Name: Tara Gray
Birthday: December 22nd
Age: 13
Gender: Female
Appearance: Tara is a bit taller than average of most girls her age, and is an inch or two taller than Jasper, who fits the ideal height of a bratty teen. Even so, her height is still a conflicting issue for her, as she wants to match the height of both her substantial tall parents, if not for her also resenting similarities to them. Having had to live with separate parents isn't really an easy thing for someone young, which her taste in clothing and music reflects, as evident by her choosing mostly dark apparel, and interest in genres like rock or metal.
The colors of the Slytherin house is something she favors since going to Hogwarts, as it not only fits her taste in dark apparel, but also gets across the kind of authority that comes with the association of anything snake related. Like most kids her age, having to wear the school uniform is disdainful, which is the reason why she changes out of it when classes are done and over with for the day, before doing anything else. For the rare instances of being dragged into something altruistic, she reducio'd her casual clothes, which is kept in her pockets.
She takes after her dad when it comes to her lively blue eyes, sharp nose, and naturally arched eyebrows. While gaining her high cheekbones and light train of freckles that speckled her nose and cheeks, from her mother. These physical traits, while is appreciated, still is a reminder of her parents, who she often tries to close contact with.
Personality: Her father was a Pureblood proud and true, while her mother was a Muggle-Born. Such a pair needed to overlook some issues to actually come together, which they had, if her being meant anything at all. Having lived with separate parents for most of her life, both of who were usually too busy to actually spend time with her, had made her grew resentment and detachment towards her two parents. They didn't provide the kind of attention either her grandma, or babysitter was able to provide, which she did appreciate.
Tara's grandma never really picked a side when it came to her granddaughter, and even if she had, she knew full well regardless what Tara did was only for attention. While her babysitter actually got her into rock and metal, along with helping her get most of her current apparel. With one staying out of the way, and the other serving as encouragement, it only helped bring out Tara's stubborness. That included not wanting to spend too much of what her father gave the babysitter, and openly resenting her father sarcastically when she could.
It's nothing more than a defense mechanism however, and wanting to stay detached with her parents, as to not get hopeful for time she really couldn't get to spend with her parents. She did get into the house of Slytherin for a reason however, where befriending Jasper got her to learn to control her impulses, among other things, which can be seen in her body language. So Tara could hide how she's feeling should she feel the need to, which is rarely necessary, as she tends to get over things quickly, but would still pout about it if brought up.
More often than not however, she can be rather blunt when it comes to her actions, contrasting Jasper's personality, who is more careful with his words. They balance each other out in that way, and could possibly get into the altruistic situations they try to avoid, depending on the people they interact with, regardless of whether they're from the same house. This is evident in her interactions with those like Fitz and Morrison, both of who are Slytherin, and who she knows she has to be careful with, when it comes to her usual attitude.
Ancestry: Half-Blood
History: No one's life is perfect, and Tara's is a great example. Her father was a Pureblood proud and true, while her mother was a Muggle-Born. Both had obviously needed to look past their issues for them to really get together, which they did, for quite awhile. They lived together for a number of years, and with the changing views of society as time went on, it was only an uncommon sight for a couple like them not to be married. That didn't mean the two couldn't act like one, but their issues were usually resolved by the end of the day.
Everything changed however, when Tara had been sired, and news of it had reached her father. What was that old saying about a baby bringing couples closer? That saying could possibly apply to her family, but it also couldn't. Her father had expectantly left like some men do these days, when they're not ready to handle this kind of responsibility, and her mom definitely didn't let him get away with it on good terms. She had knew there was a possible chance of it happening, so she placed a Howler inside one of his possessions.
It shouldn't have been hard to guess what was said inside of the Howler, but more surprising really, that her once Ravenclaw mother could have possibly said all of that when angered. For a couple of years, Tara had grew up without a dad around, and her mother had to get help from family, to even manage to keep up with the house payments. There was also that old saying of mothers knowing best, and after what had happened, Tara's mother needed someone to support all of these negative feelings, spurred on by just her dad leaving like he did.
And when he had surprisingly came back, and apparently in a better position of society than he had before, things had occurred. Whether or not it was really reasonable for her father to have custody over her, since her parents were never actually married, didn't come into question for Wizard court, where her mother would have likely been favored anyway. Her parents had only argued, and a decision was made that Tara would live separately with one of them on a scheduled plan. Of course she would start to realize that this wasn't normal.
Like her mother, her father was busy, but by no means was she alone. Not really liking any of his brothers, her father had to hire a babysitter to watch over her. But it wasn't an easy process. Her father was a picky man, but one was actually found in a Half-Blood female. Tara was supposed to be able to relate better to her, since they were both Half-Bloods, and her father also found a certain quality of rebelliousness in her, that he wanted to rub off on Tara. This babysitter was who actually got Tara into dressing the way she actually does now.
While it was enjoyable, she couldn't really say she liked that her parents never really had time for her, despite meaning well. It did grew into resentment as she got older, which her mom nagged about, and her father had actually wanted. Most girls tend to go into a rebellious phase as they got older, and noticing her father never really nagged like her mother did, grew detached to get some kind of attention other than a reminder for the babysitter, but it didn't work. Being stubborn the few times she did get to talk to him however, did.
It stuck with her until she was actually old enough to attend Hogwarts, and after being placed into Slytherin, met Jasper. He was different the way he acted so proper for someone his age, and who really wouldn't ask about why? They easily became friends, and learned about the others faults, while teaching the other to be a little more in areas they lacked in. Her third year of Hogwarts was equally shared in enthusiasm, as Hogsmeade really wasn't a place she been to all that often. News of Jasper's curse, was nothing short but hilarious for her.
House: Slytherin
Extra: Her wand is made of Pine, with a Dragon Heartstring core, and the length of it is 11 inches.
