• Event Rowle, the second Minister for Magic, ignores the warnings of experts about the terrible effects of Dementors and of the evil permeating the fortress. He begins bringing prisoners to Azkaban and allows the Dementors to torment them (Pm). Read More
• Event Harry and Hermione, in disguise as an elderly Muggle couple, encounter who they think is Bathilda Bagshot in Godric’s Hollow on Christmas Eve. They follow her to her house, where she is revealed to be Nagini. In the ensuing battle, Hermione’s quick thinking saves the day, but Harry’s wand is… Read More
• Quote “The Dark Arts are many, varied, ever-changing, and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before. You are fighting that which is unfixed, mutating, indestructible.”… Read More
• Magical discipline The Dark Arts differ from other forms of magic in the intent of the wizard using it. Most magic is relatively neutral–it can be used for bad or good. Some magic, however, is evil in its intention through and through. Spells of this kind are often called curses. Curses are… Read More
• Magical effects Dark energy builds up inside a magical child when they suppress their powers, creating an Obscurus that can violently burst out of them (WFT). Read More
• Organizations The Dark Force Defence League (US: “Dark Force Defense League”) may or may not be directly affiliated with the Ministry of Magic. Gilderoy Lockhart was an honorary member (CS6, GF31, WW). One of the members was interviewed for an article of Rita Skeeter’s, where… Read More
• Character “Dark Lord” is one of the titles of Lord Voldemort, who is also known as “He Who Must Not Be Named”. Read More
• Magical discipline Typical Dark Magic spells are called curses. There are offensive spells that shoot out of a wand like a gun; curse energy causes physical damage to things it hits besides the magical effect. Hexes and jinxes are lesser spells that adversely affect the target. These spells are not necessarily Dark… Read More
• Dark magic items Dark Magic items are magical artifacts that contain sinister, dangerous magical powers. Some, like the Hand of Glory, simply give light, but are obviously created using evil magic; a Hand of Glory actually uses a real human hand, for example. Other Dark Magic items are cursed, like the opal necklace in Borgin and Burkes. Horcruxes are… Read More
• Magical effects The Dark Mark spell conjures an immense glowing skull in the sky, comprised of green sparks. There is a snake coming out of the skull’s mouth. The spell was used by Death Eaters to announce their nefarious deeds, often displaying it above the scene of a murder. Read More
• Event Godelot studies Dark Magic and writes a book of dangerous spells called Magick Moste Evile. He possesses the Elder Wand, which he credits as helping him write his masterwork. Godelot dies when his son Hereward locks him in the cellar to languish and steals the Elder Wand. Read More
• Event Godelot owned the Elder Wand, which he spoke of almost as a friend or mentor in the Dark Arts. His son, Hereward, coveted the wand and that jealousy eventually led him madness. He stole the wand and locked his father in the cellar, where Godelot died. Read More
• Character Death personified, wearing a black hood. In the “Tale of the Three Brothers,” he was angry that the three Peverells had cheated him by building a bridge over a raging river. But Death was cunning and patient, so he flattered them and offered gifts that would eventually lead them… Read More
• Event Barty Crouch Sr. is found staggering out of the forest on the Hogwarts grounds, acting like a madman. Harry leaves him with Krum while going for help, but on return Crouch is gone and Krum’s unconscious body is discovered. On subsequent search, Crouch cannot be located. Read More
• Rooms, chambers, and floors • Wizarding places A “pure white” room in MACUSA Headquarters that contains a pool of deadly potion with a chair hovering above it. Prisoners are led in shackles to the chamber by Executioners who extract happy memories from the accused with their wands and drop them into the pool. The mesmerized victims are… Read More
• Character The Death Eater with the baby head is a male Death Eater whose head transformed back and forth from baby form to adult after falling into the Time Room Bell Jar during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries (OP35). It is not certain which of… Read More
• Organizations The Death Eaters are those wizards who follow Voldemort. There seems to be a fairly small number of them, although those who Apparate to Voldemort’s side when the Dark Mark on their arms summons them may be the inner circle of his strongest supporters only. Some of the Death Eaters… Read More
• Article
Posted by in Canon discussion / Essays
Here’s the thing when it comes to the Dark Lord’s followers: There aren’t that many of them. When I was watching Deathly Hallows Part Two during its midnight premiere, my groan was probably heard by everyone in the theater when, behind Voldemort, appeared (what seemed to be) a… Read More
• Potions There was a pool full of Death Potion in the Death Cell at MACUSA Headquarters in 1926 which was used to execute prisoners (WFT). Read More
• Magical artifacts When attempting to destroy Voldemort’s Horcrux made from Salazar Slytherin’s locket, Regulus Black (R.A.B.) left behind a fake one in the sea cave (HBP26). Read More
• Rules and laws The Decree for Justifiable Confiscation gives the Ministry the power to confiscate the contents of a will to stop wizards passing on Dark artifacts. The Ministry is required to have evidence that the deceased’s possessions are illegal before seizing them. They can only hold the items for 31 days. The Ministry used this… Read More
• Event Voldemort attempts to kill Harry Potter after murdering his parents, but the spell rebounds onto Voldemort. Harry is left alive with a scar on his forehead that hides an accidental Horcrux made of Voldemort’s shattered soul. Voldemort, nearly dead and without physical form, retreats into the forests of Albania where… Read More
• Rooms, chambers, and floors Harry and the other Gryffindors have a new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher every year, but the location of the classroom remains the same. The room has windows looking out onto the grounds (out of which the pixies threw Lockhart’s wand). An iron chandelier hangs from the ceiling (… Read More
• Character Delphi is a very unusual and mysterious young woman. She claims to be the niece and caretaker of Amos Diggory, now a lonely widower at the St. Oswald’s Home for Old Witches and Wizards in Upper Flagley, and calls herself Delphi (short for Delphini Diggory). She lives at… Read More
• Event Cornelius Fudge takes a Dementor with him into Hogwarts as protection. When the Dementor gets near to Barty Crouch Jr., it attacks and administers the Kiss. Fudge sees no great loss, but Dumbledore realizes this means they have no proof that Voldemort has returned. This moment is the beginning of… Read More
• Creature Dementors are horrible, spectral magical creatures, hooded and robed, which feed on positive human emotions and leave only the negative ones. Dementors drain ‘peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them,’ according to Professor Lupin (PA10). Even before a Dementor is seen, its presence is obvious;… Read More
• Character Dennis Bishop was a child from the Tom Riddle’s orphanage whom Tom Riddle once terrorized in a seaside cave (HBP13). Read More
• Incantations Densaugeo is the incantation of a spell which causes the victim’s teeth to enlarge grotesquely. Read More
• Character Barnabas Deverill was a one-time possessor of the Elder Wand who was killed by Loxias (DH21). He lived in the early eighteenth century and was a notorious Dark wizard who, with the help of the Elder Wand, gained a fearsome reputation (TBB). Read More
• Source After weeks of planning, Harry, Ron and Hermione ambush three Ministry of Magic workers, assume their identities, and sneak into Ministry headquarters. To their horror, they learn that Ron has assumed the identity of a man whose wife is about to be interrogated about her blood status,… Read More
• Source Harry, Ron and Hermione apparated to the old Quidditch World Cup campgrounds, Ron having been splinched in the process. Hermione treats Ron’s injuries and they set up camp, whereupon Harry has a vision of Lord Voldemort interrogating Gregorovitch. He realizes that Voldemort is searching for something Gregorovitch… Read More
• Source Leaving the Godric’s Hollow cemetery, Harry and Hermione see the Potters’ old house, then encounter someone who appears to be Bathilda Bagshot, but she does not speak until she gets Harry alone. Too late, Harry discovers that they’ve been led into a trap, and that… Read More
• Source Hermione gives Harry the copy of The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore that she picked up in the Bathilda Bagshot’s house. They learn that the young man in the picture was Gellert Grindelwald who, according to Rita Skeeter, was very close to… Read More
• Source Severus Snape reports to Lord Voldemort the plans of the Order of the Phoenix to move Harry Potter from Number 4 Privet Drive. Voldemort takes Lucius Malfoy’s wand, the Death Eaters gathered in Malfoy Manor make fun of Tonks’ marriage to… Read More
• Source Hermione disguises Harry’s appearance with a stinging jinx just before the Snatchers kidnap all three of them. The Snatchers recognize Hermione and find the sword of Gryffindor, so they are taken to Malfoy Manor instead of the Ministry of Magic. After arriving, they are… Read More
• Source Harry, Ron and Hermione spend most of the day riding the dragon, only to get away from it near sunset. Harry has a vision of the theft being reported to Lord Voldemort, and realizes that they are running out of time – Voldemort now knows that they are… Read More
• Source Harry, Ron and Hermione return to Hogsmeade, are pursued by Death Eaters, but are rescued by Aberforth Dumbledore. Harry discovers that Aberforth has Sirius Black’s other mirror and it was he who sent Dobby to them at Malfoy Manor. Aberforth advises them to… Read More
• Source Neville Longbottom escorts Harry, Ron and Hermione through the passageway from the Hog’s Head to the Room of Requirement, where Dumbledore’s Army recaps the situation in Hogwarts and the Ravenclaws tell Harry about Ravenclaw’s diadem. Luna Lovegood escorts Harry to the Ravenclaw… Read More
• Source Professor McGonagall orders the evacuation of those underage or who do not wish to fight. Lord Voldemort delivers an ultimatum. Harry is told how Voldemort acquired the diadem of Ravenclaw by the Grey Lady, Ravenclaw’s ghost. She reveals that she is Helena Ravenclaw, Rowena’s… Read More
• Source Percy Weasley and Harry carry Fred’s body to safety, then Percy rushes off to avenge his brother’s murder. Harry looks into Lord Voldemort’s mind, so he can find out his location. Instead of fighting, Voldemort remains with Nagini in the Shrieking Shack, awaiting Harry… Read More
• Source Lord Voldemort tells his fighters to return to him. Voldemort asks Harry to meet him in the Forbidden Forest within the next hour or he will join the battle and kill everyone who tries to conceal Harry. While everyone goes to the Great Hall, to mourn… Read More
• Source Mad-Eye arrives with Ron, Hermione, and various Order members in tow, announcing a change in plans. Six of them are to use Polyjuice Potion to act as decoy Harry Potters while seven act as protectors. Each protector/Potter pair would head to a different safe-house. Upon getting airborne and splitting up,… Read More
• Source After crashing the motorbike, Harry and Hagrid are attended to by Andromeda and Ted Tonks. They tell them about the Death Eaters’ attack and then take a Portkey to the Burrow. Harry and Hagrid are the first of the pairs to arrive. Lupin arrives with George who is severely injured. The others slowly… Read More
• Event When the Room of Requirement is destroyed by the Fiendfyre spell cast by Crabbe, the Diadem of Ravenclaw is caught up in the inferno. Harry sees it tossed into the air as he speeds toward the door to escape and catches it. When he is outside of the room and… Read More
• Dark magic items The Diadem of Ravenclaw (also called a tiara) bestows wisdom on the wearer. It is etched with the words, “Wit beyond measure is man’s greatest treasure” (DH29, DH31). The diadem was stolen by Helena Ravenclaw in an effort to surpass her mother Rowena Ravenclaw. Helena Ravenclaw then fled to… Read More
• Place A number of shops and peddlers in Knockturn Alley deal in items of dubious origin, including fingernails, poisonous candles. and giant black spiders (CS4). In 1998, with Voldemort fully in charge of the Ministry of Magic, a number of Diagon Alley shops closed and were replaced by nondescript shops… Read More
• Dark magic items The Diary of Tom Riddle is a Dark Magic item which preserves his memory and a bit of his soul, and it became his first Horcrux. It is one of the more interesting and dangerous Dark Magic items. This simple diary, originally purchased by Riddle in a Muggle… Read More
• Character Antonin Dolohov was a particularly sadistic Death Eater, one of Tom Riddle’s friends after leaving school (HBP20). He was sent to Azkaban for the murders of Gideon and Fabian Prewett (OP25). Dolohov escaped from Azkaban early in 1996, along with Bellatrix Lestrange and several other high-security prisoners, and rejoined… Read More
• Event He has spent most of the school year trying to repair the cabinet in the Room of Requirement, a cabinet which had trapped Montague for several weeks during the 1992-1993 school year. The companion cabinet was located in Borgin and Burkes, and it was through there that the Death Eaters traveled… Read More
• Magical objects Dumbledore’s will contained three surprising legacies. On Harry’s seventeenth birthday, Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour unexpectedly showed up at the Burrow with Albus Dumbledore’s last will and testament in which Dumbledore had bequeathed items to Harry, Ron and Hermione (DH7). Most of Dumbledore’s possessions, including his… Read More
• Event Lured to the Astronomy Tower by the Dark Mark above it upon his and Harry’s return from the sea cave, Dumbledore encounters Draco Malfoy. Dumbledore immobilizes Harry, who is hidden under his invisibility cloak. Draco says he will kills Dumbledore, but keeps stalling. Draco and Dumbledore discuss Draco’s efforts to… Read More
• Schools Durmstrang Institute is a Northern European school of witchcraft and wizardry, one of at least three wizarding schools in Europe, along with Hogwarts and Beauxbatons. Headmasters: Nerida Vulchanova (founder), Harfang Munter, Igor Karkaroff (until fleeing in 1995) Location: a castle in northern Europe, far enough north… Read More
• Magical identities The Durmstrang Institute has a larger student population than Hogwarts (Pm). Durmstrang has a reputation for teaching duelling and other martial magic to its students. During some periods of its history, it has also gained the reputation for teaching them the Dark Arts, and during the headmastership of Igor Karkaroff (c. early… Read More