Pureblooded Zekiel Meridian was fascinated by Muggles from an early age. Born just after Grindelwald's defeat by Dumbledore and the coinciding end of World War II in the muggle world, he was raised in some of the golden years of the age. His contemporaries include Mr. and Mrs. Weasley and Lucius Malfoy, though Zekiel was not a schoolmate of theirs. He graduated from the London Academy of Magical Learning, where his father taught Magical Geography up until retirement. His mother still breeds Kneazles (more as a hobby than a business anymore) at their home in some quiet wizarding suburbs. With such wholly magical roots he was very immersed in wizard culture throughout his early life. The nature of living so near their society but not interacting with it always made him curious about non magical people.

After graduating he took a position in the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, and spent all of his free time continuing to study muggles. His interest was only encouraged by the presence of coworker Authur Weasley, who shared much of his fascination with them. However after five years in that job, Zekiel left for a bold endeavor. He decided the only way he would ever truly understand the objects of his intellectual passion was to study them first hand. So in 1969 he left his wand behind and gave up all contact with the magical community. He spent 15 years living in muggle society and masquerading (rather poorly.. forever the "eccentric bachelor") as one of them. Voldemort's reign and fall passed during this time, and like a researcher gone to the heart of Africa in a time of war, he was largely forgotten with the turning of the world, as his only "contacts" were distracted by more dire matters or lost to Death Eaters. When he finally returned to claim his wand in 1984, it is hard to say whether he was more surprised to hear of all that had transpired in his absence, or the community was more surprised to see he had survived wandless and muggle-loving.

Meridian has never been able to comprehend what fuels those prejudices against muggle born, since he is embraces the attitudes at the far opposite end of the spectrum from them. The story of Voldemort and his Death Eaters seemed like a horror novel to him more than anything, and seeing these incomprehensible forces on the rise again in present day secretly terrifies him.

In 1986, after spending two years to arrange the notes he'd taken during his sabbatical, he applied to teach Muggle Studies at Hogwarts. Even after fifteen years Meridian still never got a complete handle on muggles or their culture, and after review of his somewhat "novel" ideas about muggle society, another candidate was selected for Hogwarts. Deciding that wizards must not be ready to handle "the bare truth" about muggles, Meridian threw himself into catching up more thoroughly on the events of the last fifteen years, and discovered his immersion study gave him unique perspectives on the influences of the muggle world on wizarding society. Over the next decade he quickly rose to be a prominent figure in the circles of political debate, showing a keen ability to predict the movements and interactions of political bodies magical and non-magical alike. (Even if in the latter case his logic about WHY it behaved as it did was often faulty.)

Ten years later he re-applied to teach at Hogwarts, this time in the field of Political Arcana. He teaches a few basic sections of this, though of his classes most will agree the best are in his specialty of Muggle Policy, and Debate. Meridian maintains his interest in muggles to this day, and remains as enthusiastic (and some would say overly focused) about his academic work as in the days of his youth. While genuinely nice as well meaning man, he has little in the way of other hobbies.. or social skills.

Notes: Muggle Policy and Debate are topics covered in the broad field of Political Arcana, just like hexes and defense are both topics covered in Defense Against the Dark Arts. In essence Political Arcana is the magical equivalent to Political Science, and Muggle Policy can be thought of as foreign policy.

Time Line

• 1945 -Grindelwald defeated, Riddle graduates, WW2 ends
• Oct. 1945- Zekiel Meridian born
• Sept. 1957- Zekiel enters London academy
• 1964- Meridian graduates London Academy
• 1964 to 1969 -Meridian works in Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office, continues studying muggles
• 1969- Meridian sets out into muggle world
• 1970's- Voldemort's years of terror
• 1981- Voldemort defeated
• 1984- Meridian returns from sabbatical
• 1986- Meridian applies to Hogwarts as Muggle Studies teacher and is rejected.
• 1996- Meridian applies to teach Political Arcana and is accepted

~*Melody Lestrange*~ | ~Gabriel Archer~ | ~Lucius Malfoy~ | *Kimmy Knightdale* | -Jacob Wrathorne- | #Professor Meridian#