And here goes another one, I feel quite inspired that I was really excited to see how this would come out.
Just a few thoughts about my canon:
Felicia accepted to go with Ben to the Yule Ball since she overheard that Talbott wasn't interested (at first).
Ben was delighted, althought at the second half of the party he spent his time dancing with Rowan and a few other friends, while Felicia took a break near the snack table.
However she didn't expect to see Talbott since he said plenty of times that parties were not his cup of tea. Andre convinced him and made a suit specially for him (they soon realized that their outfits were a little matching)
Felicia and Talbott danced together before the Ball ended <3
*at the first Quidditch team practice 1988*
Charlie, the Quidditch Captain: Alright, let's welcome our new Keeper, Oliver Wood!
Oliver, a wee second year: HAPPY TO BE HERE! :D
Charlie: and...my little brother Percy, who's here for some reason.
Percy, also a wee second year: I'm here as moral support and I got the first aid kit ready, just in case. :)
Cassidy, the star chaser and second-in-command: Okay, that's really adorable. Are they inseperable or something?
Charlie: *sighs* They are a package deal, I couldn't get one of them seperate.
@hphm-fandom-events | day 1: starlight / enemies to lovers
merula snyde x alysa nouzen (mc) | 2722 words | late submission
this story includes my own mc and was written with her in mind. it is also accessible on ao3 and wattpad. if you prefer to read it with an unnamed/undescribed mc, click here for female and here for male.
I Hate You
From the moment Merula Snyde first laid eyes on Alysa Nouzen, she knew she hated her.
It wasn't necessarily that Alysa had done anything wrong. No, it was the way she pranced around the castle, sticking her nose into every problem she could get her filthy hands on. It was the way she always solved everyone's rubbish problems in the end, rewarded with house points by Dumbledore no matter how many school rules she broke to get there. It was the way she collected friends like they were mere pieces in the puzzle that was her hunt for the Cursed Vaults and her brother. Seriously, if Merula had a sickle for every time she had seen Alysa hang out with her friends when she didn't need something from them, she wouldn't even have enough for a galleon.
But what she really hated was that everyone practically worshipped Alysa. All of her friends were thick enough to think she cared about them more than she cared about the Cursed Vaults. But not Merula, Merula saw right through her on the first day. She always knew Alysa was nothing but a typical Slytherin, using people for her own gain and not caring if they got hurt. She'd known it from day one, before she even had proof, and now she had seen it over and over.
"I don't see what you hate so much," Tulip told her during their first year, back when the two of them were still friends, "she's not so different from you, really. It's not as if you wanted to be friends with me because of my personality."
But they weren't the same, thought Merula, not at all. Merula wasn't interested in pretending to be this kindhearted, weak girl who ran around helping first years and incompetent professors. What was the point in that, when she was the most powerful witch at Hogwarts? It was pathetic.
But then, there was that day.
Just like always, Merula walked into the potions dungeon and sat in her seat between Ismelda and Barnaby. On the other side of the room, she could see Professor Snape chastising one of her fellow Slytherins, specifically the nameless boy (or rather, Merula didn't consider him worthy of a name) who always drank defective potion and made himself sick. Alysa usually was quick to brew the antidote, but it seemed that she hadn't been quick enough that day before he was caught. Actually, Alysa seemed to be nowhere in sight at all. How strange, Merula thought to herself, how unlike her. Alysa was a rule breaker, sure, but a bad student she was not. She was always on time, always making sure that despite the fact that Professor Snape had gone from hating to barely tolerating her in four years, she would use her skills and charm to force him to give her house points anyway.
Merula shook her head. Why would she even care that she wasn’t here? It was better if Alysa wasn't in class. Merula would have Professor Snape all to herself. After all, he was one of the only professors at Hogwarts who preferred her to her arch-nemesis, and now she wasn't here. It was her time to shine.
Only, why did she feel so dejected?
While Professor Snape was busy lecturing Hazel Arster — a lamb-like girl from her dormitory who only spoke in half-sentences — on her previous exam performance (the grading scale called it Acceptable, Merula called it Abysmal, as anything below Outstanding was a failure in her eyes), she got to work on her Pepperup Potion. But while she tried to stir the perfect twelve times clockwise, her eyes kept wandering over to the empty seat where Alysa usually sat. Where could she possibly be?
Perhaps she was searching for another Cursed Vault, no doubt using another one of her "friends" without a care in the world if they ended up in detention or in trouble with their professors. Merula rolled her eyes at the thought. Alysa was so aggravating, she was such a wolf in sheep's clothing, she was such a—
"Miss Snyde."
Professor Snape's stern, cold voice snapped Merula from her thoughts. He was looming over her potion with narrowed eyes and she didn't have to think very hard as to why: her potion was bright orange when it should have been red.
"Far from your best work," he said.
Merula felt like using an unforgivable on herself right then and there, and she could not stop herself from turning a shade of crimson. She only made eye contact with Snape for a brief moment before breaking away and frantically trying to fix her defective Pepperup Potion, but in that moment, she saw Professor Snape's eyes narrow dangerously. He looked over at the empty seat next to Rowan Khanna — Alysa's best friend — and then back at Merula.
"What a shame," he sneered, then he swept away towards the next table.
She heard Barnaby’s nostrils flare, offended on his friend’s behalf, but somehow, Merula had a funny feeling that Professor Snape's attitude had not been directed at Alysa's absence at all.
"Rowan," Barnaby said a little too loudly; luckily Professor Snape was too busy chastising someone at the other table for their foul-odored Pepperup Potion attempt.
"What?" Rowan looked up from her cauldron, which was in an even worse state than Merula's without Alysa's help.
"Where's Alysa?" asked Barnaby.
Rowan’s nose scrunched up as if someone had stuck dragon dung underneath it. Merula stopped what she was doing. She had never seen that sort of reaction from anyone at the mention of Alysa, not to mention from her own best friend. Barnaby, thick as he is, didn't seem to notice Rowan’s less-than-expected reaction to his question.
"I don't know," shrugged Rowan.
"Perhaps she's finally gotten herself killed in the Forbidden Forest looking for her dead brother's corpse," sneered Merula, grateful to finally have an excuse to comment on Alysa's disappearance.
"Bugger off, Merula!" Barnaby shouted.
It was decidedly too loud. Professor Snape stopped talking, straightened himself out, and slowly turned to face them, his eyes fixed dangerously on Barnaby and his smoking green potion. He was hardly seen for the following week.
Alysa did not reappear at lunchtime, nor at dinnertime, nor in any of their classes, and Merula was beginning to grow restless without her. There weren't very many guarantees in Merula's life growing up. She wasn't guaranteed parental love and guidance — her parents were in Azkaban, after all — and she wasn't guaranteed peace at home — her guardian was a nightmare. What she was guaranteed every day at Hogwarts, however, was being able to pick a fight with Alysa Nouzen, being able to hate her no matter how much everyone gushed about her being their angelic savior. It was ridiculous, how could no one see through her act but Merula? Was everyone else just that thick, that naive?
Merula tossed and turned that night in her bed, completely unable to sleep without knowing her arch-nemesis' whereabouts. She lay there for a while staring at the top of her four-poster bed, listening to Ismelda's snores and Hazel's occasional sobs. When the clock on her watch struck two o'clock in the morning, she had had enough. Merula quietly slipped into her slippers and tiptoed out the dorm, then out of the common room and into the deserted dungeon corridor.
She walked for a while, the air filled with nothing but the sounds of snoring portraits and the occasional steady footsteps that no doubt belonged to either Mr. Filch or Mrs. Norris. At first, Merula's only intentions were to take a walk to clear her head, but she found herself peering into classrooms as she passed them, hoping to find even just a glimpse of Alysa. Where could she be?
"What's wrong with you?" whispered Merula under her breath, quietly so as not to alert anyone that she was out of bed, "You're acting just like her."
She could picture this exact scenario with the roles reversed. Had Merula been the once missing, Alysa would have torn apart the entire castle looking for her. She would have brought her friends along and screamed her name all night, somehow avoiding Filch with one of her rubbish plans that would only work because it’s her coming up with them. Merula would laugh and laugh with Ismelda later at her stupidity. They would never be friends as long as they lived and breathed, so why even bother with something like that?
The walk just wasn't working, her head was fuller than it had been in the dormitory. Perhaps a look at the night sky would help her. Yes, that was exactly what Merula needed. One look at the starry night would completely rid her thoughts of Alysa, it was a brilliant idea that only the most powerful witch at Hogwarts could have had.
Luckily, she was just around the corner from the Astronomy Tower, which was bound to be deserted at this hour, and it would give her the best view of the stars. She wouldn't accept anything less. But as she made her way up the stairs and the beautiful starry night sky came into view, her eyes widened in shock.
There she was, in all her glory, with her long red hair that gleamed blue in the moonlight: Alysa Nouzen herself.
She was still in her day clothes, but only her black pants and fitted, white collar shirt remained on her body. Her hair was pulled back with her Slytherin tie, her shoes were kicked off to the side, and her school robes were strung out carelessly along the floor.
"Well, well, well," started Merula, stepping into the moonlight, "so this is where you've been hiding all day."
Alysa looked up, her lime green eyes finding Merula's purple ones. She looked absolutely exhausted, as if she hadn't slept in days. It was then that Merula realized that Alysa was doing something. Her palms and fingers were completely black and she seemed to be hunched over a dirty piece of parchment. Alysa noticed Merula frowning and quickly brushed everything aside.
"Hi, Merula."
"What's that?" Merula pointed towards the parchment.
Alysa closed her eyes as she inhaled, then sighed, and Merula felt a knot in the pit of her stomach. Hatred, of course, because Merula wanted nothing more than to jinx her into a jelly.
"Don't pretend to care." she said softly, with a smile.
"I'm not," Merula protested, louder than she intended, "and I don't care!"
"Then what does it matter?" said Alysa, matter of factly.
And she was right. What did it matter what she was doing, or why she hadn't shown up for classes that day? Merula scowled, feeling as defeated as she always did whenever she argued or picked a fight with her arch-nemesis. She hated defeat more than anything, and yet she couldn't stop, she couldn't stay away. All of that was a can of worms that she did not want to open, so instead, she took a seat on the floor next to Alysa, using her clothed arm to slide the discarded robes out of the way.
"If you don't tell me, I'll report you to Snape for being out of bed," said Merula, her nostrils flaring.
Alysa sighed; she, too, was defeated.
"Rowan and I had a row."
Merula raised her eyebrows, now understanding Rowan’s earlier peculiar behavior.
"Rowan was, er, mad we don't hang out anymore," she muttered despairingly, "she said we only talk about the Cursed Vaults these days."
Alysa looked genuinely depressed as she turned to look away from Merula and towards the starry night sky. Merula usually had a lot to say to her, but in that moment, she seemed to forget how to string her words together. She sat there like a fool with her legs crossed and her lips ever so slightly parted, wondering if there was anything she could say that wouldn't trick Alysa into thinking she tolerated her in any way. And she didn't, Merula reminded herself, she didn't even tolerate her, she just hated her. So why was she so stumped?
"So you're crying over some dirty parchment?" she said with a sneer.
"It's not dirty!" Alysa snapped.
"Oh?" Merula raised her eyebrows with a smirk.
So she could lose her composure. How interesting. But only because it was a new challenge for Merula. That was the only reason.
"It's..."
She trailed off, and both hers and Merula's eyes found the parchment Alysa had swept aside.
"Let's see it."
Alysa made an effort to knock Merula's wand out of her hands, but she wasn't quick enough.
"Accio parchment!"
It soared through the air towards Merula faster than either of them were ready for and collided with Merula's forehead, and she was knocked over by the force of it. Alysa laughed while Merula crossly grabbed the parchment from her face and held it up in the moonlight, making Alysa’s laughter very quickly die down.
It seemed to be some sort of… black blob? It was definitely covered in black scribbles that all seemed to blend together in the center, like a ball of yarn. When Merula squinted, she could see the faint outline of what appeared to be eyes. She turned her gaze to Alysa, who was suddenly very interested in her cuticles. Now it was her turn to laugh hysterically. It was so intense that she clutched her sides and nearly fell over again as she threw her head back. She knew she was laughing far too loudly for the hour and that she was risking being caught by Filch or Mrs. Norris, but it would almost be worth it.
“Merlin’s… Beard,” cried Merula between laughs, “what the hell… is that… supposed to be?”
“It’s Fuzzclaw!” exclaimed Alysa, “I was trying to draw Rowan’s cat–”
“THAT’S MEANT TO BE A CAT?” Merula laughed even harder, so hard that her eyes began to sting and tears fell.
At first, Alysa’s ears were pink with embarrassment, but as Merula roared with laughter, she couldn’t help but crack a smile and giggle herself. She had never seen Merula act this way before, she spent so much time trying to pick a fight despite Alysa’s best attempts at avoiding conflict with her (because she truly did not have the time nor energy, and Merula would be a powerful ally if she wasn’t so stubborn). Alysa had to admit, it was kind of cute…
“I suppose it is a bit ridiculous-looking,” Alysa chuckled over Merula’s howling.
Merula wiped her tears and did her best not to keep smiling, but every time she glanced at the “drawing” of the “cat,” she couldn’t help but grin.
“What’s the point in trying to draw that thing anyway?” she asked.
“I don’t know…” sighed Alysa, “I just wanted to show Rowan that, you know, I’m listening to her even if she doesn’t think I am, and I care. I do care, I know you tell people I don’t, but I do.”
Merula stared at her for a moment, but Alysa wasn’t looking back. Instead, she turned her attention towards the night sky. It had to be close to three o’clock in the morning now and there wasn’t a single light outside except for the moonlight. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky nor a distraction in sight, it was just the two of them, the stars, and the moon.
“The sky is so beautiful,” whispered Alysa.
“It–”
Merula stopped abruptly, realizing in that moment exactly what she had been about to say and exactly what situation she was in. She was still staring at Alysa. Her face turned crimson and she jumped to her feet. Alysa looked away from the sky and towards Merula.
“I hate you, Nouzen,” said Merula forcefully.
“That’s a shame.” Alysa smiled sadly.
“STUDENTS! STUDENTS OUT OF BED!”
Before Merula could process anything she had said and felt, Filch rounded the corner with a murderous look in his eyes and they both found themselves being dragged off to his office. While he screamed at them and threatened expulsion, Merula knew that the next time she and Alysa met, she would have to be ten times as cruel as she normally was.
Just as long as she never had to think of that night ever again.
Ok now pretend this isn't like two weeks late~ I don't have much experience with oneshots so this was a fun exercise and if you made it to the end thank you so much for reading!! Sorry the art is just a sketch I spent so much time on the writing that by the time I got to the art I was kinda ready to move on... Anyways have a good day!
Based on @cursebreaker-lilith's template for Hogwarts Mystery MC and OC character profiles, I present to you a brand new character sheet for my MC, Cato! I’ve had him since 2019 and he has been through a lot! Hard to believe he’s been around for six years now. Many people have come and gone in the fandom. I honestly don’t know how many there are still in it, but I love my boy, so I guess I’ll keep working on him for the foreseeable future. He deserved a new profile sheet!
Without @helenadurazzo, @melodymidway, @abianeverdecides, @autisticarachnid and other HM friends of mine who helped out with brainstorming, faceclaim references and feedback, I would have never developed this new profile for Cato! I give them dear thanks for all their help and the fun that went into piecing this altogether.
Cato is still pretty much a work-in-progress so there are parts yet to be filled but the main core that makes Cato who he is has been worked out, so I felt this was ready to post. I hope you all enjoy! I appreciate hearing any likes, reblogs and feedback you all may wish to share, feel free to reach out with any!
BASICS
Name: Cato Isaac Kirkwood
Nicknames: Wanderer (Quidditch)
Name Meaning: First name comes from Latin in the Roman days, means of wisdom and good judgment. The middle name is in honor of his great-grandfather, meaning “one who laughs” and originates from Biblical times. His last name is of Scottish origin; a church in the woods.
Gender:
Pronouns: He/Him
Age:
Birthday: April 13, 1973
Zodiac: Aries
Blood Status: Pureblood
Ethnicity/Nationality: Scottish
Sexuality: Straight
Appearance
Body:
Height: 5’7
Build: Medium, slim and athletic somewhat
Eyes: Hazel
Hair: Brown, somewhat fluffy
Skin: Fair
Misc: TBD
Material Items:
Clothing: Cottagecore, prefers to dress neatly but keep it somewhat casual
Accessories:
In their school bag: Sweets and candies, a few quills and notebooks to study anywhere, the library book he has borrowed for the time being
Cato is the scholarly sort with a business owner mother and a father on the Wizengamot. He is autistic and spends much time in books, curiously researching topics of interest to him, partial to history and culture. To help him achieve social milestones as a neurodivergent youth, his mother had him help out in her cafe-restaurant, where he learned responsibility and got along with the customers who were regular patrons. Coming from a rural area where folks knew each other, he tends to stay within his own bubble and still faces challenges in reaching out past it. The personal qualities he wants to get better at are courage, confidence and perseverance.
He doesn't like being caught up in rumors and surrounded by the crowds or accosted by general troublemakers breaching the peace. Fame and popularity never appealed to him like it did with his brother, but his eagerness and desire to learn played a part in spurring him to step up and study martial magic for self-defense when threats began to put Hogwarts at risk.
Cato is usually good with patience but can be anxious about how well the outcome of something like results of an exam may work out and overthink it, which can complicate his ability to keep a positive mindset and he can be easily distracted if unable to concentrate. Out of the seven deadly sins, his flaws align with envy the most. He is proud of his peers and their own accomplishments but he doesn't want to fall behind. Cato strives to keep proving himself because he knows with his neurodivergence he may have to work extra harder to stay caught up. It is easier for him to concentrate with a positive mindset that is supported by good work and reinforcement.
The boy comes from a good family who were able to teach him the meanings of healthy social relationships and interaction so he values deep connection a lot. While envy for him comes with keeping up for his peers, being able to get better at socialization in general is an important goal for him. He appreciates having meaningful friendships with peers he is comfortable spending time studying and working together with, valuing people that also appreciate and prefer those close bonds. His favorite part of forming them is getting to know people as they come.
One thing about Cato that probably takes time to know about him is that he can get pretty smug and mischievous, sometimes onto something silly with friends! For the most part it is true he doesn't come off as the troublemaking sort but there's still that side of him that likes to be subtle and unpredictable. Encouraged by close friends, he eventually gets more comfortable with showing this side in general but it still keeps its tricky penchant of popping out spontaneously, no one suspecting.
Other:
Likes: Studying together with friends, his mother’s sweets, baking, casually researching topics he likes, tutoring students, causing mischief with friends from time to time
Dislikes: Falling behind his peers, bullying, unfair teasing, cruelty and pranks, his friends being threatened or hurt, gossip, rumors and being crowded
MBTI: ISFJ - The Defender
Alignment: Lawful Good
Hogwarts
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
OWL Classes:
Astronomy: 8/10 (EE)
Charms: 10/10 (O)
DADA: 9/10 (O)
Flying: 8/10 (EE)
Herbology: 10/10 (O)
History of Magic: 8/10 (EE)
Potions: 8/10 (EE)
Transfiguration: 9/10 (O)
OWL Electives:
Care of Magical Creatures: 9/10 (O)
Muggle Studies: 9/10 (O)
NEWT Classes:
Herbology: 9/10 (O)
Transfiguration: 8/10 (EE)
Charms: 9/10 (O)
Extracurriculars:
Clubs: Duelling
Quidditch: Chaser
Prefect or Head Boy/Girl: TBD
Best Classes:
Transfiguration: Cato had a notable talent for this subject, often considered to be quite a challenging one by most.
Herbology: To him, this was more than a class, a space where he felt comfortable to work together with his peers and converse with them as it was greatly reminiscent of his mother’s cafe.
Worst Classes:
Potions: This subject would’ve been a lot more enjoyable if it weren’t for Professor Snape’s oppressive style of running his class and Merula and her group touching his potions. He pulls off good marks in this class thanks due to extensive study sessions with his friends attuned to the subject like Penny.
History of Magic: A completely different deal than potions, a subject that is otherwise potentially exciting in itself is a sorry excuse in such a prestigious school like Hogwarts. Cato has to often force himself to keep from falling asleep to lectures carried by a sloth of a professor who has never moved on from the world of the living for unknown reasons.
Defense Against the Dark Arts: Another total failure for everyone studying at the great Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Cato has heard rumors that Dumbledore for years has never managed to get a professor for this class that would stick due to a curse placed on the position by He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Such a vital subject, especially for his later goal of becoming an auror is tougher to learn without a good teacher that can keep the position for more than one term. Aside from the term where Rakepick is the professor, he learns the materials necessary to pass the class through his own study of dueling and collaborating with peers to help each other learn the subject themselves, including practice and sparring in the duelling club.
Favorite Professors:
Professor Flitwick: Cato always felt supported and safe around his Head of House. He felt honored when he was picked to help tutor others in Charms. Flitwick’s backing and encouragement of Cato was one of the things that motivated him to push through in the challenges of his earlier Hogwarts years. That even went as far as the Charms teacher giving him some private lessons in dueling to defend himself against bullies, though of course with Cato’s clear and focused understanding that’s what he’d keep the spells for.
Professor McGonagoll: The Transfiguration teacher, Deputy Headmistress, and Head of Gryffindor at Hogwarts was a strict professor with high expectations for her students, but she appreciated and rewarded those that worked hard and continued excelling in their studies. Cato first got her attention with his talent for the tough subject and sometimes had him help students who were struggling, which is how he first got acquainted with Talbott Winger. Cato took Transfiguration all the way to NEWT level under the guidance and faith placed in him by Professor McGonagoll.
Professor Sprout: The Herbology professor and head of Hufflepuff was as motherly and gentle as she was accomplished and well-vested into teaching her subject. Cato felt greatly comfortable in the relaxed atmosphere of her class, which at times was so good it not only reminded him of his mother’s cafe but gave him a sense of adventure too that supported many fun conversations and cooperation on assignments with his friends.
Least Favorite Professors:
Professor Snape: Joined with devious schemers and bullies like Merula, the tall and imposing Potions Master in charge of Slytherin house made Cato almost feel alien in his classroom early on. It almost seemed to Cato that Snape was blaming him for everything that went wrong in Potions. This did not mix well with his existing social awkwardness and untenable atmosphere from his brother being gone. Cato would have failed potions and be held back if it weren’t for the intervention of Penny and friendly Slytherins like Liz and Barnaby who helped him learn and defended him from hostile attention.
Professor Binns: Cato shared the sentiments as did most of his peers about this apparition that has been holding the post of History of Magic professor even longer than for most wizards of advanced age. From what he knows, Binn has been like this even when he was alive and it baffles Cato that no headmaster since the one in his time has never done anything to correct the situation. Everyone understands that well by this point trying to take it up with Dumbledore is futile, and Cato’s success in this class depends on the review of the material he does with Rowan and his friends.
Magic
1st Wand: 12’, acacia, unicorn tail hair
The wand Cato purchased as part of the supplies for his first year from Ollivander’s was of this unusual wood choice. It chose him due to sensing a mind capable of mastering advanced and powerful spells if owned well, joined with a good heart that sought greater connection with others.
2nd Wand: Not applicable because Cato’s first wand does not get destroyed by Rakepick in his timeline.
Special Abilities: TBD
Cato has a lot of reservations about becoming an animagus. He knows the implications of becoming one and that it is not one small feat. It takes a long time and requires things to be done in a specific way that can spell disaster if messed up. Animagi must also register with the Ministry and be subject to arrest and prosecution if they do not. Cato respects his father and would not feel comfortable doing some that would put his relationship with him or his job at risk. He could ask his parents since they are both places to help with the process but he isn’t inclined to invest in something just for the heck of it, and his parents would likely be afraid to have a part of the process mess up and something happen to their son he can’t recover from.
Boggart
Form: The tombstones of his parents, brother and love interest
Riddikulus: Wooden barrels that roll and tumble around
Amortentia
What they smell: Honey, dittany and cedar evergreen candle scent
What they smell like to others: The sweet and fresh aroma of baked pastries, calm air of a sea breeze, and his mother’s favorite flowers she keeps in her shop
Patronus
Form: American black bear
Memory: Helping out his mother bake in her cafe
What they see in the Mirror of Erised: Reunited with his brother, happiness restored to his family
FAMILY
Father: Wilfred Dean “Freddie” Kirkwood
Born on January 2, 1939, he is Slytherin and comes from a Scottish family with a history of dedication to law, public service and upholding citizens' rights that he's highly proud of. Freddie grew up in the village of Newvalley on the Isle of Lewis in the Outer Hebrides. On the Wizengamot, he participated in the trials of Death Eaters after the First Wizarding War. In Hogwarts, he emphasized the cunning, determination and ambition known among his house. His heroics sometimes got him into trouble, and he could be mischievous and overconfident. Freddie meant well and sees dueling more as a martial art to be studied and honed for self-defense. While good in a wand fight, he preferred more discrete ways of confronting bullies such as pranks and tries to save dueling for when it's necessary or the person stirring trouble is putting others in danger.
Mother: Reilly Gwyneth Kirkwood (nee McCracken)
Reilly was born on December 17, 1938. Coming from Glasgow, she was sorted into Hufflepuff and has a passion for herbology and potions. Before opening her cafe, she was an accomplished herbologist who specialized in the healing properties of different plants from around the world, having several books on the subject. Can be a quiet and reserved person but gentle and caring all the same. When she was young, she tried to help out other students who struggle in class and provide a comforting voice for those subject to bullying. Freddie's ways of confronting trouble sometimes concerned her. She however appreciates his heart and thoughtfulness for those looked down upon and belief in taking action to help people.
Brother: Alexander Ian “Alex” Kirkwood
A stubborn and charismatic fellow, Alex was no stranger to having rows with authority figures and disobeying the rules to cause mischief and pursue his own goals. This Gryffindor sought glory and became set on making something great of himself as a young man. He was popular and some of his close friends shared his disdain for authority. Things got to his head though and he was pulled into further greed and lust.
Alex did not get along well with his parents and there were many arguments that spilled over onto Cato. When younger, their bond as brothers was cordial though they were closer to their own friend groups due to a large age gap. The divide only grew as time went on. In his distressed state of mind Alex thought that his parents preferred Cato over him, though they were never really the favoring type. It seemed unfair to the older sibling, and this aggravated his souring relationship with his parents, who also strongly disapproved of his tendency to endanger others in the pursuit of risky endeavors he enjoyed that broke the rules.
There were rumors that Alex and his group of hunters for the Cursed Vaults were being paid by some third party to crack them open. While they knew that it would more than likely compromise their standing at school, they were too lulled by the strong promise of payment as well as support for their research and investigations. The Hogwarts faculty were reluctant to expel Alex because of his strong academic acumen and social status of his family, but there would be a situation that was the final straw.
A catastrophic incident cost the life of his friend Duncan Ashe. Blamed for causing his death, Alex was arrested and expelled. He was locked up, awaiting trial and punishment on charges related to Duncan’s death, pursuit of the vaults and alleged collusion with a third party to open them and endanger Hogwarts. The charges were later dropped and Alex was released from the evidence being too circumstantial. It was said by some that he was let go because of his father being on the Wizengamot, though they staunchly deny this.
The last time Cato saw his brother was when he came back home after being released from custody. He was sent into another room by his parents, who accused his older brother of condemning the family name and threatening the lives of everyone at Hogwarts with his actions. Unable to bear the sight of the eldest son with such suspicion hanging over them, they kicked him out of the house. Alex stormed out in a mix of sadness and anger, feeling betrayed by his family. He said no more words as he left into the stormy night for parts unknown.
Following Alex’s disappearance, it was a very sensitive topic of the family. His parents refused to talk of it and threw themselves into their work, making Cato feel lonely and less optimistic with their aloof and distant demeanors. He had no way of understanding it and the thought of his brother haunts him. In the months before he got his acceptance letter, Cato kept busy in books or spending time with the friends he made before Hogwarts. While he was kept much in the dark about his brother and that left its own wedge in his relations with his parents, he knew that Alex had a dear heart below it and sympathized a lot with how he must’ve felt when he probably would never see Hogwarts or his friends again.
Pets:
Comet: Cato’s owl, named for his fast flying. His parents got him as a present for starting Hogwarts and to make sure he’d have a companion knowing things for their son starting his first year were likely to be tough.
FRIENDS
Note: I first wrote up this profile focusing on the main parts of Cato to establish his primary character with me redesigning him. This included introducing a handful of his friendships. I had some solid ideas and his main ship with Penny. More friendships will be discussed here at a later point in time.
Best Friends:
Rowan Khanna: The son of magical tree farmers, his bond with Cato grew thick in a short amount of time over their love of literature and shared goals of overcoming their struggles at socializing together. They supported each other through the challenges of their early years. Rowan’s perceptiveness and sharp wit played an important role in Cato’s investigations of the vaults and his brother’s fate.
Badeea Ali: An aspiring magical portrait artist who likes to experiment with making her own spells. Cato grew close with her early on. He often watches her paint and helps her research the process that goes into crafting new spells. She is one of his favorite people to have study sessions with.
Barnaby Lee: Cato’s first encounters with this Slytherin boy were awkward to say the least. He was one of Merula’s “associates” as she called him, but Cato could tell that he wasn’t fully a part of it, forming a hunch that he may have been manipulated into helping her with his schemes in order to avoid further bullying and torment. What disturbed Cato the most about Barnaby’s ordeal is that he seemed to be neurodivergent somewhat like him, and Merula may have noted this too and took advantage of it. He later wins Barnaby over with the help of his friends, showing compassion that Merula never showed him. Cato is highly supportive of Barnaby’s ambition to be a magizoologist and helps him study and feel more comfortable about his neurodivergence. He assures Barnaby that his great empathy for others is a wonderful trait he has that he should be ashamed of and is deserving as much credit as being great at quidditch or highly exceptional at an academic subject.
More TBD
Good Friends:
TBD
Friends:
TBD
It’s Complicated:
TBD
Love Interests:
Penny Haywood (Primary OC x Canon ship): They first started out as friends in their first year after Cato rose up to the tyrannical bullying antics of Merula. Her friendship provided a great sense of security to Cato as her ability to deal with rumors and gossip eventually kept a good deal of the bad attention away from Cato, allowing her to relax more and feel less like everyone was onto him. Penny’s understanding of Cato’s ordeal and ability to make him feel secure and supported when it otherwise seems for not playing an important role in their bond eventually growing to romance as they came of age. They eventually marry at some point after graduation and have two sons of their own, Ridley, who goes by Leo and born before the Second Wizarding War, and a younger one named Brian, who they welcomed into their family a few years after the war’s end.
More TBD
Dormmates:
TBD
Doesn’t Interact:
TBD
Enemies:
Professor Rakepick: His first impressions of her were of a talented cursebreaker more than capable of being a mentor to Hogwarts youth in DADA. While Cato welcomed the change, he never fully trusted her because of her interference with his investigation of the third cursed vault and possibility of her being involved in his brother’s disappearance. His suspicions about her would eventually reveal themselves to be true as he and his friends closed in on the fourth vault in his fifth year.
More TBD
Story
Childhood:
Cato’s parents moved into a cozy home in the village of Invervarish on the Isle of Portree in the Lower Hebrides when Alex was three. He was born and raised in the Hebrides. As a kid, Cato enjoyed the calm and idyllic air of rural life in an upper corner of Scotland, the busy stir of the cities of Britain’s heartland seeming almost like a world away. He was close with both of his parents, helping his mother run her cafe throughout the week although his father was often busy with his job in the Ministry’s main judicial and legislative body.
Following the disappearance of Alex, hard times came in for the family. There were many protests urging for Freddie to be fired over concerns of his integrity, allegedly flouting his responsibility to properly raise and discipline his son after he got arrested and expelled from Hogwarts. Such an accusation was unbecoming of a Wizengamot member if proven true. The Ministry did not heed these calls due to the charges against Alex being dropped and the importance of his father’s skills, experience and years of service faithfully representing his people on the Wizengamot. Cato’s mother was not faring any better. The inquiries her husband was facing drew bad publicity for her business. She eventually had to close it down until further after it got too much to bear and she couldn’t manage the place, earnings drying up.
Cautious optimism came to the family after Cato’s Hogwarts acceptance letter arrived. His parents helped him shop for school supplies in Diagon Alley, where he met and befriended Rowan, the child of magical tree farmers, over a shared love of reading and facing similar social challenges. Reilly and Freddie saw their son off on the Hogwarts Express after exchanging hard goodbyes. Before having to catch the train, Cato encouraged them to keep going. His mother promised that she would try her best to re-open the cafe, never giving up and letting her and Freddie’s children down.
More TBD
Hogwarts:
The early Hogwarts years of Cato were challenging for him. Not only did his neurodivergence complicate socializing somewhat, he also had to deal with being in the long shadow of his disgraced brother. He did not want to talk about the ordeal with many people other than that it was a private family matter they had no business in. Rumors and gossip of his brother, as well as the news related to his legal problems and his father’s issues at work did nothing to help the situation. Cato was excited to begin his first year at the revered magic school, but he was thrust into a maelstrom of suspicion and mistrust where he was teased and bullied, held guilty by association. Unwanted attention from troublemakers led Cato to stick to his bubble of people he felt comfortable with within his house.
While things seemed bad with the aftermath of the saga around his brother and the Cursed Vault hunt, the thought of being resigned to undue shame and isolation from it also dreaded Cato. He found a new sense of determination to prove himself and put his intellect and love of learning to work on becoming more social and maintaining his grades. The boy had also been envious of the popularity his brothers and some of his peers garnered, as well as the special hobbies or skills others had too.
Cato started learning martial magic after some close encounters with bullies like Merula Snyde, who thought of him as dangerous and unpredictable due to his brother’s recklessness. Their actions sometimes got him into trouble with his professors such as Snape, who seemed to completely disregard Merula’s sabotage of his potion due to her family’s prestige. He got some popularity from defeating her in a later confrontation after she targeted Ben Copper for being muggle-born at the cost of a few dozen house points. Cato got some new friends including Penny Haywood following this victory as well, preferring his newfound connections to the fame he got. At first he felt it would only worsen the negative attention he was already getting, as it pitted him into a rivalry against Merula.
While his standing with most of his peers improved over time, Cato still had a preference for privacy as well due to his social awkwardness that would sometimes embarrass and make him uncomfortable around people. He became more confident spending time with and furthering his bonds with his group of friends, who he dearly appreciated for not judging him by how others presumed him. Cato also improved his social skills through study sessions with his friends and tutoring his peers in Charms.
The problem of the Cursed Vaults would only re-emerge in Cato’s second year after sightings of ice patches and disappearances of students were reported. He was brought to pursue the issue after finding Ben unconscious and injured from what seemed to be some form of magical ice.
Cato would investigate the remaining vaults throughout his studies with a more careful and thorough approach than what his brother did. He prioritized the goal of finding out the truth behind the series of events that led to Alex’s disappearance. Some of his professors were secretly sympathetic to Cato and helped him solve the mystery but it had to remain on the down-low in order to avoid further panic or entanglements with the Ministry. The assistance from some of his teachers helped a lot in his investigations, but they still remained endeavors with the potential to become complicated in unforeseeable ways.
More TBD
Adulthood:
In the years shortly after he graduates Hogwarts, Cato takes a job as an auror. Not only did his father serve on the Wizengamot, he also embraced the ideals in a ministry career left by the legacy of his great-grandfather Isaac, who was a diplomat in the Department of Magical Cooperation, as well as that of his great-granduncle (Cato just calls him Uncle Danny,) who was also an auror. Cato looked up to his ancestors and he felt that not only was an auror a strong and admirable career choice, it also felt a good way to honor them and carry on their name.
More TBD
Miscellaneous
Cato learned to bake from helping his mother in her cafe. For occasions such as Christmas or his birthday, his mother sends him small treats by owl, such as cookies, muffins or other pastries. He likes offering these to his friends. The demand for them got high enough that she would make a batch of snacks for them to share over the holidays. One of his favorites is his mom’s blueberry muffins.
Overall, he has strong cottage-core vibes. This is most often shown in his fashion sense, but it can apply to the personality traits and themes tied to his character.
This is not a canon story of Everett. Rowan survived in my canon and ended up with him.
Dreams of Rowan is a TLSQ for beyond hogwarts, and I think this is just so cruel since he died and never really reached his dream to become the youngest professor in hogwarts. Feels like a little insult for him and God. I cried at 2 AM watching the gameplay😭😭
Also a detail that you might not see it but I want you to notice loll
