Esia Dupont

**Esia Dupont** (born 2 February, 1956) was born in a seaside town in France to muggle parents, and emigrated to England in the 1970s. She was on holiday in Queensland, Australia, when she met Reginald Cattermole, a wizard.

They married on 23 Mar 1980, and their only child, Maisie, was born not even a year later. When their daughter was six years old, however, she was bitten by a werewolf in a freak occurrence, and a year after that, Esia and Reginald separated, citing irreconcilable differences. Their divorce was filed in June 1988.

As of 1 September 1992, Esia lives in Bath, Somerset, England, with her new husband, David, who is a muggle. She keeps in contact with her daughter Maisie through owl post, but does not see her regularly.

## Biography

### Early life

Esia was born on 2 February, 1956, in Dunkirk, Nord-de-Calais, France, to muggles Maximillian Dupont and Florence Dupont (née Delacourt). She had an older sister, Béatrice.

Her father was an architect. Architects work in the construction industry designing new buildings and the spaces in and around them. They also help restore and conserve old buildings, and develop new ways of using existing buildings. They are involved in construction projects from the earliest stages right through to completion.

She attended L'École Maternelle (pre-school) and L'École Primaire (primary school) in Dunkirk, but when it came time for her to begin college, the family moved back to Paris, where they had lived before her birth. From age eleven to sixteen she attended college, and she passed *le brevet*. Then she attended lycée from age sixteen to eighteen. From a young age, she wanted to be an interior designer.

Esia graduated from university in Paris, and then her father paid for a holiday to Australia. On 22 June, 1980, she arrived in Queensland. It was there that she met Reg Cattermole, a young and attractive man. He was also a wizard.

They enjoyed a holiday romance, and Esia followed Reginald to Thailand. She found herself to be pregnant sometime on that trip, and Reginald asked Esia to return home to Britain with him. She said yes, and they married in September 1980.

#### Married life

Their daughter, Maisie, was born on 6 February, 1981. They had not known each other for very long, however, and there was a bit of a language and cultural barrier. At first, Esia probably didn't even realise that Reginald was a wizard. She found him bemusing and odd, but loved him anyway. However, things soon changed.

Esia met Reginald's father, Otto, about a week before their wedding. Esia was immediately intimidated by Otto, a hardened and consummate survivor, and originally thought that he was a World War II veteran. The British Wizarding World was fighting a war that they were losing. Reginald's father, Otto, was killed in a skirmish by a Death Eater called Corban Yaxley while Otto was assisting in his capture, on 27 August, 1981. Esia likely didn't know the real reason that Otto died at this point, but she may have had some idea. They buried him in Evesham.

For the first six years of her daughter's life, Esia noticed many odd happenings around Maisie, and Reginald tried his best to explain them. He accompanied Esia on visits to her parents', Maximillian and Florence, who were living in Dunkirk again after both of their daughters moved out. Esia, however, seemed to like England more, and tried learning English, but still spoke French to Maisie. Maisie became bilingual as a result.

Esia was infatuated with English and American music, but found it very strange that her husband had never heard of the songs and singers she liked. She also became suspicious when walkmans and televisions constantly broke around him. Esia's daughter, Maisie, grew up listening to Prince, Pet Shop Boys, and the Smiths on vinyl, because record players seemed to work a lot better.

At this point, Esia's daughter, Maisie, is convinced that her mother probably had to have known a little bit about magic by now. She may not have known the whole of it, such as dark creatures, or the war, but she was convinced that her husband was a bit strange and that was it. A "*petit magicien*," she called him.

Maisie was bitten by an unknown werewolf in 1987. She was six years old, and it was determined by Reginald to be a freak occurrence, as he couldn't imagine why someone would target them. The attack woke Esia and Reginald, who were sleeping, and that night, while Esia attempted to call a muggle doctor, Reginald stopped her, and told her the truth about magic. Maisie was not seriously harmed, though she had suffered the bite, and Reginald was able to heal her with potions ingredients he had at home, and they wrapped it in bandages. Reginald also told Esia that dark creatures were heavily regulated and now that their daughter was one, she would have to register or go into hiding. Reginald told her that he would "quit magic" to protect them, when all he really did was quit his job and start working for a muggle bookshop.

The family retreated into the muggle world for some two years after, in an effort to protect his daughter from scrutiny of the Wizarding community.

While in seclusion, Esia felt trapped and horrified. She personally witnessed her child transform into a beast, behind bars, and began to attack her husband when he locked Maisie away. She found it inhumane and akin to abuse, but it was the only way that Reginald could ensure his wife's safety. Esia was a muggle, and did not understand the inner workings of magic, and they began to have arguments. Esia began to flee to town just to get away from him, and spent many nights away. She fell into a depression.

In just one year, Esia and Reginald separated. Esia met a "normal" man and left the family, but according to her daughter, Maisie, *"leaving me was the hardest thing she ever had to do."* In reality, Esia was probably even scared of her own daughter, and wanted a new normalcy.

They officially separated in June 1988, and Esia moved to Somerset to live with her new boyfriend, David. Reginald lucked into a manager's position at Quality Quidditch Supplies following his divorce, and for a brief period, he and his daughter Maisie lived in a flat in Diagon Alley.

Esia never saw her daughter again.

## Etymology

The name Esia is of unknown origin and means "God's gift of healing and peace".

The name Dupont is derived from the Old French word "pont", which means "bridge". "Du pont" directly translates to English as "from the bridge", indicating that the original bearer lived near a prominent bridge.