Arabella Burke

[Arabella Burke]

Arabella Catherine Burke

What do you want to be called? Trixi

Do you have any other characters on this site? You don't need to make an RP sample if you do:
Yes

Name of Character: Arabella Catherine Burke (Bell)

School: Hogwarts

Age: 15

Birthday: September 28, 1983

Appearance: Arabella is currently 5'4", but still growing. She has long, dark brown hair and blue eyes. A small, rounded nose and small pink lips complete her prominent facial features. When not in her school clothing, she wears muggle clothing. It has always been her opinion that she takes more after her dad in appearance than her mom, though her mom disagrees.
She tends to be quiet and introverted, but will talk if spoken to. She seems very shy and distracted.

Likes: She very much likes plants and animals, Herbology and Care of Magical Creatures being her favourite subjects. She also likes being on her own, in her own world.

Dislikes: Bell hates large groups of people and being forced into social interaction, like the school's Winter Ball.

Character History: Born Arabella Catherine Burke, she's always preferred to be called Bell or Bella, something which her mom has refused to give in to. The woman insists on calling her Arabella, which reminds Bell of a princess. And she's not a princess. Far from it, in fact. Princesses live in large castles with dozens of servants and have a Queen for a mother and a King for a father. There was never a moment, never a time really, in her life that she envisioned either of her parents as a Queen or King, much less her father due to his absence in her life. It is one of the very first memories Bell possesses, that of herself asking her mom, "Where's daddy?" And the grim face of her mom had led her to believe something horrible happened to the man that would read her stories if she asked him to, while the words that left her lips simply were, "Daddy's gone, Arabella. He's gone."

That was what she grew up believing, that Benjamin Burke was 'gone'. Where exactly he had gone or for what reason were left up to her imagination until she was told otherwise by her mom. She assumed he was a bad man, because he was in Azkaban, which was were all the bad people went. And her mom did not deny this when she spoke it aloud.
Bell had always wondered if this meant that she was a bad person as well, because her dad was. And if your dad was bad, then that made you bad too, didn't it? But these were the curiosities of a small child and they were forgotten after a period of time.

What she remembers most from her childhood is living together with her mother, just the two of them. They didn't speak of her father and she had very pictures of the man. Sometimes, she'd catch people in the streets staring at her, and when her mother finally noticed, the woman would quickly carry her away. Do not speak to strangers, it was one of the "rules" set in place by her mom. There were several rules for a long time, when constant worry etched the lines of her mom's face even deeper into her skin.

And then, on a perfectly normal Thursday as she was sat at the dinner table writing in her journal that she was to present to the teacher the next morning, a haggard-looking man entered the front door to her home. At first she did not recognize him, but when her mom spoke his name and she started a bit longer at his face, the connection between the haggard man and the man in the photo that was her father was made. She didn't know what to say or whether she should greet him or not. Questions lingered on the tip of her tongue but she did not ask them. Instead, she chose to stand to the side of the hallway and watch as her mom shouted at him. The older woman spoke of Death Eaters, evil, and eventually sent her father away.

It was a confusing moment for her, watching the man that she'd been told was simply "gone" appear and then just as quickly disappear once again. And her mother did not want to speak of the man that had looked very much like he could use a good bath and some food. She resumed her normal life, only wondering from time to time about that dark-haired man - her father, actually. Just a short year later, after she'd entered Hogwarts, when she returned for the winter break, he was sitting in her home. Her mother was smiling and told her that her father had returned and that he'd be living with them from then on.

Initially, Bell felt apprehensive of having her dad back in her life. What if he left again? It seemed a very likely possibility. She didn't know him and he didn't know her, not at all. And it was his fault, because he had been the one to be "gone", not her. Yet she wanted to know him. Cautionary treatment and frowns turned into smiles and welcoming into her small circle of trust. It was wonderful to have a dad, even one that may have been "bad". Now when the other children spoke of their parents she wouldn't have to make up a lie or say that she didn't have a dad. Because she did have a dad and he was perfect, for her.

But then there came a night in the summer of 1996, when a horrid beast attacked her. It was a werewolf, which was something she'd only ever seen in pictures before. Before it could harm her, however, her dad stopped it. Or so she thought. That night is not very clear for Bell, considering all that happened, but she knows that her father was bitten and that her mother did not want him to live with them anymore because of it. And for some reason, it felt like her fault. Had she not been out at night and stayed in then it would have never happened. She could have still had a mother and father, and perhaps she would have been worthy of her name then.

Life without a dad was now even worse than before, when she had been without a dad for a very long time. Now that she knew what it was like to have one, the gap that had been created by not having one now could not be filled unless what was taken was returned. The relationship she shared with her mother grew strained, though they had never shared what Bell thought of as a normal mother and daughter relationship. Her mom was far too paranoid when she was younger and very stubborn now that she was older. They argued more often than they spoke in the absence of her dad.

Family History: Benjamin was born in the proud pureblood family of Burke as grandson of the great Herbert Burke and Belvina Black. He was raised to follow his strict parent’s expectations and as their only child he was spoiled. Both his parents were followers of the Dark Lord and it was only natural that he would become one too in the future. They could not have been more proud when he was sorted into the great house of Slytherin, although he almost got sorted into Ravenclaw, due to the fact that he could easily absorb information and remember everything. He first killed muggles at the age of sixteen, and was frightened at how easy it was to kill.

Just a year later he joined the Death Eaters and was welcomed into Voldemort's inner circle as one of the more promising newcomers. A few months after that he fell in love with a named Fiona, who loved him back. However, she was a muggleborn, a fact which he did not know until he was sent to kill her and her family by Lord Voldemort. He did what was asked of him but regretted it immensely afterwards. In the year of 1980, he was forced to marry a girl that he barely knew, as was custom of most pureblood marriages. His wife, Isa Shafiq, was also a Death Eather, though she did not seem to be as happy about it as him.

Benjamin continued to search for ways to bring the Dark Lord back after his supposed defeat in 1981. For a few years after Voldemort's death, he did focus on himself and his family. He went to work at the family shop, Borgin and Burkes, alongside Mr. Borgin. Two years after the Dark Lord's defeat, his daughter, Arabella, was born. Though he never truly loved his wife, he adored his daughter. She was one of the few things that actually had brought happiness in his life. Raising his daughter together with his wife, he finally seemed to have settled down like a decent person.

But then he was sent to Azkaban in 1988 for killing thirty-eight muggles, torturing and killing various muggleborns and using the imperious curse on aurors, hit wizards and other ministry workers during the first wizarding war and the years after. He was released in 1994 due to new fake evidence that proved his innocence. After his release, he was no longer the same Benjamin from before. Most of his happiness had been eaten away by the Dementors, including happy memories of his daughter. He did remember his family though, but only in bits and pieces. Upon returning to his home, his wife did not want to allow him entrance. She refused to let him be in contact with their daughter and revealed that she had renounced the Death Eaters while he was away. Not being allowed to speak with his daughter tore him apart.

During the Quidditch World Cup in 1995 he was one of the Death Eaters who attacked the camping field. He also helped Wormtail with the return of the Dark Lord and, like others, was welcomed back in the inner circle. It seemed that he had found his purpose back for a small amount of time. He helped to free the Death Eaters who were still in Azkaban, and was praised by the Dark Lord himself for his loyal service.

For a short while, his relationship with Isa seemed to be okay again and she even allowed him back in their house. Seeing his daughter again, brought back some of his humanity and sanity. He felt complete once more. This all changed in 1996 when he got into a small argument with a werewolf named Alex. This man was also a Death Eater but not trusted as much as Benjamin was. Alex tried to take revenge by biting his daughter, knowing she was the only person in this world who held his love. Just in time, he managed to save her. Yet, he was bitten instead. From that point on, the man who owned everything lost it all.

Immediately after having been bitten, his wife demanded a divorce, claiming that his way of living was too dangerous for their daughter. Not only that, he was also cast out of the Dark Lord's inner circle. Werewolves weren't allowed to be in there. Despite all he had done, his lord had been heartless enough to cast him away. Yet to make it up to him, he recently gave him the position of Potions Master, after Snape was down away with. Benjamin did as was asked of him gladly, taking up the role of spy.

Parents: Benjamin Burke and Isa Shafiq

Siblings: none

What House do you think fits your character the most? Maybe Slytherin or Hufflepuff