History

History

Angus was born into a wizarding family in a village near the Scottish Borders. He was one of eleven children in a household with an overworked mother and an overbearing father. He was the third son and was described as very large and very kind, a gentle giant. Most of his childhood was spent dodging his father's daily curses. He had a good relationship with all of his siblings; they were all quite fond of him. He would spend his days in their backyard helping them catch Golden Snitches, which he later attributed to his cricket skills. The thirteen-person household was extremely chaotic, part of the reason Mr. and Mrs. Buchanan had no idea that their son was a Squib. Angus’s father was highly prejudiced against Squibs, so his brothers and sisters covered for him.

As the time to leave for Hogwarts drew closer, his sister, Flora, forged an acceptance letter from the school for him. Angus played along, even going to Diagon Alley and buying a wand and school supplies. On the first day he was supposed to begin his Hogwarts journey, his older brother Hamish took him to Hogwarts on his broomstick. They hoped that the faculty would allow Angus to stay once he arrived or that he would eventually learn magic. For the first time, a Squib was one of the first years waiting to be sorted into their houses. He desperately rushed in front of a girl whose name had been called and put on the Sorting Hat. The hat then told him he was a “Good-hearted chap, but no wizard,” and he ran out of the Great Hall in tears. Angus walked all the way home, humiliated and facing his exceptionally angry father, who had already received many owls relaying the events. Mr. Buchanan kicked his son out of the house, attacking him with curses as he was leaving.

Having no money or family, the eleven-year-old walked all the way to Edinburgh, sometimes hitching a ride on a cart or two. Once he reached his destination, he lied about his age and was taken in by a kind Muggle woman and her husband, who didn’t have children of their own and also provided him with work. He then realized that Muggles were, in fact, not as bad as his parents had made them out to be, and he grew into an incredibly strong man.

Angus had a knack for athleticism and began playing Rugby in his early adult years. He also found himself to be quite good at Cricket. He played in the first-ever international rugby match between Scotland and England, and among the spectators were all ten of his siblings, against their parents' warnings that they were never to see Angus again. He later published a book titled “My Life as a Squib,” and it was an immense success. He discussed how, as a Squib, he always felt like he was a second-class citizen and faced terrible discrimination by those of the wizarding community growing up. Wizards of many nationalities start watching rugby, specifically watching Angus play.

He died in 1927, at the age of 80. His death was mourned by both the wizarding and Muggle worlds, something incredibly rare. Hogwarts, the place where he’d been so horribly embarrassed, began to give out the yearly accolade titled the “Angus Buchanan Cup for Outstanding Effort."
 

Credits/References

Written by Simone Winter
Base code by Andrew Sutherland, edited by Iselin Merilä and Desmond Gray.