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Welcome to Charming, the year is now 1894. It’s time to join us and immerse yourself in scandal and drama interlaced with magic both light and dark.

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Did you know? Before the 1920's, it was believed that the Milky Way Galaxy was the only galaxy in the universe. — Steph
What in the hell could centaurs even want, anyway? Higher quality oats?
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Jude Wright
Threadlog
230 Posts
107 Likes
Played by MJ
Activist
33 year old Halfblood
Activist
5 ft. 8 in.
❤   Complicated
Profile
Full Name: Jude Michael Wright

Nickname(s):

Birthdate: December 1st, 1860

Age: 33

Gender: Male

Occupation: Activist, Lawyer

Blood Status: Halfblood

Residence: London: a modest flat, shared with Kingsley Wells. The old family property is in Hertfordshire.

Hogwarts House: Slytherin

Wand: Cypress, 13”, unicorn hair, supple.
(Cypress wands are associated with nobility. The great medieval wandmaker, Geraint Ollivander, wrote that he was always honoured to match a cypress wand, for he knew he was meeting a witch or wizard who would die a heroic death. Fortunately, in these less blood-thirsty times, the possessors of cypress wands are rarely called upon to lay down their lives, though doubtless many of them would do so if required. Wands of cypress find their soulmates among the brave, the bold and the self-sacrificing: those who are unafraid to confront the shadows in their own and others’ natures.)

Family:
Michael Wright | Father | 1825 - 1884
Emilia Wright née ______ | Mother | 1836
(Plus assorted cousins & extended family, though he isn't particularly close to any of them.)

Found family: a rag-tag band of revolutionaries whose base is the Augurey Beak Café.
Appearance
With clear blue eyes, a straight nose, full lips and blond hair, Jude has always had some classically angelic features. His hair, an early teenage rebellion, still tends to be kept unfashionably long, often reaching his chin before he can be bothered to do anything about it; on the other hand, he has never been able to grow any proper facial hair. A slim, slight build did not much help being mistaken for a girl, growing up (and, even these days, his female friends eschewing traditional fashion doesn’t much help, either). His youthful look is often exaggerated when his cheeks flush in passion or anger. Still, he is a respectable 5’8” in height, and carries himself upright and seriously, well-practised in severe stares as silent comment. Though inclined to directness, he can be charming when he wants, and his smiles are usually blindingly sincere. He would wear muggle clothing at most junctures, even if living in London did not make them a necessity. He is right handed.
History
CHILDHOOD | 1860 - 1872

Michael and Emilia are granted their first child, a boy. While his parents don’t seem to hate each other – they get along quite reasonably – it never did feel like they were in love, exactly. At any rate, they don’t have another child.

The family live a comfortable, fairly traditional life: they keep to their own circles; are pleasant but restrained; certainly aren’t the most prejudiced family out there, but they don’t mix with muggles or the poor more than they have to. Michael has a Ministry position, but seems to do very little work within it; Emilia runs the household and a vibrant social calendar. Jude’s childhood is rather quiet, though he is well-attended with nannies and toys, and is far too precocious to consider himself lonely. Given his curious streak, the toys are happily abandoned for tuition, though he is soon abandoned by his first tutor, who has left to try his fortune in America. His parents hire a replacement. At first, Mr. L. Marke seems even more strict, but he delights Jude by answering every question he is posed, and they become firm friends. Marke opens Jude’s eyes to the wider world, sees him more engaged not just in books and magic, but in theory, in history and politics and society – and in people, interested in the muggle world just as much as the magical.

This all takes its toll: he’s never been more inspired. His first act of magic is to send the furniture flying, barricading up the doorway to the kitchens whilst Jude tries to free their family house elf before his parents can stop him. The household faces similar instances whenever he finds something new to protest, and it is in these times of stubbornness that his magic likes to show itself. With no siblings and few friends his own age, when his time at Hogwarts comes, his tutor – rather than his parents – is easily the person he is most reluctant to leave behind.

HOGWARTS | SEPTEMBER 1872 - MAY 1879

Hogwarts does wonders for broadening his mindset too, though evidently not in the way his parents have hoped. Sorted into Slytherin for his sheer determination, Jude falls in with a few friends whose different backgrounds he can learn from and immediately has a hard time not noticing the problems. So many of his classmates are forced to rely on second-hand supplies, so many are forced to drop out before their seven years are up, and some are barely literate yet! History of Magic and Muggle Studies are two classes that blow up the proportion of these problems, of discrimination on blood and against other magical species and the general oppressiveness of their class system and social hierarchy. (He also takes Care of Magical Creatures and Arithmancy as electives.)

He’s clever enough, and extremely studious, but more and more he finds it difficult to stay quiet when he disagrees with something, and eventually one too many debates with his professors and peers hinder his chances of becoming Prefect (which might otherwise have suited him, as something of a natural leader). He does well in both his OWLs and NEWTs, steers clear of quidditch, and is an adept dueller, though finds words are more often his weapon of choice.

POST-GRADUATION | 1879 - 1884

As their first and only son, his parents would have been quite happy for him to do nothing but inherit and have a family of his own, but Jude is disinclined to do either of those, and instead interns at the Ministry as a clerk, making a beeline for the Law department. He qualifies as a lawyer, and whilst studying magical law is exactly the sort of thing that interests him, he begins to feel his hopes of being able to advance some progress were entirely misguided. Magical Law Enforcement seems, especially under the Ministerial administrations of the time, to be more a bureaucratic nightmare, an administrative mound of mindless paperwork and prosecuting petty infractions than enacting any sort of change. And the wider system of government? It's a miracle anything is ever achieved at all.

In late 1882, he hears that his old tutor has passed away, and discovers that Marke has left Jude a message and a modest sum in his will, which touches Jude even more than he might’ve guessed it would. By this point, he is getting dreadfully outspoken about... well, everything, and he won’t reign it in for anything. (He has quite a deft skill of ruining dinner parties.) Once society’s muttering has gotten a little too much and his parents are publicly mortified, they offer him an ultimatum, clearly in the hopes that he will shape up. Jude, with little attachment either to the life that he knows or to public opinion, decides instead to ship out. He moves to the city, finds a flat in London with his best friend, and lives only on his wages from the Ministry, which is more modest a life than he has been used to, and still far more than some can count on. Outside of work, he and his friend devote most of their time to discussing social and political issues: slowly, they round up a larger group of people who are interested in the same things, a group who care about political progress and are actually inclined to do something about it. Everyone is passionate about their own causes, but nothing is too far. (Everyone but Kieran Abernathy, that is. Kieran doesn’t believe in any of it, just drinks and draws and argues with anything, and infuriates Jude more than anyone else ever has.)

Despite a few altercations with his estranged parents (which always go the same way, even though they seem to be growing more and more desperate to have their troublesome son back in their lives), Jude has kept his distance – living, for all intents and purposes, a frugal middle class life – doing what he can for the London poor and to push forward wizarding politics. In July 1884, however, Michael dies of the laughing plague, and Jude, much to his surprise, is still included in his father’s will. He doesn’t know why: certainly, his disownment had been self-imposed before it could be official, but presumably Michael had been hoping for a reconciliation once Jude grew out of his “teenage rebellion”, because Jude has still inherited the lion’s share of his father’s assets, and the legal rights to the family property as if nothing had ever happened. The problem is he doesn’t want any of it. Much to his mother’s concern, he begins to set about attempting to dismantle their properties and family land, and eventually decides that the only use for the excesses of money he now has access to is in funding and furthering his causes. Dissatisfied with the whole state of the Ministry, he leaves his job, deciding he will be able to do more good from the outside, with his activism and his friends.

RECENT YEARS | 1884 - 1891

Things start getting odd with Kieran in October, when he shows up out of the blue asking for a favour. Not that they count as friends, really, but Jude isn’t one to turn down a friend in need, so he acquires the magically-reinforced chains that Kieran mysteriously needs, and tries not to ask too many questions.

One of 1885’s big issues is a Voting Reform Act proposed in the Wizengamot, which would be an important step towards universal suffrage. It doesn’t pass, but Jude and his friends are among those out protesting against the decision. Finn also comes up with the perfect way to protest a despicable party thrown in the name of blood purity: the whole group organise an event in honour of blood equality, and take over Diagon Alley once again with the full force of the community. (Even Josephina Flint is forced to see it with her own two eyes.)

Kieran’s strange secrecy doesn’t cross his mind much until one night in March, 1886, when Kieran has lied about where he will be, and, Jude, with enough dots to connect it all, forces the truth out of him. Kieran is a werewolf. As betrayed as he feels that Kieran thought it better not to tell his friends or let anyone help him, Jude instantly regrets how he has handled the news. Slowly, gradually, he thinks Kieran might forgive him, and the situation plateaus to a new normal.

For every step towards progress, there always seem to be new impediments. (Not with Kieran; with society.) Minister Urquart is a good man, but the Wizengamot rarely seems to support him, and his administration comes to an untimely end in 1887, with the rise of discrimination against halfbreeds and a close new focus on the werewolf problem after Urquart's daughter Topaz is turned. Jude’s own focus is split between the ministerial elections and concern for Kieran that is growing at an alarming rate. (Concern, among other feelings.) His asking for another favour – writing letters – is one thing, but it becomes something else when Kieran shows up in the early hours of the morning at the end of November, in a bad way after a full moon. With a confession to make: he turned Topaz Urquart.

From then on, Kieran begins to spend full moons in Jude’s attic. In 1889, after still more fatal werewolf attacks in the news and Kieran’s continued fears that this could end badly for them both, Jude decides to become an animagus. Maybe in an animal form, the werewolf will be less threat to him – and maybe he will learn something new and useful about werewolves and their transformations that could fix things.

In 1891, he succeeds in the animagus transformation, and starts spending full moons at Kieran’s side – thus far without incident. (Besides the strain of being eternally in love with Kieran and not able to tell him.)

Personality
Passionate and single-minded, Jude has dedicated his life to trying to make a difference in the world. Raised to be charming and intelligent, he cares little for most of society’s established rules, and is capable of being quite the terror in an argument. He can be quite austere and serious, and his complete commitment to his ideals can make him seem harsh and impatient at times, but at the root of it all is unfounded compassion and tolerance, an open mind to change and the belief that no one should get left behind in the wake of progress. He does not believe in half-measures: he either cares intensely or doesn’t care at all. (He also has a weakness for terrible puns.)
Other
— Has a not-so-secret sweet tooth for pastry. Especially a good jam tart.
— His patronus is a lion.
— As of 1891, an albatross animagus. (Registered with the Ministry.)
THE REVIEWS:
This was what killed him about Jude. Kieran snarked and he sassed and he said terrible, cynical things – and still Jude tried, he was trying, he didn't stop. Jude Wright's life would have been easier if he had given up on Kieran years ago, or at least months ago, when Kieran confessed. But he didn't. He stayed. He tried. It was commitment on a level Kieran was baffled by; devotion that would have shocked anyone around them if they knew the truth. It was something like love.Kieran Abernathy
And it matched Wright's whole too-idealistic persona, to be rubbing elbows with prostitutes and vampires and opium addicts and homosexuals and whatnot. The innate value of human life, the intrinsic goodness of all people, something along those lines.Ozymandias Dempsey
"Excuse me! Did you really write all of these?" She asked as soon as she got close enough to be heard, pulling her stash of pamphlets from her pocket, gazing at him as though he might just be the messiah in literate form.Betsy Cooper
Jude Wright's Most Liked Post: RE: Incorrect Charming Quotes | Post Subject: Incorrect Charming Quotes | Numbers of Likes: 8
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