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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Seamus Finnigan

Overview
Seamus Finnigan is a member of Gryffindor House in Harry's year. He shares a dormitory with Harry, Ron, Dean Thomas, and Neville Longbottom.

Philosopher's Stone
Harry notes that the Sorting Hat takes almost a full minute to decide that Seamus is a Gryffindor.

It is Seamus who asks how someone can be "nearly headless", which prompts Nearly Headless Nick to demonstrate. Seamus also asks why the Bloody Baron is all covered in blood, to which Nick responds, primly, that he had never asked.

Talking about families, Seamus says that he's half and half, that his mother had not revealed she was a witch until after she had married his father.

In Defence Against the Dark Arts, Professor Quirrell says that his strange purple turban was a gift from an African prince for dealing with a troublesome zombie. When Seamus asked excitedly how he had fought the zombie, Quirrell turned all pink and started talking about the weather. (Note: this is the only mention of "zombies" in the series, and thus is highly suspect. The magical construct most closely allied to the Muggle concept of zombies is the Inferius.)

When Neville manages to melt Seamus' cauldron in their first Potions class, he is splashed by the potion he is attempting to make and breaks out in boils. Professor Snape has Seamus take Neville to the Hospital Wing.

As flying lessons approach, Seamus, like everyone else, seems to have stories about flying, which makes Harry feel uncertain about the chances of his learning to fly acceptably.

When it comes time for Harry to make an object fly in Charms class, he is relieved to be paired up with Seamus, as Neville had been trying to catch his eye. Seamus, as it turns out, is not much better than Neville would have been; their feather remains stubbornly inert, until Seamus pokes it with his wand and sets it on fire.

Seamus is one of the students urging Harry to eat something at breakfast before his first Quidditch match. Seamus' comments that Harry will need his strength, as the Seeker is generally singled out by the opposite team, coupled with his dumping ketchup on his sausages, quite puts Harry off.

Over Christmas, Harry learns Wizard Chess from Ron. It is mentioned that Ron's set were from his grandfather, and he knew them well enough that they would do what he asked, while Harry's set, borrowed from Seamus, did not trust him and kept shouting out confusing advice.

Chamber of Secrets
Seamus expresses admiration in regards to Harry and Ron's arrival via a flying car.

In their first Defence Against the Dark Arts class, Seamus asks how dangerous Cornish Pixies are.

During Professor Lockhart's dueling club, Seamus is partnered with Ron, and is a victim to Ron's malfunctioning wand.

Prisoner of Azkaban
Seamus chooses divination as one of his electives and tells Harry that Sirius Black has been sighted near the school.

In the first Defence Against the Dark Arts class, facing the Boggart, we find that Seamus' greatest fear is the "banshee," which he defeats by having it lose its voice.

He also pays his first trip to Hogsmeade and presumably spends it with Dean Thomas.

When Sir. Cadogan is appointed in the Fat Lady's place, following Sirus Black's attack, he angrily states that he's barking mad, although Percy Weasley says that 'no other portrait wanted the job'.

Later on in the year, he is impressed when Harry receives a Firebolt for Christmas and Seamus is impressed. After Gryffindor beats Ravenclaw in a Quidditch Match, Seamus is very happy. Seamus also wakes up when Ron announces that Sirius Black broke into the boy's Gryffindor dormitory.

Goblet of Fire
Over the summer, Seamus, Dean, and his mother attend the Quidditch World Cup between Bulgaria and Ireland. Being Irish, he supports the latter.

When he arrives at Hogwarts, he learns that The Triwizard Tournament will take place. He also attends Alastor Moody's (Actually Barty Crouch Jr. in disguise) first Defense Against The Dark Arts lesson along with the other Gryffindors.

When Harry opens the Golden Egg after the First Trask, the loud screech it makes, makes Seamus think Harry has to fight a banshee in the second one.

Seamus accompanies Lavender Brown to the Yule Ball. He is a low profile character other than that.

Order of the Phoenix
When Harry and Neville return to the dormitory at the start of the year, Dean says that Seamus has had a rough summer. Seamus says that his mother had not wanted him to return to the school, partly because of Harry, partly because of Dumbledore. Seamus uncomfortably admits that his mother reads the Daily Prophet. Harry angrily suggests that if Seamus believes that Harry is a liar and mental, maybe he should ask McGonagall to change his dorm so he does not have to stay in a room with Harry, so as to calm his mother down. Ron, coming upon this tableau, suggests that Seamus should shut up before he gets detention. Seamus considers and then goes silently to bed.

In the morning, Harry wants to clear the air between himself and Seamus, but Seamus is gone before Harry is fully awake.

Seamus apparently is left wondering on the second day of classes when, as Harry enters the greenhouse for Herbology, Ernie Macmillan loudly states that he believes Harry's report of the return of Voldemort.

Harry gives an interview to Rita Skeeter about the events surrounding Voldemort's return. The following Monday at dinner, he tells Dean and Neville about it. Dean is awestruck, and says he can not wait to see Umbridge's reaction. Seamus is not taking part in the conversation, but Harry can tell that he is listening. When the interview appears in the Quibbler, Seamus steps out of the queue at Transfiguration class to tell Harry that he believes Harry, and that he has sent a copy of the magazine to his mother.

In the final meeting of Dumbledore's Army in April, which is mentioned as being the first time Seamus attends, the class is working on Patronuses. Several people in the class are having trouble; Lavender and Neville, in particular, can only produce little bits of white vapour. Seamus calls out that he's doing it, but before Harry can look, it has disappeared; Seamus says that he was not sure what it was, but that it was hairy.

When Harry decides to make use of a diversion provided by Fred and George to get into Umbridge's office so he can speak with Sirius, Hermione tries to dissuade him. In Potions class, she speaks in a vehement hiss, and Seamus spends five minutes checking his cauldron for leaks as a result.

Following the final OWL exam, Dean and Seamus tell Harry that they are planning a dusk-to-dawn end of OWLs celebration and suggest that one of the students, Harold Dingle, believes that he can get some Firewhisky. Harry is in a panic, trying to get in contact with Sirius, and pushes past without answering.

Half-Blood Prince
Seamus manages to get into N.E.W.T classes for at least Defence Against The Dark Arts, Charms and Transfiguration. He also tries out for Quidditch as a chaser, but does not get it much to his disappointment. Later in the year, Apparition lessons are planned to take place and Seamus says that, 'My cousin Fergus used to do it just to annoy me, you wait until I can do it back'. During Charms class when they had to learn how to conjure water from their wands, Seamus, concentrating more on Apparition than the class, waved his wand wildly, setting off a hose-like jet of water and knocked Professor Flitwick flat on his face. As punishment, Flitwick made Seamus write ordinary lines ("I am a wizard, not a baboon brandishing a stick").

Later in the year, Dumbledore is murdered by Severus Snape. Seamus attends Dumbledore's funeral to pay his respects.

Deathly Hallows
Seamus is among the members of Dumbledore's Army in the Room of Requirement when Harry, Ron and Hermione return with Neville. His face is so badly bruised however, then Harry doesn't recognize him until he speaks.

Seamus is one of the three who cast Patronuses when Harry is about to be overwhelmed on the verge of the Forbidden Forest; the other two are Ernie Macmillan and Luna Lovegood.

As the renewed battle rages, Harry, from under the Invisibility Cloak, casts Shield spells in the path of Voldemort's curses. Voldemort's intended victims, Hannah and Seamus, run past and into the Great Hall.

He also witnesses Hagrid carrying Harry's "dead" body back to the school grounds. However, he learns later that Harry was pretending to be dead. He also hears that Harry has defeated Lord Voldemort and celebrates with the rest of the teachers and students at Hogwarts.

Relationships with Other Characters
Is Dean Thomas' best friend. He is also close with Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Neville Longbottom.

Analysis
It is noted that Seamus had joined Dumbledore's Army for only its last session before it was discovered and disbanded. This timing is, in fact, rather important. Harry has noted and tried to work around the fact that there are an even number of people (including himself) in the DA; most often, he has the students pair up so they can practice on each other, and as he cannot generally be one of the pairs, as he has to inspect and correct the other students, he often creates a single group of three, Neville, Hermione, and Ron. In the final session, Marietta Edgecombe is not present because she is telling Professor Umbridge about the group; Harry would be much more likely to notice her absence if suddenly he could pair everyone up. Seamus's presence, by keeping the number of working students odd, prevents Harry noticing that Marietta is missing, and thus helps provide the necessary surprise.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Justin Finch-Fletchley

Overview
Justin Finch-Fletchley is a student in Harry's year at Hogwarts, but is a member of Hufflepuff house, where Harry is in Gryffindor.

Philosopher's Stone
The Sorting Hat places Justin Finch-Fletchley into Hufflepuff House.

Chamber of Secrets
Introduced to Harry in Herbology on the first day of classes, Justin Finch-Fletchley makes no secret of his Muggle parentage in discussions with Harry. He is threatened by a snake during the Duelling Club, and as Harry was talking to the snake at that point, trying to calm it so it wouldn't strike Justin, it appeared to Justin as though Harry was actually egging the snake on. The Hufflepuffs become convinced that Harry is planning mischief against Justin in particular; when Harry goes to find Justin to explain what had happened, he finds that Justin has been Petrified by the monster in the Chamber.

When Justin is revived, he makes a point of coming over to Harry at the feast, and apologizing profusely for ever having suspected Harry.

Goblet of Fire
When Harry's name comes out of the Goblet of Fire, Justin Finch-Fletchley, like the rest of his house, thinks Harry cheated his way in, and starts acting cold towards. In one Herbology lesson, he and his friend Ernie MacMillan don't speak to Harry at all, and then laugh at him when a Bouncing Blub smacks Harry in the face.

Order of the Phoenix
Justin Finch-Fletchley is one of the original members of Dumbledore's Army, and is present at the first meeting in the Hog's Head. We see him occasionally in passing in DA meetings. During the first one, he's paired with Luna Lovegood, who keeps sending his wand spinning out of his hand or causing his hair to stand on ends.

Justin is also one of the six members of Dumbledore's Army who see Draco Malfoy attempting to jinx Harry on the Hogwarts Express, and promptly return fire, leaving Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle looking like gigantic slugs squeezed into Hogwarts robes.

Strengths
Justin Finch-Fletchley mentions that he was accepted to attend Eton College, a very exclusive and prestigious Muggle boys school. This would imply that Justin is intelligent, has an outstanding academic record and is possibly from a wealthy and well connected Muggle family. In 2008 the tuition at Eton was £26,490 (approximately US$54,000) per annum.

Weaknesses
Justin seems to be quick to jump to conclusions (as proved by his suspicion of Harry following the Duelling Club incident).

Relationships with Other Characters
Justin is shown to be good friends with Ernie MacMillan.

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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Anthony Goldstein

Overview
Anthony Goldstein is a student in Ravenclaw house. He is in Harry's year.

Order of the Phoenix
In the Hogwarts Express, Ron Weasley informs Harry that Anthony is one of the two new prefects for Ravenclaw. (The other is Padma Patil.)

Anthony Goldstein is one of the students who attends the first meeting of what becomes Dumbledore's Army, in the Hog's Head.

During the first D.A. meeting in the Room of Requirement, Anthony is paired with Zacharias Smith for the disarming charm, but Fred and George Weasley keep disarming Zacharias behind his back before Anthony can do it.

When Hermione Granger is called for her Charms practical O.W.L. exam, Anthony is one of three students sent in with her, the others being Goyle and Daphne Greengrass.

Anthony is also one of the six members of Dumbledore's Army who see Draco Malfoy attempting to jinx Harry on the Hogwarts Express, and promptly return fire, leaving Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle looking like gigantic slugs squeezed into Hogwarts robes.

Deathly Hallows
Anthony Goldstein is one of the members of Dumbledore's Army who have ended up in the Room of Requirement when the school itself became too hostile for them. While he apparently takes part in the Battle of Hogwarts, little is actually known of his role there.

Relationships with Other Characters
Anthony seems to be good friends with Michael Corner and Terry Boot.

Analysis
From his name, we suspect that Anthony is Jewish, which makes him the only Jewish student at Hogwarts. JK Rowling confirmed this in an after-publication interview in late 2014.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Goyle, Sr.

Overview
Goyle, Sr. is the father of Gregory Goyle, one of Draco Malfoy's sidekicks.

Goblet of Fire
When Lord Voldemort summons his Death Eaters after returning to life, he addresses one of them as Goyle. When Voldemort asks Goyle to do better next time, Goyle promises he will.

When Harry later names Goyle as one of the Death Eaters present in the graveyard, Cornelius Fudge dismisses that, saying he had already been tried and released, and Harry could have gotten his name from the old news stories.

Order of the Phoenix
Goyle was mentioned indirectly as one of the Death Eaters that Harry named in his interview with Rita Skeeter, later published in the Quibbler.

Weaknesses
Much like his son, Goyle doesn't seem to be very bright.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Dawlish

Overview
Dawlish is an Auror for the Ministry of Magic. He is described as being a tough-looking wizard.

Order of the Phoenix
We first see Dawlish when Dumbledore's Army is broken up, and Harry is brought to Dumbledore's office by Professor Umbridge. Cornelius Fudge is there, and he has felt the need to bring two Aurors for his protection; one of the two is Dawlish. When Dumbledore is placed under arrest, he warns Dawlish not to try anything: if he attempts to bring him in by force, Dumbledore will have to hurt him. As it turns out, Dumbledore does knock him out in the quick battle that ends that scene.

Dawlish is one of the people that Umbridge brings in to assist her in sacking Hagrid. He is heard pleading with Hagrid to be reasonable while he tries to Stun him.

He is seen one more time at the end of the book where he arrives to the Ministry just in time to see Lord Voldemort and Bellatrix Lestrange escaping. Cornelius Fudge orders him and Williamson to go down to the Department of Mysteries to investigate.

Half-Blood Prince
As Tonks takes Harry up to Hogwarts after rescuing him from Draco Malfoy's Petrification curse on the Hogwarts Express, she tells Harry that she is not the only guard at Hogwarts: Proudfoot, Savage, and Dawlish are also present.

After Christmas, Harry relates his conversation with Rufus Scrimgeour to Dumbledore, saying that Scrimgeour is very interested in where Dumbledore is going. Dumbledore replies that Scrimgeour had also set Dawlish to tail him, and with great regret he had had to jinx Dawlish again.

Deathly Hallows
Dawlish is mentioned as being the Auror from whom Yaxley is getting information about Harry Potter's movements. Severus Snape discounts Dawlish's information, saying that he was quite likely Confunded as part of the Order of the Phoenix laying a false trail. He says also that Dawlish is already known to be susceptible to being Confunded.

Later, the fugitive Dirk Cresswell mentions that he was being transported to Azkaban but managed to overpower his guard, Dawlish, and escape. He remarked at the time that Dawlish seemed a bit slow, as if he had been Confunded.

Finally, when the Death Eaters attempt to round up Augusta Longbottom, Neville's grandmother, in an attempt to control Neville's actions at Hogwarts, it is apparently Dawlish that they send after her. Augusta manages to put Dawlish in St. Mungo's before vanishing.

Strengths
In order to have become an Auror, Dawlish must have done well in his exams. When Fudge attempts to arrest Dumbledore, in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore, while warning Dawlish about attacking him, does mention his high NEWT scores.

Weaknesses
Dawlish is very susceptible to the Confundus charm, and evidence suggests that he spends much of the seventh book under the influence of that charm.

Analysis
Dawlish is such an inept Auror that one must wonder how he ever managed to get hired. His physical strength is apparently backed by a relative magical weakness: he is repeatedly Confunded, jinxed twice by Dumbledore, and put into hospital by an old lady, though arguably a very formidable one. Quite possibly he is brought into the story as an example of what can go wrong when bureaucracy runs amok, as it seems to be happening under Cornelius Fudge's administration.

Despite having necessarily had high marks on his N.E.W.T.s, and therefore being skilled magically as well as being intelligent, he is susceptible to the Confundus charm, and may have been Confunded throughout a large part of the 7th book. And even Voldemort fears Dumbledore, so it's not surprising that Dawlish was easily handled by the Headmaster. Dawlish is very intelligent, capable and competent, but he has an easily exploitable weakness, plus, he takes orders without questioning them - making him a great soldier/police officer, but not a hero, or even siding with the heroes, unless he works for them and they tell him to.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Amos Diggory

Overview
Amos Diggory is the father of Cedric Diggory. He is the head of the Department of Magical Transportation, in the Ministry of Magic, and he works with Arthur Weasley.

Goblet of Fire
Amos Diggory and his son, Cedric are heading to the Quidditch World Cup. Along the way, they meet up with Harry, Hermione, and the Weasley family: Ginny, Ron, Fred, George, and Mr. Weasley. Both families, travelling by the same Portkey, are searching for it. Amos makes a big noise about how his son Cedric had beaten "the famous Harry Potter" at Quidditch, while Cedric down-plays the victory. Upon reaching their destination, the Diggorys go on to different campsite.

Amos next appears, or at least his head does, in the Weasley's fireplace, when he informs Mr. Weasley that Mad-Eye has gotten into trouble. After updating Mr. Weasley, Amos accepts a slice of toast from Mrs. Weasley, then departs.

Amos appears again immediately before the Third Task. The Champions' families have been invited to the last event, and Amos and his wife are present; Amos makes some cutting remarks about Harry participating in the Tournament, but Cedric tries to quiet him.

Finally, Amos and his wife visit Harry in the Hospital Wing after the third task, and thank Harry for returning Cedric's body. When Harry tries to give them the prize money which Cedric would have won, they refuse to accept it. Despite Harry's protests, they insist he keep the entire thousand-galleon prize.

Strengths
Like his son, Cedric, Amos is, at heart, an honest and fair person. He is also devoted to his family, and dearly loves his son.

Weaknesses
Amos excessively boasts about Cedric's accomplishments, often while undermining Harry Potter, much to Cedric's embarrassment and annoyance.

Relationships with Other Characters
Amos is familiar with, and quite friendly towards, most characters and is quite close to Arthur Weasley. He is a little dismissive towards younger characters, Harry in particular, whom he sees as a rival to Cedric.

He is noticeably unfair and belittling towards Winky, shouting at her and calling her simply "elf".

Analysis
Amos Diggory almost seems a stereotype – a man reliving his youth through his child. Amos is inordinately proud that Cedric beat Harry in a Quidditch match, and of Cedric's showing in the Triwizard Tournament. He finds Cedric's victories more noteworthy than does Cedric, who seems embarrassed by his father's effusive pride when they meet Harry and the Weasleys early on in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Questions

 * 1) What house do you think Amos Diggory was in?


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Caradoc Dearborn

Overview
Caradoc Dearborn was a member of the original Order of the Phoenix. According to Mad-Eye Moody, his body was never found.

Order of the Phoenix
At the celebratory party at Grimmauld Place for Ron and Hermione's appointment as Prefects, Alastor Moody shows Harry a photograph of the original Order of the Phoenix. Caradoc Dearborn is in that photo, and Moody comments that his body was never found.

Analysis
Given the context – Moody talking about the original Order of the Phoenix and how many of the members in the Order met their deaths – it is a reasonable assumption that Caradoc had been in some sort of battle with Death Eaters at the time of his disappearance.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Dedalus Diggle

Overview
Dedalus Diggle is a member of the original Order of the Phoenix, and has survived to be a part of the next Wizarding War. He is very small wizard, who seems to be rather over-exuberant.

Philosopher's Stone
When Lord Voldemort is defeated, there is mention on the Muggle news that someone seems to be setting off fireworks in Kent for no good reason. Professor McGonagall mentions that she thinks it is Dedalus Diggle doing it; she says he never had much sense.

Before he is identified to us, on the day after Voldemort's initial defeat, he apparently stops Vernon Dursley to invite him to celebrate. Diggle is later seen bowing to Harry in a store, although Harry does not recognize him.

The first time we actually see Dedalus Diggle and have a name given for him is in the Leaky Cauldron, when Hagrid introduces Harry to the witches and wizards there. Diggle is overjoyed that Harry remembers him, dropping his top hat in his excitement.

Order of the Phoenix
Dedalus Diggle is a member of the Advance Guard, the group of wizards that Alastor Moody brings to Privet Drive to bring Harry to the Headquarters of the Order. Other members of the Advance Guard are Nymphadora Tonks, Hestia Jones, Sturgis Podmore, Emmeline Vance, Kingsley Shacklebolt, Elphias Doge, and Remus Lupin. Dedalus Diggle, as usual, is extremely pleased when Lupin introduces him again to Harry, dropping his top hat in his excitement.

Deathly Hallows
Dedalus Diggle is one of the two Order wizards who are detailed to accompany Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley Dursley to a place of safety four days before Harry's seventeenth birthday, when the protection afforded Harry will cease. Dedalus does not exactly inspire confidence in Vernon by his admission that driving a car is far too confusing for him. Additionally, all of the Dursleys find it alarming that Dedalus' watch chastises him loudly for being late.

Speaking with Harry at Grimmauld Place, Lupin mentions that in the Death Eaters' search for Harry after the fall of the Ministry, Dedalus Diggle's house was burned down, but Dedalus was not there.

Strengths
Dedalus Diggle is probably quite good with his wand as he is seen to be casting spells for fireworks.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Elphias Doge

Overview
Elphias Doge is a wheezy-voiced wizard who is a member of the Order of the Phoenix.

Order of the Phoenix
We first see Elphias Doge when he arrives at the Dursleys' as part of the Advance Guard. He and several other Order members are Harry's escort as he travels to Number 12, Grimmauld Place by broom.

Deathly Hallows
After the death of Albus Dumbledore, Elphias Doge writes a eulogy that is published in the Daily Prophet. In that eulogy, he mentions that he and Dumbledore had gone to school together, and that he had traveled the world afterwards while Dumbledore had stayed at home, caring for his family.

At the wedding of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour, Elphias is quite indignant about what Rita Skeeter had written about Dumbledore and, to a lesser extent, about himself. He mentions in passing that Dumbledore had lived in Godric's Hollow, and Bathilda Bagshot, who was likely Rita's informant, lived there still. He also mentions that Godric's Hollow is named for Godric Gryffindor.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Aberforth Dumbledore

Overview
Aberforth Dumbledore is Albus Dumbledore's younger brother and a former member of the Order of the Phoenix.

Goblet of Fire
After an article in the Daily Prophet exposes his half-Giant ancestry, Hagrid hides in his hut, refusing to teach or perform his duties. Dumbledore consoles Hagrid by mentioning that his brother was once attacked by the media, apparently for practicing unnatural charms on a goat. Dumbledore praises his brother for keeping his head held high, though claims, perhaps jokingly, that he wonders if Aberforth can actually read.

Order of the Phoenix
Aberforth is mentioned when Alastor Moody shows Harry a picture of the original Order of the Phoenix. Moody says that was the only time he had ever met Aberforth.

When Harry first enters the Hog's Head Inn, he notices a certain goat odor, and that the proprietor looks familiar. Although his name is never mentioned, we assume the owner is Aberforth, who serves Butterbeer to the students attending the first Dumbledore's Army meeting secretly being held at the inn.

Half-Blood Prince
While in Hogsmeade, Harry, unnoticed, recognizes the barman from the Hog's Head Inn talking to Mundungus Fletcher outside the Three Broomsticks. After the barman walks away, Harry realizes Mundungus was attempting to sell stolen loot from Grimmauld Place, the house he inherited from his godfather, Sirius Black, and is now the Order of the Phoenix Headquarters. Harry attacks Mundungus, who Disapparates.

In Dumbledore's memory, we see Dumbledore telling Tom Riddle that the barman has informed him that Nott, Rosier, Mulciber, and Dolohov are waiting for him in the Hog's Head. This is one of the many things that makes Dumbledore suspicious that Riddle had another motive for this meeting.

Harry sees the Hog's Head's barman (Aberforth) attending Dumbledore's funeral.

Deathly Hallows
In Elphias Doge's obituary of Albus Dumbledore, Aberforth is mentioned as being Albus' younger brother. Unlike his brilliant sibling, Aberforth generally preferred dueling than debating to settle disputes. The obituary mentions that Albus, Aberforth, their mother Kendra, and sister Ariana once lived in Godric's Hollow.

Rita Skeeter writes in the Daily Prophet, that at Ariana's funeral, Aberforth reportedly broke Albus' nose. Though he is intermittently mentioned in Skeeter's tell-all book about Albus Dumbledore, little more is learned about Aberforth.

Harry, Hermione, and Ron Apparate into Hogsmeade village, setting off a caterwauling alarm that alerts Death Eaters to their arrival. As Dementors, sensing fear, rapidly close in, Harry casts a Patronus to repel them. A door creaks open behind, and the Hog's Head barman waves the Trio in. The barman then convinces the Death Eaters that he accidentally set off the alarm, and it was his goat Patronus, not Harry's stag, that they actually saw.

Harry recognizes the man as Aberforth Dumbledore, Albus' younger brother. Aberforth wants them to escape the village the next morning, believing the Order of the Phoenix is finished and Voldemort has already won the war. Those still fighting are only deluding themselves. When Harry refuses, saying he must complete Dumbledore'e mission, Aberforth berates Harry for following his brother, and asks if he knows the entire truth about him. Harry, already doubting Dumbledore's intentions, is unable to respond.

With little prodding, Aberforth relates the true story about their childhood. Their six-year-old sister, Ariana, was observed performing magic by three Muggle boys who then beat her. She was left permanently damaged, unable to control her powers, and periodically experienced raging outbursts and wild magic. Their father, Percival, attacked the Muggle boys in retaliation. Fearing the truth would permanently commit his daughter to St. Mungo's Hospital, Percival never explained his actions to authorities. He was arrested and sentenced to Azkaban prison, later dying there. To escape the notoriety, their mother, Kendra, moved the family to Godric's Hollow, keeping Ariana hidden. One day, while Aberforth was out, Ariana's magical outburst killed Kendra. Albus, forced to return home, bitterly resented having to abandon his grand plans to instead care for Ariana while Aberforth completed school. When Gellert Grindelwald, a young Dark wizard, arrived in Godric's Hollow, he and Albus quickly became close friends. Their relationship soon cooled, however, over differing views on how to rule wizards and Muggles.

When Aberforth wanted to leave Hogwarts and care for Ariana, believing Albus resented her as an encumbrance, Albus insisted Aberforth finish school. Gellert, meanwhile, believed Ariana should be jettisoned, considering her a drag on Albus' lofty goals. After Aberforth learned Gellert and Albus' plan to rule wizards and Muggles, a three-way duel erupted, and Ariana was fatally struck by a stray spell. Gellert quickly left the village, of course. It was never known whose curse killed Ariana, but Aberforth always blamed Albus for the tragedy.

Harry intends to complete Dumbledore's mission, with or without Aberforth's help to get inside Hogwarts. Bowing to the inevitable, Aberforth addresses Ariana's portrait, and she disappears down a long, dark tunnel, soon returning with another figure; the portrait swings open, revealing a passageway; Neville Longbottom steps out.

Neville reports that re-enforcements are arriving, dismaying Aberforth, then leads the Trio to the Room of Requirement. When the last few allies arrive through the tunnel, Aberforth is reportedly quite upset by all the traffic. Harry, later wandering Hogwarts' halls, runs into Aberforth, who complains about Slytherin students having been evacuated; once free they will only help Voldemort. Harry says releasing them is what Albus would have done.

Aberforth is briefly glimpsed throughout the battle, and he offers encouragement to Ginny when she Jinxes some Death Eaters. When Tonks asks if he has seen Remus, Aberforth says he was dueling Dolohov.

In the renewed battle, Harry sees Aberforth Stunning Rookwood as he heads into the Great Hall.

Strengths
Aberforth appears to be highly intelligent and possess extraordinary magical talent. This would have paled in comparison to the brilliant Albus' prodigious gifts, however, and likely made it difficult to follow his brother to Hogwarts, living in his shadow.

Although Aberforth apparently preferred settling arguments by dueling rather than debate, Albus later tells Harry that Aberforth was infinitely wiser than he. Aberforth also showed more maturity and responsibility, even at an early age, putting his family's needs before his own, and caring for his sister and mother. Albus, before his mother's death, shirked family responsibilities by hiding behind his academic pursuits, and remaining cloistered in his room whenever he was home from Hogwarts.

Unlike his brother's more cool, logical demeanor, Aberforth's pugnacious personality, as well as accusations that he had performed illegal charms on a goat, may have derailed any opportunity to pursue a prestigious career path, leading him to instead own and operate the Hog's Head Inn. He has adapted relatively well to his lower-status circumstances, however, and does a brisk trade at the inn, even after Death Eaters have occupied Hogsmeade village.

Aberforth is gruff nearly to being almost wordless, though he openly protests when his pub is threatened with closure. From the way he defends his inn from the Death Eaters' challenge, he likely knows that some of them conduct extralegal activities there and would want to avoid losing such a convenient meeting place. He may even be subtly promoting the pub's more unsavory activities in a ploy to keep it open.

Aberforth is never explicitly seen using magic until the seventh book, in which he successfully performs the Patronus Charm and a Stunning Spell powerful enough to take out Augustus Rookwood.

Harry describes Aberforth of giving him a piercing look similar to that of his brother. Though unconfirmed, this may imply that Aberforth, much like Albus, is skilled in legilimency. Given his role as a spy, this is certainly possible.

Weaknesses
Aberforth's magical abilities are likely powerful, though he is less adept than his brilliant brother, who few could ever equal. This likely affected Aberforth's self-confidence and motivation while studying at Hogwarts, probably laboring under teachers' exaggerated expectations that he must be as talented as his brother.

Aberforth lacked Albus' cool logic, and usually reacted to situations emotionally, and without always considering the long-term consequences. His rather cynical nature had caused him to consider the war with Voldemort lost, even before it was over.

Although Aberforth knew Albus' true nature better than anyone, and that he had briefly succumbed to Dark magic's influence, he stubbornly refused to acknowledge the good man Albus had chosen to become, how he used his powers to better wizard society, and how he took over Ariana's care so Aberforth could continue his studies at Hogwarts. Aberforth's animosity apparently resulted from lingering resentment and jealousy over his brother's many accolades, Albus' bitterness at having to forgo his goals after their mother's death, and also for his role in their sister's accidental death.

Clearly, Aberforth's unnatural attraction to goats is a weakness, one that has hindered his progression through life.

Albus once suggested Aberforth may be unable to read, though he was likely joking while attempting to cheer up a despondent Hagrid.

Relationships with Other Characters
Aberforth is the second of three children: Albus is the eldest, and Ariana was the youngest. Aberforth had a special rapport with Ariana, being the only one who could make the magically and mentally-impaired young girl obey instructions when their mother, Kendra, could not. He keeps her living portrait in his quarters at the Hog's Head Inn.

Having witnessed his brother's brief attraction to Dark magic and the resulting consequences, Aberforth has perhaps a more jaded view of Albus than others do. Unlike the image that Albus always carefully cultivated, Aberforth sees him as someone who kept secrets and manipulated others for his own benefit, particularly Harry Potter. Their earlier conflicts may have been as much about Albus' refusal to assist his family as it was about any jealousies over one brother outshining another. Albus and Aberforth remained rather aloof following their sister's death, though they were apparently cordial during their adult lives, and lived relatively close to one another for many years, Albus at Hogwarts and Aberforth nearby in Hogsmeade village. Albus occasionally visited Aberforth at the Hog's Head Inn, sharing a drink with him. While Aberforth had blamed Albus for causing Ariana's death, he may have come to the realization that his own hot temper also contributed to the tragedy.

Analysis
Since his first appearance, Aberforth's political affiliations had seemed neutral, perhaps by design so that neither side could claim his allegiance, or, after the war, seek reprisal, allowing him to continue his business unimpeded. It is learned that he was once an Order of the Phoenix member, and supposedly continued opposing Voldemort. When the need arrived, he willingly supported Dumbledore's Army by sending them supplies and using his pub as a gateway for Potter allies to get in and out of Hogsmeade. Despite cynicism regarding his brother, and a belief that Lord Voldemort has already won the war, Aberforth puts aside his personal misgivings and agrees to help Harry so he can complete Albus' mission. He later joins Harry and the other allies in the fighting at the castle.

Questions

 * 1) How does Aberforth's magical abilities compare to Dumbledore's?
 * 2) What might be meant by Aberforth's "practicing inappropriate charms on a goat"? (Note: Aberforth's Patronus is apparently a goat.) As you answer, bear in mind the target audience for the book where this concept is introduced is Harry's age (14) or younger, and answer in terms reasonable for that age group.

Greater Picture
Aberforth seems quite familiar with Mundungus and his wares' quality and provenance when the two are seen haggling in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, we are told that Mundungus had been banned from the Hog's Head, which implies a fair degree of familiarity. It is safe to assume that the abortive transaction that was observed near the Three Broomsticks in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is not the only such exchange. It is uncertain when Mudungus sold Sirius' magic mirror to Aberforth, though it is possible that happened during the encounter we had witnessed. As Mundungus is hawking stolen wares to any passer-by in Diagon Alley, it is pure luck that the enchanted mirror, with its communication channel to Harry, fell into the hands of a Harry supporter, rather than a Death Eater or Voldemort sympathizer.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Errol

Overview
Errol is the Weasleys' owl. He is rather old and has a tendency to crash into things.

Chamber of Secrets
Errol appears at the Burrow a couple of days after Harry's arrival there, when Percy Weasley nearly sits on him at breakfast. Harry initially thinks it's a moulting grey feather duster, but then notices it's breathing. Ron says that he's finally brought an answer from Hermione, that Ron had told her that they were planning to rescue Harry. Ron tries to put Errol on a perch by the door, but he just flops off, so eventually, he leaves Errol on the draining board. Hermione suggests in the letter that Ron should probably try to find a different owl, the trip seems to have almost killed this one.

We next see Errol when he brings a Howler for Ron on the first day of school. He falls into the jug on the table, spraying milk on Hermione. Ron seems horrified, so Hermione points out that Errol is still breathing, but it is the Howler that Ron is scared of.

Prisoner of Azkaban
Errol delivers a birthday present to Harry from Ron, or tries to. The first we see of Errol, he is being essentially dragged through the sky by Hedwig and one of the school's barn owls, having tried to fly all the way from Egypt and not been up to the task. Harry tries to put Errol on the perch in Hedwig's cage, but he falls right off again. A few hours later, when Harry gets up, Errol has recovered enough that he is able to stand on the perch, and he and Hedwig are both asleep. Shortly, though, Harry has to send them both away to The Burrow, as he has agreed to act entirely normal for a week while Aunt Marge is there.

Weaknesses
Being an old owl, Errol is always exhausted after delivering mail. On at least one occasion, he is unable to complete his delivery unaided; tasked with bringing Harry a birthday present, he ends up being dragged in through Harry's window by Hedwig and one of the school's barn owls.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Lee Jordan

Overview
Lee Jordan is a close friend of Fred and George Weasley and is in their year, making him a third-year as Harry Potter enters Hogwarts. He is also the announcer for the house Quidditch matches.

Philosopher's Stone
Someone named Lee is on Platform Nine and Three Quarters as Harry finds he way to the train. Lee has a box containing something with long, hairy legs. Fred and George later say that Lee Jordan has a giant tarantula.

The evening Harry becomes Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team, Fred and George congratulate him, saying that they too are on the team. They then say they have to talk to Lee, who thinks he has found a new secret passage out of the school.

When the Gryffindor Quidditch team take to the air for their first match, against Slytherin in November, it turns out that Lee Jordan is the announcer. He identifies the Chasers on both teams who are holding the Quaffle, particularly Angelina: when the Quaffle is in her possession, he comments as an aside that he is disappointed that she won't go out with him.

When the Snitch first appears, Harry is about to grab it when he is fouled by Marcus Flint, the Slytherin team captain. Lee reports this as he sees it, as cheating, and as a deliberate foul, and is called to order by Professor McGonagall. At the end of the match, Lee is apparently quite happy with the final score, Gryffindor winning 170 to 60, that he is still shouting it out long after the game is done.

After the final exam of the year, Harry, Ron, and Hermione walk down to the shore of the lake to soak up some sun; they see Lee and the Weasley twins tickling the giant squid in the shallows of the lake.

It is mentioned that Lee Jordan is the last person out of the Common Room when Harry, Hermione, and Ron decide to go through the trap door.

Chamber of Secrets
We see Lee Jordan commentating the two Quidditch matches in which Harry takes part, but Lee plays little other role in the book.

Prisoner of Azkaban
Lee Jordan again is the commentator for the Quidditch matches. We specifically make note of his presence in the match against Ravenclaw, where Professor McGonagall several times has to remind him that he is commentating a game, not advertising Firebolts. We also note in the final match of the season, against Slytherin, Professor McGonagall restrains him a few times from commenting harshly about the Slytherin tactics, though by the end of the game McGonagall is just as angry at the Slytherins as Lee Jordan is.

Goblet of Fire
Lee Jordan is first mentioned shortly after the announcement of the Triwizard Tournament, scheming with Fred and George about ways to avoid the age limit that Professor Dumbledore says will be placed on the entrants to the tournament. When the Goblet of Fire is placed in the Entrance Hall to accept the candidates' names, Professor Dumbledore has drawn an age line around it to prevent underage wizards from competing. Lee, Fred, and George, who have apparently taken an aging potion, appear in the Entrance Hall to try and submit their names, but only Fred and George manage to cross the age line around the Goblet before it kicks them out, awarding them both long white beards in the process. Lee accompanies them to the Hospital Wing to have their beards removed.

When the first Hogsmeade weekend rolls around, Ron and Harry have had a falling out, so Harry goes to Hogsmeade with Hermione. He sees Ron talking with Lee and the twins, but does not stop at their table.

As they head back home on the Hogwarts Express, the Twins relate to Harry, Ron, and Hermione how Ludo Bagman had cheated them, and say that he had also cheated Lee Jordan's father the same way.

Order of the Phoenix
Fred and George, on the Hogwarts Express to school, say that they need to sit with Lee Jordan, to talk business. By now, their plans for a joke shop are well underway, and they are in the process of lining up suppliers and creating their initial stock, we expect.

Lee Jordan is one of the group of students who is present at the first meeting of Dumbledore's Army, in the Hog's Head. He, Fred, and George are carrying bags from Zonko's Joke Shop.

Lee is commentator for the Quidditch match against Slytherin, the first of the year (and the only one Harry plays in). This time, Professor McGonagall restrains him when he begins effusively complimenting Angelina Johnson, and complaining that she won't go out with him.

When Hagrid returns from his mission, shortly before Christmas, Lee, Fred, and George are among the enthusiastic students welcoming him upon his return. Many others are not so demonstrative.

As a result of Educational Decree Number Twenty-Six, issued shortly after the mass breakout from Azkaban, teachers are forbidden from discussing anything unrelated to academics with the students. Lee sees this as a reason to state that Professor Umbridge should not be chastising Fred and George for playing Exploding Snap in her classroom, as what she is saying is clearly not to do with academics. As a result, he gets detention. Harry, knowing very well what Umbridge's ideas of detention are, suggests Essence of Murtlap to Lee to heal his hand. The idea, which had been given to Harry by Hermione, makes its way to the Twins, who use it as an ingredient for one of their Skiving Snackboxes.

While Lee is still commentating the Quidditch matches after the departure of the Twins, a lot of the joy seems to have gone out of his performance; his announcement of the players' names as they enter the pitch in the final, Gryffindor against Ravenclaw, is lacklustre.

Lee, hearing that Hagrid is being blamed for Nifflers being introduced into Professor Umbridge's office, admits to Harry and Hermione that he was the one who had put them in there, levitating them in through Umbridge's window.

Half-Blood Prince
As Lee had graduated at the end of the previous year, we do not see him in this book.

Deathly Hallows
At Bill and Fleur's wedding, Harry sees that Lee is dancing with Ginny. He tries not to resent the promise he had given Ron about not taking up with Ginny again.

Lee Jordan is "River", the main commentator on Potterwatch, the pirate wireless show that Ron tries endlessly to pick up, finally succeeding in March. He passes the news that Ted Tonks, Dirk Cresswell, the goblin Gornuk, and Bathilda Bagshot were dead. He then introduces, by code name, several newscasters, who are identified by Ron as Remus Lupin, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Fred or George Weasley.

Lee is one of the first arrivals to the Room of Requirement when Neville recalls Dumbledore's Army to fight for the school, using Hermione's fake protean Galleons.

As Harry is on his way to the Room of Requirement, where he now believes Rowena Ravenclaw's lost diadem is hidden, he passes Fred Weasley, Lee Jordan, and Hannah Abbott guarding a hole behind a plinth where a statue had fallen. The statue had previously been masking one of the secret passages into Hogwarts.

During the second part of the battle, when everyone believing Harry to be dead, Lee and George Weasley both slam Death Eater Yaxley to the floor.

Strengths
Lee Jordan gave almost everyone who has ever read Harry Potter or seen the movies unrealistic expectations on sports commentary. He later used the skills he obtained while commentating Quidditch to help him produce a successful underground rebel radio station during Voldemort's second rise to power that provided truth, hope, and laughter in a time that it was needed the most.

Weaknesses
Like many young men, Lee has not yet learned to consider all the ramifications of his actions. He had, on two occasions, introduced Nifflers into Professor Umbridge's office, and was dismayed to realize that Umbridge would leap to the conclusion that, because they were magical creatures, the Care of Magical Creatures teacher, Hagrid, would be blamed for it.

Relationships with Other Characters
Lee is best friends with George and Fred Weasley.

When announcing Gryffindor Quidditch matches, he often compliments Angelina Johnson and bemoans the fact that she won't go out with him; on two occasions his commenting in that vein is reined in by Professor McGonagall. This would lead the reader to believe that he has something of a crush on Angelina, but apparently he never acts upon it.

Lee is somewhat open and trusting. One gets the feeling, though this is never borne out, that he is likely to catch the fallout from the Twins' pranks, possibly undeservedly. It is certainly true that he immediately accepts Harry's offer of help after his detention with Umbridge.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Terence Higgs

Overview
Terence Higgs is the Seeker for the Slytherin Quidditch team in Harry's first year.

Philosopher's Stone
Terence Higgs is mentioned as being Slytherin's Seeker in the Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin. When the Snitch appears, Harry and Terence both dive for it; Harry is in the lead when Marcus Flint, the Slytherin team captain, fouls him.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Igor Karkaroff

Overview
Igor Karkaroff is the headmaster of the Durmstrang Institute, one of the three top Wizarding schools in Europe. (The others are Beauxbatons, and of course Hogwarts.)

Goblet of Fire
We first meet Igor Karkaroff when the representatives from Durmstrang Institute arrive at Hogwarts to take part in the Triwizard Tournament. After disembarking from their ship which has surfaced in the lake, Karkaroff greets Albus Dumbledore civilly enough, but his smile doesn't reach his eyes, which stay cold and watchful. He asks if they could proceed indoors as one of his students, Viktor, seems to be catching a bit of a cold.

As they depart after dinner, Karkaroff happens to bump into Harry Potter. He is evidently quite taken aback to realize who he has run into, and as he has halted in the doorway, he is preventing anyone from getting past him. The logjam is broken up by Alastor Moody, who Karkaroff evidently recognizes; they quite plainly don't like each other, and Karkaroff seems to be somewhat afraid of Moody.

When Harry's name comes out of the Goblet of Fire, making him the fourth of the three Triwizard Champions, Karkaroff is angry, saying that either Durmstrang (and Beauxbatons) should be allowed to submit additional names, until each school has two champions, or he will depart from the contest with all his school. Moody again interrupts him, saying that just as Harry is bound to compete, so is Viktor Krum, the Durmstrang champion; and Ludo Bagman, one of the two Ministry judges, says that the Goblet has gone out and will not re-ignite until the next Tournament.

Harry overhears Karkaroff talking to Snape in the Rose Garden at the Yule Ball. Karkaroff says that something is getting darker, more distinct, and Snape asks if he is planning to run. Karkaroff does not directly answer, but instead inquires Snape's plans. Snape says he has nothing to fear. Harry wonders how Snape and Karkaroff came to be on first-name terms, as they refer to each other as "Severus" and "Igor". (As a side note to US readers: Traditionally, in the UK, you would not use someone's first name until you knew them quite well. Throughout these books, we see people speaking to other people in personal conversations using last names only; though this is most common with teachers speaking to students, it appears with teachers talking among themselves as well. Whether this is common practice in the UK at present or not, we do see that the wizarding world in many ways is somewhat archaic, and may have kept this tradition.)

Karkaroff appears one day in Harry's Potions class, apparently trying to corner Snape, who he believes has been avoiding him. Harry deliberately spills some armadillo bile to give him an excuse to stay late and eavesdrop. As soon as the other students have gone, Karkaroff indicates something on his forearm and says it is getting more distinct. Snape notices Harry and sends him away before he can overhear anything else.

When Harry looks into the Pensieve, the first of Dumbledore's memories that Harry experiences is Karkaroff attempting to bargain his way out of Azkaban. Before the full Wizengamot, he names several people as Death Eaters: Travers, who he also accuses of the death of Marlene McKinnon and her family, Mulciber, and Antonin Dolohov, each time being met with the statement that the Wizengamot has already arrested them. He also names Severus Snape, though Dumbledore refutes this, saying that Snape had turned against the Death Eaters before Voldemort fell. He does eventually name Augustus Rookwood, the first name which the Wizengamot is not aware of.

Voldemort, upon his return, summons his Death Eaters. While he is not named, we believe Karkaroff is one of the ones who has left his service and will need to be disposed of. When Harry returns to Hogwarts, Karkaroff is nowhere to be found. Ron asks how the Durmstrang students are going to get back to school if Karkaroff is missing, and Viktor Krum says that the students had done most of the work on the outward trip anyway.

Half-Blood Prince
On Harry's birthday, we hear that the body of Igor Karkaroff has been found in a shack in the North, with the Dark Mark floating over it.

Deathly Hallows
In Snape's memories, we learn that Karkaroff's plan to run away, should Voldemort return, had been voiced to Snape at Christmas of Harry's fourth year, the year of the Triwizard Tournament, and that Snape had passed this information on to Dumbledore.

Strengths
He is highly skilled in the Dark Arts and teaches them to his students, either directly or by instructing his teachers to do so.

Though it does not seem to spring from strength, but rather from fear, he does provide correct evidence at his hearing, giving the names of several other Death Eaters. This suggests a degree of honesty, although it is realistically entirely out of self-preservation.

He survives for about a year after being marked for death by Voldemort, without assistance from either Dumbledore or the Ministry of Magic. This shows a definite strength in concealment and defensive magic.

Weaknesses
Karkaroff would seem to be a very weak reed to entrust with anything. We see, in Dumbledore's Pensieve, his willingness to minimise his own punishment by exposing others as Death Eaters. We can see that he does not believe he will be safe if Voldemort returns, either from Voldemort or from those Death Eaters he has betrayed. His running away when Voldemort announces his return is no surprise to us, as the conversation overheard in the rose garden at the Yule Ball shows his fear and how Snape expects him to react.

We also note Karkaroff's bias towards his own school and towards individual students in his school. It seems that the only student Karkaroff believes has a chance at the Tournament is "Viktor", and the remainder are present only because he has to bring a few others for the sake of appearances. This, of course, would leave him totally unprepared should the Goblet of Fire select some other candidate.

He was cowardly, especially towards the end of the Goblet of Fire when he fled after Voldemort had returned. He also mistrusts everyone. He blocks Krum from revealing where Durmstrang is, when Krum is speaking with Hermione. This could prove that he has something to hide. It could also be that he does not want anyone to know where he is just in case Voldemort returns. It could, however, be part of the same sort of secrecy that has kept Hogwarts hidden for the past thousand years or so.

Relationships with Other Characters
Karkaroff and Severus Snape were evidently Death Eaters together under Voldemort in his first rise to power and they act, privately, as friends. Despite Dumbledore's testimony that Snape was working on the Ministry side, Karkaroff continues to trust him, coming to him for counsel when the Dark Mark begins to reappear in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Snape's counsel seems ineffective, as we learn later that Karkaroff had planned, as early as December, to run away if Voldemort returned; and he actually did run when Voldemort returned in June.

He clearly had a favourite student at Durmstrang: Viktor Krum. Karkaroff is adamant that Viktor should be the Durmstrang Champion in the Triwizard tournament, and seems to like him more than any other Durmstrang pupil.

Igor also seems to share a friendly conversation between himself and the Leaders of the other two schools, Madame Maxime and Albus Dumbledore, in which he tries further to hide his allegiance to the Dark Forces. Dumbledore, having been present at his trial years before, already knows Karkaroff's former allegiance; he does, however, greet Karkaroff as he would a friend, a nod to his forgiving nature.

Karkaroff does have his detractors. Alastor Moody was the Auror who initially caught him, and Karkaroff reacts with fear and resentment at meeting him. Rubeus Hagrid attacks Karkaroff when he appears to be disrespectful of Dumbledore. Once exposed, Bartemius Crouch Jr. shows distain for Karkaroff - he himself was the loyal Death Eater at Hogwarts.

Analysis
Karkaroff is written to be largely opaque. From his first appearance, he is wary, revealing little of himself other than his caution and fear. From Moody's comments at that time, we learn that he may have been a Death Eater in Voldemort's previous rise to power; in Dumbledore's Pensieve, we see that not only was he convicted for being a Death Eater, but he was high enough in the ranks to know names of other Death Eaters, and was willing to betray them in return for a reduced sentence. These two together explain his extreme wariness; having betrayed his co-conspirators, his life is only safe while the Ministry's power remains unchallenged. If Voldemort were to regain power, there is little chance he would survive. Knowing this, and knowing that he cannot be certain that he knows all the Death Eaters, or all those he injured by exposing Death Eaters, he must keep himself aloof to save his own life, even before Voldemort returns to power.

It is because of this, presumably, that Karkaroff is one of very few characters in the series who remains resolutely two-dimensional. Clearly, he cannot let other characters know his inner thoughts, because to reveal them could doom him. As a result, he cannot reveal his inner self to the reader either. All we ever learn about Karkaroff is that he is biased towards one of his students, Viktor Krum; that he is a coward and willing to betray others for his own ends; and that he fears for his life, and plans to run, should Voldemort return.

We note that Karkaroff's evident favouritism for Krum also seems to extend to bullying his other students. This portrayal, entirely typical for a coward, adds to the perception of Karkaroff's cowardice.

Questions

 * 1) Where did Karkaroff's loyalties lie? Was he still loyal as a Death Eater, or had he turned to the good side, like the Malfoys had claimed about themselves? Or is there a third alternative?
 * 2) What does his death at the hands of the returned Death Eaters suggest?
 * 3) Where might the "shack up north" (in which he lived for a year in hiding) be? Could it be in the northern British Isles, or closer to his homelands in continental Europe?
 * 4) Despite his nature, might Karkaroff have been a good teacher?
 * 5) Why was Karkaroff a Death Eater if he is not from Britain initially, which is where Voldemort's takeover started?

Greater Picture
During the scenes in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire where Karkaroff and Snape are seen to be talking, we share Harry's belief that Snape is a Death Eater; we know that Karkaroff had been previously, first due to Sirius' revelations, and later from the scene that Harry views in Dumbledore's Pensieve. The reader may wonder why Karkaroff feels able to confide his worries to Snape, given that Karkaroff was present when Dumbledore stated that Snape had been working against Voldemort. It is actually because of that statement that Karkaroff discusses the Dark Mark with Snape; he believes that Snape either betrayed Voldemort, or was in a position to betray him, before Voldemort's fall, just as Karkaroff had betrayed Voldemort's followers afterwards. Both are aware that should Voldemort return, such betrayal could be literally fatal. Karkaroff believes that both he and Snape are refugees from Voldemort's organization, together determining what to do as evidence mounts of Voldemort's strength increasing. Karkaroff seems perplexed by Snape's apparent lack of fear at the prospect, a lack of fear which we only later understand to be the result of Snape's tested belief in his own ability to deceive Voldemort as to where his loyalty actually lies.

Karkaroff's existence provides a little evidence that even Voldemort's power could not ensure every one of his followers would stay loyal to him. Karkaroff turned to teaching, Snape to Dumbledore's side, and - as we learn in the final book - Regulus Black tried to weaken his master. Although he paid the ultimate price in the end, his refusal to return to Voldemort (even out of cowardice) shows that some form of redemption is possible, if extremely difficult.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Mafalda Hopkirk

Overview
Mafalda Hopkirk works in the Improper Use of Magic department at the Ministry of Magic.

Chamber of Secrets
When Dobby performs a Hover Charm in the Dursley's house, Harry is believed to be the one actually doing magic. The warning letter that arrives is signed by Mafalda Hopkirk.

Order of the Phoenix
Harry again does magic, this time using the Patronus charm to repel Dementors who are attacking himself and his cousin Dudley. The letter of reprimand that is sent to him by Owl Post is signed by Mafalda Hopkirk, and so is the following letter rescinding the immediate punishment and setting a hearing date.

Deathly Hallows
When Harry, Ron, and Hermione determine that they must get into the Ministry to search for the locket Horcrux which has been appropriated by Dolores Umbridge, they disguise themselves as Ministry employees, using Polyjuice potion to do so. Hermione ends up disguised as Mafalda Hopkirk; the real Mafalda Hopkirk is left, Stunned, behind a closed door.

Once in the Ministry, Harry and Hermione take the elevator to the top floor, where they understand Umbridge's office is. Umbridge is at the elevator and, recognizing Hopkirk, assumes she was sent by Travers. The two of them return through the Atrium to the courtrooms, where "Mafalda" is to act as recorder for the day's session of the Muggle-Born Registration Commission. Very shortly after Harry re-joins her, they depart the Ministry and Hermione's disguise wears off.


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Umbraco/Samples and Articles/Creating Newsletters

IMPORTANT - The UltraSimpleMailer is *not* compatible with Umbraco 4 and DOESN'T WORK

 * 1) Create a membergroup named "Newsletter" - members in this group will receive the newsletter
 * 2) Create a new DataType in developer (call it "Newsletter")
 * 3) Choose Ntext as database datatype and choose "UltraSimpleMailer(tm)" as rendercontrol - hit the save icon
 * 4) A bunch of new options appear: Choose the Newsletter Member Group from the dropdown list, and type the name and email address of the sender
 * Now, go to Settings and create a document type named Newsletter
 * 1) Add a tab named "Mail" and add a generic property with your Newsletter Type
 * 2) Allow the Newsletter to be created under the appropriate document type (in the structure)
 * 3) Create a template that has the design that you wish the newsletter should contain
 * 4) Go to content and start creating newsletters.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Ernie Macmillan

Overview
Ernie Macmillan is a Hufflepuff student in Harry Potter's year. He is described as "a stout boy" and has "pudgy hands".

Chamber of Secrets
Ernie Macmillan is apparently one of the students who is helped after the grand chaos of the Duelling Club by Professor Lockhart: "Up you get, Macmillan..."

Identified only as Ernie, he is apparently the leader of the group of Hufflepuffs discussing Justin Finch-Fletchley's decision to remain in hiding when Harry Potter is thought to be the Heir of Slytherin, in The Duelling Club. He more or less acts as spokesman of the group when Harry confronts them – as a scion of an old wizarding family, he feels that the Heir of Slytherin would not attack him – and later dramatically accuses Harry of Petrifying Justin when Justin is found in the hallway. (Professor McGonagall addresses him here as "Macmillan", giving us his last name.) Ernie is then given the task of wafting the Petrified Nearly Headless Nick up to the Hospital Wing with a large fan.

Later, when Hermione Granger is Petrified, Ernie makes a point of apologising to Harry for having thought him the Heir of Slytherin. Ernie feels that, Muggle-born or not, Hermione would not be a victim if Harry had anything to do with it.

Prisoner of Azkaban
While not shown in person, Ernie is mentioned to have taken Muggle Studies, and has told Ron Hermione hasn't missed one, even though half are the same time as Divination.

Goblet of Fire
Harry sees Ernie in the campground at the Quidditch World Cup.

Ernie is the student who runs off to tell the Hufflepuff common room, most notably Cedric Diggory, that the delegations from Durmstrang and Beauxbatons will be arriving on the 30th of October.

He also harassed Harry by wearing a Support Cedric Diggory / Potter Stinks badge when Harry's name came out of the Goblet of Fire, and temporarily stopped speaking to him because he thought that Harry put his name in for further glory. However, during the last task, Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort and Ernie became much nicer to Harry. He also was one of the few students that believed that Voldemort was back.

Order of the Phoenix
On the Hogwarts Express, Ron reports that Ernie Macmillan is one of the two Hufflepuff prefects; Hannah Abbott is the other.

When Harry, Ron and Hermione are on the way to Herbology, Ernie runs up to them and tells Harry, in a loud, carrying voice, that he fully believes Harry and Dumbledore's claims about how Voldemort has returned. It cheers Harry to know that some students who are not weird believe him – previously, only Luna, apart from Harry's friends, had expressed belief in his and Dumbledore's statements.

Ernie is one of the original members of the Defence Association, or as it becomes known, Dumbledore's Army. He shows up at the initial meeting in the Hog's Head, but is initially reluctant to sign his name to the paper that Hermione is passing around. "After all, I am a prefect," he says, meaning, presumably, that he has to set a good example. Hermione points out that she's not going to leave this bit of parchment lying around, after which he signs, though still with some show of reluctance.

As a member of Dumbledore's Army, his work seems to be decent. He is, apparently, able to conjure a Patronus before the group is betrayed and broken up.

The day after Umbridge is appointed Headmistress of Hogwarts, he tells Hermione, Ron and Harry that Dumbledore will be back soon and Hermione starts to insult Umbridge, but Draco Malfoy comes around and says that he's "afraid" he'll have to dock Gryffindor and Hufflepuff House a few points. Ernie then says that only professors are permitted to dock House Points from Houses that are not their own. Malfoy explains that, since he is a member of the newly founded Inquisatorial Squad, he is permitted to dock points from anyone he wants. He docks Hufflepuff House 10 house points for "contradicting" Malfoy's ability to dock house points, which angers Ernie.

As the OWL exams approach, Ernie takes up the disquieting habit of asking everyone how much studying they are doing, and proudly says that he is averaging eight hours a day.

Ernie is also one of the six members of Dumbledore's Army who see Draco Malfoy attempting to jinx Harry on the Hogwarts Express, and promptly return fire, leaving Draco, Crabbe, and Goyle looking like gigantic slugs squeezed into Hogwarts robes, which Ernie takes pride in doing for revenge against the 10 points Malfoy docked unfairly from Hufflepuff.

Half-Blood Prince
Ernie first appears in Professor Slughorn's NEWT-level Potions class, where it is revealed that he is the only Hufflepuff in their year who has managed to get in to it. When the Trio come in, he greets them warmly and joins their table for the remainder of the year. It is mentioned that, despite his pompous nature, Harry is very fond of Ernie.

Later in the year, Albus Dumbledore is murdered by Severus Snape. Ernie asks Harry about what is going on, but he receives no reply. However, he later learns that Dumbledore has been killed and he likely attended Dumbledore's funeral.

Deathly Hallows
Ernie is one of the group of Dumbledore's Army alumni who have retreated into the Room of Requirement, thus being able to stay on at the school and keep a form of guerrilla warfare going on against the Dark curriculum. With the others, he greets Harry's arrival with loud cheers and demands to know when they will be taking Hogwarts back.

When all the students are in the Great Hall before the Battle of Hogwarts, Ernie expresses eagerness to fight against the Death Eaters, making several older students cheer and roar in agreement.

Ernie takes part in the battle for Hogwarts. When Harry has to get to the Shrieking Shack, he finds his way to the Whomping Willow blocked by Dementors. He is unable to produce much of a Patronus himself, but Ernie, Luna Lovegood, and Seamus Finnigan arrive with their Patronuses and clear his way. The passage of a twenty-foot-tall giant separates them, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione proceed to the Shrieking Shack through the tunnel.

Strengths
Ernie is generally friendly, loyal (to his fellow Hufflepuffs and Hogwarts as a whole) and takes his prefect responsibilities seriously.

He is talented and intelligent, shown by his dedication to revision and his presence in the NEWT Potions class. He presumably did very well in his OWLs.

As a member of the DA, Ernie will have learned a fair amount of defensive magic from Harry and the other members. He demonstrates these abilities by fighting in the Battle of Hogwarts.

Weaknesses
Ernie tends to be pompous around his fellow students and sycophantic around teachers. He likes to brag about how seriously he takes his studies.

He doesn't take criticism well and is very affronted when Draco Malfoy docks ten points from his House.

Relationships with Other Characters
Ernie and Hannah Abbott both become prefects in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry's fifth year. It is never made clear whether there is any romantic entanglement between them, though they do seem to be seen together a lot. The author later stated that Hannah marries Neville, so it is more likely Ernie and Hannah are just close friends.

From the Black family tree created by the author, we can see that his family is distantly related to the Black and Prewett families.

Analysis
Ernie is shown to be a typical Hufflepuff, with a great amount of honour, loyalty, fairness and a dedication to work. He is an incredibly likeable and positive character, an important part of the final battle and a good friend to Harry.

It is mentioned in passing that Ernie's Patronus is a boar - which is a strong, resilient animal, reflecting Ernie's own dedication and strength.

Questions

 * 1) What makes Ernie think that Harry is the Heir of Slytherin?
 * 2) Why is Ernie so convinced, in their fifth year, that Harry is telling the truth?
 * 3) How well might Ernie have done in his OWL exams? Do you think he might wish to repeat a year to take NEWTs?

Greater Picture
Ernie is a good example of an initially peripheral character gaining greater prominence in later instalments of the story. By the final book he may be considered a major recurring character. He is certainly the Hufflepuff we have the most contact with (discounting Cedric Diggory), and a good example of what a Hufflepuff should act like.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Laura Madley

Overview
Laura Madley is a Hufflepuff who arrived at Hogwarts in Harry's fourth year.

Goblet of Fire
Laura Madley was Sorted into Hufflepuff House.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Rabastan Lestrange

Overview
Rabastan Lestrange is brother to Rodolphus Lestrange.

Goblet of Fire
Rabastan is introduced when Harry, viewing Albus Dumbledore's pensieve, witnesses four Death Eaters, including Rabastan, on trial.

Shortly after Lord Voldemort's disappearance, Rabastan and three other young Death Eaters (his brother Rodolphus Lestrange, his brother's wife Bellatrix Lestrange, and Barty Crouch Jr.) attacked Aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom, torturing them with the Cruciatus Curse until their mental faculties were irreparably damaged. All four Death Eaters were sentenced to Azkaban prison.

Order of the Phoenix
Rabastan was one of the ten Death Eaters to escape from Azkaban, even though he wasn't named his presence later in the book implies such.

Rabastan was later one of the Death Eaters who fought for the prophecy. During the chase he was partnered with Crabbe. He likely also took part in the battle in the room with the veil.

Half-Blood Prince
Twice, Professor Dumbledore and Harry visit Horace Slughorn's memories of one particular night when Slughorn is meeting with Tom Riddle and his associates. In both of those memories, Slughorn notes to an Avery and a Lestrange, that they have an essay due, and would be given detention if he didn't have it ready. Note that we mention this Lestrange here because of the name; however, both Rodolphus and Rabastan were born a generation after Voldemort was at Hogwarts. The Lestrange mentioned would therefore most likely be their father.

Analysis
It's interesting that Sirius Black did not mention Rabastan as one of the people who was part of the gang of future Death Eaters who Severus Snape associated with, even though both Bellatrix and Rodolphus were. It's possible that Rabastan was at least a few years older or younger than the other members of the group. Of course, Sirius just might not have named all members.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Rodolphus Lestrange

Overview
Rodolphus Lestrange is the husband of Bellatrix Lestrange and brother to Rabastan Lestrange.

Goblet of Fire
Rodolphus is first mentioned as being a member of a gang of future Death Eaters with his future wife and Severus Snape.

He is seen when Harry, viewing Albus Dumbledore's Pensieve, witnesses Lestrange and other Death Eaters as they are on trial.

Shortly after Lord Voldemort's disappearance, Rodolphus and three other young Death Eaters (his wife, Bellatrix Lestrange, his brother, Rabastan Lestrange, and Barty Crouch Jr.) attacked Aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom, torturing them using the Cruciatus Curse until both lost most of their mental faculties. All four Death Eaters were sentenced to Azkaban prison.

After his rebirth, Voldemort informs the other Death Eaters that the Lestranges will be honored above the others once they are broken out of Azkaban.

Order of the Phoenix
Rodolphus is among the ten Death Eaters to escape from Azkaban around Christmas time. Though his name isn't mentioned his presence later in the book implies that he was one of the escapees.

Later, when the Death Eaters invade the Ministry Lucius Malfoy tells Rodolphus to go with Bellatrix Lestrange to find Harry and the Prophecy once he and his friends escape from their clutches. Though he does not do anything noteworthy it is presumed that he takes part in the chase and likely battled against the Order of the Phoenix. It can be assumed that he was captured and sent back to Azkaban following the battle.

Half-Blood Prince
Twice, Professor Dumbledore and Harry visit Horace Slughorn's memories of one particular night when Slughorn is meeting with Tom Riddle and his associates. In both memories, Slughorn notes it is eleven o'clock, and says that it is time for the gathered students to head off to bed. He remarks to an Avery and a Lestrange that an essay is due, and they would be given detention if it is turned in late. Note that we mention this Lestrange here because of the name; however, both Rodolphus and Rabastan were born a generation after Voldemort was at Hogwarts. The Lestrange mentioned would therefore most likely be their father.

Deathly Hallows
Rodolphus is only mentioned once in Deathly Hallows, when Nymphadora Tonks (his niece by marriage) says they injured him during her and Ron's flight to the portkey at the Weasleys' Aunt Muriel's.

Harry later mentions to Ron and Hermione that both Bellatrix and Rodolphus were among Voldemort's closest supporters during his first reign of terror.

Strengths
If this can be considered a strength, Rodolphus is aware of the Dark Arts, and exhibits a willingness to use them, as seen when he tortures Alice and Frank Longbottom.

Relationships with Other Characters
As noted above, he is the husband of Bellatrix (née Black). It is mentioned in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire that he stood high in the ranks of the Death Eaters during Voldemort's first rise to power.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Theodore Nott

Overview
Theodore Nott is a "tall, stringy" Slytherin in Harry's year.

Philosopher's Stone
The name "Nott" is called during Harry's Sorting.

Prisoner of Azkaban
While there is nothing in the books that confirms this, Draco is occasionally seen with a Slytherin boy who fits the few details we have for Nott.

Order of the Phoenix
Theodore, who is described (as a "stringy Slytherin boy") but not named, and Harry are in the same section of Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures class on the day after Hagrid's return from his mission, when Hagrid chooses to teach Thestrals. Harry sees them, and notes that most of the students are staring blankly around, just as Ron is. The two other students who seem able to see the Thestrals are Nott and Neville Longbottom.

After Harry's interview appears in the Quibbler, Harry sees "a weedy-looking boy... called Theodore Nott" in the library, talking with Draco Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle. Though they are apparently talking about Harry's interview, which named all their fathers as Death Eaters returning to Lord Voldemort's side, they cannot admit to having read it, because possession of the Quibbler is an expulsion offence.

Half-Blood Prince
Theodore was mentioned by Blaise Zabini as one of the students who Professor Slughorn plans to recruit for his Slug Club. Ultimately Nott was not invited due to his father being recently arrested after being discovered as a Death Eater, despite the elder Nott apparently being one of Slughorn's favorite students.

Very few people have progressed to NEWT-level studies in Slughorn's Potions class: Harry, Ron, and Hermione alone among the Gryffindors, Ernie Macmillan from Hufflepuff, four Ravenclaw students including Terry Boot and Michael Corner, and four from Slytherin house including Draco Malfoy, Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott. Nott here is often exchanging asides with Draco, as Draco's henchmen, Crabbe and Goyle, did not do well enough in their Potions O.W.L. to continue on in that course, even given Slughorn's slightly lower entrance requirement.

Outside the series
Theodore originally had a large scene in which he and Draco Malfoy discussed Harry while their respective fathers, Nott and Lucius Malfoy, discussed Death Eater business off camera. The author mentions that while she tried to fit the scene into two different books, it didn't work well either place and so was laid to rest.

Theodore Nott was one of the students to have checked out the library copy of Quidditch Through the Ages, a book mentioned in the story and reproduced by the author.

Strengths
Nott is described as a clever boy. Unlike most of the other Slytherins in Harry's year he doesn't seem to take part in bullying or otherwise show signs of aggression. It's also likely that he is talented at least in the field of potions due to attending the class at NEWT level.

Weaknesses
Though he doesn't show it much Nott seems to view muggle-borns as inferior. This is only really shown when he and Draco snicker when Slughorn brings attention to Hermione's blood status however.

Relationships with Other Characters
Theodore seems to be a friend of Draco's though he does not usually hang out with the other members of Malfoy's gang. Despite this friendship Nott is apparently a loner who usually keeps to himself and doesn't feel the need to join gangs.

He is the son of the Death Eater Nott who appears at Voldemort's rebirth and later as one of the Death Eaters who Lucius brings with him to the Ministry.

Analysis
Since we know that Theodore can see Thestrals and that his father is a widower, he may have witnessed the death of his mother firsthand.

Greater Picture
Some fans have noticed a lot of similarities between Nott and Severus Snape when the latter was a student. For starters, both were Slytherins who were associated with gangs of Death Eater supporters despite generally preferring to be alone. Both are also described as being unusually clever and (if Nott's attendance in the NEWT level potions class is any indication) skilled at potion making. They are also both described as being weakly built and have frequent comparisons to animals (Snape with bats, Nott with rabbits). It's unknown if these similarities were intentional and if they give insight on Nott's possible character.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Olympe Maxime

Overview
Olympe Maxime is the headmistress of Beauxbatons Academy of Magic. She is a very large woman, standing perhaps ten feet (three meters) tall, and she speaks with a French accent.

Goblet of Fire
We first meet Madame Maxime when she arrives with the Beauxbatons students who wish to enter the Triwizard Tournament. She expresses some concern about her horses and the care they need, but Professor Dumbledore assures her that their groundskeeper, Hagrid, will be quite capable of taking care of them when he is finished dealing with another small matter. When Hagrid first sees Madame Maxime at dinner, he is apparently instantly smitten.

The following day, Harry, Hermione, and Ron visit Hagrid. He is quite the sight, apparently having tried to tame his mane of hair with something that looks like axle grease, and now wearing his best suit. Before they leave for dinner, Hagrid puts on some eau de cologne, but he rather overdoes it. Hagrid goes outside to wash it off in the rain barrel, asking the Trio to wait. While he is outside, he sees Madame Maxime and the Beauxbatons students leaving their carriage and heading for the great hall. Forgetting all about the trio, he heads up the lawn to join them as they walk into the castle. The Trio speculate that Hagrid must be sweet on Madame Maxime.

After the selection of the four Champions, Madame Maxime enters the room where they are waiting with the other four Tournament judges, Professor Dumbledore, Igor Karkaroff, Ludo Bagman, and Bartemius Crouch. Also arriving with them are Professor McGonagall and Professor Snape; Professor Moody arrives somewhat later. While Madame Maxime is angered that Hogwarts has two Champions, suggesting that Dumbledore might have made the Age Line incorrectly, and demands that Dumbledore do something about it, most of the discussion here is driven by Karkaroff. In the end, when no alternative is forthcoming to the requirement that Harry enter be accepted into the Tournament, Madame Maxime leaves with her selected Champion, Fleur Delacour, speaking to her rapidly in French.

At the Weighing of the Wands ceremony, attended by all five judges and Mr. Ollivander, Rita Skeeter is present as reporter for the Daily Prophet. Madame Maxime's sheer size makes for significant difficulty in getting her into the picture that the photographer is trying to take of the Champions and the judges.

Just before the First Task, Hagrid invites Harry to visit him at his hut at midnight, wearing his Invisibility Cloak. Harry arrives, and Hagrid immediately takes him to the Beauxbatons carriage, where he meets Madame Maxime. With a slightly embarrassed Harry following invisibly behind, Hagrid and Madame Maxime set off around the edge of the Forbidden Forest, where they find a large paddock with several wizards and four Dragons. Hagrid is, of course, entranced by them, and he has brought Madame Maxime to see them because they are so beautiful. Charlie Weasley, one of the dragon handlers, questions Hagrid on the propriety of his bringing Madame Maxime to see the basis for the Task that her Champion will be facing; Hagrid dismisses his concerns. Harry, having seen all he cares to see, returns to the Gryffindor common room.

At the Yule Ball, Harry sees that Madame Maxime is dancing with Hagrid. Some time later, Harry and Ron are walking in the rose garden. They see Hagrid and Madame Maxime sitting close together, and hear Hagrid starting to admit something very private to her. Unable to get away, they listen as Hagrid admits to his half-Giant ancestry, and asks Madame Maxime whether her Giant ancestor was her father or her mother. Shocked, Madame Maxime claims that she is just big-boned, that she has no Giants in her past, and she stalks off, back to the dance. After sitting a while, Hagrid sadly returns to his hut. Privately, Ron later suggests that Madame Maxime isn't fooling anyone with her protestations.

Rita Skeeter publishes Hagrid's admission in the Daily Prophet; Hermione wonders how she had overheard that, as apart from Harry and Ron, only Hagrid and Madame Maxime had been there.

At the Second Task, Fleur is attacked by Grindylows and is unable to rescue the hostage being held for her. Harry, however, does rescue Fleur's sister Gabrielle, and Fleur is so relieved by this that Madame Maxime has to restrain her from diving back into the lake to meet them.

In Divination class, Harry falls asleep and has a dream of what Voldemort is doing. He makes his way to Dumbledore's office, where he overhears Cornelius Fudge suggesting that the disappearance of Bartemius Crouch could possibly have something to do with Olympe Maxime, as the carriage was right there, and knowing the proclivities of her race. Discovered, and asked about the events of that evening, Harry says that he didn't see Madame Maxime anywhere, and suggests that she would have a hard time hiding.

At one point, Hagrid had been digging in the lawn, and Harry, watching from the castle above, had noticed Madame Maxime walk over to him and say something. Hagrid had evidently rebuffed her, because she had immediately returned to the Beauxbatons carriage. Just before the Third Task, Harry, at dinner, notices that Madame Maxime's eyes seem red, and that Hagrid keeps glancing at her.

After Harry's return from the graveyard, and Fudge's denial of the return of Voldemort, Professor Dumbledore asks Professor McGonagall to request that Hagrid and Madame Maxime meet him in his office. Harry, visiting Hagrid later with Ron and Hermione, notices a second oversized teacup on Hagrid's table, and hears that Madame Maxime had been visiting. Hagrid refuses to tell the Trio what mission Dumbledore has for him, but does say that he's almost got Olympe to agree to go with him.

While we see Madame Maxime getting into the coach as she prepares to leave Hogwarts with her students, she does not then speak to Harry.

Order of the Phoenix
While we do not see Madame Maxime directly in this book, we hear first of her that she has returned from the mission that was set for her and Hagrid by Dumbledore; this is somewhat alarming to Harry and Hermione because Hagrid has not yet returned.

When Hagrid does return, he tells them how he and Olympe Maxime had traveled to the home of the last tribe of giants, and had attempted to recruit them to Dumbledore's side. Their mission had failed when the then-leader of the giants was overthrown; Olympe had been forced to use magic to allow them to escape, which eliminated any further chance of negotiations. The two of them had attempted to form an alliance with the outcasts from the new regime, but were unsuccessful, except that Hagrid apparently had managed, with Olympe's help, to bring his half-brother Grawp back with him.

Half-Blood Prince
The carriage drawn by giant flying horses in which Madame Maxime arrived for the Triwizard Tournament is seen arriving at the school shortly before Albus Dumbledore's funeral. Harry is watching as Madame Maxime emerges and throws herself into Hagrid's arms. It is mentioned that Madame Maxime is present at the funeral, taking up two and a half chairs.

Relationships with Other Characters
Madame Maxime seems genuinely pleased to see "Dumblydorr". This does not, however, prevent her from becoming angry with him when he seems to have engineered two champions for Hogwarts.

Madame Maxime and Hagrid have a sometimes-rocky romantic relationship. Hagrid seems to fall in love with Olympe at first sight; she takes rather longer to return his affections, particularly when he implies that he knows she is half-Giant. While she seems to be ending the relationship at that point, she gradually thinks better of it, and at the end of that book the two of them, reconciled, journey through Europe together in search of the giants.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Mulciber

Overview
Little is known about Mulciber. He is mentioned as being particularly good at performing the Imperius curse.

Goblet of Fire
Igor Karkaroff, pleading for early release from Azkaban, says that Mulciber specialized in the Imperius curse, making his victims do horrific things. Bartemius Crouch Sr. dismisses this information, saying they have already caught Mulciber.

Order of the Phoenix
We assume that Mulciber was among the Death Eaters to escape from Azkaban midway through the novel: though he isn't mentioned by name, his presence later on implies such. Mulciber later takes part in the battle of the Department of Mysteries. When the Death Eaters split up he goes with Lucius Malfoy to search and is not known to have encountered any of the students during the chase. He later takes part in the final battle where he is presumably defeated and sent back to Azkaban.

Half-Blood Prince
When Lord Voldemort, or Tom Riddle as he is then known, is seen in Albus Dumbledore's memories returning to Hogwarts to apply for the job of teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts, Dumbledore asks him about his "friends" waiting for him back in Hogsmeade. Mulciber is one of the friends named, along with Nott, Antonin Dolohov, and Evan Rosier.

Deathly Hallows
Mulciber was mentioned by Lily Evans, seen in Severus Snape's memories in the Pensieve, as being one of the people that Snape hung around with that Lily simply could not stand.

Strengths
Mulciber is said to be skilled with the Imperius Curse.

Analysis
If Mulciber is one of Snape's crowd, he must be about the same age as James Potter; however, we know that the Potters were born when Voldemort was about thirty. Voldemort had carefully selected four of his cronies, who were then starting to call themselves Death Eaters, to accompany him to Hogwarts to ask for the Defence Against the Dark Arts job. Given that by the time James died, the Wizarding world was terrified of the Death Eaters, Voldemort's application must have been some time before James' death, when any friend of Snape's would have been still very young. It is unlikely that Voldemort would have brought someone as young as that into his inner council. It is entirely possible that there are two Mulcibers, probably father and son, and they are not differentiated in the books. Since neither Mulciber is fully named (in the British convention, people are often named by surname only) it is difficult to know which one is being referred to most of the time.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Nott

Overview
Nott is a Death Eater, whose son Theodore is a Slytherin in Harry's year. He is never given a first name.

Goblet of Fire
Nott is first seen as one of the Death Eaters to appear after Lord Voldemort's re-embodiment. He tried to profess his loyalty to Voldemort before being interrupted.

Order of the Phoenix
Nott is injured in the first skirmish in the battle at the Ministry, presumably by falling shelves, to the extent that Lucius Malfoy instructs the other Death Eaters there present to leave him. It's likely that he did not take part in the final battle (in the Room of the Veil) due to his injuries. He was presumably sent to Azkaban afterwards along with the other Death Eaters who had been captured in that battle by the Order of the Phoenix.

Half-Blood Prince
Nott is mentioned at the beginning of the book by Blaise Zabini. Apparently he was an old friend and ex-student of Professor Slughorn's, however his son was not invited to the Slug Club due to Nott Sr's recent arrest, apparently Slughorn does not wish to have any association with the Death Eaters.

When Lord Voldemort, or Tom Riddle as he is then known, is seen in Albus Dumbledore's memories returning to Hogwarts to apply for the job of teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts, Dumbledore asks him about his "friends" waiting for him in Hogsmeade. Nott is one of the friends mentioned by name, along with Mulciber, Antonin Dolohov, and Evan Rosier.

Outside the series
Nott originally had a scene in which he and Lucius Malfoy discussed Death Eater business off camera, while their sons Theodore Nott and Draco Malfoy discussed Harry and Albus Dumbledore. The author mentions that while she tried to fit the scene into two different books, it didn't work well either place and so was laid to rest.

Analysis
Nott was one of Lord Voldemort's earliest followers, along with Avery, Lestrange, Rosier, Mulciber, and Dolohov. Unlike the others (with the possible exception of Dolohov) Nott seems to be the only one of the original Death Eaters who are still fighting for Voldemort. The others seem to have been replaced by their sons (or other relatives). It's possible that the Nott we see is also a descendant of the original Nott, though this is unlikely as Harry refers to him as "stooped," generally a descriptions that applies to elders. Additionally, in interviews following the release of the series, JK Rowling has described him as "an elderly widower" when he had Theodore (who is Harry's age). Due to this it's possible that Nott is the longest serving follower of Voldemort's who still serves him today, or at least of the Death Eaters that we've seen.

Greater Picture
Seeing as his son was originally supposed to have a larger role in the series, it's possible that the elder Nott was going to have a slightly larger role too. At the very least he was supposed to appear in a discarded scene involving his son and Draco Malfoy where he would have arrived at Malfoy Manor to discuss Death Eater affairs with Lucius.


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Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Hestia Jones

Overview
Hestia Jones is a pink-cheeked, black-haired witch who is a member of the Order of the Phoenix.

Order of the Phoenix
Hestia Jones is a member of the Advance Guard who arrive at the Dursleys' home to escort Harry to the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix.

Deathly Hallows
Hestia Jones is one of two Order members (the other being Dedalus Diggle) who take the Dursley family away from Privet Drive in order to keep them safe.

Relationships with Other Characters
We do not see enough of Hestia to know if she has any particular relationships with any other characters, except that she does seem friendly enough with Dedalus Diggle. We do believe that she is one of the Order members who is involved in guarding Harry while he is at Privet Drive.