dahlia lee, second year, gryffindor

Many at Hogwarts are promising. Hence, Dahlia Lee would stand among them.

Such was the narrative guiding Sooji Lee in her decision to relocate to England after the arrival of her first child. Her husband, Junghwan, as it was, was amenable to this. He was amenable to most things in her quest to raise the perfect daughter. Hence, their first and only child was born on January 8th in London, England.

A perfect, wizarding daughter had several attributes. Firstly, and most importantly, was education. Dahlia was raised with an intensive class schedule. Mondays were for history. Wizarding history occupied most of the day up until the early afternoon. Then there was global and ancient history. Tuesdays were for music. Sooji herself never got the opportunity to train these skills. Therefore, Dahlia took piano and voice lessons in the morning and dance in the evenings. Wednesdays were occupied by STEM pursuits: math, physics, and earth science. Literature and philosophical studies fell on Thursdays. Oration, debate, and public speaking were studied on Fridays. Saturdays were not a break but rather a day for comprehensive study and testing of the material learned previously. The Lee family often traveled or hosted guests on Sundays. Study began directly after breakfast and often lasted until bedtime with a break around midday. Practical studies such as cooking and cleaning were neglected entirely as Sooji was inherently against teaching her daughter such skills— they were unsuitable for a powerful lady of status as they implied future commitment to caring for a husband.

Secondly, and more controversially, was an open mind to muggle civilization. Junghwan, a pureblood aristocrat by profession and self-proclaimed researcher of muggle studies, did not believe in wizarding superiority over mugglekind. It was an ignorant excuse for not learning how to function in the world without magic, from his view. Therefore, in her limited free time, Dahlia was educated in muggle matters such as technology, music, fashion, and pop culture. The family as a whole blended in well enough in London, moving between wizarding and muggle locations with ease.

In third place came a clean appearance. Sooji was not too strict with Dahlia’s personal expression growing up as long as she looked well-cared for and put-together. Self-care including skincare, hair treatments, and healthy eating were emphasized as part of Dahlia’s upbringing. Learning the colors and silhouettes of clothing that suited one’s body best along with the proper attire for a given event was also important as to make a good impression. Dahlia took to this easily as she enjoyed fashion.

Lastly came a self-sufficient attitude. Sooji did not believe in etiquette classes for young witches, thinking such practices archaic and rooted in misogyny. Rather, before Hogwarts, Sooji wanted to ensure that Dahlia would be able to hold her own in any room she might be placed in. She wanted to ensure that her daughter was an interesting individual— one with opinions, confidence, a personality, and hobbies. Dahlia, to her mother’s great pleasure, acquired this easily, or perhaps she inherited it.

fiom. Dahlia’s first instance of magic occurred on the steps of her family’s residence. She had recently gotten new shoes. They were, in her five-year-old mind, everything she had ever dreamed of. Namely, this meant they were pink, sparkly, and played fairy dust sound effects whenever she took a step.

However, there was a dillema. These shoes had LACES. Dahlia had never tied her own laces before. Her mother had given her one look and told her to ‘try it.’ She had succeeded… sloppily. The loops were far too short and the long bits were far too long to walk in practically.

Hence, as soon as she stepped outside, there was, definitively, an issue. Her left foot made contact with her right lace and, all of a sudden, her entire body was tipping forward down the staircase. A gasp of fear escaped her lips but, before she knew it, the material of the last step turned to foam as her hands made contact. No scrapes today!