Bloody Baron

The Bloody Baron is one of the ghosts that haunts Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His domain is Slytherin House. He is the only person other than Dumbledore, living or dead, who can exert any control over the poltergeist Peeves, given how Peeves is terrified of him. His favourite hobby is to make strange noises from the Astronomy Tower.

Early life
The Baron was born into nobility, likely to a family with at least some Muggle heritage. At the age of eleven, during the middle-ages, he began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, which at that time was still being run by its original founders and was Sorted into Slytherin House. It seems to be around this time that he met Helena Ravenclaw, daughter of the Head of Ravenclaw, Rowena Ravenclaw, who he fell in love with, though she always rejected his advances.

Adulthood
Later on in his life, Helena, after stealing a diadem belonging to her mother that increased the intellegence of the wearer, ran away to Albania. Around this same time, Rowena began to die of unknown causes, although legend has it that it was a broken heart, possibly caused by her daughter abandoning her. Rowena ordered the Baron to go after her, which he did, eventually finding her hiding in a forest.

Death
After he had found her, the Baron tried to get her to come with him, but she refused, and, in a fit of rage, he killed her. Overcome with grief, he proceeded to take his own life, and Rowena eventually died.

Afterlife
The Baron, as well as Helena, now known as the Grey Lady, both returned from the dead as ghosts, and returned to Hogwarts Castle, where they became sorts of mascots for their former Houses. The Baron has been remorseful of his actions ever since, and carries heavy chains as a sign of penance.

Behind the scenes

 * In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the Bloody Baron resembles Captain James Hook (as played by Dustin Hoffman) in the film Hook. Coincidentally, that film features Maggie Smith, who plays Professor McGonagall, as well as a music score by John Williams.
 * The Baron is encountered in the PC/64 version of Philosopher's Stone walking the labyrinthine dungeon corridors where Professor Snape sends Harry Potter to find four crucial potion ingredients. In the next gen version of Chamber of Secrets, the Baron can be seen walking the path from the dungeons through the entrance hall to the teacher's lounge corridor, every night, the chilling sound of his footsteps echoing through the hall each time as he approaches.
 * In the video game Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, he can´t speak.
 * In the movies, the Baron is depicted as being quite mirthful, in stark contrast to the solemn and quite terrifying character in the books. In the video games, however, the Baron resumes this persona.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Notes and references
Der Blutige Baron Baron Sanglant Кровавый Барон