In Character
Full Name: Lyle Howard Matthews
Nicknames: none
Birthdate: July 24th, 1864
Current Age: 17 Years
Occupation: Hogwarts student and Ravenclaw beater
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
Wand: Ebony, 12", unyielding, dragon heartstring
Blood Status: Muggle
Social Class: Lower
Family:
Mother: Grace Ellsworth (née Matthews) (33 years old)
Although their relationship is not as close as it was before Lyle first set off to Hogwarts, Lyle is still very fond of his mother and continues to write long letters to her at regular intervals. Grace is of an open, warm nature, and the only person in the muggle world who knows of Lyle's true identity.
Step-father: George Ellsworth (28 years old)
In Great Wyrley, George is known as a quiet, shy man, but an accomplished carpenter and a trustworthy friend. He married Grace in 1876 and is now the proud and happy father of three children. While Lyle was at first very suspicious (and perhaps even a little jealous) of this “intruder”, he has since recognized that George is a good match for his more extroverted mother.
Step-siblings: Rose (5 years old), Charles (3 years old), Mabel (5 months old)
Against his own expectations, Lyle has grown very fond of his step-siblings. Rose and Charlie are very lively children and Lyle loves playing with them, reading them stories or taking them to their grandparents' farm. Although he only sees them in summer, he has come to consider them a very important part of the family.
Appearance:
Following a recent growth spurt, Lyle currently stands at (almost) 5'11'' and weighs 130 pounds. His figure is not yet that of an adult man, but is still rather slim and gangly. Having played as a beater for Ravenclaw for the past three and a half years, Lyle has grown rather muscular and during the Quidditch season he can boast a wide selection of bruises. His eyes are of the same dark brown colour as his hair, which curls slightly. Lyle is right-handed.
Lyle doesn't put much thought or effort into his wardrobe (not that he could afford to anyway). However he always makes sure that the few plain items of clothing he owns are in good condtion.
History:
Lyle Howard Matthews was born on July 24th 1864 in his grandparents' small farmhouse, just outside Great Wyrley, Staffordshire. At this point his mother was 16 years old, and his father, though it was rumoured that Tom Nettle, a handsome young miner from the village, had been often seen with poor Grace Healey last Autumn, was officially declared unknown. Grace's parents were at first outraged to learn of their daughter's pregnancy, but agreed to support their daughter. Matthews Farm was Lyle's home for the first five years of his life. As the apple of both his mother's and grandmother's eye, Lyle grew up in a poor, but loving environment.
In September of 1869, Grace found employment at the Vicarage of Great Wyrley as a maid-of-all-work and she and Lyle moved into a tiny cottage opposite the church. Though this move only consisted of two miles, Lyle felt like he had entered a whole new world. Here in Great Wyrley he first encountered other children. He had no problems getting along with the miners' sons and the farm boys and enjoyed their games down by the riverside. Unfortunately he was often forced to accompany his mother to the vicarage, and while she spent the day scrubbing, dusting and laying fires, Lyle was sent outside to play with the vicar's sons. Albert and Arthur, big red-faced boys, who enjoyed showing off their toys and teasing Lyle. More often than not, the afternoons at the vicarage ended in heated fist fights.
Soon after moving to Great Wyrley, Lyle was sent to village school. He enjoyed the lessons and excelled in class. This was a blessing and a curse – although he loved to triumph over Arthur and Albert, Lyle knew how his friends treated boys who tried too hard at school.
Nevertheless, Lyle's life in Great Wyrley was a happy one. His only concern was his absent father, and he spent many lonely afternoons imagining what kind of man he might be – a gre at adventurer perhaps or a soldier in the West Indies? His mother could never bring herself to tell Lyle that his father was just another one of the miners he would watch heading to the pub in the evenings. Instead, she let Lyle indulge in his daydreams, which became more and more fantastical, particularly following the events of December 1873.
Once again, Lyle found himself tagging along with his mother to the vicarage. This time, Albert and Arthur were in the middle of a snowball fight, and Lyle gladly joined in, sensing that his lighter figure would be to his advantage. However, the game soon spun out of control, and Lyle, who couldn't keep up with the combined strength of Albert and Arthur was chucking snowballs around wildly. One of them, meant to hit Arthur's face, flew directly towards the kitchen window. Lyle gasped. His mother would most certainly have to pay for any damage he caused, and Lyle knew that money was always hard to come by in the Matthews' household. But then, in front of his very eyes, the snowball swerved in the very last second, leaving the window intact and Lyle relieved but utterly flabbergasted.
Similar incidents recurred in the following months, and were only fully explained on Lyle's eleventh birthday. On this fateful summer day, Lyle and his mother received a call from an elderly lady in long, scarlet robes. In a calm, friendly voice, she told Lyle of his true identity: he was, it turned out, a wizard, and was being offered a place at Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. It took the elderly lady (a witch herself, of course) the whole evening and most of the night to convince Grace that her visit wasn't merely a hoax, and that it was in Lyle's own interest to send him to Hogwarts. Her gentle manner appeased Lyle's mother, and when the young boy woke up on the morning of July 25th, his whole life had changed completely. With little more than a month left till the start of term, a whole number of preparations and arrangements had to be made at the utmost haste, and before he knew it, Lyle was making his way through the Hogwarts Express, surrounded by children chatting away about Quidditch and spells and Hogwarts houses.
Lyle was absolutely terrified. When he had first heard of this new world of wizards and witches, he could hardly wait to join it. After all, no matter what it turned out to be like, it would surely beat a life as a miner in rural Staffordshire. However, Lyle found it extremely hard to settle in at Hogwarts, and for the first months was not particularly happy in the castle. Burdened with the double encumbrance of being both lower class and muggle-born, Lyle hardly dared to utter a word during his first weeks at school. The Sorting Hat had declared him a Ravenclaw, but like just about everything he heard and saw, it was all plain gibberish to Lyle.
As time passed, Lyle gained more confidence, mainly because he discovered that he actually had quite a knack for casting spells and brewing potions. By the time Lyle finished his first year at Hogwarts, his good grades had helped him feel more at ease in the castle, which allowed him to find friends amongst his Ravenclaw house mates.
When Lyle returned to Staffordshire for the summer holidays, he soon found life in Great Wyrley excruciatingly boring. He was dying to tell his friends about Hogwarts, but instead he was told to keep his head down and help his grandfather on his farm.
Lyle's second year at Hogwarts passed in a similar fashion to his first. Amongst his teachers and peers, he was considered a quiet, but studious boy, loath to stand out. This started to change in his third year. The summer holidays following his second year brought some significant changes to the Matthews' household: Grace announced that she was to marry George Ellsworth, a young carpenter before fall. Lyle was shocked. He disapproved of George heartily. He was an odd man, very tall and very pale, and of a taciturn disposition, and Lyle couldn't bear the idea of calling such a man his father. Grace, however, had her mind set on marrying Ellsworth and before returning to Hogwarts, Lyle indignantly witnessed their wedding in Great Wyrley's little church.
Back at school (Grace explained to George that Lyle had won a scholarship at a boarding school in Scotland), Lyle could never quite rid himself of the feeling that he had been betrayed by his mother. Though he knew that he was being irrational, he felt abandoned and resentful and was often distracted from his school work, which now included two new and demanding subjects: Ancient Runes and Arithmancy. Consequently, his grades were decidedly lower than in the preceding years. Angry at his mother and himself, Lyle became increasingly aggressive and while he had previously managed to ignore the spiteful comments his fellow students would make on his background, he now responded to them more eagerly, often provoking an argument, or even a fight. Regularly involved in late night duelling, brawls in the corridors or bickering in the common room, Lyle gained a reputation as a trouble-maker and spent many weekends in detention.
At the beginning of his fourth year, one of Lyle's teachers suggested that he should try out for the Quidditch team - surely, the sport would provide a good outlet for all his energy and his temperamental nature. Lyle, though keen on the sport, had never considered himself good enough to play for Ravenclaw, but was happy to find that his speed and agility earned him a spot as a beater. This new occupation was indeed a god's send: Lyle became more focused and the respect he earned amongst his house mates on the Quidditch pitch helped him relax at school. Over the next two years, he managed to concentrate on his school work again and achieved good results in his OWLs. Lyle was enjoying his studies and hoped to continue his education at NEWT level. However, it seemed likely that his plans would fall flat due to financial reasons. His mother had stopped working several years ago, dedicating her time to the upbringing of Lyle's step-siblings and although Lyle had earned some money of his own in the course of the past years, it wasn't anywhere near enough to cover all the costs. Just as it looked like Lyle would have to give up on any further education, his stepfather George stepped in and offered to lend him the money. Lyle couldn't thank George often enough, although it did cost him some effort to overcome the grudge he had been holding against him ever since he married his mother.
And so, Lyle undertook the journey from platform nine three-quarters for the sixth time. He had chosen to take Transfiguration, Defence against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, Herbology, History of Magic and Arithmancy and thoroughly enjoyed the subjects – the more independent study at NEWT-level seemed to suit him well. Moreover, Lyle started to develop his own interests. Over the summer holidays he had made his mind up to train as a healer after completing his Hogwarts education and invested a lot of time in relevant research. He also started to become more involved in politics, following current affairs of both the magical and non-magical world. As a working-class muggle-born, Lyle had often experienced unjust treatment both in and outside Hogwarts, and was willing to fight for a more equal society that would judge people by their abilities, rather than their background. Eager to voice his opinions, Lyle was often in trouble, even shunned as a demagogue by some of the more conservative teachers. Lyle didn't mind, and now, with just another term to go at Hogwarts, he can't wait to leave school and become more politically active, although he will undoubtedly miss the castle.
Personality: Lyle is...
A Ravenclaw
Studious and ambitious, Lyle has never questioned the Sorting Hat's decision to place him into Ravenclaw house. Lyle loves learning and relishes academic success, and though he has only recently made up his mind to become a healer, he has pursued his goal vigorously ever since. Spoiled by the fact that good grades have always come easily to him, Lyle has acquired a slight arrogance and can't stand being in the wrong. He is often impatient, especially when confronted with ignorance, and cannot bear monotony and boredom. His most distinct Ravenclaw quality however, is undoubtedly his enormous curiosity and his inquisitive nature. An insatiable appetite for historical facts, political opinions, or even the most trivial pieces of information makes Lyle a frequent visitor of Hogwarts' library.
A teenager
Lyle's behaviour has often caused by-standing adults – be it his mother, a teacher, or a stranger – to roll their eyes and murmur something to the effect of “Oh dear, these young people nowadays”. Lyle is a teenager in his prime, and has no intentions whatsoever of improving the reputation his species enjoys amongst others. The mood swings, the impertinence, the self-righteous insolence – Lyle has mastered them all, and a great deal of the points he gains for Ravenclaw as a beater on the house Quidditch team and in class are lost due to his habit of talking back to teachers or prefects, provoking a fight in the corridors or disrespecting authorities. Sarcastic, even cynical comments have become his trade mark and are often more hurtful than Lyle is aware of himself.
A lower class muggle-born
As disadvantageous a background like his can be, Lyle is far too proud to deny the fact that his family are all working class muggles. In fact he enjoys pointing out to members of the upper class that he is their inferior socially- just to watch them handle the awkward situation. Recently, Lyle has taken a particular interest in politics, both of the magical and the muggle world. His views have often been called radical since Lyle is of the firm opinion that only revolutionary changes could truly improve society.
An Idealist and a good friend
Lyle is a young man of principles, although they may not necessarily coincide with the norms of society. Whilst his caustic comments often lead people to believe that Lyle is a thoroughly disillusioned youth, he is, in his heart of hearts, an idealist. He does truly believe that standing up for your rights can make a difference and that there is such a thing as a right and wrong path in life. Consequently, he can be quite harsh in judging others and is scrupulous in choosing his friends (he has, needless to say quite a small, but tight-knit circle of friends). However, once a close friendship has been established, Lyle is fiercely loyal, and, despite his usually serious demeanour, quite good company. A sharp sense of humour, coupled with a mischievous disposition make him an ideal companion for pranks, long, passionate discussions, and late-night strolls through the castle.
Sample Roleplay Post:
It was a mess, there was no denying it. It was a mess and it had been a mess for the past 16 years. Casting a disapproving glance across the room, Margaret found it quite astonishing to see what a huge amount of personal possessions had accumulated in her office. The furniture had been assembled from all around the world. The cabinet opposite the fireplace was of French origin, the chairs she had picked up in various places across the African continent and the large chest right next to the door had been found at a market in Bombay. The massive wooden desk Margaret was seated at right now, whose surface was covered in piles of parchment, books and quills, was the only object that seemed to belong in the office. Just like Margaret herself, it was native to Scotland; she hadn’t been able to part from it when she had moved to Hogwarts permanently to teach and, removing it from the remote little room in her parents’ house, where it had stood for the past century, and where Margaret had always loved to work and write, she had taken it along.
Out of Character
Name: Cass
Age: 18
Contact: PM, please :)
Other Characters: none
How did you hear about us?: RPG-D
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