Ophelia Black

## Ophelia Pandora Black

"*I dare say she is one of the most brilliant students I have ever seen during my time here at Hogwarts, but it is not her wittiness or sharp mind that makes her unique. Not in my eyes, at least. What sets her apart from so many others is her strength of determination— a power of will that only few ever possess. She feels like she needs to accomplish more in life, and rightly so, but unfortunately, she does so for all the wrong reasons*."

*—* Silas Viridian discussing Ophelia with Aberforth Huxley.

**Ophelia Pandora Black** (born c. 1951) was an English pure-blood witch. She was the second-born child of Regulus and Lyra Black, the younger sister of Perseus Black, cousin to Nova Black, and granddaughter to Alphard and **Ophèlie Black** (neé Lestrange). As a member of House Black, Ophelia was a strong advocate of pure-blood superiority. A very passionate and ambitious young girl, she aspired to work at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement like her father, and as such dictated her life around academic achievements. At a young age, she was rebellious towards her parents as a result of over-protective upbringing by her mother. Her behaviour led her grandfather to send her to attended the **British Academy of Wizarding Ballet**, where she became one of the most accomplished and skilled ballet dancers. Ophelia began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1963, where she followed her family's tradition of being sorted into Slytherin House.

## Early life (1951-1963)

*“Since both you and your husband cannot live up to the level of authority Ophelia is in apparent need of, I will be taking matters into own hands. I am baffled at your lack of dominion, Lyra. Do you understand the ignominy you are putting to our House by your incapability of keeping her in check? It has taken me too long to cover up what she did and ensure it not besmirching her legal files. With this being not the first time she overstepped her boundaries, I am certain you agree that this has to come to an end. Now, I advise you to better start packing her belongings and kissing her goodbye, because as of this afternoon I will be sending her on her way.“*

— Alphard Black tyrannising his daughter Lyra during an heated argument regarding Ophelia’s latest misdeeds.

**Ophelia Pandora Black**, born the 30th of December in 1951, was the daughter of Regulus and Lyra Black and the twin sister of Perseus Black, who was born on the 29th of December, five hours earlier than her. Ophelia’s birth came with many complications, as her mother had already been heavily strained after giving birth to Perseus, almost resulting in her and Ophelia’s deaths. Because of this, as well as the fact that her father Regulus was too occupied working for her grandfather Alphard Black at the Ministry of Magic, her mother always remained protective of Ophelia, ever concerned for her daughter’s safety. As a result, Ophelia was often forbidden from leaving the house, and she rarely got to experience the bussing center of London in which she lived. The only people she grew to know besides her family were members of the wizarding community’s highest noble and political circles, and although her mother refrained from it herself, Ophelia adopted the pure-blood supremacist mentality by taking the example of prestigious members of the aristocracy.

As she grew older, Ophelia became more envious of her brother Perseus, as he was taken in high esteem by their grandfather, **Alphard Black**, who she had always greatly admired for his position of power at the Ministry of Magic as the Head of Magical Law Enforcement. Alphard didn’t have any sons himself, and had taken an interest in grooming Perseus personally whilst having little regard for Ophelia. Her jealousy, paired with her mother’s overprotective nature, led her to become mischievous and rebellious towards her parents. She began sneaking out of the house to wander the streets of London and often purposely exposed herself to the muggle world. Although Ophelia knew that what she was doing was wrong and could have dire consequences for her and her family, she convinced herself that her actions were justified by seeking validation from her cousin Nova, who she knew looked up to her and would never deny her. Ophelia had always considered Nova to be like a younger sister, and felt she had the right to dictate her priorities. She would convince Nova to join her in her misdoings as a way to gain gratification and to dodge any potential guilt. Alongside Nova, Ophelia became fascinated by observing muggles and their different way of living in the busy streets of London, and feeling naturally superior to them, would often use her magical abilities to toy with them—sometimes even forcing Nova to do so as well.

Inevitably, Ophelia took her daring ventures too far, and one day the situation spiralled so far out of control that agents from the Ministry of Magic had to intervene and Obliviate several muggles who had witnessed Ophelia practicing magic. Although her grandfather used his influence at the Ministry to ensure the accident wasn’t reported in Ophelia’s legal documents, he took the matter of disciplining her into his own hands. With Regulus too occupied working for him at the Ministry and deeming Lyra too faint-hearted to deal with it herself, Alphard sent Ophelia to attend the British Academy of Wizarding Ballet until she would begin her career at Hogwarts.

Although she was initially reluctant to go, Ophelia quickly found herself at home at the Academy. She proved to be naturally gifted at ballet, even surpassing older girls who had trained to perfect the art for years during her first few months of practicing. However, her skill increased parallel to the envy of the girls who surrounded her, and her passions were overshadowed by their jealousy making way for spitefulness. Ophelia was forced to adapt to a toxic environment of intense competition between perfectionistic girls, and developed a harsh and impudent demeanor.

On her eleventh birthday, Ophelia received her long awaited letter and was invited to begin studying at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Despite how passionate she had become about ballet, she was more than ready to leave it behind and finally start her career at Hogwarts, as it meant she could begin developing her magical prowess as an independent witch, free of her family’s influence—something she had long been waiting for.

## Personality and traits

*“In a funny way, I think she is what her mother was supposed to be. The more I see her, the more I begin recognizing Lyra in her: not only her wit, but her grace, her confidence and her temper, as well. And yet, ironically enough, it was her mother who never judged me for my heritage. A shame, really, because I see a lot of potential in Ophelia—if only she’d see past her prejudices and start listening. But I suppose that’s her father’s influence, or her grandfather’s—or her family as a whole. But who am I to judge? She is just the way she is, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t find her amusing.”*

— Alex Layton, Ophelia’s teacher in Transfiguration, discussing her with Headmaster Silas Viridian.

Despite being extremely passionate, ambitious and remarkably charismatic, Ophelia Black was a very troubled girl full of envy, manipulative tendencies and other transgressions.

On the surface, she appeared to be a very charming individual, especially in the presence of members of prominent pure-blood families. Her graceful and feminine characteristics were evident whenever her environment called for it, causing many people to think of her as a proper and obedient young lady, which was exactly what was expected of her. In contrast to her delicate and compliant posture, Ophelia often took on a lighthearted, mildly mischievous attitude, appealing to the contumacious sentiments of others. This combination of appropriate mannerisms with kittenish behaviour, as well as her natural beauty, led many boys her age to become infatuated with her. And although she enjoyed the attention, Ophelia never indulged in such feelings herself.

As a child, Ophelia was less composed than she would become at a later age. She was very easily agitated, and was often extremely vocal and destructive whenever she was infuriated. She had a very primitive desire to be malicious when she disagreed with someone, and often inflicted verbal and even physical pain on her twin brother Perseus when they were in a fight. This toxic behaviour developed even further during her time at the **British Academy of Wizarding Ballet**, where she was forced to adapt to an environment of extremely competitive girls, all of whom carried spite for one another. There, Ophelia learned to purposely drag others down, and boast about her own talents to gain a feeling of superiority over others.

Ophelia's desire to gain self-validation expressed itself in various ways. She constantly sought attention from others, especially from those she held in high esteem. This was evident whenever she purposely expressed good behaviour with prominent members of pure-bloods families to gain their approval, or when she allowed boys to develop romantic feelings for her without ever acting on them. Ophelia's will to validate herself and justify her actions made her very prone to manipulative habits. As a child, she could turn her malevolence into innocence in an instant, and she always appeared without fault even when she had done something horrible. Ophelia also had a tendency to manipulate her cousin Nova, a usually honest and righteous girl, into joining her in her rebellious antics in an attempt to make herself feel better about her transgressions.

Ophelia's perpetual pursuit of self-validation also made way for proneness to jealousy. She was especially envious of her older brother Perseus who was given attention by their grandfather, a man she greatly looked up to, at the expense of disregarding her. Ophelia also carried feelings of jealousy for her cousin Nova, who always seemed to be on good behaviour and often seemed to project her moral compass on Ophelia, making her that much more self-aware. Her time at the Ballet Academy saw her become naturally more jealous and wary of other girls, leading her to draw conclusions about them extremely quickly. She could become spiteful towards girls whenever they diverted attention from her friends away from her, which was even more evidence of her desire for recognition.

As a result of the environment she found herself in as a child, Ophelia's views on pure-blood superiority were very traditional and closely resembled that of other, especially older, members of pure-blood families. As a young girl, she was impressed by the supremacist culture that disseminated amongst pure-bloods, and wanting to take the example of those whom she looked up to, developed her own notions of superiority. This resulted in Ophelia distinguishing herself as naturally better than what she considered to be ordinary witches and wizards. With her traditional outlook on the social divide in the wizarding community, Ophelia glorified everything that had to do with pure-bloods, taking great pride in being part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, a direct member of the pure-blood aristocracy and, when she began studying at Hogwarts, Slytherin House. During her academic career, she opted to only befriend other pure-bloods, and was naturally more prejudiced towards those that didn't have similar blood status. Her prejudices extended to teachers as well, as she had a tendency to question them more often and even chose to act more defiant towards them in favour of putting up good behaviour with teachers who did possess blood purity.

In spite of her many transgressions, Ophelia was unordinarily passionate about her future, unlike most children her age. Desperately wanting to take after her father, uncle and grandfather, Ophelia dreamt of working at the Ministry of Magic and live a life full of thrill and adventure. Repugnant to end up as an ordinary house-wife, Ophelia often exclaimed she would never take after her mother in that regard. At Hogwarts, Ophelia took her studies very seriously and was dedicated to succeed at all of her classes. Her determination extended beyond simply what was necessary to pass her classes and she often took extra steps in her learning curve, acquiring knowledge well beyond her grade. Next to her studies, Ophelia developed a taste for reading in general, and would often spend entire nights awake reading novels, autobiographies and other types of literature that piqued her interest when browsing the library. Ophelia took a particular interest in the subjects of Charms, Potions and Defence Against the Dark Arts, and although she proved to be innately gifted at Transfiguration as well, she was less inclined to study the subject because of her preconceptions regarding the blood status of Professor Alex Layton, the Head of Transfiguration at Hogwarts. Ophelia also became heavily invested in duelling after participating in an extra-curricular course set up by members of the duelling club during her second year. The sport reminded her of when she actively practiced ballet, and she quickly developed the desire to become one of the top duelists at the school as she reimagined the glorious feeling of being superior to other people at such a competitive activity.

## Physical appareance

Ophelia bore many of the typical features of the House of Black; she possessed arctic blue coloured eyes, thick brown hair and her face seemed sharp and chiselled at its edges. At first glance, she usually appeared unphased, almost agitated, and she passively expressed hints of arrogance. Her cheeks were soft, her nose small and her eyes doe-like, blessing Ophelia with an air of innocence. Whilst rather small for a girl her age, she never failed to exhibit stateliness, and despite her young age, her patrician beauty was consistently evident.

In spite of her expressive eyes which could convey a thousand words and emotions, Ophelia's voice was often heard demonstrating her thoughts. Her honeyed voice contributed to her seldom fading facade of being a golden child, and her laugh, despite not always as modest, was enough to light up the room with warmth and joy.

During the colder seasons, Ophelia's fair skin would take on a light pale and both her cheeks and nose would take a never fading tint of purplish red, only evanescing once Spring would return. She would be like a porcelain doll, frail and whilst uncommon for Wizardkind, susceptible to all kinds of fevers.

## Magical abilities and skills

*“There have been cases of students who took almost all courses that Hogwarts offered. For a lesser student, perhaps, taking many courses would be stressful and time-consuming. But I wouldn't see that happening with you, particulary. You are one of my top-performing students, after all.”*

— Alex Layton, Head of Slytherin House, reasurring Ophelia about her decision to both pick all courses that were needed for a career as an Auror and the required courses to pursue a career in Curse-Breaking.

The phenomenon of magical aptitude being passed down as a hereditary trait had always been a subject of controversy in wizardkind. Nonetheless, being the child of two renowned parents, both of whom hailed from one of the most ancient and powerful wizarding families in the world, nothing less was expected from Ophelia Black.

Academically, Ophelia had proven herself an auspicious student right from the start. Her ambitious and often devious ways outed themselves in terms of mastering whatever skill came her way, seemingly without little to no effort at all. The effort she did put into swotting she only ever did behind closed doors, for to Ophelia, the ability to acquire new skills effortlessly added to her image. In Ophelia's case, her biggest pitfall would forever remain her emotions. Specifically, Ophelia's inability to not let them overshadow everything else in her life.

**•** **Duelling**: As a duellist, Ophelia possessed exceptionally meticulous footwork and was remarkably quick in movement. Her swiftness and subtle motility were a result of years of experience in the art of ballet. Years of devotion to ameliorating her skill resulted in the forming of muscle memory, which granted her with excellent mobility and almost instantaneous reflexes; when Ophelia wanted to move, she was already moving. This allowed her to move around freely, almost subconsciously, which in turn enabled her to be able to fully concentrate on casting spells whilst relying on instinct alone to move around. Her natural speed and strong reflexes also made way for the ability to quite easily deviate out of range when spells were cast at her. Ophelia heavily relied on this tactic, finding it a viable alternative to using protective spells, which she found were heavily draining of her magical prowess. Her lithe build contributed greatly to this particular tactic, as her small size made her a remarkably difficult target to hit. Ophelia subconsciously channelled her energetic way of moving into her magic, as well. When casting spells, she subconsciously reverted the inertia of her motility into generating more powerful magic. Unbeknownst to herself, in doing so she had constructed a perfect balance between body and mind.

Ophelia duelled with unrelenting conviction and confidence. In contrast to her relatively calm self, when she duelled, she appeared hostile, dominating, and even aggressive. Ophelia could often not help but channel her pent up aggression and anger into her fighting style, which translated perfectly into her assertive style of fighting that revolved around putting continuous pressure onto her opponents. To Ophelia, duelling generated a unique feeling of competitiveness, something she had not even experienced during her younger years as a ballerina nor in Quidditch. Duelling was her outlet and gave her a chance at standing out above her peers, and when she sensed even a whiff of insecurity or nervousness from her opponents, she would completely assert herself over them. Whenever Ophelia gained the upper hand, she would often become playful and start toying with them, like a kitten playing with its food, before delivering the final blow.

**•** **Flying**: Ophelia's dainty build made way for her to fly around with ease and due to her magical aptitude, she never experienced any trouble with mastering her broom. Though she cared little for both flying and Quidditch, she decided to to attend the try-outs regardless. Ophelia's sole motivation was to best her twin brother who would be trying out as well. To do well, Ophelia was in no need of any other incentive to participate in the game. During the try-outs, Ophelia was selected as Slytherin's Seeker as she had beat Appius Malfoy in the contest. She had never been a teamplayer and so the position befitted Ophelia like a glove.

Though not often seen on her broomstick, honing her flying skills, Ophelia's ballet practices is both what kept her in shape and granted her the ability to make precise, yet delicate movements. Which was exactly what she was in need of to keep up with the sudden movements of the ever-so unpredictable Golden Snitch. Ophelia's Silver Arrow permitted her to fly at maximum speed without a care, leaving her able to fully focus on chasing her objective.

**•** Charms:

**•** Herbology: Ophelia had never quite cared for plants, nor flowers. Especially after one certain Sunday family trip to one of London's nearby forests when she was about four years old. She had been captivated by monkhood flowers, and though her mother warned her not to touch them, Ophelia appeared to be highly sensitive to its pollen. Her airway tightened to the point where Ophelia was left unable to speak or breathe anymore. Though her mother handled the situation as serene as ever by clearing her airways through usage of anapneo, Ophelia was forever left with an aversion to any type of plant ever. Though always on edge during Herbology classes, as if such an incident could happen once again at any given moment, Ophelia proved to be just fine in the handling of plants. Most of the time, she did what needed be done and forgot about it afterwards. Whilst as macabre as may be, usually the plants holding lethal properties stuck around in her head for a little while longer.

To her own surprise, Ophelia possessed a nifty knowledge on other magical plants, too. During her third year, after Zachary Lestrange presented his bruised hands to her, she had snuck into Mordecai's storage and stolen a jar of arnica gel which was known for its alleviating properties.

**•** Transfiguration: Despite her prejudice towards professor Layton due to his muggle-born heritage, Ophelia seemed to be particularly gifted in the art of transfigurational magic. She was fascinated by the concept of being able to transform, vanish or even conjure at will, regarding it as a way of proving the significance of her magical potential. Ophelia's crude compulsion to exhibit her magical calibre was often exhibited in the way she utilised transfigurational spells; the subject intrigued her on such a deep level that she often applied spells that were superlative to the assignments that were given in class. One example was her exuberance in applying the snail to teapot spell, where she managed to produce a rather peculiar enamelled ceramic piece decorated with symbolic engravings, in a trademark arsenic green colour; a stark contrast to the simple porcelain pots that other students came up with.

**•** Potions:

**•** Healing Magic:

**•** History of Magic: Ophelia harboured a deep love for the subject and despite her utter en outmost interest for all that professor Myrddin taught, she often couldn't shake the distate that took over whenever her professor

**•** Defence Against the Dark Arts: Ophelia proved herself adept in defending herself against the Dark Arts. Despite considering her professor for the subject to be rather superficial and her teachings shallow, Ophelia took genuine interest in the subject. The Dark Arts had in some way always found passage into Ophelia's life, be it through literature she read or the many bewitched objects that were kept by her parents. And thus, the spark that ignited Ophelia's fascination with the subject could be traced back to her early years. In class, she was often met with disappointment as her own interest ran deeper than the topics being taught. During defensive and counter spell-casting, Ophelia gladly showed off her prowess but for talk on mundane dark creatures she cared little. In her spare time, Ophelia delved deeper into that which riveted her by spending hours on end in the library. And to add both to her duelling skills and her Defence Against the Dark Arts expertise, she engaged in mastering curses, jinxes and hexes; which all harboured seemingly attrocious properties.

**•** Arithmancy: Ophelia loathed Arithmancy with burning passion. It had been one of the very few things in life that had not come easy to her. And though she had chosen Arithmancy to pursue a career that had caught her interest, Ophelia and numbers were a match made in Dante’s seventh layer of hell. All of its theorems made Ophelia's brain burst and were reason number one for the many headaches she suffered through in her third year. It frustrated her deeply that the logical connections she was presented with during class, never seemed to make any sense to Ophelia.

**•** Magical Theory:

**•** Study of Ancient Runes:

**•** Astronomy:

## Possessions

* **Ophelias wand:** 7.8" inches long, non-flexible and made of Elm wood, with a banshee hair at it's core.
* **Platinum hairpin:** A family heirloom laid in with three large emeralds and several smaller onyxes surrounding it. Ophelia recieved it as a gift from her mother during Christmas 1960.
* **Lapis Lazuli ring:** also known as a Moonring, was one of two identical rings which was given to Ophelia by her parents; the other to her brother, Perseus. Made out of silver, the ring is set with a moon crystal that often appears to radiate a white light.
* **Two pairs of brogues:** Ink black of colour and made of patent leather. Ophelia shines them every morning.
* **A cognac coloured messenger bag:** In this bag, Ophelia carries all of her stationary needed at school.
* **Various notebooks:** In cognac and royal blue leathered bindings; some of them with the words 'Toujours Pur' and the crest of house Black corporated into it's cover.
* **A pair of pointe shoes:** Ophelia brought her ballet shoes to Hogwarts with her, to stay in touch with her beloved hobby.
* **An enchanted light brown suitcase:** Charmed per usage of extension charm by her mother, the suitcase's interior was enlarged to fit more than usual. It's outerior is plastered with stickers, some of them being moving pictures of either artists, places or things Ophelia adores.
* **A leather bound version of the Firebird:** A western retelling about a Slavic myth, Ophelia started reading the book on the Hogwarts Express and was left forever captivated by its story. The book she carried around most often, though having it read more than six times by now, was something Ophelia always ended up reading again, and again.

## Relationships

Ophelia deliberately surrounded herself with people she considered either equal or, though she would never vocally admit, those who she looked up to. Pure-blood notions were intertwined with her outlook on life. Therefore, she would always take into consideration in what way it would benefit her before letting herself in with those who were deemed inferior. In some way, she contradicted pure-blood traditions by befriending half-bloods such as Jonathan Moxley for the simple fact that she considered him witty and comically relieving, while on the other side of the coin taking pride in belittling Irelia Malfoy, a fellow pure-blood who hailed from a prestigious family, for openly associating with muggle-borns.

#### **Alphard Black**

Ophelia had always greatly looked up to her grandfather, as he was everything she wished to become. The fact that he had always favoured her twin brother above her, hurt her deeply. Since Ophelia never quite held back on acting on her emotions, and her envy of her grandfather's relationship with Perseus was something she dealt with on a daily basis, she sought other ways to gain her grandfather's attention. When the lines between postive and negative attention began to blur for Ophelia, her actions only fractured their already near-non existent bond even further.

#### **Selkie**

Selkie was her family's house pet, a crup and cavalier king charles spaniel mixed breed. The dog was gifted by her parents to her and Perseus during Christmas morning 1962 and despite Ophelia regulary being away to attend the Ballet Academy, she cared deeply for the dog. It was Selkie who always yapped at her excitingly to get her to play or receive treats and Ophelia deeply appreciated having someone not ever getting angry at her.

#### **Perseus Black**

*''I think she's one of the brightest witches in the school..--. We used to be close once. She is my little sister after all. Before we came to Hogwarts, she was my best friend, really. But we drifted apart, I guess.''*

— Perseus Black on his sister, during a conversation with mutual friend Amelia-reed Dubois.

Despite Ophelia and Perseus being twins and growing up together, cracks began to form in their bond as soon as Ophelia noticed Alphard taking a liking towards Perseus. That, combined with Perseus' care-free nature and intrigue regarding Muggles, created an ever-lingering envy of her brother. Ophelia began seeing her brother as competation she would have to best in every way possible. In public, Ophelia played the role of a loving twin sister but would often dig at him, just to provoke Perseus.

Even at Hogwarts, her envy was fed at the sight of people taking an immediate liking towards Percy. She felt entitled to being the only one allowed teasing Percy and went great lengths in ensuring so. Still her young, indignant heart, beat for her brother. A connection by blood would always continue to mean something, even more so than Ophelia cared to admit. She would often feel lamentative after shoving Percy into a dire situation once again. Out of guilt Ophelia would try and mend things with her brother, though with vainglory being part of her design, she never quite let her true intentions shine through. And whenever Percy did not respond the way Ophelia wanted him to, she'd grow frustrated and find new ways on tyrannising her brother.

#### Regulus Black

To Ophelia, her father was everything she always had dreamt of becoming. It had always been like that. With Regulus being mostly away from home for work and whenever he had time off he would usually spend time in his office whilst having acquaintances over, Ophelia cherished every little moment her father granted her his presence. She would bombard him with questions, mostly about his job or ancient tales she wanted to know more about. Whilst these moments were scarce, they meant a great deal to Ophelia. The girl firmly held onto the picture her father had painted of himself; an influential man who had everything his heart desired. Ophelia was vocal about her parental preference, declaring him her favourite parent, not ever minding his absence, without remorse.

#### Lyra Black

Ophelia deeply yearned for motherly love, which she once received in abundance. Lyra had always been an overprotective towards her daughter and as the years passed by, Ophelia started having none of it. She grew defiant and sought countless ways to disobey her mother, resulting in Lyra to feel out of touch with her motherhood. Whereas Perseus only often needed a little redirection and some tough love, it was as if there was no right approach to handle her insubordinate daughter. Ophelia began projecting her discord with Lyra's lifestyle; a pure-blooded woman of her status who spent her days at home instead of chasing a career at the Ministry. Deep down inside, Ophelia knew it was only due to traditions that Lyra was a stay-at-home mother. Still, she openly defied her mother whenever she saw a chance and even did so whilst in company of others. Ophelia's attempts were not solely fueled by a longing for her mother's attention, because in some kind of twisted way, she would even enjoy the feeling of vainglory she experienced by putting her mother down. Lyra would respond by disciplining Ophelia with either words or corporal punishment. She never argued with her daughter, even though she had once been exactly what Ophelia wanted her to be.

#### Amelia-Reed Dubois

The first time Amelia and Ophelia introduced themselves to each other had been rather tense and one might have never expected them to be as acquainted as they would become later on. Days, perhaps even weeks, passed and the only thing the two exchanged were belligerent glances and irked stare-downs. It had been a shared interest that had brought them together, with the absence of their mutual friend Jonathan Moxley, they decided to shove aside their grudges and take matters into their own hands. After Moxley's return, the three of them continued working together on solving the mystery that surrounded both the Astronomy tower and professor Paisley's death.

Whilst they stuck together in their investigation, Ophelia remained reticent towards Amelia. Deep down, Ophelia wanted to enjoy their camaraderie just like she did with Jonathan Moxley. But something about the Ravenclaw girl did not sit well with Ophelia. She had noticed how all the boys, and even the male professors, always seemed to stare Amelia's way a little longer than they did her way and how she, unlike Ophelia herself, appeared amiable without even trying. Most often, Ophelia was able to ignore the ever-lingering envy and she genuinely enjoyed spending time with Amelia. Never before had Ophelia met a girl she deemed equal in intellect and skill, yet it was exactly that which made Ophelia unable to not see her as a rival.

#### Jonathan Moxley

Perhaps, Ophelia only liked Jonathan because Amelia did so, and she could not fathom Amelia having more than herself. But perhaps, she genuinely enjoyed spending time with him; despite his questionable blood-status, despite his pestilent pet, Your Majesty Butterscotch, and despite his often nervous tendecies. She considered Jonathan as a clever friend and was often perplexed by his train of thought. Sometimes he would defy her expectations by going out of his way to pester one of their peers, which would leave her with a feeling of pride and glee as she deemed it to be his true self shining through. Ophelia, who did not ever shy away from vexing people herself, enjoyed nothing more than seeing those close to her take on the same proclivities as she did.

#### Chloe Yaxley

Ophelia met Chloe Yaxley when she was seated in a cabin with her brother Perseus on the Hogwarts Express. Though their encounter was rather brief, Ophelia felt a certain connection to Chloe right from the start. Due to the both of them hailing from augusted pure-blood families, their upbringing was similar. Their bond differed from others through their shared beliefs, and whereas Ophelia was rather emotional, Chloe had no issues with keeping her calm. In some ways they were polar opposites, but it was exactly this which served as a well-found balance between the two witches. They had a habit of both praising each other's positive qualities and pointing out each other's pitfalls in a supportive way.

#### Felizitas Crouch

Upon being sorted into the Slytherin House, Ophelia met Felizitas Crouch during the feast. The two of them meeting would be the beginning of an ever-flourishing friendship. They would sit together during classes and as for some unknown reason Felizitas often seemed unable of picking up social cues, she would playfully hit or snap at him. For Ophelia it was her way of benevolently reminding him and making sure he did not alienate himself from the others.

#### Zachary Lestrange

Ever since their first encounter in Borgin and Burkes, Ophelia was captivated by the intrigue surrounding Zachary Lestrange. She had heard the gruesome stories regarding his family, as his and hers were deeply intertwined. It was due to that Ophelia felt a certain kind of sentiment towards the boy, though as emotionally-driven as Ophelia had always been, she never quite acted out of sympathy towards him. A great divergence to her sensibility was how easily Zachary was able to rile up Ophelia. He defied all she had known, for he did not seem to care for her appearance, her family name or even her personality. And thus, Ophelia was left conflicted about both seeking his approval and pushing his buttons to aggravate him.

#### Irelia Malfoy

*'You deliberately attended a muggle party..? Well good for the both of you, I suppose. Personally, I do not enjoy such gatherings. I prefer things a little more sophisticated, you see.. I only do dinners and dances.''*

— Ophelia Black to Irelia Malfoy after learning that over the Summer of 1964, she attended a poolparty hosted by muggle-born Genesis Cox.

During their first year, Ophelia became acquainted with Irelia Malfoy as they both recognized and respected each other's repute. Though they never became close friends, Irelia disrupted their bond by openly affiliating with muggle-borns. And so, Ophelia not only distanced herself from the girl, but she deliberately went out of her way to ridicule Irelia.

#### Lucien Nott

*''Did I hear this right? Has Lucien Nott converted himself to a Muggle religion? What a bloody shame to his grandfather he is.''*

— Ophelia Black commenting on Lucien's mention of Jesus Christ.

Lucien Nott was one of the few students Ophelia held in high regard for his ties to the author of the renown Sacred Twenty-Eight, Cantankerus Nott prior to her admittance to Hogwarts. Yet, all he ever did was disappoint her. It had all begun when Perseus arrived late to their first Muggle Studies class, and Lucien had started making fun of him, that he began falling off the pedestal Ophelia had put him on. He turned out to be everything Ophelia despised; loud, out of line and downright mad. He did not care for his own reputation, nor that of his family nor the pure-blood aristocracy as a whole. And yet, he somehow always alleged the importance of his father. Ophelia enjoyed disparaging him, as he served the opportunities to her on a silver platter; time and time again.

## Trivia

* Arsenic green was Ophelia's favourite colour. Because to her, there was nothing more preposterous than a colour carrying properties lethal enough to kill living beings. Often times, her take on transfigurational spells would result in the outcome being arsenic green of colour.
* Ophelia was allergic to two things: cats and aconite. Whilst aconite already held poisonous properties, Ophelia's airway would tighten if she were to stay too close to the plant for a prolonged amount of time.