Oliver Duff Wood
Age: 29
Birthdate: March 21, 1976
Family background: Oliver Duff Wood was born to Douglas and Rossalyn Wood, a well-to-do, pureblood Scots couple in a Wizarding community a bit north of Glasgow. He’s the youngest of four: his older brother Liam was born in 1969, and the twins, Jenny and Julia (Jules) were born in 1972. Though Douglas and Rossalyn strove to show all of their children equal amounts of attention, Oliver was definitely the baby of the family, and, being the youngest, was naturally a bit of a ham as a child. He was very close to both of his parents growing up, and remains so at the present.
Rossalyn stayed home with the kids during their childhood, but with four kids in tow, Douglas spent a lot of time at the office, where he worked in Transfigurations and still consults to this day. Watching Quidditch was his one real break from the hustle and flow, and he gladly shared it with his children, or tried to. Liam was more into his studies than Quidditch. Jules like to watch, not play, and Jenny…well, she liked to watch for other reasons. Oliver, however, loved Quidditch from the moment he laid eyes on it. Douglas fondly remembers the first time he took Oliver to a live Quidditch game – and subsequently dragged him out of the stands kicking and screaming because his boy didn’t want to leave. From that day on, Oliver was his da’s Quidditch buddy.
As far as his siblings go, Oliver’s closest to Jules, who has been a pretty constant companion throughout his life. He and Jenny always end up butting heads about nothing in particular, and Liam keeps to himself a lot of the time. They all get along just fine, despite. At least once a month the entire troupe has lunch at his parents’ house, where a) Oliver gets picked at by the entire lot and b) Rossalyn inevitably brings up children, and why Oliver is the only one without any. It’s a riot, he’s sure.
House in School: Gryffindor, finished 1994
Bloodline (and does it matter?): Muggle born - and does it matter to your character?) Pure, and not in the slightest.
Political Views: So long as nobody’s getting hurt. Other than that, Oliver keeps out of politics – they don’t interest him.
Appearance
Visual Representation: Jake Gyllenhaal
Description:Oliver is tall (6’ 1”), broad-shouldered, and muscular. He’s got short, dark hair and emotive blue eyes. As he’s a professional Quidditch player, he’s quite fit; he works out for at least five hours daily, if not more.
Psychology and Personality
Sexuality:
Strengths and Weaknesses: Oliver’s got a good head about his shoulders in general, and has a sense of humor about the world around him. He does, however, have a temper on him. Generally speaking, he’s got his hot-headedness under control – he’s calmed down considerably since getting married – but certain things will set him off. The two foremost of said things are: insult and injury to himself or his loved ones, and hitting on his wife. Neither end well.
Habits\Quirks: Though it’s not much a habit or quirk, Oliver’s thumbs are most always engaged in something or other, save when he’s in the air. He also has a habit of oft running his right hand through his hair, especially when he’s flirting or there’s saucy conversation afoot.
Likes\Dislikes: Likes: exercise, having his hair played with, chocolate frogs, a good sense of humor, dirt and grass Bertie Bott’s, Romy’s expansive knicker collection. Dislikes: rudeness, uppity women, Bertie Bott’s (see above re: grass and dirt), when one shoe is tied tighter than the other, folding laundry.
Lifestyle
Occupation: Captain and Keeper, Puddlemere United
Financial Status: Wealthy.
Residence: Buckland Manor, Buckland, Gloucestershire
History from student days at Hogwarts to the present time: Upon graduation, Oliver was signed as a reserve Keeper to Puddlemere United, his second favorite team in the league. He was happy as could be – playing in the league was all he’d ever wanted for himself. Well, at eighteen. Oliver worked hard as a reserve, and quickly became Puddlemere’s most reliable back-up Keeper. Despite his natural talent and head for the game, however, Oliver didn’t get as much playing time as he would have liked during his first two seasons with PU. During his third season, Oliver was granted the opportunity to start in a few games, and did exceedingly well, for a rookie. By the end of his third season, he’d solidified a second-string position, and was working hard as ever to keep in peak physical condition.
There was a war afoot, however, and by the time Oliver’s fourth season rolled around, the wizarding world was in such disarray that Quidditch was all but disbanded. With Muggle-borns being persecuted so, the League turned into hunting grounds, and most everyone took a hiatus while they were still alive. Puddlemere decided to go out as a team, with promises to its fans that, once the war was over, they’d all be back in tip-top shape. Oliver kept up with his game as best he could from the pitch outside of his childhood home, but spent most of the war aiding his parents, who had volunteered their home as a shelter for Muggle-borns. They worked tirelessly as a family to keep the house hidden and safe for the sometimes upwards of thirty occupants there, and never managed to get caught. Oliver also kept very close tabs on his teammates, even lending his flat to a teammate’s family that had been displaced in the fray. Oliver and his siblings all fought in the final battle as well, and did all they could afterward to help the grieving families of the dead.
That summer, just before regular League games would have started again, all of the surviving Quidditch players got together and decided they were going to bring Quidditch back full-force – give people something to root for after the war. The build-up was a bit slow, but sure enough, fans were glad to see the return of the Wizarding world’s favorite pastime.
In an unexpected move – even to Oliver – he was pulled up from reserves just before the start of season to replace the retiring Keeper. Despite the success he’s had since. Oliver credits that as the season of his life. Youthful energy and eagerness gave him the edge he needed to become one of the most talked-about Keepers in the league that year, and though the team finished in the bottom half of the standings, Oliver was the talk of the team. In an effort to build on the buzz surrounding the young Mr. Wood, Puddlemere made another, even more unexpected move – at twenty-three, Oliver was named captain amid equal amounts of praise and apprehension.
Oliver’s first season was tough, to say the least, but Puddlemere edged into the fourth slot despite. Oliver’s natural, easy charm and expansive knowledge of Quidditch won most of his nay-sayers over, and he quickly became a popular figure on the team. The next year PU broke top three, and they remained third the next season as well.
The highlight of his seventh season – his 25th year of life – wouldn’t be noted until some time later. Romy came into his life, like most things worth fighting for, when he least expected it; he looked across a room, and there she was, looking right back at him. They enjoyed a heated chemistry and a rather satisfying – if not sporadic – physical relationship for about a six months, give or take, when Oliver found himself becoming more and more intrigued by his off-and-on lover. It was Oliver who changed the rules of their game first, pursuing an emotional connection with Romy in spite of their explicit guidelines. In no less than six months’ time he was head over heels for Romy, and in a sickeningly romantic gesture, Oliver got down on bended knee and asked for her hand in marriage, despite their age difference (at the time, she was 20, and he 26) and much nay-saying from his family. They got married just after her 21st birthday, and remain ridiculously happy to this day.
When Romy became his wife, it was as it everything came together for Oliver. That year, Puddlemere surged out of the second spot they’d been seemingly locked into and took first in League standings and the League Cup. They’ve just taken first and the Cup for the second year in a row. Keeping’s a hard lot, though, and Oliver is beginning to feel his body slow down on him. He gets pains in his joints with increasing frequency, and is often privy to sharp, vision-splitting headaches. Though he’s fighting it with all he’s got, it’s looking like this may be Oliver’s last season up in the air. He’s had a good run, though, and the timing would be perfect to start raising a family. His mother would be thrilled, at any rate.
Oliver's Puppet Master is Erin (rockettea)