Dalia Jordan

**Dalia Jordan** (b. 8 May – 13 July) was a pure-blood member of the Jordan family, the only daughter born to Lycus and Castalia Jordan. She was also the younger sister of Xanthas. Like him, she came from a long line of Dark and deranged wizards, including her parents and grandparents before her, and had likely been indoctrinated by their traditional beliefs of pure-blood supremacy since birth.

Sometime in her early childhood, Dalia contracted Dragon Pox, a common yet near-fatal malady in the wizarding world. Despite having been provided with some of the finest Healers possible, her condition worsened to the point at which she became bedbound, and she died not long after her ninth birthday. It is unknown whether or not she would have been a witch and attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, as she was never said to have displayed any underage magic and died before she could receive her acceptance letter, although given her family history the possibility is highly likely.

Following her death, Dalia's portrait would remain in the portrait room at the Jordan House, with a placement that had her surrounded by other former members of their family. The rest of her family would also go on to lose their lives, with her brother Xanthas dying partway during his lifelong imprisonment in Azkaban. She also posthumously gained three nephews and one niece: Archie, Greg, Jamie and Amy, all of whom would later become orphans yet still went on to live relatively successful lives without the burden of living under their parents' toxic ideals.

## Biography

### Early life

Dalia Jordan was born into the Jordan family on the 8th February in Marlborough, England. Her parents, Lycus and Castalia, were Jordans by birth and second cousins. She was raised in the Jordan House and had one older brother, Xanthas, who was two years older than herself. Although she was allegedly doted upon by both of her parents, the two siblings did not seem to be close, with their relationship seemingly tense and perhaps even violent. As a result of being spoiled so profusely, Dalia was partial to frequent and occasionally explosive temper tantrums as a result of things not going her way. Her fits were so disruptive that Xanthas at one point even threatened to shove her down the stairs during one of them.

### Death and post-mortem

"*Why can't it be him, too?*"
— Dalia's last words

## Physical appearance

"*Amy had a portrait done?*"
— Elliot mistakes Dalia's portrait for a young Amy

Around the time of her being nine years old, Dalia contracted Dragon Pox; this means her skin would have been left pockmarked with a greenish tinge, along with the possibility of a green-and-purple rash. As a result of her mother's own vanity, Dalia was forced to sit for hours while a portrait was painted of her in a more flattering state, even despite her being dangerously ill and weak at the time. This portrait depicted her as having inherited the signature Jordan features: brown hair and a wide, heavy-lidded stare; the dress which she wore and the bow that tied her hair back were both a startling shade of white, and made her seem more like a doll than a young girl. She gazed out of the frame with *"a kind of vacant bitterness"* and, much like Xanthas, seemed to be *"slightly dead"* behind the eyes.

She is also thought to closely resemble her niece, as Elliot thought that the portrait was in fact a young Amy.

## Personality and traits

"*She doesn't really say much. We were thinking of getting her one of those portrait psychotherapists.*"
— Jamie on Dalia's unnerving disposition as a portrait

## Etymology

**Dalia** is a name with several possible meanings. For one, Dalyah is the Hebrew word for *“flowering branch”*, such as the tip of a grapevine or olive branch. Dal is the Swedish word for *“valley”* and the Dahlia is sometimes referred to as the *“valley flower”*. Prized for their beauty, the dahlia flowers typically symbolize dignity and elegance, but also eternal commitment (and are therefore often used in weddings). Finally, the name Dalia also comes from Baltic Mythology as the goddess of fate (Dalia means *“luck, fate”* in Lithuanian). The goddess Dalia was mainly concerned with material wealth and the proper distribution thereof. She had the power to give and take material goods and property as she saw fit.

**Jordan** is a unisex name derivative from the Hebrew word *"yarden",* meaning to descend or *"to go down."* This name is also taken from the river Jordan in the Middle East. At the time of the Crusades it was common practice for crusaders and pilgrims to bring back flasks of water from the river in which John the Baptist had baptized people, including Christ himself, and to use it in the christening of their own children. As a result Jordan became quite a common personal name.