Post by nagana on Apr 20, 2018 12:49:07 GMT -5
Name: Siobhan van der Meer
Age: 30
Occupation/House: Hufflepuff Graduate and Psychotherapist
Wand: Unicorn horn - Black Walnut - Eleven inches
Patronus: Lamb
Boggart: All of her loved ones rejecting her, one at a time
Physical Description: Siobhan stands tall at 5’7’’, yet has an easy time of fading to the background with her slim shape. She has always struggled with finding her feminine curves; instead her most prominent features are her long, slender legs and arms. Her face is defined by her strong cheekbones and her large, doe-brown eyes. Silky brunette waves frame her oval-shaped face, enhanced by full lips and a rather pronounced cupid’s bow above them. Although she respects the subtly and ease of wearing a lot of black, Siobhan prefers to wear clothing reminiscent of a walk in a spring garden—flowing, floral, and light. She walks gently and purposefully, and is very graceful with her movements.
Personality: Siobhan is a watcher. From a young age, she was a wallflower who would much rather observe and learn instead of asserting herself or making herself heard or seen. When she does have something to say, it is something meaningful and precise—she has been known to speak slowly and deliberately in order to relay exactly what needs to be said. She is very honest, yet also calculating when it comes to how she delivers her words. Some believe these traits make Siobhan feel very cold and disconnected, but it is actually quite the opposite—she is one of the warmest, big-hearted, caring people you would ever meet. This makes Siobhan as very well rounded friend who is able to make and keep friends easily. She is extremely reliable and dependable as she values her relationships very highly, believing firmly that good relationships make a good life. However, Siobhan is also extremely introverted. As much as she prizes quality time with important people in her life, she enjoys time to be with herself and her thoughts. Some of Siobhan’s favorite things in life are cups of warm tea, early Spring sunshine on the porch, meditating in her garden, and strolling quietly through old book shops. Her least favorite things include ignorance, rudeness, carelessness, and loudness—anything that deafens the natural sounds of life fills her with resentment.
Siobhan’s passion lies in healing. Growing up, she always believed she wanted to be a veterinarian, but as an adult she found her place in the realm of mental health. She has spent a long time refining her counseling presence and believes strongly in the value of the therapeutic relationship. She is so warm, open, and comforting that she has found great success in this passion.
History: Siobhan was born to Shelley and Henry van der Meer, two muggle parents who were completely uninformed about the wizarding world. She grew up in muggle schools with no inklings of her differences from the other children. Because she was such a quiet child who kept to herself, the signs were never evident, and she never shared the strange occurrences with anyone because she just assumed they were normal. However, when she was eight years old and found herself floating in the meadow below her parent’s home, she realized that something must be different about her.
Siobhan reached out to her Aunt Kim for guidance. Aunt Kim was not well received in the van der Meer household, as she was very strange and kept the company of too many cats and crystal balls. Her mother’s sister, Shelley spoke of her as someone who spent too much time in fantasy and not enough time grounded in real life. This was not such a crazy thing to say—often, she would show up to events in full-on Renaissance era garb which she has sewed herself—but Siobhan had always found her quirks quite charming. When this happened, she felt Aunt Kim would be the safest person to confide in.
As it turns out, Aunt Kim was a witch herself, and a gifted Seer at that. While Shelley always believed Aunt Kim had been sent away to a special school for those slightly off in the head, she had actually been attending Hogwarts. Aunt Kim was positively delighted to hear that Siobhan had inherited the gene, and all of a sudden the two starting spending a lot more time together. While not altogether enthused about this new development, Shelley and Henry allowed it in the spirit of being welcoming to those called family.
When Siobhan received her Hogwarts letter, she and Aunt Kim decided it was time to come clean with her parents. They spent a long while explaining the situation, and it took many days for her parents to begin to believe that this wasn’t some instance of Aunt Kim brainwashing their little girl. They eventually began to appreciate the fact that Siobhan was special and talented, and warmed up to the idea of supporting her in going to Hogwarts. Thus began the life changing journey of Siobhan’s Hogwarts experience.
Aunt Kim had told Siobhan all about the Hogwarts houses, and they had mused about which one she would end up in. Aunt Kim had been in Ravenclaw, and Siobhan wasn’t sure she would fit the bill for that house, though Aunt Kim disagreed. She felt a sigh of relief spread through her body when the Sorting Hat whispered “Hufflepuff” in her ear before shouting it out to the Great Hall. She felt that this was a house where she could be herself—honest, curious, big-hearted, yet quiet.
Siobhan thrived in subjects such as Herbology and Charms, and was an average student in more difficult subjects like Transfiguration and Potions. She felt strangely comfortable in Divination once she entered her third year—it reminded her fondly of Aunt Kim. She grew to love being at Hogwarts, and often had a hard time leaving to go back home. Her Hufflepuff community made her feel so loved and appreciated compared to the more isolating experiences of her quiet childhood. It was in the cozy Hufflepuff dormitory that she truly developed her love for helping people, and discovered how much she valued the relationships she made there.
After school, Siobhan found her place at St. Mungo’s as an intern and slowly worked her way up to work there as a Psychotherapist. She did not participate in person during the Battle of Hogwarts; rather, she acted as a crisis counselor for survivors as they were transported from the grounds to the hospital. She found her true passion in working with clients with trauma through this experience, and continues to work with several of those clients with lingering trauma symptoms.
Siobhan now balances her life with her work at St. Mungo’s, leading groups on meditation and mindfulness, growing her own herbs for tea in her garden, and caring for her cat.
Relationships: Kimberley Kransinski, 57, Ravenclaw Graduate, Seer
Face Claim: Troian Bellisario