Part I: You

Name: Schadenfreude

Email address: [email protected]

IM: AIM:Otakami

Part II: Character Information

Character Name: Devon Rhys-Morgan

Job: Student, sixth-year Ravenclaw

Age/Birthday: 16, January 29th

Likes:

Physics -- Electricity and magnetism particularly. Although he prefers the technical aspect of tinkering with something until it does what he wants, he's almost in awe of the people who study the theoretical aspects of the science.

Simplicity -- He likes things pared down to their core and presented with all essentials intact, but no useless external trappings. This goes for emotions and relationships as well as for his schoolwork and experiments; he has little patience for people who don't express themselves clearly and know what they want.

Catholicism -- Though Devon occasionally questions his belief in God, he is comforted by the religion of his childhood and feels that it presents the optimal path for him to follow in life. He follows dutifully the strictures of his religion, attending Mass and going to confession whenever he can, but he has a tendency to avoid the question of how certain aspects his life, magic and science especially, conflict with his faith.

Dislikes:

Mind games -- If Devon doesn't like you, you'll know -- not because he's vengeful or destructive, but because he'll tell you bluntly and ask you to please go away. He can't stand people who are two-faced, or who gossip or act maliciously toward others.

Hobbies:

Reading -- He'd call it more of a distraction than a hobby, since he has a bad habit of becoming so lost in a book that he loses all track of time. He reads everything from scientific and magical research journals to the latest trashy novel, should he happen to see it lying around.

Music -- Devon plays the piano tolerably well, and though his training is classical he has a passion for ragtime and jazz. He sees his own performance more as a meditative exercise than a means of entertaining others, and prefers to play when no one is listening. Still, he'd sneak away to a nightclub given half a chance.

Appearance: Devon is rather short, about 5'4", and slimly built, with pale skin, sandy blonde hair, and blue eyes. Physically, he lacks the awkward gawkiness of many teenagers and probably could be handsome if he tried, but he hides behind thick, round glasses and hair that perpetually looks as though it wants cutting.

He can be almost obsessive about keeping his shirt tucked in, his tie perfectly in place, and his shoes polished, and in uniform he looks a bit of a nerd. In his normal clothes, however -- the latest from Saville row, supplied by his mother -- the same attention to detail makes him appear almost a dandy.

Personality: Devon has had little in the way of social training, and doesn't quite grasp the art of small talk or social graces. He rarely feels quite comfortable in a social situation, and with most people he tends to be abnormally circumspect, almost shy, but in situations where he feels he has nothing to lose, he can be blunt to the point of downright nastiness. He's not so shy as he appears; rather, he feels that he just doesn't have much in common with most people. Although he'd be ashamed to admit it, he considers himself intellectually superior to most of the student body, and believes that there are few people with whom he could have a worthwhile conversation.

He believes strongly in keeping his mind orderly, and addresses most of his problems in a calm, straightforward manner, but if the problem in question is something he feels is illogical, immoral, or otherwise something that ought not to worry him, he'll push it to the back of his mind, and drown himself in another pursuit until the problem goes away. This practice of avoiding and denying his emotions often drives him to exhaustion or physical illness, but he has thus far failed to connect his poor health with his many ignored internal conflicts. Subconsciously, he admires people whom he sees have reached a balance between emotion and reason, but he rationalizes this into admiration for intelligence or strength of character, and fails to realize that such a balance is even possible, much less that he could achieve it.

Devon has never had a girlfriend, nor any particular interest in the female sex; he retains the viewpoint that they aren't suited to the fields of math and science, and operate in a peculiar manner that has nothing to do with normal, male logic. He sees this as the reason for his lack of sexual interest in girls, and that lack of interest as consistent with the teachings of his Catholic faith; therefore, he sees no reason to look deeper into a subject he finds uncomfortable and slightly disturbing. His view of women doesn't preclude him being nice to them, or befriending those he sees as exceptions to the rule, but generally he sees them as useless and tiresome at best, terrifyingly unstable at worst.

History: Devon's family is rather illustrious; his father was a famous Potions researcher from a mixed family, and his mother a wealthy pureblood socialite. His early childhood was idyllic on the surface; both his parents doted on him, and showered him with gifts and affection. However, his father's reclusive, staid nature conflicted with his mother's love of parties and scandal, and when Devon was six, his mother left on a trip to Paris and never came back.

His father died a year later, and Devon was sent to live with his paternal grandmother, a stern and staunchly Catholic Muggle woman. She enrolled him in Muggle primary school, and they attended mass at a Muggle church, but at home she made sure Devon studied her late husband's magical books, met wizard children, and learned the basics he would need for his eventual acceptance into Hogwarts.

NPCs: Celia Morgan: Devon's mother, a flighty, fashionable, charming woman, constantly clad in the latest by Poiret. She speaks with an affected French accent, and rarely about anything important. Her contact with her son in the past ten years has been limited to gifts and the occasional letter.

Gwendolyn Rhys: Devon's grandmother, a Muggle woman who has lived in the wizarding world since her marriage fifty years ago. She values strength of character above all, and it is from her that Devon gets his passion for learning.

Part III: Writing Sample

Be detailed! This is where you can be judged. Use your creativity. You have several options:

1) If you are a student, write out your Sorting. What sort of thoughts and anxieties did your character have?

"Rhys-Morgan, Devon!"

They were all staring at him. The stool was too tall and a bit unsteady, the hat itched, and they were all staring at him. His hands were shaking, he realized, and he clenched them together in his lap, worrying at a piece of skin by his fingernail, willing them to be still. Older children on the train had detailed the terrible tortures to be endured, but nobody who had gone before had seemed too terribly shaken. There was no reason to be nervous. He shouldn't be nervous. It was simple, but his hands wouldn't stop shaking.

"It's never that simple."

Devon jumped. Someone in the hall tittered, and Devon felt his face turn red. He looked down at his hands. His finger was bleeding where he'd been picking at it.

"You've never had many friends, have you? They'll accept you in Hufflepuff, you know, no matter what."

He opened his mouth, realized no one else had spoken aloud to the hat, and closed it again. He glanced out into the hall; in a moment of surreal unity, the Hufflepuffs all seemed to smile at him at once. From his vantage point, he could see a student at another table reading a book he had hidden in his lap, and he wished with all his heart that that could be him. Detached, far away. Not in the confusing gaggle of first-years that jostled each other at the front of the hall, not being stared at on this stool, or being emotionally dissected by a hat-- just -away-.

"You're right," said the hat, and Devon jumped again despite himself. "You could never be part of that -- you have to want true friends before you can have them. Clearly you belong in -- RAVENCLAW!"