In-Character
Full Name: Nigel Cyprien VaneNicknames: —
Birthdate: January 6th, 1856
Current Age: Thirty-Four Years
Occupation: Ancient Studies Professor
Reputation: 9.
Residence: Bartonburg, Hogsmeade
Hogwarts House: Slytherin Alumnus ('74)
Wand: Sycamore, 12 inches, Dragon heartstring, Inflexible
Blood Status: Halfblood
Social Class: Middle
Family:
Joseph Vane, Father [1824]Appearance:
Margaret Vane (née —), Mother [1831-1868]
Beth Vane, Sister [1868]
History:Tall and lanky, Nigel might even be considered handsome if he made the effort to look it. He stands at five feet, eleven inches tall and has a sharp, drastic bone structure with a squared jaw, heavy brow, and sharp cheekbones. His dark, almost reddish-blond hair is always gelled back but somehow looks tousled and untidy by the day's end. His finest features might be his eyes, which are a greenish hue that look opaque in direct light.
Never one for fashion, Nigel prefers his dark wizard robes and only dresses in muggle clothes during formal events. Despite his preference for a clean-shaven face, he sometimes grows a mustache or a bard on a whim. He wields his wand with his right hand.
1856 | Nigel is born the first and only son to Joseph and Margaret Vane.Personality:
1860 | At the age of four, Nigel shows his first sign of magic. During a rare temper tantrum he overturns all the chairs and couches in the family sitting room, only for them to promptly return to their upright position once he realizes what's happened.
1867 | September finally arrives and Nigel is sent off to Hogwarts. He is sorted into Slytherin, but not before being forced to sit under the Hat for two minutes as it debated between whether Gryffindor or Slytherin would do him greater justice. He enjoys school and does not struggle in any particular classes bar Flying, though he is reassured that it will have no bearing on his career outlook later in life. He wants to be a curse-breaker—no, a magical archaeologist!—and finds anything related to history and ancient artifacts to be fascinating.
1868 | Nigel's mother gives birth to a baby girl, only to die days later. His second year is spent numb knowing that he has a new baby sister at home to see during the holidays but no mother to greet him. It's sad, and he's sad, and everyone around him knows it.
1869 | Third year brings new classes. He chooses to take Ancient Studies, Ancient Runes, and Arithmancy after two minutes of career research, and is excited to be dedicating more of his time to learning anything and everything he can. He struggles to make friends, even after two years at school, but does find comfort in the small group of friends he makes during a group project in Ancient Studies class.
1870 | The summer before his fourth year, his father says something that startles him: he'll have to get some of his school supplies from a secondhand shop. The news comes after Nigel's father's employer was forced to downsize and reduce their salaries after a hit to revenue. The Vanes aren't poor, but they have to be safe too—especially with the news that Beth isn't developing quite as a toddler her age should.
1871 | Fifth year comes, and Nigel is not made prefect or anything of the like, and he's perfectly alright with that. As his attention turns towards his OWLs he begins to realize that a job like curse-breaking might be fun, but not what his family needs. Another sad moment is added to his memories as he looks to other better paying but less exciting careers as options.
1872 | After completing his OWLs, Nigel decides to continue into sixth year with Ancient Studies, Ancient Runes, Charms, DADA, History of Magic, Gobbledegook, and Transfiguration. It's a full course load, but he welcomes the challenge.
1874 | Nigel graduates and responsibly enters the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Education. He likes learning, but quickly finds that working in the department responsible for their schooling is much less exciting. He does his work dutifully, but is always on the lookout for a better option.
1876 | A better option comes along. A position for librarian becomes available at the local wizarding library, and Nigel manages to secure the position. It's not any more exciting than the Ministry, but it allows him the opportunity to take a few minutes each day to focus on his passion projects.
1877 | The Vane family moves to Hogsmeade. Nigel meets a self-proclaimed "adventurer" in the library and is dismissive of them until they return with an offer: to join them in the mountains of Nepal for a six-month expedition. Nigel's father encourages him to go, if only to quell his thirst for adventure for a time. The change of scenery does wonders for his state of mind, and after sixth months—and a few notable moments to bring home with him—he's compiled enough to begin penning a book about the wizards and magical methods of the Nalakankar Himal in Tibet.
1878/1879 | Beth goes off to Hogwarts. Nigel worries about her a lot, not only because she's his little sister but because she uses a wheelchair and their father has spent the last six months planting doubts in her mind. Nigel does not appreciate having his able-bodiedness and ability to explore abroad weaponized to undermine her, and it's a common point of contention in the household.
1881 | His book is published nearly four years after he began writing. While not a bestseller, it receives positive reviews for being informative and "a glimpse into a part of the magical world not often thought about". It encourages him to do more—although for his next passion project he looks closer to home.
1882 | Nigel begins researching the history of spell development, specifically focusing on the Latin incantations and how magic might have changed for the British people if they had chosen to develop spells differently. He gets to try his hand at wandless magic for the first time (and fails, naturally, knowing that years of being conditioned to use a wand has weakened the ability to do magic without one).
1884 | Standing before the Committee on Experimental Charms, Nigel demonstrates a handful of charms that were developed without an accompanying incantation. They're simple but effective: one allows any object to act like a light source without a flame or a lumos charm, while another simply causes an object to turn inside-out. What's important is that it proves incantations are not required—not even in the mind, as is usually required for nonverbal magic—as long as they are developed that way.
1887 | Nigel publishes his second book: Incantations & Their Role in Magical Britain's Early Development. It is more successful than his first and receives a mention in an acclaimed magical history publication.
1889 | Nigel applies for and accepts the position of Ancient Studies professor at Hogwarts. He enjoys teaching almost as much as learning. He does his best to make his lessons thought-provoking, and his assignments more than mere bookwork.
Passionate. Open-minded. Patient. Heart of an explorer. Once his mind is made up he's unlikely to be swayed. Long-term planner, and gets frustrated when things don't go as he expected. Knowledgeable about a lot of subjects. Has high expectations. Annoyingly protective to the point of nosiness. Self-deprecating sense of humor. Firm with his students.Other:
— SKILLS —
- Skilled in nonverbal magic.
- Can read Latin, as well as speak in conversational Nepali and Tibetan (although he's become a bit rusty in recent years).
— TRIVIA —
- Boggart takes the form of an empty wheelchair rolling towards him. He's not sure if it signifies losing his sister or becoming disabled himself, but neither are fears he'll readily admit to.
- He has poor penmanship and writes unusually large in class so his students can make out his handwriting.
Out-of-Character
Name: BreeAge: 21
— gorgeous set by MJ —
