Godric Gryffindor

Sir Godric Gryffindor is a knight and one of the four founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is a pleasant man who values courage and bravery.

Appearance
Godric is quite attractive, despite the many battles he has participated, in both the magical and muggle worlds. Many of his fellow knights tease him that he made a deal with the devil to come out looking like a youth, no matter what happened. If only they knew the truth...

The knight is slightly vain about his appearance, appearing much younger and unscarred than he really is - all thanks to potions his sisters use to preserve their beauty. His strawberry-colored hair is somewhat curly - a trait he inherited from his mother. His skin is normally a pale color, though will all the time he spends outside, Godric gets tan quite quickly. His green eyes tend to sparkle much like emeralds and a look of mischief is quite commonly worn on his face.

Godric was never one for formal clothes that many of his friends were so fond of. Unless he is attending a serious event - such as a wedding - the young man dresses like he could sprint into the woods at any moment. Comfortable clothes that his mother is not exactly fond of, though his father steps in and insists it is better to let him get it out of his system before he is forced to wear good clothes when seizing his birthright.

The man is an animagus, taking the form of a lion from the African plains. His mane is thick and reddish brown, though his eyes are always the same emerald green.

Personality
Despite his wicked temper, Godric is normally a quite pleasant man to be around. Many of the ladies enjoy his company, and though he encourages them mercilessly, in all truth, none of them have really caught his eyes. He knows his time for marriage is overdue but he keeps reminding his parents that they let both of his sisters have some choice in their husbands. When he found someone that they would approve of and he could live with, Godric would take the long march. For now, however, the knight insists they back off.

Godric is quite the brave young man, never backing down from any challenge - something that Britain needs at this time. With Vikings raiding and ravaging the country, warring tribes trying to claim more land for themselves, and wild magical beasts roaming the island of Britain, the young man finds that, in the long run, the work for knights will never end.

Still, as much as he enjoys the camaraderie, the fury of war and the adrenaline it rushes through him, Godric knows that this isn't what he's supposed to be doing. And he is DEFINITELY not fit to be a man of nobility. In the end, he finds that he is happiest when helping his fellow magical kind - teaching them what he knows. Though he knows he should feel guilty about deserting his family name to start a school and safe-haven for witches and wizards, Godric just can't find the emotion. So strong is his feel of duty to his own kind...

Much of the young man's life was spent keeping an eye on his baby sister Gwen. The two grew quite close, as they shared many of the same thoughts about matters in life. When Godric is home (before Gwen got married), the siblings were inseparable. Had the girl not been 10 years younger, one would have thought they were twins. Even now, Godric stops by her new home whenever he has the chance.

History
Born the second child of Cuthraed and Aelis Gryffindor, Godric Gryffindor was the only son that the two bore, thus bearing the weight of his parents hopes and ambitions for the future Duke of Gloucester. Unlike many parents of the age, however, Cuthraed and Aelis never pressured him, mostly allowing their boy to pursue his own path as long as he understood his eventual destiny.

The young man embraced the life of any other noble in that day and age. He was eager to become a knight like many of the friends he was put together with due to his father's position in the world. It was unsurprising when he succeeded and at quite an age when others were still struggling to fulfill the true requirements of a knight's purpose.

He was talented in many of arts, including reading, writing, acting, and swordplay; just don't ask him to sing!

What many of his friends did not know was the Godric had a secret - he was a wizard! And none of his fellow knights COULD know or Godric could be burned at the stake. With the times being what they were, witch craft was still a fear to most peasants and even a few of the nobility. Even though the young man could escape, he would lose his place in society, something that (for a long time) he did not think he could deal with.

Among many of the nobles, unknown to many, were many magical families. The original nobility of England were actually wizards and witches, though time being what it was, muggles would work their way in until the muggles soon over took the magical blood, making those that were different hide the special part of themselves inside. Through these connections however, many of the nobility were able to still keep their blood lines pure. (And those that didn't were sure to cover their tracks well so they still APPEARED pure, at least.)

Godric was one of the many who's bloodline was hidden in secret. Honestly, he hardly cared that his mother was born a witch to two muggle parents. He loved his grandparents and what they could do did not matter to him in the least. Still, his parents forced him and his sisters not to tell anyone, lest it affected what chances they would have for good marriages.

Unlike many of the parents of that age, Cuthraed and Aelis truly understood the meaning of love - not just arrangements. When their first daughter Aelfwyn reached the age of 18, she was well versed in everything a lady should know, not to mention, ready to settle down, since she had had a life of doing what she wanted. Her parents matched her to a pure family with the last name of Slytherin...an arrangement that would change Godric's life.

During his time spent on the Slytherin lands, he met Severn (Aelfwyn's husband)'s younger brother - Salazar. Godric and Salazar immediately clicked, becoming fast friends, despite their unique differences. As the young son, Salazar spent his life becoming a scholar - furthering his knowledge in magic more than most of the people Godric had ever met. The two boys began comparing notes of magic they had already learned. Godric, who was on his way to being one of the best duelers in his time, was happy to help Salazar, while the young Slytherin helped Godric with many of the other arts that Godric had ignored in pursuit of spells that would have used to help himself as a knight.

When it came time to escort his mother and little sister from Aelfwyn's new home, Godric and Salazar resolved to keep in touch. From then on, the two were together as often as possible. When Salazar took off to tour the world, Godric was tempted to go with him. However, obligations kept him from the trip.

Through a connection with his fellow knight, a wizard named Toby Hufflepuff, Godric was introduced to Helga Hufflepuff, who was Toby's widowed sister-in-law. She took over in Salazar's absence with the knight's potions, helping Godric with his less than perfect concoctions. (Potions had NEVER been his strong point.)

Helga introduced him to the most beautiful woman that Godric had ever seen - Rowena Ravenclaw. The young man fell for her like a sac of stones. Unfortunately, she was also already with another man. Though Godric was crushed, he knew that such was life. Together with the two girls and Slytherin, they took to teaching anyone in their area how to perfect their magic until the others came up with a plan - start an actual school to protect those being persecuted. There, the four friends could teach anyone interested that had magical talent.

Rowena located the perfect location up in the Scott lands and soon after, the magical castle that would serve as a proper school began being built. After four and a half years of hard work, the school has been completed and ready to be filled. The friends agreed to give themselves one last summer before beginning their new lives.