Catch The Snitch

Basic
Full Name: Louis Procyon-Harrigan
Age: 28-29 (as of 2005)
Birthdate: 28th December 1976
Hometown: Luton, England
Residence: Luton, England
Blood: Half-blood
Wand: Dogwood with dragon heartstring core, 12¼″, whippy
Patronus: Wire fox terrier
Boggart: Lotus seed pod
Certifications: Apparition
Skills: Occlumency, non-verbal and wandless magic*, martial magic
*Due to an unusual quirk of dogwood wands, Louis is unable to perform non-verbal magic when using his wand. He is, however, able to do so while performing wandless magic, and has to resort to doing so when he needs to cast spells stealthily.

Occupation: Auror (2005–present)
Trainee Auror (2002–2005)
Hit Wizard (1995—2002)

Appearance
Height/build: 1.74m (5′ 8.5″) / Athletic
Hair/eye colour: Dark Brown / Blue

Family
Father: Niall Procyon-Harrigan, 57, Healer at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
Mother: Julia Procyon-Harrigan (née Wilkinson), 55, Obliviator
Older Sister: Lorraine Procyon-Harrigan, other details TBD
Younger Sister: Leanne Procyon-Harrigan, other details TBD

Hogwarts
House: Hufflepuff
Years: 1988–1995
Best Class: Defence Against the Dark Arts
Worst Class: History of Magic
Extracurriculars: Duelling club (1988–1995)

O.W.L.s
Astronomy – A
Care of Magical Creatures – E
Charms – O
Defence Against the Dark Arts – O
Herbology – E
History of Magic – P
Potions – E
Study of Ancient Runes – E
Transfiguration – O

N.EW.T.s
Charms – O
Defence Against the Dark Arts – O
Potions – O
Study of Ancient Runes – O
Transfiguration – O


History

Family, Early Life and Hogwarts
The only son of a healer at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries and an Obliviator, Louis is a classic victim of the middle child syndrome. His older sister, who was blessed with both brains and beauty, was the pride and joy of the family, and the overachiever who excelled in whatever she did. His naturally charismatic younger sister, who was potentially even smarter but definitely more lackadaisical, was the apple of their parents’ eye. Louis was, on the other hand, mediocre compared to his two sisters, with no major faults but nothing exceptional to speak of either.

His days at Hogwarts weren’t too easy either. When he started school in 1988, he found that his elder sister – who was sorted into Ravenclaw – had set too high a bar for him to ever attain; she was among the top students of her cohort, and was eventually appointed as a Prefect. When his younger sister came to Hogwarts a few years after she did, she turned out to be an immensely popular Gryffindor and an excellent Quidditch player known for her daring and acrobatic flying.

Overshadowed by his sisters, Louis became the overlooked Harrigan sibling, even though he did fairly well by all objective standards. He was sorted into Hufflepuff, and was noted by his professors for having a very unconventional perspective that helped him easily see what was not readily apparent to others, though at the cost of him being sometimes surprisingly oblivious to the extremely obvious. His peers found him to be rather quirky: he was easily distracted and fascinated by almost anything under the sun, could talk ceaselessly about his interests (which was pretty much anything and everything), and was always able to see the other side of the coin or find the silver lining in every terrible situation. He was also well-known (or notorious) for his dogwood wand, which was extremely noisy and had a tendency to produce needlessly flamboyant spells. Despite his eccentricities and how unserious he seemed, he also proved himself to be an extremely competent duellist – one of the best in his house, in fact – though Louis would simply laugh it off and attribute it to his “overdeveloped sense of paranoia and self-preservation”. As such, there was nought that he could really complain about, so the only thing he could do was to soldier on quietly and hope that he’d get his lucky break one day.

Graduation, Career as a Hit Wizard, and the Second Wizarding War
Determined to do as well as his siblings, Louis worked doubly hard, and upon his graduation in 1995 he managed to meet the stringent requirements to apply as an Auror. Alas, he was deemed to be unsuitable for the job: the rejection letter even pointed out that his dogwood wand was too noisy for a job where stealth and subterfuge were required. Undeterred, he became a Hit Wizard instead, hoping to one day impress his superiors sufficiently and prove to the Auror Office that he would make for a good, if highly unorthodox, Auror.

A year later, the Dark Lord was confirmed to have returned, and Hit Wizards were deployed to assist Aurors in hunting down and apprehending Death Eaters and Snatchers. Louis’ propensity and talent for creating a huge ruckus and luring out the enemies quickly made him the go-to guy whenever anyone needed a distraction, and even his superiors had to admit that there was method to his madness. At the height of the war, he also participated in the Battle of Hogwarts, fighting alongside Aurors against the Dark Lord and his followers.

Postwar Years
After the end of the Second Wizarding War, Louis applied once more to become an Auror, but still he was rejected. This time round, however, he had the trust and support of his superiors. In order to beef up his credentials, Louis was given more responsibilities and difficult assignments to prove his worth to the Auror Office, and eventually in 2002 his application was finally accepted. He went through the gruelling three-year Auror training and almost failed to make the cut at several points, but his determination finally paid off as he was officially made an Auror in 2005.

Louis’ excitement about his future was quite immediately dampened when he found out that his first assignment was to guard Hogwarts. Reluctantly he took up the assignment, and travelled back to his alma mater to begin his new career.


Personality

Think of what the stereotypical serious and capable Auror is like, and then invert that completely: that’s Louis in a nutshell. He’s talkative, excitable, easily distracted, foolhardy… the list just goes on. Yet for some reason, Louis has turned out to be competent at his job. Regardless of how many times he gets himself into a messy situation (which more often than not is one of his own creation to begin with), somehow or another he finds a way to not only save his own skin but also accomplish his goals at the same time.

Those who deride Louis as someone who relies on his luck to bail him out of trouble overlook how this seemingly airheaded Auror is, in reality, much more observant and perceptive than he lets on. Coupled with his vast library of seemingly trivial and useless knowledge, he is able to quickly connect the dots and see the hidden picture. That said, he sometimes tunnel visions too hard and gets sucked down a rabbit hole, a bad habit he is, thus far, unsuccessfully trying to kick.

Ultimately, Louis is an open book with no airs or pretence, albeit one written in illegible scrawling thanks to the unique workings of his mind. He wears his heart on his sleeve, gives his all in everything he does, and finds it too tiresome to remember grudges or avenge slights. To him, honestly and transparency do not make him vulnerable; in a world where many hide their true feelings or intentions, these qualities are like a shining beacon that lures his enemies out from the shadows and guides his true friends to his side.


Face Claim: Tom Grennan