Astoria Starling

Biography
Born as Aster Theodossia Starling, Astoria was a happy, curious and playful child, born to Theotimos Starling and Claudia Evens-Starling. She had one older sister, Dahlia Claudia, and the two started off very close. Astoria grew up traveling the world thanks to her father's work in the Ministry's International Relations department, however, home was always the estate in Edinburgh, Scotland. All growing up, she was closer to her father than her mother and wanted nothing more than to be just like him. By the time Dahlia was attending Hogwarts, Astoria noticed her sister was beginning to drift and act strangely.

When it was time for Astoria to attend Hogwarts, she was sorted into Slytherin like her mother and sister. However, she was slightly disappointed that she wasn't placed in Gryffindor like her father. In her second year, she started hearing rumors about her mother's involvement with Deatheaters. Partway through her second year, her father kicked her mother out of the house in order to protect his two daughters, the act putting an unseen strain on him due to an old Unbreakable vow.

In her third year at school, Claudia came back to the estate, bringing to light the fact that rumors of her involvement with Deatheaters was in fact true. She pushed for her family to follow, however Theo and Astoria both refused. Claudia was once again removed from the household, however, shortly after, Dahlia disappeared as well. Astoria returned to school, remaining in fairly constant contact with her father so she could ensure him she was safe. After finishing off her third year, her father made plans for them to spend their summer at a different estate. The night she returned home from school, she was assaulted by her mother and sister and bears dozens of scars from the assault including scars from: Flagrates, diffindos and a scarred core from the repeated use of Cruciatus. She spent over a month in the hospital before her and her father fled from Edinburgh to the United States.

In the states, Astoria attended Ilvermorny to finish off her schooling where she was placed in Wampus and met Bentley McGrant. Her father was also reunited with a friend from his own childhood, Marjorie Williams, who introduced Astoria to her niece, Caoimhe. Astoria and Caoimhe got along well and actually spent quite a bit of time together. However, an incident involving mind magic lead to the two having to be separated and neither remembering the incident or each other.

During school, she got above average marks in divination and magic dealing with the mind, frequently getting praise from the professors.

Astoria finished school at Ilvermorny and began working odd jobs to keep herself busy. When she was 18, though, her father was diagnosed with lung cancer. By the time she was nineteen, her father passed due to complications during surgery, leaving Astoria completely alone.

At the age of 21, she got a job working in a bar in Boston run by JJ Martin. While working there, she quickly learned about the underground world that moved through the wizarding and no-maj community as JJ's Bar was frequently used by underground crime rings and mafia runners as a neutral meeting and planning zone. She worked the bar for a few years as she put herself through some no-maj schooling before beginning to search for jobs closer to her old home. It was then that she discovered Hogwarts was looking for a new Beginner Divination professor. She applied on a whim and was surprised when an invitation was offered.

Astoria only worked at Hogwarts for a few month before issues at the school related to the Ministry drove her into hiding due to her blood relationship to known Deatheaters. It was through this that she found the Forgotten. In the Forgotten, she was reunited with Caoimhe, but it would be months more before she would understand the draw she had to the other woman.

Since joining the Forgotten, she has been attacked and almost killed by her sister on a few different occasions, but is slowly learning about the double life Dahlia was forced to live in their childhood. In early 2020, she also discovered that her father had faked his death as a way to protect himself as well as Astoria from less than favorable people that would have liked to see him dead including her uncle, Carter Evens.

Astoria now largely lives in Massachusetts with Caoimhe, who is now her fiancee, but the two travel back and forth between the States and the UK.

Physical appearance
Astoria has a tendency to keep her hair short and often has it dyed silver or opal. She has vibrant blue eyes, fair skin and faded freckles. Her most prominent feature are the scars that she is absolutely covered in, a majority being burn scars and gashes with a few splinch scars, though her most noticeable scar is the spiral splinch scar that covers a majority of her back.

She is slowly working up her tattoo collection with a couple tattoos on her arm and rune tattoos behind her ear (that match to her partner, Caoimhe Foley)

Personality and traits
While she has moments where her Slytherin bloodline shows through (cunning and driven), she has a tendency to be timid and anxious, largely due to PTSD. She can be stubborn and short tempered and struggles to trust people

Wand:
Cypress wood (?), hidebehind hair core, bloodstone and tourmaline embellishments, 10 inches, rigid

Other:
Always carries rune stones with her. Her favorite set is her Labrodorite set and the new Garnet set she got as a gift from Caoimhe and Sam.

Familiar:
N/A

Patronus:
Sparrowhawk

Animagus:
Black Kite

Specialty:
Her specialty is 'mind diving'. She can insert herself into the subconscious of others as a way to communicate. She also has a talent in divination.

A more recent skill is a sensitivity to curses. Due to the high rate of curse abuse she has experienced, her core is hyper sensitive to curses and if she happens to touch someone, she can determine the last curse used on them.

Limitations:
From putting such a strong focus on mind magic and divination, she struggles in potion making and is terrified of using brooms (or anything) to fly.

Family:

 * Father: Theo Starling
 * Astoria has an extremely distant and rocky relationship with her father and still hasn't fully forgiven him for disappearing when she was 19.


 * Sister: Dahlia Starling
 * Does not claim her as family. Absolutely hates.


 * Children: Sam Dale (Adopted daughter)
 * While their relationship is rocky and often combative, Astoria still sees Sam as a daughter.

Friends:

 * Artemis Novik
 * Ilya Novik
 * Jame Dale
 * Bentley McGrant
 * Trace Mosely
 * Mordecai Lewis-LeBeau
 * JJ Martin

Romantic:

 * Caoimhe Foley

Enemies:

 * Dahlia Starling
 * Michael Dowell

Other:

 * Leo Dale
 * Not enemies, but does not trust.

Extra Info

 * Special Notes: Suffers from depression, anxiety and PTSD.
 * Endured a long life of abandonment and abuse.
 * Family is descended from the Brownstars, a MacGregor clan family
 * https://www.highlandtitles.com/blog/clans-of-scotland-macgregor/


 * Started playing violin at the age of 4 (stopped playing by her 6th year)
 * Was taught to dance, never really enjoyed it.
 * Started drinking between 16-17. Alcoholic by 19 after her father [presumably] passed away.
 * Potentially legally changes her name to Astoria Brownstar, the original surname of the Starlings
 * Always carries a set of Labradorite rooms with her
 * Exploring the potential of her being a dual wand wielder
 * Pinterest board: https://www.pinterest.com/restlessfinding/astoria-starling/
 * Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/6wfcf1h0fXhslxZGs5BiXS
 * Main Song: Panic Room by Au/Ra