This character is retired, and is no longer in play.
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Portrayed by Zooey Deschanel |
Name: |
Philomena Thomasina Rowle |
Aliases: |
Phil |
Birthday: |
September 11th, 1915 |
Position: |
Journalist |
Lineage: |
Pure-blood |
Description
Phil is not what you expect when you hear her name from someone else, unless that someone is her mother. For starters…Phil…is a girl. She's around average height with dark brown hair that has a tendency to go frizzy when she has been caught out in the rain for too long but otherwise falls to the middle of her back. Her wide eyes maker her look naive and innocent, a mark for every con man or smooth talker she comes across, and yet she walks with the confidence of one who is comfortable with themselves and has the ambition to do more. She doesn't go in for anything too flashy or fashionable though all of her clothing is, on closer inspection, easily identified as being well made.
Background
Phil (Philomena) is the daughter of an aristocratic pureblood wizarding family. She can trace her lineage back centuries on either side of her family tree. Originally from Northamptonshire, Phil grew up in a grand old pile that was well cared for and stuffed with things she wasn't allowed to touch but often sneakily did. By the grace of luck the Rowles were a happy family and their children well loved and nourished. Phil's mother feels that Philomena, for she refuses to call her Phil, should focus on finding a nice husband and if Philomena wants to do something meaningful then she should help her mother with charitable works. Her father, who does call her Phil, is amused by her and thinks she is within her rights to want to do something with herself before settling down, after all Phil was always a bit quirky. Perhaps it is his own artistic experiences as a musician that have enabled him to understand his youngest child.
Phil's mother is, unexpectedly, a socialite with a true bon vivant's outlook on life. Amazingly Phil and her siblings fit into this lifestyle, it helped that they were all attractive and well-mannered children and of course there were nannies and house elves for when they misbehaved. There are five children with Phil being the youngest. St John is the eldest and is married with two children of his own. After him came Vincent and then Alfred and then Felicity.
In school Phil was a bit of a swot, but not enough to get bullied about it. She was always writing stories. Phil even went so far as to create a version of a school paper - just something for her amusement and for her friends to read. Whenever she wasn't reporting on quid matches and crushes or studying she entered writing competitions, but she also played (field) hockey and supported the house quidditch team (especially as her older brothers all played, though her sister, like Phil, preferred to cheer). Most of the Rowles have ended up in Ravenclaw so no feathers were ruffled when Phil did too. She was nosy, though that did not always end well, and usually was able to get and angle on a story even if that story was just a prefect cheating on a test. As she progressed through school Phil focused her time on developing her talents in transfiguration as this meant she could disguise listening devices or her reporter's notebook or even herself a little and spells which enabled her to manipulate perception. She was not overly adept at Defense Against the Dark Arts but passed all of her fifth year exams before choosing to focus on her favourites (Transfiguration, Charms, and Potions).
A graduate of Hogwarts, as most are, in Great Britain, she has quasi-shunned her family's wealth and privilege to take up a highly underpaid position at the Daily Prophet as their youngest staff writer. This means she is given the dogsbody jobs that nobody else wants (fashion pages, articles on finance [these are dull because everyone knows Gringotts is the safest bank in the world] and what her editor calls 'General matchings, hatchings and dispatchings'). What Phil really wants is a scoop; a great story which will get her a byline - and she wants to write a great novel one day. It is fine to have nice things but Phil knows there are plenty out there who don't and she doesn't think she is the sort who can turn her back on that kind of knowledge. After leaving school Phil and her sister took a house together in London. They live together with a house elf (Rosie) who takes care of domestic matters. Unfortunately for them Rosie is a bit absent-minded at times so they are just as likely to get salt in their tea as sugar.
Wand
eleven and a half inches, burnished ebony, sturdy, with a phoenix feather core.
Pet
Phil has a small Mexican elf owl named Suki
Broom
Phil has a custom made broom from Flights of Fancy owner Laurence Toulson. She is incredibly proud of it and has been known to show it off in public if seen out with it.
RP Hooks
Excuses to Start a Conversation
- School connections - Phil is a graduate of the class of 1933, she will likely know Ravenclaws from the year before and after her as well as others from different houses who graduated with her.
- Electives: Ancient Runes and Muggle Studies
- NEWT Classes: Transfiguration, Charms and Potions
- Clubs: Art Club, Dueling Club and Broom Club
Further Reasons to Speak to Her
- Work contacts - Phil is known for sitting in the courts or attending society functions for work. You may have seen her if you are a lawyer or involved in law enforcement or are a socialite or even a down on your luck actor or musician who does catering for the day job.
- Family connections -She is a known pureblood witch from an old wizarding family. Many of these families interact with one another and arrange marriages for their offspring. The Rowles are one of the purest of wizarding families. Phil's mother comes from another ancient wizarding family, the Averys. As such there are expectations of dress, behaviour and marriage placed upon her. These are things which would be known to others from similar families.
- Pub crawler - Phil is a regular of the Three Broomsticks and the Cauldron; people talk more freely when drunk.
Quirks
- Naivety - Phil is unaware of many things, specifically she is rather clueless and bumbling when it comes to flirting. This has meant she ended up in uncomfortable situations in the past. Maybe you can rescue the damsel in distress or perhaps you are the sort to take advantage of such naivety. She also has a tendency to trust people, which means she could be an easy mark.
- Soft-Hearted - Phil is a sucker for a down on your luck story or those who are in emotional or physical pain. It is why she still goes willingly (albeit with some grumbling) to the charitable society functions her mother supports.
- Acute Hearing - She cannot help it, it is part of who she is and what she does or perhaps why she is what she is and what she does. Phil is nosy. Sometimes this backfires and people catch her listening in from a nearby table.
- Self-Confident - She is very confident, the kind of confident that comes from having a loving and supportive background and the freedom to be who you are and reach for your dreams. Though there are, like any woman, things she might not like about herself she has no doubt these things are not insurmountable and she accepts them for what they are and herself for who she is.
- Wealth: Well-to-do - Phil does not need to worry about money. Her parents have a great deal of it and have given her more than enough so that her meager wages from the Daily Prophet are not a problem. Curiously, this is not obvious about her when you meet her.
Logs
Logs featuring Phil |
Logs that refer to Phil |
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Relationships
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Drummond
A friend of a friend. Drummond is a handsome professional quidditch player and were she into that type Phil might fancy him, as is she thinks they might be friends instead if he can forgive her for putting her professional foot in her mouth. She hasn't seen him in nearly a year now.
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Cassius
She does not know him well, but he gave her her first big break by letting her interview him for an expose in the Daily Prophet. Phil liked the enigmatic man and people liked her interview, especially the editor. Now she isn't sure what he is up to; while she likes the idea of the Unity Party she's not so sure about the man. Especially given his choice in life partners.
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Takeshi
A junior apprentice healer who sometimes works with Phil's sister; she finds his odd mannerisms most curious and has struck up a friendship of sorts with him, enough for them to speak comfortably when they encounter one another.
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Rhyeline
For a time they were friends and Phil felt an almost sisterly affection for the tiny witch, but events happened which made Phil question just how much Rhyeline wants to be cured of the dark curse she has. Pressure was put on Phil to patch things up between them, but she felt she had done nothing wrong. She distrusts Rhyeline but also pities her; feeling as she does that the tiny woman who plays on her diminutive stature is getting in well over her head by agreeing to marry Cassius Malfoy.
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Tim
Phil works with Tim. He's an amazing photographer and she cannot imagine why he doesn't show his work in an exhibit. At first she wasn't sure if he would be friendly towards her as she had known his fiance (the one who jilted him) but then he helped her with an important story she was working on. She likes Tim and enjoys spending time with him and he's nice enough to not criticize the photos she takes. Phil has decided to set him up with Isobel, hoping it will help Tim get out more. They haven spoken in a long time and Phil has kept her private investigation secret from him and everyone else at work.
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Isobel
Phil loves Isobel's accent and has a soft spot in her heart for this unique witch. She likes that Isobel has a take no prisoners attitude to life and has hopes that maybe her quirky friend might get on well with Tim, so much so that she has been looking to set them up. They haven't seen one another in quite some time.
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Sorcha
Phil met Sorcha through Graham, as she is his girlfriend but likes the younger woman in her own right though they have not met up very often it is something Phil would like to do. Phil worried that Sorcha wasn't really happy with Graham and stayed with him out of habit; even so she tried to stay out of it and let them sort things themselves. In the end Sorcha left, citing the reasons Phil feared.
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Nova
Nova is Phil's best female friend; one of her best friends full stop. Prickly, brash, and fiery Nova and Phil can seem like polar opposites at times but it is the younger Nova who frequently dishes out the advice. She will miss her, but understands why Nova went back to America.
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Laurence
She couldn't figure out what it was that drew her to Laurence. Was it his seemingly carefree spirit? The fact that he had seen and done so much? When they were together Phil felt free, as if she could be herself. That feeling was short-lived. As they grew closer she began to feel the opposite; it was like being a porcelain doll placed upon a shelf, to be adored but never touched, to be worshiped from afar. When Phil had finally pushed hard enough and learned Laurence's secret it made her question herself and her judgment. In the end she realised she was too unhappy and that the ideal she fell in love with was not the reality. Things didn't end easily but they have agreed to be friends.
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Astoria
Astoria is well on her way to being almost what Phil dreams of being. She is a proper writer with published works as well as a respected journalist. Phil likes Astoria, she doesn't know how well society likes the Bletchley woman however. Astoria became a firm supporter of Cassius Malfoy and the Unity Party. She asked Phil to co-author some pieces on both the man and the group, but Phil turned her down preferring to write about criminals than politicians.
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Graham
Someone she knew vaguely at school as being in the year below her, Phil has made friends with Graham and discussed a big scoop she is working on with him too. As he is part of the MLE division now she figures he is a good friend to have but also a good contact. She thinks of him like a little brother and he treats her like a sister. They joke around and tease one another but confide in each other too.
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Tiberius_Tripe
Phil doesn't trust this man and is suspicious of why he was putting the pressure on Graham. She has started to investigate him quietly and has used several different criss-crossing plans to try and get at him. It may well take every investigative tactic she has learned over the years to figure out what he is up to and what it has to do with Graham.
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Thomas
Phil is a few years older than Thomas, but she can remember Little Tommy Carrow from school. He's not little any more and neither is she. They have a lot in common; love of literature, foreign language, music and theater. What started out as an unexpected connection and an undeniable pull has shifted and grown into something with the potential to be enduring. Throwing caution aside entirely they have decided to get married, but aren't rushing to the chapel just yet.
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St John
Phil's eldest brother. He works for the Ministry, but she doesn't really explain what he does. He is older, married and has two sons. His eldest, Alfie (named after one of their brothers) is already at Hogwarts while the youngest, Rupert is only two.
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Vincent
Phil's second eldest brother. He runs his own business and is doing rather well for himself. Unlike the eldest, he is not married but has come close before. He is an avid Appelby Arrows fan and has season tickets.
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Alfred
The youngest of Phil's three elder brothers, Alfred works for the Ministry as a lawyer. He sometimes helps her with her work and she with his.
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Felicity
Fel is Phil's greatest supporter but also sometimes, at least to Phil it can feel as if Felicity is also her worst critic. That said, she loves her sister unconditionally. Their bond is a strong one; they are soul mates. Felicity is cautious where Phil is the type that — in her personal life anyway — leaps without looking. Despite all this Phil worries that Felicity hides from life and will end up a crazy cat lady.
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Alfie
The eldest of St John's children, he is Phil's nephew and she is very close to him. He is in Ravenclaw and has just finished his first year. His birthday is 1 November.
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Winnie
Alfred's wife. Winnie is Phil's sister-in-law. A vapid clingy woman who comes from another old wizarding family (her father is part of the Wizengamot), Phil does not have much time for her. Winnie and Alfred are not a love match but a political one, each of them having their own ambitions. Plus, Winnie gets drunk and says embarassing things at family parties.
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Andromena
From another branch of the Rowle family, little Andromena is Phil's cousin and was in part named for her. More like sisters of a sort than cousins, as Phil is only six years older, she always has time for Mena. They are also cousins via the Averys, as their mothers are sisters who married brothers, oddly enough.
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Anthony
Little Anthony shows promise as a writer and researcher. Phil is hoping to tempt him to do a summer internship at the Prophet since she usually ends up being the one to oversee the interns.
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Estelle
This singer married Phil's cousin, an Avery cousin, who later died in mysterious circumstances. She isn't sure quite what happened but Estelle is generally not spoken of fondly amongst the Averys because of it.
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Niles
One of Phil's Avery cousins, Niles is much younger than her. She was in school when he was born and so doesn't know him too well. They have met during Christmas parties, weddings and funerals. One of those funerals was that of his brother. Such a sad thing to happen to a young boy.
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