November 22, 1997 - Hexed from Staff.

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 18:33:19 GMT

Alright, so one of my essays didn't do too good this week; I'm gonna give up some time out of class to make up some extra-credits, so if anyone needs any tutoring with Charms or anything (probably one of the only things you can be sure I'm good-good at, yeah?), just throw me a line. I'm not in that club they have going for it, but eh, to each their own, those things don't do it for me. But yeah, let me know, I ain't a biter.

And onto that game -- fuck, wow, nice going, Ravenclaw. Nice going to my team, too, we did good for a team made up of so many girls. I don't mean that in a bad way, but we just don't have as much muscle as the others, if you get me. Congrats to Jones. I'd probably be celebrating with you all if I wasn't ~~fucking dying in bed~~ a little exhausted. You guys know scouts sit in in our games from time to time? I forget which of you plan or hope on taking up Quidditch professionally after school. I guess there's no better time to ask than the present, eh? I think that shit's pretty exciting, personally.

Ackerley, how you doing? I don't think I'm gonna watch my brother smashing his toys together the same way again.

Garrick Summerby; Hufflepuff, 7th Year

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 06:51:06 GMT

BASICS.
NAME : Garrick Jeremiah Summerby.
NICKNAMES : Garrick, Summerby, Rick and Ricky have been the most popular choices over the years. Which is fortunate, since he wouldn’t answer to Gary anyway.
BIRTHDAY : January 13th.
WAND : Twelve inches, Sessile Oak, inflexible, core of Phoenix feather.
WAND HAND : Left.
HOUSE : Hufflepuff.
YEAR : Seventh.
SIGN : Capricorn.
BLOODLINE : Halfblood.

HISTORY.
HOME : A simple townhouse outside of Cardiff, Wales.
MOTHER : Anne Summerby, née Blake.
FATHER : Jack Summerby.
SIBLINGS : Two older brothers, Jason (21) and Kyle (19), one little sister, Maggie (9), and one little brother Jared (7).
RELATIONSHIPS : While some children may make justifiable complaints over parental neglect and/or strained relationships placed upon their family due to their father’s business schedule, the Summerby troop has never had that problem. With Anne being a painter— and a rather good one at that, for a muggle— and Jack, the first-string Seeker for the Caerphilly Catapults, the national Quidditch team of Wales, who managed to juggle his responsibilities as a sportsman and a family-man rather well, the relationships between each Summerby is very ordinary and stable. The three oldest boys scuffle and argue regularly, the youngest two get into more mischief than one would ever guess, but the chaotic household is no more or less disorderly than any other.
PETS : An owl, Smurf.

BACKGROUND : Garrick’s birth was a very easy one on his mother; it was, perhaps, a way of asking for forgiveness for the ruckus that was to commence in the years that followed. It was difficult on his parents, having to handle three boys in various stages of infancy at the same time— but as mothers and fathers do, they managed to find a way. Life, for him, was set in the city of Cardiff, Wales, for the most part. Both of his parents being Welsh-born through and through, trips to London were few and far between, and for a long time, Garrick thought he was missing out on what society may have offered there. Diagon Alley always made that community look so appetizing, after all. In terms of material wealth, his family was not poor, but nor were they filled to the brim with galleons as many other families are— his father, though he would never speak of it, had turned his back on an impressive inheritance the day he married his muggle-wife, but his Quidditch contracts sustained the household. There were no massive investment holdings in this and that business, no luxury yachts— but there were nice vacations at holiday batches in Italy, and trips to Disneyland. Garrick had nothing to complain about, really.
As boys do, they fight; Jason, Kyle and Garrick spent the most of their time around each other with their fists up and swinging, regardless of whether they were in their backyard or in the middle of a fancy restaurant. Jason, the eldest, was the usual victor, and Garrick the undisputed loser, but as the years passed, the odds began to even out somewhat— Kyle, the middle son of the first three, began to struggle to keep his hold on second place. When Jason left for Hogwarts, the games cooled— and though Garrick may have missed his brother at first, the change in dynamics enabled him to bond more with his little sister. Especially once his second brother left as well. He’d never bothered much with her before, but once he did, he found himself rather fond of his lot as an older brother; being the one who was the strongest, the most capable, the one who was leaned on rather than the one leaning. It was much the same with his little brother, who spent his first year being warmly tolerated by a ten-year-old Garrick, before it was his turn to be sent off.
When Garrick was sorted into Hufflepuff, he was a little peeved that he hadn’t been put into Gryffindor instead— without any real understanding about the social consequences of the house, the only thing he was aware of is that they were the supposed “brave” ones, and he didn’t much like the fact that the Hat hadn’t recognised his own capacity for courage. And he didn’t like the fact that he was separated, still, from his older brothers— Jason, in Ravenclaw, and Kyle, in Slytherin. He had much looked forward to a reunion of sorts, but as it turned out, he was left very much on his own in the yellow and black tie and had to make a niche of his own. Being a laid-back sort, it wasn’t too difficult; and those who didn’t much like him due to his house were usually kept away by Kyle’s intrusion, as they were usually house-mates of his. He learned quickly not to talk much about being a halfblooded family; not because it made things easier for him per se, but the Ravenclaw and Slytherin tables were far more prickly than his own, and Garrick didn’t want to make things too difficult for his brothers, who proved to be rather popular in their more selective houses. Doreen Brawley, a Slytherin Prefect and ‘friend’ of Kyle’s, would have no doubt had a fit if she’d found out she’d been kissing a halfblood for two months.

With a father in such a profession, Garrick grew up with an affinity for Quidditch; he knew the rules and the names of all the national teams before he was even allowed at the try-outs, it wasn’t that much of a big deal to him, he always knew he’d play. It was a natural progression from Quidditch admirer to Quidditch player. Throughout the duration of the War, the games were his fondest distraction, despite the fact that his team didn’t hold up all that much competition all in all; he tried his best, nevertheless, in his father’s favourite position as a Seeker. It was also Harry Potter’s favourite position, of course, which was a little less fortunate. Things were impossible for him to ignore once Cedric Diggory, a boy in his own house, died— pureblood, good-natured, popular and not undeservingly so. Death has a way of changing things, Garrick’s mood was grim for a while; he’d liked Cedric very much, and it was the first time anyone he knew had died. Then it was Dumbledore’s turn, and well— that was an ugly time for many students, no doubt.

Nowadays, Garrick likes to think he’s grown up a lot and that times have changed. He’s rather certain that he’d like to take up a professional career in Quidditch once school is over; and that means having to get attention from talent scouts over this next year, but with his father’s connections, he’s not too worried about that. The important thing is just keeping his own fitness up, and managing his grades in order to be able to play— and studying has always been a problem for Garrick, and it shows in his performances in exams and tests. The things that require a more physical approach, he can succeed in— but those subjects that require the reading and regurgitation of book upon book upon book? To put it bluntly, he’s up shit-creek.

PERSONALITY : Some people are very complicated and riddled with psychological layer upon layer, which someone must peel back in order to give them a proper analysis; Garrick, on the contrary, is actually a very simple person. He’s no pretender— perhaps if he were a more self-conscious person, he would be— and he has no hidden agendas. All his life, he’s been stuck in the middle between the world of the muggles, and the world of the pureblood, two completely opposing forces; but rather than resenting one side or another, he’s conceded that he’s had to toe that line throughout his Hogwarts career, and will probably continue to do so for the remainder of his life. He respects the good which comes from either side— he understands the magical community and honestly reveres the perseverance of those long-winded pureblood families who have managed to remain that way after so long, but the presence of his mother keeps him from being one-eyed. Whether a person is a pureblood, a halfblood such as he, or a mixed or muggle-born, it doesn’t particularly matter; it doesn’t become an issue to Garrick unless they’re idiots, in which case he naturally begins to wonder if their genetics had anything to do with it. That’s just him being cheeky, though.

Garrick is not a very emotional being; it doesn’t take much to annoy him, and he’s a blunt-speaker so he won’t hold back on such thoughts, but for the most part, it’s difficult to get any other sort of extremity out of him. That’s not to say he’s unfriendly, of course— without being garish about it, he has a manner that’s rough but approachable; he’ll be complaining over a bad Quidditch practise and tending to a bleeding scratch on his forearm, cursing openly, before abruptly offering a newcomer a hand-shake. That desire for massive popularity has never been something that he’s been bitten by, although he doesn’t go out of his way to put people off him, but what friends he has have been close to him for a while, and it’s rare for him to feel any inclination toward socially ‘putting himself out there’ for anyone outside of his own social sphere. Why should he, he’s fine with what he has— that’s his sentiment. Home is where the heart is, after all; Garrick may wander for bit, but he always makes his way back to the group he started with before any feelings of neglect can be felt. Not that he’d likely be able to notice them, anyway— as temperate as he is, he isn’t very good at understanding or even registering the different sentiments of other, more passionate people. That’s what makes this Garrick’s largest problem— the fact that his leaning toward not feeling all that much makes him incapable of empathy toward others. At times, it can be rather alienating for those who try to get him to see things differently from their more prickly side, because it’s generally an impossible task.
It’s a boyish thing, really; Garrick isn’t an asshole, but when it comes to emotional investments, he is without. He’s never malicious— he’ll never betray a friend, or unveil a secret when he’s sworn to do otherwise— but that’s more out of disinterest in such catty activities rather than heartfelt fidelity toward whomever he’s been an ear for. Really, that makes him even more reliable than those confidants who might hold a secret for someone out of adoration, since even if the person becomes pond-scum in his eyes, Garrick won’t let it slip to the gossips. The dissipation of relationships and friendships aren’t very affecting, for him— when/if people become tired of conversing with him regularly and move on, he’s not hurt by it, and he does the same, with nothing but fond memories. He doesn’t pine for people when they’ve turned away from him, and as many girls may concur, that turns him into a very irritating boyfriend; he’s rarely the first to apologise for something, and that’s not out of stubbornness, but more due to the fact that he’s likely walked away from the argument and found other things to busy himself with, without even once helpfully reflecting over the situation. He’s the sort to forget anniversaries, forget birthdays, forget the names of a girl’s mother two minutes after meeting them; but his saving grace is that he never does it to be horrible, it is not a conscious decision. It’s just the way he is.
He adores girls. He always has, and he always will, and due to his cavalier manner in regards people’s appearances— including his own, which is questionably handsome, depending on whom one asks— his self-confidence as a real boy’s boy, and his open regard for others, the female populace has been relatively kind to him in return. He isn’t a show-off, but he’s straight forward, and there’s just as great a chance of him having a crush on Morag MacDougal as Hermione Granger. His tastes change with the weather, though he’s no whore about his love-life, but his desires throw him into relationships only for his trouble with forming strong attachments to pull him back out again; still, he has nothing but genuinely good things to say about the girls who have crossed paths with him, regardless of what they have to say about him. Casual trysts are probably the better option for him, he’s been told, but he always manages to find himself in a bigger pickle than he ought to— he did try his hardest earlier last year to be a good boyfriend to an acne-riddled Eloise Midgen, but that didn’t particularly work out well. Too unselfish, not territorial once he thinks he’s made his mark, and not one to fall in love, the break-up was inevitable, and Garrick took it as a personal defeat; but no more than the loss of the Ravenclaw VS. Hufflepuff game following week, which he knew wasn’t quite right. Still, he tries.
With Quidditch, Garrick’s competitive streak comes to the fore; he’s militant about the sport, he loves to win, and it disappoints him that Hufflepuff’s pursuits in the game are so overshadowed by the Gryffindor and Slytherin rivalry. It’s just his luck he’s a Seeker opposite Potter and Malfoy; everyone watches them, it’s difficult to showcase his own abilities against their overwhelming fame, and that’s not jealousy speaking so much as pure fact. Outside of the pitch, he doesn’t much care about showing his worth over another boy’s— with some people it’s all pissing competition after pissing competition, and he gets bored of it. Still, with two older brothers to go home to every holiday, Garrick has no problem if that push must come to shove; he has a pair of heavy fists, and thanks to a childhood of scuffle after scuffle, he is neither afraid to use them or unskilled at doing so. He doesn’t like seeing an undeserving person picked on, and his mind doesn’t have much of a filter in regards to what he says— what he feels, he speaks, and that’s just the way it is, regardless of whether it gets him into trouble— so at times, he finds himself a protector of less bold sorts, or put in detention for speaking untowardly to a Prefect or Professor. He takes it all with a little tap on the chin, and keeps chugging on, unchanged.
All in all, Garrick is a very genuine sort of person; sour at times, gruff in others, but a rather amiable boy to have on your side regardless. Unless, of course, you despise his kind entirely; which he likely wouldn’t mind all that much, since that’s life. It happens.

FEARS : Being mugged, getting a girl pregnant and/or being pulled into heavy gang-life. He’s watched television a few times with his mother’s family; apparently those things happen a lot.
HABITS : More often than not, Garrick walks about with a frown on his face; not because he’s particularly thoughtful or glum, it’s just one of those habits. He’ll no doubt earn a few premature wrinkles from it if he doesn’t nip it in the butt over the next few years.
MENTAL HEALTH : Very stable.
HERO : Some athlete of the moment.
BOGGART : His little brother and sister in a cage, set on fire and screaming. Try getting a Riddikulus out of that whopper, Summerby.
PATRONUS : Bear.
ANIMAGUS : N/A.

MISCELLANEOUS.
FAVOURITE BOOK : Uh.
FAVOURITE COLOUR : Blue. It doesn’t matter if Ravenclaw has claimed it.
FAVOURITE SCENT : Good food on the stove.
FAVOURITE ACTIVITY : Eating, to be honest, he’s a typical bloke; and then there’s playing Quidditch, snogging pretty girls and sleeping, for the very same reason.
FAVOURITE FLAVOUR :
FAVOURITE MUSIC : Guitars, guitars, guitars. If it’s loud, Garrick’s happy.
FAVOURITE PLACE : London City.
FAVOURITE ANIMAL : Panthers are pretty awesome.

DISLIKED BOOK :
DISLIKED MUSIC :
DISLIKED COLOUR :
DISLIKED FLAVOUR :
DISLIKED FOOD :
DISLIKED PLACE :
DISLIKED ANIMAL :

FIRSTS.
FIRST KISS : Patricia Cambert, a conventionally unattractive Ravenclaw girl he was very fond of in First Year. Her mother had her transferred to Beauxbatons during the War, but she and Garrick had gone their own ways a long time before that.
FIRST FAILURE :
FIRST LOSS :
FIRST SEXUAL ENCOUNTER :

ROMANCE.
STATUS : Single.
PARTNER : None.
SEXUALITY : Heterosexual, and very self-assured about that. Like a lot of boys, any suggestion of homosexuality or bisexuality would register as an insult to his masculinity.
TURNONS : Snobs, shyness, energy, controlling tendencies, laid back attitudes, short tempers, neurotic views on blood purity, big mouths (metaphorically speaking), overt prettiness, fussiness, prudishness, sarcasm, good hygiene.
TURNOFFS : Snobs, shyness, energy, controlling tendencies, laid back attitudes, short tempers, neurotic views on blood purity, big mouths (metaphorically speaking), overt prettiness, fussiness, prudishness, sarcasm, lack of good hygiene.

Really, it’s all very case-by-case with Garrick. He also has an ever-changing view of what beauty is, as evident in his choice of dating Eloise Midgen last year.

RELATIONSHIPS.
ELOISE MIDGEN : Eloise has been a dear friend of Garrick's over the last few school terms, they even dated at some point last year, for three months; a personal record for him, he really, really tried his best. Apparently Garrick was one of those rare people who didn't seem to take much notice of her past skin problems; their parting was peaceful, and to this day, they are very close.
LINDA MOON : Ships passing in the night, really; Garrick "hung" with Linda Moon for a short while during their Fourth Year. To say he used her is an inaccurate and horrible way to put it, because he was always respectful, but Linda was initially the result of Garrick wanting to catch up to his older brothers. Nowadays, they may have gone their own ways, but they happily say hello to each other from time to time.
YOU :
YOU :
YOU :
YOU :

BELIEFS.
ON GOD : Exists only when his favourite Quidditch teams win. And doesn’t when the opposite thing happens.
ON DEATH : Scary.
ON LOVE : Love-love? Hrm, pass.
ON POLITICS : Boring.
ON LITERATURE : Regularly boring.
ON EDUCATION : Necessary, apparently.
ON CHILDREN : Don’t want them right now, geez.
ON VOLDEMORT : Good thing He’s gone, eh?
ON WAR : Necessary, apparently.
ON MAGIC : Fantastic.
ON FAMILY : Annoying. (But not really.)

Never judge a book by it's cover...

November 22, 1997 - Hexed from Staff.

Garrick Summerby; Hufflepuff, 7th Year