Name: Celeste Connelly
Gender: Female
Age: 19
Wand: 13" Hazel, Fairy wings
Occupation: Daily Prophet Reporter
Most Personal Desires:
1. To have her own family.
2. To do whatever she can to help the Order.
3. To interpret her visions and prophecies correctly,
and somehow be able to tap into her Inner Eye.
Celeste was born in 2021 to Muggles Serena and David Connelly. Serena, a big artist in the city, hadn't planned on having a child - and neither had David, a gallery owner in London. Celeste was somewhat of an 'accident,' and her status with her parents didn't improve much over the years. It was enough that from when she was young she displayed odd signs of intuition and freak accidents that greatly disturbed her parents, who's already strained relationship was beginning to fall apart completely. She was always a mystery to them, having moments of strange intelligence that troubled her parents deeply - they began to think that something was seriously wrong with their daughter. That was, until the letter from Hogwarts arrived, with a real wizard delivering it. Still shaken, they sent Celeste off without another word. Her parents never truly accepted her for what she was, though they didn't hate her - she was just different.
In school, she found other people like herself, though no one else seemed to be able to explain why she was so intuitive - except for her Divination professor. Divination, while others thought it pointless, was something that she excelled in. Average in her other classes, she had found her niche. Not only that, however, but she had made friends. Celeste was pretty with her ocean blue eyes and long blonde hair, popular, eager to make others happy, and genuinely warm and interested in people. Her first year, she met Nymphadora Lupin, and from their first night in the Gryffindor dormitories, they were instant best friends. Through the years, they stuck together, fighting through whatever was thrown at them. Never once did they doubt each other or their easy friendship, and soon grew to be closer than sisters. It was only natural that Celeste fell for Nymphadora's older brother, the troubled Romulus. Always somewhat of a bad boy, Celeste saw a good heart, and they saw too much of each other not to be attracted. Even when he began to show signs of severe anger and depression, she loved him, and had since her fifth year. They remained together for the next four years, all the while remaining best friends with Nymph.
Celeste made her first prophecy when she was sixteen. It had seemed to be about nothing, but when it was later discovered to have come true, Celeste was recognized as a Seer. She had always been rather intuitive, but until then she'd had no idea what she could do. She graduated Hogwarts and began to work for the Daily Prophet as a freelance writer. She, Romulus, and Nymph all lived together in a large flat on the East side of London. When her best friend joined the Order of the Phoenix, it was only natural that she joined too, though she wasn't sure what she had to offer. She made another prophecy not long after, predicting the "fall of a great kingdom," she'd had no idea that it had meant Hogwarts. When the attacks came not a day later, Celeste had been distraught over not having interpreted her vision correctly, but that wasn't all she had on her plate.
"Rom?" Celeste entered their shared bedroom quietly, as if she were walking on eggshells. Romulus's dark hair fell over his eyes as he wrote his letter. "Is this a bad time?" she asked. Her boyfriend looked up at her, first with anger in his eyes, but then they softened a bit. She could have sworn she'd seen a smile on his face. He set down his pen and turned to her. "I... I have something to tell you." Celeste could see the turmoil that started in his eyes. She was always good at detecting what he was feeling or thinking, though he had been so distant from her lately. She smiled weakly for a moment sitting down on the bed next to him. "It's not really bad... At least, I don't think so," Celeste told him.
His brows furrowed. "What is it?" Romulus asked her.
Taking a deep breath, she looked at he hands. It took her a few moments, but finally she spit it out. "Romulus... I'm pregnant." It was such a cliche thing for a teenage girl to say to her boyfriend, and she could hardly believe the words as they left her mouth. Romulus simply looked at her. She had been hoping that this would settle him down, make him realize that he was loved and there was no reason to be so angry all of the time. But his face remained blank.
"Are you trying to tell me that you've cheated on me?" he asked, his voice deadly calm. Fear struck her heart.
"No, Romulus! No, I'd never. It's... it's your child, Romulus. Our child. A baby girl, I saw her in a vision after I found out, and she's beautiful-" she started to explain, but the light above them shattered. It was then that she could see Romulus's rage.
If he spoke at all, Celeste didn't hear him. Romulus began to tear the room apart, part by magic and part by brute force. She cowered against the bedpost, her eyes unable to understand what was happening. She didn't See this! Celeste hadn't had any idea this was coming. It was as if a hurricane had hit their bedroom, and when Celeste finally opened her eyes to see the destruction, Romulus was gone. Tears in her eyes and a sob choking her, she ran to the fireplace, throwing Floo powder into the fire and sticking her head through. "Teddy!" she called, pleading frantically, her cry desperate. "Teddy Lupin!"
Nymphadora and Romulus's father had always been incredibly kind to her. He had enjoyed her companionship to his daughter, and had high hopes for his son when he brought her home as his girlfriend. He was always busy with the Order, helping the Leader Victor Hughs and founder, Aurelia Lightwick, as much as he was able to. The loss of his godfather, the man who had raised him, as well as those who he was lucky enough to call his siblings had been hard on him, but Celeste had seen nothing other than a hero, a great man. Less than twenty four hours after she had called them, both Teddy Lupin and Victor Hughes were in her living room.
Victor was a strongly built man, inside and out. He had been one out of only three of the Aurors that Harry Potter had ever chosen to train outside of his own family. Engaged to the infamous Elisabeth Ryder, who was also known for her good deeds, he was a man that everyone looked up to. They were the ones who had recieved Romulus's letter, only an hour after he had left. He had given himself to the Mistress, and had joined the other side. He had abandoned her, and betrayed his family, as well as everyone in the Order. Celeste had always known him to be a bit rough around the edges, but a traitor? That had not been the Romulus she had fallen in love with. It was there, in her living room, that she told them about why he had left, about her pregnancy. They offered her a place to stay at Grimmauld place, a permanent home away from where Romulus could find her, and at first she began to decline. Then, her blue eyes looked around her, to the mess that had been created of her home, of her life, and accepted.
Celeste had already packed all of her things. Thanks to Eleanor Potter, to whom the house officially belonged, her permanent residence was Grimmauld Place. She would have asked to move in with Nymphadora, but she already did so much for her that Celeste felt that it would strain their relationship - and the last thing she wanted was to upset her best friend. They were far too close for her to want to do something like that. The flat she and Romulus had once shared was now empty, all of his stuff vanished to Merlin knew where. Celeste hadn't looked back. Today, however, she had wanted to get away from Grimmauld place and all of it's odd noises at night, and had decided to trespass on Nymph's hospitality for a little bit. The little flat was completely silent as she lay down most of the day in Nymph's bed, fighting off the waves of nausea and her headaches. But that wasn't where she was when she got the 'feeling' that Nymph would be walking through the door with the supplies to make chicken soup - she was in the bathroom, holding the magical contraption that was supposed to tell her if she was carrying a child or not. Of course Celeste had Seen it, but she still needed proof. Made just like a Muggle pregnancy test, only it was completely accurate.
Celeste heard her best friend walk in the door about the same time that the test was finished. Ah, well there it was. A confirmation of what she already knew. Even though she had already Seen herself having the child, Celeste's eyes began to fill as she thought of what this meant. What everyone would think. Moving into the kitchen, she met Nymphadora's eyes. If there was one person in the world that she would tell, it would be her best friend. Funny to think that they had dreamed of this, that one day they would really be sisters (at least, in law) and she would have cute little baby Lupins. But this wasn't how things were supposed to be. You were supposed to be married before you had children. That was the respectable thing to do. A soft sniffle escaped her as her eyes began to redden. "I'm pregnant." If she had ever need a hug in her entire life, it was now.
While other girls dreamed about their families that they would have one day, Celeste had shied away from that topic. It wasn't that she didn't want a baby - in fact, she loved little children, of all ages. She just didn't think that she would be an adequate mother, especially not by herself. Her own mother had been harsh, cruel, even at the best of times, and Celeste had not known a mother's love until she had come to Hogwarts and met Eleanor Potter, and then joined the order, where there were plenty of mothers to go around. Nymphadora took care of her too, and she always felt incredibly grateful to those around her. But she never thought that she would be ready to be a mother - especially not now. Her best friend looked at her in shock for a moment, before wrapping her arms around her neck. Celeste returned the hug whole-heartedly, tears falling down her face. As Nymphadora pulled away a bit, brushing the hair out of Celeste's face, there was an obvious excitement in her voice as she whispered, "A baby." Celeste couldn't help it - she smiled, at the same time a choked sob escaped her.
"A baby girl," she corrected, having seen it in her vision. "A tiny little baby girl." She could tell that Nymphadora was much more excited than Celeste had predicted. Nymphadora had taken Romulus's betrayal well, considering that it had been her brother, but Celeste had still expected her to be a bit more... well, not excited.
"A girl?" she squealed. Nymph hugged her once more, and Celeste could not contain her grin. "Do you realize how much shopping there is to do?" While Nymph didn't believe herself to be good at much other than cooking and being cheerful, she loved shopping. She probably loved the idea of finding clothing for that little girl.
Biting her lip for a moment, another smile crossed her face unwillingly. "I am excited," she told her friend. "I am. It's just... with the whole Romulus thing..." Celeste looked away, Romulus's treason still hurt her heart, but every time she thought about it, she felt bad for Nymphadora. She felt as though it had been her fault. Biting her lip again, she held Nymphadora's hands for a moment. When Celeste mentioned her brother, Nymph waved it away.
"There's only enough room for one Lupin to spoil this child, thank you," she grinned, "And I would be very upset if I wasn't the Lupin to do it." Celeste felt a soft smile cross her face. The gratutiude she felt for her best friend could not be expressed in words. Just when Celeste had needed her the most, Nymphadora had pulled through.
"And you have nine months to help me think of a name." Well, her best friend knew. And Nymphadora didn't think she was some kind of slut or anything. She didn't think she was an idiot, not that she mentioned. Dora was exited for her - maybe this wouldn't be too bad. Her best friend wouldn't let her mess up too much as a mother. A baby girl. "What was that I heard about chicken soup?" Celeste asked, starting to put away the groceries for her.
"I got the ingredients to make it," Dora explained. "I was going to set the stock on the stove, let it heat up while I cut the vegetables." She rinsed off the veggies, and pulled out a cutting board. "You can start on the noodles, if you're up to it." The Seer began to do just that, smiling up at her friend. No, this wouldn't be so hard. Not when she had Dora by her side. Then, nothing would be impossible.
Her splitting headache was all that Celeste could think about. She often had headaches before an oncoming vision, and knew that she would most likely have one in the next two days. However, there was a nausea in her stomach that could only be explained by one thing. Her head was still ringing from the last Order meeting where Victor had given everyone the news about Romulus Lupin. It had been hard enough hearing it for the first time. For weeks, he had been depressed, angry, even violent. Especially since she had told him... At the moment, only a handful of people knew that she was with child. Teddy Lupin, of course, as she trusted him more than almost anyone else. Her best friend, Nymph. Romulus. And Victor. Everyone had been supportive - everyone except for Romulus. She wasn't angry with herself. No, even though she was nearly three months into the pregnancy, she knew that she would never hate herself for this. Or herself, or anyone because of it. However, Romulus running away... now that was another story entirely. She blamed herself partly - who wouldn't? - and as she sat in on the meeting where Victor announced it, Celeste could hardly hold back the tears. They had been together four years, he was her first real love, even if they had been falling apart for a long time.
Celeste now lived at Grimmauld place, away from the home that contained so many memories. She confined herself to the halls where someone would find her if she were to go into a trance, keeping close to others but making sure not to disturb them. This late, she expected only Victor to be still awake, as her own stomach pains kept her from sleeping. She was three months along now, and the back pains were killing her. Celeste's stomach was beginning to swell, too, and it wouldn't be but a few more weeks before she would no longer be able to hide it under baggy clothing. Before she had to face everyone with the truth. Her hand gently rubbed the soft skin below her naval as she entered what she thought would be an empty room, but when she noticed that there was an occupant she quickly removed her hand, covering herself up with her jacket. It was Genevieve Shire, one of the ex-Aurors that helped keep the Order running. Celeste was not a fighter, she could hardly duel - it was only with her gift of Sight that she was useful to the Order. Celeste put on a small smile. "Do you mind if I join you?" she asked. "There are noises upstairs and... well, I'd rather have some company right now." Because I'm a wreck, of course. Her small attempt at a smile was only partly successful - Celeste had never been good at hiding things from people.
Tall and lean, Gene had a soft face but harsh brown eyes and hair. Celeste had seen her in many different ways, from the kind expressions when dealing with her niece and nephew, to the way her face showed the bitterness towards that which life has dealt her while dealing with others. Genevieve looked up at her, sipping her wine. "No, no," she said, "Of course." She even cleared some room so that Celeste could sit next to her. She felt incredibly thankful, after Romulus's words to her she was grateful for any small bit of kindness, not taking one word or action for granted.
"Thank you," she told her sincerely. She was working on something important for the Order, Celeste didn't have to have a vision to see that, though she didn't look at any of the papers too specifically. She didn't want to invade on her privacy. Celeste wasn't one for all of the planning, either. In her mind, she was pretty useless about ninety percent of the time, unless she had a vision. Except she did make pretty good biscuits, and always had tea for everyone. "You work so hard," Celeste observed, the wonder evident in her voice. "All of you do." Her headache began to pulsate against her temple for a moment, but after a little bit of rubbing it went away. Just a side effect, of course. Celeste had been having headaches since she was four years old - it was nothing new or a reason to be fussed over about. In fact for the Order it was a good sign, as it meant that a Vision was coming soon.
"I must confess, that staying absorbed in our work allows us to keep what little sanity we have left." After the older woman said it, it made perfect sense to Celeste. Only, she hadn't written an single article for the Daily since Romulus's disappearance. After news of that, the Prophet had given her a few weeks off to recuperate, but as each day went by she felt less and less muse to write. What good did writing for a damn paper do in the war, anyway? Told people that their cousins, teachers, students, mentors were dead? That wasn't something she wanted to write about.
When she put her hands down, she was surprised to see Genevieve take them into her own, like a mother would. This startled Celeste, who wasn't always used to such affection. Her own mother had never been too caring for the little things like that. Of course she didn't pull away or anything; it really was a wonderful feeling. Genevieve was a mother too, or at least a foster mother to her niece and nephew, and Celeste was honored that she was extending her motherly affection to her. "Now then. How are you, my dear?" she asked, and Celeste bit her lip.
"I..." she hesitated. "I'm holding up, of course," she said. "I mean I wasn't the only one hurt when," Celeste added, but stopped. She would know what the girl meant. Pausing for a moment, there was a hesitation in her eyes. Celeste wanted to tell her about her pregnancy. She would understand, wouldn't she? She wouldn't look at the nineteen year old girl as if she was a mistake, would she?
"Yes. But you were, perhaps, affected the most?" Gene asked of her. Letting out a small silent sigh, she met Gene's gaze. "Maybe," she halfway agreed. "I know Teddy's taking it hard though. I think it was just so unexpected. Like we were all so wrapped up in everything else that no one really saw the sign. I didn't even See it." She had Seen a lot of things coming, but not this one. Things didn't often take her by surprise, but somehow this one had slipped through the cracks.
"And how are you? And Avery and Synnthia?" Celeste asked her, holding her hands a bit tighter. These were her nephew and niece, twp kids that Celeste had the privilege of meeting. It was her understanding that they had gone through a very rough time recently with their biological mother. While being a Muggleborn did put her in great danger, it also meant that she was usually unaffected by deaths in the wizarding world as far as her family went. She still had friends, though, and had lost many in the Fall. However, when the conversation turned to Avery and Synnthia, she could see the turmoil in the woman's face. It was the same look in many others. Only three or so years older than them, Celeste knew the kids from Hogwarts, having even been in the same house as one of them. She'd seen them in Quidditch games, out in the Courtyard.
"They're fine, I suppose."
Celeste looked up at Gene, speaking with confidence as she said, "I know it might not mean a whole lot coming from me, but they're great kids. They've just been through a lot, but everything will work itself out in due time. I know it." And she did. Celeste always went with her instinct, no matter what it told her to do. People? People lied and could be misled, but not her gift. It had never been wrong yet. Pausing a moment, Celeste breathed a deep sigh, fighting off a wave of nausea. "Can... Can I tell you something?" she asked her, biting her lip. She waited for something in her mind to start screaming no, to tell her not to. But there was nothing. That must mean that it would be okay. "You must'nt judge me too harshly," Celeste pleaded.
"Naturally," she said, egging her to go on warmly. "It's not my place to judge you, Celeste, and I have no wish to. What ever you have to say is safe with me." Only a moment's hesitation did she wait, until she finally confided everything to the older woman.
"I'm pregnant," Celeste stated, though her eyes lacked the shame that had been in them when she'd told Victor. Everyone had assured her that there was nothing to be ashamed of. New life was a wonderful thing. But she was still worried... "Three and a half months, actually. I had just told Romulus when he... well, when he left." There it was. A small smile crossed her face for a moment. "I've even Seen her already." And she was beautiful. Tiny, frail, fragile... but beautiful. "I'm just scared to do it alone. I'm not going to be looking for a Dad to take care of her, and I don't think I could fall in love again - at least not anytime soon. It terrifies me. She terrifies me."
"I'm sure she'll be beautiful," Gene smiled. "And you have nothing to fear," she assured the girl. "She'll have us," she told her, and Celeste believed her. "The Order may not be the ideal place to raise a child, but I'm sure everyone would be happy to assist you in whatever you need." She meant it. The Order took care of their own. "I can't say that it won't be trying, but we are here for you, Celeste." The younger girl smiled warmly, fully for the first time in days.
But within a moment, everything in the room seemed to stop. Her hands grasped onto Gene's as her breathing became ragged. Her blonde hair fell into her face as she looked down and when her face rose, the whites of her eyes showed. She was no longer there, in mind or spirit.
They who thought for light, is not.
They who thought for dark, is not.
Two souls in betrayal, never suspected until shown.
Each will bring their own to demise.
Celeste opened her eyes from her vision to see Victor Hughes and the ancient Aurelia Lightwick watching over her, their faces lined with worry, before she blacked out.
