little of the language made life difficult for her. Eventually Dorcas was able to find favor with a family that owned a farm, where she was able to work with the animals in return for food and a place to sleep. Five years passed before Dorcas even thought of trying to get news from the Wizarding World. Having learned the Russian language, she had finally found her way to a Wizarding Community in Northern Russia. News eventually reached her that the War was over, and that Voldemort was imprisoned. She tried to reach out to her family, only to learn that her father and brother had both been killed in a mysterious house fire just a week after she'd gone on the run. With a heavy heart, Dorcas couldn't bring herself to return to London. Very few good memories existed for her there, and she realized that magic had brought her very little happiness since the day she got her letter to Hogwarts. For a while, Dorcas decided to live as a Muggle. At 27, A relationship lead to pregnancy, the pregnancy lead to marriage, which was followed by a miscarriage. Less than a year later, Dorcas caught her husband with one of what turned out to be many women he'd been sleeping around with, so she left him with very little fuss. The fire in her had all but died out. It was the decision to return to magic that helped Dorcas return to her old self. Her talent for working with animals lead her to study and work with Dragons. For many years, this was Dorcas's life. She needed nothing more. It wasn't until recently that she started taking an interest in London again. For years, Dorcas had gotten a subscription of the Daily Prophet delivered. She often got the paper a week or two late. A recent article piqued her interest: The Tell-All Interview of Regulus Black had caused quite a fuss in the Wizarding community. Suddenly, she found herself flooded with homesickness. Dorcas returns to London without high expectations. Russia has been lonely and has worn her thin. She cannot remember the last time she smiled, and it has been even longer since she's felt like someone understood her. She isn't sure anything will come of returning to the place where it all started, but she is willing to give it a try. | |
writing sample ‹‹ About one of the 5 random facts. Hektor can cook. I've never been skilled with pots or pans, but never in my life would I imagined him a chef. And thank goodness for that. If he hadn't been able to tell me, in great detail, every little thing I needed to do with the goose and the potatoes it would have been a disaster for sure. I suppose living in a house with no women for so many years will do that to a boy. Teaches him a thing or two about humility and taking care of oneself. Sitting around the table was surreal. Even mum looked to be glowing just to be surrounded by her family the way I imagine she wants to remember them. Dad put aside his differences, if only for one night, and I almost felt like I was his little girl again. We all held hands and he lead us in prayer, and he didn't even flinch when he heard me say God. It's over now. They've gone back to the house I grew up in and back to their separate lives. It really kills me to think that the next time I see them it might be for a funeral. It makes me want to shake Hektor and scream at him. Why can't you just stay here?? Why can't we all just love each other in these last few weeks?? At dinner it was like nothing had ever gone wrong and I was really his sister again. I don't want to go back to feeling like he doesn't love me. I don't WANT to go back to being a broken family. It makes me so mad I want to punch things, but I don't want to worry mum. I put a hole in the wall when I was 12, she'd never forgive me if I hadn't learned my lesson by 16. | |
A History for Dorcas Meadowes @ Afresh:
Past:
-1974. Dorcas confronts Regulus about his family, their first meeting is a disaster.
Present
-Dorcas's returns to London and has a brush with Regulus Black.
-Dorcas meets with Alice for the first time.
-Rainer goes with Dorcas to visit her grave in the cemetary.
-Dorcas runs into Mulciber, quite literally, after he upsets her about her family.
-Alice, Dorcas, & Lily have a girls night where they talk about babies and marriage.
-Dorcas visits Remus at his bookstore.
-Auror & Animagus, Edmund Proudfoot, assists Dorcas with her animagus training.
-Ronin invites Dorcas over, before he leaves town.
-John Dawlish realizes that Dorcas is still alive, and she tries to tell him exactly what happened.
-Fencing practice for John & Dorcas.</b>