Age: 37 (born 1962)
Gender: Male
Nationality: Dutch
Blood Purity: Pure-Blood
Marked? Not marked
Appearance:
Personality: Albert is, in a word, stern. At Hogwarts, it was often remarked about him that he was destined to be a professor, given his studious, contemplative nature - and his complete lack of patience. He is socially conservative and fussy, obsessed with little rules and social graces, owing to his background: living in dictatorship under an immortal magical bigot is in no way an excuse for not being dressed appropriately. Chivalry and honour are important to Albert, as pretentious or patronising as they may be to others. Respect for the fairer sex and a refusal to use the Unforgivable Curses (including Legilimency in Dutch traditions) are the two of the more obvious examples thereof.
Despite possessing what could be considered a commanding presence, Albert is a quiet man, who will observe and assess from a distance, offering his thoughts only when they are vital. As a result, he often comes across as cold and aloof, though he would not consider himself either of those things. He is cautious in the extreme, and never takes action unless he knows what he is doing: because of this, he can be considered stuck in his ways, and can be, frankly, frustrating, as he obsesses over minute, often insignificant details.
Because Albert has quite obviously had it ingrained in him to be a proper gentleman, many attribute his protective nature to this. However, this is not, strictly speaking, true; he is genuinely a very caring person. Those in the Ashes will know him as a fatherly figure who will be the first to think of the safety of everybody else. He is constantly conflicted by his desire to protect everybody and the inevitable fact that he cannot.
Awkwardly for somebody combating Voldemort, Albert is indeed a carrier of several prejudices typical in the wizarding world and is highly politically incorrect. He will defend the term ‘Mudblood’ (though perhaps is wise enough not to use it) and will refer to the muggle-friendly as blood-traitors and any not-entirely human Being as a ‘half-breed’. He believes muggles are stupid (while completely ignorant of their culture), and is even rather iffy on the topic of muggle-borns. He will treat them perhaps too kindly as though they are in some way disabled, and does believe that, although not personally responsible for their own existence, their induction to the wizarding world is damaging to the social order: according to him, the far-right uprisal is at least in part down to the destabilising effects of relations with muggles and muggle-borns.
Strengths:
- Wand Technique: Albert furiously studies his skills with a wand, and, as such, his power and finesse are almost peerless (especially among his own age group).
- Defence: Albert is highly defensive in combat. His shield charms are second to none, and he has taken the time to learn Occlumency
- Arithmancy: always helps with planning. Never helps with anything else
Weaknesses:
- Formality: Albert is a highly-trained formal duellist. Unfortunately, most actual duels are not formal: while he’s bowing, the opponent has probably already cursed him. While obviously he has since learned not to bow and to break the rules of a formal duel, he is still used to battling in very sterile environments against particular tactics - which is often more a hindrance than a help.
- Flexibility: Albert is not flexible. While he may be described as a powerful wizard because of his aptitude for magic, he would never be considered a brilliant wizard, because he doesn’t have the creativity to interact with a given scenario off the cuff.
Wand: Oak, Dragon Heartstring, 15”, Unyielding
Bio: The Aldernberg family is an old Dutch wizarding family comparable to the Blacks or the Malfoys in England. Powerful, rich and conservative, the only great difference was that the Aldenbergs had no great historical desire to affect change in the Netherlands. Despite being Dutch, Aldenberg children were typically Hogwarts-educated, to the point where the family had manors in both countries. Despite being officially Dutch, Albert has spent almost as much time in England as in the Netherlands, and considers himself a national of both countries.
Attending Hogwarts, Albert was very much a model student on paper. Though his background and inevitable prejudices occasionally caused friction between himself and his peers (especially in his house, Hufflepuff), it was noted that he was somehow as tolerant as he was prejudiced, and therefore real trouble was rarely caused.
Upon leaving Hogwarts, Albert almost immediately turned around and walked straight back in again. After a few years researching Arithmancy in the Netherlands, he accepted the post of Professor of Arithmancy at Hogwarts in 1983, where he remained through thick and thin - both accepted and not quite accepted by both sides. The Order of the Phoenix trusted Dumbledore’s judgement that his prejudice was not a lost cause, while the supporters of Voldemort saw in him and the Aldenberg family a perfectly respectable wizarding tradition. Therefore, while he was not invited to join the Order, his name was known to the Ashes, and when Umbridge began her axing of the school staff, he remained until the school’s closure.
During this period, the changing nature of the school began to open Albert’s eyes a little. Although he had sympathies with the political leanings of Voldemort’s followers, the methods were unforgivable. He remained in the school as long as he could to protect his charges, and, eventually, to leak information to the Ashes, and, when the school was finally closed altogether, he joined the Ashes as an active member.
