House Kleinwuchs

**House Kleinwuchs** is a German Wizarding family that was believed to have been extinguished in the Bombing of Dresden, but in truth continued as the Pettigrew Family.

## History

### Origins

In the 13th century House Kleinwuchs was a minor Bavarian Wizarding family. Sometime after the execution of Emeric the Evil, his daughter Lucretia Belasco made her way to Bavaria, where she married a member of the Kleinwuchs family. Under the careful guidance of Lucretia and her descendants House Kleinwuchs grew into one of the darkest and most prominent Houses of Europe.

### Grindelwald War

During the Grindelwald War Gustav Kleinwuchs was the head of House Kleinwuchs, and he sided with Gellert Grindelwald to further his research on Werewolves and obtain the Elder Wand, which Grindelwald claimed to possess, and had once belonged to Emeric. Throughout the War Gustav killed thousands of Wizards and Muggles and gained titles like "the Butcher of Silesia" and "der Todeswolf" (the Death Wolf). Gustav worked in the werewolf detention camps in Poland to finish his ancestor's work and create intelligent werewolves. Though he made great strides he never finished his work before the end of the war.

In early 1945 most of the Kleinwuchs family was killed in the Bombing of Dresden, and it was believed extinct. In truth, Gustav and his youngest son Martin Kleinwuchs had survived, and the Unspeakables of the Department of Mysteries granted them amnesty in Britain in exchange for Gustav's research notes. Gustav and Martin were renamed George and Martin Pettigrew, and were given a backstory of being Norwegian refugees of the Grindelwald War. The Pettigrews were assigned Augustus Rookwood as a handler, but they quickly won his loyalty.

### Pettigrew Family

Around 1959 Martin married Edwina Gamp, who at 29 was several years older than him, moving into a house in Upper Appleby. Martin and his father hoped to secure House Gamp's Wizengamot seat and fortune for Martin and Edwina's future son, but they were thwarted by the Gamp charter. In 1962, when George was on his deathbed, him and Martin conspired to murder Edwina, but she overheard them and killed them first.

Edwina raised her and Martin's son Peter Pettigrew on her own, making him believe she was chronically ill and manipulating him to make sure he would not become like his father and grandfather, but all her work was undone when Peter visited the Pettigrew family vault, discovering a moving portrait of his grandfather. Peter gave his mother Veritaserum to confirm what he had heard from George, and smothered his mother when she confessed to killing them and manipulating him.

The survival of House Kleinwuchs was eventually brought to light in 1994, when Peter told Harry, Jim, and Lily Potter in the Shrieking Shack.

## Family Residence

Before he was forced to go on the run from the Ministry due to his exposure as a Death Eater Peter Pettigrew lived in a apartment in Diagon Alley.

## Behind the Scenes

Kleinwuchs is a German term for Dwarfism, and literally means "small stature" or "small build"

## Canon Divergence

House Kleinwuchs is an invention of the Prince of Slytherin universe

## References

Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 123 - The Hunting of Sirius Black (Pt 2),

Peter Pettigrew reveals his true ancestry.
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 120 - What's Past is Prologue (Pt 2),

Peter visits the Pettigrew Vault, discovers his grandfather's true identity and kills his mother..
Book 3 - HP&DEM - Ch. 122 - The Hunting of Sirius Black (Pt 1),

"Peter Pettigrew's apartment in Diagon Alley".