Gregory Goyle

―Ronald Weasley thinking about Goyle's weakness

Gregory Goyle (b. 1979/1980) was a pure-blood wizard in the same year as Harry Potter at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was sorted into Slytherin House. Goyle was the son of a Death Eater and his wife. It is unknown if he was a Death Eater as well.

Goyle, along with fellow Slytherin Vincent Crabbe, seemed to already be best friends with Draco Malfoy before their first year at Hogwarts. Both wizards were shown to be more lackeys than friends, often following Malfoy around and doing his bidding.

## Biography

### Early life (1980–1991)

Gregory Goyle was born into a pure-blood magical family in late 1979 or early 1980. His father, Mr Goyle, was a Death Eater during the First Wizarding War and a loyal supporter of Lord Voldemort until his downfall in 1981. Several Death Eaters avoided imprisonment in Azkaban by claiming that the Dark Lord had controlled them with the Imperius Curse. It is likely that Mr Goyle did this as well.

Due to all of their fathers being Death Eaters, Goyle probably knew Draco Malfoy and Vincent Crabbe before his first year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Like many new students, he might have purchased his wand from Ollivanders in Diagon Alley.

### Hogwarts years (1991–1998)

#### First year

"*They had hoped that Goyle, who was almost as stupid as he was mean, might be thrown out, but he passed, too.*"
— Harry Potter regarding Goyle's stupidity and first year exams[src]

Goyle started his education at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in 1991. He, Draco, and Crabbe met Harry Potter and offered him acceptance into their clan. Harry rejected this offer and left Draco Malfoy, the leader of the group, confused as to why he would choose to be friends with Ronald Weasley instead. After being rejected, Goyle attempted to steal some of Harry and Ron's treats from the food trolley and he ended up getting bitten by Ron's pet rat, Scabbers.

When he arrived at Hogwarts, he was Sorted into the House of Slytherin with his friends Draco Malfoy and Vincent Crabbe. Throughout the year, Goyle was mean to Harry Potter and Ron Weasley and at the end of the year final exam results were to be given out and Harry Potter (who disliked Goyle) hoped that he was as stupid as he was mean and would fail his exams. However, Goyle just managed to scrape through them and thus passed his first year of education.

#### Second year

"*Ooh, you look much tastier than Crabbe and Goyle, Harry. Oh, you know what I mean — Goyle's Potion looked like bogies.*"
— Hermione Granger speaking about Goyle's polyjuice potion[src]

In his second year of education, the Chamber of Secrets was opened for the second time, having opened 50 years previously when Tom Riddle was in education. There was suspicion amongst the students as to who the Chamber was referring to when messages regarding an 'Heir of Slytherin' were written on walls in blood. Some speculated that it was Harry Potter, others Draco Malfoy.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione wanted to get more information and decided to brew Polyjuice Potion so that they could take the forms of Goyle, Crabbe, and Millicent Bulstrode and question Draco. When attempting to steal items from Severus Snape's store room for the Polyjuice Potion, Hermione Granger needed a distraction and Harry threw a firecracker into Goyle's Swelling Solution.

Over the Christmas holidays, the Polyjuice potion was finally completed and the three needed to get some of their designated pupils' DNA in order to make a transformation. Hermione had already gotten hairs from Millicent Bulstrode's robes during a violent Duelling Club practise; however she did not know that these hairs actually belonged to her cat. Harry and Ron still needed to get some hairs of Crabbe and Goyle and put Sleeping Draught into some cakes that Goyle and Crabbe would later eat and fall asleep. Once they fell asleep Ron and Harry managed to acquire their hair, Goyle's hair turned the Polyjuice potion a khaki colour when it was added.

#### Third year

"*An unworthy trick! A low and cowardly attempt to sabotage the Gryffindor Seeker! Detention for all of you, and fifty points from Slytherin! I shall be speaking to Professor Dumbledore about this, make no mistake! Ah, here he comes now!*"
— Minerva McGonagall condemning Goyle and his friends' behaviour at a Quidditch match[src]

On the way to Hogwarts for his third year of education, Goyle, along with his friends, stepped into Harry Potter's compartment to bully him. However, they could not act on their wishes as new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor Remus Lupin was in the compartment sleeping and they left. Early in the school year it was quite clear that the Dementors guarding Hogwarts from Sirius Black were feared by Harry and during a Quidditch match, Goyle and his friends put their cloaks up and pretended to be Dementors in an attempt to scare Harry, which it did; Harry cast a corporal Patronus charm in attempt to ward off the 'Dementors' before realising that it was a prank. Goyle and his friends were caught by an angry McGonagall, who gave them all detention.

Goyle was later humiliated when Harry (under his invisibility cloak) defended his friends Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley by throwing snowballs at him and pulling down his trousers. Goyle's attempts to scare Harry later in the year were foiled as he had too much protection from students and staff.

#### Fourth year

"*Snape examined Goyle, whose face now resembled something that would have been at home in a book on poisonous fungi.*"
— Goyle after having been jinxed by Harry Potter[src]

During the 1994–1995 school year, the Triwizard Tournament was held at Hogwarts. After Harry Potter became a champion alongside Cedric Diggory, Goyle, Crabbe, and Malfoy passed out badges that could be made to read '*Potter Stinks*' and taunting Harry regularly, such as commenting that he was betting Harry wouldn't last more than a few minutes with the dragons. When provoked, Harry and Malfoy duelled, and Harry's Pimple Jinx meant for Malfoy rebounded and struck Goyle in the face. Severus Snape sent Goyle to the Hospital Wing, but ignored the collateral damage to Hermione Granger from Malfoy's rebounding hex, Densaugeo.

At the end of the year, Harry was almost murdered by Lord Voldemort, and saw that Goyle's father was a Death Eater.

#### Fifth year

Angelina Johnson: "*It looks as though Montague's replaced them with the usual gorillas, rather than anyone who can fly particularly well. They're two blokes called Crabbe and Goyle, I don't know much about them —*"
Harry Potter and Ron Weasley: "*We do.*"
Angelina Johnson: "*Well, they don't look bright enough to tell one end of a broom from another, but then I was always surprised Derrick and Bole managed to find their way onto the pitch without signposts.*"
Harry Potter: "*Crabbe and Goyle are in the same mould.*"
— Harry Potter commenting on Crabbe and Goyle's stupidity to Angelina Johnson[src]
In his fifth year, Goyle became Beater for the Slytherin Quidditch team. This supported Angelina Johnson's belief that the team went for brawn rather than brains.

Goyle, along with both Crabbe and Malfoy, joined the shortly lived Inquisitorial Squad in 1996, for which the Hogwarts High Inquisitor Dolores Umbridge had created in order to enforce obedience and authority throughout the student body. However, members the organisation abused their power to harass and bully non-Slytherin students, often deducting house points for petty reasons, behaviour which Goyle himself engaged in.

After Harry caused the arrest of Crabbe and Malfoy's fathers, Goyle followed his vengeful friends on an attempt to ambush him on the Hogwarts Express, but were hexed so thoroughly by members of Dumbledore's Army that they were made to resemble large slugs. A similar event occurred at the end of the previous year, when Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, and George all used different hexes on them on the train.

#### Sixth year

"*If your friends Crabbe and Goyle intend to pass their Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L this time around, they will need to work a little harder than they are doing at pres —*"
— Severus Snape's disappointment in Crabbe and Goyle[src]

During the 1996–1997 school year, Malfoy had Goyle and Crabbe turn into girls via Polyjuice Potion to be able to guard the Room of Requirement while Malfoy was repairing the Vanishing Cabinet inside. Goyle was transformed into a little girl who held a pair of scales, which he was to drop noisily any time someone went past. During one of his watches, Harry frightened off Goyle, and waited unsuccessfully for Malfoy to exit. Goyle and Crabbe failed their Defence Against the Dark Arts Ordinary Wizarding Level and had to redo their fifth year, in which they could not produce much positive works, thus causing Professor Snape to put them into detention.

At the end of the school year, Goyle and Crabbe were left looking lonely after Malfoy left the school just before the end of the term.

#### Seventh year and Battle of Hogwarts

"*We was hiding in the corridor outside, we can do Diss-lusion Charms now! And then, you turned up right in front of us and said you was looking for a die-dum! What's a die-dum?*"
— Goyle during the Skirmish at the Room of Requirement[src]

In their seventh year, Goyle and Crabbe were among the favoured students of the new Death Eater professors Alecto and Amycus Carrow. For the first time, Goyle was able to excel at some of his school-work, as Neville Longbottom noted that he and Crabbe were proficient in the Dark Arts class taught by Amycus Carrow, which involved the torturing of disobedient first years with the Cruciatus Curse.

During the Battle of Hogwarts, Goyle, Crabbe, and Malfoy did not flee with the other Slytherins; instead, they tried to ambush Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Ron Weasley in the Room of Requirement. In the ensuing fight, Goyle was less aggressive than Crabbe, who defied Draco's orders and tried multiple Dark curses. Goyle was disarmed by Harry and then stunned by Hermione. When Crabbe's cursed fire got out of control, Goyle was saved by Ron and Hermione, who flew him out on their broom while Harry saved Draco. Crabbe was engulfed by the flames and killed. Harry and his friends then left Draco and Goyle to mourn Crabbe.

### Later life (1998–)

Very little is known of what happened to Goyle after the Second Wizarding War or his later life, or if he even survived the Battle of Hogwarts and thus the Second Wizarding War. If he did survive, his friendship with Draco apparently ended sometime after they completed school. It is even possible that he was arrested, tried and sent to Azkaban for using the Cruciatus Curse on other students at Hogwarts, along with all other Death Eaters and their allies.

In 2020, while talking with Harry at the Ministry of Magic, Draco revealed that he was always jealous about Harry having Ron and Hermione as friends while he had Goyle and Crabbe.

## Physical description

"*Goyle's mum'll be really pleased, he's loads better looking now.*"
— Ron Weasley after Goyle was heavily jinxed and hexed[src]

Goyle was described as having large feet, small dull eyes, long gorilla arms, short, bristly hair low on his forehead, and broad shoulders. He and Crabbe were described as '*silent, hulking bodyguards*'. He also had a scar on one of his knuckles after being bitten by Scabbers.

## Personality and traits

"*How thick can you get?*"
— Ron Weasley commenting on the stupidity of Crabbe and Goyle[src]

Goyle was generally less intelligent than Crabbe, always causing trouble and nearly failing his exams in his first year. He was unable to give Dolores Umbridge a simple answer after being questioned about Rubeus Hagrid's lessons, only being able to grin foolishly. In his fifth year Goyle (along with Crabbe) failed his Defence Against the Dark Arts O.W.L., showing his weak academic ability and overall laziness.

"*I'll make Goyle do lines, it'll kill him, he hates writing. I... must... not... look... like... a... baboon's... backside....*"
— Ron Weasley mocking Goyle's stupidity to his friends[src]

Goyle seemed to lack intelligence (to the point that Draco Malfoy expressed surprise that he could even read), magical talent, and independent thought, thus used only his size and strength to bully other students or scare off anyone who threatened Malfoy. Goyle was also very sadistic and had no qualms about using the Cruciatus Curse to torture fellow students. However, while he did poorly in Defence Against the Dark Arts, he excelled in the actual Dark Arts class, being top of the class due to his sadistic tendency to use fellow students as practise subjects for curses.

## Magical abilities and skills

"*First time they've ever been top in anything, I expect.*"
— Neville Longbottom on Goyle's and Vincent Crabbe's affinity for the Cruciatus Curse[src]

* Duelling: Goyle proved to be a capable duellist when he and Crabbe had to fend off against Harry on his way to the Astronomy Tower. In the Skirmish at the Room of Requirement during the Battle of Hogwarts, he duelled with Harry, Ron and Hermione and fired multiple Dark curses at them, meaning he had some skill in martial magic, but he was not skilled enough as he was disarmed by Hermione.
* Dark Arts: Goyle was able to perform the Unforgivable Curses and was particularly skilled in the casting of the Cruciatus Curse. Neville Longbottom noted that because of his proficiency with the curse, it was probably the first time he had been top in anything.
* Flying: Goyle was one of the Beaters for the Slytherin Quidditch team, alongside his friend Crabbe. Like Crabbe, he was chosen for his size and strength rather than skill.
* Charms: Goyle had some skills in charm-work, as he was able to cast the Disillusionment Charm on himself to hide himself from Harry, Ron and Hermione before they entered the Room of Requirement during the Battle of Hogwarts, along with Crabbe and Malfoy.

## Possessions

* Wand: Goyle owned a wand, which was of an unknown length, wand wood and core material. Like most British wizards, he presumably purchased it from Ollivanders in Diagon Alley, London, before starting his first year at Hogwarts in 1991. The wand was eventually destroyed during the Battle of Hogwarts on 2 May 1998 when Vincent Crabbe unleashed Fiendfyre in the Room of Requirement.
* Slytherin tie pin: Like other Slytherins, Goyle owned a tie pin in the shape of a serpent of Slytherin House, to show his pride for his house. He wore this throughout his years at Hogwarts.
* Slytherin ring: Likewise, he also possessed an heirloom ring embossed with a serpent.
* Potter Stinks badge: During the 1994–1995 school year when Hogwarts was hosting the Triwizard Tournament, Goyle owned and wore one of these derogatory enchanted badges to mock Harry Potter and his participation in the tournament.
* Inquisitorial Squad Badge: Goyle was granted a badge by Dolores Umbridge to show his membership of the Inquisitorial Squad in his fifth year.

## Relationships

### Draco Malfoy

Goyle often followed Malfoy around. Simply put, he was nothing more than his lackey. However, Draco showed concern for him sometimes; he immediately reported Goyle's injury to Snape in their fourth year. When Crabbe's Fiendfyre destroyed the Room of Requirement, Draco went out of his way to save Goyle from the flames, dragging him to safety.

After the second war, Draco had since severed ties with Goyle, due to his (and Crabbe's) lack of intelligence, making Goyle more of a thuggish lackey than a friend Draco could connect with, along with the excessive cruelty and recklessness he exhibited during the skirmish at the Room of Requirement that nearly killed everyone in the room.

### Vincent Crabbe

Vincent Crabbe was another of Malfoy's lackeys, and as such Crabbe and Goyle were best friends, wandering around and doing just about everything together. However, Crabbe was more intelligent and favoured by Malfoy because of this.

### Blaise Zabini

Despite both being in Slytherin, Goyle and Blaise were not very close. When Blaise was knocked onto Goyle's lap, they snarled at each other and Goyle brutally flung Blaise off himself.

### The trio

Harry, Ron, and Hermione disliked Goyle greatly. He was also one of their four most disliked people at Hogwarts, even going as far as expressing their hope that Goyle might fail his exams in his first year and be forced to leave the school. However, Ron and Hermione did assist Draco in saving Goyle's life during the Battle of Hogwarts.

## Etymology

* The name Gregory is derived from Greek meaning 'watchful, alert'. It is also associated with the Grigori, 'the Watchers', a group of fallen angels who mated with mortal women to spawn a race of giants. This may allude to Goyle frequently acting like a bodyguard to Draco Malfoy and to his large frame.
* His last name is probably from 'gargoyle', small monsters used to decorate buildings. The Gargouille also was a legendary water monster living in the River Seine in Paris, France. Gargoyles served as gutters/downspouts on gothic buildings. The word Gargoyle is derived from the French gargouille and the Latin *gargula* which translate to *throat* in contemporary English. Related words include gargle and gurgle.
* Interestingly, gargoyles' supposed jobs are to watch over the building they are perched on. They are portrayed as grim and monstrous characters.

## Behind the scenes

* Goyle is portrayed by Josh Herdman in the film adaptations of *Harry Potter*, making him one of fourteen characters to appear in all eight.
* In the books, Goyle is generally portrayed as being less intelligent than Crabbe, but in the films it seems to be the other way around.
* In the film adaptation of *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*, Goyle was absent during the scene at Hogsmeade, being replaced by the original character Pike. This was due to Josh Herdman being incapable of performing such a scene due to a then-recent injury.
* Goyle is among the cast of characters who appear in all eight films, though he hardly has any lines at all.

* In *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2*, Goyle takes the place of Crabbe, who was written out due to drug charges against Jamie Waylett. Goyle dies in Crabbe's place; when Goyle (mirroring Crabbe in the book) tries to kill Hermione with the Killing Curse, Ron chases after him, and Goyle casts Fiendfyre in an attempt to kill him, after which (Goyle) attempts to climb to safety with Malfoy and Blaise Zabini (who plays roughly the same role as Goyle does in the book), but grabs onto a loose chair and falls into the fire. Also, at the beginning of the scene, when Harry asks Malfoy to turn back from Voldemort, Goyle insists that he stay on Voldemort's side. In addition, it is not Goyle who destroys the diadem, but Harry, who stabs it with a Basilisk Fang before Ron kicks it into the fire.

* In *LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4*, Goyle is portrayed as being more intelligent (and even supportive of Harry at times); when Malfoy and Crabbe confront Harry after Mrs Norris gets petrified, Goyle is disapproving of their behaviour, and at the end of the same school year, he cheers for Harry until Malfoy knocks him out. Something similar happens in the film adaptation of *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*, where Malfoy simply pulls Vincent Crabbe back down when about to cheer for Hagrid.
* In *LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7*, unlike the film, Goyle doesn't grab onto a loose chair and climbs to safety successfully like Draco and Blaise. However, when Harry and Ron rescue Draco and Blaise, Hermione is unable to reach Goyle, who remains standing on the high ground until the Fiendfyre charges at him, killing Goyle offscreen. Contrary to canon, Goyle's in-game character is unable to perform Dark magic.
* Gregory Goyle's LEGO minifigure in set 4735 features Harry Potter's face on the flip side to show that it is actually Harry, disguised by Polyjuice Potion.

1. ↑ Template:HPM
2. ↑ "World Exclusive Interview with J K Rowling," *South West News Service*, 8 July 2000 - "Hogwarts just serves Britain and Ireland."
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cite error: Invalid `<ref>` tag; no text was provided for refs named `OOTP`
4. ↑ Template:LEGO
5. ↑ J.K. Rowling and the Live Chat, Bloomsbury.com, 30 July 2007
6. ↑ Template:LEGO