Accepted! -- Sparky

Your Nickname: Topi
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? Topsites
If you have written other characters here: No
If Yes, list them all:
Is this a Primary or Secondary Character?: Primary

Full Character Name: Topias Viljami Jonathan Heikkinen
Character Birthday & Age: 6th January 1999, Age 11
City & Country of Birth: Maidstone, Kent, England
Pureblood, Halfblood or Muggleborn: Halfblood
House & Year: Ravenclaw, First Year

Wand: Maple and dragon heartstring, 11 and 3/4 inches, reasonably pliant.

Topi's wand was made from english field maple and a heartstring from a swedish short snout dragon.

His wand is straight, smooth and a light fawn in colour. It has an elegantly twirled handle and is slightly longer than average.

Physical Description: At 4 feet 3, Topi stands shorter than most of his peers. Although he wouldn't admit it, his lack of height bothers him quite a bit. He has been waiting for his anticipated growth spurt for over two years. He is not the most patient eleven year old and has been known, on several occasions, to have attempted to alter his height magically. He ended up with a headache. Apart from this, Topi likes his general appearance. He has tight, bronze-coloured curls cut short, with flecks of gold hinting his Scandinavian heritage. Also, piercing blue eyes and pale, unblemished skin. His nose is chiselled and he has straight teeth and unbitten nails. He has a slight build, weighing not much more than 4 stone 12.

With parents from a mix of heritages, Topi generally wears a mishmash of Finnish and English clothing as well as a mix of wizard robes and muggle attire. He is comfortable in all of these. Despite his mixed heritage, Topi doesn't look overly foreign. You couldn't say from first glance that he was half Scandinavian and he doesn't obviously stand out in a crowd.

Coming from a family on the right side of being financially sufficient, Topi's clothes display his wealth and surprisingly, his own priority of practicality over appearance. As well as being considerably well-off, Topi's family are firm believers in manners and good presentation. Because of this, Topi generally has good posture and is neat-looking. He walks quite fast, in his nature to not want to be late for anything and his voice is an odd jumble of accents, but he is well-spoken. He speaks quite slowly and picks his words cautiously. He knows how powerful they can be.

Personality Description: In contrast to both his father's temper and his mother's overly laid back attitude, Topi acts as a sort of happy medium between the two. He is Logical, Fair-minded, sensible and modest. He is an intelligent young man who is charming and polite. He thinks things through carefully and  meticulously, leading to him being consistent and reliable however it often means he can be finnicky and stubborn. Although not really a “people person”, Topi is reasonably sociable and his friends admire his optimism and honesty. Topi is pacifist and a strong athiest. He is ambitious. Probably over so, and works hard to give himself the best chance of succeeding.

Being the only grandson of two rich, sexist grandparents, Topi has been indulged and spoiled since birth. His “Mummo” and “Vaari” display obviously their preference for boys and this has sometimes made Topi selfish and impatient. He is also an inquisitive boy, edging on outright nosiness, which has sometimes landed him in trouble.

Home tutored since he was seven, Topi has a lot of free time. He loves reading, especially classics such as Robin Hood, The sword in the stone, The hobbit and Sherlock Holmes. His family estate is extensive and he spends a lot of his time playing cricket, tennis and athletics. He is also fortunate enough to have his own horse, and greatly enjoys riding him. Topi also takes pleasure in collecting. He collects marbles and has a great interest in models of trains too. He likes to play cards, chess, cops and robbers and also plays the piano and the cello.

Although not overly so, Topi is an introvert and prefers to keep to his own small group of friends. He is a strong believer in doing the right thing. Topi is eager to learn and is enthusiastic about topics that interest him, such as history and transfiguration. He is creative and prefers to get ideas out through writing, which comes quite naturally to him. Like most of the Heikkinens, he is attracted to power, and someday would like to work for the ministry. 

History: Topias Viljami Jonathan Heikkinen was born the first son to an upper-class, half wizarding, half muggle family in the small village of Wichling, Kent. It was a small, simple, friendly village. The atmosphere of a community was strong and the neighbours helped each other. His parents were pleased about his birth. Viljami had always wanted a son, and he was healthy and beautiful. He already had an older sister – Merja, who was three. Topi was raised strictly but lovingly. He was taught good morals and values, such as honesty, modesty and manners. He was an intelligent boy from a young age. Topi now also has a younger sister – Elsi, who is two years younger than himself.

His family were upper-class in terms of finances, but lived a relatively simple, quiet life. They ived in a farmhouse with animals and plenty of land. Topi's paternal grandparents lived in Worcestershire, not too far away for a Christmas visit, and his other grandparents resided in Hastings, East Sussex. He stayed with both sets of grandparents regularly, and was close with his cousin Arthur, in the school year above him.

His home life was happy. With their extensive estate at home in Kent, the family spent a lot of time in the outdoors, and Topi came to know the different plants, trees and animals of his area. He enjoyed exploring, and was entertained in his early years by re-enacting scenes from his favourite stories such as The sword in the stone and Robin Hood.

From an early age, Topi enjoyed stories and make-believe. He took great joy in listening to his sister , parents or grandparents telling them to him and enjoyed a mix of magical and muggle tales. He had a passion for animals and trains, and loved sport and being outdoors.

The Heikkinen children went to the local private day school. They learned English and Finnish as their first languages, as well as being taught Swedish at home. Merja was a boisterous and outgoing little girl. Her brother was less so. Topi found a small group of friends at his school and enjoyed being with them. Topi excelled at academic subjects. He enjoyed maths, english, science and history. He tried hard at school, but his teachers often complained of a lack of concentration, which his parents put down to wanting to be outdoors. He found he was suited to a more practical way of learning, and greatly enjoyed the school trips made to outdoor places.

It took Topi a long time to settle into his school. He found making friends quite a slow progress and he seemed to have a better relationship with adults. But after finding his small group, he was happy. He tended to make friends with other people who were like him. Bright, quiet, but ambitious. After his grandmother showing him pictures of her ancestors who had been ministry officials, Topi had set his heart on working there someday too.

The summer after Topi's third year of primary school, his parents decided to remove their children from the school and to home-educate them instead. The main reason being that they were living in a muggle community, and Evelyn and Viljami didn't want to risk exposure. Topi thrived on his home-education. He was able to work at a faster pace and it was more personal to him.

On his eighth birthday, Topi received a horse. This began his long-term fascination with the creatures. He rode his horse almost every day, and really enjoyed the responsibility that came with caring for his horse.

A year later, Evelyn and Viljami decided to take their children to live in Finland for a year. Viljami wanted them to be exposed to this side of their heritage and both parents thought it would be a great experience for them. Whilst in Finland, Topi developed his passions for animals and learnt a lot about the native wildlife of the country, in particular, the brown bear; which is the national symbol of Finland. Here, he also continued his studies of Swedish and Finnish culture, as well as meeting lots of his father's family and got to visit many iconic places such as Helsinki, Olavinlinna castle, the Aland archipelago and being able to see for the first time, Aurora Borealis, the Northern Lights . He looks back very fondly on his year spent in Scandinavia.

When Topi received his Hogwarts letter, he was simultaneously excited and nervous. He had heard a lot from his older sister, who was going into her forth year at school, and was in Ravenclaw, and also from his mother, also a Ravenclaw. He looked forward to potions, charms, history of magic and car of magical creatures but was extremely nervous about the sorting.

Classes:

Core Classes Astronomy Charms Defense Against the Dark Arts Herbology History of Magic Potions Transfiguration Flying

Electives No No No No No

How Do You Fit Into Your House?: Topi outwardly shows many traits that a Ravenclaw would possess. He is clever, a quick learner, curious and enthusiastic about his studies. He is a perfectionist and thinks things through carfully and logically, striving to come to the right conclusion.

However, he is also very ambitious and has a desire to be in a position of power. This would put him in Slytherin, and Topi would do well there too because he works hard and meets his goals when he sets them. Success is in his blood. He comes from a long line of businessmen, and he intends to have the same success as his father and grandfather both experienced.

Topi would really do well in either of these two houses, and he was unsure which he would be put into. He felt that he possessed some qualities for each house and is definitely in awe of teh mindpower of the awesome sorting hat!

Writing Sample: "Topi!" Cried a voice from downstairs."Topi on aika lähteä poikani!" Topi's eyes snapped open. He checked his watch. It was 7:24am. He didn't want to be late, they had to get the train down to London this morning, to get his school things. Decided, Topi breathed in deeply and pulling back the covers on his bed, stepped onto the carpet. "Minä tulen nyt!" - ”I'm coming now!”. He always spoke to his father in Finnish. Then he stood for a minute observing his surroundings. Topi's room was small and a funny shape too. It was right in the attic of the house and so had a slanted ceiling. It was painted blue and had many posters and paintings of different, rather fierce looking animals. There was a large painting of a roaring lion above Topi's bed, an emerald green serpent by the wardrobe, and his favourite: a purple, fire breathing dragon. As he opened the curtains, Topi squinted into the morning sun. It beamed into the blue room and the ripples of light on the walls gave an impression of the water on lake Oulujärvi, near Topi's home in Finland. Returning to reality, Topi strode over to his wardrobe and yanked out a pair of jeans and a striped rugby shirt. Once dressed, he bounded down the stairs and bolted down his breakfast, eager to see for the first time... Diagon Alley!

Quickening his pace, Topi headed for the leaky cauldron pub. Then on his left, he saw it. “There it is!” he shouted back to his father, relieved. "En näe sitä Topi." - "I don't see it" Then it dawned on him. His father was a muggle, he couldn't see the leaky cauldron at all.

Sum up your character in one paragraph: Topi is intelligent and has a love of learning. He thinks logically and chooses words carefully. This makes him consistent and reliable, but also meticulous and often too cautious. He is sensible and polite, and always tried to do the right thing. A perfectionist at heart, Topi can be stubborn and blunt. He is curious, but raised by a hugely sexist family, can be selfish, impatient and spoiled. He is very ambitious and determined. He is willing to work hard to get to where he wants to be.