Physical Description:
Balthair Spectre is never one to sit still for very long and, after a long life of handling dangerous magical beasts, is in good condition for a great grandfather. He stands almost as tall as his grandsons at about 6'1''. There is a solid and dependable build underlying his lithe figure.

There is still some handsomeness in Balthair's features. Kind, cutting blue eyes underneath a thinning head of snow white hair. His lips are thin and pale, his nose is slightly crooked - often assumed the result of a work accident though really only an accident of genes.

When he is at home on the estate or in his personal abode in Aberdeen, Balthair dresses in comfortable dark robes. He will don thick flannel shirts and corduroys for hikes in the country. Formal events, however, strictly necessitate proper clan-wear. Balthair is very much a stickler for the clan tartan and the many heirlooms of tradition.

Personality Description:
Bit of a grumpy old bastard, not because it is his natural disposition but because he is quite happy to get away with it. In his youth Balthair had been rather similar to Balfour - both of them great adventurers with a sense of initiative and tender hearts.

But he has seen many people come and go, since being a young man. One of his own sons and his wonderful wife. These experiences have cooled his personality somewhere.

Balthair is generally quiet but strongly opinionated when he does open his mouth. While certainly a traditionalist, he has no Purist leanings and would like to see the Spectre clan grow increasingly liberal with time, even if sometimes it seems too liberal for his taste.

He has always been a hard worker and enjoys getting things done. Balthair is most fun when he's had a bit of whiskey or is around his younger grandchildren. He likes to tell stories from his past, and has a dry sense of humour.

History:
CHILDHOOD (1922 - 1934)

Balthair Spectre was born the first child of Irving and Elspeth Spectre, who were both in their mid-twenties when they started their family on the estate just outside of Edinburgh city. It was idyllic for the oblivious and tense for the adults. Four more Spectres would go on to eventually join him as siblings: two brothers and two sisters.

HOGWARTS (1934 - 1941)

At Hogwarts, he had been sorted into the house of Slytherin. The muggle second world war occurred during this era but he was largely sheltered from its effects between living in the castle and the estate.

 It was not difficult to make friends. Balthair was a pureblood from a large family and he had a studious but playful demeanour. He would go on to become a prefect and then Head Boy but his fondest memories of school had little to do with either title. This is because Balthair had met his future wife, Artis, at around this time. The pair had been best friends since first seated together at a Potions lesson in first year; a definite will-they-won’t-they situation until their final months at Hogwarts. They were very much in love with one another and everyone knew it.

TRAINING AND WORK (1941 - 1960)

Balthair married Artis immediately upon graduation and went to train as a dragon handler. She followed him to also train as a handler but gave it up soon after discovering she was pregnant. The pair decided then that they wanted as many children as possible, after having their first (William). Artis chose to stay at home, where she applied her wits to the surprisingly challenging task of organising the Spectre estate. Before she had come along the place was a mess, and the manor somewhat grumpy. She brought life into old corridors and damp cellars.

Even though Balthair’s parents and siblings were skeptical of his choice of wife - although a pureblood her family had no money - they couldn’t deny the force of her personality. Artis never did anything by halves and she was a whirlwind of activity. Her children were never allowed to be lazy and her in-laws never spared her acerbic humour. If there was ever something to be done on the estate, she would do it. She was the only woman in the world who could tear her husband away from the Ministry.

All the while, Balthair continued to train and then work as a handler of dragons. He often travelled around Europe or even further to different beast sanctuaries - but never too far. There was The Croft[1]to manage after all: a task he, his wife, and one of his younger brothers tackled whenever they could. He became the head of what was the beast division in 1950, when his predecessor met with an unfortunate end on the field. It meant being able to spend more time with his children.

In 1960, after a decade of beasts, Balthair retired from the Ministry to run the Hippogriff farm full-time. He would still continue to consult for the beast division, and in fact spent a good deal of time there afterwards anyway.

GOLDEN YEARS (1960 - 1970)

These were some of the happiest years on the estate, even with the first wizarding war looming on the horizon. There are many photographs from this era, of the couple and their ten children. The manor was it its most lively and in spite of the odd argument, everyone got along. Artis had never looked so beautiful and Balthair had never been so content.

Balthair & Artis’ Many Children - Birthdates

William - 1941 (Father to Balfour and Nathaira)
Curstaidh - 1945
Cailean - 1950 (Father to Nona)
Vanora - 1951 (twin) - also knowns as Prudence, her middle name
Beatris - 1951 (twin)
Matheson - 1953 - deceased 1989
Benneit - 1957 (Father to Isla and Alistair)
Gillespi - 1958
Logan - 1963
Myrna - 1965 (Mother to Aisling Cooper) - deceased 1998

FIRST WIZARDING WAR (1970 - 1980)

The Wizarding War. Balthair had a family he wished to protect. He and Artis forbade their children from aligning themselves with Purist politics at this time, even though many of them were tempted to join their pureblood brethren on the wrong side of History. As a clan, they hid muggleborns on the estate whenever they could; it was difficult to do. Balthair’s old classmates and his younger housemates would often keep an eye on him: he opted for non-interference so that no other Spectres would suffer the backlash from his personal ideals.

Many friends were lost to him at this time, and many enemies earned. But Balthair’s first grandchild was born… and then quickly in succession, his other three. Knox was his favourite, the twins doted upon by their father William instead. But Artis, saddened by the fact that Balfour’s biological mother never kept in touch, loved him the most.

They were all so young, so small. They were not prepared for this world and Balthair knew, then, that he had to help change it somehow.

SEPARATE WAYS AND FUNERALS (1980 - 1994)

The end of the war saw Balthair’s children all going their separate ways. Some to work at The Croft, others to find their own abodes in the various bits or pieces of land that the clan owned in the Highlands. The manor was quieter, hollow somehow.

One of his daughters opened a specialty shop for magical wool in Edinburgh. Myrna leaned more towards plants, while William began work on the Scottish Journal of Magizoology. It was only Matheson who continued in his father’s footsteps by being a Beast Handler. He died in 1989, leaving behind a wife and daughter, when a Peruvian Vipertooth bit off his head.

Two years later, Artis passed away from an illness that she had been suffering for the better part of the year. Balthair does not like to think of this era. There are few photographs. Neither he nor the manor have ever been the same, since.

SECOND WIZARDING WAR (1994 - 1997)

The second wizarding war. By this point, Balthair had retired and gone to live permanently in his own cottage in Aberdeen - the estate was left to William’s family. His grandson’s decision to go on to train as a dragon handler was disputed by many Spectres after Matheson’s tragic accident. Towards the end of the war, this conflict resulted in Balfour having a row with William and then leaving Britain to do his training across the world. They rarely heard from him and were too busy anyway, helping take in muggleborns who needed a safe space during this period.

Balthair was dispirited for having to witness another war in his lifetime. While his children and other grandchildren would go on to help fight at the Battle of Hogwarts, Knox stayed on the estate with him. Somebody had to be there to help mend the aftermath.

QUIET YEARS (1998 - 2006)

When wizarding society had recovered after the war, Balthair chose to make his grandson the clan heir. It was an emotional time for him: he had also lost his daughter Myrna to an accident. He was nearly 80 years old and did not trust William’s rash temperament with the title.  His children’s generation were generally difficult to trust: they were still close to the ideologies of Purist families, that rich and tempting aristocracy. Balthair liked to think that Artis would have approved; she had been much more liberal than him, and together they had always wanted to see a more progressive clan.

In terms of work, Balthair continued to consult for the Ministry of Magic and various Magizoology publications. He visited sanctuaries, wrote a couple of books, and travelled abroad to places he’d been unable to visit before. In the 2000s he moved back on to the estate. Knox had requested it. The manor was a lonely place now that all her brothers were gone and her parents settled in their sedate ways.

THE WINDS ARE CHANGING (2006 - 2012)

Balfour Spectre was back in Britain. He had visited many times before, of course, sometimes months at a time. But now he was home for good and Balthair was hopeful that his grandson might live up to the title of clan heir. He was disappointed when Balfour chose to live in London instead, initially seeing it as a slight. It took years to understand that in some ways his grandson was embarrassed to take up a principle position in a family he’d neglected for so long.

Eventually, however, his grandson returned to the manor after meeting (then marrying) a wizard. It was the first time a gay couple was to lead the Spectre clan and Balthair did not resist the tide of progress. He moved away to his own cottage in Aberdeenshire after Balfour and Johann's wedding, though often returned in the winter months to visit.

Describe your job duties and how you go about them:
Balthair is retired but is still listed as a Dangerous Beasts consultant at the Ministry of Magic. If the Beasts Division require his expertise, they will contact him with details of a case and he will join them at an agreed time/place to advise As he was well-known on level four, he sometimes drops by the office to speak to old friends or colleagues who have remained in a more bureaucratic capacity.

Elaborate on your expertise in your field:
Has trained and worked as a Dragon Handler (and afterwards, Beasts Handler) from 1934 onwards. Balthair has also been awarded an Order of Merlin: Second Class for his contribution to the study of magical creatures, and particularly for his bravery in helping to evacuate a wizarding village of an island in Scotland when the area was chosen by dragons as breeding territory. Balthair went on to make this island one of the ministry's dragon reservations.

Sum up your character in one paragraph:
Balthair Spectre is the retired head of the Spectre wizarding clan. He is a Dangerous Beasts consultant for the Ministry, though only comes to work when contacted. He is also a Hogwarts School governor. A wizard who likes to keepy busy. Balthair is enjoying his old age by spending time with his many children, grand children and great grand children. He's quite a happy old wizard, if you can believe it of that grumpy countenance.

1.	Spectre Hippogriff farm

Hogwarts School Governor

What Experience has Prepared You For This Honor?:
With ninety years of living behind him, Balthair Spectre is not only an alumnus of Hogwarts but has seen multiple generations of Spectres attend the school. He has been the head of his wizarding clan for an unusually long span of time - as a result he has always been well informed on the goings-on of the magical world.

Despite age and convention, Balthair is a great supporter of progressive politics. He is no long head of the clan and wishes to spend his silver years taking an active interest in what he considers to be the most important aspect of a wix's life: their education. In addition to life experience, he has worked as a beast handler for the Ministry and still consults for its Beast Division.

What Do You Think the Most Important Aspect of This Job Is:? 
To provide a voice of reason and ensure more extreme ideas are not able to find their way into the young minds of the wizarding world.

Tell a Story From Your Past That Has Proven Your Mettle:   
Among other things, Balthair was head of the Spectre Clan during both instances of Voldermort's threat. He used both his wealth and pureblood influence to hide as many muggleborns as he could, often using the clan's more hidden homes. Balthair was also able to rein in his many children - who intended to join Voldermort - into maintaining neutrality.

The Last Five Years...

Character History 2013 - 2017:
Balthair has continued in much the same way over these last five years, as a wisened consultant and a fixture among Hogwarts governors.

Upon the expansion of Balfour's family, Balthair began to stay winters at the family estate in Edinburgh. He is given to spoiling all his great grandchildren and telling them tales of his adventurous youth. In the spring, he may be found at his cottage in Aberdeenshire, while summers are whiled away visiting his many other children at their residences.

Upon turning ninety, Balthair began spending his autumns hiking the Scottish highlands. You may yet come across him, solitary old wizard, with his ancient walking stick and a leather notebook of various observations. He is is occassionally joined by family or friends.