Bennet Potter

: "I have tried to suppress what I feel, tried in vain. My mind rebels against this, but I cannot fight any longer against my heart. What can you do for me — you can, Miss Browne, allow me to tell you how I feel." — How Not to Propose
While Bennet is the eldest child of Jameson and Elspeth Potter, he always felt like more of a second son. Darcy was always more successful in everything but academics, and Lottie was the girl. This made it especially tragic in Bennet's mind when he found himself the last surviving member of his natal family.
==Biography==
===Pre-Hogwarts===
Bennet Scorpius Potter was the firstborn son of Jameson and Elspeth Potter. He was not exactly the sort of strapping young lad that a father would want as an heir, and Darcy's loud nature quickly overshadowed Ben.
===School Years===
Test Results 	
Test Results
OWLs 	OWLs
Ancient Studies 	O
Arithmancy 	A
Astronomy 	O
Charms 	O
DADA 	O
Earth Magic 	O
Herbology 	E
History of Magic	E
Potions 	O
Transfiguration 	E
NEWTs 	NEWTs
Alchemy 	E
Ancient Studies 	O
Astronomy 	O
Charms 	O
DADA 	E
Earth Magic 	O
Potions 	O
While Bennet desperately wanted to be in Gryffindor to prove he was just as good as Darcy, the Hat placed him in Ravenclaw. After his second year Bennet chose Ancient Studies, Arithmancy, and Earth Magic as his electives; when he went into his third year, Darcy joined him at Hogwarts and was sorted into Gryffindor. In Darcy's year there was a young lower class woman named Siobhan Sheehan who was sorted into Ravenclaw; Bennet was immediately taken with her.
In the summer before his fifth year, Bennet was chosen as a prefect. He did very well on his OWLs, and kept Ancient Studies, Astronomy, Charms, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Earth Magic, and Potions for his NEWT levels; he also picked up Alchemy. As he went to school for his sixth year, Lottie began her first year and was sorted (shockingly, in Ben's mind) into Slytherin.
In the summer before Bennet's seventh year, he was selected as head boy. The family moved to Hogsmeade as a result of the nastiness that year, and Elspeth Potter fell ill from the strain and passed away. After Bennet graduated, Jameson left for France.
===Post-Hogwarts Career===
After completing his Hogwarts education with wonderful test scores and no real direction, Bennet took a job managing Whizzhard Books . He remained working in that position until the fall of 1881, when the owner left the country and Bennet purchased the book shop. In 1883 Bennet expanded his company into publishing, beginning with a book about the Hogsmeade expansion written by Hamish MacFusty and Violet Ollivander.
===Romance, Engagements, & Marriage===
After the purchase of Whizzhard Books, Bennet offered the position of manager to Miss Siobhan Sheehan, a school friend that he had a long time crush on. He had the intention of spending more time with her in the hope of eventually courting and marrying her; however, when Elsbeth Gisella came to town claiming to be a princess he convinced himself it was his duty to court her because of the connections that marrying a princess would provide for his family. Throughout their courship, Bennet maintained his friendship with (and feelings for) Miss Sheehan. On January 6, 1882 — shortly after Bennet had proposed — Elsbeth was outed as a fraud and the relationship ended.
In May of that same year Miss Sheehan's name was drawn in the Draft. Bennet begged her to be practical and promise to return safely, and then proposed using his mother's ring. Miss Sheehan accepted and went on her way. The engagement was sudden enoguh that it was never publicized, and Bennet failed to even tell his brother until nearly two months later. The engagement lasted until June 21, when after his father's death Bennet decided that his familial duty meant that he could not marry Siobhan. He broke off the engagement and retrieved the ring; Miss Sheehan then went off in an unreasonable attempt to prove herself worthy of Ben. Their friendship, which Bennet wanted to maintain, became very strained.
After his relationship with Miss Sheehan failed, Bennet briefly became interested another friend of his, Miss Magdelena Davis. Miss Davis was carrying a bastard, which put Bennet off; by the time he realized he did not care as much as he should (after his sister's death) Magdelena had eloped with Mr. Collins. Bennet only found out after kissing her in his grief, which seriously damaged their relationship.
In October of 1882, a young lady by the name of Odira Browne came into Whizzhard Books. Bennet was immediately interested in her, and sought an introduction through a mutual friend, Miss Violet Ollivander. They were introduced four days before Christmas, and began a friendship that Bennet found quite satisfying. In February of 1883, Bennet accidentally served Miss Browne tea tainted with Amortentia (when he should have known better, as details had been publicized several days before) and the two expressed their love for each other; after recovering from the effects, Bennet realized he actually was in love with Miss Browne. Unfortunately, that was the same time when Lottie was killed (although in truth she was turned into a vampire, unknown to her family) and between her death and Bennet kissing his married friend, Magdelena Collins, Bennet was convinced he was cursed to destroy any romantic relationship he was in any way connected to. He attempted to keep Miss Browne as merely a friend. On the first day of August, Bennet gave in to his feelings and proposed to Miss Browne; he completely botched it and feared he had entirely destroyed their friendship, but they managed to maintain it.
Just over a month later Bennet was seduced by a veela while at Whizzhard Books, Marceline Chevalier; unknown to him their one interlude left her carrying twins.
On the seventh of November, Bennet went to Miss Browne's home to see her and proposed. This time she accepted, and Bennet then gained her father's blessing — having neglected to ask permission in his fear that she would again reject him. Bennet and Odira were married in as modest a ceremony as they could manage on February 29, 1884.
==Personality==
Bennet can be overly cautious at times. Those who are less kind call it cowardice, and he rarely takes risks without thinking things through first. He frequently decides that the gain isn't worth the danger, although in recent years she has he has become somewhat more prone to action even though that action is frequently still preceeded by torturing himself.
He is also one of those people where you always know what you're going to get and who rarely changes his mind. He is highly intelligent and has an excellent and well-trained memory, an eye for patterns, and a mind for obscure facts. His intelligence leans more towards book-smarts than actual applicable knowledge, and he is horrible at math.
Although he is not precisely antisocial, Bennet rarely puts himself out there. He is content to stay at home and socialize with only a few friends, and prefers evenings of reading over rambunctious parties or athletic activities. He has the potential to be a gifted athlete, but no interest in sports.
In the negative, Ben can hold a grudge like no other. All wrongs, real or imagined, are remembered. He is not generally overcome by these emotions, but they have damaged his relationship with his father (who he resents for preferring Darcy and leaving for France, however accessible he might be) and Darcy (who has constantly overshadowed his elder brother), although neither was damaged beyond repair.
==Notable Relationships==
===Darcy Potter===
As much as Bennet loved his brother, there was always an element of strain to their relationship. Darcy has always been the more acomplished of the two in everything but academics, and Bennet was always aware of the fact. Darcy was the Minister, Darcy married first, Darcy's first child was a healthy son, and Darcy even did a better job of keeping an eye on Lottie. Still, Bennet was close with his brother and in many ways looked up to him; he was devistated when Darcy was murdered on the way home from Bennet's wedding.
===Charlotte Potter===
For years Bennet insisted on calling his sister Lottie despite her preference for her middle name. He was never able to properly grasp the idea that his little sister had grown up, even when it was revealed in the papers that she was not behaving and even when she revealed she was with child. Bennet was not the head of the family at the time — their father was still alive, if in France — and he didn't feel prepared to deal with his sister going astray. He did his best, but Bennet still blames himself for his sister's death and feels like if he were a better guardian she would still be alive.
===Elsbeth Lupin===
It is a source of embarassment for Bennet that he ever considered marrying Miss Gisella. He was never even attracted to her, and he found her physical attributes to be more intimidating than anything else. Bennet was completely suckered and is relieved to have escaped the fate of actually marrying her. He does not know she has currently managed to secure herself a wealty husband, but if he did know Bennet would feel sorry for the poor sod.
===Siobhan Blotts===
Sioban was Bennet's first love. He met her when he was thirteen and she was eleven and they were both in Ravenclaw. He maintained a friendship with her and renewed it in the fall of 1881 when he offered her a position as Manager of Whizzhard Books. The pair were engaged for just shy of two months in 1882, and have had a very distant and strained friendship since their breakup. She has since married to Mr. Thomas Blotts.
===Magdelena Collins===
Ship name: Magnet. Magdelena and Bennet were friends in school, and late in the summer of 1882 (after Bennet had broken off his engagement with Siobhan) they reconnected. The two became closer until in December Maggie revealed that she was carrying a bastard. She had gone away to Italy with a cousin, and the pair of them intended to return to Britain with the baby in the care of the married cousin. As she was making efforts to hide the fact from everyone else, Bennet did not sever his relationship with Magdelena. When Miss Davis lost the baby in January of 1883 and her cousin disappeared, Bennet was the one who went to retrieve her from Italy.
In February, unknown to Bennet, an old beau of Maggie's returned from an expidention and the pair eloped. After the new Mrs. Collins returned from Spain, Bennet's sister was proclaimed officially dead and Bennet was hit hard by the news. Magdelena came to visit Ben before the funeral, and he kissed her. It was only when Bennet noticed her wedding ring that he discovered his friend was married. Their relationship became very strained as a result. Bennet did not see Magdelena again until August, when she came to see him after her husband went on another expidition and disappeared. He tried to comfort her while keeping things on a purely friendly level, but grew angry when Maggie blamed herself for her husband's disappearance and presumed death. Bennet and Maggie fought, and she splinched herself and her dog fatally upon leaving his house. Bennet woud not learn she was dead for over a month.
===Marceline Chevalier===
A veela widow by the name of Marceline Chevalier came into Whizzhard Books on September 2, 1883. She proceeded to seduce Bennet despite his awkwardness and proceeded to initiate him into manhood. As a result of their liason and unknown to Bennet, Marceline was left carrying twins.
===Violet MacFusty===
Violet was in Bennet's year and house, and while they were never close they were friendly. When Bennet sought an introduction to Miss Odira Browne he asked Miss Ollivander, and he also has business dealings with her and her now-husband, Mr. Hamish MacFusty.
===Odira Potter===
Ship name: Sparkle. Bennet absolutely adores his wife. The pair met in late 1882, and he attempted to keep things friendly long after he discovered he had fallen in love with her because he had convinced himself he was a curse on all romantic relationships he came in contact with. He prosposed to her twice in 1883, once on the first of August and once on the seventh of November. Bennet and Odira were married in as modest a ceremony as they could manage on February 29, 1884.
Category:Characters