Ricky Brown: Relationships

## Family

### Parents

Ricky suffers from a mild case of pushy parent syndrome. When Ricky was identified as a gifted child in Muggle school, his mum and dad strongly encouraged him to get the most out of his academic abilities, which in turn stunted his social life. They took the same attitude to learning that Ricky was a wizard, encouraging him to attend Hogwarts and learn to use his powers. Ricky often feels uncomfortable with his parents' pride and ambition on his behalf, but he nonetheless loves them and they share a close and warm relationship. He feels able to confide in his mum in particular, and ask for advice about social situations.

### Alex Brown

Ricky is extremely close to, and protective of, his younger sister, Alex. In his first two years at Hogwarts, he often addressed Alex directly in his letters home, and the accompanying photographs of his Hogwarts experiences were mostly for her benefit, particularly those of magical creatures since Alex is an animal lover.

When interacting directly, Ricky often treats Alex with a mixture of fondness and exasperation at her antics (examples include her food fight with Peter Ingram at Shane Mason's twelfth birthday party and running off to explore Diagon Alley on her own on her first visit). He was elated for her when, during his second year, she received her invitation letter to attend Hogwarts. While Ricky and Alex have different friendship groups at Hogwarts, due largely to their contrasting personalities and age difference, they continue to get along well and have helped one another out on occasion.

## Fellow students

### Adalia Audrey

Ricky and Adalia form an odd pair, Adalia being the cold and inflexible daughter of a high-society Muggle family. Despite this, they share a warm and close relationship, and Ricky considers Adalia one of his closest friends. They initially bonded over their shared frustration about the divide between the Muggle and wizarding worlds (albeit each for their own reasons), and later over their shared feelings of responsibility for the then-believed death of Valeria Chovnik. In their first year, Adalia often clashed with Ricky's then-girlfriend, Quinn Gallagher, while Ricky tried to keep the peace; this tension ended after Quinn's sudden withdrawal from Hogwarts at the end of the year.

In their second year, Ricky and Adalia finally started the Muggle Culture Club, a sponsored Hogwarts club aimed at introducing Muggle ways of life to those not familiar with it. They also together assumed responsibility for protecting first-year students from the violent actions of several upperclassmen. Adalia's workload, which included magical and non-magical studies as well as family responsibilities, began to take a toll on her, at times causing friction between them when Ricky expressed his worry. However, they have continued to grow closer, to the point that late in the school year, Ricky inducted Adalia into the Mavericks.

### Ana-Maria Aureon

Ricky and Quinn were both quick to befriend Ana-Maria when she arrived at Hogwarts late due to a family illness. Ricky and Ana-Maria initially bonded over a mutual appreciation for art: Ana-Maria for drawing and Ricky for photography. They comforted each other prior to their second year after Quinn's departure, which upset Ana-Maria just as it had Ricky, since Quinn had been her best friend. However, they have since drifted apart.

### Ayano Kasumi

After a somewhat rocky start, Ricky and Kasumi have forged a close, if unconventional, friendship. On their first meeting during summer camp, Ricky was put off by what he perceived as arrogance and aloofness. However, their shared love for and skill at Potions led to them spending some time alone together, and Ricky became accustomed to Kasumi's dark sense of humour and flighty, lyrical manner of speaking. In their second year, their relationship grew closer and more personal, as they began to discuss personal issues more freely. Ricky greatly appreciates Kasumi's frankness and wisdom, and the ease of their relationship: in his own words, "she didn't judge him nor did she expect anything from him". He considers Kasumi a very dear friend.

### Klaus Kruger

Ricky initially had a mildly favourable disposition towards Klaus, but this changed halfway through their first year when Klaus attacked Quinn, one of a series of incidents in which Klaus revealed his cruel streak and anti-Muggle and anti-creature prejudices. Klaus initially clashed with Quinn more often, but his and Ricky's antagonistic relationship became more direct during their second year, after Quinn's departure, when Ricky twice intervened after catching Klaus physically assaulting a first year. Ricky came off worse in the latter encounter, which drove him to put more effort into learning defensive magic, although he is not naturally a fighter. Ricky's problems were resolved when, as a result of an accumulation of offences, Klaus was expelled during their third year.

Despite appearances, Ricky did not hate Klaus. This was largely because he knew a number of younger students who idolised Klaus, such as Isaac Hiltshire and Toby Hunt, and Klaus appeared, on most occasions, to treat them well.

### Kylie Whitehorn

Kylie is in the year above Ricky, and they did not become close until the summer prior to his second year and her third. At this time, both were reeling from relationships that had suddenly ended: Ricky with Quinn, and Kylie with Wren Quigley. The two met by chance in Diagon Alley and spent the day together, an encounter that helped them both begin to recover.

Kylie left Hogwarts midway through that year, transferring to Ilvermorny in America for family reasons, but returned at the beginning of the following year. Ricky and Kylie immediately reconnected and have remained friends ever since, despite not seeing much of each other at times due to being in different classes. Ricky sees in Kylie a sort of kindred spirit; although they have different hobbies and strengths, they are both gentle, kind and share a quiet love of mischief.

### Marianne Blanchard

Marianne was Ricky's first friend from summer camp, and they remain on good terms although they have drifted apart somewhat. Ricky and Marianne bonded quickly over their similarities; as both are Muggle-borns new to the magical world. Marianne is partly responsible for Ricky being sorted into Hufflepuff, as Ricky requested he be sorted into the same house as Marianne had been.

Originally meek and naive, Marianne's innocence has faded somewhat due to family troubles. Ricky continues to feel a strong protective instinct towards her and tries to look out for her as much as he can. Due to his natural Legilimency, Ricky is one of few people aware of an incident that occurred prior to Marianne's fourth year, and in return, he confided in her about his ability.

### Quinn Gallagher

Ricky and Quinn had a brief romance during their first year that left Ricky heartbroken when Quinn departed for Beauxbatons at the end of the year. Despite their young ages, their relationship was deep and emotional, and developed stunningly quickly. After meeting in September, Ricky asked Quinn to be his girlfriend after the Halloween Ball in their first year, they shared their first kiss over winter break, and they confessed their love for one another in second term. The pair's unusual maturity made them well suited to one another, and kept their relationship from breaking down despite a number of misunderstandings.

Quinn's abrupt departure shocked Ricky and caused him to retreat socially for some time. He was only able to return to a semblance of normalcy through help from a number of other friendships. Although Ricky's memories of and feelings for Quinn have dulled over time and he rarely thinks of her now, he remains psychologically affected by her departure; he is often insecure about his other friends, and also is hesitant to trust his own feelings.

### Sanjana Ingram

Ricky met Sanjana on summer camp, at the same time as Marianne, as the two girls had already formed a friendship previously. Early in their first year, they along with Shane Mason formed a friendship group called the Mavericks. Of the trio, Ricky and Sanjana were the slowest to warm to each other, but once they did, each found significant emotional and practical support in the other. Sanjana encouraged Ricky to chase after Quinn when she fled the Halloween Ball in their first year, effectively saving their relationship, and Ricky returned the favour by comforting Sanjana when she found out about her parents' break-up and her brother's departure for America.

Sanjana did not return for her second year at Hogwarts, and in fact, entirely lost touch with Ricky and Shane for that year, without any warning or explanation. She returned and reconciled with the two in her third year, but as a result of the long absence and Ricky's and Shane's separate personal issues at the time, the trio were never as close again.

### Savannah Rey

Ricky has a mixed to negative relationship with Savannah. They first met each other in first year and were initially friendly, but over time, seeing Ricky's diligent performance in class and unaware of his covert rulebreaking, Savannah came to regard him as a nerd and a teacher's pet. Ricky was not aware of this change as it happened and was surprised to find out that Savannah disliked him.

The two were unexpectedly forced together in later years, firstly when Ricky started dating Savannah's friend, Xia, in their fourth year, and then in their fifth, when Ricky's best friend, Shane, developed a crush on Savannah, and they attended the Halloween Ball together. Savannah responded derisively to the news that Ricky and Xia were together, upsetting Xia, and driving Ricky to confront Savannah about it. Ricky, for his part, tries to tolerate Savannah for Shane's sake, but worries that she may break Shane's heart.

### Shane Mason

Shane is Ricky's best friend, his closest confidant and, for a time in their second and third years, his crush, although Shane did not return those feelings and to date has never found out. They first met during the Sorting Ceremony while waiting for their turns, and Ricky immediately liked Shane for her straightforward and friendly nature. Shane is bubbly and mischievous and has been known to drag Ricky into trouble on occasion, but Ricky likes her for this: she constantly surprises him and makes life interesting. Their bond deepened when they underwent personal crises together: the dragon incident, Shane's mother going missing, and Quinn's departure.

As the two remaining members of the Mavericks, Ricky and Shane spend a lot of time together in the club's hideout, often taking meals and sleeping there. Although they have few interests in common (Shane prefers physical activities such as duelling and Quidditch, in contrast with Ricky's academic tendencies), both are unfailingly loyal to the other, frequently confide in one another, and trust each other implicitly. Shane is aware of, and accepts without reservation, Ricky's natural Legilimency ability. Ricky, for his part, assisted Shane in her quest to secretly and illegally become an Animagus, including brewing the potion for her, and being present when she finally succeeded in the transformation in their fourth year. They only tend to clash regarding Ricky's friendship with Shane's cousin, Zack, whom she despises.

### Xia-ji Feng

Ricky became fast friends with Xia after a chance meeting early in their second year. Although he is usually slow to become comfortable around people, Xia's energetic and friendly nature puts him at ease, and he finds her fun and easy to talk to. Ricky also appreciates her blunt honesty and finds her unusually wise; her words have on occasion given him perspective just when he needed it. This allows him to bear with some of Xia's more dubious antics, which include scaling and twerking on the Hogwarts Christmas tree during their fourth year.

Ricky and Xia began to develop intense feelings for one another during their third year. Ricky was initially hesitant to begin a relationship because of his lingering hurt over Quinn's abandonment; understanding this, Xia continued to pursue him without forcing the issue. The two finally began dating shortly before their fourth year, and have been in a relationship ever since. They routinely attend Halloween Balls and other events together, and are very public about their relationship.

### Zack Mason

Ricky first met Zack early in his second year and Zack's first, while both were brewing in the potions lab. Ricky quickly recognised that Zack was as talented and enthusiastic about potions as he was, and supervised the first few potions Zack brewed, noting his rapid improvement. The two became casual acquaintances outside of the lab as well; in fact, since all of Ricky's closest friends are female, he considers Zack his best male friend.

Ricky initially did not know Zack's surname and did not discover for some time that he was Shane's cousin. When he did, he kept their friendship secret, knowing that Shane hated her cousin, for unknown reasons. Near the end of his third year, though, Shane discovered their friendship and reacted badly. This began a chain of events that led to Ricky discovering his natural Legilimency - a poetic occurrence since Zack is *also* a natural Legilimens, although neither were aware of this at the time. The following year, Zack confided to Ricky the strange emotions and thoughts he was sensing, and Ricky correctly deduced and informed Zack that he had the power.

### Others

Ricky has met a large number of students in his year and generally gets along with most of them, including his dorm-mates Erich Futcher and Dima LaRose, as well as Mei-Xing Xue, Talia Walker, Kenneth Avery, and Edward Grey. He has a mixed relationship with Cleo Casseo, who had expressed anti-Muggle sentiment at their first Opening Feast, but finds her a decent conversationalist if that topic is avoided.

Other than Zack, Ricky knows a number of students in the year below him and serves as an unofficial mentor or carer to several of them, particularly Isaac Hiltshire and Toby Hunt. His official mentee was Aranya Kashyap\*, with whom he got along well, but Aranya left the school after an incident in which she was physically assaulted by Klaus and left with a concussion, broken ankle and other minor injuries. In later years, and particularly since becoming a prefect, Ricky has talked to and formed relationships with a number of younger students, including Evelyn Arendale, Juniper Fleur and Adam Crawford. Meanwhile, Ricky is wary of some others who have shown strange or threatening tendencies, such as Fe Marie and Merwyn Déonté.

Ricky tends to be shy around students in upper years, but he has formed hesitantly warm relationships with a few. The first fellow student he ever met was Sheng-li Feng, Xia's older sister, and he looks up to Sheng as an informal mentor: it was Sheng who taught him his first Healing spell, *Episkey*, during his third year. Ricky's mentor was Ravenclaw prefect Lucy Brown (to whom he is unrelated); the two rarely interacted at Hogwarts, but as a trainee Healer, Lucy gave Ricky information and advice for applying for a Healing apprenticeship when they met by chance in London one day. Ricky was a resident on Maz Hatter's ship on the Black Lake for several months before her arrest, and is one of the few people who (despite his initial apprehension) regard her positively, as she treated him very kindly and also accepted Isaac and Toby on the ship when they were in need. Ricky also met Kat Burton in his third year; she helped explain to him his natural Legilimency ability, since she herself is one.

Ricky has a neutral relationship with most of his teachers and rarely speaks to them outside of class. The primary exception is Rose Wyatt, whom he met and befriended before she was appointed one of the History of Magic Professors. Another notable relationship is with Professor Prince, who is also a natural Legilimens and, along with Kat, helped Ricky discover the ability. Ricky's least favourite professor is Professor Fawley; however, he became possibly the only Hufflepuff ever to receive house points from Fawley, after jinxing Professor Mallory to keep him from escaping her.

## Pets and Animals

Ricky owns a young screech owl named Hunter, whom he bought in his first visit to Diagon Alley. He visits Hunter in the Owlery several times a week and uses him to regularly exchange letters with his family. Hunter is an intelligent owl and is particularly good at ensuring he delivers letters when prying eyes are not around. He is very shy around humans other than Ricky, although he has developed a hesitant liking for his frequent correspondents, most notably Shane.

Ricky's family owns three cats, including Alex's cat, Cupcake. Ricky adores cats and has been noted to interact with several other students' cats, such as Marianne's kitten, Chanceux. Ricky also owns a magical green duckling, which he obtained from the Easter egg hunt in his fourth year, and which typically lives in the Mavericks' Hideout.

## Notes

\*Aranya Kashyap was retconned by her roleplayer and now exists as an adult character. Her original characterisation is assumed to have been taken by a NPC, but, for convenience's sake, I have kept her original name on this wiki page.