Cary Nordegraf

''"The President has been kidnapped by ninjas. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue the President?" -- Bad Dudes, NES''

Cary Nordegraf is a Pureblood wizard and the only biological son of Gretchen Nordegraf and her late husband John Nordegraf. He was named after his father and grandfather (respectively). His mother married a muggle, so despite being pureblood, Cary has grown up steeped in muggle culture and is a huge fan of muggle pop culture, such as science fiction, comic books and video games.

In 2017, Cary started his education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. While laid-back with a generally cheerful demeanor, Cary struggles with the issue of his identity and is hugely insecure and is trying to live up to memory and legacy of his late father.

Early Life
Cary Archibald Nordegraf was born on 28 October, 2006, the first and only child of John and Gretchen Nordegraf. John, an Auror from a prestigious family, was a loving father and a doting husband. Tragically, John died in the line of duty while protecting innocents when Cary was only seven months old. Cary has no memories of his father.

Gretchen met muggle lawyer Phillip Stein when Cary was three years old and the two married less than a year later. Cary considers Phillip his father and refers to him as such. Likewise, Cary sees Alex--Phillip's son from his first marriage--just like his real brother, despite the 10 year gap in age between them.

Cary grew up in suburban Bristol and while he was aware of his magical heritage, he was effectively raised as a muggle. He developed a deep love for video games from a young age, playing them with Alex (or, more accurately, holding a second controller that wasn't even plugged in while Alex played games) and comic books, most of which he "inherited" from his big brother.

Always a happy and cheerful child, Cary loved to laugh and showed an affinity for music at a young age. He was always dancing to some music or even the natural rhythm of the rain. He would put on little "concerts" for his parents as a young child that consisted of dancing to the pre-set beats in an electronic keyboard. Regardless, he was a natural at everything music. For his sixth birthday, Phillip took him to a music shop to buy him any instrument (with lessons) that Cary wanted. Strangely, he chose the accordion. Of course, he's proven to be a natural.

Alex moved out of the house when Cary was ten years old to move to London to pursue a career as an actor. The loss of his hero devastated little Cary. Though he, you know, got over it after a little bit.

At the beginning of the summer, Cary received his Hogwarts letter, much to his excitement and his mother's nervousness. Phillip was supportive, of course. Gretchen took Cary to Diagon Alley to purchase his school supplies (which were much more expensive than she remembered). While shopping for his books, he met a striking young man in his year named Quintus, who regarded Cary with disdain for "looking like a muggle". Cary decided the guy was a douche.

First Year (2017-2018)

 * Began education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into Gryffindor House.
 * Saved Rose from a gooey pot-hole in the hall on the way to Potions on the first day of school.
 * Fed Melvin the Squid with Riley, Rose and Hagrid.
 * Snuck out to find the Kitchens and make cookies with Riley, Jeremy, Oz and Delsen, though they never found them and were eventually busted by a Hufflepuff prefect.
 * During the second Flying Class, Cary leapt in to help Rose duel Quintus and Astraea Selwyn. He gave Astraea antlers and received detention with Rose and Riley with Professor Longbottom.
 * Tried out for the Quidditch Team, going for Beater, and was knocked off his broom by a bludger that cracked his ribs.
 * Joined Rose, Riley, James Potter and Louis Weasley in tracking down the loose Shambling Vine that had Albus Potter's wand. They fought it by the Black Lake and Cary assisted in apprehending and transporting it back to Greenhouse 6.
 * Attended the Christmas Party in Gryffindor Common Room.
 * Nearly got into a fight during the Ice Skating Party when Quintus, Astraea, Blaine and Lucien pranked Rose, Riley and himself. Cary and Riley joined forces with James and Louis to plan and unleash "Operation Bad Day", wherein they pranked the hell out of the Selwyns and their lackies for an entire day.
 * Helped Rose and Riley recover Oz's lost homework, after Peeves had stolen it.

Second Year (2018-2019)

 * Aided Rose, Riley, James and Louis in tracking and apprehending Terry, the escaped juvenile Quintaped. Terry was knocked out by Hagrid, in the end.
 * Assisted Rose and Professor Burke in stopping the Chocolate Frog King.
 * Became Third Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Scored 6 goals single-handedly against the Ravenclaw team, which allowed them to continue to the finals against Hufflepuff (which they lost).

Third Year (2019-2020)

 * Kept his position on the Quidditch team, with a promotion to Second Chaser.
 * Witnessed Hagrid and Professor Burke investigating the dead Demiwolves with Rose.
 * Witnessed the discovery of the dead body of Chelsie Cunnington.
 * Assisted Rose, Riley, Albus and Scorpius in their failed attempt to ambush Fenrir Greyback.
 * Was one of the two Greyback brought to Rose to make her "choose" which of her friends would live with lycanthropy. Cary was chosen by the werewolf based on Rose's response and Cary told Greyback, "go fuck yourself, you big asshole". This turned out to save his life.
 * In March, Cary became infected with Mossbrain, a magical malady hitherto unknown to any text available at Hogwarts and even beyond the skill or knowledge of St. Mungo's best healers. He would be saved by Rose, Riley and Penley.
 * In late summer, after serving detention with Denuit, Cary--along wit Riley and Rose--were chased by a werewolf out into the grounds before being saved by a massive, grey dog. Cary went with the others to get Professor Mount and was also there to witness Newt being carried away after being bitten by the werewolf not long after. Cary looked for the dog in the woods with Riley and Rose, before Rose called the search off.
 * Cary would contribute greatly to Gryffindor's victory over Slytherin in the finals, allowing Gryffindor to win the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup for the first time since the 90's.

Summer 2020

 * In the summer between third year and fourth year, Cary was picked up from King's Cross Station by his grandparents; a surprise. However, due to the torrential rain, his grandfather lost control of the car and was involved in an accident. Cary was the only survivor in his vehicle. Unaware of his magical heritage, he was taken to a muggle hospital, where he remained for four days until they got in touch with his parents, who were out of country. Healers were unable to help him and Rose discovered it was due to some dark energy the Moss Brain had left on him. Through some unknown means, Cary recovered, though he has a fake knee now as it was deemed to risky to try to re-grow the bones after how much "damage" the muggles had done.

Fourth Year (2020-2021)

 * Witnessed McGonagall faint during the Start of Term Feast and helped Rose look for clues in the Kitchens.
 * Cheered for Rose and Riley when they tried out for the Quidditch Team.
 * Experienced his first heartbreak when he discovered Rose and Hamish were together. Became something of a recluse after this.
 * Fought in the Hogsmeade Holiday Ambush, where he fought well but was petrified after his wand was affected by a backfiring Jinx.
 * Went to the Yule Ball with Jill Plaudinum.
 * Spent time with Rose at his family's Christmas party over break.

Physical Appearance
Cary is tall for his age at 5'10" and skinny, with long arms and legs and while he's still pretty lanky, he has filled out a little with age. He has a solid jaw and a big, goofy, lopsided smile that he almost always seems to be wearing. His mop of thick, brown hair is untamed and falls past his ears now. He has dark brown eyes and often wears his trucker hat--which he calls his Lucky Hat--when they go on long trips outdoors or to do something particularly dangerous. He doesn't wear it as much as he used to, as it's starting to fit a little tighter.

When dressing casually, he favors hoodies and sweaters or flannel shirts over nerdy shirts with comic, movie or video game references. He's taken to wearing wristbands and dude-necklaces as well starting in his Fourth Year. When swimming, he has a pair of dark blue swim trunks with a yellow stripe down the side. Due to the scars he still bears across his torso from the accident, he swims with his shirt on now.

Personality and Traits
Cary is good natured and laid back with an eccentric sense of humor. He finds humor in a lot of things, though he has a habit of laughing when it isn't appropriate. He's a glass half-full guy and always tries to look on the bright side. He tries to do right by people when he can and always tries to help others whenever possible. Cary is surprisingly insecure and is suffering something of an identity crisis, as he grew up in the muggle world but is the son of a hero Auror who died in the line of duty. That casts a long shadow and Cary feels a responsibility to live up to his memory, which of course puts him under a lot of pressure. However, he doesn't seem to let it get to him or dampen his cheerful demeanor.

A loyal friend, Cary is impulsive and a little reckless. He wouldn't hesitate to leap in to help a friend and he hates bullies, so he never thinks twice of going to someone's defense. Cary seems a bit dull to most of his peers, but he's actually quite clever.

Another thing that some might find surprising that Cary has something of a jealous streak. He cares deeply for Rose and tends to become jealous and confrontational toward guys she likes or those that show interest in her.

After nearly dying from the effects of Moss Brain his accident and the extensive injuries he's suffered, Cary has a newfound appreciation for life and the people in his life. He understands how fragile and precious life is and he feels that he needs to live his life to the fullest and make the most of every moment.

In all, Cary is ultimately loyal and will always choose to stand with his friends, regardless of the circumstances.

Magical Abilities and Skills
Cary's a competent enough wizard when he applies himself. He's not great with potions or history but he's got a good grasp of most of the other basic subjects. Of particular note:
 * Divination: Cary has a strange, natural skill for Divination and a keen interest in the subject. It's consistently the only class he actually does the homework for.
 * Dueling: Level-headed and calm in tense and dangerous situations, Cary is a decent duelist for his age and skill level. He is skilled enough that he was able to hold his own in a duel against Fenrir Greyback (albeit with Riley's help, but it was still more than most).
 * Flying: Cary has proven to be an extremely skilled flier, able to pull off difficult maneuvers at high-speeds. Even in his second year, he was considered one of the best Chasers Gryffindor has had in years.
 * Transfiguration: Like his father, Cary has a knack for Transfiguration magic; he's in the top 5 students in his Year in the subject, which, considering its difficulty, is quite impressive. This skill comes from his surprisingly analytical mind and his years of experience with precise hand-eye coordination derived from playing old-school video games.

Equipment

 * Traveler's Any-Tool: Cary received this useful tool for Christmas in 2019. At first glance, it seems to be nothing more than a small, iron bar lined with small plates and spikes. It can be folded, twisted, hinged and bent to form almost any known tool. Hammers, shovels, even a block and tackle (without rope) are possible. It can duplicate virtually any tool the wielder can visualize that contains only limited moving parts, such as a pair of scissors. It cannot be used to replace missing or broken parts of machines or vehicles unless a mundane tool would do the job just as well.

Family
Since his accident, Cary's relationship with his family has changed. His mother, who had always shied away from the magical world and has kept him far away from his magical relatives, has contacted Cary's grandfather and is going to let him meet him, for reasons Cary's not 100% sure of yet. He's not totally excited to meet them, as he considers the Stein's his real family. Since his accident, he feels closer to his family than ever before, truly thankful for how much his parents love him for the first time.

Rose Granger-Weasley
Cary met Rose on his first day of classes at Hogwarts and he's loved her ever since. There's nothing about her that Cary doesn't adore; she's so smart and the way she geeks out over school is super cute. He's happiest when she's around and he would go to the ends of the Earth and back for her if she asked. He loves the way she smiles, the way a breeze plays with her hair, the way he gets butterflies when she touches his hand. He finds himself looking at her from across the room and he's honestly the happiest when she's around and even when she isn't there, Rose is always on his mind.

He admired her from afar for years and was content with that; he was always afraid to say anything to her, for fear of making their friendship weird. Now that she's with Hamish, Cary finds himself utterly heartbroken and he doesn't know how to process it, which has caused him to lash out and become something of a recluse. He hates how upset it's making her and so he's mad at himself for acting like an idiot but he can't help it. His chest tightens when he sees Hamish and he feels literally sick when he sees them holding hands.

While he does love Rose, he doesn't want to lose her. The thought of losing Rose from his life is terrifying. He doesn't like Hamish but he's willing to make peace with their relationship if it means Rose staying around. He'd rather have her as his friend than not have her in his life at all.

Riley Pilgrim
Riley and Cary have been best friends since they met during the Start of Term Feast their first year. Even now, it's rare for one of them to be somewhere without the other. There aren't a lot of people Cary trusts more than Riley and the two would go to bat for one another without a second thought.

This partly stems from their similar backgrounds and shared interests. Riley knows more about Cary than anyone else in the world and vice versa; the two are the definition of true bro's (but not the douchey kind of bro's). The two balance each other out quite well; Cary's chill and level-headed while Riley is more brazen and brimming with energy. They have a Dude's Understanding and often are the others' only recourse of sanity during Rose's marathon study sessions.

Oz Uhmlander
Oz is a super weird dude but Cary also thinks Oz is one of the smartest, kindest and overall coolest dudes he's ever met. He might be paranoid, but Oz has a courage very few ever bother to see and a surprisingly big heart and willingness to help Rose and her friends when they find themselves desperate enough. While Cary considers himself, Rose and Riley as a trio, Oz is basically their unofficial "Fourth Member" to the trio.

Since becoming a recluse, Cary and Oz have been spending a surprising amount of time hanging out with each other and Cary finds that he likes Oz--and maybe even understands him--a little more than he already did. Much respect to the Conspiracy King.

James Potter & Louis Weasley
James and Louis are the Mischief Kings of Hogwarts and Rose's older cousins. The two have acted as big brothers to the trio since their first year and Cary & Riley look up to them as role-models. They've been through a surprising number of adventures together and despite the age gap (which is important at that age), Cary counts James and Louis both as good friends of his. He trusts them, despite their proclivity for trouble making, as they've always had their backs. And, should the duo ever need help, Cary would have theirs in a second.

Albus Potter
Albus is Rose's cousin and, you know, he's okay, I guess. Kind of a downer but he's getting cooler as they get older. Although, Cary's gotta admit, the kid's got guts for a Slytherin and after going to help them confront Fenrir Greyback during their Third Year, Cary at least owes him some respect.

In the wake of Rose and Hamish getting together, Cary's started talking to Albus for some measure of comfort--he can't talk to Riley or Oz or Rose or James or Louis about what he's going through, so for whatever reason, Cary's talking to Albus (his Potions partner for the year). Albus isn't, like...helpful? But it's making Cary a little fonder of the guy.

Cassie Foley
Cary think the Hufflepuff hippy from Manchester is a sweet girl and super fun to be around. She's brimming with energy and her bubbly, happy personality is infectious. Cary met her on the train ride into Hogwarts (with Hamish, of all people) and the two have been on friendly terms ever since.

She's been nicer to him in the last few weeks since Hamish and Rose got together by giving him cupcakes. It's like she has a weird, sixth sense when people are sad.

Newt Gudgeon
Cary likes Newt alright. The two have been acquaintances since their First Year and sharing a train car has borderline been a tradition since their first train ride home from Christmas. Cary thinks Newt's a cool guy and the two have similarly chill, laid back personalities that just kind of click.

Meredith Billings-Clyde
Oh, man. Meredith. She started hanging around him early in their Third Year and for months, she followed him around, doted on him, dragged him off to "help her with homework" and generally inserted herself into conversations. Generally, she was super annoying. As it happened, she apparently liked him? Or...liked the idea of him? Or...something? Regardless, Rose apparently punched Meredith in the face when she found out her intentions with Cary (who she called "pathetic right now"). When Meredith confronted Cary at the Christmas Party in 2019 about Rose hitting her and actually had the gall to give him an ultimatum between Rose and herself, Cary told her to "piss off".

Meredith has cooled considerably toward him ever since. As she gets older, she's becoming a real Mean Girl and Cary thinks she's just kind of a bitch.

Wesley Whent
Wesley's a Ravenclaw and a pretty cool dude. The two talk about music sometimes. All around decent guy, Cary figures.

Quintus & Astraea Selwyn
Quintus and Astraea are the worst people in the world. Like, they are just terrible. They're mean, selfish, arrogant shit heads who think they're better than everybody else because they're rich purebloods. The two of them, along with a small group of lackeys, have been the constant pebble in the shoes of Rose and her friends. Cary seems to be especially hated among their group, as he is a "blood traitor" in their eyes. He couldn't care less, though. They're just a bunch of assholes.

Hamish Clement
What a douche-canoe. He doesn't deserve Rose. Like, at all.

Trivia

 * Cary has a birthmark on his left back shoulder blade that looks a little like an pine tree.
 * Has a habit of chewing pens or quills until they break while lost in thought.
 * Cary has never been to a concert before.
 * He has watched The Empire Strikes Back more than 100 times. His pillowcase is a Star Wars pillowcase, as well.


 * The first game he ever beat was Starfox 64, when he was five years old.
 * He is ticklish under his arm.
 * Cary is an excellent speller and has good written grammar. He was a finalist in three spelling bees held when he was in muggle school before starting at Hogwarts.
 * Has seasonal allergies and takes a potion in the Spring to clear up his symptoms.
 * Cary can play the accordion and guitar. This list will expand as he gets older.
 * He wrote a theme song for himself and sings it regularly in the shower.
 * Although he can't play it at school, Cary brought along his Nintendo 3DS and a few games for sentimental reasons.
 * Neglected to pack more clothes in favor of bringing a bunch of comics.
 * Has a few muggle pens and notebooks in his backpack.
 * Cary's hat was a gift to him from his brother and is one of his most prized possessions. He believes he can't wash it because it would "ruin the luck".
 * Has a Siamese Cat named Commissioner Gordon, but he tends to just call him "The Commissioner" or, more rarely, "The Commish".