Olivia O‘Brian | First Year | Ravenclaw

Olivia O'Brian was born into a family where the magical and Muggle worlds collided in awkward, sometimes clumsy ways. Her mother, Estelle O'Brian (née Featherstone), is a Muggle-born witch who graduated from Hogwarts. However, after finishing her studies, she chose to live a predominantly Muggle life. She used magic sparingly, mostly for practical tasks like cleaning and tidying—nothing that would make it seem particularly extraordinary. To Olivia, magic was simply another tool in the house, no more unusual than a broom or a spoon, and it was rarely a topic of discussion at home.

Her father, David O'Brian, is a Muggle doctor who worked long shifts at the hospital. Olivia didn’t see much of him during the week, and when he was home, he was usually too tired to spend much time with the family, although he still made an effort. David, a quiet and reserved man, often found solace in his work, using it as a way to escape the tension that hung between him and Estelle. Despite or perhaps because of this distance, he made an effort to take the family on weekend outings whenever he could—usually to parks, other towns, or simply staying at home for movie marathons. Over time, Olivia realized that these trips were more about David escaping his own emotions than about truly bonding as a family. She didn’t fully understand this back then, but there was always a quiet, unspoken tension in the air.

Billy, Olivia’s older brother, was six years older and a Muggle. Their relationship was cordial but distant. Billy wasn’t particularly interested in the magical side of the family, and over the years, Olivia had come to accept that they didn't connect on that level. Billy was pragmatic and practical, not prone to emotional outbursts like their mother or Olivia herself. He was the one who often noticed the unspoken issues between their parents, stepping in to mediate when the tension became too much. Olivia, on the other hand, preferred to stay silent and observe, rather than confront.

The family lived in a large, somewhat disorganized house on the outskirts of Bodmin. It was a house full of books, old furniture, and Estelle’s unfinished manuscripts. A place where Olivia felt safe, though far from perfect. Estelle’s unpredictable moods made it difficult to form strong relationships with their neighbors, and Olivia was perfectly fine with this. For her, the house was home, even though it was a bit chaotic and cut off from the outside world. She had learned early on how to navigate her mother’s emotional landscape, even if she never fully understood the depths of Estelle’s frustration.

At Muggle primary school, Olivia wasn’t an outstanding student. She wasn’t particularly academic, struggling especially with subjects like math. But this never really bothered her. Olivia always preferred to lose herself in her own thoughts, whether that meant reading, drawing, or simply observing the world around her. She was quiet, thoughtful, and often more of an outsider. But when she began to speak, things changed. For the most part, she stayed silent, observing, letting the world unfold around her. But once she entered a conversation, there was no stopping her. Her words would flow like a torrent, as if everything she had kept bottled up suddenly needed to burst out all at once.

Her relationships with others were often surface-level. Olivia made friends easily, but her connections were never deep. She enjoyed their company, but always at a distance. She wasn’t emotionally withdrawn, just selective. She knew not everyone was worth her time, and she wasn’t about to waste energy on relationships that didn’t feel meaningful. But when she did form a bond, it was based on an understanding of honesty. Olivia had an almost instinctive ability to spot dishonesty, and that was something she couldn’t tolerate. She valued truth above all else, and anyone who wasn’t straightforward was quickly shut out of her life.

Olivia’s interests were varied, but she never pursued anything long enough to truly excel at it. She liked to dabble in things, whether it was learning an instrument (piano, flute, guitar, violin—she had tried them all) or reading. She didn’t need to be exceptional at anything; the joy was in the experience itself. Her humor reflected this: dry, sometimes cynical, but with a genuine appreciation for life’s absurdities

For a long time, her parents thought Olivia might be non-magical like her brother. Since both her father and grandparents were non-magical, this wouldn't have been a surprise. But everything changed shortly after her tenth birthday.

One evening, Olivia had a heated argument with her father. He had once again broken a promise to spend the evening with the family and was already halfway out the door. Frustrated and hurt, Olivia shouted after him. “You always do this“, she said. Her voice shook more than she wanted it to. “You never stay.“ She could see that her father was sorry, and yet he still stepped out the door to leave her behind once again. In that exact moment, the front door slammed shut with a loud bang — though no one had touched it.

Olivia stared at the door, her heart pounding. She hadn’t moved. She hadn’t even thought about doing anything. But her breath came quick and shallow, and something inside her felt hot and tight, like a scream that had been trapped for too long.

Her mother stood frozen behind her.

Olivia remained in the hallway, wide-eyed, her fists clenched at her sides.

That was the first unmistakable sign of magic.

After it happened once, it happened more and more often. Whether it was flying books or suddenly shattering cups: at some point, the signs became too obvious to continue dismissing them as coincidences.

Her parents sat her down in the kitchen. Her cocoa went cold in her hands as they told her the truth: she had inherited Estelle’s magical abilities — she was a witch.
Olivia just looked up and quietly asked, “Do I have to go to Hogwarts?“
She wasn’t thrilled by the idea of being sent away to some strange, far-off castle but Estelle was firm. Her daughter needed proper training — something she couldn’t give her on her own.

So, when the Hogwarts letter arrived, no one was particularly surprised. After stealing some of her mother's old school books, Olivia had even warmed to the idea of going to Hogwarts. She was excited about the potential of magic, which she had previously viewed as purely practical. The images of various magical creatures and recipes for spooky-sounding potions conjured dreams in her head and increased her anticipation for the first day of school.