Index Re-Application

Damon Delaney is Max’s third cousin. They are related through Max’s mother, Rose, and Damon’s father Aiden, who are second cousins.
I have mentioned in my approved backstory that Max’s mother has an extended family with whom they are pretty much estranged. I have elaborated that they are not in contact with most of them, but that Rose kept in touch with a few cousins. Damon’s father is one of those. Them having lived in the US, the kids saw each other for the first time when Damon moved to Ireland and Aiden needed a helping hand getting settled. They saw each other about once a year or so after that.

The Kenneally family is pureblood about as far back as people care to remember. Of course there are skeletons in the closet and dirty laundry in heaps, but as respectable people these things are not aired publicly. With questionable values and a rather strict definition of whom is seen as a valuable member of society it is no wonder many decide to stay away. The Mother of Max, Rose, grew up in a larger household in the south of England. She early set herself apart from the family in her years at school. By being sorted into Hufflepuff and sticking to the traits valued by the house, she was marked as the black sheep. In later years, through her tireless work and effort in the case of fair work for every witch, wizard and half-creature through a fair bit of freelance journalism she were branded a blood traitor and disowned as soon as she came of age. She has very little contact with her family today, except a few cousins.

A nobody born in the northern part of Ireland to muggle parents. Raised by an emotionally distant workaholic who cared little to show his face, and with no siblings it was rather lonely for Jonathan. He found escape and friends through a small boxing club in the neighborhood. In a house where words could cut deeper than anything, and silences carried weight heavier than one could imagine he learned to adapt. Lessons were learned in quiet trepidation, and trust was earned at a cost he could never fully measure.

The transition to the wizarding world and starting Hogwarts was rough. With no knowledge of importance and not too many friends he got a reputation as the brooding Gryffindor who would throw punches over nothing. This changed over Christmas break in his sixth year. The boy was all but transformed. Taking interest in how the younger students were doing, no more fist fights and rumors about a positive change in his mood were reported. Few missed that the change probably came from the influence of a sweet Hufflepuff. After graduating Hogwarts, Jonathan made good on the promise to his father to never coming home again.

Upon their graduation from Hogwarts Rose and Jonathan had it all planned out. They decided to take a sabbatical. A few months of just the two of them, living in harmony away from everything. Then they would spend some time apart to settle as themselves and figure out their new day to day as adults. The sabbatical was everything they dreamed it would be. It was only after realizing neither of them wanted their break from the world as well as the continuation of their relationship to end they evaluated their options. Rose found work in freelance journalism, and Jonathan brewed potions to sell from what they harvested in their surroundings.

They managed this way for quite a while, before the joyous news of the pregnancy. Once again their way of life was up for question. Rose reached out to a couple family members to ask advice, but was met with a more crushing silence than before. For Jonathan contacting his father was not an option worth the thought. The couple made the decision to keep their way of life. Neither of them could speak of many positive experiences from either community, and with time the distrust only grew.

Their kids were named Charlotte and Maximilianus to honor the very few family members whom had never let them down. Jonathans mother and Roses maternal grandfather. They were strong familial names, the proper way to do things. Despite this, the names were far too long for every day use. So the kids grew up responding to their nicknames Drew and Max.

The boy has grown up in a way you might call unusual. Only the four of them, and little to no exposure to the outside world both magical and muggle. Living out of a tent, never staying in one place for too long and hunting and gathering their own food and supplies. The family enjoys living to the side of the rest of the world, keeping the family to themselves as much as possible. Being so isolated Max has taken after his fathers accent which is rather broad Irish with a few more posh pronunciations from his mother.

Max was homeschooled before starting Hogwarts, his parents teaching a few subjects each. This has resulted in Max despite being curious and eager to learn, is without knowledge of and about things and events others might find common knowledge. What he however has a lot of knowledge of is his special interests.

Max is a boy that enjoys exploring his surroundings. Naturally so, when the family moved around as much as they did. Climbing trees, finding the deepest point of the creek, picking up bugs and small creatures he comes across. Naturally, plants are a part of it. What grows where, what makes it thrive, why it has a certain color, smell, or taste. It extends far beyond just magical plants. The kid has eaten every kind of bark there is before deciding that eating bark is not a good idea. He never collected anything, as the family needed all space for their own supplies. But that has not stopped him from having competitions with his sister over who can find the coolest looking leaf or twig. Maybe it has a funny shape, an unusual color, perhaps it is partly ripped or snapped. It really doesn’t matter.

Another is competing, or more specifically sports. Max’s father saw the amount of energy in his kids that had nowhere to go, and decided to teach them. Max has learned wrestling and a bit of boxing. His favorite by far is the national sport of Ireland, hurling. The dirtier the play, the better. It has always been something Max has enjoyed, and definitely something that has fueled his competitive streak.

His sister was nicknamed Drew. The two of them argue more than they talk normally, but they have been each other’s best friend and ultimate support. When the time came for attending Hogwarts, it was a battle of will. Since Drew was born a squib, their parents believed that attending school was unnecessary for Max as well. He could learn everything he needed right there. Many heated arguments and a few threats of running away followed, but Max eventually headed to school with his parents blessing. It was devastating leaving his sister behind, but with daily letters the longing is manageable.