Full Name:Selah Chandra Chen Innes
Age: 28
Birthdate: May 1, 1977
Profession: Muggle Liaison Office - Student services
Face Claim: Malese Jow
Height/build: 5’4-1/2”, feminine and slender
Hair/eye colour: Dark brown nearly black, usually kept shoulder length/Dark brown eyes
Any unusual physical attributes: Due to her complicated genetics Selah possesses a rather unique beauty. Slightly hooded eyes, full lips, but with an olive complexion; she tans almost effortlessly but often avoids such out of habit given the grief her Grandmother used to give her as a child over the fact.
-4 piercings in each ear
-2 tattoos (ribs),(back of neck)
Personality:
Selah isn’t one of those who walks into a room and draws all the attention, she much prefers to slip in quietly unnoticed and observe. Depending on the subject of the conversation she can be passive or intensely passionate, especially so when it comes to the subject of blood. Despite how she was raised she’s fiercely loyal and genuinely values ‘found’ family above blood or anything else. She’s not afraid of a fight but given what she does for a living, she often tries a more diplomatic approach when she can at least with professional relationships and friendships.
Romantic relationships before meeting her husband never lasted terribly long, too many of them expected her to be seen and not heard or were intimidated by her passionate nature and refusal to back down in a fight. Dorian, he was the first one aside from her Grandfather who truly seemed to see and appreciate her. She’s genuinely kind, quick-witted and thoughtful in general which given her history is hard to believe but it’s some of the things she learned during her time at the school as a student that helped her become better than her upbringing.
Residence: London, England
Relationship status: Married (separated)
Blood status: Half-Blood
Pet: Barn Owl named Cailleach
Wand: Acacia wood, dragon heartstring core, 11 inches, and briskly flexible
Patronus: Black Bear
Certifications/skills: Apparition, Wandless magic (inherited inclination), & Animagus (form: Black Bear)
Muggle skills: Driving, photography, working understanding of muggle daily life.
Family Members:
Mother- Amala Chen Night (No contact)
Father- Adahy Onacona (Unknown currently)
Grandmother- Doris Hazel Chen (No contact)
Grandfather- Yulong Chen (deceased)
Husband- Dorian Innes (complicated)
Hogwarts
House: Slytherin
Years attended: 1988-1995
Best class: Transfiguration
Worst class: Potions
Favourite class: Care of Magical Creatures
Least favourite class: Defense Against The Dark Arts
O.W.L. results:
N.E.W.T. results:
History:
The Beginning:
A holiday in America and visiting the Cherokee Nation in Oklahoma resulting in a surprise pregnancy was how Selah’s life started. Amala, her mother didn’t discover she was pregnant until she’d returned home to London and had no way to reach Selah’s father. While her family wasn’t thrilled they did their best to support her even when she admitted that she believed Selah’s father was a muggle. Her grandmother despised that and made no qualms about showing it while her grandfather was delighted with his little granddaughter.
While her mother wasn’t terrible she wasn’t winning any mother of the year awards, most of her attention was on her own status among the magical community and finding herself a wealthy husband. Which she found when Selah was 8 unfortunately despite how well behaved, bright and kind the young girl was her step-father’s family were not quite as accepting of her half-blood daughter. While she wasn’t exactly abused given her grandfather wouldn’t allow such regardless of her parentage, Selah was more or less ignored. Family gatherings she was left to her own devices, birthday’s with her step-father’s family were effectively ignored but she didn’t mind so much it, after all as far as she cared the only one that mattered really was her 11th.
Hogwarts:
Getting her letter for Selah was her ticket to freedom even if it came with it’s own set of dangers and problems, it was less stressful than being at home. She knew no one but her grandfather really cared so he was the only one she kept informed of her school life, especially her House as she’d apparently taken after him in being sorted into Slytherin house. While she didn’t get along with most of her housemates, she managed to find a few she could at least call friends. The older kids she avoided for the most part, but there were some she watched, paid attention to if for no other reason than something about them made her curious.
She enjoyed learning the various forms magic could take, the tools they could use to harness it and of course the creatures. While those fascinated her the most, she dealt with so much due to her ‘mud blood’ as many of the purebloods called it that it more or less became her personal fight. Learning all she could, it became her focus, protecting students like herself and their families who supported them. Selah no longer went home for holidays, her Grandmother didn’t want her and given her Mother and Step-Father had a new baby, she wasn’t welcomed there either.
Her grandfather still sent her gifts for them though and she continued to write to him regardless of the rest of her so-called family. He was the first to hear about her O.W.L.s exam score and while she didn’t do ‘Outstanding’ on everything, she did well enough that her Christmas gifts that year were more than she ever expected. Knowing her interest in muggle things her grandfather had gone out and bought her the best muggle camera he could afford. Which started her love for muggle photography that continued throughout her life.
It was near the end of her time at Hogwarts that two very important things happened to Selah: she accepted a summer internship at the Muggle Liaison Office which was her dream job and she met Dorian Innes for the first time. A 7th year whom she’d seen around the house common areas plenty but never actually got to know anymore than by sight. Like many others she’d learned about, she watched and listened, he spent his holidays at the school just like she did and she’d heard others whisper about him when he wasn’t around. Something about his Auror parents and his lack of interest, but his aptitude was impressive nonetheless at least from what she’d heard.
Selah didn’t trust many rumors after all; they were also whispers of Voldemort having returned as well. So she didn’t tend to believe too many of them, even if some questionable things had been happening around the school recently. While her internship was enlightening she put her nose to the grindstone to finish strong and do well on her final exams, after all no one looked forward to N.E.W.T.s not even Selah. Still she managed to make it through with scores she was proud of at least in her best subjects and passable in her worst. She’d watched all the 7th years finish the previous year and now it was her turn. It should have been a time for celebration but fate had a way of denying her enjoying even the smallest victories for too long.
The Second Wizarding War:
The summer after her 7th year the world figuratively and almost literally seemed to explode when the news Voldermort was in fact back. The Death Eaters were active again, dementors roamed searching for anyone and everyone they deemed a threat. It was, to be frank, horrible. Selah had taken up a job offer with the Muggle Liaison Office and was more or less immediately told to focus on the Muggle-born students or students with a Muggle parent, like herself not long before. She took her job seriously but of course like everyone she needed to unwind sometimes so the Leaky Cauldron had become her favorite spot.
Which was where she’d ended up running into Dorian again, a little more than a passing fancy and a lot of alcohol was never the start of a good relationship but neither was looking for anything serious. They were just filling the long empty nights with one another’s company when they could manage. That was of course until the true war finally came to pass, between the loss of life and the gnawing fear of nothing to fight or live for, the two decided the best course of action was to marry. To lean on each other when times got bad and enjoy the fleeting moments when things were good.
When it all came to a head in ‘98’, they both chose to return to the school and help however they possibly could. Selah focused on protecting the muggle-born students and Dorian did what he did best. And then it was all over and Voldermort was defeated for good she hoped; the relief was more than palpable. There was still a lot to fix as the dust settled and a lot of Death Eaters to capture but the future looked brighter than it had
Life Begins:
After all was said and done, Dorian did ultimately choose to embrace being an Auror and she was very proud of him. He didn’t seem happy about being placed at Hogwarts though well at first he was but the longer it stretched the more bristly he seemed to get every time he got another shift at Hogwarts. Selah found there were worse things she had to contend with, most prominent was the realization that the man she called her husband, she knew next to nothing about. The downside of course was both of them being rather brash and passionate individuals, true discussions were rare and fights were many. Which more often than not led to angry or make up sex, sleeping and completely letting it drop by the next day.
It was only in the last year or so though things really changed; Selah tried pushing him, not pushing him, at some points she even fought her own nature and refused to give into the fight she knew was coming which still ended up with him or her storming off or going to bed angry. Which unlike before never let it all go even if there was no resolution, so the irritation, frustration and annoyance continued to build. No matter how hard she tried nothing seemed to get better and she found herself almost longing for the times during the height of the war, they’d been good then so what had changed?
The breaking point only came a few months ago when Selah needed to have a serious talk with him and Dorian was clearly in a mood but she didn’t heed her own internal warning not to start a conversation. He did his best to avoid discussing anything with her until she finally got fed up and told him the truth, she was late. For just the briefest of moments she could have sworn he almost seemed happy even dare she say hopeful but then it was like a switch flipped. Dorian blew up and his reaction was nothing like what she’d expected, it left her foundering. Combined with the discovery that her beloved Grandfather had passed and she hadn’t even been invited to the funeral was effectively the straw that broke the camel's back for her.
For the first time Selah felt completely and truly alone.
The next time Dorian showed up the first thing she did was inform him there was no pregnancy and after several back and forth arguments and discussions separation was suggested. As much as it pained her to do so she agreed, if only in the hopes that some time and space would help. The last thing she wanted was their marriage to end but she was at a loss for how to fix it. She poured herself into her work with the Liasion office, frequently traveling between the muggle world and the wizarding world making a point of learning other muggle skills that would help in her line of work.
Even making a few trips to Ilvermorny and starting the process while there trying to find her biological father. Brushing up on hobbies she’d picked up along the way as well like muggle photography and painting, wizarding stuff was fun but she felt it gave away too much; the stillness of a muggle photograph she found much more intriguing. While spending more time in the Muggle world a long time student’s parent noticed the changes in her and politely inquired, Selah saw no reason to hide so she explained being separated and was surprised when the women suggested therapy. She’d never even considered it but given everything it couldn’t hurt but rather than find someone back home, she decided to find one in the muggle world and just not mention their magical usage.
OOC information:
OOC username: Grim
Preferred means of contact: Discord