Joséphine Delaveau

[Isabelle Valentine]

Application for Beauxbatons Academy

→ CHARACTER INFORMATION.
Name: Joséphine Delaveau

Birthday: January 15, 1960

Hometown: Rambouillet, France

Bloodline: Halfblood

Magical Strength (pick one): Charms

Magical Weakness (pick one): Divination

Year (pick two): Fourth, fifth

Biography:
If you are applying to be a first, second, or third year, your biography must be at least one hundred words long.
If you are applying to be a fourth year or above, your biography must be at least three hundred words long.

“You clipped that one, Joséphine. Bring him back around and try again.”

With a weary sigh, Josie clucked her tongue against the roof of her mouth and tugged on the reins to pull Smoke back towards the jump. He didn’t bend as well as he should have, didn’t duck his head enough, and Josie wondered how long it would take for her instructor to notice.

(She had been raised with everything. The Delaveaus were fairly well-off, and they’d sought to give their daughter the best. Violin training, riding lessons since she was six. Her own horse, when she was eleven. The best schools. Private coaches. Everything.)

Setting up for a jump required a strange mixture of concentration and fluidity. The right angles needed to be hit, the right amount of lead time was necessary for a sufficient takeoff. Simultaneously, her hands needed to be light, her back pliant enough that her body gave a little when Smoke’s front legs rose forward.

(She had been raised to be a lady, whether she liked it or not. More often than not, she didn’t like it, but she was a good girl. She played along.)

Instead of setting up immediately, Josie took a lap of the ring, sending Smoke into a slow trot and taking their time. As with most things, she was cautious. What had she missed on the last pass? Had she not measured the distance properly, asked Smoke to jump too soon? Whatever mistake she’d made, she shouldn’t have. She had been trained better than that.

(She had been so busy working, training, that she missed out. She missed her parents, had not spent quality time with either of them in what must have been years, outside of being shuttled to and from lessons, or lectured about some aspect of propriety or another.. She didn’t know her parents anymore, except that Papa was a professeur of literature at the university, and Maman was an event planner, the best in the business, or so Joséphine had been told. And she doubted that they knew her, aside from which scales she struggled with on her violin or how many rails she and Smoke had knocked over at their latest riding lesson.)

There. That was it. Her opening. Joséphine caught sight of Smoke’s hoofprints in the ring dirt, just a few centimeters off center. Again, she clucked her tongue and tugged the reins, following it with an almost imperceptible motion of her opposite leg, nudging her gelding over just slightly to lay a new set of correctly aligned prints, overlapping the old ones in places. A few strides back from the oxer, and another gentle squeeze with her calves sent Smoke into a smooth canter.

A rare smile cracked the girl’s features. They were going to make it.

(She was tired. Tired of being a lady, tired of doing what was expected.)

Up and over, and Josie looked down to make sure they would clear the rails. That was her first mistake. She felt herself start to slip.

(She wanted out. She wanted more. She wanted to be don--)

With four soft, separate thuds, Smoke’s feet landed safely on the other side of the oxer. With a louder, singular thud, Joséphine landed to the left of the jump, breeches and shirt tinged orange from the cloud of ring sand she’d created in her wake.

She’d make it someday.

→ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
Note: This section is optional, and is up to you to complete.

Ecole Request:
Humanities

Personality:
Quiet and reserved, mostly from her parents’ training. Sort of gives the impression of being moody, because, for the most part, Josie speaks when spoken to, carries herself well and quietly, and tries to stick to her manners. There’s a little bit (and by that, I mean a lot) of (mostly) deeply-hidden resentment that her parents only view her as a show poodle, so every so often she says or does something...unexpected. She’s torn between a desire to please her parents and do as she’s told - because doing as she’s told brings rewards, and she likes that - and breaking away to be her own person.

Appearance:
Average height and build. Curvy in the right places, or at least she gives off the appearance of being so, because that’s what her mother dictates. Dark wavy hair and dark eyes, but a paler complexion. Hair is usually worn down and pulled over one shoulder, but she’ll put it back in a ponytail if she’s riding or doing something else that’s likely to tangle it. Usually wears a neutral expression on her face; a smile from Josie is rare, but when she does give them, they’re genuine.

→ SAMPLE ROLEPLAY.
Please reply to the Sample Roleplay below.

For a school so full of supposedly decorous students, the dining hall was certainly loud and chaotic. Joséphine did not eat there often, only when circumstances dictated or on the off chance that she could not convince her dining companion that there were better places - quieter places - to take a meal. Today she had neither the time nor the companionship to find an alternative location.

With a sigh, she cast a wary eye around the dining hall. Where to sit, where to sit? She wanted somewhere quiet, or as quiet as was possible in here. Not too many other students around, someplace she could read her book. There, that spot on the end table looked good. Josie sat herself down gracefully, plopped her bag down under the table, and set out her tray. There was a brief moment of beautiful quiet before there was a crash and a bang and--

"Oh! I'm so sorry!"

Josie shook her head, a little dazed. “No, no, it’s fi--” She looked downward to see...something gooey dribble its way down her knee towards her ankle. Joséphine grimaced. Ew. Glancing upwards, she noticed the girl who had tripped - at least, Josie could only assume it had been an accident; the apology seemed sincere enough - was quite a few years younger than she was. Had she just started? Probably.

“You might want to mind your steps,” Josie offered, struggling to keep her expression neutral. Good girls did not yell, and proper ladies did not make others feel badly about themselves. “There’ll be demerits for untidiness next.” With a guilty expression, she noticed her bag sticking out from under the table. Josie nudged it with her toe to tuck it back into place, thinking that she ought to mind herself as well.

There’d be demerits next.

→ ABOUT YOU.
Previous Characters (if applicable): Isabelle Atkinson, Daphne Bennett, Horace C. Stufflebeam, Ophelie Lecuyier

How did you find us?: Google?

[Margot Lecuyier]

Miss Delaveau,

Congratulations, your application to Beauxbatons Academy has been accepted.

Term begins 01 September 2012. Currently, students have gathered at the Summer Campus. Your admission is joint for both the school and the summer campus, and we encourage you to spend your summer there. Should you choose, you may also visit our Elsewhere board via the Floo Network to visit or purchase school supplies. We look forward to seeing you at the Academy.

Regards,