Hogwarts Mystery Character Profile - Cato Reese
I thank @hogwartsmysterystory for the excellent template! This took me a long time to develop, so I hope you enjoy this as much as I did making it!
Age: As of May 31, 1990 - 17
Birth Date: April 13, 1973
Alignment: Neutrally Good
Nationality: British - American
Residence: Cumbria, England
Myer Briggs Personality Type: The Defender
1st Wand: 12”, Acacia, Unicorn hair
2nd Wand: 11 ¾”, Ebony, Dragon heartstring
Misc Magical Abilities: Within the canon of the game, Cato is a natural-born Legilimens like his older brother, Jacob.
Boggart Form: All of Cato’s friends appear together rejecting him and calling him out for being a failure.
Riddikulus Form: The group of friends all smile and give the thumbs up gesture to him.
Amortentia: (What do they smell like?)
* A breeze of fresh country air and calming water.
Amortentia: (What do they smell?)
* Vanilla flowers and fresh baked cookies
Patronus: American Black Bear (Cato’s patronus in the game is a Cheetah)
* The black bear is reflective of the two distinctive sides of Cato’s personality. He is most of the time sweet, caring and affectionate, like a teddy bear, but when there is an emergency or danger, he is ready to rush into action and do whatever is necessary to protect his loved ones and the school he calls home, like a parent bear protecting their cubs at all costs.
Patronus Memory: The first time Cato rode a hippogriff.
* He was caught by the epicness of the moment and the great feelings of freedom, adventure, and even the wind rustling through the tufts of his rich brown hair. Earning a ride on a hippogriff is quite the feat on it’s own, like learning the Patronus charm. This comparison adds up to the rewarding nature afforded by the memory that makes it significant in casting the spell for Cato.
* Especially after his mother had handled the disappearance of Jacob pretty poorly, Cato wished that his brother had been more honest about what he was doing outside of classes in Hogwarts. In the mirror, he’d see Jacob coming in and hugging him, apologizing for keeping so many secrets from him and putting his parents in so much pain. This remained true throughout his early years at Hogwarts, but in Cato’s sixth year, the death of someone very special to him would drastically change what he’d see in the mirror.
Specialized/Favourite Spells:
Game Appearance: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
Height: 6ft or 1.82 meters
Weight: A healthy weight for his age and height
Physique: Fit and agile, a little muscular
Scarring: Scar on left cheek from lightning strike
Inventory: (what do they carry on them?)
* Color photo of Hogwarts at sunset (from Chiara)
* Blue bracelet, from Isabelle
* Watch (This was once owned by Jacob, who left it at home after being expelled, and was later given to Cato as a christmas present by his mum.)
* Glasses in a case (Cato is nearsighted)
Fashion: A teal or turquoise sweater with gray or brown cargo pants, blue and white sneakers
Hogwarts House: Ravenclaw
Ilvermorny House: Pukwudgie
Affiliations/Organizations:
* Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry (Ravenclaw house)
* Native American tribal consortium
* Ravenclaw Quidditch Team Reserve Seeker (1985-1991)
* Ravenclaw Prefect (1988-1991)
* Freelance Curse-Breaker (1992-1997, 1999-)
Electives: Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy, Muggle Studies
Quidditch: In the game canon, Cato actively plays the sport and is on his house team. In the headcanon, he is a reserve chaser, and plays when the need arises.
Extra Curricular: Music Club (plays piano)
* Cato liked Professor McGonagall and the student-teacher relationship between them stemmed in part from that she almost ended in Ravenclaw herself before the Sorting Hat ended up placing her in Gryffindor. She was very kind and helpful toward Cato, and the two had a strong bond. It was McGonagall that encouraged her student to register as an animagus instead of going through all the anguish of trying to keep it under wraps. She appreciated Cato for his achievements and even offered to nominate him as her successor, but he declined in favor of being a curse-breaker.
* As with the transfiguration professor, a lot of respect was held toward Flitwick by Cato. He saw the part-goblin professor as a positive role model in his early years at Hogwarts. Especially in the first months of his first year when Cato was dealing with nightmares. He was eased up by his head of house’s display of dancing cupcakes and never took this for granted. Professor Flitwick was almost, if not always on Cato’s side during tough times, a mark of his caring and protectiveness toward his students, especially those in his house.
* Growing up in touch with nature and helping his mum, Cato adjusted pretty well to herbology. The professor was soft and sweet to him, and often had him help out in the greenhouse outside of class due to Cato’s proficiency in the subject. He always appreciated her generosity, but this sometimes led to mishaps as Professor Sprout tended to place too much faith in the boy. Still, she helped to keep Cato positive and motivated when stressed, and never gave up on helping to make him feel better.
* Professor Kettleburn was regarded by Cato as rather eccentric like most students, but he also had great respect for the man as it was obvious he had been through a lot of turmoil and never let it stop him from enjoying what he wanted to do. Inside, he felt sorry for the professor, but he never really could admit this fact, as Cato would hate very much to bad-mouth him, even if he didn’t mean it.
Least Favourite Professors:
* Due to the events that had occurred early in his first year, and Snape’s cold, unnerving demeanor, Cato felt intimated in his presence early on. He was strongly discouraged from excelling at Potions, and eventually admits that he would’ve never ended up getting an O if it weren’t for the expert Penny being such a kind and positive soul to him, and appreciated by Snape. Though Cato knew that he could count on Snape as an ally, his relationship with the Potions Master was strictly business, as any pleasantries had no place in their conversations.
* As a boy, Cato spent much time with Jacob playing in the Lake District near their home. The two were very close and spent many nights watching the beautiful sunsets, calming waters, and waiting for the stars to come out. After Jacob entered school, he and his brother went out to the countryside less often as Cato was getting older and needed to help out his mum at work. He always kept his investigations into the Cursed Vaults a secret from Cato, and wasn’t as vocal or energetic as he used to be. Jacob’s brother never fully understood why he just up and disappeared. Though Cato felt sorry for Jacob when he heard he was expelled, he would slowly begin to secretly hate his brother for always keeping him in the dark, indirectly putting him in hot water, and causing his mum to have a breakdown that took many calming draughts to get over. Cato confides this to Ismelda in their fifth year.
* Like his son, Cato’s father was a laid-back man who owned and operated a ranch with some animals and crops. Cato grew up on this ranch, and he found it to be quite cozy. Among the animals, chickens were raised there. Every weekend, Edwin took what his family didn’t need down to the market in town for sale. He used to have a much more prestigious career as an auror, but a crippling injury sustained from a mission caused him to settle down and retire. Although Edwin fully recovered from it, he decided not to rejoin so he could spend more time with his family.
Mother: Sheila Ceres Windberth
* American-born and educated, Sheila was sorted into Pukwudgie house and graduated from Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the state of Massachusetts, USA. She is an herbologist, beautician and entrepreneur that makes her own products for her business. Cato was very close to his mother, and often helped her in the garden and in her workplace. She was descended from pioneers who migrated along the Oregon trail in the 1840s and had some heritage from a Native American people, most likely the Blackfoot. Sheila had met and married Cato’s father in the US and moved to England with him very shortly before Jacob was born.
Love Interest: Penny Haywood
* As a shy and reserved kid in his first year, Cato always looked up to the kindness of Penny, who was very popular. They made their acquaintance in mid-October after he had fought and won against Merula in a duel, earning Penny’s admiration of him. She helped Cato open up to others at Hogwarts by spreading word of Cato’s heroism. Their first real bonding experience came in the form of helping out Hagrid with his birthday party.
* Penny was a close and dependable ally to Cato in his search for the Ice Vault. Although she was well-mannered and worked to please her professors, she had no issue helping her friend do anything that was necessary to help save the school. He always appreciated her willingness to always stand by his side at all costs.
*She gave Cato private potions lessons to help him get ahead in the class since he was at first intimidated by Snape’s uncompromising attitude. Not only did Cato’s marks in the class improve, he had a better appreciation for it as a whole and found it to be quite fun. It also helped that Penny was liked by Snape for her talents, and she was able to put in a good word to help lighten the burden for her best friend.
* It was in their third year that romantic feelings formed between Cato and Penny. She helped him escape from a noisy crowd in the Three Broomsticks that was giving him quite the hard time, and went above and beyond by giving him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. He didn’t know this, but Penny had feelings for him. She didn’t admit it until the next year.
* While together on the decorating committee for the Celestial Ball in their fourth year, Penny confessed her feelings to Cato. They went together as dates, and had their first date together on the last weekend before school let out for the summer. Even with the strange events that took place in the following two years, the relationship between the two grew as they depended on each for company and comfort.
* Bill and Charlie Weasley
Enemy: Emily Tyler, Ben Copper, R
Dormmates: (Who’s in your MC’s dorm with them?)
* Sickleworth (adopted from Rakepick)
* Bill and Charlie Weasley
* Montague Donohue @montaguehphm
* Jason Novak @death-or-sleep
* Ravenna Glynn @chronic-clinomania
* Dimitri DiAngelo @dimitri-hphm
* Jaspin Angell @jaspinhphm
* Isabelle Flynn (MissMonotreme#1436, Discord)
* Henry Brocklehurst (Henry Brocklehurst#1187, Discord)
Cato’s always welcome to make more friends! If you want your MC to be friends with him, let me know through a message or ask!
* Cato was born on April 13, 1973 to Sheila and Edwin Reese. He grew up on a ranch in Cumbria, England. The Reeses lived fairly close to the Lake District and Cato, along with Jacob, spent much time there as kids. Cato helped his mum in the garden she used for her business. This and many adventures in the countryside with his brother helped foster a love of nature and creativity that remained throughout his Hogwarts years and adulthood.
* As he got older, Cato took on more responsibilities in his mum’s work, and he couldn’t spend as much time out in the countryside as he used to. His relationship with Jacob slowly grew more distant, and it didn’t help that he was hush-hush to him or his parents about his Cursed Vault adventures. Plus Sheila favored Cato over Jacob. While he appreciated this, he missed Jacob very much. They could only spend time together in the summer, and even then, Cato was still very busy helping his mum.
* It reached a breaking point in 1983, when Jacob was finally expelled. Inside, Cato knew that this would happen as his brother had grown distant, but he never understood why this had to happen. A year later, it would be time for him to go to Hogwarts too.
* The Daily Prophet, being funded by the Ministry, was determined to cover up the existence of the Cursed Vaults. Jacob was blamed for “spreading hearsay” and “disturbing the piece,” and Cato’s name popped up a few times in the paper. This led many of his peers at Hogwarts to gossip about how he is only “Jacob’s pawn” and the “reincarnation of the trouble that was him.” It didn’t help that being a shy and guarded boy made socializing difficult.
* Cato began to have nightmares from time to time after escaping the Devil’s Snare. Several times, he woke up in the middle of the night in his dormitory, feeling very sweaty and hot. He feared that others like Merula would do things to him that were much worse. Slowly confiding to Rowan about this, Cato didn’t want to burden anyone with his own problems, especially since he had little friends at this point and many students were suspicious of him.
* He used the suspicions about him as a drive to learn self-defense in case someone else like Merula tried to play hero and trying something stupid. Cato later made his first new friends at school by standing up to her, even if it cost him a few house points. He soon after became famous among most of his peers and was a welcome guest at many parties. Naturally, he expected it to take longer, but Penny took pleasure in helping to spread the word. With the burden off his shoulder some, Cato was grateful and felt the happiest in the first time at Hogwarts. The school was now truly his home.
* It was during this time that Cato decided early on what kind of work he’d be most comfortable in. Having made acquaintances with Bill and Charlie Weasley in his first year, he was introduced to Qudditch by the younger brother and his friend Andre. Cato tried out and became a reserve chaser. He never really committed much to the sport, but he was always happy to support his team in some way, whether on a broom or in the stands. The Ravenclaw team owed Cato a favor for saving them from the curse of the Ice Vault and they were always grateful for him.
* As the investigation into the Cursed Vaults grew bigger, Cato’s reputation at Hogwarts continued to work in his favor. His name was known even by some of the loners and introverts at the school, though not to the same degree as Penny’s. One of them was an acquaintance of her named Chiara Lobasca. The ensuing adventure that followed after she and Cato first met was his first introduction to the issues that werewolves face and his sympathies for them.
* Sparing him a lot of potential stress and headache for the rest of the year,, Cato also had managed to beat Merula at her own game. She had tried to frame him for stealing potion ingredients. Being a Ravenclaw, he couldn’t be fooled. As punishment, his rival was forced by Snape to help look after his potion store. It would take a while, but this victory helped spark the downfall of her rivalry with Cato.
* Cato was still very uneasy when anyone brought up the old rumors about the Reese family, and often had to bail to calm down on his own. One of these moments, he was enjoying his usual warm butterbeer with cream at the Three Broomsticks when one patron noticed Cato in the corner booth and chatted up others at the bar. He tried to take their clatter with a grain of salt, but soon it started bothering him. Penny helped him away from the crowd, later giving him a hug and a peck on the cheek. It was because of this moment Cato began to have romantic feelings for her.
* Meanwhile, Cato had become acquaintances with Tulip, who kept her friendship with Merula secret from her peers. They sometimes made small talk in class, but it wasn’t until after Cato had met Tonks that he was properly introduced to Tulip.. After her betrayal, she wasn’t as happy or motivated as she usually was. Tonks confided to Cato about her helping Tulip get over a depression after recovering some confiscated pranks from Filch and finding the mysterious lock on Jacob’s room with her name on it.
* It was early in the year that he became an animagus surprisingly quickly. Cato assumed an eagle form around November, and he chose to register instead of keeping it a secret because he couldn’t trust poor Hagrid’s loose tongue to not spill the beans. As he grew closer to Talbott, he realized that he wanted to become a bird so that he could provide company to his housemate. Cato sympathized a lot with Talbott since the poor boy had lost his family in such a violent way when he was only just a toddler, thus Cato was a brother-like figure to him.
* Cato’s rivalry with Merula began to subside around this time, but it would still be a while before they were friends. She remained prideful and self-centered as always, the tough-as-nails “best witch at Hogwarts,” yet she also grew to be softer and less edgy as time went on. Even in the first place, Cato was never really bothered by this ego since if Merula was the best witch, he’d be the best wizard. Though he still found her boasting about it to be quite annoying.
* Since his third year, Cato always had a pet peeve for Emily Tyler. She was as worst as Gryffindors come; a snobbish, arrogant witch that always thought she was better than everyone else. Merula was in the same boat, but she at least was learning from her mistakes. On the other hand, Emily never faced much trouble as she was usually regarded as a model student and a popular girl, at odds with Penny. This rivalry reached its peak during the prep work for the Celestial Ball, and Cato, needing to keep his cool, had no choice but to put up with Emily’s attitude, even though she was pretty nasty.
* He first rode a hippogriff in this time, and was completely taken away by the experience. Preluding to a life of adventure in the high desert, Cato longed for more opportunities like it after the ride was over.
* In his fifth year, Cato became a prefect for his merits in going above and beyond in times of crisis. He enjoyed the prestige and privileges, but found it difficult to balance his considerations for his friends and his duties because he was no stranger to trouble. He usually gave pranksters a pass, but when people got hurt, property was damaged, or stuff ended up stolen, Cato was sure to take away house points or give out detentions.
* Although placed in detention himself for trespassing in the Forbidden Forest the previous year, Cato’s name was eventually cleared by Alastor Moody early on. Due to his proficiencies in baking, he decided to volunteer for the kitchens either way after several students got food poisoning during the Hallowe’en feast.
* Coming to understand more about Jacob’s behavior and motives when looking for the Cursed Vaults, Cato realized that he also hated his brother for not being honest with his family and leaving them without saying a word. He initially keeps these feelings a secret, but reveals them to Ismelda in his fifth year. Even so, he still shares a big hug with Jacob upon his rescue from the portrait in the vault.
* Since the end of their fifth year, Cato and Ben’s usually strong bond was running into trouble. The Gryffindor had developed an ego from his traumatic experience last year and was trying to be his friend’s “protector” without him giving permission or asking first. This reached the last straw during an altercation with Charlie, and Cato refused to speak to Ben for several weeks. They eventually forgave each other, but Cato did not want Ben’s friendship again for a while.
* All of his friends were surprised to see him when Cato returned to school with a new scar on his face. They were curious about how he got it, but he always brushed off the questions because he was worried that they’d embarrass him if it was due to getting hurt. When he eventually told the truth about the scar being due to a lightning strike, they chastised him for putting himself in danger. Though over the years, Cato had gotten used to being in crowds, and he told everyone that he was really lucky to be alive, and things would’ve been very different if no one was there to tend to him.
Order of the Phoenix / 2nd Wizarding War:
* After graduation, Cato takes a job as a cursebreaker in the United States. He gets married to Penny and together they move into a modest, cozy home in a rather nice neighborhood in Reno, Nevada. Like in his childhood, he found out he lived close to a major lake, Lake Tahoe. While off work, Cato and Penny take many trips up to the lake to go camping, ride the ATV trails, or canoe.
* As a curse-breaker, Cato doesn’t work directly for Gringotts, but rather he is a freelancer who is mostly employed by an organization partially funded by the bank that promotes cooperation between the Native American tribes. He specializes in the connections between them and magic. He often works with Chiara, who followed him and Penny to Reno so she could train to become a healer. The three live in the same neighborhood, and often travel together since their goals are closely connected.
* Penny studies to become a professional potioneer, and she assists and sometimes works with Chiara since they benefit from each other. Cato spends most of his work trekking cross country instead of around the world. He eventually becomes a world famous curse-breaker due to his work with the native tribes.
* Cato tried to stay out of the conflict for as long as possible, though later when tensions escalated, he joined the Order the Phoenix in early 1997 to aid his friends in the fight against Voldemort and the Death Eater menace. He wasn’t too fanatic about the cause, but he was fiercely loyal to the Order. At the height of the Second Wizarding War, Cato participated in the Battle of Hogwarts and survived. He was very distraught at the death of Tonks and Lupin, but he was encouraged by Penny to pick up the pieces and move on.
* Cato is, in short, a Ravenpuff. He is a Ravenclaw, but he has traits that are usually associated with other houses, most of which come from Hufflepuff. He is very intelligent and rather creative, having grown up close to the picturesque Lake District in the county of Cumbria in England. Cato is analytical and has a keen eye for attention to detail. He is in turn logical and has a good sense of judgment. Also compassionate and sensitive to other’s feelings, Cato is quite empathetic and doesn’t like to hate people. He tries to get along with everyone, but at times, he has trouble opening up about his feelings, especially when he cannot pull out the right words to describe them. Cato has a tendency to overthink and overanalyze things, which sometimes can make him misunderstand other people or get the wrong impressions of them, him being off away caught up in his own theories and conclusions.
* Especially in his first year, he is quite shy and reserved, masking this with a warm and easy-going demeanor. Cato is nervous when asked personal questions, but he tries to not make it clear as to avoid placing unnecessary burden on others. He’d rather not freely give answers just to satisfy some stranger’s curiosity, and tries to avoid the topic. He is more sociable when in the company of his friends, however. Cato’s difficulty with expressing his feelings is a result of him being a guarded boy when in public. Even in the company of Penny or close friends, he sometimes hesitates when trying to explain.
* When everything is okay, Cato is a regular boy who sees Hogwarts as his home, a place to make friends and enjoy spending time with them, hone his magic skills and uncover fascinating secrets. His flaws however become more apparent in times of distress and crisis. Cato when stressed is more prone to mood swings. He fears the unknown and it becomes a chore for his friends to keep him staying positive and assured everything will be alright. He is more likely to give off a whiny attitude, and is prone to going off on rants or rambles.
* Due to the unwanted attention from his first year, Cato doesn’t like being gossiped about very much. He tries to avoid taking it seriously, but when a lot of people in the same room whisper about him, he can get quite uncomfortable and annoyed, and will often have to see himself out to get away from the crowd. It is this that helps to spark feelings between Cato and Penny in their third year.
* While he is usually soft, warm and loves hugs, Cato has no problem being a fierce warrior when the need arises. He is pretty protective of his friends and has a good sense of justice. Most of the time, he has a lot of patience and tolerance, but when angry, he can be pretty ferocious, especially when one of his friends gets hurt. This has led to more than a couple fights between Cato and his friends. It shows more often in Year 6 when Ben has a change in personality.
* Cato’s favorite thing to draw or take pictures of is beautiful sunsets at dusk. He spent many days in the Lake District watching them with Jacob, and this fascination would continue well into his Hogwarts years. He really treasures the sunset photo Chiara gave him because it reminds him of his childhood so much.
* From time to time, Cato’s father would play piano in the pub to make some extra money. His son learned the instrument from him and plays it often when he’s homesick or misses his family. He’d probably love a duet!
* He is a hugger, and is pretty ticklish. Cato loves it when Penny plays with his hair, and she is good at giving him backrubs!
* Cato enjoys baking, and he can make basic cookies by the end of his third year. He is mostly drawn to the nice scents and the relaxed atmosphere. It really reminds him of his relationship with Penny, which is very dear to him.
* He is a bit of a thrill seeker, and sometimes yearns for opportunities where he can get feelings of freedom and adventure, another throwback to the days he used to spend exploring the Lake District during his childhood. This is why riding on a hippogriff for the first time is such a happy memory for Cato.
* After moving to Reno, Cato took up model railroading as a hobby. He built the layout in the basement of his home, using only muggle tools, materials and techniques. Many of the scenes in it are inspired by Badeea’s work. The centerpiece is a massive steel arch bridge overshadowed by the massive sun setting below a deep valley, in a hue of red, orange yellow and purple.
* Cato’s favorite constellation is Ursa Major, the Great Bear. He can make it out by the Big Dipper formation in the night sky.
