Cordelia Yaxley

##### Positives

> Not that many would know it, but Cordelia is actually quite intelligent and well-versed about the things around her. She likes to know what is going on in the world, even though she feels that she is not fully a part of it. She is very book-smart, so if she needed to, she could keep up in a conversation. Cordelia is confident, which can be shown in the way that she walks about with her head held high. She has a way of gaining the respect of those around her, because that is the way that she was taught. She is very much a perfectionist and everything has to be in a certain order around her. Not that it matters to most, but Cordelia is actually rather caring to those around her, and extremely well-mannered when she's supposed to be.
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##### Negatives

> Cordelia kind of has her head in the clouds. She's a dreamer, though she knows not much can come from her dreams. She wants to make a difference in the world around her, but doesn't feel as if she can because of her position. She hopes for the best with what she has. Cordelia is very attention-seeking. She likes to have the attention put on her because it makes her feel good about herself. Despite her confidence, it makes no difference if others can't recognize her. Resentment is deep within her because of the dreams she has that she can never see through. She is resentful of a lot of things, namely her oldest sister for finding a way out.
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#### History

##### Family History

> Lilith, through no fault of her own, was set to be a Yaxley one day. She’d heard some teasing discussions around dinner parties in whispered voices that her father had lost a bet to Leander Yaxley at Tavistock one day and that was how her future was decided. She never asked, as it wasn’t her place to, but every night leading up to her wedding at the age of nineteen, she sat down and prayed that it would be called off. She’d been raised to look forward to her wedding but the idea of marrying a man who was thirteen years older than her and hadn’t said a word to her before, was not exactly her idea of fun. Not only that but he was a Yaxley and while the Rowle family had it’s own tortured history, the Yaxley’s hadn’t publically distanced themselves from their support of the dark arts.
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> The night before her wedding, Lilith was sleepless, contemplating taking off and never coming back but only getting so far as packing her bag but never actually going anywhere.
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> Leander was never cruel to Lilith when they first married but always distant, behaving as though his wife was someone he had acquired to remediate his name and bear a new generation of Yaxley’s. He had no love for her but could appreciate her beauty and showed that often by summoning her to his bedroom regularly and dismissing her when he was through. Thankfully the first indication that he had was that she was as good at bearing children as she was at being a positive face associated with the Yaxley name, as almost ten months to the day after their wedding she gave him a son.
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> He didn’t pay the boy much attention as he trusted his wife would hire the appropriate staff and see to his needs. After what he felt was a sufficient amount of time had passed, Leander began to summon his wife to his bedroom again, wanting to have a sufficient amount of heirs to carry on the Yaxley line. However, after nearly a year without another child, he threatened to leave Lilith penniless and alone if she didn’t produce more children. To show her that he meant business, he began inviting other women to the house, whoever he could afford to buy for the evening, and insist that his wife play host to them while they were there. Instead of requesting that Lilith spend the evening in his bedroom, he would make her ask, beg, to be allowed in, and tearfully promise that this time she would provide him with more children.
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> Nearly three years later, she kept her promise, and Guinevere was born.
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> The cycle continued again until the twins were born, a handful of illegitimate Yaxley’s born in the period between Guinevere and Cordelia and Cadmus and even more between the twins and Rhiannon. Discovering his second child was a squib, Leander stopped allowing his wife into his bedroom and left Lilith to care for the children, only communicating with her in a business-like manner when absolutely necessary.
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##### Early Years

> Pressure is something that Cordelia Yaxley is quite accustomed to. She knew, from the very first moment of obtainable knowledge, that she was meant to be great one day, though she didn’t quite understand, just yet, what that greatness entailed. She had thought greatness meant that she was meant to change the world, though she had no idea that her changing the world meant following a very specific set of guidelines and to sit still, look pretty. Even then, for the briefest of moments, she had been thankful she wasn’t the oldest, until suddenly she was.
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> She wasn’t the oldest in age, though that was an easily forgotten fact as she had her schedule filled with one duty after the next, whether it was attending etiquette classes or various other lessons that she could hardly ever remember the name of since, to her, it was all the same. If she did well, she received praise. If she failed, she received scorn. It was no secret that she preferred one over the other, and worked to gain that little bit of praise to make her family proud of her.
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> Cordelia knew that she once loved her sister, as she had very brief, fond, memories with her, but those became fairly limited as time went on, replaced by more current, bitter ones. She saw how her twin was quite a bit looser than Gawain, and truthfully, it was so far from fair. It was as she saw the differences that she grew to resent her sister more, feeling as if she had taken her right to not be the oldest. Her sister gave up responsibility, and for that, Cordelia had to pick it up.
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> Marrying for love was out of the question, so naturally, Cordelia wrote that out of her mind. As a Yaxley, she had to re-earn what her family had lost, to bring back their honor that they so deserved.
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##### School Years

> Every minute of her day was planned out, every bit of food she ate, every step she took, every outfit she wore – none of it were things that she had picked for herself. A part of her had hoped that attending Hogwarts would make things different, and while it had in some areas, it hadn’t in others. She was petrified of someone reporting back to her father that she slipped in any of her studies, or was improper in any way…that someone might state that she was anything less than the perfection she was meant to be, so she followed the rules.
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> She was smart, so as to not let anyone down. Even if she didn’t always have a place to speak, it was important that she could, so she wouldn’t let her future husband look bad. She was dignified, always by the book, and never broke one single rule at Hogwarts, afraid that it would bring any negative attention onto her, and away from the disdain that her parents felt towards Guinevere. She feared her father and what he could do if she didn’t live up to what was expected of her, what was expected of her family, and so, she kept her head held high in false bravado and proper stance, while fearing being anything less than the perfection that was expected.
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> Even in school, it was difficult for her to make real friends outside of other purebloods, because every choice she made, she knew was watched, or she feared would come back to her father somehow. He was a nasty man with a nasty temper, though she would never dare let him know that. Fear was power, after all, and she knew that power was what he sought out for them.
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> Cordelia had been away at school when her sister had turned 17, and bitter feelings towards her aside, she was astonished to come home that summer and see that she was gone. She hated the way that her sister was born without magic, as she was taught to believe that it meant that something was wrong with her, that she wasn’t as blessed as the rest of the family. It meant that she was undeserving, and for that, Cordelia disliked her. However, it was still her sister, and it was still someone that she was accustomed to seeing in some capacity over the holiday months and summer months when her father was not around. It was always easiest to sneak in a conversation with her when her father was away at work and her mother was away…well, just away.
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> It was the one and only time that Cordelia strongly disagreed with her parents. She didn’t know how Guinevere was to survive on her own without money to her name, in a world that she was never allowed to go into. It brought her a lot of concern for her sister, and she feared she would perish at the hands of muggles. There was one time that she even dared to question her father on the matter, though it was the last time she would ever question him again as she saw for herself just how nasty his temper could be, even against her, the favored daughter.
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##### Post-School Year

> After graduation from Hogwarts, while everyone else seemed to have plans for their future that involved working and having a life, Cordelia knew that the same privilege was not awarded to her. She did well on exams, not for her, but for her future husband, who would not want her to make him look stupid. She learned various languages so that she may communicate in wider circles of power hungry men. She painted beautiful paintings, only to stare at them in wonder of the people that were free, a freedom she would never see herself. Everything she did, it was to be a better wife someday, a better mother, but never to be a better person. Her person was completely defined by the man she would one day marry.
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> It bothered Cordelia as she watched other women of her same stature, finding suitable partners, while she herself was waiting for someone to want her. Cordelia wanted to be wanted and spoken for, because that was what she had been taught of her self-worth. Her time was spent being paraded around at one affair or the next, attempting to find a suitable partner to marry, to bring honor back to the family name. When she finally would have free time, which was limited, she would find herself writing poetry and swimming in the family pool. She would never dare say, but she would cook with the family house elves when her parents weren’t around, simply because it gave her someone to talk to, someone that she could demand secrets out of.
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> Cordelia wasn’t ready for the news of her mother dying, distraught over the news. Cordelia had witnessed the cruelty of her father to her mother, but she knew that she was in line to marry someone that might be like him. Watching her mother gave her hope that it wasn't impossible. She tried to follow in her mother’s footsteps, to be a good wife, even seeing what she saw as her father had many of his mistresses over, and his cruel treatment. Truthfully, her mother had always looked miserable, even in the perfect way that she wore her appearance. Cordelia could see through it, because she felt it herself, too. This was the life that she was born for, however, and life was not a fairy tale where people could always follow their dreams. Some people weren’t meant to dream, and she was one of them.
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> The news of her mother’s passing touched her deeply. For once, she felt truly alone in the castle, even amongst her siblings that were still there. At least her brothers could work and make friends, but who would be there for her while Rhiannon was at school and Caddy and Gawain were off working? The days following her mother’s death, and the announcement of the affair, created a monster in her father. He was already a monster, but now, it was nearly unbearable as they discovered the further tainting of the Yaxley name, who couldn’t control their women. It was perhaps why Cordelia found herself where she shouldn’t have been, striking up a conversation with a man that she had no business talking with, but sorrow and despair brought upon reckless decisions. Her mother found a way to have a small bit of happiness, so was it really out of line for Cordelia to find the same?
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> Her life was planned out for her, and her father was a monster, and the mother that she looked up to, the one that she wanted to be like, was not just sitting on the sidelines after all. One reckless decision in hooking up with the beautiful man that showed her a bit of attention, turned into more, though deep down, she knew it would need to come to an end because she was a Yaxley, and Yaxley’s had a reputation to protect where her mother and sister had failed. Eventually, it did come to an end, but now she's back to worrying about her future as her eldest brother found his betrothal, and her sister is now out of school. Things, however, would not be as simple as she had hoped, because getting married at her age was becoming less and less likely.
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### Connections

#### **Family**

###### Leander Yaxley

> Her father is a scary man, but Cordelia respects him greatly (or maybe fear, maybe both). He is very cruel, and she thinks she loves him, but it's hard to sometimes. She fears him more now with their mother gone, but when he's around, she's vying for some attention, acknowledgement, and praise.
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###### Gawain Yaxley

> To be determined.
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###### Guinevere Yaxley

> A part of Cordelia does love her sister. She loved her more when she was younger and hadn't yet understood what the future fully held for her, but now that she's more aware, and feels more of the pressure from their father, her resentment for Guinevere grows deeper. She doesn't want to see harm come to her sister, but she also feels like Guinevere failed them as the big sister. She would never say it, but she does find some reasons as to why she should see Guinevere, even if it is scolding her about stealing their mother's jewelry (supposedly).
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###### Cadmus Yaxley

> Not that Cordelia plays favorites, but if she had, Cadmus is her favorite. She might be partial towards him because he's her twin, but she loves him dearly and no matter what, he can do no wrong in her eyes. She looks up to him and feels safer when he's around.
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###### Rhiannon Yaxley

> Cordelia envies Rhiannon the slightest bit because she's younger and carefree and a strong woman (in her eyes). She wishes only the best for Rhiannon, which is perhaps why she is more willing to be at their father's attention so it doesn't befall Rhiannon. She worries about Rhiannon a lot, both as her sister, and as a mother-figure since their mother recently passed.
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#### **Friends**

###### Victoire Weasley

> A bit of a bad influence friend, but Cordelia adores her anyway. Sometimes, she tries to live vicariously through her, since the weight on her shoulders is too heavy for her to do herself.
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###### Quintessa Fawley

> Currently her sister-in-law, they were roommates throughout school, and they both come from sacred 28 families.
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###### Kingsmill Cooper

> She went to school with him and she finds him to be the absolute sweetest so she really appreciates the friendship with him even after graduating, even though her father would never approve of this friendship.
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#### **Romance**

###### Jericho Avery

> Soon to be betrothed to him. She does not know yet, but they're friends.
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#### **Enemies**

###### Euphemia Rosier

> Fake friends, but really, Cordelia resents Effie and how she stole her pureblooded man, Adonis, particularly because she's younger. Adonis was meant to be hers, but now, Cordelia is single once again, looking for someone to marry.
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