Laurel McKinnon

## Laurel Alice Cecilie McKinnon

**Laurel Alice Cecilie McKinnon** (12 June, 1961 - 18 July, 1981), also known as **Lady** **Laurel McKinnon** in the Wizarding World, was a half-blood witch, and the second daughter of Ivor Francis McKinnon, 16th Duke of Oxford, and Princess Eugenia of Greece and Denmark. She was the granddaughter of Prince Frederick, son of Louise, Princess Royal, and the second great-granddaughter of Edward VII and his wife, Alexandra of Denmark.

She had an older brother, Francis, and an older sister, Marlene. In the wizarding world, her sister was a member of the original Order of the Phoenix, an organisation designed to combat Voldemort and his Death Eaters in the First Wizarding War.

Laurel and her whole family were murdered by Death Eaters in July 1981, as a result of her sister's affiliation with the Order and because Ivor was a well-known Auror there.

## Biography

#### Early life (1960s)

Laurel was born on 12 June, 1961, as the youngest child of Ivor Francis McKinnon, 16th Duke of Oxford, and his wife, Eugenia Mountbatten, previously known as Princess Eugenia of Greece and Denmark.

In the Wizarding World, her father, Ivor, was a well-known Auror that had taken down countless of dark wizards during the Global Wizarding War.

Her mother, Eugenia, was muggle-born, but was the daughter of two well-known Greek and Danish Royals, Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark, and Princess Alice of Battenberg.

At the time of her birth, Laurel had an older brother, Francis (born 1957), and an older sister, Marlene (born 1959).

Her maternal uncle was Prince Philip of Greece and Denmark, but at that time he was known as Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, and prince consort to the Queen of the United Kingdom. She was the niece by marriage to the sovereign, Elizabeth II.

Her mother, Eugenia, had come to Britain in her youth to attend school, as her own mother was indisposed in her own childhood, which was how Eugenia was able to attend Hogwarts. Laurel's grandfather, Prince Andrew, reportedly wanted nothing to do with Philip nor Eugenia, as the youngest children, and had them sent off to separate schools in Britain.

Laurel had four other aunts, all of whom married German princes, and all of who had been somewhat involved with the muggle Nazi Party in the 1930s and 1940s. Laurel's mother, Eugenia, being the youngest, had been sent to school, though she returned to Germany briefly for the funeral of her sister, Cecilie, in 1937. After that, Laurel's mother did not return to Germany.

Laurel herself grew up on two estates, the first of which being the McKinnon's traditional estate in Oxfordshire, and her mother's own property in Windsor, Berkshire. She was able to practice Quidditch in Oxfordshire, but never in Windsor because it was where the family stayed when they would visit their mother's muggle relatives.

On Laurel's father's side, she had an uncle, Reuben, who was an Unspeakable for the Department of Mysteries, who she seldom saw.

#### Hogwarts years (1970s)

Laurel received her Hogwarts letter in the summer of 1972. Sometime before attending, she purchased a wand made of cypress and unicorn hair from Ollivander's Wand Shop in Diagon Alley, London. She boarded the Hogwarts Express at King's Cross Station on 1 September, 1972.

That night, to the surprise of her siblings, Francis and Marlene, who had both ended up in different houses (Francis in Hufflepuff and Marlene in Gryffindor), Laurel was Sorted into Slytherin. She shared a dormitory with Violetta Parkinson, Selina Nott, Lavinia Yaxley, and Helen Stainthorpe. She was in the same year as Regulus Black, Bartemius Crouch Junior, and Evan Rosier. Some of the other students in her year included Ambrose Greengrass and Dirk Cresswell.

She made her closest friends in Slytherin House: Helen Stainthorpe and Henry "Harry" Ogilvy, both of who were half-bloods, suggesting that those with muggle ancestry in Slytherin had a tendency to stick together. Laurel fared better, however, as her father's family was considered "newblood", a step down from the esteemed pureness that was heralded by the Sacred Twenty-Eight, but with enough wizarding ancestry to be accepted in most circles. As a consequence of this sort of divide, many new blood families often chose light magic over encountering supposedly dark company. Laurel's sister, Marlene, joined the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War, for example, and her father was an Auror, a position well-known for catching dark wizards. Her brother joined the Order by the end of the war as well. Laurel, however, was cautiously neutral despite her family's chosen stance.

Laurel was a talented student in school despite many key events in her life. Her mother became ill in her third year of school. Her sister, Marlene, was fourteen, and her brother, Francis, was in his seventh year. Her mother's disease began to progress rapidly, leaving Ivor to take care of the children, manage their estates (his father having passed away in 1973), and work as an Auror. Laurel's grandmother, Guinevere, came to live with them during this time. Her mother passed away the November of her fourth year, Francis having graduated the previous June. Marlene found support in the other fifth year Gryffindors, leaving Laurel to her own devices.

She had very little family to talk to and withdrew from her friends, Helen and Harry, who had started dating. She never intentionally let on that anything had gone wrong and felt very alone. It was after the winter holidays that she noticed one of her housemates disappearing more often, and although they didn't speak much to each other, he had always been somewhat friendly. Laurel started studying with Regulus Black and often brought him notes when he ended up in hospital.

The fall of their fifth year, Regulus pushed his friends away from him, including Barty and Ambrose, who didn't appreciate Laurel or their growing friendship. Regulus started spending time with Harry Ogilvy and Helen Stainthorpe as well as Laurel, and for some time they dated, too.

Across the country, attacks on muggles were ramping up as well as sightings of a green skull and snake cross in the skies. The older Slytherins had many debates, which resulted in not only Regulus and Laurel engaging in them, but pushing Harry and Helen away. Regulus apologised to Barty and the others- now including Evan Rosier, and dis-including Ambrose Greengrass, who refused to participate in their Junior Society (of sorts). Rosier had a form of contact with Lucius Malfoy, who met them along with the older years, Wulfric Mulciber and Severus Snape, at Hogsmeade in secret.

Laurel was at odds with her older sister, then a sixth year, who confronted her about the meetings she was having with her boyfriend, the older year Slytherins, and the rest of her dorm-mates. Marlene feared they were playing a sort of trick on Laurel, and warned her to stay away. Laurel did not.

Marlene grew more and more frustrated with her little sister, who, as the summer went on, disappeared more and more often, whether it be to Selina's for tea, Lavinia's to shop, or Violetta's for a book club. Laurel did not become a fully-fledged Death Eater herself, but the company she kept suggested that she bought into the whole idea of a perfect pureblood world.

Though her relationship with Regulus ended in her seventh year when he did not come back from the Easter Holidays, and his family reported him dead, she continued to associate with the likes of the Notts, Yaxleys, and Parkinsons. However, as the war went on, and it was more dangerous to go out, they saw less and less of each other.

#### Battle of McKinnon House at Windsor (1981)

Death Eaters broke through the wards of the McKinnon Estate at exactly 9:20 A.M. on 18 July, 1981. Tav Travers, Dirk Gibbon, Cuthburt Selwyn, Thorfinn Rowle, Piers Jugson, Corban Yaxley, and Wulfric Mulciber were sent to the estate while other supporters were sent to Diagon Alley to wreak havoc, effectively creating a diversion.

The McKinnons and the Boneses were out on the garden at the time of the attack, celebrating Marlene's son's first birthday. Laurel, as well as her sister, Marlene, and Marlene's two sisters-in-law, Amelia Bones and Elizabeth Bones (née Edgecombe), got Laurel's nephew and Elizabeth's two young children into the house, while Marlene stayed out on the lawn to fight with their brother, Francis, as well as her husband, Edgar Bones. They fought alongside Edgar's brother, Cadmus, Laurel and Marlene's father, Ivor, and their paternal uncle, Reuben McKinnon.

At 9:50 A.M., Laurel's brother, Francis McKinnon, aged 23, was the first to fall. He was struck by a bludgeoning curse sent by Wulfric Mulciber.

At precisely 10:03 A.M., Albus Dumbledore and the rest of the Order received the first word of the attack via a fox Patronus sent by Laurel, who learned the skill from either Marlene or Francis, despite not being a member herself. "*McKinnon House under attack in Windsor- Francis has fallen. Ten Death Eaters. Do what you can for the children. Please."*

Just seven minutes later, Laurel's brother-in-law, Edgar Bones, was killed by a stray killing curse.

At 10:13 A.M., three minutes after Edgar was killed, Voldemort arrived, and killed Cadmus Bones, Susan Bones's father, directly. Laurel reportedly sent another plea for help. By 10:17 A.M., Ivor and Reuben were taking on Voldemort by themselves while Marlene fought seven Death Eaters by herself. Three of them were already dead in the garden, taken down by Marlene, Edgar, and Cadmus.

Laurel's sister Marlene was hit by a combination of curses, and was suspected to have been tortured with the Cruciatus Curse before her death, around 10:20 A.M.

At 10:19 A.M., Laurel's uncle, Reuben McKinnon, aged 51, was taken down. Help then arrived in the form of Senior Aurors Otto Cattermole, Alastor Moody, and Frank Longbottom, and two Cadets. Moody and Cattermole took over half
the Death Eaters from Marlene, and Ivor continued to battle Voldemort, Frank Longbottom joining the fight.

At 10:22 A.M., two Order members, Remus Lupin and Elphias Dodge, arrived just in time to see Ivor McKinnon defeated and murdered by Voldemort. Two Cadet Aurors also were also already dead on the ground. It was then taht Voldemort made his way inside the house.

Inside the McKinnon Estate, Amelia Bones, Elizabeth Bones (née Edgecombe), and Laurel McKinnon constructed a magical barricade in an effort to protect Leopold Bones, whose parents were killed, and Elizabeth's children, Edwin and Susan, whose father, Cadmus, had been killed.

Inside the house, Voldemort had broken down the barrier with a surge of raw magical power, blasting the wall apart. His blast killed Laurel, who covered her one year old nephew, Leopold, in an effort to protect him. Amelia Bones was knocked out, but then regained consciousness. Elizabeth Bones had hidden her daughter, Susan, inside a cabinet, and was holding her son, Edwin, who was heard crying.

### Post-Mortem

At 10:25 A.M., the rest of the Order arrived. Dedalus Diggle, Emmaline Vance, Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew arrived after dispelling the Death Eaters in Diagon Alley.

No sooner than two minutes later, when all of the Death Eaters had been dealt with on the lawn, Order members stormed through the house and attacked Voldemort, who was standing over the bodies of Laurel and two-year-old Edwin Bones, who had been murdered by a killing curse. Marlene's son, Leopold, had been knocked out by the blast, and lay underneath Laurel's body. Amelia Bones, who had also been knocked out, regained consciousness and began to quickly duel Voldemort with Elizabeth, whose son had been killed, and her daughter, Susan, hidden inside a cupboard on the far side of the nursery.

The Order members arrived as Marlene's son, Leopold Bones, succumbed to his injuries. Amelia and her sister-in-law, Elizabeth Bones née Edgecombe, along with her daughter, Susan, became the only survivors of the Battle.

## Etymology

Derived from the Latin word *laurus,* "Laurel" likely comes from "laurel tree."

The name "McKinnon" is Scottish, an Anglicised version of the Gaelic name "Mac Fhionghuin", meaning "fair born" or "fair son." It is also translated as "love."