Accepted! -- Sparky

Your Nickname: Will (evilpizza)
Have you read and do you agree to the Code of Conduct?: Yes
How did you find us and decide to write with us? Been here a bit
If you have written other characters here: Yes
If Yes, list them all: Primary: Heliotrope LeJean, Obderedria Pienas, Philo Falkin, Casey O'Doherty, Sissel Jowd, Anadotti Squiggs

TWT: Mace Steinbeck

Secondary: Dingy the House Elf

TWT slot 2 of 2
Is this a Primary or Secondary Character?: Primary

Full Character Name: Gerard Gries
Character Birthday & Age: June 17th 1954 (55)
City & Country of Birth: Spa, Belgium
Blood Purity: Halfblood
Alma Mater: Beauxbatons
Job/Position: Academic Advisor

Wand: A rare combination of Maple and Ashwinder Ash, a foot and a half inch long. The wand is smooth, supple and very plain looking. It wouldn't appear to be a great wand before you held it. It demonstrates the calmness of Gerard's personality and the fine-tuning of his spells.


Physical Description: Gerard appears to be a tall, imposing man but is generally soft under this exterior. He has a tough build, aging well with close cut deep dark brown hair that has yet to grey. There are minute wrinkles around his grey blue eyes and forehead. There are signs that he once spent a great effort maintaining his looks but he has lost the heart to do so. At times Gerard appears unshaven but he never lets it grow beyond stubble. He maintains his health and has arguably aged well but he looks like a defeated man.

Gerard dresses professionally but casually, forgoing ties or cufflinks, sticking to mainly the shirt and suit jacket or dress robes. As of late his clothes have an unkempt appearance, getting to pressing or mending a few times a month. When proper image is needed he spruces up quickly.

His voice has a dour gravel-like quality but with conviction and subtle command. As an orator his voice is easy to listen to, he could narrate events on the wireless if he wished. Gerard is bilingual in French and English, plus the odd phrase from other world languages during his travels.


Personality Description: Gerard is a man who has had much of his personality flipped. He was and in some ways still is a passionate researcher and lover of family. Now he is tranquil, reserved but generous with his time and abilities. He is a man who has lost much but rose out of that depression, although it has been years since he was truly joyous.

In a world of magical chaos and eccentrics Gerard is opposite, very professional with a set standard of ethics. He is troubled by the slightly archaic views of the wizarding world, where a Cheering Charm is prescribed for any sadness and a standard Oblivate is enough when dealing with a breech of secrecy in front of a muggle. However he realizes he can’t do much to change the wizarding norms, finding it difficult to get his theories across. Gerard hopes that leading by example, with in-depth and precise application of magic, he would be able to impress his techniques once others realize they achieve results. He has amazing control with his wand, pinpointing spells to certain location and duration.

Gerard’s major interest is people. He listens and listens and listens, never finding conversation with others a bore. He devotes time to hearing their experiences and perspectives, offering advice, assisting with their work. Such devotion to the well being of others is at the expense of his own, placing his needs in lower regard. He fears the times when his mind has nothing to work on where he reflects on his own past. Many of these memories are shunted off with Occlumency barriers although he feels guilty when he does this.

Gerard is best defined as bittersweet. He’s a very compassionate person but seems drained, his vigor only returning during his most dedicated causes. His humor has been dried and shriveled, somewhat dark. Still, some things never strip away. Gerard is a gentleman and is polite as he is moral. He is humble about his expertise. He has an air of leadership about him but this rises only in areas where he is the expert. He does not feel that he could lead others; instead he becomes an advisor or the number two in any hierarchies he has been on. His work ethic is astounding, as is the speed at which he completes tasks at the office.

Gerard knows it is key to keep physical and metal health in balance. To relax he often exercises or listens to music in solitude, meditating. Otherwise he owns few material possessions. A good analogy is that he lives like a monk.

Perhaps to make up for what he has lost, Gerard is a powerful protector and staunch defender. If you are his friend he is supportive until the very end. Although he rarely spars anymore he is quick minded with his fists when it comes to danger, although Gerard prefers passive resistance to violence. For his morals Gerard is never self-righteous, matching extreme with extreme only when there is no other hope.


History: Gerard is the eldest son of Hercule and Lenore Gries, a magical couple native to Belgium. He and his younger brother (by three years) Henri had an idyllic childhood, exploring the Ardennes Mountains or family visits to the hot springs of the local municipality of Spa.

Lenore was half-blood, and her father and brother were the noted psychologists Dr. Jean-Luc Giraud and Dr. Suchet Giraud, respectively. Jean-Luc lived with the knowledge of his daughter being a witch without much fluster but found it imperative to tutor Gerard and Henri during their early years into all that “man” (meaning muggle) had discovered, especially on the workings of the mind. Gerard was particularly taken with education about how the human mind worked, influencing his observation of magic.

Gerard began schooling at Beauxbatons Academy of Magic in the fall of ’65. He was an excellent student, attacking magic with keen observational and scientific methods instilled by his grandfather; experimentation, analysis and proper documentation. His brother Henri joined Beauxbatons as well. While he did not have Gerard’s intellect, Henri was very creative when applying magic and reasonably as good a student as his elder brother. Gerard had his standard education and aptitude exams in his fourth year. From his results it was suggested he would make an excellent researcher or inventor, further pushing the known boundaries of magic. Starting in his seventh year Gerard began study on Legillimency and Occlumency, the wizard’s power over the mind. During summers and after school he poured through publications made by his grandfather, uncle and their colleagues. Also when home amongst the muggles he took up the sport of boxing along with Henri. His brother was a more powerful and aggressive boxer, whereas Gerard mainly engaged in the activity for exercise and discipline. Upon Gerard’s graduation in ‘72 he had tremendous prospects for assisting the French Ministry of Magic.

In 1974 France hosted the Quidditch World Cup, collimating in the final match of national teams from Belgium and Wales. Gerard and his family attended as a matter of national support. It was chance seating that landed Gerard next to Dorothy Mills, an English spectator and a recent Hogwarts graduate. Gerard and Dorothy spent a lot of time discussing their futures after the match and Gerard invited her to spend the rest of her summer holiday in Belgium. During the next year Gerard made many visits to her home in Devon, England.

By 1977 Gerard and Dorothy were married with both families in attendance. Their honeymoon had them touring through French speaking countries and the United Kingdom. Eventually they settled into their careers in Belgium. Gerard was a researcher for the French MoM and Dorothy became a foreign correspondent for the Daily Prophet. History, unfortunately, left the Gries at the bitter hands of fate several times. With her communication channel to England Dorothy had constant updates in regards to Voldemort’s rise to power. She wanted to return home to be with family after the death of her brother by the hands of Death Eaters. Gerard could not join her and feared for her safety. The defeat of Voldemort by the infant Harry Potter should have been a blessing, ensuring that Dorothy and her family were safe, but Gerard had misfortune with his own family around that time. His grandfather and uncle, men he had always respected, died in a boating accident at a psychology convention in Cannes. Dorothy, upon her return to Belgium, was at a loss for the rift that had formed during her absence, unable to relate to why Gerard so cared for his muggle relatives that were far away from danger.

It was hard for Gerard and Dorothy to start a family, given his long hours at work and a slight rift that had formed between them from the aftermath of Voldemort’s rise to power. Eventually the couple had a daughter, Gwendolyn, born May 22 1986. Gwendolyn allowed Gerard and Dorothy to come closer again. Dorothy because of her writing was able to remain home and care for Gwen. She was a bubbly, doll-like girl that carried herself like a proper lady and had a great curiosity for the things of the world, much like her parents.

In the late 80’s Gerard had more tragedies added to his burden. His father Hercule, never one to regularly visit healers, died of heart failure and his mother Lenore followed him during the same night from despair. Henri, who lived close to their parents, failed to inform Gerard immediately. By the time Gerard made it to his parent’s estate both were gone; he was unable to say goodbye. The argument with Henri eventually came to blows, physical punches from their boxing days. The fallout between the brothers lingers to this day. They haven’t spoken and their immediate families divided. Although he knew of the dangers, Gerard began to take alcohol in excess to suppress his sorrows.

The years following a confusing TriWizard Tournament that Gerard’s alma mater attended escalated the gloom and fear of the unknown around Gerard, Dorothy and Gwendolyn. Dorothy received conflicting reports of whether or not Voldemort had really returned. Once again she returned to her mother country to protect her family. A point of contention was what to do with Gwen. Gerard could not get time out of work to be there for his daughter and there was no remaining family in Belgium on good enough terms to watch Gwen. Against his protests Dorothy took Gwen with her to the growing terror in England. Gerard was left to stew in bitter memories when not engrossed in his research.

Voldemort's takeover of the British Ministry of Magic came and went. With little word from his wife or contacts with the UK and a shift in the policies of the foreign power, Gerard feared the worst. He appealed to the French Ministry to do something but they were reluctant to do anything with regards to Great Britain. Gerard quit his job and traveled to the UK with his own wits to track down his family. He didn't think his family would be singled out for an attack from the Death Eaters. His own blood strengthened Gwen's status and Dorothy was also a half blood although she had a muggleborn cousin. Several leads going nowhere, Gerard at last tried locations where Dorothy's extended family lived. He reached the house in time to find a small group of Death Eaters finishing their attack. He fought back but was rendered unconscious, the DEs leaving him without ensuring his death because they were in a rush. When Gerard came to he searched the ruined house, finding the bodies of his wife, daughter, and Dorothy's muggleborn cousin. His heart was ripped out with sorrow. After leaving their bodies in graves on the site, Gerard left the wizarding world behind him as he felt there was nothing more for him there. He drifted the world avoiding England and Belgium. He lost himself through central Europe, then Africa, India, Australia, South America, the US then Canada. He became a heavy drinker.

An intervention in a drifter’s hovel in Quebec brought Gerard back to his senses. It was the simple words of a speaker at a former alcoholics meeting that reminded Gerard that his knowledge of the human psyche magical and mundane, over the course of his depression a reminder of his failings, could be used to help people. He still had a gaping hole from the loss of his family and that he had not spoken to his brother for years but the prospect of using his knowledge to help others rejuvenated his spirits.

Gerard sobered up and reestablished himself in magical Europe. Forgoing any government connections, as his relationship with the French Ministry was still sore from walking out on his job, he applied to work at Beauxbatons in 2001. His former school was glad to have him back in a serving capacity. Gerard committed himself to helping people with his skills, guiding the next generations to achieve their potentials.


Describe your job duties and how you go about them: Gerard's Academic Advisor role at Beauxbatons is that of support staff. He oversees the scoring of the admittance, academic placement and graduating exams to track the students progress. He heavily invests in private meetings with each of the students to discuss their goals relating to school and career. Officially, a minimum of one such meeting is needed during the school year however during transitional periods (going from the collège to the lycée, after standard exams before graduation) or if the student starts to decline in his or her grades, more meetings may be needed. Gerard welcomes any student that seek out talking about their academics on their own, always keeping his office available for questions or concerns, or if the student simply needs someone to talk to.

Gerard processes a lot of paperwork with magically streamlined methods and also assists the other professors with their paperwork or exams. He is devoted to the school and will assist with whatever is asked of him, provided he believes he can be of service.

Beyond his official duties, Gerard does some minor instruction of his own. Many times he has headed study sessions and revisions before exams. He teaches a short seminar on Legilimency and Occlumency for the most academically sound pre-graduates. Also, for those interested in physical self defense he coaches a small boxing club with traditional gentlemen's rules. When instructing these potentially violate subjects, Gerard is very ethical and instills respect, discipline and moral guidelines to prevent the abuse of Legilimency or boxing.

This compassion for students triples as he joins the Beauxbatons TWT delegation. It is intent to be there to support any student or staff member regardless of origin.

Elaborate on your expertise in your field: Gerard Gries was a researcher for the French Ministry of Magic for many years, equivalent to the British Department of Mysteries. Gerard's specialized expertise is highly unusual in the magical community, the effects of magic on the mind. He studied the effects of spells or potions that alter mood, memory and other mental processes. His many papers that have made their way through wizarding journals meticulously analyzed subjects including: how Legilimens and Occlumens train their minds; how Animagi balance human intelligence and animal instincts; how Penseives can store memories or engage the subconscious on reviewal; postulations on the rarity of True Seers and what dreams or visions may suggest.

At times past and present Gerard has consulted with regional magical clinics throughout Europe in cases of severe brain befuddlement, obtuse obliviations or other magic induced accidents. He follows a moral code very similar to a healer but does not practice professionally. Rarely, he has consulted with the French government as a Legilimens when dealing with criminals or threats although he considers this an invasion of the suspect's privacy.

The extent of Gerard's former work makes him relatively overqualified for his work as an Academic Advisor. He is very good at analyzing people to help them with their strengths and weaknesses. Most prominent in his work is a highly organized and methodical process. Outside of the occasional hospital consultation or assistance with the School Nurse, little of Gerard's former body of research is ever utilized.

Gerard is an accomplished Legilimens/Occlumens from his years of research but has tight ethics on how it is used.  He does not use Legilimency on another person unless he has their consent and is adverse to circumstances where an authority circumvents his ethics, such as government requests when dealing with criminals. When Gerard does engage in Legilimency it is usually to help the other recall a lost memory or make sense of a disturbing vision. Gerard's use of Occlumency is most prevalent, putting aside sore memories or other distractions when his mind is on business.

Writing Sample: -

Sum up your character in one paragraph: Gerard Gries was an accomplished researcher but now devotes his time into bettering the potentials of others. He is collected and level headed, a steady rock in the sea for times of turmoil. He serves rather than worry about himself, as he considers himself greatly based on the family he has lost.

Character Name: Gerard Gries
Age: 55
Please provide a link to their Application: http://absitomen.com/index.php?topic=9291.0
Do any of your other Characters have Special Abilities?: Yes
If Yes, then Please provide their name and a link to their bio: Anadotti Squiggs, Animagus (Flying Squirrel)
 
Special Ability: Legillimency/Occlumency
What level is this ability at?: Master
At what age did your character gain this ability?: 17

How did they learn or hone this ability?:

Gerard first began training with Legillimency and Occlumency during his last year of school at Beauxbatons. His skill was further increased during years as a researcher into the Mind for the French Ministry, at one point writing an in depth dissertation into the psychic skill and the powers of Belief and Truth.

Describe how the Special Ability influences their life.  What do they use it for?:

Despite his mastery of the subject Gerard is adverse to use it frequently. He never enters the mind of another without their consent, except for occasions where he is ordered to do so by an authority and must reluctantly comply. If he is to use Legillimency, he wishes the subject to be better off for it. To friends and colleagues he has aided them to find lost memories, get past mental blocks or reorganize their mind after a scrambling, for example.

Occlumency is used to keep his mind in balance. When Gerard focuses on work he tends to shut off or repress certain distractions. However, one cannot suppress them forever, so on seldom occurrences where he is alone and secure he lets the bittersweet thoughts and emotions rise to the surface.

Write a description of what happens when your character is exhibiting this Special Ability:

When engaged with a Legillimency session with another, Gerard strives to make sure that he or she is calm and relaxed during it, for the sake of their mind as well as his own. In cool almost hypnotic tones he guides the subject's mind through recollection with question and reinforcement, usually have much research done before he ever probes their mind. To this end he dislikes interruptions or a sense of urgency to Legillimency sessions. If he is too forceful or pulls out too quickly he fears he will leave the subject with damage.

For Occlumency it is seemingly always on, as Gerard creates certain frameworks of thinking in his mind depending on the activity. It would be very hard indeed to probe Gerard's mind. Only a complete stack of mitigating factors (fatigue, illness, drink, surprise etc) would allow another to slip past his defenses.

Career Change

Character Name: Gerard Gries
Character Biography: link
Previous Job/Position: Beauxbatons Academic Advisor
Position Applying For: Knareswick, Sorcerer of Mind Magic[1]

Why have you chosen to change careers?:
Gerard was part of the Beauxbatons delegation during the Tetra-Wizard Tournament at Hogwarts from 2009 to 2010. His was but a small part of the grand summit of the four schools and the competition of its students. Besides his Mind seminar, he did what he could to support the Beauxbatons students. He was quite proud of how the Fontaine sisters (Élodie & Cécile) had tackled the BEAUTY challenge during the 2nd Task, and that his mentee Corey Gaubert rose as a top competitor for Beauxbatons in 3 of the 4 Tasks.

Yet there was much massaging of egos when the delegation returned home. It kept Gerard occupied, yet having lived a year at his wife Dorothy's alma mater proved to be healthy for the Advisor. It had been the first time he had returned to the UK in nearly a decade since the passing of his wife & daughter. The yearning to properly confront his past led to more frequent trips back to Ireland and Britain.

Gerard took it as a sign of change. The advisors below him were just as dutiful, so he had no difficulty recommending a replacement once he resigned in 2014. His journey did not point towards Knareswick at the time, as it was just a year since its founding. For the past few years before his resignation he had been looking to revitalize his MD in Psychiatry, as he had abandoned his practice during the second rise of Voldemort.

Elaborate on your expertise in this new field:
It could be said Gerard Gries was heavily overqualified for his job at Beauxbatons, when he started with the advisory staff in 2001. Before he lost his family during the 2nd Voldemort War, he had spent much of the late - 70s and 80s following his graduation studying the Mind as a researcher for the French Ministry of Magic. His disposition towards Mental Magic was grounded by a strong understanding of muggle psychology and neuroscience. The men on his mother Lenore's side of the family were noted researchers in these fields, the Giraud's, including one who attended the Catholic University of Leuven. Soon after his graduation in 1972, Gerard chose this university for his muggle education into his Master’s in Psychology & Psychiatry over the course of 8 years.

His French Ministry work was also filled with consultations at various clinics to assist patients whose minds were negatively impacted by magic. Gerard’s cover posting for the French Ministry was at the Sainte-Anne Hospital Center in Paris during the 80s, where he also completed his residency. It was mainly a position to keep watch for magical flareups coming through the hospital but he had a few fully non-magical patients as well. Albeit with further work after hours into the Mind for the French Ministry, equivalent to the British Unspeakable.

Gerard would keep various journals involving his casework, including consultations at various magical or not clinics. He also published various findings and contributed to other academic literature, such as An Appraisal of Magical Education in Europe (mentioned here).

On top of that, he is a Master Legilimens & Occlumens, beginning his studies in his last year at Beauxbatons. It’s a wonder he still had time to vacation to the UK and his wife, Dorothy Mills’, home country of Ireland after they met during the 1974 Quidditch World Cup. But his penchant for overworking himself was likely a factor as to why it took them so long to have a child.

After his resignation as Academic Advisor, Gerard was initially drawn towards healing mental afflictions as a return to the career he had with the French Ministry, although this time outside of a government institution. Short of his seminars at Beauxbatons or the Tetra-Wizard Tournament, he never did as much teaching as other professors. But he has mentored countless students as an Academic Advisor, taking the time to listen to their interests and offer gentle guidance towards careers benefiting their personalities and skills.

So it was a refreshing surprise as Gerard was looking to get re-certified when he took an invitation to one of Yavin Morgenthau's Annual Mind Symposia. Gerard was aware of the work his American contemporary had also done into the Mind, so they were friendly enough during sparse meetings. Once Gerard had brought himself back from the brink in the 2000s, he found delight in Morgenthau's less noted book When Walls Fail Your Dreamscape (1999). Yet it was the venue, Knareswick Phrontistery, that intrigued Gerard. It was very new as higher academia for wix-kind, although it was pulled from the cloth of teaching models he was familiar with from the Catholic University of Leuven, Sainte-Anne’s and Beauxbatons, with the centuries of history between them.

Finding that the Phronistery had no permanent Mind magic educator, Gerard changed course for his certification and settling to be closer to the fledgling institution. Also to be closer to his wife’s roots. He spent quite some time working his papers in both the magical and non-governments and regulatory boards.

In short, what makes Gerard a better educator than he initially considered for himself is the amount of mentoring he has done. Be it a student, apprentice, or a passerby he sees facing difficulty, he truly wishes to help them succeed.

Describe your new job and how you go about doing it:
Monsieur Gries takes to a semi-peripatetic model, as he will occasionally take sabbatical to assist in medical-therapy matters and complete his own degrees. As of 2018 it has been some months since he has completed residency at the Holywell Hospital of Antrim County, Northern Ireland (founded 1899). He has further connections with the muggle College of Psychiatrists of Ireland. Alongside completing his certification as a licensed psychiatrist, he is also in the last 1-2 years of completing a PhD in Psychology at Trinity College Dublin.

The scope of his instruction is at times both broad and narrow. He is open to teaching the basics of Occlumency and Legilimency to those that are interested, even others' apprentices; yet he spends quite a bit of time feeling out the ethics of the apprentices he takes on. Gerard has high ethics over his use of Legilimency. He prefers to have the subject's consent, or that they would be better off for it if somehow incapacitated.

Yet if anyone considers him soft, there is a hard edge to Gerard more commonly seen than his time at Beauxbatons. He hasn't divulged much about his past but he held his own against the Death Eaters involved with his family's death before he was incapacitated. While he will first appeal to pacifism, he knows how to defend himself.

Beyond the tinge of muggle neuroscience/psychology to his lessons, he also covers a diverse array of mind related magical topics including specialty spells, potions, hypnotism and mentalism techniques. His background in academia administration could also be of use as the Phrontistery navigates politics as a newer school.

1.	Thanks to Nuri for the suggestion of placing Gerard at Knareswick Phrontistery, given Yavin’s Mind Symposiums being hosted there as Knareswick was being developed with Niobe.