Kingsley Shacklebolt

Minister Kingsley Shacklebolt was a wizard in the employment of the Ministry of Magic. He worked for the Ministry as an Auror, but joined the reconstituted Order of the Phoenix in 1995 after being convinced of the return of Lord Voldemort. Working undercover within the Ministry, he fed the Order with information, and misdirected the Ministry's efforts to locate Sirius Black. In 1996, he fought in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, and was later assigned to guard the Muggle Prime Minister, posing as his secretary. Forced into hiding following the fall of the Ministry to Lord Voldemort in 1997, Kingsley continued to oppose the new regime. In 1998, he fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, and was named Acting Minister for Magic in the aftermath. He was eventually named Minister for Magic officially, and worked hard to revolutionise the Ministry.

Work as an Auror
Kingsley worked as a Senior Auror in the Ministry of Magic. When rumour of Lord Voldemort's return was denied by the Ministry, Kingsley was convinced of his return, and subsequently joined the Order of the Phoenix. Along with Nymphadora Tonks, he worked as a covert operative, keeping the Order supplied with information. In addition, Kingsley was also assigned to lead the task force searching for Sirius Black by the Ministry. Since Black was a member of the Order, Kingsley sidetracked the investigation by feeding the Ministry disinformation that indicated Black was hiding in Tibet.

In the Summer of 1995, Kingsley volunteered to be a member of the Advance Guard to escort Harry Potter to the Order's Headquarters at 12 Grimmauld Place. He was also at the Ministry on the day of Harry's hearing to answer the charge of using magic in front of a Muggle, and staged an argument with fellow Order member Arthur Weasley to protect their covers as Cornelius Fudge was asking questions. During the argument, he slipped Arthur a copy of The Quibbler containing an article that he thought Sirius would find amusing - an article that claimed Sirius was actually Stubby Boardman. He later attended the party at Grimmauld Place to celebrate Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger's appointment as Prefects.

"Well, you may not like it Minister, but you can't deny Dumbledore has got style."

- Kingsley and Fudge just after Dumbledore's escape from Hogwarts

In 1996, Kingsley accompanied Cornelius Fudge, John Dawlish, and Fudge's assistant Percy Weasley to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to confront Albus Dumbledore over Dolores Umbridge's discovery of Dumbledore's Army. Despite his loyalty to the Order, Kingsley was forced to play along with the Minister, although he was able to place a Memory Charm on Marietta Edgecombe to stop her divulging any more secrets regarding Dumbledore's Army, and to agree with Dumbledore's version of events. During Dumbledore's escape, Kingsley was incapacitated along with the Minister, Dawlish, and Umbridge to maintain his cover, an action that Dumbledore regretted but deemed necessary.

Battle of the Department of Mysteries
Towards the middle of 1996, Harry was duped into going to the Department of Mysteries on the pretence that Sirius Black was being held captive. Kingsley, along with Nymphadora Tonks, Alastor Moody, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black, travelled to the Ministry to rescue Harry and several of his friends. In the ensuing battle, Kingsley began duelling two Death Eaters at once, then faced Augustus Rookwood. Late in the battle, Kingsley duelled with Bellatrix Lestrange just after she had sent Sirius through the Veil. Kingsley was injured in the duel, falling to the ground with a scream, but recovered from his injuries.

Guarding the Prime Minister
With the return of Lord Voldemort now publicly acknowledged, Rufus Scrimgeour replaced Cornelius Fudge as Minister for Magic. Following the unsuccessful attempt to place the Imperius Curse on Muggle Junior Minister Herbert Chorley, it was decided that the Muggle Prime Minister needed protection. Kingsley was assigned to the Prime Minister as a bodyguard, posing as his new secretary, in the summer of 1996. Kingsley's portrayal of a Muggle convinced the Prime Minister, who was shocked to learn the truth from Scrimgeour several days later. The Prime Minister considered him an excellent secretary, capable of doing twice the work of his predecessor.

Despite his assignment to the Muggle Prime Minister, Kingsley did attend the funeral of Albus Dumbledore in 1997.

Battle over Little Whinging
With Dumbledore's death, and the Second Wizarding War in full swing, the Order's attention turned to protecting Harry Potter. With the protection he had at the 4 Privet Drive due to expire on his seventeenth birthday, a plan was formed to break the protection early and escort him to safety at The Burrow. Although still assigned to protect the Muggle Prime Minister, Kingsley was chosen to speak with the Dursleys, as his ability to act and dress like a Muggle would offend them less, and he informed them that they too would have to go into hiding for their protection.

Several days before Harry's birthday, Kingsley was part of the Order task force sent to escort Harry to safety. Acting as a Protector, he rode a Thestral with Hermione Granger disguised as Harry by way of the Polyjuice Potion. During the subsequent battle, Kingsley and Hermione were chased by five Death Eaters, injuring two and possibly killing one. They were also briefly chased by Lord Voldemort himself after he killed Alastor Moody, but he broke off the pursuit once the real Harry was located.

Kingsley and Hermione finally made it back to The Burrow, and Kingsley believed that their plan had been betrayed, challenging Remus Lupin with a personal question to ensure his identity. Satisfied, he relayed his news - including the fact that Lord Voldemort could fly unaided - to the rest of the Order that had returned, and waited anxiously for the others. Eventually, though, Kingsley was forced to leave The Burrow and return to his duty guarding the Prime Minister.

The Fall of the Ministry
"The Ministry has fallen. The Minister for Magic is dead. They are coming."

- Kingsley's Patronus

On August 1st, 1997, the Ministry of Magic fell to Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. Where Kingsley was on that day, either at the Ministry or still guarding the Prime Minister, is unknown. However, he was aware of the events, and sent his lynx Patronus to The Burrow to warn the guests at Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding of what had occurred. His warning allowed Harry, Hermione, and Ron Weasley to escape the reception.

Kingsley appeared to continue to work for the Ministry of Magic following the death of Rufus Scrimgeour, much like other members of the Order such as Arthur Weasley. However, he was forced on the run after he broke the Taboo about saying Lord Voldemort's name, and had to fight off several Death Eaters. He went into hiding, but remained active in the resistance effort, contributing to the Potterwatch radio broadcast under the alias of Royal, urging Wizards help protect Muggle neighbours.

Battle of Hogwarts
In May of 1998, Kingsley was alerted to the coming battle at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Apparated to the Hog's Head, and travelled to the school through the secret tunnel joining it to the Room of Requirement. Arriving in the Great Hall, he consulted with Minerva McGonagall and took charge of the situation, dividing the available fighters into groups and assigning them to defend certain areas of the school. He, along with Arthur and Remus, led groups of fighters into the school grounds to intercept the enemy. Shortly before the Acromantula entered Hogwarts, Kingsley duelled a masked Death Eater while Flitwick dueled Yaxley beside him. Towards the end of the battle, after Lord Voldemort displayed an apparently dead Harry to the defenders of the castle and Neville Longbottom had killed Nagini, Kingsley, along with Minerva McGonagall and Horace Slughorn duelled Voldemort in the Great Hall. After Molly Weasley killed Bellatrix, Voldemort screamed in rage and blasted all three of them backward. When Voldemort attempted to kill Molly, Harry cast a shield charm then revealed himself, took up the battle, and killed Voldemort for good. In the aftermath of the battle, Kingsley was named as Acting Minister for Magic.

Later life
Kingsley was eventually made permanent Minister for Magic, and set about ridding the Ministry of corruption and discrimination. He banned the use of Dementors to guard Azkaban, and made sure they would not be used to torment the opponents of the Ministry. He appointed Harry Potter as the head of the Auror Department, and made Percy Weasley a high-ranking official, reshuffling the Ministry thouroughly and becoming instrumental in the repairs of the wizarding world following Voldemort's reign of terror. He managed to revolutionise the way that the ministry worked, and with Hermione Granger, he managed to abolish the pro-pureblood laws.

Physical appearance
Kingsley was a tall black wizard and is described as broad shouldered. He was bald, and wore a single gold hoop earring. He had a slow, deep voice that was said to be reassuring.

Personality and traits
Kingsley was calm and controlled, with a deep reassuring voice and commanding stature. Unlike many wizards, Kingsley mastered the knack of dressing and acting like a Muggle, leading to his assignment to guard the Muggle Prime Minister during the Second Wizarding War.

Kingsley was also a good judge of character, and trusted individuals regardless of age, basing his judgements on his knowledge of their character and abilities. He trusted Fred and George Weasley with the defence of the secret passages during the Battle of Hogwarts, and allowed Harry Potter into the Auror Department at the age of seventeen.

The opposite of the pure-blood advocates, Kingsley believed in equality and fairness for all wizards and Muggles. He was also brave enough to call Voldemort by his name, though this resulted in him getting discovered by a group of Death Eaters.

Magical abilities and skills
Kingsley Shacklebolt proved to be an exceptionally powerful wizard.
 * Duelling: Kingsley was an exceptionally skilled duellist and was equal in power against two Death Eaters at once and was able to duel Augustus Rookwood who was highly skilled at Dark Magic. However, he was unable to defeat Bellatrix Lestrange during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. During the Battle over Little Whinging he was chased by five Death Eaters and even though he was on a Thestral and had to protect Hermione Granger at the same time he defeated three of them, one of them being Travers and later he was able to hold off Lord Voldemort in the same battle, surviving with no serious injuries (however it should be noted that Voldemort quickly lost interest in him when the real Harry was found). Kingsley later fought off several Death Eater's single handed when they cornered him after he used Voldemort's name. During the battle of Hogwarts he duelled Lord Voldemort a second time alongside extremely powerful witch Minerva McGonagall and master duellist Horace Slughorn.
 * Auror skills: Nymphadora Tonks stated that Kingsley was a high ranking Auror and her claim was fully backed up by Kingsley's expert talent in defensive magic, dueling ability and his natural cunningness.
 * Flying: Kingsley used a broom to help escort Harry Potter to 12 Grimmauld Place and survived the Battle over Little Whinging unscathed, evading many Death Eaters and saving Hermione in the process.
 * Patronus Charm: Kingsley, as a member of the Order of the Phoenix, was able to conjure a talking Patronus, a method of communication invented by Albus Dumbledore. It took the form of a lynx.
 * Memory modification: Kingsley was able to modify Marietta Edgecombe's memory to prevent her from telling Cornelius Fudge, John Dawlish and Dolores Umbridge that Dumbledore's Army had been meeting in secret for several months.
 * Leadership skills: Kingsley took charge of the Order of the Phoenix after Mad-Eye's death. He was later named permanent Minister for Magic, highlighting his abilities as a leader.

Order of the Phoenix members
Kingsley had a good relationship with all the members of the Order of the Phoenix and their allies, including Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, the Weasley family, Alastor Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, and Albus Dumbledore. Because of his beliefs, Kingsley was highly regarded by most members.

He also seemed to be a friend of Remus Lupin and Sirius Black. After Sirius was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, Kingsley fought against Bellatrix, although he was defeated. He also appeared to be on good terms with Elphias Doge, Dedalus Diggle, Emmeline Vance and Sturgis Podmore, as they were all members of the Advance Guard in 1995. He was also supposed to know James Potter, as he mentioned that his son, Harry looked like James.

Several members of the Order were killed during battles. It is unknown how Kingsley reacted when he learned about their deaths. After the Second Wizarding War, Kingsley and the remaining members of the Order likely remained in contact.

Etymology
Both "shackle" and "bolt" refer to means of imprisonment. Specifically, a shacklebolt is the threaded pin of a shackle allowing the linking of multiple chains and metal cables. This also hints at the reason his patronus is a lynx (links).

His first name, "Kingsley" suggests royalty, note the "King" in it. This may be the reason that in PotterWatch he was known as "Royal".

Behind the scenes

 * Kingsley was portrayed by George Harris in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
 * Kingsley was omitted from the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
 * It is never mentioned if Kingsley was a member of the first Order of the Phoenix or not, as he is not in the original Order photograph. However, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, he calls James Potter by his first name and compares Harry to him, indicating he knew him personally. This may indicate he was a member of the first Order, but this has never been officially stated. Since his age has not been declared officially, another possibility is that he may have also attended Hogwarts at the same time as James and his friends.
 * Kingsley also shows a good sense of humour in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. He is given Phineas Nigellus Black's line concerning Dumbledore and how he has got style shortly after the Headmaster's escape from the Minister for Magic and several Aurors.
 * While not explicitly mentioned, it's possible that after Dolores Umbridge was imprisoned in Azkaban, Kingsley repealed her anti-werewolf legislation, given his relationship with the late Remus Lupin.
 * Kingsley is the inspiration for the New York-based Wizard Rock band, Kingsley and the Shacklebolts.
 * Kingsley's role of of becoming the next Minister for Magic is omitted from Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2

Notes and references
Kingsley Shacklebolt Кингсли Бруствер Kingsley Kahlesalpa