Minor Characters

[nysuperstarz]

Originally Posted by miss padfoot
Thoughts on how Mrs. Black (Sirius' mother) looks like? The books don't really say anything about her appearance, except that she wears a black cap and her skin was yellowing, but how would she have looked when like Sirius was a baby or something?

I was thinking she was a bit plump and had dark hair... but could do with a bit of help. Thanks!

I think she would be a kind of older version of Bellatrix, she was probably prettier when she was younger but now she probably just looks scary. Probably has black hair thats very think, just blow the shoulders. I imagine her as very thin and bony kinda like Aunt Petunia, with long skinny fingers and cold gray eyes. Also she probably has the heavily lidded eyes like Bella.

[kask]

I just got an idea for a fic centered around Grindelwald, but it's a little more about him as a person. My questions is, do you think that Grindelwald was his last or first name, or a made-up name, like Voldemort? I don't want to make him too much like Voldemort, so I'm thinking of making it is last name. What do you think? Any ideas for a first name? Thanks!

[ms weasley]

I just got an idea for a fic centered around Grindelwald, but it's a little more about him as a person. My questions is, do you think that Grindelwald was his last or first name, or a made-up name, like Voldemort? I don't want to make him too much like Voldemort, so I'm thinking of making it is last name. What do you think? Any ideas for a first name? Thanks!

I see your point here, but have you considered the fact that Dark Magic essentially estranges you from your life? Voldemort is no longer Tom Riddle. He hasn't just changed his name, he has changed the way he lives his life, and I therefore feel that the names of Dark Wizards are completely apart from their original human names. It is possible that it was his surname, but that would therefore associate him with either a Wizarding family who would no longer want him, or a Muggle family who would most likely fear him. If it was his surname, then essentially, he has associations with weaker people. I doubt that he would want this. So even if his family were known for Dark Magic, as the Blacks were, as he grew more powerful, surely he would have wanted to cast them aside - better himself.

However, this is a question of creative license. We have no definitive information on Grindelwald himself, apart from the fact that he is dead. Here is what the Lexicon have on him:

Grindelwald (? - 1945?)

The dark wizard that Dumbledore defeated in 1945 (PS6, PS13).

Because of the year of Grindelwald's defeat, which is stated on the Chocolate Frog card about Dumbledore, some have speculated that Grindelwald and Hitler were the same person or that Grindelwald was somehow related to the events of World War II. Rowling has confirmed that Grindelwald is deceased (TLC).

'Grindelwald' is a small village in Switzerland; JK pronounces Grindelwald's name “GRIN dell vald” (TLC). The name could also refer to Grendel, the troll-like monster of the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf.

Therefore, though I would advise making the name 'Grindelwald' completely separate from his original name, it is really up to you. If you wish to keep it as his surname - for his first name I would suggest anything extremely old-fashioned, or slightly dark sounding. If you want to explore him before his becoming a Dark Wizard, then I would suggest coming up with a name, otherwise leave him as Grindelwald, since this is clearly what he chose to become.

I hope I've been of help.

[cmwinters]

I don't know that by definition, Dark magic estranges you from your life. The Dark Lord is unidentifiable as Tom Riddle because he wanted it that way. But Severus Snape, and Bellatrix Black Lestrange, arguably two of the darkest characters in the books, are identifiable as themselves still, and they haven't changed their names. Even to each other they call each other by their birth names (Bella's first, Snape's last).

The Dark Lord says the Death Eaters "knew the steps he had taken long ago to ensure" his immortality. That seems pretty cut-and-dry that he had told them he had created MORE than one Horcrux, if not how many. Bella claims to have learned the Dark Arts directly from the Dark Lord, Snape is widely rumoured to be a Dark Arts expert, to the point that other Death Eaters cringe in his presence. Lucius Malfoy's house is full of Dark Arts memorabilia (as is Sirius Black's), and they are still identifiable as themselves. For that matter, the entire Gaunt family seemed to revolve around Dark Magic, but there was no question who they were.

So I don't think it *neccessarily* estranges you from your previous life.

As far as Grindelwald goes - that's the name of a Swiss town. You could have it be either way (made-up or birth name), but it would definitely be a surname.

First name? Eh, try behindthename.com - and if you really want to distance him from the Dark Lord, have him be a pureblood raised to dominate the world. I don't think Tom Marvolo Riddle would have fought with a Muggleborn, although that could be a REALLY interesting twist.

[anAnachronism]

While Grindelwald was terrible, he couldn't be as twisted as Lord Voldemort for several reasons:

-Tom Riddle was born under the influence of a love potion. We saw how unnatural a child he was, killing his peers pets and torturing them.
-One of the reasons Lord Voldemort is so inhuman is because of how often he's split his soul. We know explicitly that no previous Dark Wizard has ever made more than one Horcrux.

Also, there has been a lot of speculation about his relating to Hitler, which would probably make him Muggle-born.

[midnight_me]

I have a quick question about Dean Thomas.

What job in the wizarding world do you think would suit him best? I need it for a post-Hogwarts fic, and I'd like some opinions. Thanks!

[Dumbledore Prince]

He does have artistic inclinations, so I think that designing catchy moving banners for establishments, people, etc. would be well suited for him. Maybe there's a similar kind of job in the Daily Prophet?

Be sure to elaborate on his creative side a little bit before giving him a job in your story. Good luck!

[Celestial Melody]

Hm... I've always thought of Dean as, not necessarily artistic, but like Dumbledore Prince said ... definitely creative.

For example, in my fic, I have him continuing Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlor but mixing the ice cream with Bertie Bott's Ever Flavor Beans. Just something quirky and fun.

And, too, Dean really loves football (soccer.) You might have him campaign to introduce that in the wizarding world. *shrugs* Just a suggestion...

I hope you have addressed the fact that Dean's father was a wizard. Interesting fact, that. He should make a really great character. Good luck!

~Celestial Melody~

[midnight_me]

He does have artistic inclinations, so I think that designing catchy moving banners for establishments, people, etc. would be well suited for him. Maybe there's a similar kind of job in the Daily Prophet?

I really liked this idea. I'm going to have him design the layout for The Daily Prophet. Thanks!

I hope you have addressed the fact that Dean's father was a wizard.

Actually the main focus of the fic is how Dean finds out his father was a wizard. I always thought it was so sad that Dean never knew how his father left to protect his family, so I decided to write about him finding out.

And I really liked the Bertie Bott's ice cream idea, by the way. It sounds really creative.

Thanks for the help!

[BrigidPixeDark]

I have a question about Professor Sinsitra (astronomy teacher) In my first fan ficition, I worte that being at Hogwart's was her very first teaching job. I put her first year of teaching as the same as Harry Potter's first year. Does this sound beleivable?

( I looked up Professor Sinistra in the HP Lexicon and found very little information about her.)

In my opinion, we know the least about this professor than any other professor at Hogwarts. I think there is much more to Sinsitra and we will hear a lot about her in Book 7.