Michael Lightle

In Character

Name: Michael Lightle
Age: 69
Gender: Male
Blood Rank: Half-blood (Muggle father; Half-blood witch mother)
House: Gryffindor
School: Hogwarts
Career:
- Sports: Quidditch, Professional; Beater (12 years total; 2 different teams)
- Banking: Curse-breaker for Gringotts (7 years)
- Politics: Dept. for Regulation/Control of Magical Creatures: Goblin Liason (9 years)
- Politics/Law Enforcement: various positions; resigned to make way for Liara at 66 (15 years)
- Education: Side-job tutoring/mentoring magical youths during the above occupation (7 years privately)

- Education: Combination Private Magical/Muggle Tutor/Mentor and International Wizarding Examinations Authority
(3 years and counting)



Parents: Benjamin and Rosemarie [pronounced as Rosemary] Lightle (nee Ogden)
Grandparents: Thomas and Isabelle Lightle; Samuel and Jessica Ogden
Siblings: Alexander Lightle; sister-in-law: Helena Lightle
Aunts & Uncles: Jack Ogden
Nieces & Nephews: Liam Lightle (5 years younger than Liara)
Cousins: David Ogden
Children: Liara Lightle
Grandkids: None Yet (1 in near-ish future)




Skin color: Light tan
Hair Color: is mostly bald; what is left is salt-and-pepper (used to be brown)
Hair length: Barely a quarter of an inch... he’s bald
Eye color: Dark blue
Size: 5’ 11”
Build: Average and solid
Picture:





Crushes: None
Mates/Spouse: Cassandra Lightle (nee Rosier)
Status: Married



Personality:
If you were to ask Michael Lightle about his personality, the base overall description he would provide is that he is “a kind old lion until crossed.” And he would use the term ‘old’ lightly for a reason to be explained shortly. Despite the commanding public presence Michael is quite approachable and outgoing. He has a kind, courageous, and protective heart when it comes right down to it. This wizard would gladly lay down his life for any loved one with no questions asked, or even a cause if he believed in it enough. Publicly he tries to demonstrate a neutral stance but privately Michael has very strong pulls toward equality. Despite having an open mind the wizard is unable to tolerate prejudice and discrimination. He also advocates on the behalf of goblins and often gives generously to other such causes he feels are worth the time. His only request of these organizations is that his name is kept anonymous.

Michael attempts to don a fearless front. He is generally unafraid to try new things and knows that confidence is key in many areas of life. When he became a father, being fearless was a must: deliberately hunting monsters out of their hiding places and chasing away nightmares. The wizard does not like to admit fear but there is one thing that places a bit of a kink in that desire. Ever since an accident during his professional Quidditch career, Michael was left utterly terrified of heights and falling. Whenever he spots someone on a broom he tends to insistently demand they come back down before they break their necks. Although not precisely fears Michael also at one point had issues with his semi-early balding and continues to be extremely sensitive about his age. Only those he loves can tease about the fact he is almost seventy and not receive a harsh glare.

When you have Michael’s trust, you most likely have some form of love as well be it platonic, romantic (in the case of his wife), or familial. The wizard’s deep capacity to love, as stated above, causes him to be highly protective. If it is ever required he would sacrifice his life for them. This is a somewhat dangerous thing for his family could be easily used against him, as well as the unnecessary suffering of individuals – particularly children. He gives his all to please those he holds in highest regard. Careers aside the hardest individuals to earn respect from are his in-laws Laura and Richard Rosier. Sure, it is cliché, but it’s true: being an old pureblood family, some of their ideals do not match his for himself or his family. At times his relationship with them is tense at best. Overall he tries to be mindful, logical, and diplomatic in his approach regarding not only his in-laws but the rest of the world. As Michael’s heartstrings become more entwined around an individual he will become increasingly worried when something is wrong with them or something has happened to them. This becomes especially evident in Michael’s interactions with his daughter, Liara, and his wife, Cassandra.

Michael’s typical emotional cycle is to fret, find and relish in relief, and then go after the cause of the worry in a blaze of fury. It is perhaps not the best cycle and the wizard is aware of it. However his urge to protect does not allow him to be any other way despite the propensity for rash behavior. It takes a while to truly see Michael angry, but once pushed far enough he has a nasty temper fueled by deadly calm. Seeing him this angry is rare. It is more common to find him loudly irritated. This strong self control was conditioned, believe it or not, by interacting with goblins.

Vocationally, Michael has always been a bit unsure of himself. He knew even going into professional Quidditch that he wouldn’t be doing it all his life (though hadn’t been expecting it to come to a screeching halt when it had). The wizard not only loved the sport but knew that if he played well and hard enough he might earn the respect of youthful fans. Even at the young and still-immature age as he was, Michael always felt an innate urge to guide those that sought his counsel. Because both of his parents were teachers he did not immediately seek out education as a career, for he was surrounded by it at home and at school. Thus, he sought Quidditch as an alternative means... and later went into politics and law enforcement for the same reason. In politics he could change the world for the better, and those of like causes could go to him and find answers or needed services. Within law enforcement Michael found a way to make the world a bit safer for his family and could attempt to advise troubled youths.

Despite all of the good work he did in law enforcement Michael learned something rather quickly. He found that as he has grown up over the years it truly is with children and youths, teaching and guiding them, that he belongs. The wizard takes great pride in seeing or hearing of successes gained by an individual he has attempted to steer in the right direction, even if they did not follow his advice. Most of his experience with being a mentor has generated itself from raising his daughter: he listens, has a fair amount of intuition, and generally approaches things from a solidly moral viewpoint. On the flipside, although he hates being lied to (who wouldn’t?), Michael will use his charisma and this moral fiber to bolster his own credibility to craft lies of his own when it suits him.

Perhaps his take on lying is a bit hypocritical, but Michael knows he is far from perfect. So long as he is “perfect enough” to earn the love of his family that is all Michael has ever hoped for, truly wanted, and could ever need.



Your Story Please? Michael Lightle is the elder of two children born to Benjamin and Rosemarie (pronounced as ‘Rosemary’ not ‘Rose-Ma-rie’) Lightle. His younger brother, Alexander, is four years younger than him. Although Michael showed hints of being a magical child at a very young age the act of magic that celebrated his inclusion into the magical world happened when he was seven years old. Had it not been for Michael’s magical protections inadvertently cast, a three-year-old Alexander could have seriously injured himself, or worse.

Like every other magical child, Michael received his acceptance letter to Hogwarts during the year he turned eleven years old. Although it already felt like he was in a school with both of his parents as teachers (his mother at Beauxbatons and his father taught mathematics at a muggle school) as it were, teaching him things that would put him slightly above the rest of his classmates. Upon arriving at the school, the Sorting Hat promptly placed Michael in Gryffindor for his courage and extraverted nature. He also wasn’t afraid to stand up for what was right. He had a slight rivalry with a young witch named Cassandra Rosier who hailed from Slytherin House. Most of the time the rivalry was friendly, but there were some occasions where the competitions bordered on near-hostilities. At such a young and immature age he had no real interest in young ladies until his later years at Hogwarts. Even then, he had had a few different partners that were mostly muggle-born. He played on his House Quidditch team as a beater, and had starry-eyed ambition to play professionally.

Shortly after finishing school Michael got his wish and managed to snag a spot on his favorite professional Quidditch team: The Falmouth Falcons. Like in his school days the wizard played the position of Beater due to his build and reputation for a “nasty muggle-style right hook”. He played for this team for six years, and transferred to the Montrose Magpies where he would play for yet another six years. A tragic accident caused an abrupt end to Michael’s dozen-year-long dream and created an acute fear of heights and broomsticks. The wizard will travel by any other method, but not flight. Had medi-wizards not been on the scene to treat him, Michael may not have kept the ability to walk due to the several-hundred-feet fall.

The next career of interest for Michael was that of curse-breaker. Thus he began on-the-job training for this vocation which was much safer despite the rather dangerous trips to the vaults. Thankfully, being a curse-breaker did not always involve plunging into subterranean labyrinths at breakneck speed. With his father having been a mathematics teacher it was nearly imperative for Michael to understand mathematical concepts, and these drilled-in formulae helped him excel in arithmancy – a required field of study for this trade. Michael worked for Gringotts for 7 years, six if you deduct one year for training, and made several friends amongst the goblins. Quite a few of them suggested that Michael’s diplomatic nature and support of several causes might be put to better use in the Goblin Liaison Office. Thinking they might have a point, Michael applied for and was accepted to a position within said office at the age of 37.

It was while out on lunch between these two goblin-centered careers that Michael once again ran into Cassandra Rosier. While his boyhood memories recalled a girl so entirely not his type she might as well have been on another planet, his more mature self saw a beautiful woman. Michael invited Cassandra on an impromptu lunch. In this date of sorts the wizard learned they were still like night and day, but oh how his heart desired her! For his part it was love at first sight. Despite how busy his goblin clients kept him Michael still made an incredible amount of time for the new love in his life. In less than a year he had gotten up the courage to ask Cassandra to marry him, and the ceremony was carried out in a small muggle church not long at all thereafter. Only his and Cassandra’s closest and most trusted friends were in attendance.

A year into wedded bliss saw a further blessing in their lives: the birth of a daughter, Liara. Despite it being a happy time, it was also a nerve-wracking one. Liara was a sickly little baby and spent approximately the entirety of her first year in the medical ward. Michael felt he spent most of his life there as well, fretting over the tiny child. Although the Healers kept many things under a tight leash during the time they kept Liara under their watchful eyes, once allowed to go home the baby had her parents wrapped around her little finger. Particularly Michael, who was fond of spoiling her and insisted that Liara was “spoiled with love”. Despite Benjamin’s strictness with him, Michael’s parents loved their little granddaughter dearly.

Laura and Richard Rosier, Michael’s in-laws and Liara’s maternal grandparents, took a different approach. Given how different he himself was from Cassandra it seemed only logical that the grandparents of the child, too, would handle things in their own ways. Before each visit Michael would take little Liara aside to discuss with her tips and pointers he had accumulated: be on her best behavior, help out in any way directed, and do precisely as told if asked to do something. Personally Michael did not relish bombarding Liara with many chores. So long as she kept her room fairly clean and didn’t leave toys where they could be stepped on he was happy. Help with anything other than that was strictly on an “as requested” basis with guarantee of a reward afterward. Michael further rewarded Liara once she learned how to properly adapt herself to fit into the roles expected of her by the Lightles and the Rosiers.

When Liara turned seven years old, Michael realized that in just a few short years his little girl would be going to one of the magical schools in Europe. It had been his hope that the girl would attend Hogwarts, but his in-laws and even his mother recommended Beauxbatons as the best place to educate a refined young lady (“sweet” had been Rosemarie’s wording). Although the realms of politics and magical law enforcement still called to him, a part of Michael wanted to explore what had lured both of his parents into the field of education. Thus he took the next five years off to gain degrees in the areas he needed. While he always took the time to teach Liara new things (assuming of course that she held an interest, for forcing her to do something never appealed to him) Michael particularly took advantage of this era in regards to expanding his baby girl’s knowledge. It would give him some practical teaching expertise, even though Michael was only teaching an audience of one. Michael and Cassandra had tried for more children, but it was apparently not meant to be. This made little Liara all the more precious to them.

By the time he had earned his degrees, turning 51 and well on his way to bald, it was politics and magical law enforcement that won out for now. It was easier for him to get his foot in the door as he already worked in the Ministry, and a transfer to a different department was not as difficult as quitting and then attempting to be hired in a completely different environment. He worked in various positions in this next leg of his journey through life. Michael had no intention to become the next Minister for Magic but he did want to leave his mark and make the world his daughter was quickly becoming a part of a better place.

It pleased the wizard to no end as he learned his daughter was a great student and loved by her teachers. Even though being liked by the teachers earned Liara the ire of her fellows, Michael did his best to cheer the girl up whenever she expressed upset over it. When he learned the girl had been given the moniker Rosier Princess and heard from his little one the way in which it was used, Michael became worried and suspicious but could do little other than advise her on how to react to bullies. His advice was not exactly smiled upon by Cassandra or his in-laws.

Liara’s fourth year in Beauxbatons was one Michael would not forget anytime soon. It was not a happy occasion. In fact, it was anything but. Animosity amongst the ranks of Liara and the other fourth-year girls had reached its boiling point. Liara had been ambushed and assaulted by both magical and muggle means. The moment the school nurse explained this to him, Michael was at the school in a hurry to whisk his daughter back home. He was just about entirely bald by this time, and seeing his daughter similarly so by artificial means tore at the wizard’s heart. Once within the comfort of their own home Michael hired a private healer to come and treat Liara instead of coaxing her back out into the world to the hospital. It was with relief that Michael was informed by said healer that there was no lasting magical harm, and that the muggle damages would heal and return to normalcy with time. Although there existed a potion to re-grow hair Michael allowed Liara to wear one of his hats until it all grew back in again. He tried to assure her it wasn’t how a person looked but rather what was inside that counted most.

The relief he felt gave way to fury that someone would dare mistreat his little girl, let alone a whole team. Behind closed doors, Michael first argued with Cassandra over the matter, and then again with his in-laws. Despite their insistence that Liara would get over it Michael was still adamant that his daughter was not going to be made to put up with such cruelties any longer. The conversation did not earn him any popularity points with Laura and Richard, and at that point the wizard was beyond caring. Promptly the next day Michael marched up to the Beauxbatons Headmistress’s office both to complain about the conduct of the girls responsible and to inform that he was withdrawing Liara from the school and transferring her to a different academic institution.

He did not say that that institution would be Hogwarts.

After the ordeal at Beauxbatons, Michael was relieved that Liara once again flourished in her “new life” of sorts at Hogwarts. True to her Rosier heritage she was assigned to Slytherin House as opposed to his old House: Gryffindor. In her letters Liara would tease him lightly about it and the laughter on both sides was clear in the written words. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of this Mr. Adam Kendle, Liara’s first boyfriend, but desired the girl’s happiness so much that he was loathe to forbid them time together if there was no harm being done.

As Liara took an interest in politics, going so far as to take a course in muggle political science and start grooming herself for the position of politician, Michael began to take an even stronger interest in education. On the side the wizard began to privately tutor magical students needing extra help in their over-the-summer work and mentored muggle-borns entering into their powers and soon-to-be magic-filled lives. However, due to tensions in the political air he had to keep the mentoring a secret. Although he’d never say it to those not on the same wavelength, Michael hated the prejudice and discrimination that gripped the world. It was with a heavy heart that he learned Liara and her boyfriend broke up over such an issue. It was pointless: to give up on love solely because of a lack in pure blood. Regardless of one’s heritage people still bled when cut, cried when mourning, and did many other things the same way with little to no difference. Whenever Liara wanted to talk Michael made it a point to make himself available no matter how busy he might be.

Upon Liara’s entering the Ministry at the age of 27, Michael – aged 66 – decided to step down from politics and the Ministry entirely so as not to crowd Liara. She was quickly ascending a short ladder up to her desired spot as Minister of Magic, and did not want his own career to somehow hold her back. He had held a dinner with coworkers and friends to make his official resignation announcement, coupled with a toast to wish Liara success in her endeavors. Included in the toast was a blatant declaration of pride, love, and encouragement that she lives her dreams. Sure enough: in a very short amount of time Liara ran for Minister. She lost the election initially, but before long the current Minister had earned a “vote of no confidence” and was relieved of the title. Naturally, Liara took up the mantle. The Lightle household held a celebration of sorts to congratulate her even though she hadn’t initially won the election.

Leaving the complexities of politics in Liara’s capable hands, Michael decided to fully immerse himself in the realm of education. What disturbed him were the eventual attempts on his daughter’s life that cropped up. How he often wished he hadn’t given up after failing dismally at the Auror academy... But on the other hand Michael was a fair duelist. It was with great relief that Liara hired herself a personal auror. Or, rather, he thought that Mr. Hall had simply been hired. Michael never really knew much about the other wizard’s beginnings with his daughter and didn’t see it as his place to ask. However, much like himself and Cassandra the aging wizard noticed Liara and Gabriel – or “Gage” as he seemed to prefer to be called – were falling for each other. It wasn’t quite as swift, but it was obvious as the wizard proved himself to both Michael and Liara as a capable individual.

His jaw nearly hit the floor when he learned his baby girl would soon be wed to her wizard-protector.

Preparations leading up to the wedding were a blur for Michael. Everything had happened so fast. It seemed only yesterday in fact that he and Cassandra had brought their little bundle of joy home. The word ‘antsy’ was an understatement in describing Michael’s state of mind. He wasn’t sure he was ready for this even though he knew the day would come that required him to walk his little girl, now a full-grown woman, down the aisle of a chapel and symbolically give her away to the groom of her choosing. Although conditioned not to cry since his youth, Michael was unable to prevent his eyes from turning moist. While the guests and everyone were still getting situated Michael went to Liara’s dressing room for a short chat. What he didn’t realize was that shortly after he left, Cassandra and the Rosiers paid her a visit as well.

As music signaling Liara’s cue took place, Michael knocked and waited for Liara to come out of her dressing room. He became suspicious and worried when she did not appear. Concerned as to why she was not coming out Michael entered the dressing room only to find it completely devoid of a bride-to-be. The only thing that seemed out of place was a bottle with a clock in it, which didn’t fully make sense to Michael. He was familiar with ships in bottles, but clocks? Because it was a bottle and he knew Gage dealt with potions, Michael assumed it was a token either from or for him. As if on cue the groom appeared in the doorway. Gage was not at all the same now as he had been minutes prior and did not say a word to Michael; he simply took the bottle, seemed to take a moment to calm himself, and then left in his typical half-limp to Merlin only knew where.

It was only later that Michael found out about what had happened from Cassandra. Immediately the wizard began a search for his daughter. It didn’t take very long at all. They talked for a while and when he was asked to leave Michael did so reluctantly. He hoped that if Liara intended to talk to Gage that everything worked itself out. Personally, he would have no idea how to act or react had Cassandra left him at the altar. But he very diplomatically said no such thing to his distraught daughter. As the months wore on Liara spoke with him quite often on Gage’s increasing distance from her. Michael attempted to be both father and confidant and it was difficult for him to remain entirely objective regarding the other wizard’s distance. When it came to his daughter’s heart’s desire Michael would do nearly anything to ensure the desired outcome became a reality. Slowly, without his prodding, the pair finally found a way around their dilemma. Michael wasn’t too sure about this unwedded relationship Mr. Hall was forming with Liara, but for now it was the only way they could be happy. As reiterated time and time again: so long as Liara remained healthy and happy Michael was at peace, and would support her every step of the way.

Now that he is no longer in a political position to affect “changes” demanded by certain individuals the wizard became more openly active in the mentoring aspect in addition to his tutoring. During exam times Michael counsels his students/”apprentices” yet is also an internationally-accepted member of the Wizarding Examinations Authority who oversee the practical examinations of those taking O. W. L. and N. E. W. T. exams. Sometimes he proctors only one school’s students, and sometimes he is allowed a mix, but not often does he visit the same school in two consecutive years.




Magic Specialty Defense Against the Dark Arts, Transfiguration, and Arithmancy
Favorite Spell: Cave Inimicum




Weakness:
- His family
- Temper
- Worries too much
- Uncomfortable about his age now that he’s older
- Severely afraid of heights
- Has occasional back and other physical complaints (from Quidditch accident)

Strengths:
+ Exceedingly healthy for someone his age
+ Multi-lingual; fluent in: English, French, Italian, German, Troll and Gobbledegook (goblin language); basic Russian, Spanish, and Japanese
+ Open-minded
+ Charismatic
+ Morally sound (unless angered, blackmailed, or has a weakness used against him)
+ Good listener (unless angered)
+ Intuitive

Favorite Color: Blue... particularly a sort of stonewashed or slate blue (see second picture above for further reference)

Theme song:
Before Marriage: Too Much Time on My Hands by Styx
Michael and Liara: A combination of I Don’t Wanna Miss A Thing by Aerosmith, and Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle