Physical Description:
Sylvain Onuris looks younger than he is - with a boyish face and thin pink lips that don't quite smile all the way. His somewhat alarming bug-eyes are a stormy grey and rarely settle on looking at one thing for very long.

He carries himself with a peaceful, indifferent air: unconscious of mannerisms and usually focused only on what he has in mind. There is always the sense that he is not saying everything he is thinking but this tends to come across as social awkwardness more than anything else.

At 5'11 and of slender build, Sylvain is hardly what is expected from a former beast handler - but he is physically resilient and moves with confidence when necessary. In a good mood, he will greet complete strangers with effete kisses, though he generally does not like to be touched without invitation. He is careful not to touch women if they do not seem open to it.

Sylvain's dark brown curls are worn very short and he dresses in neat and old country clothes; shirts worn thin, slim fitting but patched up denims. His shoes are almost always muddy and he smells of fresh dirt, eucalyptus oil. Corduroy shirts are his go-to if he must dress up - untucked and with a dab of Oud on the cuffs. His hands are rough with blisters.

Personality  Description:
Sylvain has suffered from a social anxiety disorder since he was a young boy at Beauxbatons, after receiving news of his mother's death. While at the time this meant he would sporadically suffer panic attacks (often in the form of tantrums or being sick), he has since learned to cope with nervous or excitable moments through various personal mechanisms. Knuckle cracking. Recitation of facts. Comfort zones.

Most people will find that Sylvain is awkward but well-meaning on first impression. He goes through the motions of eye contact and affable gestures, even if day-to-day interactions don't involve these. Confidence in his work and intelligence carries him through; if anything, gives him a charming sort of shyness with a glimmer of intellectual humour.

Like most people, Drunk!Sylvain is very much more open to letting inhibitions slip. As is High!Sylvain or Sleepy!Sylvain.

While he would never call himself an addict, the wizard is practically hooked on mild substances. Coffee, cigarettes, kelp - he cycles through them in phases to convince himself it is purposeful dependency. He refuses to drink hard liquor alone (alcoholism runs deep on his father's side) and is a notoriously good card player.

Sylvain is at his most comfortable around beasts. The more dangerous, the better. He has a natural tendency for them and animals like him instantly, as he often has a calming effect on them. If you know him well enough, he has the same effect on people. He

History:
Born out of wedlock to a British Healer witch and a French-Egyptian wizard in Cairo, 1978. The year before the famed peace treaty with Israel. Ruth and Nassor Onuris were married after the fact, when they migrated from Egypt to a small farmhouse in Provence, France.

Sylvain's father had grown up in Provence as the eldest of a large family of second generation immigrants before he became a translator from the French Ministry and began working between both countries. His decision to permanently move back to his childhood home was spurned largely by the desire to build his own little family in that same, nostalgic ambiance. He arrived at the rundown cottage in the spring of 1980, with his wife and son and two dusty suitcases full of either clothes or books.

CHILDHOOD (1980 - 1989)

Few lived near the farmhouse, which was located close to a  Garrigue and a neighbouring wizarding village where Sylvain's mother traded what little Lavender oil their sparse land could produce. Nassor still travelled and translated for the Ministry, was only home for a month at a time - when he was, he would frequently take them to Paris for a long weekend.

Sylvain had a scenic childhood and he practically worshipped his mother. They had many pets and animals around, mornings began with him rousing his little army before trailing after Ruth to do chores. He worked hard but spent many long afternoons in the woodlands, reading and talking to creatures. The village children liked him. Nassor's tutoring benefitted with impeccable, metropolitan French and fluent schoolboy English. He hated his Arabic lessons and would often earn himself a good slap for lingering in the countryside to avoid them, though he speaks it well colloquially today.

BEAUXBATONS ACADEMY OF MAGIC (1989 - 1996)

Academies are not built for children like Sylvain. He had not been expecting the glamour and the magnificence: in a way, it didn't impress him for lack of attaching importance to such things. But he liked it. He liked the excitement and the sheer volume of information suddenly available to him, things hardly thought of before now brought to the forefront of a new lifestyle.

The focus on fine magics hindered him to begin with - it was clear he wanted to deal with creatures from the start - but Sylvain discovered a surprising thing in his first years at school. He discovered that he was irregularly bright.

Poetry, literature, dance, music. These things came naturally to him in youth and his mother was delighted to have him come home for holidays to share this throve of knowledge.

Upon sitting exams for collège, Sylvain began to specialise in magical creatures. In his fifth year however, he received news while at school of his mother's death - she had caught a sudden illness and attempted to treat herself for it, being a Healer, instead of seeking outside help. Sylvain had read this news in a letter from his father that enclosed her wand. He uses it to this day.

Losing Ruth was the equivalent of losing his anchor in life. Sylvain withdrew from social activities in the months to follow; he would throw tantrums if forced to participate in highly socialised activities. This involved hyperventilation, sweating, sitting on flat surfaces and either screaming or speaking to himself. It was extremely unbecoming of a Beauxbatons student and letters of reprimand were sent to Nassor.

Sylvain would eventually learn to cope. That was the nice thing about Beauxbatons and its etiquette: they were only rules after all, and any idiot can follow rules. Can stand up in the Dining Hall when the Headmistress entered. Can bow or remember his pleases and thank you's. Almost therapeutic, really.

TRAINING AND WORK (1996 - 2003)

Learning to handle beasts is probably his most irritating memory. Sylvain did not get along with his peers to begin with - he went straight to train at the French Ministry of magic but found that most trainees were meant to undergo a series of theoretical work before they were given more hours in the field. He aced his paperwork effortlessly. Not everyone found this admirable, and Sylvain often escaped to the farmhouse in Provence to turn a professional eye to the wildlife there.

It was only in his 20s that he could really shine as a handler. He began with dragons and sea serpents, and was the first of his group to attempt interacting with Thestrals without actually being able to see them (until he turned 21 when he witnessed his first death-by-Hungarian-Horntail on a visit to east Europe). Even those who did not like him gave him credit for this; not quite reckless in nature, he was instead eager. And kind.

Kindness is one of those things animals can see but people cannot.

Sylvain travelled a bit during this time but his favourite spot to be assigned duty was the French Alps. He would go weeks here, the only wizard in a rustic old cabin, tracing Graphorn movements and greeting Magizoologist visitors from across the globe.

Approaching 25, he received word of a new Sanctuary in the Rockies that were seeking skilled handlers to help set the perimeters of their project, and handed in his notice to the Ministry. He met briefly with Nassor before leaving for the United States.


ADULTHOOD (2003 - 2012)

Sylvain Onuris has been difficult to track in the last seven years. While he began these travels in Colorado, he did not stay long - his movements extended across America and Canada before crossing the ocean back to Egypt for a brief stint in 2004 that involved some of his best and worst experiences with Sphinxes.

In 2005, Sylvain offered his services as a freelance handler to the French Ministry so that he might retain a semi-permanent position specialising in Graphorns in the French Alps. It was here that he first made contact with visiting handlers from the German and British Ministries of Magic, who respectively commissioned Graphorn migratory reports from the wizard on a quarterly annual basis. The income from these sources allowed him to maintain a solitary living in the Alps. He befriended the likes of Balfour Spectre and Margo Amherst during this time.

During Christmas of 2010, a strange invitation arrived at his cabin from the French Ministry of Magic - it referenced his commendable lingual abilities, a recommendation from his father, and his friendly relations with British Ministry staff.

Sylvain obliged this invitation, only to anxiously find himself in a dimly lit, smokey room: a meeting attended by several Parisian political players. There had recently been reports of Direwolf attacks in the city - made moreso remarkable by the victims being significant members of the French Ministry. The birthplace of the Direwolf being in Great Britain, a request was made for Sylvain to accept an offer of permanent employed by the British Ministry while attempting to discover if these attacks have been satisfied by a British civil servant aligned with French criminals.

He was perfect for the position - not entirely related to the subject of Werewolves, multi-lingual, known for his sole focus on beasts, an awkward wizard who could get away with being taciturn.

This was all irrelevant to Sylvain. He had loyalties, of course, but found the notion improbable. It was only his pre-existing consideration of British employment and the opportunity to live in his mother's home city that swayed his decision. That and... well. The money was tempting. He knew people. Life was becoming rather dull in the Alps.

After a year of working on Level Four, with nothing to show in regards to Direwolrd conspiracies, Sylvain applied to work as Professor of Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts. He was also Keeper of the Grounds. He enjoyed the work and the peaceful solitude of living so close to the Forbidden Forest. However, after moving in with his long-term girlfriend Hannah Bombay, he dropped his position as Keeper of the Grounds to live away from Hogwarts.

Describe your job duties and how you go about them:
As the Professor of Care of Magical Creatures, he would hold and oversee lessons for all students who have elected the subject. Sylvain's lessons would take a practical bent most of the time but he will expect his students to have done their own research in preparation for each class. He is extremely severe when it comes to this because he prioritises the well being of both student and creature. His approach is that only one is capable of coming prepared.

To ensure reading is done, Sylvain assigns weekly essays or group projects. He is a good professor to assign Detention duty.

Elaborate on your expertise in your field:
Sylvain has been working with magical creatures since he graduation from Beauxbatons nearly 15 years ago. He has worked for the French Ministry of Magic, in the handling and preservation of their creatures. He has also worked with them to train young handlers, and has given talks/workshops at Beauxbatons Academy when they have invited him to do so as an alumni. Sylvain possesses all the necessary official qualifications to handle dangerous animals. He is considered a very cautious handler and would never knowingly put himself (or his students) in any great danger.

Sum up your character in one paragraph:
Sylvain Onuris is a somewhat awkward Frenchman, with a calm manner and gentle ways. He teaches Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts and draws from his wealth of experience as a former Beast Handler. His life is quite a content one; if ever a student or friend is in need of a sympathetic ear or quiet company, he is the wizard for that. Sylvain lives in a cottage just outside Hogsmeade with his Unspeakable girlfriend, Hannah Bombay.

The Last Five Years...

Character History 2013 - 2017:
Not much has changed over the years for Sylvain, though he has become more confident as a teacher and fond of his pupils. His awkwardness has evened out into something more sociable, though still gentle and direct.

Living with his long-term girlfriend, Hannah Bombay, neccessitated a change of environment. Sylvain dropped his residence and role as Keeper of the Keys & Grounds in order to move into a lovely cottage outside of Hogsmeade. The move was his idea, though he'd been reluctant to give up the outdoorsy comforts of his huts at Hogwarts. However, the cottage quickly became home. Along with him came his dog Marcel and a few new creatures, including a goat that tries its utmost to ruin gardening efforts.

Sylvain continues to be a presence in the life of his friend's son, Feliks Spectre, sometimes staying late at school to spend time with him.