byron kettleburn (byron) wrote in disorderic, @ 2018-02-15 13:36:00 |
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Entry tags: | !! media: the daily prophet, byron kettleburn |
✸ The Wizarding World's Beguiling Broadsheet of Choice ✸ |
HUGO NOTT: THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND By Byron Kettleburn When Hugo Nott describes his garden, he does so with a combination of reverence and mischief, with the tone of a man who approaches his work with the attention to detail of a potioneer, the cleverness of an experimental charmer, and the passion of one describing the greatest love affair of his youth. Nott looks at home among the bright orchids that bloom year-round in his greenhouse. He breathes deeply, inhaling the scent of the flora he's cultivated, and with his face beautifully calm as he exhales, one can tell he's found his perfect match. Herbology is his higher calling, one that has invigorated him. Age has not diminished his boyish charm, nor the handsome cut of his jaw. Standing in his garden, he is Adam returning to Eden. But long before Nott retired to a quiet life of tending his garden and looking after his son, he was a formidable duelist. There's a playful flicker across his face when he mentions it, the remnants of a firebrand youth in which he proved his salt and then some. For nine years straight, he secured the title of greatest duelist in Britain, from 1966 to 1975. And as much as the glory of competition and victory suits him, giving back has always been his top priority. He became a private instructor following an illustrious career that brought him across Europe and back again, imparting his experience upon students whose careers could only be called a product of stern but gentle mentorship. Among his students was his one-time political opponent, the late Gawain Robards. Despite the loss of the Tinworth Wizengamot election to his former student, Nott bears him no ill-will. His mouth softens when he talks about them, drawing a prideful smirk from a man who has otherwise proven himself to be unequivocally modest about his accomplishments. When he describes his student's success, he does it as a man who knows he's partly responsible: there would be no Gawain Robards without Hugo Nott. There would be no master without the teacher. When I turn the subject to his former mentee's untimely demise, Nott's demeanor changes. The country's loss is his loss of neighbor, friend, and benevolent rival. He draws a hand down his goatee and drops his gaze to the tea he's hardly touched since we began speaking. He calls his friend's death a tragedy. His greatest regret? He's recently learned the perfect conditions for growing petunias — the sun must hit them just so, and the soil must be carefully turned by hand — and he won't be able to pass the tip onto him. There's nothing more that can be taught. With his students' passing, the lesson has come to an end. Robards' death leaves many questions unanswered, but what the people of Tinworth most want to know is who will assume his now vacant Wizengamot seat. When asked, Nott seems humbled by the suggestion of filling the seat. He would be honoured, of course, but he's going to wait and see. He owes the town of Tinworth a debt of gratitude. They took him in when he was a grieving widower, devastated by the passing of his wife, to whom he has remained devoted even in death and despite what surely must be many admirers. Behind his spectacles, his eyes abate to wistful sadness, fond and mournful at once. He wants to be there for Tinworth, as it has been for him all these years. As a dedicated father, he wants to leave behind a better world for his son, to make sure his father's legacy is one he can be proud of. But above all, he wants to give back to the community that means so much to him in whatever way he can. Whether his service will take the form of beautifying the streets of Tinworth, marred by the stains of violence and tragedy, or perhaps in his leading the way as dedicated civil servant in the Wizengamot, only time will tell. But one thing is without question: Hugo Nott is a man of many talents, of stature, of nobility. His benefaction to the world is one to which we can all aspire. And his work won't stop here. |