Justin Finch-Fletchley.

[angel_of_lily]

I'm considering using Justin as a character in a fic I'm writing but as I flipped through the books and various fanfictions I realised that, as far as cannon is concerned, he's pretty underdeveloped. We don't even know his hair colour. All we are ever told about him in cannon is that he was down for Eton; he showed his mother Lockhart's books to persuade her that magic was a good thing, he's Muggleborn, he's in Hufflepuff, we don't hear about him after OOTP and he seems to be friendly with Ernie Macmillan.

We can however make certain inferences from these facts.

He was down for Eton - this gives us a reasonable idea of where he's from. More importantly, it gives us a possible view of his financial status. I'm not going to dismiss the idea that he could have been a scholarship student but I find it more likely that he was paying. With an entry fee of £1500 (roughly $2484.60) it is very likely that he comes from a fairly well off family. This brings up the interesting question - where is the money from? I've heard plenty of theories (inherited wealth, business, politics, military) but I'd be interested to know what other peoples theories are so that I can form a better idea.
Being down for Eton also means he was probably fairly intelligent. To get a place at Eton you need to pass an entrance exam - I have no idea how hard this exam actually is but they certainly wouldn't be admitting airheads.

He showed his mother Lockhart's books to persuade her that magic was a good thing - this could be interpreted in two ways. One is that he had heard of Lockhart before he became a teacher and the other is that it is possible his mother didn't start to approve of him being a wizard until he was beginning his second year. From the way he talks about her it does sound like he had to persuade her. Also, he only mentions his mother. This could be pure coincidence but it does open a window to the idea that his father may not have been a strong influence on his life at that point. Could he have been working away, disinterested, or even dead?

He's in Hufflepuff and he seems to be friendly with Ernie Macmillan - He's in Hufflepuff, the house for the hard working and loyal. However, this only gives us a glimpse into his true personality. Depending on his upbringing, he could display a whole variety of different traits. He's impressed by Harry's talk about the defeat of the basilisk in OOTP (which makes me wonder how much the victims were told about what occurred), he's clearly intimidated by Harry when he believes him to be the heir of Slytherin, he's very polite and complimentary about the trio when he first meets them, and he returned to Hogwarts despite the ordeal he suffered in second year and, interestingly, Ernie Macmillan had warned him to stay in their dorms on the day he was attacked yet he apparently ignored this advice and, for some reason, was roaming the corridors anyway. That certainly implies a wide variety of characteristics.
His friendships are another interesting point. He seems to get on well in cannon with Ernie Macmillan, Hannah Abbot and Susan Bones although whilst all of the others seem to have separate friendships with each other when not in a group Justin is only ever seen with Ernie. He and Ernie are clearly close in CoS and it is not unreasonable to assume that they remained best friends throughout their time at Hogwarts. Interestingly, in one of the DA meetings he's shown to be working with Luna Lovegood (somebody I can't imagine having many people wanting to be her partner) is this some sort of extra friendship, pity, or is he just on the fringe of his own friendship group. He is usually paired off with Susan (or occasionally Hannah) in fanon but I personally am not so keen on either of those pairs. It'd be interesting to explore his relations with other characters outside of the main Hufflepuff four.

He has no mention after OOTP - In HBP it’s reasonable to assume that he was simply not mentioned because he had no significance but I speculate what happened to him during DH. He clearly could not have returned to school due to his blood status but that still leaves plenty of options open. He could have fled England. He could have played some part in the resistance movements. He could have stayed on the run in the UK. He could have been imprisoned for 'stealing magic', or simply imprisoned by Death Eaters or no real reason. He was probably injured either physically or mentally. He could have been killed.

All in all, he's a character with a lot of possibilities and very few facts. Does anybody have any thoughts?

[Equinox Chick]

Being down for Eton also means he was probably fairly intelligent. To get a place at Eton you need to pass an entrance exam - I have no idea how hard this exam actually is but they certainly wouldn't be admitting airheads.

Well, actually as two members of the royal family have gone there plus Princess Di's brother, I'd actually say it;s more a question of family connections. Being no doubt libellous here, but one of the members of the royal family who got in is known for not doing that well in his exams and possibly having help with some coursework (allegedly). Eton has an entrance exam, but it's still a case of who you know rather than what you know for a lot of them.
I think Justin was from an inherited wealthy family. He was down for Eton, which suggests his name was down on the list as soon as he was born (it's what aristocrats do). He has a double barrelled name - which suggests wealth although these days many children of unmarried parents have double barrelled surnames. Combined with the mention of Eton, I'd still say he's wealthy.

I wrote a drabble about him once at his fathers funeral. It was a few days after the Battle of Hogwarts. I imagined his father as disliking him for being a wizard. I also thought he'd be a younger son, but his older brother - the heir- had died serving his country (Iraq war 1990's) Therefore Justin was the heir.

I think he came back for the final battle. And he'd been in hiding for all that time as he was a Muggleborn. So to come back was brave, but also the right thing to do - he had to fight for his own life and right to be a wizard, I guess. If he'd been locked up, then I think it would have been mentioned, but as it stands we get a brief mention that DA members are there - and I like to think that Justin was there to fight.

He's in Hufflepuff and he seems to be friendly with Ernie Macmillan - He's in Hufflepuff, the house for the hard working and loyal.

Mmm, it's also the house for the misfits who don't quite fit anywhere else. He's not as bright as Ernie - because he's not in Potions with him. As far as girlfriends go - well if he is wealthy (albeit Muggle wealth) then he could attract anyone. I paired him with Susan once, but that was purely because they were in the same house.

That's all I've got for now.

Carole

[angel_of_lily]

it's also the house for the misfits who don't quite fit anywhere else

That's a bit off. Although one of the sorting hat's songs does say something about Hufflepuff taking the rest I do think that there is still some aspect of personality in there. Of course, nobody exactly fits his or her house stereotype either.

He's not as bright as Ernie - because he's not in Potions with him

That's probably not the most solid of statements ever. Potions is just one subject and could have easily been a weak spot for him. Ernie is clearly a very intelligent person and worked exceedingly hard for his OWL results (revising for at least eight hours a day which would leave him with little or no spare time.)

it's still a case of who you know rather than what you know

I agree this is quite possible. All I know about Eton is from very recent information and those sorts of things change regularly. It is unlikely he was up for a scholarship and I do think it's more finance but the chances are if he was going to Eton his earlier schooling was probably of a very high standard so intelligent or not he's more than likely very well educated.

Combined with the mention of Eton, I'd still say he's wealthy

I agree with you on that. Although alone double barrelled surnames aren't an indication of wealth combined with Eton and also his mannerisms he seems very upper-class. The majority of twelve and thirteen year olds don't talk in the way he does or use such formal methods of introduction.

I also thought he'd be a younger son, but his older brother - the heir- had died serving his country

That's an interesting thought. I don't think it could have canonically been the Iraq war because that didn't start until 2003 and DH is set 1997-1998 but the idea of an older sibling is interesting. It might also explain some aspects about his personality. I've always imagined the being bought up just as the cold war was coming to a close might have also had an influence on his life.


These are some interesting ideas though. I'm coming closer and closer to getting an idea of his character.