Dulcibella Prince

## Dulcibella Shepley (née Prince)

**Dulcibella Shepley** (née **Prince**) (14 November, 1860 - 28 June, 1914) was an English pure-blood witch who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1 September, 1872 to June 1879. She was the daughter of Walden Prince, and the wife of elected Wizenagmot member Baldo Shepley. She was the mother of Henrietta Blishwick (née Shepley), Rowina Goshawk (née Shepley), and Melesina Moon (née Shepley).

Dulcibella died at the age of 53 in Puddletown, Dorset, England. By the time of her husband's death fourteen years later, Baldo and Dulcibella Shepley had twelve grandchildren, one of which was Miranda Goshawk, the celebrated author of the series of textpooks *The Standard Book of Spells*. Dulcibella is an ancestor of many notable individuals, including Theodorus Burke, a notorious Death Eater: Vincent Crabbe, Jr., a Slytherin student who died during the Battle of Hogwarts: Geoffrey Fawley, a former member of the Gryffindor Quidditch Team during the 1970s, and father of Lottie Fawley, and Evaline Greengrass (née Fawley), the mother of Daphne and Astoria Greengrass: Alice Longbottom (née Fortescue) and Peter Pettigrew, both members of the Order of the Phoenix and in Pettigrew's case, a double agent, who was known for really betrayed the Potters to Lord Voldemort.

## Biography

### Early life

Dulcibella Prince was born on 14 November, 1860, in Normanby le Wold, Lincolnshire, England. She was a member of the traditionalist Prince family, who was known for their belief in espousing pure-blood supremacy, however, this would be after Dulcibella's time, as the political realm heated up in the mid-20th century. In Dulcibella's day, the family was still very much traditionalist, but not so extreme. Her father was Walden Prince, who owned a large chain of apothecaries, and was also a Wizenagmot member and representative for West Lindsey.

Normanby le Wold, the town where the Princes made their home, is a village and civil parish in the West Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England. It is situated in the Lincolnshire Wolds, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, and about 5 miles (8.0 km) south from the town of Caistor, and 17 miles (27 km) north-east from the city and county town of Lincoln. Normanby le Wold was also one of the many villages throughout Britain where witches and wizards settled in numbers after the International Statute of Secrecy to rely on each other for mutual support, living alongside a Muggle population.

#### Hogwarts years

Dulcibella Prince received her Hogwarts letter in the summer of 1872. She attended the school from 1 September, 1872 to June of 1879, at which point she had completed her seventh year.

#### Marriage

In 1886, Dulcibella met Baldo Shepley, a twenty-six year old businessman and director for GalloLoans, a wizarding money lending firm. They quickly fell in love, and married on 2 April, 1886. Little is known of Dulcibella's time with Shepley in the early years of their marriage, as most of her letters have been lost. What is known, however, is that their first child, Henrietta, was born in April 1887. Another daughter, Rowina, would follow in May of 1890.

#### Shepley's career

Baldo also had an interest in politics. In 1890, Dulcibella's husband, Baldo Shepley, was asked to become the conservative party candidate for the Wizenagmot seat for Puddletown, in the House of Commons. Puddletown was not a seat with high prospects attached; a working-class area, it had returned mainly progressive representatives since the mid-19th century, and its incumbent, Jonathan Wood, was hugely popular. The campaign was unpleasant for both sides, but Shepley distinguished himself with his oratory and wit. When the results came in that Shepley had won, he immediately ended his active work at GalloLoans Incorporated (although he retained his directorship).

### Later life

It was believed that Baldo Shepley was so influential that he would someday become Minister for Magic, but it never came to pass. He was beaten by Archer Evermonde in the election of 1912. Later in his life, Dulcibella would influence his decisions, leading the Shepley family to take a more traditionalist stance.

Dulcibella's eldest daughter, Henrietta Shepley, had married Gerard Blishwick in July 1908. Meanwhile, his other daughter, Rowina, had chosen to marry Phineas Goshawk, who worked as a permit coordinater in the Ministry's Department of Magical Transportation. Dulcibella did *not* approve of the relationship and she was particularly cruel to Goshawk, who did not come from much money. Even still, Rowina followed him to Hadleigh Heath, Suffolk, where the Goshawks lived in East Anglia. Their first child, Keziah, was born about thirteen months after their marriage, in November 1909. Rowina and Phineas would eventually have a total of nine children together, all daughters.

His youngest daughter, Melesina, flaunted a relationship with Barnabas Moon, a young traditionalist, to impress her mother. They married in April of 1912, and their first child, Mabel, was born in June of 1913. They had another daughter, Hazel, in July 1914.

#### Death

Dulcibella Shepley (née Prince) passed away at the age of 53 on 28 June, 1914, in Puddletown, Dorset, England.

## Etymology

From Latin *dulcis* "sweet" and *bella* "beautiful". The usual medieval spelling of this name was Dowsabel, and the Latinized form Dulcibella was revived in the 18th century.