ERNIE MACMILLAN â SIXTH YEAR â PUREBLOOD â HUFFLEPUFF
Wand: Oak, Dragon Heartstring, 12âł
Pet: None
Clubs: Dumbledoreâs Army, Prefect
A STRANGE HUNGER HAUNTED ME
At first glance, privileged and pompous would be the words used to describe Ernie, and when he was younger, they would be accurate. He would never say that heâd agreed with those who wanted to eradicate wizards who werenât pure of blood, but being a pureblood was a comfortable status that he had no trouble resting on. It made being a first year a little less terrifying, so used to being at home with his mother and father, being spoiled and encouraged. It made friendships easier, giving him the confidence to reach out first, and it was easy for two years. He was confident, and unshakeable, and then suddenly there was a monster in the castle and he saw the real world repercussions of the idea of superiority about oneâs heritage. Ernieâs whole world view was turned upside down. Prejudice about blood status had just felt like a theory, an obscure concept heâd never seen in real life.
After that, there was a change in Ernie. He was still pompous, but he wanted to think highly of himself because heâd deserved it, not because of how heâd been born. His grades had been good, but when his third year began, he threw himself into school, and from then on out, the only person he trailed behind was Hermione Granger. If she didnât work just as hard as he did, heâd be more annoyed, but school was something he found he was talented at, and for once when Ernie gripped someoneâs hand to greet them, he felt his firm grip and eye contact had been earned, not born.
THE LOOMING SHADOWS DANCED
Joining Dumbledoreâs Army had been an easy decision, one that had been building from the moment heâd seen his best friend in the hospital wing, completely petrified simply because of his blood status. That, and he had a great amount of respect for Harry, someone who he envied in the sense that Harry had always been good, whereas Ernie himself had taken a little longer to get there. But it was better late than never, and so he answered the call to arms in the only way he knew how: eagerly, and making sure everyone knew he was doing so.
Now that the dust has settled, Ernie still wants to be a good person, and not just when people are looking. He often fears that his ally status, that his need to do something good, has come across as performative and not genuine. Ernie is a genuine person, if one is willing to look long enough, but itâs a little hard sometimes to convince others when he canât stop puffing out his chest.
JUSTIN FINCH-FLETCHLEY: Simply put, Justin is Ernieâs best friend. From their first day at Hogwarts, theyâve been an inseparable duo. Justin is patient, perhaps the first and only one to try and figure out what was underneath the haughty exterior. While heâd been terrified in second year, Ernie had been determined to stand up for Justin anyway, the first time heâd ever used his own privilege to protect someone else, and for that, he does credit Justin for that turning point in his life, for being someone worth standing up for.
HANNAH ABBOTT: Houses tend to be a bit cliquey, but Ernie is happy with the clique heâs inadvertently ended up with in his house, Hannah included. Besides Justin, sheâs probably his closest friend. When Justin was in the hospital wing, she was the one he would go to, the one who had his back. She alone seemed to sense just how much Justinâs absence hurt him, even if Ernie didnât show it himself.
SUSAN BONES: Though heâs not as close with Susan as he is with Hannah, sheâs still one of Ernieâs dearest friends. Sheâs just someone he isnât sure how to approach. Sheâs lost so much, more than he can comprehend, and thatâs a part of war that Ernie still isnât quite sure how to handle.
++; intelligent, protective, encouraging, determined
â; pompous, insecure, boastful, noncommittal
Ernie is currently not available.
