- "Funny you should mention Draco's father, [...] 'Let me show you the generous gift he's made to the Slytherin team.'"
- —Marcus admitting to accepting a bribe when determining a new Seeker.[src]
Marcus Flint (b. 1975/1976[1]) was a wizard who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1987 to 1994 and was sorted into Slytherin house. He was a Chaser on the Slytherin Quidditch team, as well as its Captain from at least 1991 to 1994.
Biography
Early life
Marcus was born in September 1974 to August 1975[1] in Great Britain. He was a descendant of the pure-blood Flint family and perhaps related in some way to former Minister for Magic, Josephina Flint and Ursula Black (née Flint). It is unknown if Marcus himself was a pure-blood.
Hogwarts years (1987-1994)
Early years
Marcus and other Slytherins playing a game of Quidditch
Flint began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1987[1] and was Sorted into Slytherin House. He lived in a dormitory in the Slytherin Dungeon, and his Head of House was the Potions master, Professor Severus Snape.
At some point, he joined the Slytherin Quidditch team as a Chaser and became its captain by his fifth-year. Flint was known for being very rough and often brutal in his Quidditch-playing; for example, his handshakes with Gryffindor Captain and rival Oliver Wood often turned into attempts to break one another's fingers. He was also not above committing fouls, blocking Harry Potter in a 1991 Quidditch match.[5]
Sixth year
- Oliver Wood: "I don't believe it! Where you think you're going, Flint?"
- Flint: "Quidditch practice! "
- Oliver Wood: "I booked the pitch for Gryffindor today."
- — Marcus and Oliver Wood argue over the Hogwarts' Quidditch pitch[src]
Marcus and the Slytherin Quidditch team antagonising Gryffindor
Flint was angered by Draco's stupidity during a match against Gryffindor. He reprimanded him after the game because Draco failed to notice the Golden Snitch next to him, causing Slytherin to lose the match. This was witnessed by George Weasley.[7]
Seventh year
Marcus at Hogwarts
During Flint's final year, he participated in a scheme to scare Harry Potter with Draco, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle. The four Slytherins dressed up as Dementors, which were guarding Hogwarts that year due to Sirius Black's escape from Azkaban.[8] Following this, Flint and Peregrine Derrick stole the crate containing the Quidditch balls from Madam Hooch's office and hid them in the Clock Tower Courtyard. They replaced the crate with a box containing a jinxed Snitch, Quaffle, and Bludger inside so they could beat the Gryffindor Quidditch team. However, their plan was foiled by Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger.[9]
Later Life
It is unknown what happened to Flint after he graduated Hogwarts and what his status was during the Second Wizarding War.
Physical appearance
Marcus was described as being tall and relatively muscular. He had large teeth, shifty grey eyes,[citation needed] and coarse black hair. Harry Potter also mentioned that he looked like he might have troll blood in him. However, this may simply have been an insult toward Flint's appearance.
Personality and traits
Flint did not follow good sportsmanship when playing Quidditch, despite his position as Captain of his team. He allowed Draco Malfoy to join the team when bribed with the new Nimbus 2001 broomsticks. Flint also resorts to foul play, such as blocking Harry Potter in 1991 and trying to scare him by disguising as a Dementor in 1993. He seemed to find the misfortunes of others amusing as he laughed when Ron's Slug-vomiting Charm backfired on himself. When Draco failed to notice the Snitch floating above his head, leading the team to lose, Flint yelled at the new Seeker rather harshly for his foolishness. It was unknown how he viewed the importance of blood status, though he seemed to approve of when Draco called Hermione a mudblood and even defended him from harm afterwards, implying he may have held some prejudice towards Muggle-borns or that he was a pure-blood supremacist, similar to many other Slytherin students.
Flint was not academically accomplished or gifted, as he was forced to repeat his final year, having failed his N.E.W.T. the first time around. This showed his complete disinterest in hard work and intellectual pursuits, which is why he possibly favoured Quidditch over academic subjects at Hogwarts.
Magical abilities and skills
- Quidditch: Marcus played as a Chaser on the Slytherin Quidditch team. He was the Captain from at least his sixth year to his repeat seventh year, demonstrating he was an accomplished and skilled broomstick flyer, despite his frequent cheating and foul play on the Quidditch pitch.
Etymology
- The name Marcus is derived from Mars, the god of war in Roman mythology. This may allude to Flint's aggression. It is interestingly the opposite of Oliver Wood's name, which means "olive tree", ultimately symbolising Wood's peaceful nature.
- A flint is a stone used for lighting a fire. Once again, this alludes to his relationship with Oliver Wood; flint is kindling fire, and wood burns when in contact with fire.
Behind the scenes
- Flint was stated to be a sixth-year in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, yet he was still at the school in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (two years after his debut). J. K. Rowling explained this by saying that he had to repeat his last year because he failed his exams the first time round.[10][11] This explanation did not deter some fans from noticing other consistency errors with Flint's schooling years. However, in later editions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Flint is stated to be a fifth year, presumably to clear confusion.
- Flint was portrayed by Jamie Yeates in the film adaptions of the first and second books and wore a set of false teeth for the role.
- Flint once borrowed Quidditch Through the Agesfrom the Hogwarts Library and was due to return the book on 22 June.
- If Stan Shunpike attended Hogwarts, he would have been in the same year as Marcus Flint.[citation needed]
- In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, Marcus Flint is the Slytherin team's Seeker.
- He was referred to as "Captain Flint" because he was captain of the Slytherin Quidditch Team. This may be an allusion to the similarly-named captain of the pirate ship Walrus from Robert Louis Stevenson's novel Treasure Island.
Appearances
Marcus as a LEGO minifigure
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)[12]
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game) (Mentioned only)
- LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
- LEGO Harry Potter: Characters of the Magical World
- Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
- Quidditch Through the Ages (real)
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
- LEGO Harry Potter
- Harry Potter Trading Card Game
- Harry Potter: The Character Vault
Notes and references
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 In the original version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 11 (Quidditch), Flint was stated to be a sixth-year. But in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 9 (Grim Defeat) (that was set in the 1993–1994 school year), he was still attending the school when he should have graduated the year prior in the 1992–1993 school year. J. K. Rowling, when asked in interview from February 2000, originally corrected the error by just saying that he had to take the year again. However, she then had the error corrected in the present version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to say that Flint was a fifth-year in the 1991–1992 school year. From that, it can be worked out that he started Hogwarts in September 1987, graduated in 1994 and was born in Sep 1975 to Aug 1976.
- ↑ World Exclusive Interview with J K Rowling
- ↑ His family appears in the Pure-Blood Directory meaning that as of the 1930s it included no Muggles or Muggle-borns. However Marcus was born 40 years later so the blood-status of Marcus and the Flint family may have changed. It's unlikely he would be muggle-born, given the connections Marcus had.
- ↑ LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 11 (Quidditch)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 7 (Mudbloods And Murmurs)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 10 (The Rogue Bludger)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 10 (The Marauder's Map)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
- ↑ Online chat transcript, Scholastic.com, 3 February 2000
- ↑ Rowling's Official Site (text only), accessed 25th July 2011
- ↑ Although Flint is never identified, the complete Slytherin Quidditch team appeared in the game adaptation.
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