Orabella Nuttley, Order of Merlin, First Class, was a witch who worked as a clerk in the Improper Use of Magic Office in the mid-18th century. In her spare time, she experimented with spells, and invented the Mending Charm.
Biography
Nuttley worked as a low-ranking clerk in the Improper Use of Magic Office at the Ministry of Magic. Due to her extreme shyness, she was unable to advance in her career, and typically got assigned menial tasks such as filing, dusting, and cleaning out departmental owls. However, in her free time at home, she enjoyed experimenting with spells, attempting to improve the magic she had been taught as a child.[1]
In 1754, Torquil McTavish of Scotland and Silvio Astolfi of Italy, bitter rivals and two of the most revered broom fliers in Europe, agreed to hold a race from Aberdeen to Rome. Representatives of both countries planned to meet them at the finish line. Nuttley was invited along and given the job of managing luggage and organising Portkeys.[1]
The race was held at night so as not to draw the attention of Muggles. In the morning, as the sun was rising, McTavish and Astolfi finally arrived in Rome, and were seen flying toward the finish line at the Coliseum. At that point, a fight broke out between fans of both racers that had gathered at the finish line, and though the exact procession of events is debated, an explosion rocked the Coliseum, reducing it to rubble. During the course of the altercation, Astolfi was also transformed into a chicken, and McTavish hit with a curse that reversed his knees.[1]
Orabella Nuttley casts her Mending Charm at the ruined Coliseum before the governmental representatives of Britain and Italy.
For a few minutes, it seemed as though the greatest Statute of Secrecy breach in history had just transpired, as the loud explosion had awoken half of Rome and no one in the crowd had any idea how to fix the ruined Coliseum. Then at last Nuttley stepped forward and fixed several columns with the Mending Charm she had invented. The government ministers were stunned by this and begged Nuttley to teach them the spell. When Muggles finally arrived at the scene, they found only a few strangely-clad men attempting to calm Astolfi, who was still a chicken.[1]
Nuttley was awarded an Order of Merlin, First Class for her actions, and her spell went on to be widely-used.[1]
Personality and traits
Nuttley had curly red hair and wore glasses.[1] Timid and extremely shy, she tended to become flustered whenever others spoke to her, and typically said very little during meetings at work.[1] However, she was also clever and inventive, experimenting with magic and inventing spells in her spare time.[1]