Character Info--
Age: Wendell Darrow
Graduation: Slytherin 2010
OWLs/NEWTs: A motley collection of Poor’s, Dreadful’s, and on very rare occasions an Acceptable.
History:
Wendell was born into a poor wizarding family in Spinner’s End. His father was a transporter, which meant that he shipped wizarding goods from the factories to the stores where they would be sold. It wasn’t a very exciting job, and although the pay wasn’t terrible it was hardly enough to afford taking care of his wife and six children. Wendell’s mother stayed at home and looked after her wild, grubby little brood and lamented the day when she passed up a chance at marrying an old beau who now held a good, steady job at the ministry.
Wendell was the second child, and eldest boy. He had an older sister named Rebecca, a busty plump sort of girl. Her talents never exceeded that of her parents, and it came of no surprise when she married the chap down the street straight out of school and began having her own crying children in rapid succession. After Wendell, came Thomas Jr. who was always a bit of a smart aleck as a child, but undoubtedly the sibling Wendell was closest to. He eventually grew up to work along side his dad as a transporter that was until he was one day crushed when a stack of crates tipped over on him. Next there was Lissy, skinny as a rail, with straw colored hair. A tomboy from birth she was always picking fights, and getting into trouble. Then there were the two younger boys Petie and Bill, still at Hogwarts, who were too young to pose any real interest to Wendell.
Wendell himself was the cause of most of the grey hairs on his parent’s heads. They received more owls from Hogwarts about him than any of their other children (excepting of course Lissy). However, he was never implicated for normal schoolboy crimes like picking fights, or pranking fellow students. No, he was caught setting up betting pools over the quidditch games, and selling “brain enhancement powders” (here meaning doxie powder) to desperate OWL students. For Wendell, Hogwarts was a time spent devoted to better things that education, it was about making friends and forming the proper reputation. So it came as no surprise that he did abysmally on his OWL’s and even worse on his NEWTS. He barely graduated, and would have ended up working as another Transporter or a Janitor but for his hatred of real work.
Instead he merely continued the small sort of business he had begun back in his days at Hogwarts. That is, buying and selling items that the authorities frowned upon, setting up illegal gambling rings, and providing useful services for the right amount of money. At his best he was a blackmarketeerer, at his worst a conman and a thief. Needless to say he was considered the black sheep of his family, and he permanently relocated from Spinner’s End to London. Here he worked to maintain old contacts, and make a lot of new ones. Some of whom were the most odd collection of characters you’re likely to meet. Certainly, he new all the thugs, and shady dealers in Knockturn Alley, but he also was on friendly terms with members of various departments in the ministry, and more than one reporter looking for a tip. Then there were his mates like that crazy Apollo Sinistra who were always good for a laugh, and a drink at the pub (even if he did dress like a girl).
Personality:
If Mundungus Fletcher ever had a protégé, Wendell would fit the bill. He’s one of those well-known common criminals that everyone loves and everyone hates. He can get you just about anything you need, for a small nominal fee of course. He’s slippery and sleazy, and has perfected the art of letting people think they are using him. But he is always looking out for number one, and will do just about anything to evade the law. He’ll hop sides in an instant, eagerly turning informant if it will keep him on top. That’s how he’s managed to avoid Azkaban, even when caught with substances of questionable legality. Then without batting an eye he’ll suddenly switch sides again, and he does it with cheeky grin, and tongue so fast that you’ll think that it was his plan the entire time.
While his slimy character may not endear him to the ladies (at least not ones of good breeding), he doesn’t lack for friends and acquaintances. In fact he probably has as many friends in the ministry as he does in Knockturn Alley, simply due to the fact that he makes himself useful to whoever he deems it necessary at any given moment. He is loyal and trustworthy only so long as he benefits by being so.
Though despicable in the general sort of way, he also has a certain amount of personal charm. Charm is something that all con men must have in abundance if they really want to succeed in life. It is also something that Wendell wasn’t lacking in the slightest. Even in the most dangerous of situations he still remains relatively cheery. That way at least people maintain confidence in him. It’s always useful to have people remain confident in you, especially right before you’re about to betray them to their enemy. It also comes from a certain amount of conceitedness. Having escaped a multitude of minor scrapes without losing too much skin off his back, he’s developed a rather high opinion of his own abilities.
Appearance:
If there was one thing that Wendell was blessed with at birth (besides the ability to slither out of trouble) it was a charming, sort of angelic face. There was nothing sinister in his countenance, which makes him look harmless and trustworthy even though he isn’t. He has brown hair that’s almost always disheveled looking, and is slightly longer in the back. The ends tend to stick out in any which way they so choose. His eyes are a sort of brownish-grey. He wears unexciting colors, lots of blacks, greys, and dark blues. Probably because he grew up rather simply, and was never exposed to the joys of bright colors.
OOC Info--
Name & Contact Information: see Artemis’
Previous Roleplay Experience: lots and lots