In-Character
Full Name: Valerian Octavius MacnairNicknames: As if he would accept anything so childish as a nickname.
Birthdate: August 26, 1861
Current Age: Twenty-Eight Years
Occupation: Assistant Head of Potion & Plant Poisoning, St. Mungo's
Reputation: 9. He often makes comments to colleagues that suggest he has interests that lie beyond the accepted methods of modern medicine.
Residence: Inverness-shire, Scotland
Hogwarts House: Slytherin Alumnus ('79)
Wand: Elm, 11 inches, Basilisk skin, Flexible
Blood Status: Pureblood
Social Class: Upper Class
Family:
Eustace Macnair, Father [18XX]Appearance:
Mariana Macnair (née Lestrange), Mother [1840]
@"Tatiana Lestrange", Cousin & Family Ward [1866]
Agrimony Macnair, Brother* [1864]
Betony Macnair, Brother* [1864-sometime]
Yarrow Macnair, Brother [1868]
Germander Macnair, Brother [1871]
Sage Macnair, Brother [1872]
* Although presented as his full brothers in public, Agrimony and Betony are a product of his mother's affair and are—just as scandalously—halfbloods.
History:Valerian is visibly a Macnair. His dark hair, fair skin, and blue eyes do little to make him look healthy, and his heavy brow and high cheekbones make him look thinner and more sickly than he really is. He is unlikely to be counted among the magical world's most handsome bachelor's—most mysterious, perhaps, but never handsome.
Like his brothers, he is only capable of gaining lean muscle and is overall slim. He dresses in heavy robes that do not always align with the season, only choosing muggle fashion if he intends to blend in. He stands at five feet, nine inches tall—his favorite feature, if not one that further exaggerates his lanky figure. He wields his wand with his right hand.
Personality:First Born, First Scorned
1861 | Valerian is born the first son and child to Eustace and Mariana Macnair. He is swiftly handed off to nurses and nannies, and rarely sees much involvement from either parent. He is an easy child and gives little trouble to those responsible for his care. His first year sees him catch every illness that enters the home, but he swiftly recovers each time.
1864 | His mother gives birth to the twins, Agrimony and Betony. Despite their closeness in age, three-year-old Valerian show little interest in entertaining the newborns and frequently complains to his nanny about how loud their cries are.
1865 | In a sudden effort to bond with her child, Mariana introduces Valerian to her snakes. He thinks they are more interesting than any cat, owl, or toad, and is confused when it is explained that he could never bring one to Hogwarts. (It is his belief that owls are more dangerous than snakes, anyways; they get moody and have talons that are sharp enough to draw blood. How could a mellow python do that?). Mariana begins her internship at St. Mungo's, and Valerian, having idealized his mother, believes that he will follow in her footsteps.
1867 | Valerian is six years old when his first sign of magic makes an appearance. Annoyed by his brothers who seem determined to ruin his afternoon by building a block tower in the family library, Valerian angrily shuts his book. The small of puff that would normally be unnoticeable turns into a gust of wind that knocks their blocks—long with a handful of books—across the room.
1868 | Her mother gives birth to another child, this time a boy named Yarrow. Valerian, having never been fond of brotherhood, only grumbles when introduced to his the babe and aspires to avoid interacting with him entirely. He's almost eight, he says, he has no reason to be playing with babies.
1871 | Germander is born. He is just another child in the long line of potential replacements for him, but he finds that it becomes easier to ignore each new addition to the family than the previous. He doesn't worry about competing for attention; the next year he will be off to school, and he won't have to think about any of them until Agrimony and Betony join him at school.
1872 | Valerian goes off to school and is sorted into Slytherin. No one in his family has much to say about it, because it's not uncommon for people in his family to find themselves in the house of the ambitious and power-hungry. He immediately takes a liking to Potions and Herbology—partially because it's his mother's specialty, but also because he's genuinely good at it. (Sage is also born that year, too. Valerian does not remember it well.)
1874 | Third year arrives and Valerian selects Ancient Runes, Ancient Studies, and Earth Magic for his electives. The broad range of topics make him feel more accomplished when he receives good marks, and soon he finds himself seeking additional reading material outside of class.
1875 | Valerian's first experience with scandal takes place when Tybalt Lestrange's rampage at the Ministry leaves thirteen dead and another child in their home. Valerian does not think much of Tatiana at first; she is not yet of Hogwarts age and she's a girl, but during the summer he decides she is easier to talk to than literally any of his siblings.
1876 | Valerian enters his fifth year and is appointed Slytherin prefect. Betony and Agrimony join him at Hogwarts, and his four blissful years of being alone at school are suddenly over.
1877 | After successfully passing all of his OWL examinations, he decides to continue with seven NEWT-level classes: Ancient Studies, Charms, DADA, Earth Magic, Herbology, Potions, and a new addition, Alchemy.
1878 | Valerian unhappily finds himself spending the summer moving from London to Hogsmeade. He has more important things to worry about than what room he will claim for himself or what paper they will put on the walls. His mother transfers to Hogsmeade Hospital as the assistant head of her ward, reinforcing the ever persistent idea that he will one day follow in her footsteps.
1879 | Valerian graduates from Hogwarts with seven passing NEWTs and an apprenticeship under a local potioneer who claims he's capable of brewing potions that are banned in mainstream potion recipe books. The man is old, and admittedly a little eccentric, but his claims of power do not come without proof. He shows Valerian well-preserved potions books from the 1400's, and begins teaching him legilimency after it comes up in conversation. Yarrow goes off to Hogwarts in September and is sorted into Slytherin.
1880 | His apprenticeship with the potions master comes to an abrupt end after he is taken advantage of during an routine legilimency lesson. He always knew his thoughts would be read, but he never imagined his mentor would go searching for the things he kept close to heart: his desire to be like his mother, his insecurity in his family, and—even more embarrassingly—his attraction towards men. In fear of having his secrets revealed to the world in a blackmail attempt, Valerian attempts to discredit him with claims of madness. He begins an intership at St. Mungo's, in the Potion and Plant Poisoning ward.
1881 | Valerian finishes mastering the art of legilimency on his own, a sort of "fuck you" to his former mentor.
1882 | His mother is drafted for the Irvingly expedition. He will not admit it, but he spends an unhealthy amount of time worrying about her, and is only relieved when she returns home. She is promoted to head of her ward at Hogsmeade Hospital, and Valerian is promoted to full healer at St. Mungo's.
1883 | Germander goes off to Hogwarts and is sorted into Ravenclaw.
1884 | His mother is pregnant, and then the laughing plague strikes Hogsmeade and she loses the pregnancy. A number of his family members die—aunts, uncles, and even cousins. His mother resigns from the hospital, leaving Valerian rather confused by the sudden change, but too in shock from the summer's events to question them. Betony dies later in the year, and Tatiana graduates from Hogwarts and enrolls in Pendergast's School for Young Roses. (Where she should be, he thinks jealously once realizing how much his mother misses her.)
1885 | His mother begins her secret business, which he naturally becomes involved in. His skill with potions and poisons makes him a good experimentation partner, and, more importantly, he is able to make sure she does not get caught up in anything she's unable to get herself out of.
1886 | Agirmony leaves the house, leaving only him and Yarrow at home with their mother during the main part of the year. That is until Tatiana graduates and returns to the Macnair household, becoming the main focus of his mother once more. (Valerian had never wished to be a girl, but sometimes he thought, in some ways, it might be more convenient.)
1887 | Germander is appointed prefect at Hogwarts, proving he is not as useless as Valerian once thought. He purchases his brother a new set or rune stones, making it believe he put more thought into the gift than simply picking them up at a pawn shop. His Aunt Olivia dies, sending him into mourning.
1888 | Sage is appointed prefect. He is more useful than Germander in Valerian's opinion, but much less a joy to be around (not that he's particularly fond of either of his youngest brothers).
1889 | Valerian is appointed assistant head of the Potion and Plant Poisoning ward of St. Mungo's.
Presently | Continuing to do his job while balancing the responsibility of assisting his mother with her business. At twenty-eight-years-old, he has no intention to marry soon, but then again—very rarely does his opinion matter when it comes to family matters.
Other:SENSITIVE — SMOOTH-TALKING — OBSESSIVE — POWER-HUNGRY
Once a sweet boy, years of meddling with old—and sometimes dark—magic has left him with a hunger for knowledge and power rather than friendships and affection. He is not evil by even the most lenient definition of the world, but is impressionable and tends to take what opportunities are given to him without a thought for how it might impact others.
When it comes to his own feelings, however, he is sensitive to criticism and will often think about one insult until it eats away at him. His desire to affirm of his worth has led him to go beyond his comfort zone, and at times beyond his skill level. He does show it, for perceived weaknesses are likely to be exploited by those around him and he feels as though he has too much to lose.
When in public or at parties, Valerian attempts to blend into the crowd. He is good at holding a conversation, but rarely takes true interest in his companions. His friendships are often formed within his own family; and in the rare cases of friendship outside the family, he does not allow himself to be truly known.
— SKILLS —
- A skilled potioneer, Valerian has dabbled in everything from healing potions to alchemic brews to—more scandalously—poisons.
- His first potions mentor helped him become a legilimens after he expressed an interest, though he has not reached the point of attempting occlumency.
- In addition to knowing French, Valerian has learned a good amount of written Latin, Ancient Greek, and Italian from his studies.
— TRIVIA —
- His patronus takes the form of a firefly, but he's struggled to cast it on command in recent years.
- Valerian is bisexual. He tends to find himself more attracted to men than woman, but he only acts on his attraction towards women. It is much easier (and legal).
— ACADEMICS —
Class OWL NEWT Alchemy — O Ancient Runes E — Ancient Students E A Astronomy A — Charms E E Defence Against the Dark Arts E E Earth Magic O O Herbology O O History of Magic A — Potions O O Transfiguration A —
Out-of-Character
Name: BreeAge: 21
Other Characters: #another stunning self-pimp by bree
How did you hear about us?: the whispers from hell itself
