Nikita Konstantinova

**Nikita Konstantinova**

Horned Serpent, Tenth Grade, Quodpot Captain

 **MODEL** | Bridget Rose Satterlee

Polina Zvereva was a relic of a large family. A family who were either famous or infamous for something or the other. The latter clause of that life was something Alian Konstantinov could relate to. And the reason he couldn't relate to the first? He had never had any siblings, and both of his parents had "disappeared" mysteriously shortly after his third birthday; he was raised by his uncle, who would never tell him any more other than that his parents were a pair of Aurors who had an interesting perspective on the justice system and, indeed, justice itself. The Konstantinovs and Zverevs both were pure-blooded families, so it's certainly unsurprising that it was the Russian school of magic, Koldovstvoretz, that pushed the husband-and-wife to-be together. It is likewise unsurprising that Alian, who had experienced little of family, might want a big one. Polina wasn't initially keen on the idea, but acquiesced later upon seeing precisely how important it was to him.
Alian and Polina had no less than sixteen children, of which Nikita is the eighth. The middle one. How did the parents garner the money for such a large family? Firstly, there was a considerable sum on account of Alian's uncle; and secondly, Alian got into politics. There was a surprising amount of money to be had in that profession if you knew where to find it. Polina, the fashionista, begrudgingly fulfilled the life of carer until she abruptly decided the eldest of the siblings were old enough to "assist" with the childcare. Unfortunately, the two eldest, Viktoria and Karina, were perhaps the worst childcarers, ever. This is all the more apparent when you consult the pie chart of time spent with their younger siblings versus time spent with each other, and this only grew more lopsided as they, too, grew. (Very few of them have the privilege of a close relationship with either one. Her younger brother Dmitri – Dima – does. One day Nikita will ask how he manages it.)
However, Alian aspired for better for his children's magical education than Koldovstvoretz had offered him. Thus, just before Viktoria turned eleven, the family was abruptly uprooted and replanted in Illinois. Nikita was barely a year old, being a full decade younger than her oldest sibling. Raised in Illinois with occasional trips back to their homeland, Nikita sounds and seems quite American. Many of her siblings are American citizens automatically, by virtue of being born there. Growing up, as aforementioned she was quite distant with her eldest two siblings, not least because they were both at Ilvermorny in many of her earliest years, but she idolised the next two, the twins. Mikhail and Yuliya.
There is tension between her and her closest elder sibling, because she turned out to be the only child of Alian and Polina not to possess magical powers. Polina shunned her after that, and although unfairly, her sibling blames Nikita for promptly having her first sign in close proximity to that discovery, saying it is the reason for their estrangement. Which is stupid, of course, the small fire Nikita set in the back garden was more worrying than anything. (Polina was almost too proud to be angry about her roses. Almost.) And thus, it became clear that she would be attending Ilvermorny like her siblings before her. (God knew what Viktoria and Karina were doing with their lives by this point. They didn't check in and she didn't much mind it.)
Starting at Ilvermorny, Nikita was chosen by only one house, Horned Serpent. The siblings closer to her in age reassured her that this was normal. Her focus went onto her studies, desiring to best her older siblings in any way she could, but she made a good friend, Malina.
Malina was a Thunderbird, who drew Nikita gradually out of her study-centric shell, until finally in eighth grade she cracked and joined the Horned Serpent Quodpot team. Over the past two years she has really come out of her shell, forming a more healthy relationship with her studies (although whether the same could be said of other things...) as well as a very healthy relationship of the romantic variety with Malina. While she's out to most of her siblings, she remains closeted to her mother, and trusts her family not to tell her. This summer, Nikita received a letter, stating that she had been chosen as Horned Serpent Quidditch Captain.
This year is going to be interesting.

Now, Nikita may not be your typical head-down, face-in-a-book Horned Serpent; in fact, one might go so far as to say she certainly isn't. Perhaps her Ilvermorny life isn't as focused around study as it was on the day she stepped up to the platform, but that thirst for knowledge has never truly gone away. She simply indulges it in the classroom environment, and in late sleepless nights, rather than it being as all-encompassing as it used to be. Nikita Konstantinova is an observant young woman who likes to put her intellects into use by reading people, and can often get a fairly good first impression. However, when it comes to reading her own emotions, she's generally less successful. She hasn't quite deduced that this is simply because she has no desire to deal with them.
Her louder outward personality is the one that's made her popular throughout much of Ilvermorny, especially since she was declared Horned Serpent Quodpot Captain. The side of her that's centered around her extrovertism, desire to have a good time as well as succeed academically, and find enough friends so that she can move out of her parents' the moment she comes of age. Nikita is hell-bent on winning the Quodpot Cup in her first year as Captain, and she's not a good loser. Her competitive nature comes out in all its fire and fury on the pitch, fierce energy she channels into the game. However, she is a good leader, and her smarts play into the strategism necessary.
One other thing young Nikita is renowned for is the trademark Konstantinov(a) snark. It started with their oldest daughter and has lasted right through to the middle of sixteen children. Nikita is not one to hold back for the sake of someone's ego. Indeed, she has a tendency to be very blunt, and she's stubborn enough to see a fight through to its bitter end. However, behind the snark and smarts and competitive nature, she is secretly very self-deprecating, and seeks the approval of her parents and siblings. She almost thinks she needs the approval that comes with being popular.

 **BODY TYPE** | Ectomorph

 **HOUSE** | Horned Serpent

 **FIRST LOVE** | Malina Eliopoulos

© credits to brockosaurus for inspiration and base coding; miggy for the page structure