Ho ho ho! Santa Kayte is here again this year to bring you the 12 Days of Charming. To those new to our ranks (or extra forgetful), 12 Days is, quite literally, twelve days, in which each day brings with it a new challenge, riddle, or puzzle for you to solve. Complete all twelve to earn the 12 Days stamp!

Stamps not your jam? This is for you anyways—each day has two to ten (or on some days, unlimited!) prizes available to be won on a first done, first served basis! I won’t tell you specifically what they are (what would be the fun in that?), but I can tell you that several Charmers have been enlisted as elves and, as always, the December Challenge stamp is buried in there somewhere…

Check back on Wednesday, December 12th for day one!

Full Name: Orinda Countess Ruskin
Nicknames: If you’re going to use a nickname, it’s Ori. She will not respond to anything other than Orinda or Ori.
Birthdate: November 10, 1874
Current Age: 14
Occupation: Daring Second Year
Reputation: 7

The woes of being half vampire include a less than stellar reputation.

Residence: Hogsmeade
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
Wand: Maple, 10⅔", whippy, phoenix feather core
Blood Status: Half (half-vampire)
Social Class: Middle
Family:

Father: Martin Ruskin
Mother: Lisa Fairbairn

Sister: Acacia Ruskin
Sister: Chrysanta Ruskin
Brother: Dunstan Ruskin

Appearance: A proud brunette, Orinda stands four feet, eleven inches in height, with dark blue eyes and pale skin, often sporting a hint of pinkish-red sunburn. She’s just barely started showing any womanly curves, mostly in the hips, and has recently started progressing into corsets. She is right-handed, in both wandwork and writing, and prefers lighter colors in her clothing, thinking her school robes depressing. Like other half-vampires, Orinda has exaggerated canine teeth and a mild attraction to blood.
History:

1874: Orinda is born. As a third child and yet another daughter, she is in some respects no more than expected. She is a quiet child, only crying when hungered.
1876: Dunstan is born, and then Mama leaves after almost killing Papa. Orinda, being still a toddler, doesn’t fully understand what happened - all she knows is Mama’s gone.
1877: Orinda and the rest of the family are moved to Hogsmeade in the wake of the chaos in London. In a form of defiance of the transition, Orinda takes to sitting in the sun for extended periods of time.
1881: On a warm summer night, Orinda displays her first sign of magic, freezing her blankets over to keep herself cool. This isn’t noticed until morning, when her blankets and sheets are covered in half-melted frost, and a puddle of water has surrounded her bed. Shortly after, she begins to rebel against her elder sisters - they aren’t her mother, and so cannot tell her what to do. She still listens to Papa and the nanny, but Acacia and Chrysanta? Nah.
1883: One day on a walk, Orinda hears wonderful music. For the first time, she runs from the nanny, stepping into the room with a young woman playing a cello. It isn’t long before she’s begging and pleading with Papa for lessons and an instrument. When Papa refuses, she turns to Grandpapa, who obliges her. She thrives in her lessons, and seems to fancy the idea of becoming a great concert cellist.
1886: Orinda begins her Hogwarts career, sorting into the same house as her eldest sister - Ravenclaw. She enjoys her classes, but it’s not home. Home, to this first year, is Hogsmeade. She still delights in frustrating her older sisters, especially Acacia, but she obeys the school faculty.
1887: The half-breed ban rocks Orinda’s life to the core. How can an institute of magical learning turn away those with perhaps the greatest need of any of its students? She’s angry, enraged, upset - there are many words for how it feels to be cast aside. Overlooked. Treated as vermin. If nothing else, this makes her even more rebellious, to the point where she outright tells Papa “no” for the first time. She apologizes for it later that evening - though she is not sorry she didn’t do as he told her. She is only sorry that it was him. It only gets worse when Dunstan is killed over the summer. For several weeks, she didn’t even speak. Instead, she sat in her bed most of the day and did nothing but read. She didn’t even speak to Acacia or Chrysanta.
1888: The year begins with the half-breed ban lifting - only for those deprived of a short few months of learning to be shoved into classes they’ve already completed. Meaning Orinda returns to Hogwarts as a first year, and prolonging her attendance period to mean she won't complete her education until she's nineteen. To put it simply, Orinda is not happy about that. But she is content to continue her education. The whole debacle has made her think, though. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to work in the Ministry. Make a difference. Prove that half vampires are people once and for all. No different than any ordinary witch. Even if that means having as normal a school life as possible.

Personality:

ENTP-T - the Debater


Orinda is a very high-energy, creative, and flexible individual. She tends to think out loud, trust what she knows is right, and state the honest truth. Sometimes this works to her detriment - she can be easily distracted by the abstract, speak too bluntly, work in short bursts of high energy, and worse - have a hard time making the necessary decision. However, she is a self-starter who keeps fairness and what could be in mind at all times.

Other: Name: Elaine
Age: 25
Contact: Skype, Discord, PM
Other Characters: Adelina North, Naeva Lécuyer, Kiva Kenny

Full Name: Ulysses Tobias Harrington
Nicknames: Toby
Birthdate: April 30th, 1862
Current Age: 26
Occupation:  Hogsmeade Apothecary
Reputation: 10- While of a modest income, he is kind, polite, friendly, and clean; both in body and mind.
Residence: Over his shop in High Street, Hogsmeade.
Hogwarts House: Gryffindor
Wand: Rowan, 11 inches with phoenix feather. Pliable.
Blood Status: Halfblood.
Social Class: Working
Family:
Ulysses Rodrick Harrington, Father [1838]
Agatha Harrington née Bodkins, Mother [1843]
Jennifer "Jenny" Harrington, Sister [1865]  
Ulysses Edward Harrington, Brother [1867]
Appearance:
Ulysses Tobias Harrington, or "Toby" as his family calls him, is a wiry young man with brown hair and dark eyes. He stands 5ft. 10in. tall, and moves with an intense nervous energy. If you ever happen to see him standing still, he will be fiddling with something in one of his apron pockets. On the subject of clothing, he wears practical clothing for his chosen profession. Namely, dark trousers that are difficult to stain, sturdy leather boots, a clean, albeit well worn shirt that was once white, and a leather apron covered in pockets, full of all sorts of odds and ends. While ambidextrous, he tends to favor his right hand for wandwork.
History:
1861: Ulysses Rodrick Harrington, (Muggle) marries Agatha Bodkins(Witch); and they settle in a small hamlet in the east of England.
1862: The happy couple welcomes their first child, a boy, and they name him in the tradition of his family: Ulysses Tobias. Rodrick is employed as a junior apothecary, assisting the elderly proprietor and learning what bits of wisdom he can glean through his interactions with customers.
1865: Jennifer Anne is born. Rodrick becomes the owner and proprietor of the apothecary upon the death of his widower employer; who sadly, had no children. Young Toby is quickly disenchanted with the novelty of a sister, and spends every spare minute in the shop with his father, fascinated by all of the sights and smells around him.
1867:  Ulysses Edward is born. Shortly thereafter, Toby's first bit of accidental magic is performed one night, when he silences his shrieking brother after being unable to sleep. His father and mother are both upset for different reasons: Rodrick because he was unaware of the existence of magic until this point, and Agatha because she had been trying very hard to hide it from him. Tobias is no longer allowed in the shop, to minimize the contact he has with potential customers, much to his dismay.
1873:  Toby's Hogwarts letter arrives, and as Rodrick has been putting aside what little money he could, he is more than willing to get Toby off to school, if for no other reason than to keep him away from the shop. Just after Toby leaves however, little Jenny gets trampled by a horse while playing in the street, and is totally unharmed. Rodrick is thankful she is safe, but is furious that she is also "magical."
1876: Jenny starts at Hogwarts, and is sorted into Gyffindor, just like Toby. Toby has been working very hard at all of his subjects, but is especially proud of his good marks in Potions, Herbology, and Charms. Through letters home, he realizes that Edward has yet to show any signs of magical behavior, and is thus being groomed by his father to take over the shop.
1878: Toby manages to sit his OWL's and passes in all three of his best subjects. Hysteria around the discovery of magic and the wizarding world have forced Rodrick and Agatha to pull Jenny back to home and safety, deciding that she has had enough magical training and should be learning to care for a home and family. At the conclusion of the school year, Toby receives a letter from Rodrick telling him that he must give up magic and his studies for the good of the family, or he would be no longer welcome at home, and must fend for himself moving forward. Reluctantly, Toby left Hogwarts and returned home, finally able to work in his father's shop.
1886: Tobias has learned all the ins and outs of the apothecary trade, and takes what money he has managed to save up and heads back to the world he had left behind eight years ago. He ends up in Hogsmeade, and realizes that there is no longer an apothecary, as the shopkeeper had been killed in the fire. Seeing his chance, he purchased the vacant shop and opened up for business. It was difficult at first, as he was a stranger to the local inhabitants, and they were distrusting of newcomers.
1888: Tobias is managing to make ends meet and is saving small amounts of money for a rainy day, or a house whichever comes first.
Personality: Impatient, kind, shy, and slightly bitter.
Sample Roleplay Post:
Ulysses heaved a great sigh as he sat upright on the edge of his bed. It was morning, but still early enough that the Sun had not yet begun to cast brilliant streaks of scarlet and violet across the dark sky. As such it was chilly, and he shivered in the his threadbare nightshirt. "Well," he said, "I had better get to it then, the shop won't mind itself." He quickly stood, gathered his meager supply of toiletries, and headed towards the jug of water and large bowl he used to complete his morning toilet. Once sufficiently cleaned, he dressed in his usual, practical way, and grabbed a hunk of crusty bread and half of a cold baked potato on his way downstairs into the shop below.

Name: Joe
Age: 24
Contact: PM or Email
Other Characters: None
How did you hear about us?: Harry Potter Wiki: Fan Pages

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