Post by DELANEY ZABINI on Jan 2, 2023 18:23:34 GMT
DELANEY IMOGEN ZABINI
VITAL STATS
FULL NAME: Delaney Zabini
ALIAS: Lane
BIRTHDAY: january 2, 1996
AGE: 27
GENDER: female
ORIENTATION: Heterosexual
BLOOD STATUS: Pureblood
OCCUPATION: healer
POWER: werewolf – Shawna is lending me the galleons to buy this ability
PLAYBY: zendaya
ALIAS: Lane
BIRTHDAY: january 2, 1996
AGE: 27
GENDER: female
ORIENTATION: Heterosexual
BLOOD STATUS: Pureblood
OCCUPATION: healer
POWER: werewolf – Shawna is lending me the galleons to buy this ability
PLAYBY: zendaya
THE CHARACTER
act I. (1 – 11 years)
Blood. Purity. Superiority. Wealth. Status.
Being a Zabini means I have an image to uphold and expectations I need to meet. But how do you meet the expectations that are set impossibly high? I often wondered that, but I could never figure it out. It wasn't as if my parents would ever explain it if I asked. Sometimes, I wondered if they set the bar so high that I had no choice but to fail, but I was determined to do my best.
As a child, I was homeschooled by my mother. And while she taught me the general subjects of math, reading, writing, and a few others, her main focus was on practical magic. Even though I was too young to use a wand, I was taught how to do everything that didn't involve using magic. The last thing they wanted was for the Ministry to start breathing down their necks because I used a wand before I was old enough to have one.
I developed an aptitude for potions, and my mother fed that. Despite my protests, she began spending more time on that subject than any other. I didn't mind potions; I loved it, but I wanted to do other things too. Focusing too much on potions would make me hate them in the future; I was sure of that. But mother knew best. So I learned to play the piano that sat in our drawing room on my own and became quite proficient with it.
Once I received my Hogwarts letter, my mother took me to Diagon Alley to get my school things. She made sure to buy me all the best things, and then we met one of her friends and their Hogwarts-bound child for lunch before we headed home. Once we got home, my mother made me start studying my books. She wanted me to have the edge over the other kids when I started school. And while I was eager to read the books, I wanted to do it at my own pace. She felt otherwise.
September the first came, and I was loaded up on the Hogwarts Express for the first time. My father brought me that day as he was heading in that direction for work. I was glad my mother didn't come because I knew she would have only made me promise her a million things about studying on the train. My father just made sure I got on the train and then left. He didn't even tell me goodbye.
ACT II. (11 – 18 YEARS)
Hogwarts was an entirely different world than I knew. I had only ever been around those who were purebloods and who my parents thought were worthy of our presence. Now, I was surrounded by many other people of mixed blood. Because I was raised to believe they were beneath me, I didn't spare any of them much of a second glance. I only talked to those I knew my parents would approve of and gave the cold shoulder to the rest. I wasn't there to make friends anyway. I was there to learn.
I excelled in school. My sorted house of Ravenclaw was acceptable to my parents when I had written to tell them, as instructed by my mother before I left home that first morning. While it wasn't Slytherin like they hoped for, Ravenclaw was just as good. Should I have been surprised that I started my Hogwarts career disappointing my parents? Sure, they said Ravenclaw was okay to them, but I knew they were only saying that because there was no way I could switch. At least it wasn't Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, as my mother said that Christmas.
And whenever I came home for the holidays or summers, my mother would make me study and continue to hone my magical abilities. I couldn't legally use magic outside of Hogwarts, but I could do the practical stuff like potions and even study Herbology in my mother's greenhouse. I was only allowed to leave the house or see others when I went somewhere with my parents to a private party. I would get to hang out with the kids of my parent's friends, but that was the extent of my social time outside of Hogwarts.
I carried on in the same manner for my remaining years at Hogwarts. I studied my ass off and obtained nearly perfect marks on my O.W.L.s. Of course, my parents weren't happy because I missed getting an O on two of my exams, but I still did very well. I couldn't understand why they were so upset. I had done exceptionally well, better than many others, but they were still unhappy. So I knew I had to double my efforts come my last two years. And that is what I did.
I probably spent more time in the library than anywhere else in the castle during my last two school years. I focused on my classes and made sure I did all of my homework. I saw fewer people I once spent my free time with, but that was because I needed to study. The last thing I wanted was to listen to my parents complain again about me not getting better grades. I had all Outstanding marks in my sight, and that was what I wanted to obtain.
Unfortunately, the week I was scheduled to take my N.E.W.T.s in my seventh year, I got sick and was under the weather. I got all O's except for one class and was angry at myself. I knew I would have gotten them all perfect if I hadn’t been sick, but my parents did not explain that. My mother was furious with me and spent that entire summer harping on the fact that I got an Exceeding Expectations in History of Magic, neglecting that I got Outstanding in all my other classes. It was as if none of the good was there for her to see; all she cared about was the lesser grade, even though it was still good.
ACT III. (18 – 24 YEARS)
My mother wanted me to further my dedication after I finished Hogwarts, and she was able to get me into the training program at St. Mungo's. She felt there would be the best place for me to do more with potions and learn more things. Granted, I knew she didn't want me to be a healer, but she knew it was an excellent place to start. As she put it, it gave her time to figure something else out for me until she could secure an arranged marriage.
I never talked back to her about the idea of an arranged marriage. I didn't care for that and had no interest in a relationship. Though an arranged marriage was certainly not done for a relationship. It was for the connections, and I had to do something for my parents. That's what I often heard my mother say when she and my father talked about it when they thought I couldn't hear. They should have lowered their voices.
I ended up enjoying my time at St. Mungo's, so much that I didn't want to leave when my mother told me I had to. She'd secured something better, but I was doing well there, and I didn't want to give that up. It was the first time I’d ever talked back to her, and I was surprised when she relented. I wasn't sure if that was a victory for me, but I would go with it for as long as possible. I had let her dictate my entire life thus far but told her that I would have at least some control over my adult life.
But then, everything in my life would change. A werewolf had bitten a man, but he never told anyone. So when he was admitted to the ward I was working on, he never received his Wolfsbane potion. I was there on the night of the full moon when he transformed. I heard his screaming and went to check on him. That's when he attacked me. He was put down by another Healer who happened upon me, and then that Healer saved me. Unfortunately, he couldn't heal the lycanthropy that had been transferred to me.
When my parents learned what happened, they were livid. My mother blamed me for what happened because I was the one who chose to join that field. She said I never would have been there and attacked if I had chosen something more to her liking. I, of course, argued back, but my words fell on deaf ears. My mother then wrote an owl to Gringotts, informing them to transfer ten thousand galleons into my vault (I got it once I started working at St. Mungo's) and then told me to get out of the home I grew up in. She told me never to return, and I haven’t stepped foot in my parents' house since.
ACT IV. (24 YEARS – PRESENT)
Before leaving my childhood home for the last time, I was given time to pack a few things. I used magic to shrink as much as I could so I wouldn't need to spend so much of the money my mother was gracious giving me on things I didn't need. I then traveled to Diagon Alley to get some of my money. I stayed at the Leaky Cauldron for a week until I could secure my own flat.
I've been working on the Magical Poisoning floor of St. Mungo's. I prepare my Wolfsbane potion every month and take it with enough time to work. I am pretty content with my life currently.
My mind had changed about many things since my parents disowned me. I learned that nothing made anyone better or worse than another beyond their choices and outlook on life. Being born into a pureblood family didn't make me any better than the kid with two Muggle parents; my life and choices determined that. It's amazing what you learn when you fall into hard times. And since I was now considered a monster by those I once called my family and friends, I am willing to help those I once looked down on. I wasn't any better than them. Everything I've been taught was a lie.
Blood. Purity. Superiority. Wealth. Status.
Being a Zabini means I have an image to uphold and expectations I need to meet. But how do you meet the expectations that are set impossibly high? I often wondered that, but I could never figure it out. It wasn't as if my parents would ever explain it if I asked. Sometimes, I wondered if they set the bar so high that I had no choice but to fail, but I was determined to do my best.
As a child, I was homeschooled by my mother. And while she taught me the general subjects of math, reading, writing, and a few others, her main focus was on practical magic. Even though I was too young to use a wand, I was taught how to do everything that didn't involve using magic. The last thing they wanted was for the Ministry to start breathing down their necks because I used a wand before I was old enough to have one.
I developed an aptitude for potions, and my mother fed that. Despite my protests, she began spending more time on that subject than any other. I didn't mind potions; I loved it, but I wanted to do other things too. Focusing too much on potions would make me hate them in the future; I was sure of that. But mother knew best. So I learned to play the piano that sat in our drawing room on my own and became quite proficient with it.
Once I received my Hogwarts letter, my mother took me to Diagon Alley to get my school things. She made sure to buy me all the best things, and then we met one of her friends and their Hogwarts-bound child for lunch before we headed home. Once we got home, my mother made me start studying my books. She wanted me to have the edge over the other kids when I started school. And while I was eager to read the books, I wanted to do it at my own pace. She felt otherwise.
September the first came, and I was loaded up on the Hogwarts Express for the first time. My father brought me that day as he was heading in that direction for work. I was glad my mother didn't come because I knew she would have only made me promise her a million things about studying on the train. My father just made sure I got on the train and then left. He didn't even tell me goodbye.
ACT II. (11 – 18 YEARS)
Hogwarts was an entirely different world than I knew. I had only ever been around those who were purebloods and who my parents thought were worthy of our presence. Now, I was surrounded by many other people of mixed blood. Because I was raised to believe they were beneath me, I didn't spare any of them much of a second glance. I only talked to those I knew my parents would approve of and gave the cold shoulder to the rest. I wasn't there to make friends anyway. I was there to learn.
I excelled in school. My sorted house of Ravenclaw was acceptable to my parents when I had written to tell them, as instructed by my mother before I left home that first morning. While it wasn't Slytherin like they hoped for, Ravenclaw was just as good. Should I have been surprised that I started my Hogwarts career disappointing my parents? Sure, they said Ravenclaw was okay to them, but I knew they were only saying that because there was no way I could switch. At least it wasn't Gryffindor or Hufflepuff, as my mother said that Christmas.
And whenever I came home for the holidays or summers, my mother would make me study and continue to hone my magical abilities. I couldn't legally use magic outside of Hogwarts, but I could do the practical stuff like potions and even study Herbology in my mother's greenhouse. I was only allowed to leave the house or see others when I went somewhere with my parents to a private party. I would get to hang out with the kids of my parent's friends, but that was the extent of my social time outside of Hogwarts.
I carried on in the same manner for my remaining years at Hogwarts. I studied my ass off and obtained nearly perfect marks on my O.W.L.s. Of course, my parents weren't happy because I missed getting an O on two of my exams, but I still did very well. I couldn't understand why they were so upset. I had done exceptionally well, better than many others, but they were still unhappy. So I knew I had to double my efforts come my last two years. And that is what I did.
I probably spent more time in the library than anywhere else in the castle during my last two school years. I focused on my classes and made sure I did all of my homework. I saw fewer people I once spent my free time with, but that was because I needed to study. The last thing I wanted was to listen to my parents complain again about me not getting better grades. I had all Outstanding marks in my sight, and that was what I wanted to obtain.
Unfortunately, the week I was scheduled to take my N.E.W.T.s in my seventh year, I got sick and was under the weather. I got all O's except for one class and was angry at myself. I knew I would have gotten them all perfect if I hadn’t been sick, but my parents did not explain that. My mother was furious with me and spent that entire summer harping on the fact that I got an Exceeding Expectations in History of Magic, neglecting that I got Outstanding in all my other classes. It was as if none of the good was there for her to see; all she cared about was the lesser grade, even though it was still good.
ACT III. (18 – 24 YEARS)
My mother wanted me to further my dedication after I finished Hogwarts, and she was able to get me into the training program at St. Mungo's. She felt there would be the best place for me to do more with potions and learn more things. Granted, I knew she didn't want me to be a healer, but she knew it was an excellent place to start. As she put it, it gave her time to figure something else out for me until she could secure an arranged marriage.
I never talked back to her about the idea of an arranged marriage. I didn't care for that and had no interest in a relationship. Though an arranged marriage was certainly not done for a relationship. It was for the connections, and I had to do something for my parents. That's what I often heard my mother say when she and my father talked about it when they thought I couldn't hear. They should have lowered their voices.
I ended up enjoying my time at St. Mungo's, so much that I didn't want to leave when my mother told me I had to. She'd secured something better, but I was doing well there, and I didn't want to give that up. It was the first time I’d ever talked back to her, and I was surprised when she relented. I wasn't sure if that was a victory for me, but I would go with it for as long as possible. I had let her dictate my entire life thus far but told her that I would have at least some control over my adult life.
But then, everything in my life would change. A werewolf had bitten a man, but he never told anyone. So when he was admitted to the ward I was working on, he never received his Wolfsbane potion. I was there on the night of the full moon when he transformed. I heard his screaming and went to check on him. That's when he attacked me. He was put down by another Healer who happened upon me, and then that Healer saved me. Unfortunately, he couldn't heal the lycanthropy that had been transferred to me.
When my parents learned what happened, they were livid. My mother blamed me for what happened because I was the one who chose to join that field. She said I never would have been there and attacked if I had chosen something more to her liking. I, of course, argued back, but my words fell on deaf ears. My mother then wrote an owl to Gringotts, informing them to transfer ten thousand galleons into my vault (I got it once I started working at St. Mungo's) and then told me to get out of the home I grew up in. She told me never to return, and I haven’t stepped foot in my parents' house since.
ACT IV. (24 YEARS – PRESENT)
Before leaving my childhood home for the last time, I was given time to pack a few things. I used magic to shrink as much as I could so I wouldn't need to spend so much of the money my mother was gracious giving me on things I didn't need. I then traveled to Diagon Alley to get some of my money. I stayed at the Leaky Cauldron for a week until I could secure my own flat.
I've been working on the Magical Poisoning floor of St. Mungo's. I prepare my Wolfsbane potion every month and take it with enough time to work. I am pretty content with my life currently.
My mind had changed about many things since my parents disowned me. I learned that nothing made anyone better or worse than another beyond their choices and outlook on life. Being born into a pureblood family didn't make me any better than the kid with two Muggle parents; my life and choices determined that. It's amazing what you learn when you fall into hard times. And since I was now considered a monster by those I once called my family and friends, I am willing to help those I once looked down on. I wasn't any better than them. Everything I've been taught was a lie.
OUT OF CHARACTER
My Name is JEN and I play 1 character (FITZWILLIAM GARDNER ) aside from this one, and I live in EST.
