Nicholas Gaunt

## Nicholas Cassius Gaunt

* 1965
* 1968

"*Slytherin, according to legend, sealed the Chamber of Secrets so that none would be able to open it until his own true heir arrived at the school. The heir alone would be able to unseal the Chamber of Secrets, unleash the horror within, and use it to purge the school of all who were supposedly unworthy to study magic.*"

*—* Silas Viridian discussing the **Chamber of Secrets** and the **Heir of Slytherin** with Aberforth Huxley.

**Nicholas Cassius Gaunt** (b. 25 December 1951) is an English Pure-blood wizard. He is the only son of **Marfin** and **Valery Gaunt**. As one of the last two remaining members of the once-prosperous House of Gaunt, Nicholas is recognised as the **Heir of Slytherin** by a select number of witches and wizards who still cling to the ideals of pure-blood supremacy; earning him a reputation of relative fame in the British wizarding community prior to Nicholas even attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His early life was one of strife and abandonment, as Nicholas was solely raised by his abusive father, Marfin Gaunt. A nod to his paternal ancestor, Salazar Slytherin, Nicholas was sorted into Slytherin house upon his admittance into Hogwarts in **1963**.

Through his first year Nicholas became involved in numerous incidents that were threatening the first place that Nicholas was able to call home; Hogwarts, including several plans to investigate the mysterious surrounding the sealed-off Astronomy tower together with Perseus Black, Jonathan Moxley, Ophelia Black and Amelia Dubois, Eventually becoming involved in the plans made by studens of both Gryffindor and Slytherin houses.

Having been expelled in his Second Year and nearly twice in his Third, Nicholas is infamous for his violent tendencies, his ruthlessness and his disgust with Muggle-borns, being known as an extreme Pureblood-Supremacist ever since his Third Year, something that along with his violent nature gave him a feared reputation along  his peers.

Keenly driven to restore his family's tarnished name to its former glory, Nicholas decided to undergo 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.

## Biography

### 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. As Nicholas had been isolated to the confinements of his family home for the majority of his early childhood, it is still unknown whether or not the Gaunt's traditional inbreeding has had any results on his physicality. What is certain, however, is that it (along with Marfin's violent upbringing) 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.

### Life at Hogwarts

#### First year (1963 - Current)

"*So the Heir returns to Hogwarts... I have not seen one of your kind for over half a century. I wonder what took you so long, hmm? Nonetheless, nonetheless— it is time. Time for you to reclaim what was lost. Greatness awaits you, Nicholas, and I can see you have the ambition necessary to achieve it.*"

*—* The Sorting Hat speaking to Nicholas in his mind.

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.

Although Nicholas was better at making enemies than friends, he seemed to have some positive relations with members of his house, namely Jonathan Moxley and Ophelia Black, the latter's brother being the first person that Nicholas would ever consider a friend; Perseus Arcturus Black, whom Nicholas met in the Leaky Cauldron before the beginning of the schoolyear and with whom he seemed to share many similarities, despite their totally different upbringings.

Aside from his violent tendencies bringing Nicholas into trouble more than a few times in his first year, he showed himself an exemplary student in his studies, quickly becoming recognized as one of his year's most promising Wizards.

## Personality and traits

Nicholas is described as a complicated and troubled young wizard. Like most members of the House of Gaunt, Nicholas suffered **mental disorders** due to the results of generations of inbreeding. This made him prone to sadism, violence, borderline, personality changes and extreme impulsiveness. Nonetheless, Nicholas demonstrated self-awareness even at a young age; citing that he "*would never become like his father*." The loss and lack of a mother throughout his early childhood deeply wounded and haunted Nicholas, as he believed that life would've been better had she been alive.

Although he had little access to any formal education prior to attending Hogwarts (as a result of the Gaunt family's poverty), Nicholas did show an interest in learning new skills and acquiring more knowledge. Often times, he would read through whatever books were left scattered around his family home. A quick learner, Nicholas desperately wanted to become better than his father. Combined with his keen self-awareness and sharp mind, Nicholas truly believed that he could one day restore his family's honor to greatness.

At first, unlike his father and the Gaunts who came before him, Nicholas didn't adopt the same Pure-blood mentality as most. The resentment he had for his father led Nicholas to silently disagree with most of Marfin's teachings and views, as their family had far more worse living conditions than even most Muggles, this however changed after Nicholas experienced numerous negative altercations with several Muggle-borns at Hogwarts. Although this is what made Nicholas stand out from most Pure-blood wizards at first, he was nonetheless sorted into Slytherin house in 1963.

## Possessions

* **Nicholas' Wand**: 12.5" long and made out of Walnut, Nicholas' wand contained a Phoenix feather core. According to Garrick Ollivander, "*highly intelligent witches and wizards ought to be offered a walnut wand for trial first, because in nine cases out of ten, the two will find in each other their ideal mate.*" Benefitting Nicholas' violent and sadistic personality the wand makes for a truly lethal weapon in the hands of a wizard with no conscience, and combined with the Phoenix feather core, is capable of extremely powerful magic. Nicholas' wand was also "brothers" with Perseus Black's wand, as both had cores with feathers from the same Phoenix.
* **Marvolo Gaunt's Ring**: an **heirloom** of the **House of Gaunt**, the ring is passed down from father and son through the Gaunt family. It is made of gold and contains a black stone, although unbeknownst to the Gaunts (including Nicholas), it is in fact the Resurrection Stone and one of three fabled objects that make up the Deathly Hallows. Although the Deathly Hallows' symbol is engraved upon the Resurrection Stone, Nicholas believes it to simply be the coat of arms of the Peverell family (from which he is also descended).

## Powers and abilities

Nicholas is described as an intelligent young wizard. As he was mostly raised in isolation, not much is known about Nicholas' skills and abilities. It is assumed, however, that Nicholas possesses a lot of magical potential; evident in the fact that a wand made of Walnut containing a Phoenix feather core chose Nicholas to be its owner. Nonetheless, Nicholas has demonstrated an interest and aptitude for learning; as he often read through whatever books could be found throughout his family home. Nicholas is also confirmed to possess the ability to speak Parseltongue, having inherited it through his descendance of Salazar Slytherin.

## Description and appearance

A handsome young man, Nicholas is well-built and tall for his age. According to Marfin, Nicholas "*looks more like his mother than he does me*", although this was said in a mocking manner. He has straight dark brown hair which curles up when given the opportunity to grow longer and a fair skin complexion. One note-worthy mention of Nicholas' appearance is that he has heterochromia iridis; a condition in which the eyes have two different variations in color. In Nicholas' case, one eye appears as emerald green while the other appears as hazel brown.