Full Name: Waldrada Cromwell (Nee, Santis)
Age: 45
Birthdate: January 4, 1960
Position/Class Taught: Professor of Advanced Music
Start of Employment: 2002
History:
Waldrada is a muggle-born witch hailing from Milan, Italy. Growing up, she was no stranger to feeling like an outcast but managed to find a handful of people that made her move to London (she was about 10 when they relocated) much more bearable. Her mother and father were both quite proud of their daughter's status as a witch. They embraced the culture and did all they could to ensure their daughter could succeed. Waldrada grew up with humble means. Her mother was a seamstress and her father owned his family's boating business. Waldrada has many fond memories of being on the water with her father.
From a young age, Waldrada had shown quite the proficiency in piano and music in general. She has what's called an auditory photographic memory -- she can hear a piece of music and recreate it almost note-for-note only moments later. Unfortunately, her early education suffered because of this fixation on music. She was delayed in several subjects, but once she went to Hogwarts, her academics turned around.
Waldrada blossomed at Hogwarts, finally in an environment that supported her magical abilities. She was placed in Ravenclaw. Generally, she was well-liked among her peers and professors. She played Quidditch (Keeper) quite well and was even voted captain her final year, but a brutal fall caused her to stop playing before she would've liked. Academically, she excelled in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Astronomy, and, of course, Music and Muggle Music. Her prowess with defensive magic and her athleticism set her up for a promising career as an Auror once she graduated from Hogwarts.
A couple of years pass and she meets Christopher Cromwell while working as an Auror. The two eventually marry and have a daughter, Katie Cromwell. Christopher was a brilliant potions maker and owned his own apothecary. Once Katie was born, Waldrada spent about a year tending to her newborn before returning to work. Sadly, when Katie was about ten, Christopher was killed by werewolves that broke into his shop one night. After some terrifying threats, Waldrada watched as her husband was murdered and her daughter was bitten by a pre-mature werewolf. Knowing she needed to put her daughter first, Waldrada almost immediately resigned from her position as an Auror, focused on selling off her late husband's business, and got hired as an Advanced Professor of Music at Hogwarts. She needed a safer line of work since she was now the only parent Katie had left.
Present day, Waldrada still copes with very complex feelings about losing her husband, Katie's disorder every full moon, and the guilt she feels for not being able to do more to prevent the situation. Things are certainly getting better, but Waldrada does her best to stay as busy as she can. She has a hard time coping with silence/thoughts running through her head and sometimes will turn to less-than-healthy means if she stays inside her own mind for too long.
Personality:
Waldrada is a warm woman and has always been a natural 'manager.' She enjoys being in charge and calling the shots, but has a tendency to be a bit neurotic and anxious. The anxiety came later in life after losing her husband and watching Katie get bitten. However, she maintained a good sense of humor and overall desire to help others. She's fiercely protective and, when it comes to her loved ones, will not hesitate to proverbially go to war. At times, Waldrada is quite cut-throat and when she has her mind set on something, it's very hard to budge her.
She is very good at providing a listening ear and a safe emotional space for her students/loved ones. Waldrada loves to feel needed and finds herself feeling dejected at times as Katie has aged and become less dependent on her. It helps that she's working as a professor, but she definitely would be considered a bit of an overprotective mother.
In recent years, she knows she has a predisposition for isolation and some depression. Waldrada does her best to stay as active and as social as she can to combat this, but some days are really hard for her to push forward. She has yet to truly process everything that has happened because she had to put on a strong front to support her daughter through her condition and the loss of her father.
Face Claim: Marin Hinkle
Birthdate: 01/04/1960
Birthplace: Italy
Hometown: Milan
Residence: Flat near Diagon Alley
Relationship status: Widowed/Single
Blood status: Muggle-born
Pet: Cream-ticked orange cat named Saffron
Wand: Hawthorne, Thunderbird tail feather core, 12", unyielding flexibility.
Patronus: Horse
Boggart: Katie being bitten
Certifications/skills: Ministry Duellist Certification, wandless magic.
Family Members:
Children: Katie Cromwell, Hogwarts student
Hogwarts
House: Ravenclaw
Years/dates attended: 1971-1978
Quidditch team position: Keeper
Best class: DATDA
Worst class: Potions
Favourite class: Music
Least favourite class: Potions
Appearance
Height/build: 5'8" -- once athletic, but has become more lean in her middle age.
Hair/eye colour: Dark brown hair with hazel eyes.
Any unusual or interesting physical attributes: Italian accent, 'Roman' nose, and notably thick hair.
OOC information:
OOC username: Red
Preferred means of contact: discord (theeredwitch)