wc: 759

Fourth Year Ability Application

Link to your encyclopedia thread: https://www.hogwarts.io/viewtopic.php?f=169&t=8326
Name of Ability, that you Are Applying for: Wandmaker
Describe why this fits your character:

How it was obtained:

Reducio

After Thomas’ somewhat dismal performance at the summer dueling event, his brief stay at home in Carleon was relatively uneventful. He hadn’t the time to visit Callie or anyone outside of his hometown, and Sylvie was largely busy with her pureblood family nonsense, so the Ravenclaw boy was left alone to brood for most of his time there, excepting his mother’s occasional check-ins. She had grown more worried about his cloudy disposition over his years away at Hogwarts, Thomas generally dismissing her concern and reminding her that he was of the age to be ‘angsty’ anyways, by all accounts. It should have been an uninteresting, short respite from schooling and dueling and altogether feeling watched, a sentiment the boy grew less and less fond of with every passing year. Unfortunately for the young Baines, he’d discover that he was not so fortunate.

The parcel at his doorstep was addressed to him and came with an accompanying note. It was a long, thin box—about 30 centimeters in length and fairly lightweight. His mother seemed highly perturbed by the sudden appearance of the package but refused to elaborate when questioned on her reaction; an unusual stance for her to hold, Thomas was wary. There were few things in the world that his mother was not honest with him about, so far the list consisted of two major items:

- The nature of their family’s finances
- His father

Neither subject particularly savory or something that a fourteen-year-old would be eager to ponder, Thomas crouched down to pick up his mail as he tried to think exactly which of the two this fell into. A sinking feeling settled in his stomach as if he had just been swallowing stones; the handwriting of his name evoked a litany of deeply buried memories. Dread and resentment fought for the privilege of being his forefront emotion. Tom knew that cursive anywhere, his mother hadn’t yet parted with the last note his father had left on the fridge. Some nerve you have, old man. What do you want?

Tommy,

Great opener. Surely, if his father was reaching out, he ought to know that Thomas was fourteen now. He hadn’t gone by anything other than Thomas—or occasionally Tom—since he was eleven. He had outgrown such a childish nickname by now. Then again, the young wizard bitterly supposed, his father who had had no contact with him since he was much younger than that would have no real way of knowing such a fact about him. Indignation kept at bay for a few moments, Thomas found the nerve to keep reading.

I hope this note finds you well. I was able to catch wind of your performance at the international summer dueling tournament. When I had heard both house Ravenclaw and Gryffindor had qualified that year, and I had heard a boy bearing my name was competing, I had originally anticipated that you and I shared a house placement. Though ultimately proven untrue, I still kept tabs on your performance.

What an absurdly backhanded reminder that he bore no grand family legacy. Thomas rolled his eyes, resisting the desire to crumple up the note right then and there and stop reading. Some force compelled him to keep reading—the conflicted nature of his relationship with his father was difficult to navigate but some small part of Thomas’ mind sought perhaps a friendly resolution. Maybe his father would eventually have something halfway decent to say, later in the letter.

It is a shame you were beaten by both your fellow Hogwarts students and the international team. Third place of three is not exactly stellar.

Ow. It wasn’t Tom’s fault that he wasn’t used to strategizing for six opponent variables. The boy found it hard enough to predict the actions of two people at a time—he was always a bit befuddled by the behavior of his peers—so how should he have been expected to perform?! A quiet, condescending voice in the back of his head reminded him of the answer: better than everyone else. Not just by his father, but Thomas’ own ego had anticipated greater success on his part. He had missed practically every spell he cast that duel, his inability to adeptly process new situations was an emerging weakness that he was growing to despise in himself.

Nevertheless, you have some time to improve. If you are to continue with this dueling business, I cannot allow you to wield that wand of yours. Your current wand is not one befitting a wizard of your name; unicorn hair-cored wands always latch onto weaklings. In your journey towards reaching your full potential, you should dispense with this limiting factor. However, I recognize that such a task is not so simple, so allow me to expedite the process for you. Enclosed in the package that accompanies this letter is my old wand, though it may be a challenge for a wizard of your caliber to win over I believe it will eventually serve you well. If not, of course, feel free to lean on your original wand.

Once again, Thomas found that his father truly had a... Way... With words. The note he held was callously shoved in his pocket, Tom would not read the remainder for some time. Perhaps when he wasn't already in a sour mood he could tackle the notion of his father reaching out to him for the first time in years... Until then, his conflicting emotions would remain bubbling under the surface. Instead, Tom's attention was directed towards the parcel, which he opened unceremoniously by tearing through the tape. Within the box was exactly as his father had written, a wand.

Immediately, the parcel was closed, and the wand remained ignored for the remainder of his short summer... Until of course, it was no longer ignored.

Back at Hogwarts sometime later, shortly after the first stage of duelling came to a close, Thomas found himself holding the package again. He hadn't even entirely understood why he brought it with him to school, some unidentifiable pull compelled him to do so. The Ravenclaw boy looked at his original wand with some semblance of contempt. It was an awkward thing, of course the wand had done nothing wrong, but he couldn't help but feel like his father may have been right in his assessment. Thomas resented the limitations that came with unicorn hair--its resistance to the dark arts--as well as its implications--that he didn't have to earn such a wand, that it would accept him no matter what. He wanted a challenge, something of an accomplishment. Something worth actually showing to people. And so, opening the parcel for the first time in a month or two, Tom retrieved it from its wrapping.

The tip of the new, unfamiliar wand greeted him with a gentle light, a sign perhaps of acceptance of its new owner. The old was slipped into the parcel, likely to be abandoned unless something unusual occurred. Thomas regarded it curiously, turning the new thing over in his hands and inspecting its qualities...

WC: 1174

Wood - Yew:

Reducio

Among the rarer woods, Yew wands find their best match among wizards of similar rarity. Thomas, though still fairly young and thus incapable of truly being notorious just yet, possesses a fiery personality through and through. Fearsome on the dueling piste among his age, Tom is dauntless in the face of danger and willing to go to great lengths to accomplish his goals. It is said that Yew wands favor both brave heroes and dastardly villains, and though Thomas hasn't yet determined which he is destined to be one thing is certain: the young wizard is a prodigal duelist and someone who wants to make a name for himself.

WC: 108

Core - Wampus cat Hair:

Reducio

Perhaps stubborn to a fault, Thomas has consistently refused to allow his moral convictions to be swayed by his environment. Obsessed with the taboo, the unknowable, his curiosity has never been able to be sated by comments of "you wouldn't need to know," or "this knowledge is forbidden." Tom possesses few reservations about the methods through which he obtains his desired information, and when obsessed little can stop him from achieving his goals. Thomas, though not born a Seer nor born with any innate talent of Legilimency, is intense in his surveillance of his surroundings and the behavior of his peers. Even barring supernatural talent of predicting future actions, the boy's paranoia certainly marks him as someone who may appear to know more than they let on, often at all times. Admittedly, if provided the opportunity to become a Legilimens, well... Thomas would hardly say no.

WC: 145

Length - 25.5 cm:

Reducio

Though Tom may have something of a reputation of loudness, in reality the boy's blustering on the dueling piste is strategically exaggerated. In reality, Thomas possesses an innate precision to his spellcasting and his behaviors; he is methodical and careful in how he carries himself. Tom knows that being perceived as a whiny, irritable kid serves him well, as opposed to being perceived as the relatively cold and calculating boy that he is. A wand that is middle of the road fits him best, balancing both his bold aspirations and relatively secretive outward personality.

WC: 93

Flexibility - Unyielding:

Reducio

Thomas is unyielding in just about every one of his undertakings. Occasionally even single-minded, when on the warpath the young Ravenclaw cannot be dissuaded from what he is intending to accomplish. Notably, his morals and convictions are equally as infallible, and the boy is a tough nut to crack when in an argument. It's not that he believes he is always right, it's merely the fact that no one has possessed the stamina to convince Tom that he is wrong in a battle of words.

WC: 84

Link to your encyclopedia thread: Ency
Name of Ability or Race/Talent that you Are Applying for: Obnoxiously Strong
Describe why this fits your character:

Reducio

For as long as he could remember, Gavin has been an adventurous kid. He’s always loved going camping and hiking as well as participating in sports and other activities. His mother was the same. She was the one who taught him all about surviving in the wilderness, giving him tips and tricks to conquer the great outdoors. So if anything contributed to his unusual strength, it was her.
Among the things that Scarlet Faulkner taught her son, the most significant to his strength was likely archery. Sure, learning to catch fish with his bare hands and put together a shelter all on his own probably helped, but he had been learning archery since he was 5 years old. In the 6 years since then, the bows he used had greater and greater pullback strengths, building up more and more muscle in his arms and shoulders. Not to mention, his time in the wilderness in general definitely helped out.
Despite the strength he had built up though, Gavin wasn’t aware that it was beyond average growing up. It was only pointed out to him during summer camp the year he turned 11. His group was hiking when one of the other boys, a lot larger and bulkier than him, sprained his ankle. They were pretty far into the loop, and although their chaperone was trained in first aid, he wasn’t the strongest fellow. Before any of the other group members could try and pick him up, Gavin easily helped him up and somehow convinced the other boy to climb onto his back, despite his misgivings. When he noticed the stares he was receiving from the other group members and their leader, he had the gall to look confused.
“What?” he questioned.
Quickly, it was explained to him that given his size compared to the boy he now had on his back, he shouldn’t be able to stand straight as he was. Frankly, Gavin didn’t really care about the explanation. Thus, in true Gavin fashion, he responded, “Guess I’m just better than you.”
Despite the less-than-kind comment going unappreciated by the others, they were still impressed by the fact that he managed to carry the other boy all the way to a resting point, where the chaperone quickly wrapped up the ankle. After telling him that they would fix it better at the camp, the boy was back on Gavin’s back as they made their way back. Despite the strain of carrying another person, the group made it back in record time.

420 words