W00D, edmund douglas

The bravery that one would associate with Edmund is that akin to a reluctant hero. He isn’t afraid to step up when something needs to be done about an issue, but it is only really seen when there is no one else to right the wrong. This however does not mean that he doesn’t like the idea of being famous. He grew up in the spotlight… thanks to his father’s status as a Quidditch star. As such he was raised to be humble and confident yet to be mindful of the words that left his mouth, it was the first lesson that he learned prior to attending Hogwarts… the public eye was always scrutinizing…

When looking for Ed, one must simply consider all the sporting places that the school has to offer for Edmund lives for sports… especially the magical sport known as Quidditch. Quidditch skills haven’t skipped a generation and Edmund seems to have just as much talent as his father… if not more… and can often be seen strutting his stuff on the Quidditch Pitch regardless of the season. He will fight tooth and nail for his friends, and has a rather relaxed approach to life.

Edmund wasn't meant to walk this Earth. He wasn't a planned child, just a child concieved in a moment of need between Oliver (who was dealing with a struggling marriage) and a young woman whom had seen him play Quidditch a couple of times. They had only been enveloped in a moment of passion just the once, but once is still enough to create a life. His mother wasn't ready to welcome a child into the world, it scared her, but the thought of dealing with the fall out that came from an abortion scared her more. For nine months he developed within her womb with no contact from his father, but it was a few days after his birth that Hazel Simons decided that she wasn't capable of raising the child she had given birth to to be a respectable young man.

She chose one of the warmer nights of the season to follow Oliver home from a Quidditch practice and leave his son upon her doorstep. At this point she didn't care if she was the person to drive a stake into Oliver's dying marriage, she only cared for the well being of her very young son. And at that point in time that meant that she could have no part in his life. The stress of an affair and a newborn baby was too much for a struggling marriage and it wasn't long before Oliver Wood found himself signing paperwork for a divorce, Oliver naturally recieving custody of his toddler while the fate of his other son was fought over.

Ed grew up practically on a Quidditch pitch, he would sit in the stands as his father practiced... traveled with his father to games... bond with the children of other players' kids but other than that he didn't get to have much of a childhood. Since they were always on the move, the only real friendships he had was with the children of other Quidditch stars. He didn't get to attend a muggle school or have a mother to dout over him.  When he was five he showed his first sign of magic whilst being an overtired child. It wasn't until the summer following his eleventh birthday however that he recieved his Hogwarts letter. The first time he was treated like a normal child.

That September first he rode to Hogwarts on the Hogwarts Express alongside the other first year students. There were a few of his peers that recognized him for who his father was, but it wasn't too bad for the most part. Most allowed him the privacy that he requested as he worried about the Sorting ceremony that was ahead of them. Like most first years he didn't know how the sorting happened and that was what scared him. Would he have to fight a werewolf to determine what house he belonged to most?

Upon arriving in the Great Hall however he was greatly relieved when he realized that all you had to do was wear a smelly old hat that shouted out what house you belonged in. It had barely touched his head before belting out the same house that his father had been in... Gryffindor. The rest of his first year went rather normally, he made friends... learned loads of stuff... flew a broom for the first time with relative ease... and helped his house make a run for the House Cup. The summer that followed however was rather abnormal as the boy was thrust back into the nomadic life that was being the son of a professional Quidditch player.

Once again he followed his father from place to place for games and practices, but this time he worked alongside his father... hoping to make the house team in some way when he tried out in the coming fall, but he never anticipated making the team full time as a Chaser on his first try out. It was near the end of his third year however that he began to have thoughts about his fellow males at school although he's been trying to repress those feelings... especially after the attacks last spring.