Ib: Cyril Spencer

        • Personality: 
outwardly confident|outgoing| shy|loyal|caring|stubborn|curious | cautious
Puts on an air of confidence, not wanting to appear weak to others because of Hufflepuff's largely gentle reputation. He doesn't want to seem like a pushover and tries to project that he's not someone who's going to just allow himself to be bullied by someone. This makes him seem outgoing for a puff, but on the inside, he may actually be quite nervous.

Despite being shy, he hates to be ignored and actually craves attention and approval from others. This is because of his having his parents to show off to and give their approval when he did something great. He will fight his nervous tendencies if it means being the center of attention. He actively craves attention and praise from others in order to feel good about himself.

Although he can put on a good outward appearance, people invading Cyril's personal space can break his outgoing facade and put him off guard. This results in him becoming flustered and seeking to put distance between him and the offender. People taller than himself are his biggest enemy when it comes to this. He also dislikes having people he doesn't know very well make physical contact with him. 

He often bonds with animals easier than he does with people, finding them easier to trust because of his shy tendencies. A good way to overcome this through your own pet or his corgi. Cyril values Claire's impressions of people and will often find that if someone is okay with Claire, then his trust is not misplaced.

Once someone earns his trust, Cyril is a loyal and caring friend. Friends will be spoiled. He will lavish those he holds dear with affection and may even cling to them at times. Cyril also learned a few healing and protective spells in order to keep his friends safe from harm, especially after the events of the past year. He will fight to protect those he cares about, no matter what it takes from him to do so.

Although he is shy, Cyril can be incredibly stubborn. He doesn't give up easily and will hold his ground. It doesn't matter how big or bad you are, honeybadger don't care~ It's probably the most genuine time he will show bravado.

Cyril is incredibly curious, especially about muggle culture. If he doesn't understand something, he will ask a great deal of questions. He wants to know all he can about things. If there's an object involved, he will most likely try to touch it. In a way, he can be a bit childlike in his curiosity. He had a limited exposure to muggle culture and it was enough to spark an interest that has persisted throughout his time at Hogwarts.

It takes him some time to warm up to people, which can come across as him being coldhearted. He's actually somewhat cautious of new people. As such, he may pull away when people get to close and either invade his personal space, or make physical contact. Depending on the personality, he may or may not take as long to get past this. Most of this is a result of his shyness. 

        • Background: 
Cyril grew up in the wizarding world. His father was a Hogwarts alumni (Ravenclaw), while his mother graduated from Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. They owned a greenhouse specializing in herbs used in medicinal potions. His mother was highly skilled making potions and often brought the potions to her sister's house where Cryril's uncle ran a veterinary clinic.

He helped his parents in the greenhouse and learned which plants were dangerous for the most part. He can grow simple herbs as a result of his parents' instruction. (basically things even a muggle can grow) He does have a familiarity with the basic tools to tend the plants. He just knew that at the time he liked to help out in the garden with his parents and that was enough to make him happy.
Cyril was often brought to his aunt and uncle's house during these trips. He would often play with his cousins Elias and Noelle. His parents thought that he would benefit from socializing with them since he was an only child and had been spoiled for most of his life. Having to learn to get along, his parents thought, would be good for him.

He developed a rivalry with his cousin Elias since they were closer in age than he was with Noelle. They tried to outdo the other about nearly everything. Things changed when Elias got his letter to Hogwarts. Cyril had never thought that magic was something that he would end up losing to Eli, who had been thought to be a squib. Here his cousin was getting praise from everyone in the family for getting his letter and Cyril felt left out. This soon turned into jealousy and some insecurity.

The fact that Cyril was magical had been apparent since he was 7 and here someone without magic until shortly before he got his letter had been chosen to go to a prestigious wizarding school. Would he even get a letter? It shook his confidence greatly. His parents would still love him, but Cyril couldn't stand having to share their attention. No 'late bloomer' would be competition for their affection in his mind.

Cyril began to take magic more seriously, and tried to learn all he could in order to guarantee that he got his letter. His birthday came and it was a tense time of waiting. He was beginning to lose hope and went up to his room that evening to the biggest surprise of his life. He found his Hogwarts letter laying on his bed. Cyril ran downstairs and showed his parents that he had been invited to attend Hogwarts. It was the biggest victory in his life. To him, he had proven himself worthy of going to Hogwarts. He would get to show his parents that their love, affection, and careful teachings had given him talents that even Hogwarts would notice. He wanted to pass the NEWT exam and push the limits of his abilities. His biggest wish is to make his parents proud and make their lives easier. 

Cyril's early years were somewhat rocky, having to get used to the campus and students. Being away from his parents was a huge challenge for him during his first year. Homesickness made him withdrawn and somewhat sulky for that first year. He tried to avoid interacting with many people, and isolated himself somewhat. He felt it easier to interact with students' pets rather than the owners themselves. Having his pet changed things. He eventually learned how to disguise his shyness for the most part in order to make friends when Claire went to socialize with students. Outwardly, he appears to be rather confident and brave for a puff. That being said, sudden invasions of his personal space do put him offguard. Sometimes people much taller than himself can also make him more nervous. 

Having Claire by his side helped him come out of his shell. She was a reassuring presence and seeing her calm around even a large crowd helped bring out Cyril's kindhearted nature. She also seemed to want to be friends with everyone she met, often forcing Cyril to speak to people. He often thinks she does it on purpose knowing that he struggles with talking to others, especially those outside of his house. 

His grades are on the high side for a puff, but he does struggle in Arithmancy, divination, and doesn't do too well on a broom... at ALL. He developed a fear of heights during his first year trying to fly. He unded up falling off of his broom and spending some time in the infirmary. This causes him to become flustered when on a broom and sets himself up for failure. Most of the time, he'll go upside down, or even fail to get off the ground. As a result, he hates quidditch and will downplay the excitement most feel for the sport, saying that he finds it boring. 

Another thing he found new at Hogwarts was the abundance of half bloods, and other students living in the muggle world. Having had a very limited exposure to muggle things (his aunt and uncle's house), he is curious about the muggle world. 

        • Family: 
Michael Spencer (father)
Veronica Spencer (mother)
Alexander Ashford (uncle)
Sarah Ashford (formerly Spencer, aunt)
Noelle Ashford (cousin)
Elias Asford (cousin and mortal enemy)

        • Likes & Dislikes:
+praise
+animals
+chocolate
+his friends
+cold weather
+reading 
+herbology
+soda and other fizzy drinks
+muggle culture (very curious)

-Bertie Bott's every flavour beans (hates them with a passion)
-his hair being in his face
-crows
-physical contact (from non-friends)
-rudeness
-pop quizzes
-having someone show him up
-his cousin
-heights
-lightning

        • Elective Classes: 
           - Care of Magical Creatures
           - Muggle Studies

        • Extra Curricular: 
            - Muggle Music
            - Magical Theory

        • Pet: 
            - Name: Claire
            - Species: Corgi
            - Gender: female
            - Personality: 
Claire is a pretty easygoing pup for the most part and loves people. She will often come up to people to meet them and be petted. Most of the time she is content to lay near Cyril while he is studying, or waiting for him outside of his classes. The only time she'll growl is when she feels someone might have less than pure intentions toward Cyril. This doesn't last long and she'll get tired and just flop on her side. Usually well behaved around other pets. 

        • Achievements: 


Relationships:



Extra
-his hair is actually pretty long (waist length), but he keeps it pulled back most of the time
-tried muggle soda once during his 3rd year, and absolutely adores it (instant friendship right there)
-is curious about the muggle world and likes to ask muggleborns/halfbloods about it
-would rather avoid fights, but has developed spells to mostly hinder would be attackers
-has a bracelet hidden under his sleeve from his cousin Noelle, and an ear cuff on his left ear
-has a birthmark on the small of his back about an inch or so above the waist of his pants