Laverne Baudelaire

WB
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## History

The Baudelaire family had always been a respected and affluent family, hailing from Versailles, France. Historically, the Heraldic Family had been staunch and loyal advisors to the French Crown, which had not gone unnoticed. The Baudelaires held many Crownlands, titles and revere in Court. The Baudelaires were known for their shrewd, calculated and cunning ways. You see, while they *were*loyal to the crown, and carried out their orders dutifully, it was not done for King and Crown, necessarily. The Baudelaires had a family motto. *Esto quod esse videris. '*Be what you seem to be'. They were seen to be loyal and powerful, so that is what they became. However, in 1789, when talks of a Revolution began spreading in France, the Baudelaires were the first of the Aristocracy to catch whiff of this. They were able to evade any collateral damage from the grisly affair by publicly showing their support to the resistance before the execution of Louis XVI in 1793. The Baudelaires here showed their true colours and ability to adapt into a position which resulted in the least amount of harm for themselves. Self preservation, and calculation is what allowed the Baudelaire's to flourish.

After the revolution, and the start of the French Empire under Napoleon Bonaparte, the ambitious Baudelaires began climbing the social ladder once more. They did so by taking control of French printing presses, and publishing pro-Napoleonic propaganda, and providing insights into his campaigns and conquests abroad. Slowly, they began to regain their name. By the fall of the Empire, after the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, the Baudelaire's did not require Napoleon or the approval of high society, because they had already become such influencers in the industry. They monopolised the newspaper market, and nothing would be published without their consent. As time went on, they retained their high societal position.

Never a family to stay content, the Baudelaires began expanding their empire. In 1905, Olivié Baudelaire and her husband, Bastien launched *Baudelaire Sociétés*(Baudelaire Corporations), an official producer and distributer or newspapers, magazines and academic journals in France. This period of the Baudelaire Family history was extremely exciting as radios were beginning to emerge, and by the start of the First World War, the Baudelaires began introducing Wireless to the Magical French Population. They would report the effects of the war to the magical community, and it was groundbreaking, as this was a concept completely newfangled to communities, who were so used to owl post delivering newspapers until then.

The Baudelaires enjoyed a modicum of success in France, but when the men of the family got called into war during the Second World War. Unable to avoid conscription, they went, and unfortunately, very few returned. The Baudelaires decided that, after the war and all the horrible effects it had on the family, they would relocate, and start afresh. The family had been wounded, and now it was time to heal. So, in 1947, two years after the war, The Baudelaires had set their affairs into order, and sorted out their business plans, and moved to Belgravia, in London. London had been equally economically and sociopolitically devestated by the war, but the Baudelaire's saw this as an opportunity for them to take over the markets immediately. What was innovative about the Baudelaire Corp. moving to the UK was that they still continued to trade in France, along with their new startups in England. This system allowed them to make twice as much as they used to, and it meant that the family could spend summers and winters in France, whilst remaining in London for business seasons.

All was well for a while, until there was a slight problem in France. Gaspard Baudelaire's father, Augustiné, was found guilty for embezzling funds from *Baudelaire Sociétés*in France to pay for illegal nontradeable goods on the down low. Augustiné was jailed, but his wife and only son fled back to London to safety. The French faction of Baudelaire Corporations was shut down and disbanded, so all they had now was the London Office. Gaspard, at the tender age of eighteen, now had the business thrust upon his shoulders. But Gaspard had always inherited his father's business acumen, so he took to it like a moth to a flame. He married his childhood sweetheart, Mirabelle DuBois, a silvertongued journalist who spun words into gold. It was a perfect match. Mirabelle produced content, and Gaspard distributed it nationwide. The company was back on it's feet, and soon Gaspard and Mirabelle had to consider the future of the company. With Gaspard being an only child, finding a successor was of utmost importance. They had three children. First was Charlemagne, the intelligent and innovative eldest son. A bright Ravenclaw alum, Charlemagne married fellow Ravenclaw Céline LeClair. Next was Olympé, a talented and shrewd businesswoman. Olympé was no-nonsense and loyal to the Baudelaire name and family. She was so devoted that when she married a Wizarding Wireless Network executive, Francois Mercier, she kept her maiden name, along with giving it to her children. Finally, they had Cyril. The youngest of the siblings, and the most talented. Charming and gregarious, but far too lazy to  unleash his full potential; Cyril took to living a life of luxuriousness and decadence. After Gaspard died from natural causes, Charlemagne took over as Managing Director and CEO of Baudelaire Corporations, with Olympé, Cyril, Mirabelle, Céline and Francois making up the Board of Directors.

On a sunny August day in 2011, a young girl was introduced to the Baudelaire family. Olympé and Francois named her Laverne Larue, in honor of their French roots. Her young life was full of activity. Her mother was the producer of WWN, so little Laverne was exposed to a lot of talent. One thing that she remembers clearly, is wanting to be like her mother. Appearing confident and able to make the most beneficial contracts for both parties.

Laverne grew up to be a stunning and confident young woman, one that could easily make it in the wizarding world. However, there was one thing missing. Her first sign of magic. You see, she was already nine years old without a single magical explosion of any sort. Little did they know, she was just a late bloomer. On the eve of her tenth birthday, Laverne banished some vegetables that she really hated (spinach yuck). She was soon sorted in (house) and excelled in her studies.

Now, she is working under her mother in WWN.

The Baudelaire's flourished, continuing the business, with the late Gaspard's grandchildren even getting involved in the family business. All was well, until Charlemagne died. The news came as a shock to all, as he was not of ill health. A fishing trip to Weymouth, Dorset went south when allegedly, Charlemagne's boat capsized due to a freak wave and ill timing of the tide. The coronor's official cause of death was drowning, and that was that. Questions arose from the death - *what was he doing away from the group? Why were there no witnesses? Was there any foul play?*But the most important one remained unanswered: *who will take over the company?*Charlemagne died at the age of 47, so his will was incomplete. He had not named a successor yet, and it could have been anyone - from his siblings to his children to his siblings' children. The possibilities were endless, and the Baudelaire's now find themselves facing the biggest challenge: to remain united as a family as they choose a successor.

## Personality

Laverne grew up wanting to be like her mother. So, she ended up picking up on her mother's sly cunning and persuasive tongue. She has this silent confidence about her that is just absolutely breath taking. It's not shown by something she says or does, it's more like her very stance and aura ripples confidence. She has this easy going smile that is infectious. Really, she's actually pretty laid back when it comes to it.

However, that does not mean that she isn't a savvy business woman. She has a good ear for up and coming stars and has a no nonsense attitude when working. She is a hard worker and absolutely dedicated to her duties. She is very persuasive when she has to be and is very cunning as well. She knows just how to benefit both parties and has safety nets just in case things fall through.

Lav is very headstrong and wants to make her own way in the world of high society. She's loyal to her family and close friends and would never do anything to harm them. She's extremely caring when it comes down to it. She has a great stage presence and is extremely charismatic. She's outspoken in her beliefs and will not be quiet when her beliefs are put in question. Other then that, she is a pretty likeable person.