Johnny Cresswell

## Jonathan Cresswell

**Jonathan** "**Johnny" Cresswell** (23 May 1983 - 2 May 1998) was the second son of Dirk Cresswell and his wife Mrs. Cresswell. He was born in Sedgley, Dudley, in the West Midlands. He was the brother of Geoffrey Cresswell. He began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at the age of eleven in 1994, and was sorted into Hufflepuff House. He shared a dormitory with a boy named Christopher Percy.

In his fourth year of school, Johnny's father, former Head of Goblin Liaison, was murdered by Snatchers because he attempted to forge a fake family tree in order to hide his muggle-born heritage. His death was announced on *Potterwatch*, a radio programme that kept Order sympathisers updated during the course of the war. Johnny escaped to the Room of Requirement in February, following his older brother, Geoffrey, who was a member of Dumbledore's Army.

He fought in the Battle of Hogwarts and was killed by an unidentified Death Eater. His name is honoured among the Fallen Fifty on a memorial on Hogwarts grounds.

## Biography

### Early life (1983-1994)

Johnny Cresswell was born on 23 May, 1983, to Dirk Cresswell and his wife in the village of Sedgley, in the West Midlands. He had an older brother called Geoffrey. His father, Dirk, was a muggle-born wizard who became the Head of the Goblin Liaison Office at the Ministry of Magic, and was considered by many to be a great wizard. Their mother was a half-blood witch who stayed at home. His father was fluent in Gobbledegook.

Johnny and his brother lived in a relatively large house in the countryside, hidden from muggle sight. It used to belong to their maternal grandfather, Amos Fawley. Their mother was Millicent Fawley. Their maternal *great* grandfather was Hector Fawley, who was the British Minister for Magic from 1925 to 1939. His term in office coincided with the beginning of Gellert Grindelwald's "For the Greater Good" revolution. Fawley did not take Grindelwald's threat to the world wizarding community sufficiently seriously, and his lack of response was openly questioned. The Daily Prophet once asked in 1926, whether "Flamboyant Fawley" was doing enough.

Johnny and his brother Geoffrey supported the Tutshill Tornadoes as children.

### Hogwarts years (1994-1998)

#### First and second year

Johnny received his Hogwarts letter in the summer of 1994. Before attending, he purchased a wand made of pear and unicorn hair from Ollivander's Wand Shop in Diagon Alley. He boarded the Hogwarts Express at King's Cross Station in London on 1 September, 1994. Later that night, he was sorted into Hufflepuff, like his mother had been. His brother, Geoffrey, had reportedly hoped that Johnny would be sorted into Gryffindor.

Johnny was rather talented at Potions and Herbology. He was also a rather friendly individual, though his best friend was Christopher Percy.

#### Third year

When Johnny just finishing his second year of school, the Dark Lord Lord Voldemort, active long before Johnny was born, made a public reappearance and began a new reign of terror, on 18 June, 1996. Johnny's mother, according to his brother Geoffrey, reportedly did not want to let the brothers return to school the next autumn; however, Geoffrey managed to convince her, and Johnny returned for his third year. He took Divination and Care of Magical Creatures as electives.

#### Fourth year

During the height of the Second Wizarding War, on 1 August, 1997, the Ministry of Magic was taken over by Lord Voldemort. Shortly after, the Ministry began persecuting Muggle-born wizards and witches, including Johnny's own father, Dirk Cresswell. It began with the formation of the Muggle-Born Registration Commission and the Snatchers organisations, in accordance with the Death Eater ideology. Muggle-borns like Johnny's father were accused of having stolen magic and sentenced to Azkaban for it.

Johnny's father, Dirk Cresswell, arranged with a wizard to forge a false family tree so that the Ministry would believe that Dirk was of a different blood status. However, Albert Runcorn, a powerful Ministry official and supporter of the Death Eater regime, tracked the wizard who faked his family tree and Johnny's father was arrested. While Death Eater-controlled and newly instated Minister Pius Thicknesse, alongside Dolores Umbridge, Yaxley, and Albert Runcorn, delivered a speech to the Ministry employees about the changes in Ministry policy, Snatchers arrived and dragged a battered and bruised Dirk Cresswell across the Atrium. Johnny and Geoffrey were at home when this happened and their father never came home.

Auror John Dawlish was charged with transporting Johnny's father to Azkaban fortress in the North Sea, via broomstick. Halfway to the prison, Dirk managed to stun Dawlish, whom he believed to be under the effects of the Confundus Charm, and stole the Auror's broomstick, using it to escape. He sent a letter to his son, Geoffrey, which was the only contact their family received until Dirk's death was announced on *Potterwatch* in March 1998: however, Johnny's mother was wildly convinced that Geoffrey was corresponding with their father, and begged to write to him.

Johnny's brother, Geoffrey, was also apart of the restored Dumbledore's Army, that year, and ended up staying in the Room of Requirement to escape the Carrows. Johnny joined him soon after, along with many other student refugees, but he was not an official member.

#### Battle of Hogwarts and Death (2 May, 1998)

When Voldemort's army attacked the castle, Geoffrey was among many of those who stayed to fight, even though both he and Johnny were sent back to the Room of Requirement to be evacuated with all of the other underaged students. Geoffrey snuck back to the battle with Colin Creevey and George Bell, but he ordered Johnny to leave.

Johnny tried to stop Geoffrey and there was a tussle, but he was stunned and knocked out, gaining a concussion in the process. He then staggered after Geoffrey, but it was no use finding him. He fought in the Battle but was struck down by an unidentified Death Eater.

## Etymology

The given name *John* was used from late Middle English as a form of address to a man, or to denote various occupations, including that of priest (late Middle English) and policeman (mid 17th century). The name *Jonathan* in Hebrew means "god has given".

The surname Cresswell (or Creswell), a local name of “of Cresswell”. Parishes in Northumerland and Stafford bear this name. The name derives from the Old English word cærse, meaning watercress, and well, meaning spring/stream.