NameLudovic “Ludo” Fortuyn
Age31
GenderMale
Marked?No
Standing at a height of 6’1”, and weighing in at around 180lbs, Ludo is pretty solid. Though with his tendency to slouch, he appears a little shorter than he actually is. His shoulders roll a bit forward, knees bent, hands in his pockets. It’s mostly out of laziness, though he grows to full height when threatened. His hair is darker shade of blonde, and is usually left in an unruly mop. On occasions where looking presentable is a requirement, he just slicks it all back with hair gel. He also wears a lot of jewelry for a guy -- string and leather bracelets, fingers decorated with rings, a cross around his neck and sometimes, those douchey puka necklaces. He’s also got some tattoos; a galleon on his right shoulder blade, a half-sleeve of waves crashing on his left arm, an acromantula on the right side of his neck, and a crescent moon behind his left ear.
Overall RoleSmuggler - People tend to forget, but winning a war is expensive. Food, ingredients for potions, and other supplies are getting harder to come by these days, what with the Ministry breathing down their necks. Thankfully, however, Ludo has spent near the entirety of his life taking care of such things. Sneaking all kinds of things and people around tightly-guarded bottlenecks has always been his forté, and after those years working for the Ministry, their blind spots and weak points have become all too familiar to him.
Talents- Resourceful - Ludo’s a fast-talker, and a quick-thinker. He can spot an advantage from a mile away, and always knows how to turn a bad situation to an advantage.
- Charms - It’s really the only field of magic he excels at, though it’s mostly due to years of practice rather than a natural talent.
- Multilingual - Ludo is fluent in three languages; French, Dutch, and English. Additionally, he also speaks a bit of Mermish, though it’s nothing huge, just some cuss words, numbers, phrases and the like.
Weaknesses- Duelling - Ludo isn’t overly confrontational, unlike some others, and he’s really no good in a fight. In the heat of the battle, his normally middling spellwork becomes clumsy, unfocused, and volatile. The only way he can ever hope to win is through underhanded means, which fortunately, is something he has no qualms with.
- Disreputable - Not the most trustworthy of people, Ludo has a hard time getting others to listen to his advice and opinions. Not surprising, considering his rather shady past, but it can get frustrating sometimes, especially when he knows he’s right.
Favourite Spells- Celaverimus (Disillusionment Charm) - Causes the target to blend seamlessly in with its surroundings, like a chameleon.
- Engorgio (Engorgement Charm) - Causes the target to swell in physical size.
- Mollisify (Cushioning Charm) - Creates an unseen softening effect on target surfaces.
- Obliviate (Memory Charm) - Used to hide a memory of a particular event.
- Petrificus Totalus (Full-Body Bind Curse) - Used to temporarily freeze the victim's body in place.
- Reducio (Shrinking Charm) - Makes an enlarged object smaller. Counter-charm to Engorgio.
- Silencio (Silencing Charm) - Silences the target.
ViewsWhile he does surround himself with dark and dangerous people who most certainly do not mean well, and it is no secret that he’d rather serve himself instead of lifting an arm to help others, one should not forget that while Ludo is a liar, a thief, and a coward, that doesn’t mean that he’s heartless or without morals. He isn’t a cruel man; he does not believe in unnecessary violence towards others. He kills only when necessary, preferring to resort to other measures to achieve his ends. Rather than hating Muggles like most purebloods, he feels for them a sort of condescending pity, because they’re forced to live without magic. Other than that, however, he doesn’t care much for the Dark Lord’s idea of pureblood supremacy. All those toffs from the Sacred Twenty-Eight talk about “unity” as long as they need someone to do their dirty work for them, and then treat you worse than any mudblood when they don’t.
HistoryThe Fortuyns are as old a family as the Malfoys. They’ve lived for centuries in the same hovel near the coast of Kent, making a living by beachcombing and wrecking. The main difference being that the Malfoys claim to be related to Salazar Slytherin and the Peverells, while the Fortuyns can’t deny their blood-ties to the Fletchers across the river.
They had never been particularly well-off, despite their pristine blood-status, and Ludo knew it. It was more than evident in the little twinge of hunger he’d felt at night before going to bed, or the fact that his clothes had never really been quite whole. At Hogwarts, he followed the advice his father gave him before he boarded the train -- to keep his head down, say ‘yes, professor’, and get through school without trouble. As soon as he had the required minimum of OWLs: all As -- he left. After all, books were expensive and there was no reason for him to continue an education beyond what was mandatory when his family needed him.
Rather than chasing after a career of respect and propriety, however, Ludo figured that it was better to deal with the devils you knew than the ones you didn’t. If everyone already thought of him as the scum beneath their shoes - what reason did he have to prove them wrong? Starting from an early age, Ludo had familiarised himself with the lingo and the haggling of the black market for magical artifacts. Whether he was running his own scam, operating under his parents direction, or cleaning up after their messes, if there was one thing Ludo was good at, it was flying under the radar.
Still, it didn’t take long for him to finally get dragged into the mess between the Death Eaters and the Order. Ludo was called upon to lend the Dark Lord his aid, and seeing how the other option was a lingering, painful death -- how could he refuse? Ludo couldn’t help that he had a sounder knowledge of the black market than most others, and the means to bring in the supply to meet demands. For a few years, he worked as a curse-breaker and Snatcher for the Ministry, rounding up stray Muggleborns whilst earning himself a little extra coinage on the side. It was easy enough for him to skim some off the top when no one was looking, and for awhile, life was good. He didn’t care to find out just what the Death Eaters did to their captives, as long as he got his pay.
Unfortunately, as the saying went: all good things must come to an end. Afraid that their allegiance had been swayed, Ludo and a few others were sent to their death during a raid. In the chaos that ensued, they were outnumbered four to one, and needless to say, they were no match for the Order’s superior firepower. While he’d tried to run, he was eventually cornered at the edge of a cliff. Ludo thought he was done for, but it seemed Lady Luck decided to smile upon him that day. Instead of a Killing Curse, what hit him was something a little less deadly. It felt like a kick to the chest, the spell blowing him back off the cliff, towards a cluster of very sharp rocks below. Of course, such a long fall would’ve killed him either way, but when you’ve been scrambling over cliffs since your toddling days, casting a Cushioning Charm becomes instinct.
Keeping himself hidden in a shallow cave until the coast was clear, Ludo only emerged once the slaughter had passed. Still, riddled with burns, gashes and fractured bones, it wasn’t an easy task for him to get back to land. But his grasp of basic Mermish finally paid off: the Merpeople he encountered were curious, helping him to the shore. Either they didn’t realise which side Ludo had been on, or they just didn’t care. Long-distance apparition was a risk after losing a pint of blood, but he only ended up splinching half a finger. The real miracle was when his parents actually opened the door when he collapsed in the cabbage patch, moaning.
It took Ludo just a little under two months to recover, hidden in the attic, but no one ever came looking for him, to finish him off. Not the Order, not the Ashes, not the Death Eaters, no one. It seemed like everybody thought him dead, after what happened. Which was just as well, he supposed, but as the war raged on around them, staying neutral wasn’t as easy as it should’ve been. Not after his stint in the Ministry, at least, and he still needed to keep himself fed somehow. As with all things, it would be much easier to do so with people watching your back. Though he sure as hell wasn’t going to knock on the Ministry’s door again. And thus, with his prior connections to the underbelly of the wizarding world, he managed to track down a splinter group of the Ashes, offering his services as an unofficial member.
Wand11¾” Chestnut Wood, Springy with a Dragon Heartstring Core
