User:Lord Voldemorts Death Eaters

The Death Eaters
First appearance	Term first used in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, though other followers of Lord Voldemort had been previously met.
Location	Various
Purpose	Preservation of blood purity and serving Lord Voldemort
Enemies	Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's Army, and the Ministry of Magic

In the fictional Harry Potter series, a Death Eater is a follower of Lord Voldemort. The Death Eaters were Voldemort's organisation in his war against the British wizarding government Ministry of Magic and Dumbledore's anti-Dark group Order of the Phoenix.

Bio

Their tasks include doing battle against the Ministry of Magic and the Order of the Phoenix, and reducing the resistance by those who oppose Voldemort by threatening, kidnapping, killing, blackmailing or physically harming their families, particularly the children. After joining, Death Eaters are required to exhibit loyalty and obedience until death. Failure to do so results in punishment, often in the form of torture or death.

All Death Eaters are branded with the Dark Mark on their left forearm. The Dark Mark, Voldemort's sign (a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth) is used to summon the Death Eaters - when Voldemort touches any Death Eater's mark, the others' marks would burn, and the Death Eaters were expected to Apparate next to their master. The standard Death Eater attire is a black, hooded robe and a white skull mask, concealing the upper half of the face.

The film version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire features the Death Eaters in skull masks and black robes with pointed hats, reminiscent of the robes worn by members of the Ku Klux Klan.

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Several sons and daughters of Death Eaters attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry - the school itself has never had any political or ideological allegiance, although its various Heads did. According to J.K. Rowling, although the Slytherins we most often hear from are the descendants of Death Eaters, they are only part of the Slytherin population and there are some students connected to the Death Eaters in Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, and Ravenclaw as well.

The Fall and Second Rise of Lord Voldemort

When Lord Voldemort was vanquished after failing to kill Harry Potter, the Death Eaters largely disbanded. The Ministry rounded many of them up and imprisoned them in Azkaban, but some eluded justice by claiming they were bewitched or by turning in other Death Eaters, as Igor Karkaroff did; Harry witnesses Karkaroff's testimony against former Death Eaters in Dumbledore's Pensieve.

As Lord Voldemort regains a full-strength corporeal existence at the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, he summons his followers to him by touching Peter Pettigrew's Dark Mark. Some who have betrayed him are too afraid to return to him, and others are dead or imprisoned, but many return to his service as Lord Voldemort begins his second attempt to claim power.

The Minister for Magic (Cornelius Fudge) and most of the Ministry of Magic originally refuse to believe that Lord Voldemort has returned. Though Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore serve as dissenting voices, the majority of the public chooses to believe the Ministry's position. This gives the Death Eaters an advantage, and for much of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the group keeps a low profile in order to maintain their secrecy. Because of the Ministry's refusal to remove the dementors from Azkaban, which Dumbledore advised immediately following Voldemort's return, the Death Eaters are able to recruit the dementors to their cause and make similar progress with the giants; the quiet revolt of the dementors also allowed the Death Eaters to bolster their ranks by allowing the mass breakout of several surviving imprisoned members.

Voldemort sends a group of 12 Death Eaters, led by Lucius Malfoy, secretly into the Department of Mysteries, where he expects them to secure for him a Prophecy Record. This Prophecy is of vital importance to him: having originally attacked Harry Potter based upon a partial recounting of it, he now wants to hear the full version in order to learn fully of the connection between Potter and himself. The raid on the Department fails however: Potter and his friends delay the Death Eaters and keep the Prophecy out of their hands, finally destroying it, and are eventually aided by Albus Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. Dumbledore captures 11 of the 12 Death Eaters, puts Voldemort and the only escaping Death Eater (Bellatrix Lestrange) to flight, and summons Ministry officials, including the Minister for Magic, who arrives in time to witness Voldemort.

The raid is thus a profound failure for the Death Eaters: their reactivation is no longer a secret, and Lucius Malfoy, who had been important both in the Death Eaters and in the Ministry, has been captured and discredited. However, the Death Eaters proceed to make the most of their move into open action: they resume the lifestyle and behaviour that they were forced to abandon at Voldemort's fall, assassinating and kidnapping important wizards, killing muggles, and spreading general terror and chaos.

Death Eater Tally

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix we learn that a "dozen-odd" Death Eaters appeared at the summons. Counting them, the ten mentioned as being broken out of Azkaban in the same book, the three said by Voldemort to be dead in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and the three in that book named by Voldemort as not present but not imprisoned, it is certain there were at least twenty-eight Death Eaters at the time of Voldemort's fall. During his duel with Voldemort in Goblet of Fire, Harry contemplates using Expelliarmus, but at first sees no need for it, as he sees himself as outnumbered "at least thirty to one".

It is unknown how many followers Voldemort has outside of Britain, but a known non-British Death Eater was Igor Karkaroff (of Slavic nationality, although presumably a British resident at the time of Voldemort's first fall); another Death Eater, Antonin Dolohov, has a Ukrainian name.

Ideology

In short, the Death Eaters seek to destroy wizarding families of Muggle lineage, to destroy the Muggle world and gain complete power and control over the entire wizarding world, and restore the magical community to the pure-bloods. The Death Eaters are supporters of pure-blood heritage, or wizards who have no Muggle ancestors (ironic, as their leader, Lord Voldemort, is a half-blood who has a Muggle father). It is unlikely that all of them are pure-bloods, as very few pure-bloods still exist; it is noted that possibly many of them are half-bloods clinging to their pure-blood ancestors. One such appears to be Severus Snape: a half-blood, Snape called himself (although few knew it) 'The Half Blood Prince' while at school, a reference to his mother's wizarding family, the Princes. The Death Eaters have also attacked purebloods who oppose them: for example, the Prewett brothers, who were Purebloods, but members of the Order of the Phoenix. It is also stated, by Rowling herself, that a Muggle-born wizard can become a Death Eater "in rare circumstances". [1]

The Ministry of Magic has a unit of law enforcement officers known as the Aurors, a squad of the most accomplished trackers and criminal hunters in existence. Aurors are responsible for hunting and capturing - or killing, if necessary - Death Eaters and other criminals. The British Ministry is not the only group resisting the Death Eaters: the Order of the Phoenix, an organisation (consisting of a few Aurors itself) set up by Albus Dumbledore to combat Lord Voldemort and his followers, plants spies among the Death Eaters and fights on a more covert level. While in his fifth year at school, Harry Potter and his best friends Hermione Granger and Ronald Weasley, started an organisation called Dumbledore's Army. Initially Dumbledore's Army was conceptualised as a rebel study group where the members were secretly taught the use of Defence Against the Dark Arts magic by Harry, but it was also formed, as stated by Hermione during their initial meeting, as a method of learning to fight the forces of Voldemort. Later, several members of the group help Harry fight the Death Eaters in the Department of Mysteries, and a year later when the Battle of Hogwarts takes place, the same members again fight against the Death Eaters.

Known Death Eaters

Those with no explicitly listed crimes, in most cases, participated in the battle at the Department of Mysteries, or are known to be Death Eaters for other reasons. Current Status indicates the wizard's status as of the end of the sixth book. Among the known Death Eaters are:

At Large

• Alecto
• Amycus
• "Brutal-Face"
• "Massive Blonde"
• Bellatrix Lestrange
• Draco Malfoy
• Narcissa Malfoy
• Peter Pettigrew
• Severus Snape

Imprisoned

• Avery Jr. (b. late 1950s or early 1960s)
  • Attended Hogwarts with Snape and was one of his "gang of Slytherins," according to Sirius Black. The first Death Eater to crack and grovel at Voldemort's feet during the reunion at the Riddle House, having avoided Azkaban by claiming he'd acted under the Imperius Curse. Voldemort responded with the Cruciatus Curse, saying he wanted 13 years repayment before forgiving the Death Eaters for their lack of belief in him. When Voldemort later learned from Rookwood that Avery's information about the Department of Mysteries had been wrong -- that he himself or Harry Potter could safely take the prophecy sphere from its resting palce -- Voldemort punished Avery again. Avery survived to fight in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. Probably related (father/son) to the Avery that attended Hogwarts with Tom Riddle.

• Crabbe Sr.
  • A large, somewhat dim fellow, father of Vincent Crabbe. Fought in the Department of Mysteries.

• Antonin Dolohov
  • One of the earliest (c. 1955) members of the Death Eaters. Along with four other Death Eaters, murdered Gideon and Fabian Prewett, and tortured many muggles and opponents of Voldemort during the first war. Dolohov was caught shortly after Karkaroff, who named him during his own trial. Dolohov was sent to Azkaban, but escaped during the mass breakout of January 1996. Dolohov faught in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, during which he severely injured Hermione and was only just prevented from killing her.

• Goyle Sr.
  • A large, somewhat dim fellow, father of Gregory Goyle.

• Jugson
  • Fought in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

• Rabastan Lestrange
  • Brother of Rodolphus, Rabastan participated in the torture of the Longbottoms, for which he was given a life sentence in Azkaban; he escaped in the mass breakout of January 1996. Rabastan fought in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

• Rodolphus Lestrange
  • Married to Bellatrix, brother of Rabastan, Rodolphus was one of the Death Eaters who tortured the Longbottoms, for which he was given a life sentence in Azkaban. Attended Hogwarts with Snape and was one of his "gang of Slytherins," according to Sirius Black. He escaped in the mass breakout of January 1996 along with his brother. Fought in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

• Walden Macnair (imprisoned)
  • Macnair's respectable front for years was that he was an executioner for the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures.

• Lucius Malfoy (imprisoned) (b. 1954 - )
  • Brother-in-law of Bellatrix Black Lestrange through his wife Narcissa, Lucius escaped justice after Voldemort's downfall by claiming to have acted under the Imperius Curse, and thereafter worked at maintaining a respectable front. Lucius tormented Muggles for fun at the Quidditch World Cup, but fled in panic when Crouch Jr. fired the Dark Mark into the sky. When Voldemort returned in June 1995, Malfoy returned to his old master.

• • Lucius served as one of Hogwarts' school govenors until 1993, when a complex scheme to discredit Arthur Weasley through one of his children backfired. Lucius still kept tabs on Hogwarts through his son Draco Malfoy, who entered Slytherin in 1991.

• • Lucius tried to Imperius Broderick Bode into obtaining the Prophecy for Voldemort and was later in command of the Death Eaters at the Department of Mysteries in his master's absence, reining in his companions to avoid accidental damage to the prophecy sphere. Voldemort was reportedly furious at Malfoy's failure to abtain the prophecy. After the battle. Malfoy was arrested and sent to Azkaban.

• Mulciber
  • One of the earliest (c.1955) members of the Death Eaters. Imperius Curse specialist, who had already been captured by the time Karkaroff came to trial -- much to Karkaroff's dismay, who was busy trying to trade Mulciber's name for his own freedom. Fought in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

• Nott
  • One of the earliest (c.1955) members of the Death Eaters. Avoided Azkaban after Voldemort's fall, but attended the "rebirthing party" in June 1955. His son Theodore entered Slytherin in 1991. Nott fought in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

• Augustus Rookwood
  • Spy in the Ministry, worked for the Department of Mysteries but had agents throughout the Ministry, not all of whom knew they were really working for. (For example, Rookwood was an old friend of Ludo Bagman's father, and Bagman passed him information, apparently quite innocently.) Karkaroff named Rookwood during his own trial, and Rookwood was sent to Azkaban but escaped in the mass breakout of January 1996. Rookwood fought in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

Dead

• Regulus Black (c. 1960 - 1980)
  • Cousin of Bellatrix, brother of Sirius. Regulus shared his parents' pure-blood prejudices and joined the Death Eaters after leaving Hogwarts.

• Barty Crouch Jr. (received the Kiss)
  • Participated in the torture of the Longbottoms, for which he was given life sentence in Azkaban. Through his family's efforts, he escaped Azkaban only to be held prisoner by his own father, as he had to be restrained from searching for his old master. Voldemort, learning through a third party of Crouch's survival, rescued him with Wormtail's help. Crouch was given the delicate task of infiltrating Hogwarts, using Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Moody, to get at Harry. Crouch was given the Dementor's Kiss before he could be made to give official testimony about Voldemort's return and activities.

• Gibbon (? - 1997)
  • Death Eater who set off the Dark Mark during the Battle of the Tower. He died from a killing curse that missed Lupin.

• Igor Karkaroff (deseased)
  • Captured c.1979-80 by "Mad Eye" Moody after six months of pursuit, by the time Karkaroff came to trial Voldemort had fallen. Facing a life sentence in Azkaban, Karkaroff recanted his allegiance and sold out several other Death Eaters (including Rookwood and Snape) in exchange for immunity from prosecution. Karkaroff later became headmaster of Durmstrang Institute. When he realized that Voldemort had returned, Karkaroff fled for his life. Deceased; his body was found during the summer of 1996 "in a shack up north" with the Dark Mark over it.

• Quirinus Quirrell (d. 1992)
  • Is the man who tried to help Voldermort steal the stone.

• Evan Rosier (b. late 1950s or early 1960s - c. 1980)
  • Killed by Aurors c.1980, shortly after Karkaroff's capture, while resisting arrest, taking a big chunk out of "Mad Eye" Moody's nose in the process. Attended Hogwarts with Snape and was one of his "gang of Slytherins," according to Sirius Black. Probably the child of the elder Rosier.

• Wilkes (b. late 1950s or early 1960s - c. 1980)
  • Killed by Aurors c.1980. Attended Hogwarts with Snape and was one of his "gang of Slytherins," according to Sirius Black.

Unknown

• Avery Sr. (b. late 1920s)
  • One of the earliest (c.1955) Death Eaters;attended Hogwarts with Tom Riddle. Probably related (father/son)?) to the Avery that attended Hogwarts with Severus Snape.

• Fenrir Greyback
  • Werewolf who kills for fun, even when not transformed.

• Rosier
  • One of the earliest (c.1955) members of the Death Eaters probably related to Evan Rosier.

• Travers
  • Murdered the McKinnons according to Karkaroff during his own trial.

• Yaxley
  • Snape mentions him/her and implies that he/she escaped detention in Azkaban..

Minor

• Mr. Borgin
• Millicent Bulstrode
• Caractacus Burke
• Vincent Crabbe
• Gregory Goyle
• Marcus Flint
• Theodore Nott
• Pansy Parkinson
• Blaise Zabini

See also

• Minor Dark wizards in Harry Potter
• Lord Voldemort

External links

• Harry Potter Lexicon item on Death Eaters
• Lord Voldemorts Death Eaters on Harry Potter Wiki, an external wiki