- "You protected me so I could raise my son. In exchange for this, I was your ally"
- — To Judy Dorchester during the final act of 2023
Vice-Chancellor to the Wizengamot Professor Zimelda Zemeckis (b. 20th November 1970) is a Pure-blood British witch and Potioneer who was raised in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, London. She was a student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry between 1981 and 1987 alongside Hannah Jane Fischer, Seung Hightower and Blanche Ipswich, and was housed in Slytherin. She was introduced to Hogwarts as of November 2021 as an appointment made by the Wizengamot.
She was sent to Hogwarts as an observer byJudy Dorchester following the hearing of convicted youngster Helena Arlet, who was trialled for the attempted murder of another student. During her time at the institution, she formed an elitist coven of practice, introduced dark and arcane studies to the Potions curriculum, terrorised and sacked professors and launched the unfathomable curse Rescendio Vitae at Headmistress Fischer. Though, after her tumultuous four month tenure, she was at last revealed as a villain, in the middle of an assembly lead by the Headmistress. She was ousted, and fled east, thereon brandished a renegade by the Daily Prophet.
In the summer of 2023, it was discovered that she had been hiding out in Germany with her son Thibault, where she was sought out by Oreyn Fox, who asked her to return and cure Hannah, knowing only Zemeckis knew how. She reluctantly agreed and made the unbreakable vow with Fox, which Draco Romanov conducted. They returned together and intruded a convocation lead by Dorchester and her goons, which broke into a gang duel between the two sides. Dorchester was eventually defeated. Zemeckis was seen the next day exiting the Great Hall, and was some months later pardoned by the Ministry of Magic, despite her past. She has since served as an informant.
((OOC Note: Personal information, such as the characters early life, or other difficult to come by information, should not be mentioned carelessly in roleplay, unless your character was directly involved. For more information, or clarification, please send an in-world message to the Played By.))
Biography
Early Life
Zimelda Zemeckis was born, bright-eyed and blonde, to parents Monty and Griselda Zemeckis, two underhand criminals with more money than they really needed.
Monty was a short and balding man who was widely regarded as a crime-lord. His right-hand, Griselda Godiva, also his wife, was a typically spiteful woman who despised anyone and everyone. The two conceived a child in vain, hoping to continue what they had built together.
- "A hateful sort; Monty and Griselda, sharing very little in common, decided that they fancied a child who would admire them and share their prosperity, at the trophied misfortune of others."
How they made their wealth was nefariously simple; Monty dealt illegal trades, and Griselda parlayed the stock into eventual profit, in their household kitchen. This was their sole purpose in life, the pursuit of wealth through culpable means.
It was not uncommon for a Zemeckis to extract fortune through lawless means. They were always brandished as a family of unrelenting criminals, indulgent and underhand. Yet, because of their mixed relations, had their name discluded from the Pure-blood directory when it came into existence. They argued their case, by reminding the author of their relations to the medieval Potioneer Tybalt the Terrible, to no avail.
When Zimelda was born, in the frosty month of November, 1970, Monty and Griselda where vividly disappointed. They had fully expected a boy, one who could truly inherit their self-proclaimed greatness.
- “To my horror, insurmountable in that first glimpse, I had given birth to a girl. I admit that I had zero desire to mother the child from the moment I clasped eyes on it, with its insufferable glow, and its bright eyes. It had stolen from me the one thing that gave me leverage over Monty, and now our marriage resigns, and it is all thanks to this disgusting enigma of a thing, that clawed its way from my womb."
She was an avowedly sweet child at first, who was remarkably unlike her parents. With bright golden eyes like that of a magnificent snake or raptorial bird, and hair as soft as silk. Griselda-Godiva became barren the moment she gave birth to Zimelda, and continued to resent her child from that moment on. Many saw this as an omen, for dark things to come.
The House-Elves, Munster and Hugly became the childs only solace and, with little intervention from Griselda or Monty, practically raised her. Although her parents where hell bent on villainy, and distant from their only child, she did not go mistreated or malnourished. On the contrary, she came to be one of the wealthiest children of her time.
- “She was poor in love, but sickly rich in everything else”
Her outfits, always well appointed, dazzled and dizzied in her favorite colours, and her bedroom was lavish with best that Galleons could buy. Yet, despite it all, she was deeply unhappy, for all she really wanted was to have the acceptance, or love of her mother and father, who so willingly repressed such a luxury.
It was not until the warm summer, of 1982, when she had returned home to tell her parents of all the wondrous things she had accomplished at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, that she found her Mother and Father torturing a rather feeble man, screaming slanders that he had lied to them about an object on the black market.
Although this did not alter Zimelda's path immediately, it would inevitably ignite an unfound passion for criminality, and would later set off a chain of events that would lead to her becoming a Death Eater.
It became apparent to her that in order to survive, she too had to exhibit the same qualities her parents did. Within the falling months of 1982, Zimelda did the one thing that was least expected of her. She tortured Munster and Hugly.
- “The only ones who had shown her any ounce of love, though creatures they may have been, could not have anticipated the pain they were to endure that very night.”
Life at Hogwarts
The Sorting Hat placed Zimelda into Slytherin, just as her mother and father had been.
- “Quite unexpectedly, the hat seemed to pause without saying a word. The hall fell silent and after what felt like a century, it finally screamed the word Slytherin.”
Slytherin Crest
She began rather complacently, always softly spoken yet in some sort of deep manner, and terribly polite to her professors. Although as the first few years went on, she progressively darkened and achieved popularity by taunting many of her classmates, sometimes in very cruel ways. The Head of House was notorious for his nepotistic ways and so revered Zemeckis and her excellent grades, allowing her the freedom she needed to not only get away with her crimes, but work on a potion of some sort that nobody was ever allowed to know or talk about.
- “It was her own version of a familiar, that project. Many of us had cats, frogs, you know - the typical magical familiars, but she never cared for her owl. It was all about that mystique potion, whatever it was. A shame too as her owl was beautiful"
Indeed before long, she was appointed prefect and became a master of potions. All of her OWL and NEWT scores were overachieved, though her popularity had exponentially decreased due to her ill-famed, elitist behaviour. At the end of her studies, instead of joining the Ministry or going on to work in the field of Potion academics, she instead took her fathers money when he, and his wife, passed away and bought shares in Knockturn alley. She began a business relationship with a woman known as Barbarity Bogtrotter.
- “In her last years at Hogwarts, Zimelda Zemeckis was deeply distracted. Her skin had lost its sheen, her golden locks became dull, almost ghostly. It was as though she had come into something, or someone, that had zapped all the good, if there was any good at all.”
Life after Hogwarts
Between the years of 1990 and 2000, she and many members of her own family supported the Dark Lord by submitting their businesses to his collection, and torturing those he sought to diminish. Many members of the Satin family, her mother's side, were killed during his reign for blood impurity, and the Zemeckis' quickly became a disliked faction in his regime. During the Battle of Hogwarts, when Harry Potter woke up, out of fear Zimelda was one of the many who immediately apparated away. Her cowardice would be the ruination of her for years to come, until 2001 when she reintegrated into society as a Ministry Official, nurtured and protected by Judy Dorchester, who probably decided that Zimelda would prove useful in embellishing her ideals within the courts. Her crimes and records were destroyed, and any of those who put in accusations against her, where framed and imprisoned themselves. Rumours escalated for many years, but Zemeckis had by this point developed a theatrical persona, unperturbed by scandal or newspaper write ups. She often shook them off as, "Petty rumours created by jealous opposition."
In 2022, February 9th, Headmistress Hannah Jane Fischer released this information to the students of Hogwarts, confirming it's authenticity. Zemeckis' denied the accusations, hissing that they were mere lies. She launched the dark-curse known as Rescendio Vitalis at Hannah, causing her injuries that would last a life time. The woman apparated to St. Mungo's, before returning two weeks later to reclaim her school.
Her rise to glory came after years of careful execution and planning. She was at first a Ministry advocate, and then soon slid into the Wizengamot, till her inevitable ascension to VC. In this position, she was relentless and imprisoned hundreds of Wizards and Witches, on a national scale, thus gaining her trust with the Ministry.
Sometime during her sudden return to society, she met a man known as Xalvador, who had pale features, and two protruding fangs. They went on to have a child together, Thibault Zemeckis, but they never married. Xalvador allegedly cheated on her, and in her anger, she falsely imprisoned him in Azkaban, where he has been these last fifteen to sixteen years. Thibault, on the other hand, is always at his mothers side.
In 2015 she attended the court hearing of convicted fraudster and radio personality Psychic Satin and swayed the opinions of the jury, declaring that Selina Satin was "lost in a state of manic despair and poverty". Satin was freed from the courts, however the backlash was incontrovertible. An article was released some days later, slating Zimelda as an injurious pig-woman who used her powers within the courts to free, what was discovered to be, a distant relative.
She worked along side Hannah J. Fischer, who at the time was an obliviator and later a rep. for the International Wizarding Committee for Great Britain. Though only usually brief, Hannah would have experienced fast hand just exactly how outrageous Zimelda was in her Professional zone. Zimelda worked alongside Judy Dorchester, the High Judge of the Wizengamot for many years. The two were present during the 2021 court hearing of Helena Arlet, a Slytherin student who was trialled for attempted murder. It was here that the plot between Zimelda and Hogwarts truly began. She denounced the ruling of the High Judge and made a suggestion that the child needed guidance, rather than imprisonment. This inevitably lead to her appointment at Hogwarts as a Potion's Mistress and Governer, with inquisitorial rights over the discpline of the students. The original Inquisitor of Hogwarts, Madame Seung Hightower, never showed shown any chagrin over the positioning of this adjacent official.
The Cauldron Circle
The Cauldron Circle, that went privately as The Circle was a reclusive Potions club initiated by Zemeckis in 2022. It was her staple to keeping the students she felt were the strongest, or most influential, under close watch. Whilst she did passionately work to nurture their potions abilities, there was also an element of power behind the group, giving the witch an eagles eye into the inner workings of the castle. The club would meet up and discuss their day to day thoughts, feelings and things they had done, as well as take part in theory and practical sessions, with rare trips outside of the castle. It was disbanded when she was ousted from the castle.
The Ousting
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Once ousted from the castle in 2022, her whereabouts remained unknwon, but she found herself Wanted by aurors, slated to face trial at the Wizengamot. Articles were released, full of rumours, gossip and discussions regarding her past, present and future. The most notable article was the front page of the Daily Prophet in the month of August, 2022, penned by the papers own Sidgeon Quilt, a writer renowned for his speculative and often revelatory style, supporting the idea that Zemeckis may have in fact gone into hiding in Germany.
As of January 2023, she was Britains Undesirable No2, behind the Hag of Crowscreep, who remained as the most wanted criminal. The reward for Zimelda's capture was at the time 5000 Galleons.
Magical Abilities and Skills
Potions
Zimelda is notorious for her skills and abilities in Potions. She was for a time the Potions Master at Hogwarts and was known for her interests in the arcane potion's.
Defense Against the Dark Arts
It is thought that she cannot produce a corporeal Patronus due to a severe lack of happy memories, but this has never been proven.
Dark Arts
Zemeckis was fully capable of dark magic, having not only tortured countless witches and wizards during Voldemorts reign, but also casting the youth-reversing curse Rescendio Vitae at Headmistress Fischer, demonstrating her skill in this field.
Apparation
She can apparate, though her own takes on a black-cloud form, as a result of servitude to the Dark Lord.
Animagus
It is unknown whether or not Zimelda Zemeckis is a registered animagus.
Possessions
Wand
Yew wood, Dragon Heartstring, 11 1/2 inches, Rigid.
Beastie
A mangled and clumsy House-elf, bound by magic to serve Zimelda until the day she dies.
Ministry of Magic Wizengamot Uniform
A black velvet uniform, with an accessorized hat and badge.
Jewelry Box
Kept in her office, it contains dozens of fanciful ear rings, as well as some other secret items hidden beneath it all.
Relationships
Barbarity Bogtrotter
A knockturn alley business owner and renowned trader, who has recently opened up a branch in Hogsmeade. They are friends of a little over twenty years, and are rumored to have split shares. Barbarity, unlike Zimelda's demure, is profound and outspoken, with a very harsh south-london accent. She usually insults people before she properly greets them, though this is always in banter. It's plausible to assume that she and Zimelda are friends only because of their businesses.
Thibault Zemeckis
Her only son, to the imprisoned Xalvador Gorvenal. It is perhaps due to being a mother that Zemeckis had her internal struggles, both as a Death Eater, in fact choosing to abandon the Battle of Hogwarts before it even truly began, and also as a conspirator of Judy Dorchester. In a letter to Oreyn Fox, Zimelda detailed her concerns for her son who, in 2025, had begun to show signs that he was becoming attracted to the dark side of magic.
Minister Hannah Fischer
Although at first their relationship was not malign, there was a clear distrust between the two. This secondary Ministry official struck an unwelcomed cord in the bones of Hannah Fischer, who, true to her Lion sigil, wanted to protect the school and all its students in it. Of course the two eventually clashed, and Zemeckis in her temper launched a dark curse at the Headmistress, one that would strip her of youth, in a painful, prolonged way. The curse is known as Rescendio Vitae.
Headmaster Oreyn Fox
Though Zemeckis often disobliged him, and worked with Judy Dorchester to try and frame him and several others for crimes that they did not commit, she did hold a personal reverance for Fox. As both Slytherins and masters of Potions, they had much in common, and it was Fox in the end who knew precisely where in Germany to seek her out, during her renegade days. An unbreakable vow, marked by Draco Romanov, intertwined the two forever, one that concerned the ongoing treatment of Hannah Fischer, who's vitality draining curse could only be reversed by its castor.
Helena Arlet
The accused murderer that she saved from Azkaban, now forever in Zimelda's debt. There is a common agreement between the two, a bond that remains unspoken, yet unambiguous. Keeping Helena out of Azkaban makes her one of Z's cronies.
Cassandra Middles
An enthusiastic Gryffindor who has caught the attention of Zimelda on more than one occasion. The two developed a close-bond, rather ironically, and shared remedial lessons together. Though as time pressed on, the confidence of the girl wavered, and she desperately clung onto a false hope that Zemeckis was not as she was being presented. Zemeckis, despite her dark intentions with the school, had an empathy for the child that suggested there may have been, if only slightly, an inkling of remorse in her bones.
Behind the scenes
- Professor Zimelda Zemeckis is a character portrayed by ishwaristing Resident in the virtual world Second Life® @ Mischief Managed, a devotional sim created by Anya Ohmai and voluntarily maintained by various creative Administrators and players. You can find out more information here: http://mischiefmanagedsl.net
- She was created to help flesh out a plot within Mischief Managed, that is currently ongoing. The Wizengamot court-hearing was actually enacted on Sim, though the character Zimelda did not actually appear at Hogwarts till a month later, when Headmistress Fischer returned from a scolding at the Ministry.
- The Potion's Club (or the Circle as it was privately known) was inspired by the Slug Club, and follows similar fundamentals.
- The name Zemeckis was taken from the director Robert Zemeckis, who fashioned the film "Death Becomes Her" and other iconic films
- Zimelda was taken from the name Imelda, but has no definitive meaning. The name Imelda however originates in Spain and has the meaning, "Powerful Fighter".
- She originally had brown hair whilst the character was in production, and so those who attended the actual enactment of the court hearing on the sim would have remembered her this way; it was later changed to silvery blond.
- The characters OOC theme would be Sia's 'Kill & Run': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ylcg4m8UUPs
- If you watch the actual scene during The Deathly Hallow's, many Death Eater's apparate away as soon as Harry Potter wakes up. The blond-haired woman pictured behind Lucius may well have been Zimelda Zemeckis. As seen here: http://youtu.be/ieibsVyVYnU?t=4m14s This movie character may also have appeared at the Malfoy Manor meeting, and at Harry's 'The boy who lived, come to die' scene.
Possible image of Zemeckis escaping during the Battle of Hogwarts