Personality & Background
Finlay Figgins grew up on the edge of a cliff on the Isle of Skye, Scotland—raised in near-isolation by a cold, distant woman named Maeve. She never called herself his mother, and he never asked. Whispers around her hinted at a forbidden affair with a powerful wizard that ended in scandal and death. Some say Finlay is the only good thing that came of it. Maeve never confirmed.
Maeve taught him to speak with animals, to heal with his will, and to survive the untamed. One stormy night, she handed him a Hogwarts letter and said simply, “You need to go.” No explanations. Just that the world beyond the Isle was calling, and her protection had run its course. He understood—his magic was growing, and his unknown past might catch up to him.
Now, Finlay carries the weight of salt air, earth magic, and unanswered questions. He is quiet, observant, and curious. He doesn’t always understand other people, but he deeply wants to. He is earnest in a way that makes him vulnerable, but there’s something in him—something ancient and waiting.
Strengths
- Deep affinity for nature-based magic, especially Herbology and healing.
- Instinctive survival skills and an unusual gift for communicating with magical creatures.
- Resilient, intuitive, and harder to fool than he appears.
Wand
- Maple, Phoenix Feather core, 10.5”, Quite Bendy
Facts
- Nationality: Scottish
- Parent: Maeve (witch, distant, unknown lineage)
- Favorite Subject: Herbology
- Most Excited About: Making friends, discovering his power, and learning who his father is
- Biggest Fear: Being forgotten—and Boggarts
Story
Finlay’s quiet demeanor hides a first year full of extraordinary events. Sorted into Ravenclaw with Caoimhe Keelan and Otto Noxley, he couldn’t afford his potions textbook until Otto generously covered the cost—the beginning of a lasting friendship. When Elias Flint unleashed invisible snakes in Potions class, Finlay stepped up alongside his new friends to save the day.
His gift with nature magic proved invaluable. He calmed a ranting talking bush named Ferd during their research into Crying Roots: Ethical Alchemy, and his Infirma Cerebra spell became the group’s secret weapon—successfully confusing Grimbella Thistlepin in the Forbidden Forest and Tamsin Greaves during a nighttime heist of The Restricted Section.
In The Deepwater Convergence, Finlay’s quick thinking solved the merfolk’s riddle, winning the competition and claiming Lyra’s Wake—a magical ring that grants water walking and breathing. His sea-glass marble, carried since childhood, helped him bond with a shy Antipodean Opaleye dragon hatchling in Seylon’s Tower.
The journey north through an ancient portal brought new dangers. After fighting off a polar bear outside Frostwell Village, Finlay joined his friends in solving the Circle of Eight puzzle—only to be petrified by Oleg Mirnov’s sudden betrayal. Nearly killed by an Ice Widow spider, he was saved by Callum Vane’s healing magic. Now trapped in an ancient dungeon beneath the frozen north, Finlay faces his greatest test yet.