Your Nickname: Chris
Have you read and do you agree to the Code of Conduct?: Yes
How did you find us and decide to write with us? Friend
If you have written other characters here: No
If Yes, list them all:
Is this a Primary or Secondary Character?: Primary

Full Character Name: Tarelin Faust
Character Birthday & Age: 21 April 1986 / 23 years old
City & Country of Birth: Truro, England
Blood Purity: Halfblood
Alma Mater: Hogwarts (Hufflepuff)
Job/Position: Auror-in-Training

Wand: 10 and a half inches long, made of birchwood with a unicorn tail core. The wand is supple and knobbly, with a smoothed handle shaped to fit Tarelin’s grip. The young wizard can often by seen flexing the wand and staring intently at the bend it forms when deep in thought.

Physical Description: Standing 5 foot, 10 inches tall, Tarelin has a deep brown mop of hair atop his head, cut in a jagged shape and layered. On occasion, he will die the fringe of his hair blonde, though this is often something he immediately regrets and often removes it after a day or two. His eyes are a deep blue, and capable of remaining unblinking for long periods of time, especially when he is concentrating on a task. His fingernails are bitten down, a habit which his mother has struggled to break him of throughout his teenage years without success. When outside of work, Tarelin often wears a shirt underneath a jacket, accompanied by jeans.

Personality Description: Tarelin is a focused individual, dedicated to his aim of becoming an Auror. Because of this, and because of many of the strict guidelines surrounding Auror work, Tarelin does not stray far from the rules unless he sees that somebody is in danger, in which case he is willing to break position and rush to help them without a thought to his own safety. His desire to help others, however, does mean that he can be too rash to act, and even tricked by a cunning opponent. While working in the auror department at the ministry itself, Tarelin is willing to chat with his colleagues, but can become short and annoyed if he is disturbed while focused on paperwork, placing his training above office banter or politics.

Due to his focus on his career, however, Tarelin has spent little time developing his relationship skills. While he is certainly not socially stunted, his reaction when confronted with flirting is to stutter, flush red, and try desperately to move the conversation towards something else. In situations such as this, as well as when nervous, he fidgets with his hands or tidies the area directly around him, something which looks a little strange in bars or pubs.

In his spare time, Tarelin enjoys nothing more than to read a good book, in particular books written by muggle authors. First introduced to them while taking Muggle Studies at Hogwarts, he quickly found a love for their attitude towards the fantastical, and pestered his professor for recommendations. Now that he is older, he often finds himself  wondering London during his free time, seeking out some quaint, dusty muggle book store. When not reading, most often during his short lunch breaks while working at the ministry, he likes to sit in Diagon Alley and people-watch, considering it part of his training for survailance and noticing unusual behaviour.

History: Born in Truro to Aaron and Elizabeth Faust, both halfbloods who had met at Hogwarts, Tarelin knew about his magical heritage from an early age, his parents never shy about using spells around the house and often taking their time to show him what different spells did and how they could be best used. Because of this, Tarelin easily adjusted to the concept of magic, and even picked up a few basic tricks before the owl delivered his letter to Hogwarts- though they were usually spells for cleaning a room or for mending objects, rather then hexes or charms!

Tarelin began his first year at Hogwarts during September 1997: the same year Snape and the Carrows took control of the school. Though his parents had been saddened by the death of Dumbledore like much of the wizarding community had been, Tarelin was still eager to attend, and Aaron and Elizabeth wanted their son to be happy. They could not have foreseen the events that were to come, could not have known the dangers which awaited the students returning to Hogwarts that year. So it was, with the usual gusto, that Aaron and Elizabeth waved the 11-year old Tarelin off from Platform 9 ¾ at King’s Cross Station, London.

Sorted into Hufflepuff, Tarelin, like many students at Hogwarts that year, was forced to make friends quickly else endure the tyrannical rule of the Carrows on his own. Fortunately, many of the students were tightly bound by house loyalty, and looked out for one another. Despite his best efforts, Tarelin, like many first years, could not help but find himself on the wrong side of the Carrows, and was sent to their offices for ‘detention’ once or twice a month. Many students would have quit there and then, but the magic he learnt under the tutorage of kinder teachers such as Professor McGonagall and Professor Flitwick kept him going until that fateful day in early May, when Harry Potter returned to Hogwarts, and brought with his the final day of the Second Wizarding War.

When You-Know-Who’s army attacked Hogwarts, Tarelin and his fellow classmates, having snuck back into the castle to help during the confusion, had taken to defending the Hufflepuff Common Room, helping to barricade the entrances using whatever furniture they could find. For what felt like hours they waited there, scared even to breathe, while all around them the castle crumbled. Many were huddled together as Tarelin stood guard at the entrance should the worst happen, wand at the ready. What little defensive charms he had learnt were strong, having developed a talent for them in much the same way his father had. Suddenly, the moment they had all dreaded happen, as the sound of incantations and explosions rushed towards the other side of the door. Tarelin gripped his wand tighter, his knuckles whitening as he muttered his charms under baited breath. On the other side of the entrance, voices could be heard. Just how many Tarelin could not determine: all he knew what that those not solely casting the killing curse were outnumbered by those who were. The combatants were right outside the door now, one party cornered, missed curses reverberating the castle walls. Then, in an instant, two ear-piercing screams cut through the air, and suddenly Tarelin could only hear one voice, a female voice filled with anger and bitter tears, yelling spell after spell after spell as footprints signalled retreat. For a moment, the silence of before returned, even more eerie than it had been. Finally, Tarelin could take it no more; parting the barricade just enough so that he could slip through, the young Hufflepuff exited the common room, wand extended in front of him.

What he saw shocked him, shot twenty emotions through him: a young witch, no older than 17, stood in her Gryffindor robes, wand hanging limply at her side. Her shoulders moved rhymically up and down, as though she were panting for breath, and from her Tarelin could hear gentle sobbing. Behind her, a few steps from his own position lay a mass of black and yellow, an older Hufflepuff that Tarelin knew as Kieran Brigg. Over his body was a dome of white haze, a protection charm Tarelin could only assume was cast by the girl stood a few meters away. As he stood in stunned silence, the girl turned towards the body, dissipating the charm that shrouded the boy’s corpse. Moving towards it and scooping it up in her hand, she kissed the cold forehead. “Go inside, and hide. Keep hidden,” she said to Tarelin, without even a glance, before walking down the rubble-strewn corridor towards the Great Hall. The young Hufflepuff did as he was told, replacing the barricade as he did.

For many, the choice to return to Hogwarts the next year was a tough one. Of course, many parents were against it, Tarelin’s own included. Over summer, however, the image of the girl and the boy had stayed with him, and he urged his parents to let him return. The boy had died to help he and his fellow Hufflepuffs to survive that night, and the unknown girl who had lost her friend, had haunted his mind for nearly five months now, and he knew that he could not simply leave the school when he might get a chance to see her and to thank her. Eventually, after continual pestering of his parents, he was allowed to return, though the girl was nowhere to be found. It was possible, Tarelin told himself, that she had been a seventh year at the time of the battle, and that she would have finished Hogwarts that night. Despite this, never getting to speak to the girl meant that Tarelin could only imagine just what had happened in the fight, and whether he could have truly defended his housemates had the Death Eaters broken through. Tarelin did not want to find out the answer to the latter of those question, and so threw himself into his studies, determined that, should he be caught in a fight himself, or have to defend others from attack, that he would not suffer the same fate as Kieran Brigg. Slowly but surely, he learnt a great number of charms, focusing on learning new protective spells and perfecting those he already knew. Tarelin also became actively involved in the Hogwarts Duelling Club, serving as one of the demonstrators in his sixth and seventh years. By the time he started his fifth year, he had decided that he would take up a career as an Auror, and set about working towards the grades he needed. By the time he was ready to take his N.E.W.T.s, Tarelin was predicted an ‘Outstanding’ in both Charms and Defence against the Dark Arts. He obtained these grades, leaving Hogwarts in 2004 with the following grades:

Care of Magical Creatures - E.
Charms - O.
Defence Against the Dark Arts - O.
Herbology - E.
Muggle Studies - A.
Potions - E.
Transfiguration - A.

Applying for a position in the ministry as soon as he left Hogwarts, Tarelin was accepted into the Auror training programme, where he remained for three months. In that time, he made excellent progress and impressed those running the academy. Then, in late November 2004, a rogue bludger at a Falmouth Falcon's quidditch match destroyed one of the stadium stands, severely injuring a number of spectators. Among those injured were Tarelin's parents, and the young Auror was forced to quit to training program and find a job at the Leaky Cauldron in order to support them while they recovered. Fortunately for Tarelin, the auror academy promised him that, when his parents had recovered, he would be allowed to return without a need to retake entrance exams. Finally, after just over a year and a half looking after his parents, Aaron and Elizabeth had recovered enough for Tarelin to return to his training in September 2006. Now, as his training approaches, Tarelin is confident that he is ready to move forward and join the ranks of the Aurors.

Describe your job duties and how you go about them: Tarelin's major duty, now that he is so close to completing his training, is shadowing other Aurors as they go about their business. This might include paperwork at the office, fetching items from other departments within the Ministry of Magic, or helping out on assignments. Because of his longstanding position as Auror-in-Training, he is a lot more likely to carry out this final duty than other trainees.

Elaborate on your expertise in your field: Tarelin is eager to learn and devoted to becoming an Auror. Because of this, he is dedicated first and foremost to his training. He has experienced and helped teach duelling at Hogwarts, meaning that he is used to casting under combat situations. However, Tarelin's true expertise lies in his defensive magic, meaning that he is an excellent soon-to-be Auror when working as part of a team, able to sustain large protective shields for long periods of time while allies recuperate or plan their next action.

Writing Sample: “Tarelin!” The young Auror glanced up from the paperwork, quill poised mid-sentence. Staring back at him was another Auror-in-Training, a young girl by the name of Priscilla Grey, though Tarelin barely recognised her behind the huge stack of paperwork and books she was struggling underneath. Leaning in his seat, Tarelin glanced around the pile to try make eye contact with her, half-standing in his chair. When he finally did, he gave her a smile, just to let her know she had his attention.

“Are you alright, Priscilla? Do you need a hand?”

“No, I’m good, just taking them one floor up. Rinn just wanted me to tell you to go see her in her office once you were done with that.” Tarelin gave her a friendly nod of acknowledgement before the girl staggered off, Tarelin following her with his eyes as she half-kicked the department door open and staggered out. Tarelin shook his head in amusement.

“Silly girl always forgets to levitate heavy books…” He chuckled to himself a little at the thought of the looks Priscilla might receive on her way upstairs, hoping that somebody would be free to give her a hand. He would have offered himself, but Sarah Rinn was his supervisor, and with his training drawing to a close, Tarelin didn’t want to do anything that might upset the senior Auror. He would head in just as soon as this form was finished.

Glancing down at his desk, Tarelin’s grin faded quickly as he saw that the quill had leaked ink onto the page, forming a dark blot over his best handwriting. “Shit!” Tarelin muttered under his breath as his dropped the quill to the side of the parchment and searched his pockets for his wand, touching the tip to the ink spot. “Tergeo” The stain seemed to be sucked up into the wand as it disappeared from the page, Tarelin nodding to himself and rubbing his hand across the rest of the now-dry ink to clear away any loose specks before retaking the quill and hastily replacing any lost letters. It was a spell his mother had shown him when he was 5 and scrawled all over his bedroom wall, and one he still found a little bit fascinating.

Completing the form and placing it on top of his own small mountain in the right corner of his small wooden desk, Tarelin sifted through his morning’s work to find some documents that needed to be taken to Rinn before heading towards the Auror’s office door, knocking twice waiting for a response, paperwork clutched under his arm so as not to loose it. “Mrs. Rinn,” He called out, “Priscilla Grey said you wanted to see me. I have the forms on last Wednesday’s Birkenhead case that you wanted filling out too.” Hearing permission to enter from Rinn’s voice, Tarelin adjusted his robes and stepped into the Auror’s office, closing the door behind him.

Sum up your character in one paragraph: Tarelin is a friendly person, though he does his best to keep his personal and work lives separate, and the former most certainly takes a backseat to the latter. This does not mean he is unwilling to socialise with others, but he is definitely the first to suggest when play should end and work should begin. This attitude is one born out of a desire to impress, and to achieve his goal of becoming an Auror. When working in the field, he sticks close to his partner, often looking out for ambushes, keeping his wand drawn and ready with a protection charm in case. His patronus, a Turtle, symbolises his determination and his knowledge of defensive magic.