Application for Hogwarts School
→ CHARACTER INFORMATION.Name:Byron “Brick” Templeton Dumay
Birthday: May 18, 1938
Hometown: Frizington; Bell’s Close
Bloodline: Pureblood
Magical Strength (pick one):Divination
Magical Weakness (pick one):Transfiguration
Year (pick two): 5th (his expected year), 4th (if he is held back)
Biography: August, 1951- Frizington, Cumbria. Eleven-year-old Brenda Dumay, eager to start her Hogwarts adventure, fell strangely ill on a trip to Diagon Alley to get her supplies. Within hours, her legs were rendered useless- as stiff as if attacked by a
Petrificus Totalus spell. The fine doctors at St. Mungo’s are at first baffled as to the cause- any spell or magical elixir they attempt seems to make the matter worse.
School began without her, and Brick was divided about the situation. On the one hand, he loved his sister and worried about her daily. It interrupted his schoolwork, his social life- his everything- constantly worried that the mystery ailment would do her in.
On the other hand, she was a right prig and evil to boot- he dreaded the thought of his little sister coming to Hogwarts and picking up where they’d left off on the playground: she was the mob boss, he was the muscle. He had always been powerless against her. Now she was helpless.
While Brick lamented over the course of the term, Brenda’s malady was studied at length. In the Spring of the following year, it was identified as
Pseudomedusae Paralysis Syndrome, a rare and tricky magical disease that treated magical energy as an allergen. Her blossoming body had reacted to her blooming magic such that she had been left petrified. As long as the magic remained, she would never recover.
February, 1952- the Dumay family made the decision to move away from all things magical- to live amongst the muggles and to abandon all spellcraft. They moved to
Bell’s Close, a small town outside Newcastle and an established magic-free zone. It was hoped that Brenda could live a happy life as a muggle far removed from wizarding life. Broderick (their father) got a job making small parts for a radio manufacturing company. Bee (their mother) got involved with the town council. Brick was to be cared for by his Uncle and Aunt in Hogsmeade- his magical journey had already begun and it would be a shame to hinder it.
Nobody realized how powerful Brenda’s latent, wild magic had become: her ability to
charm people wasn’t just a pleasant smile and plucky attitude; she was
genuinely supernaturally gifted in getting her way. She manipulated her neighbors first- in subtle ways, getting them to bring her pies and candies and a bonnet with a silk ribbon. Soon, she discovered that her mother could be affected as well. There was a downside- her paralysis returned when she used her powers abundantly.
Not that
that mattered; the ‘Pollyanna of Bell’s Close’ had an entire community thinking her tragic tale was the most precious thing and bending over backwards to see her happy. Brenda’s subtle manipulations went under the radar because they were small- tiny, even- suggestions and not commands. The Dumay parents redoubled their efforts to excise magic from their lives.
May, 1952- a letter written by his father informed Brick that he would not be returning to Hogsmeade as planned at the end of term, but coming to their new home to live as a muggle with the rest of them. This so upset Brick that he stopped speaking entirely- his friends at school mistook his recent girlfriend troubles as the cause.
As it turned out, his sister had manipulated her father into writing the letter. Her ability to get small things and affection had been well-established, but Brick was always willing to do
more. With him around, she could live as a
Queen.
January, 1953- Brick turned out to be the turning point- as he was so in-tune with Brenda anyway, her subtle magic could get more bold. Her commands got more specific, and considerably less voluntary. And while her magic was wild and untamed, Brick had several years of schooling under his belt- his magic was
not subtle.
In other words, the downfall of her plan came when Brick used his own magic against muggles- in defiance of the law- under the direction of his sister. The Ministry got involved quickly, and Brick was brought in for investigation. From there, it was quickly deduced the scope of the situation. Brenda was taken back to St. Mungo’s and isolated. The Dumay family was fined for their negligence. Brick spent the remainder of the year working in Community Service.
June, 1953- Brick is released from his Community Service with full-time served. After a year away, he has been cleared to return to Hogwarts.
But at what cost?
→ ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.House Request: Gryffindor (was his house previously)
Personality:Brick lives up to his name- he can be rather thick sometimes. He tends to stay pretty quiet, preferring not to speak and be thought the fool than open his mouth and remove all doubt. He understands more than he lets on, however. He is a
language savant: any language he hears, he understands and can speak fluently; for the duration of the conversation (and perhaps a few moments more). This actually hinders him in the long run- he can’t truly learn foreign languages, because the magic translates everything into something he understands. He never learns the words.
He wants nothing more than to make people happy- and sneak a meal or two when he can. That said, he will turn down free stuff and almost any freedom of choice he is given- if given a choice, he will almost always say ‘no’. It’s less work that way.
The Game: This is more of a historical reference. Up until recently, he had a zero-resistance to direct orders- perhaps a side-effect of his sister’s manipulations or perhaps just a psychological construct of his own mind, Merlin knows. If someone gave him a direct order, he felt compelled to do it- even if it caused harm to himself or others. ‘The Game’ has officially ended, and Brick doesn’t quite know what to do with himself. His penchant will still be to obey blindly any direct order; but he is learning to say no.
Another aspect of The Game was that he kept all sentences short- five words or less (in English). While this rule too no longer applies, Brick has been doing it so long that it is second nature to him. He struggles to find a more verbose dialogue.
Brick has encyclopedic knowledge of more than 150 plants: by scientific name; by sight; by usefulness in spells and potions. This is due to his mother’s affinity for potionmaking, his Uncle Radish’s green thumb, and his own interest. When he grows up, he wants to be an herbologist. Or a farmer. Or a superspy ninja. Noble goals, all.
Appearance:Brick is on the heavyset side- big and thick, but solid as a wall. He towered over his peers when he left Hogwarts- he was a head taller than average. Upon his return, he will find that his peers have caught up with him somewhat- he hasn’t grown much over the last few years.
The young man tends to be hard to read. Emotions- unless it is sheer joy- all tend to look the same. On a related note, he has a hard time reading people- it’s as if he never really learned social cues. He seems to have exceptional strength; truth told, he has a high pain threshold and pushes that limit regularly.
→ RETURNING STUDENTS.Link to your last levels request (if you never posted one, link to your last accepted student application): DUMAY, Brick LevelsNumber of New Levels Requested: +2 (returning).
New Levels Request: C4 D4 T3 S3 (well below average, but that sorta fits Brick).
How your character kept up with their studies: Brick spent a good portion of the previous year in a muggle school, learning muggle things like Long Division and Biology. As an underage wizard, he was not supposed to use magic at all, but in the end, he did- and was brought in because of it.
After the full story unfolded, Brick worked for the Ministry’s Beautification Department in Parks and Gardens, where he was allowed only minimal access to his spells.
→ SAMPLE ROLEPLAY.
Option 2:
Tropaeolum speciosum, common name ‘Scottish Flame Thrower’, was sadly not what its name implied (though it did feature predominantly in potions of the sort). This particular cluster had grown considerably since last he’d checked, their little red buds rising up out of the ground foliage like like tendrils of fire.
And they were edible, too- another common name was ‘Indian Cress’. This, Brick had decided, was what the boy before him was doing- foraging for an early lunch. Breakfast had been nice and all- always fillings and tasty to boot- but some people liked their greens. He watched with mild interest as the boy ducked his head into the green blanket beneath him.
It was one thing to forage, but grazing like a sheep? Something didn’t add up… Brick took a step forward, curiosity more than anything else leading his charge. He managed a whole three steps before the boy, in a thunderous noise that stopped the birds chirping in the nearby trees, blew a great sneeze.
He froze in his tracks. Watched. Waited. Did his best not to look concerned, which defaulted to a blank stare.
The boy looked up, clearing off his face and chiding, "Can I help you with something? It is not polite to stare."
His answer was immediate, “Not polite to crush the flowers.” Six words. SIX. He was getting better. He did his best to meet the boy’s gaze.
→ ABOUT YOU.
Please list any characters you have on the site (current and previous): Irma Wolffe (née Scrivner), Marvin Fleisher, Newton MacDonald, Amos Feinbary.
How did you find us?: The Interwebs, back when it was still relatively wild and untamed.
