Thaniel Finn - Slytherin - 1st Year

Thaniel was so ordinary; he never felt extraordinary. He was never the tallest nor shortest, the smartest nor dumbest. Despite being so ordinary, Thaniel has always suffered from insufferable shyness. It is no fault of his own as his parents have worked hard to instill a strict sense of routine in him since he was a toddler - never allowing for social time beyond close relatives and family. Thaniel loved his family, though, and didn't mind the lack of social interaction - the idea of having to converse with anyone else made his palms sweat, his shoulders tense, and his heart feel like it would explode.

Born on October 30th, 2012, Thaniel grew up on the outskirts of Glasgow. He, his father, Callum, and his mother, Isla, lived together in his paternal grandfather's large stately manor. His grandfather, Alastair Finn, had purchased the home with his wife before the birth of his son Callum. Alastair, wishing for many children, had dreamed of filling the 16-bedroom manor with his children and grandchildren, but he tragically lost his wife during the birth of his first son and Thaniel's father, Callum. As his father grew older, he vowed to follow in his father's footsteps and decided he, too, would populate the home with his own family. Sadly, like his father, he was met with a similar fate. After Thaniel's birth, his mother lost her ability to produce children, and the family remained humble and small.

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Callum and Isla are incredible and hard-working parents. Callum is a highly motivated and respected botanist. At age 45, he works tirelessly with magical plants and herbs, which he uses to not only supply stores in Diagon Alley and Hogsmead but also to create magical medicines for wizarding folk around the world, a business that his grandfather started years ago in his early 20s. Callum has dedicated his life to living up to his father's expectations, tirelessly ensuring the continuation and success of the family business.

Thaniel's mother, Isla, is younger than his father at only 35 years old. She is tall and beautiful with curly black hair that forms a widow's peak above her curved, pointy eyebrows. Isla's face is narrow and kind, possessing the incredible ability to brighten any room with her radiant smile. Callum often called her "his veela," a sentiment that would never fail to embarrass Thaniel, but he was happy to have parents who shared such strong love for one another.

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Though very kind and pleasant, Thaniel's parents are quite strict and rarely allow his attendance at social gatherings beyond close relatives and family. Instead, Thaniel is expected to, and quite happy to, spend his free time helping his father in his massive garden of magical plants and herbs. He loves helping his father as much as he loves the plants themselves, and by 7 years old, he could recite the binomial names of nearly 50 plants and their basic uses - knowledge his father loved quizzing him on around the dinner table in front of his grandfather.

Thaniel is expected to rise early, and every day, he is awoken with a written agenda that outlines every minute of his day. Every breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as well as chore time, study time, and playtime was scheduled, which, though it wasn't his favorite, his father would sometimes fly with him on his broom, and they would pretend to play Quidditch, a sport that Alastair, Callum, and Thaniel loved equally.

Alastair always insisted that Thaniel would play Seeker for The Pride of Portree when he grew up, a declaration strengthened by Thaniel's first instance of magic. On his sixth birthday, his mother and father playfully agreed to a one-on-two Quidditch match. Though it was nothing like real quidditch, it was still one of the most exciting and memorable experiences ever.

Thaniel rode with his father on his broom, sitting tightly in the front between his father's legs. He grasped the broomstick tight as they rose slowly into the air; his father being careful to keep his arms locked tightly around him. He could see his mother waving excitedly from the other side of the courtyard, and his father dared him to let go with one hand and give her a little wave. Thaniel tried to lift his hands from the broomstick, but the fear took over him and they quickly reattached themselves to the broomstick.

He laughed as his father pushed the broomstick slowly forward and they began moving around the side of the courtyard towards his mother. He could see his mother smiling as she came slowly towards them, holding up the red plush "quaffle" his grandfather had gotten him for his birthday. She gave the ball a gentle toss as she passed them on her broom. Thaniel's dad lightly swooped the broom down and caught the ball without ever unlocking his arms from around him.

Thaniel laughed while his father enticed him to take the plushie from him. He was terrified but after a second, he reluctantly released one hand from the broom and took hold of the soft fabric of the quaffle. He felt unstable but as his mother rounded the courtyard again, he gently tossed the ball back and watched as his mother struggled to catch it. She nearly lost it, but ultimately caught it by a pinch of fabric.

Thaniel did it! He could hear his grandfather cheering loudly below them, "You did it! This time try catching it!" Thaniel got so excited he stopped thinking about how scared he was and lifted both hands off the broom as they rounded the courtyard again, his mother quickly approaching. She raised the ball and held it up to toss it, only this time, she tossed it harder. Faster. Thaniel's eyes grew big with panic as he reached for the ball, it grazing his finger tips almost in slow motion. He felt his father's arms release from around him as he, too, tried to catch the ball, and as he leaned to grab it from the air, Thaniel was pushed off the broom with nothing to hold him in place.

Falling to the ground seemed to take forever. What should have happened in a split second felt more like minutes, all the while, the fear and terror lasted prominently behind his tightly shut eyes. He heard his mother call for his grandfather but it had all happened so quickly. It was too late for anyone to help him. There was a loud crack as Thaniel hit the ground and he knew it was the sound of his bones breaking.

Expecting the worst, Thaniel opened his eyes to find he wasn't injured at all. Instead, he was lying atop a large soft red plushie - the quaffle! Not only had he caught it, he had somehow managed to turn it so large, that he was safely nestled within its warm embrace.

"Looks... like... he caught... the quaffle..." his mother spoke through her short breaths.

"More like, it caught him." His grandfather laughed.