Charity Burbage

[Equinox Chick]

I can't see a thread about Charity, and as I'm about to include her in a fic, I thought I'd start one.

We know she's brave; we know she wrote an impassioned piece for the Daily Prophet, and we know the manner of her death. But I need some more details (opinions) so ...

What House do you think she was Sorted into?

What do you think she looks like?

What era do you think she attended school? (Marauder/Bellatrix/Tonks.)

Do you think the Muggle Studies job was her only job?

She wrote the article that led to her death. Was she foolhardy or brave? Why do you think she wrote it?

What sort of teacher do you think she'd be? Would she be strict? Would she be fair? Is her name an indicator of her personality. Or is it ironic?


Any/all thoughts appreciated.

Carole

[Inverarity]

What House do you think she was Sorted into?

Hufflepuff is the obvious choice. You could make an argument for Gryffindor or even Ravenclaw, but really, I think I'd go with Hufflepuff.

What do you think she looks like?

Insufficient information.

What era do you think she attended school? (Marauder/Bellatrix/Tonks.)

Insufficient information. For a story, though, I think I would make her a Marauder-era student, which would mean she was classmates with Snape. The idea that she knew Snape -- and James and Lily -- opens up a lot of avenues for making her story more compelling and tragic, whereas if she was classmates with Bellatrix & co., it won't matter as much, because we already know that Bellatrix kills indiscriminately. Making her classmates with Tonks would mean there isn't much of a connection between her and any other characters.

Do you think the Muggle Studies job was her only job?

None of the other teachers seem to moonlight.

She wrote the article that led to her death. Was she foolhardy or brave? Why do you think she wrote it?

I think she didn't want to be like Martin Niemöller.

She was unquestionably brave. She was speaking out against evil. (But I'd still argue for making her a Hufflepuff, rather than a Gryffindor.)

What sort of teacher do you think she'd be? Would she be strict? Would she be fair? Is her name an indicator of her personality. Or is it ironic?

Most of Rowling's names are Dickensian and tell us something about the character. In conjunction with her role and her actions, I think her name likely was reflective of her personality.

I do think it's very unfortunate that Rowling only thought to make up Charity Burbage in the last book. It was hard to really be moved by the death of a character who was only introduced in the chapter that she died. At least a few mentions of the Muggle Studies teacher in earlier books would have given her death a lot more impact; we would have felt like someone we knew had died, even if she was just a minor character.

[Equinox Chick]

Thank you

The story she's going to be in is actually my Remus/Tonks fic, because Remus is about to become DADA prof. I'm thinking that she'd be younger than the Marauders but may have crossed over between their years at school and Tonks' years at school.

I was thinking Hufflepuff, but was leaning against it because Tonks is a 'Puff, but then that could mean that they knew each other (slightly).

Good reasoning, and I agree about her only being mentioned in the last book. If she'd been mentioned in the others then her whole plea to Snape could have been incredibly powerful. I shall build on that though.

Do you think the Muggle Studies job was her only job?

None of the other teachers seem to moonlight.

I meant her only ever job - her first job. If it wasn't, what else could you see her doing prior to teaching?
Carole

[OliveOil_Med]

What House do you think she was Sorted into?
I think you could make an arguement for any house except Slytherin. I can't imagine it would be a very nurturing environment for someone looking to take up Muggle Studies for a career choice. And if she was, can you imagine the abuse she would take from the Slytherin students?

Actually, that might make for a very interesting storyline.


What do you think she looks like?
I almost think her style might have been influence slightly by Muggles. She might have even come to class in Muggle attire as an addition to their education. But even out of class, I don't really see her as the type who would go around in robes twenty-four seven like some witches in the books.


What era do you think she attended school? (Marauder/Bellatrix/Tonks.)
I see her as being a few years younger than the Marauders. Maybe starting her first year when they were in their fifth.


Do you think the Muggle Studies job was her only job?
I think she could have possibly been a Muggle liason before taking up her teaching post at Hogwarts. I doubt that Dumbledore would have hired her if she had no relevent experience.


She wrote the article that led to her death. Was she foolhardy or brave? Why do you think she wrote it?
I feel like it was a little bit of both. In a way, though, I feel like the insident shows the most compelling evidence for making her a Hufflepuff. Yes, writing the article was brave, but it also shows the Hufflepuff sense of justice and honesty. Plus, I can't help but feel a Gryffindor would have had a bit more dignity when surrounded by Death Eaters, and certainly wouldn't have begged Snape to spare their life. And a Ravenclaw, I feel, would have probably used a sudenum when writing the article.

But I do believe writing the article was brave, but the way she went about doing it was what was foolish.


What sort of teacher do you think she'd be? Would she be strict? Would she be fair? Is her name an indicator of her personality. Or is it ironic?
I honestly couldn't say, but you probably would have a lot of freedom for deciding this for yourself.