Name Kassandra Caridad Castillo
Kass was named after two people, both of which had some form of meaning in her parent's lives. Her first name, Kassandra, came from one of her great grandmothers who was cut off from the family due to her difference in belief on the subject of blood purity. Great grandmother Kassandra was a source of inspiration for her father whose beliefs aligned with. He may not have met the woman, but he found a journal of hers when he was younger. Carlos had always been doubtful whether or not the family views were right. Reading his grandmother's journal gave him a voice from another perspective which helped him figure things out. This ultimately led him to meeting his wife and having a daughter.
Her second name, Caridad, on the other hand, came from her mother. Katrina Bautista was born and raised in the Central Visayas region. Growing up, she and her neighbour were very close. The two were practically sisters and had promised to name their first born daughters after each other. They parted ways when Katrina and her family moved to a different region after her father got a new job. Kat and her friend exchanged letters, but at some point they stopped. Despite this, Katrina never forgot about her dear friend and was very proud of her when she started acting. Needless to say, she didn't forget about her promise either and named Kass after her.
Nicknames
Kass - Shortened form of Kassandra. It's what most people call her.
Cari - Derived from her second name. Only her grandparents from her mom's side of the family called her this.
Candy - A nickname affectionately given to her by her uncle Anton. It comes from a mixture of Kassandra's love for sweets and her name.
Age 17 years old
Date of Birth September 16, 1958
Gender Female
Ethnicity Filipino (Tagalog)
Species Witch
Blood Status Half-blood
House and Year Ravenclaw • Seventh year
Curious - Ever since she could remember, Kass has always asked a lot of questions and demanded a lot of answers. Back when she still lived with her birth parents, she would often ask them silly little questions that suddenly popped into her head such as 'Why am I brown?', 'What does this do?', 'Why is the sky blue?' She's always had a seemingly unquenchable thrist for knowledge. Kass simply loves to learn new things. She's always an eager beaver when it comes to new knowledge she can aquire.
Her curiosity was heightened when she was given a proper introduction to the wizarding world. Kassandra never stopped bothering her aunt and uncle with all sorts of questions about magic. She was never the garrulous type, but when it came to seeking answers, it was like she would never stop.
Competitive - Apart from books and sweets (and of course her family and friends) there's something else that Kass loves, and that is a good competition. Kass rarely backs down from any challenge presented to her, but only when it's about academics and whatnot. She loved a good puzzle and would pour hours and hours in trying to solve one that is presented to her. Physical challenges, on the other hand, were a whole different matter. Kass doesn't losingand will do everything she could to win, however, she draws the line at cheating. If there's anything that Kass absolutely hates, it's a cheater.
As competitive she may be, she isn't a sore loser. Kass is a very humble person, never boasting around what she has and most certainly never make a fuss about losing. She knows that there'll always be others better than her. Just as much as she hates a cheater, she also hates a sore loser. A loss will hurt her, but she will never badmouth or blame anyone apart from herself for her loss. Losing motivates her to work harder and hopefully do better the next time around.
Insecure - Kass was never a confident person. Even though she's proud to have been sorted into Ravenclaw, she's never really felt like she lived up to do the house proud. It is why she has a hard time making a decision on thing as well as why she's so competitive. Kass wants to at least be one of the best. She feels that if she does this, she'll have more confidence in herself.
Most of her insecurities stemmed from her childhood. For a long time, she's had trouble reconciling with the fact that she was a witch. Learning about it was amazing yet devastating for her. While she's now fully accepted the fact that it is who she is, Kass still can't help but feel somewhat self-conscious of being one due to her religion. She feels that it's a feeling that will never really go away unless she forgets about her religion, something she's considered doing in the past but has always decided against.
Responsible - Although she has a lot of insecurities, she never lets any of them get in the way of her responsibilities. Kass is someone who can be trusted to keep her word when she says she going to do something. She is definitely not the type who procrastinates on things. It's why she's been trusted to be a prefect.
As responsible as she is however, Kass cannot be trusted to completely strictly follow rules. While she would not ever cheat to get the upper hand on someone, she has found that sometimes, a little rule breaking may be necessary. True to her house, Kass does what she feels to be the smartest thing to do in a problematic situation, even if it meant bending a few rules.
On September 16 of the year 1958, Maria Katrina Castillo gave birth to a healthy baby girl named Kassandra. At this point Carlos "Caloy" Castillo, her father, had yet to tell his wife about his family heritage. Quite truthfully he wasn't sure if he should. Caloy had been scared of telling his wife in fear of how she would react. Kass' birth gave him joy, but at the same time it filled him with dread. As cruel as a thought it was, he hoped that his daughter ended up being a squib simply to avoid ever having to tell his wife the truth.
Growing up, Kass was mostly taken care of by her mother's side of the family. Before she was old enough for schooling, Kass' parents would drop her off her at grandparents' place before work and pick her up in the afternoon. When they weren't available to take care of her, Katrina's brother and his wife would do so instead.
A big turning point in her life came the year she turned seven. It was then that Kass' magic finally started to show. It started with things she needed appearing right beside her just when she needed them. Kass never really found it strange, she chalked it up as pure luck. One day, while Katrina was out in the market, Caloy caught sight of Kass' magic in action.
Kass had been studying in her room when she found that she needed to note something down. Her eyes were still on the book she read while her hand was looking around the area beside her, trying to find a pen or a pencil. Her father Caloy had decided to check up on her at this exact moment. There he saw a pencil, floating from the other side of the room towards where Kass sat. He knew what was happening in that moment, but it seemed to him that his daughter had no idea at all. Without thinking, he called her name, panic evident in his voice. Kass immediately turned around and when she did, she caught a glimpse of the floating object right before it fell to the ground. She was scared.
It was then that Caloy's fear had finally been realised. There was no hiding it any longer. He knew what he should do, he should tell her the truth; but that wasn't what happened. Instead of comforting her and explaining the truth to her, he got mad. Caloy raised his voice at his daughter for the first time. He forbade her from using her magic ever again, even though he knew that she barely had any control over it. The Castillo patriarch knew that things would change around the house if the truth were to ever come out. He didn't want things to change, not now, not ever. Caloy was a coward who continued to run away.
From that day on, Kass changed. She became more conscious and paranoid. The last thing she wanted to do was to upset her parents. Kass grew so scared that she eventually started locking herself up in her room just incase something happens. Her change in behaviour worried Katrina. Carlos on the other hand, felt immense guilt. He knew that he was responsible for how their daughter was acting.
Later during the year, both of Caloy's brothers decided to pay him a visit. It wasn't a social visit for them to catch up, but rather, something much more serious. They were there to inform him of their father's recent passing. It was how the two found out that they had a niece named Kassandra. The first question was the brothers threw at Caloy was whether or not Kass was a witch. The silence that met their question was enough of an answer for the two. Anton wanted to take Kass away, raise her properly. Katrina, who took offence at Anton's insinuation, demanded an explanation. It was then that Caloy accepted the fact that the truth could no longer be hidden and thus, he explained everything to his wife.
To say that Katrina reacted badly was an understatement. She started throwing things at the brothers, and even at her own daughter. Katrina couldn't deal with the truth. It was her belief that witches were evil. Before the woman could do damage to any of them, Renz acted quickly and stunned the muggle. Her reaction only further fuelled Anton's argument of having Kassandra under his care, yet Caloy continued to refuse.
Finally, a decision was made when the young girl in question was asked to speak up by Renz. It seemed that the middle brother had noticed that the young witch had something to say. Looking directly at his father, the girl made the decision for them. I want to leave. Four words that her father would never forget.
She was set to leave a week from that day, giving ample time for his father to make up something to explain Kass' leave to his wife. As her uncles left, Anton made sure to obliviate Katrina's memories of the incident before undoing the stunning spell done by his brother. She watched as he cast the spell and couldn't help but think how she could one day learn that as well.
The week went by quickly and before she knew it, Kass was picked up by her uncle Renz and was on her way to the house her father grew up in. She stayed there for years, learning about magic from her two uncles, but mostly from her uncle Anton as Renz had to return to Europe for his business. Renz still visited though and everytime he did, he gave her a new book to read.
It was when Kass turned ten that the topic of her schooling came about. Anton wanted for her to be home schooled, but Renz gave her the option of studying at a school. Schooled appealed to her more and thus, Kass moved yet again. This time it wasn't just to a different part of the country, it was to a different country entirely. She headed to England with her uncle Renz and attended Hogwarts the following year.
Carlos "Caloy" Castillo • Father - Kass has a strained relationship with her father. The deterioration in their once loving relationship began the moment her father forbade her to use magic when she was younger. She resents him for making her think she wasn't normal--which she wasn't, but her father made her feel like that was a bad thing. Up till now, Kass isn't certain if she could ever forgive her father for what he did.
Maria Katrina Castillo (née Bautista) • Mother - Her relationship with her mother is significantly better than that with her father, but it isn't spectacular either. Kass couldn't forget about how negatively her mother had reacted to the truth that she had to be obliviated. She isn't quite sure how to feel about her mother.
Lorenzo "Renz" Castillo • Uncle - He along with his brother Anton served as Kass' gateway to the wizarding world. She could only imagine how miserable her life would've been like if the two hadn't come when they did. Kass is eternally grateful to the two of them, but specially to her uncle Renz. He was the one who encouraged her to decide if she stays with her father or not, it was also him who opened the opportunity for her to move to another country and study in a wizarding school.
Antonio "Anton" Castillo • Uncle - The uncle who spoils her rotten. Kass finds it surprising how much her uncle Anton spoils her considering that she's a half-blood bearing their name. While her uncle Anton never explains why to her, her uncle Renz thinks that it's attributed to the fact that Anton's own son is a squib and that he's simply excited to have a child in the family who could do magic.
Eurasian Tree Sparrow - More commonly known in the Philippines as a type of Maya (bird) and is locally called "mayang simbahan." The Eurasian tree sparrow is a bird that is commonly found in urban areas of the Philippines. Kass never knew why, but she was also quite fond of the small creature, despite it being so common. Just like the animal it mimicked, Kass' patronus is also small in size. When she first managed to cast her patronus, Kass couldn't help but think that there was no other creature more fitting to be her patronus.
Scorpio - Scorpio, or Scorp, is a white faced scops owl given to her by her uncle Anton. Kass got him when uncle Anton came to the UK for a sudden visit during the Christmas break of her first year at Hogwarts. It was a last minute gift that he bought for Kass upon hearing her stories of how other students at Hogwarts had pets such as owls. While Kass never really hinted wanting one nor expressed any sadness of not having a pet of her own, her uncle still got her one. Anton simply loved spoiling his niece, much to Renz' dismay.
Core Griffin Feather
"Those who are true, skillful, stubborn, protective, strong-willed, logical, observant, perceptive and witty would have this wand core. Having such a wand core suggests that you have a strong will as well as a strong heart. You are clever and witty, as well as observant, able to observe and perceive things that others would otherwise overlook or would not comprehend or see the connection to. Having such a strong will makes this wand core one of the best to use in high impact and blunt force magic, such as Dueling Magic. But this wand core also works well with those who are skilled in DADA, Elemental Magic (particularly Air Spells and Fire Spells), Occlumency, Legilimency and magic that involves allot of strategy, mind over matter, thinking and planning. The owners of such wand cores tend to be skillful in all magic, including The Dark Arts. However, due to the stubborn, volatile nature of this wand core, few wizards and witches are able to control it by itself, which is why it is normally paired up with a softer, gentler wand core such as Unicorn Hair, which often tames the more volatile core. But for the few that can control this core by itself, it makes for a very powerful core indeed. But it should be noted that Griffin Feather cores by themselves do not work well with all types of wands, which is why only certain wand types will have Griffin Feather cores. This wand core is often seen among those of House Gryffindor and House Ravenclaw, but it will sometimes bond well with a few of House Slytherin from time to time. "
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Wood Reed
"Reed is always delicate, and a difficult wand to work with. However, its wisdom and intelligence make it sought-after by some. It is almost solely a Ravenclaw wandwood."
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Length 11 inches
Religion - Christian (Christianity). During the first seven years of her life, Kassandra was greatly bathed in the religion due to her birth mother being a very religious person. Kat was the one who taught Kass the bible, the Lord, and everything else she needed to know about Christianity. As taught by her mother, Kass read a passage in the bible everyday. She remembered to pray upon waking up, before having a meal, and before she goes to bed. Sunday mass was never a thing she missed; she and her family were always in attendance. In fact, the priest already knew them personally. This all changed when she moved out her house.
Neither of her uncles were as religious as Kass' family was. In fact, they didn't have a religion. With no one to influence her to continue such religious acts, as well as the fact that Kass began busying herself with learning about the wizarding world, she started to stop doing some of her former practices. She no longer read the bible on a daily basis, instead she reads the different wizarding and history books that her uncles had; she no longer prayed as often as she forgets to do so; and lastly, Kass no longer visited the church to attend mass during Sundays, nor on any day for that matter.
Despite not being able to actively practice these Christian activities that have been taught to her, Kass still stood by the Christian belief of God's existence.
Legilimency - Ever since Kassandra learned about how uncle Anton was a legilimens as well as what legilimency was, she wanted to learn the art as well. it didn't take much begging for Kass to convince her uncle to teach her legilimency. It was like the man had always intended to teach her. This occurred near the end of the summer of her third year as a Hogwarts student. However, since they were outside the school, Renz made Anton agree to only teach her how it was performed. He forbade Kass from practising it while she was home for the summer due to the underage magic law. Kass was forced to wait until she was back at Hogwarts to practice the spell. The spell gave her great difficulty, especially since she didn't want anyone to know and thus had to practice it in secret. By the end of her fourth year, Kass had managed to learn legilimency albeit she can't perform it non-verbally and requires the incantation.
Classes - Kass' grades have consistently been good for the past years. She is good in Charms and Potions, but Transfiguration is possibly her favourite class. Herbolody is her weakest subject, having great difficulty in it, though this is mainly because she finds it to be the least interesting of them all and thus, is not all that motivated to study it. When asked to pick an elective during their third year, Kass chose Arithmancy, Ancient Runes, and Muggle Studies, despite having lived a muggle life during her childhood. She thought it'd be interesting to have a different perspective on muggles. Amongst her electives, she found Arithmancy to be one she liked most.
Sweet Tooth - If there's anything this girl loves more than her books, it's sweets. After getting a taste of Honeydukes sweets during the train ride to Hogwarts back in her first year, Kass immediately got addicted to them and often wrote letters to her uncle Renz to ask for Honeyduke sweets. When they were finally allowed to visit Hogsmeade during her third year, the first place she went to was Honeydukes. Since then, trips to Hogsmeade would often be spent with Kass getting her candy rations from Honeydukes. Cauldron cakes were her favourite as the taste reminded her of the cupcakes her birth mother baked on occasion.
Early Bird - Kass is a morning person. She's most productive during the mornings and claims that it is when her mind is more active. She is the type of person who'd wake up at 6 am feeling refreshed and ready for the day.
Prefect - During her fifth year, Kassandra was chosen to be one of Ravenclaw's prefects. She accepted the badge, deeming it an honour to have been selected.