Holly Ivy Maplewood

Portrayed By	Christa Miller
School	Salem Academy of the Magical Arts
House	Bear Claw
Position	Wizarding Attorney
Sex	Female
Race	Half-Blood Werewolf
Age	33
Place of Birth	Grand Rapids, MI
Date of Birth	15 August 1961
First Appearance	Purple Haze

Character History:

Both of Holly's parents were magical, though her father was Muggleborn, from a family of attorneys that held a good amount of prestige outside the wizarding world. Her mother, an accomplished mediwitch, met him post-graduation, and they hit it off almost instantly.

It wasn't too many years later that Holly herself was born. She had the advantage of living in two worlds - both with the wizarding background of her mother, and the more mundane - if not more interesting - muggle life her father led. Even if both parents were magical themselves, it seemed as if George Maplewood preferred to leave his wand at home in favour of leading what most would call a 'normal' life.

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Things happen, though. Maybe if he'd had his wand, he would have been able to defend himself, but the sad truth sunk in… At the age of eight, Holly would be without a father for the rest of her life. The entire thing was stupid… Two kids out at night thought that they'd hold up some guy at a 7-11. It escalated. In the end, the wizard paid the ultimate price.

Holly didn't really grasp the concept of 'death' entirely at that point. She knew what it was, sure, but it wasn't until later that she really figured out the reasoning behind her father's demise. Why couldn't he have lived a muggle life as well as a wizarding one? Why did it always have to be one or the other? Why couldn't he have combined the two and saved himself - and spared his family the trauma of losing a loved one?

When she was twelve, she was invited to attend the finest school of magic in the United States. Such a magically charged place was perfect for educating a young witch. After all, Salem did have quite the history. It wasn't exactly a secret… Unlike Hogwarts in the UK, it was ACTUALLY quite easy to find. The only hitch was that a Muggle without any sort of ties to the magical world would simply fail to remember it within a quarter-hour of learning of it. Sure, it was situated far enough outside the town and within a dense forest so that it was rarely happened upon, and it had some spells and creatures guarding it, but once in awhile, some non-magical folk would inevitably get through, get the grand tour…

…And promptly and blissfully forget all about it within minutes of leaving.

Salem Academy of the Magical Arts was instituted not too terribly long after the first European settlers arrived in North America. As such, it took many of its cues from schools over the ocean, in that it was divided into Houses. Rather than take the names of the founders - since there were only two - the Houses were named after North American wildlife. Bear Claw, Hawk Talon, Ferret Fang, Foxtail, and Turtleshell. Each House had its own sets of qualities and quirks, though the rivalry tended to be fairly friendly among each of them. Sorting was done by interpretation of abstract images, the results of which were determined by a very old (albeit very wise) stone golem who had been built into the castle at its earliest stages. She was kind, fair, and good for a chat should any of the students have need of such things.

Holly was placed into House Bear Claw, and spent the next several years of her life learning the art of magic. As well, she stayed in communication with her father's family, as she was developing an interest in law, and a different art altogether - that of defending people in the court of law. It seemed at some points that she was straying away from magic, though her memories kept returning to the way her father died. By the time she graduated Salem Academy, she had decided to enter the far-underrepresented field of wizarding law.

As an expert on all things legal and illegal in both worlds, Holly set out to unite the two methods of defense and prosecution in a way that would be fair to all. Certainly law couldn't be interpreted in the same way for a wizard, who had magic to use as a weapon — and therefore could hardly be cited for carrying a dangerous weapon. However, the fundamentals rang true - those accused should be allowed to stand trial and be judged by their peers.

Though not really a fan of Quidditch, she did like to watch a game or two now and then. When the opportunity arose to attend the All Star Cup in 1994, she did so gladly, traveling over the ocean to Scotland to attend it. While there, she heard of a man named Sirius Black - convicted killer and servent of the Dark Lord. She also learned that he'd been essentially sent to a horrible prison with no trial.

It was a challenge.

Everywhere she looked, everyone she spoke to, believed Sirius Black to be the murderer that the Ministry of Magic accused him of being. Usually there would be a split as to who believed a man was innocent or guilty… In this case, however, it seemed that the entire population of Europe was brainwashed to believe that there was no way this guy could have been accused wrongfully. Even so, there was little Holly could do, and so she eventually traveled back to the United States to return to her practice there.

Her thoughts kept returning to Sirius Black, though, and how it seemed as if he needed someone to represent him. It took a while to acquire paperwork and work visas for the country, and it took some doing to argue with the ministry that her defending Sirius Black did NOT make her guilty by association. Months later, she was finally cleared to return.

Settling in Hogsmeade seemed to be a fair choice. Within view of Hogwarts, at least her house would have quite the picturesque view! After finding her client, she started to set up a case - along with a handful of witnesses, like Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks - the latter of which didn't initially give her first name. People weren't exactly happy with this foreign witch attempting to get pardon for the crimes of Sirius Black, either, and have grown more and more restless, egging her house at times. As well, there was new restrictions on werewolves placed that Holly felt the need to deal with - after all, werewolves are people, too, at least most of the month.

Personality

Holly's stable personality made her perfect for her sorting into House Bear Claw when she was twelve years old. Even from a young age, her experiences made her level-headed and practical, slow to anger, albeit quick-witted and unafraid to use her intelligence to prove a point.

Her philosophy seems to centre around the idea that both good and bad happen, and that it's unwise to get overly excited about either. After all, the bad will always end, just as the good will always end. Always a realist, Holly sees things as they are, and is confused by those who believe that 'everything will work out.' In a way, that's true, but things won't always necessarily work out for the best. Things just are. Everything happens.

With this in mind, Holly is patient. She's willing to wait a long time for things to pan out, either for better or for worse. Picking up the pieces and trying things in a different way is relatively easy for her, and she's not often frustrated beyond her capacity. In the world in which she lives, she believes patience is important for enacting change, since methods are so well-set in the hearts of the wizards she interacts with. Britain has presented her with an entirely new challenge - people so stubborn that they aren't open to change have started to get on her nerves. The good news is, it's not her last nerve that's being slowly whittled away.

The way to Holly's heart is through strange and exotic plants that most people would find horrifying. She has a garden that grows even through the coldest months (thanks to some very well-placed charms and potions) and her house always looks warm and inviting. Therefore, her magical talent lies in herbology, though she's also fairly decent with charms, as well. While interested in potions, there are only a few that she can actually make with any talent, and more of those relate back to her love of plants. However, just about any flora anyone would want for a potion has been grown in her garden at some point or another.

As equally as she appreciates magic, she also loves the Muggle world, and the concentration on learning from books. She knows many laws by heart from each population, and seeks to make changes to existing laws in order to reform them to be more legally sound and fair. In the United States, she worked on regulation of werewolves and the laws that governed them for time, effecting resolutions that aided wizards in viewing them as people, and providing safe places where werewolves could change. As well, she aided those talented in the art of potion-making so they would have knowledge and access to the ingredients necessary for creating the Wolfsbane Potion. At one point, she grew a 'werewolf garden' so that people could become familiar with the floral portion of the potion.

She's also advocated prison reform and treatment of prisoners in the United States, creating an amalgamation of the standard board of review Wizengamot-style trials of old and a more fair setup of a jury trial with a judge for prisoners accused of felony-calibre crimes.

Holly doesn't particularly like to sit still, which means she's always trying to do SOMETHING. And while she may not overwhelm herself to the point where she can't think, she does have a habit of getting in over her head at time, or taking on too much work. She thrives in these conditions, though, and she will often say that she is never bored.

Memorable Quotes:

Timeline

• 1961 - Holly is born.
• 1970 - Holly's father is murdered.
• 1974 - Holly starts at Salem Academy, and is sorted into Bear Claw.
• 1979 - Holly graduates from Salem after the required six years.
• 1980 - Holly attends Muggle college, then law school.
• 1986 - Holly becomes a lawyer.
• 1987 - Holly becomes authorised to practise wizarding law.
• 1990 - Holly becomes part of a commission for werewolf rights and prison reform.
• 1994 - Holly attends the Quidditch All Star Cup in the UK and hears of Sirius Black.

Holly's Logs
Purple Haze	14 Sept 1994	In Which Holly moves into the neighborhood.
Cat Scratch Fever	17 Sept 1994	In which Mo attempts to end Sirius.
The Beetle and the Barrister	25 Sept 1994	In which Holly offers an interview to Rita Skeeter.
Among the Wolves	27 Sept 1994	In which Holly's home is egged and she nearly loses her temper.
Break in the Case	3 Oct 1994	In which Lupin becomes a key character witness.
Warm Plants And Cool Heads	7 Oct 1994	In which Holly sells troublesome weeds in an apothecary.
Raising Michigan	12 Oct 1994	In which there is a kidnapping and a meeting with Sirius.
Tour de Azkaban	21 Oct 1994	In which OH GOD DEMENTORS.
The Late Post	30 Oct 1994	In which Holly meets a vampire and learns Lupin's story.
It Just Takes One	31 Oct 1994	In which Holly is obliviated.
Honeydukes Fixes Everything	1 Nov 1994	In which Jack arrives to help.
Deposition	2 Nov 1994	In which Holly learns the identity of the black dog.
Welcome to Maycomb	4 Nov 1994	In which Holly confronts the monster.
Hallowed Halls of Hogwarts	6 Nov 1994	In which Holly encounters the elusive Hogwarts Students in their natural habitat!
Trial and Error	9 Nov 1994	In which Holly attempts to hold a trial!
Testimonial	9 Nov 1994	In which Holly actually does lose her temper.
Elf Tales	13 Nov 1994	In which Sirius acquires some new clothes, and there are house elves.
Coram non Judice	13 Nov 1994	In which the Ministry sees the truth… Or so Holly hopes.
Tea, Cake or Death!?	3 Dec 1994	In which Holly returns from the United States and is Instantly set upon by Dementors!
Safety and Chocolate	3 Dec 1994	In which the now-fugitives discuss their next course of action.
Kreachur Comforts	10 Dec 1994	In which Kreachur is an arse.
Absence of Light	16 Dec 1994	In which Holly and Lupin chat.
Welcome Back, Mo	24 Dec 1994	In which Mo makes her glorious reappearance!
Slamming Doors	3 Jan 1995	In which Holly finally loses her cool.
Moving Day	5 Jan 1995	In which there is peace and quiet to be had.
Sneak Attack	9 Jan 1995	In which Holly and Lupin are captured.
A Powerful Weapon	9 Jan 1995	In which a dastardly plot comes into focus.
Boxed In	10 Jan 1995	In which there is more pain.
Bad Moon	16 Jan 1995	In which something bad happens.
Waking up to Reality	17 Jan 1995	In which Holly realises what's happened to her.
Don't Pity Me	22 Jan 1995	In which :(
Someone Really Stinks!	24 Jan 1995	In which Ichabod stinks.
Genesis	25 Jan 1995	In which there is a great victory for Umbridge-Haters!
Romulus	25 Jan 1995	In which two werewolves chat!
Meeting of Minds	1 Feb 1995	In which Chase gets a new home.
Beautiful World	5 Feb 1995	In which Holly leaves her house.
The Line Between Guilty and Innocent	6 Feb 1995	In which Lupin draws out Holly's anger.
A Lesson Learned	8 Feb 1995	In which Siobhan learns not to mock werewolves.
Can It Be Kiss Tiem Nao Pls?	10 Feb 1995	In which Jack is smoooooth.
Pride and Prejudice	12 Feb 1995	In which Holly has a personal victory.
Initiation	15 Feb 1995	In which Holly meets the Full Moon
Coming to Terms	16 Feb 1995	In which Mo doesn't like werewolf smell.
Wounds Laid Bare	17 Feb 1995	In which Holly and Siobhan mend fences. Somewhat.
Chase Loses Her Marbles	18 Feb 1995	In which Chase … Loses her marbles!
Octopus Ink	19 Feb 1995	In which Holly ponders getting a tattoo. And sushi.
Reinvention	20 Feb 1995	In which Holly reinvents.
Back to Normal	26 Feb 1995	In which family and Potters are spoken of.
Charms and Confessions	26 Feb 1995	In which Holly tells a secret.
Apollo and Daphne	27 Feb 1995	In which there is a happy date in Diagon Alley.
Threshhold	3 Mar 1995	In which Holly leaves.
Wilderness	5 Mar 1995	In which Holly arrives!
Brighter Days	10 Mar 1995	In which anger is confronted and partially defeated.
The Scarred One	20 Mar 1995	In which Holly makes a potential mistake.
Hawk	15 Apr 1995	In which something dies.
Salem	15 Apr 1995	In which an enemy is faced and defeated.
To Go Home	16 Apr 1995	In which Jack and Holly reconcile!
Brash Americans	5 May 1995	In which Holly steals Mortimer.
Welcome to the Order	7 May 1995	In which Holly joins the Order of the Phoenix!
Log Title	DATE 1995	In which …
Log Title	DATE 1995	In which …

Artwork and Images