Potter family

"The Potter family is a very old one, but it was never (until the birth of Harry James Potter) at the very forefront of wizarding history, contenting itself with a solid and comfortable existence in the backwaters. Potter is a not uncommon Muggle surname, and the family did not make the so-called Sacred Twenty-Eight for this reason; the anonymous compiler of that supposedly definitive list of pure-bloods suspected that they had sprung from what he considered to be tainted blood."

- Early description of the family

Potter is the surname of an old wizarding family descended from Ignotus Peverell and Linfred of Stinchcombe. They were once pure-bloods, but James Potter married Muggle-born witch Lily Evans, thus their son Harry James Potter was half-blood. The Potters have traditionally been sorted into Gryffindor House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry; they are also very wealthy, with a vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank containing a great deal of gold.

During the First and Second Wizarding Wars, the Potters supported the Order of the Phoenix and opposed Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. James and Lily Potter were both Order members who defied Voldemort three times and fought in the First Wizarding War. On 31 October, 1981 James and Lily's fourth encounter with Voldemort was their last. He murdered them as they attempted to protect their infant son, Harry. Harry survived and went on to be the leader of Dumbledore's Army. He played an important role in many battles of the Second Wizarding War and was the one to defeat Voldemort once and for all.

After the war Harry became an Auror and helped reform and revolutionise the Ministry of Magic. At some point he married fellow Gryffindor and Dumbledore's Army member Ginevra Weasley. The couple had three children: James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna Potter. All three of whom are named in honour of family, friends, and allies. In 2007 he was promoted to Head of the Auror Office. Harry is currently Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and has been since at least 2019. He also has a Chocolate Frog Card in his honour.

Early history
"The wizarding family of Potters descends from the twelfth-century wizard Linfred of Stinchcombe, a locally well-beloved and eccentric man, whose nickname, ‘the Potterer’, became corrupted in time to ‘Potter’."

- The beginning of the use of the name Potter

The Potter family descended from a twelfth-century wizard named Linfred of Stinchcombe, a locally well-beloved and eccentric man, whose nickname, ‘the Potterer’, became corrupted in time to ‘Potter’. Linfred was a vague and absent-minded fellow whose Muggle neighbours often called upon his medicinal services. None of them realised that Linfred’s wonderful cures for pox and ague were magical; they all thought him a harmless and lovable old chap, pottering about in his garden with all his funny plants. His reputation as a well-meaning eccentric served Linfred well, for behind closed doors he was able to continue the series of experiments that laid the foundation of the Potter family’s fortune. Historians credit Linfred as the originator of a number of remedies that evolved into potions still used to this day, including Skele-Gro and Pepperup Potion. His sales of such cures to fellow witches and wizards enabled him to leave a significant pile of gold to each of his seven children upon his death.

Linfred’s eldest son, Hardwin, married a beautiful young witch by the name of Iolanthe Peverell, the granddaughter of Ignotus Peverell, who came from the village of Godric’s Hollow and, as the eldest of her generation in the absence of male heirs within the Peverell family, inherited her grandfather’s Cloak of Invisibility. It was, Iolanthe explained to Hardwin, a tradition in her family that the possession of this cloak remained a secret, and her new husband respected her wishes. From this time on, the cloak was handed down to the eldest in each new generation.

Ralston Potter, a later descendant of the Potter family, served as a member of the Wizengamot from 1612 to 1652. He was a supporter of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, instead of wishing to declaring war on Muggles like the more militant members of the Wizengamot.

At some point before 1693 members of the family immigrated to the United States of America. Abraham Potter was one of the original twelve Aurors trained and appointed in the US. He was recruited by the first President of the Magical Congress of the United States of America. It can be assumed that he was educated at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The house he was sorted into remains unknown. Abraham's distant relation to the famous Harry Potter would not be uncovered until centuries later by eager genealogists.

Recent history
Henry Potter (known as Harry to his friends), great-great-great-great grandson to Ralston Potter, also served in the Wizengamot, from 1913 to 1921. He condemned the Minister for Magic at the time, Archer Evermonde, for forbidding the magical community from helping the Muggles fighting during the First World War. His outspokenness on behalf of the Muggle community, along with the fact that Potter is also a relatively common surname in the Muggle world, led to the exclusion of the Potter family from the 'Sacred Twenty-Eight' list. Henry's son Fleamont (who was named so because of his paternal grandmother's dying wish to have a grandchild perpetuating maiden name, which would otherwise die out), attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry where he was Sorted into Gryffindor House. Most of his peers teased about his name, making fights over it, to which he would later attribute his dexterity at duelling. Among the people who stood up for him and didn't seem to care about Fleamont's name during his magical education was a girl named Euphemia Quinn, who he married later on.

Following his graduation, Fleamont took up the career of a potioneer during which he invented the Sleekeazy's Hair Potion, the sales of which quadrupled the family gold and earned a front page story on how it wooed American witches on Daily Prophet on 29 November, 1926. He retired with Euphemia a few years later, but sold the company at a vast profit. The couple's only child James Potter was born later on in their lives, on 27 March, 1960. By that time, they were both elderly (even by wizarding standards), but pampered and cherished their son accordingly to the point that he became a proud yet arrogant and boastful boy who deep down was still a good person. By the time Fleamont and Euphemia died of Dragon Pox within a few days after each other in 1979, James was left to inherit the family fortune as the last of the Potters.

James' Hogwarts years
James Potter attended Hogwarts from 1971 to 1978, starting a year after the First Wizarding War broke out in response to the rise of the dark wizard Lord Voldemort (a distant cousin of the Potters by descent from the Peverell family through either a daughter or granddaughter of Cadmus Peverell) and his followers, the Death Eaters. He was sorted into Gryffindor and while there became leader of a small gang of Gryffindors in his year, the Marauders, consisting of Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin. At some point, James was chosen as a Chaser on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and made himself completely aware of his talent. He possibly spent time collecting Chocolate Frog Cards as well, since Cuthbert Binns reportedly to have given him a card of Circe which later fell into the possession of a Ravenclaw around James' year, Quirinus Quirrell, who placed it in his vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank.

For the vast majority of his time at school though, James was somewhat an obnoxious youth for his love of showing off, his exceptional self-confidence, and his habit of ruffling his hair to make it untidier and hexing other students with Sirius out of boredom, both of which bordered on arrogance. During his second year, he and his fellow Marauders discovered that Lupin was a werewolf, whom they nicknamed "Moony", and spent three years learning to secretly (and illegally) become Animagi in order to assist him during his monthly transformations. James' Animagus form, for instance, was a shining red stag with pronged horns from which his nickname "Prongs" was derived, Sirius' was a shaggy black dog with padded feet (earning him the nickname "Padfoot"), and Pettigrew's was a fat gray rat with a wormy tail (earning him the nickname "Wormtail"). Whenever the time came for Lupin to transform at the full moon, the Marauders would frequently get out of their beds at night, and explore Hogwarts' grounds and the village of Hogsmeade during their transformations.

The family's near-extinction
"The one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches... born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies... and the Dark Lord will mark him as his equal, but he will have power the Dark Lord knows not... and either must die at the hand of the other for neither can live while the other survives... the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord will be born as the seventh month dies"

- Sybill Trelawney's first prophecy

James and Lily's son Harry Potter was born during the height of the war, on 31 July, 1980. were both members of the original Order of the Phoenix, an organisation created and led by Albus Dumbledore. The organisation was for those who wanted to oppose. In 1979, Dumbledore witnessed a prophecy made by Sybill Trelawney that predicted that a child with the power to defeat the Dark Lord would be born to parents who had defied him three times "as the seventh month dies". Voldemort was told part of the prophecy by Severus Snape, who had been caught outside the door after the prophecy was heard. At the end of July in 1980, two infants were born matching this description: Harry and his future Hogwarts classmate Neville Longbottom. Voldemort went after Harry, resolving to murder him, and thus marked Harry as his equal as the prophecy foretold. The Potters went into hiding through the use of the Fidelius Charm over the Potter Cottage. They first chose Sirius Black as the Secret-Keeper, but Black persuaded the Potters to use Peter Pettigrew instead, thinking that this less obvious choice would further protect the Potters. Pettigrew, however, betrayed the Potters and gave secret information about them to Voldemort, who attacked the family in Godric's Hollow on 31 October, 1981. Voldemort murdered James and then Lily with the Killing Curse, but he first gave Lily the opportunity to save herself, at the request of Snape, who had been in love with her for years. When she refused, Voldemort murdered her, unknowingly invoking ancient magic that protected Harry when Voldemort then attempted to murder him. The Killing Curse rebounded, leaving Harry its only known survivor and Voldemort temporarily defeated. The incident also caused a piece of Voldemort's soul to be embedded in the lightning-bolt-scar on Harry's forehead, inadvertently making him into a Horcrux. Sirius soon discovered what had happened and pursued Pettigrew, but the latter faked his own death and escaped, leaving Sirius subsequently framed for the Potters' betrayal, as well as Pettigrew's additional murder of twelve Muggles, and imprisoned in Azkaban without a trial. Harry, who became known as the "Boy Who Lived" for his miraculous survival, was taken in by his mother's sister, Petunia Dursley and her husband Vernon. Harry was raised in the Muggle world by the Dursleys, who treated him poorly and never told him about his wizarding heritage. Because they were blood relatives of his mother, however, Harry benefited from magical protections as long as he could call Number 4 Privet Drive "home". Sometime later the cottage was made invisible to Muggles and left in its ruined condition as a memorial to the Potters and the tragedy that befell them. A sign was added in front of the cottage that depicted that nights events. People would often carve inspirational messages into the wood of the sign, wishing Harry luck and showing their support of him.

The Potter memorial was also erected in the aftermath of Voldemort's attack. The memorial is a statue at the centre of the village square in Godric's Hollow. From a distance, it appears as an obelisk, carved with the names of people who died in a war. While Muggles can see only this obelisk, a witch or wizard can see that the memorial changes into a statue of a family as he or she approaches: James, Lily, and an infant Harry Potter.

Between the wars
"Yer a wizard, Harry, and a thumpin' good one I'd wager, once yer trained up a bit, o' course."

- Harry finding out he's a wizard Despite his relatives' efforts to force him to be "normal", Harry was still considered a wizard, and was informed of this fact by Rubeus Hagrid when the time came for him to attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1991. He entered the wizarding world, learned his family's history, and once again became a target of Lord Voldemort, who was still alive but in non-corporeal form and seeking to return to his former power.

Harry's first year
In his first year at Hogwarts, Harry was sorted into Gryffindor when he insisted to the Sorting Hat on not being put in Slytherin. He made best friends with Ron Weasley and Hermoine Granger, and later became the youngest Quidditch Seeker ever to make the Gryffindor Quidditch team when a Flying Lesson brawl with his Slytherin rival Draco Malfoy over Neville Longbottom's stolen Remembrall proved him a natural flyer.

During the Hallowe'en celebrations, a Mountain Troll was let into the school by Quirinus Quirrell, who was working as Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor that year and acting as host to Voldemort's soul as part of their plan to steal the Philosopher's Stone from its new underground chambers on the forbidden third floor, since Voldemort believed it would restore him to his body and grant him everlasting life. Only Severus Snape, who was Potions Professor at the time, was aware of the plot and tried to stop Quirrell from trespassing in the Stone's chambers, only to get bitten in the leg by the first chamber's guard Cerberus, named Fluffy. The students, meanwhile, were evacuated back to their Common Rooms, but Harry realised that Hermione did not know about the Troll, since she was in the bathroom crying as Ron had made fun of her earlier that the day. He and Ron went to the girls' bathroom and found the troll already attacking her, and after Harry stuck his wand up its nose, Ron knocked the troll out with its own club using the Levitation Charm. Hermione lied to the professors when they came to investigate to keep both boys out of trouble. Before his first Quidditch match, respectively against Slytherin, Harry received the new Nimbus 2000 from Transfiguration Professor Minerva McGonagall, which was jinxed during the match by Quirrell and he lost control, which caused him to nearly fall off. Snape intervened again with a counter-curse, but Hermione thought the latter professor was performing the opposing curse and set his robes on fire. This caused Snape to break eye contact with Harry and knock Quirrell over, allowing Harry to regain control and catch the Golden Snitch in his mouth, which ended the match and leaving Gryffindor victorious.

When Harry learnt of Fluffy and how he was protecting the Philosopher's Stone due to a secet agreement between Dumbledore and Nicholas Flamell, the creator of the artefact, Harry, Ron and Hermione decided to spend the Christmas holidays looking up Flamell's history. Harry received the Cloak of Invisibility as a gift anonymously from Dumbledore when Christmas arrived, and used it to sneak into the Restricted Section of the Hogwarts Library in order to steal a book about Flamell, but was almost caught by the school's Squib caretaker Argus Filch, who reported the boy's intrusion to Snape, presenting the broken lantern Harry brought with him as proof. Harry escaped under the Cloak into an abandoned classroom, where he viewed his parents for the first time through the Mirror of Erised, a mirror that depicts the heart's most desperate desire. When Harry looked into the mirror he saw himself surrounded by family, something he has never had. He saw people with the same features as him; the same green eyes, nose, and knobby knees. He visited the mirror several times before he was approached by Dumbledore about it and sent back to the Gryffindor common room, as the mirror was to be moved moved to its new location in the Philosopher's Stone's underground chamber, convinced not to look for it. After standing up for Neville against Draco Malfoy when the rude Slytherin made the young Longbotom hop back to the common room, Neville in return gave him a Dumbledore Chocolate Frog Card (the first card Harry had ever gotten) which Harry remembered reading Nicholas Flamel's name on the back of. This gave Hermione an easy way to look up Flamel and determine the Fluffy must be guarding the Philosopher's Stone, which was said to hold a elixir providing its drinker immortality known as the Elixir of Life.

Harry's next Quidditch match, this time against Hufflepuff, mounted tensions within the school, for Gryffindor had failed to overtake Slytherin in the Inter-House Quidditch Cup for seven years. Harry was worried that winning the Cup for Gryffindor would be impossible with Snape as a referee, but Ron and Hermione secretly practised the Leg-Locker Curse to use on the Potions teacher in case he showed any signs of attempting to harm Harry. The boy performed his role as Seeker phenomenally before Snape could favour Hufflepuff too much, catching the Snitch within five minutes of the game starting, putting Gryffindor in first place for the Quidditch Cup. He followed Snape into the Forbidden Forest later that night, and mistook his interrogation of Quirrell about the latter teacher's attempt to steal the Stone for Voldemort as an attempt to intimidate Quirrel into handing over information regarding the artefact. He tells Ron and Hermione about it, they unjustly tried to be supportive and encouraging to Quirrell whenever possible for the rest of the year, either by telling people off for laughing at his stutter, smiling at him encouragingly whenever they passed him or arguing with Snape.

Realising how much the trio worked out about the Stone after running into them in the library, Hagrid invited them to his hut to have a talk later. When they arrived, he reluctantly told them that Fluffy belonged to him along with enchantments from the other Professors. The hut soon got too hot for Harry to stand, but Hagrid refused to open a window due to the dragon egg, containing a baby Norwegian Ridgeback named Norbert, hatching in the fire. Draco Malfoy was soon spotted by Harry witnessing the Norbert's hatching through the window, deciding to use the knowledge to get revenge by getting them into trouble for possessing an illegal dragon. The trio luckily saved everyone involved by persuading Hagrid send the dragon to the Romanian dragon preserve that Ron's older brother Charlie Weasley worked at,

Lord Voldemort attempted to attack Harry to gain the Philosopher's Stone in 1992, but the dark wizard's inability to touch Harry, due to the lingering protection from his late mother, continued due to living with her only blood relatives. As such, Quirrell was prevented from stealing the Stone when he came into contact with Harry's skin, leaving Voldemort forced to return to his non-corporeal state.

Second Wizarding War
"I am the chosen one. I have to kill him."

- Harry Potter's future regarding Voldemort Voldemort eventually overcame this by using Harry's blood to regenerate his own body in 1995. Unbeknownst to Voldemort, this act also anchored Harry's life to his own. This was brought to light when Harry and Voldemort had their final confrontation in 1998 during the Battle of Hogwarts. Harry had spent almost a year destroying Voldemort's Horcruxes with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, only to discover during the Battle of Hogwarts that he himself was a Horcrux Voldemort made accidentally that fateful Hallowe'en night in 1981.Harry spoke with his parents, Sirius, Remus briefly through the Resurrection Stone, were they provided him with words of comfort and support. He willingly stood before Voldemort and was struck with the Killing Curse. Because of this, the part of Voldemort's soul within him was destroyed. Because Voldemort had taken some of Harry's blood — and thus Lily's blood, with its magical protections for Harry — within himself, Harry survived the Killing Curse for a second time. Another result of Harry's sacrifice was the protection it offered the defenders of Hogwarts. The two duelled one last time, and Harry defeated Voldemort once and for all, thus putting an end to the Second Wizarding War.

After the war
"Harry and Ron utterly revolutionised the Auror Department in — at the Ministry of Magic. So they — I mean, they are now the consummate — they are experts... And by the time — 19 years later — I would imagine that Harry is heading up that department, which is not corrupt in any way."

- J. K. Rowling regarding Harry's career after the war After the Second Wizarding War, Harry was recruited into the Auror training programme by Minister for Magic Kingsley Shacklebolt. Harry became the youngest Head Auror ever appointed at age 26. Along with his friend Ron Weasley, Harry is considered an "expert" and helped reform and revolutionise the Auror department and the rest of the Ministry.

At some point he was featured on a Chocolate Frog Card for his accomplishments. He also married Ginny Weasley sometime before 2014. The couple had three children — James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna Potter — and thus a new generation of Potters were born into a more peaceful and stable world.

James Sirius began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 2015 and was sorted into Gryffindor House and his sister Lily Luna, who began attendance in 2019, was also sorted into Gryffindor. The exception was Albus Severus who began attending Hogwarts in 2017 and was sorted into Slytherin House, making him the only one in his immediate family who was not in Gryffindor. Harry went on to be the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, having been promoted in 2019.

Main family
James Potter was the only child of Fleamont and Euphemia Potter. James married Lily Evans and they had one child, Harry, who famously defeated Lord Voldemort. Harry eventually married Ginny Weasley and they had three children: James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna Potter.

Potter relatives
After James Potter married Muggle-born Lily Evans the Potters were then related to the Muggle Dursleys and Evans families. Through Harry Potter's marriage to Ginny Weasley the Potters gained many relatives, as the Weasleys were quite a large family.

Cloak of Invisibility


The Potters descend from Ignotus Peverell, whose Cloak of Invisibility is one of the three Deathly Hallows. Unlike most Invisibility cloaks, it has remained intact for centuries, passed on from generation to generation until it reached Harry Potter. Harry temporarily became the "Master of Death" in 1998, as he was in possession of the Invisibility Cloak, the Resurrection Stone, and the Elder Wand. The last item's loyalty to Harry was crucial to his defeat of Lord Voldemort, as the Elder Wand refused to harm its true owner and caused Voldemort's Killing Curse to backfire. Of the three Hallows, Harry only kept the Invisibility Cloak for himself, as it rightfully belongs to his family.

Through the Peverell family, Harry and Voldemort are distantly related, as the House of Gaunt descended from Ignotus's brother Cadmus Peverell, who passed the Resurrection Stone to his descendants in a signet ring.

Vault 687
"Inside were mounds of gold coins. Columns of silver. Heaps of little bronze Knuts."

- Description



This vault in Gringotts Wizarding Bank belongs to the Potter family. It appears to be of moderate depth and deeper underground than the vault of the Weasley family, but not as deep as Vault 713. It is accessible only by a cart operated by one of the bank's goblin employees and by the use of a small gold key.

The vault contains a small fortune, heaps and mounds of Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts. Most of the fortune derives from Fleamonts' invention of Sleekeazy's Hair Potion, sales of which quadrupled the family gold, he also upon retirement sold the company at a vast profit.

Etymology

 * "" is a very common surname of English origin. It traditionally refers to the occupation of making pottery.
 * was a well-known English children's author.
 * is the name for a burial ground for the unknown or unclaimed dead, particularly soldiers and orphans; the Potter family had many members that fit that description.
 * The is a model for making ethical decisions developed at Harvard University. J. K. Rowling has also commented that she has liked the name since childhood.

Behind the scenes

 * In the films, the Potters are played by the following actors:
 * James is played by Adrian Rawlins in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, and Part 2. The 15 year old James Potter I was played by Robbie Jarvis in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and the 11 year old James Potter I was played by Alfie McIlwain in.
 * Lily Potter (née Evans) is played by Geraldine Somerville in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, and Part 2. The 15 year old Lily Evans was played in a deleted scene by Susie Shinner in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and the 11 year old Lily Evans was played by Ellie Darcey-Alden in.
 * Harry is played by Daniel Radcliffe in all of the films. Baby Harry Potter was played by the Saunders triplets in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and by Toby Papworth in.
 * Ginny Potter (née Weasley) is played by Bonnie Wright in all of the films.
 * James Sirius Potter is played by Will Dunn in.
 * Albus Severus Potter is played by Arthur Bowen in.
 * Lily Luna Potter is played by Daphne de Beistegui in.
 * It is seen in two generations that Potter men have fallen in love and married red-haired women: James Potter married Lily Evans, and their son Harry Potter married Ginny Weasley.
 * Harry and his sons James and Albus are the only known Potters to have godfathers. Harry's godfather is Sirius, James' godfather is Ron, and Albus' godfather is Neville
 * The Potter family wasn't one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, though it wasn't known to had Muggle ancestry until Harry Potter's birth in 1980.
 * It is shown in several generations of Potters that they suffer from bad eyesight and are shown to wear full-moon glasses. It is seen in the males of the family such as; Abraham Potter, Fleamont Potter, James Potter I and Harry Potter.

Appearances

 * PS undefined
 * PS F

Notes and references
Familia Potter Famille Potter Rodzina Potter Поттеры