profile
ooc.
PLAYER NAME: Lauren
CONTACT: familiargleam@gmail.com; AIM--FamiliarGleam
TIMEZONE: US Central
the basics
FULL NAME: Callum Connor Gallagher
NICKNAME: Cal
GENDER: Male
DATE OF BIRTH: 4 September 2004
BIRTHPLACE: Glasgow, Scotland
AGE: Eighteen
HOUSE: Ravenclaw
CURRENT YEAR: Seventh
SCHOOL POSITIONS: Ravenclaw Chaser and Quidditch Captain
BLOODLINE: Muggleborn
SEXUALITY: Heterosexual
physicality
DESCRIPTION:
Cal stands at a very tall, lanky 6 foot 4 inches and weighs around 185 pounds. He has an athletic and muscular, if lithe, build, and carries himself in a graceful, nonchalant, and confident manner. His eyes are dark blue and his hair is light brown, worn mostly in a shaggy cut swept over to the side. It’s meant to look like he spends no time on it at all, but he actually spends quite a bit of time getting it to look right. His eyes are rather expressive. His nose is a bit wide and he has full lips. He often has a bit of stubble on his chin because he doesn’t like to shave. He is almost always smiling. Usually he wears shirts and jeans, often with a jacket thrown over top of it. Only on rare occasions does he not wear trainers.
PORTRAYED BY: Fionn MacDiarmid 1 2 3
personality
Callum Gallagher is your typical boy-next-door - except that he’s able to do magic. On first impression, Cal comes off as an athletic and analytical leader, and it’s true that these are the most important aspects of his personality. He thrives on detail, rarely overlooks anything and never misses a birthday or forgets a name. Because he’s so wrapped up in small things, though, he can fail to grasp the overall point or see the big picture. He is good-natured but gets angry easily, and has a tendency both to be violent (it’s all the Quidditch and rugby) and hold grudges. He gets penalized more often than other players do during Quidditch games and is not afraid to play dirty. As Captain, he’s well aware that this is a detriment to his team, so he tries to keep himself in check, but it doesn’t always work. From a young age, he has had the ability to hold the attention of a group of people and get them to listen to him. This could be from his tall stature, his impassioned communication style, or both.
Cal is extremely protective of friends and family. If anyone speaks ill of someone he cares for, he immediately dislikes them, and it takes a lot to change his mind from his first impression. It’s difficult to convince him of anything once he’s made up his mind, really - nothing less than a personal demonstration of the principle or behavior in question. That said, unless someone specifically and purposefully angers him, he is friendly and kind and tries to be encouraging for others who are scared or doubtful. Although he is not a dishonest person, he also does not see the harm in stretching or concealing the truth if he is doing it in someone’s best interest. In this and with his temper, he adheres to the idea that intent is more important than action itself.
Cal wears his heart on his sleeve, which seems counterintuitive for such an analytical boy. One would expect Cal to be very methodical and removed when it comes to his feelings, but he cannot separate feeling from perspective. While it’s usual for men and especially athletes to conceal their feelings, it absolutely does not take a rocket scientist to figure out what he’s feeling at any given point in time. Happy, sad, angry, lonely - it’s all in his posture, expression, and speech. The reasons behind the feelings, though, can be difficult to drag out of him if you’re not his close friend. He has a great respect for love, as he recognizes both its beneficial and harmful effects. He’s been in love, yes, and wants to be again, but whomever he ends up with will have to deal with some leftover baggage.
family
FATHER: Alan Alexander Gallagher. [Portrayed by: Alec Baldwin]
MOTHER: Christine Diana Gallagher (née Findlay). [Portrayed by: Belinda Carlisle.]
OLDER SISTER: Ainsley Liane MacGregor (née Gallagher). [Portrayed by: Keira Knightley.]
BROTHER-IN-LAW: Duncan Joseph MacGregor. [Portrayed by: Paul Walker.]
NIECE: Sophia Christine MacGregor. [Portrayed by: Adair Tishler.]
NIECE: Pollyanna Brianne MacGregor. [Portrayed by: Elle Fanning.]
YOUNGER BROTHER: Noah Alexander Gallagher. [Portrayed by: Liam Aiken.]
history
Callum was born to Muggles Alan and Christine (née Findlay) Gallagher in Glasgow, Scotland, on September 4, 2004. His older sister Ainsley was rather disgruntled to have gotten a baby brother rather than a sister, and began a lifetime of good-natured torture that older sisters generally put their younger brothers through. Yes, he was subjected to tea parties and dolls, and was even forced into makeup and feather boas on occasion. He was thus quite excited, at the age of 4, to receive a younger brother, Noah, and before long he and Noah were teaming up against their sister.
Cal’s childhood was pretty regular for a Muggle boy. His father is an electrical engineer and his mother is a nurse. He was very athletic and quite the leader among the neighborhood boys. He was in charge of organizing all of the neighborhood games - kickball, rounders, hide and seek. He began playing rugby when he was 5, and he loves the roughness of it still. In addition to his love of the outdoors, Cal was an avid reader. He especially loved the old Hardy Boys mystery series and still owns almost every book in the series. Alan began teaching Cal to play chess when he was 4, so Cal still loves chess and is quite good.
Though some strange things had happened around him that he couldn’t quite explain, Cal understood that he had caused those things age 8, when some kids from a nearby neighborhood tried to bully his younger brother. Extremely protective, Cal came to Noah’s defense and when the bullies wouldn’t leave him alone, he caused simultaneous nosebleeds for all four boys. When he received his Hogwarts letter at 11, he was both terribly thrilled and scared. His parents thought it was a joke at first, but they were convinced (with an impressive demonstration of magic from Professor Flitwick).
He was Sorted into Ravenclaw upon arrival because of his extremely analytical mind. After years of reading mysteries, playing chess, and working out rugby plays in his head, Cal was and still is a stickler for details. His head is usually a couple of steps ahead of the present, and if there is a question asked in class, he probably asked it. He was pleasantly surprised at his placement in Ravenclaw, because he’d been told on the Hogwarts Express that it was the “smart” House. He’d never considered himself especially smart, but he figured that since the Hat said he was, then he was. He was surprised, then, to find that he didn’t automatically do well in all of his classes. It was his solution to this problem that proved he was in the right House: Cal spent weeks obsessing over every returned paper or project, examining the exact things he had done wrong and resolving to fix them. Like it’s said up there, though, Cal’s preoccupation with detail often means that he misses the bigger picture - so though he knows he has an obsessive personality, he can’t see that it’s his analytical mind that placed him in Ravenclaw.
During Cal’s fourth year, he finally felt comfortable enough both on a broom and with the rules of the game to go out for Quidditch. At first he thought he’d like to be a Beater, since it seemed the closest to rugby, but the then-Captain Henry Meadows liked him as a Chaser. Cal has since realized that Henry was right, and he was more of a Chaser than a Beater anyway, so he has stuck with that through his now-fourth year on the team. He is the Quidditch Captain for Ravenclaw this year, and the combination of leadership and athletics suits him perfectly. He spends quite a bit of time analyzing his team’s abilities and devising strategies for improvement - and he has specific instructions for each of the other House teams.
He does have a few family issues. Perhaps partially because she felt slighted because she didn’t get to go to Hogwarts, his older sister, Ainsley, was ever the rebel. She had boyfriends regularly from 12 on, got into alcohol and smoking soon after (and Cal suspects some drugs, though he never saw that). She got pregnant with her first child at the age of 16 and soon after his niece Sophie was born, Ainsley married her father, Duncan (whom Cal thinks is a lazy deadbeat), and they are still married, though their marriage has gone through some extremely rough patches. Ainsley has since had a second daughter, Pollyanna. (Sophie is now 6 and Polly is 3). Cal loves his nieces to death, but he has some issues with Ainsley.
His brother Noah also demanded his parents’ attention from the get-go. Noah was a sickly baby, spending a lot of time in the emergency room nearest their home in Glasgow. His health steadied as he grew older, but he still has severe asthma and is somewhat timid, nerdy, and scrawny because of it. It was Cal’s responsibility to watch out for Noah when they were younger, and he has resumed that role since Noah entered at Hogwarts during Cal’s fourth year. It was a shock to everyone, including Cal, who had never noticed anything like what happened to him happen to his brother. Their parents were adamant about Noah not attending, arguing that a drafty castle was most certainly not the best place for their youngest child’s health. After much pleading and cajoling from both Noah and Cal, they agreed to give it a try. Noah is now a third year Hufflepuff and has come out of his shell a bit. He is not the greatest wizard, but he lives for Care of Magical Creatures.
Cal’s romantic history is also a bit complicated. During fifth year, he became involved in a yearlong relationship with a Muggle girl named Jocelyn. Long-time friends of the family, he and Jocelyn had known each other since they were in primary school. The summer before his fifth year, they began dating and had a long, steady relationship. He kept his school and ability a secret from her by sending her letters via owls to his parents - he addressed them and his parents dropped them in the mailbox for him. The summer before sixth year, they took two incredibly important steps in their relationship. In June, they slept together for the first time. Afterward, Cal felt so close to her that he decided to share his biggest secret with her - that he is a wizard. Jocelyn was quite shaken by this, and the next week she broke it off with him. He was heartbroken about this and was rather despondent during much of sixth year.
magic
WAND: Vine wood. 14 inches. Dragon heartstring core. Sturdy and reliable.
PET: None at this time.
PATRONUS: It hasn't taken full shape yet. [When it does, a lion.]
BOGGART: His brother Noah, dying from his throat closing.
O.W.L.S:
Astronomy (O)
Charms (E)
Defense Against the Dark Arts (E)
Herbology (P)
History of Magic (O)
Potions (A)
Transfiguration (E)
Ancient Runes (O)
Arithmancy (A)
Muggle Studies (O)
CURRENT CLASSES: Ancient Runes (Best and Favorite); Astronomy (Third Best); Charms; Defense Against the Dark Arts; History of Magic (Second Best); Potions (Hardest); Transfiguration.
Ancient Runes is Cal’s favorite class by far. He loves reading the runes and is nearly fluent. He’s trying to figure out what kind of a career he can do in which he can sit around and read runes all day - he’s thinking teacher, but he’s not sure where. His other favorite classes are History of Magic (yes, really) and Astronomy. He likes studying the old world, magical and Muggle. His worst class was Herbology, and he hasn’t told anyone he failed his Herbology OWL, not even his parents. He just tells people he gave it up because he hated it. He’s really ashamed of it.
sample role-plays
First-Person Sample
Warded to Seventh-Year Boys
It has recently come to my attention that a number of you may require a reminder about how to speak to ladies. Therefore, I have decided to take this burden upon myself in the hopes that you will start treating those of the female persuasion with a little more class.
I have come up with several general rules to guide your behavior. It would be best to abide by these rules until you come to know the ladies well enough to adapt these guidelines to their specific personalities.*
1) Never use a pick-up line. While we often find them amusing in our packs, let me assure you that the ladies do NOT. These are more likely to hurt your chances than help them.
2) Avoid sexual innuendoes at all costs. Women are not objects. They don't want to hop into bed with you as soon as they see you. Period. And if you suggest otherwise, at least before you know them, you cut your chances down to about 20%. And if I hear that any of you are purposefully making these suggestions at the innocent ones, you will have me to answer to.
3) Look them in the eyes. Most of them have something intelligent, witty, or otherwise interesting to say. Try actually listening instead of ogling.
4) Don't assume she thinks you're funny. Or attractive. She doesn't. And it just makes you look like a douchebag.
5) Don't play all your cards at once. You'll come on too strong.
If you have any further questions, you may direct them to me.
* Please note that if the female in question treats you like the scum on the bottom of her shoe for no good reason, none of these rules apply.
Third-Person Sample
Cal was returning to the dorm from the library, where he had been attempting, half-heartedly to plow through his large stack of due assignments. His mind was also on the clue, which had been plaguing his thoughts ever since he had retrieved it, trying desperately to figure out what to do with a solid black Ashwinder egg (if that's even what it was). Was he supposed to open it? But what if there was a baby Ashwinder in there? Cal hadn't ever been afraid of snakes before, but after that first task? Well, it was enough to give him nightmares every so often now. Giving up his Astronomy essay for the moment, he had browsed through "Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them" for their entry on Ashwinders, reminding him that frozen Ashwinder eggs were of use in Love Potions and the like. But they were supposed to be red and glowing when frozen, and his was solid black. He sighed. He might as well try freezing the thing. Problem was, he had left both the egg and his wand back in his dormitory, and this was why he was returning into Gavin's mess.
"Doing anything?" he repeated Gavin's question. "Not in particular. Just going to try something else to that egg of mine. Probably won't work anyway. I'll give you a hand first, though, if you promise to help me out with this clue afterward." Cal looked over Gavin's shoulder at the papers that surrounded him. "I think," he began slowly, glancing at the characters Gavin had already created, "That it would probably be easiest to model grammar structure after something we're already familiar with. Like...Ancient Runes?" Of course Cal would suggest that.