[hider=questions] Is this still a possibility? The group seemed divided on whether they wanted four or if five would be okay, so... I guess I'm just going to ask the questions I have in the event that this still is open. If it's not open, then feel free to use the questions to help you brainstorm. 1. Is this based before, during, or after the Harry Potter books? Basically, has Voldemort been born, does he have followers, is he regathering his followers and strength, or has he already been defeated? Alternatively, it could be an AU with completely different events. Maybe Tom Riddle was never born or never became Voldemort? I'm just curious. 2. Is there going to be a plot, or do you intend for this to be a sort of Hogwarts-slice-of-life? 3. What are your thoughts on those who have seer-potential without true mastery over it? 4. How do the [s]three[/s] two Gryffindor characters intend to incorporate characters from other houses?? 5. Is there an OoC thread yet? If you wanted to know what kind of character I had in mind, this is her:[/hider] [center][img=http://i58.tinypic.com/ixusrl.jpg] [b]ESTELA "STELLA" NIEVES [Female | 17 | 7th Year Hogwarts Hufflepuff][/b][/center] [b][u]Magical Characteristics[/u][/b] [indent][b]Blood Type:[/b] - Pure Blood [b]Wand Details:[/b] - [url=http://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Silver_lime]Silver Lime Wood[/url] - Unicorn Hair Core - 10 1/4" - Reasonably Springy [b]Patronus:[/b] - [url=http://fc00.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/271/a/9/seal_patronus_by_searii-d6ob8wv.png]Harbor Seal[/url] [b]Boggart:[/b] - [url=http://beautifuldecay.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/expanse_bot-565x423.jpg]Black Void Filled with Nothingness[/url][/indent] [b][u]Historical Information:[/u][/b] [indent][b]Birthplace:[/b] - Alaska, United States [b]Relationships:[/b] - [url=http://pmcdeadline2.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/javier_bardem__140410174457.jpg]Tadlo Nieves[/url] | Male | 41 | Living | Wizard | Father - [url=http://www2.pictures.stylebistro.com/gi/Eva+Mendes+Long+Hairstyles+Long+Straight+Cut+IOjICsf20C8l.jpg]Emiri Garza-Nieves[/url] | Female | Deceased | Witch | Mother - [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/1863007]Adelie Hurst[/url] | Female | 17 | Living | Witch | Friend - [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/1864092]Calvin Magnussen[/url] | Male | 17 | Living | Wizard | Friend - [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/1864253]Rin Zephyr[/url] | Female | 17 | Living | Witch | Friend - [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/posts/1870482]Zef Raco[/url] | Male | 17 | Living | Wizard | Friend [b]Biography:[/b] - Fourteen days into a particularly chilly January, a baby was born in Alaska. This wouldn't have been a very remarkable event had the child not been completely still and silent, as if asleep. The healers could not discover the source of the infant's unconsciousness, but because they could not get her to awaken, they informed the parents that the child would die. Her parents were not ones to give up so easily. After all, this child was the first of theirs who had made it to term, and they simply could not accept that she, too, would meet an untimely fate. Tadlo and Emiri Nieves worked together to mix experimental potions to revive her. One night, they administered one of their concoctions, praying to their parents deities that their child would live. After a very tense moment, the baby opened her eyes and began to cry. In that moment, the parents knew their daughter would live. The child was named Estela. Magic was not uncommon for the Nieves family for one was a witch and the other was a wizard, and it wasn't long before Stella began showing signs of having inherited their gifts. As an infant, she would sometimes summon things that were too far out of reach. More subtly, she was able to avoid simple accidents by stopping in just the right spot or by quickly moving away from a location where an accident would occur. This was more surprising than the other types of magic she showed, for it spoke of her having inherited more than simple wizardry, for Stella was the great-great-great granddaughter of a seer on her mother's side. The gift was quite rare, but it seemed to have been passed down four generations later. At the age of six, Estela Nieves made her first prophecy, foretelling of her mother's demise. Both parents heard their daughter speak of Emiri's death though neither had any indication of how or when the event would come to pass. In an effort to thwart this dark fate, they moved to the country where Emiri had been raised: England. When Stella was eleven years old, she recieved an acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Her family was very excited, especially Emiri who had received her education there. They bought her school supplies including a beautiful wand, and a family friend allowed them to adopt gorgeous kneazle-cat mix which Stella named Oberon. After much deliberation between House Hufflepuff and House Ravenclaw, the Sorting Hat placed the pre-teen into the former. Though her mother had been a Ravenclaw, both parents were very proud of their gentle, loving daughter. She quickly became liked by many of her peers both in her own house and outside it. With her Ravenclaw-worthy intellect combined with her Hufflepuff kindness, she frequently helped bring many points to her house which helped with house morale. Perhaps it was because of the prophecy, or perhaps it would have occured no matter where they lived, but Emiri Nieves perished while working at the Ministry of Magic in the Experimental Charms department one evening. Stella walked into the room to see her mother just as several objects in the room exploded, killing Emiri and injuring a few of the woman's co-workers and Stella herself. While the thirteen-ear-old was not harmed physically beyond a few scrapes and bruises, she was emotionally scarred by bearing witness to her mother's demise. Tadlo, her father, had been working in the Department of International Magic Cooperation on a different floor at the time, and while he didn't blame his daughter, Stella could never forgive herself. She saw her prophecy as the cause of her mother's death. Had she not spoken of it, they would never have moved, and Emiri might still be alive. Instead of trying dissolve her abilities as a seer by pretending they didn't exist, she sought to better understand them. Even though she'd only spoken one prophecy, she had other talents regarding her nature. She threw herself into divination studies, even when outside of school though she could do nothing wand-related during holiday breaks. She was determined to make sure she could have a proper control over and understanding of her inherited abilities. Because of her drive to master her abilities, it's strange to think that Stella's first real friendship was with a girl who hardly even believed in the Hufflepuff's genetic inheritance. The third-year was completing a homework assignment when she felt a familiar pull. She simply knew she needed to go to the courtyard right at that moment. She left her things in the Hufflepuff common room and headed to her destination. The thirteen-year-old arrived just in time to witness the end of a verbal altercation between a Gryffindor girl and a Slytherin boy. When her female peer turned her back, their male peer aggressively drew his wand. Without a second thought, Stella drew hers and yelled, "Expelliarmus!" His wand was ejected from his hand before he could finish uttering his hex, and the Hufflepuff created her first true friendship at Hogwarts with the Gryffindor, Adelie. Through Adelie, Stella was also able to make two other friendship during her third year: one with a Gryffindor girl name Rin and the other with a Ravenclaw boy named Calvin. Stella met Rin originally through their shared Divination class. She agreed to help the Gryffindor because it was clear to everyone else in the class that the Hufflepuff showed great potential with the work. In return, Rin agreed to help Stella with her Defense Against the Dark Arts Studies. Becoming friends with Adelie really helped promote friendship between the other two girls. Stella met Calvin a little later than she'd met Rin when the Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw were paired to work on a Care of Magical Creatures project together. They'd already developed respect for one another through that when Adelie's influence simply pushed them the extra step into real friendship. This wasn't the last time her connection with Adelie introduced Stella to a new friendship. During their fifth year, after the Slytherin, Zef, stood up for Adelie against a bully in his own house, the friendship he formed with the Gryffindor made it's way to the rest of the group. Though they're very different, Stella and Zef were able to find common ground in their personal ideals about honesty and integrity, and they've been friends ever since.[/indent] [b][u]Personal Information:[/u][/b] [indent][b]Personality:[/b] - Stella is a very open and friendly person. She adores social interaction, and seeks to understand people on a deeper level than they might initially present to the world. While she does understand that not everyone is going to like everyone else, it does hurt her when she learns that people have been saying bad things about her. She wants respect and, as such, she makes sure to work hard to earn good grades, and she also does her best to be friendly. Unfortunately, there are situations that result in her having to become quite cross. She can't abide the way bullies hurt others, so she will stand up for those who may not be able to stand up for themselves. Sometimes, it's brought that bullying onto her own head, but she doesn't mind because the positive feeling of having helped someone always outweighs the negative feelings of being the butt of another's jokes. One thing her father taught her was that, sometimes, getting the last word really made the person who got it the loser of the fight. They might think they won, but if Stella could be confident that the negativity wasn't drawn out longer than necessary by keeping her silence, then she was the true victor. While she's very vocal about standing up for others, she's quick to walk away from a fight when it's directed at her. As such, some people think she's weak when, to her, it takes strength to walk away. Stella's worst fear is that she'll predict more deaths of those she loves and fall into a despair so dark she can't find her way out. She isn't certain she would be able to handle losing another loved one, especially because there are so few left in her life since her mother's demise. She still blames herself for the woman's death even if she merely foretold it, but she works hard to pretend it doesn't bother her so that she doesn't falter. While the catalyst for her greatest fear may be her natural insights, Stella isn't afraid of people knowing about her abilities though she never tells them the details about the one she spoke, and she never discusses her mother's death with anyone who doesn't already know. Some people believe that she's a hack in much the same way they feel Professor Trelawney is. They don't believe in the pull she has to be in specific places or away from them. They think she's lying to get attention. It hurts her when people say those things, but because she doesn't have any definitive proof, the only thing she can do is pretend it doesn't bother her. [b]Likes:[/b] - Learning about Those around Her - Praise - Respect - Standing up to Bullies - Studying All Things Divination [b]Dislikes:[/b] - Bullying - Death - Dishonesty - Idea of Nothingness - Physical Violence[/indent] [b][u]Appearance Information:[/u][/b] [indent][b]Height:[/b] - 5'6" [b]Weight:[/b] - 125 lbs. [b]Body Frame:[/b] - Slender - Fit & Flexible - Slightly Pear-Shaped [b]Features:[/b] - Long, wavy, black hair - Heart-shaped face - Almond-shaped, brown eyes - Black, rounded brows - Full lips - Prominent jawline and chin - Naturally light-tan skin [b]Clothing Style:[/b] - Stella has a very eclectic style. Some days, she wants to feel chic and put together with structured dresses and pumps, sometimes she wants to feel like a badass with leather jackets and boots, and other days she just wants to relax in comfortable outfits like oversized sweaters and comfortable jeans. It generally just depends on what sort of feeling she has, how she wants to present herself to the world that day, or what kind of event she's attending. [/indent] [b][u]Other Details:[/u][/b] [indent][b]Pet:[/b] - [url=http://oi60.tinypic.com/nfgxlt.jpg]Oberon[/url] - 2/3 Kneazle; 1/3 Oriental Shorthair Cat - Bright green eyes - White Fur with Black Spots along the face and body and black stripes along the tail - Less of a pet and more of a familiar - Protective of Stella - Gets along strangely well with Mrs. Norris [b]Favorite Classes:[/b] - Charms - Divination - Potions [b]Least Favorite Classes:[/b] - Defense Against the Dark Arts - Herbology - History of Magic [b]Natural Ability:[/b] - As a seer who has not mastered her gift - or curse depending on one's perspective - Stella doesn't always understand the feelings she gets. She only knows that she'll occasionally have the urge to be in a certain place at certain times. She doesn't know why until she happens upon that place and events unfold. A few times, she's gone to places where nothing happened at all, and she never really did learn why she felt the need to be there. She's also felt similar urges to leave specific places with comparable results to the ones that bring her to new areas. It feels a bit like a tugging sensation in her mind, the way one might imagine a recovering addict would feel when the opportunity to partake arises unexpectedly. She hopes to one day understand these urges before she happens upon places, but so far, she hasn't figured out how to master it.[/indent]