History:

Elspeth Blaine was born in Edinburgh to two muggle parents. Her father, Gregory Blaine, is a Professor of Political Science at the University of Edinburgh. Her mother, Teresa “Tess” Milne Blaine, was a homemaker and sometimes poet until her untimely death four years ago of Huntington’s Chorea. Elspeth watch her mother quickly deteriorate in her thirties and still visibly recalls the failing and physical symptoms her mother exerted. This death made both father and daughter unbelievably closer. It also has caused her to have a rather tenuous relationship with magic, always wondering if magic—rather than God—could have saved her mother.

Beyond this tragedy, Elspeth’s childhood was a relatively normal one. She often spent time at the University, which did draw odd looks as a girl, but her father very much wanted her to have a strong sense of learning. Her favorite place was the main library, where she’d struggle with books too advanced for her little mind. Still, she wished to be like the students she saw herself amongst. She did manage to develop a kind of shorthand while her mother was ill to help her father in taking care of her, and this was developed while she spent time amongst department faculty, who took pity on a colleague’s daughter.

Her first sign of magic came fairly late when Gregory brought her to Edinburgh Zoo. They were looking at the fishpond when Els spotted one she could see wasn’t moving. She called at it and tried to feed it, but nothing happened. The fish was dead. So afraid and triggered of her mother’s memory, she managed to unknowingly dislodge a few of the rocks at the side of the pond so as to create a resting place for the dead fish. The move was small enough her father could attribute it to the effects of a heavy Scottish rain.

When her Hogwarts letter arrived, the family was shocked, and Gregory found it hard to believe magic existed. But if it did, he wanted his girl to learn it and so he let her attend the magical school. She is excited to continue her studies throughout her time at Hogwarts.

Appearance:

Elspeth is fairly plain in her appearance. She does not take a lot of effort in the mornings, feeling that other things—like information—are far more important than beauty. As such, she wears a natural look. When she does indulge, she likes to wear her hair in 1940s victory rolls as this is how she recalls her mother wearing her own hair. Straight and long, hair is a chestnut color and her eyes a bright hazel. Her skin is a pale, perhaps described as 'fair' at best. Her body is long and lean, but not from exercise. It's more like occasionally skimping on food in favor of study sessions. Her nails are long and unvarnished. Her casual wardrobe is mostly dresses, trousers and cardigans in earth tones. She enjoys scarves and knitted hats.

Personality:

Elspeth tends to keep to herself before she opens up to people and she can appear callous at times. But once you have her trust, you have it forever. Hugely determined, she doesn't give up easily, especially on academic content. Although not traditionally artistic, she enjoys problem-solving and trying out new approaches to material and problems. She does enjoy adventure mostly because she likes investigating and finding out how things work. She'd pursue a quest through to its fullest danger if it meant that she learned something out of it; though she proceeds through each step with caution. She is a team player, granted a quieter one, always looks out for those she's working with as best she can. She can be one-track minded, however, and selfish in her pursuit of new information. Incredibly pragmatic, Elspeth looks for efficient solutions to all the problems she encounters, and she hopes to be able to use magic to solve real-world problems.