Etain M Battersea

	Etain Mómhar Battersea
	Biographical Information
Full name	Etain Mómhar Battersea
Born	21 June 1895
Birthplace	Ard na Rátha (Ardara,) Ireland
Residence	Battersea Manor, Oxfordshire
Nationality	Irish
Blood Status	Pureblood
Education	Private Tutelage, Ardara, Ireland- Sedric Brennan; Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry(Ravenclaw,); Advanced Studies: Law Enforcement, Auror;
Class	1913
	Physical Information
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Hair colour	White
Eye colour	Green
Skin colour	Fair
	Family Information
Spouse	Charles Stellus Battersea;
Children	Gwendolyn Darkwillow; Peter Finnegan Battersea; Aiden Sedric Battersea; Victoria Kathleen Dwyre; Vailintin Kade Battersea; Gwyllim Battersea;
Parents	Sedric Brennan; Aileen Brennan (nee Shade);
Siblings	Conleth Brennan; Aonghus Brennan; Labhras Brennan; Kiel Brennan; Riocard Brennan; Eden Brennan;
	Magical Characteristics
Wand	Rowan with a phoenix feather core. 13¾ inches. Reasonably supple flexibility
Patronus	Piebald Stallion;
Special Ability	Wandless Magic; Wordless Magic;
	Affiliation
Occupation	Matriarch or the Battersea Family
Former Occupation(s)	Auror (80 years officially); Deputy Head of Magical Law Enforcement; Head of Magical Law Enforcement; Conjuring & Summoning Professor; Bookstore Owner; DADA Professor; Wizarding Judge;
House	Ravenclaw

Excerpt from Etain's Diary; Translated from Gaeilge

Sometimes we look back on our lives and wonder what we have accomplished and achieved. Sometimes we press forward, proud of our heritage and what we’ve done, and prouder still of what we’re doing. It is in that moment of looking back that we reflect on those people who were around us, who we influenced, shaped, and molded- hopefully for the better. This can take the form of your children, instilling within them the maxims you were taught; alternatively, this can take the form of other people or other children. Sometimes you don’t realize just how far-reaching you can become…

I inscribe these words so that my descendants may read and always be ever mindful of what influence you possess. Ever since I left those Old Halls the first time, a part of me lingered there. Ever since I delivered instruction, not just to Darius, but to others wanting to go far, wanting to learn, I find in the end that though one act of betrayal was painful to bear, I never regretted my instruction. In teaching them, they learned for good or ill the proper ways and uses of magic. They learned that the power which we possess, to shape and manipulate the very threads of destiny itself is not something to consider lightly or to be taken for granted…

With power always comes responsibility and the need to know why and how it is used. We are born, shaped, and directed by something greater than any mundane frivolity. Moreover, to know our purpose, sometimes someone must step in to show the way. To learn what it is; to create, to form, to shape, we must be taught what great thing it is we possess. The potential within any individual can be enhanced through dedication, determination, and instruction. We as the Pedagogues should always remember the latter, and never take it lightly. We are here as an example to assist, to guide, and most importantly, to instruct. What we offer, what we do and say will have some degree of impact upon the ones we teach…

Gwendolyn, Peter, Aiden, Victoria, Vailintín, and Gwyllim, when you read my thoughts, I want you to remember this. Remember that what you do, whether now or tomorrow can impact others around you. A single word, gift, or memory can affect others profoundly, whether you realize it or not. Whatever pathway you choose to follow, follow it with courage, honor, and trust; know that your influence, your instruction, and your dedication can leave a mark on generations to come. So, in the end is my Legacy; not that I fought the Darkness, but that I taught others to do likewise, and still others to realize what they can do if they put their minds to it...

Biography

“It was brought to my attention that you wished to know something about me, my past, and my life as a whole. I am a Daughter of an ancient and noble Family, married into one of equal Heritage. I am a Woman, a Witch, and the Auror who defied the standards of her time. Yet strangely, I have ever remained and retained that status as a Lady…”

They were once a part of An Scáth Treibh, the Shadow tribe, composed of Ten Lines: Kerrin, Tierney, Shade, Brennan (Galaro,) Bhreas, Cithruad, De Danann, De Neméd, Lámhfhada, and Tuireadh. This group of Seers, Sages, and Sorcerers eventually came to the Island of Eire and took a place within the Celtic world as Druids, prospering greatly from this. Then with the coming of the Romans and the establishment of Christianity, it is believed the Druids died out centuries ago. However, as history teaches us, not all things wither over time. Of the Twelve Family Lines, only four, Pureblood and Formidable remain to this day: Brennan, Kerrin, Shade, and Tierney. And from two of these clans came Sedric Brennan and Aileen Shade, who married; from them was born Etain Mómhar Brennan, eldest of seven and only daughter to the pair. She was born at the beginning of the century on June 21, 1895.

For the families to survive, each family altered their surnames to keep their true identities a secret to all but those Celtic Wizards and Witches who lived in Ireland. Their Proto-Celtic surname, meaning sorrow, was changed to O Braonáin in the Ninth Century AD to keep that meaning of ‘little drop’ or ‘sorrow.’ It was anglicized to Brennan, hardly a major transition, but enough to keep English settlers that arrived out of their affairs. Furthering their determination to live in secrecy, the families migrated Northwest, across the Province of Connaught, to their ancestral home in the area of the Gaeltacht Region of Ireland. Today, this is known as ‘Dun Na Ngall ’ in Gaeilge and ‘Donegal’ to English speakers.

Etain looked up at the raised brow, the almost incredulous look upon the face, and shook her head with a deadly serious expression that implicative for the nonsense look to stop. The expression ceased upon the other person’s face as a look of realization took hold. If Etain had noticed, she gave neither bearing nor interest and continued onward…

Out of tradition, duty, and especially love, Sedric passed on his knowledge to his beloved daughter, continuing this even after she was accepted into Hogwarts. From the time she could walk, her father instilled in her a great respect for the intricacies of magic and the rudiments of Wandless Magic. Aside from the ancient tradition of Celtic Magic, Sedric passed to Etain, Conleth, Aonghus, Labhrás, Riocárd, Kiel, and Edan a very special summoning ability outside their realm of study. They were taught how to call forth and manipulate the very essence of darkness itself. (*Author’s note: Mrs. Battersea added little else of significance, except that this power gives her an intimate tie to an extraplanar realm.)

Though incomplete, by her eleventh year, Sedric had thoroughly schooled her in the way of Celtic Magic and was developing a serious affinity for Wandless Magic. Highly pleased, Sedric would have gone further, but found himself interrupted by the arrival of an acceptance letter from Hogwarts School of Wizardry and Witchcraft. Though graduates themselves, they were slightly hesitant, as she was their only daughter. Etain alternatively felt excited at the challenge of learning something new and different that could perhaps be applied to what she had been taught. With a week worth convincing by Etain (and a little brother or two backing her,) her parents graciously consented, with a lenient agreement that she devoted much of her time to her studies.

What reluctance lingered faded when news returned that she had been sorted into Ravenclaw. Not surprisingly, it was a House that many within her family had been sorted into and in some ways was considered a mark of pride. Etain stuck strongly by her promise, concentrating heavily on Academics and in the summer months at home, practicing what she learned. During these times between terms, her father would continue to instruct her in their magic as well as help her grow into her talents learned there. In her second year, Etain had found a Professor named Emelius Nevermore who was willing to help her develop her wandless talent. By her third and fourth years, the teenager had developed friends throughout all four Houses, meanwhile keeping well with her studies. There was almost no one who found Etain to be a patient and gentle ear to have when they needed it.

Her bookworm demeanor continued into her fourth year when other things began to happen. Charles Stellus Battersea a fellow Ravenclaw had taken notice of her since her third year and after two years finally managed the gumption to speak with her. The result proved amusing if not semi-disastrous; unintentional comments were made (ability to comprehend advanced-level books for one,) which soon boiled into an in-house Feud of the Intellectuals. An intense and overriding determination rose forth with one purpose in mind, the show the other up no matter what it took. And just to prove a point the pair signed up for the same classes, including three additional with permission from their Househead. Not surprisingly, the girls stood resolutely behind Etain and the boys behind Charles. When word got around to Headmaster Glowerly, he was quite amused and sent out instructions to their Professors to make them partners where needed for the entire term!

Animosity was set aside as they reluctantly agreed to make the best of the situation by working and studying together. The extreme dislike began to die away, replaced slowly by begrudging acceptance, tolerance, and finally, acceptance. Regardless, their determination to surpass one another hadn’t died away, and by the end of the term became something of a friendly competition. Correspondence passed somewhat between them as Etain continued her studies in Celtic Magic and Charles was busy with his own life. By the coming of their Fifth Year, something was beginning to grow apparent and before the end of September, everyone except for the Headmaster was highly surprised by the courtship. (Authors note: I noted a faint, mischievous gleam in her eyes when she mentioned this. I am certain there is more to it than that. She had muttered something about the Forbidden Forest, but I couldn’t make out the rest.) Amusingly they passed it off as a mutual understanding between two, brilliant minds. Holidays and breaks were spent at one another’s homes. For either of them, it was a new experience with one similarity. Though both families lived in a castle, the surroundings were different. And while Signild and Nathaniel Battersea quickly warmed up to Etain, it took Sedric some time; just getting used to his daughter dating wasn’t an easy thing to handle.

By their sixth and seventh years, the pair was a recognized item at the castle, though the sight of them together was slightly amusing. The first and obvious was Etain’s growth spurt which made her two inches taller than her boyfriend was. However, this appeared to have no problems, except for the occasional joke about height differences. The second and more subtle was the lack of personal contact. Though they were occasionally seen holding hands and sharing one particular kiss at the Yule Ball which made heads roll, there was little contact. Nevertheless, the pair was inseparable and spent those two years in extremely intensive study for their NEWTs and taking additional rare and obscure subjects. Such hard work and dedication paid off in the form of four O’s (DADA, Transfiguration, Conjuring/Summoning, and Occlumency,) and four E’s (Charms, Herbology, Potions, and Leglimency.) Their courtship continued until the end of their seventh year when Charles Battersea asked the Raven-haired naiad for her hand in marriage. Though there was some minor disgruntlement between the respective families, happily, Sedric finally gave his blessing for his daughter to be wedded.

Etain paused here taking a deep breath while reflecting on what to say next. This was much more than a simple fairy tale. The words spoken here would also be documented and placed among the Battersea Archives for the proceeding generation to read. However, there was more to it than that. Her deep, emerald eyes bore a distant sadness, refined with a well-refined fire, echoing something more to the story…

The pair immediately settled at a Manor in Oxfordshire that previously belonged to his Uncle Vincent. A century or so in age, it had been largely restored by the time they arrived, with several additional projects completed on the house afterward. Charles began his work for the Ministry in the Department of Mysteries, something his wife said suited him perfectly. Ironically, this became all too evident when Charles Stellus Battersea was promoted to Head of the Department of Mysteries in 1941. Meanwhile, his wife joined the elite ranks of the Aurors. Highly unexpected from both sides, she had a desire to use all of her skills to the best of her ability and had her heart set on this line of work since her sixth year at the school. It was a dangerous job; nevertheless, the Irish Witch was able to give birth to six children during this time: Gwendolyn, Peter, Aiden, twins Victoria, Vailintín, and lastly, Gwyllim. Being born so late in her life, she often referred to him affectionately as the ‘pride of her youth,’ as his energy made her feel young and full of life again.

Her career as an Auror allowed to her develop many of her spells further into personalized versions with extremely specific peculiarities; one for example allowed her to go both unseen and unharmed into the world around her. It also allowed her to guard high-profile personalities and people who were in great danger or protected by the Ministry. However, when she began, there was some opposition after her training, as during this time very few women, if any were Aurors, and many of them were given some sort of desk job. Etain purposely ignored the conversational hints, dove straight in, and soon took on her first case with little assistance.

Over thirty years ago, Etain traveled into the Russian Frontier to face Fyodor Vasilijev, giving her first duel. His main charges of Dark Wizardry included sub-charges of Unforgivable usage, smuggling and possession of Dark Magic Items, and resisting arrest. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement in Great Britain first gained knowledge of this when Fyodor almost succeeded in importing several cursed items into the country. The persons picking them up were captured, the name revealed and Etain took the assignment with careful thought. The battle took place within a disused mine where she came close to being blown up, struck down with a Crucio curse, and otherwise maimed. That notwithstanding, the mine itself threatened to come down upon them. Her opportunity came within a narrow window of chance when Etain saw him open and began to hurl her more, destructive spells. [ i](Author’s Note: While Mrs. Battersea did not divulge the nature of these spells, I can only assume two things: they were crafted from her Celtic Heritage or came from the Battersea Archives in Edinburg)[/i] The duel ended with his defenses decimated and herself almost taken out in the process. Rather than ending up in Azkaban, Fyodor was delivered to the local authorities to be tried and sentenced for his crimes. Weary from all of it, Etain returned to Great Britain, earning a grudging respect among her male counterparts.

Despite the dangerous and rather hectic patterns that accompanied her profession, Etain was hardly estranged from her family. Though she wasn’t available as much, nor was she always around her children knew that their mother would always be there for them and loved them no matter what happened. The woman did her most to be with her family, particularly on birthdays and anniversaries. And it was the twenty-fourth anniversary that Charles and Etain celebrated that the woman received a rather… interesting gift, a six-month-old kitten. The kitten belonged to an odd pair, a Russian Blue Witch’s cat of the highest pedigree and an equally bred Kneazle. The kitten was a rather temperamental thing before and after it was purchased; though warmed up to Etain almost instantaneously. Seeing the rather discordant nature of her new pet, Etain dubbed her with the name of Eris, ever apt to this day.

She was also given duties outside of her job description for the Ministry itself, such as observational studies, working closely with them to track down and arrest Dark Magic users. Part of this included interaction, working with those respective Wizarding governments on various cases that warranted attention from Great Britain. However, sticking foremost fervently by her duties as an Auror, Etain tracked down and defeated many Dark Magic users both minor and major, filling a significant number of the cells in Azkaban. Among the list was: Andolin Falstav, Ilin Gromov, Brian Silverstone, Catherine Grendlehammer, Dante Velasquez, Ismail bin Yousif, Harold Strauss, Antonio Giovanni, and lastly, Darius Kellespar Izrafel, known by some as ‘the Fallen.’

Darius was a bright ambitious youth fresh out of Hogwarts with notable test scores in the right places that qualified him for the job. Moreover, he was a youth that Etain had her eyes on. With over twenty years of service to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, she had become highly respected globally, carrying with it a deserved and very formidable reputation that followed her wherever she went. However, she felt as time went on and with the promotion to Deputy Head, her horizons needed to shift. Etain wished to leave the Department with someone highly capable of taking her place and this young man caught her attention.

Etain had taken him under her wing, expounding further what he had learned within his three years as a trainee. On several occasions, they had journeyed to obscure areas, away from everyone to practice, for him to hone his skills further and improve his tactical abilities. However, Darius seemed to want more, there developed within him a thirst for power, subtle at first, though growing. After his first duel in an old castle in Northern Ireland, she taught him a workable class, a weaker subgroup of an ancient series of spells she knew. In modern Irish Gaelic, they were known as the Dorchadas Sraith, translated as the Darkness Series; spells that could draw upon a Darkness from another plane of existence to produce a multitude of effects.

However, Etain had blinded herself; no one knew intentionally or otherwise what seemed to lie within his heart. When the news arrived that he had betrayed a fellow Auror and old friend to a group of Dark Wizards, Etain tore her cloak. Indignant and hurt, she vanished from sight, leaving a note that she had business that needed to be taken care of and an appointment to keep. After several days of searching through contacts, she caught up with Darius in Glasgow among a chantry of Dark Wizards. Like a force of nature, she entered the room, holding nothing back with but one goal in mind, revenge.

Dark Wizards who saw her face recognized her and fled the scene, leaving few to back Darius as the battle began. He called forth the ‘Darkness’ and in kind, Etain canceled and laid waste to the room. Surrendering almost immediately, the remaining Dark Wizards were put under a deep sleep, leaving the old Auror and Darius to fight. Due to her rigorous tutelage much of the duel had entered stalemate with spells released, counterspells placed, and no one gaining ground. Neither side held back; Etain was beyond indignant, and Darius was as defiant as ever. Toward the end of this battle, Etain passed behind a mass of rock and summoned a flurry of specters, launching a ghostly as her next attack. Distracted, she obliterated his magical defenses taking him down with barely any consciousness. Before Magical Law Enforcement arrived Etain cursed him; denying him the reach, he once possessed to use the Dorchadas Series. The verdict was read and the sentence passed in the form of a life sentence in Azkaban, her eyes showed utter disappointment, refusing to shed a tear for a wasted life…

Officially many believed Etain to have retired, though unofficially some knew more or better. Her induction into the Wizengamot Court System had left the woman busy, reducing much of her work as an Auror to paperwork. Regardless it never stopped her from taking on several cases, some of which drew her away from the country and into Brazil, Mexico, and the United States. As such, Etain had been relegated down to a ghost story that some Dark Wizards and Witches told their children if they misbehaved. Additionally, such work allowed her to further talks between the Ministry and other Wizarding Governments, though reduced her role partially as an observer.

Upon her return from the States, Etain received an Owl from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with an invitation to teach at the school. Giving it careful consideration, Etain agreed to the position and found herself placed as the Professor of Conjuring/Summoning. Since that time, she had enjoyed watching the students come and go and even teaching her classes. During that year, Etain had received news that her son would be married and looked forward to this as a new chapter in the Battersea Family. Unfortunately, not everything sparkles with rose-colored glasses and a retired Etain finds ghosts from her past haunting her in the form of one person.

Through unknown means (some suspect Cyrillian Darkmoon to have helped,) Darius escaped with a thirst for revenge against the old woman. Playing a game of fourth-dimensional chess, meanwhile engaged in teaching classes, a sudden paranoia began to set in. Only rumors of her previous profession echoed across the magical communities; a comment made was ‘once an Auror, always an Auror.’ After that term, nothing could have been farther from the truth. And rather than go to him, Etain let him come to her, sending out information about her location, the castle where they used to duel. Darius was only too happy to oblige her, setting the game from there. The duel itself was over in less than an hour. Between bantering and casting, bringing forth their respective talents to the fore; and though Etain taught him much, there was still much he had to learn. In the final seconds, Darius’s spells were redirected through a bit of magical manipulation taking him out for the count. At his trial, the old Auror promised his next escape would end in his death.

With an opening in Magical Law Enforcement and feeling the Department had started to grow lax, Etain left Hogwarts with a heavy heart to return full-time to her duties. Already Deputy Head for the past ten years and possessed of a formidable and well-respected reputation, Etain Battersea to the position of Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. She spent the next seven years restructuring and redefining the edicts of the Department and giving intense instruction and training to a new generation of Aurors, meanwhile weeding out corruption as much as possible. Her action earned her a mixture of dislike and grudging respect and wasn’t slack to challenge those who had a problem with her. As far as she was concerned, it gave her extra practice, and never backed down to any duel thrown her way, typically winning with few draws. Never slack in her duties, Etain often took rookies with her, showing them the ropes of tracking and taking down those who studied the Dark Arts. After seven years, Etain Mómhar Battersea felt she could do no more, and made another heavy decision, retiring from service as an Auror to the Ministry.

Unfortunately, within that seven-year timespan, it was inevitable that things would get out, and what rumors that had surfaced concerning Etain grew increasingly solid. To the great consternation of the Battersea Family, the Daily Prophet, concerning the end of her term interviewed this. The collective influence of the anachronistic Battersea Family quelled the fires as much as possible but could not stop everything. While it was official that Etain was Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and along with her husband a leading member of Wizengamot, her former duties as Auror remained as whispers, strong ones, but whispers, nonetheless. Though what had been said before was still true, ‘once an Auror, always an Auror,’ and she would never forget that side of her. Nevertheless, a part of her lay elsewhere, tucked within the confines of a castle where she had the privilege to teach whom she considered the brightest and most upstanding youths to ever grace Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

With those five years, Etain had seen enough to last her a lifetime. With just her return, the woman was witnessed to the possession of her Grandchildren, Keller Myles Battersea. In a fight that would have decided the fate of his rescue in Iran, the woman dueled a Dark Animagus, Azi Dahaka, and obliterated him in a summoning blitzkrieg, and then returned, with her husband (grandchildren and others who played key roles in this,) in tow. The remaining years were marked by interruptions, primarily from the ministry at the Wizengamot Court System; it seemed the year had been marked by their attention, following successively into the next year. Sadly, all of this business was beginning to drive her away from what she loved doing and made a heavy decision to retire from teaching. However, Etain wasn’t someone who liked to sit around for very long and decided that it was time to put an old hobby, reading in particular, to the test with the opening of a bookstore.

Yet, even with Etain, some things are just not enough. The bookstore was built, everything had been done that needed to be done, and business was going better than expected. Like a coursing wind, her mind shifted direction toward the castle once more. She had remembered, well, a certain class that had once been a part of the curriculum. Hogsmeade was but a simple walk away, and she could check up on the place periodically as needed. Besides, she knew the place was in good hands; the woman had hired the right people, and she didn’t always need to be underfoot. They could manage just fine without her there as much, or at least that is what she assumed. Truth be told, her heart still had a yearning, and it was this yearning that brought her back to that place once more...

Editing of this is forthcoming...

Lessons Taught as the Conjuring & Summoning Professor

All lessons and spells within were taught by this character between 2004-2012. Many spells were created using the limited resources that were available at the time. In the case of spells in Greek, an online Ancient Greek Dictionary was used. Most of the Gaelge ones similarily with one or two being in Old Irish. I've taken the time to correct the more blaring mistakes, running them through translators forward and backward making sure they're as "accurate" as they can be.

Beginning Conjuring & Summoning Lessons