Maximus was born in Cardiff into the pure-blood Pretorius family. The family was well known locally, primarily for producing a number of hometown celebrity Magizoologists. Both of his parents worked as Magizoologists, often spending a lot of time away from home and out in the field doing their research, It isn't exactly high paying work unfortunately, though the family had enough to get by and were never in true need for anything.

Due to being born an only child, Maximus spent most of his time with the assortment of magical creatures that his parents were either researching at home or kept as pets. It was during his youth that he found a passion for all manners of creatures and by the age of five he was dead set on joining his parents in their work during the future.

When Maximus was five years old he had his first brush with his own magical abilities. His mother had returned from a three month long trip in time for his fifth birthday. Arriving into the kitchen to present Maximus with his birthday cake the young child let his excitement get the best of him. The result was the cake exploding and coating both family and the walls in a tasty chocolate frosting. His parents were needless to say delighted. Maximus' own studies in magic were not something he actively pursued before coming to Hogwarts, finding himself often shirking out of doing the work required and instead focusing on other pursuits.

Maximus stands at his full height of four foot and eight inches. Light blonde hair, a testament in a way to his youth, lay atop his head in a variety of different shapes and positions depending on the day. Perhaps the messiest of hairdos that a boy of his age could have, Maximus often puts little effort into styling his own hair instead just letting it sit as it is from the moment he gets out of bed. On special occasions he will run a comb through the unruly locks, only rarely. Maximus' eyes are green in colour, likened to a dull and worn emerald in colour by Maximus himself, though it would be hard to tell otherwise. Generally unremarkable in other aspects, he is by no means hideous and neither is he particularly attractive as is common for someone of his age. The signs of youth are definitely there however, in both the young looks and the way he carries himself about. Wardrobe is dependant on the weather of course, in school sticking to the uniform though not particularly well worn. Casual wear wildly varies depending on both mood and day. The only other thing of note is a worn scar on the boy's right hand, running from the tip of the pinky finger down to the wrist along the side.

Maximus is not a complicated individual. Being eleven years of age and partly due to his upbringing the boy is an open book. A natural born thrill seeker, the boy enjoys throwing himself into new experiences and new people, often literally, without hesitation. Maximus enjoys many things, moving about and engaging in activities to keep his mind occupied chief amongst them. He is in a way absentminded, going from the next thing that catches his attention and often forgetting what he was even doing in the first place. It is not uncommon to find Maximus making critical errors in social situation, a lack of common sense meaning he is unable to gauge the mood of the room should a more serious demeanour be required.

In the fore front of his many likes and hobbies are magical creatures. Even since he was young he has been fascinated with the subject, and spent much of his youth studying or interacting with them. If given the option Maximus would rather spend time with animals than actually doing anything productive. His future goal is to become a Magizoologist like his parents, and in particular become a Dragonologist because "who wouldn't right?!"