Character Profile: Kat Sterling

Name: Kat Sterling

Alma Mater: Hogwarts, Ravenclaw

Marital Status: Single

Children: Nope – adorable nieces and nephews all the way

Career: Singer-songwriter, music teacher accessible to both muggles and witches/wizards

Passion: Other than her music, Kat’s heart lies with her hometown, a small working-class, close-knit community she grew up in. Although Kat usually lives in and works from her London flat with her built-in recording studio, she will pop over to her old home and help her family on the farm every other week. She also tries to volunteer at the equestrian rehab centre at least a few times a year (she hasn’t really ever come to terms with Ham’s death and this is one way she’s trying to).

The last 15 years in a nut-shell: Beyond her wildest dreams, Kat somehow managed to defy her own fears and concerns about never sharing her music with the world. She was singing and playing her guitar since she was a babe, so when she left Hogwarts, she almost immediately set out to share her knowledge. Teaching gigs in muggle schools and music centres were easy enough to come across, but there was a disturbing lack of musical education to be found in the wizarding world, which she felt duty-bound to try and correct. So she spoke with Hogwarts’ staff and asked if they could put feelers out for any students that could be interested in learning to play traditional muggle guitar, acoustic and electric. To her delighted surprise, she had about a dozen inquiries and she took them all under her wing as the inexperienced but passionate teacher she made. If she was indifferent towards kids before, this experience certainly changed her mind. She was 25 years old when she met the man who would become her first producer. He was charming, a musician himself, and believed in Kat’s potential with a passion even more fiery than her own. She was 29 when she finally escaped from the relationship turned abusive. Shaken, but not defeated, she reinvented her entire image as an artist, motivated by the same people who helped free herself her ex-producer’s toxic grip.

Anything else? At 33, Kat Sterling now has one independently released album under her belt and a small but vocal fanbase that actually invest their time and money in her music by purchasing her records and showing up at her gigs (well, closer to legit live shows now – with tour dates and everything!). Her producer was a fearless and fiercely protective older woman with abundant experience working with indie artists. Kat meanwhile has mellowed out considerably, occasionally including yoga and mindfulness into her routine (as much as she used to make fun of these very same people when she was younger).

What keeps them up at night? Fear of intimacy. Kat hasn’t really been putting herself out there since her abusive ex. She’s completely focused on every other aspect of her life, working long, long hours, and dedicating her every free moment to giving back to her communities and giving herself the love that’s missing from her life.