The Laurence Family

The Laurence Family
Motto	"Viribus Surgimus, Sanguine Vincimus"
Social Class	Nobility
Established	1066
Blood Type	Pureblood
Residence	Arundel Castle, West Sussex, England
Head of Family	James Laurence
Archetype	Patriarchal, Elitest, Old Money
Family Owner(s)	Amber, Dani

Overview

The House of Laurence is an English Pureblood noble family dating back to the time of the Norman Invasion in 1066. Upon the succession of William the Conqueror, their ancestor Roger de Laurence, whom led one of the largest battles on behalf of the new king, was granted the title 'Duke of Norfolk' and subsequently awarded what became known as Arundel Castle in the area of West Sussex. The title is currently (as of 1919) held by the current head of the family, James Laurence. He is expected to be succeeded by his nephew, Benji Laurence, unless he and his wife produce a male heir before his death.

As one of the oldest pureblooded noble families in Britain, the Laurences hold powerful sway and influence amongst their sect. They take their lineage and status extremely seriously. They have spent centuries building upon their legacy and reputation, with chess moves, strong alliances and intrigues. Every whisper in every hallway calculated carefully, methodically and patiently. Known for their intelligence and ability to foresee reasonable outcomes, the Laurences have consistently aligned themselves with victors throughout their history. They have thrived, retaining power through wars, usurpations of kings, coups and invasions.

As consistent with many other powerful families, many of their lineage were lost to tyrants, petty civil war and jealous rivals over the centuries. The core of them, however, remained steadfast in their quest for power and domination in the land. They are known amongst their circles as the family to turn to when deals need to be made, alliances need to be won, or rivalries need to be squashed.

Family Traits

Physical Characteristics

The Laurences are by all standards, traditionally good-looking. They predominately have lighter complexions, darker hair and light brown eyes, although this can vary depending on the other parent of course. The men typically stand at a comfortable 6'0 - 6'5 and have more chiseled features and athletic builds. They tend to be mistaken for French at first appearance, perhaps because of their Norman roots and their adherence to pureblood aristo and noble marriages. The women vary in height, usually ranging from 5'4 to 5'8. They tend to have softer features, larger eyes and slender builds.

Personality Traits

Members of the Laurence family are known for their ambition, intelligence, charm, observation skills, and quiet stoicism. Many of them are master manipulators, using quiet, soft charm to draw their prey in. They are known for being cutthroat and ruthless, having zero qualms about doing whatever it takes to retain their power, protect their own and their heritage. They are traditionalists, by every meaning of the word. Blood purity isn't just important, it's vital to their survival. Halfbloods and Muggleborns are not considered appropriate romantic or marriage partners and members of the family have been completely disowned - or worse - in the past for daring to rebel in this area.

Despite this deeply held prejudice, the Laurences are not above working with and allying themselves with Halfbloods, Muggleborns or even Muggles if it's a means to an end. They strongly believe everyone has something to offer, and they will take it without reservation. Real friendships and deeper relationships, however, are never given consideration. Their prejudice is quiet, often kept behind the safe, closed doors of Laurence Castle and wielded only in public when it's beneficial to do so.

Modern-Day Members

James Alastair Laurence, 20th Duke of Norfolk (b. 1881)

Born on May 9, 1881 to William Laurence IV, 18th Duke of Norfolk and his wife, Vera St. Allswell, James was the second of three children. A lively, happy and boisterous child from the start, James was the heart of his family. Always coming up with little jokes and stories, he often brought the adults in the family to fits of laughter. He was precocious and intelligent and could often be found in the storage rooms, looking over old family heirlooms, taking them apart and trying to figure out how everything worked. He was incredibly observant and could often be caught hiding behind furniture to try and overhear the adult conversations that went on all around him. James was highly social and loved every party and family event that he was allowed to attend.

At the age of five, he lost his mother to childbirth when his younger sister, Julia Laurence, was born. It was a heavy blow, but while his brother, Edward, spiraled into bouts of rages, James instead shut down, preferring to keep to himself and his room amongst his toys and the imaginary friends he created for himself. He was tutored privately with his brother, but once Edward was sent away to school, little James often accompanied his father to meetings at the Ministry to listen and learn. It was here, beginning at the age of nine that James began to understand the intricacies and delicate dance that politics and social settings required. He'd watched his father in admiration as he twisted and turned the men around him to his will, with seemingly no effort.

At the age of eleven, James joined his elder brother at Beauxbatons where he thrived in Charms and Dueling. Like his brother, James was popular, though he ran with a different set of more serious students. Here, he threw himself into absorbing everything he could regarding spellwork, incantations and the delicate movements. He made connections throughout the school with his peers from more prestigious European families and solidified them through his good-nature and willingness to offer favors. All in the understanding he would be repaid ten-fold someday when he required it.

Following his time at Beauxbatons, James attended The University of Edinburgh where he double-majored in Ministry Politics and Communications. Here, James reconnected with his more fun-loving and relaxed side, finally allowing himself to enjoy the young social scene. University allowed James to make countless more important connections and relationships that in the coming years would serve him and his family well. After University, James continued working for his brother and father in whatever ways they required, including shady Ministry and Parliamentary deals and other endeavors that aren't quite clear.

Despite his affable and easy-going nature, James can be incredibly cold and ruthless and often shows this side when people aren't swayed by his charm. To put it simply, he is calculating, manipulative and dangerous, hidden by a mask of charm.

On August 25, 1917, James married Amelia Cornish, a young Pureblooded woman from a neighboring noble family. They currently have one daughter, Claire Briann Laurence, born May 1, 1920.

He succeeded to the duchy on February 4, 1918, upon the murder of his brother, becoming the 20th Duke of Norfolk.

Julia Sybil Laurence (b. 1886)

Lady Julia Sybil Laurence was born on July 12, 1886 in a bath of the blood that would define her very existence for the rest of her life. As her mother was swept away into Death’s gentle arms, Julia took her first breaths into the world that would become her oyster.

As the third-born child and only daughter of William Laurence, one of the most powerful dukes in England, it could be assumed that Julia’s life would be laid out in front of her from the moment of conception. However, Lord Laurence was not a shallow or short-sighted man. She would not be sent to some aristo finishing school, or married off to another noble family at the first chance. His daughter, his Julia, was no lady-in-waiting. She would be raised the same as her brothers; educated, calculated, ambitious. Another portrait of pride and significance in the history of the British aristocracy.

As tradition required, following her private tutoring, Julia was sent to Beauxbatons instead of Hogwarts for her magical education. There, she was well-liked but also well-known to have a certain distaste for those whose ambitions, behavior or lineage left much to be desired. A tone that could be perceived as disrespectful or uncouth would be met with a flash of brown eyes and a sharp reminder of who they were talking to. She flourished in school, receiving nearly perfect marks in her subjects and could often be found re-arranging books in the library during her spare time. She made good friends with the elderly librarian there, who taught her how to properly research, cite and dictate her findings. She wrote several editorials for the school newsletter and volunteered on the rare occasion in the hospital wing. She found, of course, that healing just wasn’t her forte.

After completing Beauxbatons, she followed her elder brothers to the University of Edinburgh, studying Magical History and Archaeology in addition to a few extra classes in Botany and Chemistry on the side. Learning enthralled the girl. The more she absorbed, the more powerful she felt, and the more she relished every book she could get her hands on. Her brothers found her rather amusing, as neither of them seemed to have the same vigor for education and focused more on the social aspects of their university lives. Valuable, Julia concurred, but nowhere near as exciting.

Marriage and men had never been on her radar, much less a priority. Marriage was for status, cementing alliances and providing heirs. Julia already had the first two, and her brothers would provide the last.

Benji Henry Laurence (b. 1906)

Born on April 4, 1906 to Harry and Liza Cuddrun, there wasn't much expected out of a kid like Benji. He may as well have been born in the gutters of Richmond Road, the way London society saw children – especially boys - like him. Raised in the poor Hackney borough of London, Benji rarely stayed home and even more rarely attended school as he should. At the young age of only eleven, Benji seemed as street-wise as the older teenaged boys he ran around with most days.

The only thing Benji loved more than being a part of his band of misfit toys, was his little six-year-old sister Kate. While he would never admit it to his friends, Benji took special efforts to ensure Kate was cared for. He got up every day and made her breakfast from what little food they had, helped her comb her hair and walked her to school. If she really pleaded, he’d stay and attend school as he should have. He always walked her home, got her a snack and made sure she was safely entertained in her bedroom, before he’d run out the front door again.

His first two years at Hogwarts centered around Benji really trying to understand his trauma, how it had affected him and the people around him. He fell into the wrong crowd for awhile, trying to find something that felt like the friends he had back home. He struggled hard with his alcohol addiction he'd been nursing since he was nine - a habit he'd picked up from the older boys to stop the pain after his mother's beatings.

During this time, Benji and his sister were both removed from their parents' custody and placed in an orphanage for magical children.

In his third year, Benji got clean, under the help of his future adoptive mother, Julia and reconciled with the original friends he'd made in first year. He spent all of third year getting to know who really was, what he liked, what he didn't and the kind of friend he wanted to be to people. Over the summer, he and his sister were both adopted into the Laurence family - one of the most powerful Pureblood aristocratic families in Britain, and he is the current heir to the estate and ducal seat.

Kathryn Elise Laurence (b. 1911)

Born on August 20, 1911 as Kathryn Cuddrun, the young girl spent her earliest years in what can only be considered a chaotic home life. The unpredictability of her mother’s moods often left her uncertain and afraid in her own home. Her father was no better. Frequently absent from the home and of no help when he was present, the man was prone to sitting quietly in his chair facing the garden while life carried on around him. Her only source of comfort and support came in the form of her older brother, Benji Cuddrun. The boy did what neither parent would, often fixing her meals, getting her prepared for schools and ensuring he was there when the situation in the home grew tense.

Things took a turn for the worst when Benji went off to Hogwarts, leaving the girl to fend for herself in an unforgiving home. By the time any inquiries were made into her well-being, she was already in a state requiring medical care and recovery.

Thereafter, Kathryn was placed in the custody of the Hogsmeade Children’s Home. Care workers there quickly learned that the little girl didn’t speak—though she could—and that she was disinclined to engage with the other children. The only one she would entertain (and even then, only barely) was Benji, who tried to visit during Hogsmeade weekends.

She remained in the children’s home for a little over a year, offering nothing but her silent, dispassionate stares. Her situation took a drastic turn in the summer of 1974 when a wealthy couple moving back to England set out to find a child suitable for adoption. There was nothing remarkable about Kathryn Cuddrun. She wasn’t polite, she made no attempts at charm, nor did she want to be taken to the home of strangers when she’d only just become accustomed to the environment of the home.

But she had a face that could work for the couple who planned to pass her off as their own, legitimate child, and that was enough.

Kathryn was taken under the strictest of secrecy, and records were destroyed as necessary. As far as the British government is concerned, she was born the daughter of this high society pair, raised abroad without any other past to speak of. Her new parents paid good money to make sure of it.

A year after this adoption, the Longe family disintegrated due to an instance of infidelity. Kathryn was going to be returned to the children's home; however, a family friend of the Longes' (and coincidentally the adoptive mother of her brother) refused to hear of it and has taken her in as her own.

Rosalie Gretchen Laurence (b. 1904)

Rosalie Gretchen Laurence was born to Leo and Gretchen Laurence at St. Mungo’s on August 7th, 1904, their first and only surviving child. Rosalie's brother Cameron was born in 1909 and subsequently died eight months later from an affliction at birth.

Leo spent his days commuting between West Sussex and London as a barrister for the Ministry of Magic, while Gretchen stayed home with Rosalie, overseeing her tutoring and the daily management of the home.

Due to her extended family’s social status, Rosie benefitted from similar privileges of her older cousins. Wealth and status were all part of it, along with the freedom that came with not being the direct heirs to the duchy. She still wanted for nothing, and attended all of the rather posh aristo events that her parents were invited to.

Being her parents’ only child, they were hesitant to send her off to Beauxbatons, as was family tradition, and so she was privately tutored. Overbearing and overprotective were fair words to describe the adults that raised Rosalie, which often resulted in her feeling suffocated. While she was allowed to play sports at private clubs, including quidditch, swimming and tennis, she spent much of her time at home, either studying or wandering the house. She was often lonely, her parents never allowing her friends to stop by and visit, as many of them were (albeit wealthy) muggles. Her parents were blood-snobs, as most of the Laurence family was, though they managed to keep this prejudice under wraps outside of the comfort of their own home. While Rosie does not sign her name to this particular value, she does recognize the importance of blood, status and wealth in the overall big picture.

Her first two terms at Hogwarts - as a fourth and fifth year - saw her blossoming. She came, slowly out of her shell in search of the things that made her happy, rather than her parents. She began to defy the rules they had set out for her, choosing to follow her own path and her own heart rather than meeting the expectations of her family.

She fell in love, much to her family's chagrin, with a halfblood theatre kid and when they found out about it, collaborated a hair-brained scheme with him to run away together. It didn't end well, and now the two are reeling from the after effects.

Additional Laurence Family Members (NPCs)

• William Harold Laurence IV (b.1856, d. 1919), 18th Duke of Norfolk, Husband of Vera St. Allswell, Duchess of Norfolk
  • Edward William Laurence (b. 1879, d. 1919), 19th Duke of Norfolk, Late Husband of Edith Laurence, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk
• Lady Amelia (nee Cornish) Laurence (b. 1894), Duchess of Norfolk, Wife of James Laurence
  • Lady Claire Briann Laurence (b. 1920)
• Lady Edith (nee Tombs) Laurence (b. 1884), Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, Widow of Edward Laurence
  • Lady Adira Lilith Laurence (b. 1917)
• Robert Laurence, (b. 1858) Brother of William Laurence IV, Husband of Elizabeth O'Brien
  • Leo Robert Laurence (b. 1877), Husband of Gretchen York
    • Cameron Leo Laurence (b. 1909 d. 1910)
  • Arthur O'Brien Laurence (b. 1879), Husband of Anna Upton
    • Matthew Arthur Laurence (b. 1900)
    • Thomas Robert Laurence (b. 1902)
• August Laurence (b. 1859), Brother of William Laurence IV, Husband of Aubergine Fromme
  • Beatrice Laurence (b. 1885)
  • Marianne Laurence (b. 1887)
  • Caedman Laurence (b. 1889)