Forum:Brook Sutcliffe

WIP

The Character's Background

1) Give a description of your character's personality. It must be at least two paragraphs long, seven sentences each.

2) Write about the history of your character. How did they grow up? Is there an incident that made them the way they are? It must be at least three paragraphs long, seven sentences each.

The Sutcliffe family was a well known family, though not as powerful and influential as the Langstons. They were family friends over generations, though, However, they were the type to stay in the background rather than be in positions of power. Only one person in their history became minister and even then, their reign was short. Noah Sutcliffe was initially the model child. Wanted to become a ministry worker until he was fifteen. It was here that he was introduced to the dark arts. By the age of twenty three, Noah had a firm foot in the criminal underside of the world, eventually tying himself with the muggle mafia. By twenty six, he had started his own criminal organisations that dealt with smuggling, drags, and everything else under the sun. Of course, he made sure that none of this was tied to his name and to everyone, even his own family, he was simply a small ministry worker that had gotten lucky financially through investments. He'd married Autumn when they were twenty five and she might have been the only one slightly aware of Noah's other side of life. If only because of the amount of papers she had to sign. Autumn didn't ask questions, though, preferring to keep herself ignorant as to not face reality.

Brook was the first child to be born and Brook...wished she wasn't. Noah had been dying for a first bon son, someone he could mould into his perfect little heir. He certainly didn't want a girl like Brook. However, Brook was what he got. Brook was never exactly a golden child and rather struggled to keep up with her younger siblings. Even with simple things such as speaking she lagged in. It took her ages to start walking. In her father's words, she was r---rded from the moment she was born. Brook, from a young age, tended to keep silent, especially around her father and rarely opened up. She would rather spend her days hiding in her room with her dolls and children shows than spend it around a man who would often belittle her. Of course, none of the abuse was done in front of anyone or loud enough that anyone would hear. No, Noah Sutcliffe cared too much about his image to do that, even with his own family. But Noah Sutcliffe took his anger out on his eldest daughter, even though it was never her fault (she never even knew what set off his temper though she could take guesses for reasons later on). Brook learnt quickly to hide the bruises that he might have given her. Though more often than not, she received them through him gripping her too tightly rather than him hitting her.

At primary school, Brook didn't survive well there either. She as bullied a lot because of her mumble, her stutter and how she could barely be parted from a soft toy she had since she was born. Seeing at how sensitive Brook was, they often got under her skin and when her father wasn't home, she often begged her mother to stay home to no avail. Of course, her siblings and mother were never privy to her ordeals. Her siblings, especially her brothers, were showered with love and adoration. Eventually, when she was six, the bullying amounted to Brook getting severely injured. Being the middle of winter, the school was situated near a small pond that froze during the cold months. The group of older students had 'accidentally' pushed Brook into the ice, cracking under her weight and pulling Brook down into the freezing water. If it wasn't for her first sign of magic appearing, Brook certainly would have drowned that day. Instead, her magic allowed a small bubble of air to form around her, keeping Brook alive until she was dragged out by a teacher.

Noah decided she suffered brain damage and it was the subsequent reason why Brook was so stupid. Brook was constantly told by him that she would amount to nothing, to be the one mooching off her family, and isn't very bright. Eventually, after growing up on those words, Brook found herself believing him. Believing that she's not of much worth, not as smart as her siblings or her cousins. Well, cousin. She has a lot of cousins but when she was young, only one of them really mattered to Brook. Serena Langston. A cousin on her mothers side. She was Brook's one friend growing up and seeing her was the one thing that got Brook excited. Around Serena, Brook found herself speaking, opening up, even speaking fast enough that most of the time, her words couldn't be understood. Of course, Serena could tell something was...off about Brook but she was too young to figure it out.

Of course, no one realised Brook had already had her first magical accident so as Brook grew older, people found themselves wondering if she was a squib. Noah decided she was and constantly told her it. Thus, it was a surprise when Brook got her acceptance letter into Hogwarts. Surprisingly, Brook was sorted into Ravenclaw. The smart house. This shook the very foundation of Brook's identity and she had severely expected to be sorted into Hufflepuff. Noah sent her a letter telling her it was a mistake. However...Brook eventually came to resent being sorted into the house as now everyone expected her to be quick and smart. Of course, after gaining some distance from her family, she began to find her feet and it became more apparent to people that she was...rather shrewd, no matter how much she dragged herself down. Brook got good grades but thought they were flukes and that her dad was probably bribing them to make sure their image was saved. She loved Hogwarts, though. She loved being away from her father and being surrounded by other people. Naturally, her and Serena were absolute nuisances. What else did you think was going to happen with those two being in the same year level? However, during third year, Serena confronted her...about everything. Of course, Brook's personality shifted when in Hogwarts compared to when she was at home. At home, she was like she was as a child. Shy, awkward and a recluse. At Hogwarts, she was often blabbering away to whoever would listen to her. Serena, being her cousin, easily picked this up. Anyone who spent most of the year around Brook would pick up on it if they watched her hard enough.

It didn't take long for Brook to start spilling. How her father treated her. How he took out his anger over whatever failed business deal onto her. The bruises she had learnt to cover up. Once she started speaking, she found herself unable to stop, ranting and ranting for hours until she felt drained and exhausted. With the truth finally out. Brook was terrified Serena was going to start telling people but she didn't. The only thing that changed was that Brook found herself spending more time at the Langston household during Summer than her own house. However, Brook had made one slight...mistake during the rant. She'd confessed to her suspicions of her father's true business to Serena. Serena who wished to become an auror one day. Not that Brook would realise the mistake until a decade or so later. She barely even remembered telling Serena, Brook said a lot that day that it was just a throwaway comment.

Not much else happened during Hogwarts, except she found herself being adept at wandless magic. She initially tried to teach herself more so as a joke and really just wanted to make things easier such as having her razor float into the shower every time she forgot it. Not like she brought her wand into the bathroom with her. It was just simple and more convenient to have no wand, albeit less reliable. So she started practising...and practising...and practising until she could manage a few simple spells. With each year that passed, Brook got better and better at it and by the time she was twenty five, she could manage most forms of magic without a wand, though they tend to be less controlled than those who did use a wand. Still, Brook was pretty proud of herself with that achievement. After graduation, she pretty much followed Serena. What could she say? Brook had practically latched onto her cousin from the moment she met her as a toddler. Especially since Serena was the only one that knew of Brook's secret, her attachment to Serena hadn't exactly changed.

Brook was never quite sure if she had the right aptitude to being an auror but she never seemed to be doing a bad job at it. Of course, she was never as good as Serena but Brook wasn't exactly shocked by this turn out. Another thing she started doing was therapy. Brook wasn't open about this, especially as she travelled to a muggle psychologist, but she tried to use the psych as a base to build...well, build her self confidence up. Her severely low self esteem was affecting how she viewed practically everything she did. She'd never even been able to score a first kiss let alone a boyfriend. Her own doubts and fears were almost paralysing and Brook was desperate to get over it. Furthermore, even as an adult, even when she rarely saw him, she found herself terrified of her father, clambing up every time she was around him. So she tried using a therapist to get over it all. Brook's not quite sure it worked. She stopped when she was twenty two.

When Serena went undercover for a mission Brook wasn't privy to, she might have quit being an auror. Not because of the fact Brook didn't know how to function without Serena, but because she wanted to see if there was something else in life for Brook to do. She'd been thinking about it for a while and was thinking of ways to bring it up with Serena (she'd prayed Serena wouldn't take it as Brook was leaving her) so it was almost a blessing when Brook was told Serena would be leaving her for years on end instead of the other way round. Though the two situations were not comparable. At all. Just...Brook got an easy way out. Afterwards, Brook moved to Paris, a city she always wanted to visit but never had the chance to. She worked as a fashion designer in both the muggle and the wizarding world, developing a small name for herself in the former but never quite hit off in the latter. Brook decided to blame her father as he sent a letter declaring it was not a 'job fit for a Sutcliffe and that she was a shame to the family for leaving such an esteemed position'. Brook set the letter on fire the moment she read it.

Brook moved back to England about six months before her world, moreso her father's world, came crashing down. It was a coincidence that Brook made it back just in time for it all to happen but Brook was so, so glad she was. It turned out Serena's undercover mission was to infiltrate her own father's smuggling ring, the biggest one in all of Europe, and took him down. It didn't take long for the rest of his empire to come into the light. The petty side of Brook was rather pleased when she saw the picture of her father being arrested by her own cousin in the daily prophet. She might even have it framed in her bedroom. However, Brook is still shocked and hasn't truly realised the full extent of her father's crimes and how it might affect her. Still, Brook felt awkward enough that she didn't get back in contact with her mother and siblings. She didn't know what to say to them. However, she found herself missing the life of an auror, especially now that Serena was back in town as head auror. The idea of working under her own cousin didn't seem that bad of an idea, right?

3) Write about your character's appearance. What do they look like? Are you planning on using a certain model for your character? If you already have a picture in mind, you can put it here!

4) Is your character a Pure-Blood, Half-Blood or Muggle-Born? Do you have any notable magical relations? (Remember, you cannot be related to important characters from the Harry Potter Universe!)

Pureblood

5) Does your character have any special magical abilities? Or special abilities in general (photographic memory, etc.)? Is he or she of a different magical race, such as Veela, Vampire, Werewolf or the like? Part or half of that magical race counts! (Remember, you cannot have a character with special abilities/of a different magical race as one of your first two characters!)

Wandless magic

6) What is your character's profession? Does your character plan to enroll your character into the Ministry of Magic? Does your character not work? Is your character a teacher?

Plans to be an auror

The Sorting Quiz

A. Select the option that best fits your character. (Remember, this part is optional for adult characters!)

1. What are you looking forward to learning at Hogwarts the most?


 * A. Transfiguration


 * B. Hexes & Jinxes


 * C. Magical Creatures


 * D. The castle's secret areas

2. Pick one:


 * A. Moon


 * B. Stars

3. If flowers adapted their scent to attract the unwary, what would it smell of in order to lure you in?


 * A. Freshly baked bread


 * B. Parchment


 * C. The Sea


 * D. A crackling log fire

4. Pick one:


 * A. Dawn


 * B. Dusk

'''5. Four boxes are placed before you. Which one do you open?'''


 * A. The ornate one, promising secret knowledge and unbearable temptation


 * B. The small, pewter box that reads "I only open for the worthy"


 * C. The gleaming black box marked with Merlin's rune


 * D. The small, tortoiseshell box, embellished in gold, with a small, squeaking creature

6. Pick one:


 * A. White


 * B. Black

7. What road tempts you the most?


 * A. The cobbled street lined with ancient buildings


 * B. The narrow, dark, lantern-lit alley


 * C. The twisting, leaf-strewn path through woods


 * D. The wide, sunny, grassy lane

8. Pick one:


 * A. Forest


 * B. River

9. What scares you most?


 * A. Speaking in such a silly voice, people will laugh at you and mock you


 * B. An eye at the keyhole of the dark, windowless room where you're locked


 * C. Standing on top of something high, without anything to stop you from falling


 * D. Waking up and realizing your family & friends don't know you

'''10. It's late, you're walking alone, and hear a peculiar cry you believe has a magical source. What do you do?'''


 * A. Draw your wand & search for the source


 * B. Proceed with caution, keep a hand on the concealed wand, and keep an eye out


 * C. Draw your wand & stand your ground


 * D. Wait for developments, while mentally reviewing the most appropriate spells

OOC Questions

B. Whilst the first two questions will not affect the character's house (and are mandatory), the others are designed specifically to help users come up with their character's ideal job (and are optional).

1) Is this your first character?


 * A. This is my first character.


 * B. No, this is not my first character.

2) If your answer to the previous question is B, how many characters do you have? How many of them are "exotic"?

Nine characters with two exotic.

3) What would people who know your character well say they're really good at?

4) What do they really want to avoid in their job/career? Do they hate working in an office? Do they hate the field?

5) Aside from family and peers, what motivates your character the most in life? What drives their passion?

6) Where does your character's weaknesses lie?

7) Wand cores and woods speak volumes about a person's character. What is your character's wand? Why does it answer to them?