Tav Travers

**Tav Travers** (22 February, 1957 - 2 May, 1998) was an English dark wizard and a Death Eater. He attended Hogwarts from September 1968 to June 1975. He fought in the First Wizarding War, during which he helped murdered Marlene McKinnon and her family, and was imprisoned for committing this crime. Travers escaped from Azkaban after Lord Voldemort's return in 1995 and fought in several battles of the Second Wizarding War, including the Battle of the Seven Potters, the Ambush at the Lovegood House and the Battle of Hogwarts, during which he was taken down by Remus Lupin.

## Biography

### Early life

Tav Travers was born on 22 February, 1957, in Eccleshall, Staffordshire, England. He was born into the Noble and Ancient House of Travers, a pure-blood wizarding family considered apart of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. His father was Torquil Travers.

#### Hogwarts years

Travers received his Hogwarts letter in the summer of 1968. Sometime before attending, he either purchased or inherited his wand, which was made of elm and dragon heartstring, from Ollivander's Wand Shop in Diagon Alley, or the Travers family vault at Gringotts.

He boarded the Hogwarts Express on 1 September, 1968, and later that night, he was sorted into Slytherin. He was in the same year as Cuthbert Selwyn, whom he shared a dormitory with. Also in his year in school were Amelia Bones, Alecto Carrow, Francis McKinnon, Sturgis Podmore, and Bertha Jorkins.

### First Wizarding War

Travers became a Death Eater the same year Cuthbert Selwyn did, upon leaving school in 1975. He, along with Selwyn, rose in rank until they became apart of the Dark Lord's Inner Circle. Travers and Selwyn participated in some of the deadliest attacks of the First Wizarding War.

#### Falmouth Stadium Attack (1975)

Both Tav Travers and Cuthbert Selwyn participated in a stampede a Quidditch match between the Ballycastle Bats and the Falmouth Falcons in Falmouth, Cornwall, on 21 July, 1975. They, along with six other Death Eaters, caused an explosion which killed twenty witches and wizards, some of them children, and they injured nearly thirty more, before all apparating away in the chaos. The brutality of the attack proved to the Dark Lord of both their loyalty and obedience, as well as their stealth, as they got away without getting caught.

#### Battle of Normanby le Wold (1980)

Travers participated in the Battle of Normanby le Wold, in which seven Death Eaters all attacked a wizarding parish in Lincolnshire. The attack took place on 25 November, 1980, and killed two Aurors and three civilians. Travers survived the attack and again escaped: two Death Eaters, however, were taken down by the Aurors. It is believed that Travers murdered Auror recruit John Bell, aged 18, personally.

#### Battle of Holyhead (1981)

Travers was present when Death Eaters burned many muggle buildings in Holyhead, Anglesey, including the Quidditch pitch belonging to the Holyhead Harpies, on 23 June, 1981. Eleven witches and wizards were killed fending off the attackers, but again, Travers escaped.

#### Battle of McKinnon House (1981)

On 18 July, 1981, Travers, along with many more-senior Death Eaters, was sent to the McKinnon estate in Windsor, Berkshire, England, with the intention of wiping out the entire family- who were wealthy, and had ties to the Order of the Phoenix, their main opposition. The McKinnons and the Boneses were out on the garden at the time of the attack, celebrating Marlene Bones's (née McKinnon) son, Leopold's, first birthday.

The attackers that managed to break through the house's wards were Travers himself, Cuthbert Selwyn, Thorfinn Rowle, Dirk Gibbon, Piers Jugson, Corban Yaxley, and Wulfric Mulciber. Within minutes of each other, the Death Eaters took down Francis McKinnon, aged 23, and Edgar Bones, aged 21, in the battle's first few moments. Tav Travers personally murdered Marlene Bones (née McKinnon), aged 21, before the arrival of Lord Voldemort at 10:13 A.M.. Lord Voldemort additionally murdered Cadmus Bones, aged 20, upon the point of his arrival.

Ivor McKinnon, a well-known Auror, and his brother, Reuben McKinnon, an Unspeakable for the Department of Mysteries, took on the remaining Death Eaters by themselves while Lord Voldemort entered the house. Voldemort then proceeded to murder Edwin Bones, a child, personally, and he additionally caused an explosion which killed Laurel McKinnon and her nephew, Leopold Bones (son of Edgar and Marlene). Aurors arrived by this point- including Otto Cattermole, Frank Longbottom, and Alastor Moody.

By 10:24 A.M., both Ivor and Reuben McKinnon, ages 54 and 51 respectively, were dead. The remaining Death Eaters that were uninjured, including Travers, Gibbon, Selwyn, became faced with Order members: including Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, Dedalus Diggle, Elphias Doge, and Emmeline Vance, who arrived after dispelling the Death Eaters in Diagon Alley. However, they were too late to save the family.

Mulciber, Rowle, Selwyn, and Yaxley quickly fled the scene. Travers and Jugson had been unmasked and identified, but they, too, managed to escape.

#### Arrest (1981)

Travers was tracked down by the Auror Department and was arrested on 8 August, 1981. He attempted to fight, however, but was taken down by Auror Frank Longbottom, who brought him in. He could not escape imprisonment and was sentenced to Azkaban sometime in, or prior to, 1981 for the crime of murdering Marlene McKinnon.

### Second Wizarding War

**Hermione Granger**: "*But I thought* Stan Shunpike *was in Azkaban?*"
**Kingsley Shacklebolt**: "*Hermione, there's obviously been a mass breakout which the Ministry has hushed up. Travers's hood fell off when I cursed him, he's supposed to be inside too.*"
— Hermione and Kingsley after the Battle of the Seven Potters
Travers likely escaped from Azkaban in the mass breakout in early 1996 and once again served Voldemort as an active Death Eater.

He was apparently arrested at some point afterwards, though he escaped again in the 1997 mass break-out with Stan Shunpike that was hushed up by the British Ministry of Magic as Kingsley Shacklebolt said that Travers should be in Azkaban. On 27 July, 1997 Travers participated in the Battle of the Seven Potters, pursuing Hermione Granger, who was disguised as Harry Potter, and Kingsley Shacklebolt, who cursed him, causing his hood to fall back revealing to Shacklebolt that he had broken out of prison.

Before the beginning of August of the same year, Travers was convicted again for his Death Eater activities.

#### Fall of the Ministry (1997)

On 1 August, 1997, the British Ministry of Magic was taken over by the Death Eaters and Pius Thicknesse (under the influence of the Imperius Curse) was made Minister for Magic.

Travers was then released from Azkaban when the Death Eater-led Ministry hosted up a mass breakout.

Now falsely cleared, Travers went on to work at the Ministry of Magic (at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement), as a superior to Mafalda Hopkirk. He also seemed to have some involvement with the recently created Muggle-Born Registration Commission, as he got to choose which Ministry employee could act as a stenographer for the Muggle-born trials.

#### Ambush at the Lovegood House (1998)

**Selwyn**: "*Didn't I tell you there was no need to hurry, Travers? Didn't I tell you this nutter was just raving as usual?*"
**Xenophilius Lovegood**: "*No... no... upstairs... Potter!*"
— Selwyn and Travers doubt Xenophilius is saying the truth about Harry Potter
In early 1998, Travers and Selwyn came to Xenophilius Lovegood's home because he claimed, truthfully, that Harry Potter was there. After Travers checked the area, they threatened to kill Luna Lovegood, his daughter, if he summoned them under false pretences, only to see Harry escape.

#### Break-in of Gringotts Wizarding Bank (1998)

**Travers**: "*Well, I confess I am surprised to see you out and about, Bellatrix.*"
**Hermione Granger (as Bellatrix Lestrange)**: "*Really? Why?*"
**Travers**: "*Well, I heard that the inhabitants of Malfoy Manor were confined to the house, after the... ah... escape.*"
**Hermione Granger (as Bellatrix Lestrange)**: "*The Dark Lord forgives those who have served him most faithfully in the past. Perhaps your credit is not as good with him as mine is, Travers.*"
— Travers and Hermione Granger (disguised as Bellatrix Lestrange)
Later that year, Travers met Hermione Granger, disguised by means of the Polyjuice Potion as Bellatrix Lestrange, and went into Gringotts Wizarding Bank with her. While there he expressed disdain towards Muggle-born beggars as well as goblins; a Muggle-born witch had previously begged Travers to represent her case to insist she was magical, and requested his wand to prove it, which Travers refused and cruelly mocked her. Harry placed him under the Imperius Curse to facilitate their breaking in to the Lestrange Vault and sent Travers off to hide.

#### Battle of Hogwarts (1998)

On 2 May, 1998, Travers took part in the Battle of Hogwarts. During the conflict, Travers fought Aquila Black and Maisie Cattermole with the help of Dolohov and another Death Eater. He was ultimately defeated by Remus Lupin, who cast a lethal curse towards Dolohov which ended up hitting Travers instead.

## Etymology

*Travers* is an English and French surname that described a man who lived near a bridge or ford, or occasionally as an occupational name for the collector of tolls at such a location. It is derived from the Old French verb *traverser*, meaning "to cross".