Arcturus Black (1901 – 1991) was a pure-blood wizard and member of the noble House of Black.
Biography
He was born in 1901 as the eldest son of Sirius Black II and his wife Hesper Gamp, and was the brother of Lycoris and Regulus I.
He married a witch named Melania Macmillan, who bore him daughter Lucretia and son Orion.
Arcturus was the grandfather of Sirius and Regulus.
He died in 1991 and had outlived his father, mother, brother, sister, son (second child), daughter-in-law, and second grandson.
Behind the scenes
- Based on a statement by Horace Slughorn, Arcturus may have been a member of the Slytherin House. However, he attended Hogwarts c. 1912 - 1919, when Slughorn was not Potions teacher.
- Arcturus' second grandson was named Regulus Arcturus Black; possibly his middle name originated from his grandfather.
- Sirius Black III (Arcturus' first grandson) once said to Harry Potter that his grandfather had a Order of Merlin. Sirius may have referred to Arcturus or possibly Pollux (Sirius' other grandfather and Arcturus' cousin).
- Arcturus was survived by his daughter (first child) and first grandson.
- On the Black family tree shown on the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Arcturus's name is misspelt "Arctorus".
Etymology
Arcturus is the name of the brightest star in the constellation Boötes. Its name derives from Ancient Greek Αρκτοῦρος, meaning "bear guard"; this refers to the story in Greek mythology that Zeus placed Arcturus in the sky to look after Arcas and Callisto, who were turned into bears and then into the constellations Ursa Major and Ursa Minor to protect them from Hera's wrath.
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) (Appears on Black family tapestry)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game) (Seen on Black family tree tapestry)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game) (Seen on Black family tree tapestry)