Professor Jakob Oliver Tristram

## Academic and Professional Career

The year 2000 was special- being not only the turn of the century but the turn of a millennia. In order to celebrate, the Hogwarts Board of Governors started a pilot program to promote global unity for the next thousand years. At random, they chose a few students from different countries to receive an acceptance letter from Hogwarts. Tristram was one of those young wizards.

Tristram's Muggle parents, not knowing anything about magic. They learned that it was a "private school" and that was good enough for them. So they kicked him out at the first chance they could.

Making his way to the school. When Jakob was being sorted for a house at Hogwarts. The Sorting Hat claimed he would work best as a Ravenclaw. However Jakob asked to be place in Gryffindor for a pretty face he was crushing on (he never got the girl). When his first school year ended. He went home to find his parents no where to be seen. He soon found out that had moved leaving no trace of how to find them. So he found himself spending future summer vacations out on the streets.

Having an incredibly active mind, Tristram was very bored at the Muggle schools he had attended. The new world of magic thrilled him. His academic career flourished. Through out school year Tristram became very bored, with only Enchantments and Transformations keeping his interest. He began getting into arguments with both teachers and classmates. Only a few trusted friend were willing to tolerate his ‘mood’. At the end of the school year he went back home, hoping his parents had reconsidered, but he found that they had moved, and he was forced to live on the streets. Eventually, he dropped out of Hogwarts entirely, rather than sit through their ’useless classes’.

He decided to start an enchanting business, and in so doing became extremely successful. His skills developed so rapidly that he swiftly became one of the top enchanters in the world.

It was a true ‘rags to riches’ story, and during his time as a professional enchanter he traveled the world, learning even more rare and exotic enchanting techniques. He was even given the unique opportunity to learn from an elder dragon who, upon his death, allowed Tristram to use one of his fangs to fashion an exceptionally powerful wand. One particularly effective against dragons.

In some unknown manner he lost his eyesight, and despite having access to the best in medical care, the Healers all told him the same thing- his blindness was permanent.

Tristram decided to take matters into his own hands, working on an enchantment to help his condition. After several years of difficult research he finally discovered an enchantment which would partially restore his sight. But although he could make out shapes and movements enough not to stumble, he still could barely see. Enchanting a set of sunglasses with this experimental creation he despaired of ever being able to work normally again.

That is when he received an unexpected surprise, a letter from Hogwarts asking him to teach enchantments, an invitation he graciously accepted.

Most likely due to his constant exposure to magical enchantments, his blindness had an unforeseen side effect. He was able to sense the actual magical energies of others.  Although this ability is far from unique, the elite MACUSA Regulators are trained in the art, Tristram brought this skill to an entirely different level. Rather than simply sensing the mere presence of a person’s energy, he was able to sense the person’s specific strength in magic, giving him a very good idea of the subject’s potential power and abilities. He could also sense various flows of energy allowing him to pinpoint possible strengths and weakness. He is even able to sense the build up in magical energies in a person’s body or wand, allowing him a few seconds warning when a spell is being cast. He can also determine what type of spell is being cast. Of course, this talent gives him a huge advantage in a duel or during battle.

Despite his handicap, he was in the front lines during Argon’s attack. Unfortunately he was captured by Death Eaters and taken to the lair of the Dark Wizard Nightshade to be experimented upon. Nightshade believed that the Imperious Curse was an inefficient means of making Death Eaters and wanted to find more effective ways of bolstering the forces of darkness. Taking all of the evil and self hatred in Tristram they performed a variation of the Horcrux ritual to give those feelings life. Tristram’s soul was split into two and Horacrux Jakob, Tristram’s evil twin, was born. Although Tristram remained blind his Horacrux clone seemed to see perfectly well.

Horacrux Jakob immediately set about torturing Tristram, for Jakob was the embodiment of Tristram’s self hatred. But something strange happened. Jakob could feel some of Tristram’s pain, and he realized that they were linked in such a way that if one died the other did as well.

Horrified that this could be used against him by other Death Eaters, for he had plans to take Argon’s place as their Dark Lord, Jakob did the only thing he knew would protect Tristram; he let him go back to Hogwarts. Telling the others that Tristram had somehow escaped.

Back at Hogwarts, Professor Tristram warned the professors about this new threat as he began to research a method of reversing the process. During his research he was helped by a friend, Professor Elaine, a dragon-human animagus. They both confided in each other, and Elaine even showed Tristram her secret sanctuary in the Forbidden Forest.

Over the next few weeks Tristan slowly began to understand the nature of the condition inflicted upon him. He and his dark copy shared a ‘deja vu’ type memory. Seeing a person or place Jakob had recently interacted with triggered memories in Tristram that felt oddly like deja vu. He was also able to communicate with Jakob when they were both asleep, leading to some less than peaceful nights spent arguing with himself.

Using his likeness as Tristram to capture his prey, Horacrux Jakob worked ceaselessly to convert wizards to the Death Eater cause. Even worse, Jakob seemed particularly interested in going after friends of Tristram’s. Tristram once again blamed himself for events beyond his control, and dedicated himself to stopping his clone. Realizing he would one day need to face Jakob, and concerned that most of his dueling skills had been lost to Jakob, Tristram decided to get special training from Professor Raine. As usual, Raine’s training cessions were short, brutal, and effective. Tristram improved his skill level greatly over a relatively short period of time.

But word of Jakob’s evil activities continued to reach Tristram, and he had to stop Jakob soon. With the help of Elaine, Tristram came up with a plan to trap Horcrux Jakob in an enchanted pocket watch and thus return the other half of his soul. Using their ‘Deja Vu’ memories he tracked Jakob down and they fought, a battle in which Tristram would prevail. Plunging the pocket watch deep inside Jakob’s soul, Tristram thought the nightmare was over, but in his haste to stop this evil Tristram miscalculated, and instead of trapping Jakob, Tristram himself became ensnared inside the enchanted prison, with Jakob in control of his body. The two souls, still separate but now in one body, had grown while they were apart, and their combined power was quite formidable. Unfortunately Jakob was in full control of that power, and as punishment to Tristram for his unsuccessful attempt to capture him, he immediately went after the one thing Tristram held most dear, Elaine.

Using Tristram’s memories Jakob quickly found her. With Tristram helplessly watching from the confines of his enchanted prison Jakob chased her down and defeated her. Desperate to save Elaine, Tristram frantically tried to find a way to take control back from Jakob, but Jakob was too strong. Finally, after beating Elaine mercilessly in order to hurt Tristram, Jakob was about to deliver the final blow when in a moment of rage Tristram successfully broke through his prison and took back control of his body, sending Jakob screaming into the pocket watch trap. Fearful that he may lose control again, Tristram ran off into the Forbidden Forest where he was found by the darkhunters. For unbeknownst to Tristram, he had friends among the reality hopping group.

In fact, he had himself, or at least an alternate reality version of himself from the future. This version, however, having gone through the same soul splitting, was far more advanced in the cooperation between the two souls. Even being able to perform a special version of the Gemini spell that he lovingly refers to as ‘Double Trouble’.

## Personal Life

Tristram finds everyone a potential threat and generally will have a plan to kill every person in the room, just in case. He is a fighter with few friends, and indeed desires only a few as he finds the great bulk of humanity to be untrustworthy and capable of great atrocities, although he is willing to defend them with the other Dark hunters. Those elite few privileged enough to call him friend will find him an incredibly staunch and loyal ally. Prepared to give his life in their defense.

Through a truly unfortunate series of events, Tristram is in charge of the Hogwarts’ cheerleading squad.

Tristram enjoys doing comedic impressions of others, although they can be ill-timed.

Tristram can sing quite well.