Stanley Shunpike

Stanley "Stan" Shunpike (born c. 1975 ) was the conductor of the Knight Bus. In 1996, he was arrested and sent to Azkaban for being a Death Eater, despite the fact he was only trying to fool around. Then, in 1997, he broke free from prison and joined the Death Eaters under the Imperius Curse. His fate after the war is unknown.

Early life
Stan was born circa 1975, and presumably grew up in London, as he had a strong Cockney accent. It is unknown if he ever attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

1993
Stan, despite doing his job well, lacked high intelligence, and as such did not recognize Harry Potter following his fleeing of 4 Privet Drive, and instead believed his alias of Neville Longbottom (but then again it might have simply been that he didn't get time to properly examine Harry's scar as Harry hid it immediately after Stan showed interest, which would have likely confirmed Harry's true identity).

1994
Stan attended the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, and after the match, Stan and several others were witnessed by Harry and Ron Weasley trying to chat up a group of Veela, with Stan making the outrageous comment of him "about to be made the youngest Minister for Magic ever", in an effort to impress them.

1995
Stan met Harry once again when he, along with Ron and his brothers and sister were being transported by the Knight Bus back to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Stan, this time, realised who Harry was, though made the mistake of blurting out his name to his friend, the driver, Ernie Prang. Harry's primary bodyguard; the expertly-disguised Auror Nymphadora Tonks, threatened to "curse [Stan] into oblivion" if he did it again, as they were concerned for Harry's security.



1996
Stan, true to his vain nature, tried to impress his friends at a local pub by making the statement that he had inside knowledge of the Death Eaters' plans. The Ministry of Magic, now led by Rufus Scrimgeour, found out and raided his home in Clapham, taking him into custody on suspicion of Death Eater activity. Stan was then sent to Azkaban prison. Stan continued his incarceration throughout 1996, and was one of the reasons that Harry refused to cooperate with Scrimgeour, or serve as the Ministry's "poster child", as Harry refused to believe that Stan could be a Death Eater.

1997
In 1997, Azkaban experienced yet another breakout, but Stan was freed and joined the Death Eater's ranks (it is possible that he was placed under the Imperius Curse). Stan took part during the Battle over Little Whinging, in which he and nearly 30 other Death Eaters flew into battle against members of the Order of the Phoenix attempting to transport Harry Potter to safety. Stan and several others, unknowingly, tracked down the real Harry (who had been given decoys to lure pursuers away). In combat, Harry fired a spell that knocked Stan's Death Eater mask off, exposing his "blank eyes" (a tell-tale sign of Imperius control), and, due to the fact a Stunning Spell while over a hundred feet in the air would result in Stan's death, Harry elected to shoot a Disarming Charm, blowing Stan's wand out of his hand, though Stan's comrades recognized this as Harry's "signature move" and broke off their attack, instead summoning Voldemort himself into the fray.

Post-War
Following the Battle of Hogwarts, it was reported that hundreds of people under the control of the Imperius curse were freed. If Stan survived to this point, and if he was really under the Imperius Curse, he most likely returned to his job on the Knight Bus, though his fate is unknown.

Physical Description
He was described as being "eighteen or nineteen at most" in 1993, and as having "large, protruding ears and quite a few pimples".

Etymology
The name Stanley also belonged to one of J. K. Rowling's grandfathers, with the other one being named Ernie, which was the name given to the driver of the Knight Bus, Ernie Prang.

Behind the scenes

 * Stan Shunpike was played by Lee Ingleby in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * During the events in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Ron Weasley pretended to be Stan Shunpike twice. The first time when he was caught by a couple of Snatchers and later to Werewolf, Fenrir Greyback. Greyback knew that Ron was not Stan.
 * If he attended Hogwarts, he may have been a classmate of Marcus Flint.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Notes and references
Stan Rocade Стэн Шанпайк