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

Full Character Name: Arthfael Cunubelinus Oglesbee (Arty O)
Character Birthday & Age: May 29, 1952
City & Country of Birth: Outside Grogarry, South Uist, Scottish Highlands
Blood Purity: Pureblood
Alma Mater: Hogwarts, Gryffindor
Job/Position: Beast handler

Wand: 13", vine, phoenix feather core.  Very bendy and flexible, a clan Oglesbee heirloom hearkening back to their druidic roots

Physical Description:
Arthfael is old Celtic for 'bear prince' and Art has grown into the name over the years.  He is of slightly less height than his old friend Knox Greyfriar, but makes up for it in girth.  His long frizzy salt and pepper hair blends into his long-ish beard.  Round cheeked and dark eyed, almost always wearing a wry smile after slinging a smart arse comment or mumbling a joke to himself.

Personality Description:
Just a bit too loud, a bit too blunt, and a bit too impulsive.  Arty comes off as gruff, eccentric and overly direct, probably owed to fact that he spends more of his time around magical creatures than wizards.  Unfailingly loyal to friends and family, woe be to the witch or wizard that goes against someone inside his circle.

History:
Arthfael C Oglesbee, known around as Art or Arty O, comes from a long line of a lesser house.  Clan Oglesbee (or in its original form Ogilvie) has been living in the Outer Hebrides as long as anyone who cared enough to remember can remember.  Art grew up in small cottage outside Grogarry, near Loch Druidibeag, with both his parents working at the magical creature preserve located there.  He often accompanied his parents on their excursions: studying, relocating and containing magical creatures at the Loch Druidbeag preserve. 

At Hogwarts he took quickly to herbology, care of magical creatures and potions, all skills he had absorbed from his 'on the job training' with his parents.  Having not grown up around many people, Arty tended to tell the truth a little too easily which rubbed most of his peers the wrong way.  He was mostly left alone and came out of Hogwarts with more acquaintances than friends. 

After Hogwarts, Art did a stint in London, working as an apprentice to a magizoologist at the DRCMC.  While his flobberworm surveys were indispensable in helping to control the urban garden outbreak in the early to mid 70s, he didn't find the work to be particularly fulfilling and eventually moved on to more interesting opportunities.  It was during this time, however, that Art befriended Knox.  He still holds this to be the best thing to come from his time in London (although he would never say this to Knox).

Round about 1976 or so things started to get bad in London, so Art returned to a position at Loch Druidbeag, feeling a need to protect his home and family during the first war.  He was also dismayed at the path he saw Knox taking, and when Art's attempts to sway Knox away from pull of his cousins failed, Art fled home in defeat.

After the dark lord fell the first time, Art left Loch Druidibeag which had largely escaped the fate of more populous areas of the UK.  He took up a management position at the Loch Lomond perserve, helping rebuild it in the wake of the chaos that followed Voldemort's fall.  He lived in a small cottage northwest of Glasgow and was joined in late 1980 by his old friend Knox Greyfriar, foul mood and all.  The ursine pair threw themselves into their respective works and grew closer as Greyfriar's piles of tomes grew and surliness began to pass.

Greyfriar and Oglesbee parted ways in the mid 80s upon Knox's inheritance of his aunt's place in Kent.  Art completed his tenure at Loch Lomond and moved on to his current position as beast handler for the beast division of the DRCMC, where he has been on and off ever since.

Upon hearing the rumors of the return of the dark lord in the mid 90s Art reconnected with Knox and yell-shame-cajoled him into helping Art fight against the Death Eaters.  They returned to their old haunts in Scotland and became guerillas, creating decoys and ambushes to protect muggles from the unbridled hatred of the dark lord's followers.  One would be surprised at how effective a swarm of glumbumbles or a well timed vial of grindylow pheremones can be at disrupting well laid plans.

After the Battle of Hogwarts Knox and Art once again parted ways and Arty O returned to his position at the DRCMC, which he maintains to this day.  He now lives in the familial home of Clan Oglesbee, just outside Loch Druidbeag.  Being constantly on-call provides a level of uncertainty, but Art doesn't mind.  He finds enjoyment in the wild solitude during his free time, excitement from his travels, and fulfillment in helping keep magical creatures from being killed when the stray a bit too close to society.
 

Describe your job duties and how you go about them:
Beast Handler-  Art goes where he's needed, when he's needed.   A middle of the night call from the Department of Magical Accidents and Catastrophes is a not at all uncommon occurrence.  Or the Department of Mysteries. Or the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.  Whenever magical creatures venture too close to wizarding (or muggle) society or sow some sort of chaos, Art's number is high on the call list.  He calms and corrals the errant critters and relocates them if necessary.

Elaborate on your expertise in your field:
Art grew up around magical creatures and took to the care of magical creatures in school.  He's the wizarding equivalent of the brother who went back home to run the farm.  He's worked in various positions for the care and study of magical creatures since his apprenticeship with the DRCMC in the 70s.

Writing Sample:
The crunching of dry leaves woke Art from his light nap.  Overnight operations in the wilderness would set most on edge, but the sounds of the forest were like a mother's heartbeat to him.  He silently admonished himself for dozing off...again...but quickly snapped his attention back to the sound the was growing closer.

It was footsteps, he was sure of that much.  He grew more tense as light began to grow along with the noise, reaching for his wand.  Snatchers had been frequenting these woods and magical combat had never really been his strong suit. His over-long, vine-wood wand wobbled as his hands shook with anticipation.

Controlling his breath, he noticed the air was cool enough to turn it to fog and hoped it wouldn't betray him to the snatchers.  He waited until the light shown bright around the tree trunk that hid him and the crunch seemed deafening.  Art jumped out, wand raised and wiggling, hair flinging about, and suddenly stopped short.  He was greeted by a glowing bear, wearing a quizzical look.

"The thestral flies at midnight", the bear proclaimed in Knox Greyfriar's voice before disappearing in wisps of light.

They should have come up with a better signal.

Art lowered his wand and gave it swish.  A glowing Rottweiler appeared before him.

"You about gave me a damn heartattack, old man" Art said to the dog and with another swish sent his patronus to deliver Knox the message.  He immediately regretted it, realizing it wasn't necessary and could only serve to reveal them to the Death Eaters and snatchers that skulked about.

But he had bigger things to worry about right now.  Knox had done his part and it was now up to Art to get the mackled malaclaw bombs into place before the Death Eaters arrived and realized the rumors of muggles in the forest outside Aberfoyle were false.

Sum up your character in one paragraph:
A scattered hairy bear of a man, Art has been working with magical creature his whole life.  He's nigh on 60, which shows only in the salt and pepper of his hair and beard.  He wears a goofy look or a wry smile on his round face most of the time and is prone to mutter and grumble to himself.  Most people find him odd or grating, a tendency he finds just fine.  He's ever-loyal to his family and those he eventually befriends. Art travels frequently for his work with the DRCMC and has had 5 mentees leave before their tenure was up (for those worried, #4 has completely recovered).