Your Nickname: Thea
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: Liadán Whitman, Winfred Oliver, Dervla Bagnold, Benny Pattershaw
Is this a Primary or Secondary Character?: Primary

Full Character Name: Corduroy Denim Canterbury
Character Birthday & Age: 41 | May 4th, 1969
City & Country of Birth: London, England
Blood Purity: Halfblood
Alma Mater: Hogwarts | Hufflepuff
Job/Position: Flying Instructor / Quidditch Coach

Wand: Cord's wand is 13 1/4" long. It is made of oak and is supple with a knobby surface and a unicorn tail hair core.

Physical Description:
Corduroy cuts an imposing image. He stands just a hair over six feet tall and has a broad build. Cord is a stout individual, bound in thick muscle. His upper body is in amazing shape due to so many years playing beater for Puddlemere United. His hair is dark and often somewhat unruly in appearance. Cord wears a beard most of the time, and is very rarely seen clean shaven even if his beard isn't full. He has dark brown eyes. His complexion is ruddy due to spending so much time outside with quidditch.

Cord is usually smiling. He carries himself with quiet confidence. On the pitch he can be intimidating. Off the pitch his body language portrays a kinder, gentler sort of individual. His manner of dress can be a tad eccentric. Raised by a father as ... interesting as his can be, along with a mother who thought of herself as an up-and-coming designer when he was young imparted some strange tastes on him. But then again, what wizard doesn't look eccentric in his casual wear?

Personality Description: Corduroy is definitely a shining example of his Alma Mater. He is a Hufflepuff, through and through. Loyal, hard working, kind hearted, and a man who follows the rules. He as a large number of friends due to his jovial and friendly nature, and he is the sort of man who can be relied on as a friend. He is generous with his money and his time and is the man who would give you the shirt off his back if you needed it. He's trustworthy and reliable. Cord keeps his promises when he makes them.

He has worked hard his entire life. He was a hard working student, his grades equally important to him as quidditch. He worked hard on the field, too. He practiced regularly, worked hard to become a better player, and was careful to keep himself in good physical condition so that he would be a better player. He studied hard, turned in assignments on time, and was a well behaved and rule abiding student. A model student, really. He always felt a little disappointed that he was never appointed as a prefect- even if he really didn't have the time to be one.

Of course, like all men, Cord has his flaws. On the field, especially. Once he's on the broom and his head is in the game, Cord can be a ruthless player. Of course he doesn't disobey the rules- he follows them, and regulations... But he doesn't hold back. He doesn't differentiate between gender or talent when it comes to aiming the bludger where it goes. And he can hold grudges as far as the game is concerned. He has more than a few players he's had rivalries with other the years

Off the pitch Cord is not fully aware of his own strength or size. He's often accidentally breaking things because he doesn't realize that he's handling them too roughly. He's also the sort of guy to pat you on the back for a job well done and then have to apologize when ever you double over and almost spill your drink from the force of it. He's like a great dane who thinks he is a lap dog. He's sometimes awkward and clumsy as he doesn't realize his own physical strength and size. Of course he would never hurt someone intentionally and he always apologizes- he just doesn't think of himself as huge and strong and intimidating.

His kind heart and generous nature also easy to take advantage of. He cares a lot about the happiness and success of those he is close to. And it's not hard for people with more nefarious intentions to catch him off guard. (This also goes for students. If a student is particularly manipulative it would not be hard to trick Cord into letting them out of trouble or giving them extra attention or special treatment if they know the right strings to pull.)

History: Corduroy was born to Argyle Canterbury (an auror at the time) and his wife (at the time) Delilah. He was one of three children who came as a product of that particular marriage. He was raised in a wizarding household. His father, a pureblood wizard, was known to be rather eccentric. Though he was busy with work, Argyle did a good job of being a part of his son's life. Corduroy was always closer to his mother, though. She was a herbologist and worked in tandem with researchers from the ministry of magic.

As a child he was well loved and well behaved. He enjoyed reading, was obsessed with history, and also obsessed with quidditch from an early age. His siblings were both younger than he- his brother two years younger and his sister three years younger. He was always a good big-brother and enjoyed teaching his siblings how to do things and loved playing with them. All in all, his childhood was a happy and well adjusted one.

Cord was sorted into Hufflepuff when he started his educational career at Hogwarts. His mother had also been a Hufflepuff... And although is father was disappointed that his son wasn't a Gryffindor, just like he had been, he was satisfied that at least he didn't end up in Slytherin. Corduroy always enjoyed school. He was very talented at Herbology thanks to his mother's teachings. He was also quite good at charms and with earth/nature related spells. In his third year he took Care of Magical Creatures and Divination as his elective classes.

He joined the house quidditch team in his fourth year. A growth spurt and a summer spent on safari with his mother collecting endangered plants for study made him seem a different person on his return to Hogwarts. He had a stocky build already, and the warm climate did wonders for his complexion. Puberty, it seemed, would be kind to Corduroy. He started as a second string beater and moved to first string before the year ended. He had a natural talent for the game. On the pitch he was fierce. It was as if his personality totally changed. All that mattered was the game and winning the game. He caught the attention of professional teams as early as his fifth year- but he was determined to finish Hogwarts before going pro.

Cord actually did rather well on his NEWTs. He earned O's in Charms, Herbology, History of Magic, and Care of Magical Creatures. He received an E in Potions and an A in Divination. Even with a decent number of classes under his belt, he went straight into professional quidditch upon graduation, joining Puddlemere United as a beater.

Corduroy's entire life revolved around quidditch from that point onward. Appearances, signings, charities, games, practices, teaching, scouting- everything. Of course he still saw his father, spent time with his siblings, and his extended family. He always was family oriented. But quidditch consumed his life. He was a professional and was convinced he would play until he was too worn out and then get involved in some other way- maybe coaching or something. His downtime during these years was spent reading and gardening. He always retained his love of history and amassed a huge collection of historical texts. He kept a greenhouse a his mother's house that he attended to as often as possible, and she took care of his plants whenever he was away.

Cord always considered the Falmouth Falcons his personal rivals. He had more than one altercation with members of that team over the years. Even now they are his least favorite team and he always cheers them on to lose. During one game he received a particularly nasty bludger to the head that had him out of commission for half the season. Once he was back to playing he returned the favor. Uncharacteristically vicious of him, but once he was on the pitch things were always different. Of course he didn't aim the bludger at the guy's head- but he did make it a point to hit him as often as possible in every match up they had until the player eventually retired.

A friend of Cord's, a former professional, started a quidditch camp for witches and wizards in 1996. Corduroy was excited to help out. He'd always liked kids and the idea of teaching them more about quidditch and having a hand in shaping the careers and lives of future quidditch players was something that appealed to him. Cord took part in the camp every year since its inception- making appearances, doing signings, helping to raise money for the camp, and teaching workshops to aspiring beaters. He always had a big heart and it's one of the highlights of his quidditch career.

Corduroy retired from the game himself in 2008, shortly before he turned forty. His love of the game hadn't faltered, but his physical aptitude and reflexes had. Just a side effect of age. And there were younger, talented players waiting to take his place. Cord actually trained his own replacement, and retired gracefully, taking on a position with the Magical Games & Sports division of the ministry working with the quidditch league.

Although he enjoyed his job at the ministry, and enjoyed working within quidditch, when Cord heard about Madame Hooch's retirement from Hogwarts he immediately began to put out feelers for more information about the post at Hogwarts. The idea of working with kids full time and getting a more hands-on job with quidditch and flying was too irresistible. He applied, and is ecstatic to start his new position.

Describe your job duties and how you go about them:
Corduroy is the new flying instructor / quidditch coach at Hogwarts. He teaches mostly the first years- but other, older students can be in his class if they haven't yet passed flying. He instructs the young students on how to properly handle their brooms and how to fly. He also double as the quidditch coach. Cord is the sort to be involved in teaching the ins and outs of the game, as well as aiding in construction of plays or helping to scout out new players for the Hogwarts teams if they need new team members.

Corduroy would also referee quidditch games at the school. He is good at being impartial and not showing favoritism on the pitch. The pitch is a place where rules and regulations are what matter.

Elaborate on your expertise in your field:
Cord has spent almost the entirety of his adult life as a professional beater for Puddlemere United. He joined the team as a beater fresh out of Howarts- that was in 1987. He spent 21 years on the team as a beater before he finally retired from the game. During that time he learned the ins and outs of the game. He also was involved in a quidditch camp that helped to teach young witches and wizards more about the game and give them a chance to meet some of the professional players during the couple of weeks they spent playing and learning. After retiring from playing the game in 2008 he took on a position at the ministry with the Department of Magical Games and Sports in relation to quidditch. He also continued to help his team practice and trained a new beater to replace him.

Having spent his entire adult life involved in quidditch in one way or another, he is qualified to coach quidditch. He knows the in and outs of the game and is very familiar with the rules and regulations as well as quidditch strategy. Having some experience with children from helping with a quidditch camp in his spare time during summers gives him some hands on experience with teaching and interacting with young witches/wizards.

Writing Sample:


Sum up your character in one paragraph: Corduroy is a man who spent his entire adult life involved in quidditch. He has a strong love for the game and was a fierce beater in his prime. But his personality off the pitch is a stark contrast to the indomitable player he was for Puddlemere United. He's more of a gentle giant. Kind hearted with a gentle nature and a love for history and herbology. He is, all in all, a good man with a big heart who just wants to help others succeed and spend his life doing what he loves- quidditch anything.