Pandora Duke
 | ||
| Pandora Duke | ||
| Biographical Information | ||
| Born | 10th November, 1923 | |
|---|---|---|
| Birthplace | Duke Manor, Kensington, England | |
| Deceased | N/A | |
| Residence | 1A, Queen's Gate, Knightsbridge | |
| Nationality | British | |
| Education | Hogwarts (Slytherin) | |
| Class | 1942 | |
| Physical Information | ||
| Family Information | ||
| Spouse | Salazar Ricardus (march '47-) | |
| Children | Isolde Ricardus (2 january '48), Lycus Ricardus (22 july '49), unnamed boy, unnamed daughter | |
| Parents | Xavier Duke and Penelope Duke (nee. Pickford) | |
| Siblings | Xanthos Duke, Arabella Pickford | |
| Magical Characteristics | ||
| Wand | 13" Blackthorn, Veela Hair, Unyielding | |
| Affiliation | ||
| Occupation | Pureblood Princess | |
Contents
Early Life
Pandora Amelia Duke was born to Xavier and Penelope Duke in the November of 1923, almost exactly nine months after his return from France where he assisted the French Ministry of Magic on a high profile investigation involving the Beauchamp family. She was born three weeks premature at home in the early morning during a short period of time where the sun had decided to make an appearance from behind the heavy clouds that were snowing over the many acres of land the family own, bringing light and warmth to the large estate before disappearing again. She was named by her mother after the Greek myth of Pandora (the first human woman created by the Gods) and her box of destruction and her father requested her middle name pay tribute to his mother who had recently fallen ill. Her name means 'all-gifted' and 'all-giving'.
Despite being raised around many of her relatives, Pandora's childhood was a lonely one, often finding comfort in material items as well as speaking down to those around her due to the lifestyle and status she was born into. This resulted in a very spoilt little girl who wholeheartedly believed that physically bought things made up for a lack of love and nurture in her life as for the first five years, it was her paternal grandmother that looked after her instead of her own parents who were the people she actually craved attention from. Then, once Amelia died, she was brought up by a nanny. Being a high profile lawyer, her father was often away on business in and around Europe whilst her mother possessed no desire to interact or form a relationship with her children. In fact, the only time she paid attention to them was when they could be used as accessories which only fed into Pandora's twisted ideology that being and having all things wonderful made her worthy as a person.
Whilst she cherished every moment she could with her father, a resentment towards her mother grew quick and strong thanks to the realisation that Penelope was a heinous woman with priorities that didn't involve her or her younger brother, Xanthos, who had been born in the February of 1927. Perhaps it was the constant picking of Pandora's appearance, or the warnings against eating even at an age as young as eight in case she put on weight, but over time the cruelties increased to the extent that she was shoved into confined spaces and locked away so she could no longer pester her mother with her daily successes since her father was away and unavailable for her to brag to. When Xavier was home, Pandora found herself a lot more content and not so alone and what she especially liked about him was the presents he bought her to make up for his absence. These included several things, such as designer clothes, a puppy, limited edition dolls and even the construction of a little cottage in the forest of their land for her to have her tea parties in with her cousins, many of which the young Duchess didn't particularly like due to her incapability to connect with them on an intellectual level as she found them to be idiots who couldn't tell left from right, however they were decent enough company as they did what she said and never spoke out of turn.
It was clear that Pandora had inherited some of her mother's more negative qualities as she grew older, but thankfully she had her father's wit and thirst for knowledge. After her paternal grandmother died, the nanny that was assigned to care for her introduced her to the world of books and storytelling. It captivated Pandora instantly, which only made her more enthusiastic to learn when her father decided she was old enough to begin her studies with a highly sought after private tutor who visited Duke Manor five days a week. At first, he taught
As she got older, the classes expanded to include basic etiquette, elocution and how to behave like a proper young lady at formal gatherings which she found to be terribly boring at times but she took it very seriously nonetheless as her father was expecting nothing but the best from her and she didn't want to think of the consequences she'd face if she embarrassed her mother. Thankfully, she was also allowed to expand her knowledge creatively which included lessons in the fine arts, several musical instruments such as the piano, the violin, the cello and the harp, but it was ballet that she took the most interest in. Whilst books gave her an escape into another world, it was dance that provided her with the freedom she desired as she could express herself without ever having to actually talk to anyone and admit to feelings she considered to be weak, unnecessary and illogical even at a young age.
Unfortunately, Penelope didn't appreciate how much time Pandora spent on her studies instead of the duties that would affect how people perceived her, resulting in further vicious criticism. At the age of 6, she was introduced to tea parties that were set up by bored mothers with nothing better to do with their lives than to spend a fortune on new dresses, shoes and jewellery for their little girls and of course, Pandora was dressed in only the best thanks to Penelope's incessant need to be better than those around her. Luckily, Pandora loved her expensive dresses and the jewels she got to wear, but what she didn't realise she liked the most was the fact her mother wasn't insulting her when she fit her very specific criteria of perfection. At these tea parties, the girls practised the skills taught to them at home as well as strengthened friendships, however Pandora grew to find most of them intolerable, especially a distant cousin of hers by the name of Sarah Ann Darcy who often tried to speak down to her and was generally a very obnoxious child, even if they had once shared giggles over secretly causing mischief at a grown up gathering.
Other friends included Lorelei and Caragon who were also the daughters of opulent Pureblood men, however her best friend was Theodore Beauchamp whose father had partnered with her own. The two families were very close and so Pandora and Theodore were practically raised side by side, making him one of few people she genuinely cared for along with his older sister, Crystal, who had once gone as far as to prepare a faux wedding for the two children. This wasn't the first time she dressed them up, however Pandora quickly grew tired of her as her sense of fashion was tacky and unlike her mother's resulting in the pair hiding away in her tree house where they could play dress up on their own and tell each other secrets whilst holding hands and doing their studies in peace and quiet. They also liked to dance together, which ensured that he didn't have to dance with nasty little boys that she didn't know or care to know at balls, charity galas and garden parties. She liked these events a lot as it was the only time her mother complimented her and bragged about her to people, but also she liked the other children to know that she was the most important of them all.
When she was 11 years old, Pandora received letters from both Hogwarts and Beauxbatons, however her father didn't think either schools were good enough for his little girl, resulting in her continuing her education at home with only the best private tutors. Unfortunately, Theodore had also received his school letters and he had opted to go to Hogwarts, meaning she would only ever get to see him at Christmas and over the summer. Pandora was saddened by this and demanded that he wrote to her every week so that she could read about all of his adventures, but she was also a little worried he'd find a new best friend that was nicer and prettier than she was, so she wanted to make sure that he didn't forget her. Though, if he did, she had already thought of childish schemes that would punish him for his disloyalty as that was the very most important thing to her when it came to friendships. That and allowing her to have the last cinnamon bun on the dessert platter, as they were her favourite and -- much to her mother's disappointment -- the one food she couldn't resist.
By the time Pandora was a teenager, she had an impressively large vocabulary which only worsened her already vicious tongue and her arrogant, stubborn nature whilst still playing the part of daddy's little princess, fluttering her eyelashes and pouting to get what she wanted, when she wanted and it almost always worked. When it didn't, she petulantly held her breathe until she fainted in an attempt to get her own way, although her father usually gave in when she begun to turn purple. It was a nasty but successful technique that she had begun doing when she was just 4 years old, but even at 13 she was willing to do whatever it took to make sure everything worked in her favour. In her free time, she continued to pursue ballet which she was incredibly talented at, but when she wasn't dancing or reading she was shopping with her father's money to fill a void she didn't even realise she had, nor did she have any interesting in discovering it.
After all, what did it matter when she had so many beautiful things?
Hogwarts
During the spring of 1938, Pandora's father informed her that she would be starting Hogwarts School in the autumn. Little did she know, there had been talk of war in and around the Ministry of Magic and upon hearing about it, Xavier decided to act by sending his children away where they would be out of harm's reach. He didn't explain this to Pandora, who thought she was being punished. To her, Hogwarts was a public school with masses of other children inferior to her regarding class and blood purity. She didn't want to socialise with them. She didn't even want to look at them. If Pandora had been one to cry, she would have cried for weeks prior to her departure, but instead she stopped talking to her father and expressed her anger through destroying his very important paperwork and bullying her cousins.
Upon her arrival, it didn't take long for Pandora to make a name for herself. She was pretty, rich, and had a personality that made those around her crave her approval and attention despite being completely rotten. And as if that wasn't enough, she was one of very few people bold enough to toy with Sarah Ann Darcy. Within her first week, Pandora had already blackmailed Sarah Ann after catching her cheating on Theodore Beauchamp with Kristoffer Carlisle, and even after getting what she wanted from Sarah Ann she told Theodore about the affair and allowed the photographs to make their way around the school, effectively marking the beginning of a volatile and infamous rivalry that would last until 1940.
These ruthless and manipulative power-plays were a common tactic Pandora would successfully use to maintain her place on the social hierarchy. If she had to be surrounded by vermin, she was going to make sure they respected her and stayed out of her way. This went as far as students parting for her like the Red Sea when she made her way from class to class, allowing people who sucked up enough to carry her books and bring her hot beverages, and maintaining control over the student body by using a select group of students as her loyal eyes and ears. There was no one more up to date with gossip, lies, and filthy secrets than Pandora and that alone was enough to solidify her place on top.
It was rare Pandora turned to violence to get what she wanted or to put people in their place. She was intimidating enough with her intricate web of lies and deceit and it wasn't like she was willing to risk her perfect manicure. Unfortunately, however, sometimes she had no choice but to take it further. Over the years this included vicious slaps that left pulsating red welts, shoving others down sets of stairs, second-degree burns left by scolding drinks, and dragging people by the hair into empty closets or classrooms where professors couldn't save them.
She was a bully, but she didn't care to be a bully in the traditional sense. That was Sarah Ann's forte. Pandora thought violence was tacky and classless, but if people insisted on testing her, why deprive them of the full experience? It was their own fault, and having a lawyer as a father made her particularly skilled at talking her way out of trouble with her professors.
Throughout her time at Hogwarts School, Pandora's academic work was consistently outstanding. One of few rumours that successfully circulated about her was that she forced others to do her homework for her, but it was completely false. As if she would trust anyone but herself to complete academic work to an acceptable (read: ridiculously high) standard. Of course, it was partially just another opportunity for her to prove that she was better than the masses, but Pandora was also genuinely studious and loved to read. She enjoyed Charms and History of Magic in particular, but also quite enjoyed Defence Against the Dark Arts. She didn't care for Potions or Herbology as they weren't subjects she deemed useful or noble, especially as her family paid people to potioneer and garden for them. Nonetheless, she put her all into them, and also offered her skill to The Spellbound where she was either a writer or editor for several terms.
Fifth year at Hogwarts was particularly significant for Pandora. She was inducted into a secret society of academically superior students (◆◆◆) and was perfectly on track to become a prefect. The most notable turn of events however, was that her rivalry with Sarah Ann Darcy ended. This was not because they suddenly grew to care for one another, but because they suddenly shared a common enemy and no-one else had the capacity to be cruel like one another. The two girls had been bad enough on their own, but becoming one indomitable force was a nightmare no-one had ever anticipated -- especially Kathleen Ellwood-Luxe who was supposed to be Sarah's friend but had dared to make her move on Theodore Beauchamp.
They wasted no time in plotting and scheming. Classes quickly became battlefields and the rumour mill spun harder than ever before. The two girls hadn't realised something had changed between them however, until Pandora found herself choosing Sarah Ann over Theodore, who wanted to put their nonsense to an end. What started as a convenient partnership developed into a friendship they would cherish like no other and would ultimately last a lifetime. They did almost everything together, including bathe in the prefect bathrooms where they once even shared a kiss. That particular incident was not romantic or even promiscuous in nature, but instead the result of extra-ordinary abilities they were yet to realise she had.
tbc.
Shetland Island
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Graduation and Recovery
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Other
Appearance
| Height | 5'8.5; 174cm |
|---|---|
| Weight | Ladies never tell |
| Eyes | Crystal blue |
| Hair | Light blonde |
| Build | Very slim and somewhat athletic due to years of ballet |
| Other | Right-handed, freckles on her nose, several scars |
Personality
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