Your Name: Michael
Have you read the Code of Conduct?: Yes   
Are you over thirteen?: Yes
Do you play other Characters on AO?: Yes   
If Yes, list them here: Primary :: Minerva McGonagall, Elijah Harper, Henry MacLeod, Corby Gent, Mathieu Vaillancourt, Pandora Puddifoot, Elysia Hughes – Secondaries :: Jacqueline Lumpkin
Is this a Primary or Secondary character?: Primary

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Character's Full Name: William Jerome Smythe
Character's Birthday and Age: January 23, 1933 :: 77
City/Country of Birth: Ayr, Scotland
Blood Purity: Muggleborn

Alma Mater: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry :: Gryffindor House

Job/Position: History of Magic Professor

Wand: 9 ½ inches :: Cherry wood :: Dragon heartstring core :: quite bendy

Physical Description: William is a jolly old man. With a round face and rosy cheeks, he’s a gentleman that puts off an air of friendliness. A smile is never far from his pink lips. When he does smile, it shows off his yellowed teeth and a rather prominent gap between his two front teeth. He has a well-sculpted beard, colored completely white from age. The hair atop his head (what’s left, anyway) is white as well. William’s eyes are a striking blue, though they’re normally shadowed by his wire-rimmed glasses.

Standing at a firm 5’11, Will is of average height. He normally adorns his frame with flannel and tartan. The elderly wizard is a bit round in the tummy, but wears his weight with pride. Aside from his red face, Will has a rather pallid complexion – though it’s dotted in places with age spots. On his lower left calf, the man has a tattoo of the moon – complete with real-time changing phases.

William’s voice is loud and jovial, deep and booming. His laugh is infectious, and he has quite the nice bass singing voice. His hands are scarred from years of paper cuts and scratches from quill nibs.

Personality Description: William is first and foremost a bibliophile – he has an insatiable thirst for reading, and can be found most times with his nose pressed tightly into a book. Though he values the sanctity of silence, the jolly man is simply incapable of enjoying it. Even while reading, Will hums under his breath and sometimes taps his foot to an imaginary tune.

Will has a passion for history, and honestly feels every problem the world faces can be solved by simply looking into our pasts. He’s a man that lives life with no regrets, and encourages all those he comes in contact with to live their lives to the fullest – chasing their dreams and pursuing their passions.

The elderly wizard loves children, though never got around to constructing any rugrats of his own. It fills him with endless joy knowing he has an opportunity to influence the next generation, even if it’s only by a passing conversation in the streets.

He’s an extremely focused individual, sometimes too much so. When a thought crosses his mind, the wizard follows it with an unbridled intensity until his curiosity is sated. William is a notoriously tardy person – usually too caught up in his own little world to be bothered with the daily goings on of those around him.

Though a bit off-kilter, William is an extremely social person, and when not reading a book can be often found in public places – cup of coffee in one hand and a lit pipe in the other. Both, normally, forgotten amidst the bustling conversation.

History: Born to a poor farming family in the countryside of Scotland, William wasn’t a very special boy. He learned at a young age how to manage a farm, but wasn’t taught much else. The youngest of four, Willie was never even taught his letters – after all, what good was knowing how to read when there were crops to be watered, animals to be fed, and countless other duties to attend to?

His determination for knowledge, even at a young age, would not be denied. He would wake early, to finish his chores before school – and had the school mistress tutor him in reading and writing. By the age of ten, William knew he’d never be happy as a mere farmer. He would read every scrap of information set before him, even random flyers posting advertisements around the village.

When his Hogwarts letter came, the young man was so excited! Though the Smythe family didn’t have much money, they managed to scrape up enough money to purchase Willie’s school list – and only a few things were secondhand! Even more exciting than seeing all those magical folk and the wonders of Diagon was his time aboard the Hogwarts Express. Never before had young William even seen a train, much less rode in one.

The wonders of Hogwarts were fantastic. After being sorted into Gryffindor House, William made quite a few friends, but his true friends weren’t even real. They were characters of books. One might even say that Willie would have been more suited for the knowledge-hungry house of Ravenclaw, but other aspects of the young wizard’s life would squash any doubts.

The Gryffindor was a staunch supporter of equality, and would stand up against bullying – regardless of whether the bullied were friend or foe. His first year was rather trying, due to the chaos surrounding the school. Few people alive today were witness to the first opening of the Chamber of Secrets, and William is one of those few. While most people travelled in teams, terrified of the creature wreaking havoc through the school – Willie walked the halls alone, unafraid (well… maybe a little afraid), always headed to the library for another book.

With the death of Myrtle, and the expulsion of Rubeus Hagrid, Willie’s life got flipped on its ear. Upon his return to the castle in his second year, the boy worked hard in all his classes – determined to be a great wizard, so that he (and everyone he cared about) could live life without fear. He found that he was fair with a wand, though not so skilled with hand-on magic, like herbology and potions.

It was always William’s dream to become an auror, but, skilled though he was, he simply wasn’t skilled enough for the elite force of dark wizard hunters. After flunking the aptitude tests, he took a safe job within the Ministry library. William Smythe had become a librarian, and though he was loathe to admit it – he loved everything about the job.

Knowledge is power, thought he, and what better place to learn than the place where information is kept? He studied long and hard, and would have been content with his lot in life – had it not been for Lord Voldemort. How could it be that the compassionate (yet cunning) Head Boy of his first year had become the most feared dark wizard of all time? Not, of course, that William knew it was the same man.

Not only did Riddle not use the name anymore, but his appearance had been altered so drastically from the dark magic he used that no one would have recognized the face. Though he was a nobody, William thought it might be a good idea to flee. He left his job with the Ministry (now the Head of the Library), and hopped from one place to another.

 He didn’t, however, stay in marshes and hillsides. He travelled to ancient magical civilizations, to famous historical spots, and to other important wizarding locations, researching and gaining knowledge every step of the way. He never stayed in one place too long, and tried to help the communities he visited in any way possible.

Upon Lord Voldemort’s first downfall, William found he was unwilling to return to the life he had led before. The lust of the pages of books was simply not there anymore – not after living the stories they told. He continued his trip around the world, and it was in Salem where he found his love.

William had never been the romantic type, at least not after his Hogwarts days. He had never had the time to settle down, and even if he had… where would that have left his life? He would have had to stop his fantastic adventures, and that was simply unacceptable. So no, it wasn’t a woman or a man that caught his fancy, but teaching.

A young witch in Massachusetts wanted to know about the world across the pond, and William was more than happy to tutor her. Even more than learning, teaching gave him an exhilaration like no other. He stayed in Salem for three years, taking on new students every chance he had, giving history lessons out of his flat.

He moved back to London after that, and opened a storefront in Diagon Alley. “Smythe Tutoring: History is more than just his story” was the slogan. He did steady business, and though he wasn’t making profitable money, he still managed to scrape by… and after all, what good is money when doing something you don’t enjoy?

It wasn’t until the resurrection of Voldemort that Willie closed down his shop. This time, at least, he tried to hold out – but after the fiasco at Fortescue’s, William once again thought it best to close up shop. As a muggleborn, William fully understood the dangers of being under Lord Voldemort’s reign. He fled the country with only the things that would fit in his knapsack.

He travelled first to Spain, where he learned Spanish fluently, then to Puerto Rico, where he lived on the beach – selling painted coconut shells to tourists.

And that’s where he stayed, until Harry Potter did the deed. With the threat of Voldemort finally out of the way, William returned home, only to realize that his shop had been sold, and all his things given away. He rented a small flat in the outskirts of Muggle London, and took up a job at the Museum of Wizarding Art. Though not what he was used to, Willie took pride in his work.

Art was history. Perhaps not through written words, but neither were memories, and weren’t they the best histories of all?

And that’s where he remained, for the next ten years.

Now, with his life fulfilled, Willie has a passion for returning to teaching. He wants a chance to give back the information he’s gathered over his long life, and with the spot of History of Magic Professor open at Hogwarts, Willie thinks he’s finally found his chance.

Job Description: As History of Magic Professor, William’s primary duty is to provide quality classroom instruction to all students. He plans to achieve this through upbeat and unique lecturing, educational and exciting field trips, and passionate practical instruction. It’s also his duty to handle student relations, handing out both merit and demerit where necessary. 

What expertise makes your character qualified for their position?: Professor Smythe’s entire life qualifies him for the position. From working in the Ministry library, to travelling the globe, to owning his own tutoring company, to working at the National Museum of Wizarding Art – William has both preserved history and created his own.    

RP Sample including dialogue, reactions and descriptions of surroundings: (Only new Members are required to post a sample. IF you already have an accepted character and have RPed with them, you do not need to provide a sample.)   

Provide a short summary of your character: Willie Smythe is a kind and loving man. With a smile always upon his lips and a laugh at the ready, the elderly wizard is always happy with life and has no regrets. His passion for knowledge is only paled by his passion for sharing that knowledge and he will pursue that passion no matter the cost.