(no subject)
Name: Anthony Isaac Goldstein
Gender: Male
Date of birth*: January 28, 1980
House/Year: Ravenclaw 1991-1998
Blood status: Halfblood. His father is relatively pureblood (no one has ever bothered to figure out how pure) and his mother is a Muggle.
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Physical characteristics: Anthony is most easily recognizable by his hair - dark, curly, and often a bit on the mad side. His mother has been trying for years to tame his hair to no avail, and he’s long since come to accept that he is stuck with a mop full of corkscrews. He’s also small in stature - shorter than average and slender without being ‘skinny’ or ‘boney.’
Other than this, he’s fairly unremarkable. Most if his face seems to be wide - a wide face, a wide nose, and wide blue eyes. When he smiles, his smile is wide, and he has relatively large lips. His teeth are the one major complaint he has about his nose - he finds himself slightly buck-toothed and tries to avoid smiling too widely so as not to reveal this flaw. However, a grin comes easily to his face and it’s easy for him to forget this reservation when in good company.
Whenever possible, Anthony dresses in Muggle clothing - he rather hates wizards’ robes, never having worn them growing up. Most often he can be found in jeans, t-shirts, and trainers. He doesn’t take very good care towards his fashion choices, but tends to keep his belongings in good order and therefore doesn’t appear to be too much of a slob.
Distant History: It would almost seem as though the meeting of Anthony Goldstein’s parents was exceedingly random, but Samuel and Lydia Goldstein would claim that it was fate. A wizard working for the Ministry of Magic’s embassy to Israel and a Muggle history student never would have met, were they not both walking down the same street outside of Lydia’s flat in London. They literally bumped into each other, sending all of the groceries she was carrying flying. Flustered, she asked him up to her flat and the two hit it off. Three hours later, he asked her on a date. It wasn’t long before they were engaged, and then married in 1961. Because Lydia was still studying history, the two of them moved to Oxford together so that she could be near the university. The two of them lived a quiet and relatively happy for the first five years of their marriage. Things weren’t perfect, but marriages never are, and the two were very much in love with each other. For Samuel, whose life had always been defined by disruption and tragedy, the normalcy of being married to a marriage with someone who cared about him was a refreshing step in the direction towards healing.
Their quiet life in Oxfordwas disrupted when Lydia found out that she was pregnant. The two of them hadn’t been trying for a baby per se, especially since she was still working on her doctorate degree, but they hadn’t been actively avoiding it, either. They welcomed the news with open arms, and on August 9, 1966, Andrew Ernst Goldstein was born, named “Ernst” for his paternal grandfather and “Andrew” simply because his parents liked it.
Quite content with their son, Lydia and Samuel decided that they only wanted one child, because they both wanted to focus on their careers. Lydia especially desired to become an expert in the field of medieval and Tudor warfare. They moved back to London, where both of them had grown up when in 1970, she was offered a job as a historical consultant at the British Museum. Then, there came the problem of who would look after Andrew while his parents were at work. Day care was still not a popular option, Samuel’s sister Grete was still living in Israel with their parents, and Lydia’s parents had retired to Penzance. So, Andrew was looked after by his great aunt and uncle Gunther and Luise, who were still living in London, the same people who raised his father until he was eight.
The Goldstein family lived a peaceful existence in Whitechapel, Lydia and Samuel enjoying their careers, Andrew attending primary school and spending his afternoons with Gunther and Luise, and visiting Samuel’s parents, sister, and growing extended family in Jerusalem. Because she was a Muggle, Lydia had insisted that her son have some semblance of a normal Muggle education, but it was clear that Andrew had magical powers from the time that he was very young. On his eleventh birthday, he received a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts.
Andrew left for Hogwarts on September 1, 1977, and was Sorted into Ravenclaw. He enjoyed his time there immensely, and Lydia and Samuel enjoyed having the house to themselves even though they missed their son dearly. Their peaceful life was interrupted, however, when Lydia discovered that she had accidentally become pregnant again in 1979. Shocked but happy, the couple decided it was time to move into a larger, more stable residence, and they bought the flat in Bethnal Green where Anthony grew up. He was born on a cold winter morning, January 28, 1980.
Because Andrew was away at Hogwarts for most of the year, Anthony was practically an only child growing up. He would describe his childhood as being an extremely happy one. Like his older brother, he attended Muggle primary school during the days. Also like his brother, Anthony proved to be an exceptionally bright student. He loved all of his classes, and his teachers remarked in his reports that he was unusually eager to learn, no matter what the subject matter. He had an adept mind for maths, and learned his multiplication tables more quickly than the other students, he gobbled up books quicker than teachers could produce them, and - his instructors remarked most often - he got along well with his fellow students and had a strong sense of social justice, and was always quick to point out unfairness on the part of teachers, or to stand up to bullies.
His mother had taken five years off of working after Anthony was born, but when he began primary school, she took a new job as a researcher at the Tower of London. She got off of work at five, and his father either earlier or later, depending on what he was working on and whether or not he was in the country (he unfortunately has always made frequent trips to and from Israel over the years). Regardless, once school was over, Anthony went to his Aunt Luise’s home. Gunther and Luise had taken care of Anthony as a toddler when Lydia decided to return to work. Unfortunately, when Anthony was five, Gunther died peacefully in his sleep after having lived a long and full life. Though Luise was related to the Goldsteins only by marriage, she had come to regard Samuel as a son and Andrew and Anthony as grandchildren, so she agreed to continue taking care of the small Goldstein children. The boy loved spending his afternoons with Aunt Luise. She was a mild-mannered and eccentric old woman, now past seventy years old, and though she was much more protective of her charges than the average parent in the 1980s, going over to stay with her was always fun. She gave Anthony books that his parents wouldn’t let him read and took him on rides on the underground to different sites and museums throughout London (his favourite was the British Museum, the place never ceases to amaze him).
During his childhood and through many efforts of Luise and his mother, Anthony grew to adore the city that he grew up in. He still insists that Hogwarts and London are the only places on the earth worth living - he wouldn’t rather be anywhere else. He has a strong sense of Cockney pride, having been born within earshot of the bells of St. Mary-le-Bow, even though he does not speak with a Cockney accent (unless prompted to). At the age of seven, his brother took him to see Arsenal F.C. play at Highbury stadium. Ever since, he’s been a die-hard Arsenal fan, and keeps an Arsenal flag in his room at home and at Hogwarts. Samuel had never really developed a strong interest in Quidditch, so his knowledge of the sport as a young child was relatively limited. Because he lived in the city, he was more likely to fly on holiday in the summer with his older cousins in Israel.
Just as Lydia had insisted that her children receive at least formal Muggle primary schooling, Samuel placed a large focus on Anthony’s Jewish education. Both of his parents were liberal, free-thinking types, however, religion and Jewish culture were very important to Samuel. He and Luise made a joint effort in teaching him to speak Hebrew, and he attended lessons in Hebrew and in scripture at his synagogue on Friday afternoons. The family always observed kashrut and the Sabbath. Anthony often has difficulty explaining his religious beliefs to his wizarding friends - many of them were raised without much knowledge of religion and the concept of believing in these abstract things seems rather nonsensical. Despite firmly believing in what most of Reform Judaism teaches and his faith being very important to him, he tries not to be very vocal or pushy about his religious beliefs. He thinks that this puts people off.
Anthony never displayed overt signs of accidental magic as a child. He was generally too even-tempered to show his magic in fits of anger and all spills resulted in appropriate bumps, bruises, and broken bones. Neither of his parents worried too much about whether or not he was a Squib. His father seemed to sense that he was, indeed, a wizard, and his mother didn’t think the idea of him staying at home with her instead of going off to Hogwarts. His mother had a much more difficult time coming to terms with Anthony’s leaving for boarding school than she did with Andrew’s. To her, though the energetic and independent boy was sometimes a handful, much more so than Andrew had ever been, his leaving seemed to represent the end of an era. She was finally growing old.
Anthony went to Hogwarts anyway. He arrived there on September 1, 1991 in a state of semi-awe, semi-nervousness. His older brother had set high standards for him to live up to. He had been prefect, Head Boy, and ranked second in his class. But the castle was wonderful, and Anthony fell in love the moment he set foot there. He was Sorted into Ravenclaw upon arrival. There was no contest, really. He has the outgoing and loyal nature of Gryffindors and the sense of social justice characteristic of Hufflepuffs, but these qualities are completely overrided by the unusual eagerness to learn described by his teachers at Muggle primary school.
He made friends quickly and easily, being both a relatively outgoing and kind individual. His best friends became Terry Boot and Michael Corner - the three of them were always attached at the hip as younger years. He also got along well with his other housemates, and is particularly fond of Padma Patil, whom he has been doing prefect rounds for two years now. His marks continued to be good, though he wasn’t quite as high in his classes as he was at primary school. Nevertheless, he was quick to adapt and a fast learner, his favourite subjects are Defense Against the Dark Arts, Arithmancy, and Transfiguration. As he’s grown older, he has become more specialized in his interests, and prefers a very scientific, analytical approach to academia, despite the fact that, in his personal life, he’s mostly driven by his emotions. The only subject he has ever struggled in is History of Magic. This has caused much dismay for his mother, who had expected a repeat of Andrew’s interest in history, and maybe even another family historical researcher or archivist. After all, the two boys did seem remarkably similar. They had had more or less the same upbringing, and were both Ravenclaws. However, History just never took to Anthony, and so the only reason he really tries at it is to appease his mother.
The summer before his fifth year, Anthony was appointed prefect by Professors Flitwick and Dumbledore. His parents were delighted - despite the fact that Ernie Macmillan and Harry Potter seem much more suitable candidates, they’re convinced that Anthony will keep up the Goldstein family tradition of being named Head Boy. Anthony himself isn’t sure why he deserved the position anymore than Terry or Michael did, but relishes in his accomplishment. In a house and academic class of overachievers, he enjoys having something besides having very curly hair that distinguishes him from others. Since arriving at school for his fifth year, Anthony has found that he enjoys the support aspect of prefecture: he helps younger students with homework, problems, and is overall just a shoulder to lean on, where Padma is definitely the rule-enforcer of the Ravenclaw pair.
Sixth year was relatively quiet, considering the circumstances in the castle. He kept up with articles about the war in the Prophet, wrote to his parents, and worried constantly for their safety, but otherwise lived a relatively normal teenaged life that year. The first Battle of Hogwarts and murder of Albus Dumbledore, of whom Anthony had been quite fond, came as a large shock to him, and he struggled to come to terms with what happened over that summer. The situation, however, quickly deteriorated. As soon as the Ministry fell to the Death Eaters and the Muggleborn Registration Commission was announced, Anthony’s father left the country to seek foreign aid. He was left alone with only his mother who, because of her being a Muggle, he worried about constantly.
Living at Hogwarts when it was run by the Carrows wasn’t easy for Anthony - he was never one to sit down and watch as intolerance and persecution was taking place. As Dumbledore’s Army began to re-form, he quickly became involved, using the underground network of resistance to help him bite his tongue at the correct moments so that he wouldn’t end up getting himself (or any of his family members) killed. He doesn’t like to reflect upon his memories of torture, hate, and intolerance - he was often targeted because he was outspoken against the Carrows, had a father who had run from the Ministry, and was a halfblood to boot. He bore the brunt of their hatred with as much strength as he could, believing that, by speaking out instead of lying low, he was doing good.
The one positive thing that came from the year under the Carrows was Susan. Not, of course, that they intended that two students aligned with Harry would fall in love because they needed each other’s support. But Anthony and Susan Bones did become closer because of the situation at Hogwarts. It began with a casual friendship which started in their fifth year when they both joined Dumbledore’s Army, but by the time that seventh year rolled around, the two of them both needed someone to reach out to. During the first three months of the school year, they both tried to deny their romantic feelings for one another, thinking it was best not to start anything under such dangerous circumstances. A relationship started anyway over Christmas holidays, and the two of them managed to pull each other through the most difficult time of the Carrows’ regime.
Anthony fought in the final battle at Hogwarts and was injured somewhere in the category of “this is serious but not life threatening, we’ll just have to spend some time fixing you up” by a Blasting Hex towards the end of the fighting. He spent a week in St Mungo’s and turned out alright, save for giving his friends and family a scare and now not being able to move his right arm as far back behind him as he used to. As far as war injuries go, he’ll take that. He spent some time living with his parents and began training as a Healer, with the intent of working with children. Eventually, he moved out on his own to Euterpe’s Corner with Padma and Parvati Patil. Padma has been one of his closest friends since they started Hogwarts, and he likes Parvati well enough. He and Susan eventually broke up because of the various stresses on them - memories of the war, lack of time together, and all the other failings of a relationship. It’d be safe to say that Anthony’s not over her six months later. He’s doing fairly well, though, and has finally finished Healer training.
Current employment status: Pediatric Healer at St Mungo’s. It pays well, but as he’s just starting out, he works long, hard hours and is still his superiors’ bitch.
Personality: For most people, the image that automatically comes to mind when thinking of a Ravenclaw is that of a serious, studious individual, sitting in the common room with their nose in a book. This couldn’t be further from the reality of Anthony Goldstein. Since he was old enough to form sounds he’s been something of a chatterbox, often blabbering irreverently to whoever will listen. Friendly and outgoing, he is nothing if not a people person and willing to talk to almost everyone (the few he won’t bother with tend to be for very good reasons).
Upon first talking to Anthony, you are likely to notice two things - one, that he talks a lot and can carry on a conversation almost entirely by himself. Two, that he is a bit on the eccentric side and tends to obsess over whatever is his topic du jour. As a lover of Muggle music, Star Wars, and Arsenal football, he is capable of quickly reeling off trivia to whoever cares to listen. Yes, he’s a bit of a geek, but as long as you aren’t adverse to that sort of thing, you will get along brilliantly with Anthony. He’s easy-going and open-minded, not afraid to accept all sorts of people into his friends group, or to sit back and just “go with the flow.”
Anthony cares deeply about not only his friends and his family, but is generally very caring and empathizes with others easily. A good listener, his friends find it easy to confide in him and tell him about their problems. He’s quick to lend a helping hand and to try to fix his friends’ problems - he likes to make things better for people. Part of his involvement in Dumbledore’s Army stemmed from a deep desire to try to fix the world. Of course, fixing the world is something of an impossible goal, and Anthony can, at times, become depressed about his relative inability to make a positive impact on his surroundings. In his morose moments, Anthony tends to be annoyingly self-depreciating and pathetic. He has a habit of comparing himself to other people and always finding himself coming up short. Though he isn’t going to tell you so outright, he doesn’t have a very large sense of self-worth and tends to think of himself as inferior in some way or another to everyone he knows. He’s not ambitious at all, but finds himself constantly seeking the approval of others and to be told that he’s the best at something. He needs constant reassurance, outright or not, that he’s a person who’s worthy of love.
Anthony wasn’t made prefect from his dormitory for nothing, after all, and despite a relatively easy-going attitude, he does have a strong sense of responsibility and civic duty. He tends to walk a fine line between being a completely laid-back fellow and working hard. All-in-all, Anthony values balance and tends to live by the words “everything in moderation,” - at least, when it comes to lifestyle choices. When it comes to whatever his current obsession is, forget moderation, he goes all out. Due to his Ravenclaw tendencies, his obsessions are almost never addictions, however, in the form of food or substances. Rather, he addictively pursues knowledge and trivia.
Though he wasn’t Sorted into Gryffindor, times such as these tend to bring out the more courageous and noble parts of people, and Anthony is no exception. The Hat considered Gryffindor, and ultimately, Anthony’s made of much nerdier stuff, but he still is strongly compelled to do what he believes is the “right thing.” Amongst his friends, Anthony is perhaps best known for having an infallible moral compass. He holds the people he cares about to strict standards of right and wrong, and if you do something he believes is inherently wrong, he’ll tell you. He finds it difficult to be friends with people he believes are immoral. However, he tends to be socially liberal and his moral qualms aren’t so much a strict set of rules as the way he believes that all people should be treated - with kindness, fairness, and compassion. Very little makes him angrier than prejudice, and a comment about someone being a “mudblood” will guarantee rare hatred from him. He also detests people who sit back and let prejudice happen in the name of self-preservation - this, he says, is how six million people died in Eastern Europe in a matter of five years. The experiences of his family in the Holocaust have deeply impacted the way he views the world, especially with the rise of Voldemort. He feels as though he is obligated to prevent anything like that from ever happening again, not only for the sake of his father, grandparents, and relatives who died, but for all of humanity.
This all sounds like very lofty idealism, but when talking about it, Anthony isn’t likely to present his views as such. In fact, unless they’re directly addressed, he tends to shy away from talking about these things at all. Another subject which he will rarely bring up is his faith. Most people, of course, are at least aware that he’s Jewish, but only close friends would know how much religion means to him. He’s not preachy and likes to keep his beliefs private, and also tends to sit on the more liberal end of religious issues. But he does believe in god and the tenants of Judaism, and this belief is very important to him. Bring it up, though, and he’s likely to become uncomfortable and clam up. He doesn’t see religion as something that should be discussed. There are many reasons for this - he doesn’t want people to know exactly what he thinks for fear they will judge him, he doesn’t want to come off as if he’s trying to persuade anyone of anything, and he finds that many wizards have difficulty understanding that religion might be anything more than Muggle superstition.