A portrait of a younger Ithilwen.
Ithilwen Indis Séregon.
She is far older than the Whomping Willow, though her appearance retains the smooth and soft touch of youth.
Ithilwen is incredibly tall, towering over most others. She is very slender, and all of her body appears elongated; her fingers and toes are long and narrow, as are her arms, legs, and neck. Her skin is smooth, and alabaster, making her appear as though she is made of marble. Her eyes are a wise, stormy grey, bordered by dark, spidery lashes. Her silver hair trails down the length of her back, swaying like fine silk, through which her long, pointed ears poke through. Her face has become sharper with age, and is not as soft as appears in her portrait.
Her robes are purest white, trimmed in silver silk. Her flowing skirts sweep the floor behind her, covering small slippered feet. The bodice of her dress comes to a point just below her waist, and climbs up a portion of her long neck. Her bell sleeves are made of a billowing, translucent white material that nearly brushes the floor when her hands are straight at her sides. Atop her head sits a silver circlet, from which a small, silver pendant dangles just above her nose.
She nearly always speaks softly and slowly, and rather formally. Her voice is always steady, even in the most dire of situations, and is very soothing to the ear. She has a very slight British accent.
Ithilwen comes across as incredibly serene, in both appearance and personality, though when the need arises she becomes strong and her presence demanding. She appears as though she could never be phased, a trait most trouble-makers appreciate. Her tranquility seems to spread through those that surround her, allowing her to communicate with even the most hot-headed of individuals. Most feel relaxed when in her presence.
She is incredibly calm and level-headed, allowing her to think clearly at all times. She is wise from her many years in this world, and clever from her teachings and studies. She is willing to make mistakes and learn from them.
Her decision-making process is lengthy, as she prefers to weigh every option thoroughly before deciding which is best. She is very forgiving, though she often wonders if she is, perhaps, too willing to forgive more cruel students.
Ithilwen keeps much of her past to herself. Even her most trusted of friends knows very little of her true story.
Part I: Simple beginnings.
Nobody knows Ithilwen's true date of birth, as she merely brushes the question off with a reply of 'You never ask a Lady her age.' However, her birth, whenever that might have been, was to an elf druid and a usually vacant British wizard father, who worked as a young Unspeakable for the Ministry of Magic.
Ithilwen was raised on the belief that she was to always think for herself, and test any information given to her with her own logic. She was told that knowledge was power, and was advised, therefore, to treat it as such. Teachings are important, and should be sought after and truly appreciated.
She was taught that there consists, throughout the world, a perfect balance in nature, and that this balance was in direct relation to the balance of her own mind. If she allowed her mind to become 'polluted' with unpleasant or harmful thoughts, she was throwing off the balance. To the elves, and her mother especially, everything is connected.
Her childhood was, therefore, very quiet, and much of her time was spent being taught by her mother. She wished to know everything her mother did, so as to be only half as wise as someone she looked up to and held so dearly. Eventually though, her mother's knowledge would no longer satisfy Ithilwen's desire to learn further of her father's side of herself.
Part II: A thirst for knowledge.
Following her teachings as a young elf, Ithilwen decided to pursue knowledge, which, to her, was the ultimate ally in any situation. To begin this journey, she sought to attend a school. She did not receive a letter to Hogwarts due to the fact that the aging process of elves is almost completely incomprehensible to humans, even the most learned and powerful wizards. Being only a half elf, Ithilwen received an especially rare method of growth and development that not even she is entirely sure of.
In order to attend Hogwarts, she spoke with the then-Headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, who thought she seemed quite wise for her age, and accepted her request. She began school in 1974, and was promptly sorted into Ravenclaw. She spent most of her days studying, though her strong memory left little need. She excelled especially in the subject of Herbology, being already learned from her mother of the nature of a multitude of magical and muggle plants.
Part III: Life after Hogwarts.
Ithilwen used the teachings she had collected at Hogwarts to become a Healer. Because she was not a pure elf, she did not possess all the qualities required to become a druid like her mother; namely, she was not a pureblood elf. So, she decided she would follow a similar path in the wizarding world, and later became a healer among wizards rather than elves.
She worked as the primary healer on the third floor of St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries for many years after her graduation from Hogwarts. Her knowledge of muggle plants as well as magical ones was prized among the Healer community, allowing her to treat those who had had an incident with a poisonous plant completely unknown to them.
Although she greatly enjoyed her position, she felt as though she was not able to contribute to the wizarding world as her mother had contributed to her community. She was, therefore, ecstatic to be asked to join the reformation of the Order of the Phoenix.
Part IV: A storm is coming.
The Second Wizarding War caused utter turmoil among wizarding communities. The Ministry had still refused to accept Lord Voldemort's return, and so Ithilwen took to educating those still in the dark of Voldemort's plans to take control of the wizarding world, and the Order's desire to stop him. She often was treated as though she were mad, and was sometimes referred to as 'that crazy elf'.
Her position was to keep the Order educated on the state of things at the Ministry, through her father. She recruited him to keep watch on and protect the Department of Mysteries, for what little they knew of Voldemort's plans included a desire to collect something from deep within the Ministry.
Her father was one of the last of the Order to be killed defending the Department of Mysteries from Voldemort before he changed tactics in order to collect what he desired. Ithilwen did not hear of this tragedy until the Order had returned from the Battle of the Ministry. When she did hear tell of this, however, she vowed to fight in whatever battle this war culminated in.
She kept her word, fighting valiantly in an effort to protect Hogwarts, and, by extension, the entirety of Britain, from Voldemort's forces. With the rest of the Order and the many others who persisted through the fight, they protected Hogwarts and fought back Voldemort's forces until Harry Potter ended the war single-handedly. During the battle she thought of her father, who, although he had not been present through much of her childhood, had given his life to protect something on his daughter's orders.
Part V: A time of reflection.
Ithilwen returned to stay with her mother for a time after the end of the Second Wizarding War and her father's passing, but the grief of the war eventually became too great for the elf to handle. Her mother fell ill and passed soon after Ithilwen had returned, leaving her daughter without any family left.
This final loss inspired her to return to private teachings in her private library, where she became very reserved, but all the wiser. She returned to the way of life she had grown up with, having lost it in the midst of a war in what seemed like another world entirely. After a time of peace to herself, she heard wind of McGonagall's passing, and was asked to return to Hogwarts, a place she had not visited since the battle.
Ithilwen was appointed the Headmistress in 2017, making this year her thirty-first as Headmistress.
She has a fifteen inch Willow wand that is described as inflexible, with a hippogriff feather core that bonded with her because of her mother's noble blood. The wand is incredibly smooth from the many, many years of wear Ithilwen has put it through, though she has cared for it well.
Her greatest joy in life is learning, as her knowledge is her most prized possession. She can often be found reading through a volume taken from the enormous collection of books in her office. She also enjoys wandering the grounds, seemingly aimlessly.
Ithilwen's patronus is that of a large, white unicorn.
