Albus Severus Potter (
unauthentic) wrote2021-01-25 12:00 pm
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wiztrict ✩ albus severus potter
general
NAME: Albus Severus Potter. Family often calls him "Al."
AGE/BIRTHDAY: 21 / November 25, 2005 (Sagittarius)
BLOOD STATUS: Half-blood
SCHOOLING: Slytherin, Class of 2024. Head Boy and prefect. Chaser from 2019-24.
OCCUPATION: Assistant librarian at the Thomas Vaughan Institute of Natural Magics & Sciences. An unglamorous and boring job that Albus secretly loves because the researchers all treat him like dirt, and if nothing else, this proves that nepotism played no part in his hiring. The research library is a disorganized nightmare of ancient enchanted tomes, and Albus spends his days chasing down misshelved books and putting them back in place.
SEXUALITY: Heterosexual. Probably. He's only ever dated girls.
GENDER/PRONOUNS: male, he/him
appearance
HEIGHT: | 6'1" | HAIR COLOR: | Dark brown |
BUILD: | Lanky | EYE COLOR: | Brown |
MANNER OF DRESS: City boy casual. T-shirts, hoodies, jeans, none of it in a colour brighter than steel blue. He has owned one jacket since he was 16 and doesn't see the point of getting another one. Albus isn't against dressing up (he's had to do it for formal events for his family), but he likes this image of someone who isn't trying very hard.
GENERAL VIBES: Friendly. Unbothered. Down for anything. Never anxious or unconfident or sad. Actually trying incredibly hard to project all of the above, which is a paradox Albus does his best to not think about except at 3 AM when he can't sleep. There's a strong undercurrent of restlessness to his "chill" vibes, like he's ready at any moment to get out.
NOTABLE FEATURES: People always tell him that he looks just like his father, but Albus thinks they're kind of full of it. He's just an ordinary looking guy. No piercing green eyes or heroic lightning bolt scar here!!! Which is fine!!!
PB: Nick Robinson
personality
FRIENDLY. Albus wants everyone to like him, so very much, all the time. He's the guy who always has a smile for you, no matter how he's feeling inside, and goes out of his way to chat with strangers or wallflowers at parties. If you have a idea, any idea, he supports you. He just wants everyone to chill out and get along, and will often back down from arguments if he thinks people are genuinely upset with him, even when they're wrong.
NON-CONFRONTATIONAL. His problem-solving skills are iffy; Albus' strategy in any interpersonal conflict is usually to roll over and then retreat, instead of clearly communicating his wants or boundaries. He ran away from home for two years instead of telling his dad he wasn't sure he wanted to be an Auror. He fares somewhat better when the fear of disappointing an authority figure offsets his fear of upsetting people, as with when he was a prefect. Albus doesn't particularly care about the rules on a moral basis—he's a Slytherin, and a Potter besides—but it was a fun game to shut down the troublemakers who were ruining the fun for everyone else.
LUCKY. Would it be unfair to attribute all of Albus' successes to luck? How about nepotism? Albus has never been able to get over the feeling that everything in life comes too easily to him. Did he get on the Quidditch team because he was talented or because his mother was a pro Quid player? Did he get excellent marks in Herbology because he worked hard or because the professor likes his parents? Did he get accepted on the Auror track because he was a good candidate or because his father runs the place? Did this beautiful girl go out with him because of his personality, or because of his family name? Whatever the reason, it is true that he's never had to struggle hard for anything. But no one wants to hear someone whinge about doing too well at everything or being given too many opportunities, and so Albus bottles up his insecurities.
PRONE TO OVERTHINKING. For all that Albus tries his damnedest to seem like a sweet and uncomplicated good-time boy, he gets stuck in his own head a lot. He obsesses over the possibility of someone having a negative opinion of him. He can never decide what's the right thing to do. He worries about whether or not he deserves everything he has, and then he worries if it's obnoxious to worry about having too much. A lot of people would kill to have Albus' life; how dare he feel guilty about being lucky? And on and on and on. For the most part, he hides these worries behind a happy-go-lucky façade, but people who are very close to him might sometimes witness his despondent moods, or have to reassure him when he bubbles over with irrational thoughts. It's these dark moments that Albus feels are the most him, and that's terrifying.
COMPULSIVE LIAR. A lot of Albus' personality is a deliberate construction, especially after returning from his travels. He can't think of anything worse than being perceived as unconfident or sad or boring. Is something bothering you, Albus? No!! Never!!! Nothing ever bothers him!!!! He's always had a bad habit of exaggerating stories to make himself sound better, and this has compounded to the point where he's become a downright fantastical liar if you ask him about what he's been up to. Has he told you about how he stayed with Viktor Krum and learned Seeker tips from the man himself? How about when he won a drinking contest against a brood of half-vampires? Did you know he once had a secret relationship with the pop star granddaughter of Celestina Warbeck? Even when people call him out on telling stories, Albus just laughs it off like it's all a joke. He'd rather be seen as someone goofy and unreliable than someone who isn't fun.
BOOKISH. Possibly Albus fears being seen as dull because in his heart of hearts, he doesn't really want excitement or public acclaim. Some of his happiest school memories involve sitting in a hidden corner of the castle with his nose in a book, not being bothered or observed by anyone. But how disappointed would everyone be if a Potter just retired to a quiet life with six cats and a massive library? Especially when Albus has so much potential? The idea haunts him. Albus takes those quiet moments when he can get them, and has developed an extremely eclectic taste in reading material, bordering on indiscriminate. He'll read biographies and histories alongside romances and cheap thrillers—anything to distract him from his worries for a little bit.
history
NOTABLE FAMILY MEMBERS:
- Harry Potter, father. Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. More than one person has said that Albus is Harry's obvious favourite, which is a) mortifying and b) something that Albus has wildly allowed to go to his head. Harry was his idol when Albus was growing up, and their relationship has grown strained ever since Albus quit on Auror training.
- Ginevra Potter (née Weasley), mother. Sports editor for the Daily Prophet; former Chaser for the Holyhead Harpies. No one has a knack for talking sense into Albus like Ginny does, which might be part of the reason he keeps avoiding seeing his parents. She is the one person he can't lie to.
- James Sirius Potter, older brother.
- Lily Luna Potter, younger sister.
- More Weasley aunts, uncles and cousins than anyone could ever ask for. Honestly, sometimes Albus loses count. Of all of them, he is closest to Rose Weasley, mostly due to them being the same age.
HOMETOWN: Foxport Cross, Surrey, England. A small village near London with magical businesses that are friendly to Muggle relatives of wizards. At the time the Potters moved in, it was a trendy place for younger wizarding families, but increased security from Harry Potter's presence over the last two decades has forced Foxport Cross to become rather posh and exclusive. The Potter family home looks plain on the outside, but has many magical renovations to expand the space. A shared Quidditch field borders the property, where Ginny coaches village children every other week.
APARTMENT: 3rd Floor (Our Lady of Perpetual Clucks), Room #34 with Scorpius Malfoy
PARENTS (YOU'RE HEARD OF THEM). Harry Potter defeated Voldemort and saved the wizarding world, then went on to become the youngest head of the Auror Office ever, and married Ginny Weasley, who was also a war hero. They settled in the picturesque town of Foxport Cross, and had three children, two boys and a girl.
CHILDHOOD. The Potter children were raised in a loving home where they received almost anything they wanted. At worst, their parents could get rather strict (happens when your dad is the King of Cops), or were too busy with their careers, but Harry and Ginny did their best to raise their children well. Early on, Albus developed a middle child complex, aggravated by the intense media scrutiny his family was under. James was the first and oldest and Lily was the baby girl, and Albus never knew what role people expected of him. Who was Albus Potter supposed to be?
HOGWARTS, FIRST YEAR. This question haunted him when he started school and was unexpectedly Sorted into Slytherin. Despite his father's reassurances, Albus mentally twisted himself into knots over what this meant. He checked out biographies of Albus Dumbledore, Severus Snape and Harry Potter from the library, memorizing the most dramatic and salacious details like they were a roadmap for his future self. He overreacted to previously normal interactions with his non-Slytherin family members at school, and ran hot and cold with his Slytherin classmates, particularly Scorpius Malfoy. He tried out for the Quidditch team but didn't distinguish himself as a first year Seeker prodigy. He didn't fight a troll in a dungeon and cement who would be his lifelong friends. What now????
He was, honestly, extremely exhausting to be around. When Albus returned home for the holidays, Harry was forced to sit down with him and reassure him again that it was fine to be a Slytherin. Ginny told him that the choices he made today need not determine how he lived the rest of his life. Right. Okay. Albus went back to Hogwarts, and tried to chill out for a change. Surprisingly, this made everyone like him more. He could still be close to his family members, even if they weren't in the same house. He could be friends with Scorpius, despite their fathers' rivalry. He could take his time, and enjoy the journey.
HOGWARTS GOLDEN BOY. By third year, Albus had earned a place on the Slytherin Quidditch team as a Chaser. In fourth year, he had his first girlfriend, and hadn't even stammered when asking her out. In fifth year, he was made a prefect, due to his excellent grades and general popularity with other students, and in seventh year, he capped it off by getting Head Boy. To all appearances, Albus' anxious doubts had been a phase, and he'd become a smart, athletic, well-liked and successful young man. He was proud of being in Slytherin, and felt that the house traits of resourcefulness, determination and ambition had pushed him to do well at Hogwarts. He attained top marks in his NEWTs, and was guaranteed acceptance to Auror training. His parents told him often how proud of him they were.
PANIC. The summer after graduating from Hogwarts, a niggling thought entered Albus' head and would not leave. He'd done everything, absolutely everything, that people could've expected of him. The path ahead was clear: he'd become an Auror under his father's lead, he'd get married to a lovely woman and have children, and then he'd die surrounded by people he loved, and the newspapers would say only good things about him.
So why did he feel like he'd never lived? Why did thinking about the future threaten to incite panic attacks? Why did it feel like something was missing? What else could Albus possibly want or need out of his life? Why wasn't he happy?
LEAVING ENGLAND. Albus had maybe a teeny tiny nervous breakdown. He hastily threw his belongings together and headed out into the wild unknown, thinking maybe a little backpacking trip across Europe would clear his head. He sent letters back home to family and friends, assuring them that he just needed a bit of alone time and he'd be back in a month. One month became two months, then several more as his absence rolled over the date he was expected to start Auror training. His messages became more sporadic as the owls were forced to cross even greater distances to return to England. His mother's pointed suggestions that maybe Albus could Apparate or Portkey home for the holidays went ignored. According to his letters, he was busy: in Greece, he'd had a tumultuous two-week fling with a siren; in Brazil, he'd crashed a charity ball to meet World Cup Chaser Gonçalo Flores, and became the godfather to Flores' newborn son; in India, he'd tagged along on a magizoological venture and saved a clutch of Occamies from being killed by deforestation.
(Were these stories true? Some of them. Albus discovered that doors opened easily when he used his father's name, his trust fund, his charm or all of the above, and also that he wasn't above using his unfair advantages to ease his way in the world. But mostly Albus discovered that nothing made him happier than curling up with a book for hours, even while off in some glamorous exotic locale, and a lot of his wild stories are pulled straight out of things he's read, both fiction and non-fiction.)
For a little over two years, Albus went wherever he wanted to go and did whatever he wanted to do, accountable to no one.
RETURN HOME. Upon his 21st birthday, Albus decided to make his way home. There wasn't any kind of big world-shattering epiphany (somewhat to his disappointment). He just got tired of travelling, and missed England. He appeared in time for holidays with the whole Potter-Weasley clan, and everyone was so happy to see him again that Albus (almost) forgot the fears that had made him run in the first place. Whenever he was put on the spot, he dazzled his family with more tales of his adventures, and did his best to be helpful and cheerful in the chaos of Christmas preparations.
When he received the invitation to Henhurst Hall, it had been a relief. Moving into a strange housing project with many of his old friends (and practically all of his siblings and cousins) seemed like a fun idea. Definitely more fun than continuing to live at home and risk getting cornered into a serious conversation with Mum or Dad, and so Albus packed up his things and headed out again.
misc
WAND: 10¾ inches, hawthorn, phoenix feather
PATRONUS: Snake, specifically an asp viper. Albus learned how to cast a Patronus early, and suffered two weeks of silently wondering What It All Means before accepting the snake as a sign that Slytherin was truly the place where he would thrive.
FAMILIAR: Hedwig Fang Potter, a female snowy owl who was named when Albus thought it would be funny to take the piss out of Harry. Albus immediately regretted it when his father got a bit emotional over the "tribute." For most of his friends and family, Hedwig is the most they've seen of Albus over the past two years. Hedwig is just glad she doesn't have to fly across half the world anymore to deliver letters.
FAVOURITE QUIDDITCH TEAM: Albus always bets on the underdog; something about cheering on the team that has it harder just tickles his love of narrative construction. But if you ask him, he'll say the Holyhead Harpies, because it was his mother's team.
SKILLS:
- Talented Wizard: Albus excelled in DADA, Transfiguration and Charms, and was set to enter Auror training before he quit without notice. He attained a respectable number of high NEWT scores.
- Quidditch: He played as a Chaser for the Slytherin team from his third to seventh years, and was actually scouted by a couple of teams. (Whether for clout or actual merit, Albus isn't sure. He has no interest in doing pro Quidditch; that's Jamie's area.)
- Fast Reader: This served him well in school, when he could always get his class readings done with time to spare for mischief.
- Guitar: He started learning in seventh year in order to impress girls and isn't half-bad. Did he ever tell you the story of how he was pulled on stage during a Devil's Snare set in Germany and got to shred with the lead guitarist?
FUN FACTS:
- Albus has a quirk of peppering his speech with newly discovered ten dollar vocabulary words that he may or may not be using correctly.
ooc