Dark Wizard(-Harry Potter)

> But when a wizard goes over ter the Dark Side, there's nothin' and no one that matters to em anymore...
>
> Rubeus Hagrid about the nature of Dark wizards, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

A **Dark wizard** or **witch** was any magical person who primarily studied and/or practised the Dark Arts, otherwise known as Dark Magic. They often partook in the illegal breeding of dark creatures, the usage or creation of dark objects and artefacts, or inflicted injury, trauma or death on others often using dangerous curses, and other dark charms.

## Organisation information

### Enemies

* British Ministry of Magic
* Magical Congress of the United States of America
* Order of the Phoenix
* Dumbledore's Army
* Aurors

In recent history, two Dark wizards of particular notoriety were ***Gellert Grindelwald*** and Lord Voldemort. Both were considered the most powerful Dark wizards of their time, with Voldemort considered to be the most powerful Dark wizard of all time.

Grindelwald sought the ***Deathly Hallows*** to become the ***Master of Death*** and to establish a global wizarding order that would ***dominate Muggles*** all "***For the Greater Good***", while Voldemort sought to gain unmatched power, immortality and to impose pure-blood supremacy on the wizarding world.

## Overview

> A wizard who's about to put an illegal curse on you isn't going to tell you what he's about to do. He's not going to do it nice and polite to your face. You need to be prepared.
>
> Bartemius Crouch Junior (disguised as Alastor Moody) regarding Dark wizards, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

   Some of the magic Dark wizards had been known to practise included the use of the three Unforgivable Curses and other dark charms, creating or brewing dark or poisonous potions, utilising and creating dark or cursed objects, animating ***Inferi***, attracting all kinds of dark and dangerous creatures to make huge armies and command them to attack their enemies, along with the breeding of them, such as Basilisks.

Noted Dark wizards and witches included: ***Herpo the Foul***, ***Raczidian***, ***Morgan le Fay***, ***Emeric the Evil***, Salazar Slytherin, ***Merwyn the Malicious***, ***Ekrizdis***, ***Barnabas Deverill***, ***Loxias***, ***Gellert Grindelwald***, and Lord Voldemort, as well as the latter's followers, known as ***Death Eaters***. According to the wizarding journalist ***Rita Skeeter***, in a list of Most Dangerous Dark Wizards of All Time, Grindelwald would miss out on the top spot only because Voldemort arrived, a generation later, to take his crown.

The ***Mahoutokoro*** professor ***Dai Ryusaki*** was a wizard thought to be Dark due to his ***Dark Scroll*** and connection to the dangerous ***Crown of Mneme***; however in reality he was not, as the Crown of Mneme which he created was intended to help people before it became too powerful and dangerous. He was falsely labelled a Dark wizard due to the embarassment of the wizarding community regarding his wrongful arrest and ***execution*** by the ***International Confederation of Wizards***. However, the ***amulet*** he was wearing when he died had a habit of turning decent wizards Dark.

## Types of wizards

> Dobby could tell Harry Potter that his old masters were — were — bad Dark wizards!
>
> Dobby regarding the Malfoy family to Harry Potter, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

   Others who might be considered Dark wizards were the owners and customers of shops such as Borgin and Burkes, and arguably students of Durmstrang Institute, as the curriculum there taught much of the Dark Arts. Many Dark wizards and witches appeared to believe in the importance of blood purity and to hate Muggles and Muggle-borns, though there was not necessarily a connection. Many historical Dark wizards, such as Gellert Grindelwald and his followers and acolytes, supported the ideology of wizarding supremacy, as opposed to pure-blood supremacy, and even not all dark wizards bowed to a particular ideological cause, others used the Dark Arts for organised crime such as the Rookwood family and their gang in the 19th century.
In Great Britain, many well-known Dark wizards and witches came out of Slytherin House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, though this was not universal to this house. For example, Peter Pettigrew was in Gryffindor, yet he betrayed the Order of the Phoenix and joined Voldemort; Quirinus Quirrell, a Ravenclaw, also allied himself with the Dark Lord; and (albeit only in an alternate timeline) Cedric Diggory from Hufflepuff would become a Death Eater, whereas Slytherins such as Horace Slughorn, Regulus Black, Andromeda Tonks and later Severus Snape opposed the Death Eaters and fought against them.

## Known Dark wizards and witches

> Did I know that I had just met the most dangerous Dark wizard of all time?
>
> Albus Dumbledore regarding a young Tom Riddle, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

### Dark wizards and witches

Template:Cleanup

* Peter Pettigrew
* Quirinus Quirrell
* Tom Riddle (commonly known as Lord Voldemort)
* Salazar Slytherin
* Severus Snape

### Fictional Dark wizards and witches

* Antioch and Cadmus Peverell in *The Tale of the Three Brothers.*
* The Warlock from *The Warlock's Hairy Heart*.
* The Evil Sorcerer from *The Fountain of Fair Fortune*.

### Possible Dark wizards and witches

* Members of the Carrow family
* Members of the Crabbe family
* Members of the Crouch family
* Members of the Goyle family
* Members of the Lestrange family
* Members of the ***Malfoy family*** (Except Scorpius Malfoy)
* Members of the Rosier family
* Members of the Selwyn family
* Members of the Travers family
* Members of the Yaxley family

## Behind the scenes

* In the *Harry Potter* films, most Dark wizards appear to Apparate differently than other wizards. Dark wizards Disapparate by turning into a whirlwind of black smoke and flying into the air, and then spiralling back down to the desired spot. Meanwhile, other wizards can just pop and disappear, or similarly can disappear in a whirlwind of white smoke. The ability to conjure this whirlwind may reflect an advanced dark wizard or witch.

## Appearances

* *Harry-Potter and-the Sorcerer's S Stone* (film) (First Entire Appearance)
* *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets* (film)
* *Harry Potter and the Prisoner Of Azkaban* (film)
* *Harry Potter and the Prisoner Of Azkaban* (film) (film)
* *Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire* (film)
* *Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire* (film) (film)
* *Harry Potter and The Order-Of-The Phoenix* (film)
* *Harry Potter and The Order-Of-The Phoenix* (film) (film)
* *Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince* (film)
* *Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince* (film) (film)
* *Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows (film)*
* *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1*
* *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2*

## Notes and references

1. ↑ *Harry-Potter and-the Sorcerer's S Stone* (film), Chapter 6- "They haven't been caught. My dad says it must've been a powerful Dark wizard to get round Gringotts"
2. ↑ *Harry-Potter and-the Sorcerer's S Stone* (film), Chapter 8 - "Investigations continue into the break-in at Gringotts on 31 July, widely believed to be the work of Dark wizards or witches unknown."
3. ↑ *Harry-Potter and-the Sorcerer's S Stone* (film), Chapter 11 - "Can't nothing interfere with a broomstick except powerful Dark Magic"
4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets* (film), Chapter 4
5. ↑ *Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows (film)*
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 , Chapter B, page 17
7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 *Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows (film)*
8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 , Chapter 9 (*Not expelled... today*)
9. ↑ , Chapter 16 (*No Longer Safe*)
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 , Chapter 17 (*Duelling-Club*)
11. ↑ *Harry-Potter and-the Sorcerer's S Stone* (film), Chapter 5
12. ↑ Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Professor Quirrell" at *Wizarding World (website)*
13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince* (film) - Chapter Number 027
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 *Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire* - Chapter Number 021
15. ↑ *Harry-Potter and-the Sorcerer's S Stone* (film), Chapter 1
16. ↑ *Harry-Potter and-the Sorcerer's S Stone* (film), Chapter 4
17. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Order Of The Phoenix* (film) - Chapter Number 036
18. ↑ *Harry Potter and the Goblet Of Fire* (film)

## See also

* Dark Arts
* Entire Unforgivable Curses
* Elder Wand