Timothy Frank

**Timothy Frank** (**25 March**, **1879** — **11 December**, **1932**) was an English Muggle-born wizard, most well-known for his role as a plantiff in the landmark Wizarding legal case Frank vs. Clagg, also known as the *Curious Case of Timothy Frank*. Frank, only fourteen at the time, took his sponsor, Gerald Clagg, to court with allegations of mistreatment.

The court case overturned the usage of an antiquated clause within the International Statute of Secrecy, in which Muggle-born children who displayed magic before their eleventh birthday were immediately removed from their family, regardless of the family's suitable abilities to raise said child.

## Biography

### Early life (1879-1889)

Timothy Frank was born on 25 March, 1879, the second of three sons born to muggles Henry Frank and Bridget Frank, in Manchester, Lancashire, England. Both of his parents were Muggles. Timothy was the only member of his family who possessed the ability to perform magic, making him a Muggle-born.

#### Incident (1889)

A short time after Timothy's tenth birthday, Timothy performed accidental magic to some local boys. Without knowing of the laws that governed his soon-to-be world, members of the Accidental Magic Reversal Squad arrived, to repair damage to a nearby house. Timothy was identified as the culprit, and in accordance to Clause 11 in the International Statute of Secrecy, he was removed from his home, and his family was thereby Obliviated and wiped of all traces of Frank.

He was taken to London, where he was given a placement to stay with a family called the Claggs. Living in Cheshire, they were not far from Timothy's original home, but his family had forgotten entirely about Frank's existence, and did not remember him when the boy soon escaped to find them again.

### Hogwarts years (1890-1897)

Timothy Frank received his Hogwarts letter in the summer of 1890, at the age of eleven. However, Gerald Clagg, Frank's official sponsor in the magical world, withheld the money Frank was given to buy his supplies. Clagg was insistent that Frank pay his own way, and made him work "incredibly long hours during the summer" in which if Frank did not complete his work, Clagg would "beat him" and make "[him sleep] in the shed with the dogs".

Timothy ultimately ended up attending Hogwarts. He was sorted into Hufflepuff House which upset his sponsor, Gerald Clagg, and for each summer Frank was forced to work for hours into the night in the fields of Clagg's farm. At the age of twelve, Timothy ran away: he was subsequently returned to the Claggs. At the age of thirteen, Timothy ran away again: and once more, he was returned.

#### Curious Case of Timothy Frank (1893)

At the age of fourteen, Timothy Frank met Alfonsus Sawyer, a lawyer seeking other Muggle-borns wanting to advance Muggle-born rights. Feeling that Frank had a very good case, Sawyer told Frank to go to the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol, where they obtained evidence of abuse and mistreatment against Clagg.

### Frank vs. Clagg (1893)

A hearing was held in the early summer of 1893, where Clagg was charged for mistreatment only: the case went to trial on 11 August, 1893, where the Wizengamot heard the case. Timothy Frank did not attend the hearing, but he was permitted to attend the trial as a witness.

#### Background (1893)

The law that Alfonsus Sawyer was seeking to be reexamined was Clause 11 of the International Statute of Secrecy. Also known as the "Obscurial Clause," the Obscurial Clause itself actually had very little to do with Obscurials or how Britain chose to interpret the law. For many years, Wizarding Britain saw Clause 11 as a way to remove Muggle-born children from their homes, lest they become an Obscurial.

#### Ruling (1893)

The case against Gerald Clagg was considered against him, and was found to be unusually impactful. Timothy Frank also petitioned the court to become a legal adult so that he would not be sent to another wizarding family: Sawyer also wanted to prosecute members of the Accidental Magical Reversal Squad for the Obliviation of Timothy's relatives. However, the majority was ruled by the conservative Pure-bloods in the Wizengamot, and despite the decision to arrest Clagg and send him to Azkaban for six month's time, Sawyer thought that pursuing the Reversal Squad would provide less success.

#### Analysis

The court case overturned the usage of an antiquated clause within the International Statute of Secrecy, in which Muggle-born children who displayed magic before their eleventh birthday were immediately removed from their family, regardless of the family's suitable abilities to raise said child.

### Later life (1894-1932)

Timothy Frank left Hogwarts at the age of fifteen and for a long time worked inside Slug & Jiggers Apothecary in Diagon Alley. He died unmarried in December of 1932, at the age of 53.

## Etymology

The name Timothy is an English form of the Greek name *Τιμόθεος (Timotheos)* meaning "honouring God", derived from *τιμάω (timao)* meaning "to honour" and *θεός (theos)* meaning "god". Saint Timothy was a companion of Paul on his missionary journeys and was the recipient of two of Paul's epistles that appear in the New Testament.

The surname Frank derived from the given name Francis.