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I'll survive. Somehow I always do. |
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— Reilly to Odysseus
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Reilly Aengus Cauldwell (b. 25 January) is an Irish half-blood wizard and Banshee half-breed of the Cauldwell family, the eldest son of Aengus and Ailbe Cauldwell (née O'Connor). He is also the elder brother of three Squibs: Conor, Benjamin and Finlay. Growing up, his family were renowned for their maintenance of one of the wizarding world's largest Wiz-O-Farms, growing magical crops and raising livestock for the benefit of different companies; they were also known, far more discreetly, for their predilection for what many assumed to be the art of Divination.
Upon attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Reilly was Sorted into Hufflepuff House on account of his hard-working and affable nature. He soon became best friends with Odysseus Leander and later Matthew MacDougal. Throughout his school years, Reilly established himself as a sensible and diligent wizard, consistently trying to keep his friends out of trouble to varying degrees of success. He displayed an extraordinary gift for the likes of Herbology and Divination, but was better known to his fellow students for his covert hobby of herb cultivation. He was also a member of Slug Club and Divination Club, and after being selected as a Prefect in his fifth year, he was finally promoted to Head Boy in his final year at Hogwarts.
Biography
Family lineage
- "So, my great-aunt Alanna's always going on — has been since I was young — saying we're a special kind, ancestors blessed with a gift or something like that... I know, she's mad as a box of frogs, and I'm just sitting here thinking, why has no one put this woman in St Oswald's yet, you know?"
- — Reilly regarding the Cauldwell family pride
Early life
The cottage on Cauldwell farm, in which Reilly grew up with his family
Reilly Aengus Cauldwell was born on the 25th January to Aengus and Ailbe Cauldwell on the outskirts of the village of Blarney in County Cork, Ireland. His father was a wizard while his mother was a Muggle; Aengus, a minor functionary working in the Muggle Liaison Office, met Ailbe, a former child-turned-stage actress, when he saved the latter from being attacked by a Lethifold disguised as a stage curtain. She reportedly fainted at the revelation of the wizarding world's existence, but upon awakening instantly demanded to know more. After no more than a few short whirlwind months, the couple were happily married and expecting their first child. Ailbe's parents were at first startled and rendered vaguely uncomfortable by the magic and eccentricities that came with their new son-in-law, but never once stood in the way of their marriage, having seen how a life of exploitation and dwindling fame had failed to make their daughter happy. As a female Cauldwell had not been born in the family for generations, Reilly's parents went on to plan out his full name and decorate his room in totality before he was born, wholly convinced that they had a baby boy on the way.
Reilly grew up happily on Cauldwell Farm alongside his three younger brothers: triplets Conor, Benjamin and Finlay, who were born four years after him. Despite their magical parentage, all of the Cauldwell children with the exception of Reilly turned out to be Squibs, meaning that they could not nor would not ever be able to perform magic. Strange though this was, the family were relatively open and never attempted to keep the nature of their three youngest a secret; equally, Reilly never once considered his brothers inferior to him and loved them unconditionally.
Hogwarts years
First year
Second year
Third year
Fourth year
Fifth year
Sixth year
Seventh year
Life after Hogwarts
Later life
Physical description
- Odhrán Cauldwell: "Does that boy ever get any rest?"
- Alanna Cauldwell: "He looks like he's on death's doorstep."
- — Reilly's relatives gossip about his appearance at Caolan's wedding
Reilly in his seventh year, aged 18
Reilly was renowned for his messy flaming-red hair, hazel eyes and pale complexion, all of which were attributes commonly associated with the Cauldwell family. He had thick brows, a square jaw, and a distinguishable habit of having his ears turn red whenever he was embarrassed. His build was tall and wiry, with big hands and feet yet rather poor posture, and his palms were blistered and calloused from years of pastoral labour. According to Odysseus, Reilly always outshone his friends in terms of physical attraction, allegedly being in possession of a certain "boy-next-door" comeliness that garnered the attention of many at Hogwarts. Conversely, his distant Caolan stated that Reilly had inherited his mother's film star good looks. However, his most distinguishing feature by far was his grin, which was described as being impossibly genuine; it was not often that Reilly was seen without a smile on his face, regardless of whether it was weak and tired or wide and merry. Like all other Cauldwells, he too spoke with a distinct Irish accent.
Much to the annoyance of their professors, Reilly and his friends were hardly ever seen wearing their robes, their uniform consistently dishevelled in some manner. All three boys had visible marks on their bodies from a harsh caning set by a former caretaker. It was also suggested that the scent of herbs would sometimes surround Reilly as a result of their use, which often caused family members to scold him.
During periods of stress such as his brother's death, Reilly's cheerful countenance suffered and he would take on a more earnest and brooding mien. In times of anxiety, he had a habit of bouncing his leg at an extremely fast pace. Over time, he developed bruise-like shadows under his eyes due to a lack of sleep, causing him to look debilitated and weary; this led guests at Caolan's wedding to make fairly histrionic speculations, with Reilly's great-aunt Alanna stating that he looked like he was "on death's doorstep". After experiencing a premonition, the back of Reilly's skull would burn painfully, his eyes would become somewhat glassy in appearance, and he would begin shaking as if hysterical.
Reilly had two tattoos: a Snargaluff on his left ring finger, which he described as "silly" and a joke to appease his friend Matthew, and a small tree taken from a drawing by his late brother on his left shoulder — the tree would either lose or gain leaves, depending on the season. His left ear was also pierced.
In his sixth year, Reilly lost his right index finger at the hands of Linus's Sectumsempra curse. As the severance was carried out via Dark magic, his finger could not be reattached. Luckily, the loss did not affect him as greatly as he had predicted.
Personality and traits
- "Reilly is warm. And he's... he's kind and caring and selfless... and it's real. It's so hard to find nowadays."
- — Rosemary on Reilly's rare and unusually empathetic nature
Magical abilities and skills
Reilly's corporeal patronus (form of an arctic fox)
- Herbology:
- Charms:
- Duelling:
- Non-verbal magic:
- Muggle Studies:
- Divination:
- Care of Magical Creatures:
- History of Magic:
- Apparition:
- Quidditch (theory):
- Flying:
- Charisma:
- Bilinguist: As well as speaking English as his first language, Reilly was also fluent in his native Irish Gaelic, having been taught to speak and read in the language since childhood as was custom for members of the Cauldwell family. He was also capable of recognising other less common languages such as Runes and Gobbledegook, despite not being entirely fluent.
- "At its heart, engineering is about using logic to find creative, practical solutions. You did just that today. I'm not saying you're a pro, but you have a good eye, and that's how these things always begin. I just wanted to let you know that there might be a place for you here one day, should you ever want it."
- — Rue Leander makes a prospective job offer based on Reilly's internship at Leander Broomsticks
- Mechanical engineering: Due to his interest in Muggle technology, Reilly developed a skill in repairing various forms of machinery in his spare time, from taking apart computers to handling fully-sized automobiles. Though his attempts to repair the Charmed Camaro did not amount to much success, he likely improved his skills significantly during this little sojourn into automotive engineering as he was later able to make several magical modifications to his own Ford Jalopy as well as Aries Peltier's motorcycle. He would later come to earn a reputation within the wizarding community as the person to go to, should they desire any extra adjustments to their vehicle. This competence with automatives came in particular handy during his internship at Leander Broomsticks, when he exercised his creative input and helped with the manufacturing of their products; his skill was so great to the extent that Rue Leander made it clear a prospective career at the company would be open to him should he need it. Reilly's love of engineering and Muggle technology was inherited by his daughter Ivory, in that she too possessed her father's ingenuity and almost compulsive need to modify things from their intended purposes.
- Wandlore: Having grown up on a farm that supplied high-quality wood for the manufacture of wands and broomsticks, Reilly had a fairly useful store of knowledge pertaining to wand woods, being able to recognise various types such as ash, hawthorn, cherry and rosewood. His knowledge of wandlore also assisted him in singling out the strengths and weaknesses imbued in the wands of his peers, and he also demonstrated a gift of recognising trees which were mundane and those trees which were fit to produce quality wand wood.
- Music: Reilly was a moderately proficient musician, with his talents lying mainly in his ability to play both the guitar and the tuba. It is likely that he was more skilled at the former, as Ody once remarked that his tuba performances as part of the Hogwarts Orchestra were "not the greatest thing" he had ever seen. Even after withdrawing from the Orchestra, Reilly still displayed a carefree interest in dabbling in other fields of music, as seen when he eagerly urged Inny to teach him how to play the piano.
- Sign language:
- Leadership skills:
- Indomitable willpower:
- Love:
Banshee abilities
- Megaera Alder: "Do you believe in Death? As in, the Grim Reaper?"
- Daya Devdhar: "No."
- Megaera Alder: "I do. I've looked into his eyes."
- — {{{6}}}
- Automatic writing:
- Psychometry:
- Sound Divination:
- Harbinger of Death:
- Premonitions:
Possessions
- Poplar wand: Reilly's wand was manufactured by Orland Ollivander and purchased from his shop in Diagon Alley prior to beginning his magical education. It was fourteen inches long, made of poplar wood with a banshee hair core donated by his great-aunt Alanna Cauldwell. Wands made from poplar wood are said to choose reliable and consistent wizards filled with integrity and uniform power, usually in possession of a clear moral vision.
- Cricket:
- Rufus:
- Dress robes:
- Muggle artefacts:
- Instruments:
- Ford Jalopy:
- Cauldwell lakehouse:
Relationships
Family
Parents
- Reilly: "I was so worried... I can't stop thinking about it..."
- Lily Leander: "Look at me. Be strong. You need to be strong for them, like they were strong for you."
- — After the attack on Reilly's father and Cauldwell farm
Conor Cauldwell
Benjamin Cauldwell
Finlay Cauldwell
Lily Leander
- Reilly: "She snuck up on me. She got under my skin and no matter what I do I just – I can't shake her."
- Rosemary Potter: "Once you fall in love with someone, I don't know if – if you can ever shake them."
- — {{{6}}}
Daughters
Odysseus Leander
- "I know something’s going on. I know you don’t wanna talk, but you’re still my best friend, and considering Matt's too busy chancing around to care, I'm thinking I don't have many options for new partners. When you're ready to talk, do that. But until then, I know I can still kick your short arse in at least one of these games."
- — Reilly to Ody during a game of Exploding Snap
Cauldwell family
- "She says it's been her privilege, watching you grow into the young man you've become."
- — A message from Reilly's grandmother from beyond the grave
Matthew MacDougal
- Lily Leander: "I'm surprised he hasn't driven you mad yet."
- Reilly: "Look, Matt does have his moments, but we've been best friends since first year and believe it or not that actually means something to me."
- — Reilly fiercely defends his and Matthew's friendship
Rosemary Potter
- "He said... he said he doesn't think he's the same person that he was before. That he's changed — which is impossible, because who changes over one summer? He said he needs time to sort through his emotions and maybe we can get back together after — which just doesn't make any sense!"
- — Rosemary venting to Mallory about the end of her and Reilly's relationship
Theodore Flume
Etymology
Reilly is an Irish name meaning "courageous, valiant". It is often used as a surname, with its other forms including O'Reilly and Riley, and it is derived from the Gaelic Ó Raghallaigh Sept that was based in Counties Cavan and Westmeath.
Aengus is a masculine given name in Irish. It is composed of the Celtic elements that ultimately amount to mean "one vigor". It is the Irish form of the Scottish Gaelic Aonghas, Aonghus. In Irish mythology, Aengus is a member of the Tuatha Dé Danann and a god of love, youth and poetic inspiration. He is traditionally described as having singing birds circling his head.
The surname Cauldwell is of Anglo-Saxon origin, and is a locational surname deriving from any one of the places called "Caldwell" in North Yorkshire and Warwickshire. It means "the cold spring, or stream".
Quotes
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Notes
- Reilly's theme song was Prey by The Neighbourhood.
- His Amortentia was Irish boxty, hay, lilies, and freshly-sawn lumber.
Trivia
- Reilly was distantly related to fellow student Xanthas Jordan through their relatives Bartley Cauldwell and Varvara Jordan, who eloped together after the elitist Jordan family attempted to force them to give away their Squib son. It was unknown whether they knew this, although given their vocal distaste for one another it is highly likely that they did not.
