For some, failure is not an option. There's people, of course, who believe it's okay to make mistakes. Nora McCullough was never one of those people. The eldest of Aoife and Pat McCullough, Nora was born in Ireland to the McCullough family of witches. Druid descended, Nora grew up incredibly close to her grandmother, Méabh. From an early age, Méabh taught Nora about the magic she'd one day possess. With work, Méabh told Nora, she could refine great power. As the years passed and her family continued to grow, Nora knew that it would be her duty to protect the family magic while developing her own. Everything seemed like it was going to be okay until the day that Méabh got sick. The illness spread fast, and neither medicine nor magic could cure it. In the last days, Méabh used the energy she had left to deliver a cryptic message: move to Mystic Falls. Although Nora's mother, Aoife, resisted, Méabh was insistent. If the family was to survive, they needed to leave.
In the coming months, Nora's entire life changed. They buried Méabh, but Aoife continued to drag her feet about moving. She was kicked into gear when a tragic accident claimed the life of Pat shortly after, leaving Aoife to fear that her mother was right and the family would not survive unless they left. Nora quickly went from never having left Ireland to living in Mystic Falls, VA, in the United States. At this point, Aoife was heavily pregnant with her fourth daughter, Maeve, and oscillated between a deep depression and setting up her new shop. Nora, in the meanwhile, was left to help with her sisters even though she was only eight. That's how the next few years went for Nora: go to school, work at the shop, take care of her younger sisters. Her magic did develop just like Méabh had promised, but she rarely had time to herself to do any substantial work on it. Instead, Nora had to deal with just being fine. Her life felt small, and even though she received offers to broaden her horizons and attend university out of Mystic Falls, she refused as she knew she couldn't leave when her family needed her.
In Nora's mind, it made sense to stay in Mystic Falls. It's where Méabh had wanted them to be. Nora had never really gotten over losing her grandmother. She had been a friend and confidante who had card about Nora, not just what Nora brought to the table. If she had lived, would Nora have been able to explore her full potential? It doesn't really matter now. Méabh's been gone for a long time, and Nora feels like she has no choice but to carry on like she always has. Now that the baby sister, Maeve, is eighteen, Nora is hoping she'll have time to focus on things other than packing lunches of helping with A.P. homework. Nora's associates degree in business was completed with the intention that it could help her better manage Aoife's shop. It's likely she'll inherit Leigheas as she doesn't have much else going for her; it could be nice to imagine how to integrate more magic into the products than they already are. It's small, but it's something. Méabh always told Nora she could do great things, but she must have been wrong. Nora's doing what she's been doing for the last twenty years: trying to be a good daughter, sister, and witch. She has to keep her head up and never let the cracks show.
☾ AOIFE MCCULLOUGH did the best she could, but it wasn't always enough. Nora was parentified at a young age but never let her mother know how hard it was for her. A part of Nora feels like Aoife should have known. Nora lost her father, her grandmother, and everything she had ever known. There was more she wanted from life that she never had the chance to do. Being mad at Aoife won't turn back the clock, though. Nora did what she had to, and she'll continue supporting her mother anyway that she can.
☾ ELSPIE, NIAMH & MAEVE MCCULLOUGH are Nora's younger sisters. She loves them more than anything and does whatever she can for them, even if that means sacrificing what she wants. The older they've gotten, however, the harder things have become. All the McCullough's seem to be going in different directions. Niamh's been hard for years, but Maeve pulling away recently was unexpected. Elspie's seemed anxious and distracted even more so than usual as well. It doesn't matter. Nora will do whatever she can to make sure that her sisters succeed.
☾ ISLA MACLACHLAN is Nora's closest confidante. Isla is a cousin of Nora's as her mother is Aoife's sister, but Isla's parents died years before. Isla ended up in Mystic Falls to be closer to family, and she uses magic and medicine to help people as a nurse. Nora's secretly envious of all the good Isla does, and she wishes she could make an impact as well. Isla's always encouraged Nora to step outside of her comfort zone. Nora just has no idea where to even begin.
