Nathaniel Gibbons

When looking into the name of Nathaniel Gibbons, one might start was his namesake. The Gibbons family will admit to the boy's existence, they'll declare his candidacy to the sizable fortune the family has amassed, but beyond that, they know nothing of the boy.

The better question to ask would be "Who WAS Nathaniel Gibbons?"

And in order to tell that story, we'd need to go a ways back...

Once upon time, there was an alchemist by the name Richard Grevels. Dick, as he was affectionately referred to by his colleagues, had a dream. A very simple dream. To mimic the success of such great alchemists as Nicholas Flammel and Alan Wake, and create a Philosopher's Stone. Unlike those before him, Richard believed that Alchemy could be cheated, tricked. In theory, he was not alone- the concept of accumulated Alchemy was a field of growing interest within the shrinking Alchemy community. His mentor, Alan Wake, sanctioned minor experiments. He did not expect Richard to so thoroughly overstep his bounds.

But Grevels took his research too far.

It began with minor clues, clues that were not properly admonished or condoned. Alchemically altered rats, a dog with circles tattooed upon its body. Grevels never intended for experiments to get so out of hand- yet, the dead accumulated, and as he discovered more and more horrors along his path to mastery, Grevels began to lose sight of his goals. He chose to settle into a more appropriate position, as an Auror in the Ministry. He climbed the ranks by licking the boots of any winning side. But Grevels' conscience and the death of his daughter during the Battle of Hogwarts drove him deeper into the depths of despair. For a man with so little light in his life, the thought of his slain 12-year-old daughter was almost too much to bear... and while reminiscing on his days when he had such light, he began to read some of his old texts...

But this isn't the story of Richard Grevels, a man of the Law. This is the story of a very different man, a much younger one. His name was Gabriel Thomas. Gabriel was the lesser of two twins, the more famous of the two being Ariel Thomas. For the politically savvy, you may recall this case. But this isn't the case of Ariel Thomas, though it is intrinsically related to the story at hand. Gabriel attended the school of Durmstrang, his father's alma mater, while sister received scholarship to attend the all-girls academy of Beauxbatons, their mother's school of Magic. The twins lived with their lonely and desperate mother, whose thankless job at the Ministry often left them bereft of many advantages many wizards take for advantages. Their mother, you see, was a squib.

This did nothing to hinder their ties, thought Gabriel often found himself alone. He was fine with being alone- his sister and mother were always there for him when he needed them. But in Durmstrang, this grew problematic. Durmstrang, for all intents and purposes, was a very... hands on institution. Students were expected to hold their own on and off the stage, and the boy was thus shuttled between "Houses," though they could be described as nothing more than gangs. He did not care much for violence, but his isolationist policy made him an item of ridicule. When he chose to lash back, he was only ostracized further.

It came to no surprise then, that Gabriel Thomas returned to see nobody waiting for him when he returned home. He understood his position better now. He was in no position to ask for attention. He was not the prodigy his sister was. He could not relieve his mother's fears the way her darling daughter did. The daughter that proved to have the gift she never knew, proved herself over and over... Gabriel Thomas chose not to ponder on the topics at hand. Rather, he chose to spend his day enjoying himself for the first time since his last birthday. A part of him regretted it- before his first year of schooling, Gabriel Thomas had spent each day with his family. But he now understood the liberty of seperation... and he enjoyed it with relish.

Perhaps it was his karma that he heard the scream- a woman, older, probably a mother. It was in a darker alleyway than most, and what Gabriel saw was only the first of many abominations he would see in his life. How best to describe the mass before him? Amorphous, deformed, yet still, hauntingly, human. Eyes swiveling in sockets that no longer existed, heart beating frantically as blood flooded the streets... a stream that his eyes followed in splintered thought. It was then he discovered the locket. It matched his own, a parting gift from the family that had ceased to exist that very moment- the mass that had once been his mother reached towards him blindly.

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This event is recorded unofficially as an "accidental explosion of unbidden magical potential brought about by emotional stress." They played the crazy kid card. Gabriel Thomas, aged 12, was being considered a hopeless case. No friends in school, anti-social in class... Gabriel was a problem child through and through. He did not get to contact his sister, he did not get a chance to plead his case. He was just a child. His wand was confiscated, his robes and books discarded of. But no report exists as to what happened to him. For what followed highlighted several grave flaws to magical society as a whole.

You see, Gabriel Thomas was offered help. And the moment he discarded his protection under the Statute of Secrecy, he became a part of the sharpest blades in the world of Wizardry- he became the youngest member of the DMF, accepting the offer extended by one James Wake.

What followed his cosignment with the DMF remains classified to this day. The group operates on an annual contract- each member that joins is offered a choice- either the DMF does one job for them, or they accept payment for their services. Gabriel Thomas chose the former- he had no need for money. He only had one goal- to tear the man that killed his mother before the Ministry, and slowly choke his secrets from his tortured form. He had seen it done before- the spells were quite simple. But James Wake did not give the boy a wand, not for those first few jobs.

"Only the weakest of Wizards," he had put it, "use their wands instead of their minds and bodies."

Under the tutelage of muggles, wizards and even creatures such as the DMF's eccentric leader, Gabriel's understanding of magic, wizardry and himself expanded and grew. In time, he got a better family, one that he helped through thick and thin. His case reached all the way to Potter's office, though it was hardly notable- at least, until the Beauxbaton case. Harry Potter, for his part, was probably too busy to bother with the case of a rogue boy. Probably something to do with the voices in his head.

But Gabriel Thomas' story does not end quite so happily. In a way, the current state of the DMF, James Wake's predicament, and even the public support for the re-reinstatement of Dolores Umbridge could find their roots in the events that resulted the moment Gabriel Thomas discovered the words of one Richard Grevels... his god-father. Grevels had supported Ariel's education, visited often, and once even acknowledged that the boy existed. But when Gabe read his works, his notes, his materials, James' teachings on alchemy lead him to an answer he could not accept- the sacrifice of a thousand girls to resurrect one from the dead.

The Attack on Beauxbatons is a unique case. Six saboteurs took a stocking train and set to the magical tracks that once ferried students to the school. Grevels, using his authority as an Auror, had set the place under lock and key. Only six members of the DMF had shown- Gabriel had not yet completed his contract. He had, for reasons both personal and magical, chosen to move ahead. With six members, the attack went quite poorly. Gabriel's brash and thoughtless decision to strike the school with such a limited crew could be both commended and disdained- to this day, the name Thomas is reviled as a Dark and cowardly name. But for its purposes, the team eliminated several contingents of aurors with relative ease, though in the end only three could walk away.

The school of Beauxbatons suffered heavily during the conflict, but what most people fail to understand about the event is that the DMF had little to do with damage done to the school. The whole instution, every brick, every blade, every atom of air, had been rigged for transmutation. He had chosen to attach himself to Ariel Thomas for "defense," but used her in the same manner he had utilized his mother- if the rather reliable evidence is to be believed, her body was utilized as a trigger for the alchemic transmutation. Under the circumstances, her death may have saved thousands from becoming the experimental toys of a man driven by loss.

So perhaps the question ought to be asked... who is Nathaniel Gibbons?

Nathaniel Sitson was a potionmaster that had been disowned by his own wife and kids, who attempted to send him to a senile asylum. He refused them, refused their false concern and died a happy death, burned to nothing in a ball of fire, saving the life of his younger team mates.
Peter Gibbons was a member of the main bloodline of the Gibbons' family, a rather well-to-do wizarding family without any of the bells and whistles of their more... esteemed colleagues. He passed from bloodloss, after his body was torn apart through splinching. Apparently, he had attempted to stop an auror from activating an alchemic trap. The Auror is still alive, though his mental status cannot be attested for.

In their honor, when Gabriel Thomas had to rename himself, he chose to combine their names. The Gibbons family, wanting nothing to do with their renegade son, chose to accept the boy's story as a facet of their own, secretly attempting to hide the shame that was Peter's mercenary career.

But why keep the name Thomas? Well, it was the name of his one and only victim- Ariel Thomas, age 12, dark brown hair, eyes twinkling with brilliance. Her only family left, a scarred young man who now wears a different name and face altogether.

Gabriel, officially, is housed in the Prison of Azkaban, but with the Death Eaters he may have a few... skills to offer.

Unofficially, he was selected to protect the students of Hogwarts by his one time hero- Harry Potter.



((Sorry, I didn't have much time to describe all the events... or the people involved... or the locations...))

Sorry, I didn't have much time to describe all the events... or the people involved... or the locations...) he says.

Right. Because I totally find it MUCH TOO SHORT A DESCRIPTION!

Just ask Jack, I can go on for DAYS about the sh** this kid's been through...

There was the time he was dragon bait...
Then there was the time he wore a mask that belonged to the thief that Arsene Lupin was based on, and is apparently an honorary thief....
The there's the time he tried to quit the team, but a 'suped up artifact-user he beat previously cornered him...

And not mention the walking bombs....

Gabriel Thomas had a year of "fun."

This is Jack. Just, btw. XD