Melania

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The Potions Mistress

Portrayed by Lana Parrilla

Name:	Melania Black
Aliases:	Mrs. Black, Mel
Birthday:	April 30, 1901
Position:	Apothecary
Lineage:	Pure-blood

Description

Melania Black is a woman in her mid thirties who is very impeccably put together. Somewhat short for her age at a little under five and a half feet tall, she possesses a thin build and a confident bearing that can make her seem taller than she truly is. Her skin is pale and perfectly smooth, a stark contrast to her long black hair. Her features are well-defined and accented by touches of dark makeup. Her eyelashes have been extended and touches of dark indigo painted at the corners of her eyelids. Most striking are her lips, which are painted the dark shade often seen on candied apples. Her hair is woven into an intricate and slightly off-center design formed of swirling locks balanced almost impossibly atop one another. The style adds a good six inches or more to her height.

Background

Born in 1901, Melania Macmillan was the only daughter of Fiona and Drostan Macmillan. Raised a few miles west of Aberdeen, Scotland, she didn't have a very close relationship with her parents. As with many Pure-blood socialites, they spent more time making connections than connecting with their child, turning her over to a string of nannies and tutors. The girl spent most of her time engrossed in tales of famous witches and wizards, dreaming of one day being sorted into Gryffindor and being just like her heros.

Surprised at being sorted into Slytherin, she decided that all was not yet lost. She excelled in Potions and Herbology, received high marks in her other classes, and, in time, added Arithmancy and Care of Magical Creatures to her studies. But Potions was, far and away, her favourite class. She joined the dueling club and found she had a talent for it, and spent hours learning about the latest trends and fashions, all to impress a boy. She sat for NEWTs in Herbology, Potions and Care of Magical Creatures.

After school she was apprenticed at an Apothecary, and eventually opened a shop of her own where she met Arcturus, who became her husband. It wasn't until her first child was born, however, that Melania discovered true love for another. Her children became her greatest joy, and she vowed that they would have the love she lacked as a child and would never doubt that they were the most precious things in her life.

Wand

Eleven and a half inches, walnut, flexible, with a dragon heartstring core.

Pet

Melania has Barn Owl named Aurora.

Quirks

Wealth: Well-To-Do - Thanks to marrying well to the wealthiest (thanks to an windfall of an artefact discovery) of the Black Family, Melania has no need to worry about money, gives her children everything they could ever possibly need, and has no real need for the income from her Apothecary. But its always nice to have a little extra.
Overprotective: Children - Melania would do anything for her children. Even if it meant dying.
Perfectionist - Melania cannot stand for anything to be less than her best. Or less than perfectly clean. This is the reason her shop is so unique.
Wicked - Melania is not evil. Yet. She's wicked, willing to do what it takes to protect her family and her own interests, no matter how dark (or perhaps to give someone who annoys her a little more than they ask for in their potion). All she needs is someone to help her along, someone she can support, and possibly someone to manipulate her into true evil…

RP Hooks

Pureblood Society: Are you a pure-blood? You probably know Melania. In fact, you're probably related to her.
Hogwarts: Are you a student? So is Melania's daughter.
Grindelwald: Are you a supporter? We should be friends!
Perfectionist: There is nothing under good quality in her shop, this leads to less stock and higher prices however.

Logs

Logs featuring Melania

Logs that refer to Melania

(1939-08-30) Just Another Day at the Shop

(1938-01-10) Threat Assessment: Melania

(1938-01-05) Afternoon at 12 Grimmauld Place

(1937-12-22) Peas In A Pod

(1937-10-04) Repealment Rally

(1939-11-30) A Mysterious Cloud Rolls In

(1939-09-20) Nothing Ever Goes Smooth

(1939-09-09) Learning to Fall and Rise Again

(1938-09-13) The Dome in the Hedge Maze

(1938-08-22) The Dance Resumes

(1938-01-12) The Fox and the Hound

(1938-01-10) At the End of the Day

(1938-01-09) Cassius’ New Assistant

(1937-12-27) Unspoken Secrets

(1937-12-26) The Fox Takes On the Mouse’s Curse

Relationships

Cassius
Fellow Pureblood Melania has always found Cassius intensely interesting. Though she cares little for politics, she has joined as a supporter of his movement, and eagerly awaits his next move. She's always supposed that he must have the best of secrets hidden away. For a time they played a game of trying to learn one another's secrets, but when Cassius learned about Melania's darkest one, it caused their relationship to fray apart. Whether it can be repaired remains to be seen.

Edwarlinda
Fellow Pureblood In a way, though Cassius' sister is older than she, Melania regards the woman as a sort of daughter. Like the other Malfoys, she finds the woman's chosen nickname to be a horrible thing that she would prefer not to mention, and she hopes very much that Edwarlinda will someday change her strange ways and take her true place with the family. She also cares for the woman more than she does most people, and will gladly punish anyone who hurts her.

Cyril
Fellow Pureblood Melania isn't entirely certain what to make of Cyril Malfoy. All in all, she doesn't think he offers her the level of respect that she considers herself entitled to. Which at the same time angers her and makes her want to find ways to make him more interested in her. Still, with his travels he is likely to have learned some useful things, and it might be worthwhile to stay on his good side until she can learn a few. And he is a Malfoy, after all.

Sophia
Closest Friend Since their entrance to Hogwarts, Sophia has stayed close to Melania. Melania has always relied on Sophia's friendship, and generally considers her to be her closest friend. She particularly enjoys spending time to share stories of conquests with Sophia, and tries, as she does with other lovers who get too attached, to keep the woman at an emotional distance despite their long-standing friendship.

Raff
Customer Melania found herself quite taken with London's werewolf. Amused at his worry that she would be afraid of the man (after all, in her mind, a Black is a far more dangerous thing to be), she gladly agreed to meet him for a drink, which quickly turned into a visit to his home. She did her best to create a potion that could control or cure his lycanthropy, but like so many others, the secret remains out of her reach. Of course, there's the fact that spending so much time with a werewolf is one of the most dangerous things she could do, and Melania secretly loves danger. But when her eyes were opened to the fact that it was also endangering her children, she had to end it.

Rhyeline
The Innocent? Rhyeline is just adorable. The innocent way she reacts to Melania's flirtatious actions, the stubbornness with which she refuses to fully cooperate when it comes to the potions she needs, and the oddly passionate way she speaks of her work for the Ambassador all make for a very interesting package. Melania planned to find out what makes the girl tick, and possibly, through her, to finding out what makes Magnus tick as well. But things have changed, as Rhyeline has how attached herself to another powerful man: Cassius Malfoy. Could she be the key to mending bridges with Cassius?

Magnus
The Gryffindor Though she did not realize it, when speaking of him to Rhyeline, it turns out that Melania and Magnus were at Hogwarts together for a few years. She finds him to be a fascinating contradiction. On the one hand he is a Gryffindor, and apparently proud of this fact (baffling, in Melania's mind). On the other, there's something about him that gives the impression that the two might just, in a way, be kindred spirits. She hoped to have the opportunity to find out, but now that the man has been imprisoned in Azkaban, that has become far less likely.