Redmund is a fluffy bunny hiding in the shell of a hardened enforcer. He aspires to be a sensitive opera singer but so far all he can hit on key is one note. To alleviate his depression over this matter he beats people up for money. When such entertainment is lacking he does his job, which is to get you completely bladdered at the Leaky Cauldron.
Redmund Oliver Lewysham[]
Nicknames/Aliases: Red.
Occupation: Red works at the Leaky Cauldron Diagon Alley, and also works as an enforcer (or 'hired muscle', if we want to be classy :P) for The Network. He's worked at the LC for almost eight years, and only begun working for the Network since May of this year. At the LC, he pulls pints, waits tables, cleans, cooks if Tom's short of staff, enforces payment of tabs, and acts as bouncer. For the Network Red is ranked fairly low. He is mainly an enforcer, which basically means he makes sure that supplier/client relationships are happy ones. If a supplier or a client welches on delivery of goods or payment or anything like that, Red can be contacted by either party to make sure the deal concludes smoothly. He also makes sure that no one leaves the Network- if they do, he'll persuade them gently to return to the fold. For the most part Red is anti-violence and is normally able to expedite the deal by conversation alone, but occasionally he'll spell them with some sort of hex or just break someone's finger or a kneecap. He draws the line at killing. He will also do some smuggling work, mainly arranging for transportation of stolen goods, if he is approached. Red loves his job at the Cauldron but despises his job with the Network and only does it because he needs the supplementary income, and it's something easy for him to do.
Home: Room in the Leaky Cauldron. Red has lived here since April of this year.
Finances: Red was perfectly happy working in the LC, but after his wife's death and lack of insurance money he realized he couldn't make ends meet on his current salary, which is why he got involved with the Network. Only by taking Network side jobs can Red keep his head above water financially.
Household: Two year-old daughter Eirys Brigid Lewysham, the light in her daddy's life. Also, his best friend, a Norrbottenspets dog called Braith.
Family[]
Mother: Penelope Halcombe-Lewysham, a former Auror
Father: Giles Lewysham, employee of the Department for International Magical Cooperation
Siblings: Halcombe (Hal) Lewysham, an Auror stationed in Wales
Other family: Deceased wife, Marian Fairlie. Two year-old daughter Eirys Brigid Lewysham.
Relationship with each: Very close to all family members. Red's most distant family relationship is with his father. The two don't have a whole lot in common, and Giles and Hal have a much closer relationship than Giles and Red do. Red suspects this is because his father is secretly disappointed that he failed his wizard schooling, but Giles is still a very warm, friendly father to Red and Red has a lot of respect for his old man. Red and Hal are very tight, having a love of sports, weapons, and motorcycles in common. A tiny rift between them came up when Red quit the police service, however. It was a rift of Red's own creation (out of feelings of inadequacy) and has mostly been patched up now, but they don't talk about law-enforcement anymore because of it. Hal has always been very supportive and protective of Red, especially since Red's wife's death. Red dotes on his mother, but she has no idea who he is. He is normally very patient with her and used to visit once a week but since his wife's death has not been to see her. He is scarily overprotective of his daughter, spoils her rotten, and is terrified of her at the same time because he has no idea how he's going to raise her alone.
Sexual Orientation: Hetero.
Past relationships: Dated a lovely neighbourhood girl in high school from age 16 up until his mother lost her mind, when the strain of his family obligations became too much for the girl, leading to one of those 'it's really best for the both of us' partings that wasn't really best for Red, but he didn't fight it. He was dating a young woman in London during his training with the MPS but broke up with her when he realized he was in love with Marian. His relationship with Marian began out of a feeling of chivalry, with Red wanting to keep her safe, and also a feeling that he needed to prove himself to be different than the men from his borough, whom he found to be petty, violent, and vindictive. His feelings changed within weeks of meeting her into love, and he waited patiently and worked hard for three years to win her trust. They had a happy marriage, despite some unspoken frustrations over an inability to have a child right away, which of course vanished after Eirys was born.
External[]
Appearance: 5'9", 175lbs. Brown eyes, chocolate-coloured skin, shaved head (usually, sometimes stubbly), most often a three-day beard. He goes for imposing with his stance, since he's not an overly tall or muscular guy. Dress is clean, simple, usually plain collared shirts and slacks or dark jeans. He wears plain black robes when he works at the Cauldron, to blend in with the patrons. Shoes are trainers or plain loafers. No jewelry or body ornamentation aside from his wedding band. Tends to look vacant or preoccupied (broody) a lot of the time. No visible scars.
Gait: Quick and purposeful, with long strides.
Manner of speech: Polite. Quiet. Concise. Welsh accent to his English.
Posture: Tries for imposing, but has to try hard as it doesn't come natural. Straight-backed and proud.
Typical scent: Pub food, ale, motor oil, faint whiff of sweat.
First Impression: He looks lost. Should I ask him if he's okay?
Internal[]
Political Views: In terms of the wizarding world, Red is very much a supporter of Light and verrry against the Dark. He leans towards the occasional thought of 'if wizards weren't around my wife wouldn't have died' but usually he's pretty tolerant of wizards, since he encounters them on a daily basis. In terms of Muggle politics, Red tends to vote Tory, but he's not overly political.
Quirks/Habits: Was raised speaking Welsh, but learned English at school. Hates shirts that have writing on them. Dislikes cats. Dislikes jewelry, yet won't remove his wedding band. Hates it when his different types of food touch each other on plates (abhors takeaway for this reason, and Tom is nervous about letting him cook at the Cauldron for this reason.) Sings to himself all the time. Before his wife's death he would sing almost constantly, but now it's only when he's wrapped up in work and manages to forget his grief.
Strengths: Offensive and defensive spells. Red is sensitive towards women (his relationship with his wife leads Red to the belief that people, and women in particular, are a helluva lot stronger than others may give them credit for), loving, devotional, and passionate when it comes to the people in his life. In general he is of a very determined, persevering, and loyal nature. Can detach himself from heated situations with ease. He can be infinitely patient when it comes to his own fulfillment or when it comes to work. He is fond of manual labour and able to perform the most menial task without complaint. Red is a good shot with a handgun and a hunting rifle, and is perfectly comfortable living in the Muggle world.
Weaknesses:Red is prone to brooding, and is potentially self-destructive, though his daughter keeps his sanity in check. He tends to be withdrawn, though if he feels something is unjust he is outspoken and can be unforgiving. When it comes to his daughter's comfort and happiness, he can be quick to see the worst in a situation and jump to conclusions about solving a problem rather than just waiting for a solution to present itself tomorrow (irrationality where Eirys is concerned, would be the concise answer lol) He has a bit of a saviour complex and tendencies towards chivalry that tend to piss women off, though he's just trying to be a decent guy and certainly doesn't believe women are less capable than men in any way.
Fears: Losing another family member the way he lost his wife (not having the closure of knowing what happened), not being able to give his daughter the life her mother would want for her, putting her in danger through his unsavoury contacts at the Network, having to take someone's life, being caught by the Ministry and being separated from his daughter, his mother never remembering him again.
Philias: Eirys, Braith, his family, firewhisky, chips, opera, computer games, rugby, motorbikes, the shooting range, card games, repairing things (electronics, furniture).
Hobbies/Interests: Card games (mainly poker and blackjack), rugby (though he doesn't play anymore since his wife's death, only watches), reading (biographies mainly), cooking (this is a recent hobby/interest cultivated since his wife's death, originally taken up out of necessity), repairing things that are broken (though admittedly he's not very good at it), tinkering with his Ducati, a Monster S4R S Testastretta.
Favourite Belongings: Everything that belonged to his wife, whether it's something she bought herself or something he gave her. Her books, her clothes, her jewelry... everything she touched, basically. Most of his wife's things are in storage but he keeps a red cardigan that she wore on their first official date and her jewelry (a necklace and some earrings) in his room at the Cauldron. The silver hip flask his brother gave him for his 21st birthday. The silver spoon his father gave him when his daughter was born. His mother's journals, which she kept during her work as an Auror. His Ducati.
Favourite Places: The Tortoise and Hare, Hammersmith, London, England: where Red took his future wife on their first official date. They'd met at the sushi place numerous times during their friendship, but when Marian was finally able to admit that she loved Red and would 'date' him officially, Red took her to the Tortoise and Hare for their first official date.
Warrowstead, Dolgellau, Gwynedd, Wales: the Lewysham family farm. A pleasure farm. The family keeps horses and dogs, though Red never cared overly much for the horses. The family home was where Red and his brother used to play football, rugby, and Quidditch with neighbouring Muggle or wizarding children. The home itself always radiated a warm, welcoming atmosphere. Though it pains Red to visit since the loss of his mother's sanity (his father remains there alone while Mum is in permanent care) it is still a place he has fond memories of.
The Leaky Cauldron, Diagon Alley, London, England: Red began working at the Cauldron a few weeks after he quit the police service, at a time in his life when he was feeling useless, betrayed, and angry at the world. The very fact that he had somewhere to expend his energy and spend his time helped him to move past what had happened to him, and he credits the honest, simple work at the Cauldron's bar for restoring his personal outlook on life. The bar is a place where Red feels completely in control- it is his domain and he is responsible for acting as the highest authority on behalf of Tom, the Cauldron's owner.
Secrets: Red loves opera. He hates his job at the Network and loathes the very idea of what he's doing for them.
History[]
The Lewysham family home is in Dolgellau, Wales. Red (named Redmund after his mother's mother's maiden name) was born November 5th 1976 and was the second child of Giles and Penny Lewysham, with his brother Halcombe (Hal) being five years Red's senior. His father is a member of the Ministry and works in the Department of International Magical Cooperation (working mainly on trade relations). His mother was an Auror while the boys were growing up. The boys were very close to each other growing up, with Hal leading the band of village children and Red his right-hand man. Red followed his brother to Hogwarts but was sorted into Hufflepuff rather than Gryffindor as Hal was.
Red found magical studies to be extremely hard. The only subjects he passed were Defense Against the Dark Arts and Charms. Because of his abysmal marks, he couldn't become an Auror like his mother and brother, but rather than feel any self-pity, Redmund left Hogwarts after his fifth year and took Muggle schooling instead. He found Muggle school much more to his liking and excelled in his studies. He applied to Bangor University to pursue a lifelong dream of becoming a police officer- the next best thing to becoming an Auror.
During his time at Bangor Red developed a taste for gambling, and became quite the card shark in his dorm. At the beginning of his last year of school, however, in the last year of the war, his mother was tortured by Death Eaters and crucio'd to madness. Now she lives at a Muggle care home and Red's father perpetuates the story that she has early-onset Alzheimers and dementia. More determined than ever to become a police officer and do whatever he could to keep order and justice in the world, Red finished his last year of schooling and graduated from the School of Social Sciences at Bangor University with a degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice (BA Hons). Upon graduating, he moved to London and enrolled in police training with the Metropolitan Police Service.
During training as a PC, Redmund had his eyes opened to corruption in the police service, witnessing several in his borough engaging in legally questionable acts. Only five months into training, Redmund and his partner responded to a domestic abuse call late one night and Red was shocked to find one of the senior men of his borough had been abusing his wife. The other cops in the borough had been covering up multiple incidents, which Red realized after speaking to the neighbours and the wife herself. Disgusted by the officer's conduct, Red went to Internal Affairs. A week later, a story broke in the London papers that embellished Red's propensity for gambling and under the strain of the media attention he quit his training.
Red remained in London but floundered with unemployment for several weeks. He spent a lot of time with his mum, who had no idea who he was. He became consumed with the ridiculous, chivalraic desire he had to protect the abused wife he'd met, keeping in touch with her and even convincing her to leave her husband. Though at first he kept in contact with the woman out of a desire to prove he was a decent man and to make sure she was coping and safe, Red quickly found himself falling in love with her. His brother Hal found him a job at The Leaky Cauldron and Red slowly began pulling himself back together. It took three years before the woman he loved, a Muggle librarian, realized she both trusted and loved Red, but he was patient with her throughout this time. She finally agreed to marry him and they moved to Mathwall together. It took another three years before they could have a child, but baby Eirys was the centre of Red's existence after she was born.
Red's wife, Marian Fairlie, worked in a library in London and was passing through Mathwall when the charm bomb went off, trapping her inside. Red never saw her again, and was only told that she was killed, though he has no idea of the circumstances of her death. The insurance company refused to pay Redmund any life insurance due to the mysterious conditions of her death. After his wife's death, Red found himself unable to afford to raise his daughter in the comfort he felt she deserved, and began working for the Network.
Meta[]
Journal: crimson_noir
PB: Noel Clarke
Player: Mon