Lesson 2
The Black Family
History and Genealogy
Ancestry: mostly pure-blood; descendants of mixed blood are not recognized by the family.
Family crest is mentioned but not described; however, Rowling drew it on her Black Family Tree. It shows a shield with greyhounds rampant charged with a chevron, 2 five-pointed stars and a short sword. In the formal language of heraldry, it is: "Sable, a chevron between two mullets in chief and a sword in base, argent."
Family motto: Toujours pur ("always pure" in French).
A tapestry of the Black Family exists at number twelve Grimmauld Place that has, according to Kreacher, been in the family for seven centuries. On it the family's births, marriages and deaths are embroidered with gold thread; family members who have been disowned have been "blasted" from the fabric (a small burn like a cigarette burn is where their name is). The tapestry above (see link in title), drawn by J.K. Rowling, appears to be a partial of the original.
The Black family is considered practically royalty, both by the members of the family and by the larger Wizarding community as a whole. With a few key exceptions (Including Sirius Black and Nymphadora Tonks), the family’s arrogance, self-importance, and affiliation with Dark Magic is a common characteristic.
Era of the First Wizarding War (circa 1970’s-1980’s)
Several of the Blacks who are important to the plotline of the Harry Potter books were born around the 1050’s-1960’s.
Bellatrix (Black) Lestrange was born in 1951 (she later married Rodolphus Lestrange and was a lifetime supporter of the Dark Lord).
Andromeda (Black) Tonks was born around 1953 (she married Ted Tonks, a Muggle-born wizard. Andromeda is one of the family members who has been blasted off the tapestry - aka disowned).
Narcissa (Black) Malfoy was born in 1955 (she later married Lucius Malfoy).
Sirius Black was born in 1959 or 1960 (he ran away from home at the age of 16, was a member of the Marauders of Hogwarts, and was Harry Potter’s godfather. More on him in a bit).
Regulus Arcturus Black was born in 1961 (also known as RAB, he became a Death Eater at the age of 16. Sirius thought that Regulus was killed by Death Eaters because he panicked and tried to leave. In reality, Regulus began to have a change of heart when he saw firsthand what the Dark Lord was doing. He died soon after).
On September 1, 1970, the Marauders began their career at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The next seven years were full of adventures, including but not limited to monthly excursions with Remus Lupin through the Whomping Willow to the Shrieking Shack, the Marauder’s Map, unregistered Animagus, and the life of a Gryffindor Prefect. During these seven years, Sirius Black ran away from his familial home and was disowned. Also, his brother Regulus joined the Death Eaters and was embraced by his family for upholding their heritage.
Soon after this generation of Blacks graduated from Hogwarts, Lord Voldemort began his rise to power. The Order of the Phoenix was formed to fight against the Dark Lord’s forces. Sirius Black and Nymphadora Tonks both joined the Order, causing further disgrace to their family. When Lord Voldemort “vanished” on October 31, 1981 (after the murder of James and Lily Potter, facilitated by the treachery of Peter Pettigrew), Sirius Black was thrown in to Azkaban for exacting revenge against Pettigrew.
In the interim between 1981 and 1991 (when Lord Voldemort initiates his second rise to power, through Professor Quirrell), little is mentioned about the Black Family. Nymphadora Tonks continues her career as an Auror; Narcissa Malfoy continues her marriage to Lucius Malfoy and they raise their only child, Draco; and Bellatrix Lestrange spends the years in Azkaban due to her position as a Death Eater.
Era of the Second Wizarding War
The reemergence of the Black family into mainstream wizarding society coincided with Harry Potter’s arrival and subsequent career at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1991. This is at least in part because Harry Potter and the Dark Lord were connected on an incredibly deep level (which we know was a result of the unintentional Horcrux). The relationship is most simply described like this: As Lord Voldemort grew in power, his most loyal supporters (including the remaining members of the Black family) became increasingly more active, in preparation for his return to power; at the same time, as Harry Potter grew older, more experienced, and more deeply involved, those who supported the Light (including the members of the Order of the Phoenix, such as Nymphadora [Black] Tonks), also grew increasingly active. Whatever the coincidence may be, the correlating relationship is undeniable.
Several important events that involve or affect the Black Family occur during the era of the Second Wizarding War.
HP’s 1st & 2nd years at Hogwarts:
Lord Voldemort’s first two attempts to return to his physical form are foiled by Harry Potter & Co.
HP’s 3rd year:
July 29th or 30th - Sirius Black escapes from Azkaban. He did this by transforming into his unregistered Animagus form, a great black dog. Sirius Black’s goal was to find Peter Pettigrew and punish him for betraying James and Lily Potter. At this time, Pettigrew is masquerading as Ron Weasley’s pet rat, Scabbers - his unregistered Animagus form.
Also in this year, Remus Lupin, one of the original members of the Marauders (James Potter, Peter Pettigrew, Remus Lupin, Sirius Black), returns to Hogwarts to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts.
This year is fraught with tension and misunderstanding between the Light and the Dark. Essentially, many people know only partial-truths, which causes all sorts of troublesome mayhem.
HP’s 4th year:
Early August - Lord Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew take up residence in the old Riddle House in the town of Little Hangleton.
During this year, the Triwizard Tournament occurs at Hogwarts. This brings Igor Karkaroff, Headmaster of Durmstrang and former Death Eater (who repudiated the Death Eaters after Lord Voldemort’s initial defeat and therefore marked himself a traitor) into contact with both Severus Snape (spy extraordinaire) and the fake Alastor Moody (in reality, the famed Death Eater Bartemius Crouch Junior, who is masquerading as the Auror). This year is marked by Lord Voldemort’s overt rise to his former strength, culminating with the end of the third task of the Triwizard Tournament, in which Cedric Diggory is murdered, Harry Potter’s blood is taken, Lord Voldemort’s body is regenerated, and his Death Eaters are summoned to stand before their master for the first time in 13 years.
HP’s 5th year -
January - Antonin Dolohov, Augustus Rookwood, Bellatrix Lestrange,Rodolphus Lestrange, Rabastan Lestrange, Mulciber, and four other Death Eaters escape from Azkaban Prison and rejoin Lord Voldemort.
June - Battle at the Department of Mysteries: during this battle, Bellatrix Lestrange (fighting for Lord Voldemort) fights against her disowned sister Nymphadora Tonks and murders her cousin Sirius Black (fighting for the Order of the Phoenix). During this battle, Lucius Malfoy falls out of the Dark Lord’s favor, due to the fact that he failed to retrieve the prophecy that Lord Voldemort wanted. As a result, Narcissa (Black) Malfoy finds her position precarious.
HP’s 6th year -
July-August - Lord Voldemort is out in the open, gaining power by the day, and the Death Eaters cause mass mayhem.
In early July, Narcissa Malfoy (wife of a Death Eater) and Bellatrix Lestrange (Death Eater) visit Severus Snape (spy extraordinaire). Narcissa is petitioning Snape to protect her son, Draco, who recently became a Death Eater and has been tasked by Lord Voldemort to kill Albus Dumbledore. This scene is a great example of the complex relationship between these sisters, and in extension, of the entire Black family.
During this school year, the secret of Lord Voldemort’s horcruxes is exposed. The Dark Lord and his loyal followers, including Bellatrix, simultaneously become more powerful and more endangered.
June - Draco Malfoy succeeds in admitting Death Eaters to Hogwarts. Severus Snape fulfills his oath to Narcissa Malfoy by murdering Albus Dumbledore.
HP’s 7th year -
Late July - Battle between Death Eaters and the Order of the Phoenix as Harry Potter is moved from 4 Privet Drive to The Burrow. In this fight, Bellatrix Lestrange and Nymphadora Tonks once again battle each other. Great familial relationship, eh?
Harry Potter shows Kreacher the fake horcrux that he and Albus Dumbledore retrieved from Lord Voldemort's secret cave. Kreacher recognizes that it is the locket of his favourite Black master, Regulus. Kreacher tells Harry and his friends that he and Regulus defied the Dark Lord and stole the real Horcrux from the cave and replaced it with the fake one. Kreacher was ordered by Regulus to destroy the real horcrux, but he failed and unfortunately Regulus was killed by inferi while trying to escape the cave. Kreacher was so thankful to get Regulus' old locket back that he pledged his allegiance to Harry and his friends.
The Second War rages during this school year. It comes to a climax in May of 1998, when the epic Final Battle is fought at Hogwarts. Many people including Nymphadora Tonks and Bellatrix Lestrange died during this battle. In the end, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix defeat Lord Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
The First and Second Wizarding Wars greatly impact the Black family. At the end of the Second War, the only direct blood relatives of the Black family still alive are Narcissa and Draco Malfoy. The Black family’s history can be summarized with the statement that the members were uniformly fiercely passionate yet in disagreement about their causes. The Black family played a major role in both the side of Light and Dark in a tumultuous period of Wizarding life.