Seraphine Finnigan

## Seraphine Althea Finnigan †

**Seraphine Althea Finnigan** (b. 22 August, n.d. — 21 June, n.d.) was a powerful Dark half-blood witch, the illegitimate daughter of Pandora Thorn and Lewis Finnigan, and the youngest sister of Yvaine, Yves-Thierry, Veronica, Savannah, and Niklaus. The product of an illicit affair between a pure-blood witch and a half-blood wizard, Seraphine took the Finnigan name, despite being raised at the Thorn Estate amongst her maternal half-siblings. She is the widower of Jaime Kingswood and the former partner of Lancel Bishop, both with whom she had two children, Alchemy and Ariadne.

Attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry proved difficult for Seraphine, given the scandal of her existence between the House of Thorn and Finnigan family. To her dismay, she was sorted into the Slytherin house, alongside many of her siblings. Exercising typically a kind and somewhat innocent nature wasn't enough to mask the scandal of her birth, causing not only her own family but many other students who favoured the Thorn family to bully Seraphine, tarnishing the innocence she once held. Seraphine quickly rebelled and exemplified the archetype that had been put upon her, excelling not in her academic studies but in the magical fields themselves, which inevitably lead to several suspensions and an indefinite expulsion from Hogwarts. Seraphine estranged from her family and became a known criminal and rebel amid the wizarding community, even having once been an indirect ally to the Death Eaters.

Seraphine did not inherit the half-breed status that each of her sisters had inherited, and due to her father's muggle ancestry, she was the only half-blood in her maternal family. However, Seraphine was known to have mastered various branches of magic, notably transfiguration, as proven by her unregistered Animagus status that allowed her to take the form of a large black billy goat. Often compared to her sister, Savannah, Seraphine showed great capability and aptitude in the magical arts and is known to date as one of the greatest minds and talents to have existed in the Thorn family lineage.

## Personality and traits

"*She's paranoid and obsessed with power. She hungers constantly for what's been denied her, be it love or revenge.*"
— Savannah regarding Seraphine
Seraphine was infamously known across the wizarding community for her incredibly sadistic personality, her natural leadership skills, as well as her poise and dignity. Despite the rumours that told of a ferocious temper, Seraphine was an eloquent and collected witch who rarely lost her temper, only displaying subtle signs of annoyance when pressured. She had in fact not always been so sadistic as history told, having once been kind and compassionate. Prior to attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Seraphine held an idealistic view of the world and tried to see the best things within it, even those that many were incapable of seeing such sentiments. This was argued as attribution to the darker elements of life, admiring the crueller natures rather than seeing good within them, though many believed this was tales told by the House of Thorn.

The harsh treatment of Seraphine by her maternal half-siblings caused great depression and a sense of anxiety within Seraphine as a child, whilst attempting to remain loyal and loving, even to a House that did not reciprocate such kindness. Having believed to be sorted into a house other than Slytherin, believing she was unlike her family, she was perplexed to be sorted into such a house. This was a pivotal moment in Seraphine's recognition of the ways she had been treated and the lack of fairness in the cards she had been dealt; to show kindness and loyalty yet still be branded as a shallow, manipulative person. Seraphine's time at Hogwarts underlined her transformation into the dark portrayal that had been made of her, quickly developing a cold and calculating persona, vowing to never show such vulnerability again.

**Pandora**: "*You love her. You really do love her, you poor fool. She'll be the end of you.*"
**Jaime**: "*Perhaps, but it's a little late now, isn't it?*"
**Pandora**: "*She's a disease. I regret my role in spreading it, you will too.*"
— Pandora to Jaime on Seraphine

As a student at Hogwarts, Seraphine was quick to become wicked, selfish, manipulative and spiteful, as she had been for so long deemed as. Unlike her maternal half-sisters, Seraphine lacked the innate abilities that they shared with their mother, Pandora, and therefore excelled in the magical arts. Devoted to witchcraft, Seraphine found comfort in her craft and disregarded family as an obstacle, holding back one from one's potential. This lead Seraphine to believe, and often say, that love was a weakness, not a strength.

Seraphine often displayed key psychopathic traits, much throughout her adult life though even as an infant, despite her somewhat kind nature at the time. She lacked a general sense of remorse and empathy for others, evidenced by the many sacrifices she made at such an adolescent age, and in the fact she lacked no difficulty in destroying those who sought to prevent her from gaining power. She was fundamentally a selfish person, viewing everything in relation to how it would benefit her and increase her ow stance and power, with little interest in how it negatively impacted others. That being said, Seraphine preferred to achieve her goals with the least amount of complication, effort, and even violence, as possible, in spite of her tremendous skill in the Dark Arts that she held no hesitation in executing when necessary. As a result, she was not above or unable to play civil and nice with others to expedite her own plans and wishes. This became infamous and key for Seraphine's workings, making deals, compromises, and concessions in order to efficiently fulfil her ideals and to only resort to extreme measures when necessary.

## Magical abilities and skills

"*Oh, do not lie to me. Ever. There could be no greater error than that.*"
— Seraphine to her aunt Eliza
   Seraphine was an extremely powerful and dangerous witch, with outstanding ability in various magical fields. Even in her youth did she possess great potential, showing an affinity for the arts and often displaying episodes of underage magic. Suppressed in her abilities from being raised in an abusive household, and struggling with the burden of not being a half-breed like her sisters, Seraphine quickly excelled in magical learning, allowing her to become one of the greatest witches to have existed in the Thorn family lineage, rivalled by few, one of which her own sister, Savannah. Seraphine achieved the Animagus transformation whilst still in her Hogwarts education, exacerbating the powerful nature of her talents in the magical field. It is thought she may have surpassed to even greater achievements, if not for her early and untimely death.

* **Magical aptitude**:
* **Dark Arts**:
* **Underage magic**:
* **Animagus**:
* **Wandless** and **non-verbal magic**:
* **Martial magic** and **duelling**:
* **Transfiguration**:
* **Legilimency** and **Occluemcny**:

"*They say that the most treacherous wolves may appear in a lamb's cloak. You should know well to learn from that saying, retract your wand, and leave my home.*"
— Seraphine to Yvaine

* **Charms**:
* **Multilingualism**:
* **Apparition**:
* **Flying**:
* **Charisma**:
* **Acting**:
* **Teaching skills**:
* **Indomitable willpower**:

## Etymology

The name **Seraphine** is of Hebrew origin, meaning *burning fire*.

Her middle name, **Althea**, is a Greek name, meaning *wholesome*, from the verb meaning to 'heal'. It derives from the Greek marshmallow plant, Althaia, which was believed to have healing powers.

The surname **Finnigan** is of Irish origin and is an Anglicisation of the Gaelic "O' Fionnagain", meaning the *descendant(s) of Fionnagan*, an Old Irish personal name derived from the word "fionn", *white*, *fairheaded*.