Blodwen Macmillan

## Blodwen Macmillan (née Carrow)

**Blodwen Macmillan** (née **Carrow**) (**14 October**, **1879** - **15 July**, **1934**) was a pure-blood witch, the daughter of Cornelian Carrow and his wife Primrose Carrow (née Lovegood), the sister of Corine, Blaise, Alastor, and Alector Carrow, the wife of Ambrose Macmillan, and mother of Melania, Cyrus, Marvin, and Bryony Macmillan.

She attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1 September 1891 to June 1898 and was a member of Slytherin House. She was the maternal grandmother of Lucretia Prewett (née Black) and Orion Black. She died in July 1934 in Oxfordshire, at the age of 54.

## Biography

### Early life (1879-1891)

Blodwen Carrow was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, on 14 October, 1879. She was the second-youngest of five siblings. She had an older sister, Corine, two older brothers, Blaise and Alastor, and a younger brother, Alector.

She was a member of the House of Carrow, an old Welsh wizarding family, who looked down on anyone not of pure blood, and believed in pure-blood supremacy. Her mother, Primrose Carrow, had been born into main branch of the House of Lovegood, another old wizarding family. This branch of the Lovegoods denounced and disowned Silas Lovegood, who had fled to Ireland in 1874 to marry a muggle.

### Hogwarts years (1891-1898)

Blodwen Carrow received her Hogwarts letter in the summer of 1891. Before attending, she presumably visited Diagon Alley, located in London, where she purchased a wand made of beech and dragon heartstring. She boarded the Hogwarts Express on 1 September, 1891, and was sorted into Slytherin House later that same night.

She was a member of the Latin Society from her third year of school. The Latin Society was a recreational club at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for students interested in studying Latin. Students would meet weekly and the club also functioned as a tutoring system for younger students. Students automatically become members of this club when they achieve an Exceeds Expectations or higher on their Latin language O.W.L.

She left the school upon the completion of her seventh year in 1898.

### Marriage and children (1900-1933)

She married Ambrose Macmillan, a member of the Most Ancient House of Macmillan, on 14 July, 1900, in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England. Ambrose Macmillan was the son of Hiram Macmillan and an American society witch, Dolly Macmillan (née Spindle). In a letter written to her brother, Alastor, Blodwen supposedly found her new mother-in-law "inappropriately facetious," an embodiment of the "American facade."

However, Blodwen had married a man with good prospects: originally a court scribe for the Wizenagmot, Ambrose Macmillan soon would begin a career in politics that would span nearly thirty years.

Ambrose and Blodwen had four children during their marriage: their first child was Melania, born in 1901. A son followed, named Cyrus Macmillan, in 1902. Then came Marvin Macmillan in late 1903, and then a second daughter, Bryony Macmillan, in late 1905.

#### Husband's Political Career (1912-1924)

Her husband, Ambrose, was first elected to the Wizenagmot in 1912, at the age of 32. He served for four years, and then was elected again in 1916. He served for another four years, finishing in 1920, and then was elected a third time, in 1920: he continued serving until 1924, when he was then appointed to a seat on the International Confederation of Wizards. His brother, Caius, held the Macmillan traditional seat, and could have abdicated in favour of his younger brother, but Ambrose Macmillan was cunning, and cultivated a large following by successfully completing a more difficult path.

#### Marriage of Melania Macmillan (1920-1923)

In 1920, the eldest son and heir of Sirius Black II, Head to the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, became infatuated with Blodwen's eldest daughter, Melania, then a sixth year in school. Melania and Arcturus began a relationship, and Arcturus asked his parents if he would be able to court her when the time came. This was very out of the ordinary for most witches and wizards in Britain at this time- most of them started with courting first, relationship second. However, Arcturus was not sure if he wanted to marry her from the beginning, but he knew that from watching the dynamics of the Macmillan family that they would be suitable.

The Macmillans traditionally were a house divided, with one branch drifting toward the darkest side of magics, while the other side tried to remain as light as they could. Blodwen's husband Ambrose was from the side of the darker branch, and henceforth, the children of the family was found acceptable by Sirius Black II to begin forging a contract.

Blodwen's daughter married Arcturus Black III in 1923, in a ceremony that was so extravagant that the Daily Prophet made it their front page. After the wedding, Arcturus and Melania embarked on a holiday around the world. They visited Thailand, Australia, New Zealand, and New York City in the United States of America before finally coming home. The holiday lasted six months and photos of the trip can be found in the Black family archives.

### Death (15 July, 1934)

Blodwen Macmillan (née Carrow) died on 15 July, 1934, in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, at the age of 54. She was survived by her husband, Ambrose Macmillan (British Envoy to the International Confederation of Wizards), a brother, Alector, a sister, Corine, and her four children. She was also survived by four grandchildren, Lucretia Black, aged nine, and Orion Black, aged five, as well as Phyllis Macmillan, aged eight, and George Macmillan, aged seven.

## Etymology

The name *Blodwen* is a girl's name of Welsh origin meaning "white flower".

*Carrow* is derived from Welsh surname *Caeriw*, meaning "dweller at the fort on the hill."