Warning!
At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in: Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery & Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells & Harry Potter: Magic Awakened. |
- "They were a motley collection; a mixture of the weak seeking protection, the ambitious seeking some shared glory, and the thuggish gravitating toward a leader who could show them more refined forms of cruelty."
- — Forerunners of the Death Eaters[src]
The Death Eaters, also previously known as the Knights of Walpurgis,[13] were the main followers of Lord Voldemort. The group primarily consisted of witches and wizards who were radical pure-blood supremacists and who practised the Dark Arts with reckless abandon, malevolence, and without regard to or fear of wizarding law, although some of them joined him out of fear or were blackmailed to do so.[1]
Lord Voldemort used this select group of wizards and witches during both the First and Second Wizarding Wars, employing them as his elite force. They often wore black hoods and masks with snake-like eye slits to cover their faces.
The Death Eaters were considered Lord Voldemort's main supporters and had the Dark Mark burned into their left forearms. When Voldemort touched a Dark Mark, each of the Death Eaters felt it, signalling for them to Apparate to their leader's side.[3] Death Eaters could also summon Voldemort with their Marks.
History[]
Forerunners[]
Before the Death Eaters themselves came to be, Tom Riddle, as Voldemort was known in his childhood and early adulthood, gathered a gang of Slytherin students who considered themselves his friends, though in truth, he felt no real attachments to any of them due to his lack of desire for a true friend.[14]
According to former Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore, they were a mixture of the weak seeking protection, the ambitious seeking glory, and the thuggish seeking a leader who could show them more refined cruelty, and were considered to be forerunners of the Death Eaters since most (if not all) indeed became the first Death Eaters. He manipulated them to do his bidding, and though this led to several nasty incidents over the years, with Riddle's strategic discretion, none was linked back to the group, much less the model student Riddle himself.[14]
Origins[]
- "Voldemort... this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em, too –– some were afraid, some just wanted a bit o' his power, 'cause he was gettin' himself power, all right."
- — Voldemort gaining his many followers[src]
Before 1970, Riddle formed a group he named the Knights of Walpurgis, which was eventually renamed to the Death Eaters.[13] Its original membership comprised people that Voldemort knew from his time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Most of those recruited were from Slytherin House.
Members of the organisation Voldemort deemed to be valuable and faithful would be branded with the Dark Mark. This symbol, a skull with a snake protruding from the mouth, was used to summon his followers at will. The Mark was considered the greatest honour among the Death Eaters. Out of respect for their master, they referred to him as the "Dark Lord". Actively gathering an army of Dark witches, wizards and creatures, with the belief that his hidden Horcruxes granted him immortality, Voldemort and his followers planned to overthrow the Ministry of Magic.[15] Their ranks were huge, outnumbering the Order of the Phoenix by approximately twenty to one.[16]
Seeking dominance[]
First Wizarding War[]
- "Imagine that Voldemort's powerful now. You don't know who his supporters are, you don't know who's working for him and who isn't; you know he can control people so that they do terrible things without being able to stop themselves."
- — Voldemort's undetermined Death Eaters at the height of the war[src]
Death Eater activity during the First Wizarding War consisted of stealth attacks, espionage, torture and mass killings of witches, wizards, and large numbers of Muggles. These were initiated by the Death Eaters, often, but not always, on the orders of Voldemort. Part of the Death Eaters' modus operandi was to cast the Dark Mark over every house where they committed murder. This inspired much terror in the wizarding community.[1]
However, the Death Eaters remained opposed by the Order of the Phoenix, founded by Albus Dumbledore,[17] and the Ministry, whose effort to bring Voldemort and his supporters to justice was spearheaded by the head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.[18]
Thirteen years of chaos[]
- "The Dark Lord will rise again, Crouch! Throw us into Azkaban; we will wait! He will rise again and will come for us, he will reward us beyond any of his other supporters! We alone were faithful! We alone tried to find him!"
- — Bellatrix Lestrange on trial for her Death Eater activities[src]
After Lord Voldemort attempted to circumvent a prophecy written by Sybill Trelawney during the height of the war, he disappeared following his attack on Godric's Hollow that resulted in the murder of James and Lily Potter, with many people believing he had died. His primary target, the infant Harry Potter, was credited for Voldemort's fall and surviving with nothing but a scar, thus earning him the moniker of the "Boy Who Lived".[19]
Being none the wiser to what had become of their master, the Death Eaters largely fell into chaos. Many were rounded up and imprisoned in Azkaban without trial as part of the hard line taken by the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, Barty Crouch Snr, who had legalised the Auror's use of the Unforgivable Curses against those suspected to be among the enemy's ranks.[20] Sirius Black, whom Pettigrew framed for his crimes, was among those who were imprisoned without trial, although some accused of being Death Eaters, like Crouch's own son, were given a trial.[21][20]
Some Death Eaters managed to elude justice by claiming the Imperius Curse had been used on them, such as Lucius Malfoy, or by turning traitor to the other Death Eaters, as Igor Karkaroff did. Ministry efforts to determine who was and wasn't forced to serve as a Death Eater were largely unsuccessful, as many Death Eaters avoided being sent to Azkaban and reintegrated themselves into society, though people like Arthur Weasley were never quite convinced of their innocence.
Most followers hid their allegiance to Voldemort and therefore did not try to find him, although a handful of Death Eaters, such as the Lestranges and Barty Crouch Jnr, remained fiercely loyal to their fallen master and sought him out, believing they would be rewarded by Voldemort for their loyalty. Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan Lestrange, as well as Barty Crouch Jnr, tortured the Longbottoms into insanity while trying to procure information about Voldemort's whereabouts: this attack was considered one of the most atrocious crimes in recent history. They were captured and sentenced to Azkaban, but Bellatrix proudly proclaimed that the Dark Lord would rise again.[18][3][22] Some Death Eaters, such as Evan Rosier, chose to resist arrest and fought to the death.[18]
Peter Pettigrew believed that if the rogue Death Eaters got wind of his survival, they would seek to kill him, for it was his information that led to Voldemort's downfall. It was for this reason that Pettigrew hid in his unregistered Animagus form as a pet rat, stationed near Harry in an attempt to bide his time to turn the boy in should the Death Eaters start to regain momentum, in which nobody would dare say he betrayed Lord Voldemort. However, Pettigrew was ousted by Sirius and Remus Lupin, thus forcing him to seek out the weakened Dark Lord for shelter, ultimately assisting him in his regeneration.[21]
Receiving a sign[]
- Harry Potter: "Death Eaters? What are Death Eaters?"
- Bill Weasley: "It's what You-Know-Who's supporters called themselves. I think we saw what's left of them tonight — the ones who managed to keep themselves out of Azkaban, anyway."
- — Bill Weasley and Harry Potter discussing the Death Eaters after the Dark Mark riot[src]
Thirteen years later, at the four hundred and twenty-second Quidditch World Cup in 1994, a group of Death Eaters attacked the camp of wizards and witches and a nearby Muggle family. The Death Eaters seemed to consider torturing and humiliating Muggles a form of entertainment. When Crouch Jnr launched the Dark Mark into the air out of rage for his comrades not seeking out their fallen master, the Death Eaters fled in fear of Voldemort's retribution for their disloyalty.[1]
Second Wizarding War[]
The Dark Lord's return[]
- "Welcome, Death Eaters. Thirteen years... thirteen years since last we met. Yet you answer my call as though it were yesterday.... We are still united under the Dark Mark, then! Or are we? I smell guilt. There is a stench of guilt upon the air I see you all, whole and healthy, with your powers intact — such prompt appearances! — and I ask myself... why did this band of wizards never come to the aid of their master, to whom they swore eternal loyalty? And I answer myself they must have believed me broken, they thought I was gone. They slipped back among my enemies, and they pleaded innocence, and ignorance, and bewitchment..."
- — Voldemort letting his disappointment in his Death Eaters be known[src]
On 24 June 1995, Lord Voldemort finally returned to a physical body through a Dark potion created by Peter Pettigrew. Moments after Lord Voldemort had finally regained his body, he summoned his followers to him by touching Peter Pettigrew's Dark Mark. Some proved too afraid to return to him, such as defector Igor Karkaroff, while others who were dead or imprisoned remained absent.[3] Severus Snape did not initially return as he was loyal to Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix after Voldemort's murder of Lily. He instead returned two hours later, after being told to maintain his cover by Dumbledore, claiming to Voldemort that he was trying to maintain the cover of a double agent, which the Dark Lord found satisfying.[23][24]
Despite several absences, there were many who returned the call, including Walden Macnair, Lucius Malfoy, Nott, Crabbe, Goyle, and Avery. Avery went to beg for forgiveness, but Voldemort told the band of Death Eaters who did not try to find him that he wants thirteen years of repayment before he could forgive them for their wavered loyalty: Snape would later comment that had the faithless Death Eaters not been forgiven, then Voldemort would have very few followers left.[3]
Harry Potter was present for Voldemort's return to power, and even duelled him, resulting in a spectacular display of Priori Incantatem, revealing that the cores of Voldemort's and Harry's wands were related. Harry managed to escape and tell Headmaster Albus Dumbledore of Voldemort's return, which allowed Dumbledore to revive the Order of the Phoenix and begin to counteract Voldemort's plans.[25]
Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge and most of the Ministry of Magic originally refused to believe that Voldemort had returned. Though Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore served as dissenting voices, the majority of the public chose to believe in the Ministry and its wider propaganda and smear campaign against Potter and Dumbledore, which would be printed in news outlets such as the Daily Prophet. Finally in 1996, the Minister for Magic witnessed Voldemort and Dumbledore's duel in the Ministry of Magic and was forced to admit his mistake.[26]
Bid for the prophecy[]
- "The Ministry of Magic announced late last night that there has been a mass breakout from Azkaban. Speaking to reporters in his private office, Cornelius Fudge, Minister of Magic, confirmed that ten high-security prisoners escaped in the early hours of yesterday evening, and that he has already informed the Muggle Prime Minister of the dangerous nature of these individuals. 'We find ourselves, most unfortunately, in the same position we were two and a half years ago when the murderer Sirius Black escaped,' said Fudge last night. 'Nor do we think the two breakouts are unrelated. An escape of this magnitude suggests outside help, and we must remember that Black, as the first person ever to break out of Azkaban, would be ideally placed to help others follow in his footsteps. We think it likely that these individuals, who include Black's cousin, Bellatrix Lestrange, have rallied around Black as their leader. We are, however, doing all we can to round up the criminals and beg the magical community to remain alert and cautious. On no account should any of these individuals be approached.'"
- — Announcement of the 1996 mass Azkaban breakout[src]
Armed with the advantage of the Ministry's denial, the Death Eaters kept a low profile in order to maintain their standing in the wizarding world and slowly but surely rebuild their forces without detection or hindrance. Due in part to the Ministry's refusal to remove the Dementors from Azkaban, a proposition Dumbledore supported immediately following Voldemort's return, the Death Eaters informally recruited the Dementors to their cause. Similar progress was made with the giants. The quiet revolt of the Dementors fostered a mass breakout of imprisoned Death Eaters from Azkaban in early 1996.[26]
In early summer of 1996, Voldemort sent a group of twelve Death Eaters, led by Lucius Malfoy, into the Department of Mysteries in order to steal the prophecy concerning himself and Harry Potter. Having originally attacked Harry Potter based upon a partial recounting of it, Voldemort now desired to hear the full version in order to understand entirely the nature of the connection between himself and Potter. Harry was lured there, along with five other members of Dumbledore's Army, when Voldemort used their connection to give Harry a false vision of his godfather being tortured.[26]
However, Harry and his friends managed to elude the Death Eaters, and the prophecy was accidentally destroyed when Neville Longbottom knocked it out of Harry's hands during the struggle. A battle between the Death Eaters and several members of the Order of the Phoenix resulted in eleven of the twelve Death Eaters being captured, and Sirius Black killed. Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange fled, but not before Fudge and several other Ministry officials witnessed the return of the Dark Lord, which led to Fudge's resignation and signalled the start of open warfare under the new Minister, Rufus Scrimgeour.[26]
Start of open war[]
The raid was a failure for the Death Eaters because their reactivation was no longer a secret and the captured Death Eaters were then sent to Azkaban. Additionally, Voldemort failed in his objective to seize the prophecy concerning himself and Harry, infuriating him. Revealed at last to the wizarding community, the Death Eaters proceeded to resume their earlier lifestyle and behaviour. Kidnapping, torturing, and murdering of wizards, witches and Muggles began anew as the Second War began. This included the capture of wandmaker Garrick Ollivander, the murder of Order Of The Phoenix member Emmeline Vance, and the murder of Amelia Bones, who was until that point the head of the Department For Magical Law Enforcement at the Ministry of Magic.
Due to the Ministry's failure to accept the reality of Voldemort's return early on, the Death Eaters' forces had already grown to the point where the Ministry had a very difficult time keeping them in check, made only worse when the Minister for Magic still cared more about the bureaucracy's reputation than actual security.[15]
Victory at Hogwarts[]
- "Dumbledore cornered! Dumbledore wandless! Dumbledore alone! Well done, Draco, well done!"
- — Amycus Carrow on Dumbledore being cornered on the Astronomy Tower[src]
During the Second Wizarding War, Voldemort plotted to kill Albus Dumbledore and instructed Draco Malfoy to perform the act, though Snape commented that Voldemort didn't really believe Draco would be able to and instead believed Voldemort intended himself to ultimately deal the killing blow. Draco performed several assassination attempts during the school year, meanwhile repairing a Vanishing Cabinet which would allow Death Eaters to bypass Hogwarts's defences. At the close of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry year in June 1997, Dumbledore and Harry left Hogwarts to obtain a locket that they believed to be one of the Horcruxes of Voldemort from a cave filled with Inferi. Draco took this opportunity to bring several Death Eaters into Hogwarts, where they began to duel with several members from the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army. Dumbledore and Harry Apparated back into Hogsmeade and through the assistance of Madam Rosmerta, they saw a Dark Mark hanging in the sky above Hogwarts Castle. They borrowed broomsticks and flew to Hogwarts' highest tower in the castle, the Astronomy Tower.[15]
Dumbledore encountered Draco Malfoy and performed the Full Body-Bind Curse on Harry, who was hidden under the Cloak of Invisibility, before Draco disarmed him. Draco revealed how he successfully used a Vanishing Cabinet to help the Death Eaters enter Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Dumbledore then informed Draco that he already knew about the assassination plots, but had not taken action against Draco due to Dumbledore's fears that Voldemort would retaliate against Draco's family. He also tried to pursade Draco to not kill him, saying that such an act would taint his soul forever, and also tried to get him to defect from Voldemort's side, giving his assurance that his Order of the Phoenix members would be able to protect his family. This talk delayed Draco in his plans to murder him until several Death Eaters, including Alecto and Amycus Carrow, Fenrir Greyback, and Corban Yaxley, arrived at the scene.[15]
Severus Snape successfully cast the Killing Curse on Dumbledore in front of the four Death Eaters, Fenrir Greyback, Draco, and Harry, who was still hidden under his Invisibility Cloak and frozen in place by Dumbledore's spell. After the latter's death, the jubilant Death Eaters retreated on Snape's orders. Harry, free from Dumbledore's Full Body-Bind Curse, quickly chased after the Death Eaters and cast several unsuccessful spells at Snape when they reached the grounds. One Death Eater, Thorfinn Rowle, set fire to Rubeus Hagrid's hut, and the Death Eaters disapparated when they reached the gate.[15]
Also present were Rowle and Gibbon, who was accidentally killed by a stray Killing Curse from the former, the only casualty on the Death Eater's side. In addition to Dumbledore's death, Bill Weasley was attacked by Fenrir Greyback and received scars on his face but lived without becoming a werewolf because Greyback was not fully transformed at the time of the attack. However, Bill still retained some lycanthropic symptoms, including a taste for raw meat.[15][27]
Attempt on Harry Potter[]
- "That's him, it's him, it's the real one!"
- — A Death Eater revealing the real Harry during the Battle of the Seven Potters[src]
Despite Dumbledore's death, Voldemort was still opposed by the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army, who knew it was not safe to trust the Ministry of Magic. Voldemort knew through Snape that Harry Potter would be moved from the house of his aunt and uncle a few days before his seventeenth birthday, which is when Lilly's Potter's charm protecting him would have broken if Harry had continued to call the place home until that point. The exact details of this move were largely unknown to the Death Eaters, Snape having told them just enough to have been able to convince them to act. Snape also manipulated Mundungus Fletcher with magic, to give ideas as to the defence of Harry that the Order would trust, but which would confuse the Death Eaters.[27]
As a congregation of members of the Order of the Phoenix and Dumbledore's Army, including Alastor Moody, Arthur Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin, Rubeus Hagrid, Bill Weasley, Fleur Delacour, Fred and George Weasley, Mundungus Fletcher, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger, along with Harry Potter himself, left the home of the Dursleys, the Death Eaters attacked immediately. They could not tell right away which pair included the real Harry Potter because six of the congregation had used Polyjuice Potion.
It was assumed that Harry would be with the strongest members, so Shacklebolt and Moody were attacked most fervently at first. This led to Voldemort, who was able to fly, personally killing the latter. During the ensuing battle, numerous Death Eaters were injured, including Rodolphus Lestrange, and one was possibly killed. However, they managed to kill Moody and Hedwig, as well as injure George Weasley.
When Harry Potter used Expelliarmus, which they had come to consider his trademark spell, against Stan Shunpike, who Harry believed was under the Imperius Curse, the Death Eaters knew the real Harry to be with Hagrid. Despite their attempts to capture him, they were thwarted by Harry and Hagrid's efforts, and finally when Harry crossed into a protective spell over the home of Ted Tonks. Lucius's wand was disintegrated by a spell cast by Harry's wand, infuriating and confusing Voldemort, who began to search for a more powerful wand.[27]
The Death Eater-controlled Ministry[]
The Fall of the Ministry of Magic[]
- "The Ministry has fallen. Scrimgeour is dead. They are coming."
- — Kingsley Shacklebolt through his lynx Patronus[src]
In spite of their failure to kill Harry, the Death Eaters' plans of overthrowing the Ministry of Magic progressed, and on 1 August 1997, they stormed into the complex, killing Rufus Scrimgeour. Pius Thicknesse was installed in his place, controlled by the Imperius Curse placed on him by Corban Yaxley. Voldemort now effectively controlled the entire Ministry of Magic, though never made the fact he controlled it public. Instead, the Death Eaters performed the day to-day tasks of running the Ministry, leaving Voldemort free to pursue his quest of a more powerful wand.[27]
The Death Eaters used the Ministry's resources to eliminate the Order of the Phoenix's defences, attacking The Burrow and other homes of Order members, as well as those of some of their allies, such as Ted and Andromeda Tonks. While no one was killed, many were hurt under questioning about the whereabouts of Harry Potter, and all were subsequently put under surveillance.[27]
With the Ministry's resources in the hands of the Death Eaters, Lord Voldemort stationed Nagini at Godric's Hollow and left the Death Eaters to run the Ministry in his name until he could find the fabled Elder Wand. Meanwhile, the Death Eater-controlled Ministry continued to advance their goals of pure-blood supremacism in his absence. They created the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, headed by Yaxley and Dolores Umbridge, which was an instrument for the humiliation and persecution of Muggle-borns who as a group were falsely accused of having "stolen" magic and consequently imprisoned in Azkaban. propaganda against Muggle-borns and Harry Potter was spread: Harry was considered "Undesirable Number One," and there was a 10,000 Galleon reward for information leading to his capture. A Taboo was also placed upon Voldemort's name as a method of locating Order members, since they were the only ones remaining who were brave enough to say it.[27]
Headmaster Snape[]
- "Severus Snape, long-standing Potions master at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and wizardry, was today appointed Headmaster in the most important of several staffing changes at the ancient school. Following the resignation of the previous Muggle Studies teacher, Alecto Carrow will take over the post while her brother, Amycus, fills the position of Defence Against the Dark Arts professor."
- — Death Eaters were appointed positions in Hogwarts[src]
Attendance at Hogwarts became mandatory during the 1997-1998 school year since Voldemort wanted all members of the magical population under his control. This was another way to weed out Muggle-borns, as students were required to prove blood status, and any Muggle-born children were sent to the Muggle-Born Registration Commission and then to Azkaban.[27]
Severus Snape was appointed Headmaster, though he faced fierce but quiet opposition from Minerva McGonagall and other professors, as well as the remaining members of Dumbledore's Army, including Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, and Ginny Weasley. They encouraged rebellion, saved students from detentions that now involved corporal punishment, including extreme methods like having older students practise the Cruciatus Curse on younger students in detention. Many students eventually stopped attending classes and took up residence in the Room of Requirement.[27]
The Carrow siblings were placed under Snape at the school, with Amycus Carrow teaching the Dark Arts, the class which replaced Defence Against the Dark Arts, and his sister, Alecto, took over the now mandatory Muggle Studies, teaching both wizarding and pure-blood supremacy. Additionally, the Carrows were in charge of discipline, and used brutal punishments against anyone who even slightly offended them. Despite most students despising the Carrows, some students, such as Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle, were at home performing Dark magic and torturing other students, with the Carrows seeming to favour their own house of Slytherin over others.[27]
Skirmish at Malfoy Manor[]
- "The Dark Lord is coming, Harry Potter! Your death approaches! Now… Cissy, I think we ought to tie these little heroes up again, while Greyback takes care of Miss Mudblood. I am sure the Dark Lord will not begrudge you the girl, Greyback, after what you have done tonight."
- — Bellatrix Lestrange sadistically taunting the trio[src]
During Harry Potter's time hidden from the Death Eaters, he accidentally said Voldemort's name and thus triggered the Taboo placed upon the name. He, Ron and Hermione were captured by a group of Snatchers led by Fenrir Greyback and brought to Malfoy Manor, where they were confronted by Bellatrix Lestrange and the Malfoys. Bellatrix spotted Godric Gryffindor's Sword among the trio's possessions and interrogated Hermione using the Cruciatus Curse to find out where they got the item, but Hermione lied, claiming it was only a copy.[27]
In the meantime, Dobby the house-elf came and rescued Harry, Ron, Garrick Ollivander, Luna Lovegood, and Dean Thomas from the basement, along with Griphook, who had reluctantly supported Hermione's lie. Together, they took various wands from the house's occupants before fleeing, but Dobby was killed by Bellatrix, who had also summoned Voldemort to the Manor. Upon his arrival, Voldemort was enraged that his Death Eaters had failed him by not managing to capture Harry and had drawn him away from his mission. He cruelly caused physical harm to all present and placed them under house arrest. Having learnt from Gellert Grindelwald who the previous owner of the Elder Wand was, he proceeded to raid Dumbledore's resting place and steal the wand.[27]
Destruction of Voldemort's Horcruxes[]
Unbeknownst to almost everybody, Harry, along with Ron and Hermione, was out seeking to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes and finish what Regulus Black had started in the 1970s and Albus Dumbledore had continued when he destroyed Marvolo Gaunt's ring in 1996. One Horcrux, Tom Riddle's diary, had already been destroyed by Harry four years prior. Whilst on the run from Voldemort and his Death Eaters, the trio had managed to locate and destroy Slytherin's Locket. From Bellatrix's behaviour at Malfoy Manor, Harry Potter concluded that a Horcrux was in her vault at Gringotts Wizarding Bank. With the help of Griphook, Harry, Ron, and Hermione broke into the bank and stole Helga Hufflepuff's Cup, escaping on a dragon.[27]
Although the three companions were successful in stealing the cup, Voldemort learnt of Harry's mission from the bank's protectors. In a rage, he wiped them out and went to the places the Horcruxes were previously hidden, leaving Hogwarts for last, but in the process inadvertently revealing to Harry Potter that Hogwarts was indeed the last place to go.[27]
Battle of Hogwarts[]
- "I command my forces to retreat immediately. You have one hour... I speak now, Harry Potter, directly to you... I shall wait for one hour in the Forbidden Forest. If, at the end of that hour, you have not come to me, have not given yourself up, then battle recommences. This time, I shall enter the fray myself, Harry Potter, and I shall find you, and I shall punish every last man, woman, and child who has tried to conceal you from me. One hour."
- — Voldemort's ultimatum during the final battle[src]
Voldemort, along with his Death Eaters and other allies, attacked Hogwarts and those defending it in May 1998. During this battle, Harry, Hermione, and Ron managed to find Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem in the Room of Requirement. It was accidentally destroyed by Vincent Crabbe when a Fiendfyre curse he cast got out of control. Meanwhile, the Death Eaters and their allies stormed the castle. Voldemort had come to learn that he wasn't the true master of the Elder Wand, and he incorrectly believed that it was Severus Snape who was the true master since he had killed Dumbledore. As a result, Voldemort had Nagini kill Snape, believing it would make him the true master of the Elder Wand, and then issued an ultimatum to the defenders of Hogwarts, saying that unless Harry was delivered to him then he would join the fighting himself.[27]
Harry had learnt that he himself was one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, and decided to secretly give himself up to Voldemort. He willingly took a Killing Curse from Voldemort in order to destroy it, but because his mother's sacrifice lived on in his blood, the blood Voldemort took in himself in order to regain a body, Harry was not killed. He found himself in limbo, the plane between life and death and was given the choice to either return to the living world or move on to the afterlife.[27]
Goaded by Harry's apparent demise, an entire army of reinforcements stormed the castle, at which point Neville Longbottom beheaded Nagini with the sword of Gryffindor, thereby ensuring that the final Horcrux was destroyed. Thanks to Harry's sacrifice that lived on in the blood of his allies, the Death Eaters' curses weren't able to affect the defenders of Hogwarts and the Death Eaters were easily defeated.[27]
Aftermath[]
With the Death Eater forces defeated and the battle all but lost, Harry Potter destroyed Lord Voldemort once and for all in a duel thanks to his mastery over the Elder Wand. Without their master, the surviving Death Eaters fell or were scattered.[27] However a select few, such as the Malfoys, were pardoned. After not participating in the final battle, Lucius gave information on his former comrades and assisted the Auror Office in their capture,[28] and many Death Eaters were permanently imprisoned. After Voldemort's death, the Dark Marks on the Death Eaters' forearms faded into scars.[27]
Following the outbreak of the Calamity on 14 December 2018, whereupon a powerful piece of Chaotic Magic was unleashed upon the world and resulted in one of the most massive breaches of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy in the history of the wizarding world, several magical communities around the world saw a sudden resurgence of Dark wizards adorning the black robes and masks of the original followers of the Dark Lord. Capitalising on the troubles of the day, these individuals would be sighted both in Great Britain as well as overseas, presumably trying to expose the wizardkind and provoke war between the magical and non-magical worlds as a pretext to re-establishing their prior reign of terror.[29]
Ideology[]
- "Many of our oldest family trees become a little diseased over time. You must prune yours, must you not, to keep it healthy? Cut away those parts that threaten the health of the rest... And in your family, so in the world...we shall cut away the cancer that infects us until only those of the true blood remain..."
- — Lord Voldemort on his goals in Malfoy Manor[src]
The Death Eaters, many of whom belonged or claimed to belong to ancient Pure-blood wizarding families, subscribed to the ideas that wizards were better than Muggles, and pure-bloods were better than Muggle-borns. As shown when Scorpius Malfoy time travelled to an alternate reality where the Death Eaters won, Voldemort's ultimate goal was the subjugation of the Muggle world by wizards.
Furthermore, the Death Eaters planned to restrict the use of magic to those who were pure-bloods or half-bloods only, putting into practice a system which was very similar to systems employed by families such as the Black family, who routinely destroyed records of Squibs and blood traitors in order to keep up the idea that their families were 'pure', and didn't even acknowledge the existence of Muggle blood in their families. Despite this, as Hermione Granger pointed out, most Death Eaters were likely half-bloods who were pretending to be pure-blood in order to act as a Death Eater.
Aside from their views of Muggles and Muggle-borns, the Death Eaters also openly practised the Dark Arts as a way to gain power, and routinely engaged in violent acts which broke wizarding law in order to get their way.
Organisation[]
- "The Dark Lord will rise again, Crouch! Throw us into Azkaban, we will wait! He will rise again and will come for us, he will reward us beyond any of his other supporters! We alone were faithful! We alone tried to find him!"
- — Bellatrix Lestrange talking to Crouch during her trial[src]
The Death Eaters were organised around Lord Voldemort, who offered them power and protection, as well as fed their views on wizarding and pure-blood supremacy. However, Voldemort himself was more interested in the pursuit of power and he merely preyed on others' prejudice to obtain followers. Though he allowed them to establish purification policies when they took over the Ministry of Magic, he busied himself with seeking power for himself while never bothering to help them with these goals.[27]
Death Eaters followed their leader's commands first and foremost, and he treated them ruthlessly, often sending them on missions and punishing them horribly if they failed him, even if they failed due to bad luck rather than incompetence. At his command, they worked against Voldemort's opponents, the Order of the Phoenix, through espionage, murder, and open warfare, and also infiltrated and undermined the Ministry of Magic. When he needed tasks done to increase his own power, he often sent them if he considered the task trivial enough to not warrant his personal attention, such as retrieving the prophecy from the Department of Mysteries or organising alliances with the werewolves and giants.
Loyalty[]
- "And I answer myself, perhaps they believed a still greater power could exist, one that could vanquish even Lord Voldemort... perhaps they now pay allegiance to another... perhaps that champion of commoners, of Mudbloods and Muggles, Albus Dumbledore? It is a disappointment to me... I confess myself disappointed...."
- — Voldemort's disappointment in his Death Eaters for their disloyalty[src]
Although some Death Eaters appeared to have been fanatically loyal to Voldemort, such as Bellatrix Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jnr, several only aligned with him for the ideals of purification and shared glory, such as Lucius Malfoy and Regulus Black, while many others seemed to serve him largely out of fear, such as Peter Pettigrew. As soon as he was defeated in 1981, many immediately renounced their loyalty and did not attempt to find Voldemort in the intervening years. Also, due to maltreatment from Voldemort, some who joined him would come to regret it later on, such as Lucius, Draco, and Regulus, when they either suffered his abuse or witnessed the true extent of his cruelty. Those who rioted at the 1994 Quidditch World Cup fled when the Dark Mark was cast, and Bill Weasley speculated then that those Death Eaters were “even more frightened than the rest of us to see him come back”.[1] However, most Apparated to his side if they were able to when Voldemort called them upon his return, claiming that they had been loyal all along.
Although most of Voldemort's recruits were from Slytherin, the Dark wizard-inclined house which he himself was sorted into, he sometimes gained Death Eaters from other locations such as Peter Pettigrew of Gryffindor and Igor Karkaroff from Durmstrang Institute. Valuing their loyalty over their social statuses or ages, Voldemort recruited Regulus Black and Draco Malfoy, both of whom were sixteen years old at the time of induction. This was beneficial to him because it, at least in Malfoy's case, it placed him in an advantageous position and meant that his enemies underestimated or were merciful to him.
In turn, even though Voldemort valued the services they provided, and spoke as though they were a family, he saw them as no more than dispensable servants. Voldemort was willing to sacrifice even the most loyal of them if it would increase his power, the most prominent example being Severus Snape, who he thought to the end was faithful. Some Death Eaters deluded themselves to thinking that they alone knew and understood Voldemort, or were even close to him, but Voldemort never desired friendship. Voldemort had some things in common with several Death Eaters (such as a disappointing father like Barty Crouch Jnr, or trying to cover his Muggle heritage like Severus Snape), and even sharing such facts to garner the loyalty of such people, making it seem as he understood them in return, taking advantage of their inner feelings without gaining any attachments to them in return. Coupled with either disloyalty or constant failures, Voldemort lost faith in some of the once-highly revered servants such as Lucius and Bellatrix.[27] As a sign of distrust-based precaution, the Death Eaters did not have knowledge of all their colleagues' identities: Voldemort alone knew who they all were. This was done in order to prevent any traitors from turning all the others in, though some Death Eaters knew the identities of others, regardless.[20]
Becoming a Death Eater meant a lifetime of service to Lord Voldemort. Death Eaters were denied the right to resign under any circumstances, under penalty of death. Sirius Black thought his younger brother was killed for attempting to quit after trying to refuse going on an assignment, though he was wrong about the cause of his brother's death.[27] Igor Karkaroff deserted the Death Eaters after turning many of them over to the Ministry, and even though he went into hiding after his former master was revived, he was eventually caught and killed for his disloyalty. However, Voldemort did forgive the servants who did not attempt to find him but returned when he touched Wormtail's Dark Mark. Snape claimed that, if otherwise, Voldemort would be left with very few followers. Because of his diminished military forces at the time of his rebirth ceremony, Voldemort only punished those who returned to him by mild torture and demands: he let Wormtail suffer the pain of severing his hand as punishment for years of disloyalty, and demanded that the Death Eaters present suffer thirteen years of pain as repayment for thirteen years of disloyalty before truly being forgiven, and said that those who had gone to Azkaban for him had proved their loyalty.[20]
Hierarchy[]
- "The werewolf might be allowed to wear Death Eater robes when they wanted to use him, but only Voldemort's inner circle were branded with the Dark Mark: Greyback had not been granted this highest honour."
- — Only select members were allowed certain privileges[src]
The Death Eaters seemed to have an informal hierarchy, with Voldemort at the top, followed by top ranking members, who were often his most powerful and trusted Death Eaters. Voldemort's most senior Death Eaters, most of whom were old friends from Slytherin house or younger Slytherin alumni, mostly pure-bloods, and people highly useful to Voldemort for their wealth, skill, or ruthlessness, were bestowed with the Dark Mark on the inside of their lower left arm. These were his inner circle, who he summoned to his side upon his rebirth in Harry's fourth year, and who sat around his high table at Malfoy Manor. Being branded with the Dark Mark was a symbol of the highest status and honour in Voldemort's social order, but was also something of a dangerous burden, as it allowed the Dark Lord to track, communicate with, and summon his chosen few. Some associates, such as relatives of Death Eaters, are also on par with the actual members, prominently Narcissa Malfoy.
Certain members could be branded with the Dark Mark without becoming fully fledged Death Eaters, such as Peter Pettigrew who was branded with a Dark Mark as well, though he was considered to be lesser than any other Death Eater, as Voldemort disdained his disloyalty and only saw him occasionally useful, thus assigning him to menial tasks most of the time. Age played little influence on one's induction into the group, as both Draco Malfoy and Regulus Black became Death Eaters at age 16, their devotion and usefulness being more important than their social qualifications; this was directly opposite to the opposing Order of the Phoenix, which only permitted those of age 17 or above (and have finished school) to join. It was for this reason that Hermione Granger was originally sceptical about Voldemort allowing a 16 year old Draco joining.
Additionally, certain people were allowed to wear Death Eater garments in order to command the respect they engendered, but were not Marked. These seem to included those that Voldemort found useful but did not prefer to associate with. Genuine Death Eaters also regard these individuals with disrespect, as they did not hesitate to speak down to them or outright attack them. The most notable example was the werewolf Fenrir Greyback, notorious for his savagery and cannibalism, who Voldemort would use as a tool to coerce other people into helping him.
The Death Eaters were also supported by a mass of disorganised rabble, like the Snatchers, who were loyal to Voldemort but not useful enough to him to deal with directly. They were given orders and opportunities to commit crimes or advance themselves through the senior Death Eaters. Witches and wizards under the Imperius Curse like Pius Thicknesse, the weak-willed and/or the slow-witted, like Stan Shunpike, and non-humans of different degrees of sentience such as Werewolves, Giants, Dementors and the Inferi were treated with similar amounts of respect. These groups were pressed into service by the Death Eaters, and sentient groups that would have ordinarily remained neutral like the Dementors, Giants, and Werewolves were brought into the fold with false promises that their grievances would be avenged upon victory in battle. This entire mass was mobilised for Voldemort's attack on Hogwarts, though before then they were only used to maintain the new regime, or else roam uncontrolled, sowing chaos and demoralisation as they sought individual gain. During Voldemort's assault on Hogwarts, they were used as expendable cannon fodder meant to overwhelm the students and teachers through shear force of numbers or test Hogwarts's formidable magic defences.
Affiliates[]
Members[]
Name | Notes | Current status |
---|---|---|
Alecto Carrow | Fought in the First Wizarding War and managed to avoid Azkaban. Returned to the Dark Lord's side after his rebirth and fought in the Second Wizarding War, during which she participated in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. Became Muggle Studies professor at Hogwarts when the Ministry of Magic came under Voldemort's control, using this position to spread anti-Muggle propaganda and abuse students. Participated in the Battle of Hogwarts, in which she was defeated by Luna Lovegood at Ravenclaw Tower. | Presumed imprisoned or deceased |
Amycus Carrow | Fought in the First Wizarding War and managed to avoid Azkaban. Returned following the Dark Lord's rebirth and fought in the Second Wizarding War, during which he participated in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. Became Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts when the Ministry of Magic fell under Voldemort's control, using this position to abuse students. Placed under the Imperius Curse by Minerva McGonagall and tortured with the Cruciatus Curse by Harry Potter during the Battle of Hogwarts. | |
Antonin Dolohov | Fought in the First Wizarding War, in which he was involved with the brutal murders of Fabian and Gideon Prewett. During the Second Wizarding War, Dolohov participated in the illegal break-in and battle of the Department of Mysteries. After escaping Azkaban, Dolohov failed to capture Harry Potter on Tottenham Court Road and was subsequently punished by his master. During the Battle of Hogwarts, he killed Remus Lupin and was later defeated by Filius Flitwick. | |
Augustus Rookwood | Served as Lord Voldemort's Unspeakable spy within the Ministry of Magic during the First Wizarding War. Imprisoned in Azkaban when betrayed by Igor Karkaroff in exchange for his freedom, but escaped during the 1996 mass breakout. Re-incarcerated after participating in the illegal break-in and battle of the Department of Mysteries. In 1997, and escaped once again during another mass breakout and fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. | Presumed imprisoned |
Avery Jnr | Fought in the First Wizarding War and avoided Azkaban by claiming to have been under the Imperius Curse. Was later one of the few present at the Dark Lord's rebirth. He also participated in the illegal break-in and battle of the Department of Mysteries during the Second Wizarding War. Avery, along with other Death Eaters, escaped during the 1997 mass breakout of Azkaban. | Presumed imprisoned or deceased |
Barty Crouch Jnr | Fought at the height of the First Wizarding War, during the aftermath of which he participated in the torture and permanent incapacitation of Frank and Alice Longbottom. Smuggled out of Azkaban by his father (at his mother's request) and imprisoned in their home under the Imperius Curse in between the wars. Secretly attended the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, during which he used Harry Potter's wand to cast the Dark Mark over the violent Death Eater riot at the stadium grounds. Was rescued from imprisonment shortly afterwards by Voldemort, and assisted in the Dark Lord's rebirth by sabotaging the Triwizard Tournament while impersonating Alastor Moody at Hogwarts via Polyjuice Potion; these actions included entering Harry Potter into the Goblet of Fire, murdering his own father using the Killing Curse, placing Viktor Krum under the Imperius Curse in order to torture Cedric Diggory, stunning Fleur Delacour, and turning the Triwizard Cup into a Portkey designed to deliver Harry to Voldemort himself. Subsequently suffered the Dementor's Kiss. | Soul removed |
Bellatrix Lestrange | Served as Lord Voldemort's right-hand witch throughout the First Wizarding War, during which she was entrusted with Helga Hufflepuff's Cup. Participated in the torture and permanent incapacitation of Frank and Alice Longbottom with the Cruciatus Curse following her master's downfall. Fought in the Second Wizarding War, during which she participated in the illegal break-in and battle at the Department of Mysteries, killing Sirius Black, and was the only Death Eater who escaped Azkaban following that battle. Tortured Hermione Granger and killed Dobby at Malfoy Manor. Killed Nymphadora Tonks and attempted to kill Ginny Weasley during the Battle of Hogwarts. Subsequently killed by Molly Weasley in the same battle. | Deceased |
Corban Yaxley | Fought in the First Wizarding War, after which he was able to avoid Azkaban. Fought in the Second Wizarding War, during which he participated in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower and placed the Imperius Curse on Pius Thicknesse. Participated in the persecution of Muggle-borns with the Muggle-Born Registration Commission. Participated in the Battle of Hogwarts and was defeated by George Weasley and Lee Jordan. | Presumed imprisoned or deceased |
Crabbe Snr | Fought in the First Wizarding War and avoided Azkaban following Lord Voldemort's downfall. Was present when the Dark Lord was reborn. He later participated in the illegal break-in and battle of the Department of Mysteries during the Second Wizarding War and was subsequently imprisoned. Crabbe, along with other Death Eaters, escaped during the 1997 mass breakout. | Presumed imprisoned or deceased |
Draco Malfoy | Served as the youngest recruit during the Second Wizarding War, during which he was forced to commit two failed assassination attempts on Albus Dumbledore under direct threat, but managed to corner and disarm him on the third attempt before deciding not to kill him. Placed the Imperius Curse on Madam Rosmerta to pass on a cursed necklace, with which he unitentionally poisoned Ron Weasley and cursed Katie Bell. Repaired the vanishing cabinet which allowed various Death Eaters to breach Hogwarts defences prior to the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. Tried to capture Harry Potter during the Battle of Hogwarts. Participated reluctantly in Death Eater activity. | Defected |
Evan Rosier | Fought in the First Wizarding War. Killed by Alastor Moody after resisting capture following Lord Voldemort's downfall. | Deceased |
Gibbon | Fought in the Second Wizarding War. Conjured the Dark Mark over Hogwarts during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. During that battle, Gibbon was struck by a Killing Curse intended for Remus Lupin by Thorfinn Rowle. | |
Goyle Snr | Fought in the First Wizarding War. Having avoided Azkaban following Lord Voldemort's downfall, Goyle was present when the Dark Lord was reborn. | Presumed imprisoned or deceased |
Hedwig's killer | This Death Eater killed Hedwig during the Battle of the Seven Potters. | |
Igor Karkaroff | Fought in the First Wizarding War. Avoided Azkaban by betraying several Death Eaters to the Ministry of Magic following Lord Voldemort's downfall, and became Headmaster of Durmstrang in between the wars, but was killed for his disloyalty during the Second Wizarding War. | Deceased |
Jugson | Participated in the illegal break-in and battle of the Department of Mysteries during the Second Wizarding War and was subsequently imprisoned. Jugson, along with other Death Eaters, escaped during the 1997 mass breakout. | Presumed imprisoned or deceased |
Lucius Malfoy | Served as Lord Voldemort's right-hand wizard for a majority of the First Wizarding War, during which he was entrusted with Tom Riddle's Diary until given consent from his master to smuggle said Horcrux into Hogwarts and use it to reopen the Chamber of Secrets. Avoided Azkaban by claiming to have been under the Imperius Curse following his master's downfall, and became Chairman of the Hogwarts Board of Governors in between the wars, using this position to campaign for Albus Dumbledore's suspension from the school for poor Headmastership. In 1992, he planted the diary on Ginny Weasley in order to sabotage her father Arthur's Muggle Protection Act, whilst threatening the other school governors into signing an Order of Suspension for Dumbledore's dismissal. Participated in the violent riot and torture of a Muggle family at the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, and was one of the first present at the Dark Lord's rebirth. Placed Department of Mysteries employee Broderick Bode and possibly Sturgis Podmore under the Imperius Curse in an attempt to commit theft on Voldemort's behalf. Led the break-in of the Department of Mysteries. After escaping Azkaban, his home was used as the Death Eater headquarters. Defected and did not fight in the Battle of Hogwarts. | Defected |
Mason Tremblay (possibly) | Suspected of having ties to Lord Voldemort and his followers at some point in his life and being a Death Eater. Went mad in his old age by the 2010s and attacked numerous Muggles in the Appleby community but stopped in his rampage by a Calamity Investigator. | |
Mr and Mrs Fowler | Served Lord Voldemort during the First Wizarding War. | Were killed at some point during or shortly after the war.[30] |
Mr Greengrass | Particapated in incriminating Death Eater-involved activities and subsequently incarcerated in Azkaban for such acts. | Imprisoned in Azkaban; Case Reopened by Harry Potter |
Mr Lee | Served Lord Voldemort during the First Wizarding War, eventually visited in his home by the Dark Lord. | Imprisoned in Azkaban for their crimes |
Mrs Lee | Served Lord Voldemort during the First Wizarding War | |
Mr Snyde | Served Lord Voldemort during the First Wizarding War | |
Mrs Snyde | Served Lord Voldemort during the First Wizarding War | |
Mulciber Snr | One of Lord Voldemort's first Death Eaters. Fought in the First Wizarding War. | Presumed imprisoned or deceased |
Mulciber Jnr | Served as an Imperius Curse specialist at the height of the First Wizarding War, during which he placed said curse on many people and forcing them to do horrific things. Later unable to avoid Azkaban after his master's downfall. Following the Dark Lord's rebirth, Mulciber escaped in 1996 during a mass breakout. During the Second Wizarding War, he participated in the illegal break-in and battle of the Department of Mysteries and was subsequently re-imprisoned. However, Mulciber later escaped once again during the 1997 mass breakout. | |
Nott Snr | One of the first Death Eaters who fought in the First Wizarding War. Following Voldemort's downfall, Nott was able to avoid Azkaban and was later present at the Dark Lord's rebirth. Participated in the illegal break-in and battle of the Department of Mysteries during the Second Wizarding War and was subsequently imprisoned. Nott, along with other Death Eaters, escaped during the 1997 mass breakout. | |
Peter Pettigrew | Served as Lord Voldemort's spy within the Order of the Phoenix at the height of the First Wizarding War, during which he betrayed James and Lily Potter's whereabouts as their Secret-Keeper and murdered twelve Muggles on a London street with a single Blasting Curse whilst faking his own death, framing Sirius Black for both crimes. Went into hiding in his Animagus form of a rat following his master's downfall, and became the pet rat of Percy and Ron Weasley in between the wars, using this position to keep track of news regarding Voldemort's whereabouts and stay close to Harry Potter at Hogwarts until the time came to deliver him to the Dark Lord right under Albus Dumbledore's nose. In 1994, he was exposed during Black's escape from Azkaban and revelation of the truth, but escaped again to fulfil the prophecy regarding his return to Voldemort. Captured Bertha Jorkins in Albania and brought her before his master in 1994, and assisted the Dark Lord with his rebirth, murdering Cedric Diggory in the process. Participated in the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor, where he tried to strangle Harry but hesitated when the latter reminded him of a life debt. Strangled to death by his own enchanted silver hand. | Deceased |
Pyrites (possibly) | Accompanied Lord Voldemort to Godric's Hollow the night he murdered the Potters. Met Sirius Black outside of the Potter's home following the attack. | Unknown |
Rabastan Lestrange | One of Lord Voldemort's first Death Eaters. Participated in the torture and permanent incapacitation of Alice and Frank Longbottom using the Cruciatus Curse during the First Wizarding War. Participated in the illegal break-in and battle at the Department of Mysteries and was subsequently imprisoned. Rabastan, along with other Death Eaters, escaped during the 1997 mass breakout. | Presumed imprisoned or deceased |
Regulus Black | Served as a foot soldier at the the height of the First Wizarding War, during which he volunteered Kreacher to assist Lord Voldemort in hiding Salazar Slytherin's Locket. Changed sides and attempted to destroy said Horcrux, but was killed by Inferi in the process. | Deceased |
Rodolphus Lestrange | Participated in the torture and the permanent incapacitation of Alice and Frank Longbottom via the Cruciatus Curse after the First Wizarding War. Participated in the illegal break-in and battle of the Department of Mysteries and was subsequently imprisoned. Rodolphus escaped in the 1997 mass breakout and participated in the Battle of the Seven Potters. | Unknown (was imprisoned after the Battle of Hogwarts, but has escaped as of 2020) |
Rosier Snr | One of Lord Voldemort's first Death Eaters. | Presumed imprisoned or deceased |
Selwyn | During the Second Wizarding War, participated in the Battle of the Seven Potters. Along with Travers, tortured Xenophilius Lovegood about the whereabouts of Harry Potter. | |
Severus Snape | Served as a volunteer for monitoring Albus Dumbledore around Hogwarts at the height of the First Wizarding War, during which he passed information about a prophecy foretold to Dumbledore by Sybill Trelawney at the Hog's Head Inn. Reformed out of remorse for the welfare of his childhood friend Lily Potter, and was thus exonerated by Dumbledore following his master's downfall. Became Potions Master of Hogwarts and Head of Slytherin House in between the wars, using this position to keep a close eye on Harry Potter and his friends. Returned to the Death Eater ranks two hours after the Dark Lord's rebirth, and served as Voldemort's right-hand wizard throughout the Second Wizarding War, though secretly acting as a double agent for the Order of the Phoenix. Participated in a plan of Dumbledore's resulting in his death and himself becoming Headmaster of Hogwarts, a position he used to covertly assist Harry Potter and his friends. Killed by Nagini during the Battle of Hogwarts, under Voldemort's belief that he was the master of the Elder Wand. | Deceased |
Thorfinn Rowle | Fought in the Second Wizarding War, during which he participated in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower and was accidentally struck Gibbon with a Killing Curse intended for Remus Lupin. He was later punished by the Dark Lord having failed to capture Harry Potter on Tottenham Court Road. Participated in the Battle of Hogwarts. | Presumed imprisoned or deceased |
Travers | Participated in the murder of the McKinnons during the First Wizarding War. Participated in the Battle of the Seven Potters and intimidated employees of Gringotts bank during the Second Wizarding War. | |
Walden Macnair | Served as one of the first Death Eaters during the First Wizarding War. Avoided Azkaban by claiming to have been under the Imperius Curse after his master's downfall, and bacame an executioner for the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures in between the wars. Participated in the violent riot and torture of a Muggle family at the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, and was one of the at the Dark Lord's rebirth and fought in the Second Wizarding War, during which he was sent to recruit the giants to join Lord Voldemort's side. Participated in the illegal break-in and battle at the Department of Mysteries and was subsequently imprisoned. Macnair, along with other Death Eaters, escaped during the 1997 mass breakout and participated in the Battle of Hogwarts, in which he was knocked unconscious after Rubeus Hagrid slammed him into a wall. | Presumably imprisoned |
Wilkes | Fought and died in the First Wizarding War. | Deceased |
Allies[]
Name | Other loyalty(ies) | Information | Current status |
---|---|---|---|
Narcissa Malfoy | Malfoy family | Draco Malfoy's mother. Supported Lord Voldemort during the First Wizarding War but defected in order to protect her family later. | Defected |
Pansy Parkinson | Slytherin, Draco Malfoy's gang | Was included in Draco's gang. During the Second Wizarding War, she attempted to capture Harry Potter to turn him in to the Dark Lord. After Lord Voldemort's downfall, she most likely resumed her education in Hogwarts. | Alive |
Vincent Crabbe | Was included in Draco's gang. During the Second Wizarding War, he tried to catch and kill Harry for the Dark Lord. Accidentally killed himself when he conjured a Fiendfyre he could not control. | Deceased | |
Gregory Goyle | Was included in Draco's gang. Served as a protector of Draco due to his physical size. | Alive | |
Fenrir Greyback | Werewolf army, Snatchers | Allied with the Death Eaters, but didn't have the Dark Mark unlike the other Death Eaters. His duty was to scare, infect, and kill the opposing side. He became cannibalistic in the Second Wizarding War. Was a part of the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, where he scarred Bill Weasley, and was present at the death of Albus Dumbledore. He was involved with the Snatchers and brought Harry Potter to Malfoy Manor. Fenrir participated in the Battle of Hogwarts. He savaged Lavender Brown and presumably many others. He was eventually brought down by Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom. | Presumed imprisoned or deceased |
Dolores Umbridge | Ministry of Magic (under Lord Voldemort and Pius Thicknesse) | The corrupt Senior Undersecretary to the Minister for Magic, Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Hogwarts High Inquisitor, Headmistress of Hogwarts (1996), and Head of the Muggle-Born Registration Commission. She is not a Death Eater, but she shared their pure-blood supremacy belief, so she was not arrested after the death of Rufus Scrimgeour and Voldemort overthrew the Ministry. After the Second Wizading War, she was imprisoned for her crimes against Muggle-borns. | Imprisoned |
Pius Thicknesse | The Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement and Minister for Magic under the Death Eater Yaxley's Imperius Curse during the Second Wizarding War. | Unknown | |
Albert Runcorn | Investigated Muggle-borns during the Second Wizarding War. | Presumed imprisoned or deceased | |
Golgomath | Giants | A giant who allied with the Death Eaters and told his clan to do so as well. | Unknown |
Dementors | Azkaban | Allied with the Death Eaters during the Second Wizarding War. | N/A |
Nagini | Voldemort himself | A Maledictus cursed to transform into a snake, became Voldemort's pet and one of his seven Horcruxes. She had more favour from Voldemort than any Death Eater. The killer of Severus Snape. She was killed by Neville Longbottom by the Sword of Gryffindor. | Deceased |
Quirinus Quirrell | Never officially made a Death Eater but directly served Voldemort and even provided himself as a host for the Dark Lord.[31] |
Death Eaters' influence[]
Deaths[]
Victim(s) | Killer(s) | Cause of death | Reason | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Moaning Myrtle | Tom Riddle | Slytherin's Basilisk | For being Muggle-born; to turn T. M. Riddle's Diary into his first Horcrux. | Riddle unleashed the Basilisk in Hogwarts in 1943, and it killed Myrtle in the bathroom near the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets. |
The Riddle family | Killing Curse | To kill Tom Riddle's Muggle lineage; revenge for his mother being abandoned during pregnancy; to make Marvolo Gaunt's Ring his second Horcrux. | ||
Hepzibah Smith | A lethal poison | To steal Helga Hufflepuff's Cup and Salazar Slytherin's Locket from Smith's safe; to make Helga Hufflepuff's Cup his third Horcrux. | Riddle killed Hepzibah Smith while working for Borgin and Burkes and framed Smith's house elf, Hokey for the crime. | |
A Muggle tramp | Unknown, but possibly the Killing Curse | For being a Muggle; to make Salazar Slytherin's Locket his fourth Horcrux. | ||
An Albanian peasant | Unknown, but possibly the Killing Curse | To make Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem his fifth Horcrux. | ||
Edgar Bones and his family | Unknown Death Eaters | Unknown | During the First Wizarding War | |
Benjy Fenwick | A curse that blasted him to pieces | |||
Fabian and Gideon Prewett | Antonin Dolohov and four other Death Eaters | Unknown, but described as "brutal" | ||
Marlene McKinnon and her family | Multiple Death Eaters, including Travers | Unknown | ||
Dean Thomas's father | Unknown Death Eaters | Killed for refusing to join the Death Eaters. | ||
Dorcas Meadowes | Lord Voldemort | Killing Curse | Reason unknown | |
James and Lily Potter | To kill Harry Potter because of the prophecy that states he could kill Lord Voldemort. | This murder resulted in the first defeat of Voldemort on 31 October 1981, as Lily Potter's sacrifice for her infant son caused the Killing Curse Voldemort directed at him to rebound. | ||
Twelve Muggles | Peter Pettigrew | Blasting Curse | To frame Sirius Black and to escape justice for betraying the Potters. | Caused while Pettigrew was fleeing Sirius Black; Pettigrew then faked his own death. |
Bertha Jorkins | Lord Voldemort | Killing Curse | To make Nagini into a Horcrux. | Riddle used this murder to make Nagini his what he thought was his sixth (but actually his seventh) Horcrux. |
Frank Bryce | For supposedly trespassing on the Riddle House. | |||
Barty Crouch Snr | Barty Crouch Jnr | Unknown, possibly the Killing Curse | Killed before he could expose his son and Voldemort's plans. | |
Cedric Diggory | Peter Pettigrew | Killing Curse | For accompanying Harry Potter and being a "spare". | He accompanied Harry Potter to the graveyard in Little Hangleton, and was murdered on Voldemort's orders to "kill the spare". |
Broderick Bode | Walden Macnair | Strangled by Devil's Snare | To prevent him from talking about the Death Eaters' planned break-in of the Department of Mysteries. | |
Sirius Black | Bellatrix Lestrange | Curse that pushed him through the Veil in the Death Chamber | For being a Blood Traitor and member of the Order of the Phoenix. | Battle of the Department of Mysteries |
Emmeline Vance | Unknown Death Eaters | Unknown, possibly the Killing Curse | For being a member of the Order of the Phoenix. | Killed in July 1996 |
Amelia Bones | Lord Voldemort | For defending Harry Potter in trial. | Killed in July 1996 | |
Florean Fortescue | Unknown Death Eaters | Unknown | For having information on the Elder Wand | Kidnapped from his shop in Diagon Alley in July 1996, was later killed |
Mrs Abbott | Unknown | Found dead in her home | ||
Igor Karkaroff | For betraying the Death Eaters at the end of the First Wizarding War. | |||
Gibbon | Thorfinn Rowle | Killing Curse | Rowle was aiming at Remus Lupin during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, but missed and accidentally struck Gibbon. | |
Albus Dumbledore | Severus Snape | Killed as part of his own plan to spare Draco Malfoy from becoming a murderer and himself from a more painful death. | Lord Voldemort plot to get Draco Malfoy to assassinate Dumbledore | |
Charity Burbage | Lord Voldemort | Killed for promoting pro-Muggle values | Fed to Nagini | |
Hedwig | Unknown Death Eater | The Death Eater was aiming for Harry Potter but hit Hedwig instead | Battle of the Seven Potters | |
Alastor Moody | Lord Voldemort | For being the leader of the Order of the Phoenix | ||
Rufus Scrimgeour | Unknown Death Eaters or Lord Voldemort | Unknown, possibly the Killing Curse | For not providing information about Harry Potter's whereabouts. | As part of the 1997 coup of the Ministry of Magic |
Bathilda Bagshot | Most likely Lord Voldemort | Unknown, but bearing signs of Dark Magic | To place Nagini inside her body as a trap for Harry Potter in Godric's Hollow. | |
German family | Lord Voldemort | Killing Curse | For not having information on Gregorovitch's location. | |
Mykew Gregorovitch | For not providing information about the Elder Wand. | During his search for the Elder Wand | ||
Gellert Grindelwald | After interrogation about the location of the Elder Wand | |||
Peter Pettigrew | Silver hand made by Voldemort | For stopping his attempt to kill Harry Potter. | During the Skirmish at Malfoy Manor | |
Dobby | Bellatrix Lestrange | Stabbed through the chest with a thrown dagger | For claiming to be a free house elf and disappearing members of Dumbledore's Army from the Malfoy Manor. | Skirmish at Malfoy Manor |
Barnaby Lee's father's Kneazle | Lord Voldemort | Drowned | Unknown | |
Unidentified goblin killed by Voldemort | Lord Voldemort | Killing Curse | After the report that the trio stole Helga Hufflepuff's Cup from the Lestranges' vault at Gringotts. | |
Fred Weasley | Unknown | An explosion in Hogwarts | Battle of Hogwarts | |
Remus Lupin | Antonin Dolohov | Unknown, possibly the Killing Curse | ||
Nymphadora Tonks | Bellatrix Lestrange | |||
Colin Creevey | Unknown | Unknown | ||
Camelia | ||||
Severus Snape | Nagini | Multiple bites | To gain the Elder Wand | In the Shrieking Shack, after Lord Voldemort came to the conclusion that he needed to do so to gain control of the Elder Wand |
Permanent injuries[]
Victim | Death Eater(s) | Description of injury | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Harry Potter | Lord Voldemort | Lightning Scar caused by a failed Killing Curse | Resulted in the end of the First Wizarding War |
Alice and Frank Longbottom | Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Rabastan Lestrange and Barty Crouch Jnr | Insanity caused by repeated and prolonged infliction of the Cruciatus Curse | Resulted in the Longbottoms remaining in St Mungo's for the rest of their lives |
George Weasley | Severus Snape | A Sectumsempra curse that Snape was actually aiming at another Death Eater severed George's ear | Battle of the Seven Potters |
Non-permanent injuries[]
Victim(s) | Death Eater(s) | Description of injury | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Several Muggle-born students of Hogwarts, Nearly Headless Nick, and Mrs Norris | Slytherin's Basilisk, under Tom Riddle's command[11] | Petrified | This was carried out via the possession of Ginny Weasley in the 1992–1993 school year by a Horcrux slipped to Ginny by Lucius Malfoy[32] |
Ginny Weasley | Lucius Malfoy and the memory of Tom Riddle[32] | Possessed and nearly killed through use of Tom Riddle's Diary,[11] a Horcrux[33] | Lucius Malfoy slipped Ginny the diary,[32] and she was saved from Riddle by Harry Potter in 1993[11] |
Mr Roberts and his family[1] | Unknown Death Eaters (likely included Lucius Malfoy)[1] | Levitated and humiliated publicly[1] | At the Quidditch World Cup in 1994[1] |
Harry Potter[3] | Lord Voldemort[3] | Briefly tortured with the Cruciatus Curse,[3] attempted murder[25] | In the graveyard of Little Hangleton in 1995[3] |
Arthur Weasley | Voldemort/Nagini | Multiple snakebites, severe blood loss | December 1995 |
Ginny Weasley | Unknown Death Eater | Broken ankle | Battle of the Department of Mysteries |
Hermione Granger[34] | Antonin Dolohov[34] | Severe internal injury caused by an unnamed curse[35] | |
Neville Longbottom[34] | Broken nose and wand broken[34] | ||
Luna Lovegood | Unknown Death Eater | Stunned and thrown across a room[22] | |
Neville Longbottom[22] | Bellatrix Lestrange[22] | Briefly tortured with the Cruciatus Curse[22] | |
Katie Bell | Draco Malfoy | Placed under the Imperius Curse: cursed when she touched a cursed Opal Necklace[36] | Collateral damage of Draco Malfoy's attempts to assassinate Albus Dumbledore[37] |
Ron Weasley | Poisoned by drinking mead intended for Albus Dumbledore[38] | Collateral damage of Draco Malfoy's attempts to assassinate Albus Dumbledore:[37] Harry Potter saved his life by feeding him a bezoar[38] | |
Harry Potter | Nagini | Received venomous bite on his arm[39] | Attack at Godric's Hollow (1997) |
Hermione Granger | Bellatrix Lestrange | Tortured with the Cruciatus Curse for information: threatened with a short knife at neck[40] | Skirmish at Malfoy Manor |
Various Hogwarts students, including Neville Longbottom, Seamus Finnigan, and Michael Corner[41] | Amycus and Alecto Carrow | Subjected to assault and the Cruciatus Curse[42] | Occurred while Voldemort was in control of Hogwarts for the 1997–1998 school year |
Disappearances[]
Victim | Death Eater(s) | Description of disappearance | Found? |
---|---|---|---|
Caradoc Dearborn | Unknown Death Eaters | Disappeared during the First Wizarding War: body was never found, and is presumably dead | No |
Garrick Ollivander | Fenrir Greyback and unknown Death Eaters | Kidnapped from his own shop in Diagon Alley in 1996 | Yes, he escaped from Malfoy Manor along with Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Luna Lovegood, Dean Thomas, Griphook, and Dobby. |
Octavius Pepper | Unknown Death Eaters | Disappeared in early spring of 1997; disappearance was reported by the Daily Prophet | unknown |
Florean Fortescue | Unknown Death Eaters | Kidnapped from his shop in Diagon Alley in 1996, was later killed | No |
Bertha Jorkins | Peter Pettigrew | She was brought to Lord Voldemort by Peter Pettigrew during a holiday in Albania in 1994, and was later killed by Voldemort. Voldemort used her murder to make Nagini a Horcrux. | |
Luna Lovegood | Unknown Death Eaters | Imprisoned in Malfoy Manor | Yes, she escaped from Malfoy Manor along with Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Garrick Ollivander, Dean Thomas, Griphook, and Dobby. |
Behind the scenes[]
- In the films, the Death Eaters (and Voldemort himself) are given a lot of spectre-like attributes, such as the ability to transform themselves into a black smoke-like figure and fly, often crashing obstacles in their way. In addition, once a Death Eater is killed, he will mostly explode or disintegrate, rather than leaving a body like an ordinary human.
- The Death Eaters were at some point named the "Knights of Walpurgis".[13] This name seems to be a play on Walpurgis Night, the evening of 30 April when, according to legend, witches and demons gather.
- It is possible that Tom Riddle had formed the Death Eaters under the inspiration of the army of Gellert Grindelwald.
- The hoods worn by the Death Eaters in their first film appearance bear a resemblance to those worn by the Ku Klux Klan. For later films, the design was changed to one with a full mask and no point on the hood.
- There is an individual named Pyrites who appears in a cut chapter of the series. This character is described as a "servant" of Lord Voldemort. It is most likely that Pyrites is a Death Eater though it's possible that he is merely an ally. It's unknown if he actually exists in canon however.
- Because of his extreme allegiance with Voldemort, Fenrir Greyback was allowed to wear Death Eater robes even though that he was a werewolf. Nonetheless, Voldemort saw Greyback as too valuable an accomplice not to have in his ranks, and allowed him to accompany the group and wear their robes. However, he was not branded with the Dark Mark.
- While true Death Eaters were supposed to be only those who are in Voldemort's inner circle, via their talents, wealth, influence, and loyalty, Peter Pettigrew was also given the Dark Mark despite his status as a lowly soldier and his cowardly disposition, an honour that not even the valuable ally Fenrir Greyback received.
- Narcissa Malfoy was not officially a Death Eater, never having been branded with the Dark Mark, even though she was married to Lucius Malfoy and is the sister of Bellatrix Lestrange, both very high-ranking Death Eaters. However, she was an ally of the Death Eaters, as she may have participated in the tormenting of Muggles the night of the 1994 Quidditch World Cup, relayed information to Voldemort which led to the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and the murder of Sirius Black, sat in on Death Eater meetings (though this may simply have been because they were held in her home at the time, much to her discomfort), and was given the duty of finding out whether or not Harry Potter was truly dead. However, she was not known to have participated in any battles, and she ultimately lied to Voldemort about Harry's death and thus helped bring about his fall.
- Pius Thicknesse and Stan Shunpike were both dressed as Death Eaters when they fought in the Battle of Hogwarts and Battle of the Seven Potters, respectively. However, both were under the Imperius Curse at the time, and it is highly unlikely that either was ever an actual Death Eater as they both lacked any form of free will.
- Quirinus Quirrell was loyal to Voldemort, but he was not a Death Eater as the organisation was inactive during Voldemort's years of disembodiment.
- Several Death Eaters with the same last name have been mentioned in the series (e.g. Lestrange, Avery, Mulciber), which suggests that fealty to Voldemort may not end with the person themselves, and extends to their children. It is equally possible, however, that the children have similar ideological views to their parents.
- Dolores Umbridge was never explicitly mentioned to be a Death Eater; however, she was a sympathiser who committed crimes against Muggle-borns at the Ministry of Magic while it was under Voldemort's control. She also participated in her own punishment for Harry Potter with a cursed quill for his outcry in Defence Against the Dark Arts, permanently carving I must not tell lies on the back of Harry's hand.
- While the majority of the Death Eaters were males, two explicitly mentioned female Death Eaters were Bellatrix Lestrange and Alecto Carrow. Another unnamed woman was described in the first chapter of the Deathly Hallows, but it may have been Alecto. It's likely however that there are many more that we just never see. In the films however we see plenty of unknown female Death Eaters, though they aren't named.
- Unlike their fathers, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle and Theodore Nott do not appear to have ever been official Death Eaters, though Crabbe and Goyle were sympathisers who tried to capture Harry Potter for Voldemort during the Battle of Hogwarts, resulting in the destruction of Ravenclaw's diadem, the death of Crabbe and the ruin of the Room of Requirement.
- Bellatrix was referred by J. K. Rowling as Voldemort's lieutenant, suggesting that she may be the second-in-command of the Death Eater organisation. Indeed, she has demonstrated great talent in combat and leadership skills and has been, in the past, trusted with many important things by her master. Similarly, Lucius Malfoy and Severus Snape seemed to be lieutenants of Voldemort. Bellatrix and Lucius Malfoy were entrusted with Horcruxes. All three were allowed to give subordinate Death Eaters orders. However, Malfoy lost favour with Voldemort shortly before his demise.
- The Death Eaters do not wear hoods or masks during Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, but they do sometimes in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. This may actually be due to the fact they had no reason to hide their identities from the authorities.
- In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, there are around two hundred Death Eaters at the Battle of Hogwarts. This is a far greater number than there is in the books. During the Return of Lord Voldemort, Harry believed he was "outnumbered by at least thirty to one",[25] and Voldemort identified nine missing members, three of whom were dead, three of whom were at Hogwarts (Severus Snape, Igor Karkaroff, and Barty Crouch Jnr), and three of whom were in Azkaban (Bellatrix, Rodolphus, and Rabastan Lestrange).[3] Including the three Lestranges, ten Death Eaters broke out of Azkaban the following year.[12] This suggests less than fifty Death Eaters remained from the First Wizarding War, and while it is possible their numbers swelled with new recruits after Voldemort's return, it is also possible that some members of his army were intimidated, imperiused, or supporters who were not granted the Mark. Remus Lupin's claim that during the First War the Order was outnumbered "twenty to one" by Death Eaters[16] may be taken as poetic license, counting not only Marked Death Eaters but also their supporters (both willing and unwilling) and their non-human allies (Dementors, giants, werewolves, and possibly Inferi).
- In June 2014, J. K. Rowling labelled certain members and supporters of the Scottish National Party (SNP) "Death Eaters" for what she criticised as their perceived biogtry towards those who disagreed with their politics and anti-English sentiment, for which she compared to the Death Eaters' pure-blood supremacy, during the 2014 Scottish independence referendum.[43]
- According to J. K. Rowling, a Muggle-born can become a Death Eater in rare circumstances.[44]
Appearances[]
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First mentioned) (Indirectly mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film) (Indirectly mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Indirectly mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance) (First identified as Death Eaters)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
- Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
- 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 Half-Blood Prince (film)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
- 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
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
- Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (play)
- The Tales of Beedle the Bard (Mentioned only)
- Pottermore
- Wizarding World
- Harry Potter: A Pop-Up Book
- Harry Potter prequel
- Harry Potter: The Wand Collection
- LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
- LEGO Harry Potter
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
- LEGO Harry Potter
- LEGO Dimensions
- Harry Potter for Kinect
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Motorbike Escape
- Harry Potter for Kinect
- Harry Potter: The Character Vault
- Harry Potter: The Creature Vault (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
- Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
- Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (Mentioned only)
- The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Ministry of Magic
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 1.9 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 9 (The Dark Mark)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 1 (The Riddle House)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 3.8 3.9 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 33 (The Death Eaters)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 1 (The Dark Lord Ascending)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 32 (The Elder Wand)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 12 (Magic is Might)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 13 (The Muggle-Born Registration Commission)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 34 (The Forest Again)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 20 (Hagrid's Tale)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 26 (The Cave)
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 11.3 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 17 (The Heir of Slytherin)
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 25 (The Beetle at Bay)
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 Paxman, Jeremy, interviewer. "JK's OOTP interview," BBC Newsnight 19 June 2003.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 17 (A Sluggish Memory)
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 15.4 15.5 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 9 (The Woes of Mrs Weasley)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 5 (The Order of the Phoenix)
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 30 (The Pensieve)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 37 (The Lost Prophecy)
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 20.3 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 19 (The Servant of Lord Voldemort)
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 22.4 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 35 (Veritaserum)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 33 (The Prince's Tale)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 32 (Flesh, Blood and Bone)
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 34 (Priori Incantatem)
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
- ↑ 27.00 27.01 27.02 27.03 27.04 27.05 27.06 27.07 27.08 27.09 27.10 27.11 27.12 27.13 27.14 27.15 27.16 27.17 27.18 27.19 27.20 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- ↑ Writing by J. K. Rowling: "The Malfoy Family" at Wizarding World
- ↑ Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (See here)
- ↑ Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 3, "A DAY IN DIAGON ALLEY" Achievement
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 17 (The Man with Two Faces)
- ↑ 32.0 32.1 32.2 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 18 (Dobby's Reward)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 23 (Horcruxes)
- ↑ 34.0 34.1 34.2 34.3 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 35 (Beyond the Veil)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 38 (The Second War Begins)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 12 (Silver and Opals)
- ↑ 37.0 37.1 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 27 (The Lightning-Struck Tower)
- ↑ 38.0 38.1 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 18 (Birthday Surprises)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 17 (Bathilda's Secret)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 23 (Malfoy Manor)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 29 (The Lost Diadem)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 30 (The Sacking of Severus Snape)
- ↑ JK Rowling calls Scottish nationalists 'Death Eaters' – and donates £1m to union campaign - Independent.ie
- ↑ https://web.archive.org/web/20111222074210/http://www.jkrowling.com/textonly/en/news_view.cfm?id=80