Shiral Verdantclaw

[Shiral Verdantclaw]

Original draft
Name: Shiral Verdantclaw
House: Ravenclaw
Bloodline: Pure blood

Physical Appearance: Shiral is a fair skinned young lady that stands at a height of 168 cm. Her flaming red hair; bright enough to shame a Weasley, falls about her shoulders when it isn't pulled up and away from her face. Her wide eyes are filled with dark hazel hues. Her lips are thin from pressing them together during study and her long straight nose flares occasionally when near a particularly fragrant greenhouse. Her thin form weighs approximately 61kg and can often be found draped in soft knit earthen tones. Slender fingers, unadorned with anything other than pruning shears and a pencil finish off soft, yet oft soil covered arms. Though typically huddled over with an armful of books; when in a greenhouse or outdoors with the wild flora she seems to float from step to step. Though not typically considered un-attractive, Shiral doesn't see it in herself. Shiral is however, the spitting image of her mother, whom she feels is more beautiful than words.

Personality: Shiral's greatest strengths lay where her childhood did; in the greenhouse. She adores the feeling of a soft leaf between her fingers or a flower tickling her nose. In fact, it is often in plants that she finds her closest companions. She isn't opposed to making friends with actual people, she just finds them loud, and often brash. When she encounters a person outside of class, her first thought is to hurry off to the greenhouse and hide in a corner with a good book. Her time in Hogwarts has helped a little. She no longer ACTUALLY runs off to the greenhouse like she did her first year. Most nights are spent in the greenhouse, in leaf-shadowed moonlight reading a book or talking to the plants. She's been invited a few times to join others for a night in the common room but never has yet accepted. The thought of being in a social situation with so many people; staring at her; expecting her to say something, gives her something near to an anxiety attack. Still, her nature is optimistically helpful and she's never left a lost first year on their own; even when that first year turned out to be a particularly nasty Sytherin who's aim was to have her ambushed with manure... She tried her best to avoid that group of little snots afterward. It didn't help that the smartest, cutest boy in her herbology class was standing right there to see her covered in manure. Though she never worked up the courage to talk to him, at least he had the decency not to laugh at her.

Character Background: Shiral, the only child of Timothy and Mira Verdantclaw spent her childhood in a variety of greenhouses across the world. Though they had a home in the most wonderful London, she came to find that some plants just didn't flourish there, even with magical help. Her parents were both successful herbologists. They studied plants both mundane and magical. By the age of 10, she knew more about the plant world than some adult wizards. Without any brothers or sisters, or any normal school to go to in childhood, the plants became like friends to her. She enjoyed meeting a new flower or extending a formal greeting to a hanging fern. Despite their constant moving and work, her parents never forgot their daughter and ensured that she was included in their work...as long as it wasn' too dangerous. With both parents well rooted in the magical world, and a travel history to fill a geography class; it was always expected that she would go to Hogwarts. When the owl came, she rushed up to her room and threw everything together. Even her toad, Hibblespot, was snagged and put into a glass case with holes, and a soft mossy floor. Now, in her fifth year, Hogwarts hasn't changed her a bit. Hibblespot has remained her bedside companion and a greenhouse adviser. She tries not to talk too much about plants too often when in the dining hall, but it's near impossible to get her away from the greenhouse for anything but other classes. Though, the incident with the manure didn't help her social skills...

[Shiral Verdantclaw]

2nd Draft
Name: Shiral Verdantclaw
Age: 16
Bloodline: Pure blood

Physical Appearance: Shiral is a fair skinned young lady that stands at a height of 168 cm. Her flaming red hair; bright enough to shame a Weasley, falls about her shoulders when it isn't pulled up and away from her face. Her wide eyes are filled with dark hazel hues that stare for inappropriate lengths of time. Her lips are thin from pressing them together during study and her long straight nose flares occasionally when near a particularly fragrant greenhouse. Her thin form weighs approximately 61kg and can often be found draped in soft knit earthen tones and whites. She,in fact, almost never wears black as she finds it makes her look thin and hard like bamboo, instead of soft and wispy like the willow she hopes to be. Actually, the poor girl finds that even at sixteen she hasn't much grown into the curvy woman her mother is now. She forgets that her mother bore a child and married a man who cooks like he'll never eat again. Slender fingers, that don't hold much other than pruning shears and a quill finish off pale, yet oft soil covered arms. She tends to hide her hands, inside of gardening gloves to hide the scars of an overly playful childhood. Despite her innumerable hours in the sunlight, playing amongst the plants, Shiral is all but completely devoid of a tan. Though typically huddled over with an armful of books; when in a greenhouse or outdoors with the wild flora she seems to float from step to step. Her awkward smiles and shy stares turn to motherly touches and cooing words of comfort when she steps away from the other students and into the greenhouse, full of floral friends. Though not typically considered unattractive, Shiral doesn't see a hint of beauty in physical appearance. She doesn't typically think too much on the way she looks; preferring to dress and ready herself in simple, comfortable clothes. The teenager is perfectly happy with her mental abilities over her physical...unless of course there is a particularly attractive boy anywhere near by. Shiral is however, the exact image of her mother at sixteen, whom she feels is more beautiful than words.

Personality: Shiral is intelligent, but a bit anti-social. It isn't that she means to be anti-social; it is simply a byproduct of her lifestyle. Shiral's greatest strengths lay where her childhood did; in the greenhouse. She adores the feeling of a soft leaf between her fingers or a flower tickling her nose. It is in a glass house full of greenery that the teenage Ravenclaw can be found smiling and laughing at voices that others seem just not to hear. In fact, it is often in plants that she finds her closest companions. A majority of her time is spent in the greenhouse conversing with the plants that reside there. When she isn't in the greenhouse, or where she is required to be due to school scheduling, Shiral can be found wandering the gardens, lawns, or near the edge of the forest where she can meet with some of her more elusive and wild companions. She isn't opposed to making friends with actual people; she just finds them loud, and often brash. The plants she accompanies on their slowly progressing lives are quiet, understanding, and never seem to judge her. When a plant attacks, there is almost always a reason and a silent apology. The other students at Hogwarts are frightening. Yet through the fear, Shiral finds that she pities them when she discovers they can't hear the voices of the plants asking them to please, please be careful with that stem. Though she flinches with an angry grimace when the student breaks a perfectly healthy stem because of clumsy hands and a lack of “social” understanding. She isn't slow to help others with Herbology work but one may hear hints of perceived superiority when she corrects them on what, the “child of the green” (as her parents oft referred to her as when in a foreign region), believes to be a simple and straight forward herbology concept.
Still, while she hints to superiority when on her own home; when she encounters a person outside of class, her first thought is to hurry off to the greenhouse and hide in a corner with a good book. Most often she freezes and stares. Though Shiral's reactions differ depending on who it she encounters. Slytherins often frighten the young girl to a slight shiver. Her early experiences with Slytherins really did her no good in that department. Other Ravenclaws are the easiest for her to remain calm around, but when near any form of manure with other students near by her body tenses like someone waiting to have a tooth pulled. Her time in Hogwarts has helped a little. She no longer ACTUALLY runs off to the greenhouse every time someone she doesn't know tries to interact with her, like she did her first year. Though this early behavior didn't earn her the most friendly reputation. Most nights are still spent in the greenhouse, in leaf-shadowed moonlight reading a book or talking to the plants. She's been invited a few times to join others for a night in the common room but never has yet accepted. The thought of being in a social situation with so many people; staring at her; expecting her to say something, gives her something similar to an anxiety attack. Still, her nature is optimistically helpful and she's never left a lost first year on their own; even when that first year turned out to be a particularly nasty Sytherin who's aim was to have her ambushed with manure... She tried her best to avoid that group of little snots afterward. Anyone who knows about the event, tends to attribute her behavior to it. If one were to ask Shiral, they would hear that while it certainly didn't help the situation, it isn't the sole reason that people frighten her so. It didn't help that the smartest, cutest boy in her herbology class was standing right there to see her covered in manure. Though she never worked up the courage to talk to him, at least he had the decency not to laugh at her. Even to this day, when near a boy that she finds intelligent, or attractive she becomes even more mouse-like. Her body curls in slightly and she pulls in her limbs trying to become as small as possible. In this, her fifth year; Shiral has made a resolution. This year, she will have somebody to go to the Winter ball with. Even if she dies from embarrassment and has to run away in tears, she will make the first step of getting someone to go with her.

Character Background: Shiral, the only child of Timothy and Mira Verdantclaw spent her childhood in a variety of greenhouses across the world. Though they had a home in the most wonderful London, she came to find that some plants just didn't flourish there, even with magical help. Her parents were both successful herbologists. In the muggle realm they were known as apothecaries. In the magical realm they wrote extensive articles and had finished a jointly written book by the time she was born. Every new greenhouse was a new adventure. By age six she had determined what sort of plants she was closest with. By eight she looked forward to research trips to wild African jungles, peaceful Asian bamboo fields, and playful North American bayous. By the age of ten, she knew far more about the plant world than others her age. Without any brothers or sisters, or any normal school to go to in childhood, the plants became like friends to her. She enjoyed meeting a new flower or extending a formal greeting to a hanging fern. It wasn't at too late an age that she began to respond to unheard voices. Of course, since her parents did the same it wasn't too much of a shock to them but it did disturb the locals in regions that they visited to hear a child's laugh and see a small red-headed child smiling up at a brightly colored flower that had drifted down from a tree branch. Her belief that plants were her friends did not come from a lack of other attention. Despite their constant moving and writing, her parents never forgot their daughter and ensured that she was included in their work...as long as it wasn't too dangerous. She remembers being told about the Venomous Tentacula; with it's long, dark red vines, reaching out to bite her father when he wasn't looking. With both parents well rooted in the magical world, and a travel history to fill a geography class; it was always expected that she would go to Hogwarts when it was time. Her whole life, her parents told her about Hogwarts and how wonderful it had been when they were there. They were both Ravenclaws and met at the Winter ball in their fourth years. In her eleventh year, her family stayed home and tended to the greenhouses there, while the anxious Shiral awaited her letter. When the owl came, Shiral hardly took the time to read it. She rushed up to her room and threw everything together in a trunk. Every piece of clothing and every scrap of child-written notes were thrown in with the greatest of excitement. Even her toad, Hibblespot, was snagged off of his favorite moist window sill and put into a glass case with holes, and a soft mossy floor. Now, in her fifth year, Hogwarts hasn't changed her a bit. Hibblespot has remained her bedside companion and a greenhouse adviser. She tries not to talk too much about plants too often when in the dining hall, but it's near impossible to get her away from the greenhouse for anything but other classes. Sadly, not changing at all, also means that she still walks away from people and toward the welcoming leaves of her soil-rooted friends. While she's been working on her social skills, and trying to open up to to others she always finds an excuse to wander back to the isolated greenhouse, away from the chatter of more social Hogwarts students.

[Shiral Verdantclaw]

3rd draft
Name: Shiral Verdantclaw
Age: 16
Bloodline: Pure blood

Physical Appearance: Shiral is a fair skinned young lady that stands at a height of 168 cm. Her flaming red hair; bright enough to shame a bonfire into embers, falls about her shoulders when it isn't pulled up and away from her face. Her wide eyes are filled with dark hazel hues that stare for inappropriate lengths of time. Her lips are thin from pressing them together during study and her long straight nose flares occasionally when near a particularly fragrant greenhouse. Her thin form weighs approximately 61kg and can often be found draped in soft knit earthen tones and whites. She,in fact, almost never wears black as she finds it makes her look thin and hard like bamboo, instead of soft and wispy like the willow she hopes to be. Actually, the poor girl finds that even at sixteen she hasn't much grown into the curvy woman her mother is now. She forgets that her mother bore a child and married a man who cooks like he'll never eat again. Slender fingers, that don't hold much other than pruning shears and a quill finish off pale, yet oft soil covered arms. She tends to hide her hands, inside of gardening gloves to hide the scars of an overly playful childhood. Despite her innumerable hours in the sunlight, playing amongst the plants, Shiral is all but completely devoid of a tan. Her mother taught her about natural sunscreens when she was very young. As such, the Eagle always rubs certain saps and plant resins across her skin before a day out in the sun. This causes her to smell like freshly cut grass and fall leaves; particularly on hot, sunny days.

Though typically huddled over with an armful of books; when in a greenhouse or outdoors with the wild flora she seems to float from step to step. Her awkward smiles and shy stares turn to motherly touches and cooing words of comfort when she steps away from the other students and into the greenhouse, full of floral friends. Though not typically considered unattractive, Shiral doesn't see a hint of beauty in physical appearance. She doesn't typically think too much on the way she looks; preferring to dress and ready herself in simple, comfortable clothes. The teenager is perfectly happy with her mental abilities over her physical...unless of course there is a particularly attractive boy anywhere near by. Shiral is however, the exact image of her mother at sixteen, whom she feels is more beautiful than words.

Personality: Shiral is intelligent, but a bit anti-social. It isn't that she means to be anti-social; it is simply a byproduct of her lifestyle. Shiral's greatest strengths lay where her childhood did; in the greenhouse. She adores the feeling of a soft leaf between her fingers or a flower tickling her nose. It is in a glass house full of greenery that the teenage Ravenclaw can be found smiling and laughing at voices that others seem just not to hear. In fact, it is often in plants that she finds her closest companions. A majority of her time is spent in the greenhouse conversing with the plants that reside there. When she isn't in the greenhouse, or where she is required to be due to school scheduling, Shiral can be found wandering the gardens, lawns, or near the edge of the forest where she can meet with some of her more elusive and wild companions. She isn't opposed to making friends with actual people; she just finds them loud, and often brash. The plants she accompanies on their slowly progressing lives are quiet, understanding, and never seem to judge her. When a plant attacks, there is almost always a reason and a silent apology. The other students at Hogwarts are frightening. Yet through the fear, Shiral finds that she pities them when she discovers they can't hear the voices of the plants asking them to please, please be careful with that stem. Though she flinches with an angry grimace when the student breaks a perfectly healthy stem because of clumsy hands and a lack of “social” understanding. She isn't slow to help others with Herbology work but one may hear hints of perceived superiority when she corrects them on what, the “child of the green” (as her parents oft referred to her as when in a foreign region), believes to be a simple and straight forward herbology concept.

Still, while she hints to superiority when on her own home; when she encounters a person outside of class, her first thought is to hurry off to the greenhouse and hide in a corner with a good book. Most often she freezes and stares. Though Shiral's reactions differ depending on who it she encounters. Slytherins often frighten the young girl to a slight shiver. Her early experiences with Slytherins really did her no good in that department. Other Ravenclaws are the easiest for her to remain calm around, but when near any form of manure with other students near by her body tenses like someone waiting to have a tooth pulled. Her time in Hogwarts has helped a little. She no longer ACTUALLY runs off to the greenhouse every time someone she doesn't know tries to interact with her, like she did her first year. Of course, this early behavior didn't earn her the most friendly reputation. Most nights are still spent in the greenhouse, in leaf-shadowed moonlight reading a book or talking to the plants.

Though this isolationist outlook may not have earned her many friends; Shiral has also never had to decide between studying and her social life. Plants were perfectly happy to sit quietly while she delved into her books or practiced her wand movements. Also, because she was never distracted with a social life, Shiral has come to enjoy the “art” of people watching. It was her own little window into the world of other people. From time to time, she will sit in the gardens and observe what others are doing. Regardless of how much she watches, how much she learns about how students, professors, just other people in general interact with one another, she never can quite get it down. She does however, know most of the gossip around Hogwarts. Though nobody means to tell her anything she can't help but hear when someone speaks ill of someone else, or when a chattering girl spills about her late night tryst with one of the male students. Of course, Shiral would never share this information with anyone; not that she has anyone to share it with. In fact, because of her lack of social interaction, she hardly realizes that this information should be particularly interesting to another person. To her, nothing is a “secret” it simply is. If she can hear them say it, how hard are they really trying to hide the information? Shiral often assumes that everybody knows the gossip around campus. Of course, she doesn't hear most of the gossip that happens under more grand social pretenses, such as going out to Hogsmead or hanging around the dorms and having “girl time”. Quite the opposite...If someone is talking too loudly while the sixteen year old is trying to sleep, she rather noticeably presses her pillow over her head and against her ear to try and block out their noise.

Sometimes though, she wishes that “sleep” wasn't such a necessary thing. All things must sleep from time to time and for Shiral, the most depressing time of year is in fall, when most of the plants she has come to love go into hibernation. It's difficult to say goodbye to the poplars and the roses. One might find her wandering the grounds, whispering “sleep well” to the local flora. Not all of the plants abandon her though, and in the winter she takes the time to catch up with the sturdy evergreens that never seem to miss a second of life. The witch sometimes wonders when they take the time to sleep. Despite her hardy needle-leafed friends, there are times when the flame haired eagle is forced to stay inside. When not in the classrooms, Shiral can be spotted in her dormitory, staring out of any free window with Hibblespot by her side. Staying indoors seems a bit cloistered to the ravenclaw. Windows are her best friends, her eyes always glued to the outside world. She always tends to feel a bit claustrophobic when she can't go enjoy the wide world. Though she might spend a large portion of her time inside of greenhouses, their clear walls don't have the same closed in effect as the heavy, stone walls of Hogwarts. So she sits, and stares, and grumbles to herself. She yearns to go outside and meet with her wild, long lived friends. Even if the weather is bad enough to toss her out to east Asia.

She's been invited a few times to join others for a night in the common room but never has yet accepted. The thought of being in a social situation with so many people; staring at her; expecting her to say something, gives her something similar to an anxiety attack. Still, her nature is optimistically helpful and she's never left a lost first year on their own; even when that first year turned out to be a particularly nasty Sytherin who's aim was to have her ambushed with manure... She tried her best to avoid that group of little snots afterward. Anyone who knows about the event, tends to attribute her behavior to it. If one were to ask Shiral, they would hear that while it certainly didn't help the situation, it isn't the sole reason that people frighten her so. It didn't help that the smartest, cutest boy in her herbology class was standing right there to see her covered in manure. Though she never worked up the courage to talk to him, at least he had the decency not to laugh at her.

Even to this day, when near a boy that she finds intelligent, or attractive she becomes even more mouse-like. Her body curls in slightly and she pulls in her limbs trying to become as small as possible. In this, her fifth year; Shiral has made a resolution. This year, she will have somebody to go to the Winter ball with. Even if she dies from embarrassment, or has to run away in tears, she will make the first step of getting someone to go with her. Or at least talking to them.

Character Background: Shiral, the only child of Timothy and Mira Verdantclaw spent her childhood in a variety of greenhouses across the world. Though they had a home in the most wonderful London, she came to find that some plants just didn't flourish there, even with magical help. Her parents were both successful herbologists. In the muggle realm they were known as apothecaries. In the magical realm they wrote extensive articles and had finished a jointly written book by the time she was born. Every new greenhouse was a new adventure. By age six she had determined what sort of plants she was closest with. By eight she looked forward to research trips to wild African jungles, peaceful Asian bamboo fields, and playful North American bayous. By the age of ten, she knew far more about the plant world than others her age. Without any brothers or sisters, or any normal school to go to in childhood, the plants became like friends to her. She enjoyed meeting a new flower or extending a formal greeting to a hanging fern. It wasn't at too late an age that she began to respond to unheard voices. Of course, since her parents did the same it wasn't too much of a shock to them but it did disturb the locals in regions that they visited to hear a child's laugh and see a small red-headed child smiling up at a brightly colored flower that had drifted down from a tree branch. Her belief that plants were her friends did not come from a lack of other attention. Despite their constant moving and writing, her parents never forgot their daughter and ensured that she was included in their work...as long as it wasn't too dangerous. She remembers being told about the Venomous Tentacula; with it's long, dark red vines, reaching out to bite her father when he wasn't looking. With both parents well rooted in the magical world, and a travel history to fill a geography class; it was always expected that she would go to Hogwarts when it was time. Her whole life, her parents told her about Hogwarts and how wonderful it had been when they were there. They were both Ravenclaws and met at the Winter ball in their fourth years. In her eleventh year, her family stayed home and tended to the greenhouses there, while the anxious Shiral awaited her letter. When the owl came, Shiral hardly took the time to read it. She rushed up to her room and threw everything together in a trunk. Every piece of clothing and every scrap of child-written notes were thrown in with the greatest of excitement. Even her toad, Hibblespot, was snagged off of his favorite moist window sill and put into a glass case with holes, and a soft mossy floor.

While changes have been made, some things never change. Hibblespot has remained a close companion and a greenhouse adviser. Hibblespot still remembers that he owes Shiral for her early heroism. On a particularly wicked winter, her family's flight had been delayed. The weather was so severe that even in the protected shelter of the greenhouse, most of the plants were hibernating or dying due to the frigid cold. Shiral, worried about the plants and trying to sing them to sleep with the lullaby her mother taught her. In the corner of the greenhouse, hiding against some not quite dead foliage, was a small toad. She confirmed with her father later that he was a Yosemite toad, which was native to North America. It was possible that he had been moved in the plants or water that they transported as an egg or tadpole. Shiral saw the poor little toad all alone and half frozen and it touched her heart. She quickly snagged the amphibian away from the foliage and tucked it into her jacket. Running the whole way she made it back into the house where she filled a tub with some warm water. The girl was so enamored with her new friend that her parents couldn't tear her away from it. From that point on, Hibblespot remained close to his little hero. Though she wasn't so little to him. Most days he spends traveling about with her, nestled in the bright red of her hair. On particularly warm days he's happy to stay in the dorm, near a warm window, in a shallow dish of water. Hibblespot really is Shiral's best friend and has, in his toad mind, made plans to never abandon his flame-haired lady.

Another close friend is Shiral's wand. Her mother had it specially made for her when she was just ten years old. They had been on a research trip to the southern United States. They had been visiting the everglades amongst the south east coast of her neighbor across the sea. It was there that her mother told her that she and Shiral's father were going to do some particularly dangerous research. However, she would be left with a magical caretaker: a wand maker. The man was unusually young for someone in this line of business but he seemed to know what he was doing. He had Shiral meet each of the materials and he discussed the ten year old's hopes and dreams. She was asked what she wanted out of a wand, a friend? A weapon? After all the questioning, and five long days without either of her parents (almost the entire research trip); she was given her wand. It was beautiful and she knew that it would teach her great things. The shaft of the wand was made of swishy reed, a plant that while common in the everglades, was filled with a wisdom that the girl would need in the coming year. The handle was made of light, golden hued Magnolia; reflecting her gentle, healing nature. The man had made her one with two cores; ramora scales, and re'em blood. The man had mentioned something about water magic and being able to use her wand when overly excited, but she didn't even catch all of the information. At eleven and three-quarter inches, it seemed a bit big to the young girl but she swished it around a few times then gently placed it into a special case. Next to her toad, this would be one of her most constant companions on her journey through Hogwarts.

Still, Shiral counts the plants amongst her friends as well. She tries not to talk too much about plants too often when in the dining hall, but it's near impossible to get her away from the greenhouse for anything but other classes. Sadly,the lack of change that Hogwarts has instilled in the young eagle, also means that she still walks away from people and toward the welcoming leaves of her soil-rooted friends to enjoy a day researching with Hibblespot. While she's been working on her social skills, and trying to open up to to others she always finds an excuse to wander back to the isolated greenhouse, away from the chatter of more social Hogwarts students.

[Shiral Verdantclaw]

4th draft
Name: Shiral Verdantclaw
Age: 16
Bloodline: Pure blood

Physical Appearance: Shiral is a fair skinned young lady that stands at a height of 168 cm. Her flaming red hair; bright enough to shame a bonfire into embers, falls about her shoulders when it isn't pulled up and away from her face. Her wide eyes are filled with dark hazel hues that stare for inappropriate lengths of time. Her lips are thin from pressing them together during study and her long straight nose flares occasionally when near a particularly fragrant greenhouse. Her thin form weighs approximately 61kg and can often be found draped in soft knit earthen tones and whites. She,in fact, almost never wears black as she finds it makes her look thin and hard like bamboo, instead of soft and wispy like the willow she hopes to be. Actually, the poor girl finds that even at sixteen she hasn't much grown into the curvy woman her mother is now. She forgets that her mother bore a child and married a man who cooks like he'll never eat again. Slender fingers, that don't hold much other than pruning shears and a quill finish off pale, yet oft soil covered arms. She tends to hide her hands, inside of gardening gloves to hide the scars of an overly playful childhood. Despite her innumerable hours in the sunlight, playing amongst the plants, Shiral is all but completely devoid of a tan. Her mother taught her about natural sunscreens when she was very young. As such, the Eagle always rubs certain saps and plant resins across her skin before a day out in the sun. This causes her to smell like freshly cut grass and fall leaves; particularly on hot, sunny days.

Though typically huddled over with an armful of books; when in a greenhouse or outdoors with the wild flora she seems to float from step to step. Her awkward smiles and shy stares turn to motherly touches and cooing words of comfort when she steps away from the other students and into the greenhouse, full of floral friends. Though not typically considered unattractive, Shiral doesn't see a hint of beauty in physical appearance. She doesn't typically think too much on the way she looks; preferring to dress and ready herself in simple, comfortable clothes. The teenager is perfectly happy with her mental abilities over her physical...unless of course there is a particularly attractive boy anywhere near by. Shiral is however, the exact image of her mother at sixteen, whom she feels is more beautiful than words.

Personality: Shiral is intelligent, but a bit anti-social. It isn't that she means to be anti-social; it is simply a byproduct of her lifestyle. Shiral's greatest strengths lay where her childhood did; in the greenhouse. She adores the feeling of a soft leaf between her fingers or a flower tickling her nose. It is in a glass house full of greenery that the teenage Ravenclaw can be found smiling and laughing at voices that others seem just not to hear. In fact, it is often in plants that she finds her closest companions. A majority of her time is spent in the greenhouse conversing with the plants that reside there. When she isn't in the greenhouse, or where she is required to be due to school scheduling, Shiral can be found wandering the gardens, lawns, or near the edge of the forest where she can meet with some of her more elusive and wild companions. She isn't opposed to making friends with actual people; she just finds them loud, and often brash. The plants she accompanies on their slowly progressing lives are quiet, understanding, and never seem to judge her. When a plant attacks, there is almost always a reason and a silent apology. The other students at Hogwarts are frightening. Yet through the fear, Shiral finds that she pities them when she discovers they can't hear the voices of the plants asking them to please, please be careful with that stem. Though she flinches with an angry grimace when the student breaks a perfectly healthy stem because of clumsy hands and a lack of “social” understanding. She isn't slow to help others with Herbology work but one may hear hints of perceived superiority when she corrects them on what, the “child of the green” (as her parents oft referred to her as when in a foreign region), believes to be a simple and straight forward herbology concept.

Still, while she hints to superiority when on her own home; when she encounters a person outside of class, her first thought is to hurry off to the greenhouse and hide in a corner with a good book. Most often she freezes and stares. Though Shiral's reactions differ depending on who it she encounters. Slytherins often frighten the young girl to a slight shiver. Her early experiences with Slytherins really did her no good in that department. Other Ravenclaws are the easiest for her to remain calm around, but when near any form of manure with other students near by her body tenses like someone waiting to have a tooth pulled. Her time in Hogwarts has helped a little. She no longer ACTUALLY runs off to the greenhouse every time someone she doesn't know tries to interact with her, like she did her first year. Of course, this early behavior didn't earn her the most friendly reputation. Most nights are still spent in the greenhouse, in leaf-shadowed moonlight reading a book or talking to the plants.

There is one major exception to Shiral's shy demeanor... Time spent with her best (human) friend: Gwynna Masner. Gwynna brings out everything that Shiral should be. The shy girl shows that once she's comfortable, she actually has a personality! Though Shiral didn't know it at the time, Gwynna was there during the infamous “manure incident”. The fiery lioness had done her best to shoo off the offenders, but Shiral was gone by the time she turned back around. It wasn't until years later, when the 'perfect project' (a test of skills in herbology and potions) brought the two back together. Shiral lets herself go around Gwynna. There are loud laughs and calm explanations. Nothing brings out the social side of the sixteen year old eagle better than her over excitable Irish lioness. While there may not be many people in the world that Shiral calls 'friend', Gwynna Masner filled that spot faster than a de-potted mandrake root can scream.

Though this isolationist outlook may not have earned her many friends; Shiral has also never had to decide between studying and her social life. Plants were perfectly happy to sit quietly while she delved into her books or practiced her wand movements. Also, because she was never distracted with a social life, Shiral has come to enjoy the “art” of people watching. It was her own little window into the world of other people. From time to time, she will sit in the gardens and observe what others are doing. Regardless of how much she watches, how much she learns about how students, professors, just other people in general interact with one another, she never can quite get it down. She does however, know most of the gossip around Hogwarts. Though nobody means to tell her anything she can't help but hear when someone speaks ill of someone else, or when a chattering girl spills about her late night tryst with one of the male students. Of course, Shiral would never share this information with anyone; not that she has anyone to share it with. In fact, because of her lack of social interaction, she hardly realizes that this information should be particularly interesting to another person. To her, nothing is a “secret” it simply is. If she can hear them say it, how hard are they really trying to hide the information? Shiral often assumes that everybody knows the gossip around campus. Of course, she doesn't hear most of the gossip that happens under more grand social pretenses, such as going out to Hogsmead or hanging around the dorms and having “girl time”. Quite the opposite...If someone is talking too loudly while the sixteen year old is trying to sleep, she rather noticeably presses her pillow over her head and against her ear to try and block out their noise.

Sometimes though, she wishes that “sleep” wasn't such a necessary thing. All things must sleep from time to time and for Shiral, the most depressing time of year is in fall, when most of the plants she has come to love go into hibernation. It's difficult to say goodbye to the poplars and the roses. One might find her wandering the grounds, whispering “sleep well” to the local flora. Not all of the plants abandon her though, and in the winter she takes the time to catch up with the sturdy evergreens that never seem to miss a second of life. The witch sometimes wonders when they take the time to sleep. Despite her hardy needle-leafed friends, there are times when the flame haired eagle is forced to stay inside. When not in the classrooms, Shiral can be spotted in her dormitory, staring out of any free window with Hibblespot by her side. Staying indoors seems a bit cloistered to the ravenclaw. Windows are her best friends, her eyes always glued to the outside world. She always tends to feel a bit claustrophobic when she can't go enjoy the wide world. Though she might spend a large portion of her time inside of greenhouses, their clear walls don't have the same closed in effect as the heavy, stone walls of Hogwarts. So she sits, and stares, and grumbles to herself. She yearns to go outside and meet with her wild, long lived friends. Even if the weather is bad enough to toss her out to east Asia.

She's been invited a few times to join others for a night in the common room but never has yet accepted. The thought of being in a social situation with so many people; staring at her; expecting her to say something, gives her something similar to an anxiety attack. Still, her nature is optimistically helpful and she's never left a lost first year on their own; even when that first year turned out to be a particularly nasty Sytherin who's aim was to have her ambushed with manure... She tried her best to avoid that group of little snots afterward. Anyone who knows about the event, tends to attribute her behavior to it. If one were to ask Shiral, they would hear that while it certainly didn't help the situation, it isn't the sole reason that people frighten her so. It didn't help that the smartest, cutest boy in her herbology class was standing right there to see her covered in manure. Though she never worked up the courage to talk to him, at least he had the decency not to laugh at her.

Even to this day, when near a boy that she finds intelligent, or attractive she becomes even more mouse-like. Her body curls in slightly and she pulls in her limbs trying to become as small as possible. In this, her fifth year; Shiral has made a resolution. This year, she will have somebody to go to the Winter ball with. Even if she dies from embarrassment, or has to run away in tears, she will make the first step of getting someone to go with her. Or at least talking to them.

Character Background: Shiral, the only child of Timothy and Mira Verdantclaw spent her childhood in a variety of greenhouses across the world. Though they had a home in the most wonderful London, she came to find that some plants just didn't flourish there, even with magical help. Her parents were both successful herbologists. In the muggle realm they were known as apothecaries. In the magical realm they wrote extensive articles and had finished a jointly written book by the time she was born. Every new greenhouse was a new adventure. By age six she had determined what sort of plants she was closest with. By eight she looked forward to research trips to wild African jungles, peaceful Asian bamboo fields, and playful North American bayous. By the age of ten, she knew far more about the plant world than others her age. Without any brothers or sisters, or any normal school to go to in childhood, the plants became like friends to her. She enjoyed meeting a new flower or extending a formal greeting to a hanging fern. It wasn't at too late an age that she began to respond to unheard voices. Of course, since her parents did the same it wasn't too much of a shock to them but it did disturb the locals in regions that they visited to hear a child's laugh and see a small red-headed child smiling up at a brightly colored flower that had drifted down from a tree branch. Her belief that plants were her friends did not come from a lack of other attention. Despite their constant moving and writing, her parents never forgot their daughter and ensured that she was included in their work...as long as it wasn't too dangerous. She remembers being told about the Venomous Tentacula; with it's long, dark red vines, reaching out to bite her father when he wasn't looking. With both parents well rooted in the magical world, and a travel history to fill a geography class; it was always expected that she would go to Hogwarts when it was time. Her whole life, her parents told her about Hogwarts and how wonderful it had been when they were there. They were both Ravenclaws and met at the Winter ball in their fourth years. In her eleventh year, her family stayed home and tended to the greenhouses there, while the anxious Shiral awaited her letter. When the owl came, Shiral hardly took the time to read it. She rushed up to her room and threw everything together in a trunk. Every piece of clothing and every scrap of child-written notes were thrown in with the greatest of excitement. Even her toad, Hibblespot, was snagged off of his favorite moist window sill and put into a glass case with holes, and a soft mossy floor.

While changes have been made, some things never change. Hibblespot has remained a close companion and a greenhouse adviser. Hibblespot still remembers that he owes Shiral for her early heroism. On a particularly wicked winter, her family's flight had been delayed. The weather was so severe that even in the protected shelter of the greenhouse, most of the plants were hibernating or dying due to the frigid cold. Shiral, worried about the plants and trying to sing them to sleep with the lullaby her mother taught her. In the corner of the greenhouse, hiding against some not quite dead foliage, was a small toad. She confirmed with her father later that he was a Yosemite toad, which was native to North America. It was possible that he had been moved in the plants or water that they transported as an egg or tadpole. Shiral saw the poor little toad all alone and half frozen and it touched her heart. She quickly snagged the amphibian away from the foliage and tucked it into her jacket. Running the whole way she made it back into the house where she filled a tub with some warm water. The girl was so enamored with her new friend that her parents couldn't tear her away from it. From that point on, Hibblespot remained close to his little hero. Though she wasn't so little to him. Most days he spends traveling about with her, nestled in the bright red of her hair. On particularly warm days he's happy to stay in the dorm, near a warm window, in a shallow dish of water. Hibblespot really is Shiral's best friend and has, in his toad mind, made plans to never abandon his flame-haired lady.

Another close friend is Shiral's wand. Her mother had it specially made for her when she was just ten years old. They had been on a research trip to the southern United States. They had been visiting the everglades amongst the south east coast of her neighbor across the sea. It was there that her mother told her that she and Shiral's father were going to do some particularly dangerous research. However, she would be left with a magical caretaker: a wand maker. The man was unusually young for someone in this line of business but he seemed to know what he was doing. He had Shiral meet each of the materials and he discussed the ten year old's hopes and dreams. She was asked what she wanted out of a wand, a friend? A weapon? After all the questioning, and five long days without either of her parents (almost the entire research trip); she was given her wand. It was beautiful and she knew that it would teach her great things. The shaft of the wand was made of swishy reed, a plant that while common in the everglades, was filled with a wisdom that the girl would need in the coming year. The handle was made of light, golden hued Magnolia; reflecting her gentle, healing nature. The man had made her one with two cores; ramora scales, and re'em blood. The man had mentioned something about water magic and being able to use her wand when overly excited, but she didn't even catch all of the information. At eleven and three-quarter inches, it seemed a bit big to the young girl but she swished it around a few times then gently placed it into a special case. Next to her toad, this would be one of her most constant companions on her journey through Hogwarts.

Still, Shiral counts the plants amongst her friends as well. She tries not to talk too much about plants too often when in the dining hall, but it's near impossible to get her away from the greenhouse for anything but other classes. Sadly,the lack of change that Hogwarts has instilled in the young eagle, also means that she still walks away from people and toward the welcoming leaves of her soil-rooted friends to enjoy a day researching with Hibblespot. While she's been working on her social skills, and trying to open up to to others she always finds an excuse to wander back to the isolated greenhouse, away from the chatter of more social Hogwarts students.