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Warning!
At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Harry Potter: Magic Awakened. As such, spoilers will be present within the article. |
- "We were capable of having children, but Astoria was frail. A blood malediction, a serious one. An ancestor was cursed... it showed up in her. You know how these things can resurface after generations..."
- — Draco Malfoy[src]
A blood malediction, also known as a blood curse (incantation unknown), was a powerful curse that had various negative effects and could be passed down to one's descendants.[1]
Description[]
Once cast, the curse resulted in the victim and the victim's descendants suffering from the same condition, which could range from simply being physically weakened to changing into an animal against their will.[1][2][3] The curse also seemed to be tied to one's sex, with the curse only being triggered in male-only or female-only descendants. These curses could also be dormant for several generations, eventually reappearing in one's family.
A Maledictus was a woman afflicted with a specific kind of female-only blood malediction which would eventually cause the victim to permanently turn into an animal against their will, despite them initially having control over the transformation.[2]
History[]
Astoria Malfoy suffered from a "serious" blood malediction, as a result of a curse placed on one of her ancestors, which resurfaced in her after many generations. The condition left her frail, and thus she had only one child, Scorpius. Childbirth was noted to have been risky to her health due to the malediction, as her husband Draco tried to dissuade her from it to preserve her health.[1] It likely contributed to her early death in 2019.[4] Cereus Greengrass also had a blood malediction, for which both her father and Harry Potter were desperate to find a cure.[5]
Kenji Kobayashi suffered from a blood curse from his patrilineal side that transformed him into a fox when under great stress, although he remained harmless. The transformation could also be partial if triggered through other means, such as poisoning.[3]
In 2021, during the Calamity, Harry Potter saw a recurring nightmare memory, in which an unidentified wizard pleaded for Maud Ashborn, who was a witch and a world-renowned Healer, to cure his daughter of her blood curse. Maud, however, said that the magic simply did not exist.[6]
Known victims[]
![Astoria Malfoy[1]](/wiki/File:Astoria_Malfoy.jpg "Astoria Malfoy.jpg (59 KB)")
![Kenji Kobayashi[3]](/wiki/File:Kenji_Kobayashi.jpeg "Kenji Kobayashi.jpeg (126 KB)")
Behind the scenes[]
- Despite the similarities between the two conditions, lycanthropy was not considered a type of blood malediction, and a female werewolf was not considered a Maledictus.[7]
- It was not known if Daphne Greengrass and Scorpius Malfoy suffered from a blood malediction as well, similar to Astoria.
Appearances[]
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (First mentioned)
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (play) (Mentioned only)
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay (First appearance) (Effects only)
- Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (Effects only)
- Pottermore (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter (website) (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (Effects only)
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Act Four, Scene Four
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Everything you need to know about Nagini at Pottermore
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, Year 4, Main Story, Chapter III: The First Challenge
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Act One, Scene Four
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
- ↑ Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, Adversaries Event: Narcissa Malfoy
- ↑
J K Rowling on X: "They're different conditions. Maledictuses are always women, whereas werewolves can be either sex. The Maledictus carries a blood curse from birth, which is passed down from mother to daughter."