Ozymandias Uhmlander

*“People shouldn’t be afraid of their government. Governments should be afraid of their people.” -- V for Vendetta*

**Ozymandias "Oz" Uhmlander** is a Half-Blood wizard and the only child of Xzander Uhmlander, a wizard living on the fringes of proper society. Oz has never had much experience or contact with the wizarding world due to his father's paranoia and Oz has grown up in the world of conspiracies.

In 2017, Oz started his education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and WIzardry. A paranoid young man, Oz is quiet and observant, always keeping an open mind and open eyes to see and combat the influence of "the Man".

## Biography

### Early Life

Xzander Uhmlander was a Ravenclaw student at Hogwarts during the Second Wizarding War, graduating in 1996. He grew up with an intense mistrust of the Ministry, especially after the abuse of power from Delores Umbridge. After graduating, he became a wizarding activist, punk rocker and liberal extremeist, who was involved in a number of "revolutionary actions" against the Ministry for a number of years.

His paranoia eventually caused him to leave the wizarding world altogether, moving to a small town in the Cornwall countryside, where he fell in love with a waitress named Katherine.

Several years passed.

Ozymandias Harmony Uhmlander was born on 13 November, 2006. Tragically, Katherine--a frail woman with a big heart--died from complications in childbirth. This event broke an already paranoid and borderline unstable Xzander, who took his infant son and vanished into the woodwork.

Oz grew up isolated, with only his father and their dog Sasha. They lived simply, in a house with minimal power needs in the middle of the mountains in eastern Scotland. He was homeschooled and initiated into his father's conspiracy theories. Growing up, Oz was taught that everything had a hidden meaning and the things going on have been orchestrated to hide what's REALLY going on. Quidditch? It's like the gladiator games of ancient Rome. Port Keys and Floo Network? The Ministry's way of spying on you. The Ministry were not the good guys; they want exactly what Voldemort wanted. Voldemort's mistake was that he was violent and too overt with his methodology. The Ministry wants total control and uses far more subtle means to brainwash and placate you. Don't trust anyone. Never take anything at face value.

It was with this mindset that a horrified Xzander received Oz's acceptance letter to Hogwarts. Xzander burned the damned thing, although the letters kept coming, for days. Xzander decided he and Oz were going to leave the country, before the Headmistress arrived at their doorstep six days later. During Xzander's days at Hogwarts, Minerva McGonagoll was the one person he put his faith in, especially during the horrors of the dark days.

   "The boy needs an education, Xzander," she said, "He'd be a danger to himself and to others if he's left unregulated."

It was a difficult discussion but McGonagaoll eventually persuaded Xzander to allow Oz to attend Hogwarts, on the condition that Oz only took classes about training with magic and was not to attend any course or program designed to educate or induct students into the Ministry. McGonagoll agreed and Oz was allowed to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Oz was terrified to be out in the world, at what amounts to ground zero for Ministry puppets. Xzander took him to London and purchased the necessary supplies, all while encouraging him to learn and keep his eyes open. Never trust anyone.

### Notable Accomplishments

#### First Year (2017-2018)

* Started his education at Hogwarts, being sorted into Gryffindor, much to the surprise of both himself and his father.
* Went searching for the kitchens with Riley, Cary, Jeremy and Delsen. They never found them and were eventually apprehended by a Hufflepuff prefect.
* Attended Quidditch tryouts with Joy and Amber. Later accompanied Riley and Rose to visit Cary in the Hospital Wing, who'd been injured by a Bludger during the tryout.
* Attended the Christmas Party in the Gryffindor Common Room.
* Recruited by Cary and Riley to help them, James Potter and Louis Weasley prank the Selwyns and their brood in "Operation: Bad Day".
* Had his homework stolen by Peeves the Poltergeist in early March. It would end up being recovered by Rose, Cary and Riley.

#### Second Year (2018-2019)

* Supported Rose, Cary and Riley during Quidditch tryouts and attended every game, sitting beside Rose each time.
* Was dragged along by Jeremy and Delsen on several "expeditions" around the castle. During these expeditions, Oz found and memorizes a number of secret passages that apparently only he knows (though it can be assumed James and Louis at least know OF them). It's unclear the extent of these tunnels and passages, only that they are extensive and only Oz knows the way around them. Crookshanks would often accompany him on these adventures.

#### Third Year (2019-2020)

* Supported Rose, Cary and Riley during Quidditch tryouts yet again, and was quite pleased when all three made the team. He attended every game.
* Oz continued his expeditions through the tunnels around the school, eventually finding one that led into a strange grove somewhere in the Forbidden Forest.
* Assisted Rose, Cary and Riley in their apprehension of the Hell Hound named "Snuggles".

#### Fourth Year (2020-2021)

* Yet again supported Rose and the others for Quidditch tryouts.
* Assisted Rose and the others in gathering ingredients for the creation of the Separating Salve, purchasing the ingredients in Hogsmeade and contacting his father for the rest.
* Made the Separating Salve and helped Rose figure out the poison's ingredients.
* Attended the Yule Ball alone.

## Physical Appearance

Oz is tall, skinny and lanky with a face that tends to rest somewhere between blank and frowning. He has nervous, dark brown eyes and scruffy, shoulder-length brown hair. He never quite looks put together; his tie is usually crooked, his shirt partially untucked, his trousers a bit askew, his hair disheveled and uncombed. His body language is very closed and guarded. He dresses simply, with punk-rock t-shirts, and weathered jeans. He prefers work boots or combat boots as his primary footwear.

## Personality and Traits

Oz is a shy outcast with a paranoid view of the world, viewing the "hidden patterns" others miss around them. He is one of the smartest individuals in his Year and is capable devising surprisingly effective and brilliant plans when the situation calls for it. Despite a sharp, calculating mind, Oz is timid and unassuming, often completely going unnoticed; more than once, he has spoken up or revealed he had been somewhere where none of his friends, even Rose, had seen him or even realized he was around.

Growing up, he had no real friends apart from Sasha the dog and his father. Even at Hogwarts, this has more or less held up; other students refuse to have lunch or walk to class with him and his off-putting habit of quietly expositing cryptic conspiracy theories hasn't made him the life of the party.

In social situations, he's nervous to speak up but desperate for that human connection and acceptance that he's been denied for so long. He tries to be heard by others around him, which helps to fuel everyone else's suspicion that he's a little odd. His offers of help tend to fall on deaf ears and he's often ridiculed by Riley or Fitz.

Most famously, Oz is a conspiracy nut and he takes nothing at face value, especially anything said by a teacher or Ministry worker. He holds a wide variety of strange, crazy, impossible ideas and beliefs and often expounds these beliefs to his friends, who tend to respond in different ways; Rose with a supportive (if unconvinced) smile, Cary with a good-natured chuckle and Riley with incredulity and frustration. Others use these beliefs as an excuse to write him off.

While his father raised him to "trust no one", by fourteen years old, he has begun to question this philosophy somewhat. People seem to want to be good, in his view and they tend to do the right thing if you give them the chance. While he initially had no friends within or outside of Hogwarts, he soon became the friend to Rose Granger-Weasley and her friends Cary and Riley, and despite his shy, quiet personality, he professes it to be the only place he really feels like he belongs.

## Magical Abilities and Skills

Oz's spellcasting talents have improved in most areas as he grows older, though he's by no means at the top of his classes. He's not a fantastic flier, however and Transfiguration is easily his worst subject.

* **Astronomy:** A natural curiosity of the sky and the stars has led to Oz excelling in this subject.
* **Divination:** Oz has proven extremely capable and clever at Divination.
* **Herbology:** Due to his upbringing in an isolated mountain cabin, Oz is extremely familiar with tending and identifying plants.
* **Potions:** Oz has become quite good at Potions, due to the constant need to brew certain potions back home.

## Major Relationships

### Father

Growing up, Xzander Uhmlander was the only person in Oz's life. As such, Oz worshipped the ground he walked on and the things he told him as absolute truth. Oz has inherited many of Xzander's personality traits, including a healthy sense of paranoia and wearing his scruffy hair long. Xzander was always a good, loving father if an insanely over-protective one; Oz grew up sheltered and afraid of the world, but deeply loved.

As Oz grows older, he has started to understand that Xzander's own experiences growing up under Voldemort's reign fueled a lot of the fear that drove him. While Oz absolutely agrees with most of Xzander's conspiracy theory beliefs and shares his father's complete distrust of government and authority, he does not necessarily prescribe to the "trust no one" philosophy.

Regardless of any differences they may share, the two are still incredibly close and Oz loves his father deeply.

### Rose Granger-Weasley

Rose is one of the few people at Hogwarts to treat him like a person and not tease him or think less of him due to his fringe beliefs. Technically, she was THE first. The two have been friends since their First Year at Hogwarts and there is nothing he would not do for her, who he sees like the sister he never had. He trusts few people and Rose is absolutely one of them. In Oz's eyes, Rose is truly a ray of sunshine in an otherwise grey and gloomy world. She gives him hope that people may be good deep down and the idea that people like Rose can exist in this world gives him great comfort.

### Cary Nordegraf

Cary is another Oz's best friends. A laid back, chill dude, Cary has always given Oz the benefit of the doubt and has defended him from their Housemates on several occasions over the years. Oz admires Cary's friendly and accepting personality and thinks of him as a legitimately good person. A little naive, maybe, but you know. A good person.

### Reiley Pilgrim

Riley is another of Oz's best friends. He is...essentially Oz's exact opposite, both physically and in terms of personality. Riley is brazen, outgoing, physically active, confident and utterly fearless when the moment is most dire. Oz sees Riley a little like a Knight of yore, a real hero; a lion in a world of sheep. Riley might not be the sharpest quill in the drawer, but there's nobody else he'd want at his side at the end of the world.

Of all of his friends, Riley gets the most exasperated with Oz. It seems as if only Riley hears some of the weird shit oz talks about, or at least he's the only one to respond, usually with incredulity or frustration. Secretly, Oz enjoys messing with Riley, sometimes saying cryptic nonsense or just staring at him in order to freak him out.

### Newt Gudgeon

The Ravenclaw has started hanging out with their group a little more and Oz thinks he's an alright guy. The two get on well enough in Astronomy and Divination, which they share a passion for, where they've been placed next to each other since First Year. With time, Oz could view Newt as a close and trusted friend like the others.

### Quintus & Astraea Selwyn

Nope. These guys suck. They're the embodiment of the oppressive 1% and represent everything he and his father are against in the world.

### Gestabald Dodderidge

This Slytherin is quite possibly the only person in school more maligned, feared and avoided more than Oz. The two are often compared by other students, which annoys Oz. He dislikes Dodderidge on a deep and personal level.

## Trivia

* Oz is a big fan of punk music, due to his father's background. He's started writing punk music of his own.
* Oz is a vegan.
* His favorite color is black.
* Can play the drums, favoring very fast, simple beats.
* He is a very big animal lover, though they...don't seem to like him much, outside of his own farm. The exception to this seems to be Rose's cat Crookshanks, who often accompanied Oz on his adventures around the castle.
* Has several strange objects and gadgets in his trunk that may or may not eventually be of use.
* He and his father have moved at least four times since he started school at Hogwarts. They may have moved more than that, but this is the number of times Oz has stated they have moved.
* Oz does not know *where* he ever lives, exactly, but he has described the location every so often: he and his father originally lived in a rocky, forested mountain region that was deduced to be somewhere in Norway or possibly Sweden or the Ukraine. They then moved to a much hotter climate, though not much is known about this location other than that post by Owl took much longer than before. The third move resulted in them living in a "dry, tree-filled valley that was surprisingly good for farming". The most recent move has been to a hilly, grassy region criss-crossed by rivers.
* Oz is an atheist and anarchist.
* Apparently knows how to use a forge.
* While his Boggart specifically took on the form of the current Minister for Magic, his actual fear is the leader of the Illuminati. It just so happens that, in Oz's mind, the Minister *is* the leader, or at least represents that kind of authority in his mind.