Rosemary Gayle Harper

[Background] [Personality] [Description] [Outfits] [Family]

• Name Meaning
  • Rosemary: dew of the sea
  • Gayle: my father is joy
• Birthdate: April 3, 1909
• Role: Chef
• Former House: Gryffindor
• Wand: Walnut wand, long, with a dragon heartstring core

Background

Rosemary was born to Criston and Maud Harper, both wizards, in May of 1909. She was born just less than a year after Maud gave birth to a stillborn boy, making her their first living child. Two years later, the couple had another stillborn, this time a girl. They resigned themselves to having just one child, and doted on Rosemary much in her early years. When Rosie was five, Maud found herself pregnant once again. Just under a month after Rosemary turned six, Maud gave birth to not one healthy child, but two: a girl, Eloise Elizabeth, and a boy, Errol Erasmus. Rosie adored the babies from the time they were born, and though she was not quite old enough to be of much help, she did the best she could.

Now with three children to support, Criston started working harder than ever at the Daily Prophet, where he was a mere clerk. He put in hard and long hours while the children were young, working relentlessly for a raise, and perhaps a promotion. His coveted promotion finally came when the position of a reporter became available. He applied, and was given the job, much to his glee. This meant, however, that he was spending even more time away from the home. Eloise and Errol didn’t seem to notice one bit, but Rosemary, who had been accustomed to seeing her father much more frequently, took this change very hard. His absence at her ninth birthday party caused her to throw a tantrum, which unfortunately meant that the birthday cake exploaded, coating the guests and the walls — everybody but Rosemary, oddly enough. Her mother was torn between happiness and anger. After all, her daughter had just exhibited magical ability! On the other hand, her daughter had also managed to cover the room in birthday cake. One just couldn’t win in such a situation. The guests were fortunately much amused by this, however, as were the now almost three-year-old twins, so Maud chose not to scold in this one instance.

Just after her eleventh birthday, Rosemary recieved her acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Her parents had talked of the school her whole life, telling her stories of their time there, and the things she would eventually learn if she applied herself, and she waited gleefully for the day when she would board that magical train and be on her way to the magical school where she would be taught all the wonders of magic. She was gleeful and giddy the day her parents brought her to the station, her rambunctious five-year-old siblings in tow. Once on the train, she talked to anybody and everybody who would listen, asking them questions, and finding out what their parents had told them about the school, or what older siblings had said. Nothing could quell the slightly pudgy girl’s excitement. She found herself sorted into Gryffindor, to nobody’s surprise, and started off her first year with a bang, earning two detentions in the first week, entirely by coincidence. By the end of her first year, Rosie had learned that the school was perhaps not as wonderful as she had originally thought it would be, though she still loved being there. Her demeanor had settled down tremendously, and though she could still talk anyone’s ear off, she chose only to do that when at home talking to her mother.

Rosemary’s second year did not start with quite the enthusiasm as her first year, nor the point losses. She found things a little easier to handle, and started finding some of her strengths (and many weaknesses as well), which helped her earn points for her house, restoring her reputation to herself if nobody else. She shone in Charms class, as well as in Transfiguration most of the time, but found herself decidedly abysmal at caring for plants. She deemed loudly that she must have had a black thumb, which did not make her a very popular person to be partnered with in the class. She soon learned not to advertise her faults for this very reason. Even despite her failures in classes like Herbology and Defense Against the Dark Arts, she seemed to be generally well liked, though wouldn’t be considered popular by any means. She went home for the summer, and found it great fun to entertain her mother and siblings with stories about school, though her father was still absent much of the time, being away on this trip, or going to check out that ‘scoop’. The twins hardly knew their father due to this unfortunate fact.

Third year started with high hopes. Rosemary started in Arithmancy and Muggle Studies, thinking the two subjects immensely interesting. Several weeks after Hallowe’en, Rosemary recieved a letter from her mother, telling her a story of how her father had left them. He had come home, packed up his belongings, and moved out, telling Maud that he no longer cared for the family, rather for a woman who he had met on one of his research trips to Paris. Maud’s handwriting had been shakey, and Rosemary’s hands matched as she read through the letter. Her mother would be getting a job of some sort to support them, and her grandparents were going to stay with them to help out for the time being. Deep resentment for her father began to grow, but Rosemary did not show this. Her demeanor became more friendly, more cheerful, and she seemed to look out even more closely for the younger students who appeared unsure, or unhappy, feeling that it was her duty to protect them from the horrors that could overtake them at such a young age. It was a wonder that Rosemary’s marks survived at all that year, as she was easily distractable, prone to long bouts of forgetfulness, and had a tendency to be a bit moody. By and large, though, she scraped through with mediocre marks — though whether she earned them, or whether they were bequeathed because the teachers felt sorry for her has yet to be established. Her summer being uneventful, Rosemary looked forward to her return to school, after a difficult summer, during which her siblings pestered her for more stories, not noticing much difference at all with the absence of their father. Rosemary’s one comfort was her mother, and the sweets from the shop down the street. She put on a great deal of weight over this summer, and while disheartening to her and her family, she hadn’t the heart or inclination to do anything about it.

Rosie’s fourth year started off uneventfully, though there was much crammed into the first several months, trying to catch up for all the magic learning they couldn’t do the previous year. She threw herself more into her studies than she ever had, keeping close acquaintance with no one, and friendly discourse with everyone. Her one joy of the year was that her mother finally allowed her to buy a cat, which she named Anthea, and which keeps her company better than any person she has yet found. Though she enjoys talking to people and spending time with them, she finds herself increasingly suspicious of their thoughts, and found herself picking apart their every action in her head until everything became a personal attack. Still, Rosemary persisted in putting forth her bubbly front; she just had ceased to feel as happy as she looked.

Personality

Rosemary is a happy and friendly person, making no judgement about social standing or family background. Her demeanor is pleasant to every person, especially those who seem particularly shy or uncertain of something in her presence. She loves to be a comfort to those around her, but has a tendency to be overexhuberant and rather intimidate those around her at times. In general, she can be described as a happy and joyous person, and while she has a lot of insecurity hiding inside her, very few people would get to know this about her, unless she felt like she could truly trust them.

Description

Rosemary is a tall girl for her age, though not particularly thin. She has a round face with dimples in either cheek, and muddy brown eyes. Her complection is light, though she has a tendency towards blemishes. At fifteen, her face still holds some childish innocence and charm, though she slowly becomes more womanly with each passing year. Her light brown hair hangs just below her shoulders, and is usually braided tidily to keep it out of her face. There is nothing at all sharp or boney about her; she is all round elbows and knees, and dimples all over. She finds herself uncomfortable frequently, especially in the presence of some of the other girls whose figures are more defined, though she herself sees all the merits of her own. Her smile is her most beautiful feature, being even and geniune, and framed by full pink lips.

Outfits

School Robes

She wears a long skirt, which hangs just a couple of inches above the floor, showing the bottoms of her sturdy, well-worn boots. She wears a loose-fitting button-up shirt, usually white, though occasionally varying into shades of brown or gray. It has little shape, and could very possibly be considered a man’s shirt, due to the lack of female consideration given in the cut. Over these, she wears her school robe, which is a black garment, reaching down to the floor. The bottom of her robe is a bit dusty and worn-looking from where it drags on the floor, but does not look ragged. On the front, the Hogwarts crest is prominently displayed. The left elbow of her robe sports a black patch, where it has clearly been worn down more than once. The only explanation that can be given for this is that she leans predominantly on her left elbow when lounging or slouching in class, and otherwise is just a rather peculiar spot to see a patch. Her overall appearance is a casual one, not appearing too nice or particularly dissheveled.

Family Tree

• Criston Cuthbert Harper
  • Maud Alivia Quigley
    • Rosemary Gayle (Harper) Baxtor (b. 1909)
      
      • Christian Harold Baxtor (b. 1911)
        • Doyle Janus Baxtor (b. 1934)
        • Maeve Hersilia Baxtor (b. 1937)
          
    • Errol Erasmus Harper (b. 1915)
    • Eloise Elizabeth Harper (b. 1915)