InsaneJournal

Who's that superchill guy who'll go along with anything, constantly writing music and putting a soothing salve in his eyes to get rid of the bloodshot lines? Who would have a countdown to the last day or school, but that's too much effort? Who'll sit and chill for hours with anyone and says "man" a lot? Yeah. That's right. Duke.

Not everyone can be a superstar at schoolwork. Not everyone can muster the dedication to do what they have to do if they don't give a bloody rip about it. Not everyone can walk the straight and narrow. That leaves Duke, who's a good bloke, actually, with his constant affable smile and easy manner, skiving out of classes constantly, even though he only takes the minimum, just kinda gliding by. When his more firey friends cause fights, Duke shakes his head and sighs. He's a taciturn fellow, an amiable boy, and otherwise, one of those slacker blokes that you'd write off and forget. Except...

He's a bit of a bloody genius at music--the guitar, namely, though he does play a mean bongos, violin, and marimba (a secret favourite of his). He's always writing songs or humming music or even better, whipping out that damned guitar from his bag--rock to extendable charms!--and strumming a little ditty on it. His great plan after graduation is to start a band with his mates. If that fails? He'll be a busker, out in the muggle world. His mum is known for her amazing drive and work ethic, and while Duke might not be the best student, or any student at all, really--he puts every single inch of himself into his music. Which, of course, his parents loathe. But too bad for them. Really, to them, the only way that Duke could be a success at music would be if he were in some hugely successful group, and...please. Like that would happen. It makes him happy, but it won't make him anything in the rest of the family's eyes...but he doesn't give a sodding flip. He loves it. That's all that matters. Yes.

This chill persona needs a bit of help, though. Ah, Mary Jane, every rockers best friend. When Duke was twelve, he discovered his first joint, given to him by his muggle Aunt Mary, a slightly bonkers artists who lives in Chelsea and also gave him his first guitar at the age of five and his bongo set when he was ten. Oh. And his first bong when he was fourteen. He learned how to do dissillusionment charms during his fourth year and started growing plants deep in the jungle of the greenhouse, hidden behind some particularily ornery Devil's Snare. It costs five galleons for a dimebag, but if you're copecetic, you can smoke with him for comps in the bathroom that Moaning Myrtle haunts, since nobody wants to be around that crazy ass piece of phantasm. Hey man, it's all good in the hood when you're smoking the good weed. His big goal is to get James Potter ripped. Get it? Potter? Sweet.






When Peter met Catriona, who would have thought it would have lasted more than the thirty seconds it took him to teach her how to use chopsticks? Peter, a thirty-two year old newly divorced professor of East Asian literature at University College London had decided to clear his head for a bit and took a job teaching at a uni in Tokyo for a year; Scottish beauty Catriona was eighteen, newly drafted by the Pride of Portree Quidditch team and sent to their development squad in Kyoto for a year. By chance, they were in the same sushi joint in Tokyo; by chance, they were sitting along side each other at the bar. He showed her how to use chopsticks; she stole a piece of his sashimi. They were shagging in his flat within twenty minutes. They eloped at the end of the month.

Peter thought there was something magical about Cat, and well--he was right. She was a Halfblood herself, which made the transition easier, and Peter wholesale bought into her world, even quitting his teaching job--though he has published five books of haiku, and is working on a sixth; he's quite big in Nagano--to follow her to the small Isle of Sky. They were married for two months when she became pregnant with Kirley. She considered making a potion to get rid of it--think of how it could ruin her career! she was going to be called back to be a starter the next year, for her childhood favourite team! this could ruin everything!--but at the last minute, she couldn't. And Kirley, named after her deceased brother, was born, and two weeks after his birth, she was already working out with the team again, called back to be a starting Chaser before he had even turned six months old. The Pride of Portree won their first title two years later, the first in team's history. His mother, the youngest captain in two centuries, was celebrated like--well, like a rock star. When The Pride won their second Cup the next year, she was deified.

Between his brilliant poet father and his God-like mother, Kirley Duke was firmly in the shadows. Still, he had hope that his little sister, Meaghan, would end up being an ally. Instead, that prat began showing her prodigy for Keeping at the age of two. Kirley, then, was left alone. His aunt Mary gave him his guitar as a cheer up gift for Meaghan's birth, and that guitar became his best friend. Too many kids were friendly to him because he was Cat McCormack's son...the guitar didn't give a shite about sodding bloody barking wanking Quidditch. The guitar didn't want him to get his mum's autograph or ignore him when she was around or find his father so much more brilliant than he. The guitar was just...there. Being cool. Making him feel relaxed, like he had a place in the world where nobody else existed. He put his anger there, his jealousy...all of it, into that guitar. When he got his letter to Hogwarts, his mother was busy propelling the Scottish National Team to a spot in the semifinals of the Quidditch World Cup; nobody noticed. But he wrote a song on his guitar and had a cupcake. He put a little crumb of the cupcake in the body of the guitar; he thought it was fair.

At Hogwarts, immediately, he was treated in the same damn way: it was CAT MCCORMACK'S SON! BLOODY MERLIN! But he took it with ease, shrugging and nodding and then disappearing back after making it clear that Kirley Duke wasn't worth their time. Nice guy, good guy, but--he knew how to fade back. Until that guitar came out, but then? He could tune the world out. At first, he was certain: Hogwarts was going to be the same. Him, alone. Them, only seeing him for what he wasn't. Not a stellar student. Not at all adequate at Quidditch--in fact, rather clumsy. What a waste of those genes.

Duke snuck off to play his guitar, out on the grounds or in hidden places in the castle, in a corner of the Hufflepuff common room, playing so softly no one could hear. But in making friends with [OPEN] within his first few weeks, he felt as though maybe Hogwarts had a place for him. He brought his music into the open, and while the years blurred on in a kind of pathetic daze of poor grades, skipped class, and a green haze, they were good years, where his music came alive...where he came alive, albeit in Duke's laid back, unfazed, quiet, slacker, chill, mellow way.

Wanna smoke?



FIRST KISS: Last year, one of the Taggart twins. He's not sure which one. Does it matter?
FIRST SEXUAL ENCOUNTER: Hasn't happened yet, but he doesn't much mind if you mishear him and think it has...

FAVOURITE BOOK: Rolling Stone magazine. That counts, right?
FAVOURITE MUSIC: I AM ZIGGY STARDUST! Duke's not a glam rocker, but damn did he love how Bowie innovated. Mott the Hoople. Queen. Wow, he feels gay. But c'mon, Freddie Mercury knows how to put on a show! Anything, anything with a fucking strong guitar: Robert Plant, Merlin's saggy balls, that's the shite.
FAVOURITE COLOUR: Orange. Especially in plaid.
FAVOURITE FOOD: Nutella on toast.
FAVOURITE PLACE: London. Why couldn't his mother play for a team there!
FAVOURITE ANIMAL: Lemmings. They're so dumb.

HOBBIES: Annoying the 'rents and sis, music, guitar, pretending he's a rock star already, rolling joints, getting higher than fuck.
PHOBIAS: Silence.
LIKES: Sex, drugs, and rock and roll. Well, he's sure that he'll like the first, if it ever happens.
DISLIKES: Squares. Big band music. Quidditch.

BEST FRIEND: Crumb, Donut, will fill as we go.
FRIENDS: Whomever tokes is a friend o'his.
ENEMIES: Pride of Portree Quidditch team. Otherwise TBA!
SIGNIFICANT OTHER: Anais Delacour, a student at Beauxbatons, they have been writing to each other for four years and are very much in love. They have never met in person. SHUT UP! THEY SO WILL SOME DAY WHEN HER DAD LETS HER TRAVEL TO SEE HIM SHUT UP!
CRUSH: You.
PAST RELATIONSHIPS: Anais, his one and only.

SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Heterosexual.
TURN-ONS: Accents, laughing, perfect eyebrows.
TURN-OFFS: Not much yet.

BEST SUBJECT: History of Magic.
W0RST SUBJECT: Pretty much everything.
FAVOURITE PROFESSOR: Binns, he's a good bloke. For a dead guy.
LOATHED PROFESSOR: Anyone who makes him work.
BEST YEAR: This one, since it's the last.
NUMBER OF O.W.LS: One.
NUMBER OF N.E.W.Ts: None. Oops.