Otto Cattermole

## Otto Joseph Cattermole

**Otto Joseph Cattermole** (23 July, 1923 - 27 August, 1981) was an English half-blood wizard who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1934 to 1941. In school he was a member of Ravenclaw House and had been both Prefect and Head Boy. He joined the Auror Department just after leaving school, in the year 1941.

By 1943, he was a fully-fledged Auror, and he fought Dark wizards at home during the Global Wizarding War. He was only twenty years old, and because he was seen as expendable, with no children or family, he was sent on many dangerous missions.

After the war was over, he married a witch called Darcy Marchbanks who was in his year at school, and they had one son together, Reginald Cattermole, in 1955. He was widowed only a few years later, when Darcy was trapped and killed inside a pyramid in Cairo. She had been a curse-breaker. After that, Otto raised his son on his own.

During the First Wizarding War, Otto, along with Aurors Alastor Moody, Ivor McKinnon, and Frank Longbottom (known as the "Big Four"), took down Death Eaters and other followers of Voldemort. He was killed in August of 1981, while his colleagues suffered similar grim fates: Ivor McKinnon was murdered with his family, the gruff but consummate Alastor Moody lost a limb and an eye, and the young Frank Longbottom was tortured into insanity. But together, they spearheaded a campaign which was able to turn the tides of the war.

Otto was the paternal grandfather of Maisie, Ellie, and Alfred Cattermole.

## Biography

### Early life (1923-1934)

Otto was born in Great Tolling, Evesham. Evesham is a market town and parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire, southern England with a large population. It is located roughly equidistant between Worcester, Cheltenham and Stratford-upon-Avon. It lies within the Vale of Evesham, an area comprising the flood plain of the River Avon, which has been renowned for market gardening. The town centre, situated within a meander of the river, is regularly subject to flooding.

Otto grew up during the Global Wizarding War, which was a large-scale wizarding conflict fought in continental Europe, coinciding with the Muggle Second World War. It began in (circa) the 1920s, and finally ended in 1945. This war was initiated by the Dark Wizard Gellert Grindelwald and his followers (known as the Acolytes), with the intention of abolishing the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy. Otto grew up in a time where it was not safe to go out alone in most wizarding-muggle areas.

#### Hogwarts years (1934-1941)

Otto received his Hogwarts letter in the summer of 1934. He purchased a wand made of spruce and dragon heartstring that was twelve inches in length from Ollivander's Wand Shop in Diagon Alley, London.

He was Sorted into Ravenclaw House on 1 September, 1934. He was three years behind Charlus Potter, a Gryffindor, and Dorea Black, a Slytherin. He was two years ahead of Walburga Black, Lucretia Black, Ambrosius Flume, Odella Burke, and Corban Yaxley.

Otto witnessed the British Minister of Magic, Hector Fawley, ousted from his office in 1939, for not taking proper adequate measures to form security in Great Britain. Fawley was then replaced by the more proactive Leonard Spencer-Moon, who proved himself a sound Minister in the context of international turmoil, but even so, Grindelwald's power was already too large to handle by one sole Ministry by that point.

Otto was appointed Prefect for Ravenclaw House in his fifth year of school.

Otto reached his magical majority on 23 July, 1940, in which by this point, the dark wizard Grindelwald was fully terrorising Europe. He eventually decided to become an Auror, wanting to join in on the conflict and help the light side fend off Grindelwald and his acolytes.

#### Global Wizarding War (1941-1945)

Otto was an accomplished student, and achieved ten O.W.L.s and ten N.E.W.T.s, with Acceptables or higher in the following subjects: Charms, History of Magic, Herbology, Transfiguration, Potions, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, Ancient Runes, and Ancient Studies, in addition to being Head Boy. He was selected by the Department of Magical Law Enforcement to become an Auror trainee, sometime after leaving school. By 1943, he was a fully-fledged Auror, and he fought Dark wizards at home. He was only twenty years old, and because he was seen as expendable, with no children or family, he was sent on many dangerous missions.

When the war ended, he continued to work for the Aurors in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. As he rose in rank, he was able to take more overseas work.

### Later life (1952-1970)

Otto met and married Darcy Marchbanks, a witch who he met while on a mission in Cairo, Egypt. She was a British witch who had been in his year in Ravenclaw. Darcy was a curse breaker and had a very dangerous job, just like Otto, and they immediately connected. They married in Evesham on 14 May, 1953, and their only child, Reginald, was born on 30 August, 1955. Darcy continued to work as a curse breaker, stationed in Egypt, while Otto took time off to care for their son.

Tragedy struck on Hallowe'en 1958, when Darcy was trapped and killed inside a pyramid. The cause of death was unknown, but it was understood that she did not dismantle one of the wards properly, and was completely disintegrated. Otto was devastated. Their son, Reginald, was only three years old.

Otto went back to work for the Auror office to support them, but requested that he not undertake quite as many dangerous missions out of regards to his son. Furthermore, he took quite a bit of desk work so that he could be at home with Reginald, who was often left to the nanny.

His son got his Hogwarts letter in the summer of 1966, and was Sorted into Ravenclaw on 1 September, 1966, which made Otto very proud of him. He also tried to provide Reginald with good opportunities, such as trips to Egypt to see where his mother had worked, and other destinations such as Paris and Milan in the summers. As a result, his son loved to travel, and Otto wanted him to see the whole world. He once told Reginald to *"write to your dear old dad, every now and awhile? So much to see. I'm too old to see them all."*

#### First Wizarding War (1970-1981)

Otto's Auror career picked back up in 1975, when chaos gripped the populace of wizarding Britain to the point that many began to fear to speak Voldemort's name. The Dark Lord Voldemort became widely referred to as "He Who Must Not Be Named," or, less formally, "You Know Who". Numerous ordinary witches and wizards (such as Kenneth Thomas and Robert McGonagall Jr.) lost their lives, and the Death Eaters frequently cast the Dark Mark over the scenes of their murders.

To protect the organization, Voldemort ensured that Death Eaters did not know the identities of too many of their fellows, and, to society at large, their identities were completely unknown. Increasing the confusion and paranoia even further, they often placed innocent victims under the Imperius Curse and forced them to carry out their dirty work. Even friends and family members were not above suspicion of one another.

Otto worked on a case-by-case basis, and was put again on the front lines for such a conflict. He battled Death Eaters in the late seventies and was nearly killed often. His son, Reginald, had graduated and by 1975 was travelling the world, encouraged by Otto to spend time outside of Britain while the war was fought there.

Otto saw the Ministry of Magic make a number of changes in this era. In 1975, Eugenia Jenkins was ousted as Minister for Magic and replaced by Harold Minchum, a hardliner who placed more Dementors around Azkaban. In addition, ruthless Council of Magical Law Head Judge Bartemius "Barty" Crouch Senior rose rapidly through the Ministry's ranks until he also became the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. Minchum and Crouch then began to make serious headway, though the anonymous and elusive Death Eaters still retained the advantage. Otto and other Aurors were instructed to curse first, and ask questions later under their new policies.

On 12 January, 1980, Minister Minchum was also removed from office due to his failure to end the war and was immediately replaced with Millicent Bagnold. The Order of the Phoenix, a secret organisation created to fight the Dark Lord, suffered extremely and skirmishes picked up at a rapid pace. Otto and the rest of the Auror office interfered as Death Eaters began systematically murdering witches and wizards left and right.

#### Grandfather (1981)

Otto's son Reginald married a muggle French woman, Esia Dupont, in late 1980, after being away in Australia for quite some time. Apparently, he met her wind surfing. He came back to Britain in August of 1980, and their daughter Maisie was born about six months after the wedding, and Otto's old-fashioned values perhaps influenced his son to stay. Apart from the happy occurrence, Otto did not have much else to focus on except his work, as the war got more and more desperate.

#### "Big Four" (1981)

The war entered its most desperate phase in the early months of 1981. Gideon Prewett and Fabian Prewett both fought bravely but were ultimately killed by Antonin Dolohov, and Dorcas Meadowes was murdered by Voldemort himself in January. Edgar Bones, his wife, and their children were murdered by Thorfinn Rowle and Fenrir Greyback in late February, a battle which Otto and other Aurors participated in, though it was unsucessful. Benjy Fenwick was killed by Bellatrix Lestrange, Evan Rosier, and Julius Jerome; and so brutally mutilated that only bits of him were recovered, in June. Marlene McKinnon was slaughtered alongside her entire family, including Otto's colleague, Ivor McKinnon, by Travers, Nott, and Mulciber, in July. Caradoc Dearborn disappeared and was never found, though he was presumed dead.

In response to this brutal onslaught, Barty Crouch Senior, who secretly despised Voldemort, the Death Eaters, and the Dark Arts entirely; issued an edict giving Ministry Aurors full permission to employ the use of the Unforgivable Cursesagainst their enemies.

A massive Ministry campaign, spearheaded and led by Alastor Moody, Otto Cattermole, and Frank Longbottom; ensued, immediately turining the tide of the war against the Death Eaters. They initially focused their efforts on resisting the giants, killing many of them with the Killing Curse, and wiping out entire tribes until they forced the survivors to go into hiding.

Finally, the Ministry began to identify and apprehend Death Eaters. Auror and Order member Alastor Moody became legendary for his successes, arresting and capturing Igor Karkaroff along with many other supporters of the Dark Lord, and also killing Evan Rosier when he resisted arrest, although losing a chunk of his nose in the process. Antonin Dolohov also met his capture and imprisonment at the hands of Magical Law Enforcement Squad and Corban Yaxley, one of Voldemort's earliest followers, was captured and sent to Azkaban as well.

#### Death (27 August, 1981)

Otto was killed in a skirmish by Corban Yaxley in his capture. The cause of death was officially a killing curse. Corban Yaxley had been two years below Otto at Hogwarts, and a Slytherin. Otto had been a Ravenclaw, so it is unknown if they ever interacted.

## Personality and Traits

Otto was tough, brave and a consummate survivor, as well as an excellent fighter. He had a gruff, surly disposition. Having encountered many dangerous experiences throughout his career, he was hyper-paranoid and thought of by many as being delusional.

Despite his paranoia, Otto was a brave individual. He never hesitated to go up against powerful dark wizards, including Lord Voldemort himself. It's likely that he knew that he could easily be killed during every encounter, suggesting that he didn't fear death. Indeed he seemed to see being killed in battle as something to be proud of.

Otto was a great wizard in his day and the one of the most effective Dark Wizard hunters that the Ministry of Magic ever had, second to perhaps Alastor Moody or Ivor McKinnon. Nearly half of the cells in Azkaban were full because of the three of them. Otto also had the ability to think like a Dark wizard, which helped him track so many down. He was also a staunchly loyal friend. He despised those who practised the Dark Arts, labelling such people as "filth" and relished the idea of Dark wizards being left at the mercy of the Dementors.

Though he was a Ravenclaw in school, his son Reginald often thought that he could have made a great Gryffindor. His son considered him a somewhat absent though encouraging father figure. He was also an academic, which Reginald felt as though he could not compare.

## Magical abilities and skills

Otto Cattermole was said to be the a very skilled Auror in the British Ministry of Magic.

* **Magical Mastery**: As a Hogwarts student, Otto had excelled in his studies, and developed an extraordinary skill in many disciplines of magic, qualifying for Auror training as the British Ministry of Magic. This speaks for his versatility and his extensive expertise in many magical disciplines, which is a very big accomplishment for a sorcerer. After all, while most wizards are skilled in different areas of magic, but are best at one specific kind, Otto reportedly had fully mastered several.
* **Leadership skills**: Otto had exceptional leadership skills, evident from his status as a very prominent Auror in the British Ministry of Magic.
* **Auror skills**: Otto Cattermole completed the Concealment and Disguise, as well as the Stealth and Trackingportions of Auror training with excellence. Otto was thus extremely capable in both offensive and defensive magic, the hallmarks of the Auror's trade, which he employed so effectively, that Otto, along with others, ensured that half the cells of Azkaban were filled with Death Eaters during the First Wizarding War, and was trusted by the British Ministry of Magic with important missions.
* **Duelling**: Otto Cattermole was an extremely skilled duellist, since in the midst of the Global Wizarding War and the First Wizarding War, Otto utilised martial magic to fight and defeat dozens of skilled Death Eaters, Antonin Dolohov and Bellatrix Lestrange being among them. Otto's ability to switch from offence to defence made him an immensely formidable opponent. During the Battle at McKinnon Manor, Otto fought two Death Eaters simultaneously, defeated one of them with a single nonverbal spell, and later a duel with Corban Yaxley, among the most powerful of Death Eaters, although Otto was injured and killed by him.
* **Dark Arts**: While Otto usually refrained from using dark magic, inflicting fatal injuries on his opponents, and killing them if it could be avoided throughout his time as an Auror, since the use of Unforgivable Curses and other forms of Dark Magic were legalised by Bartemius Crouch Snr, to torture or kill Death Eaters rather than capture them in the First Wizarding War, Otto was one of the few non-Dark Wizards capable of practising dark magic.
* **Charms**: As an Auror, Otto was highly proficient in charm-work, since as an Auror, he received an Outstanding in his O.W.L. and N.E.W.T. for this subject, and was capable of performing the Disillusionment Charm, an extremely advanced charm that very few could cast. In addition, Otto could also conjure a non-corporeal Patronus, a mark of superior magical ability and testament to his expertise and talent in charms, given the immense difficulty of casting such an advanced and powerful protective spell.

## Relationships

#### Darcy Marchbanks

Darcy Marchbanks was Otto's wife of four years. They met in Cairo, Egypt, where Otto was investigating dark wizards. She was a curse breaker for Gringotts, and due to their somewhat dangerous nature of jobs, they hit it off. They had one son together, Reginald, and a year after his birth, Darcy went back to the pyramids to support the family. However, Darcy was killed early into their marriage, leaving Otto to raise his son alone.

#### Reginald Cattermole

Reginald Cattermole once described his father as a very stern father figure whose word in the house was law. *"He was nice to me as a little kid, but you violate his rules and you’ll hear about it. Once when I was ten I went to the park without telling my father where I was going and I got in big trouble for that."* It was entirely possible that due to losing Darcy so early, Otto kept his son within an arm's length growing up. He worked long hours at the Ministry of Magic, and Reginald was sometimes left to the nanny, but he was still close to him. He did have somewhat of a temper if Reginald disobeyed him, but that may have been the way he also grew up. Despite this, Otto was a very encouraging father, and urged Reginald to travel the world once he left school. Reginald did, and was never pushed into becoming something he did not want to be. Otto may have been somewhat disappointed in Reginald's profession, which was a position in the Department of Magical Maintenance, but if he was, he did not show it.

#### Esia Dupont

Esia Dupont was Otto's daughter-in-law, and when she became pregnant with his grandchild before marriage, Otto urged for Reginald and her to marry. There was a slight language and cultural barrier, as Esia was a French muggle, who his son had met windsurfing in Queensland, Australia, but Otto and Esia got along well. Esia was once very intimidated by Otto, a hardened Auror, and originally thought that he was a World War II veteran.

#### Maisie Cattermole

Maisie Cattermole was Otto's only grandchild at the time of his death. She was only an infant when he died, but it is understood that he loved her dearly.

## Etymology

* The name Otto: Later German form of *Audo* or *Odo*, originally a short form of various names beginning with the Germanic element *aud* meaning "wealth, fortune". This was the name of four kings of Germany, starting in the 10th century with Otto I, the first Holy Roman emperor, who was known as Otto the Great. This name was also borne by a 19th-century king of Greece who was originally from Bavaria. Another notable bearer was the German chancellor Otto von Bismarck (1815-1898).
* The name Cattermole: There are two possible origins for the name, the first being as a localised, East Anglian descriptive (topographical) term denoting "the dweller at the dyke", a "mole" being a dyke or bank. The second possible source is Low German or Flemish of unknown origin, but thought to be a Flemish Huguenot name brought to England in the first mass immigration of Protestant refugees from religious persecution in Europe.