Millicent Bulstrode

Millicent Bulstrode (b. 1979 or 1980) was a Slytherin student who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1991-1998, in the same year as Harry Potter. In her fifth year she became a member of the short-lived Inquisitorial Squad led by Dolores Umbridge.

Early life
Millicent Bulstrode was born sometime between 1 September 1979 and 31 August 1980 into the presumably pure-blooded Bulstrode family. She may have been related to Violetta Black (née Bulstrode), wife of Cygnus Black II, and therefore related to the Longbottom, Weasley and Crouch families.

First year
Millicent started her education at Hogwarts in 1991. Prior to the school year, she purchased her equipment from Diagon Alley, and brought her cat with her on the Hogwarts Express. During the Welcoming Feast, Millicent was sorted into the house of Slytherin whose head at the time was Severus Snape. She would share a dormitory with the other Slytherin girls, Pansy Parkinson, Tracey Davis, Daphne Greengrass and a girl with glasses. Millicent would later become friends with Pansy, Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle.

Second year
"I've already got mine *raises vial containing three black hairs*, Millicent Bulstrode, Slytherin."

- Hermione Granger on whose form she will take under Polyjuice Potion.

In 1992 Hogwarts became under threat from the re-opened Chamber of Secrets and the basilisk it contained inside and as a precaution, students were taught how to duel. Millicent and Hermione Granger were paired together during the short-lived Duelling Club. Their duel spiralled into a physical brawl, with Millicent holding Hermione in a headlock, in spite of the standard "no contact" rule in duelling.

Hermione's friend, Harry Potter, came to her rescue, breaking the two girls up. Hermione later used hair from this incident to try to assume Millicent's form with Polyjuice Potion, as the real Millicent went home for Christmas. However, the hair she obtained turned out to be that of Millicent's cat and her transformation unintentionally took the place of her cat, resulting in Hermione spending some time in the Hospital Wing.

Third and fourth years
Little is known about Millicent during her third year - Hogwarts was to be under the protection of Dementors, as a precaution, after Sirius Black had escaped from Azkaban, and it can be assumed that she took to teasing Harry Potter about Dementors, along with Pansy Parkinson, after he fainted in the presence of one on the Hogwarts Express. In Millicent's fourth year, Hogwarts would hold the Triwizard Tournament and she would have been required to attend the Yule Ball as a tradition. Also during this year, Cedric Diggory would be killed and the Second Wizarding War would break out.

Fifth year
"The Inquisitorial Squad, Granger. A select group of students who are supportive of the Ministry of Magic, hand-picked by Professor Umbridge. Anyway, members of the Inquisitorial Squad do have the power to dock points... New Head, new times..."

- Draco Malfoy regarding the Inquisitorial Squad members and their powers.

In 1996, Millicent was one of the students of the Slytherin-dominated Inquisitorial Squad, an organisation started by then-headmistress Dolores Umbridge to silence all opposition to Ministry of Magic activities at Hogwarts. She was one of the students who caught Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood, who were attempting to use the Floo Network in Umbridge's office to find out if Sirius Black had been attacked in the Department of Mysteries. Particularly, she was described as being the student holding down Hermione. Ultimately, she faced a fate similar to the rest of the Inquisitorial Squad, as she was subdued by Ron, Neville, Ginny and Luna with a series of jinxes and hexes.

Sixth year
In Millicent's sixth year she had lost her former power of being in the Inquisitorial Squad and could no longer use it to her advantage. Her friend, Draco Malfoy had joined the Death Eaters and put strain on his friendships. Severus Snape, her head of house, had now taken on the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher and favoured Slytherins during his lessons. Later on in this year, headmaster Albus Dumbledore would be killed.

Seventh year
Due to her presumed pure-blood status and Slytherin relations, it is assumed that Millicent was allowed to return to Hogwarts in 1997 when it was under the control of Lord Voldemort, with her former head of house Severus Snape acting as headmaster. If she did, Millicent would have been present for the evacuation of Hogwarts preceding the Battle of Hogwarts, and it would be assumed that Millicent left the castle along with the other members of the House of Slytherin, rather than choosing to fight Voldemort's army. It could also be a possibility that Millicent would return to Hogwarts, fighting against the school alongside Death Eaters, as did some other students of Slytherin.

Physical appearance
Millicent was black-haired and had a heavy, jutting jaw. She had a large, square build that allowed her to physically intimidate smaller people, and was bigger than Harry Potter in their second year. (It is not unusual for twelve-year-old girls to be bigger than boys of the same age.) Ron Weasley once remarked that Millicent was "ugly", and Harry thought that she looked like a hag he'd seen pictured in Holidays with Hags. We are given no non-Gryffindor opinions of her physical beauty or lack of it.

Etymology

 * The name Millicent is Germanic, meaning "she with the gentle gait". This is ironic, considering that Millicent Bulstrode is not portrayed as gentle or graceful in the least; Harry Potter once remarked that she's "no pixie" while they were taking Polyjuice Potion, in relation to the fact that Millicent, Crabbe and Goyle would not fit into a single toilet cubicle.
 * Millicent may also come from the Latin words mille, meaning "thousand", and centum, meaning "hundred". It also sounds similar to the word "militant", which matches her aggressive personality.

Behind the scenes

 * She was portrayed by Helen Stuart in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.
 * In the books, Millicent's hair is black. In the Chamber of Secrets film, Millicent is portrayed by a brunette actress.
 * Millicent may be related in some way to the House of Black, as there is a mention of a Violetta Bulstrode in that family tree.
 * In the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, there is a Slytherin girl, strongly hinted to be Millicent, who says her own distinct lines, such as finding Professor Snape more attractive than Professor Lockhart. She is also mentioned by other female students as being "a real witch", and she leaves Harry many a snarky remark.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Hogwarts library's copy of Quidditch Through the Ages
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4.
 * Pottermore

Notes and references
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