Galahad Browne | Head of Gryffindor
Full Name: Galahad Browne
House: Gryffindor
Age: 40
Wand: 27,1 cm aspen wood and dragon heartstring
Species: Human
Patronus: N/A
Appearance: Galahad is 6”1’ and is very lean, coming from years of training for his work as an Auror and a lifetime spent prioritizing everything else over eating. He’s very goal driven and everything takes a back seat to that. He is often so driven to achieve whatever his objective is that he simply forgets to eat. He’s not malnourished or sickly, he simply eats only enough to function in a healthy way.
He wears his wavy, brown hair parted to the left while having a clean shaven face, having never understood the draw of facial hair. Galahad is not vain but has always healed any injury before it would have a chance to scar just to not give his enemies anything by which to identify him.
He has deep, soulful hazel eyes that people can often get lost in. Having just turned 40, Galahad’s face is finally starting to show a line or two, but he still has a youthful vigor about him.
Personality: Galahad is very kindhearted, going out of his way to help people who need it even if it doesn’t benefit him in any way. He recognizes the good things he’s been given in life and always tried to bear that in mind in whatever work he does, doing his best to empathize with whoever’s in front of him, be that a dark wizard or a young child who’s acting out
He is highly intelligent and has a very quick wit, and while he’s serious about what he does, that doesn’t stop him from cracking jokes with his wry sense of humor. He’s very musically inclined, having learned to play the piano at a very young age. Some piece of music can almost always be found playing in his office. Sometimes he will play what matches his mood, and sometimes he will play things to get him in the mindset he needs for whatever situation he’s tackling.
His one occasional shortcoming is that while he tries to empathize with people, they can sometimes use this to take advantage of his good nature. People particularly adept at deception could definitely slip one past him in his eagerness to help them.
Finally, Galahad is most definitely a true Gryffindor. He would run headlong into danger to protect an innocent or anyone he cares about, no matter the odds. Thanks to his wits, he’s somehow managed to come out on the other side unscathed the vast majority of the time.
As he learned more about what being an Auror entailed and what they did, Galahad began to get his own visions of what the job entailed as he went along. He envisioned being an Auror not dissimilar to being a loner detective you see in so many muggle TV shows. It would be him against the world, out there on his own trying to keep the forces of evil at bay, holding the line one day at a time. The more he learned about dark wizards, the more he also began to view connections as a weakness. He was afraid that if he became too close to people, they would be put at risk of being used as a means to get to him. After he completed his O.W.L.s and it became clear that he had the aptitude and will to become an Auror, he began to start isolating himself. He had friends at school but he only kept them at arm’s length from fear of getting too close. He was only really close with his dueling partner because they needed that connection to be successful.
This pattern continued after he left school and began working at the Ministry as an Auror in Training. He developed a reputation around the office as seeming a bit cold, but it wasn’t his nature, he just didn’t want to make himself vulnerable by making connections. He had a close relationship with his partner, they grew to be like brothers, but beside that relationship the closest person to him was a fellow Auror named Orion Lécuyer. There had always been an intense attraction between them but for fear of making him a target, Galahad always chose to focus on his work rather than pursue a relationship with him. The end result was a lonely, solitary existence. When Galahad wasn’t working he was at home, sipping gin and playing his piano or listening to music. When his Partner was killed, that was it for Galahad, he couldn’t take the solitude any longer.
History/Background Story:
Galahad Browne was born on March 15, 1983. He is the first child of Cecil and Moira Browne, and is a cousin of History of Magic Professor Caradoc Browne. Growing up in Ireland, Caradoc and Galahad were very close, bonding over their shared love of music. From the age of 4, Galahad was trained as a classical pianist, he would occasionally sit in and jam with Caradoc's band but never fully joined due to their different musical styles. To this day, Galahad still plays the piano regularly. It’s his favorite way to relax and another way for him to express his emotions. If the odd student were to walk by or into his office they might even catch him playing it.
Galahad’s home life was idyllic in his youth. He lived with his family in Dublin in his early years. Cecil was a multi-instrumentalist in a local folk band, which is where he initially learned to love music. By day, Cecil worked at the Guinness Brewery (Galahad loves butterbeer but he still has a special place in his heart for Guinness) while Moira worked as a seamstress, eventually designing some of her own dresses. Galahad has two younger siblings: Amelia, who’s now 38 and continued her mother’s work as a seamstress, and Billy, who’s now 36, who just started his own whiskey distillery. Neither of his siblings are magical, but they still share a close bond with Galahad and he sees them frequently.
Much like Caradoc, Galahad focused on his studies the older he got. He graduated from Hogwarts with O's in his N.E.W.T.s in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, and Transfigurations, while achieving E's in Herbology, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy. Off the back of his stellar academic performance, Galahad joined the Ministry of Magic as an Auror in Training. He completed the Auror in Training by the time he was 18 and joined as a full fledged Auror. He’d known from his first year at Hogwarts that he wanted to be an Auror. To that end, Galahad joined the dueling club to prepare himself for his profession, training relentlessly. Galahad had always empathized with the little guy and always felt very protective of people, so to him the natural career path for him was one where he could protect anyone. He was so studious because he knew to survive in a life like that you simply had to be the best you could be at everything.
Galahad would spend the next 20 years working as an Auror. Most recently he was assigned the case of tracking down and either incarcerating or eliminating the members of S.C.A.R. that had started to become a scourge on the Wizarding World. Sadly, in 2022, tragedy struck. Galahad's partner, Martin Watkins, had been undercover with S.C.A.R. for six months when he failed to check in with Galahad. Martin's body was found in a recently abandoned S.C.A.R. outpost but no proof was found to definitively link his death to them. Galahad had been partnered with Martin for 15 years and decided 20 years on the job was enough, opting for early retirement in October of 2022.
He's come back to Hogwarts ready to open a new chapter and put the past behind him. Although he’s retired, he still wears his Auror badge proudly so that he never forgets where he came from.
First Instance of Magic: Galahad’s first instance of magic occurred when he was 8 years old. Galahad was at his eighth birthday party and of course, being eight it was replete with balloons. Galahad’s Uncle Albert told a joke that Galahad found particularly amusing. Galahad laughed so hard and was so filled with mirth that, in his excited and overjoyed state, he magically popped all the balloons in the room. At the time, everyone just thought it was a peculiar accident and shrugged it off as they were all ignorant to the existence of magic until a Professor came to their home and explained what had happened and that Galahad was magical. His parents were very skeptical at first but eventually came to accept the fact that Galahad was a wizard, ultimately encouraging him to pursue his magical education.
House: Gryffindor
Age: 40
Wand: 27,1 cm aspen wood and dragon heartstring
Species: Human
Patronus: N/A
Appearance: Galahad is 6”1’ and is very lean, coming from years of training for his work as an Auror and a lifetime spent prioritizing everything else over eating. He’s very goal driven and everything takes a back seat to that. He is often so driven to achieve whatever his objective is that he simply forgets to eat. He’s not malnourished or sickly, he simply eats only enough to function in a healthy way.
He wears his wavy, brown hair parted to the left while having a clean shaven face, having never understood the draw of facial hair. Galahad is not vain but has always healed any injury before it would have a chance to scar just to not give his enemies anything by which to identify him.
He has deep, soulful hazel eyes that people can often get lost in. Having just turned 40, Galahad’s face is finally starting to show a line or two, but he still has a youthful vigor about him.
Personality: Galahad is very kindhearted, going out of his way to help people who need it even if it doesn’t benefit him in any way. He recognizes the good things he’s been given in life and always tried to bear that in mind in whatever work he does, doing his best to empathize with whoever’s in front of him, be that a dark wizard or a young child who’s acting out
He is highly intelligent and has a very quick wit, and while he’s serious about what he does, that doesn’t stop him from cracking jokes with his wry sense of humor. He’s very musically inclined, having learned to play the piano at a very young age. Some piece of music can almost always be found playing in his office. Sometimes he will play what matches his mood, and sometimes he will play things to get him in the mindset he needs for whatever situation he’s tackling.
His one occasional shortcoming is that while he tries to empathize with people, they can sometimes use this to take advantage of his good nature. People particularly adept at deception could definitely slip one past him in his eagerness to help them.
Finally, Galahad is most definitely a true Gryffindor. He would run headlong into danger to protect an innocent or anyone he cares about, no matter the odds. Thanks to his wits, he’s somehow managed to come out on the other side unscathed the vast majority of the time.
As he learned more about what being an Auror entailed and what they did, Galahad began to get his own visions of what the job entailed as he went along. He envisioned being an Auror not dissimilar to being a loner detective you see in so many muggle TV shows. It would be him against the world, out there on his own trying to keep the forces of evil at bay, holding the line one day at a time. The more he learned about dark wizards, the more he also began to view connections as a weakness. He was afraid that if he became too close to people, they would be put at risk of being used as a means to get to him. After he completed his O.W.L.s and it became clear that he had the aptitude and will to become an Auror, he began to start isolating himself. He had friends at school but he only kept them at arm’s length from fear of getting too close. He was only really close with his dueling partner because they needed that connection to be successful.
This pattern continued after he left school and began working at the Ministry as an Auror in Training. He developed a reputation around the office as seeming a bit cold, but it wasn’t his nature, he just didn’t want to make himself vulnerable by making connections. He had a close relationship with his partner, they grew to be like brothers, but beside that relationship the closest person to him was a fellow Auror named Orion Lécuyer. There had always been an intense attraction between them but for fear of making him a target, Galahad always chose to focus on his work rather than pursue a relationship with him. The end result was a lonely, solitary existence. When Galahad wasn’t working he was at home, sipping gin and playing his piano or listening to music. When his Partner was killed, that was it for Galahad, he couldn’t take the solitude any longer.
History/Background Story:
Galahad Browne was born on March 15, 1983. He is the first child of Cecil and Moira Browne, and is a cousin of History of Magic Professor Caradoc Browne. Growing up in Ireland, Caradoc and Galahad were very close, bonding over their shared love of music. From the age of 4, Galahad was trained as a classical pianist, he would occasionally sit in and jam with Caradoc's band but never fully joined due to their different musical styles. To this day, Galahad still plays the piano regularly. It’s his favorite way to relax and another way for him to express his emotions. If the odd student were to walk by or into his office they might even catch him playing it.
Galahad’s home life was idyllic in his youth. He lived with his family in Dublin in his early years. Cecil was a multi-instrumentalist in a local folk band, which is where he initially learned to love music. By day, Cecil worked at the Guinness Brewery (Galahad loves butterbeer but he still has a special place in his heart for Guinness) while Moira worked as a seamstress, eventually designing some of her own dresses. Galahad has two younger siblings: Amelia, who’s now 38 and continued her mother’s work as a seamstress, and Billy, who’s now 36, who just started his own whiskey distillery. Neither of his siblings are magical, but they still share a close bond with Galahad and he sees them frequently.
Much like Caradoc, Galahad focused on his studies the older he got. He graduated from Hogwarts with O's in his N.E.W.T.s in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, and Transfigurations, while achieving E's in Herbology, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy. Off the back of his stellar academic performance, Galahad joined the Ministry of Magic as an Auror in Training. He completed the Auror in Training by the time he was 18 and joined as a full fledged Auror. He’d known from his first year at Hogwarts that he wanted to be an Auror. To that end, Galahad joined the dueling club to prepare himself for his profession, training relentlessly. Galahad had always empathized with the little guy and always felt very protective of people, so to him the natural career path for him was one where he could protect anyone. He was so studious because he knew to survive in a life like that you simply had to be the best you could be at everything.
Galahad would spend the next 20 years working as an Auror. Most recently he was assigned the case of tracking down and either incarcerating or eliminating the members of S.C.A.R. that had started to become a scourge on the Wizarding World. Sadly, in 2022, tragedy struck. Galahad's partner, Martin Watkins, had been undercover with S.C.A.R. for six months when he failed to check in with Galahad. Martin's body was found in a recently abandoned S.C.A.R. outpost but no proof was found to definitively link his death to them. Galahad had been partnered with Martin for 15 years and decided 20 years on the job was enough, opting for early retirement in October of 2022.
He's come back to Hogwarts ready to open a new chapter and put the past behind him. Although he’s retired, he still wears his Auror badge proudly so that he never forgets where he came from.
First Instance of Magic: Galahad’s first instance of magic occurred when he was 8 years old. Galahad was at his eighth birthday party and of course, being eight it was replete with balloons. Galahad’s Uncle Albert told a joke that Galahad found particularly amusing. Galahad laughed so hard and was so filled with mirth that, in his excited and overjoyed state, he magically popped all the balloons in the room. At the time, everyone just thought it was a peculiar accident and shrugged it off as they were all ignorant to the existence of magic until a Professor came to their home and explained what had happened and that Galahad was magical. His parents were very skeptical at first but eventually came to accept the fact that Galahad was a wizard, ultimately encouraging him to pursue his magical education.
Galahad Browne | Head of Gryffindor
- Trunk -
Statistics
STA: 13 | EVA: 10 | STR: 5 | WIS: 13 | ARC: 10 | ACC: 14
Adult Achievement Log
2023 - removed 5 stat points to take a special ability
Spells Acquired
ReducioAll standard 1st to 7th Year Spells
Potions Known
ReducioAll standard 1st to 7th Year Potions
Abilities
First Year: Fearless
ReducioGalahad lived a relatively sheltered muggle life until he learned he was a wizard. His parents were well aware of the dangers that came with living out in the world and they firmly impressed it upon him. He felt that he was completely reliant on their protection or he would become lost, or worse, if he deviated from what he was told to do.
Then he found out he was a wizard and boy howdy, it was so much worse than they even knew. Muggle dangers were bad enough: rabid dogs, germs, stranger danger. But the wizard dangers were so much more terrifying. On his very first boat ride at Hogwarts he learned about the giant squid. Imagine keeping a giant squid near children! Then there were werewolves, hags, and he heard one of the upperclassmen whispering about something called a nundu.
Needless to say, he was absolutely terrified. He was starting to lose hope that the wizarding world was the place for him, with all of its very real dangers, and wrote to his mother about it. He explained how he was supposed to be in this house that was full of people so brave when he was terrified to even leave his dormitory. His mother wrote back that when he was younger, he couldn’t defend himself and they needed to protect him, but he was growing into a young man now that could defend himself, and that he could do it.
Galahad didn’t quite believe her but he had quickly learned about Aurors once he’d gotten to school and he knew it was what he wanted to be. Aurors struck him as being the equivalent to muggle policemen and in his mind there was no higher calling than to hold the line against the forces of evil and chaos, and he knew that if he really wanted to do that, he had to learn to control his fears and stand alone.
He started with his most tangible fear first: the fear of the dark. He locked himself in an empty storeroom and extinguished all the torches. At first, he was absolutely terrified and had to relight the torches right away. He continued to repeat the process until he went from terrified, to scared, to uncomfortable, to finally feeling normal in it.
He did the same thing with his fear of heights. He climbed to the top of the owlery and looked down at the grounds. He literally sprinted out of the tower a few times but eventually, he became comfortable and was able to enjoy the view.
Finally, he conquered his fear of the giant squid. On one Saturday evening, he went for a swim in the Great Lake. He was terrified he’d get picked up, or eaten, or god knows what else in the process but nothing happened, and eventually he wound up floating on the surface next to one of the squid’s tentacles. It had cost him a detention but was well worth it. By conquering these small fears he changed his perspective, his fear changed to curiosity and a need for understanding.Second Year: Sixth Sense
ReducioWhen he’d come home for the summer, Galahad’s mother lavished him with praise for overcoming his fears. She also counseled him that just because he had overcome that didn’t mean he was invincible and with courage also came prudence. He needed to be cautious to ensure that he didn’t invite trouble to his door. He also imagined that if he were to become an Auror, he would have to keep a keen eye on his surroundings and those around him for his own protection, and he didn’t want to be reliant on anyone else for that.
To that end, Galahad sought to hone his sense so he knew when danger might be coming. While last year he went into the broom closet to try and conquer his fear of the dark, he tried to take it a step further now. In the absence of light, he tried to focus his other senses to gain more information on his surroundings. He trained himself to hear better and pick up sounds he’d never noticed before. He became more at once with his feelings. He could feel more subtle vibrations than he did before that gave him a better impression of the disturbances around him.
Once had honed his senses, Galahad tried to put his self training to use in a more practical manner. Before, when he had been in the Great Hall at meals, all he could hear was the din of dishes and the mass of people having conversations at once. In truth, it had caused him sensory overload, but with the practice he'd done, he was able to focus on specific conversations. He didn't do this to eavesdrop (in fact, truth be told, most of the conversations in the great hall were dreadfully dull), he just did it to practice. He found that it helped greatly because rather than being overloaded, he could pick up on subtle sounds that indicated when someone came into or left a room, or if someone was moving slowly behind him. He could even hear the subtlest swish of a cloak now.
Galahad also honed his senses in other ways. He worked on just focusing on his surroundings when he was watching a room or a group of people. He started to be able to track the subtle movements of people. The primers for their actions that took place before them. He was able to anticipate their movements and what they would do next. It was nothing like foresight or anything supernatural. He had simply honed his senses so that the way he looked at the world was much more perceptive than most.
In doing so he knew that even though he may not have a healthy sense of fear, he would at least be aware of his surroundings so he would have a chance to react if he needed to.Third Year: Martial Artist
ReducioEver since his first week at Hogwarts, Galahad had taken a keen interest in dueling. He'd gone to the first meeting of the Gryffindor Dueling Club and been hooked right away. The precision, the speed, the grace with which everyone moved. It was like the most precise of dances being done right in front of him. It was truly remarkable to watch. And so he'd resolved to learn as much as he could and get into dueling at the first opportunity. At the same time, as he learned to fight he also realized that sometimes you couldn't rely on your wand to solve all your problems. He knew the life of an Auror was one fraught with danger where you would likely be on your own and he needed some way to defend himself if he ever got separated from his wand.
When he'd been a child, Galahad had loved watching martial arts movies with his parents. He was a great fan of Bruce Lee movies. The speed and power with which he moved. He looked absolutely indestructible, although Galahad wasn't naive. He knew that everyone was human and was just as capable of being hurt as anyone else. Still, he got it in his head that if he learned martial arts, he would be better able to face whatever was thrown at him in school or in the future once he'd entered adulthood.
After his second year, Galahad told his parents he wanted to learn karate. His mother was needless to say confused because she figured he was a wizard, what possible use could he have for karate? And so he explained some of the world to her and the mechanics, how it was possible to deflect spells and even take someone's wand away from them. After hearing him out, she was convinced and enrolled him at the dojo in town.
Galahad had really immersed himself in his training. He went to class three times a week, explaining to his instructors that he went to a boarding school that didn't offer karate training (which was close enough to the truth) and wanted to learn as much as he could in the time he had. The training was rough and at some times, brutal. He came home bruised a few times but every time he did it he learned more and more and refined his skills. He was able to punch and jab in powerful, short bursts that left him open to a counterpunch for a short amount of time. He worked hard on his grappling with one hand, so if he were in a duel and were close enough for hand to hand combat he could cast with one hand and grapple with the other. He worked on his kicks specifically to sweep the legs out from under his opponents so that he could immobilize them and gain the advantage. The choke hold was the move he worked on the least because, truth be told, he was afraid he'd choke someone too much and seriously hurt them, but he did learn it and could use it if he had to.Fourth Year: Evasive Maneuvers
ReducioJust as all of his lessons built upon themselves year on year, Galahad's own independent study and training continued year on year, everything building upon what he'd previously trained himself to do. Galahad had gone from a scared child to a person in control of his senses and his body. Still, he was always looking for ways to push himself further. As he came back for summer break once more he re-enrolled at his dojo and resumed his training once more, but since he knew how to throw a punch and take a punch, he devoted most of his energy to learning to avoid a blow. Instead of blocking or parrying, he put a lot of focus into dodging and weaving and counterpunching. His skill at reading people greatly aided in this because he could tell if they were rearing back to let fly or favoring one side of the other. It was a bit painful at first because if he didn't block or failed to get out of the way he was simply punched, but he found that it didn't take him long to start to learn. Soon, punches and kicks went from being full on body shots to glancing blows on his sides or his arms and soon, he was avoiding them altogether.
He applied this training in other areas too. He was no broom racer or quidditch player but in flying class when he could he would try to fly around trees or other obstacles and avoid them. He got a few scratches here and there but the training definitely paid off. He wasn't an amazing flier by any means but he could dodge the big stuff which was really the most important thing to him.
Another way he trained his agility was by running through the makeshift obstacle course that was the edge of the Forbidden Forest. He knew it wasn't the smartest idea (as well as being off limits) but there wasn't really a full-blown obstacle course he could run through at Hogwarts. It was excellent training, especially with unseen objects that were low to the ground. One time he'd tripped and very nearly broken his nose but it was all worth it. Soon he was maneuvering in and out of the trees with ease, avoiding obstacles and weaving in and out of the trees. He finally stopped these exercises when a prefect caught him out on maneuvers. He was able to talk himself out of a detention but had to swear that he wouldn't do it again. He stayed true to his word and confined his running to the grounds or around Hogsmede if there was a weekend trip to be had.Fifth Year: Nonverbal Magic
ReducioWhen it came time to begin preparing for his O.W.L.s, Galahad decided to take stock the summer after his fourth year. He’d spent a lot of his time outside of school working on his physical abilities but it was time to focus on his magical abilities. By this time, he’d long known that he wanted to be an Auror. He had thought about it a lot since he started at Hogwarts and it sounded like a career he’d be well suited for. He excelled in Defense Against the Dark Arts and was good in the other classes you needed O.W.L.s and N.E.W.T.s in to qualify for the profession, and he had a strong moral code, and thanks to his upbringing, he believed in the idea of protecting the innocent from the evils of the world.
Galahad did some reading on some of the more advanced casting techniques and narrowed it down to two options: wandless magic or nonverbal magic. He decided on nonverbal because he figured that he already knew martial arts to try and defend himself if he was without his wand and if he were to become an Auror, silent casting seemed like something that would definitely be useful.
Unlike most things, Galahad’s first few attempts at nonverbal magic were total failures. He was starting small, trying to use Lumos to light his wand without speaking. The first session nothing happened at all and he was very disheartened but he knew he had to keep working at it. He resolved to read up on the subject more before he continued with his attempts. He knew he could probably ask one of his professors but he valued his independence and wanted to do this on his own. He was already looking ahead to his life as an Auror and was afraid that any connections we had with people could make him (or them) vulnerable as a means to get to him.
After a couple of days in the library he found what the problem was, he needed to close his mind and focus all his thoughts on the spell he was trying to cast. He supposed it made sense, speaking the incantation required focus but this was a step beyond that, it felt like it almost required a telepathic relationship with ones wand. Once he made this breakthrough his training started to go much better. Within an hour he was able to light the tip of his wand consistently through non-verbal magic.
From there he moved on to what he thought would be the next logical progression: nonverbal magic on inanimate objects. His first move was to attempt to set little scrap bits of parchment on fire using Incendio. This was a bit trickier but after about three hours of work he’d done it for the first time, and within another three, he was also doing this consistently.
The real test was in dueling, however, using nonverbal magic on another person. In a duel against Slytherin, where one of his most hated rivals was on the other team, he finally succeeded. After being hit with a jinx he must’ve looked like he was going to shake it off but instead, he focused his mind and managed to counterpunch his opponent with Fliipendo, causing him to topple over.Sixth Year: Apparition
ReducioGalahad had always had mixed feelings about apparition when he'd heard people talk about it. On the one hand, he really loved the idea of being able to leave one place and be in another instantaneously. On the other hand, from everything he heard that was a whole hell of a lot that could go wrong and he didn't much like the idea of leaving any part of him behind if he messed up. There seemed to be very little margin for error, if any. Still, after his fifth year he decided the pros definitely outweighed the cons and that he just had to learn it.
He really wanted to take the class in the summer to learn to do it as soon as possible, but that simply wasn't practical. He lived in a muggle household in Ireland. His family could not afford to take a multi-week trip to London and connecting the house to the Floo Network was out of the question as it was a muggle house. So instead, the first time the course was offered at Hogwarts he signed up for it and set out to learn. The first few attempts were very frustrating because he was unable to move at all. Galahad wasn't a genius but he normally picked things up pretty quickly so to fail so often from the outset was both unusual and frustrating. Still, it was really important to him to master it and he really set his mind to it.
It wasn't until the third session that Galahad really started to make some appreciable progress. He found the best way to do it was to adopt the mindset he did when he was first learning non-verbal casting. He tried to empty his mind completely and really focus on the task at hand. Point A to Point B, simple as that, think of nothing else. This mindset started to work and he started making actual progress. The first time he actually managed to move he sadly splinched himself. Fortunately, the incident was minor and he only lost half his left eyebrow. Minimal pain and a lot of gain, plus, it would grow back.
The day finally came for him to take the final exam and get his license. He decided to forego breakfast so that he wouldn't have anything to throw up if he botched his apparition attempt. His instructor gave him the target and Galahad cleared his mind completely. He stood there for about five seconds but in his mind it felt like hours. He was unblinking, all focus, visualizing the target area in his mind. Finally, he closed his eyes and turned on the spot. He somehow knew that it had worked before he opened his eyes again. He did and to his unfettered excitement, he had done it.
Unlike some newly licensed wizards, Galahad still chose not to apparate unless he had to because of how uncomfortable it was and how many things could go wrong.Seventh Year: Legilimency
ReducioGoing into his Seventh Year, Galahad was satisfied with the state of his magical education from an academic perspective. He was excelling in all of his classes, and now all that was left was to find a way to really round himself out. He thought he was already an attractive prospect for the Auror Office once he graduated, but he really wanted to find a way to give himself an edge. To that end, in his free time, he delved into the depths of the library once again. He also approached his Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor and asked them what they thought he should consider and they told him he should consider Legilimency: the ability to enter a person’s mind and interpret their thoughts. Galahad thought about this and could immediately see how it could be useful to him, especially as an Auror. Have a suspect who you think is lying or won’t talk? Why not find the answer for yourself. It looked incredibly complex but he thought that if he could figure out how to do it properly it would be well worth it.
Based on the readings he found in theory it sounded simple enough: maintain eye contact with the subject and concentrate completely on their mind and thoughts. The real trick once you were in seemed to be interpreting those thoughts. If you lacked the intelligence or will to interpret them you would simply be left with a pile of gibberish.
As he tried to put what he learned into practice, Galahad’s biggest problem was the fact that he didn’t know who to practice on. He knew he needed to be very careful because the idea of being able to invade someone’s mind and read their thoughts could really terrify people. He decided to ask his dueling partner if he’d be willing to let Galahad try it on him. His partner was understandably nervous but, given they’d been partnered for so long and were so close, trusted Galahad completely and decided to let him try.
The first few attempts were needless to say, fruitless. Galahad focused with all his might but was unable to even enter his partner’s mind. On what felt like that 20th attempt, concentrating (at least it felt) harder than he’d ever concentrated before, he achieved entry. Still, he didn’t make much progress once he was in, it was all just a blur of passing thoughts. Over the next few weeks, however, Galahad began to make progress. It was incremental, at first, he was able to understand the feelings his partner felt when he thought of certain memories, then, he was actually able to focus in on the specific memory he was thinking of at the time. After a couple of months, he was actually able to probe his partner’s mind and go from memory to memory, being able to run through blocks that the mind put up but careful not to invade any areas his partner clearly didn’t want explored..
Although he was proficient when practicing Legilimency with his partner, he knew it would be a different manner if he ever had to use it in his work on an unwilling participant. Still, he was pleased with the progress he’d made and was at least happy to have the basic mechanics down.
Orion has given me permission to reference the DADA professor of the time
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