Theodore Nott

Theodore Nott is a pure-blood wizard who was a Slytherin student in the same year as Harry Potter at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Early life
Theodore Nott was born to an elderly wizard, Mr. Nott, and his wife. After the death of his mother, Theodore was raised by his father, who was a Death Eater.

1991-1995
Theodore started at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on September 1, 1991 and was sorted into Slytherin house. During a Care of Magical Creatures lesson in his fifth year, he was one of only three students present who could see Thestrals, suggesting that he may have witnessed his mother's death firsthand. He found the creatures rather distateful as he watched one eating.

1995-1996
Hermione Granger pointed out Theodore's name to Harry Potter for the first time in 1996, when Theodore was gathered in the school library with fellow Slytherins Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, and Draco Malfoy. All four boys had fathers who had recently been outed by Harry as Death Eaters in an article published in The Quibbler. Theodore was the only member of the group whose reaction to seeing Harry was not specifically noted as being either negative or threatening (it wasn't mentioned at all).

1996-1997
While on the Hogwarts Express in 1996, Horace Slughorn waylaid Blaise Zabini and inquired after Theodore's father. Blaise replied that Mr. Nott was a Death Eater imprisoned in Azkaban for breaking into the Department of Mysteries the previous June. Slughorn, not wanting any association with Death Eaters, was not pleased and thus invited Blaise, not Theodore, to join the Slug Club.

Theodore was one of four Slytherin students who progressed to the N.E.W.T. level in Potions. During his first lesson with Professor Slughorn, he sat next to Draco, and they both sniggered when Hermione revealed that she was a Muggle-born.

Physical Description
Theodore is "weedy" and "stringy," indicating that he is tall, thin, and perhaps weakly built. He was also considered to be "rabbity" in appearance by some.

Personality and traits
Theodore is a clever, solitary boy who has never felt compelled to join "gangs," such as the one headed by Draco. He is seen as a loner who does things by himself. Although he does seem fit to join, laughing at Hermione's blood-status. However, even while making fun of Gryffindors, he still exceeds in Potions.

Name etymology
Theodore is an English name that comes from the Greek name Theodros, which is derived from the words theos, meaning "God", and dōron, meaning "gift". Thus, it is often considered to mean "gift of God". It was the name of many early Christian saints. The Welsh version of the name, Tewdwr, was Anglicized to Tudor, the name of a royal dynasty of England that ended with Elizabeth I.

In Norse mythology, Nótt is the personification of night. Also, Josiah C. Nott was a nineteenth century American physician who advocated and popularised polygenist theories about the inherent superiority of Caucasians.

Behind the scenes

 * A subplot that Rowling eventually cut from the series storyline was to have featured Theodore and Draco Malfoy talking in the garden of Malfoy Manor, which would have been one of the few times that Draco would be seen conversing with someone he regarded as an equal, as Rowling said that Theodore was just as pure-blooded as him (and even somewhat cleverer). Rowling stated that she liked the scene so much that she tried to use it twice: first in Chamber of Secrets and second in Goblet of Fire.
 * There is an unidentified Slytherin student in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban who was portrayed by Bronson Webb and credited as "Slytherin Boy" . Tall and thin, he matches the physical description of Theodore Nott. However, this character also appears to be a member of Draco Malfoy's gang, which Theodore was not, and took part in the Dementor prank on Harry Potter in 1993, which Theodore was also not depicted as doing.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Quidditch Through the Ages (real)

Notes and references
Theodore Nott