Septimus Merrill | Slytherin | First Year

BACKGROUND

APPEARANCE & CHILDHOOD

The youngest son of a savvy American wizard and a wealthy English witch, Septimus has grown up being told that he is special — remarkable, even. With a glance at him, however, one might find this hard to believe. Compared to other boys his age, Septimus is on the slightly smaller side, standing at about 4'6" (137 cm) tall and weighing about 33 kg (73 lbs). He has wavy black hair, deep brown eyes, and a rather light complexion. Not much of his physical appearance speaks of future excellence, except, perhaps, for the expensive clothing in which he is typically outfitted. He speaks with an English accent that, like his mother's, adheres closely to Received Pronunciation ("the Queen's English"), although some of his vowels have been warped by the influence of his American father. Those who meet him might perceive an air of privilege and a polite chumminess that seems neither completely fake nor wholly sincere. In short, Septimus appears to be a child who wants you to think of him as a full-grown, successful adult.

Septimus was born to Elizabeth Merrill, daughter of the respected, pure-blooded Rawlins clan, and Marcus Merrill, an American wizard descended from a line of gifted artisans and craftsmen, in the city of Bath on July 7, 2013. It was from his date of birth (and from his father's great love for the ways of Ancient Rome) that he got his name. He was something of a surprise to his parents, who had had their first two children, Marcus Jr. and Olivia, close to ten years earlier. While they were delighted to have another son, neither Elizabeth nor Marcus Sr. had the time on their hands to raise an infant again; therefore, Septimus was cared for by a number of nurses and nannies until the Merrills hired William Moses, a young wizard from Canada, to be his friend and caretaker. Over time, William became one of Septimus's closest companions, traveling with him between the family home in Bath and — during the summers — the one in San Francisco, California. Septimus saw more of William than he did his own siblings, who spent most of the year attending school at Ilvermorny. In fact, he sometimes forgot that the kindly Canadian was not his brother.

Home life wasn't bad for Septimus — far from it, really, since the Merrills were wealthy enough to be more than comfortable — but it did come with a small (yet deep-seated) loneliness. He loved spending time with William, of course. It was just that he rarely got to see his brother, his sister, or even very much of his parents outside holidays and summer vacations. He had good memories of/with them: building elaborate, enchanted sandcastles on a beach in Southern California with Marcus Jr. (or Marcus Minimus, as their father — Marcus Maximus — liked to call him) or keeping eyes out for kappa with Olivia during a family trip to Japan. He was fairly sure he was his mother's favorite child, especially when the older two reached the age where it wasn't cool to spend so much time with your parents anymore. She liked to take her youngest son out for lavish picnics in Bath's Parade Gardens or bring him to get-togethers with old schoolmates. He was her prize, and he was happy to be just that — as long as it meant he was getting attention.

Septimus's father, more than anyone else, was his idol. Marcus Sr. had taken his forefathers' gift for crafting crystal and glassware and elevated it to a successful business enterprise. Remembralls, Sneakoscopes, telescopes, omnioculars, crystal balls, and potioneering phials were just a few of the products in which the modern witch or wizard might find Merrill glass. When Septimus grew up, he wanted to be exactly as successful as his father was. It was just a shame that the business seemed to keep him away for such long periods of time. (And when Marcus Jr. graduated Ilvermorny, it took him, too.) Still, he wouldn't wish things to be any different than they were.

After Septimus's first use of magic at age nine (detailed below), his parents were thrilled to celebrate his milestone and simultaneously reminisce on their school days. His mother, in particular, saw an opportunity that she had missed out on with her first two children: she would send Septimus to her alma mater, Hogwarts. It would be good to have Rawlins blood walk those halls after so much time away. Septimus's father, an Ilvermorny man through and through, put up a small fight, but his wife was quick to remind him that both his oldest son and his only daughter had already followed in his footsteps. This one — their last one — would go to Hogwarts like his mother.

FIRST INSTANCE OF MAGIC

William, Septimus's au pair, was the only one to witness his first instance of accidental magic when it manifested during a game of hide-and-go-seek at the Merrills' house in Bath in late 2022. Nine years old at the time, Septimus had squeezed himself between neat stacks of bedding in the back of a linen closet. He held his breath as he heard William count to twenty and begin to search for him, calling out his name while he wandered through the house. Septimus's heart beat faster and faster, listening to the sound of his caretaker's steady approach. Soon, William was in the room. Septimus could see him through the slats in the closet door. He made his way slowly and deliberately to the closet, peering through the slats and calling out Septimus's name once again in a playful sing-song. The boy held his breath. He was surely caught, but he wasn't going to admit defeat until he absolutely had to.

Suddenly, William yanked open the door. Septimus nearly shrieked — he was looking right at him! But instead of laughing and dragging him out of his hiding place like usual, William just looked confused. He seemed to stare right through his young charge. After a moment, he muttered something under his breath and closed the door; then, he began to walk away, resuming his cry: "Septimus! Where are you, Septimus?" What was going on? William was acting like he was...

Invisible. As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Septimus looked down at his hands and realized that he couldn't see anything but the clean linens. He'd completely vanished from sight. He'd done magic! The thrill of the realization almost instantly broke the spell, of course, and Septimus was fully visible when he crashed out of the closet and ran to tell William what had happened. He wasn't able to repeat it later that day, when he was telling the story, but the older boy believed him. It wasn't a big closet, after all. There was no way he could have missed Septimus otherwise. The two wizards owled Septimus's parents right away to inform them of the good news, and then marked the special occasion with a tremendous amount of ice cream.

RELATIONSHIPS

FAMILY

Theodore Merrill Paternal Grandfather November 12, 1945 - December 30, 2014

Beatrice Merrill Paternal Grandmother February 21, 1952 -

Edgar Rawlins Maternal Grandfather March 17, 1952 -

Victorine Rawlins Maternal Grandmother April 8, 1954 -

Marcus Merrill, Sr. | Father March 5, 1976 -	Elizabeth Merrill | Mother May 30, 1980 -
Marcus Merrill, Jr. | Brother June 9, 2003 -	Olivia Merrill | Sister October 15, 2005 -

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William Moses | Au pair April 1, 1999 -

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FRIENDS

to be determined...