Connor O'Brien (unspeakable)

Played by Jay Ryan (link)
DESCRIPTION:While he’s actually a bit of a nerd, Connor doesn’t initially come off that way. His gelled hair, casual clothes and relaxed posture make him seem more like a cool guy. Only when he opens his mouth on a subject he finds truly fascinating does his large intellect shine through. When he’s truly engaged in conversation, his eyes sparkle and he gesture almost constantly. But most of the time he’s pretty chill. Don’t let his relaxed manner fool you though. It’s entirely possible he’s only leaning against the kitchen counter explaining string theory so one of his brothers can get behind you. You never really knew with Connor. His heart may be made of gold, but it’s got a solid mischievous streak. The only real giveaway is his loud laugh and the infectious smile that cross his face when the mission is accomplished.




POSITIVE TRAITS: curious, great memory for details, book smart, good sense of humor, protective, loving husband and father, decently athletic, always up for new experiences
NEGATIVE TRAITS: hard on himself, stubborn, terrible at telling his kids no, takes criticism to heart, can be closed off until people get to know him, struggles with knowing he can’t protect his kids from everything, doesn’t talk about his feelings well, not so good at more active magic (ex: dueling)
LIKES: a good game of soccer, learning new things, playing with his kids, steak, talking about the concept of time and time travel (his favorite subject to study at work), colds bottles of butterbeer, messing with his siblings, bantering with his wife (actually, just his wife in general), reading Tolkien
DISLIKES: bullies, willful ignorance, when people believe things not based on fact (ex: blood superiority), having to listen to an authority he doesn’t respect, glitter (you try raising a little princess who loves glitter and see how well it goes), carrots, people messing with his family, washing dishes, being pressured to talk about his feelings
HOBBIES: playing pickup games of soccer with some guys in the neighborhood, reading to his kids (Ten is old enough for The Lord of the Rings, right?), taking his wife on periodic dates

GENERAL PERSONALITY: Connor is a solid mix of nerd and nice guy disguised as cool. But in truth, he loves deep discussions about complicated concepts even more than he loves soccer. Connor is always up for a good time, be it getting one over on his siblings or just chilling in the living room with his family. He would do absolutely anything for them. As evidenced by the glittery tiaras he endures for Megan. (Seriously, that stuff never comes out of gelled hair.) He had a definite rebellious string in his early adulthood, and that still manifests sometimes as unyielding stubbornness. Which can make him pretty messy to genuinely argue with. But most of the time he’s just a fun and loving guy. He tends to take things to heart for more than people realize. Comments and criticism will stay in his brain for a long time. His curiosity is endless, and once he stumbles upon a question he doesn’t know the answer to, he’ll search high and low to find it. He’s also got a pretty big imagination and something of a creative streak, qualities that help both with charms and with parenting. But as much as he loves knowledge and his work, his family will always come first. The crucible of his parents’ deaths turned him into a solid and surprisingly responsible (do not confuse with boring) older brother who will always have the backs of his siblings. Or his wife and kids. All joking aside, Connor is someone who can genuinely be counted to be there when it matters.




Parents: Jacob O’Brien (Irish, deceased) and Rose O’Brien (British Muggle, deceased)
Siblings: Rebecca (36, reporter), Isaac (29, curse breaker), Trace (27, Appleby Arrows keeper), Hannah (23, medi-witch)
Partner: Claire O’Brien nee Simmons (30, beast liaison with the Ministry)
Children: Hayden (15, adopted), Micah (10, adopted) and Megan (7, adopted, Micah’s biological sister)
Other Family: none of note

Character History: Connor was the second child and first son born into the O’Brien household. Being every bit as stubborn as his older sister, he and Becca squabbled constantly. The arrival of first Isaac and then Trace lessened that rivalry a bit now that Connor could play ringleader to his two brothers. Had he been a little more rebellious, that probably would have led to disaster. But while Connor’s curious nature did lead to bruises and scrapes, it was rarely anything to truly worry about. The O’Brien kids spent their days sliding down bannisters, fighting with foam swords and having adventures outside. Life was perfect.

Becca went off to magical school when Connor was eight, a fact that made him mildly jealous. He wanted to learn magic just like his father. But his turn came soon enough. Hogwarts was not quite what Connor had expected. It turned out Becca had left out certain parts of her experience, namely that she was picked on for having a non-magical mother. Becca could definitely hold her own, and the amount of people acting out based on those prejudices dropped rather sharply thanks to the end of whatever war Connor had just missed. But it still made him angry to see the way some people treated his sister and talked about his mother. Like Becca, he soon became highly protective of his mother despite being closer to his father thanks to their shared use of magic. Things were easier in his own house. Connor had landed among the smart kids of Ravenclaw, and he readily soaked up whatever knowledge was presented to him. He found himself particularly drawn to charms, an art had had a particular flair for, and also to the more obscure subjects like arithmancy or ancient runes. The more theoretical, the better. Connor never took to Quidditch the way he had to soccer. But his brains, friendly manner and occasional proclivity for mischief made him a wide circle of friends.

It was during Connor’s last year of school that his parents were tragically murdered by a rogue pureblood extremist. Connor himself was technically of age by wizarding law, but his three younger siblings were suddenly in the care of twenty-one-year-old Becca. Seeing her try to play parent didn’t sit too well with Connor. So he coped with the loss of his parents by pushing back. The two oldest O’Brien siblings fought fiercely, to the point the younger siblings sometimes worried they might stop speaking altogether. And they did for short stints at a time. Connor even moved out, determined to make it on his own with his meager salary as an unspeakable-in-training, the perfect career for someone who loved such theoretical subjects. Somehow he made it work. But eventually he and Becca began to work through their differences and came to realize they were both only handling things the best they knew how. Finally understanding just how much Becca had taken on, Connor began drifting back towards his family. Before long he was coming by every day to do whatever he could to help out. In time, he and Becca became each other’s best friend, a distinction they still hold to this day.

Connor’s career at the Ministry progressed and he moved up to a full unspeakable. His favorite subject to study was time, and he theorized about it with anyone who would listen. It was through the Ministry that he eventually came across Claire Simmons, who worked in the magical creatures department. Claire was smart and passionate and pretty, and it didn’t take Connor long to fall in love. Claire’s end of things took a little longer. But gradually Connor won her heart. They dated for a few years before finally getting married.

Their timing was either impeccable or horrific because war began brewing around the same time. By their one-year anniversary, wizarding England was heading to hell in a handbasket. Their Ministry careers and unwillingness to bend to the incoming regime made them both expendable. Seeking protection in numbers, Connor and Claire moved in with the rest of his siblings, and Connor eventually cast the Fidelius Charm on the house with his brother Isaac serving as secret keeper. Connor had never been much good at fighting. Instead, he studied up on protective and concealment charms and spread the word to the people he knew so they would have the best defenses possible. He and his youngest brother Trace left the house the most, and they bonded over their shared desire to protect the family. And how helpless they often felt in the face of the rising evil.

But finally the war ended. Connor and Claire moved back out and returned to their jobs at the Ministry. They even started talking about having kids. Some medical complications led them to the decision to adopt instead. The war had certainly left behind plenty of war orphans. After a bit of searching, they came across Micah and Megan Stevens. The former was clearly sweet and bright underneath his trauma, and the latter was utterly irresistible in her cuteness. Working the kids into their family was a process. Megan was only three at the time, so she quickly adjusted to her new parents and aunts and uncles. Micah took a bit longer. He remembered his biological parents and he could comprehend losing them, and it took him a while to fully accept Connor and Claire and believe they weren’t going anywhere. It helped that both his new parents understood the loss he had suffered. But a little over four years into things and the family has come together nicely.

They’ve even added another member – Hayden. When Connor and Claire decided they wanted to add another child to the family, they specifically went looking for an older kid with less chance of getting adopted. An orphanage worker connected them with the young teenager. They spent a few weekends in Hogsmeade getting to know her before having her move in with them over the summer. Things have been a little interesting. Hayden gets on well enough with Micah and Megan, but she keeps pushing back against her new parents, especially Claire. It’s like she’s scared of getting to get close to them, despite the fact they just finalized her adoption a few weeks ago. But Connor seems to be making progress with her, and he’s confident they can eventually convince her to let them in.

He does worry that escalating events in the wizarding world may someday affect his children. Or that his wife will get sucked too far into the creature rights situation. But whatever comes, he’s going to do everything in his power to protect his family. All of it. And maybe give them some reasons to think and laugh in the meantime.




Wand: beech, unicorn tail hail, 11 ½ inches, swishy
Former House: Ravenclaw
Affiliation: N/A
Amortentia: Sunday roast like his mom always made, freshly cut grass (reminds him of going to the park when he was a kid), log fires (he loves spending the evening in front of one with his family)
Magical Abilities: n/a