John Dawlish

John Dawlish was a member of the Dawlish family and an Auror who was loyal to Cornelius Fudge. Albus Dumbledore referred to Dawlish as being an excellent Auror, having achieved Outstanding in all of his N.E.W.T.s, but Dawlish nearly always ended up incapacitated in some way during the 1990s. Nevertheless, he at one point was the personal bodyguard to Fudge, the Minister for Magic.

Early life
John was born into the Dawlish family and attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry while Albus Dumbledore was Headmaster. Aspiring to become an Auror, he achieved Outstandings in all of his Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests; Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Herbology, Potions, and Transfiguration.

1996
When Cornelius Fudge accused Dumbledore for treason against the Ministry, Dawlish made an attempt to stop Dumbledore from escaping, but was easily defeated, having been knocked out by Dumbledore's spell. After being made Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Dolores Umbridge ordered Dawlish and several other Aurors to arrest Rubeus Hagrid in order to drive him away from Hogwarts, but Dawlish was beaten again, possibly by Fang.

1997
After Rufus Scrimgeour became Minister for Magic, he assigned Dawlish to follow Dumbledore as he left Hogwarts frequently, but Dumbledore jinxed him again.

The Death Eater Yaxley extracted information regarding Harry Potter's departure from Number 4 Privet Drive from Dawlish after an unknown person (possibly a member of The Order of the Phoenix) placed the Confundus Charm on him to lead a false trail of Harry Potter's departure. This, in turn, lead to Dawlish's accidental release of Dirk Cresswell. Dawlish continued to serve under the new regime of the Dark Lord, arresting Muggle-borns and assisting the Death Eaters.It was Possable that he Was palced under the Imperious Curse. When Neville Longbottom stepped over the line in rebelling against Alecto and Amycus Carrow at Hogwarts, Dawlish was sent to take Augusta Longbottom as a hostage to get Neville to cooperate with the new regime. However, the Ministry had heavily underestimated Augusta, and she caused him sufficient injury to merit admittance into St Mungo's.

Later life
What happened to Dawlish after that is unknown; it is possible that Kingsley Shacklebolt, as the new Minister for Magic, had him arrested for complying with the Death Eaters' rule and for crimes against Muggle-borns, a crime that Umbridge was found guilty and was arrested for.

Magical abilities and skills

 * Duellist: Despite Albus Dumbledore complimenting Dawlish on his abilities as an Auror, Dawlish did not seem to be a powerful wizard. He was effortlessly defeated by Dumbledore during his attempt to arrest him even though he had two other wizards and one witch to back him up (though Kingsley Shacklebolt was actually an ally of Dumbledore's). He was also knocked out by Rubeus Hagrid and Augusta Longbottom caused enough damage to him to cause him to be sent to St Mungo's. However, it may be that these instances were intended to prove that Dumbledore, Hagrid, and Longbottom were all powerful witches and wizards rather than that Dawlish was a weak one.

Behind the scenes

 * Dawlish's frequent injuries and incapacitations are somewhat of a running joke throughout the series.
 * Dawlish is portrayed in the film version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by British actor Richard Leaf.
 * He was named after John Noe, co-host of PotterCast after a friend of John's asked J. K. Rowling what Dawlish's first name was, and displayed an obsession with the character throughout the podcast.
 * He was occasionally the subject of a joke saying that he would have some real significance in the last book. An example of this joke can be seen at the poll on The Leaky Cauldron.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1

Notes and references
John Dawlish John Dawlish