Wizardry in the family
Discovering he was a wizard was an enormous shock to his Muggle parents. Karen took it well, but it shattered Dave’s sense of control over his life. He started drinking. It was around this time that Dave’s cousin revealed that she was a witch and moved to Mythic Wood to help deal with Liam. She was a bit of a west coast socialite, and Dave didn’t expect her to stay long in their small town. But to his surprise, she grew rather fond of their wild child. She’d often take him away with her for adventure in big cities to give his parents much needed breaks, especially after the arrival of their second child, Zoey.
Trouble at school – trouble at home
Despite the love and attention that he received from his parents and aunt, Liam had trouble at school. He was clever when he applied himself, but rarely did. Even more troubling to his parents was that he got into fights and was almost impossible for teachers to control. School counselors weren’t ever able to get him to open up, but eventually they found out about the problems at home. Dave wasn’t a violent man, but he had a temper. To control his outbursts and set a better example, he developed a tendency to withdraw when upset. This made Karen feel alone in the relationship and did nothing to stop the fights.
When Liam’s sister was born with vibrant red hair (not a family trait), Dave had his suspicions about his wife’s fidelity. But when she started exhibiting magical ability of her own at the age of three, he hired a private investigator. Even though there was magic in his family, it was almost unheard of for Muggle parents to have multiple Wizarding children. Sure enough, he discovered Karen was having an affair with a wizard. Had it been a single night of poor judgement he might have forgiven her. But Karen had continued the affair for years. Heartbroken, Dave filed for divorce and won custody of both Liam and Zoey in court. Karen moved away back to Portland, and Liam never sees her.
Taming the violent energy
Now a single parent, Dave started to do all he could to set his son straight with his cousin’s help. When was old enough, he started trying to channel some of Liam’s violent energy through boxing lessons. He also took his son out on trips like his cousin would. But instead of glitz and adventure in the big city it was camping and hunting in the Oregon forests. All of this seemed to help, and despite nearing adolescence, Liam started to settle down a lot. It was around this time that Aunt Liz finally felt she could leave Mythic Wood to pursue a Hollywood film career.
A bad reputation
Liam still gets in trouble at school, but these days it’s usually for smoking behind the gym or snogging a girl in the utility closet. He doesn’t get into fights like he used to. If someone messes with one of his friends or his little sister, he shows up to boxing practice with injuries he can’t explain. The main difference is he doesn’t get caught. At fifteen, Liam took up the guitar and later started a band with some of his closest friends. The parties he and his friends play at are the wildest with as much under-age drinking, weed, and other inappropriate behavior as teenagers can get away with. His father worries, but overall, he sees Liam’s music as a positive outlet.
There are times when Dave threatens Liam with military school for his behavior, but he’d never be able to go through with it. Despite their problems, Liam and his father are close. So instead, Dave reached out to his cousin to help Liam get through his last year of school and find some direction for his life. Aunt Liz didn’t keep in touch with Liam as much as she’d promised while she achieved some measure of success as an actress. But hearing about Liam’s recent trouble, she decided to rent a house in the area and visits as often as possible.
An uncertain future
Starting his last year of high school, Liam is having to give some thought to his future. His aunt encourages him to consider a career in music. She has connections and has offered to introduce him to the right people. His father hopes Liam will consider a job with the park service. At least he has the year to figure things out.
