Post by Rayna Ivanova on Apr 11, 2024 15:38:02 GMT -8
RAYNA IVANOVA
BASIC INFORMATION
Age and Birthday: 55; November, 21, 1967
Year and House or Profession: Alchemist
Canon: No
Special Abilities: none
FAMILY & HISTORY
Place of Birth: Bucarest, Romania
Notable Relatives:
Character History:
Overall Personality
Rayna is first and foremost a specialist. She sees no value in being mediocre at many things. It's better to be a master in a skill that causes others to seek her out and use the riches gained to buy the other things or people she needs. This goes the same for her life. Rayna is master of her own fate. She will fail or succeed based on her own merits.
Rayna is of the opinion that no one is going to help anyone out of the goodness of their hearts. Everyone has an agenda and one best understand that agenda before accepting aid or assistance. One should only accept such offers if there's a way to use that agenda for one's own objectives.
Parents:
Mother: Florin Ivanova (née Cretu), Deceased (b. 1946)
Father: Dragos Ivanova, Deceased (b. 1914)
Sibling(s):
Sister: Claudia, 48
Brother: Darius, 46
Partner(s):
Partner: Bogdan Marin, Deceased
Child:
Luca, 27, Durmstrang - 2006-2013
Family History:
Dragos was a faithful follower of Gellert Grindelwald. He was a newly graduate of Durmstrang when he witnessed the walk of the Qilin in 1932. He was inspired by the strength displayed by Grindelwald and was enraged by Dumbledore's challenge. The world deserved a leader willing to put the rights of purebloods first. Muggles were coddled and needed wizarding order. When the world war started just as Grindelwald foretold, Dragos sought out the dark wizard and joined the ranks wizards willing to give their lives for the cause. He put his life on hold and told his family he was off to fulfill his destiny. The shock of Grindelwald's loss to Dumbledore was devastating. Dragos returned to Romania, a shame to his family. He lived in seclusion so he wouldn't interfere with his father's political ambitions.
Florin had lived a relatively pampered life and wanted to marry into a rich family before she turned 20 or would be forced to work if she wanted to continue benefiting from her trust fund. Prospects were slim in the small village at the foothills of the Cretu estate. The summer of 1964 she set off to Bucharest to find her a wizard with connections. She met Dragos in the Intercontinental Wizarding Resort. He was a full thirty years older than her and he spoke of pureblood supremacy in a way she'd never heard spoken of. Her parents had been careful to distance themselves from Gellert after the war. Florin found Dragos irresistible. When she learned his family history from the resort concierge, Florin knew she had found the man that would save her from a life of work. They married quickly.
When Drago's dad died, Florin pushed Drago to run for his position as Governor. Knowing they needed to look the part to win election, Florin took fertility potions and was pregnant before the campaign took off.
Character History (early years)
Rayna understood from a young age that she had been a prop. It was fine by her. She didn't really want to be told what to do. Her parents didn't care and her nanny was easily manipulated. She loved her independence and swore she would never relinquish it. When she was seven her parents had another baby and it made life terrible at home. The grubby thing cried all the time and made a mess of everything. When the second rugrat was born, Rayna had enough. She could take care of herself and set off to find a place that was only hers. A giant ancient oak tree in the middle of a forest area a short walk away from home was meant for her. She made herself a shelter. Her parents hated it. Not because they worried about her off on her own, but because they worried people would talk about the feral girl living in the woods and might connect her to their family. They forbid her from returning, tried to lock her away... nothing worked. It helped that her magic was manifesting itself and she'd find ways to escape. Finally they agreed to let her spend time in her tree house if they disguised it with enchantments and she must use an invisibility cloak when she wasn't inside the structure.
Rayna followed that rule until one day a no-mag found her secret spot and tried to climb the tree to see how high she could go. Both girls were shocked to come face to face on a large branch. Katrina was smart and sarcastic. They became fast friends. Rayna learned Katrina had run away from home because her parents thought she made a china cabinet explode. Rayna suspected she was a witch but didn't suggest it. One day Katrina was climbing the tree for a visit and slipped. Unable to grab a hand hold, Rayna was forced to watch Kat fall twenty feet before something stopped her. Inches from the ground. Rayna knew she hadn't done it. Scrambling down, Katrina was already panicking, unable to right herself. It took some work to calm her down and then even more time explaining magic. The two witches were best friends from that point on. Talking about going to school together, Rayna explaining everything she knew about Durmstrang and the wizarding world.
The day came when Rayna got her letter to attend, she ran to the tree house desperate to see if Katrina got hers too. Nothing came for the muggleborn. They waited several weeks. It was clear the letter wasn't lost. Concerned the school didn't know Katrina was a witch, she told her mom, hoping she'd help correct the oversight. Boy did Rayna get an earful. Friends with a muggle! Suggesting a muggleborn attend Durmstrang! Rayna's punishment was to read the writings of Grindelwald and recite a speech he made about pureblood supremacy. Rayna had learned the fastest way to end such punishment was to get through them. She did the work her parents demanded and then got her hands on some parchment, sending a letter off to Albus Dumbledore. She knew about him. Her father hated him for opposing Grindelwald. All the more reason to think he'd help with the particular situation. Rayna begged him to invite Katrina to attend Hogwarts. It was just a few days later Katrina entered the treehouse out of breath clutching her letter with the Hogwarts seal on it. She was moving to live with her aunt in Wales to attend the school. It was bitter sweet and Rayna promised they'd write every week.
Character History (School/Training Years)
First Year (1979-1980)
It wasn't until Rayna arrived at Durmstrang did she learn about the situation in England. Her parents often went about talking in hushed tones and Rayna always thought it was because they were gossiping and didn't trust her to know their secrets. The dark wizard Voldemort was whispered about in the halls of the school. His power might rival Grindelwald. Families were making choices. In the last wizarding war, those who followed the pureblood stance were suddenly considered criminals and co-conspirators when Grindelwald fell. Anyone who escape international punishment were left to make amends, never completely trusted for decades. Many of the older families weren't ready to risk everything again. At least not until the war made it to their country. That didn't stop students from taking sides. Not Voldemort and the resistance. Choosing between Voldemort and Grindelwald. People who lost family in the first war would occasional speak out but for the most part, the posturing went unchallenged. Rayna kept to herself, not sure she wanted to wade into the politics. She did stay in close contact with Katrina, making sure she was safe and protected.
Second Year (1980-1981)
Rayna could sense the tension when she started her second year. It looked as if Voldemort was about to overthrow the British Ministry. If that happened it would be a matter of time before he started looking at expanding into other countries. There were regions in Europe inclined to support such action. No one thought the individual ministries would surround willingly. Families were whispering about their allegiances and plans. Her own parents were already helping Death Eaters. There wasn't much for students to do about any of it, and Rayna did her best to ignore the hotly contested debates that rippled in the hallways and common rooms. It was becoming hard to ignore the topic with Katrina. She was, for obviously reasons, decisively against pureblood sentiments. Rayna may not have agreed entirely with the concept and certainly didn't agree with Voldemort's methods, but she was pragmatic about the idea that magic was passed down through blood lines. There were anomalies of course, but Rayna was pretty sure there would be magic somewhere in the family tree of the muggleborns.
Third Year (1981-1982)
The summer before her third year was tense. Rayna's parents were considering moving to the UK to formally join Voldemort's movement. Her mom thought it was the best way to ensure they were given positions of prominence when Romania officially joined Voldemort's regime. They decided it was best for Claudia and Darius to start school before making such a move. It came as a shock to nearly everyone when word got out that Voldemort fell. The details were scarce and a new rumor popped up nearly every day. Rayna wasn't sure how she felt about development. In the end, she decided she was relieved her parents had waited. Punishment appeared to be coming fast for the death eaters. Rayna tried to stay in touch with Katrina after the fallout of the war, but the letters grew more and more critical of purebloods. It was counterproductive and Rayna said as much.
Fourth Year (1982-1983)
It was a shock for many that Igor Karkaroff was appointed as Headmaster of Durmstrang. He turned out to be as unpopular outside the school as inside. It seemed his experience nearly going to Azkaban made him a miserable person. His treatment toward students was ruthless. Several students were removed from the school, a combination of the changes to internal polices and the fact that Karkaroff saved his life by trying to flip on other Death Eaters. Undeterred, he ruled by fear and intimidation. A strange backlash to his choices were students opening embracing Grindelwald. A statement that Karkaroff should have stayed loyal to the original dark wizard. Grindelwald's symbol was etched on books and bags to impress others. It didn't take long before families who were killed by Grindelwald and his followers openly slapped back. It was chaos. Rayna found herself on the receiving end of some of that retribution due to her family ties. It was the moment she realized she needed to stand up for herself and several well placed hexes made it clear she wasn't an easy mark.
Fifth Year (1983-1984)
Katrina was able to spend a few weeks of her summer break back in Romania. The pair met up at the treehouse but the reunion was tense. Neither wanted to say something that would make the other angry. Even trying to talk about neutral topics like classes ended in a fight. Katrina didn't approve of Durmstrang's Dark Arts class or the fact they refused muggleborns. When her vacation came to an end, they were both relieved. Finally by her fifth year, the school seemed to have let go of the petty fights amongst the students. Rayna buckled down to study. There were several subjects she didn't care for and didn't really bother with. One subject had caught her attention since her first year, Alchemy. She was drawn to it for several reasons: she loved potions and transfigurations class, it seemed like the best of both classes; it was one of the most difficult subjects to learn at the school and carried some prestige to be enrolled in the class; it had the most potential for power in fluence in her future. She applied herself in the require classes and requested enrollment.
Sixth Year (1984-1985)
A small group of students were accepted into the Alchemy courses. Rayna was proud to be one of them. They all arrived to the first class excited to learn about the mysterious discipline. They were disappointed to learn they were going to spend the entire term learning about the basics and the history. The seemingly simplistic curriculum had many in the class blowing off the assignments. Mundane tasks continued into the spring term. Everyone complained. Except Rayna. She didn't just to the work, she made sure to go the extra mile in everything she was asked to do. Her efforts got the attention of the teacher, and he invited her to stay at Durmstrang over the summer to study. She was certain that meant she'd be give real instruction on the subject but was shocked to find she was asked to master more basics. Stoically she carried on until the summer was almost over. She was marching herself into the classroom ready to make demands when the professor announced she was ready for her final summer assignment, turn a stone into gold. Finally. She looked at the professor expectantly for instruction. He simply told her to take her stone and go. She should only return if she had a golden stone or when the fall term started. She had two weeks and not a clue how to accomplish the task. Until she realized all of the basics were actually the foundation. With one day left, she locked herself in an unused classroom and concentrated on the magic she needed to harness. The dull grey suddenly turned into the bright shiny surface of gold. It was even heavier. She had completely transmuted the properties. Gripping it in her fist, she ran to the alchemy classroom. The Professor looked as if he was about to chastise her for returning too early. Until she held her hand out and opened it for him to see.
Seventh Year (1985-1986)
At the start of her seventh year, Rayna was surprised to be given the head girl badge. She hadn't been a prefect and assumed she wouldn't be considered for head girl. She wasn't a suck up or a brownnoser and didn't care to be. She had been close to refusing the distinction until she learned it was her alchemy professor who advocated for her. Proud to have earned it with her hard work, she wore the badge proudly. The seventh year coursework was a stark contrast to the sixth year. All the students who didn't take the previous year seriously struggled significantly. It was a breeze for Rayna. As the year came to a close, she applied to study at the Centre for Alchemical Studies in Egypt. She was accepted the same week her reference letters were received. Packing her trunk, she didn't look back.
Character History (adult years)
Rayna's first four years at the Centre was the hardest of her life. The training was grueling. She had no time for anything other than her studies. Her promotion to apprentice was a relief. With some of her newfound freedom, she requested her first ever time off for a vacation. She opted to reserve a villa in the Maldives to see what all the fuss was about beaches and the sea. Of all the people she thought she'd run into, a previous Durmstrang student who grew up a few miles from her childhood home was on the list. Still, she found herself feeling free to let go and be herself about Bogdan Marin. They had similar upbringings and similar divergences from what was expected. It was just a fling and she decided to enjoy it. It was about to move to London to work for Gringotts Bank. There was no threat of commitments. That's what she thought anyway.
It wasn't a few months later before Bogdan sent an owl telling her he was in Cairo for work. He had requested Egypt when geographical assignments were being made for the new curse breakers. It would start a love affair that Rayna didn't hate. He had his own hotel room when he was in town. He didn't demand her attention, he merely welcomed it.
The news of the destruction of the Nicolas Flamel's alchemist stone was a shock to everyone at the center. Rayna found herself disappointed and saddened that fear had caused the celebrated alchemist to take such drastic actions. If he wanted to simply stop living he could have secured the stone at the centre and stopped living. She understood it was some fear that Voldemort was still a threat and could use the Elixir of Life to return to full strength. Nothing was really forever. Voldemort was defeated once, he could be defeated again. Fear of the unknown wasn't a satisfactory reason to destroy such a legendary piece of magical history.
In 1995 Rayna was shocked to discover she was pregnant. Bogdan had been visiting often, so it shouldn't have been such a surprise. Rayna wasn't sure she hadn't subconsciously forgotten to take the potions that would have ensured she wouldn't find herself in that way. Still, she embraced it. Bogdan wanted to marry and settle down. That wasn't what she was looking for and let him down as easy as she could. She promised to let him have as much time with the child as he wanted, she just wasn't interested in marriage. He started making plans to move to Egypt. She didn't hate that. Luca was perfect and Rayna was satisfied with her life.
Promoted to center vice director in 1997. The same year all hell seemed to break out in Great Britain. Once again, the world had to watch with bated breath for the ministry in London muster the power to stamp down the factions terrorizing their country. Rayna wasn't optimistic. She didn't bother herself worrying about it until she got a desperate message from Katrina. She was being hunted by snatchers and was desperate to return to Romania. Rayna didn't think twice. She was getting a portkey the second she read the words. She didn't worry about being able to travel freely in the country now hostile to anyone who wasn't pureblood. She boldly used the Ivanova name to get information she needed to finally find the flop Katrina was using to hideaway. She was too late. It looked like who ever found her wasn't interested in the bounty. They wanted to murder a mudblood. Grief stricken, Rayna took Katrina deep into a nearby forest and made an inferi. Katrina wouldn't be completely lost for ever. Knowing her privilege wouldn't allow her to travel with such a dark creation, Rayna found a small cave and hide Katrina inside. Protecting it with every ward and enchantment she knew, Rayna promised she'd come back.
Returning to Egypt, Rayna put it all behind her. She was now on a mission to attempt to create another Alchemist Stone. Seeing the destruction in England despite their terrible decision to pressure Flamel made her irrationally angry. She'd right the wrongs she could. When news of the end of the war came, there was a collective sigh of relief. It was over, but not entirely for Rayna. Her brother and sister showed up a few days after the battle for Hogwarts to tell her their parents died there at the school, fighting for Voldemort. Of course they did. They threw their lives away for not one but two dark wizards. She wasn't really sure what Claudia and Darius wanted from her. It was news that could have been delivered by owl. They finally told her they wanted her to help them gather their parent's bodies to have a funeral for them in Romania. It was foolish and Rayna told them that. Best move on and try to make a life without the baggage of being known children of Death Eaters. She told them that, sent them away and worked her networks to find out where they were taken. A graveyard of unknown dead from the battle. They were easy enough to identify from the notes of personal effects. Only one couple had Grindelwald's symbol. Rayna had the headstone number memorized and would go when there wasn't so much scrutiny. It was nearly a full year later before she was able to travel to the site, take the bodies to the cave holding Katrina, and made the inferi. Her parents would keep Katrina company. Pleased the protections hadn't been disturbed despite war, Rayna reinforced them.
Rayna settled into her life. Bogdan never stopped suggesting marriage but she pointed out how convenient their lives were. Living separately but connected. They were one floo trip away and Luca was happy with the arrangement. The news that Bogdan was killed by a curse he was disarming had been the hardest loss she had suffered. It pained her that his family insisted on a funeral in Romania. They weren't interested in any of her preferences. They blamed her that he was even in Egypt to begin with. She had no legal rights and was forced to go along with the decisions they were making. Rayna thought she might be able to make an inferi in the future and made the plan.
Life without Bogdan was empty. Rayna was forced to come to terms with her choices. Deciding she needed change and Luca needed to attend Durmstrang when he turned eleven, she quite the centre and moved to Romania. Setting up a potions and alchemy shop in a small village she built her networks, made a name for herself, officially and unofficially. There was money to be made above board and money to be made in the shadows. She excelled at both. When Luca started school, she considered her job raising him a success and moved herself to London to set up shop. Her network had extended that far and there was money to be made, influence to gain. Within the year of being in England, she relocated Katrina and her parents to a obscure cave deep in the forbidden forest. While there, she found an old, great tree that reminded her of her childhood and made herself a hideout. It would be a shelter if she needed it.
Running her shop she quickly discovered the items that were in demand, Rayna recognized the opportunity. She didn't need to be a herbologist or a magiczooligist to keep the best stock. Any alchemist worth their salt could find methods to transmute objects to more desirable ones. Her apothecary never ran out of stock. But not in a overt, excessive way. Not enough to get the attention of Aurors cracking down on black markets. Little did they know she was a major supplier to the black markets. Her success was more valuable to her than just galleons. She could make enough gold to meet all her needs an desires. It was a windfall in finding those with the capacity for loyalty. She grew a network that became one of the most powerful syndicates: The Family. At first she hadn't approved of the naming. Her lieutenant coined it. When they explained to her that the foot soldiers were more dedicated to Rayna then their own parents because they knew she would wield any power available to her to protect those in her circle. It wasn't a business, it was a family. She relented and decided those that knew her would never guess she'd be the boss of such a sentimental organization. It was good cover.
Rayna welds her power and influence to out maneuver the powerful and protect those loyal to her.
OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
Name or Alias: Rouch
Pronouns: she/her
Experience: 2 years
Other Characters: Yes (Ole, Shiloh, Atticus, Wiley, Aisling, Cyrus)
Role Playing Sample: n/a