Chloe Lisse
Biography
Childhood
Born into the Lisse family, Chloé grew up with high expectations. The long-standing French family had always had bit of a certain proclivity for the dark arts. However, the branch in which Chloé was born was trying to move away from that. Her mother’s marriage to a half-blood had already been a step in that direction. Regardless of her morals, her parents made sure she and her younger sister Juliette would become a top students and they encouraged her greatly academically. The stress of her family life made her grow close to the one person who had managed to escape the Lisse Manor: her half-brother, Lucien.
Beauxbatons
Chloé attended Beauxbatons, where she was kicked out in her penultimate year for stealing some dangerous potion ingredients. Her half-brother Lucien was attacked by a Kelpie while going undercover, rumored for a troop of dark wizards. Learning this, she was desperate to get some help out to him, which was why she stole from the school’s stalls. While she did manage to successfully brew the potion, she couldn’t get it to him in time and he died. Because of the nature of Lucien’s work, she refused to inform the faculty and school governors why she had committed this crime. Without a defense, they felt they had no choice but to expel her.
The Lisse family did not take well to Chloe’s expulsion and promptly excommunicated her, believing she too had turned towards the dark side of the family. Unsure where to turn, she decided she would live in Paris, which had always held a certain amount of romance for her. She started first by staying with some rather unruly muggles, but she didn’t like that very much so she thought she might turn her talent for stealing into a trade. Around this time, an estranged great uncle, Alexandre, found her and offered to help her, feeling sympathy at the fact that the family had turned her away. Determined to stand on her own two feet, Chloe rejected his offers for financial assistance, but she did reluctantly take him up on one thing: to allow him to check in on her every now and again.
Career
Meanwhile, her business expanded beyond petty theft into an illicit potions and potion ingredients business. She uses her Beauxbatons and family connections for both procurement and sales. Driving a hard bargain, she negotiates her prices as far as she can and always tries to stay ahead of market demands. She goes where the money is and doesn’t mind who she sells to or what they will be doing with the materials they purchase from her. She is developing a solid reputation in Paris and sells in the United Kingdom as well, particularly in Knockturn Alley.
In the long-term, she aspires to be a notable alchemist (not unlike fellow Beaubatons alumnus Nicholas Flammel) and believes being a portioner is a good step towards this goal. The smuggling is for flair and money.
Personality
Chloé is perhaps one of the most street smart people her age, and that is why she has become so successful up til now. She is extremely observant and creative. Because of the difficult situations she found herself in, she has become very self-reliant and determined. She does not work very well in teams because she’s always worried about protecting herself. It’s easier, she believes, to simply do things herself. Resourceful, she has found a way to make do with what she has and to find what she needs to succeed. Part of this is due to her persuasiveness and negotiation tactics. However, because she is so often working on these different levels and personas, she is difficult to get to know and she rarely reveals her vulnerabilities. Her focus can become too intense, leading her to have a kind of one track mind. She has found herself to have a certain talent for business, especially negotiation. As a part of this mindset, she feels she only needs to pay attention to rules when it suits her. In fact, she doesn’t see rules as rules; they’re more like guidelines. When frustrated or annoyed, she can be a bit haughty, which contributes to her overall difficult demeanor.