- FULL NAME: Holden Bryce Cartwright
- Salem 1989-1996
- Rose Fellowship
- Favorite Class: Music
- Least Favorite Class: Muggle Studies
KNOWN AS: Holden Cartwright
NICKNAMES: Howie, Holdy, various other ridiculous pet names
AGE: 18
DATE OF BIRTH: May 20, 1978
PLACE OF BIRTH: Denver, Colorado
PLACE OF RESIDENCE: New York City, New York
NATIONALITY: American
BLOOD STATUS: Muggleborn
FINANCIAL STATUS: Middle class
SEXUAL ORIENTATION: Bisexual
EDUCATION:
WAND: 11 1/4 inch hawthorn with dragon heartstring core
PATRONUS: Coyote
DEMENTOR: The night his dad kicked him out
BOGGART: Being mocked by his friends
AMORTENTIA: Mint chocolate, pine needles, warm coffee mixed with worn book pages
HAIR: Light brown
EYE: Blue
HEIGHT: 6'
WEIGHT: Average
MOTHER: Abigail Cartwright - Muggle
FATHER: Mitch Cartwright - Muggle
SIBLINGS: Nora Cartwright - 12
PETS: A spectacled owl named Clara
- Holden has never considered himself attractive, not because he isn't, but because he has always thought his features were too soft to be good-looking, or so his father has always told him. He has a square jaw with narrow, thin lips, a small nose, and smooth cheekbones. His wide blue eyes make him look deceivingly innocent, although they usually are bright with a sort of sadistic mischief. When he smiles, it conveys the same sort of devilish look.
Holden is tall, almost 6', with a broad-shouldered frame. He's muscular, and although not so obviously buff, he's proud of his strength and works hard to stay that way. Because he's so active, he keeps his clothes plain and simple, not caring a bit about style, except for the few occasions when more formal dress is required and he'll attempt to look nice. He keeps his sandy brown hair short just because he doesn't even like having to take time to brush it, although every once in awhile he'll go to the effort to spike it up or make it look good if he also happens to be dressing up.
PLAY-BY: Hayden Christensen
- Most people are quick to find out that Holden is aggressive. He is fast to insult people, and even faster to start a fight if someone annoys him. Being a bully of sorts isn't really Holden's true nature, though. In fact, he prefers not to fight anyone, but after growing up with a father who always told him he was too weak, Holden feels he has to constantly prove his manliness. Because of this, Holden rarely shows his softer side, hiding it well enough that he's the only one who knows it exists.
Holden is intelligent, but again, this is something he tries to hide. He pretends that he doesn't care about school, and that class doesn't matter, but he still does well even without working very hard. He is witty, and has a gift for sarcasm and clever comebacks, but he keeps most of his real thoughts to himself. Despite being assertive towards other people, Holden is more of a follower than a leader. He prefers to have other people take charge, because it is easier to follow decisions than to make them. Not a pushover, as he is still stubborn in his ideas and strong in his opinions, but also not the one to make commands.
When it comes to his few friends, Holden is loyal, thinking of them almost as he would brothers. Around girls, he is flirtatious and likes to think he's charming, but most of the time he is merely using them as a way to hide his biggest secret. The one thing that almost nobody knows about Holden is that he is actually gay, or, more accurately, bisexual, although Holden doesn't bother to make that distinction. Holden hates that he is that way, hates that if his father knew, he would detest him forever, but it is also something he has learned to accept.
- Born in Denver, Colorado in May of 1978, the first few years of Holden's life were the ones where he was arguably the most loved. His parents, muggles Mitch and Abigail Cartwright, focused all of their attention on their newborn son until he was four years old and Nora was born. Holden's younger sister immediately became the new center of his parents' world, particularly with Mitch. Mitch doted on his daughter, notably showing preference for her over his son even as small children.
As Holden grew up, the imbalance of affection between him and Nora became more and more pronounced. Mitch became critical of Holden when the boy didn't excel at sports in school, telling him that he was weak and girly. It hurt Holden, although he would never show it. Instead, he developed a deeply ingrained desire to please his father at whatever cost, thinking particularly that if he became stronger, both physically and mentally, then his father would love him as much as he did Nora.
In his first attempt at a display of strength to impress his father, Holden threw a football so hard that when it landed it became embedded several feet into the ground. It was Holden's first sign of magic and it shocked both him and his parents, especially when Holden had no explanation for what had happened. While his father began considering Holden as even more of a freak, his mother was always there, scared of her son but comforting, albeit ineffectively. It wasn't until a few years later when a wizard showed up at the Cartwrights' door and explained what Holden was that his parents became a bit more understanding.
Holden's first impression of Salem was that it was humid and the land was too flat. He missed the dry air of Colorado, but also saw the new school and new identity as a wizard as a way to reinvent himself. In an effort to be more like his dad wanted, Holden presented himself as an aggressive, intimidating person. He made a small group of friends, but a larger crowd of enemies, especially as the years went on and he picked on younger students.
Still, Holden always did well in school so as to please his mother, figuring he might as well make both parents happy. In the summer when he would return home, he'd see that in his absence his father had just grown even more fond of Nora and less fond of Holden, despite his son's efforts. Holden cared about his sister as well, and protected her fiercely once she began attending Salem, but some part of him always resented her his father's love.
At Salem, when selecting his arts course, Holden fell in love with music. He listened to everything he could get his hands on, preferring classical and rock but having an appreciation for all styles. He picked up on playing the piano in no time, and then moved on to playing guitar and percussion. Now, in his sixth year, he has an interest in learning to play the harp.
- Playing the guitar, piano, drums, and harp
- Listening to music
- Running
- Quidditch
- Muggle sports
- FAVORITE FOODS: Pasta, mint ice cream, pita bread, avocados, Oreos
- He's a vegetarian
- He's allergic to all types of nuts
- He's a great singer, but hates singing in front of people
- He loves amusement parks and roller coasters
- He's afraid of needles
FAVORITE DRINKS: Firewhiskey, Mountain Dew, black coffee
FAVORITE COLOR: Dark green
FAVORITE MUSIC: Tchaikovsky, Aerosmith, AC/DC
FAVORITE MOVIES: Jurassic Park, Star Wars, Braveheart
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