Childhood (1863 - 1874) Foxwood Estate, Bath
- Atticus Sr. and Viola Foxwood give birth to the first child and heir to the Foxwood line: Atticus Foxwood II. (1861)
- Two years later, they give birth to another son, Basil Foxwood. (1863)
Basil lived a charmed life for his first few years. The Foxwood Estate near Bath (est.1855) was always bustling with staff and he wanted for nothing, including the perfect playmate. He and Atticus were like two peas in a pod, always one stumbling after the other, getting in trouble here or there. Wherever Atticus led, Basil followed as if attached by an invisible string. They even shared a bed in the youngest years, something that to date makes his ears burn upon remembrance.
Around the age of two, Basil displayed his first signs of magic. At the time, it was considered quite late for a pureblood wizard from a prominent family be so ordinary for so long. Atticus Sr. was disgruntled and always thereafter assumed his second son would amount to very little magically. It was a Good Thing he had the first-born, Atticus Jr. to secure the family lineage, and quickly Basil was set aside. In the years thereafter, Basil had little if any interaction with his father and the pressure to perform built at an early age.
All throughout his tutoring, when not torturing the governess with his brother or cousins, Basil worked very hard. He pushed himself beyond what limits an ordinary child might and he excelled easily in languages and arts. He and Atticus were primarily raised on the skirts of the nanny and then the governess - but nonetheless he had a deep affection for their mother. She, for her part, babied him in ways Basil always failed to realize were meant to make-up for his father’s disdain. As a result, he grew into a bit of a mamma’s boy.
At nine years old, Basil learned his first life lesson in separation. Atticus, eleven, received his Hogwarts letter and promptly shipped off at the start of term. It was a bit of a shock for Basil who had suddenly lost his ring leader. The estate at Bath was suddenly too quiet now, a stark contrast to the life Atticus had breathed into it in years prior. (Then again, he always had been the more outgoing, charismatic brother.) For two years, Basil adapted to this new solitary life and receded in on himself; he adopted more solitary pastimes and discovered a newfound love for problem solving.
Student Career (1874 - 1881) Hogwarts Castle
- Basil receives his Hogwarts letter (1874)
- The Foxwood Estate in Bath is sold and the family relocates to Hogsmeade (1877)
- Basil has his first panic attack* (1877)
- Basil graduates without further scandal (1881)
At the age of eleven, Basil too received his Hogwarts letter and promptly shipped off from Bath. He was sorted into Ravenclaw after some deliberation on part of the hat between that and Slytherin. (Something about a darkness trying to creep into his thoughts kept at bay). He’s never forgotten the sorting hat’s words and the memory of, in that moment, working so desperately to keep the anxiety, the empty darkness, from consuming his thoughts. (He would always come to remember those daunting words during his worst moments of panic too, during which the darkness swallowed him whole.)
For the most part, his first and second years passed without much incident. Basil excelled academically and discovered very early on his love for Transfiguration studies. In his third year he focused his efforts to exceed in his O.W.L.S on the subject, and later would continue to do the same for his N.E.W.T.S.
Somewhere along the lines, he managed to befriend Agrimony Macnair: a Slytherin some years his junior. They had none of the same courses together, and interests between the two did not necessarily align politically or personally but yet... (They are still friends to date as far as Basil is concerned, and he places a great deal of worth on Agrimony's opinion, be that as it may.)
In 1877, around the time of the great migration, Basil formally discovered his tragic affliction*. He was in his fourth year at Hogwarts when the Queen’s decree forced all the wizarding families over Britain to flock to Hogsmeade. He remembers distinctly their father’s outright disagreement with the migration and how the Foxwoods were one of the last families to sell their estate and purchase in Hogsmeade. (He also remember’s his mother’s turmoil at the scandal Atticus Sr.’s open disgruntlement with the ministry caused them. It did nothing to endear his father to him.)
At the time, it wasn’t anything more catastrophic than what others like him were facing: prejudice, discrimination, fear of muggles and for his way of life. But Basil remembers the intensity of his own fear. Fear for himself, his brother, the rest of his cousins and family. It was this fear that immobilized him in the owlery one evening. It crept up along his spine through to every pore of his being and crippled Basil, like a plague. He hunched over, pulling himself into as tight a ball as possible, and drowned in the experience. It wasn’t until someone went to fetch Atticus from one of his classes that Basil was finally able to move to the infirmary. It was the worst experience of his life and he dealt with the backlash and humiliation for weeks.
Eventually, life continued for the young Foxwood and Basil moved up through his fifth, sixth and seventh years without much more incident. He threw himself harder into his studies, perfecting apparition as if his life depended on it (which it could one day, in the case he ever fell into another attack of ‘vapors’ for it provided a convenient escape). He suffered from a few more attacks over the course of these years but eventually he learned to manage the onslaught enough to excuse himself from the public eye. During this time he didn’t sympathize too terribly with the muggle-borns, blaming them and all the muggle populace for his affliction.
He excelled in transfiguration and eventually graduated the top in his class at the subject in 1881. At the time, he so excelled that he kept in regular correspondence with the professor - his predecessor - and assisted with publications in academic journals for a number of years.
Some time during his seventh year, Basil managed to befriend one Augustus Lissington. In what would turn out to be an invigorating friendship which would spiral into a tumultuous graduation, Basil learned first hand a great deal about himself.
Adulthood & Academic Career (1881 - present) Hogwarts Castle
- Basil is forced to fully immerse in society (1881)
- Atticus Sr. dies of The Laughing Plague when it hits Hogsmeade (summer 1884)
- Basil’s first academic article is published in his own name (1885)
- Foxwood Estate is regained in Bath after the reconciliation with muggles (1887)
- Basil starts his tenure at Hogwarts in the capacity of Transfiguration Professor (1888)
After his graduation from Hogwarts, Basil was forced to move into the Foxwood Home in Hogsmeade with his parents and siblings. His father greatly disapproved of his work in continuing studies and his mother urged him to join the social scene. Doing only the minimum his duty required, Basil entered society ‘fully’ at (a late eighteen almost nineteen) years old and began to frequent London. He found the atmosphere of the social scene stifling however, and more bouts of what he now knows to be “neurasthenia” occurred hidden from the public eye. During this time he also struggled a great deal with the separation from Gus. He ate little, had an increasing number of attacks, and ultimately saw a number of healers, one of which prescribed him calming draughts that he still carries and takes frequently.
In 1884, tragedy struck the Foxwood household. The Laughing Plague took one of its many victims in Atticus Sr. leaving the estate and all its affairs to the eldest. The family went into mourning but escaped otherwise unscathed. As the world of the Foxwood line changed overnight, Basil continued to find solace in and frequent his correspondence with Hogwarts. In 1885 he was able to publish his first solo record of study titled “Transfiguration for the Masses, and its implications on class structure.”
Reconciliation with muggles was achieved in 1887 and, though his viewpoint had not changed dramatically from his youth, Basil began to relinquish his hatred and blame of the populace for his affliction. He started ‘soul searching’ and much of his research effort that year was spent dabbling in alchemy and other philosophic endeavors related to neurasthenia (amoungst other, unnatural things). Later that year Atticus Jr. sought out to regain the estate in Bath for the Foxwood stronghold, and succeeded.
Not a year later, Basil’s correspondence with Hogwarts changed. His old professor and now colleague wrote to inform him that he was retiring from his position as Transfiguration Professor and the position was offered. Lurching at the chance to escape and move to an employment that would occupy his mind, Basil accepted the position without the consent of his mother or elder brother.
He rather precariously waited and made the announcement just before start of term in 1888 and the family was cornered into allowing it for fear of tarnishing their reputation. Lord knew the Foxwoods would not be considered ‘disloyal’ lest he back out of the arrangement and leave the esteemed headmaster in a pinch.
For three years Basil has continued to serve at Hogwarts as the Transfiguration professor, knowing full-well the time may come any day when he is forced to resign. His relationship with Atticus has become strained over the years and he wonders how much longer his elder brother will allow his estrangement from the rest of society.
January 1892 - Present Day (played history)
Jan 1892 - Fall 1893 | Basil has had a rather tumultuous year (1892) with many highs and lows. First, he's forced to face head-on the return of an old friend (Gus) in winter of 1892 that brings with it many challenges. Then, in late summer, his brother Atticus becomes engaged to Ms. Natsuko Mountbatton. Fall term of 1892, Basil is made Head of Ravenclaw House. As the holidays wrap and spring term comes to fruition, Basil finds himself inadvertently in the midst of an amortentia debacle which unfortunately sees the end of one of his more recent friendships. He makes no real effort to bridge the gap, being as awkward as he is, and eventually it all falls to the wayside. Similarly, in dealing with avoiding the blowout for the remainder of spring term and into the summer, Basil eventually realizes that perhaps he and Gus are better off as just friends. They decide to give it a shot and things mellow, considerably.
Fall 1893 - Spring 1894 | 1893 brings with it the conclusion to Basil's second year as Ravenclaw Head of House and it is not an easy one. Starting off with a tumultuous sorting ceremony that embarrasses his entire house, and a deduction of points dropping Ravenclaw into the negatives, first term ends with scandalous proposals of the indecent sort as a student (once again Ravenclaw...) becomes engaged to a professor. Personally, Basil sees himself grow in friendship with Gus after a trying year of understanding more about who he is as a person and what he wants (or doesn't want) from his future. In March he wraps a 2 year research stint on the animagus transformation (having completed his own at last in Nov, 1893) and begins to work with his editor on getting an abridged version published for a prestigious academic journal. The article is titled "The Animagus Transformation: An Overview Guide." Miraculously, Ravenclaw wins the House Cup.
Sumer 1894 | Basil returns to Wellingtonshire for the height of the season that holiday following. He has been enlisted to teach advanced courses at the Flint Institute for the summer term and thus continues his busy schedule, evading the marriage mart and keeping on top of his research. Inspired by an old student and finally beginning to heed his publisher's continued nagging, Basil has started to explore the possibility of more than just academic journal contributions and actually take a look at writing a fully-fledged book. Only time will tell if he has enough to say on any given topic to make it so.
