( * 💀 / alex fitzalan, cis male, he/him ) — is that connell wood i just saw rushing down the corridor? i hear they’re a twenty one year old gryffindor, returning for their seventh school year, but their friends would tell you that they are venturesome & unfazed as well as ignorant & undisciplined. if you want to know more about them, i guess i could tell you that they’re half blood, and from what i hear, they’re currently allying with the order. when our divination professor looks into their crystal ball, they see: a seven am sunrise of endless possibilities, tattered maps and spur of the moment plans, sea salt air and an outrageous spirit of wanderlust.
trigger warning: drugs
a through and through sagittarius, connell wood was born just as the sunshine broke through the stormy grey skies of a december morning in county cork. it was an apt entrance into the world, one that the neighbors would remark upon in years to come. they named him the golden child. alongside his parents and brother who was eighteen months his younger, the wood family had known popularity among muggle and wizards alike. their muted eccentricity, their warmth and their liberalism kept their doors open to all that traipsed through. whether that be a muggle whose boat had faltered on the county cork shores or a witch in search of the rare ingredients that could only be harvested on irish soil.
fallen victim to the egos and ambitions of the english, ireland was often a turbulent place for one to settle. the wood’s, though magical, had fought intensively for the right of a united ireland in the muggle world. the violence endured in both the inner cities and along the obsolete countryside carried a weight that was still endured by irish muggles and wizards today. connell’s grandfather and father created subtle suspicion for their role in advocacy and combat, especially in an age where english forces were so dominant. as his parents would expose to their sons later, this was the reason why they spent such large portions of the years travelling. fleeing possible persecution with only the protection of their family in mind, connell decided at age ten that his parents were unwaveringly brave.
the first destination that he clearly remembered was germany. there wasn’t any particular reason that it stood out in his seven year old brain, other than it being the place where he first missed home. he missed the animals that their muggle farmer neighbour cared for, missed the candy store with endless choices and a store assistant that always gave him extra sugar quills and most of all, the attention that he received from their neighbours. there was never a person who could resist pinching his cheek or ruffling his hair, he was the golden child after all and the golden child missed home.
after germany came brazil. he was days away from age eight now and finally he was settling into their new lifestyle. with a promise to return home for christmas, connell’s entire perspective had changed. it was as if his adolescent mind had been taken over by an adult voice: enjoy these experiences, fall in love with the people, the world is so far and wide and yours for the taking. his personality once again flourished, he returned to being golden. his parents smiles beamed brighter than the sun as connell charmed with his gappy smile and irish humor. children often demonstrated their magical capability out of uncontrolled emotions of upset and anger. but for connell, it was out of intense joy. he set off fireworks in the brazilian skies as he saw his first nogtail.
from germany to brazil to japan to india to france and canada, connell had experienced more of the world than most his age and beyond. his homesick childhood blossomed into an intense adoration of the world around him. they returned to ireland often but it was not long before their parents worries faded and their travels were out of want rather than need. they believed it was the best education that they could give their children and connell could not agree with them more. immersed in muggle and wizard culture alike, connell adored swimming and soccer in the same way he loved quidditch. he found muggle movies and shows far more stimulating than wizarding plays and books. he told his parents at age eleven that he intended to live his future as a muggle. that was until they reminded him that then he could not fly on a broom and that future was quickly erased with a self assurance that he would be attending hogwarts.
to his fellow students, connell was a magnetic personality among a sea of lions in robes of black, red and gold. it was often hard to distinguish yourself in a house of such fierce personalities but without effort at all, the irish boy managed to do just that. his peers found his stories unbelievable and entertaining all at once, his teachers found him amusing and energetic although his attention span was always on a ticking clock. he was a shoe-in for the quidditch team from his second year although the muggle soccer team was a greater prize to him. at the beginning of every year, eager fans in the stands and players alike waited with bated breath to see if he’d show. instead, you’d often find him exclaiming just how great muggle sports were, with a soccer ball under his arm or with intent to swim laps in the pool.
his first few years at hogwarts were ones of intense enjoyment, returning home to county cork at christmas with tales of joy and wonder that his parents had experienced in their childhood. in the summer months where they’d return to their travels once again, connell would talk to anyone that would hear that hogwarts was the superior wizarding school. ilvermorny, beauxbatons and durmstrang had nothing on dumbledore’s hogwarts after all. he wasn’t sure when the shift occurred, perhaps halfway through his fifth year when an unsettling feeling returned to his parents once again. this time at the hands of magic rather than muggles. he began to feel trapped, enclosed by the scottish mountains with the only escape being the familiar sights of hogsmeade. his friends and peers knew him to never sit still, they realized with an intense sadness that graduation from hogwarts meant a life without connell wood. once he took off, he was highly unlikely to ever return.
tw: drugs ! [ below ]
despite his impatience, connell knew that this was a year to treasure. returning for his seventh year, he was a golden child once again. the self proclaimed free spirit of gryffindor, if there wasn’t a party with him in attendance it was surely not one worth remembering. the ‘ big man on campus. ’ he’d heard that term in a muggle american movie once and his brother had used it to describe him ever since. it was his fifth year when he began smuggling in the muggle substances that even pureblood witches and wizards would succumb to. with the upmost pride in his house, even he found it amusing that snakes were at the mercy of a lion in providing them with their high for the night. all assured and tested personally, connell believed his existence on earth was to ensure everyone enjoyed their life as much as he did, even if it was for only one night.
so send him an owl or find him in the swimming pool, connell is going to make this a year you won’t forget.
