Catch The Snitch

Dark secrets
Plotting: Someone who knows a secret
Following his graduation from Hogwarts, Nigel worked at the Ministry of Magic as an Unspeakable in the Time Room from 1992 till 2001, before he abruptly quit his job to join Hogwarts as a professor. Why did he leave? Did he uncover some dark secret that convinced him to leave (or go to Hogwarts)? Open to discussions about the reason behind Nigel’s sudden career change, and future developments. These could potentially add on to any site-wide storyline to involve more characters.

Time heals all wounds, but scars remain
Plotting: Someone who can help him forgive himself, or instead lead him down a darker path
Those who survived the Second Wizarding War are often scarred by it in some way or another. Many lost their loved ones, while others suffered terrible injuries. Nigel is one of the lucky ones: both his parents survived, and while he bears permanent scars from a werewolf attack, he was spared the curse of lycanthropy. Yet till today, he still hides his scars… not only from others but also himself, because they remind him of his failures. As an Unspeakable, there was much knowledge that he had access to. Could he – and should he – have used them? Perhaps, if he had done more during the war, his father would not have been bitten by a werewolf? Perhaps he could have saved his mother from the injuries that forced her into retirement? And what else could he have done for his friends that he did not? Open to discussions for future developments.

“Wur tearin’ the tartan.”
Plotting: Friendships
While Nigel has but a few close friends, he treasures them greatly and will gladly go through hell and high water for them. He’s open to anything, even simple pleasures like getting a wee swally or just sitting around and having a right old blether. Both old and new friends are welcome!

An old flame rekindled, or a new spark
Shipping: Romantic relationship
Ironically for a former researcher of time, Nigel claims to have had no time to date. Maybe he’ll have more time now to link up with an old flame, or meet someone new?

Some lines are not meant to be crossed
Plotting: Enemies
As a Hufflepuff, Nigel’s as nice as they come. While it’s not easy to get into his bad books, there are things that he absolutely cannot condone – siding with the Dark Lord is definitely one of them. Alternatively, Nigel could find himself drawing someone’s ire. Open to discussions!



Education and Employment Timeline:

• Student at Hogwarts: 1985–1992

• Unspeakable at the Ministry of Magic: 1992–2001

• Transfiguration Professor at Hogwarts: 2001–present

Other Significant Events:

• 1998: Snatchers attacked the safe house where Nigel’s father was at. Nigel and a group of Aurors rushed to the scene to intervene, and in the ensuing battle Nigel’s father was bitten by a werewolf, while Nigel suffered severe scratches on his back and arms.

Open/Wanted Characters

Jamie Straiton – best friend, former housemates
Possible Playby: Iain Stirling
All details about this character are open to negotiation and changes (and a bit of retconning), so don’t feel limited by the writeup here.

Basic Details:
Age: 31–32 (as of 2005; born between 1 Sep 1973 and 31 Aug 1974)
Hometown: Edinburgh, Scotland
Occupation: Journalist at the Daily Prophet
Height: Quite a bit taller than Nigel (for reference, Iain Stirling’s height is 1.88m or 6′ 2″)
Blood Status: Half-blood

Personality:
Jovial, playful, relaxed, and a bit flighty. Now that he’s in his early thirties, Jamie isn’t as idealistic and optimistic as he used to be, and he has learnt to pick his battles and not bother too much about things he can’t change. He sees his job merely as a source of income and has not a single shred of journalistic integrity whatsoever, preferring to write the trashy nonsense that his editors want because it’s less of a hassle that way. He instead focuses his time and energy on what matters to him the most: his family and friends.

Backstory:
Jamie and Nigel are best mates, having known each other since they were kids. They were both from lower middle/working class families, and were batchmates during their Hogwarts days. It was during this time where they came to know Faye, whom Nigel became quite close to.

Upon their graduation in 1992, they moved to London and rented a flat with Jamie’s new colleague and fellow fledgling journalist, Dean. Faye would drop by at their flat regularly whenever she was in town, for she worked as a Curse-Breaker and travelled often.

At least one of them moved out at some point in time; in particular, Nigel left London altogether and returned to Edinburgh in 2001.

Relationship with Nigel:
As Nigel’s closest confidante, Jamie is privy to most of Nigel’s secrets. He has at least a rough idea why Nigel chose to leave the Ministry of Magic. He too shared his frustrations and troubles about his career with Nigel, even though he would eventually choose to remain as a journalist. While he is pretty sharp and astute, he lets his friendship with Nigel cloud his judgement and is usually willing to support any decision Nigel makes, for better or worse.




Dean Goodenough – close friend, former housemates
Possible Playby: Joe Thomas
All details about this character are open to negotiation and changes (and a bit of retconning), so don’t feel limited by the writeup here.

Basic Details:
Age: 35–36 (as of 2005; born between 1 Sep 1969 and 31 Aug 1970)
Hometown: Colchester, England
Occupation: Freelance journalist, writes for several papers including the Daily Prophet and a couple of Muggle papers
Blood Status: Half-blood or Muggle-born

Personality:
Gloomy, pedantic, moralistic, perpetually apologetic, and frequently a hair’s breadth away from a breakdown. In contrast to Jamie, he insists on doing what he believes is right in his professional capacity of a journalist, pursuing truth and exposing lies for the good of society, even though he knows that the media is sometimes just as complicit in those very same lies.

Backstory:
Born to a middle-class family, Dean was raised by extremely strict but caring parents who encouraged him to explore his curiosity and instilled in him a rigid sense of right and wrong, the latter of which had the unfortunate side effect of making him hold himself to unrealistically high standards and becoming extremely harsh on himself. Despite his morose demeanour he was actually pretty well-liked at school, thanks to his kind and helpful nature, his excellent self-deprecating sense of humour, and his wide range of interests and hobbies.

After finishing his magical education at Hogwarts, he chose to study journalism at City, University of London to pursue his dream of becoming a journalist, hoping to make a difference to society by harnessing the power of the written word. After graduating from his course in 1992, Dean rented a flat with his new colleague and fellow fledgling journalist, Jamie, and Jamie’s best friend Nigel. Subsequently, Dean came to know Faye, a Curse-Breaker and a friend of the two Scotsmen, and the two became an couple after a while. However, due to Faye’s commitment issues, they’ve been stuck in an on-and-off relationship.

At least one of the guys moved out from the London rental flat at some point in time; in particular, Nigel left London altogether and returned to Edinburgh in 2001.

Relationship with Nigel:
Although Dean and Nigel weren’t well-acquainted with each other before they became housemates, they hit it off well and quickly became fast friends. Out of the four of them, Nigel and Dean have the most similar temperaments, for they’re generally calmer and more grounded and practical. Whenever anything needs to be done – be it planning a holiday together, or even something as mundane as cleaning the flat or cooking dinner – Dean is often the one doing the bulk of the work as he’s the most obsessed about doing things ‘the right way’, while Nigel acts as his main assistant since Jamie’s too laid back to care and Faye’s often not around to help.




Faye Nightingale – close friend
Possible Playby: Kate Bracken
All details about this character are open to negotiation and changes (and a bit of retconning), so don’t feel limited by the writeup here.

Basic Details:
Age: 31–35 (as of 2005; born between 1 Sep 1970 and 31 Aug 1974)
Occupation: Curse-Breaker
Blood Status: Half-blood or Muggle-born

Personality:
Free spirited, loving, whimsical, and has an insatiable wanderlust that led her to become a Curse-Breaker so that she could travel the world. Consequently, she finds it difficult to commit to a relationship and settle down, resulting in her on-and-off relationship with Dean.

Backstory:
Faye grew up in a loving family that embraced all her quirks and helped her grown into the confident woman she is today. She befriended Nigel and Jamie during their time at Hogwarts, and became quite close to Nigel in particular even though they never became an item.

After their graduation she regularly dropped by at Nigel and Jamie’s flat in London, where she met Dean. The four of them grew to be close friends, and Faye eventually started dating Dean.

Faye is quite close to some of the house elves at Hogwarts, and she would buy gifts for them and ask one of the professors to pass them to the house elves. Nigel has since taken over the role as the delivery person.

Relationship with Nigel:
Nigel had fancied Faye when they were students, though he never made any advances beyond dropping a few hints, and she never picked up on them (or didn’t want to). Nonetheless, they’ve remained extremely close up till today. Nigel honestly doesn’t mind that she’s in a relationship with Dean; he feels that if she’s not interested in him, it would probably be better to leave things the way they are rather than risk ruining their friendship.