Ben Copper is a major character in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. He is an English Muggle-born wizard who began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1984 and was Sorted into Gryffindor House.
Biography
Early life
Ben Copper was born to Muggle parents in Great Britain in late 1972 or 1973. A ghost also resided at his home, and Ben was the only one who could see it, being a wizard.
Hogwarts years (1984–1991)
First year
Ben began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1984. On journey on the Hogwarts Express, he was tormented the entire time by Merula Snyde, who kept threatening him and calling him a "Mudblood". Ben thanked Jacob's sibling for standing up to Merula after their first encounter.
He was later sorted into Gryffindor. As a result of Merula's bullying, he spent his first days at Hogwarts following her around, hoping this would prevent her from sneaking up on him, or give him a chance to run away if she did. This made him adept in finding hiding places at Hogwarts. As a Muggle-born, he found the wizarding world new and scary. His fears made him think that he did not belong in Gryffindor. One of his fears was flying, which Jacob's sibling later helped him overcome. Ben became particularly skilled in Charms.
Due to Merula's bullying, Ben asked the prefect to teach him how to duel with the help of Jacob’s sibling. Jacob's sibling duelled Ben, under the prefect's supervision, in order to help teach him to duel.
Jacob's sibling selected either Ben or Penny Haywood to accompany them to the locked room in which there was cursed ice.
Second year
Ben went missing at the beginning of the 1985–1986 school year. Having last been seen on the Hogwarts Express, Rowan Khanna and Jacob's sibling went looking for him in the Artefact Room, where they found a note with a code written by a person named R, instructing the reader to go to one of the Hogwarts common rooms and untransfigured a Black Quill to a note with the next hint. They believed that the note was intended for Ben.
Ben was later found on a fifth-floor corridor, later to be known as the Icy Corridor, trapped in cursed ice, and was freed by Professors McGonagall and Snape, and taken to the Hospital Wing. He told his friends that he couldn't remember how he got to the corridor.
After being released from the Hospital Wing, Ben assisted Jacob's sibling in finding dragon horns for Hagrid's Fire-Breathing Potion. Ben kept some powdered dragon horn in the Artefact Room, where he recurrently used to hide from Merula and other students.
When Jacob's sibling and Bill Weasley unsuccessfully attempted to enter the Vault of Ice, Jacob's sibling helped Ben learn to make Burn-Healing Paste in Potions in preparation for their next try at the vaults.
Third year
In his third year, Ben took Care of Magical Creatures, Arithmancy and the Muggle Studies as electives.
During the 1986–1987 school year, Ben helped Jacob's sibling, who was helping Rubeus Hagrid, look for Fang in the Artefact Room.
Fourth year
During the 1987–1988 school year, Ben sent a a fake letter to Jacob's sibling telling them to meet Silvanus Kettleburn, which was actually a bait to lure them to the Courtyard, where, while wearing a red cloak and using a Disillusionment Charm to conceal his face, attacked them with the Full Body-Bind Curse and told them to stay away from the Cursed Vaults, the Forbidden Forest and Patricia Rakepick, further adding that "death is coming to Hogwarts" and that may come to them as well if they disobey. He then told them that someone would eventually remove the binding curse, but it is unknown who did so. After freed, Jacob's sibling only told about this incident to a few friends.
He later confronted Jacob's sibling in the Courtyard when they were about to go meet Hagrid before heading to the Forest Vault. He told them that "death" had come or them and duelled them, gaining the upper hand before being prevented from killing Jacob's sibling by Madam Rakepick who knocked Ben back with the Blasting Curse, before Jacob's sibling removed the Disillusionment Charm hiding Ben's face with the General Counter-Spell, exposing him to his shocked friend. He claimed he could not remember anything and claimed to Jacob's sibling that he would never attack them. Jacob's sibling then told Madam Rakepick to send him to either Madam Pomfrey in the Hospital Wing, Argus Filch or to the Headmaster's Office to let Headmaster Dumbledore found out the truth before going off to meet Hagrid.
Sixth year
- "She left your brother, she left Sickleworth... And she left us in the vault. She left us to DIE!"
- — Ben on Rakepick's betrayal[src]
After Patricia Rakepick's unforgivable betrayal in the Buried Vault, a new Ben Copper was reborn. He wanted to became protector not protectee, so in the summer vacations he tried so hard to not be the old coward Ben, so he became more "Foolish" than "Fearless". As he admitted, His parents just might have been afraid of him. His recklessness might have been a reason of Rowan Khanna's death by the hands of the evil dark witch, Rakepick.
Sometime during the 1989–1990 school year, Ben, along with Jacob's sibling and Merula Snyde, went into the Forest Grove to intercept a possible meeting between Jacob and R, unknowingly being followed from a close distance behind them by their friend, Rowan Khanna. During the search, a swarm of dementors showed up, and circled the group. The three began to cast Patronuses, but they were unsuccessful, as there were too many dementors. The dark witch Patricia Rakepick then Apparated into the vicinity and cast a powerful Patronus Charm, which warded off all of the dementors. She then engaged in a duel with the students, which was watched by Rowan. At some point in the duel, she cast a Killing Curse at Ben, intending to kill him. However, Rowan sacrificed their life by jumping in front of Ben, ending their life and saving that of their friends.
Ben greatly grieved over the loss, prompting him to want to join Jacob's sibling and Merula in forming an organisation to combat R. The three then created the group and met up with members in the Hog's Head Inn, where Ben suggested "Circle of Khanna" as a group name, which was agreed upon by the group. Following the formation of the group, Ben tirelessly worked to improve his skills in combat, greatly wanting to avenge Rowan by fighting R.
Seventh year
During the 1990–1991 school year, his seventh-year, Ben continued studying Muggle Studies with Professor Sikander as the subject's new teacher.
Later in the year, Jacob's sibling found him in Flourish and Blotts, where he was there studying for his upcoming N.E.W.T.s and to remember Rowan Khanna, whom he still missed dearly, as they loved going to the bookshop.
Personality and traits
- "First interrogations and now cheek? How very un-Ben-like of you"
- — Tonks on Ben's change of character[src]
Ben was very insecure about his capabilities. He also feared that people would judge him because of his Muggle-born status. It is also shown that his nervousness is his greatest hold back with his magic, since he was able to completely trounce, and almost kill, Jacob's sibling while not even thinking about it.
Late in his fifth year, Ben got a desire to be more brave. In his sixth year, Ben had a notable change in personality. He was no longer openly scared of everything, and considered himself to be a better person than before. He also saw himself as more grown-up, not attending the Start-of-Term Feast because he considered it to be for kids. Ultimately, however, the real reason behind his change of personality was to protect his friends, even if he became distant towards them and focused more on his training, and he showed how much he cared for them when he bravely fought Rakepick and stood up even after being knocked down to protect Jacob's sibling and Merula to the point that Rakepick acknowledged how far Ben had grew and proved himself a true Gryffindor and was devastated by Rowan's death to the point of being left numb and even more determined to improve his skills to protect his remaining friends.
Magical abilities and skills
While noted for his gift in charms, Ben Copper was seldom counted among one of the more powerful or skilful students in Jacob's siblings band of misfits, let alone at Hogwarts as a whole. It would turn out, however, that only his lack of confidence held him back, seen as how Ben, when not restricted by it, used magic far beyond his educational level, being able to defeat Jacob's sibling, a powerful wizard themselves for their age in a duel to the death and likely would, if not for the timely(perhaps planned) arrival of Patricia Rakepick, have killed them.
- Charms: Ben had a natural ability in charms work, excelling in the subject and was able to cast charms of great power and complexity when not held back by his own insecurities. Ben studied Charms at N.E.W.T. level.
- Nonverbal magic: Ben was remarkably proficient in casting nonverbal magic, notably being able to briefly hold his own in a ferocious duel against the incredibly powerful Patricia Rakepick with a series of nonverbally performed spells, although he was ultimately overpowered by the malevolent witch.
- Duelling: When duelling to the best of his ability, not restricted by worries of the outcome or having his efforts coloured by whom he was competing against and his concerns of their potentially superior ability, Ben made for an incredibly dangerous duellist for someone his age. He was able to floor Jacob's sibling, a powerful and skilled duellist themselves for their age, with a Banishing Charm so powerful it broke straight through their Shield Charm and knocked them to the ground. He was also able to cast a surprisingly effective Full Body-Bind Curse, which paralysed Jacob's sibling and further showcasing his talent for performing martial magic. When confronted and attacked by the immensely formidable Patricia Rakepick in his sixth year, he was able to briefly hold his own against the dark witch, performing many of his spells both flawlessly and non-verbally. He was notably able to last much longer against Rakepick than either of his accomplices, Jacob's sibling and Merula Snyde, both of whom were one of the most powerful duellists of their year and both of whom were swiftly dispatched by her. Ben was, however, ultimately overpowered by the malevolent witch after a prolonged battle and would have been killed by her had it not been for Rowan Khanna pushing him out of the path of Rakepick's Killing Curse and taking the hit themselves, thus selflessly sacrificing their own life for him.
- Defence Against the Dark Arts: Ben was skilled in Defence Against the Dark Arts, as he was able to study it further at N.E.W.T.-level, thus showing aptitude in the subject.
- Astronomy: Ben was skilled in the field of Astronomy, as he was able to study it further at N.E.W.T.-level, thus showing aptitude in the subject.
- Healing magic: Ben has some basic skills in healing magic, as he was able to successfully cast the healing spell Episkey.
- Dark Arts: Though seldom a practitioner of the Dark Arts, Ben was nonetheless surprisingly adept in its usage in duels, being able to successfully cast a vast array of dark charms such as the Knockback Jinx, Langlock, Full Body-Bind Curse, Ear-Shrivelling Curse and Expulso Curse.
- Spell creation: Ben helped Badeea Ali invent the jinx Flipendo Maxima, a more powerful version of the standard Knockback Jinx.
- Muggle Studies: Ben earned an O.W.L in Muggle Studies and continued the subject at N.E.W.T. level. The subject was easy for him due to his muggle family background.
- Transfiguration: Ben earned an O.W.L. in Transfiguration and continued the subject at N.E.W.T. level.
- Arithmancy: Ben earned an O.W.L. in Arithmancy and continued the subject at N.E.W.T. level. Jacob's sibling also mentioned that Ben is one of the few students that enjoyed the subject.
