Sylvia Bellows

Sylvia Bellows collects magical items and other things that she believes are of value. She has an unknown history with Ocnus Lois and seems to be responsible for the disappearance of Zachary Clearwater. Various magical items have passed through her hands and she is often willing to trade.

## Biography

### Early Life

Sylvia was born to Marlon and Elna Bellows. She was part of a magical family that ran a successful antique shop in Diagon Alley.

Sylvia’s family was devastated to learn that she was a Squib. They decided to hide her away in the shop’s storage room. Sylvia believed that it was because their neighbors would hurt her if they discovered her lack of magic.

Sylvia’s parents had two more children: Tess and Russell. Both were magical. Sylvia took care of them while her parents were busy running the business. She loved her family very much and did everything she could to help out, often doing various household chores. She also enjoyed reading and listening to the radio. Her parents occasionally brought her on family outings, usually disguising her via Polyjuice potion and claiming that she was an obscure cousin or friend.

Tess soon went off to Hogwarts. Sylvia knew that once Russell left as well, she would be mostly alone. She spent a lot of time studying magical items, believing that she could still help run the shop someday. She also felt that if she could prove her worth to Wizarding society, then perhaps she could live openly. However, increasing Death Eater activity discouraged this.

### First Wizarding War

((I have a more detailed story written about the events of the war, but I haven't decided if I like it enough to canonize it. These are the important points.))

During the war, the Bellows family was targeted because they were rumored to know the whereabouts of powerful magic items, including the Deathly Hallows, and refused to give any information to the Death Eaters.

Sylvia was kept hidden in the storage room. She did not have much access to information about the war, aside from the radio and what her parents told her. Some of her family left to fight and never returned.

The shop was soon attacked. Elna gave the Invisibility Cloak to Sylvia and helped her escape. Ultimately, Sylvia was powerless to protect Russell and she was separated from the rest of her family. She spent the rest of the war hiding and hoping that she could reunite with the others when the war was over.

### Post-War

Sylvia scraped by while trying to listen to any news she could. The deaths of her family members were slowly confirmed until she realized that she was the only surviving member of her family. This was confirmed when she went to her home and found that it was closed down with all of its remaining contents being prepared for auction.

She tried to explain that she was a Bellows but could not prove her identity because no one except her family knew of her existence. It was discovered that she had no magic and Sylvia’s claims to the items were rejected. She was believed to be a fraud and was not allowed in the auction house; she listened as her family’s prized stock was picked apart. The store building itself was also soon sold.

Sylvia felt that as a Squib, she would never be accepted in the Wizarding world. She briefly tried to live as a Muggle. However, she had no skills or knowledge that were valued in Muggle society. She was also again plagued by having no identification. She could not find a job or home.

She often thought about the business that her family had put so much care into. She wondered what had become of the treasures and returned to the Wizarding World. Still holding onto her family’s values, she felt that it was her duty to recover the missing items. As a young adult, Sylvia sought out Ocnus Lois and tried to hire him to help her retrieve items that had allegedly been stolen from her. Ocnus warned her that if she allowed her "hunger" to drive her, she would soon lose what was most valuable to her. (Ocnus' memory of the event)

### Becoming "the collector"

Sylvia apparently did not heed the warning. With the aid of the Invisibility Cloak, she began seeking out and taking back her family’s stock. She often acquired additional items in order to trade and added a variety of treasures to her hoard.

Sylvia became more powerful by using her growing collection to the point of rivaling those with innate magic ability. Over time, she found that she was not content with simply recovering the family’s original stock. She felt angered by magical folk misusing and squandering things that had such a high value. She focused on her neverending quest to find and keep all the valuables that she could. She isolated herself except for bartering and rarely ever revealed her physical presence.

At some point, Sylvia waited for Ocnus' daughter, Katrina Lois, to get off the Hogwarts Express. Sylvia then approached her and gave her a Muggle newspaper that contained a missing child notice for Zachary Clearwater. (Katrina's memory of the event)

It is believed that Sylvia is responsible for Zack's disappearance. She was manipulated into trading him to the Servants of Night for the Resurrection Stone.

## Physical Appearance

The collector is seldom seen. She wears the Invisibility Cloak almost constantly.

Her true appearance is rather plain. She has brown hair and a smattering of faint freckles on her face.

## Abilities and Skills

* Expansive knowledge of magic items and artifacts
* **Bartering**
* **Potions:** She is fairly knowledgeable about potions and has memorized several recipes, but cannot make potions due to her lack of magic.
* **Weapons:** She is proficient with many weapons, including daggers and guns.
* **Magical aptitude:** She is a Squib and cannot produce any magic. However, she is very knowledgeable about it.

## Possessions

* Invisibility Cloak
* Resurrection Stone
* Various potions (Polyjuice, invulnerability)
* Protective amulet
* Magical knife
* Gun