Grace Antebellum

## Grace Maria Virginia Cairistiona Luciano (née Antebellum)

"*You speak of justice? The mafia is bound by their own laws. They take their own justice.*"
— Grace to James

**Lady Grace Maria Virginia Cairistiona Luciano** (née **Antebellum**) (b. 5 August) is an Italian noblewoman, entrepreneur, mafioso, and pure-blood witch. As the daughter of Madeline and Louis Antebellum, she is a member of the Carolla family and House of Antebellum. She is the younger sister of Regina and the younger half-sister of Maisie. Grace is also the wife of her schoolmate, Luka Luciano, an Italian half-blood wizard. She is known greatly for being the Matriarch of the Antebellum family house, as well as the Underboss of the Sicilian Wizard-Mafia and head of the Antebellum Empire.

In the tradition of her elder sister and father, Grace attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where she too was sorted into the Slytherin house that she later became a Prefect for. Grace was undermined by Regina's reputable intelligence, though the two were known equally for their wealth, elegance, and cunning. Grace, however, bore her own deal of great intellect and successfully achieved an 'Outstanding' in each of her O.W.Ls and a further seven 'Outstanding' grades in her N.E.W.T exams with one 'Exceeds Expectations' in Defence Against the Dark Arts. The reputation that preceded Grace and Regina was infamous across Hogwarts, that further developed following the 'adoption' of their believed cousin, though in fact, half-sister, Maisie. Though towards the end of her education, she came to develop strong relationships with her cousins, Marina and Don Roberto, whom she came to love just as much as Regina.

Like Regina, Grace was born into her wealth and heritage, though was dealt a harder set of cards. After gaining experience from living in London, Grace discovered herself and returned to Italy, taking on the role as the head of the family, as well as a leading role in both the family empire and it's related organised crime syndicate. Although Grace is not recognised for her magical skill, she is feared for her ruthless ambitions and bloodthirst. She is also a master of both magical and muggle politics and is a merciless businesswoman.

## Biography

### Early life

"*Sangue chiama sangue. Blood calls for blood.*"
— Louis to Regina and Grace
Lady Grace Maria Virginia Cairistiona Antebellum was born on 5 August, n.d., to Louis and Madeline Antebellum (née Carolla), two pure-blood wizards of high social and political standing in the Italian and broader European wizarding communities.

### Hogwarts years

#### Fourth year

**Vito**: "*Condoglianze signora. Le dò la mia lealtà e il mio rispetto per sempre, la Bella Mafia.*"
**Madeline**: "*Grazie.*"
— Vito to the House of Antebellum at Louis' funeral

### Later life

"*To the happy couple. And I toast you, Signora Luciano. La Bella Mafia.*"
— Allegra to Grace

## Physical description

"*Your audacity is equalled only by your beauty.*"
— Dragan to Grace

**Rogue**: "*I can't believe you got an invitation, given the circumstances.*"
**Tigris**: "*She wanted me to kiss her ring, like some ordained Don.*"
**Rogue**: "*She has eyes like the devil, just look at her.*"
— Rogue and Tigris at Heather's wedding

## Personality and traits

"*Those living in one's shadow are the least worthy of trust.*"
— Grace to Don Roberto and Layne
Grace is a figure who often displays an irreverent and whimsical exterior, lavishing in wealth and indulging in all the aristocratic pleasures of life. She is shown to be fairly charismatic, as shown when she easily swayed herself into a position on *The Morning Howler* team. This, for the most part, is due to her irresistible beauty and charming voice, making those around her enamoured with the sweet tones of her foreign sound. Though Grace's standing and influence extend beyond her exterior, deep into the rooted political standing of her family across the wizarding globe. A master of manipulation, Grace's voice is a key defining feature of her influence and skill as a powerful witch in a modern world. As the head of her family and a co-head of the family empire, Grace was able to sway many Italian nobles and business partners in her favour, sometimes after a single meeting by appealing to the mutual desire for greatness. To that end, Grace followed in the tradition of her family, cultivating the image of her matriarchal power as sovereign, being the Queen of her family, gaining an overall sense of admiration and loyalty. However, beneath her charmingly hedonistic exterior is a ruthless, seductive and determined political manipulator who is willing to rid anyone in the way of her obtaining her desires.

"*In this family, matriarchs aren't just mothers. We are Queens. I am Queen until a sword plunges through my heart. And even then, my blood will stay on my throne.*"
— Grace as Matriarch of the House of Antebellum

Since infancy, Grace has been shallow and materialistic, enjoying the luxuries of her wealthy lifestyle far more so than her elder sister, Regina, who engineered a masculine desire to one day rule their family's empire. As a result of this, Grace was seen as the feminine, and therefore weaker sibling, often being underestimated by her enemies. Though Grace exhibited greedy and gluttonous behaviour much through her early life that at times appeared simple-minded, Grace is, in fact, an exceptionally intelligent mind. She is fluent in six alive languages and one dead one, also having partial fluency in others. Perceived to be the more maternal sister, Grace was raised in a manner that exercised the etiquette and mannerisms of an Italian noblewoman, notably by her grandmother, Yvaine. With this, Grace was taught the masterful and expedient political skills of not only the Antebellum family but that of the House of Thorn, from whom Yvaine had learnt her skills. This allowed for Grace to learn the ability to strategise and manipulate, truly following her house motto, to make haste slowly.

## Magical abilities and skills

**Grace**: "*You see me as a weapon. A bargaining chip. A vessel for your dreams of greatness.*"
**Regina**: "*You're more than that.*"
**Grace**: "*Yes. I am.*"
— Grace confronting Regina

* **Non-verbal** and **wandless magic**:
* **Singing**: Grace's singing ability is described as being melodic, powerful and filled with emotion. A naturally gifted singer, she possesses a lyric-soprano vocal range which spans over four octaves. Grace was a key member of the Frog Choir between her second and seventh year at Hogwarts, where she proudly performed and displayed her vocal ability. After graduating, Grace worked as a singer across London where she gradually became recognised for her outstanding soprano vocals.
	+ **Operatic singing**: As a soprano vocalist with a high octave range, Grace is also capable of an emotive form of operatic singing that Don Roberto described as "melodic and haunting". Though as a soprano, her vocals excelled in tone and beauty when singing a higher register.
* **Multilingualism**: Grace is known to be fluent in seven different languages, including Italian, English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Greek and Latin. She is partially familiar with different Italian dialects, Ancient Runes and Bulgarian.
* **Charms**:
* **Defence Against the Dark Arts**:
* **Divination**:
* **Alchemy**:
* **Transfiguration**:
* **Apparition**:
* **Study of Ancient Runes**:
* **History of Magic**:
* **Potions**:
* **Leadership skills**: As the Matriarch of her family house, as well as a co-head of the family empire, Grace has innate leadership abilities and an excellent grasp of the necessary skills to rule.
* **Political skills**:
* **Social networking**:

## Possessions

* **Victoria**:
* **Fir wood wand**:
* **Phoenix-embossed book**:

## Relationships

### Ember Cauldwell

**Ember**: "*Is that all you Italians know how to do? Scream and hit?*"
**Grace**: "*No, we also know how to make love and sing opera.*"
— Ember and Grace bickering

## Etymology

The name **Grace** is of English origin, a name derived from the Latin 'gratia', meaning *God's favour*.

Grace's first middle name, **Maria**, is the Latin form of the name Mary, which is derived from the Hebrew Miryām, a name of debated meaning. Many believe it to mean *sea of bitterness* or *sea of sorrow*. However, some sources cite the alternative definitions of *rebellion*, *wished-for child*, and *mistress or lady of the sea*.

Her second middle name, **Virginia**, derives from the Ancient Roman family name Virginius. The name likely derives from the Latin word virgo, meaning *maiden* or *virgin*.

Her final middle name, **Cairistiona**, is a Scottish Gaelic female name meaning *Christian*. The English equivalent is Christina. It originated in the Scottish Highlands, and is considered rare.

The surname **Antebellum** derives from the Latin word bellum that means *war*, which therefore defines Antebellum as *before the war.*It is most often used in context of the US Civil War.

## Notes

* Grace's theme song is "You Don't Own Me" by Lesley Gore.
* Grace's specialised soundtrack, titled *i'd rather go blind*, can be found on 8tracks.
* During her Hogwarts years, Grace studied the mandatory subjects necessary for O.W.Ls, as well as an optional two of Divination and Study of Ancient Runes. For her N.E.W.T exams, she studied a total of eight subjects, including Transfiguration, Charms, Potions, Divination, Alchemy, Study of Ancient Runes, Defence Against the Dark Arts and History of Magic.
* Grace also attended an extracurricular of Music between her third and sixth year. She was also a part of the Frog Choir between her second and seventh year.