Phenomenal! Accepted! ~ Analiza Snark

About You, the Writer:
We will never ask any member to disclose any personal information.
My name is Martin and I am 30 years old.


Your Nickname: (A moniker to identify you, the writer.
Can be your first name or a nickname.)
Martin

Have you read and do you agree to the Code of Conduct?:
Yes

How did you find us and decide to write with us?
I found the site through a web search.

If you have written other characters here, list them all:
None

Full Character Name:
Theobald Thadeus Whitaker Mainwaring

Character Birthday & Age:
1/12/51, Theobald is 57 years old

City & Country of Birth:
London, England (Born at St Mungo’s)

Pureblood, Halfblood or Muggleborn?:
Pureblood

Alma Mater:

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry (1964-72)

OWLs:
Astronomy - E
Charms - O
Defense Against the Dark Arts - O
Flying - P
Herbology - E
History of Magic - O
Potions - O
Transfiguration - O
Care of Magical Creatures - E
Muggle Studies - E
Study of Ancient Runes - E

NEWTs:
Charms - O
Defense Against the Dark Arts - O
Herbology - E
History of Magic - E
Potions - O
Transfiguration - O
Care of Magical Creatures - E

Magical Law Enforcement Squad (1972-82)
Werewolf Capture Unit (1982-2000)
Head of the Werewolf Capture Unit 1993-2000)
North American Lecture Circuit (2000-2001)
Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor – Salem Wiches Institute (2001-05)
Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor – Hogwarts (2005- )

Position at Hogwarts:
Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts

Wand:
12 inches, alder and phoenix feather, inflexible

Physical Description:
 Theobald is a physically imposing man, being both tall (6’2”) and large. In his prime he kept in good shape but now he has gone somewhat to seed, being quite portly, although he remains more muscular than most. He has a receding hairline and a full beard, both of which were once dark brown, but now are laced with grey.

Personality Description:
 Professor Mainwaring is for the most part a kind yet stern man, who genuinely cares for the well being of his students however he is not without his flaws, the worst of which is a foul temper, that many have fallen foul of when they have stepped out of line. He also has the tendency to harbour grudges against those who wound him and can be judgemental towards those incapable of maintaining good manners.

 After his experiences in the two wars he harbours a deep dislike of bloodist sentiments and those use their strength to abuse others. His punishment of those he catches bullying is known to be horrendous.

 He used to have a strong competitive spirit and keen ambition however he largely lost these parts of his personality when his brother was taken from him, something which he has never truly gotten over, and which he still feels guilty about. He does however retain a good work ethic and determination to see through those things he sets his mind on.

 Away from work, among his peers he is normally a jolly and convivial man although he can be melancholy at times when he broods about his brother.

History:
 Theobald Mainwaring was born as the first of two sons to Rolland Mainwaring and Abigail Mainwaring (nee FitzGerald) on the 1st of December, 1951. He was soon followed into the world by his brother Donovan, who was born on the 26th of January, 1953.

 The Mainwarings were a pureblood couple of good reputation but little prominence who lived in the town of Arundel in West Sussex. Roland Mainwairing was a mid-ranking member of the Improper Use of Magic Office. A courteous and kind but stict man, he raised his children to believe in the importance of manners, punctuality and tradition. He also tried to instil in them the importance of self-discipline, something he was less successful in than he liked, especially with regard to his elder son.

 Rolland’s wife, Abigail, shared many qualities and beliefs with her husband, especially regarding the importance of manners, which was one of the things that attracted the two to each other. A healer at St Mungos, she was strived her best to teach her sons the importance of compassion and to raise them in her own Catholic faith.

 Despite the strict nature of their upbringing, Theobald and Donovan had an enjoyable childhood, blessed as they were with loving parents and the two brothers became very close as they grew up. They were also very competitive and constantly strove to outdo each other in every endeavour they undertook. Of these Theobald, being the larger and older usually won their fights but Donovan, being quicker, always won their races. Academically they shared the honours, but their rivalry helped to spur them on to study more than other boys their age and they both came near the top of their classes in the muggle primary school that they attended in their youth.

 Their rivalry only increased after they started in Hogwarts as they were sorted into different house, Theobald being admitted to Hufflepuff, his father’s old house, Donovan going into Gryffindor and the two had constant arguments over which house was better, when they were on holiday, until their exasperated parents banned all such discussions from the family home.

 Despite such disagreements, Theobald remained very close to his brother and much of the venom he directed at Gryffindor in his first few years in Hogwarts was because he blamed the house for taking Donovan away from him.

 Despite his brother’s ‘loss’, Theobald settled in well at Hogwarts, making many friends and progressed well academically getting 11 OWLs (5 Os, 5 Es and 1 P (in flying)). He later went on to become a prefect and succeeded in getting 7 NEWTs (4 Os and 3 Es).

 His accomplishments were overshadowed slightly by Donovan’s however who in addition to becoming Head Boy, gained 7 Os out of 11 at OWL level and 5 Os out of 5 at NEWT level, much to Theobald’s irritation. Also whilst at school he did have something of a patchy disciplinary record, not out of intentional rule-breaking or rudeness but due to his hot temper which saw him retaliating to a number of insults, sometimes with quite serious consequences as he grew to become a talented duellist, a fact that led him to have some serious arguments with his parents, although he was supported in these arguments by his brother. 

 After finishing Hogwarts Theobald took up a career with the Ministry, initially working as a Hitwizard for the Magical Law Enforcement Squad for ten years from 1972 to 1982, during which time he frequently found himself battling Death Eaters, werewolves and other agents of Voldemort.

 After the end of the First Wizarding War many of the front line law enforcements agencies had been suffered severe losses, especially the Werewolf Capture Unit, which had been decimated and the Ministry, short as it was in experienced wizards willing and able to put themselves in such danger looked to volunteers amongst the Hitwizards, willing to transfer to the Department and Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures in order to help rebuild it.

 Seeing the opportunity that was available Theobald was among the first to volunteer and was one of the cornerstones of the Werewolf Capture Unit in the years to follow, eventually rising to head the organisation in 1993.

 During the Second Wizarding War, Theobald was very busy, organising squads to confront the minions of Fenrir Greyback, whom he grew to detest utterly. As the war escalated and the number of deliberate attacks increased he grew less interested in restraining rogue werewolves that in stopping their rampages and he authorised the use of deadly force on those targets he knew to be acting in a premeditated fashion, slaying several of them personally, a strategy that had the approval of then Minister of Magic, Rufus Scrimgeour.

 Throughout this time Theobald did try, however, to keep the distinction between those attacks that were caused by werewolves, like Greyback, who sought to infect others and those whose rages were accidental, whom he did try to bring back alive, a distinction that was lost however on some of the other members of his department, including his then protégé, Kurby Bagnold.

 After Scrimgeour’s death, due to his many contacts Theobald was among those to realise that the Ministry had fallen and fearing retribution from Greyback’s allies, decided to make himself scarce by taking a sabbatical to ‘Study alternative methods of werewolf restraint’ with his opposite number and friend in Canada, Calvin Michaels.

 Theobald remained in Canada for several months until word reached him that his brother had died.

 Donovan Mainwaring had followed his brother into law enforcement after leaving school but opted to follow the harder and more elite path of the Auror Office. He had fought with distinction through the First Wizarding War and was not prepared to abandon the fight after the fall of the ministry, despite his brother’s insistence that for the safety of his family they should join him in Canada, while they ‘re-assessed the situation’. On the 6th of December, 1997 he and his wife and fellow auror, Nicola (nee Fisher), were murdered by Death Eaters whilst the couple were going out for a meal with Nicola’s muggle parents (John and Ida (nee Daley) Fisher). The couple’s two young children Laurissa and Charlton, who had been staying at a babysitter’s for the evening, however, escaped the carnage.

 On hearing of the news of his brother’s death, Theobald went nearly mad, consumed with grief, rage and with guilt for leaving the battle while his brother and others were still fighting for the seemingly hopeless cause. He returned to England in a storm of fury and, after ensuring that his niece and nephew were safely sent out of the country into Michaels’ care, wading back into the fray, hunting Death Eaters and werewolves with a reckless abandon, seeking only revenge. He nearly was killed several times during the next few months but survived through a combination of luck and skill however he was only marginally successful in his personal crusade. Amongst Voldemort’s inner circle the only Death Eater he encountered was Rodolphus Lestrange, during a stay in London, whom he had to flee from after an inconclusive duel after two other Death Eaters spotted them and moved to reinforce Lestrange.

 Had he continued down the road of revenge, Theobald would undoubtedly have met his end however he came to his senses in the village of Albourne in the middle of February after encountering a group of snatchers trying to drag a fourteen year old muggle-born wizard, called Bryan Campbell away from his parents’ arms solely for being a ‘mudblood’.   

 The group of three snatchers, who were unskilled magically, were only expecting to deal with a child and his muggle parents and quickly fled when confronted by a trained ministry official. Theobald was moved to pursue and kill the group but also felt compelled for the first time in several months to consider the needs of others. After a brief moment, his compassion won out over his need for vengeance and he returned to the stunned Campbell family, explaining to them that Britain was no longer safe for their son and that they needed to get away if they wanted to keep him safe. After giving them the names of some useful contacts who could protect them abroad he guarded them to the airport, promising to let them know once it was safe for them to return.

 Somewhat directionless, Theobald rather recklessly returned to his home town of Arundel, as he knew that his home was being watched but he did not return to his house. Instead after renting a room in a hotel with muggle money he had been given by the Campbells, he attended a service in Arundel Cathedral, after which he prayed for several hours seeking direction.

 After much deliberation, during which he considering returning to Canada to raise his niece and nephew in peace, he decided to commit himself to the cause of trying to overthrow Voldemort and to forge a better future. Doing so proved harder than he expected as two of his former contacts in the Ministry, having seen which way the wind was blowing had switched their allegiances to the Dark Lord, and tried to sell him out when he approached them. The third however, Titus Porge, was able to point him in the right direction and he was able to make contact with elements of the resistance.

 Theobald spent the remainder of the Second Wizarding War in the shadows. As he was himself branded an ‘Undesirable’ for his earlier actions against minor Death Eaters he could not return to the Ministry so he instead worked with others amongst the resistance in helping muggle-borns to escape capture. At the conclusion of the war, alerted by a friend in the resistance living in Hogsmeade of the battle going on in Hogwarts, he hurried to join the citizens there in reinforcing the defenders.

 After the war Mainwaring briefly returned to Canada to collect his nephew and niece, before returning to his position in the Ministry, however he discovered that after everything he had been through he had lost his enthusiasm for the job. He remained in his position just long enough to ensure that his successor at the Werewolf Capture Unit, Iona Bruce, was sufficiently trained for the task.

 After leaving the Ministry in early 2000, Theobald turned to the Lecture Circuit, giving various talks to wizarding communities across Canada and America, about werewolves, the Dark Arts and the Events of the Wizarding Wars in General, which he thoroughly enjoyed. He found he liked teaching so much that in 2001, while lecturing in Massachusetts, he was easily persuaded by the Headmistress of the Salem Witches Institute to take up the post of the Defence Against the Dark Arts Teacher.

 He remained in America for four years but in 2005 decided to apply for the then vacant position of Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts, as he wanted his niece and nephew to grow up as Britons rather than Americans.

 Now an established figure at Hogwarts, Theobald is considering whether or not to seek a position of higher responsibility within the school.

 Throughout his life he has had several brief romances, none of which lasted more than a few months, but has never found anyone he wanted to settle down with. He would consider another courtship with the right woman if it came about but with a career and two children’s needs to balance, he has little inclination to go actively looking for a potential spouse.

Elaborate on your expertise in your field:
 Theobald has had extensive experience in confronting various criminals, werewolves and dark wizards during his many years of experience at the Ministry and during the two Wizarding Wars. He also gained experience in lecturing and had four years of teaching experience prior to taking up his position in Hogwarts.

What is your teaching philosophy?:
 Theobald believes that without discipline and order only chaos can ensue and brooks no trouble-making in his class. He also believes however in fairness and his punishments though severe are fair and consistent, except when his temper gets the better of him.

 Miscreants aside, he believes in encouraging and motivating his pupils and does not believe in belittling those who are struggling with their studies. Displays of ignorance though prompt him to set larger amounts of homework. If he feels that a particular pupil is struggling he is prepared to offer them remedial classes if he feels they warrant it but does not believe in letting their peers know about such matters.

 He has no time for a problem-based approach to learning, instead viewing formal lessons, required reading and homework and practice as being the keys to learning.
 

Writing Sample:
Show your character in a scene that illustrates their
best and worst aspects of their personality. Include action, dialog and thought.
 
 Professor Mainwaring looked up from his papers as the fifth years trailed in, gossiping noisily. Some of them were well dressed. Matthews, the Ravenclaw prefect, he noted with approval, had polished his shoes, in keeping with his station. Others were less well turned out though, including some he had admonished before on the subject, and a few looked as if they had come through a hedge of brambles on the way up from the potions classroom.

 As the worst pair passed his desk he gruffly remarked,

 “Fettiplace, took that shirt in! Cameron, do up that tie! This is a classroom not your common rooms. I expect both of you to keep yourselves more presentable in the future or points will be deducted from Hufflepuff and Slytherin.”

 After waiting a few minutes for the stragglers to arise, he stood up, the class quickly falling into silence,

 “That’s enough, settle down. Settle down! Good. Today we will be studying possession, the dark art of inhabiting and taking over the body of another, with particular emphasis of recognising and resisting it. The knowledge of possession magic is thankfully a rare art and was only used infrequently by followers of the Dark Lord during the last war however it remains a potent threat and something that you should be aware of and on guard against. Less importantly in day-to-day life but of marked relevance to you this year it is also a favourite question of examiners in the OWLs, so it is something that we shall be spending some time on.

 Now, who can tell me the differences between Possession Magic and the Imperious Charm and why would a dark wizard favour one over the other?”

 Before anyone could answer the door opened and a flustered looking Gryffindor came in, muttering “Sorry Professor”, before hurrying to her seat. Professor Mainwaring, his face reddening, looked exceptionally angry at this interruption, turned to address the girl,

 “Stebbins, it is bad enough that you are late, worse still at your age that you have not yet learned the manners to knock. Wait behind after the class has finished!”...

 ...As the class ended he also remarked to a Hufflepuff boy,

 “Baxter, wait behind with Stebbins! I’ll speak with you in a moment”

 He collected the homeworks left behind on the desks with a wave of his wand and a soundless accio charm, as the worried looking Baxter gave a beseeching, ‘What have I done wrong?’ look to his departing friends.

 “Right Stebbins, you first! This is the third time that you have been late to my classroom in as many weeks. Tardiness is something that I will not tolerate as I have explained to you on numerous occasions before. Do you have a good explanation for such rudeness?...No!...In that case 5 points will be deducted from Gryffindor for each time that you have been late and if you are late again this month, I will put you in detention. Now hurry on before you are late for your next class!”

 After Stebbins slouched off the Professor turned to frightened Baxter,
   
 “Don’t worry son, you haven’t down anything wrong. I noticed that you were having trouble with the sneakoscopes during our last lesson. I can show you where you are going wrong if you would like. Just come up to my classroom after lessons any day this week but Thursday and I’ll put you to rights.”
 

Sum up your character in one paragraph:
 Theobald is a tough and grizzled but wounded man, who hides his pain under duty and responsibility. He is an accomplished, decent and experienced wizard unafraid to fight for what he believes to be right although his character is marred by his temper and his tendency for vengeance. Pupils should find him stern but fair and not somebody to cross but they will also find him surprisingly compassionate and generous to those of them he recognises as being in genuine need.

Accepted - Knox

[Character Name:]
Theobald Thadeus Whitaker Mainwaring

[Title Applying For:]
Head of Hufflepuff

[link to Accepted Biography:]
http://absitomen.com/index.php?topic=516.0

[How Has Your Past Prepared You For This Honor?:]
 A Hufflepuff graduate, Theobald is an experienced professor with seven years of educational experience and is well used to many of the common problems experienced by younger children, having raised his niece and nephew largely single-handedly.

 He is also no stranger to responsibility, having headed the Werewolf Capture Unit for seven years and is well aware of the importance of both motivating and disciplining those under his authority.
 
 Finally having faced down dark wizards and werewolves he is not in the least bit intimidated by any of his students or peers and has a reputation for being no soft touch. Despite this he is not a cruel man and does have the best interests of his students at heart.

[What Do You Think the Most Important Aspect of This Job Is:?
 The most important roles of this job are to look after the well-being of the students of the house, both educationally and emotionally, and to maintain discipline.

[Tell a Story From Your Past That Has Proven Your Mettle:]
(You may tell the story as if your character is telling it,
or you can write in the third person.)

 The Housemaster listened to the prefect’s report with growing anger as he relayed the story of the fourth year Hufflepuff’s latest misdemeanour,
 “And you caught Anderson attacking Harrison, Mr Curry,”

 “Yes Professor, he hit him twice, once in the stomach and once in the face and he was showing no sign of stopping until I used the body bind curse on him.”

 Mainwaring sighed,
 “How is Harrison?

“Shaken Sir”, the prefect replied, “but he should be alright. He may have a few bruises though. I sent him up to the Hospital Wing.”

 “You have done well, Mr Curry, and you were right to bring this to my attention. Take five points for Ravenclaw. Send Anderson in as you are leaving."

 The professor opened the drawer of his desk and drew out a rather thick file as a dishevelled and surly looking boy trudged into the office,
 “Anderson! Sit down! Mr Curry has filled me in on your latest exploit. Do you care to explain why you felt it necessary to attack a first year?”

 “He was asking for it Sir. He was making a joke about my sick mother.”

The Professor shook his head in disgust,
  “And you couldn’t find any other way to deal with it but to beat him into tomorrow... I would deduct more points from Hufflepuff, but as you have proven that that has no effect on your behaviour, you can instead have detention, every day this week and yes that includes the Quidditch Match!”

 “But Sir! The Team!”

 “Silence! While it is good to see you thinking of your housemates for once there is no excuse for violence towards another student, especially a younger one. You can think of how much you have let them down whilst polishing the school shields tomorrow.”

 Theobald sighed again,
 “You need to sort yourself out, Mr Anderson. I have tried to cut you a certain slack given what you are going through but if you keep this behaviour up you are going to get yourself into serious trouble. Given the stress that your father is already under at the moment I will refrain from writing to him about this episode. See that I do not have to regret such generosity. Now, get to bed!”

Character Name: Theobald Thadeus Whitaker Mainwaring
Link to Accepted Biography: http://absitomen.com/index.php?topic=516.0
Previous Job/Position: Professor of DADA, Head of Hufflepuff
Position Applying For: Head of the Werewolf Capture Unit

Why have you chosen to change careers?:   On November 12th, an elderly pureblood wizard named Gannon Rosier was found murdered by his cleaner in the village of Biddestone, Wiltshire. Rosier’s death  was not much mourned.  Once an influential commenter on social change he had been thoroughly discredited 5 years previously when evidence had emerged from some of his private correspondence that he shared the views of his Death Eater brother and nephew.
 Which did alarm the Ministry was the savagery of the attack.  The numerous claw and bite marks as well as the black fur found at the scene suggested only one thing  - a werewolf.  Knowing already the furore over werewolves in the press at the moment and not wanting there to be any further outpouring of discrimination, the Head of the Werewolf Capture Unit, Iona Bruce, asked the Ministry to suppress the news that there was a werewolf involved until the beast could be captured. Making the case her top priority she and her most experienced agents scoured the countryside for all available clues. After interrogating (and altering the memory) of several muggles she managed to track the werewolf to a rented cottage just outside of Salisbury a mere 2 nights later.
 As the team of 4 closed in on the dwelling they expected a fierce struggle. What they didn’t expect was that they were walking into a trap.  Attacked by more than 10 wizards they were hopelessly outnumbered. If it wasn’t for their skill and experience none of them would have made it out alive. As it was they suffered heavy casualties. Iona Bruce herself was stunned from behind before being savaged by the werewolf. Olaf Parkinson was slain while the other two members of the team Kirby Bagnold and Amy Greer each suffered several wounds.
 They assailants however took losses as well. Two of their number, later identified as Velvet Spiers and Jim Diamond, also died, Spiers when she hit her head on a rock after being stunned, Diamond after being stabbed by Bagnold at close quarters in self-defence.  Two others were stunned by Bagnold and Greer before they gathered their fallen and retreated.
  Bruce was taken to St Mungos, where she has had to remain as she slowly recovers but she quickly realised that she would be unable to continue in her position, given that she now was a werewolf herself.  She feared however relinquishing her role as the next in line was Kirby Bagnold, a man she believed from working with him for many years, hated and sought to kill all werewolves, not just the guilty ones like her attacker. She was unable to prove Bagnold’s beliefs though as he had always been careful to maintain an impeccable image to the wider Ministry. Eventually despairing of other options she decided to ask her old mentor, Theobald Mainwaring if he would be willing to leave Hogwarts and resume his former role.
 Theobald was deeply saddened by what had happened to Iona as well as by Olaf’s death, whom was another wizard whom he had trained. He was reluctant to accept the role given that he now had family commitments and that he enjoyed teaching greatly but several factors forced his hand. First of all his own job was far from secure given his relationship with the new Headmistress of Hogwarts Analiza Snark.  Secondly and more importantly he shared Iona’s distrust of Kirby’s intentions and given what had happened recently at Hogwarts and elsewhere to werewolves he feared that Kirby was use the opportunity to advance his own agenda. Finally he felt personally that he could not disappoint Iona.
 After talking up the post and talking further to Iona, Amy  and a surprised (and less than pleased to see him again given the circumstances) Kirby, he became most alarmed by what they told him of the ambush. The attackers had apparently shouted “All inbreds will be next!” as they fled. This coupled by the murder of Rosier and the fact that they had focused their killing curses on Olaf and Kirby, the only two purebloods in the team, while only stunning and maiming Iona, pointed to the fact that these were no ordinary thugs but a more dangerous threat and Theobald was quick to pass on his conclusions to the aurors. The following days confirmed his fears as there were two additional attacks on purebloods, both thankfully less well organised and non-fatal.
 As word of what had happened leaked out there was alarm that such experienced and skilled Ministry officials had been overcome by these mysterious attackers but the public mood was somewhat re-assured when Theobald’s appointment was made public.  The public knew and trusted him to catch the werewolf and his cronies responsible. He only hoped that he could quickly live up to that trust before the murderer could strike again.


Elaborate on your expertise in this new field: 18 years in the Unit (1982-200))
7 years as its leader (1993-2000)
Extensive combat experience and knowledge of combating the dark arts


Describe your new job and how you go about doing it:  The Head of the Werewolf Capture Unit is the leader of the witches and wizards responsible for tracking down and capturing unregistered werewolves and bringing them to justice.  This can be straight forward where  a new werewolf is merely frightening and confused of its new status or involve difficult and challenging attacks by dangerous dark wizards like Fenrir Greyback.
 Aside from taking part in the investigations themselves the unit’s leader must also oversee recruitment to the unit and be its liason to more senior Ministry officials. He must also be able to conduct himself well in public as he often has to give statements in trials and interviews to the media.    

P.S. I plan to create a character for the werewolf. His being of a werewolf is only incidental however. He and his followers will be muggle-born wizard embittered by what happened to them under Voldemort and by what they see as ongoing pureblood prejudice and who view themselves as striking back against it by targeting known pureblood supremacists like Gannon Rosier.