Riley Pilgrim

"*Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday."-- Don Marquis*

**Riley Stuart Pilgrim, Jr,** is a muggleborn wizard from Manchester, UK. He was named after his father, a former football-star hopeful in university. Riley, being a muggleborn, is largely unfamiliar with most aspects of the wizarding world.

In 2017, Riley started his education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. A restless, mischievous young man, Riley is often reckless and impatient, with complaints of being "booooored" all too common around the Gryffindor Common Room. Riley is a loyal friend with a bit of a chip on his shoulder, as he feels like he has something to prove as a muggleborn.

## Biography

Riley is the oldest child (of two) to Riley Pilgrim, Sr and his wife Liddia. Riley, Sr was a football player in University and was on the road to being a pro when he suffered a knee injury that shattered those hopes.

This being said, Riley was raised in a house that was altogether passionate about football. And by passionate, I mean borderline obsessed. Riley attended games regularly with his father and Riley, Sr was excited for his son to carry on the legacy.

Riley was always an active, physical child who made friends easily. He never backed down from a dare, which earned him a reputation as a daredevil. He wasn't popular, per se, but he was well-liked and had several good friends through the years.

Riley started to grow a love of artistic pursuits and mechanics but his father continued to steer him toward footie, which Riley begrudgingly went along with.

In June of 2017, a gentleman arrived at the Pilgrim house with the revelation that Riley was, in fact, a Wizard and he had been accepted to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, one of the most prestigious magic schools in the world. It was eventually decided Riley would attend, a fact that made Riley excited beyond belief, since *The Hobbit* movies were some of his favorites. Riley the Grey, baby.

He went shopping with his parents and the representative from the Ministry of Magic for his school supplies in Diagon Alley and this first exposure to the magical world deeply resonated with Riley. It was weird, unlike anything he'd ever seen, but something about it felt familiar, like this world was where he'd always really belonged.

He made a friend while waiting for his wand; a kid named Cecil Shan. The two agreed to try to hang out when they got to school, as Riley's wand chose him incredibly quickly; he'd only tried two others before his chose him. "The Wand Chooses the Wizard"...hell yeah it does.

### Notable Accomplishments

#### First Year (2017-2018)

* Began his education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was sorted into Gryffindor House.
* Fed Melvin the Squid with Rose, Cary and Hagrid.
* Snuck out to find the Kitchens and make cookies with Cary, Jeremy, Oz and Delsen, though they never found them and were eventually busted by a Hufflepuff Prefect. Riley vowed to go back.
* During the second Flying Class, Riley jumped in to back up Rose and Cary in a duel against Quintus and Astraea. He received detention with Rose and Riley under Professor Longbottom.
* Tried out for the Quidditch Team, going for Chaser, but was crushed.
* Joined Rose, Cary, James Potter and Louis Weasley in tracking down the loose Shambling Vine that had Albus Potter's wand. They fought it by the Black Lake and Riley helped in apprehending and transporting it to Greenhouse 6.
* Attended the Christmas Party in the Gryffindor Common Room.
* Nearly got into a fight during the Ice Skating Party when Quintus, Astraea, Blaine and Lucien pranked Rose, Cary and himself. Cary and Riley joined forces with James and Louis to plan and unleash "Operation Bad Day", wherein they pranked the hell out of the Selwyns and their lackies for an entire day.
* Helped Rose and Cary recover Oz's homework after Peeves had stolen it. Specifically, Riley actually recovered it by climbing onto the face of the Clock Tower to retrieve it.

#### Second Year (2018-2019)

* Aided Rose, Cary, James and Louis in tracking and apprehending Terry, the escaped juvenile Quintaped. Terry was knocked out by Hagrid, in the end.

#### Third Year (2019-2020)

* Earned a position on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team as a Beater.
* Assisted Rose, Cary, Albus and Scorpius in their failed attempt to ambush Fenrir Greyback. Was slashed across the chest by Greyback during the battle, earning permanent scars on his chest from that.
* Was one of the two Greyback brought to Rose to make her "choose" which of her friends would live with lycanthropy. Cary was chosen by the werewolf based on Rose's response and Cary told Greyback, "go fuck yourself, you big asshole". This turned out to save his life.
* In March, Riley assisted Rose in trying to research the cause of Cary's sickness. When it was discovered Cary had been infected with Moss Brain, Riley assisted Rose and Penley in recovering Moondew from an underground cave system in the Forbidden Forest, fighting off a Cloaker in the process.

* In late summer, after serving detention with Denuit, Riley--along with Cary and Rose--were chased by a werewolf out into the grounds before being saved by a **massive, grey dog**. Riley went with the others to get Professor Mount and was also there to witness **Newt** being carried away after being bitten by the werewolf not long after. Riley looked for the dog in the woods with Cary and Rose, before Rose called the search off.
* Riley would contribute greatly to Gryffindor's victory over Slytherin in the finals, allowing Gryffindor to win the Hogwarts Quidditch Cup for the first time since the 90's.

##### **Summer 2020**

* Riley sent a series of candy and comics to Cary while he was in the hospital after his car accident during his recovery.

#### Fourth Year (2020-2021)

* Witnessed McGonagall faint during the Start of Term Feast and helped Rose look for clues in the Kitchens.

* Once again earned a spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team as Beater.
* Assists Rose during her investigation of the Poisoned Wine and the creation of the Separating Salve.
* Fought in the Halloween Hogsmeade Ambush, emerging victorious in the first "round" and fighting the reinforcements until he literally couldn't stand anymore, though he was eventually overcome by three dark wizards at once.
* Attended the Yule Ball with Bethany Bishop.

## Physical Appearance

Riley is average height for his age at about 5'05" and he's grown a little into himself, giving himself more of an athletic build than a stocky one. He's muscular for his age with slightly tussled back hair and blue eyes. He has a strong jaw and can be considered pretty handsome.

When he has the opportunity, he dresses simply, wearing t-shirts and jeans that emphasize his physique.

## Personality and Traits

Cocky and reckless, Riley is brave and driven by the invincibility of youth. He is impatient, with a love of exploration and adventures. He has a very strong rebellious streak that seems to intensify every summer. He has little regard for the rules and follows them only as long as it's convenient to do so. He's not aggressive or short-tempered, just restless, curious and impatient, making him a good foil for his more laid-back best friend Cary or his other uptight, rules-conscious best friend Rose.

Riley is stubborn to a fault, refusing to ask for help or change course even if it's at his own expense. He's not a sore loser but he doesn't take loss well. He feels the need to prove himself and he pushes himself to great lengths when challenged. Whenever he fails at something, he refuses to let it go, training and practicing until he can go back and emerge victorious. He doesn't hold a grudge normally but if you cross his friends, you've made an enemy.

Riley is a bit sensitive about his financial status and his blood status, despite Rose and Cary's insistence that none of that matters. Sure, it might not matter to them but Riley has quickly learned that it matters a LOT to most people in the Wizarding World. He also suffered some some strange side-effects from the scars he received at the hands (claws?) of Fenrir Greyback when he was 13. He's since developed a taste for practically raw meat and is a bit aggressive at times, like a protective hound.

More than anything, Riley likes to laugh and have fun with his friends. It's just that his idea of having fun is usually the sort of thing to land them in detention.

## Magical Abilities and Skills

Riley is athletic and physically fit. Fast, tough and strong, Riley is the most physically able of his group of friends and is usually the first to volunteer to do something dangerous. Magically, he's pretty much average across the board, though he has a lot of trouble with Herbology.

* **Dueling:** Riley is an able dueler and his wand is "made for warriors". He's skilled enough that he and Cary were able to hold Fenrir Greyback at bay for a brief time and survive. In duels with other students, Riley focuses on aggressive spellcasting that will end the fight the quickest. When fighting something that's trying to kill them, Riley unleashes the most devastating spells he knows.
* **Flying:** Riley's a very skilled flier and excels at dangerous or difficult maneuvers few others would ever attempt. On the Gryffindor Team, Riley is the only flier who can keep up with Rose on a broom and spends their games literally trailing her and protecting her from bludgers. The two have worked up a sort of wordless communication, flying perfectly in-sync with each other.

## Major Relationships

### Family

Riley is on pretty rough ice with his family, a state that seems to get worse every summer. His father has always pushed him to play football, like he did, as a way of living vicariously through Riley. This has caused significant tension between Riley and his father. His mother, an alcoholic, pretends nothing is wrong. Riley loves his mother but is frustrated at her willingness to just let Riley's father be an asshole to him.

### Cary Nordegraf

Cary is Riley's best friend and the first friend he made at Hogwarts. Since their very first night at Hogwarts, Riley and Cary have been practically inseparable; it's rare for one to be anywhere without the other. There aren't a lot of people Riley trusts unconditionally, but Cary is one of them. The two are best friends of the highest order and balance each other out quite well. Often, Cary is Riley's only source of sanity when Rose is on a homework-binge.

### Rose Granger-Weasley

Rose is like a sister to Riley. She drives him crazy but he'd fuck up anybody trying to mess with her. He is protective of her and respects and admires her more than anybody else he's ever met. The two have a strange sort of wordless communication and there's nothing he wouldn't do for her; he'd stand with her against Hell itself if it came down to it.

### Oz Uhmlander

Riley thinks Oz is a paranoid weirdo, but he's *their* paranoid weirdo. Oz is sort of the unofficial fourth member of their little group and Riley actually respects the guy's guts, though he'd be loathe to admit it.

## Trivia

* Riley's favorite color is red.
* Allergic to shellfish.
* Riley is completely not ticklish, making him immune to the Tickling Charm.
* Has grown to love Quidditch. He follows professional Quidditch as best he can and has lengthy conversations and debates with Rose about the sport.
* Has seen *Mean Girls* but pretends he hasn't.
* He's a big fan of the character Superman, though he doesn't like the old movies.
* Likes hip hop and rock music. Wants to learn guitar but doesn't know where to start.
* Is a pretty good soccer/football player, though he doesn't really like the sport all that much.