( non-binary | she/they | adeline rudolph) —— isn’t that HAN-NA “HANNAH” BRODIE? yeah that is them, outside the three broomsticks! they used to be in RAVENCLAW but apparently they now work as a MEDIWIX at the ST. MUNGO’S AND THE DEPARTMENT OF MAGICAL LAW ENFORCEMENT. sybill once said that they reminded her of a well-loved book breaking at the spine; walking away without looking back; a voice raised in protest; a gentle hand fixing a wound; blood staining a white uniform which seems about right. anyway i’ve heard they’re still a bit KIND, STUBBORN and INTELLIGENT, they’re TWENTY TWO now but some things never change! i wonder how being a HALFBLOOD is affecting them after hogwarts, especially now they’re an AGENT with ORDER OF THE PHOENIX? i guess only time will tell…
Basics:
full name: Han-na (Borgin) Brodie
nicknames: Hannah, Han
age: twenty two
birthday: 1st february 1955
zodiac: aquarius
pronouns: she/they
sexual orientation: bisexual
blood status: half-blood
hogwarts house: ravenclaw
wand: alder wand, dragon heartstring core, 10 ½ inches
pet: a cat adopted from a stray named Artemis (Arty)
job: Mediwix (Department of Magical Law Enforcement)
Biography:
Han-na Borgin, from the moment they were born, was an anomaly in the Borgin family. Their mother raised them, for the most part. While Hannah certainly spent time with their father and siblings, their life was markedly different with their mother. Their father was often absent, travelling for the shop and leaving the elder siblings to care for the younger. This meant that when they were with their siblings, Hannah felt a lot closer to them than their father. Especially Jasmine and Kseniya, the two closest to them in age. They didn’t seem to understand Hannah’s life with her mother much, so Hannah learnt not to talk about it much.
Especially when her mother began to date a muggle. At first, Hannah, only six and influenced by all they knew from their siblings, was skeptical of the man. But he was kind, and he was smart, and nothing like what they had been told muggles were like. They tried to tell their siblings, but none of them seemed to understand. It was wrong, in their eyes, for Hannah’s mother to date a muggle. Scandalous. Nonetheless, Hannah got to know Richard Brodie better, and he showed her a world beyond the wizarding one. A world full of cinemas and new books and machines like she had never dreamed. A world of people who were far more like her than she had ever been allowed to know. Richard was an avid reader, and he would share muggle books with her-- fact and fiction --and in turn, she would ‘teach’ him about the wizarding world.
Hannah also learnt not to bring her muggle books to the Borgin household. Her siblings disapproved immensely, and the young child didn’t know how to convince them otherwise. She did, however, stash a few in her bag when she eventually left for Hogwarts.
At home, Richard Brodie showed her what a father was meant to be like. At first, he tried not to be her father, not wanting to overstep with his girlfriend’s child, but as the years went on, and the couple became closer, it became increasingly obvious that Mr Borgin was not fulfilling that role very well. Hannah was given a whole new perspective to her siblings; a world where parents were warm and present, and where muggles were not something to be loathed, but people like herself. And by the time she was ten, her mother had married Richard, making him officially her step-father, and far more of a dad to her than hers ever had been.
At Hogwarts, Han-na wasn’t quiet about her knowledge of the muggle world, nor her opinions of it, despite her siblings’ reactions. She branched out from pureblood families, and as the world turned darker, she knew that she had to be a light.
By the time she left Hogwarts, there had been a rift growing between Hannah and the other Borgins for a long time. It had begun, she feared at times, when her mother had raised her differently. It had widened when she was sorted into Ravenclaw, and when her mother had married a muggle, and especially when Hannah had learnt of the muggle world through her step father’s influence, changing how she saw their world. But after leaving Hogwarts, Hannah knew she had to make a decision. Tensions were rising already, and she knew already that she did not fall on the same side as her siblings. Once and for all, she would make that clear. Despite it all, it was hard not to hold some love for her siblings, especially Jasmine and Kseniya. But hard choices must be made.
She changed her name, legally, to Han-na Brodie, before cutting off contact with the Borgins. Her allegiance to fighting Death Eaters was no secret as she enrolled into an apprenticeship to become a Mediwix with the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. The initial plan was to become a healer, but she decided that for now, she had more use in the field. Especially given her practical knowledge of curses and cursed objects. It felt far more useful to the Order and to people generally to be trained in combat medicine. She hasn’t seen her siblings or her father in two years, since graduating.
“I mean, I know muggles talk about positive thinking, so maybe it’s like that,” Hannah joked. “But I’ll stick to more proven methods for now thanks, Lizzie.”
“you can’t really have known that, drunkards are unpredictable at best. but even if you did —” he stopped himself, he sounded like a dad, like he was lecturing. “that attitude is going to get you hurt one day, you aren’t invincible.” that would be the last he’d say about that. “yes but —-” he wasn’t a healer, he didn’t know what that job entailed and it wasn’t his place to try and correct her or tell her how to live their life. which he had already done, he realized. “i’m sorry, i just worry about my friends.”
Hannah waited, letting Bilius protest as he liked. He was right, they weren’t invincible and they knew it. Despite what it looked like sometimes. They just... made decisions that weighed up whether or not it was worth putting themself at risk. When he apologised, she shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I appreciate the concern. I get it. I’ll try to be a little less... reckless.”
she’d been a gangly thing in her youth , too long in the limbs to be truly graceful but still a quick little thing . maybe that had been why kseniya had been the go to for running messages between the streets , not just for the shop but half of knockturn too . and while age had let her grow into her features a bit more , where what once seemed almost absurd now came off as graceful , she’d still kept her quickness about her . still was the go to for messages .
head down and barrelling near head first through the crowds on diagon alley , nothing was stopping her , pushing through those that didn’t duck out of the way . nothing but the voice of a one time sibling who was now … who was now nothing to her .
❝ it’s nothing you can help with , not anymore ❞
Not anymore. Hannah should’ve seen that coming. Sense would tell them to walk away now, to treat Kseniya just like any other stranger, for that was what the two of them had become. But it was impossible for them to forget the years spent with their little sister. To forget that they had been close once, even if baffled by each other’s lives when not at the shop.
“You still running messages then?” Some things, it seemed, did not change. That was almost comforting. They wanted to ask about her OWLs, or their siblings. But the words died on their tongue.
otto was slightly bored. it was one of those days where he didn’t work and it meant he had the full day to himself. which usually meant that he did something dumb, like spend the entire day walking around diagon alley looking for things to buy. his parents had always warned him to stay away from knockturn alley and he was sure they were right about it, though he’d always been the type of person to not care about the forbidden. technically muggle london had been forbidden for him at one point too. otto was there for about ten minutes before being bored. wizarding items just didn’t thrill him like muggle ones.
what he hadn’t expected was to see hannah. their friendship was one of his favorite friendships. otto liked to believe that most people he talked to was his friend, despite the truth being that most people likely didn’t like him. when it came to friends, he really did like hannah above them all. when that’s who otto realized he’d bumped into, he blinked a couple of times, ready to make a joke until he saw her state. “hey. are yo… what happened?”
***
“Otto.” Oh thank Merlin. She needed a friendly face right now. “My-- Jasmine happened.” It wasn’t exactly accurate to say sister any more, was it? Not when she’d walked away and her family had now clearly accepted that. “Work sent me to the shop, but I’m not exactly welcome.” Hannah put her hand on Otto’s arm, steadying herself. “She’s still good with a curse.”
Hannah walked out of Knockturn Alley, head held high and not stopping to look back at Borgin and Burke’s behind her. Her ears rang, throwing her off balance and leaving her feeling deaf in the left ear. There was chatter and noise around her, but it sounded like it was coming from underwater. Dammit Jasmine. The warning shot had been close and loud, but the damage was fixable. Hannah just had to get to St Mungo’s.
She reached Diagon Alley and stumbled as a young wix--running through the crowd without even looking--bumped into her, her balance thrown off. The wix shouted an apology as they disappeared down the road, but Hannah just waved them off before swearing under her breath and continuing to walk. It had been stupid to go alone. Foolish. She didn’t belong there any more. But despite what she told herself, convinced herself, it had hurt to have Jasmine so quick to curse her. To see her as not just not her sibling, but her enemy. It was the consequences of the choice she made, but it hurt nonetheless.
she ignored the warning, or she would have if she needed to fire another shot. if anyone were to ask jasmine she’d have told them that hannah didn’t have the backbone required to fight back, they’d just run away like they always did. “you’re worthless, hannah, every inch of you and everything you own; worthless.” if hannah truly believed that flashing a few coins would erase what they’d done they were delusional. yes, the shop cared about money but jasmine was running this branch right now and she knew her worth, she knew where she would draw the line. hannah could offer a million galleons and jasmine would still throw them out. “coward.” her voice low and dangerous, but still the word whipped through the air like a weapon itself.
Hannh let the words roll off them, ignoring it. They had known how badly their siblings would react when they left. They had known that coming here was not a good idea, and had tried to warn their superiors that their connection to the place would only be a detriment in her assignment. So they had to don their armour and ignore it, not stooping to Jasmine’s level to respond. They paused in the door, but only for half a second, before leaving without a glance backwards, holding their head high.
You’d think one encounter with her estranged family would be enough for one week, especially after Hannah’s brush with injury at the end of Jasmine’s wand. But apparently fate wished to drag the past to the present these past few days. Or at least, so Hannah assumed, when she came face to face with Kseniya in Diagon Alley.
She could keep walking, but Hannah had always had a soft spot for her younger sister. A hope, perhaps a foolish one, that her sister might see what Hannah saw. It was a losing battle, although Hannah had never been one to let something go so easily. But it had been two years since she had last spoken to her sister.
she took out her wand then and fired a warning shot next to hannah’s head, enough to blow out an eardrum. her fury ran cold, but she felt like she was burning up. “how dare you” she screeched, though her voice was low she was barely containing it, her whole body trembling with her anger. “the ministry can go fuck itself, and so can you. next shot won’t miss hannah.” her wand raised now and pointed straight between her ex siblings eyes. the idea she’d accuse the shop of being dirty was the most infuriating part of what they’d said, with them thinking they hadn’t betrayed anyone a close second.
***
Hannah ducked their head away from the blast, ignoring how their ears rang now, wand slipping from their sleeve into their hand on instinct alone. Lifting a hand up to their ear, they checked for blood, ignoring the pain and the way they couldn’t hear from that side right now. When they went back to St Mungo’s to get this fixed, they hoped their boss who’d sent them here saw. “Don’t you dare,” they warned, raising their wand slightly, ready to defend themself. They should’ve known better than to come here. Should’ve known better than to even think for a moment this could’ve ended another way. “Am I so dead to you that my money’s not worth anything either?” They shouldn’t push. They should just walk away. But they were stubborn and in pain. They lowered their wand, turning to the door, hoping Jasmine wouldn’t fire at their back. “Goodbye, Jas.”
“does not letting anybody get hurt extend to yourself, though? because it should, if you’re hurt you can’t help anyone else.” he wasn’t trying to lecture them or anything, but prioritizing your own health and wellbeing was never a bad thing. “how is that possible, when do you sleep?”
Hannah tried not to pause too much before nodding. “Of course.” They weren’t afraid to put themself on the line, however. “But they weren’t going to hurt me. I’d like to see them try.” They shrugged. “I can sleep when I’m not actively on duty, but I have to be prepared to get summoned at any time.” They were at war, they wanted to remind him. Between the Order and the Ministry, Hannah had to be prepared.
when hannah didn’t cower toward the exit it made jasmine’s blood turn to ice, that they would dare to not only remain in the shop but think they would be served? blasphemous, heinous, horrible. there weren’t enough words in english to express her anger, thank merlin she knew several more languages. “do i need to spell it out for you? i said get out. we don’t serve traitors in this shop.” she could taste the venom in her voice and it felt like swallowing poison herself. “you’ll be gone now if you know what’s good for you.” which hannah clearly didn’t, so no hope there.
***
Hannah wouldn’t cower, nor look away from their sister’s gaze. They would not bow to the pressure to leave, like they had not bowed to the pressure to conform to their family’s hateful views. “I betrayed no one,” they replied, unable to help themself. Clearly they did not know what was good for them. Perhaps if they did they would’ve left long before nineteen. “But I’m not here for myself. I’m here on Ministry business. Better me than an auror poking around. Or has everything been cleaned up in the last two years?”
she had a bright smile on her face, her eyebrows raised and she snorted, rolling her own eyes back at the person. she wanted to say something that was probably childish but it would lead to a stupid argument and arden really didn’t want to waste her breath. “hope you enjoy having that wand stuck up your arse.” she says, shrugging grabbing her cigarettes out of her pocket and sticking it in her mouth.
Hannah tried not to let the comment affect her. She didn’t like being called a stick in the mud or things like that, though she knew that it looked like that at times. So she just nodded briefly and replied with a short “Thanks.” It wasn’t worth it.
