Your Nickname: Leopold
Have you read and do you agree to the Code of Conduct?: Yes
Are you over thirteen? Yes
How did you find us and decide to write with us? Friend
If you have written other characters here: Yes
If Yes, list them all: Blossom Rose
Is this a Primary or Secondary Character?: Primary
Full Character Name: Leopold Sandusky Sr
Character Birthday & Age: November 5th 1926 (83 in 2009)
City & Country of Birth: Devil's Bridge, Wales
Blood Purity: Pureblood
Alma Mater: Hogwart's (Hufflepuff)
Job/Position: Transfigurations professor
Wand: student wand:
9" Ivy with pheonix feather, pliable and smooth
presentation cane/wand:
12" Ivory and gold, pheonix tears, rigid and smooth
Physical Description: Leopold is a cheerful old wizard with a snow white beard and brown eyes that crinkle when he smiles. He's had young Muggle children ask if he was Santa Claus, despite the fact that he lacks the girth of the man in the red suit.
He is not overtly tall, coming in somewhere between 5' 6" and 5' 8", depending in his footwear.
He frequently wears a floppy black hat of Elizabethan vintage and carries an ivory and gold cane with a wand concealed inside it. He still tends towards wearing at least some yellow. After all, it was his uniform for seven years.
Personality Description: A lifelong student and civil servant, Leopold has very little experience in the real world. He has almost no knowledge of Muggles, finding them a curious and incomprehensible lot. He is uncomfortable around Muggle born wizards and witches, almost as if he were half expecting them to grow horns or explode. He is aware of the current Hogwart's position as a haven for the Muggle born and he will strive to uphold that status, despite his personal opinions.
He is a dedicated teacher, convinced that a quality education is the key to a grand future. He is willing to teach beyond his chosen subject if he feels the student has potential and needs that little bit extra encouragement. He speaks fluent Russian and German.
He has a pet White Faced Capuchin Monkey named "Howler" that he has trained to do small errands for him.
Likes: A hot cup of tea, with a shot of Wit Sharpening Potion and a shot of brandy, sitting by a warm fire, Dry socks. He admires Animagi, never having managed to master the skills needed to change shape himself. (His wife was one)
Dislikes: Drafts, Wet feet, People who sneeze, Runes and Arithmancy
History:Leopold's father immigrated from Russia to Wales as a child, late in the 19th century. His only son was his pride and joy and he was delighted when Leopold was accepted into Hogwart's. He made certain that the boy understood the value of an education.
Leopold made a name for himself as an enthusiastic and determined student in Hufflepuff. He was an avid, although average Quidditch beater, never making the house team but always supporting them.
After graduation, he spent a year in the magical defense force, fighting in the last few battles of the second world war and assisting in making sure that the Allies were kept well supplied with the basic necessities of combat. Running a spell fueled production line gave him ample opportunity to practice his transfigurations, a form of magic his wand was particularly suited to. There were no chances for him to become a hero or make much of a name for himself, so when the war ended, he, like so many others, went on to other things. He got a job with the Hogwarts School Governors, first as a messenger and errand by and then as time passed, more important tasks. He married Lillian Westminster (now deceased) four years later in 1950 , and in 1960 they had Leopold Sandusky Jr (now 58 and trying to open his own private school).
He weathered the first rising of Voldemorte relatively well, not being anyone of consequence and therefore not being any kind of a target. He rendered what aid he could, using a growing knack for transfigurations to best advantage. His background and education made him a perfect candidate to replace a retiring wiaard as substitute transfigurations professor under headmaster Albus Dumbledore, a man he admired and grew to be friends with. He held the position for three years until 1956, when a more suitable instructor was found. He returned to the board of Governors with a greater understanding of the school, it's goals, it's needs and it's failings. He also discovered that he loved teaching.
He was more of a target with Voldemorte's second rising; he frequently clashed with Lucius Malfoy over Hogwart's in general and Dumbledore in particular and was a vocal supporter of Harry Potter. He survived two attempts on his life and proved that he had not lost the skills he'd learned during the war. He was saddened to learn of Dumbledore's death but he was crushed to see what happened to Hogwart's. He resigned from the Council in a rage and took a more active role in the fight against the Death Eaters. He returned to assist in the rebuilding of the school after Voldemorte's death, the retired, choosing to leave the governance of Hogwart's to younger men. He was presented with his ivory cane as a parting gift and it is one of his most prized possessions.
After his wife's death two years ago, he found himself without direction. After a short period of wallowing, he pulled himself up by his bootstraps and returned to something he loved, teaching. Now he has achieved a prize not even his demanding father could have expected or asked for. Leopold Sandusky Sr had managed to secure a teaching position at Hogwart's.
Describe your job duties and how you go about them: Transfiguration Professor:
Leopold understands that magic comes easier to some than to others and the wand they use has a major affect on their ability. He offers additional encouragement to those who need a little extra help to get over the hurdles they face, while trying not to neglect those who have an easier time. He likes to take the time to talk to each of his students outside of the classroom on a more one to one basis. He is a firm believer in the thought that practice makes perfect and still remembers how to produce an amazing quantity of material from his time in the armed forces production lines.
Head Of Hufflepuff:
Leopold extends his teaching technique when dealing with Hufflepuffs. He has some difficulty relating to Muggleborn and Half-bloods but he does his best not to exclude them. Old habits are hard to break.
Elaborate on your expertise in your field: Hogwart's Graduate (Class of 1944)
Hufflepuff prefect 1942 & 1943
Runner up for head boy
50 years experience with Hogwart's Board of Governors
3 Years as substitute transfigurations professor, before Minerva McGonagall was hired to replace him.
Writing Sample: Leopold looked at the young girl seated in the chair across his desk. He desperately wanted to add a second dash of brandy to his tea but realized that it wouldn't look good.
"So, Miss... er... Lewis," he began. "Neither of your parents had any knowledge of of the magical world before you started having you, what did they call them? Events?"
"Episodes," the girl replied, not looking at him. "They called them episodes."
"I will have you know they were no such thing," Leopold said, trying to figure out the best way to explain. "Magic is like light. You can put a cover on it but it will find a crack and come out, one way or another. What your parents called episodes was the magic coming out because it had to, just like the light has to come out of the cover."
"Really?" the girl asked, looking up with tear streaked cheeks.
"Really," Leopold answered. "You didn't do anything wrong. You were just the cover and the magic was the light. It had to shine, just like you will shine, Miss Lewis."
Sum up your character in one paragraph: Leopold Sandusky Sr is an experienced wizard. He has experienced triumphs and tragedies. He is a father, a widower and Pureblood, although none of those things truly define him. If asked what the best day of his life was, he's waffle between his wedding day and his son's birth. By far his worst day was the day his wife died, a day that still fills his eyes with tears when he thinks of it, even after two years.
Leopold Sandusky Sr: Transfiguration Professor, Head of Hufflepuff House