Selena Sydney

[Selena Sydney]

Full Name: Selena Sydney

Birth Date: 6th September 2008

Current Age: 13 years

Basic Appearance: 5’, long blonde hair and blue eyes, pale fair skin.

Parents:
Anthony Sydney: wizard – left the wizarding world to live the life of a muggle after falling madly in love with Bridget Dorsolas. Opened his own herbal shop which did brilliant business, so much so that he was able to create a shopping chain. He knew his wife hated the slightest mention of his previous life, so he kept all his wizarding paraphernalia at his sister-in-laws home. Hidden in a trunk in her attic were various potion kits, robes, text books, a broom and his wand.

Bridget Dorsolas – muggle, she met Anthony in an art gallery. The two collided and it was love at first sight. He told her after a few weeks about his life and who he was, she rebuked against the idea that there was ever such a thing as a parallel magical world living alongside their own. No matter how often he attempted to reassure her she didn’t want to know, to the extent that she gave him an ultimatum; her or his magical world. Out of love, he chose her. They married in 2004 and began helping Anthony set up his herbal shops. In 2008 they had their only child Selena.

Catherine Dorsolas: aunt – Catherine knew of Anthony being a wizard. Being Bridget only sibling and best friend, her sister had shared the news in a moment of alarm and apprehension. Unfortunately for Bridget, her sister did not share in her fear of the magical world but was fascinated by it. She became a confidant for Anthony to vent his frustration and to reminisce on his days at magic school and other parts of his life.

When Selena was born, Anthony decided to plan for her magical future. Hoping that if she did turn out to have magical abilities that this would eventually help to alleviate any fears that her mother had. With the help of Catherine he set aside text books, jars and vials of potions ingredients and other things she would need incase she was magical. Unfortunately, Anthony never lived to see his daughter reach 11years of age. On travelling home from work one evening, a freak accident on the car ferry led to the ferry sinking and no survivors. It was understandable that Selena and Bridget were unconsolable by their loss but for Selena an even different and more disturbing matter had begun to arise not long after.

She began predicting certain little things with amazing accurancy and in a temper one day, made herself rise slightly off the ground. Convinced she was possessed she went to her aunt to confide in her, as her father had done for many, many years. It was then that Catherine related the news to her about her fathers origins. When Selena returned home and confronted her mother with it, her mother became angry and volatile. She didn’t want her daughter to have anything to do with that world either. After extracting an unfair promise from her daughter to deny that world, Bridget continued her life running the chain of herbal stores that were her husbands legacy.

It so happened that two years later early in 2021 on her way home from work as well a similar freak incident befell Selena’s mother. With both parents now deceased Selena went to live with her aunt. Over the next few months Catherine did her best to teach her niece from the text books that were left behind. She introduced her to all the amazing and wonderful things that her father had been so looking forward to teaching her. It was only later that year that they found some letters hidden amongst her mothers belongings. All were addressed to Selena from a school called Hogwarts.

 

[Selena Sydney]

The trunk that was left in Aunt Catherines possession for Selena contained many wonderful things, it would take her aunt a long time to decipher many of the texts in the ancient books. The more educational type books seemed easier for her to aid her teaching of Selena's new world. She herself learnt new and wonderous things. Together they learnt how to brew various potions, what would have taken a wizard or witch in training possibly a class with a good teacher took aunt and niece a few trys but as Selena was exceptionally clever she adapted and learnt everything quickly. Making her own notes and eventually even changes to certain potions. Wand casting seemed another thing altogether. The books her father left her and his old wand could only teach her so much. Perhaps someday with her own wand the magic would be easier to work.

 

[Selena Sydney]

Along with her fathers many possessions, lay an old broom. To Catherine and Selena it resembled nothing more than a cleaning implement but knowing that it was only magical items in the vast trunk, it dawned in wonder on Selena that wizards and witches truly did travel by broomstick. Here she was lost though, there were no books on how to fly among the vast array of books he had left for her. They eventually did find one about a flying game called quidditch which absolutely fascinated her but even this ancient text did not detail how she was meant to use the battered looking travel item. She knew she would have to just keep it in storage until such a time as she would need it, if ever.

 

[Selena Sydney]

Dear Journal,

Today was possibly the most bizarre day in my entire life. I have been living with my secret for a long time. I have been amazed how easy it was to keep it hidden from mother that I may be in possession of magical abilities, like it would seem my father before me. If it were not for Aunt Catherine I would never have known. Mom would have quite happily kept me in the dark. I should not speak ill of her, I do miss her terribly for all her foibles.
Today though Aunt Catherine called me upstairs to her huge attic, at one end standing all on its own was a huge travelling chest. She unlocked it and allowed me leave to look inside. It was filled with the strangest things, books on magic and about magic. Ingredients for potions, a wand, a broom and a host of other things. These it would seem are mine now. They were once my fathers which he put into my aunts care when he chose to live life as a muggle. I still cannot believe he did that, for love?
I always considered my father to be a rational, intelligent man but this only seems to prove him otherwise. Aunt Catherine wants us to go through each book with a fine tooth comb, she strongly feels that as it is my heritage I should attempt to learn of this other world.
Perhaps she is mad too but I will read the books to glean whatever information I can of the man I had honestly thought I had known inside and out. It just goes to show you that you never really know anyone, do you?

Selena

 

[Catherine Dorsolas]

It is hard to imagine a young girl having to go through the deaths of both her parents at such a young age but to discover a truth about your existence that would otherwise have remain hidden, is also just as daunting. Selena has been coping relatively well, she is intelligent and strong of spirit. The magical world that I have opened up for her, I hope will never be a world from which she has to fear. We found letters today addressed to her from a school of witchcraft and wizardry, all penned in the exact same way and all hidden by her mother. The first few were indicating her acceptance into the school for first year when Selena was only 11 years old, the other batch were written with the hope that she would attend from second year on wards. The newer batch of letters, commiserated with her about the loss of her father and hoped she would now join the school for her third year before she fell too far behind. Selena's face crumpled on reading these, to think that her mother had kept all of this hidden from her. Selena cannot even begin to comprehend the magnitude of the sacrifice her father bore ever since he was issued the ultimatum by my sister. Oh, I wish I had stood up to her and told her she had nothing to fear that she was breaking a good strong man and destroying her daughters future. But I never did, so I too must accept some of the blame.

 

[Selena Sydney]

Dear Journal,

The betrayal feels even more poignant now. Letters from a magic school accepting me as a pupil were hidden from me by non other than my mother. I went to the spot where we cast her ashes out into the wind today and I roared. I bellowed, I raged against the machine that was my suffocating mother. I cannot love her less but I can like her less, I can lose respect for her but as she is my mother, the bonds of love have me tied strongly to her. The ties of loyalty are unbreakable, that is why I write all of this in you and do not speak of them aloud.

Why did my father not speak up? Why did not not choose to teach me himself in secret anyhow? There are so many questions that I have now and none can be answered. I fear for my mind, the sanity I hold is probably an illusion along with everything else. I was accepted to a magic school and for three years they continued to accept me. Do they know? Do they understand why I never went? How did they know about my fathers passing? Questions and more questions, will I ever have any answers?

Selena

 

[Catherine Dorsolas]

The strangest of things happened today, myself and Selena had attempted to try out the wand we found as well as one of the text books regarding charms. For myself nothing happened, though for Selena some progress was made. We were attempting the charm 'lumos', I expected nothing to remotely happen when I did as the book instructed. I wanted merely to demonstrate, though I must admit I was slightly peeved that I had no hidden magical qualities that would have triggered even a spark of light from the wand. Selena on the other hand after four attempts managed to secure the frailest of shimmers from the tip of the wand. We had the curtains closed on the sittingroom for the sake of privacy of course, when the most extraordingary thing happened. Out of my fireplace came this wretched green smog and from the smog stepped a woman. A self-important one to be sure but one that claimed she was from the Ministry of Magic, no less.

She introduced herself as Corinna Doozeworthy. I sincerely thought with a name like that, that this was all a practical joke and that after a moment I would wake up but no, she even pinched me to let me know I was not dreaming. With her own wand she conjured some tea, milk jug and sugar bowl all included. I would have been highly impressed if I had not been so utterly terrified. She informed us that Selena was underage and should not be using magic outside of school but the ministry knew of Selena's situation and wanted to aid her as best they could in reclaiming her magical birthright. Apparantly, Selena's father had once worked for the ministry. This was news to me, all he had told me and he had never once mentioned that. How very strange indeed.

Corinna Doozeworthy must have stayed for the best part of three hours, demonstrating various wand techniques. Slight flicks of the wrist here, a flourish there. She explained how different spells required different wand movements and that even the simplest straying from a movement relinquished a spells strength. I could see Selena was highly impressed with this woman and I was acutely aware of my own inadequacies concerning her education in magic. I expressed as much to Ms. Doozeworthy who merely smiled and told me not to worry about it at all. She patted Selena on her head much to Selena's chagrin and exhorted a promise from us both, that we would only practise the magic that she had set out for Selena from the text books she had taken from the collection. The other books she told us could be put away for when she was older. Selena was only to practise at certain hours of the day and within the confines of the house, specifically the attic. The woman then raised her wand and after muttering something, assured us we were quite safe. That she had put a charm on the house to simply keep muggles from being aware of what transpired within our home during those hours.

As fast as she arrived she left and I was left to wonder just what in the world muggles were and if they were dangerous to us. I presumed they must be as such a charm was necessary. Selena was thrilled that she could now practise to her hearts content without reprisals from our neighbours. I still have my reservations though, couldn't the strange woman have charmed our home against them instead of against these muggles?