The Past

Reducio

Ezra was never considered normal. Too quiet, too loud, too watchful, not watchful enough, too little and too much all at once. He was a handful, so he learned not to be. He shrunk. The shell was cold yet comforting when it welcomed him in, and there he stayed. His mother, Eleanor, a point device level-headed woman, took great care in raising him to be well mannered and perfect, but he was often overcome with anxiety to actually go through with any of the acts of etiquette he had been taught. Eventually even she gave up and turned her focus on making his sister the perfect daughter, for he was, as she often exclaimed exasperatedly, utterly hopeless. Hence he didn’t care too much about growing connected with his mother. He wasn’t perfect enough for her, and he had come to accept the fact that he never would be, and if she didn’t love him for who he was with all his faults, did she ever truly love him?

His sister was hardly perfect. His mother just viewed her that way because she was everything he wasn’t. She was assertive, talkative, confident. She was the epitome of a growing strong young woman. Everything his mother wanted. He did love his sister Linnet, who was two years younger than him though he tended to get jealous of all the attention she received from his mother. It didn’t matter anyhow, every moment spent with his father was enough. Oscar Calloway, a hardworking man who spent much time away from home, loved his family dearly. He tried to spend time with them whenever he could but he often felt disconnected. His children felt awkward with him and his wife irritable. Ezra adored his father and wished he could spend more time with him and become closer but he never knew what to say so he just let the time slip by.

He never knew his extended family besides his maternal grandparents, who lived with them. His memories of them together were faint and faded and after his grandmother passed it was like his grandfather had passed with her. He was a ghost that haunted the Calloway household. He never spoke much, never interacted with anyone. He would sit in his rocking chair and stare out a window, in silence. Sometimes, when Ezra needed comfort, he would go and sit by his grandfather. They would say nothing to each other but those moments of silence made him feel comfort in the pause.

Ezra grew up in a lower middle class family living in the suburbs of London. He went to public school as a child but never did much there. He was a quiet, weird kid. Nobody paid him any mind and he paid them none in return. He observed and watched. He was quite taken aback upon learning about his magic. He had hundreds upon hundreds of questions. He was nervous and curious. Curiosity killed the cat. His mother would say, But satisfaction brought it back! He would protest under his breath, never once raising his voice. She dismissed it as something out of the ordinary and that she ‘had no time to think about it right now’. So his father took it upon himself to help out Ezra in whatever ways he could. He asked the hard questions, the stupid ones and the obvious ones when Ezra was too nervous to do it himself. Ezra was grateful but uneasy. Anxiety overthrew his excitement as he prepared to become the wizard he was fated to be.

The Spark (FIOM)

Reducio

His first instance with magic was when he was around 5 years old. He has been growing a houseplant for a few weeks and devoted all his free time to doting over it and talking with it. He often has encouraged it to grow faster and could hold long conversations with his plant. Upon returning from a month-long trip, he burst into tears when he realised he had unintentionally killed his plant. He weeped, refusing to calm down as his parents tried to comfort him. He blamed himself for the loss of his best friend and the guilt from such a small mistake became unbearable. His plant came alive and grew with unnatural speed. It towered above him almost like a tree. He cleared the tears from his eyes, and looked up at his creation. Ezra erupted into a fit of giggles.