Igor Karkaroff

Igor Karkaroff (circa 1950 - July, 1996) was the headmaster of Durmstrang Institute. He came to Hogwarts during the 1994-1995 school year for the Triwizard Tournament.

Early Life
In his younger days Karkaroff was a Death Eater who was caught by the Auror Alastor Moody around 1980 after the first fall of Voldemort and spent a period of time in Azkaban. He appeared before the Wizengamot hoping that his information on remaining Death Eaters would allow him to be freed. He gave the names of a number of Death Eater's who were dead or captured including Antonin Dolohov, Evan Rosier and Severus Snape. He then gave the name of the spy Augustus Rookwood which proved to be useful and led to Igor's release.

Later he became headmaster of Durmstrang Institute and changed a great deal in appearance over the next decade or so. He gained a cheery manner, but his smile didn't reach his eyes which remained cold and unnerving. The institute became notorious for it's detailed teaching of the dark arts.

Triwizard Tournament
Not only was Karkaroff at Hogwarts to supervise his students and prepare Durmstrang's champion for the Triwizard Tournament, he also served as one of the Tournament's five judges. From the moment of his arrival at Hogwarts, it was obvious that Karkaroff was biased towards his favorite student, Viktor Krum.

During Karkaroff's first evening at Hogwarts, he encountered former Auror Mad-Eye Moody. It was apparent Karkaroff and Moody not only knew each other, but had an unpleasant history. Karkaroff unsuccessfully tried to avoid Moody after that first evening.

Like Madame Maxime, the headmistress of Beauxbatons, Karkaroff was outraged when Harry Potter's name was chosen from the Goblet of Fire, giving Hogwarts two champions instead of one. While he had to accept Harry's presence in the competition, he consistently gave Harry lower scores on the tasks and blatantly favored Krum over the other champions. He also snuck around to gather information on the tasks in hopes of giving Krum an advantage.

About halfway through the school year, Karkaroff's actions became increasingly suspicious. At the Yule Ball, and again after a Potions lesson, he confronted Snape about a secret matter. His agitated and increasingly apprehensive state aroused the suspicions of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Sirius told Harry to be wary of Karkaroff because he was a former Death Eater.

Karkaroff fled for his life on June 24, 1995, the night of the third Triwizard Task, and the night of Voldemort's restoration to his body and power. Snape admitted that Karkaroff came to him, concerned about the Dark Mark on his left forearm, a mark Snape also bears as he too was a former Death Eater. The Mark had been growing darker throughout the school year, signaling Voldemort's growing strength. Karkaroff feared Voldemort's return because he had betrayed the Dark Lord and knew he would be punished for his disobedience.

Where Karkaroff fled is unknown, but during Harry's sixteenth birthday party, Remus Lupin told the assembled guests that Karkaroff's dead body had been found in a shack up north, the Dark Mark cast in the sky above. It is obvious Karkaroff paid for his disobedience to the Dark Lord with his life. According to Lupin, it was surprising "he stayed alive for even a year after deserting the Death Eaters".