Appearance: Anzhelina is a young girl of charming appearance. Her manner is soft and gentle, but she carries herself solemnly and perhaps too stiffly to be entirely pleasant. Yet, she makes a lovely picture to view from afar: she holds a good posture with straight back and long neck, and the grace of her actions, though unusual for a young girl of her age, befits her promise as a dancer. She grooms herself well and keeps her long, dark hair neat and combed, hanging loosely away from her face or tied back. Her polite and elegant façade is ruined only by her eyes: unsmiling, unnerving wide eyes that hint at the insincerity of her outward appearance.

Personality: Anzhelina is a solemn little girl, stoic both in body and mind. She is quick to anger and generally intolerant but oftentimes maintains a calm and unbothered approach. She appears good-mannered and polite, albeit deceptively so. Her mind is full of petty judgements and cruelties, and although she mostly keeps quiet, she is tactlessly blunt in her speech (and will insist this is by choice and not for lack of knowing better). Already, Anzhelina is vain and self-interested, but her confidence may not be entirely genuine; in fact, there is a great deal of turmoil within her that rarely breaches the surface. She may have an innocent, sweet appearance, but she is truly a girl of strong will and impertinence who does as she pleases and cares little for established rules and traditions.

Biography: The Kuragins are a noble family of Russian origin. Anzhelina spent the majority of her childhood at her family's estate in Russia, where she was raised by somewhat outdated standards (as per her father's wishes) to be a girl of many talents and thus worthy of her name. She was instructed to read classical novels, through which she developed and refined most of her English and much of her French. She was tutored in music, dance, maths, science, and etiquette. Her childhood was busy, and there was hopelessly little time for her to enjoy it.

There was one thing—or, to be more accurate, one person—by whom Anzhelina was endlessly intrigued: her mother. On some evenings, she would quietly go to her daughter's room to demonstrate magical tricks. She refused to explain how they worked. Otherwise, Anzhelina saw very little of her mother and only occasionally heard of her performances at the ballet theatre.

When Anzhelina was eight years old, there was a terrible scandal. Her parents were quickly divorced, and her mother was sent away. A year later, her father remarried and brought his family to England for "a fresh start". In her mother's absence, Anzhelina was unhappy and desperately curious, for she knew little about the reason for her parents' divorce. She knew only about gossip that called her mother was a witch and a sorceress, but she did not wish to believe that. Her father did not speak of it.

First Instance of Magic: Anzhelina did not like her stepmother. She smiled too often and laughed too loudly and had developed a distasteful habit of touching Anzhelina's hair. Anzhelina was nine when her stepmother brought home a bouquet of gladiolus flowers. She was arranging them in a decorative vase, smiling her broad, sickly sweet smile as she did so. It was, for some reason, infuriating and deeply saddening for Anzhelina to see. As she watched, the flowers withered and crumbled in her stepmother's hands. When her father caught news of it, he seemed to begin to resent his daughter. Two years later, he sent her away to a special school.