Beauxbatons NPC iNPC Registry

Florence Aurélie Mercier was born in Marseille, a city where the sea is never completely out of sight; even away from the harbour the air remains salty, the light falls in a strange way on the stones and the horizon always seems to hold something just out of reach. The house in which she grew up had the same feeling of contrast: it was beautiful, well-ordered and at the same time full of quiet contradictions.

Her mother, Élise Mercier, belonged to a traditional French pureblood family which had long-standing expectations and very precise manners. She was brought up to place a high value on appearance, discipline, and that kind of elegance which is never by chance. Her father, Julien Mercier, was a wizard who had spent most of his childhood in a mostly Muggle environment, but his family had distant magical ancestors who had remained silent for many generations. Even though Julien had been brought up outside the wizarding world for a large part of his childhood, magic had by no means been completely missing from his family lineage; it had simply been dormant until it manifested in him and then in Florence.

Florence was the couple's only child and for that reason she was kept under careful observation; not in a cruel manner, but in the way in which adults watch a child that they have already imagined as an adult and as someone complete. Élise taught her good posture, the correct etiquette, and how to remain still without appearing uncomfortable. Julien showed her how to listen to music, how to allow a melody to become feeling, and how to continue when a note was played incorrectly. Florence inherited a little of each of them; her mother's restraint and her father's gentleness, but not in equal amounts.

She started dancing when she was three years old and thought that movement had an effect on a person long before they could speak. Florence was put into dancing lessons from an early age, and although she became quite skilled, she never enjoyed dance as a form of pure play; it was something that was expected of her, constantly corrected and improved. She learned to keep her posture good, to follow the counts, and to smile when being watched. At the age of five Julien taught her to play the guitar, and this became her private retreat. Unlike with dance, in music mistakes were allowed. A wrong chord could be repeated, softened, and transformed. She liked that. She enjoyed the fact that music could still be beautiful even if it was imperfect.

She had a great affection for the sea as well. Since the family lived close to the coast, Florence was able to walk to the sea frequently when she was a child. Whenever she was upset, she preferred the sound of the waves to conversation. She appreciated the idea that the ocean could keep changing all the time and yet still remain the same. Just as with animals, she felt this way for the same reason. They appeared to live more honestly than people did. Whether it was birds, cats, sea creatures or any small and alert creature, she felt at ease in their company.

The first time she accidentally performed magic was when she was six years old, during a dance rehearsal. The episode lasted only a short time, yet it had a disturbing effect on all those present. Her mother at once realized that what had happened was magic and became more attentive afterwards, even though she was not any more forgiving. The ability which Florence developed as a seer came rather late and in an irregular, gradual manner; it was not the result of a sudden and dramatic insight. Rather, it started with dreams so vivid that they could not be ignored, with abrupt sensations that seemed to be older than memory, and with flashes of symbolism which made no sense at the time but later turned up in actual life.

Their parents reacted with caution rather than with celebration. Élise was aware of the risk involved in drawing attention to a daughter who was able to see beyond ordinary things. While Julien was less concerned about his reputation and more focused on ensuring Florence's comfort, he could not always keep her from having to bear the weight of knowing things she did not understand. As a result, they made every effort to keep the household stable around her. Florence soon learned not to speak about her visions with too much certainty, not since she had been discouraged from being honest, but because certainty was never something her ability provided.

When she'll get to Beauxbatons, Florence had planned to be very skilled at appearing composed even though she wasn't completely at ease. Although she is kind, intelligent and observant, she is also private in a manner which seems almost instinctive. She doesn't stay in the background in order to appear mysterious; rather, she does so because the world often seems too noisy, too direct or too certain and she has come to realise that silence can at times be the safest kind of truth.

WC: 857

Florence's first accidental magic happened at age six during a dance rehearsal. She had made the same mistake repeatedly and, after yet another correction, stood frozen in the midle of the studio. The room's music slowed until it became strangely warped and distant, a line of small mirrors along the wall clouded over as though covered in sea mist. The effect lasted less than a minute. When it ended, the mirrors cleared and the music returned to normal. Her parents recognized it as accidental, wandless magic brought on by distress. Florence remembered very little of the moment except feeling as though the room had become far away.

Florence Aurélie Mercier is a Seer, although Florence's father grew up mostly outside the wizarding world, his family had distant magical origins which had stayed dormant for many generations before surfacing in him and then in Florence. Her mother, Élise, belongs to an ancient pureblood family with a long line of magical ancestors. Although Florence's father, Julien, was raised as a Muggle-born wizard, his mother's family records contain a distant magical branch, including a Seer several generations ago. The ability appeared only rarely in that line and remained dormant for generations before eventually being inhererited by Florence. In her youth, Florence did not display her ability through any obvious physical signs; the only outward indications are occasional intense expressions or a distant look when a vision comes over her. Although some Seers are known to have their hair turn grey prematurely during their late teens, this has not yet happened in her case.

Her visions come unexpectedly and are seldom literal. They appear in fragments: a broken mirror, salt water on her hands, a song she has not yet heard, a door which is standing half-open, a person whose face she can not see properly. At the time these images occur they make little sense and often only acquire meaning afterwards. She is not able to call them up at will and cannot ensure that they are accurate. The ability is irregular, hard to catch, and emotionally exhausting. Following a powerful vision she might feel withdrawn, tired, or slightly disoriented. She sometimes gets headaches, a heaviness behind the eyes, or a persistent feeling of something being wrong which is hard to get rid of.

Instead of celebrating her ability, Florence’s family reacted with caution, having had hope she would not inherit this gift, as they themself hadn't gotten it even though it was common in their lineage. Florence’s mother realised that there was a risk in drawing attention to a daughter who was able to see beyond ordinary things. Although her father was less concerned about reputation, he did care about his daughter’s comfort, even though he could not always keep her from having to deal with things she didn’t understand. As a result, they both made every effort to keep the household stable around her. Florence soon learned not to speak so confidently about her visions, not because she had been discouraged from being honest, but because certainty was never something her ability provided.

The way she interacts with other people is also influenced by her ability. Since she sometimes knows things that she can't fully explain, people may find her either quietly distant or very observant. After having a vision she can become withdrawn not since she is indifferent to others, but because she is attempting to work out what she has seen and what, if anything, it means. She doesn't use the ability to manipulate people, to predict the outcome for her own benefit, or to assert certainty that she doesn't actually have. Rather, she bears it like an unsettled weather pattern; always possible, never completely visible, and impossible to ignore once it has started.

The limitations of her power are important, as they temper her with a healthy dose of humility. She does not always get to see things when she wants to and she does not always know that what she saw was really happening. She cannot control the content of her visions and she cannot tell the difference between them and dreams all the time. She does not see everything, nor does she see everything clearly or predict everything that may happen. Her powers are capricious and intermittent and this serves as a healthy reminder that knowledge and prophecy are never easily obtained. Nothing really defines her, beyond the feeling that she has knowledge, but it is always fragmented, indirect and elusive.

Florence's power also has effects in the way she interacts with the world. She can appear aloof or analytical in the way she watches it, but rarely uses her power for manipulation or advantage. Rarely does she see things through the eyes of other people, but instead from an all-seeing, uncaring perspective. She is introspective after seeing things, not because she cares for them, but because she wants to understand what has happened so she can grasp its meaning.

WC: 717