Your Name: Kit
Have you read the Code of Conduct?: Yes
Are you over thirteen? Yes
How did you find us? RPG Directory
Do you play other Characters on AO? Yes
If Yes, list them here:Ignan StormJohann StormWolfgang Storm§Francis PepperAmbrose PepperTheta Pepper§Edwin GlassPrimary or Secondary? Primary
Character's Full Name: Octavius Montgomery Pepper (Monty)
Birthday and Age: November 7th 1966, 43, but through complications explained later, 63
City, Country of Birth: Old Warden, Bedfordshire (St Mungo's Hospital, London) to Filius and Jane Pepper
Blood Purity: Halfblood
Alma Mater: Hogwarts, Ravenclaw
Job/Position: Magical portrait painter & flying car business owner (explained better below...!)
Wand: 9 inches, hornbeam with unicorn hair core
Physical DescriptionAs a boy Octavius had a head of thick, curly brown hair with brown eyes. He had an unremarkable build, not athletic but not rotund, owing to a suitable diet and over curiosity. He could be a faddy eater, as not everything he tried was to his taste - something often his counterparts would have told him before he stuck it in his mouth.
His hair grew longer as he became an adult, just short enough to dangle around his shoulders, ringlets all over the place as he worked. Catherine made him chop it shorter, but before long its back, just how he likes it - wild and interesting.
A couple of inches taller than his brother at six feet in height, Octavius is also much more brash in his tone. His voice is strong, can be heard often from several rooms away, and it has got him in trouble for speaking too bluntly of others. He carries the height with pride, with strong shoulders.
As he grows older, his face becomes more weathered, and the hair loses a little of its youthful frizz. His face also has sported a beard for much of his adult life - often collecting paint along the way, and children's fingertips. Food that gets caught in it, he claims is 'being saved for later' much to the disgust of all the women in his house - a wife and three daughters.
His fashion sense is wizarding. He wears muted colours and has favourite clothes he wears until they can be repaired no more. On a smart occasion he scrubs up well, donning wizards robes, but most of the time he's happy in an old paint-spattered shirt, slacks or jeans. In summer he sports sandals, and his family attempt to disown him for the attempt at wearing socks with them.
As his age increases, Octavius began to wear glasses. Failing eyesight is a risk for the Peppers - his father having to retire from the time-turners for it. For Octavius it has been genetics, age and squinting at the subjects he paints.
Personality DescriptionCuriosity killed the cat; satisfaction brought it back. If ever a wizard exhibited a danger of self destruction from too much knowledge, surely it was a Ravenclaw Scorpio. It doesn't matter whether the pet obsession this week is botany, Muggle pop music, or the history of the Necronomicon, if a Ravenclaw Scorpio wants to know about it, then he will, and damn the consequences: full speed ahead. Indeed, just mention that a subject is "forbidden" and you'll see a peculiar light shine in their eyes. They sneak into locked rooms after dark, and forge passes to the restricted library sections. The lust for arcane knowledge is both the greatest strength of these wizards, and the Achilles heel. It's best to indulge them whenever possible and let the obsession burn itself out; and, when this is not possible, to explain in great detail and absolutely *no* patronizing why the subject must not be explored. These Ravenclaws are quiet and secretive, but don't be fooled by that calm and placid exterior; they have hidden depths.
Don't - you won't like it - it doesn't work - all phrases Octavius would hear and refuse to heed from parents, Professors and friends alike. He won't learn until he experiences it first hand.
Octavius doesn't like convention. He's always tried to pursue more unusual routes through life, on the basis of this 'who says I can't' belief. It hasn't landed him in any great trouble, due to 'the Ministry' and 'put in Azkaban' which are two cautionary phrases, especially with fatherhood. His painting of Millicent Bagnold naked, unveiled during her
1988 tour by paying an unhinged shopkeeper in Diagon Alley to place it in the window caused enough of a stir to get his name known, and was worth the money spent on bribing the shop owner.
Despite his need to know everything, Octavius finds great peace in his painting, and can sit for hours quite happily. Aware that his sitters cannot, however, he does try to keep them happy, and attempts to tell them tall tales to make them laugh and relax. He loves to talk with people, hear what they have to say and question their beliefs. When plied with alcohol, this becomes a little aggressive, and he can become a pain to talk to, challenging the fundamental beliefs of those around him without invitation.
As a father, Octavius is not the disciplinarian. He'll stand shoulder to shoulder with Catherine when required, but he's the softer touch of the two of them. He adores his daughters and would go to the ends of the world for them. He is loving, and had the fortune of bonding with each of them as children, picking them up from the local Muggle school - and allowing them to tell him about the Muggle world through their eyes on the walks home.
In later life, Octavius had to call on his more assertive side to make ends meet as he was displaced. It took great strength and courage to form the business, despite his enjoyment and excitement of living the life he had once read so much about, unaware of the reality.
Since returning home, Octavius is dealing with the shock of those he knows, and the scandal and interest of the media and public into his situation. On one side he is pleased, on the other, he's no idea how to carry on and worries that someone will find a legality in his unusual situation to send him to Azkaban.
Both sides of the Atlantic, a very different story has been revealed of the man who painted wizarding Britain, and the man who built a flying car business - now revealed to be the same.
HistoryChildhoodThe Pepper family lived in the postcard village of Old Warden. A narrow village tucked in the Bedfordshire countryside, the buildings are a variety of attractive cottages made in different materials and in different ways. Although the buildings look very old, many of them are 19th Century, and belonged to the Shuttleworth estate.
The Pepper family lived there for two generations before Francis and then Octavius arrived. Octavius grew up in the cottage, though in later life he and his brother Francis did not feel the need to stake claim on it for sentimental reasons, having both moved away from their parents and set up elsewhere. Besides, the Muggles in the village were beginning to get suspicious of the family overall, and Francis's parents both wanted to move to the South of France to get some warmer weather and retire.
Filius, Francis and Octavius's father had also grown up there before them, and fallen in love with a neighbour's daughter, Jane, a Muggle. She had always suspected something, but adapted to the prospect of a wizard husband with surprising ease. It did help that Filius's parents were also the same – wizard born father, and a Muggle mother, so Jane and her new mother in law understood each other on those terms at least.
Long summer days are looked upon fondly in his memories, spent trailing his older brother down country lanes, bicycles and fashioning wands from hedgerows and wrestling in fields pretending to cast spells. Their father was seeking an apprentice from his sons, and both of the boys were no strangers to tools and all manner of crafts including carpentry and metalwork in the outhouse. Francis, the elder, turned his hand and Octavius remained involved, but always in the shadow, almost gladly so.
The boys had seen exactly what their Father worked with – people occasionally visited the house with time turners, not wanting the Ministry to know they had broken these precious items, but knowing Filius well enough to ask him directly.
Also, it was not unusual to have dinner with two, or three of his fathers on an evening, where the next day's time turners were a little too tightly wound and had sent him back too far. These dinners were particularly amusing, as the present time version of his father would be dismayed to see the next day was going to cause him problems, and he'd have to relive this dinner. The future ones had their own rule not to discuss anything that happened and instead furiously tried to talk about last week or further back to prevent it.
Of course, this wasn't without its hazards. A rather imposing and firm wizard from the Ministry visited the house every couple of years to talk to Octavius, Francis and their mother about the work their father did, and also the consequences of discussing any fine details, and the perils of memory obliviation.
Octavius spent two years at home alone while his brother went to Hogwarts, and during these years he began to form his own interests and talents while still entertaining his father with the crafting - just in case Francis turned out not to be the time-turner apprentice Filius yearned.
He used the time to develop his eye for detail, and particularly enjoyed trips down to London to art galleries, and began to learn how to paint, a hobby he kept much to family and close friends during his teenage years, including the creation of moving portraits. Though, as a child, he filled his painting hours with just learning, and very static images.
Hogwarts1st year - 1979-80, 2nd year - 1980-81, 3rd year - 1981-82, 4th year 1982-83, 5th year & OWLS 1983-84, 6th year - 1984-85, 7th year & NEWTS 1985-86Octavius Pepper joined the ranks of Ravenclaw in September 1979, alongside the dashing
Josiah Inkwood (Gryffindor, becoming a senior auror, then vampire),
Duncan Flickwick (Gryffindor, one of the greatest beaters on the team, now a musician) and
James Howard (also Gryffindor, now training security trolls)
Francis was a third year when Octavius was sorted, and the Peppers enjoyed being reunited, though they grew increasingly distant as the years increased. Jealous of Francis and his friend Gwydion making inventions, Octavius once stole, dismantled and then burned a project the two had been working on for weeks. Although he was able to gloat in anonymity, he was dismayed that his brother and friend were not disheartened, and recreated the invention in half the time from detailed drawings.
Shortly after his third year began, Voldemort killed the Potters, and the news of the
Boy Who Lived began to sweep the nation. Voldemort and his rise having been on the edge of daily life in the magical world it was a terrific relief to hear he would be no more, even if the Aurors had been doing a fine job of collecting all the Death Eaters. Octavius had not fancied himself to be a dark wizard catcher, and preferred to keep his neck in one piece. He had the fortune (or misfortune depending on your opinion) to study Potions beneath the newly hired Severus Snape.
Octavius was incredibly curious, feverishly nosy. He made friends who kept up with his ever-changing flow of interests as a teenager. His parents put it down to wanting to find his place, particularly as Francis was rather shaping up to be their father's apprentice.
Octavius avoided Quidditch, preferring to watch from the stands. Brooms were good fun, but he preferred straight-forward racing to all the rugby tackling in the sky. He enjoyed the sights and the sounds, hated the injuries. After the match he would try to paint from memory, to capture the motion and the excitement.
He enjoyed many of his lessons, being inquisitive, even tolerating history, which his father had informed him would be compulsory until a NEWT given the family involvement with time-turners. It wasn't his favourite, and he wondered when it appeared Francis was set on being the apprentice in 1984, whether he'd be able to bend his father's will. No luck.
Octavius took Muggle Studies, enjoying the subject thoroughly. His interest turned to infatuation over the vehicles that Muggles used, and a further fascination into the Ministry's use of cars, and the use of flying cars in America. This was the forming of a life-long obsession, that due to funds, took a little while to blossom.
Spending the last two years (September 1984-Summer 1986) at Hogwarts without his brother, Octavius began to enjoy being out of his brother's shadow, but on returning home in the gap between sixth and seventh year, felt alienated by the closeness between master and apprentice, something that made him a little bitter. Francis moved out to live in Biggleswade.
Leaving School, 1986Octavius left Hogwarts with an average set of NEWTs, his clear interest in Muggle Studies and Charms was visible, and he'd an
acceptable in history. He lived with his parents for the time-being in Old Warden, seeking out a suitable set of friends to live with, painting, hoping to perhaps make his hobby into something further.
With good fortune, Francis and Gabrielle put him in touch with a well respected wizard painter, who had painted Ministers and Hogwarts Headmasters, and Octavius took along his work, resulting in an unpaid apprenticeship beneath the artist, studying how he worked, the techniques and style, refining his own work as he went, painting portraits of those who were happy to pay a cheaper rate.
It was then he met Catherine. Her younger sister Helena was a witch, a few years below Octavius had been at Hogwarts. Helena was considered a Muggleborn because they couldn't find anyone in the family history who shared any similar qualities of a witch or wizard. Catherine, although initially uncomfortable, was now keen to learn a little more of this hidden culture, and Helena was only too pleased to celebrate - especially since she was leaving Hogwarts to join the Department of Magical Transport.
The two sisters came for a sitting so Octavius could paint them, and as he did, he found himself rushing Helena's work, but taking great time on Catherine. He would make excuses for them to come back for sittings, and soon it became clear to Catherine that Octavius had interests in her. He finished the painting, but Catherine returned, and became his regular sitter to practise. At this point, Octavius found a place of his own to rent in Sandy, not far from the family home.
In 1987, a year after Octavius finished at Hogwarts, his father retired from the Time Turner workshop and left Francis to it, occasionally popping in with an advisory capacity. In future years their parents would move abroad to France for a full retirement.
Octavius and Catherine continued their relationship, both living together in Sandy, eventually buying a property after they secured the equivalent of a mortgage from Gringotts. It was easier to do a deal with the goblins than with Muggle banks. Octavius occasionally turned out the odd non-magical painting which they sold where they could, choosing to become an accountant for a stable income. In the coming year Catherine taught Octavius to drive a car, and, smitten, he proposed.
Both brothers were blissfully in relationships until Francis decided the time was right to propose to Gabrielle, and it went terribly wrong. The two parted in 1989, and Octavius felt awful for his brother. Gabrielle was a good woman, and for once, younger brother was having more luck.
Marriage to Catherine, MuggleIn October 1989 Octavius and Catherine married, the family all turning out to enjoy the day. They celebrated, Octavius having charmed the family car fly - or so he hoped - unfortunately they both plummeted back to the road and broke the suspension.
Catherine was shocked but the couple couldn't stop laughing. Octavius had to answer for the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office instead. They asked if flying cars were a family interest, and pointed out a recent mention of a Monty Pepper over in America, who was having great fortune in selling flying cars to wizarding kind. Over there,
flying cars were legal and in common use, provided one obtained the proper licensing through the Department of Magical Transportation.
Intrigued, he asked his parents, who didn't recall anyone in the family over there, but admitted that there could be offshoots of relatives - they weren't the best at keeping track. Octavius became intrigued, and decided to keep up with what he could find of the man, relative or not.
Birth of his first child, Theta, 1990Just after the famous Harry Potter had set off to Hogwarts, their first child, Theta was born on September 19th 1990. The little girl was slight, and would take after her mother's looks and height. A worrier, she clung to parents and disliked being looked after by family until she felt she could trust them. Francis was not the most able of babysitters, but he tried once in a while.
His eldest daughter would grow up to be sorted into Ravenclaw, collect clocks (which Octavius froze every 1st September on his return), and eventually become the family's next apprentice in the Ministry's time-turner workshop. To Octavius, there was never a better selection made.
Octavius and Theta bonded closely, Octavius at home in his studio painting. Theta's childhood was told through photographs and also his paintings.
Mentions of Monty Pepper in America continued to appear, and Octavius was pleased to discover he was about twenty years older, and almost certainly related - the Pepper men and their curls prevailed even the other side of the pond.
Francis and Claire 1992With great joy, his dear brother finally struck lucky with the ladies. A pretty wizengamot scribe by the name of Claire, with her son Thomas, just around the age of Theta swiftly moved into the Biggleswade home. Octavius occasionally had the two over when it was half term as years went on, and he was still working from the studio - a magically enlarged room in the house in Sandy. The family was expanding, and life was good for everyone.
Ambrose, September 1994While Hogwarts hosted the Tri-Wizard Tournament, in September 19th 1994. Francis and Claire had their first child together - a boy they named Ambrose. Francis and Claire weren't married, and Ambrose's birth prompted them that it would be a good idea to soon, though not essential. He was born on the same day at Theta had been.
Zeta, January 1995As Theta grew towards her fourth birthday, Octavius and Catherine decided that they could cope with a few more. It would be nice to have a son, but not essential. Soon a second child was on the way, born in January 1995. Catherine toyed with names, but eventually decided it would be suitably wizarding and also rather individual to carry on the names, and gave her second daughter the name Zeta.
Theta was a bright child, and Zeta no less, but during her childhood began to show a great love of being creative with art - painting the living room wall one day Octavius had been distracted with a sitting. Catherine had been irate, the paintings of a three year old on the wall and carpet were a mess, but Octavius had been overjoyed.
As Zeta grew, he took great pleasure in teaching her techniques, although she preferred to sketch and draw rather than paint. Her wicked sense of humour meant this turned to caricatures and cartoons of her professors when she went to Hogwarts. This talent allows Octavius to overlook his daughter's general disinterest in being a higher achiever like her older sister, and of the three daughters he would have, Zeta would be the most alike to him.
Voldemort Returns, summer 1996The news that Voldemort had returned startled the Pepper family. Francis and Claire married, not wanting to delay any further. As the investigations began to ramp up, both of them spent longer hours at the Ministry, and Catherine and Octavius looked after Ambrose and Thomas as much as they could to help, anxious about the change in the country.
Eta & Timothy, 1997Catherine and Octavius wondered if they might have a boy if they had a third child - Ambrose was growing up with his two cousins, Theta and Zeta, and there was time yet. Coincidentally, Claire also fell pregnant again around the same time as Catherine. Both were apprehensive about the revelation, given the national mood.
However, Eta was fated to be a girl, and was no less appreciated for her gender. Timothy arrived for Francis and Claire and the two brothers made quiet jokes about the distribution of genders between the two sides of the family.
Eta was to be their final daughter, growing up to be incredibly superstitious. She stalked the family to let them know of bad omens and tried to advise them of their decisions. Octavius tried to explain to her that there were no seers in the family to his knowledge, so it would be unlikely she would have such a gift. Undeterred, the girl still carries a tarot deck, hoping to reveal her inner eye.
Timothy became a firm playmate, and they were more akin to brother and sister growing up, though Tim's head was out of the clouds by contrast.
After the Battle of Hogwarts, 1998Octavius swiftly offered his help to Hogwarts as Britain began to put itself back together after Voldemort was finally vanquished by Harry Potter. There had been a great deal of damage to artefacts, structures and lives. Octavius and a team of others with the skills set about restoring and settling the paintings, tears, smudges, some beyond repair were kept by Octavius for years as he worked on putting them back, unable to accept others assuring him they were too far gone.
This work, along with the new business his association caused him, kept Octavius very busy for the years that followed - his name becoming one of the more respected and appreciated artists in Britain.
Theta goes to school, September 2002(First year - 2002-03, Second Year 2003-04, Third Year 2004-05, Fourth Year 2005-06, Fifth Year 2006-07, Sixth Year 2007-08, Seventh Year 2008-09.)Before long, Theta followed her half-cousin, Thomas to start at Hogwarts in September 2002. Octavius was very proud to discover she had been sorted into Ravenclaw, his old house. She took with her a Tabby cat named Oscar - a newly purchased pet.
Octavius was proud to know his first daughter was going to Hogwarts in peacetime, with the building restored. He was confident she would have a fantastic time, and her letters home agreed. By the time she graduated in the summer of 2009, Octavius learned she had been classmates to a large number of potential aurors, and good friends with the Head Girl.
Zeta goes to school, September 2005(First year - 2005-06, Second Year 2006-07, Third Year 2007-08, Fourth Year 2008-09, Fifth Year 2009-10, Sixth Year 2010-11, Seventh Year 2011-12.)Unlike her sister and father, Zeta was sorted into Hufflepuff to her glee. She was unphased by the difference in house, though Octavius believed the hat had chosen wisely, his daughter flourished in the house. Zeta's departure left Eta alone at home during term time, and the youngest daughter continued to attend the local Muggle school, and Timothy would often spend time at the house with her too.
Summer 2008, Claire's accidentIt was a great shock to the family when Thomas, Octavius' half-nephew departed from Hogwarts mid-NEWT examinations. Octavius felt somewhat responsible for not intervening with the boy - who was having trouble talking with Francis (typical teenage boy, rather than anything else, and inquisitive about his real father) and had confided in him during Christmas 2007. Octavius had found Thomas, drunk, having indulged in some of the family alcohol without permission, and tried to sober him up to stop Francis discovering the fact.
Thomas obliviating Claire compounded things further and Octavius saw his brother fall to pieces before his eyes. He and Catherine dropped everything to keep things together when Claire ended up in St Mungo's indefinitely.
Theta took it upon herself to almost move in with Francis, Ambrose and Tim to help, though it was Catherine and Claire's Muggle relatives who pulled out all the stops and tried to look after the family in those first few difficult weeks until the boys could go back to school. Octavius admired Theta for her attempts to replace Claire as a mother-figure temporarily - she was working her summer at Scribbilus Writing Instruments at the same time.
Octavius tried to pull his older brother together as best he could, and sought out Thomas to try and find out what had happened. The boy was not keen to communicate, went to ground, but begrudgingly occasionally kept in touch with his uncle after Octavius told him he had to face up to matters. He did have to swear not to mention things to Francis, which he disliked, but agreed.
Eta & Tim go to school, September 2008(First year - 2008-09, Second Year 2009-10, Third Year 2010-11, Fourth Year 2011-12, Fifth Year 2012-13, Sixth Year 2013-14, Seventh Year 2014-15.)Some of the pressure was taken off the family when the full set of Pepper children went off to Hogwarts for the new term. Theta to sit her NEWTs, Zeta her OWLs, and the youngest two, Eta and Tim, to be sorted. Eta went into Hufflepuff to follow Zeta, and Tim into Ravenclaw, just like his father and uncle, and Theta looked after him. Octavius found it funny that Ambrose came home that Christmas to proclaim how he was sad Tim hadn't been sorted into Gryffindor like he had, because he was convinced his younger brother would need him. Tim had made such a face that Octavius was certain the younger boy was rather relieved!
With empty houses of children, the Pepper adults took time to lick their wounds and regroup for the Autumn, and Octavius began to feel like he was the older brother suddenly. He visited Claire with Francis when he could, and slowly but surely, as time went on, the family began to heal, even if Claire was not.
Octavius found himself writing to Monty Pepper in America, explaining the predicament and his wishes to come over and see the man - convinced they must be related. Monty took some time to reply, but eventually did and agreed that if Octavius were to travel to America he would make time to meet. Octavius was over the moon.
Summer 2009 onwardsIn the summer of 2009, Theta graduated with a sturdy set of NEWTs and the promise of the apprenticeship to Francis in the Department of Mysteries.
Catherine and Octavius planned their trip to the USA, a long awaited, and planned excursion for the pair, once Theta was old enough to look after the house. As soon as Zeta and Eta were packed off to Hogwarts for the term, the couple packed their bags and headed off on an airplane - something Octavius had dreamt of all his life.
Their trip around the USA was a mix of Muggle and wizarding sights, staying with friends and friends of friends. Octavius enjoyed the trip, but was most looking forward to meeting Monty Pepper. Thousands of miles from home, he found himself stood on the balcony of the hotel they were staying at, while his wife took a shower before dinner. In two more days, they'd take a plane back to Britain, and the trip would all be over, but tonight they would finally meet the man he had followed for almost two decades through newspapers.
Octavius gave a sigh, and putting his hand into his pocket, he withdrew a time-turner, one which, up until the day before their departure, had been behind glass. A prototype from his father, which had never worked. An attempt to go back more than an hour at a time - months - years, Octavius couldn't remember. He'd always thought it pretty, and it was completely useless as an ornament, but rather pretty as a necklace, with a slightly shorter chain. Easy enough to achieve. Catherine would love it, and it was a good way to show Monty Pepper what the British side of the family got up to by trade.
Raising it to the setting sun, he dropped the chain around his neck to check the length - he'd shorten it for if she wanted - and he span it between his fingers, admiring the way the sun caught the glass and the sand moved inside.
Then, in the blink of an eye, Octavius Pepper vanished.
From 2009, he'd been punted back to 1989 to his incredible alarm. The time turner in his hands was so hot it burned his skin, and turned black with a hiss. In his surprise, he didn't have a chance to thank his blessings that the hotel had been built, complete with balconies at that time, and that he'd not plummeted to his death.
Matching Up to History, 1989 onwards, for the second timeFate was definitely predefined for Octavius Pepper. His following of Monty Pepper and the flying car movement in America put him in good stead. He knew Monty's actions well, even if he'd never met him, and he figured that the man might be able to help him, even if he risked a paradox - a situation his father had warned him about when he was a child.
Finding suitable funds was initially tricky, and establishing an identity with the American Ministry. Through good fortune, luck and sheer determination he managed to set himself up with enough money to get about.
Recalling a newspaper article where Monty had been interviewed about how he started out towards the end of 1989, Octavius headed to a retiring flying car maker, Blue Silver, in California, who was down on his luck, looking to sell. He'd been fined for a severe breach of secrecy and couldn't afford to continue. The cars were reminiscent of the Clénet Coachworks (Clénet was a Muggle automobile series with old retro styling, mixed with modern technology).
Expecting Monty to appear and buy the place to start his empire, Octavius realised, with great shock, who Monty had always been, and why he had been so slow to write, never regularly in touch, always selective about his answers, and why he looked so similar to Octavius. Octavius
was Monty Pepper.
So, Octavius, acting as Monty Pepper, bought the man's work for a ridiculously low price, moved into his buildings and set up Blue Silver as his own. Nobody seemed keen to touch it - sure that the reputation would linger. Strangely enough, with a rather brash Brit at the helm, the reputation was soon forgotten, and Monty became immersed in the culture, magical art and market of the flying car industry.
Octavius painted his first adverts, and customised a car with his own paintwork. He used it to get around and market the company, using his knowledge of bewitching paint to create a car that turned heads. Monty Pepper always created enough of a stir, but was cautious never to be the leader - knowing he couldn't generate too much attention or a paradox could ensue. Either way, what marketing he did was always a little controversial in his methods, just like the naked portrait of Bagnold back home.
Knowing how the history was going to turn out, Octavius did as he knew Monty would, careful to try and fulfil all the things he had read of Monty from visits to shows, important sales. His memories of the articles were a guide, and he would lie awake some nights panicking he would miss something, change history significantly. His future knowledge pre-empted some developments, but he was always very careful how he went about introducing them.
Exchanging letters with himself in Britain was the most unnerving part of the process, looking back. It took him so long to write them it could be months between letters. But, he reassured himself, he remembered that that was the way it had been, when he had received Monty Pepper's letters.
Eventually, he received the letter he remembered writing, explaining about the family, the obliviation, and the wish to travel at last now his daughters were all at school. Knowing his time was about to meet with himself again at the hotel, Monty agreed to meet, and gave the exact time and date, the fixed point.
He considered his possible future routes, he'd have to continue the business in America, unless he decided to sell up and return to painting, but who knew if either would continue to be profitable? Britain didn't accept the use of flying cars... well, not unless he could convince the Ministry of Magic.
Perhaps he was better just vanishing at that moment, and continuing his life as Monty - only now he'd agreed to meet, which had led Octavius and Catherine to America in the first place. She'd only try and trace Monty to find Octavius, and that would be even more messy. Octavius resolved to follow it through. He owed it to his family, at the very least.
The Revelation to CatherineKnocking on the door to the hotel room twenty years later to the day he vanished, Octavius knew almost to the minute that his old self had just toyed with the old time turner, and vanished on the balcony of the room.
Catherine opened the door, and greeted him as Monty, recognising him from the photographs. Octavius could hardly hold back from drawing her into his arms and kissing her - but somehow he resisted. When she called Octavius, and discovered he wasn't there, he steadily began to explain, and picked Catherine up off the floor when she fainted.
Having left instructions to his staff with the cars, Octavius and Catherine travelled back to Britain, this time not by airplane. Arriving home in Sandy, Octavius saw his family home for the first time in 20 years, though to his wife it had been a matter of weeks. Catherine, still in a state of shock and unsure how to approach things with the family instead gathered who she could just before Christmas, and let them see for themselves...
Job Description & What expertise makes your character qualified for their position? As a magical portrait painter, Octavius painted anyone who cared to commission him, filling houses and Ministry offices with portraits at significant milestones of lives of the British wizarding population. He began to paint during childhood and continued through Hogwarts. After graduating he studied beneath a master, learning all he could before setting up alone. In the decades he has painted he has investigated new charms, new techniques and mediums. After the battle of Hogwarts he was part of a team to restore the paintings.
As a flying car businessman, Octavius bought and continued a failing business, using the knowledge he had acquired ahead of time, he ensured that he matched the events of Monty Pepper's lifetime, including significant developments in the creation and conversion of flying cars. He now owns a successful business and employs a small team of staff to perform the incantations on the various items in the car, and maintain cars brought in for repair.
RP Sample n/a
Paragraph SummaryFather of three, loving husband and accomplished painter, Octavius Pepper was catapulted back twenty years during a trip to America to follow his love of motorcars, on the eve he was due to meet his possibly related hero, Monty Pepper. Discovering that Monty has been Octavius all along, adopting his middle name to live a second life, Octavius has been forced to spend twenty years of his life into his sixties away from his family, but in doing so, has been able to live a life he never dreamed of in unique circumstances. Revealing the complication at the end of 2009, Octavius and family now have to decide how to cope with this series of events.
Octavius Montgomery Pepper: Magical portrait painter & flying car businessman