House of Black

"*Toujours Pur*"
— The Black Family Motto
**The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black** was one of the largest, oldest, and wealthiest pureblooded wizarding families in Great Britain, and one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Many wizarding families in Britain were distantly related to the House of Black. Like the Malfoy and Lestrange families, the House of Black was synonymous with elevated status and wealth.

The Black family tree was displayed in the drawing room of the family home at 12 Grimmauld Place in London, England on an intricate tapestry, as an ornate mural. The tapestry started in the Middle Ages and showed the dominant line of the family up to the death of its last members.

## Family Members

### Main Family

* **Apollonia Black** —
* **Artemisia Black** —
* **Licorus Black** —
* **Phoebe Black** —
* **Alexia Walkin Black** —
* **Hesper Black** —
* **Eduardus Limette Black** —
* **Misapinoa Black** —
* **Cygnus Black I** —
* **Arcturus Black I** —

### Relatives by Marriage

* **Eunon Wood** — Husband of Artemisia Black and the father of Lysandra Blackwood.
* **Magenta Tripe** — Wife of Licorus Black.
* **James Blishwick** — Husband of Misapinoa Black
* **Ella Max** — Wife of Cygnus Black I.
* **Illyria Greengrass** — Wife of Arcturus Black I and the mother of Altair, Octans, Sextans, Mensa, Antlia, Canopus, Equuleus, Atria, and Alphecca Black.
* **Ursula Flint** — Wife of Phineas Nigellus Black and the mother of Sirius, Phineas, Cygnus, Belvina, and Arcturus Black.
* **Robert Hitchens** — Husband of Iola Black
* **Hesper Gamp** — Wife of Sirius Black II and the mother of Arcturus, Lycoris, and Regulus Black.
* **Violetta Bulstrode** — Wife of Cygnus Black II and the mother of Pollux, Cassiopeia, Marius, and Dorea Black.
* **Herburt Burke** — Husband of Belvina Black.
* **Lysandra Yaxley** — Wife of Arcturus Black II and the mother of Callidora, Cedrella, and Charis Black.
* **Melania Macmillan** — Wife of Arcturus Black III and the mother of Lucretia and Orion Black.
* **Irma Crabbe** — Wife of Pollux Black and the mother of Walburga, Alphard, and Cygnus Black.
* **Harfang Longbottom** — Husband of Callidora Black.
* **Septimus Weasley** — Husband of Cedrella Black and the father of Arthur Weasley.
* **Caspar Crouch** — Husband of Charis Black and the father of Bartemius Crouch Sr.
* **Charlus Potter** — Husband of Dorea Black.
* **Ignatius Prewett** — Husband of Lucretia Black.
* **Druella Rosier** — Wife of Cygnus Black III and the mother of Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa Black.
* **Rudolphus Lestrange** — Husband of Bellatrix Black and the father of Rastaban and Vulpecula Lestrange.
* **Edward Tonks** — Husband of Andromeda Black and the father of Nymphadora Tonks.
* **Lucius Malfoy II** — Husband of Narcissa Black and the father of Cetus, Lyra, Draco, Pyxis, and Vega Malfoy.

### Distant Relatives

* **Lysandra Blackwood** — Daughter of Artemisia Black and Eunon Wood. She was born a Squib.
* **Arthur Weasley** — Son of Cedrella Black and Septimus Weasley and the father of Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred, George, Ron, and Ginny Weasley.
* **Bartemius Crouch Sr** — Son of Charis Black and Caspar Crouch and the father of Barty Crouch Jr.
* **Barty Crouch Jr** — Son of Bartemius Crouch Sr and the grandson of Charis Black.
* **Bill Weasley** — Son of Arthur Weasley and the grandson of Cedrella Black.
* **Charlie Weasley** — Son of Arthur Weasley and the grandson of Cedrella Black.
* **Percy Weasley** — Son of Arthur Weasley and the grandson of Cedrella Black.
* **Fred Weasley** — Son of Arthur Weasley and the grandson of Cedrella Black.
* **George Weasley** — Son of Arthur Weasley and the grandson of Cedrella Black.
* **Ron Weasley** — Son of Arthur Weasley and the grandson of Cedrella Black.
* **Ginny Weasley** — Daughter of Arthur Weasley and the granddaughter of Cedrella Black.

## Family Tree

### Blasted off of the Tapestry

"*Blood traitor, abomination, shame of my flesh! ... Filth! Scum! By-products of dirt and vileness! How dare you befoul the house of my fathers!*"
— Walburga Black's portrait screaming at her "traitor" son

The original family tree from Grimmauld Place was subject to some magical interference. According to Sirius Black, his mother Walburga blasted names of "blood traitors" off the tapestry without any hesitation. *Toujours Pur*, the Black family motto which means "always pure", was followed assiduously by family members; as any who disagreed with the notion of blood purity and/or married muggles or people with different blood statuses were disowned and blasted from the family tree, as were any family member who were squibs.

Thus it can be assumed that family members that remained on the tapestry have married fellow, "respectable" purebloods. Some even ended up marrying their own cousins; Orion and Walburga Black for example, as they were second cousins. Generations of this practice have resulted in inbreeding; which in turn has caused many problems, such as low fertility and emotional instability.

The members of the family that are known to be disowned are: Eduardus Limette, Iola, Phineas, Marius, Cedrella, Alphard, Andromeda, and Sirius Black.