ILONA CATELINA BURKE xxxi - pureblood - death eater I'm not the damsel in distress. I'm not your girlfriend or the frightened princess. I'm not a little bird who needs your help to fly... Nope, I'm the bad guy.
Is that ILONA BURKE stepping out into Diagon Alley? Ministry records tell us that they were born on NOVEMBER 5TH and are a THIRTY-ONE year old, PUREBLOOD who works as the CO-OWNER OF BORGIN & BURKES. Some have said that they can be described as being OBSERVANT, LOYAL & RELIABLE, however, they also see themselves as being UN-TRUSTING, VIOLENT & UNTABLE. Apparently, SHE looks a lot like EVA GREEN, whoever that is, and if they had to pick a side in the war, they would choose to JOIN THE DEATH EATERS.
Full Name: Ilona Catelina Avery Burke
Name Origin: Ilona is a Magyar (Hungarian) female given name, the traditional name of the Queen of the Faeries in Magyar folklore. Of Hungarian origin, Ilona is said to mean Sun Ray, Shining Light, and/or The Bright One. A common myth is that Ilona is cognate with the Greek given name Helen, meaning that it also carries the connotation of Beautiful because of the beauty of Helen of Troy. Catelina is of Greek origin and means Pure.
Nicknames: 'Lo, however there are very few people who are allowed to use nicknames.
Age: Thirty-One
Birthday: 5th November, Scorpio
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Relationship Status: Married, though it’s not common knowledge
Patronus: One upon a time it would have taken the form of a Hawk, but Ilona can no longer produce a corporeal or non-corporeal Patronus
Boggart: Ilona’s Boggart comes in the forms of failure and of death, depending on the situation. Seeing her mother and father returned to her as Inferi would be the most common.
Wand Type: 11", Hazel Wood, with a Veela Hair core.
Occupation: Co-Owner of Borgin & Burkes
Affiliation: The Death Eaters - Marked
Key Information: Please see below the cut
𝘼𝙎𝙎𝙊𝘾𝙄𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙎 / 𝘼𝙀𝙎𝙏𝙃𝙀𝙏𝙄𝘾𝙎 ;; blood red lipstick and painted black nails, dark clothing and an even darker mind, ‘perhaps it has always been there, this thing, this demon inside me’, holding hands with the person you’re handcuffed to, royal blue and silver, heels that make you walk proudly, bruised knuckles and blood stained clothing. mirrors long covered up with white dustsheets, ‘you and me and the devil makes three’.
𝙒𝘼𝙉𝙏𝙀𝘿 𝘾𝙊𝙉𝙉𝙀𝘾𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉𝙎 ;; can be found by clicking here
𝙋𝙄𝙉𝙏𝙀𝙍𝙀𝙎𝙏 𝘽𝙊𝘼𝙍𝘿 ;; can be found by clicking here
𝙇𝙄𝙆𝙀𝙎 ;; The sound of heavy rain hitting the windows, thunderstorms, going for walks in the dead of the night, when plans come together perfectly, ancient tombs and artefacts, saying things with the sole purpose of scaring people.
𝘿𝙄𝙎𝙇𝙄𝙆𝙀𝙎 ;; Mirrors, confined spaces, hospitals, parties being thrown for her, any kind of function even though she still chooses to attend them, people standing right behind her.
𝙎𝘾𝘼𝙍𝙎 / 𝘿𝙄𝙎𝙏𝙄𝙉𝙂𝙐𝙄𝙎𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙁𝙀𝘼𝙏𝙐𝙍𝙀𝙎 ;; Ilona has a plethora of scars across her body, with the most prominent being the large one that covers her left shoulder and down her back to the bottom of her shoulder blade. Al of her scars, however, are always hidden with concealment charms. Distinguishing features include the Dark Mark, which she obviously keeps hidden at all times.
𝙁𝘼𝙈𝙄𝙇𝙔 𝘼𝙉𝘿 𝙐𝙋𝘽𝙍𝙄𝙉𝙂𝙄𝙉𝙂 ;; The youngest child, Ilona is the only daughter of the late Edmund and Irina Burke. Along with her brother Velkan, there was never any competition for their parents affections while growing up. Each sibling had their own merits, and unlike many other Pureblood families with multiple children, they were loved equally by both their mother and their father. Being a family of the Sacred Twenty Eight, the Burke’s insured that their children grew up knowing exactly what it meant to be true Purebloods, and so it is no surprise that Ilona shares many of the views of the other notable families.
Happy families do not always remain that way, however. By the time that Ilona was eighteen years old, both her mother and father were deceased and the girl’s entire life had been turned upside down. Gripped by grief, she became unstable, and for her own safety she landed herself a room in St Mungo’s for sometime before she was released in to the care of an old family friend, Henry Dashwood, who has long since become not only her guardian, but one of the few people that she can trust the most.
Despite it being widely believed that she is just as ‘insane as her mother was’, Ilona has just been left with a lot of unresolved issues after the death of her parents. Most of the time she can internalize it, but sometimes it just isn’t that easy.
𝘼𝙏𝙏𝙀𝙉𝘿𝙄𝙉𝙂 𝙃𝙊𝙂𝙒𝘼𝙍𝙏𝙎 ;; Although both the Burke siblings were sorted in to Ravenclaw house, Ilona has always felt that perhaps she would have been better suited in Slytherin. She is cunning and has learned exactly how to get what she wants, whether it means doing it herself or by getting someone else to do it for her. Ilona didn’t particularly enjoy her time at Hogwarts, given the death of her father when she was in her third year, but she was still able to leave with top marks in most of her exams.
𝘾𝘼𝙍𝙀𝙀𝙍 ;; Even from a young age, there was no doubt that Ilona was going to be the one to get the keys to Borgin & Burkes when the time came. Growing up, she spent many hours under the watchful eyes of her father, reading and studying the various ancient items that were passed over the counter. While her brother would occasionally help out from time to time, Ilona thrived, so when she was well enough to do so, she took the helm for her families half of the business.
𝘼𝙁𝙁𝙄𝙇𝙄𝘼𝙏𝙄𝙊𝙉 𝙄𝙉 𝙏𝙃𝙀 𝙒𝘼𝙍 ;; The loss of her parents unlocked a deep anger within Ilona, and for a long time she wanted nothing but revenge. It was around this time that Lord Voldemort had caught wind of her potential, and it wasn’t long before he was able to recruit her in to the ranks of the Death Eaters, convincing her that he could offer her a way to channel her rage that would help not only her, but a cause much bigger than she was alone.
Bellatrix often found herself in Borgin and Burkes. Of course, she had her own elves that could do her shopping for her. But when it came to dangerous and dark objects, she really did not her elves doing it. Of course, there was also the social aspect of seeing one of her closest friends when she went to the shop. So that was why she was heading down there this evening.
“Depends if you have anything new in that might be of interest to me….” The woman mused, a smirk on her face as she headed over to where her friend was. “You all here on your own?”
♔
“Oh well there’s always something new and interesting to be found under this roof if you ask me, but for you dear friend, it would depend on if there was anything specific you were in the market for.” Ilona replied with with a grin as she stepped around the shops counter to greet her friend. She wasn’t normally so welcoming to customers at this time of the night, usually because it was only dealings that couldn’t generally be undertaken during the daytime that came through the door after the sun had set, but she was happy to see Bellatrix.
“Mhmm, yes. It wouldn’t normally be, but it’s just me this evening.” Ilona nodded. “So how’s things with you?”
Rabastan headed straight for the front desk after entering the shop. Once inside and realising no one was to be seen, he began meandering around aimlessly between the shelves. Before he could complete his quest of searching the whole shop, he noticed the back of a brunette head. Staring for a second, he cleared his throat to draw her attention.
“ Afternoon, Ilona, ” mused Rab, adopting a small smile flushed full with confidence as he did when encountering most pureblood acquaintances. Better to put the best foot first since anyone could be prove to be an ally in these times. Satisfied there was no one else in the shop, he stepped a little closer to leave a polite distance between them. “ I’m looking to sell an object of quite some stature. I thought your help would be useful in getting it off my hands. Perhaps we can talk. ”
♔
“Mister Lestrange.” Ilona greeted with a small nod, a polite smiled fixed upon her features as she listened to the wizard explain his reasoning for dropping in past the store. It wasn’t unusual to have people come in to Borgin & Burkes looking to pass on various trinkets and items, both on and off the books if they were the right kind of person, so she wasn’t surprised by Rabastan’s words.
“Is that so?” She asked with a raise of her brow, not allowing time for him to answer before she continued. “Well of course, I’d be more than happy to hear all about it. Would you prefer to step in to the privacy of our bac room or is out here fine?”
“i passed out in public,” he reminded her, pouting, naturally, while he scoffed. Clearly, though, he had survived, and his time of milking this one was running short. It didn’t matter, there’d be some new mortal offense between them sooner or later, and that was always fun. No sarcasm, all genuine honesty - that shit was fun. Soon as the flask was in hand again, though, he was drinking from it. “Well, I didn’t run away without you, but I only lasted this long before circling back like the boomerang you made me throw away.”
He’d ventured off a little, sure, but he hadn’t found much in the way of entertainment, and at this point, he almost hoped his continued pestering about it got him poisoned again just to spice things up a bit. “I hate it just as much as I always do, so at least they’re consistent. And what about you, have you stabbed, jinxed, cursed, or otherwise ruined anyone tonight?”
♔
“Mm, you did... But who was the one that stayed at your side and took care of you the entire time?” She asked with small chuckle and a pointed quirk of her brow. She had lost count how many times they’d had this same conversation over the years, though she knew that it would eventually be replaced by whatever the next offence was and they would start the same cycle again. To anyone who didn’t know them, there would be reason to be concerned, but to them it was just who they were, and it was all in great fun.
“Oh don’t get me started on that bloody boomerang.” She replied with a roll of her eyes, shaking her head. That was another one of those things that got as far as the front door before being thrown straight in the bin. “You know, one day there’s going to be one of these events that you actually enjoy and I’m not going to know what to do.” She chuckled again. “But sadly there has been no night ruining on my part, no. In fact, even I’m at the point where I want to just say lets cut and run... So shall we just bail? We could even take the bike if you wanted.”
Where: Borgin & Bukes, Knockturn Alley
Who: Ilona & Open
Ilona had been working away in the back room of Borgin & Burke’s when she had heard the small bell of the shop door ring. It wasn’t usual for her to be working in the evening, but a particular set manuscripts had caught enough of her attention to have her stay back, allowing one of the assistants to head home instead.
Raising her head once she had finished the paragraph that she was reading, Ilona listened for movement coming from the shops floor for a moment before she eventually stood and silently made her way through.
“Is there something that I can help you with?” She called out.
“This an apothecary, not a restaurant,” Lucius groaned once the irate customer turned away from him and left the shop, needing a moment to recompose himself since it took far longer than necessary to explain why he couldn’t get them what they were asking for. He took two deep breaths then shifted his attention to the customer that was a few paces away from the register.
“My apologies for that…” He paused and gestured toward the shop entrance, unable to come up with a good description for what they both witnessed. “I do not have the energy to assist if it involves demanding I serve you Firewhiskey.”
♔
With Borgin & Burkes safely in the hands of Mister Borgin for the afternoon, Ilona had decided to step out on to Knockturn Alley to collect a few things that she needed to stock up on. First, she had popped next door to the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop and then in to Cobb & Webbs before making her way along the alley until she found herself in the Malfoy Apothecary which appeared to be having its share of awkward customers.
“That’s quite alright.” She replied, stepping further in to the apothecary now that there was no one causing a scene getting in her way. “Thankfully I’m not in the market for firewhisky today, but instead a few things that I believe you do sell.”
There were very few people that Bellatrix would consider close to her. Most of them were her actual family. But she supposed Ilona was almost like family anyway. Bellatrix struggled to make friends. They either were sucking up because of who she was, or she alienated them. Luckily, neither of those things seemed to have happened with Ilona, and the pair had made a pretty decent friendship. It was good to have friends, especially that one could trust. So when she saw said friend, Bella made a beeline for her.
“If that’s how you speak to a friend, Id hate to see how you speak to your enemies.” The woman teased, shaking her head as she spoke to her friend. But she smirked, and with her back to the crowded gala behind her, she fished a hidden hip flask out of a garter hidden beneath her dress. She’d worn one with a huge slit for more than just tempting her husband.
“Will this do? White Wyvern’s best whisky” She murmured, waving it gently in front of her friend.
♔
There was very few people in this world that could draw a genuine smile from Ilona, but she had gotten to know Bellatrix enough over the years to consider her a friend and someone that she could trust if it was needed. Hearing the familiar voice of her friend as she approached, Ilona grinned at her words before offering a small shrug.
“Oh come on now, I’m as sweet as honey towards my enemies... Nothing annoys them quite like it after all.” She explained before chuckling lightly. “Wyvern’s worst whisky would be a much better option than all that bubbly nonsense, so that will do just wonderfully.” Ilona replied with a nod, reaching out to accept the hipflask that was on offer.
Within a few moments she had the glass that she had been holding on to emptied into a nearby bush, and a small amount of the whisky poured in to it before she offered the hipflask back. “So how are you anyway? It’s been a while.”
Emilia had finished her rounds of the gala earlier than planned. The minister had flaunted her like meat to various beneficiaries while she spoke her skilled tongue. Laughter had felt like a chore as the woman rubbed at her jaw, finally breaking away and out into the cool air.
She loved gala’s like this, but that was when she was able to let lose and participate as a guest. Stumbling the blonde had managed to catch her heel within the stone, snapping her heel clean off as the voice ahead was filled with warning.
“Ms Burke?” She questioned as she pulled her wand from within her purse. Aiming it at her foot the blonde chanted “Reparo”. The heel on the floor springing upwards to re-glue itself to her shoe.
♔
Ilona let out a sigh when she heard her name being called out before eventually stepping out of the shadowed areas she had been concealed in so she could see who it was that had approached. She couldn’t say that she knew Emilia all too well, but nonetheless, she gave the younger witch a polite nod in greeting. Her eyes momentarily lowered to Emilia’s shoe as she fixed it, but decided it wasn’t something worth bringing any more attention to.
“Miss Dupont, hello.” Ilona offered, taking one final drag from her cigarette before disposing of it under her heel. “Should you not be inside keeping the Minister company?”
Possibly, the only person who hated coming to these things more than Ilona did was Cassius. But she continued to come to them, and, by extension, so did he, because in continuing to attend, she continued to force his attendance as well. He was sure, naturally, to repay her by complaining about it at every point, loudly, with lots of sighing. And grumbling. In fact, he was grumbling now, as he made his way outside, muttering and mumbling under his breath with a cigarette in his mouth, flipping someone off as they told him to wait until he was outside to light up. Ha. Not a chance in hell.
He exhaled a cloud of smoke before he opened the doors, and was entirely undeterred by the familiar sigh he heard; it only made him lighten up a little.
“I’d tell you to pick your poison,” he said, reaching into his coat for a flask of scotch and handing it over as he stepped up to her side, “but you might actually pick poison, and today is bad enough, don’t you think?” He gave Ilona a smile, bright and brief, before letting it fall back under the face of displeasure he preferred. “Besides, I like this corner, ‘cause you’re in it. So i’m staying.”
♔
The familiar sound of her partner in crimes voice was enough to make Ilona crack a smile, if only for a brief moment as she reached out to accept his flask. She knew full well that he hated coming along to these things, he’d never let her forget in fact, but she was always thankful for him agreeing to join her. Even if it meant they were miserable together it meant that they were just that - together.
“Oh very funny, it was one time...” She replied with a shake of her head, taking a generous swig from his flask before she held it back out towards him. One time at a very public function that was, but no one important had died and it was just a little poisoning after all.
“I suppose since it’s you, you can stick around...” She nodded. “Are you coping alright?”
where: the ministry summer gala
when: evening
who: open to all
It was no secret that Ilona disliked any sort of Ministry organised events. She had very little patience for big crowds of people at the best of times, but there was something about these types of functions that raised her hackles to no end. Still she made a point of attending, because it was the right thing to do. Showing face kept the Ministry off her back and out of her shop, so it was just one of those things that had to be done.
She hadn’t been there all that long before she opted to slip out in to an outdoor area, finding a quiet corner so she could have a cigarette in peace. That peace was seemingly short lived though, and she sighed when she heard approaching footsteps.
“Unless you happen to have anything stronger than whatever it is they’re serving in there on you, you may want to go find another corner to hide in.” She called out to the person approaching.
