Helena Wallis Gahalowood

## Helena Wållis Gahalowood

### Extra

* She is often seen with a cigarette behind her ear, a book in her hands or flowers in her hair

## Relationship information

### Family members

* Nils Gahalowood (father)
* Freia Gahalowood (mother) †

## Magical characteristics

### Wand

10 ¼, Beech, Dragon heartstring core, gleaming, pliable

### Amortentia

The smell of the Norwegian sea air, her father's hair gel, her mother's lavender perfume, fresh pine scent, the heavy odor of lilacs in her bedroom

## Affiliation

### Loyalty

The White Manor

“QUOTE”

**Helena Wållis Gahalowood** is the first-born child to Nils and Freia Gahalowood (née Ødegaard). She was born on the 4th of February in Førde, Norway. She has both British blood from her father and Norwegian blood from her mother. They had not much; the Gahalowood family lived on their sheep and the wool they gave. On her seventh birthday her mother died a tragic death that she prefers not to talk about. This incident completely changed Helena emotionally. At an age of eleven she was sent to a school for magical gifted children in Britain where she learned the English language. She got kicked out of several schools for being different and deliberately doing mischief so that she could be expelled and be back with her father. It was clear she did not settle in a conventional school and went to a school especially magic: the White Manor.

## Biography

#### *What Can Stop the Determined Heart*

*"Once divided by an interstellar sea. United with hearts filled with fire."*

Let us travel from one point to another. Let us travel from Birmingham to another. Freia had British veins, but the blood within was Norwegian. She was a busy bee, always flowing between work and more work. At one point stress took over and her worrying parents decided to fly over to Norway. They settled in a cosy, but expensive cabin nearby the fjords. An amazing view that went beyond her over-elaborated desk; time to relax. It was still very icy for that time of the year. The swirling snow formed thick blanket of snow. Freia decided to go for a walk to sniff the thin air.

Let us travel from one point to another. Let us travel from Nils to Freia. Nils' roaring engine came to stop when he saw a shivering figure standing on her legs a few centimeters sunk into the snow layer. The black sheep on his truck bleated when it noticed its fur was turning white. *"Another lost sheep",* where the first words Nils said to Freia. He was a shepherd on his way to get his sheep inside the barn. Freia totally overwhelmed by her hero and his handsome Norwegian looks, didn't even take a second to hesitate to hop into his truck. She had to spend the night there -which she didn't mind at all- with him and his sheep. The coals in their hearts were being heated up already. One sheep/snow-date led to another and the ice slowly melted away.

#### *What We Have Been Makes Us What We Are*

On a hill next to the pine stood their red wooden house. From up the village the cabin seemed no bigger than a sugar cube. It belonged to the shepherd Nils and Freia, his recent wife. At daytime, there was no single movement to notice and at night no light. But that night in February was different. A stormy cloud raced over the village and the pine needles rattled on the roof of their red cabin. There was a bright light shining from the small windows and the sound of a baby girl crying as the howling wind. Her mother insisted to name her after the Greek princess of Troy: Helen.
The little girl grew up in the pristine nature of the valley she lived in. The trees were tall enough to see the fjords when climbing in them and the herd of sheep was wooly enough to hide when dinner was ready. Her environment was peaceful, even though she lived in these straitened circumstances. When she was four a whole new world opened up for her: books. She could travel for hours: she would fight fire-breathing dragons or dive into the sea with the little mermaid. However, when she got older topics started to get more serious. Charles Bukowski, Jane Austen or even horror stories included. Her bookcase almost bulged with never returned library books, yard sales books, children's books, thick books, small books, ... While strolling through the streets, she continued her book hunt. She became an independent young woman on her little adventure; gathering pieces of life's puzzle.

If fairytales were real then this was not one of them. Helena's mother fell in a deep hole. She had changed. You could see it in her eyes. Feel it in her touch. Hear it in her tone. She was not the same. A year had passed and Helena watched her mother slowly being a consumed by a dark cloud, like haze that makes disappear a pine in the distance. Before she knew the police were standing in the doorway. Her father just collapsed on the creaky wooden floor, while his tears drupped and left little slightly darker marks. All that was left of her mother was her rusted car at the bottom of the lake and a farewell poem to Helena. In a trembling handwriting was written: *"Somewhere the flower of farewell is blooming. Endlessly it yields its pollen, which we breathe. Even in the breeze of this beginning hour we breathe farewell. Mom."*

*"All I want is to disappear like the smoke of my cigarette sometimes."*

After the incident, her father recovered well, but Helena coped with it differently. She started smoking, drinking way too much at parties and became more reserved. She descended to greater depths than before, but pretended as if everything was just fine. A lot of damage was done to her feelings, though she hadn't lost it all. She was still the same good person to others.

## Personality

*"I may die young, but at least I'll die smart."*

Helena is described as a clever girl, often with her head in a book. She collects books from the yard sales or 'borrows' them from the library for a very long time. Reading adds layers of complexity to Helena's personality. She is interested in exploring other worlds and gets lost in other people’s lives because she rejects the concept of home for herself. At first sight, people might consider her introverted, but she isn't afraid to comment on others with her own matter of thinking.

She doesn’t give too much away to people about her background or family. Although emotions are the opposite of shallow. You might consider Helena a labyrinth. Her personality is complicated and her emotions are too. She is still trying to cure the loss of her mother with wine and cigarettes, but is also a confidante to her friends though. She has a caring heart. It’s just that she’s suffering inside. Overall, you could describe Helena as moody and a person whose emotions are chaotic and often expressed.

    Helena truly loves everything Mother Nature offers her. If she was born in the 60's, she'd definitely be a total hippie. She's a flower girl for sure, putting flowers in her hair and decorating her bedroom with them despite her father's disapproval. Then there's their lifespan. Flowers bloom for a very short time—Helena often thinks about where their "souls" go after they wilt—so they can also be a reminder of something else that is short-lived: Helena's mother. Her favourite flowers are lilacs and peonies. They have a certain elegance, alluring fragrance and breathtaking colors. They symbolize romance, passion, prosperity and even bashfulness. The woods is also a place where she can imagine whatever she wants. The trees are her extended lair and a confidant. They do not form an opinion about her and are very good listeners.

## Appearance

"She blossomed like a beautiful wildflower."

Helena's beauty grew as she grew older. She has a slim build and fair skin, but she tans when exposed to the sunrays. Her peanut brown hair falls past her shoulders. It's cascading down her shoulders, befitting her reputation as a free spirit. Her eyes are described as "ferocious diamonds". Helena is said to smell of a mixture of vanilla and cigarettes. She dresses comfortably and accessorizes with jewels around her neck and earrings.