Description
Wizzlethorpe is a wiry, owl-eyed man with wild tufts of gray hair that shoot off in all directions and thick, round spectacles often perched askew. His robes are perpetually stained with burn marks, potion spills, and mysterious discolorations, usually layered with mismatched vests and scarves.
Personality
Bixby Wizzlethorpe is a whirlwind of half-finished thoughts, ink-stained sleeves, and inexplicable enthusiasm who talks fast, forgets names, and turns simple demonstrations into minor explosions. Despite his chaos, he has flashes of sheer brilliance and respects students who show curiosity and initiative—even if they set their cauldrons on fire.
Background
Wizzlethorpe has been teaching at Hogwarts for decades, though no one is quite sure how many, and was once a rising star in magical alchemy research before veering into eccentric “independent scholarship.” His name appears in footnotes of technical journals and in court transcripts regarding several banned potion prototypes, which he seems unfazed by either.
Story
Wizzlethorpe’s first class with the new students nearly ended in disaster when he vanished mid-lecture and Elias Flint released a cage of invisible snakes. Caoimhe Keelan, Finlay Figgins, Otto Noxley, and others stepped up to contain the chaos. When Wizzlethorpe returned, he was so impressed he awarded 100 house points to Ravenclaw and Gryffindor.
He assigned Wizzlethorpe’s Research Challenge, letting the students pick research topics. When Caoimhe claimed it was the anniversary of her dog’s death, the soft-hearted professor allowed them to brew a Forgetfulness Potion—which they used for far less innocent purposes.
Wizzlethorpe maintains a private room in the Firefly Cellar beneath The Restricted Section, where a recording candle captures everything. When Blithe Thimblethorn stirred at strange noises one night, Caoimhe’s flawless impression of Wizzlethorpe’s voice put him back to sleep—suggesting Blithe knows the eccentric professor’s habits well.
On the first day of potions class after the party’s return from summer break, Wizzlethorpe called them into his office and revealed he knew about their adventures—and about Seylon’s Tower. He had installed a vanishing cabinet in their dormitory connecting directly to the Firefly Cellar, and asked them to continue exploring the Tower.
He explained that the Death Eaters who attacked them had been captured and questioned, revealing they belonged to Bellatrix’s Children—a group hunting for relics created by Seylon Vane. According to legend, Seylon crafted one supreme artifact powerful enough to bring back the dead. Wizzlethorpe revealed that only children could enter the Tower; when adults tried, they saw nothing but abandoned ruins.
He asked the party to keep this arrangement secret, knowing the other professors would not approve of him sending children on such a dangerous quest. The party left suspicious of his true motives.