What is your full name and why were you named it? Were you named after anyone? Do you have any nicknames? How do you feel about your name?

My name is Benzi Chike Rider. The name the orphanage gave me is Benjamin, but when I was five my mother and I came up with Benzi and since then I've only been Benzi. I like it because it's different, and it's not some rubbish name that someone randomly came up with on a whim when they saw me.

I like Benzi because it marked the beginning of a new life. Benjamin is the kid who had no parents. Benzi is a Ravenclaw at Hogwarts, from London. Benzi has a sister called Suri and a mother called Rachel. Benzi Rider. My middle name - Chike - is a homage to my roots, and I wouldn't give it up for the world because it's important to remember where you started and how far you've come. I've come a long way from being that kid no one wanted, Benjamine Chike. I love my name.

Do you have any hobbies or special talents? Describe why you enjoy it and how or when you started.

I play the drums and the guitar. I've always loved drums, the way they add a depth to music, a framework to which other instruments adhere to. Drums can make or break a song, as they keep the beat which is essential to any piece of music. I've always loved percussion, even when all I had to go on were pots and pans which would drive everyone up the wall.

When I was eleven something bad happened and I grew really angry. The people who tried to help me, they said I should take up a hobby, and what better hobby than one where I can effectively release my frustrations and still fine tune a skill I have? At first I was terrible, but the more I played the more I fell in love with it and now I'm in a band.

Last year I also decided to try my hand at playing the guitar, and I found I enjoyed it almost as much as I loved playing the drums. The guitar is a better option for when I want to play calmly, without working up a sweat. I can sing too. That's how I met my friends, Noel Wallace and Hayley Diggory. We're in a band called the Wizriots. I never dreamed I would one day be in a band, but now I'd move heaven and earth before I gave it up.

Who is the most influential person in your life? Why are they influential to you and how do you aspire to be like/unlike them?

He died, but the most influential person in my life was my uncle, Jake Rider.

He had a crappy childhood as well. His parents kicked him out for being magical and he had to live on his own for a very long time. Then he discovered that my mother - his niece, technically he's my great uncle - was also magical and reached out to her. It was just in time too because her parents - my grandparents - also decided she wasn't worth the trouble so he took her in and raised her like a daughter.

My mother often says she owes everything to my uncle, but it's more than that. The thing about Uncle Jake is that he makes made everyone around him happy. He was really good with kids, and other than my Mum he was my favourite person. He worked hard but goofed around all the time. He was true and honest and open and hilarious. He was the best dad to my cousins. He helped me settle in London when we first came, he didn't care that I was different or that I didn't know how to behave.

He was accepting. Jake accepted everyone, no matter what. The day he died - him and his wife and two of their children, my cousins - the world lost an amazing human being. Every day I hope to make him proud. So does Mum. So does Suri. I want to be just like him when I grow up, nonjudgmental and caring and free, despite all the horrible things he had to live through.

Do you have a pet? Tell a story regarding your pet or what kind of pet you would have and why if you don't have one.

Unfortunately, I do have a pet. Mum has always liked animals, and has had pets almost through her entire life, since she was eleven years old. She says that they bring a certain dynamic to a home that is irreplaceable. I guess, if the animal likes you, that statement makes sense but unfortunately for me that isn't the case.

We have a kneazle and her name is Cleopatra. Mum bought her essentially for Suri who fell in love with each and every animal ever, so to stop her from bringing them all home Mum just got her a pet of her own. They named her Cleopatra for women power, though I'm not sure they knew what would be the ramifications of this decision. Cleopatra - or Cleo, as we call her - absolutely adores Suri and loves my Mum to bits but hates yours truly. Hates with a fiery unbridled passion that is inexplicable and REALLY frustating. She uses me as her scratching post and will sometimes SLEEP on my face to make Suri giggle.

She's very annoying. She'll be coming to Hogwarts next year with Suri and I'm already dreading it. Here's hoping Suri won't be a Ravenclaw and Cleo won't figure out how to get past the bronze locker.