Accepted! ~Elle/Fauna

About You, the Writer:
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Your Nickname: JM
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How did you find us and decide to write with us? Old friendships die hard
If you have written other characters here, list them all: Nope.

Full Character Name: Jason Darius MacDonell
Character Birthday & Age: December 5, 1960 (age 48)
City & Country of Birth: Bannochdaen Castle, Scotland, UK (north of Inverness)
Pureblood, Halfblood or Muggleborn?: Pureblood (by technicality; four wizarding grandparents, but not all-pureblood genetic history)
Alma Mater: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Job: Wizengamot Member, Auror (retired)

Wand: 12 3/4 inches, ebony shaft/holly handle, thestral hair core, mostly inflexible.  Crafted by Gregorovitch in 1995, it features runes on both handle and shaft, and has a sleek, dangerous look.

Physical Description:
Jason stands five feet, nine inches tall, with a muscular build for his age (though less so since he retired from the Auror Corps four years ago).  He has piercing emerald eyes and dark brown hair, which is just beginning the process of graying (a strand here and there).  He walks with a limp on his right leg and usually carries a cane to assist him.  His left arm is completely magical from just below the shoulder down (in the same silvery, super-strong manner as Peter Pettigrew's hand), and consequently he always wears long sleeves and a glove on that hand.  His body features several scars from fights during his Auror years, most notably on his chest, stomach, and the left side of his neck.

Personality Description:
In youth, Jason MacDonell was witty and crafty, intelligent and open, mildly sarcastic and dedicated to a fault.  He was a textbook Ravenclaw, and though his single-minded dedication to becoming an Auror was intimidating to some, by and large he was friendly and helpful to most.

War burned much of this out of him.   The battles and life-and-death experiences were only a mild hardening agent, but the demise of the Death Eater Lothmoor Wilkes at Jason's hands and Jason's own subsequent loss of the use of his left arm in a fight with Antonin Dolohov scarred him deeply and changed him.  He became much moodier, brooding and unsettling to be around for those who did not know him well.  On a good day he could keep up the facade of pleasantness, but "cold" and "aloof" became the two most common words used to describe him, with "stoic" a close third.  It was immediately following the First War that he took up the study of the Dark Arts, hoping to develop a more perfect understanding of his enemy.

This study grew into an acceptance, and finally an appreciation when the Second Wizarding War broke out.  He fit well with his friend Rufus Scrimgeour's warlike nature, and fought brutally against the Death Eaters and their allies.  As a Senior Auror, he issued the directive that Aurors were to kill Death Eaters rather than ever let them escape.  Though he was as firmly committed to the side of good as ever, his "the ends justify the means" attitude alarmed many of his more passive colleagues.

Friendship and love turned Jason back from what might have been the path to becoming a Dark wizard himself.  Most notably, his experiences on Avalon and in the immediate aftermath of the war, with people such as Kayleigh Cox, Gustav Snark, and Roberto Shadow, and especially his comrade-turned-friend-turned-lover Aurora Le Fey, revived the long-dormant softer side of him and made him the protective friend again, burying the avenging angel of death with the past.  This new demeanor came in just in time to prevent Jason from slaying the helpless Dolohov at the Battle of Hogwarts, after Filius Flitwick and Jason himself had brought the Death Eater down.

In the years following, the mantle of responsibility for leading the Auror Corps forced Jason to become a bit more tactful, and his off-and-on supportive relationship with Analiza Snark, the daughter of his late friend Gustav, made him a better man.  Any lingering doubt vanished with his marriage to Aurora and the birth of his two children.  When he retired from the Aurors after the Azkaban Uprising, it was without bitterness or anger, even in light of his new injuries.

These days, MacDonell is a much calmer man, more at peace with himself.  The potential for destruction still lurks inside him, but it is carefully caged, understood now for what it is and never allowed to return to primacy.

History:

Jason Darius MacDonell was born on a snowy day in Scotland in 1960, at his family's ancestral home of Bannochdaen Castle.  As with most pureblood wizards, all his early education occurred at home.  His father, Colin, was fabulously wealthy and liked to involve himself in the affairs of the Wizarding World, so young Jason came to know Diagon Alley and parts of the Ministry of Magic as well as his own castle.  It was on one of these trips that he first encountered the scarlet-robed Aurors, and the air of power and command that surrounded them left a permanent impression on him, indelible despite his father's not-so-subtle hints that the young wizard could some day make a lucrative career in International Magical Cooperation or Ministry leadership.

Off to Hogwarts in 1972, a year behind the Marauders, Lily Evans, and Severus Snape, Jason was sorted in Ravenclaw with only a moment's consideration from the Sorting Hat.  He was studious and intelligent, like most of his House mates, but he also had a drive to succeed that pushed him toward extra training.  This last trait was noticed by his Head of House, the diminuitive dueling champion Filius Flitwick, who took the boy under his wing and gave him private lessons in dueling and Charms.  The two grew fairly close, from professor and student to mentor and apprentice.

By fifth year, Jason's youthful infatuation with the Aurors had become a burning desire to become one of those elite defenders of the magical world.  By this point the First War had consumed Wizarding Britain, and Jason redoubled his efforts to learn as much as possible to help him in the fight.  This desire to throw himself into harm's way drove a wedge between Jason and his father, and their relationship suffered accordingly.  Katherine MacDonell tried to be sympathetic to her son's wishes, but her fear of what might happen to him generally led her to side with Colin.  Even at Hogwarts, Jason's one serious relationship stagnated and fell apart due to his girlfriend's concern with his seeming obliviousness to the danger he faced.

He had, with the permission of Flitwick, elected not to take any additional classes, instead focusing on his core subjects.  He took only five N.E.W.T.s, but got Os in all but one.  This, combined with strong recommendations and a tied place as Hogwarts Dueling Champion of 1979 (with his Slytherin rival, Marcus Blackmoon), and the alarming casualty rate at the Ministry of Magic, led the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to accept him with almost flattering haste.

Training at the Ministry kept Jason occupied until the end of the War; he received his commission as a full Auror in 1982, nearly half a year after Voldemort had mysteriously fallen.  But several Death Eaters had evaded capture, and MacDonell was eager to provide some assistance to the fight, even if the deadliest enemy was already defeated.  This bold charge into what remained of the fray led to the two most defining moments in his life until the late 1990s.

Joining Rufus Scrimgeour and Alastor Moody in their pursuit of the Death Eater Lothmoor Wilkes, Jason tracked the man to northern Scotland.  The three Aurors had barely passed the bodies of four Muggles Wilkes had murdered as a distraction before they were upon their quarry and a savage fight began.  Moody went down, injured by a Blasting Curse, and Scrimgeour was floored, shrieking in agony, by the Cruciatus Curse.  Consumed with anger and eager to avenge the lives lost, Jason gave in to the chilling savagery of the moment and became the only Auror of the First War to use the Killing Curse, striking Wilkes dead in a single shot.

Bartemius Crouch, Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, had authorized the use of the Unforgivable Curses in the apprehension of fugitive Death Eaters, so the Ministry inquiry cleared the stunned MacDonell of any wrongdoing.  The Daily Prophet, however, crucified him in its headlines as "the Auror Who Kills".  He was less dismayed at the actual killing -- for a dozen Aurors had killed Death Eaters through other means -- but by how quickly and unconsciously the most unforgivable of the Unforgivables had risen to his mind.  Less a thought, more a reflex.

Still reeling from what he had done, Jason nonetheless joined Mortin Goodwin, Gustav Snark, and Marcus Blackmoon in their apprehension of Antonin Dolohov.  Before he could be properly subdued, Dolohov fired off his trademark "purple zigzag fire" curse, and it struck Jason just below the left shoulder.  To his horror, he discovered that the limb was totally paralyzed, devoid of feeling, control, and pain.  A lump of flesh and bone merely attached to his body, not truly part of it.

Irritated with the looks that said so clearly, "We told you this would happen" from his parents, though they never dared to say it aloud, Jason threw himself into his work with a vengeance.  Over a decade passed, and the "Auror Who Kills" faded to the background of Level Two.  He was talented and powerful, and only growing more so, but lingering unease with his willingness to use an Unforgivable Curse kept Amelia Bones from approving any of his promotions.  It might have been so forever had the embers of evil not reignited to flame.

However, MacDonell was not without chances to make an impact, and though they were few, he found them significant. In spring of 1988, Minister for Magic Millicent Bagnold went on a two-month tour of Wizarding Britain and Ireland, accompanied by most senior Ministry personnel. Jason's old comrade Rufus Scrimgeour, now Head of the Auror Office, selected Jason as one of four Aurors who accompanied the Ministry delegation. The role was largely ceremonial -- the group also included Albus Dumbledore, who was worth four Aurors by himself -- but Scrimgeour had apparently argued Bones down when she objected to Jason's presence, and the Auror felt buoyed by his chief's continuing faith.

Only a few years later, a young witch named Kayleigh Cox joined the Auror Corps, and Jason took a particular interest in her. They had met briefly during Bagnold's tour stop at Hogwarts, though then because Cox and Analiza Snark had been terrorizing one of the other Aurors. With her now in his department, Jason initially didn't miss an opportunity to run her ragged during training. In time, however, the two began to develop a bond of friendship, and Cox spent as much of her field training time with MacDonell as they could slip past Amelia Bones. She finally became one of only two real proteges Jason was to have during his many years at the Ministry, and one of his very few real friends.

MacDonell, like most Aurors, was assigned to security at the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, and he was one of those who joined Barty Crouch in hunting the culprits of the Dark Mark.  When Ludo Bagman finally reported that Bertha Jorkins had gone missing in Eastern Europe, Amelia Bones sent Jason to look for her -- ostensibly because he was experienced, capable, and a decent tracker, though he suspected that it was mostly to get him as far away from her as possible.  He found no evidence of Bertha, but instead disturbing rumors.  He visited the magical school Durmstrang, and struck up a friendship with the wandmaker Gregorovitch, but neither yielded any concrete information about the unsettling string of disappearances.  However, certain something dangerous and unpleasant was on the horizon, Jason had Gregorovitch make him a new wand, more powerful and dangerous than the last.

When Voldemort openly attacked the Ministry in 1996, Rufus Scrimgeour assumed the Ministership following the fall of Cornelius Fudge.  He ordered all overseas Aurors back to Britain, and Jason eagerly returned at his old comrade's command.  He launched himself back into investigations with an enjoyment he had not known since his youth, and when Amelia Bones was assassinated, Gawain Robards and Pius Thicknesse, both possessing more favorable views of Jason's past, promoted him to Senior Auror.

Jason was a powerful and skilled wizard, a talented duelist and a man with access to some of the most powerful leaders of the Wizarding World, but the Order of the Phoenix still had doubts about him.  Albus Dumbledore and Minerva McGonagall in particular were uncertain about Jason's past uses of Dark magic, but they asked Nymphadora Tonks to feel him out anyway.  Convinced that he was a decent man despite his more disturbing tendencies, she brought him into the Order.  It bothered Jason to keep things from Scrimgeour, who had stood up for him when he killed Wilkes, but he had to admit that Scrimgeour was focusing too much on the politics of the war and not enough on the battle. He also hated keeping anything from Kayleigh, but she was married to Felix Dagon, and there were whispers that he had been -- and perhaps still was -- a Death Eater. His desire to see Voldemort fall by any means bought his silence and support.

Though easily the most flagrant, this was but one of Jason's departures from the strict law-and-order approach he had traditionally had to his job.  He became re-acquainted with fellow Ravenclaw Aurora Le Fey, a bounty hunter with her cousin Robin.  Though he disliked her somewhat flippant disregard of the Auror way of doing things, he couldn't deny her value as a source of information.  He trusted her infinitessimally more once each realized the other was an Order member, but they were far too alike for real comfort; both cynical, sarcastic, paranoid, and very dangerous.  The immovable object had been struck with an unstoppable force.

When Dumbledore died at Hogwarts, Jason attended his funeral, but afterwards he tried to convince Scrimgeour to adopt increasingly brutal tactics against the Death Eaters. In this way he clashed with one of his younger comrades, Tamis Raynor, who took a hard line against the use of the Dark Arts. MacDonell himself, along with Sam Harcroft, Gustav Snark, and several others, dueled Voldemort in Little Hangleton, but even the legion of battle-hardened warriors were no match for their foe, and he slipped through their fingers, killing three Aurors in the process.  Jason had little time to recover from his injuries and curse his inability to stop the Dark Lord before their enemy brought the battle to their own gates.

Jason was working late at the Ministry the night Voldemort's forces attacked, and though he fought valiantly, they were totally overwhelmed, and he escaped bitterly with Kingsley Shacklebolt after watching several of his friends and trainees go down fighting.  He knew that Scrimgeour had fallen, and his first days of hiding in the wilderness were bitter, his mind darkening with the most sadistic plans of vengeance he had ever conceived apart from those particularly hideous torments he reserved for Dolohov.

Survival soon overshadowed revenge.  It took Jason, who had an unfortunate tendency to think out loud when he was angry and a dedicated refusal to call Voldemort by anything but his name, several near misses and brutal fights with Snatchers to finally realize that the name "Voldemort" had been Tabooed.  Fortunately, he was discovered not long after by Aurora Le Fey and taken to the safety of her family's mystical island, Avalon.

Not content to sit and wait for someone else to bring down the Dark Lord, Jason joined Aurora and Robin in their mission: rescuing fugitive Muggleborns and bringing them to safety on Avalon.  This they did with a vengeance, occasionally aided by the Le Feys' cousin Jacqueline, and the last sight of many a Snatcher was a curse from MacDonell or one of the Le Feys.  They managed to save Kayleigh Cox as well, and she joined their miniature army.  Though she was married to a Death Eater-turned-spy, Jason and Aurora finally decided to allow her to remain with them.  Bound so tightly together by their constant life-and-death reliance on one another, the icy distance between Jason and Aurora began to thaw, respect for the other's skill warming into something else entirely.

And then Jack fell.

The loss of the one Le Fey who had not become battle-hardened and bitter was a shock to all on Avalon, and it drove Jason to an even darker place than he had been before.  He did what he could to comfort Aurora, and it surprised him to see how much her pain devastated him as well.

Jack's death, and a subsequent close brush with a particularly well-armed band of Snatchers,  reminded Jason that any disadvantage could be fatal, and his crippled arm was certainly a weakness.  Further, though he never admitted it even to himself, being crippled in Aurora's eyes bothered him deeply.  And so he journeyed in secret to Eastern Europe and had a Dark wizard remove his left arm and replace it with an abnormally strong, shimmery silver magic version.  The wizard smirked cruelly, and laughingly revealed that now Jason was bound to him.  Unthinking, overpowered by rage, Jason murdered the man on the spot with the Avada Kedavra.

Horrified, hollowed by the realization of what he had become, Jason returned to Avalon with no explanation to anyone, keeping his newly functional arm concealed at all times.  But he could keep nothing from Aurora, who took the revelation of the new appendage without a glance, and with only support and understanding.  However, he did not even tell her the exact circumstances of the change, or the terrible end of the story.

Despite being holed up on Avalon, Jason and Aurora had kept in touch with their Order comrades, and they were alerted to the Battle of Hogwarts in May of 1998.  Leaving their charges on the island, they went and fought alongside the students and Order Members, cleaving through the Death Eater ranks in the final showdown.  Together with Flitwick, Jason felled his old nemesis Antonin Dolohov, but, standing over the man's unconscious body with his wand pointed, found that he could not kill him.  Instead, he took the Death Eater prisoner and witnessed the final destruction of Voldemort.

The day had been costly; among the fallen was Jason's old friend Gustav Snark, and he was devastated to also lose his friend Kayleigh Cox, who had died before his eyes.  But the day had been won.  Returning to the Ministry in triumph with the other Aurors who had survived, Jason followed newly-appointed Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt's directives and rounded up the Death Eater collaborators, taking a particular pleasure in apprehending Dolores Umbridge.  At Kingsley's request, he took the post of Head of the Auror Office, refusing a promotion higher to Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement so that he could assist in rebuilding the Auror Corps.  With the help of old friends and new recruits, notably Harry Potter and Ron Weasley, the task was completed with impressive speed.

Outside work, Jason could no longer deny to himself the feelings he had for his comrade-in-arms Aurora.  When he swallowed discretion and told her he loved her, she stunned and overjoyed him by sharing his feelings.  The two were married in 2000 at Bannochdaen, and the following years saw the birth of their daughter, Jacquelynne Isolde, and later their son, Alexander Flavius.

The success of rebuilding the Aurors soon gave way to monotony.  Though he had ardently longed for peace, at his core Jason was a warrior; since commissioning, he had been trained to battle Death Eaters, and the end of Voldemort seemed to spell the end of his usefulness to the Ministry.  He continued to lead the Aurors well, but he felt out of place; they were back to being police, but he remained a soldier.

A final use for MacDonell presented itself in 2004.  Death Eaters inside Azkaban had overpowered some of their guards and started a revolt.  Jason led the counterattack personally, taking Harry and Ron, as well as his detractor-turned-protege, Tamis Raynor.  The battle inside the fortress was savage, each passage retaken in a violent exchange of spells and chaos.  While scouting ahead, Jason came across Dolohov again, and when they clashed there was no mercy.  Though he had finally trascended his mad lust for revenge, Jason realized that to allow Dolohov to live would endanger others, and he struck the man dead with the Killing Curse.

In the same battle, a Blasting Curse destroyed a section of wall beside MacDonell, crushing his right leg.  Though the majority of the injuries were healed well, he had a limp that he would keep for the rest of his life.  It was very much the same as the one Jason's old friend Rufus Scrimgeour had had, and the comparison amused him.  Realizing that, like Scrimgeour, he had become too old for the game, he retired from the Ministry, recommending Raynor to succeed him as Head of Aurors.

Retirement to Bannochdaen kept him busier than he had expected.  He had the chance, which he had feared would be lost due to his service in London, to be on hand for his nearly all his children's early lives, and the much greater time he could spend with Aurora gave him a deeper, truer fulfillment than anything he had ever known.  Still, at only 47, he was too young to be retired, and when he was asked to serve on the Wizengamot in light of his years of experience, he was only too happy to accept.



What is your job description? How do you go about your job?
How did you get your current job? How does your past and abilities justify your current position?:

As a Wizengamot member, Jason serves as a juror in the trials of those who have broken Wizarding law, as well as advising the Minister for Magic and the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement on the finer points of legal and law enforcement matters.  He is a powerful and experienced wizard, with extensive knowledge of the Dark Arts from both official experience and private research, and as such his understanding of the matter is broad.  Further, as a twenty-five-year Auror, he conducted innumerable interrogations, and is thus able to detect when the average person is concealing something or outright lying, a useful trait when judging guilt.

Writing Sample:
Show your character in a scene that illustrates their best and worst aspects
of their personality. Include action, dialog and thought.

Eyes narrowed in concentration, holding his cane in his gloved left hand in the middle of the shaft, Jason MacDonell shifted his left foot back, trying to keep the weight on that leg.  He enjoyed the feeling of the pulverized gravel crunching around his dragon-leather boots; it had a certain roughness to it that fit the moment.  He stared at his opponent, a dozen meters away, his emerald eyes focused in predatorial concentration.  A smirk played about his lips, kept carefully in control.

He winked.

The spell streaked toward him so quickly that he barely managed to slap it aside with a Deflection Charm; the heat of it warmed the right side of his face.  Of course, his return shot was fired off in the same movement, and his foe was forced to roll under the hex, coming back up with a second curse.  He envied the easy maneuverability as he blocked the next few shots and fired back, allowing his opponent to circle him, holding the center ground carefully.  Then suddenly, the next attack was a light enough jinx that he could reply less forcefully, and he smirked again.

Raising his left hand, he let the spell smack squarely into his palm.  The leather of his glove melted to shreds and his arm shuddered from the impact, but the spell was gone with a crash, and the instant it hit Jason had already fired back a Disarming Charm that knocked his foe to the ground.

"Cheater," Aurora MacDonell said, looking up at him sourly, but not quite enough to hide the affectionate glimmer in her gray eyes.

"Och aye, I'm the cheater, with ye rolling about on those young legs, leaving the limping old man in the center like a targeting post," Jason quipped back, sliding his wand into his pocket and extending his hand to help her up.  As she stood, the wind brushed across her hair and carried its scent to him.  Leaning in, he brushed her neck with his lips, a smile in his voice as he added, "Those young, attractive legs..."

Aurora pushed him back with a roll of her eyes, but it was clear there was no rejection in the gesture.  He caught her hand as she turned away and pressed it to his lips, and she smiled in a way that made his breath catch in his throat.  At some level, he was always amused by the way she could still affect him, that that feeling had never died.  Like he was fulfilled, somehow, completed.

Like he had been asleep his whole life, and when she had said she loved him too, he had finally woken up.

His smile faded as he looked down at his left hand.  The throb of the blocked spell had faded instantly, as all contact did with the 'limb'.  Most of his glove was in black tatters, and his silvery magical arm shone clearly beneath it.  It was his permanent reminder of what he had once been, how deeply he had swum in those murkiest of waters, how very close he had come to becoming the very thing he had dedicated his life to destroying.  He was no longer given over to bitterness, but regret...that could still sometimes steal over him.

"What's on your mind, love?"

But his choices had led him to Aurora, and from her to Jack and Alexander, so he couldn't regret too much.

"Nothing, my darling," he replied, tucking his left hand behind his back and starting back to the castle, still holding her hand in his right.

He wondered why he bothered with the polite lies anymore; she could read him like a master Legilimens.  "There's something."

It wasn't a question.  Sighing, Jason considered for a moment whether to discuss it now, but why not?  "They asked me serve on the Wizengamot."

He could suspect the race of emotions, even without looking at her face, but he gave her a sidelong glance just to be sure.  Interest at first; with elation not long after; then a moment of sobriety as she realized that this would take him, however briefly, away from herself and the kids; and finally her warm, supportive smile, when she knew that it would balance things out perfectly.

"That's wonderful, love!"

Jason raised an eyebrow.  "The Minister certainly seemed to think so."  He smirked.  "Ye'd think that twenty-five years of me would be enough for them, but no no..."

He paused, frowning a bit.  "It's definitely something I'll consider."

Her eyes narrowed quizzically, and she paused, holding him in place with the hand she still held.  "What's to consider?"

"I like being here," he said, gesturing vaguely to the stone ramparts of his ancestral home.  "Being home, with you and the bairns."

She smiled knowingly as she said, "But it's not enough."

His eyes wide, Jason opened his mouth to protest, but found her fingers on his lips.  "And that's all right.  We know you love us, and Merlin knows we love you too.  But part of you belongs there too."  She smirked.  "You're not you if you're not trying to protect everyone."

And that was the rub.  He sighed, massaged his closed eyes for a moment with his glimmering silver hand, before finally smiling and nodding.  "Aye, I suppose that's true."

"Write back to Kingsley today," she encouraged him as they began to walk again to the castle, and Jason nodded along with her.  It would be good to be back at the Ministry, making a small contribution, at least on the periphery of the fray...

It took him a moment to notice that Aurora had stopped walking along with him, and he turned back to her quizzically.  She stood five meters back, smiling a challenging smile.  He stared for a moment in curiosity, before his face smoothed over in understanding.  A cool, collected look stole through his eyes, and he flexed the fingers of his magical hand.  She winked.

And, as one, they went for their wands.

Sum up your character in one paragraph:

Jason MacDonell is a man whose glory days are behind him, but whose best days are ahead of him.  He is a powerful, talented, experienced, and potentially dangerous wizard, but any risk he might once have had of abusing his power is now carefully controlled.  His family is his life, and no thought dominates his mind like his wife and two children.  But protecting others is his calling, and he never fails to rise to a challenge when one presents itself.

Accepted!  -- Dazmond

Character Name:Jason MacDonell
Under what character section did you apply?:  Ministry of Magic
Age: 47

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Ability #1

Special Ability: Legilimency/Occlumency
When did your character master this ability?  How long have they had it?:

Jason became proficient in Occlumency at Hogwarts, though he did not truly master is until the first few years of service as a full Auror (mid-1980s).

His skill at Legilimency can hardly be considered "mastery" by even the furthest stretch of the definition.  Wand in hand he can get a surface brushing of the thoughts of most wizards, and he can deeply penetrate someone totally untrained or in a compromising position, but his skill with the discipline against trained opponents is woeful.

Describe how the Special Ability influences their life:

While serving as an Auror, Occlumency was a vital skill in Jason's life, especially when questioning suspects or informants, and when dueling his very deadly enemies.  Of late, he uses the skill simply as an automatic means of self-defense, keeping his mind carefully locked away except in trusted company (and even then almost instinctively).

As stated above, Jason's Legilimency is rather undeveloped, though he is devoting some effort to fixing that.  At present, he sometimes performs a surface skim of someone else's thoughts, with one hand on his wand in his pocket, but his ability to be surreptitious about it is hit-or-miss, so even this is reserved for unusual occasions.

Write a description of what happens when your character is exhibiting this Special Ability:

Occlumency is, after decades of practice and training, as natural to Jason as breathing.  His mood is almost always under perfect control; Occlumency is his normal state.

When using Legilimency, he needs to concentrate much harder, and always has his wand in hand, though usually out of view.  He is working on being more subtle about it, performing the spell wordlessly, but has had only mixed success.

---

Ability #2

Special Ability: Animagus
When did your character master this ability?  How long have they had it?:

Jason became an Animagus at the age of 34, while serving abroad in Eastern Europe.

Describe how the Special Ability influences their life:

As an Auror, Jason used the ability constantly as a form of surveillance, especially in the year he was stationed at Hogwarts and during the time he and Aurora were trying to rescue Muggleborns.  Since retiring, it is more a recreational skill.

Write a description of what happens when your character is exhibiting this Special Ability:

Jason is a European wildcat Animagus.  Its fur has a blueish tint, a reflection of the fact that he almost always wore his Ravenclaw-blue trenchcoat while morphing in his early years as an Animagus.  The front left paw is the exception, and is shiny silver, like Jason's human left arm.  Being as this form is only slightly larger than a large housecat, he can usually blend in to urban or rural environments unless someone is deliberately watching for him.

Accepted! ~Elle

Character Name: Jason MacDonell
Title Applying For: Order of Merlin, First Class
Link to Accepted Biography: http://absitomen.com/index.php?topic=210.0

What Experience has Prepared You For This Honor?: Awarded to Jason MacDonell, Aurora Le Fey MacDonell, and Robin Le Fey for efforts to protect Muggleborns and their families at extreme and constant risk of injury or death during the Second Wizarding War. The trio worked to smuggle Muggleborns onto the island of Avalon, which was protected by old enough magic as to be nearly impossible for Voldemort's Ministry to take by force.
What Do You Think the Most Important Aspect of This Job Is:? Being an award, the duties related thereto have already been performed (though said actions fit not only the present definition of the Order ("services to the Ministry"), but also the original purpose as founded by Merlin (working for the benefit of Muggles). But of course, it is incumbent on wizards and witches who earn the prestigious award to continue living their lives in a manner befitting the title. In worst-case scenarios, the award can actually be retracted if the recipient completely disgraces the title.
Tell a Story From Your Past That Has Proven Your Mettle:  See above.

Accepted! ~Elle

Character Name: Jason MacDonell
Title Applying For: Warlock
Link to Accepted Biography: http://absitomen.com/index.php?topic=210.0

What Experience has Prepared You For This Honor?: Jason served as an Auror for twenty-five years, becoming proficient in both combative magic in general and the Dark Arts in particular. Further, he fought in several key engagements, including the captures of Antonin Dolohov and Rabastan Lestrange, the Fall of the Ministry, the Battle of Hogwarts, and the Azkaban Uprising.

On the achievement side of the title, he served as Head of Aurors during the rebuiling of the Corps after the Second Wizarding War, and is presently a Wizengamot Elder. He is also the master of Bannochdaen Castle; while this itself does not merit the title, there is a tradition stretching back centuries of many of Jason's more combative ancestors being known as "the Warlock of Bannochdaen".
What Do You Think the Most Important Aspect of This Job Is:? According to J.K. Rowling in The Tales of Beetle the Bard,

Quote"The term 'warlock' is a very old one. Although it is sometimes used interchangeably with 'wizard', it originally denoted one learned in dueling and all martial magic. It was also given as a title to wizards who had performed feats of bravery, rather as Muggles were sometimes knighted for acts of valor. ... These days wizards use 'warlock' in one of two ways: to describe a wizard of unusually fierce appearance, or as a title denoting particular skill or achievement. Thus, Dumbledore himself was Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot."

Being informal and having no actual legal backing or privilege, the title would simply have emerged by common usage. With both the family tradition and his own widely-known achievements, it seems reasonable that Jason would have picked up the title at some point.
Tell a Story From Your Past That Has Proven Your Mettle:  The Dark Lord Ascending - Timeline would need to be adjusted (June 1997) along with some details, but generally considered Jason-canon (Jasonon?).