Sid Blackburn
 | |
| Sidoneus Artemis Blackburn III | |
|---|---|
| Biographical Information | |
| Born | 4 January 1980, 32 |
| City of Birth | York, England |
| Current City | York, England |
| Residence | Blackburn Manor |
| Blood status | Pure-blood |
| Physical Information | |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 6'1" |
| Hair Colour | Dark |
| Eye Colour | Yellow |
| Skin Colour | Olive |
| Magical Characteristics | |
| Wand(s) | |
| |
| Special Abilities | Seer |
| Education | |
| School | Hogwarts |
| House | Slytherin |
| Class of | 1998 |
| Occupation | |
| |
| Armiece | |
Sid has been a celebrity (but professional, of course) diviner for some twelve years, his experiences ranging from personal readings to widely published visions and being the personal diviner to many of the elite and famous. His most famous customer was the former head of the French DoMLE, where his visions helped to solve cases and his good looks have landed him regularly in the likes of Witch Weekly and other tabloids.
As for how he is at divination? To Sid, divination is an art, one based more on manipulation than magic. To his students be claims otherwise: Divination is a talent not all possess and unless they are ready to believe in their third eye, he cannot coax it from them…!
In short: Sid is a very talented Diviner but his skills as a teacher may need work.
History
Sid was born into the run-down glamor of Blackburn Manor, a dilapidated but ancient home near York. His parents have blood as pure as it comes (or so they claim), tracing their family tree to the illustrious Malfoys, along with the Burkes and Slughorns. He was raised to take pride in his lineage and its supposedly unmuddied blood. In reality, the Blackburns weren’t the most interesting of people. They were hardly the image of glamorous pureblooded nobility they wished to be. His father - a small, squat sort of man with beady eyes and a mustache quite too large for him - managed money and files at the Ministry. His mother stayed at home and managed a society for musical education. They were respectable, but hardly anyone important.
For a family well known for throwing squat, square sorts, Sid was a change. Even as a young boy he was lithe, tall, and wide-eyed. He was a dark-haired angel among a family portrait of rather drab relatives, and he learned quickly to exploit that.
Going into Hogwarts in the same year as the illustrious Potter, Sid was sent to Slytherin and there he excelled. Purist and manipulative, he spent his early school years bonding with his far-flung cousin, Darian Morgan, and generally being a bit of a snot. His grades were passable; study was hardly interesting for him.
Puberty changed things, as it always does. Sid had always been a curious sort; it wasn’t long into his 4th and 5th years he’d secretly tried gillyweed, and his visions followed soon after. At first they were small - flashes and feelings, really. But as he tried more and more they became...clearer. And as the war wound up, they became ever more terrible. The battle that raged across Hogwarts was the final straw; Sid, like many of his cohorts, spent his 7th year with his head down and doing what he was told. When not observed he resorted increasingly to his addictions, always seeking something that’d open his third eye. He was convinced his clairvoyance might keep him safe.
He returned with some of his fellows to the Battle of Hogwarts. There he gained some scars he retains to this day, now covered by his dark whirling tattoos. The war made him steady in his political views: while he might view purebloods as an elite, he certainly was no Death Eater. He was eternally relieved at their fall.
After Hogwarts the young man hit his stride. With his looks and charm he developed his divination talent into something remarkable. Being picked up by the wizarding radio to do their daily horoscopes was his first big break - the next came as he began to travel, taking his abilities and charm on the road. A celebrity diviner known for his accurate and insightful predictions, he charged top dollar for personal readings and schmoozed his way among the elite. His biggest break was to become the personal diviner to the head of the French DoMLE, and he purportedly helped to solve cases there. Is it true? His publicity certainly claims it was.
But it was covered by a cloud: he gained his remarkable visions only through hypnotic highs, and to reach them he took to trying ever more powerful and illegal drugs. Behind the glamor and fashion, his health became shaky; he tried muggle and magical drugs alike, living a life of hollow, fervent excess. A rampant self-promoter, he rarely slept, began to rarely eat, and by the age of 30 his life seemed likely to burn out early.
The wakeup call came in the fall of 2010. Lazing with friends, he sank into one of his typical highs, trying a drug said to give realistic dreams. It gave him a vision - of Hogwarts, of children and teachers in danger; one powerful enough he thought it reality for a time. But in taking the drug he took too much, and slipped into a fervently dreaming coma.
The overdose nearly killed him - only the panicked and timely intervention of his friend returned him to medical care in time to save his life. Even so, he was trapped in a terrible dream for a week straight as doctors struggled to wake him, hovering near death.
When he did awake it was to a new world. He’s too proud (and far too stylish) to say he’s been scared straight, but the downward spiral of his personal life was all too clear. He chose to follow his vision to Hogwarts, to try a more steady and clean life.
Time will tell if it sticks. Sid has never been fond of children.
