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Can be your first name or a nickname.) Tracey
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If you have written other characters here, list them all: Moira Randall, Claudia Vespucciano, Isaac Fraiser, and Morrigan Ramsay

Full Character Name: Philip Dante Ward
Character Birthday & Age: January 4, 1968 & 41
City & Country of Birth: Dublin, Ireland
Pureblood, Halfblood or Muggleborn?: Halfblood
Alma Mater: Hogwarts - Gryffindor
Job: Head of the Department of Mysteries

Wand:
 
Made from Cocobolo wood, Dante’s wand is eleven and a half inches tall.  The core is made from Ashwinder Ash and is quite rigid and unyielding.  The surface and handle are smooth with a decorative knob at the top and bottom of the handle area.  When Dante was eleven years old the wand chose him while visiting a his father's cousin who was a wandmaker in Ireland.

Physical Description:

(Optional list)
Build/Body type:  Dante has a muscular, athletic build.  That in combination with his height gives him an imposing appearance
Estimated Height/Weight: 6’ 1” and 175 lbs
Hair color: Dark Brown
Eye color: Dark Brown
Skin color: Medium
First Impression: As Dante rarely smiles one and tends to be serious all of the time, one might think him quite cold and uncaring.
Any odd/outstanding features?: Dante’s dark eyes are usually quite intense, taking in everything around him and everything about those he encounters.  When he speaks to others he usually holds eye contact, making his eyes one of the things people will notice most about him.

Personality Description:
 
As first impressions will suggest, Dante is quite serious the majority of the time.  Smiles are quite rare from him, leading most to believe he is cold, calculating, and some even believe him to be completely unfeeling.  He tends to speak his mind, not caring about the consequences of his actions, and rarely does he coddle his employees.  He tends to be very matter of fact, not bothering with too many details.
 
Dante is quite good at keeping information to himself.  A secret will rarely slip past his lips, and this gives him an advantage in his line of work.  He prefers to keep to himself, rarely seeking out company from others.  He also could be considered a work-a-holic as he tends to work long hours.  Some have, on occasion, questioned if perhaps he was a vampire as it seemed he would be in the office before the sun rose and remain their until long after night fall.
 
Despite his rough exterior, Dante is extremely loyal.  Once someone has earned his respect and trust he is willing to whatever necessary to aid that person.  However, his sometimes harsh criticism and less then fuzzy exterior make it difficult for most to approach him and even harder for anyone to truly get to know him.

History:
 
Childhood
 
On January 4, 1968 Philip Dante Ward was born in Dublin, Ireland.  He was the first born son of Hector and Beatrice Ward who were elated to finally begin their family.  He was named for both his grandfathers, Philip being the name of his mother's father, and Dante that of his paternal grandfather.  His mother, a Muggle, knew little of the Wizarding world and so Dante was raised with a primarily Muggle upbringing.  Hector, however, continued to be an active part of the Wizarding community, working as an Unspeakable for the Department of Mystries at the Ministry of Magic.
 
Growing up, Dante was considered a relatively happy child with an active imagination.  He was quite obsessed with his father's work always trying to find out more about what his father did within the secretive department.  Hector, for his part, remained true to his professional ethics and rarely shared top secret information with his family.
 
Dante's mother was perhaps the largest influence in his life as a child as she remained at home to raise him.  Beatrice was quite warm and caring, always reading to him Muggle stories and encouraging him to create his own adventures within his mind.  One of their favorite day trips was to the zoo where they would often create stories about being on safaris and encountering the animals in the wild.  The image of her smiling and laughing was one that would be forever imprinted on his mind.
 
In 1975, Beatrice discovered she was to have another child and Dante was thrilled at the idea of having a little brother or sister.  However, the pregnancy was not an easy one.  Beatrice was on and off be rest quite frequently, causing Hector to worry for her health and that of their unborn child's.
 
Six weeks before she was due to have the new baby, she was once again off of bed rest.  Wanting to enjoy the last few weeks with Dante before the new baby arrived, Beatrice gave in to his desire to go to the zoo as the used to.  The day however, did not turn out to be a happy one as Beatrice went into premature labor and had to be rushed to the nearest Muggle hospital.
 
The doctors there were able to save Dante's baby sister, Amelia, but his mother died shortly after giving birth.  It was the last day the boy would ever engage in an sort of games.  He would often refuse to leave his room, instead throwing himself into studying the topics he learned at school.  Nothing his father or extended family did could draw the young boy from his depression.  In 1979 when his acceptance letter to Hogwarts arrived via owl, Hector hoped the change would be what his son needed to regain a bit of the carefree innocence that had been lost.
 
School Years
 
Upon entering Hogwarts, Dante was sorted into Gryffindor, his father's old house.  The physical distance from his father and sister only increased the rift that had been created upon his mother's death.  During breaks, Dante would often choose to remain at school to study instead of returning home to visit.  He had few friends, preferring to remain alone in his studies.
 
Dante excelled at Defense Against the Dark Arts and Potions.  His father by this time had been promoted to the head of the Potion & Herbological Research Office within the Department of Mysteries and he found himself wishing to follow in Hector's footsteps.  It wasn't uncommon for the others in his year to find him up late studying by candle light.
 
During the summer between his second and third year Hector convinced his son to try out for the Quidditch team, hoping it might bring about a few friends for the young man.  After the tryouts Dante was made a chaser and found he did surprisingly well in the team atmosphere.  The sport got him out of his room and it was during the time he became an active runner and athlete.
 
He graduated in 1986 with N.E.W.T.s in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Potions, Charms, Transfiguration, Herbology, History of Magic, and Arithmancy.  Upon graduation he was accepted into Laevenstrome's Fundunct of Sorcery in the United States, seeing a duel degree in Potions and Herbology.
 
Post-Hogwarts and Laevenstrome's
 
In 1990, upon completion of his educational studies at Laevenstrome's Dante returned to the United Kingdom, accepting a position as an Unspeakable within the Potion & Herbological Research Office.  It was that same year his father retired, much to Dante's relief.  Having his father constantly evaluating his work proved to make things difficult for the young man.
 
As tensions grew and the second war became eminent things were about to once again take a turn for the tragic in Dante's life.  His Father, having been a part of the original Order of the Phoenix had once again taken to the fight, this time bringing Amelia along with him.  Due to his position with in the Ministry, Dante had fought to out forth an image of neutrality to protect not only himself, but his family.
 
At the Battle for Hogwarts both his father and sister were killed, leaving him without immediate family.  When the battle was over he was asked to identify their bodies and what little warmth was left within him seemed to extinguish in that moment.  He once again threw himself into his work, rarely stopping to take any time for personal matters.  His extended family had attempted to offer support in the beginning, but after a few months the owls carrying letters of sympathy ceased and he was finally left alone.
 
His supervisors often praised him for his commitment to the Ministry, and in 2005 when the head of the department retired he was promoted to his father's old position.  Dante's strict and organized manner brought more order to his department.  A year later he also headed up the development of a new form of Veritaserum that would make it more difficult for those taking it to resist its results.
 
When Analiza Snark left the Department of Mysteries to become the new Headmistress for Hogwarts, Dante was among the first to apply.  His long standing position with the Ministry as well as his commitment to his work made him the natural choice for the position.

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?:
 
Dante is responsible for all the activities within the Department of Mysteries.  He not only oversees all of the research that goes on within the various offices within his Department, he is constantly continuing his own research on new potions and variations of existing ones.  His most notable discovery with a modification to Veritaserum and the implementation of it's use by magical law enforcement.
 
He was promoted from the Head of Potion & Herbological Research Office.  He began working for the Ministry in 1990 within that office.  Over the years he received several promotions giving him supervisory experience.  His proven work ethic and years of study have made him an ideal employee and leader.

Writing Sample:Show your character in a scene that illustrates the best and worst aspects of their personality. Include action, dialog and thought.
 
(please see previous applications:  Moira, Claudia, Isaac, or Morrigan )

Sum up your character in one paragraph:
 
Dante Ward is a man driven by his work.  He has no family and so he spends the majority of his time working on his research and overseeing the daily activities of the Department of Mysteries.  Never one to be trifled with, Dante demands the best from himself and his employees.