Rowan Khanna

Rowan Khanna is a wizard or witch who began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Their family owned a farm that supplied high-quality wood for the manufacture of wands and broomsticks.
Rowan aspired to become the youngest professor in Hogwarts history, but this dream was never realised as a result of their tragic murder at the hands of the Dark Witch Patricia Rakepick.
=== Early life ===
Rowan was born into a British-Indian wizarding family in Great Britain in December 1972. Their family owned a farm that supplied high-quality wood for the manufacture of wands and broomsticks.
Rowan was interested in reading from a young age. They were considered nerdy and weird by the age of eleven and had never made any friends.
While shopping for school supplies in Diagon Alley, Rowan met and befriended future fellow student and housemate, Jacob's sibling, to whom Rowan advised starting with Flourish and Blotts. When the shopping concluded, Rowan and Jacob's sibling promised to see each other again on the train.
=== Hogwarts years ===
==== First year ====
Rowan began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1984 and was Sorted into the same House as Jacob's sibling.
Before the start of their first Potions class, Jacob's sibling found Merula Snyde, an imperious and cruel Slytherin witch, trying to bully Rowan into admitting her as the most powerful witch to in Hogwarts. Rowan tried to reason with Merula by listing out other factors, but Merula wouldn't budge, which prompted Jacob's sibling to intervene on Rowan's behalf and stand up for their friend. Professor Severus Snape ordered them to get into the classroom before the argument could escalate further. Rowan later thanked Jacob's sibling for standing up to Merula for them.
Later when their Prefect decided to teach Jacob's sibling how to duel, Rowan helped Jacob's sibling find a duelling book in the Artefact Room, where Jacob's sibling saw some visions and heard a mysterious voice saying a kind of ice was here and a vault would open. Using the duelling book, they learned a new spell before teaching it to Jacob's sibling.
After Jacob's sibling's duel with Merula, they overheard Professor Snape and Argus Filch discussing the Cursed Vaults in a corridor and told Rowan about it. They went back to the corridor with Jacob's sibling and found a locked door. Before they figured out how to open it, Mrs Norris showed up, prompting them to leave.
Rowan and Jacob's sibling came up with a plan of brewing a Sleeping Draught to use on Mrs Norris. After Jacob's sibling brewed it with Penny Haywood, they went back to the door with Jacob's sibling and another friend of them, tricked Mrs Norris into drinking it and opened the door. However, Merula overpowered them and went in first. The door led to a room in which they discovered the cursed ice, with Merula trapped in it. The ice spread, blocked the door behind them, and trapped Rowan and their friends too. Jacob's sibling saved them and their other friend reopened the door. Before leaving, Rowan noticed some code written on the wall and remembered it. The code, later deciphered by Rowan, suggested there was an Ice Knight who stood guard past the Vanished Stairs.
==== Second year ====
Upon realising Ben Copper's disappearance during the Start-of-Term Feast of the 1985–1986 school year, Rowan and Jacob's sibling proceeded to search for their friend. In the Artefact Room, they found a note, which Rowan later deciphered, revealing that it was signed by someone using the initial "R" and contained instructions to locate a black quill hidden in a common room different from their own, which would turn into a note with additional information when Untransfigured. Rowan devised a plan for Jacob's sibling to sneak into the said common room using the Shrinking Charm during the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, with Rowan keeping watch.
After Jacob's sibling got the black quill, they Untransfigured it to another note, instructing the reader to go to the farthest corridor at the end of the fifth floor, re-Transfigure the scroll into a black quill, and return it to the common room in which it had been hidden. They did so, and while inspecting the corridor, they found out the professors were already there. They also found Ben frozen in the cursed ice, but the professors saved him by casting the Fire-Making Spell, explaining that the cursed ice appeared to have developed resistance to the Knockback Jinx.
Jacob's sibling and Rowan searched the corridor once more and found a wall to be suspicious. They decided to ask Professor McGonagall to teach them the Revelio Charm. After learning, they returned to the corridor and used it to find the Vanished Stairs. The stairs led to another mysterious corridor, which ended in a kind of mist. Jacob's sibling used the Knockback Jinx to clear the mist and revealed a hidden door covered with ice. They tried opening it but Rowan got hurt by some flying ice, so Jacob's sibling sent Rowan to the Hospital Wing. When visiting Rowan, Jacob's sibling brought a book about Wendelin the Weird, much to Rowan's delight. Rowan confessed being quite shaken up by the incident in the corridor and suggested Jacob's sibling seeking help from someone more powerful, namely Bill Weasley, who Rowan held in great admiration.
After befriending Bill, Jacob's sibling taught Rowan some more spells. It was possible that Rowan helped them break into the Vault of Ice near the end of the school year.
==== Third year ====
During the beginning of their third year, Rowan was excited to go to visit Hogsmeade, and discussed their excitement with Nymphadora Tonks. They were also present when their head of house told Jacob's sibling that their grades were not good enough to be allowed to visit Hogsmeade.
Rowan accompanied Jacob's sibling on their first visit to Hogsmeade and the Three Broomsticks Inn, where they shared Butterbeer with Rubeus Hagrid while Jacob's sibling asked Madam Rosmerta about their brother's notebooks about the Cursed Vaults.
After Jacob's sibling acquired one of the notebooks, Rowan deciphered it and learned about a room where Jacob researched the Cursed Vaults.
Rowan possibly accompanied Jacob's sibling, Tulip Karasu and Barnaby Lee during their break-in of the Vault of Fear.
==== Fourth year ====
Rowan possibly accompanied Jacob's sibling, Charlie Weasley and Rubeus Hagrid during their break-in of the Forest Vault.
==== Fifth year ====
During Rowan's fifth year, they sometimes unofficially taught the History of Magic class during Professor Binn's frequent naps or inattention, due to their ambitions of becoming a professor at Hogwarts after graduation. Partly because of this, Roawn actually considered the subject their favourite, as it allowed them to practice their teaching technique.
Rowan was placed under the Imperius Curse (one of the Unforgivable Curses) by an unknown caster, causing them to behave completely out of character all of a sudden in the Clock Tower Courtyard. They then threatened Jacob's sibling with the message that "death was coming to Hogwarts", and threatened to kill one of the student's friends. They quickly incapacitated Barnaby Lee with a spell, but were then quickly stunned with the Knockback Jinx by Ben Copper. They were sent to the Hospital Wing after the incident.
==== Sixth year and death ====
During their sixth year, Rowan proceeded to take N.E.W.T. level Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Potions, Care of Magical Creatures, and History of Magic.
Sometime during the school year, Jacob's sibling, Merula Snyde, and Ben Copper went into the Forest Grove to intercept a possible meeting between Jacob and R, unknowingly being followed from a close distance behind them by Rowan. During the search, a swarm of dementors showed up, and circled the group. However, the Dark Witch Patricia Rakepick Apparated into the vicinity and cast a powerful Patronus Charm, which warded off all of the dementors. She then engaged in a duel with the students, which was watched by Rowan. At some point in the duel, she cast a Killing Curse at Ben, intending to kill him. However, Rowan sacrificed their life by jumping in front of Ben, ending their life and saving that of their friends.
=== Legacy ===
: "Last night we suffered an unimaginable loss at the hands of unimaginable evil. Rowan Khanna, a devoted student and friend, sacrificed [their] life to save another's. There is no more noble deed. So today we will not waste words on Rowan Khanna's killer, whom I assure you will be brought to justice. Today, we gather as one Hogwarts community to grieve, remember, and honour Rowan and [their] final heroic act."
: — Albus Dumbledore[src]
:
Rowan's death struck the entirety of Hogwarts as an extremely painful event and their death was mourned by all of their friends, who found it difficult to come to terms with their tragic loss. In particular to suffer were Jacob's sibling, Ben Copper, and Merula Snyde, all of whom had watched them die. A memorial service took place in the Great Hall, where Professor Dumbledore gave a brief eulogy of Rowan's life, aspirations and sacrifice before leading the students and staff in raising their wands as a tribute to Rowan.
Rowan's murder prompted a vengeful Jacob's sibling, Merula and Ben to form their own secret organisation to combat the malevolent "R" and get revenge on Rakepick for what she had done. The organisation was named Circle of Khanna in memory of Rowan.
== Physical description ==
Rowan had black hair, brown skin, and wore glasses. They tended to wear regular Hogwarts uniform robes most of the time, although they wore blue dress robes to the Celestial Ball. They were known to snore heavily.
== Personality and traits ==
Rowan Khanna was a voracious reader and aspired to be the youngest professor at Hogwarts. They were very driven towards their goal. They once said the only thing they enjoy more than reading is planning. Their favourite professor was Albus Dumbledore and their favourite game was Gobstones. Their favourite sweet was Sugar Quills.
Rowan was an incredibly brave, loyal, and selfless individual, shown by their loyalty towards their friends, mostly their best friend, Jacob's sibling. Ultimately, Rowan sacrificed their own life to protect Ben Copper, even though they deeply mistrusted him, from the Killing Curse cast by Patricia Rakepick at the Forbidden Forest during their sixth year.
Rowan also was a bit of a cheater, as they often cheated when playing Wizard's Chess with Jacob's sibling by distracting them and quickly changing the chess pieces, however that might have been because Jacob's sibling also did the same while playing gobstones with them.
== Magical abilities and skills ==
: "Rowan Khanna is exceptionally bright."
: — Albus Dumbledore regarding Rowan's intelligence[src]
:
* Wandlore: Having grown up on a wand-tree farm, Rowan had an impressive knowledge of wand woods, being able to recognise them at first sight.
* Charms: Although Charms was never one of their strong suits and they often required tutoring from Jacob's sibling, Rowan was still able to achieve either an 'Exceeds Expectations' or 'Outstanding' on their O.W.L. exam to be able to study the subject further at N.E.W.T.-level, thus showcasing their skill in the magical subject.
* Potions: While not as proficient as their best friend Jacob's sibling in the art of potion-making, Rowan was still shown to be particularly knowledgeable in the nature and effects of various concoctions. During their very first-ever Potions lesson, Rowan was able to swiftly identify the substance that Jacob's sibling's cauldron was coated with to be Bulbadox powder, succinctly describing its explosive effects to Jacob's sibling. They later achieved an 'Outstanding' on their O.W.L. exam to be able to advance to the N.E.W.T.-level Potions class taught by Severus Snape, During his tenure as Potions Master, Severus Snape only accepted students who achieved an 'Outstanding' on their O.W.L.s into his N.E.W.T.-level Potions classes. Since Rowan was able to advance to N.E.W.T.-level Potions, they must have achieved an 'Outstanding' on their O.W.L. exam, thus proving themselves adept in the subject.
* Intellectual giftedness: Rowan Khanna was exceptionally intelligent, perceptive and well-read, having been an excellent academic achiever through their Hogwarts years, with Albus Dumbledore himself acknowledging their high intelligence. As such, Rowan was able to consistently aid their best friend Jacob's sibling with useful insights or observations, making them an invaluable member in Jacob's sibling's band of misfits.
* Transfiguration: Rowan was proficient in Transfiguration, as they earned either an ' Exceeds Expectations' or 'Outstanding' on their O.W.L. exam to be able to study the subject further at N.E.W.T.-level, thus showcasing their skill in the magical subject.
* Herbology: Despite being their worst subject, Herbology was one of the subjects Rowan was proficient in, as they were able to achieve an O.W.L. on the subject and study it further at N.E.W.T.-level, thus showcasing their skill in the magical field. Despite this, they considered it as one of their weak subjects.
* Care of Magical Creatures: Rowan was proficient at caring for magical creatures, being able to achieve an O.W.L. on the subject and study it further at N.E.W.T.-level, thus showcasing their skill in the subject.
* History of Magic: Arguably their most favourite subject out of all the magical fields taught at Hogwarts, Rowan was considerably knowledgeable and well-read in magical history, having read Hogwarts: A History in anticipation of their first year to such detail that they considered themselves an expert on Hogwarts. They possessed an almost manic enthusiasm for the subject and often taught their History of Magic class with such passion that, despite the subject's notoriety for being extremely dull, their lectures appealed to the entire class, with their best friend Jacob's sibling even noting that Rowan's zeal was infectious. They would go on to achieve an O.W.L. on the subject and study it further at N.E.W.T.-level. Indeed, Professor Cuthbert Binns would mournfully acknowledge Rowan to be a brilliant student following their death, and conducted a lesson on the similarly life-changing event of the dissolving of the Wizards' Council in honour of them.
* Teaching skills: Rowan was an excellent teacher of History of Magic, as they often intervened to teach the class whenever Professor Cuthbert Binns became distracted. Under their tutelage, the entire class was not only attentive to Rowan's lessons (despite the subject's infamy for being extremely dull) but also able to pass their History of Magic O.W.L. and study the subject further at N.E.W.T.-level, which is a testament to Rowan's superb skills at teaching others.
== Possessions ==
* Wand: Rowan likely purchased their wand before starting their first year at Hogwarts in 1984, which was of an unknown length, wood and core.
* Fuzzclaw: Rowan owned a male cat called Fuzzclaw, who they often missed whilst at Hogwarts, meaning the cat lived at home with their family.
* Ptolemy Chocolate Frog Card: During their second year, Rowan told Jacob's sibling that they had finally found Ptolemy's Chocolate Frog card after searching for it.
== Etymology ==
The word "Rowan" comes from the Irish word "Ruadháin", which means "red-haired" or in this instance might be a British derivative for 'Rohan' - a common Indian first name. "Rowan" is also an epicene name which fits either gender. "Khanna" is a surname of members or descendants of members of the Khatri clan from the Indian Dhai Ghar community.
Rowan is also a type of wood used for wands.
Category:Genderless
Category:Harry Potter Heroes
Category:Teenagers
Category:Magic
Category:Deceased
Category:Tragic
Category:Passionate Learners
Category:Bond Creators
Category:Protectors of Innocence
Category:Protectors
Category:Disciplinarians
Category:Martyr
Category:Wise