House: Slytherin
Year: Seventh Year
Wand: Rigid, 12 and a half inches, Hornbeam, dragon heartstring
Bloodline: Half-Blood, although he can count on one hand how many people actually know he doesn't come from the Olde (and nonexistent) Dawson Family
Birthday: June 1
Pet/Familiar: The creatively named Sir Owl
Physical Description:
Alex is without a doubt very handsome, looking almost identical to his triplet brothers Leo and Ben. Hes aware of it, but doesnt feel the need to point this out to everyone he meets. There are already two that basically look the same, anyway, so its not like Alex looks particularly unique. He certainly will however point out any differences between the three, and hes studied photos quite obsessively to discover any natural differences. His resemblance to his brothers is definitely one of his greatest stumbling blocks. Whilst he cant do much about altering his basic facial structure, not being a Metamorphmagus, there are minor changes he can and will make in order not to be mistaken for his brothers. In truth, Alex spends a lot of time quite despondent about what he looks like, and certainly spends far longer on maintaining his appearance than his brothers. Its because he wants to look different. Everything is all fine for Leo and Ben, who have never been mistaken for Alex in his life, but in order to look different, Alex needs to get up just that little bit earlier and try just that little harder.
Deep sapphire eyes are a few shades darker than his brothers, with grey shadows that seem to cloud over them. His brow is strong, determined, and coupled with the darker eyes, Alex looks intense and strangely edgy for someone with such classic good looks. Strong, symmetrical facial features and smooth skin he shares with his brothers, although his face is more gaunt, the jaw and cheekbones more prominent. However he does have a kink to his nose- not to the side, but upwards, giving it a slight bent appearance when viewed from the side. It is a relic of bearing the brunt of his fathers violence as a very young boy. Looking at it is enough to fuel his resentment towards the man that should have loved him unconditionally, should have been a proper father.
As soon as he was old enough to care about his appearance, Alex dyed his hair a dirty golden blonde and has continued to do so. Up until then, the trademark of the Dawson triplets was their dark, long mahogany locks, falling around their faces in an identical cut. Still, there are dark undertones to his golden hair now, but it is nowhere near as long as it used to be. Instead, its a fashionably and intentionally scruffy mess, longish at just past his ears. Despite the fact that Leos hair is normally quite messy, too, Alex likes how it looks far too much to make his neat. Not that it would be possible. Theres a slight curl to it, which makes it impossible to flatten.
Since he was a child, Alex has been amongst the tallest and most athletically built of anyone his age, yet he has always been about half an inch shorter than his brothers Currently he stands at 62 and a half, but is unlikely to grow any further. He is seventeen, after all, but there is the slight possibility that there might be one more growth spurt in him yet. He hopes that if there is, he doesnt grow too much taller, unless of course Leo or Ben grows, in which case he definitely doesnt want to be left behind. Alex took up boxing at an early age- mostly because he worshipped Leo and followed him into everything- so he is quite muscular. His current period of not wanting to be like his brothers and not wanting to do anything where they excel began when he was fourteen, yet, Alex found he could not give up boxing. He needed some way to let loose his anger and fury at his father, and the frustration at always feeling second best to his brothers.
His wardrobe is filled with white and black clothing, with the occasional hints of dark red, green or blue. How he presents himself is important because it is the only way he can differentiate himself from his brothers. When he feels the need to, he can dress up like a gentleman, with cuffed shirts, tailored trousers and jackets. Yet, a sense of the boyish charm he still possesses shows through in undone top buttons and cuffs. Mostly hes comfortable in t-shirts and trousers.
Personality Description:
Whilst Alex doesnt exude the raw sexual energy that perhaps his eldest brother does, there is a mysterious quality he certainly possesses. He lets through only tantalizing glimpses of who he truly is, and maintains a careful mask of indifference. Most people know nothing about him- he is secretive for a reason, and that only serves to make him more intriguing to others. The truth is, Alex finds it very difficult to trust, and even more impossible to let anyone in, because inside there is a little boy who still doesnt understand why his life has been so cruel, and because he cant believe that anyone could love that boy. There is a tumult of emotions, mostly anger, that simmer beneath his cool and collected exterior but it is extremely rare that they should ever show through. At all times, Alex is pleasant and easy-going, striving to be as good company as possible, because hes terrified that no-one will like him. He wont say anything hurtful, preferring to undermine his opponent so subtly that his net has been drawn tight around them before they even notice he was upset. Anger can be seen through a hardening of his features, a clench to the jaw, and coldness in the voice. When Alex has been infuriated, usually through a remark about his family, hell go to extreme lengths to pay the offender back. It is here that his boxing training comes in handy- hell put a Silencing charm on the room, scream his heart out and punch the boxing bag until he bleeds. Hes slow to forgive and doesnt forget.
One of his strengths is the ease of which he can fabricate and be believed. Hes had a lot of practice with this, explaining away to his primary school teachers why he had bruises all the time without letting on to his abuse or pretending to be so overly clumsy it would have been impossible for him to walk. Being very intellectual, he possesses the mental capacity to think up convincing arguments and explanations, and has an extensive vocabulary to back up his ideas.
By nature, Alex is not overly aggressive or violent, preferring to spend his time pursuing knowledge or chatting to people. He comes off as the nicer and more helpful triplet, genuinely interested in what everyone else is doing and saying. And he truly is interested, in his own way- he soaks up information about normal family life, the way normal people go about their business, and attempts to apply the same principles to his own life. All he wants is to be just like them- with parents that love them and his own personal strengths and not overshadowed by his brothers all of the time. In some ways, this makes him an even more conniving manipulator because Alex appears to be nice, will be extremely friendly to the people that he hates before wham he hits them with whatever revenge hes concocted. Because of his less than desirable childhood, Alex learnt as a young boy that if he wanted something, he would have to resort to trickery to achieve it, and he still hasnt thrown off that habit. If you wished to gain Alexs dislike, all you would need to do was persist in asking about his family life. A single reference to his family or personal life is enough to make him close up, either changing the topic or losing interest in conversation completely. Persistence will eventually make him snap. When Alex does snap it is clear that he has inherited his fathers violent temper.
Whilst he is reserved about his own family situation, he is perfectly happy to talk about anything else in order to divert attention away from that particular topic, drawing from various sources of information to be quite the interesting conversationalist. He wont go out of his way to seek company, however, and is just as happy to spend one-on-one time or even alone time as opposed to being in a group. Sometimes, when hes enjoying himself with those close to him, he becomes more like the man he would have been, had he been born in any other family. Able to have a good time without feeling guilty about it, or expecting misfortune just around the corner. Less vindictive and more able to forgive for slight hurts- after all, his father began small, too, and Alex cant help but to be suspicious of anyone else that hurts him lest they abuse him like his father does. Far less paranoid and less bitter about life. But experiences make the man, and what does not kill him makes him stronger. It is the plethora of horrible experiences Alex has endured that has made him who he is, and so strong inside. A weaker personality would have crumpled under the pressure, but if Alex is anything, it is indomitable. He takes what is handed to him, stores it away for future conflict, and faces forwards once more, refusing to let anything set him back.
Failure is something Alex simply cant stand. He is unable to deal with the crushing feeling inside, and thus strives to be the absolute best at everything. Having grown up in the shadow of his elder brothers, it is extremely important to Alex to prove that he is someone in his own right, rather than Leo or Bens brother. Alex looks up to his brothers immensely, to the point of worshipping them. When he was younger, all Alex wanted to be was Leo or Ben. Hes grown out of that, and is now desperate to prove himself as someone apart from a triplet, the forgotten one. He hates the automatic assumption that hell be exactly the same as one of his brothers. Sometimes this makes him very difficult company to them- hes just so acutely aware of how he can never be as good as his brothers, no matter how hard he tries. The problem is that Leo and Ben were born first, did everything first, and whatever Alex does hes sure at least one of his brothers can do better, even though Alex has his own strengths. Simply put, he just wants to be as different as possible, so people will recognise him. Every time he is mistaken for Leo or Ben, his spirits sink a little lower and he strives even harder to be different. He wants to be as influential, as charming as Leo, but generally falls short. Not that anyone observing him would ever guess thats what Alex is feeling. Alex makes a great show of being arrogant, showing off about what he can do, because then nobody will know that hes secretly unsure of himself. Because of this, on occasion he can be a cocky little bastard, especially when hes feeling his most insecure.
With respect to girls, Alex is certainly not the flirtiest of young men. He admires and respects women, but finds it difficult to believe that it is really Alexander Dawson that they want, rather than his brothers. With Leo being the charmer he is, Alex feels inadequate next to him and is certain that any girl that falls for him has only done so because she thinks hes just a carbon copy of Leo. What Alex wants is to make friends of his own. Even though its not fair to his brothers, hed love to have a few friends or a girlfriend that hated Leo or Ben, so he could be sure that it was his company they sought. He wants somebody to love him unconditionally. It has been this same need for affection that has driven him to pursue relationships with any girl that isnt friendly with his brothers. Occasionally he could reasonably be accused of sleeping with a girl to make him feel better, of using a girl to his own ends, but he would never force a woman. If he knows he doesnt love her, he wont come on to her as strongly as he would have, waiting instead for her to pull her own moves. It all changes when his own feelings are involved, and he can be a very courteous suitor, wanting to do everything properly and get everything right the first time, just in case she loses interest and leaves him. Hes terrified of being dumped, and will break up with his girlfriend before she has the chance to do so.
He is definitely organized, almost to a fault. This is due to a psychological need to be in control of something when his life is completely wild and spiraling to strange heights. Alex needs to have everything in order, just needs to, and feels a little lost when it isnt. It is this same obsession with perfection, with straight answers that makes him so brilliant at analytical, precise subjects such as Transfiguration and Potions. He loves that there is only one possible answer. Ancient Runes and Arithmancy also come easily to him, and his good work ethic means that he spends a lot of time improving his knowledge of these subjects. Studying is another way he can keep his mind off his troubles. His cleverness makes him a favourite of the Professors, and also ensures that he can get away with a lot of things others could not dream of. He spends a lot of time roaming the hallways at night, being an insomniac and disliking sleep firstly because of the nightmares, and secondly because his father has often dragged him from his bed at night to beat him.
Brief History:
Eve should never have married Jack. Perhaps the difficulty she had in winning her love over had been an omen for the hardship in life she was about to face. Yet being a spirited young woman who had spent her whole life confined by the restrictions imposed by her parents, and believing she was truly in love, Eve didnt pay heed to the signs. She was determined to make Jack Dawson love her, and eventually she did, after nursing the critically injured Marine back to health. Their wedding was a small affair, carried out at the base, yet the young witch believed that finally life was going the way she had always wanted. The only problem was that shed never let him in on the biggest secret in her life- that she was a witch. She was terrified to tell him, and thus the years went by, Eve kept her secret and Jack controlled every single aspect of her life.
The perfection could never last. Leonardo, Benjamin and Alexander were born to parents who were at best indifferent. Better words to describe it would be horror and resentment, since neither Eve nor Jack particularly wanted any children at all, let alone two at once. Alex was a cheerful, easy baby who was content to lie back and watch his mobile whilst his brothers kept Eve very busy. It was because of his more quiet and easy-going nature that he had very little in the way of attention in those formative years. Alex was a very quick learner, walking by nine months and talking by eighteen months, yet even then he wasnt troublesome. He was largely left alone by his parents because of it, and perhaps this is why he harbours such a desire to make them proud of him, to gain their approval, notice, anything. During the age where he should have been bonding, he was occasionally given a kind word and certainly was not scolded to the extent that Leo or even Benjamin were.
He idolized both brothers. By the time he was four, he copied everything that they did, which made it easy for him to be blamed for whatever Leo had done. Yet, with the childish innocence he still possessed, Alex continued to worship Leo and take what ever punishment was doled his way. Between the ages of five and ten, he learnt to fear his fathers heavy hand. Muggle schooling was very difficult because the teachers insisted on asking him why he had so many bruises, a broken arm, was bleeding all the time. But Alex had learnt by then that he had to keep his mouth shut about his life otherwise he would be in for even more trouble, so he learnt to lie. Over the years he became disturbingly good at it. And when he failed to convince his teacher, strange things happened that made the teacher completely forget about the strange boy.
Life became far better when he was ten years old. For once in his life, Alex had the affection of his eldest brother, and armed with allies, he became stronger, braver and more ready to take on the world. And to top it all off, his parents were usually away, leaving them in the care of nannies, which Leo, Ben and Alex loved to terrorise. Their magical powers kept manifesting themselves, stronger and stronger, and they went through at least twelve nannies that year.
Alex was delighted to have a reason for all the strange things that happened around him, when their mother took it upon herself to explain why there was an owl holding an envelope made out of scratchy paper sitting on their breakfast table. His excitement helped him to get over the crushing disappointment he felt when his father told them that under no circumstances would there be any mention of magic at his residence.
He was Sorted into Slytherin, despite being a halfblood, and his natural propensity to keep his personal affairs to himself made him able to make friends in the House. As far as his fellow Slytherins were concerned, Alexander Dawson was a secretive little bugger coming from a Pureblooded family that didnt bother much with affairs because society was riddled with Muggle-lovers. Alex made no moves to correct this theory, having discovered that life was far easier if he pretended he was Pureblooded.
Important Relationships:
Jack Dawson: He is very much an absent father who has no interest in his sons lives. He is cold and quite distant. Whenever there is any contact between Jack and Alexander, it is inevitably Jack yelling and being very physically demonstrative towards a boy who is infuriatingly silent and collected. Alex harbours a lot of resentment and anger towards his father, yet, there is a still that secret wish that he could be the kind of son his father would want around, that he could live up to all the expectations.
Eve (Roselyn) Dawson: As a mother, she has many failings. Ironic really, considering she is a nurse and Healer, and theoretically should be caring. It angers Alex when he thinks about how she attempted to pretend that he was invisible. In some ways he actually hates his mother more, even if, or perhaps because shes a little more affectionate than his father. It only made it more confusing when she would praise him one minute then ignore him the next. At least he knew what was coming from his father.
Leo Dawson: There has always, at least where Alex is concerned, been a strong bond between the two. Alex has always idolized Leo, wanted to be Leo, and even while he attempts to assert himself, increase the distance between them and struggles with finding his own self identity, there is still an element of looking up to Leo. Is it possible to hate someone you love more than anyone else in the world? Sometimes Alex just feels so inadequate compared to his charmer of a brother, who has never pretended that he was the youngest triplet.
Ben Dawson: In a way Alex feels closer to his middle brother than his eldest one. Both of them know how it feels to fade into the background, to be insignificant and mistaken for their eldest brother without fail. This knowledge has created a bond between the two. Like most younger siblings, he looks up to his brother. Ever since they set foot in Hogwarts they have been competing against each other for higher grades.
Midge Roselyn: Subconsciously, Alex wishes that Midge was his real mother. She was the one that truly introduced him to the Wizarding World, and in the space of twenty minutes had displayed more affection towards him than he had ever received in his life.
Genevieve Warwick: She knows him better than most, what with knowing his family background. Whilst he is quite close to the younger witch, adores her even, Leo was the one that found her, befriended her first, and Alex knows that should she ever have to, it would be Leo that she would pick, that she would side with. Because of this, hes holding back a little, that cynical little voice in his mind telling him that shes only friends with him for Leos sake.
Melanie Hastwell: Whilst it was Leo that Mel dated, Alex befriended her first, running into her on one of his midnight jaunts around the castle. Theyve studied together over the years. He felt sorry for her when Leo and she broke up, even though he generally approves of everything his brother does.
Likes/Dislikes:
Likes: Magic, winning, night time, Transfiguration, Potions, analyzing situations, questions with straight answers, pizza with pepperoni and mushroom, girls, expanding his knowledge, writing and receiving letters, being at Hogwarts, organization, the way girls cuddle up to you and how their hair always smells nice, being recognized as Alex straight off, feeling empowered
Dislikes: Rugby, people who ask him about his family, people who pry into his life, people that mistake him for Leo or Ben, feeling inadequate, being compared to Leo or Ben, holidays spent at home, rabbits and other vermin, getting answers wrong, the Holyhead Harpies, the Marines
Loyalties - Personal and Family: Alex doesnt have much of an opinion, one because hes a halfblood himself, and two because his family never kept up with magical affairs.
Class sign-ups:
Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, Ancient Runes, Arithmancy
PB/Avatar to be used: Alex Pettyfer
ALL other ezboard IDs you use on PI, including the names of the characters you play on EACH: This one (Mel Hastwell) and missmatchbox (Maddy Vancova, Felix de Maurier)
Roleplay Sample:
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