dianazabini

[dianazabini]

Diana looked up when someone said her name, mentally steeling herself to put on a cheery face for whoever wanted to speak to her. She smiled politely at Rita, gesturing for her to sit in the vacant seat beside her. "Rita," she said warmly, gears turning in her mind. "How lovely to see you! Can I get you a drink?" She would need to be careful, she knew, not to reveal too much to the reporter beside her. She needed to seem sad about her husband's passing, but not mawkish in her feelings. Cheerful, but not too happy. All in all, though, chatting with Rita, adding her to her collection of assets, couldn't possibly be a bad idea.

@dianazabini

An unmistakable flamboyance made Rita Skeeter a spectacle in any setting, and The Leaky Cauldron was no exception. Ensconced in a corner, she surveyed the colourful scene unfolding on Diagon Alley, her gaze sharp and discerning. She wielded a magical goblet that remained blissfully chilled amidst the stifling heat—a refreshing contrast to the rest of the wilting world.

Then, she spotted her—Diana, the once-vivacious socialite, now a recluse swathed in self-imposed mourning. The sight quickened Rita's pulse, for where others saw a fallen bird, she saw a phoenix poised to rise, a tale begging to be told.

Seems like the cat has finally come out to play, Rita mused as Diana ordered a drink at the bar. She stifled a chuckle when Diana choked on her drink, adding to her silent commentary, And promptly forgot how to lap the milk. As always, her quicksilver quill was swift to capture these thoughts on her magically unfolding parchment.

A spectator no more, Rita felt the pull to engage. She rose from her seat, swaying towards the bar with an enticing grace, each step a melody in the siren's song. As she approached Diana, she offered a casual salute with her goblet, her eyes twinkling with cunning delight.

"Diana," Rita began, her voice a melodic purr, "Fancy seeing you here on such a blistering day. It appears the sun has lured us both from our nests, wouldn't you say?"

Her words, though innocent, were as potent as a well-brewed potion, and the undercurrent of intrigue they carried wasn't lost on either of them. Already, Rita could see the headline forming in her mind: ‘Diana – Is Mourning's End a Reality or Merely a Mirage?’

Rita was a woman on a mission, eager to reveal secrets and tease out the untold narrative. The thrill of the chase, the tantalising promise of a compelling story, spurred her on. As she looked at Diana, she felt her journalistic instincts kick into overdrive, her senses heightened, her intuition probing beneath the surface.

Resilient in the face of possible hostility and undeterred by potential rebuffs, Rita was a determined player in the game of stories. A single-minded puppet master, she stood on the precipice of a promising tale, all set to dive into the maelstrom of drama, intrigue, and controversy that was bound to ensue.

[dianazabini]

Diana looked up as someone approached, hoping it wasn't one of her late husband's relatives or some society gossip-monger. Her face split into a grin when she recognized Kieran. She hadn't kept up with very many of her friends from school since graduating, instead "settling" into married life, and then secluding herself to "mourn" her husband.

"Maybe you're right," she said, taking another careful sip of her drink. "Maybe this is exactly what I needed. Tom's always known best." She laughed quietly. "How have you been? It's been... A while."

His brother was minding the shop and so he had the evening free, Lucian usually offered to take any evening shifts given he wasn’t much for going out. It was how he found himself at the bar, surveying it for anything interesting, new faces that caught his eye or someone he knew. It was then he landed on a face he hadn’t seen since the days of Hogwarts causing him to rise from his seat and wander over to the bar. He was just in time to hear a choking noise followed by her utterance and he couldn’t help but chuckle. “Did you really come for pumpkin juice?” he questioned sitting down on the stool next to her. “Tom isn’t one to get an order wrong…or perhaps he sensed you needed something a bit stronger,” he suggested, curious about the mix-up. “Well, it certainly has been quite some time since I've seen you around."

[dianazabini]

Where: The Leaky Cauldron Who: Open

The heat was ungodly and no cooling charm could make Madame Malkin's any less stuffy or oppressive, leading its occupants to close up early for the day and seek respite. Diana wiped a bead of sweat from where it was forming on her brow as she made her way down Diagon, smiling occasionally as she saw someone she recognized. After leading a few mostly secluded years of "mourning", the sun on her skin felt like an old friend laying its hand on her and leading her to the Leaky for a cold drink.

She ducked into the pub and took a seat at the bar, ordering her drink and resting her head on her hand. When it arrived, she took a sip... And promptly choked.

"Right," she muttered. "I don't think that's pumpkin juice."

[dianazabini]

Diana Zabini

IN CHARACTER

Birthday: February 15, 1960

Blood Status: Pureblood

Gender & Pronouns: Cisgender, she/her

Occupation: Sales Associate, Madame Malkin’s

Sided with: Neutral

Faceclaim: Kylie Bunbury

SCHOOL

Any activity that you would like to add here related to education, or lack of.

School: Hogwarts

House: Ravenclaw

Extra Curriculars: Charms Club, Astronomy Club, Potions Club

Quidditch: N/A

BIO

GROWING UP: Diana was born into a nouveau-riche branch of an old Pureblood family. While the Zabini family didn’t not appear on the list of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, Diana’s mother, Acantha, was a Shafiq and raised her daughter in the traditions of Pureblood families of the United Kingdom. Diana was primarily cared for by a succession of nannies, governesses, and private tutors before attending Hogwarts, and was doted on by her parents when they deigned to appear in her life. Her father nominally held a position at Gringotts that enabled Acantha and himself to travel around Europe, leaving Diana at home in their London townhome. As she grew, Diana began to favor her mother and developed into quite a beauty. Her parents began seeking her betrothal before she began at Hogwarts, believing that their obedient, quiet, darling daughter could help them forge further connections in society. But first, her father insisted that she attend Hogwarts to mingle with her peers and begin building a web of connections of her own.

START OF THE WAR: At Hogwarts, Diana was sorted into Ravenclaw. She performed admirably academically, but where she really excelled was with her fellow students and her professors. She had learned early on that a well-placed flutter of her lashes, a giggle, or a wide smile could get her farther than memorizing any Arithmancy equation, and she used her knowledge to her advantage. She wielded her beauty and her personality like a weapon, using it to get what she wanted or needed. Had she any real ambition, she would have made a masterful addition to Slytherin. Beyond honing her skills of manipulation, Diana also hoarded knowledge. Before attending school, she had been somewhat sheltered by her parents and her caregivers, but now there was a wide world in front of her and she wanted to experience it all. She started to plan a life outside of London and England and Hogwarts- Somewhere far away and warm, where she could just be herself, without the expectations of society to tie her down. Her ambitions were cut short by a letter from her mother in her sixth year. She could remember taking a sip of her pumpkin juice at the breakfast table and cracking the seal on the envelope. She remembered the way her world narrowed to a pinprick as she read what Acantha had written. “…Father has arranged a betrothal… Heir of a Pureblood line… One of Daddy’s old friends from school…” And so, at the age of sixteen, Diana was betrothed to a man her father’s age who had been recently widowed. Her wedding was to take place the summer after she left school, leaving her little time to prepare for her new role. Fortunately, Diana is nothing if not resourceful, and she began to plan immediately. The wedding went on, as planned. She moved into her new husband’s manor, began playing the role of adoring Pureblood wife. It was so easy to pretend to “love” her husband. It was even easier to stage the potions accident that ultimately claimed his life, just a few short months after they wed. The Aurors didn’t look twice at the sobbing woman, and society opened its arms to a young, grieving widow. A young, grieving widow who had just gained control of a substantial fortune at that.

PRESENT TIME: Diana has continued to play the role of widow over the last few years, shedding pretty tears over her late husband’s memory when the occasion calls for it. She’s taken a job at Madame Malkin’s selling robes and gowns and began to reintegrate herself into the world after the period of mourning ended. She refuses to choose a side in the war, instead planning to throw her weight behind whoever emerges victorious and claim silent support when the time is right.

WANTED CONNECTIONS

Husband’s Family: This could be anyone (cousins, siblings, etc) who may have known Diana’s husband. Do they have suspicions over his sudden death? Up to you!

School Friends: Diana’s friends from school. Now that she’s out of mourning, she would be looking to reestablish her friendships from her younger days.

Former Flings/Flames: Former flings or lost loves of Diana’s. Was there someone else who caught her eye before she married? Let’s plot something.

OTHER

Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0x88FFBOUB70itnAUWw9wz?si=5c1fb0d8a9e44224&pt=45fdeb321eef4fc73270f38d730c5e49

[dianazabini]

©