Matilda Gaskell

Matilda Gaskell
Full name	MATILDA MARY GASKELL
Born	25 APRIL, 1927
Birthplace	NORFOLK
Residence	UNKNOWN
Nationality	BRITISH
Blood Status	PUREBLOOD
Parents	MATTHEW & MARY GASKELL
Siblings	MARVEL & MACY
Wand	Vine Wood, Unicorn Hair, 11 ½ inches, Springy

Biography

Matty stared at herself in the mirror of her bedroom. The sun peaked in from behind the white curtains at her window and created a clear glow along the floorboards. It illuminated her face. She saw the same eyes, same nose, same mouth she saw the first summer before her first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Now, it was the summer before her fifth (sixth) year of schooling and Matty could not find the difference in her face.

She was born into a family that already loved her. Her parents, Mary and Matthew Gaskell, were ending the age of their youth when they welcomed their first daughter into the world. Their oldest son, Marvel Matthew, was one-and-a-half when Matty became a part of the Gaskell family. Matty's earliest memories of Marvel were bits and pieces of "Marvel the Magnificent": Marvel racing the family dog on his toy broom, Marvel making a handful of primroses sparkle pink, Marvel sliding down the banister of their Norfolk home, Marvel being bandaged after banging his head on the bottom stair, Marvel carrying Matty on his shoulders as he galloped along the shoreline of the beach near their home…

"Matty?"

A rap on the door and the sound of her name made Matty glance away from her face. She instead stared at the reflection of her elder brother peaking at her from behind her bedroom door. The sight of Marvel made Matty smile brightly. Marvel remained the heroic elder brother in Matty's eyes, though he had long since given up the self-proclaimed name of "Marvel the Magnificent". She loved him dearly and he loved her as any devoted older brother loved his favourite younger sister.

"Hmm?" Matty sighed through her smile. Marvel's eyes lit up with his usual animated anticipation as he went to speak.

"Mum says to make certain you've packed everything and hurry down for breakfast. We'll need to be off in three-quarters of an hour." Matty nodded at her mother's request and Marvel disappeared with a quick grin at his sister. He was rightly excited to be heading off for summer training. Marvel was entering his seventh and final year at Hogwarts, and looked forward to accepting a position at St. Mungo's when his schooling was complete.

"Now, let's see Matty. Have we got everything?" Matty asked herself, ignoring the opportunity to consider herself in her looking glass again. She turned herself from the cushioned stool she sat on and smoothed out the skirt of her dress before she stood up. Her mahogany red trunk sat packed on top of her bed, and on top of her trunk lay Prior, her exceptionally affectionate Calico cat. Matty was certain that Prior had once been a puppy or a child in a previous life. His cuddly, obliging, and silly behavior earned Prior his name when Matty first saw him in the pet shop window during her school shopping trip before first year. Matthew Gaskell, with his tiny daughter's hand clamped in his own large hand, first saw the multicoloured cat in the basket of kittens on display at the Emporium in Diagon Alley.

"Look, my Matty," he said in his big, strong voice. "That cat looks curiously not like a cat. He's had a prior life, he has."

Matty had never been an expert in Divination (in fact, she loathed the class though she tried her hardest), yet she knew even then that her father had been right about Prior. He proved to be the most loving cat that ever lived. Matty could barely remember a time before she owned Prior. He wasn't exactly efficient for anything outside of cuddling and dancing around the common room sporadically, but Matty loved him none-the-less.

"Have we got everything Prior?" she asked the multicoloured cat. "Have we packed all that we need?"

Prior merely mewed in response and flopped his head further back on the surface of the trunk. The top left corner of the Hogwarts crest became visible from underneath Prior's body. Matty smiled, stretched, and blinked. She had checked her list nearly three times while packing her belongings in her trunk for the summer. Thanks to a small undetectable extension charm she learned at school, Matty neatly packed all of the books, clothes, blankets, trinkets, and tools she needed for the summer in her trusted trunk. The unlimited space made it easier to pack her items in the order of the list she wrote for herself on a bit of parchment.

"Matty, have you seen my purple jumper!?"

The sudden outburst in the relatively quiet room startled Matty; even Prior jumped from his slumber. Matty exhaled slowly as she stared at her younger sister Macy standing in the doorway. At eleven-and-a-half, Macy Margaret was the youngest Gaskell child. She was much younger than her two elder siblings, which sometimes made for a difficult divide between them, especially for her and Marvel, but Matty proved to be a gentle and understanding elder sister who cared for Macy as a second mother. This morning marked an exceptionally bitter mood for young Macy. She stood in her sister's doorway with her long blonde curls scraggled on either side of her head in pig tails and her normally impish pink face screwed up in a deep scowl. As Macy was only entering her first year at Hogwarts, Mary and Matthew were keeping Macy home for the duration of the summer training to spend more time with her.

Macy was not thrilled.

"I haven't seen it my love," Matty said with a knowing smile. "Why are you looking for your purple jumper?"

Macy's blazing brown eyes glared in the direction of her sister, much to Matty's amusement.

"Because I want to wear it when Mama and I go to see Granny this morning! It goes best with my pink skirt with the daisies on it," Macy huffed angrily. "I need to find it. Otherwise I shan't go to Granny's! My whole look shall be ruined!"

"Oh dear," Matty chuckled. "Have you checked the laundry? Perhaps Mama thought to clean it after you spilt strawberry jam on it at the Masons'."

Macy blinked, as if she hadn't thought of such a thing before, and stalked over to Matty's bed. Her small hand reached out to stroke Prior. He had fallen back asleep after ascertaining that Macy was only there to complain. A moment of silence passed between the sisters as Macy stroked Prior and Matty watched her younger sibling. "Not that it matters," Macy finally sniffed. "You and Marvel are going away and I am to stay here alone." Two generous tears leaked out of Macy's eyes and Matty rushed to pull her handkerchief from the pocket of her dress.

"Oh love, don't cry," Matty hushed, dabbing at the streaks on her sister's ruddy cheeks. Macy's fits of angry despair came regularly before both of her siblings left for somewhere. The idea was that this block of summer time wouldn't upset the young girl as her own departure to Hogwarts came with the arrival of September, but this only seemed to make Macy feel worse. "It shall only be for a few weeks. And then Marvel and I shall return, and we three will all to go Hogwarts together and leave Mama and Papa and Granny here at home. Think on that idea, hmm? Please don't cry."

Macy's tears eventually subsided enough to agree to go downstairs for breakfast and ask if her missing purple jumper had been cleaned after the strawberry jam incident. Prior went with her for comfort. Once Matty was left alone in her room, she looked round her bedroom for any clues of an item she should have packed. Periwinkle walls, white linens, and ivory furnishings gave the room a bright, lively feel. A small window seat sat beneath the wide pane in the far corner of her room. She often sat there while she was home to read, write, or paint. Moving portraits and pictures of her family and friends were strewn around the room. They smiled and waved in their memories as Matty made her way back to her looking glass.

"I'm ready," she said with an affirming smile. "I'm ready now."

Family History

The Gaskell line is one of the oldest wizarding lines found in England. The first Gaskell family member to appear was Marconius Gaskell in 1318. He became a favourite in the royal court, becoming an adviser to King Edward II soon after they met. Marconius' wisdom and ethereal knowledge put him in close quarters with rather powerful people. In 1321, he was made a knight and given an estate in what would become Norfolk. Now, roughly six centuries later, the Honourable Sir Matthew Gaskell runs the Gaskell Estate, vowing to uphold the ritual right of maintaining magical discretion and peace in mixed communities of magic and non-magic folk.

Matilda Mary

When Mary Lancaster met Matthew Gaskell during their third year at Hogwarts, fate became concrete. The two fell easily in love and were married shortly after leaving school. Not long after their firstborn Marvel Matthew was born in 1954, the family welcomed a giggling baby girl into their family. Matilda was a sweet girl filled with love and affection for those around her. Her uncles Marcus and Marlen still consider her their favourite, though she has a particular soft spot for Marlen. She made quick friends with the neighbours living on the Gaskell estate, including several muggles within the small village near the country manor. To this day she carries a special place in her heart for the household staff of the manor, particularly the head maid Anna, with whom she keeps in constant correspondence with. Matilda and Marvel became inseparable companions. They often played games in the forest area surrounding their manor, and made use of the seclusion in practicing small charms and playing Quidditch. Matilda was particularly carried off when Marvel received his letter from Hogwarts. Not even the joys of being an older sister to much younger Macy Mathilde consoled her.

Hogwarts

Eventually, after two years of waiting, a thick envelope arrived for Matilda one summer afternoon. Her excitement was overwhelming. Upon arriving at Hogwarts, she was sorted into the noble house of Hufflepuff, much to her pleasure (both of her parents and her Grandmama had been Hufflepuffs). She quickly excelled in her studies, earning credits as the top of her class every year (save the battles she endured with Divination, as her "inner eye" was "vastly crowded by her impenetrable rationale"). She made friends with nearly every person she came into contact with, only obtaining few enemies that normally consisted of bitter Slytherins (most notably Helena Gaelian, an old family acquaintance). A romance that went sour with Jacob Scarborough made up the romance of her early school years, though she maintained a healthy flirting relationship with friend Titus Corbridge throughout. She kept a strange but close friendship with Ellerie Malthus, neé Saint Auxpris and eventually served as a bridesmaid in the older girl's wedding. Matilda also kept friends with her brother's mates, particularly his Quidditch team mate Adam Just.

In her fifth year, she spent most of her time with her cousin Elizabeth Reinhardt, and was particularly involved in a nasty war between the Gryffindor and Helena Gaelian. Matilda also became romantically involved with Julian Cross, a seventh year Ravenclaw student she had been paired with in a magical defence class in her third year. During these trying times, she struck up an unlikely friendship with J. Walsingham and became a regular fixture during tea time in his office.

Ministry Work and Illness

During the summer of 1974, Matilda worked under Spencer Malthus at the Ministry as one of his summer interns. She was promising, and Malthus took a shine to her, though whether this was due to Ellerie's friendship with Matilda or the familiar last name of Gaskell within the Ministry's walls is still unknown. During her internship, Matilda resided with her Grandmama, Dame Mathilda Gaskell, at the family's largest estate - Winthrop Abbey. A summer garden party was thrown in her honour and included the most notable of pureblood wizarding families.

In July of 1974, she returned to Winthrop Abbey after her last day of work and collapsed. Upon arrival at St. Mungo's, Matilda was unresponsive. She was entered into a magical state of comatose as the Healers tried to identify the unknown viral infection. After consulting Romanian specialists, Matilda was diagnosed with tarconlitis, a rare viral infection caused through unknown consummation or inhalation of a tar-like fungus. She was healed of the virus in late August and