Biography

Full Character Name: Étienne René Miroux
Character Birthday & Age: 17th July, 1992, age 17
City & Country of Birth: Besançon, France
Pureblood, Halfblood or Muggleborn: Halfblood
House & Year: Beauxbatons seventh-year

Wand: Demiguise hair and yew, 12 ¼ inches, spindly

Physical Description:

Étienne stands taller than most at 6'2, but he is not an imposing presence. Not so much wiry or gangly as he is spindly, he looks a little like he could break in half in cold weather. His pale skin and rather sunken eyes give him a somewhat sickly look, as though he spends hardly any time outside (which is fairly accurate), but his tame sweep of jet black hair always carries a fairly healthy gloss, and his icy blue eyes are always alert and obversant. Étienne keeps himself well-groomed in order to be passably good-looking, because he knows he has to be in order to fit in with his set.

Personality Description:

Étienne doesn't attract a great deal attention; he keeps his head down, works hard, is reserved, but polite to his peers, and unceasingly respectful towards authority figures. He is something of a prodigy in spellwork, having been a natural with a wand as soon as he lay hands on one, and is remarkably intelligent. However easily most of his subjects come to him, though, he doesn't take his abilities for granted, nor does he seek any recognition or personal glory, because from a young age, he never had cause to expect such approval. As such, he is instinctively subserviant, and almost unnervingly quiet.

This puts him in a position to be very observant. He is incredibly watchful of his environment, and the nature of the people around him, and is constantly calculating how any given situation can be used to his advantage. One wouldn't take Étienne for the manipulative type by looking at him, and that is part of what makes him so effective. He keeps his motives buried, so that no one can figure him out for certain, even those who believe they know him well. Few people are aware of his increasingly purist leanings, but absolutely no one knows that they stem from a deeply-rooted self loathing. Étienne won't admit that even to himself.

History:

Julien and Hélène Miroux raised their only child Anais in a strictly traditionalist environment. Being of a proud and highly respected pureblood line, Hélène especially valued maintaining that purity, but at her husband's behest, did allow some leniency with their impulsive daughter. So when Anais became very taken with muggleborn René Leclerc, they allowed the relationship, believing it to be an infatuation that would pass quickly, at which point Anais would make a more suitable match. It was when she fell pregnant with René's child that they realised things would not be so simple.

Anais's parents acted swiftly and brutally. They curtailed their daughter's freedoms, confiscating her wand, keeping her under close supervision from then on, and refusing to let her be seen while pregnant. As for René Leclerc, they employed a memory specialist to erase all knowledge of Anais from his mind. The two lovers never saw each other again, and when Anais had her baby, Julien and Hélène raised him as Anais's brother rather than her son. Hélène and Anais had both become mothers young enough that it was plausible for Hélène to be the baby's mother. It seemed the easiest way to avoid questions about the child's paternity.

Étienne, as the baby was named, was raised in the same traditionalist manner as his mother, with one noticable difference. There was no leeway, no tolerance for slip-ups. And it wasn't just because Julien and Hélène wanted to avoid the child growing up to repeat Anais's trangressions. Determined as they were to make the boy an asset to their family line, they could not ignore his heritage, and while they did not actively blame Étienne for being a halfblood, there was always the underlying assumption that he could never truly amount to anything.

Growing up knowing the vague details of his birth, aware that he was halfblooded, but sworn to secrecy outside of the household, Étienne was a subdued child. He grew up believing that there was something wrong with having 'impure' blood, and that therefore there was something fundamentally wrong with him. Desperate not to cause trouble for himself, he always worked hard and did as he was told, despite the fact that it was only ever his mother who would praise him. He came to think little of how he excelled at magical theory, or of how he talented he was with a wand (his mother's wand, no less). These were not achievements to take pride in, but rather essential conduct if he ever hoped to be accepted in his family's society.

Going away to Beauxbatons was not only the first real taste of independence for Étienne, but also his first experience spending any significant time with others his own age. He found it fascinating to see how widely differing the behaviours of other students were, and took to quietly studying it. When he interacted with his peers, it wasn't so much to make friends as it was to find out about them, their strengths and weaknesses, and how he could use these traits if he so desired. He quickly learned that not everyone was as traditional as his grandparents, but this did not teach him to become any more open-minded. He still kept his paternity a shameful, closely-guarded secret, but now he also kept his growing hatred of muggleborns and other 'impure' individuals under wraps.

Étienne excelled academically at Beauxbatons, being well rounded in all his subjects in the first few years. When the time came to move up to the Lycée, he received a new wand of his own, and began to specialise more in wandwork, becoming particularly refined at duelling, and he took a greater interest in politics and languages, over time becoming fluent in English and German. He also became increasingly captivated by wandlore, to the extent that he plans to apprentice for a wandmaker upon graduation, and become one in his own right as soon as he can manage.

Teachers, as a rule, thought well of Étienne due to his studious and respectful nature, and his willingness to follow rules and instructions to the letter. Among his fellow students, he has no true friends. There are those with whom he spends time, and there are even those that he will follow due to their capabilities, but social interaction simply for its own sake never held any interest for him. To those who picked up on this, Étienne tended to come across as aloof rather than simply reserved, and as such, though hardly perceived as a threat, he was never universally liked.

How Do You Fit Into Your House?:

When it comes to spellwork in general and duelling in particular, Étienne is one of the best in his year, and because he puts his studies before all else, he is expected to represent his school well if chosen as a Champion. While Étienne does not go out of his way to elevate his own reputation, he appreciates the value of reflecting favourably on Beauxbatons and his family name, so he plans to take the whole endeavour very seriously, whether or not he takes part in any of the challenges. He also views this as a valuable opportunity to find out more about other wizarding schools and cultures; it is this that interests him about the Tetrewizard Tournament, far more than the chance to earn glory.

Writing Sample: See Aberdeen or Pax

Sum up your character in one paragraph:

Étienne is the type of boy you wouldn't realise at first that you need to watch out for. Polite, reserved, and studious, he is a model student. But to those who pay close enough attention, he is a little too polite, too reserved, and too fixated on his studies. He is talented, but doesn't seek, or even particularly care for praise. He in instinctively subserviant to stronger personalities, but the only interest he has in people is how they can be manipulated, and therefore he is keenly observant of them. Étienne keeps his increasingly purist feelings to himself as a rule, but at the same time would rather die than admit he was born out of wedlock with a muggleborn as a father.

Plot Tracking

Overview

Étienne is a seventh-year at Beauxbatons with a particular affinity for spellwork. He works hard without any interest in recognition, and studies people intently without any interest in making real friends. Instinctively subservient, but quietly manipulative, he keeps his both his burgeoning purism and his halfblooded heritage secret.

Brief History

Born to a muggleborn father he doesn't know, and a pureblooded mother who was punished for her dalliance, Étienne was raised primarily by his strict, traditional grandparents. Always aware of their unspoken, but strongly implied belief that he was lacking as a wizard due to his parentage, he grew up subdued, and eventually self-loathing. He excelled at his studies but was rarely praised; he fixated on his work simply because he didn't know how else to be. However, since he is an unobtrusive presence, both reserved and polite, Étienne prides himself on not attracting a great deal of attention.

Major Plots

To be added.

Network

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Family

Anais Miroux Mother Étienne and the rest of the Miroux household are the only ones who know Anais is Étienne's mother; to everyone else, she is his older sister. This has put a strain on their relationship from the start; Anais cares a great deal for her son and tries to make him happy, but because this feat is near impossible, her efforts do little to impress Étienne.	René Leclerc Father René knows nothing of his son, or indeed the boy's mother, thanks to a Memory Charm issued on the order of Anais's parents. Étienne knows almost nothing about his father, not even his name; all he knows is that he is a muggleborn, and that is enough to make Étienne hate him.	Julien Miroux Grandfather From a slightly less traditional upbringing than his wife, Julien was always the more lenient of the two when it came to raising Anais. When Étienne came into the picture, however, he went a little against his natural instincts and became a much stricter guardian, always telling himself it was for Étienne's own good. Étienne looks up to his grandfather because he knows it is expected of him.
Hélène Miroux Grandmother Raised staunchly traditionalist, if not borderline purist, Hélène has always been the harsher of Étienne's grandparents. She does care for her grandson on some level, but the fact that his father was muggleborn bothers her a lot more than it bothers her husband. Étienne respects her the most out of his guardians simply because she is the most authoritative.	Gracie Slant Cousin Etienne knows little about the granddaughter of his grandmother's cousin besides the fact that she attends Hogwarts and needs to be introduced to pureblood society. He's not sure he relishes the idea of that challenge.

Allies Classmates Acquaintances Animosities Delphine Devereux Beauxbatons fourth-year Delphine is not in the least what Étienne thinks a Beauxbatons student should be, and while he isn't blatantly antagonistic towards her, he doesn't always bother hiding his disdain. For the most part, he tries to ignore her.