[left]Name: Benjamin Carroll Fox
Nickname: Benjamin prefers to go by Benji, a pet name used by all of family and friends.
Age: 15
Year: 5th year
House: Strix, although, for the most part, people mistake him for an Ursus
Wand: Red Oak, Phoenix Feather Core, 11 1/2 inches, supple
Patronus: An African lion
Familiar: A barred or "hoot" owl named Rincewind, a loving insult given Rincewind's tendency to frighten easily combined with his namesake
Personality
It is often said that Benji would fit better in one of the other houses, like Ursus, than Strix. That is, however, inherently incorrect. He might not fit the Strix mold to the letter, might have aspects of his personality that bit in with other houses, but he is a Strix at heart. It shows when people accuse him of ambition as he strives for perfection and to rise above his peers, when he's actually just seeking to improve himself and gather more information as opposed to any grand designs for grabbing for political power (he'd much rather be a consultant, thanks). It shows when his sheer nerve and bravery shines through as he duels, except for the fact that he uses his knowledge of spells and strategies along with his razor-sharp wits to surprise his opponent. To put it simply, he is a Strix, through and through.
Temperament wise, Benji, while normally affable enough, can be quick to anger if laughed at or if he feels personally attacked. He's defensive to a fault, a carryover from his traumatic first year at Gaol and is constantly attempted to combat that horrible impression he gave as an incompetent dunce. That's not to say he's mean by any means, but he can be quick to snap with a sharp and witty tongue. This can come in handy, however, when against the occasional bully that does rear their angry head within the walls of Gaol. He's a responsible person and always has been, getting his work done and not ignoring his duties as a student. That being said, he is an adventurous spirit and has been known to wander outside of his comfort zone with the promise of new things to see. Despite his efforts, Benji also lacks much self-confidence, still seeing himself as the ignorant, clumsy young boy he started out as.
History
Benji's story begins not with him but with his grandfather, Randall Fox, a name infamous within the walls of Gaol. To say that he was popular would be an understatement, one of the best Chasers that any house's quodpot team had ever seen, charming, and skilled with the wand if not with the books. To put it simply, great things were expected from Randall, and for a time he lived up to those expectations. He became an auror, married Miriam, a young witch from the Salem Academy, and even, during the first rise of Voldemort, lived up to his home state's, Tennessee's, title of Volunteer and made his way to England to fight in a war that wasn't his. However, after his adventure across the pond, Randall dropped off of the map, vanishing into obscurity. A letter was sent by owl to his superiors effectively stating that he'd quit his job, and all ties to the magical community, with the exception of his and Miriam's family who were keeping mum on the whole thing, were severed. Most assumed something happened while he was helping the British wizarding community in their fight against Voldemort; they would be partially right. Something did happen, but not in the war, but rather at home.
While he was gone, something happened to devastate the little family, or, rather, something didn't. Randall and Miriam's son, Calvin, was found to be a squib, a nonmagical person born to a magical family. Both parents were devastated, but not because their son wasn't a wizard, but because they knew how difficult the life of a squib within such an intensive magical family could be. So, for the sake of their son, they slipped into the Muggle world, eager to raise him in a world that only knew him as normal, not deficient in any way. It was hard to adjust, but they refrained from using their wands for the simple things that they always had, and got Muggle jobs.
Years went by; Calvin grew up and married a sweet girl named Emma, and everything was nice and normal, even if Calvin's parents were quirky and odd, they were charming enough so that no one was the wiser. That is, until Calvin and Emma had Benjamin. Benji was a curious boy, a little quiet and a lot intelligent, devouring stories and knowledge with a voracious appetite. He had a knack for adventure and was a clever little thing, and he fit in at school just fine. He wasn't particularly popular, but he was never picked on. Everything was so pleasant until the day Benji decided that climbing a dead tree was a good idea. The family heard the crack first of the branch snapping in half and turned in horror, waiting to see the littlest Fox tumble into a broken heap on the ground. Imagine their surprise when instead they were greeted with the sight of Benji slowly floating down, like a feather moving along the breeze.
After a period of freaking out, Randall and Miriam finally did tell their son and daughter-in-law about the magical world, and, despite initial hesitation, nothing really changed. Calvin and Emma were fascinated by the magical world they now found themselves in, much to the relief of their parents who were doubly relieved to be able to use magic once more without any consequences. So, really, Benji's life was normal, pleasant even- that is, until he began to attend Gaol.
There is a certain stigma in the magic community, whether you be half-blooded, full-blooded, or even from a Muggle family, when it came to squibs. Some saw them as creatures to be pitied, poor souls deprived of the wonders of magic. Others saw them as things of derision, useless people even worse than Muggles. So, that one of Gaol's favorite sons ended up siring one and now that Squib's son was attending school was something of a sideshow attraction. It made Benji nervous, but he took the jibes and prods and pokes with a certain dignity, but became more introverted and quiet. School work was hard, harder than he'd expected, and he visibly struggled, not to mention the fact that his wand refused to cooperate him a good majority of the time, perhaps sensing his hesitation. He was the class joke with his fumbling attempts at magic and slight Southern twang, and many students were even eager to see how he'd mess up next. That is, until the flying incident in his first year. It hadn't been his fault, not really, but during a flying lesson, he'd lost complete control of his broom and gone crashing to the ground, splintering the school-issued broom and breaking his ankle. It was like the last straw and, as he hobbled away, he heard a classmate sight, "Well, what can you expect from a squib's kid?" No one replied, no one made any contest to the claim. Benji felt like a failure, an idiot, but, unlike most eleven-year-old boys, he didn't write home and demand to go back.
He came back with determination, redoubling his efforts in his studies, spending long nights practicing magic or studying theory with a disturbing amount of vigor. Slowly but surely he began to improve, and then overtake others in his class through pure will power and effort. He found dueling to be a great stress outlet as well, and threw himself fully into that, quickly proving himself to be a strong contender, quick on his feet and with his wits. This year, his fifth year, Benji felt satisfied to learn over the summer that he had become an Exemplar, feeling almost vindicated after his constant hard work.
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