Thorfinn Rowle

"More, Rowle, or shall we end it and feed you to Nagini? Lord Voldemort is not sure that he will forgive this time.... You called me back for this, to tell me that Harry Potter has escaped again? Draco, give Rowle another taste of our displeasure.... Do it, or feel my wrath yourself!"

- Lord Voldemort punishing Rowle

Thorfinn Rowle is a Death Eater who fought in the Second Wizarding War. He is often described as "the huge blond Death Eater".

Battle of the Astronomy Tower
Rowle participated in the attack on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1997; he stayed below the Astronomy Tower in the main part of the Castle, and fought defenders by firing curses in all directions. He accidentally killed fellow Death Eater Gibbon with a Killing Curse meant for Remus Lupin. During the retreat of the Death Eaters, he attempted to slay Rubeus Hagrid, but his curses had no effect on Hagrid because of his half-giant blood. Instead, he set Hagrid's hut on fire, and Hagrid was forced to rescue his dog Fang, who was inside. He was then ordered by Severus Snape, who at the time was operating in his capacity as double-agent in open support of Voldemort, to leave the grounds and Disapparate with Alecto and Amycus Carrow.

Height of the Second Wizarding War
He was not identified by name to Harry Potter until they met face to face in the chaos following the attack on the Ministry of Magic in 1997. He and Antonin Dolohov tracked Harry, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger to a café on Tottenham Court Road, after their escape from the Burrow. A duel broke out, and Rowle was stunned by Harry, who was under his Invisibility Cloak. Afterwards, his and Dolohov's memories were modified by Hermione. Ron recognized him and his partner from an old Daily Prophet wanted poster.

Through his connection to Voldemort, Harry witnessed Voldemort ordering Draco Malfoy to torture Rowle soon after this incident, as punishment for failing to capture Harry and his friends. Other Death Eaters were more careful about signaling Voldemort after that.

Battle of Hogwarts
Harry saw Rowle once again when he entered the Forbidden Forest to confront Voldemort; Rowle was in the Death Eater camp dabbing at his bleeding lip, which indicates that he fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. He was presumably killed or captured after Voldemort's defeat.

Name Etymology
Thorfinn is a Norse name, and may refer to Thorfinn the Mighty, an eleventh-century earl of Orkney. In the Orkneyinga Saga, he is described as "unusually tall and strong...a forceful man, greedy for fame and fortune. He did well in battle, for he was both a good tactician and full of courage."

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Behind the Scenes
Thorfinn Rowle is portrayed by British actor, Rod Hunt in the movie adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.