✧˚Sammy Tickner ┊ First Year ┊ Ravenclaw ˚✧

✧˚Appearance˚✧
Sammy is a pale, freckled boy standing at a height of 4'6. He has light brown, semi-curly hair that isn't very well-kept, with a bleached blonde streak. He was born with heterochromia, giving him one green eye and one sky-blue. His face has rounded features that make him look a year or two younger than he actually is, and he usually carries a zoned-out or concerned expression. He keeps a good posture around people of authority, but has a horrible slouch otherwise; and has a tendency to sit strangely in a way that looks very uncomfortable.

Sam has allergies to- well, almost everything- including pollen, grass, dust, most furred creatures, and peanuts. Because of this, he sneezes a lot, his eyes are nearly always red and watery, and he can commonly be seen with a tissue shoved up his nose due to nosebleeds.

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✧˚Personality˚✧
Sammy was raised to be polite and considerate by principle, and generally treats everyone with respect. When he dislikes someone, he resorts to treating them bluntly and giving the cold shoulder; but it takes a lot of resentment for him to be straight-up mean. He generally tries to keep out of trouble, but group mentality and a longing to fit in causes him to let loose every once in a while. Though he seems shy at a distance, Sam is actually quite extroverted and talkative; he enjoys company, only hindered by his anxious overthinking. He has problems with dwelling on past mistakes and blunders, or worrying about things out of his control, and a bad habit of chewing his nails.

Sammy is a creative at heart, and he spends a lot of his free time drawing or painting; and occasionally sculpting or carving when he has the materials.
While he's a good, curious, and attentive student to have in class, he's also the type to procrastinate on homework, or just straight up not do anything that isn't required. He has a 'if I pass that's all that matters' mentality, causing him to get low or average grades despite his potential. He enjoys pursuing knowledge on things that pique his interest, but struggles to make himself care about things he feels obligated to do.

He doesn't actively try to cheat the system; but he also doesn't particularly care about what other students do. Sam won't tattle if he knew another student was cheating since it doesn't bother or concern him, and he'd rather just offer his homework for someone to copy instead of taking the time to help or teach them. He knows all too well how annoying schoolwork can be, and doesn't blame students for trying to get around it.

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✧˚Backstory˚✧
Sammy's father Luther Tickner is a pureblood wizard who currently works as an arithmancer, while his mother Whitney White is a muggle who teaches secondary. They met and married when they were both very young, but unfortunately the difference in their backgrounds clashed, and they divorced when Sammy turned 5. They split custody, with Sam spending weekends and holidays with his father and the rest of the week with his mother.

He isn't very close with his father, as they have quite limited time with each other; and the Tickner lineage doesn't exactly approve of Sammy's existence, making for very awkward family dinners. He (guiltily) feels a small glimmer of resentment towards his dad for having to miss out on holidays with his mum, and for how little magic Luther ever taught him which left him less prepared and knowledgeable about the wizarding world than he would've liked.

On the other hand, his relationship with his mother is the complete opposite. She's also a curious, creative type; and they have had many easy bonding moments. Though she was nervous when Sam was revealed to be a wizard, they still remained close and she never made him feel ashamed or scared about his magic.

He went to an average primary school and overall led a very muggle-like life, managing to keep his double-life with his father a secret (or anyone he told brushing it off as his 'big imagination'). During his years in muggle school; he gained a tight-knit friend group (Thomas, Charlie, and Stella) that he would constantly hangout with, his mother's house being the designated hangout spot.

Sammy originally did not actually want to go Hogwarts, as it meant leaving all his friends and his school behind; and despite being intrigued at the idea of doing magic, he feels intimidated about the expectations and pressure of the wizarding world. However, his mother insisted that he go so he can 'connect with 'his' society'. As far as Sammy is concerned, he fits into muggle society just fine; but has decided to stay optimistic and open-minded about going to Hogwarts.

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✧˚First Instance Of Magic˚✧
When Sammy was nine in year 5 of primary, he had pulled an all-nighter working on a personal art project, neglecting to care about the test the following day. During the exam, he began to feel incredibly sleepy, and after he was about three-quarters of the way done, he nodded off, out cold until the teacher woke him up at the end of class.
But, to his surprise, the rest of the bubble sheet was completely filled out, and he handed it in while quite bewildered. When the results were returned a week later, it became clear that it was filled out at random and most of the answers were wrong, but his father confirmed that it was likely magic regardless.

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✧˚Extra Information˚✧
✧He took violin lessons for a few years and knows how to play some simplified songs
✧His favourite animals are crows
✧His favourite colour is orange