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Accepted! ~Elle

About You, the Writer:
Your Nickname:  Erika
Have you read and do you agree to the Code of Conduct?: Yes
How did you find us and decide to write with us? Roaming around the net....
If you have written other characters here, list them all: Myrni Levartian

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Full Character Name: Halston Hayden MacGregor (prefers Hayden)
Character Birthday & Age: February 12 / 33
City & Country of Birth: Glasgow, Scotland
Pureblood, Halfblood or Muggleborn?: Halfblood
Alma Mater: Hogwart's (Hufflepuff)
Job: Shopkeeper, Simply Charming (Magical supply shop, began mostly for charms, spells and potions...but Hayden's expanded it to include much more these days...books, amulets)

Wand: 12” Cherry, mousetail tip core

Physical Description:
Hayden's 6'3" athletic frame tends to tower over mostly anyone he meets, which is not something that is new for the Scotsman. Ever since his middle years at Hogwart's, he's had the build of a typical jock, always staying in shape through some physical activity or another. It was this build that had many thinking he would become a world famous Quiddich player. Alas, he has put his his rugged, burly frame to other uses.

Aside from his height, the other aspect of Hayden's appearance that often garners attention is his easy going smile and his deep blue eyes. When he was younger, he tended to keep his sandy blonde hair neatly trimmed, but now the length varies. He often can be seen sporting a decent amount of stubble

Personality Description:
Although the core of who he is has not changed much since his time at school, Hayden has endured his share of hardships, including the loss of his wife and raising his two children alone, which have greatly humbled him more than he ever was in his youth. Then, as well as now, he exudes the traits that placed him as a Hufflepuff at Hogwart's.

Tenderhearted and sympathetic, Hayden has a deep understanding and caring for the needs and feelings of others, which often trump his own. He is extremely compassionate and cannot bear to see anyone suffer. Because of his kindness and nonjudgmental attitude, people suffering from pain or confusion are drawn to him for help, which he readily gives. He loves being the strength upon which others rely and sometimes this soft-heartedness is taken advantage of. Because he values harmony so highly, Hayden will compromise a great deal to avoid conflict in his relationships. Hayden does not like to dwell on controversial or emotional subjects and often tries to "smooth things over" or "sweep them under the rug".

Hayden is a man of few words when he can help it, which leads some people to believe that he's the typical "dumb jock" or brawn without brains type. In truth, he is a gentle soul and because of the strength of his feelings, he finds it difficult to verbalize how he experiences life.

Hayden has strong attachments to his past, his family and his friends. About the first, he is sentimental and reflective. The latter two mean the world to him and he will go to great lengths to protect them and do right by them, as evidenced by how devoted he is to his children, Camden and Venona. And again, most of this is done while his own wants and needs are put off to the side, especially when it comes to love. Despite desperately wanting to be "in love" again, Hayden often tells himself that he doesn't need it. But he is quietly searching for someone who is an intellectual peer, an equal and a friend.

Hayden does have a lazy streak and sometimes it's been said that he hasn't used his talents to their fullest. Sometimes he is too content to avoid confronting difficulty simply because it seems like too much trouble and too petty.

Even though he loves to socialize and has a generally pleasure-loving nature, he has become cautious over the years in expressing his affection, for fear of heartache. He is not interested in casual or superficial relationships or friendships and usually once someone takes advantage of him, he is quick to dismiss them.

History:
Hayden was born the second child to Nial and Camille McGregor. His father is the Muggle and his mother's side of the family is deeply rooted in wizardry. The two met when Hayden's mother accidentally cast a spell on his father when they were teenagers. Camille had been home for the summer and despite warnings not to practice magic outside of school, she did so anyway - being the daring person she was. She tried frantically to reverse the spell and when she finally succeeded, she didn't have the heart to lie to Nial. She shared with him the story about what had happened, and surprisingly, he took it quite well (perhaps an aftereffect of the spell). The two fell in love and after Camille was finished with school, they married. Camille went on to become very proficient in working with spells and was approached to teach at many witchcraft and wizardry schools in the United Kingdom. However, she took her love of Charms and Spells and turned it into a business (a shop selling wands and books and other such items) - inspired by Nial, who was a businessman himself.

A few years after being married, they had their first child - Sharra, who only attended two years at Hogwart's before pursuing traditional muggle schooling. Hayden was born two years later and he took up his mother's interest in magic. Hayden also has a younger sister, Rosalie, who also attended Hogwart's.

Hayden's family turned out to be an interesting hodgepodge of muggle life and wizardry and Hayden enjoys aspects of both lifestyles, even to this day. While he was at school, his summers were spent split between working with his mother and father. The weeks leading up to the start of the wizardry school year found him in his mother's shop helping students locate the items they need for classes and this eventually translated into him wanting to take over the shop for her. For much of his years at school, Hayden seemed a bit lost as to what to do with his life, as part of him thought he should do something more with his talents, even though he really did enjoy the "family" business.

After graduating from Hogwart's Hayden worked several odd jobs before settling down at the shop. His mother left the shop in his care and briefly took a job teaching charms and spells at Beauxbatons before eventually traveling retiring to travel with Nial. Hayden also married his Hogwart's sweetheart, Kyla Agnew. They had their son, Camden, and three years later their daughter Venora was born. Unfortunately, Kyla was killed in 1998 during the Battle of Hogwart's.

Hayden was devastated by her loss and his only saving grace has been Camden, Venora, the rest of his family, his friends and the shop. In recent years, especially with Camden heading off to Hogwart's, he has taken to expanding the shop beyond his mother's original to encompass a lot more than just the charms and spells, while also making sure it doesn't lose it's quaint appeal. This year, with Venora finally off at school, Hayden finds that he has a lot more time to focus on himself, perhaps more than he would like.

What is your occupation? How do you go about it?
How did you get your current occupation?
How does your past and abilities justify your current skills?:
He is the owner of Simply Charming, a quaint little supply shop especially ideal for those engaging in charms, spells and potions. It was originally his mother's shop and was bequeathed to him not long after he graduated from Hogwart's. His expertise in running the shop comes primarily from being around it most of his life and learning from his mother, a professor of charms and spells. Because of this, and also because he simply enjoys using his wand, that was his favorite subject in school and it was the one subject in which he was regularly at the top of his class.

Writing Sample:
Myrni Levartian stepped into The Leaky Cauldron, pulling her robes more tightly around her. it was a busy evening but the place was not entirely packed. So as she glanced around in search of the person she was looking for, it didn't take her long to find him. Her expressive hazel eyes finally settled on the tall, gruff looking frame of her very good friend, Halston Hayden MacGregor. Both were alumni of Hogwarts and although they had gone their separate ways when they had finished their schooling, they had always kept in touch. Now that Myrni had returned to England to teach, she was looking forward to the ability to catch up with him. She missed his familiarity and also the lilting sound of his voice.

Once he spotted her and waved, Myrni grinned back and bounded in his direction, practically throwing her arms around his broad shoulders and not even caring that she looked childish when doing so. "Haydes!" she exclaimed happily, embracing him for a moment before pulling back and looking up into his face.

The reserved Hayden smiled down at her but other than that, one might not know that he was moved by the occasion of their reconnection. That was just who he was--understated. He could be bursting with happiness inside and it would look the same as if he were taking a leisurely stroll down Diagon Alley. He was happy to let his friend to show enough child-like excitement and enthusiasm for the both of them.

Even years ago when Hayden had married and had his children--three of the most moving moments in his life--it had been Myrni who had reacted as if she were the one living it. Perhaps Myrni lived vicariously through others, as she was not married and had no children of her own. Although the former event might soon change, he was told, as she had recently become engaged.

As he pulled back, Hayden reached down and snatched up her dainty hand in one of his large ones and sought a glance at the ring her fiance had proposed with. Hayden was a widower and it was debatable if he would ever marry again, but it was safe to say that at one point in their youth, if all the cards had aligned in their favor, he and Myrni could have ended up together. Thus, he was deeply protective of her, especially when it came to matters of her heart. For Myrni was often reckless with it, often pinning her affections on those who were interested in someone else.

Now, she had finally settled on Nathaniel James Whitman, an Auror and a well respected Wizard. Really, there should be no reason for him to be worried about her and yet he still was. In his Scottish drawl, he said to her, "'Ey sweetie. Ah see ye is sparklin'. Tis almost blindin' me even from afar..."

That caused Myrni to smile shyly and she gently tugged the hand out of his grasp, looping her arm through his and guiding him over to the bar. "Yes, I know. Nate felt he needed to make a statement, I guess," she said of her fiance. She didn't mention that she hadn't seen him for a while since she had been back. It didn't necessarily bother her since she was busy with work, but she was still getting used to the idea that much of her life married to him might be spent on her own. Smiling impishly at her friend again, she asked, "So how are the kiddies?"

"Ye tell me," he returned wryly, knowing that both his son and daughter attended school. Even though she may not have specifically taught them, he knew that she was diligent in looking after them. He was glad about that as ever since their mother died, Camden and Venora had needed a decent mothering influence in their lives outside of his own mother who was not as young as she once was.

They shared a laugh as they requested drinks and waited for them to arrive. Myrni looked over her brawny friend and sighed. "It's good to see you again, Haydes. I missed you something awful." She gave his arm a squeeze and added, "Seeing you makes coming back here feel like home." And I haven't felt at home in a long while, she thought.

Sum up your character in one paragraph: Hayden is the proverbial teddy bear kind of guy that you want in your corner for pretty much any kind of situation. He is friendly to just about anyone, but that doesn't mean that he considers everyone his friend. And yet, if he does befriends you, it means that you've somehow managed to prove to him that you are genuine and worthy of his affections and he will be loyal to you for as long as you are to him.