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Archived Applications / Reggie Graham
« on: 01/12/2016 at 02:24 »

Application for Hogwarts School




→ CHARACTER INFORMATION.
 
Name: Reginald “Reggie” Graham
 
Birthday: October 30, 1935
 
Hometown: East End, London
 
Bloodline: Muggleborn
 
Magical Strength (pick one): Transfiguration
 
Magical Weakness (pick one): Divination
 
Year (pick two): 3rd as first choice, 4th as second choice
 
Biography:
Reggie Graham was born into royalty. Not the pompous, crown-sporting kind that got their title through providence and pedigree, but the kind that really mattered. The kind with power. And Reggie, well, he’s the cherry on a ten-tier cake.
 
But to understand Reggie’s reign, you need to know the family. And the Graham name is just as notorious as their reputation.
 
To Muggles, they’re the worst type of people. They thrive off disaster and prey on the weak. They take need and create prosperity and devastation is coin in their pockets. Gangsters. Rulers of the London underground with a knack for getting their way, by whatever means necessary. Organized crime is their business, with a specialty in just about everything: armed robberies, arson, racketeering, assaults, gambling and smuggling. You name it and the Grahams have their hands in it. It doesn’t matter what you need, if you pay enough, the Grahams get it done.
 
The name first hit papers in 1955. (And, I know what you’re thinking, ‘Reg, how can your family be from the future?’, but listen up and hold your horses.) The name continued to splash across headlines for the next decade, usually attached to some horrible crime. With Gerald Graham at the helm, it was a golden era for the family. A formula for success: a government ready to sell out the very people they served and a post-war boom that the Graham family capitalized on with expertize.
 
In a world gripped by gambling and waiting for luck, the Graham’s made their own. They ran the city from the ground up, and nobody could touch them. They had friends with the cops, they had friends with the politicians, they had everybody in their pocket because it was easier to be with the Grahams than against them. They’d collected their share of enemies of course, and the occasional detective to sniff around, but that was an annoyance that could be swiftly dealt with. And what happens when you reach the top and have the city in the palm of your hand? People notice. Desperate people.
 
Phillip Pennifold was one of those desperate souls. A pureblood wizard with a very particular need. He found himself in a bind with the Ministry of Magic, and was looking for a way out. Some shipments that were less-than-legal needed hiding, in a place where no one, not even the blood-hound nose of the Ministry, would find them. And Phillip, for all the trouble he found himself in, was a pretty smart cookie and he thought outside the box. It’s easy to stash where the law isn’t looking, and even the goddamn Ministry of Magic wouldn’t think to look in a muggle joint. Phillip approached with the proposal and a deal too sweet to pass up: open doors to an entirely new world. An introduction into the unbelievable, into the world of magic.
 
The partnership with Phillip held together through the trade of illegal beasts, banned crops, pilfered potions and an array of things no muggle should know about. Gerald Graham amassed a fortune of Galleons he couldn’t use: but a gangster’s wealth is in his wealth, so flaunting it was half the fun.  The friendship between wizard and muggle held together through time. Literally. As the clock struck midnight on December 31st, 1974, Tiffany and Gerald Graham were in the company of Phillip Pennifold and his family, enjoying the fruits of their years labor. The Hogsmeade home was a fitting location to end the New Year, with their young sons enjoying Christmas spoils. Meals fit for kings, wives enjoying gossip by the fire, the two families were so entrenched with their own lives that they took no notice to the change happening outside their walls.
 
The time warp erased so many out of existence: but the Grahams remained. A muggle family among wizards, old lives lost, memory vanished, and friends only a faint whisper in their back of their minds. So what’s a gangster family to do: with only hidden stashes of cash, all the know-how,  no cops sniffing down their necks, fresh suckers to be made, and a newly minted chaos? Cash in. Because baby, they hit the jackpot.
 
And this is where Reggie finally comes in.
 
Reggie Graham came into the world a son of a gangster. As you can imagine, the title had certain perks. Even as a young child, Reggie got what he wanted with very little fuss. He had a nanny or guard to watch his every step and cater to his every need. Suffice to say, Reggie grew up a kid that nobody wanted to deal with. (Some still say this today.)
 
A kid like that needs to make his own amusement. Nannies made excellent targets for water balloons, and tutors were great guinea pigs for whoopee cushion. Reggie quickly became a terror for anyone who dared try and take care of him.
 
His mother dotted on him, and his father gave him his every want. Despite being a needy, bratty child, Reggie was always raised a step away from what his parents did. His mother wanted Reggie to have nothing to do with his father’s “business”: and as it was with most married couples, the wife got what she wanted. So Reggie grew up knowing his father as a shrewd and successful businessman, and that knowledge was never outwardly questioned.
 
It was his first show of magical prowess that solidified Reggie’s place as the Graham prince. It was a particularly sweltering summer in 1941, and for most days Reggie was content lounging by the river near the Pennifold home. The Pennifold’s oldest son, Sawyer, was only a year younger than Reggie, and the two had spent nearly every summer together since they were in diapers. Days going off on fantastic, imaginative adventures: hunting for werewolves (bugs) and tracking down vampires (toads), while their parents partied and drank in the sun. The hot day in August was little exception.
 
The boys were at the water’s edge, skipping rocks and attempting to get their hands on frogs when Sawyer wadded into the water a step too far. Within seconds he’d lost his footing and was swept up in the current. Reggie watched on from the shore, frozen for the first seconds as Sawyer’s mop of hair vanished under the water. When the other boy broke through the water’s surface, coughing and thrashing, Reggie stepped forward. He slipped just as Sawyer did, but managed to keep himself upright, calling for his dad while retreating to the shore.
 
Sawyer went under again, and this time he did not emerge. Reggie paced at the water’s edge as the seconds ticked on, screaming once again for his dad, for anyone to help. He was helpless, too afraid to act, consumed by his own uselessness. Seconds ticked on, and just when the fear and panic became near unbearable, something truly magical happened. The water swirled and twisted, lifting Sawyer carefully out of its depths. The waves swept him to the shore, and disposed of him on the warm sand, just before Reggie’s feet. Sawyer coughed and took in a gasping breath just as Phillip and Gerald reached them. It was that moment they realized Reggie had a knack for magic.
 
Having a wizard in the Graham family was their checkmate. After years of working in the shadows for wizards, it solidified their position in the wizarding world. Mrs Graham no longer had a foothold to keep her son out of the family business. Reggie would take over, and the Graham name would be as well known among wizards as it was among muggles, crisscrossing lines that were never meant to connect.

But life is unpredictable, and when war broke out, it put a damper on their plans. Reggie’s introduction into family history remained on hold while the muggle and wizard world descended into chaos. They’d keep Reggie away from getting mud on his hands, at least until he was old enough, and skilled enough, to clean it off.
 
So, while the Grahams continued to gain wealth and notoriety, Reggie continued to be blissfully unaware. Despite being accepted at ten, Reggie was kept out of Hogwarts as the Hexenriech took power, instead expensive lessons across the Atlantic and private tutors acted as his teachers. One teacher, a witch named Benedetta Bretta, was actually able to keep Reggie occupied and in place for several years. (Woman was every bit a witch, if you asked Reggie.) It took the next two years of pitiful begging for Reggie to convince his family that he should go to Hogwarts to get a proper education.
 
As the years progressed, the Graham name continued to grow. The purebloods might have a title, but the Grahams had money. And everybody needs cheddar. The war ragged on and as the Hexenreich took power the Grahams sat in the back, picking up the pieces and raking in the coin. A broken home needed a loan, and who was there to shell out the bucks? A hungry family needed food, and who was there with a buffet? By the time the war ended, half of the UK, muggle and wizard alike, was in debt to the Grahams.
 
A debt needs to be paid, and the Grahams always collect.
 
→ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.
 
House Request: He could fit in any house I imagine, with the exception of Ravenclaw. He has blind bravery and courage that makes him fitting for Gryffindor, but he also has the drive and cunning his father has, which would make him fit well in Slytherin. Though unlikely, I could even imagine him working well in Hufflepuff, since he’s generally carefree and incredibly loyal to his friends and family.
 
Personality:
 
At first glance, strangers might say Reggie seems like your typical carefree jokester. And they’d be absolutely right. Reggie Graham has been pulling pranks and cracking jokes from the time he could walk and talk. His sense of humor endlessly entertained his father, who couldn’t stifle a laugh when a nannie quit after being doused in oil, but it infuriated his mother. And an annoyed mom meant punishment.
 
Reggie knew how to escape punishment: a well placed ‘I love you,’ or helping around the house with chores. It always got him on his mother’s soft side, and a month long punishment seldom lasted more than a few days.
 
Reggie was been cooped up for most of his life: living by a series of schedules and lists and having every waking moment dictated. Tasting freedom that comes with moving out and going to a school for most of the year has been a dream come true. (Especially if it wasn’t that boring school like math, but actual magic.)  Magic has been the only thing Reggie ever tried at. He doesn’t care to work too hard at most anything else, yet he’s infuriatingly naturally gifted. The type of kid who doesn’t have to study and still aces all his tests.
 
In the end, all Reggie wants is to get the most out of life, to enjoy every moment with as many people as he can. He’s not in the least shy: open to starting conversations with strangers and talk when there’s otherwise awkward silence. An absolute extrovert, energy and confidence ooze out of him. No one can pull him down from the top of the mountain that he’s climbed to.

He’s not someone to take lightly. Reggie is a generally carefree guy, but he doesn’t let people get away with rudeness. If he perceives a fault, he has no problem opening his mouth. He’ll call others out if they’re rude and doesn’t find fault in intimidation.
 
Despite his overall relaxed stance on life, Reggie is a Graham and he takes well after his father’s legacy. A serious, menacing side that makes the usual jester seem like a different person. This side of Reggie only comes out when necessary: if he needs something done or if someone is threatening what he holds dear. Cunning and manipulative, if there’s one thing Reggie knows its people. Everyone has a reason for what they’re doing, and you simply need to know how to use that knowledge. At the end of the day, you don’t want to be on Reggie’s bad side.
 
→ SAMPLE ROLEPLAY.
Please reply to one of the Sample Roleplays below.
 
The day was beautiful. Perfect for a nice walk around the ground, soaking up the sun’s heat and enjoying the wisp of fresh air that trailed  off the Forbidden Forest. Now that was a name. Forbidden Forest: it was practically begging for attention with a title like that. Reggie’s mental note to challenge it’s namesake was pocketed for later use. He took a few steps around the corner, heading back from exploring the Quidditch Pitch.

He should have been in class. At least he might have, he couldn’t keep track of schedules and all that boring stuff. He’d get to it later, when he felt like it. Just as he was turning the corner, he came across a very peculiar scene: a student tromping around a flower bed, tearing up the blooms and stomping down the rest. Reggie thought him mad. And he turned that maddress to the only other person around.

"Can I help you with something? It is not polite to stare."

A pale, red brow shot up from behind a pair of dark shades. The tall, lanky teenager stared down his nose, glasses falling to show a glimpse of green. “You talkin’ to me?” The tone was incredulous, as if he couldn’t believe anybody, let alone a stranger, would talk to him with such a snooty attitude. Especially from a stranger with a line of snot down his robe. Reggie scoffed, pushing the sunglasses back into place with a very specific digit. “I'd reconsider that.”

He would have just let it be, but even with a literal snot-nosed brat calling him out, Reggie couldn’t bite his tongue. “Well,” The teen drawled, cocking his hip to one side to look down at Hugh. His father used this tactic when dealing with some of his colleagues; being casual under scrutiny just seethed confidence. And sheep were intimidated by confidence.  Taking a few steps forward, heavy boots stopping right at the edge of the flowerbed, Reggie cast a lingering glance to their feet. “You think its polite to stomp around somebody else's flowers?”
 
→ ABOUT YOU.
 
Please list any characters you have on the site (current and previous): A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away.
 
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