Nicholas Gaunt

International Confederation of Wizards

* Order of Merlin

"*Some say God tossed a coin the day that Nicholas Gaunt was born. With one side of the coin symbolizing good, and the other representing evil, to position his future in the wizard world. Though God did not watch carefully where he threw the coin, flipping the coin down a pit as endless as a Phoenix's life cycle.*"
―Silas Viridian while conversing with Alex Layton about Nicholas Gaunt's moral alignment.
**Professor Nicholas Cassius Gaunt** (b. 25 December 1951) is an English Pure-blood wizard serving as the current Defence Against the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry aswell as a member of the Order of Merlin and a member of The Order. He is the only son of **Marfin** and **Valery Gaunt**. As the patriarch of the recently restored House of Gaunt, Nicholas is recognised as the **Heir of Slytherin** by most witches and wizards who still cling to the ideals of pure-blood supremacy; giving him a relative position of power in the British wizarding community. His early life was one of strife and abandonment, as Nicholas was solely raised by his abusive father, Marfin Gaunt.

After graduating Hogwarts Nicholas embarked on a journey across the world, seeing all that the wizarding world had to offer outside of the little places he had gone, ultimately returning after an owl from Perseus Black arrived; requesting Nicholas' expertise in tracking down and ending the remnants of the threat that had nearly destroyed Hogwarts years ago.

Returning from his journey Nicholas would team up with Perseus, who had now become an Auror working for the Ministry of Magic in a time where chaos still ravaged the world as a whole. Here Nicholas' reputation as one of the world's most renowned duelists would originate from, taking down dozens of Dark Wizards alongside Black in their quest to restore the wizarding world to what it once was.

With the deeming threat of the Dark Wizards ultimately crumbling to pieces the duo would part ways once again, with Perseus going on to become Head Auror and Nicholas going on to pursue his long lasting dream; becoming the most powerful wizard the world had ever known and restoring the Gaunt family's name. Though their philosophical ideas and ambitions differed much from each other, Nicholas' future children by his wife Irelia Gaunt (née Malfoy) would become common faces over at the House of Black's family home; 12 Grimmauld Place.

As years passed Nicholas' dream of restoring his family's name would come true, with his reputation of helping to restore the Wizarding World to peace, his name being one spoken of with renown and through various cunning plans and help from both wealthy friends, allies and those considering themselves as loyal to the Heir of Slytherin being able to restore the House of Gaunt's wealth back to an amount befitting the descendants of one of Hogwart's founders, and one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight's most reputable and infamous families.

In 1990 Nicholas would be appointed to the position of Professor Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, to much suprise of the Wizarding World.

## Physical appearance

Nicholas is a man in his late thirties with an oval-shaped face, high cheekbones, and full lips that have a slight downward curve at the corners. His dark brown hair has natural curls that add texture and movement to his appearance. His sharp, pointed features and pale complexion give him a distinct and refined look. However, the most striking feature of his face is his set of almond-shaped, deep-set eyes with heterochromia iridis. One eye is a vivid emerald green, while the other is a warm hazel brown. The contrast between the two colors creates a captivating and unique gaze that draws attention to his face.

Nicholas is often spotted in formal and sophisticated attire that matches his position and status. He particularly favors custom-tailored suits that flatter his tall, athletic build.

One distinctive accesory he frequently wears is the **Gaunt's family ring,** a solid gold ring adorned with a black stone, which unbeknownst to nearly all but Nicholas is in fact the Resurrection Stone and one of the three fabled objects that make up the Deathly Hallows, with the Hallows' symbol engraved upon the Resurrection Stone.

## History

### **Early Life (1951 - 1963)**

"*Even after his mother passed away, Nicholas had no family left. We all have our flaws, Professor, but I - for one - pity him. The abuse he suffered at the hands of his father has left the boy scarred for life; and it might lead to terrible consequences in the future, but it is our duty to show him the different side of life. Goodness... it is a rare thing these days, but I believe it is to be found in even the most wretched of us; and I will not blame a child for the sins of his family.*"

*—* Silas Viridian discussing Nicholas' acceptance into Hogwarts with members of his staff.

**Nicholas Cassius Gaunt** was born on the 25th of December, 1951 outside of the village Little Hangleton as the only child to **Marfin** and **Valery Gaunt**, both of whom were brother and sister. His birth was marked with tragedy, as Valery passed shortly after due to the consequences of underlying health conditions caused by generations of inbreeding. Though Nicholas was considered a genetic miracle as he showed to have no physical deformities like others of his family, it is certain, however, that (along with Marfin's violent upbringing) it had lasting effects on Nicholas' mental well-being; as he became naturally prone to sadism, personality changes, borderline and extreme impulsiveness. Although the House of Gaunt was originally counted amongst the most respected of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, generations of grandeur in tandem with little sensibility due to the results of inbreeding made it so that the family's treasury was spent long before Nicholas was even born.

As such, Nicholas was raised in poverty and experienced a very limited childhood. Marfin, already violent in nature, deeply resented Nicholas and blamed him for the death of his wife and the state of their family; often leading to physical abuse. Subsequently, the relation between Marfin and Nicholas drastically disorientated as the years went by, and the love that they once have had for eachother passed into contemptment. This made Nicholas determined to one day change his life around; striving to become better than his father ever was.

#### **Time at Hogwarts (1963-1970)**

Nicholas received his acceptance letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in **1963**. A nod to his paternal ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, Nicholas was almost immediately placed into Slytherin house once the **Sorting Hat** was placed on him. Although knowledge about the **Chamber of Secrets** had been lost to both the Gaunts and the majority of the wizarding world, it is speculated that the Sorting Hat hinted its existence to Nicholas during the Sorting ceremony due to the Sorting Hat referring to Nicholas as "*the heir*" and telling him that it was "*time to reclaim what was lost.*" Nicholas, however, did not know what the Sorting Hat referred to at the time.

Despite being sorted into Slytherin House, as expected, Nicholas had trouble fitting in with most of his housemate peers. Scorned for his family's reputation and his own anti-social demeanour towards most of his classmates made many look down upon the supposed Heir, while at the same time expecting a great deal from the young wizard.

Nicholas was disparaged by many of his peers in his first year, although he tolerated it to an extant, if it came to bullying he would resolutely retaliate, quickly reacting intensely violent to whatever was thrown at him. In one instance Nicholas made Appius Malfoy levitate several meters high into the air and subsequently let him fall back down without any care for his safety, resulting in many students harbouring a fear of Nicholas and dared not to harass Nicholas after.

During his time at Hogwarts Nicholas developed a brotherly bond with Perseus Black, which would have a lot of turns through their time at Hogwarts as their friendship brought about many tensions in Nicholas' mission to restore his family name to its former glory as Perseus was a known Blood-Traitor.

Through his years at Hogwarts Nicholas' goals of restoring his family's name would slowly start, with Nicholas undergoing heavy changes regarding himself in the early years of his education at Hogwarts in an effort to portray himself as a respectable member of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, casting aside his friendships with members of other houses and his brotherly bond with known Blood-traitor Perseus Black, while also associating himself with membes of the Pure-Blood Aristocracy.

Even though during his fifth year at Hogwarts the castle was attacked by Extremists whose goals aligned a lot with that of his own, Nicholas chose to protect the school his ancestor had founded, surviving the attack and helping rebuild the castle after the fierce war-like battle had concluded.

After the attack Nicholas remained at Hogwarts to complete his magical education, graduating with top grades in nearly all subjects, safe for healing.

#### **Life after graduation (1970-1990)**

After graduating from Hogwarts, Nicholas set out on a journey around the world, seeking to explore all the wonders of the wizarding world beyond the confines of his previous experiences. However, his travels were interrupted half-way when he received an owl from Perseus Black, who asked for his assistance in tracking down and eliminating the remnants of the threat that had nearly destroyed Hogwarts years before.

Upon returning from his journey, Nicholas joined forces with Perseus, who had become an Auror working for the Ministry of Magic during a tumultuous period of chaos and uncertainty. It was during this time that Nicholas cemented his reputation as one of the world's most skilled duelists, taking down numerous Dark Wizards alongside Black as they worked to restore peace to the wizarding world.

Eventually, with the threat of Dark Wizards neutralized, Nicholas and Perseus went their separate ways. Perseus rose to become Head Auror, while Nicholas pursued his lifelong ambition of restoring the Gaunt family's name and becoming the most powerful wizard in the world. Although their philosophies and goals diverged, Nicholas' future children with his wife Rowena remained close to the Black family and were frequent visitors to their ancestral home at 12 Grimmauld Place.

Over time, Nicholas was able to achieve his dream of restoring his family's name and reputation, thanks in part to his efforts to restore peace and stability to the wizarding world. With cunning plans and the help of wealthy friends, allies, and loyal followers of the Heir of Slytherin, Nicholas was able to restore the House of Gaunt's wealth to levels befitting one of Hogwarts' founding families and one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight.

In 1990, to the surprise of the wizarding world, Nicholas was appointed as the Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts

## Skills & Abilities

Though initially struggling greatly to properly use magic due to the mental ilnesses he had been born with, Nicholas would grow up to become a figure of great repute and notoriety within the Wizarding World, renowned for his prodigious magical abilities that are said to be matched only by a select few of the most powerful and skilled wizards and witches, including the likes of Zachary Lestrange, Ophelia Black, Perseus Black, and William Potter. Having mastered nearly all forms of magic, Nicholas is a true master of the craft, with the exception of healing, which has remained an elusive pursuit for him since the very beginning of his magical career.

Despite this shortcoming, Nicholas more than makes up for it with his incredible dueling skills, which are characterized by their relentlessness, cruelty, and calculated nature. He has successfully taken down numerous Dark Wizards alongside his friend and ally, Perseus Black, during their quest to bring stability back to the Wizarding World. It is said that Nicholas has even invented a number of spells himself, particularly Dark Curses, which he is a master of.

In addition to his magical prowess, Nicholas possesses cunning and strategic thinking that allows him to devise and execute complex schemes to benefit himself and his loved ones. With the assistance of his affluent friends, allies, and loyal followers, he was able to rebuild his family's wealth and reputation, demonstrating his high level of intelligence, analytical skills, and strategic decision-making abilities.

Furthermore, it is worth noting that Nicholas inherited the ability to speak Parseltongue through his lineage from Salazar Slytherin, adding to his already impressive array of skills and abilities. With his unparalleled magical abilities, dueling skills, and strategic thinking, Nicholas remains a formidable presence in the Wizarding World, feared and respected by many.

Nicholas, as the Heir of Slytherin and a Parselmouth, has established a significant network of spies who work for him. He regularly utilizes snakes as his eyes and ears, which slither through the Wizarding World to gather information of interest and report back to him alongside his recruited spies.