Hogwarts School: A Harry Potter RPG

CHARACTER INFORMATION
Character name: Henry Reed

Previous and/or Current Character(s) if applicable: Jasper Bishop, Evangeline Warwick, Philip Carter

Character age: 24 (in August, 1966).

Character education:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry [Hufflepuff], 1953-1960
BSc Mathematics & Theoretical Physics 1960-1963 at York University
MSc Theoretical Physics 1963-1965 at York University

Strength and weaknesses (details please):

Henry’s gentle nature and eager-to-please attitude has always dipped between positive and negative attributes. He would begin every interview, when asked this popular question, with his weaknesses because he perceived himself to be one more often than not. He would list things such as, “I’m not very authoritative” and “My ability to focus can become a hindrance quickly if I’m not careful”, whilst counting them off on his fingers, eventually running out of digits before he was finished. It could be argued that the majority of his weaknesses could be flipped, and maybe they could be, but Henry Reed has always been more aware of his inabilities than his list of achievements. Whilst his traits such as being too focused to remove himself from a task until his bladder threatens to disobey him, or the fact that his kids didn’t know what their Dad’s shouting voice sounded like, there were some that were inevitable and could not be ignored.

His moral compass wasn’t as golden as it should be considering he was supposed to be just and fair, and he had attended church every Wednesday evening and Sunday morning growing up. He couldn’t help that flare up that churned in his gut when someone he cared about was facing something he couldn’t control - so much so, that he can get tugged into the situation far too easily, hoping to gather just a wisp of information to send the card tower crumbling. A prime example would be how he accepted Lia’s poisoning stunt in their latter years of Hogwarts and, as he should have done and would have if it were anyone else, didn’t turn her in.

The strengths list would be much shorter, perhaps accompanied by a few pauses for thinking, but they would eventually emerge as: his ability to remember information (thanks to his photographic memory), how adaptable he is and reassurances that he would work to the best of his capabilities at all times.

Physical description:

The Reed-Ackerley family are a jumble of heights, eye and hair colours so it wasn’t too much of a surprise for Henry to take after both parents, with his mother’s mousy brown hair and his father’s light blue eyes. An olive complexion that darkened as he grew through his teenage years hinted at his dad’s German heritage and his mother’s distant Italian roots. His high cheekbones did nothing but make his face look sharp, with his gangly appearance being stubborn despite coming to 5’6” by the time he hit 20. Not the tallest nor the shortest in his family, Henry didn’t mind his height until it came to trying to get books off shelves in the library they’d built into the walls of the Reed-Ayres home.

Currently, Henry sported shorter hair around the sides of his head and his usual mop of hair at the top, creeping down his forehead and often getting in his eyes. He thanks the God, who he doesn’t believe in, that his hair isn’t as curly as it used to be, now looking more like a bedhead than a mess of waves. This made him look a bit closer to his age than before, instead of a teenage boy playing dress up in his dad’s suit and tie. Those were what people were often to find him in at work - the professional dress drilled into him from a young age. Upon seeing him on a weekend or outside of work hours, Henry was more likely to wear an oversized jumper and jeans than anything else.

Personality (nice, rude, funny etc. Paragraph please.):

Henry sometimes debated whether his personality was deterred by the events of his childhood,  the fact he was the 5th child out of 13 or if he won what his dad would call the ‘genetic bingo’. An easy baby, an easy child and generally a sweet, well-mannered and gentle teenager. The times he got lost in the chaos of the house didn’t phase him like they might have if he had been any different, so he was glad that he got overlooked sometimes. The only aspect of his personality that he cannot control is the need to understand things, to know whatever he can get his hands on. It’s the same reason he can recall large scriptures from the Bible, an alphabetical list of his mother’s medications and how hard he stuck his head into books when at school. It was as if he thrived on the words he read on a page.

Though maybe that was also influenced by times he spent huddled in the barn with the animals and a book, an escape from the loudness that emanated from his home.

His shyness turned into social awkwardness as he grew into his skin, a confidence pulled from having friends that weren’t his brothers or sisters but the anxiety that lingered under the surface threatening to seep out. A true Hufflepuff at heart, Henry would desperately try to please those he cared about - a love language of acts of service emerged in the shape of homework tutoring and being a listening ear. There weren’t many times that Henry could be classed as grumpy, mean or whatnot but the times when he felt overwhelmed, confused and too deep into his mind were more than a few.

Hopes and dreams. Why are you teaching at Hogwarts?:

Aside from Clinton Litchfield’s office, the library was a place Henry could often be found. There were many nights when he couldn’t sleep, whilst other kids got up to mischief or met partners in dark corridors, Henry curled up in a corner of the library and read until his eyes were dropping shut. It was a place he felt secure in and he found himself there in his free time as well as when he was studying. It fed his knowledge endlessly and a good portion of those book’s contents remained in his head years after.

Since graduating in 1960, Henry has worked behind the scenes at the potions shop Lia and Alice started, began to train as a Junior Healer in Paediatrics and then Poisons at St Mungos and completed two degrees in a muggle university. He just couldn’t seem to settle anywhere for a long period of time - something that certainly wasn’t like him. His hope is that going back to Hogwarts, where trauma was engraved into the walls of his past experiences there, would help him to learn what he wanted, who he was and how he could move on from the memories he wasn’t able to forget.

Biography (500 words minimum. There is never such a thing as too much.):

Henry Spencer Reed was born on the 9th December 1941, as the fifth child and second son to Vera Amanda ‘Mandy’ Reed and Benjamin Warren Ackerley. His older sisters and brother are Marley, Patrick, Willow and Violet. His younger brother and sisters that come from the same parents are Daisy, Olive and Peter (twins) and Harriet. It was shortly after Harriet’s birth that their mother, Mandy, was hospitalised due to experiencing severe symptoms of schizophrenia. This had been a long time coming for the Reed-Ackerley family and it overall benefitted the safety and wellbeing of the children to have her in a secure facility - they still visited each week and have continued to maintain a strong relationship with their mother.

Roughly two and a half years later, Benjamin got married (for he was never legally married in the first place) to a woman named Fiona, whom he had met in Church. Fiona Patterson (now Ackerley) had just finished a degree in teaching when she met Benjamin and proved herself to be a loyal and committed individual that took all the Reed-Ackerley history in her stride. The eight kids were easy to accept Fiona as a stepparent and before they knew it, in 1955 they welcomed not one but three babies. Hugo, Otto and Margo were certainly a surprise in number and yet, melted into the muddle of people perfectly fine. 1957 brought Florence ‘Floss’ along, followed by Nora in 1958.

Henry is the only magical member of his family, which was as big a shock as one could get, but the experience of learning a whole new world was too exciting to pass up. His early school years were quiet and passed by quickly. Friends weren’t the priority - that was reserved by playing catch up in classes and general wizarding knowledge that some of his classmates got growing up. The third year was when things began to go south: the werewolf attack. As if it would be hard enough to forget something like that, Henry’s photographic memory replayed it whenever he had a spare moment or tried to sleep. It led to a night-time smoking habit and many visits outside past curfew with Lia. Lia Ayres: the brain behind the poisoner in his fifth year and, at the same time, his girlfriend. That opened a new can of worms because shortly after Lia was expelled, she fell pregnant. One over-emotional and not thought out night had turned into twin girls; Bryony and Erys.

A father of two by his sixth year, Henry tried to focus on finishing his final two years without any drama – which had clearly been too big of a request. The Monster was unleashed on the school as a result of the poisoner debacle to protest about the lack of security in Hogwarts. It might have been effective if it hadn’t been run by already traumatised victims of the werewolf attack. This meant an awful lot of time spent researching basilisks in the library, on top of being Quidditch Captain, Prefect, Senior Nurse and a Spellbound Editor. A young Gryffindor died before he could prove his theory. Seventh year felt desperately underwhelming in comparison as he kept his head down, studying to become an animagus (which he managed by the end of the year) and completing his duties as Quidditch Captain and Head Boy.

The few years since graduation involved another kid (you’d think they’d have learnt by now) and a small cheating scandal courtesy of Lia and Cece, and he hopped between jobs like they were going out of style. Now, in 1966, with two seven year olds and a three year old, Henry’s attempting to come back to Hogwarts.

SAMPLE ROLEPLAY
(Please respond to to this in third person past tense. Do not write the other characters' reactions. Only your own.)

It was the largest office in Hogwarts and, perhaps to students and newcomers, the most intimidating. The shelves were filled with various odds and ends, with a place of honor for the Sorting Hat, and the walls held all the portraits of past Headmasters and Headmistresses.

In the middle of the room sat a large desk. Everything was in order, for the current occupant had always despised a messy desk. It was the sign of a messy mind, and she had always favored neatness.

A clock sat on the desk, which currently showed the time to be 2:05. The meeting was supposed to begin at 2:00 precisely.

Along with order, Anneka valued punctuality. She was a very busy woman these days. Even during the summer, she had a number of matters to attend to. Interviewing and hiring staff was only of those matters. The newest potential member of her staff wasn't making a good impression.

She paced the room, black heels clicking against the stone floor. When the door finally opened, Anneka turned, her expression reminiscent of a Russian winter. "You are late."

Explain yourself was what her face said.

Roleplay Response:
It may have been over five years since he’d graduated but stepping through those doors into the Headmistress’ office was still incredibly daunting. The lump in his throat at her expression only grew as he stood in front of her, door shutting behind him with too-loud a slam due to his haste of entering. Twenty-four felt more like fourteen under her gaze and he couldn’t help but shuffle his feet in a nervous gesture, as if he was a school child waiting to be punished for being out of bed.

“Professor Ivanova,” Henry started, though paused to question whether that was the right way to address the woman. Should he have said Ms? He wasn’t a student anymore. He definitely did not have the right to call her Anneka. “Please accept my apologies, I had a mishap on my way out and had to change before I could leave.”

Read: Arlo got far too excited after dinner time when playing on the swings with his sisters and proceeded to vomit all over the dress shirt and tie that Henry wore.

However, it was only when he’d spoken that he realised it could also sound like something else entirely. “Wait, no – I meant, I didn’t –”

This was going great.

In addition to posting a completed application in this forum, we also ask that you submit a PM to Anneka Ivanova with details of your class and with the lesson plans for that class (include at least a minimum of 4 lessons). Also, please be sure to check the Available Positions thread located in this forum to make sure the class you want is available before applying.

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→ CHARACTER INFORMATION.

Name: Henry Spencer Reed

Birthday: 9th December

Hometown: Cheshire, England.

Bloodline:
Muggleborn

Magical Strength (pick one):
Divination

Magical Weakness (pick one):  Conjuring & Summoning

Year (pick two): Third or fourth. Any will do, really.

Biography:
If you are applying to be a first, second, or third year, your biography must be at least one hundred words long.
If you are applying to be a fourth year or above, your biography must be at least three hundred words long.
Henry is a well-rounded individual. One of nine children, he's had to learn how to share, put his own opinion in and be the mediator. He's a "mummys-boy" and spends a lot of time reading with her or helping to make dinner. His eight siblings include two brothers and six sisters- He's the middle child. His parents hope to further expand the family but had to take a break after the difficult pregnancy of the youngest of the Reed Brood, Harriet who is five. Henry is muggleborn, meaning he was incredibly surprised when someone showed up at his front door claiming he was a Wizard, in the rural countryside farm where they lived. As guilty as it makes him feel, he's just glad that this makes him stand out from the crowds of his siblings as they all seem so much prettier, smarter, sportier than he is and this whole magic thing? That's purely his. As of right now, anyways.

Henry enjoys hiding away and having thinking time to himself to analyse his day and plan out his next. He isn't anything, if not organised. Despite his hectic surroundings, his mind is well structured and specific. He's slightly obsessive over wanting to know as much information as possible, though this is usually from his slight fear of being embarrassed at not knowing something everyone else does. Henry always has had friends because he's a friendly and loyal person, who would happily drop what he's doing to come and help another person. Sometimes, his loyalty gets him in trouble when he's being too nice to someone who takes advantage of it. Although, his number one priority is his family. And his guinea pigs- he has six. After all, they live on a farm with numerous animals to look after. This is something that Henry has always embraced, being an animal lover himself, and he's not embarrassed or awkward in the slightest in telling people when they ask about his family. He's happy to explain what it's like and shrugs off any weird comments as it's what he's grew up in and has all the people he loves in one place. They were all originally home schooled but went to church every Sunday where they had a youth club to meet others.
→ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
Note: This section is optional, and is up to you to complete.

House Request: Hufflepuff is my #1!! If that's not possible, I'd say Slytherin (the opposite, I know) as he just wants to prove himself.

Personality:
Tell us a bit about your character’s personality (likes, dislikes, fears, etc.) What are they like on a good day versus a bad one? Is your character particularly cheerful? Do they hate sunlight?
Henry loves reading. He's obsessed. He reads rather quick due to the fact that once he picks it up, he can't put it down until he's finished! Having a rather high IQ, and suspected autism, Henry's always curious and looking for new things to learn and explore. He really hates small spaces, which is ironic due to his small farm house and amount of siblings, though he puts it down to being so used to the massive fields that he spends a lot of his time in. He's not a fan of speaking in front of groups of people either, as he has a tendency to blush over his entire face and stutter. He's quite an optimistic boy who tries to be the one to cheer others up as he doesn't have a reason to be sad, so he ignores his own feelings somewhat. On his bad days, like when he misses his family, he'll try to socialise himself or eat a lot of food to perk himself up. If this isn't possible, he'll fake ill and sleep it off before someone can see him in his moody phase.
Appearance:
Briefly describe your character's appearance (hair color, build, stature, etc.) What effect does it have on their personality? For example, does the shy Ravenclaw girl secretly dye her hair black because she hates her natural blonde? Does the curly-haired Gryffindor use charms to hide his freckles?
Henry has dark blonde hair that comes to just under his ears, along with a fringe that typically needs to be cut as it always gets in his eyes. He's very skinny, probably due to the exercise he does at home on the farm and the activities between him and his siblings, but is a healthy weight. He's not very strong though, which he hates, and has an estimated height of 5'9, at which he hit his late growth spurt at 16. He's got hazel eyes that sometimes look more green in the light and pale skin. Henry does his eyebrows, funnily enough, or moreso he doesn't have a choice when his older sisters want to practice their skills. They look great, none the less.

→ SAMPLE ROLEPLAY.
You come across one of these posts on the site. Please select one & reply as your character. Remember, you can only roleplay your own character's actions, not Evangeline's or Hugh's.

Option I:

The dungeons. A place eleven-year-old Evangeline had not yet travelled since her arrival at Hogwarts.

A place she really was just fine with not knowing; but it was too late. The dare had been accepted, even if it had been done in fear of being kicked out of Gryffindor, like the older girls had said she would because Gryffindors were supposed to be brave.

The air changed instantly when she hit the main corridor of the dungeons. The dampness was almost too much for her and she instinctively took a deep breath to avoid the sensation of being suffocated. There was also a sour burning smell which Evangeline assumed was from many, many Potions lessons.

Further and further she walked, her steps so slow and gentle they made no noise against the stone walls and floor. The feeling that she wasn't alone crept up her spine and raised the tiny hair on the back of her neck. Shivering, Evangeline wrapped her arms around herself. Suddenly, she missed the warmth and comfort of the Gryffindor common room. The fire was always going and it made her feel at ease.

Why had she let those girls talk her into this? She was only eleven, she didn't have to be brave. Surely the Headmistress would not kick her out of Hogwarts for not being brave.

If only she had these thoughts while being dared to search for the ghost of one Emma Birch, whom supposedly haunted the dungeons. It was not, Evangeline had learned, the place where the sixteen-year-old girl's life had ended but as she had been from the house with a snake as its mascot, it was the place her spirit had returned to. That common room was down here somewhere, she'd been told.

Something - the small blonde girl wasn't quite sure what - but something made her stop in her tracks suddenly. There was a low, dull thumping noise. Or maybe that was her heart beating so loudly she thought it was coming from outside her body.

"H-h-hello?" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

Remembering that she was supposed to be brave, Evangeline tried again.

"Hello! Is Emma Birch here?"

The sound of her own words bouncing back at her off the walls made her jump.

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There was nothing more embarrassing, in Henry's eyes, than crying. Yet, here he was. Crying. In a storage room. Why was he even in the dungeons, you ask? That would be because he'd been helping the potions professor to clean up their classroom and was returning the broom to the closet that he had used to brush up spilt powdered roots. Perhaps he should have returned it when the hallway wasn't full of people going to dinner, and wasn't in the corridor of which someone either pushed the door shut as it was open, or deliberately shut it. Either way, he's going with the accident idea because that was the type of person he was.

It was dark and stuffy in the room. The room itself was only about five foot by three foot- just big enough to fit cleaning supplies and some old harmless potions ingredients. Why did they even have the cleaning supplies if everything could've been done with magic?

He was currently sat in front of the door, his forehead resting against the wood. Henry's cheeks had started to dry from his tears after around half an hour, once his panic had left and boredom kicked in. His fist was banging on the door every now and again, in hopes someone might have heard him. He hadn't a clue what time it is now as he swore he fell asleep at one point.

He was pulled out of his curious thoughts at the faint voice on the other side. They must have heard him banging! Immedietly, the lad was on his feet and banging on the door with both hands whilst shouting loudly:
"Hello? Hello! I'm locked in the supply room! Help!"

He didn't pause to think about who it could be that would find him in this state, but all he knew is that he really really needed the toilet.

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