Augustus never had parents - not as far as he can remember, at least. He only had his elder sister, Mercy. If he could remember his parents, though, he would remember them as being a very average, almost bland sort of people. Kind, loving, and good people, yes, but certainly not interesting. His parents were Muggles and Mercy was a Muggle, and Augustus should have been a Muggle, too. But things never really go according to plan. They didn't go according to plan when his parents died in a mugging gone wrong and they didn't go according to plan when he realized very shortly after his eleventh birthday that he had the uncanny ability to make things float.

Mercy was the first (and for sixteen years only) child of Evangeline and Gerard Murray, who had her when they were just sixteen and seventeen years old, respectfully. Augustus was born an astonishing fifteen years after his elder sister, an unplanned surprise but loved all the same. Shortly after Augustus's third birthday, however, his parents were murdered in a mugging, after going out for a romantic dinner and leaving Mercy and Augustus at home. Mercy was to turn nineteen just a few weeks after, making her a legal adult and the legal guardian of Augustus. From then on, it was just them against the world.

The two lived together in a small flat in Perth. Mercy had always been responsible and mature, very wise for her age. Augustus was a good baby and he grew into a good child, always making Mercy's job easy - even as he grew to have behavioral problems outside the home and at school. He spoke in class, ignored and talked back to his teachers, got into fights, stole, cussed, and smoked. By all accounts, Augustus was a terrible beast of a boy, uncontrollable and bloodthirsty. But at home he was wonderful. And to his friends he was good, kind, and always loyal. He learned from a remarkably young age the importance of loyalty and trust. Mercy would hold in her hands handwritten notes from teachers going on about that awful Augustus, but she would look up and gaze upon sweet Augustus across the room and see in his eyes a boy wise beyond his years. Hardly a fiend. Which Augustus was the truth?

Other than Augustus's acting out, their life was very bland.
Their flat was cold, their meals were always the same, Augustus's clothes would become worn and Mercy could rarely afford to replace them. It was the average life of a poor family in Perth. Mercy wondered if that was why he was acting out. But he never gave his reasons for his actions, sometimes it seemed like he had no reasons to give.

Three days after Augustus's eleventh birthday, however, things began to change as he got into yet another fight... And made his opponent cough up a frog. No adult would believe him or the poor boy who had suffered through it. From there, the incidents only got stranger and stranger until, finally, Mercy requested Augustus put on a coat before stepping outside and saw for herself his yellow rain coat lift itself off its hook and float through the air to land gently in his small arms. There could be no denying then: there was something wrong with Augustus.

Mercy's first thought was demonic possession. That could explain the acting out, the fighting, the cursing, the coughed up frogs and floating coats - Augustus was obviously possessed. Fortunately for the siblings, however, a letter from Hogwarts arrived very quickly to inform them on just what exactly Augustus was. Just in time for Mercy to call the priest and cancel the exorcism.



Augustus was always a troublemaker. Charisma, open-mindedness, humour, and a taste for adventure made him one of the more popular boys in school. However, his distaste for authority and rebellious ways made him one of the least liked students among the teachers. Before Hogwarts, Augustus smoked his first cigarette when he was ten (though it was only to impress his pals and he hasn't made a habit of it yet), proudly spoke with a sailor's mouth (and still does), habitually pick-pocketed money and small objects from around town, and even sported a leather jacket he had stolen. Only eleven years old and Augustus was a certified "bad boy".

Someone, if they were wiser, might recognise his behaviour as a cover up, an attempt to keep people at a distance and an attempt to hide his own insecurities in himself: in his smaller-than-average stature, his lisp, his poor grades, and his nerdy glasses he refuses to wear. Someone might think of it as a cry for help or the natural acting out of a boy who never knew his parents. It's hard to determine precisely what it is, though, when Augustus doesn't even know himself.

Beneath his terrible behaviour towards strangers and adults, Augustus is actually quite gentle. Despite a strong Scottish accent, his voice is soft and sweet - even when he threatens and curses. His touch is kind and he is quick to offer his help to friends and those he trusts. He is cold and distant to strangers, though he is a keen observer and the tune he plays might change if he deems a person worthy of kindness. Augustus is drawn to quieter children, genuine friendliness, and honesty. These are the traits he searches for and these are the people he keeps by his side. To them, his loyalty is undying. Others are a waste of time.

Strangely enough, Augustus is loud with strangers and quiet with his friends. People always seem to be the other way around but Augustus was never that way. He's blunt and never sugarcoats the truth, but to friends it's clear his words are said with care.



Augustus is on the shorter side for his age at 4'6 (137.5 cm) tall. He's scrawny (a fact he tries to make up for with a large personality), very pale, and covered from head to toe in freckles. His hair is very thick and straight, always kept short. But of course its most noticeable feature is its brilliant, deep red tone. He and his sister both took after their parents ginger hair and fair skin and there can be no denying their relation. Augustus also has a pair of lovely hazel eyes which, unfortunately for him, cannot see very well. He keeps a pair of circular spectacles in his pocket at all times, but he refuses to ever wear them except in dire emergency. The poor boy is farsighted and the glasses make his eyes look three times as large as they truly are.