Blackwood, Draeden - Apprentice Wandmaker

[Draeden Blackwood]

Accepted! Welcome to Hogwarts: The New Ages!

Full Character Name: Draeden Nathaniel Blackwood
D.o.B./Age: 1/1/2008/ 21
Place of Residency: London
Blood Status: Mostly Pureblood
Former House: Slytherin

Position Requesting: Apprentice Wand Maker at Sawyer-Woodward Wand Shop

Credentials:
NEWTs
Ancient Runes - A
Astronomy - A
Charms - O
Defense Against the Dark Arts - E
Divination - A
Herbology - A
History of Magic - A
Magical Lore - O
Potions - P
Transfigurations - O

Wand Owned: Pine, Dragon Heartstring Core, 10 inches even

Has been an apprentice wand maker since graduation from Hogwarts at 17. The apprenticeship is expected to last 10 years.

History: The Blackwoods and Eddingtons were long time family friends, and many had married each other throughout the centuries. There had been many feuds between them; sometimes over business dealings or disagreements, but the latest was an accusation over Deanna Eddington. Mrs. Blackwood had told everyone in Isle of Wight that young Deanna had bewitched young Arnold only so she could break his heart and leave him for the younger Byron Blackwood. While Mrs. Blackwood and Arnold warred with the Eddingtons, Deanna and Byron ran away and eloped. Despite the very mean spirited rumors Mrs. Blackwood had started, they were, in fact, in love and, no, she was not with child. The Blackwood and Eddington feud of 2004 was not as serious as the one from 1989, but almost as scandalous as the three consecutive ones from 1843. In the end, however, both families realized that Deanna and Byron were serious, and finally welcomed their union.

A few years later, the eldest Blackwood was born and after that, it wasn’t long until Draeden was born. Born at the start of the New Year, that was the beginning of Draeden feeling like he was always overlooked. He always felt like his birthday was an added afterthought to the holiday celebrations. Draeden was loved, but he always felt, just a little bit, to be in the shadow of his eldest brother. Despite this, Draeden loved him fiercely and wanted to be just like him. After Ivayne was born, Draeden, as well as his older brother Greyson, were enamored with her. Draeden was very close to both his brother and his sister, though he always felt that Ivy and Greyson were closer than he was and that he was the third wheel in their sibling relationship. Nevertheless, he pushed these feelings down when he was a kid, convincing himself that once they got out of the Blackwood lifestyle, that they would all be grand together.

Upon entering Hogwarts, despite being sorted into the same house as his older brother, the Blackwood three began to grow apart. Draeden threw himself into his studies and quidditch to distract himself from the things he saw in his older brother that he didn’t like. The people he associated himself with - Draeden knew those were the same people who felt like his grandmother did. He felt, even then, that Greyson was going to turn from them and so, he began to distance himself from Ivayne and Greyson. He continued to see signs that Greyson would eventually join the pureblood world, and so while Greyson’s engagement in Draeden’s 7th year came as a shock to Ivayne, for Draeden it merely confirmed what he had begun to suspect, that Greyson didn’t care about him and that he would betray all the plans the three had made together.

Draeden had always kept his head down at Hogwarts, working just hard enough, but not overly hard as to make a name for himself, though he did manage to secure the Head Boy position in his 7th year, so he must have made somewhat of a name for himself. Like his younger sister to come after him, he would be terrible at potions. However, he excelled in all things involving wandwork. When he graduated Hogwarts, he was certain of what he did not want. He did not want the life that Greyson had made for himself with the help of their grandmother. He did not want an arranged marriage. He did not want the money or the trappings of formality. So, instead, he arranged to become an apprentice of the Sawyer-Woodward wand shop, to study the art of wandmaking, in order to become a wand maker himself one day. This is a meager lifestyle, the likes of which Draeden has never known before, but he is too proud to drag himself back to the feet of his family and he has vowed that he will never end up like Greyson. He chose not to attend the wedding of Greyson, seeing this as another way to be sucked back into the Blackwood family affairs that he wanted nothing to do with. As far as he is concerned, Greyson can have the Blackwood family name and fortune, because Draeden will certainly not be selling his soul to the devil.

Parent(s): Deanna and Byron Blackwood
Sibling(s): Greyson (and Tatiana) Blackwood, Ivayne Blackwood
Other(s): Grandmother: Theodora Blackwood
Economic Status: Working class


Personality Description: Draeden has always been more reserved and quiet. He tends to think a lot before speaking, however, when angered, he is prone to outbursts, especially where his sister is concerned. He often feels overlooked, though he doesn’t try and change that, he just lets perceived slights simmer under the surface quietly, sometimes building for weeks and months, until he explodes.

His personality is unassuming, not flashy or showy. He is always in the background watching and in large crowd situations, has a way of blending in, so that people don’t even realize he is there. However, with women, he deinitely wants them to know he is there and he will unashamedly hit on any woman. He never forgets a face or a name, something that will serve him well as he learns to match wands with wizards. He holds onto some vestiges of his pureblood life and tends to be quite formal in conversation. He is also very independent and takes a lot of pride in being independent. Nobody tells Draeden what to do. 

Physical Description:
Height: 6 foot 6 inches
Weight/Build: Slender/ 180 lbs
Skin Tone: Pale white
Hair Color and Style: Brown, long, slightly wavy, but never unkempt, always neatly groomed
Eye Color: Brown

Tall and slender, Draeden is always neatly groomed, though he does let his hair grow a bit long - a tiny sign of rebellion since he was a kid. His hair has a bit of a wave to it and he can’t decide between facial hair or not, so sometimes he sports a neatly groomed mustache and beard and sometimes he does without. His eyes are brown and piercing, a harshness to them that can sometimes betray his otherwise cool exterior. Despite being slender, he is rather strong and this unassuming sense about him helps him to take others by surprise in duels or physical matches.

Likes:

• Quidditch
  
• Wandwork
  
• Fire whiskey
  

Dislikes:

• Greyson
  
• Muggles
  
• Theodora
  

Scent: Firewhisky and wand polish
Pets: Never. Like Draeden would actually take care of another living thing. 

Special Talents: Draeden has an extremely excellent memory - this is how he can remember the name and face of every person he’s ever met, as well as all the different wand woods and their magical properties, though it can work against him in a sense, as he also remembers every time he was ever wronged. He also is excellent in fields involving wand work - especially charms and transfigurations. He is also graceful and quick on his feet; back at Hogwarts, he was a seeker on the Slytherin quidditch team.


RP Example: An owl rapped on the window and Draeden looked up from the text he was reading about poplar woods and their use in wands and over at the window. He sighed. It could be a thousand people writing him, but it was probably just Ivayne. His younger sister seemed to “discover” he existed now that Greyson had showed that he was, indeed, growing up to do exactly what Theodora wanted. Quite frankly, it made Draeden angry that he was only “good enough” for Ivayne now that the truly loved Blackwood had shown his true colors.

He crossed to the window and opening it, took the letter from the owl. He opened it and had his suspicions confirmed. It was indeed Ivayne and it went on far too long and was far too whiny for Draeden’s taste. He had come to realize as he got older, just how spoiled Ivayne was and just how ill equipped she was to deal with the realities of the world.

Should he write her back? No. What could he say that would appease her anyways? She just wanted someone to sweep her off her feet with romantic notions of what leaving the cushy Blackwood life was like. Well, it was neither romantic nor cushy and the princess didn’t want to roll up her sleeves and find out what it was really like. She could have visited him since he had moved out of the Blackwood estate, but she hadn’t, both confirming his suspicions that her world revolved around Greyson and that she couldn’t truly hack this life. She would turn out just like Greyson, he supposed, though if she kept running off suitors at this alarming rate, it was certain that she would end up like him, or likely worse as he couldn’t picture her actually doing any hard work.

Draeden looked at the letter once more and then tossed it in the fire.

How You Found Us (Optional): I am out of clever answers for this question. Ya’ll know me.