Ritchie stands at 5’9” and has a lean build with a slight sloop in his shoulders. He usually wears a brown waistcoat dusted with powdered sugar, a white shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and some kind of cravat. Ritchie does own a nice suit for society events, although he doesn’t enjoy wearing it. His hair is dark brown and curly, and seems to usually look tousled like he’d been running his hands through it too often. His default expression makes him appear like he’s constantly distracted.
1865 | Ritchie, the third born but first son, is born to Elias and Josie Fortescue. His birth is easy, although once he’s able to crawl and walk, he is into everything.
1868 | Mattie joins the family. He is a very quiet child.
1869 | Ritchie’s first signs of magic come when he drops a scoop of ice cream onto the floor, and it suddenly reappears in the bowl. Elias decides he needs to invent a spell to prevent ice cream spillage while Josie is mildly horrified.
1871 | Clara is off to Hogwarts. She warns Ritchie not to touch her books while she’s gone, so of course he immediately touches every single one.
1873 | Tabby is officially declared a squib, but she doesn’t seem to mind. Grandpa hires her a private tutor and brings her to the ice cream shop a lot more. Josie teaches her about herbology.
1874 | Ritchie invents a new ice cream “flavor” using dirt, dandelions and a bunch of tonics he found in his father’s workshop. It makes Mattie sleep for twelve hours and gives Tabitha a brief, eerie ability to speak to birds. Elias writes it down in his notes. Josie buries the jar in the garden.
1875 | Clearly the house isn’t rambunctious enough, because Elias and Josie add one more child - Asa.
1876 | After receiving his letter, Ritchie is finally sent to Hogwarts. He is sorted into Hufflepuff after nearly tipping over the stool. He develops a strange rivalry with a Ravenclaw boy over a library seat during his second year. He sits there as often as he can just to annoy him.
1880 | By fourth year Ritchie is a little more mature. He begins keeping a flavor diary of the different ice cream flavors he wants to try to make. He’s more interested in that than his actual studies, and well, the grades definitely show it. It’s not like he needs a Hogwarts education, he just wants one.
By fifth year he’s experimenting with magical food charms and spends a lot of time making potions that taste disgustingly sweet. The unauthorized potion making (and consequently experimentation) earns him a lot of detentions. Expulsion is threatened if he doesn't stop, so he does, to a degree. He just does it in secret now.
1883 | Ritchie manages to graduate. He becomes full time at the shop, primarily working alongside his grandfather, grandmother and Tabby. His grandfather is the face of the store (alongside some random employees they have hired over the years), Tabby runs the finances with Cordelia, while Ritchie is in the back, making the ice cream itself. Other family members come to the shop when they can. It truly is a family business.
1884 | Elias dies during the summer plague, although he hangs around as a ghost. Ritchie begins experimenting with seasonal flavors. Elias is disappointed that he can’t try them.
1885 | Clara gets married to a physician from London; he is completely curious and enchanted by the family shop, much to Clara’s dismay. Ritchie invents honey-lavender cream for their wedding toast. He’s pretty sure that he’s the most loved sibling that night.
1886 | Poor Asa is off to Hogwarts by himself.
1888 | Tabitha is briefly courted by a young man from a respectable family. Ritchie instantly hates him because he calls the shop quaint and adorable. Florean hexes the man’s shoes to squeak every time he steps inside. The courtship mysteriously ends. No one mourns it.
1890 | Florean finally decides to give Ritchie the time of the day and sells some of his odd, spell infused ice cream creations in the shop. They are a hit, of course.
1892 | Cordelia passes away in her sleep. Tabitha takes over the shop’s financial records without being asked.
1895 | Ritchie starts a new promotion called Mystery Monday, where customers spin a magical wheel to get a surprise flavor. He’s excited to see how that goes.
Ritchie is warm-hearted, a little weird at times, and has a deep sense of curiosity. He’s always tinkering with new ideas, especially if they involve sugar, herbs, or charmwork. Though a little absent-minded at times, he’s thoughtful, empathetic, and most alive when creating something meant to delight others. He’s the kind of person who remembers your favorite flavor, but forgets where he put his wand.
