Ricky Brown: Main

> "What I *try* to do most is to do the right thing. To help people, to be kind... But I’m not sure that I always do it well."
>
>

— Ricky to Lily Bartlett during his first year at Hogwarts

## Personal Information

### Also Known As:

Richard (birth name, rarely used)Rick (usually by his sister, Alex)

Neptune (Maverick codename)

## Physical Description

### Height:

4'7" or 140cm (at age 11)4'9" or 145cm (at age 12)

5'0" or 152cm (at age 13)

5'4" or 163cm (at age 14)

5'5" or 165cm (at age 15)

5'6" or 168cm (at age 16)

## Relationships

### Family Members:

Father, Shaun BrownMother, Camilla Brown

Sister, Alex Brown

## Magical

### Wand:

Ten inches, hawthorn and unicorn hair, quite bendy

### Abilities:

Natural Legilimency

**Richard David "Ricky" Brown** (b. 21 September, 2011) is a Muggleborn wizard from London. He was sorted into Hufflepuff House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is best known for being a prefect, an apprentice Healer, and for his skill in potion brewing. Out of character (OOC), he is best known for being a natural Legilimens, but in character (IC), this is a secret known only to a select few.

## Appearance

Weedy-looking as a child, Ricky remains on the short side of average despite having grown, and is very slim. At the age of 16, he is about 5 feet and 6 inches tall (168 centimetres). Ricky's hair is dark brown, thick and customarily messy. He has blue eyes and an intense stare. Ricky is very nearsighted and wore thick glasses until the summer prior to his fourth year, when he began wearing contact lenses instead.

## Personality

Ricky is normally quiet and thoughtful. Best described as shy when he first came to Hogwarts, Ricky has mostly outgrown this, but still has moments of social discomfort when surrounded by people he doesn't know. Ricky most prefers a quiet environment with just one or two people. He enjoys talking with friends but likes talking to and getting to know new people as well, especially people he perceives as outsiders. When conversing with someone for the first time, Ricky tends to speak sparingly and carefully, preferring to first get the measure of the other person. When he becomes more comfortable, his natural curiosity, enthusiasm for learning and unusual wisdom all become more evident. In almost every situation he is unfailingly polite and kind.

Ricky likes being liked and making people happy. He is not a risk-taker and normally avoids danger, fights or arguments at any cost, sometimes being overly cautious. However, he is fiercely loyal, and will often follow his friends into situations he would not necessarily choose for himself. He has a strong protective streak towards both family members and others - particularly girls his age or younger (a habit formed from having a younger sister). He is quick to defend anyone who is hurt or in trouble, and if someone deliberately harms a friend or someone he considers his responsibility, he can become unexpectedly spiteful or even violent.

Ricky has always been naturally empathetic, which, along with his compulsive drive to help others, has resulted in him becoming a frequent confidant and shoulder to cry on for his friends and even, occasionally, strangers. Beginning around Ricky's second year at Hogwarts, this empathy began to manifest as natural Legilimency, which allows him to magically sense others' emotions and superficial thoughts. Initially, this ability was random, uncontrolled and unconscious, causing Ricky to assume others' moods and emotions as his own and quickly become emotionally exhausted by public places and large crowds, which he mistakenly attributed to agoraphobia. Since becoming aware of the ability, Ricky has reluctantly accepted it and is learning a degree of control over it, but remains extremely uncomfortable with its moral implications. Ricky's natural Legilimency has intensified his tendency towards comforting and providing companionship for those affected by trauma or loss; this is partly a result of his internalised guilt over unintentionally invading their privacy.

Ricky's eye disorder puts him at risk of permanent blindness if he is hit on the head, causing him to avoid activities like Quidditch and, more recently, duelling. He was slightly clumsy and accident-prone in his initial years at Hogwarts, but activities like potion brewing, cycling and playing the piano have since helped him improve his coordination. Ricky is comfortable with physical affection, like hugging and holding hands, as these are normal in his family, but he is aware that other people are less comfortable with this and thus often refrains from it in public. He bites or chews his lip when thinking and brushes his hair out of his eyes when uncomfortable, or considering how to respond.

## Skills, Interests and Hobbies

Ricky likes learning and solving problems and puzzles. He spends a great deal of time reading, and the library is one of his most frequent haunts. In his first year, Ricky frequently took photographs of Hogwarts and surrounds to post back to his family, and developed a keen interest in photography as a result. He engages in the hobby more infrequently and intermittently now, but keeps in practice. Initially, Ricky used an old-fashioned Muggle mechanical camera, but soon bought a magical one capable of taking moving photos. He currently uses an advanced magical camera that his best friend, Shane Mason, bought him for his thirteenth birthday.

Ricky's best and favourite subject is Potions. He has studied and brewed many potions well ahead of the class curriculum, but generally refuses to brew potions he considers morally grey, even though he is probably skilful enough to brew such potions. He enjoys several other theoretical and historical subjects: his electives are Arithmancy, Ancient Runes and Magical Theory, and he also likes History of Magic. Ricky is passable, but not exceptional, at most wandwork-based classes. He dislikes Transfiguration, mostly due to Professor Fawley's teaching style, but has made an effort to improve his grades in that class, particularly in Untransfiguration. Ricky is also not a confident practical student in Herbology (due to some unfortunate encounters with a Fanged Geranium in first year) but makes up for this in theoretical knowledge.

Ricky first took an interest in Healing in his second year, and with the encouragement of Jiao-long Feng and Lucy Brown (who is no relation to Ricky), he applied for and was granted an apprenticeship at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries; his ambition is to become a full-time Healer, although he has not decided on a specialty. Although advanced Healing magic is beyond his current abilities, he has learned classic Healing spells such as *Episkey* and *Ulcere Sanguis*, is capable of brewing and using common healing potions and salves, and has studied human biology in his spare time to complement his knowledge. Outside of Healing spells, Ricky is competent in defensive magic and utility charms such as *Accio*, *Relevo* and *Scourgify*. Ricky's favourite and signature spell is the Bluebell Flames spell, *Algoignes*: the fireplace in the Mavericks' Hideout is constantly alight with blue flames that Ricky routinely maintains.

Ricky supports Tottenham Hotspur in the English Premier League, and the Wimbourne Wasps in the British and Irish Quidditch League; the latter because they are Shane's team, and her uncle plays for them. Ricky enjoys flying, although he has not learned any further than the basics. He can play the piano, having taken lessons as a child, and has practiced on-and-off since coming to Hogwarts; he has particularly tried to improve recently because his girlfriend, Xia-ji Feng, is musically inclined. Ricky took up cycling in the summer prior to his second year, at his parents' suggestion, and now regularly cycles to London and back from his Tottenham home.

## Gallery

Portrait of Ricky created using Live Portrait MakerSketch of Ricky (left) and Aranya Kashyap (right) by Mio