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The Basics
Likes to be called: Harv, Professor Denman
Birthdate: April 10 1697
Age: 96
Residence: Harv has been a resident of Hogwarts' Castle for over 40 years.
Blood: pureblood
Social Class/Status: Harv imagines he has a status on his own, but really he's not known for his special skills in the Magical world. Lawyer/military officer/doctor/cleric- is the bracket he belongs in, barely.
The Personality
Emotional Disposition: Lonely
Core Value: Grumpy
Favorite Activities: Harv teaches. When he doesn't teach, he prowls around the Castle. When he doesn't teach or prowl, he reads.
Would do anything to get out of: Any kind of social interaction. Harv would spend Christmas alone in his study if he could get away with it, or if he was giving up on the chance of making everyone elses' Christmas just a little more horrible.
Positive Characteristics: Harv is determined, Intelligent and if you have managed to gain his friendship, he is a good friend that would go through any length to help you. He'll go far to teach as well, making sure his students understand what he's trying to convey, though those who think not paying attention gets them far, gets them no farther than getting acquainted with Harveys walking stick.
Negative Characteristics: As a rather selfish being, Harv simply doesn't have many friends. He's grumpy and withdrawn most of the time, and suffers from mood swings. Occasionally, his memory might falter, making him mix up names or forgetting what he's just been doing.
Interaction: Having a fair sense of duty and station, he'll be polite enough when engaging in contact. However, if the subject bores him, he might come across disinterested and sometimes he doesn't realize he's being rude. This might be intentional when addressing Headmistress Warrick. Overall, he is more the type to observe thoroughly.
Habits: Harv has a stiff, sometimes painfull left leg, and as a result walks with a stick. Said stick has hit many objects inside the castle, including students. He swings it about when he is agitated or annoyed, or simply bored.
Conflict and hardship: At the age of 22, Harvey went on a trip around the world, and met up with Charlotte, then 19 years old. They fell in love, bought a little cottage and lived happily, but not ever after. Four years later, the happy couple was longing for a baby that would never come. Only one year later, Charlotte refused to go to St. Mungo's and died as the result of a poisonous snake bite. Harv, left heart broken, never loved again.
Motivation, Passion and Drive: Harvey eventually took up teaching muggle children to read and write on sundays after mass in a nearby village. He found that in teaching, he could have all the children he and his beloved Charlotte never had. While teaching had been his passion for many years, older age, leg sores and never getting over his lost loved have however, soured him up. The final breaking point arrived when Professor Warrick contracted the title of Headmistress. Harvey had fully expected to become the new Headmaster, finding Professor Warrick unsuitable for the post, not in the least because he thinks women shouldn't ambition high positions. Feeling her appointment as the last foul trick life played on him, he gave up on being happy.
Motto or catchphrase: Nothing gold can stay
Anything else...: At age 96, Harv is a different person than he was in his younger years. As a child, he was bright, inquisitive and eager to learn, open to life and happy. Then disaster struck, and while he has known brief periods of relative happiness since, he never fully recovered, taking on a more pessimistic outlook in life. Harv feels that it's not worth to love, sooner or later it will get stolen away anyway. As his body aged, Harv was left with a painful stiff leg, further souring his general mood. At heart, Harvey is just a very lonely man, too afraid to let anyone come too close.
The Appearance
First Impression: When you see Harvey walking by, he gives off the impression of a friendly old grandpa.
On Second thought..: No, while yes, he does fit the grandpa profile, his general mood is of such nature "friendly" isn't exactly the first word that comes to mind.
Facial Features: Harvey has great lengths of wavy white hair, bushy salt and pepper eyebrows, and if he forgets to clip them, large hair protruding from his over sized nose. His face is wrinkled, deep grooves reside on his forehead. His eyesight makes him wear glasses. A semi-large white beard hides his square chin from view.
Body type: In his younger years, Harvey was of average body type, though on the muscle-side of the scale. Now that he's older, he has lost weight, and appears rather thin. Most of his natural strength has left him, a fact he might shamelessly compensate by use of magic.
Distinguishing features: Harvey needs assistance of a walking stick for getting around.
Overall Appearance: Harvey usually dresses in deep dark blue robes, dragon hide boots and a wizarding hat in faded blue that probably should have been replaced with a newer one long ago. He carries a blackthorn walking stick around, a highly polished ornamental stick, slightly battered from long and heavy usage.
Professional Skills:
Work Ethic: Work is a necessary evil these days, it's all Harvey knows, and he'll teach until the day he dies.
Work perception: Harvey has taught more than one subject in his long teaching career. Initially he started out as Charms Professor, because of his excellent knowledge of spellwork. The eager intelligence he possessed as a younger lad sparked a broad interest, having Harvey capable of teaching any subject that requires his attention.
Professional Relationships: Harvey is not easy to get along with. He doesn't care all that much about his fellow Professors and even less about the Headmistress, to whom he holds a deep rooted grudge. He is usual polite and willing to assist his colleagues, but in his personal life, for as far as one can have one at Hogwarts, he wouldn't seek their company without cause, unless he is in one of his moods and briefly forgets he's a grumpy old coot.
Capabilities: Harvey can be both a leader and a follower, though the latter mostly when he is too lazy to take the initiative. Harvey is perfectly capable to work on his own and find solutions where needed. He knows he isn't the nicest person to get along with, but he will make an effort if the situation demands it.
Resume: Living off his part of the family fortune, Harvey started his career later in life, after already having bought a house and living with his beloved Charlotte. For many years, he has taught muggle boys and girls to read and sometimes write, opening their horizons to better paying jobs where their home situation allowed it. When his brother started a business in magical transportation that took both him and his wife away from home for longer periods of time, he often took care of their two children, which sparked his interest in magical education. He applied various times to become a Professor at multiple wizarding schools, and as a result has had part time teaching jobs substituting for regular teachers, until finally obtaining the position of Charms Professor at Hogwarts.
The Wizard Information:
Discovery: Being from a long standing pureblood family, Harvey never doubted he would go to Hogwarts and study magic. At age four, he took to stealing his mothers wand whenever she left it out of her eyesight, resulting in many broken furniture and evenings spent alone in his room. The letter from Hogwarts came as a great relief for his parents, who couldn't wait to send him off to school and learn some proper magic.
Reaction and Acceptance: Harvey loves magic. He uses it to his advantage in most cases, especially when his leg is particularly stiff and painful. A life without magic is something so alien to him, the thought never even crossed his mind.
Wand: Alder, with Hippogriff talon core.
Magical Outline/disposition: Pretty adept at using magic, particularly good at charming objects to do his bidding. If Hogwarts would allow it, Harvey would apparate to most destination as his still sore leg makes walking a painfull business.
Pet: Harvey owns a large domestic tabby cat, named Marvin, and a barn owl: Egbert. Being a Professor, he is of the opinion that he should own an owl. The cat provides warmth and comfort at night, and is the only companion he always shows affection to. Marvin is generally allowed to accompany Harvey to class and will curl up on a sunny ledge if possible.
The Family History
Parentage: Abigail Birchwood and Oswald Drake Denman are Harvey's parents. Oswald is a tough father, not easily satisfied and demanding. This is evened out by Abigail, who has remarkable patience and a kind nature.
Siblings: Harvey has 2 brothers, Mark who is 3 years older, and Farley, who is exactly 1 year and 1 day older.
Other important figures: Charlotte used to be the most important person in Harveys life. While they were lovers, she opened a whole new world to him, and was his inspiration to explore new things and see new worlds. When she died, Harvey was left heart broken, not able to get over her death, he wallowed for years, pining for his lost love, slowly souring his heart.
Reputation: The Denmans are the kind of family that fly below the radar. While their extensive family tree displays pureblood wizards for many generations, none of them ever did anything important enough for the rest of the wizarding world remembered them by. In their local neighbourhood, the Denmans are seen as rich but generous neighbours, always willing to lend a hand and help out the nearby village in times of need.
Secrets: None that Harvey knows of, being rather average, no one in his family seems to have fallen out in many generations. There is however, a reference to an obscure female member of the family trying to charm her way into the royal house, and got shunned from wizarding society for her abuse of magical powers.
General: Harveys parents have both passed away. His older brother Mark didn't turn very old either, and passed away at the age of 81, leaving a widow and 4 adult children, 3 girls and one boy. Farley remained single his entire life, his love for traveling takes him all over the world, occasionally sending an owl to let Harvey know how he's doing.
Sadie can be too, I'm sure...
