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"I said to him, I said — Ced, that’ll be something to tell your grandchildren, that will.... You beat Harry Potter!"
— Amos's immense pride in his son Cedric[src]

Amos Diggory[3][5] was a British wizard who worked for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures in the British Ministry of Magic.[3] He and his wife lost their son Cedric on 24 June 1995 during the last and third task in the Triwizard Tournament, when he was murdered by Peter Pettigrew on Lord Voldemort's orders.[6]

After the events of the Second Wizarding War, Amos still had not made peace with the death of his son. In 2020, he sought a meeting with Harry Potter, in the hopes of saving his deceased son via a new time-turner that was discovered.

Biography[]

Early life[]

Amos was born into the wizarding Diggory family and was the only child of his parents.[7] He presumably attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy in his youth, where he would have received his magical education.

He ended up working in the British Ministry of Magic and by the 1980s, he worked for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures.[8]

Hogwarts visits[]

During the 1984–1985 school year, Amos came to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to celebrate Rubeus Hagrid's birthday. Shortly before the celebration, he allowed Jacob's sibling to choose between a fire crab, a Murtlap and a Porlock as a birthday present for Hagrid.[9]

During the 1987–1988 school year, Amos came to Hogwarts once again to assist Hagrid and Professor Kettleburn recapturing magical creatures at large all around the castle.[10]

Head of Student Programme[]

Enchanted windows

Amos and Jacob's sibling standing in the All-Purpose Room

For the 1990–1991 school year, Headmaster Albus Dumbledore arranged with the Ministry of Magic for some interested seventh year students to visit the premises for a student internship. When the students arrived at the Ministry, they were made to report to the All-Purpose Room for orientation. In the room Ministry officials handed out of the recquired credentials permitting students limited, supervised access to designated areas elsewhere at the Ministry.

The initial head for the student programme was Amos, an investigator[11] at the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, until he lost the position to Wilkie Twycross of the Department of Magical Transportation.

The 1994 Quidditch World Cup[]

"This is Amos Diggory, everyone. Works for the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures."
Arthur Weasley introducing Amos to his children[src]
B4C6M1 boot Portkey to Quidditch World Cup

Amos travelling to the 1994 Quidditch World Cup

The Diggory family lived either in or near to the village of Ottery St Catchpole, near the Weasley and Fawcett families.[3] In 1994, Amos and his family attended the Quidditch World Cup.[3] After a Death Eater riot broke out, a team of witches and wizards, including Amos, found the house-elf Winky lying beneath the Dark Mark and questioned her about what happened.[5] He performed Prior Incantato on the wand of Harry Potter to deduce who had used the Morsmordre spell.[5]

Later, Amos contacted Arthur Weasley and asked him to help Alastor Moody out of trouble;[12] unbeknownst to him, this was the day Moody was kidnapped by Barty Crouch Jnr.[13] Amos simply thought it was another false alarm from the paranoid Moody and wanted to ensure that the former Auror's new job at Hogwarts would not be jeopardised.[12]

The Triwizard Tournament[]

"He suffered very little then. And after all, Amos ... he died just when he'd won the tournament. He must have been happy."
— Mrs Diggory comforting her grief-stricken husband Amos after Cedric's tragic death[src]
AmosCedric

Amos wishing his son good luck in the third task

That same year, Amos's son Cedric was selected as Hogwarts's champion in the Triwizard Tournament, something of which Amos was extremely proud.[14] However, Harry Potter's name also came out of the Goblet of Fire.[14] Many people erroneously believed that Harry intentionally tried to cheat Cedric and Hufflepuff house out of their deserved glory, as he was too young to be selected and received the most publicity.[14] Amos was openly rude to Harry before the tournament's Third Task.[2] He made snide remarks about points to Harry's face. This infuriated Molly Weasley, with whom Amos almost had a public confrontation, but his wife restrained him.[2]

Amos Diggory's grief

Amos's devastated reaction to Cedric's lifeless body

Harry and Cedric considered themselves to be equally winners at the end of the tournament, thus they both touched the Triwizard Cup, unwittingly taking a Portkey as part of the trap Lord Voldemort set for Harry. Harry and Cedric arrived in a graveyard and Voldemort ordered his servant Peter Pettigrew to murder Cedric. Pettigrew did so with the Killing Curse, and Cedric died instantly and painlessly. During the duel between Harry and Voldemort, their wands connected and Cedric's echo asked Harry to return his corpse to Amos.[6]

B4C37M1 Great Hall mourning Cedric's death

Great Hall mourning Cedric's death with a memorial in his honour

Harry managed to escape the graveyard and honoured Cedric's request, returning him to his devastated parents (Amos openly sobbed later while Harry explained what happened). Amos thanked Harry for returning Cedric's body, and assured him that they did not blame Harry for his death. Harry tried to give them the prize money that came with winning the tournament, but they refused it.[15] It is possible that Amos and his wife attended the memorial feast held in Cedric's honour.

Second Wizarding War[]

Amos subsequently appeared to have little to do in the Second Wizarding War waged by the Order of the Phoenix against Lord Voldemort; his son was ultimately avenged when Voldemort was defeated.

St Oswald's Home[]

Amos Diggory: "Two months pass, I receive an owl, 'Mr Diggory, I'm awfully sorry, but Mr Potter has been called away on urgent business, we're going to have to shift things around a little, are you available for an appointment in, let's see, in two months' time.' And then it repeats again, and again ... You're shutting me out."
Harry Potter: "Of course I'm not. It's just, I'm afraid, as Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement I'm responsible —"
Amos Diggory: "There's plenty you're responsible for."
Harry Potter: "Sorry?"
Amos Diggory: "My son, Cedric, you do remember Cedric, don't you?"
— Amos expressing his frustration towards Harry Potter regarding Cedric's death[src]
Amos Diggory with Albus Potter and Scorpious Malfoy

Amos Diggory with Albus Potter and Scorpius Malfoy

By 2020, Amos was living at St Oswald's Home for Old Witches and Wizards. One of his carers was Delphini, who affectionately called him uncle. One day, Amos heard about how Harry Potter may have found a time-turner. He decided to schedule a meeting with him. However, each meeting kept getting changed to a later date at the last minute. Several months later, Amos decided to visit Harry at his home in the middle of the night. Delphini helped Amos and he apprehended Harry when he returned home.

Amos begged Harry to use the time-turner to go back in time and save Cedric. Harry politely declined, stating he couldn’t meddle with time. Amos thought Harry was partly responsible for Cedric's death, because Voldemort never wanted Cedric. He was devastated to hear that Voldemort considered Cedric to be “the spare”. Harry lied to Amos and told him the story about a new time-turner was untrue. Amos thought Harry to be cold.[16]

Unbeknownst to Amos, the conversation was overheard by Albus Potter. Albus decided to visit him and tell him that he and his friend Scorpius Malfoy would be happy to go back in time and save Cedric. Amos did not take them seriously at first considering they were only children, but he was convinced they could when Delphini persuaded him and made him see even children could change the future by reminding him of the great things that happened in the Second Wizarding War.[17]

The plan to save Cedric inevitably changed the future, but not to the better one Amos had hoped for. It is unknown what happened to him in the changed timelines, but they were eventually undone. This left Amos without a son again. It is not known how he felt after this, but he still lamented about Cedric and would have no choice but to accept Cedric was gone.[18]

Amos was later visited by Harry and Draco Malfoy, who believed that he was responsible for their sons going missing again. They found out that Amos had sent them owls, which Amos denied and said he had no idea about their whereabouts. They told Amos that the children were last sighted with his niece Delphini, which surprised Amos, since he told them that he does not have a niece.[19]

Physical appearance[]

Amos was described as being "tall"; he had a ruddy face and a "scrubby" brown beard.[3]

Personality and traits[]

"Always modest, our Ced, always the gentleman... but the best man won, I'm sure Harry'd say the same, wouldn't you, eh? One falls off his broom, one stays on, it doesn't take a genius to tell which one's the better flier!"
— Amos regarding his son's flying skills[src]

Amos was extremely proud of his son, Cedric, to the point of boasting about his accomplishments at every given opportunity.[3] He became quite angry and disrespectful when Cedric was not even given a mention in the Daily Prophet story about the Triwizard Tournament, whereas Harry got a whole page to himself, though this was understandable, given that Cedric was meant to be the only Hogwarts champion.[2]

AmosDiggoryWavingCampsite Still

Amos waving enthusiastically to the Weasleys

Amos was quite genial and friendly when walking through the woods with the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione Granger. He was rather paternal, but came off as somewhat haughty and rude due to his loud voice and boastfulness of his son's accomplishments.[3]

He was also quite emotional, roaring with joy when discussing Cedric winning a Quidditch game[3] and roaring with anger at Winky the house-elf when interrogating her.[5] He sobbed openly when he saw Cedric had died and when he was interviewed about his son's death, but at least didn't blame Harry for it, and contrary, believed Harry's claim of Voldemort's return and thanked him for returning Cedric's body.[15]

"You’ve been caught red-handed, elf! Caught with the guilty wand in your hand!"
— Amos accusing Winky of having conjured the Dark Mark at the Quidditch World Cup campsite[src]

By the time Amos was an old man, with him stating to be dying, he was still incredibly grief-stricken to even greater levels than before. He lamented deeply about his "beautiful" son and no longer respected or cared for the memorization of Cedric to the whole wizarding world as a man who died bravely, only wanting to see him at least one last time, and showed no hesitation in attempting to meddle with time to bring him back. He displayed a level of impatience but coupled with strong determination to the point after months of relentlessly sending owls to Harry turned out to be useless, he resolved firmly to go round to his house without caring Harry had just arrived home and was about to prepare his children for a new school year, showing he had became somewhat apathetic to the needs of others in his bitterness.

Even though he once said he didn't think Harry was responsible for Cedric's death and thanked him for bringing Cedric's body back, he changed his mind by the time he found out about a new time-turner. He thought Harry to be partly responsible since Voldemort wanted to kill him really, not Cedric. Amos would angrily declare Harry to be a stone-cold Ministry man when he would not go back in time. He was also considered a "miserable old sod" by his carers at his home.[18]

Magical abilities and skills[]

"'Deletrius!' Mr Diggory shouted, and the smoky skull vanished in a wisp of smoke."
— Amos Diggory using the Eradication Spell to erase the Dark Mark[src]

Relationships[]

Diggory family[]

Cedric Diggory Profile

Cedric Diggory, his son

"A memorial? I am not interested in a memorial — not anymore. I am an old man — an old dying man — and I am here to ask you — beg you — to help me get him back."
— An elderly Amos begging Harry Potter to help him see Cedric again[src]

Amos and his wife appeared to be a happily married couple, but she could get displeased with his often arrogant and boastful behaviour.[2] His wife comforted Amos after the death of Cedric, remarking that he must have been happy when he died.[15]

Cedric Diggory was Amos's son. He was extremely proud of Cedric and his accomplishments, often boasting about them, making Cedric embarrassed,[3] and was pleased by him being chosen to be in the Triwizard Tournament.[14] Amos was devastated by his son's death and in 2020, asked Harry Potter to go back in time and bring him back, but then had to accept that Cedric was gone.[18]

Weasley family[]

"Amos, think about it ... precious few wizards know how to do that spell.... Where would she have learned it?"
— Arthur Weasley disagreeing with Amos's accusations against Winky[src]

Arthur Weasley knew Amos from the Ministry of Magic. They were quite friendly,[3] but could be at odds, especially during Winky's interrogation.[5]

Amos's relationship with the other Weasleys is unknown, but almost had a public confrontation with Molly Weasley about Harry being in the Tournament.[2]

Harry Potter[]

"Merlin's beard. Harry? Harry Potter?"
— Amos meeting Harry Potter for the first time[src]
HBP promo side Harry cropped

Harry Potter

Harry Potter's relationship with Amos was rather mixed. Amos was amazed to first meet Harry Potter, but was also unintentionally rude to Harry, mostly when boasting about how Cedric beat him at Quidditch.[3] Before the Third Task, Amos was not pleased about Cedric not being mentioned and Harry getting a whole page to himself.[2] Despite this, Amos thanked Harry for bringing Cedric's body.[15]

"There you are, are you? Bet you're not feeling quite as full of yourself now Cedric's caught you up on points, are you?"
— Amos angrily confronting Harry Potter before the Third Task[src]

However, by 2020, Amos's increased grief made him blame Harry partially for Cedric's death and outright demanded Harry to bring him back through time travel and was angry and bitter when Harry refused to, declaring him a "stone-cold" Ministry man.[18]

Bartemius Crouch Senior[]

Barty Crouch Senior GOFF promo

Barty Crouch Senior

Barty Crouch Senior: "Perhaps Amos is suggesting, that I routinely teach my servants to conjure the Dark Mark?"
Amos Diggory: "Mr Crouch ... not ... not at all ..."
— Barty having an angry exchange with Amos at the Quidditch World Cup campsite[src]

Amos's relationship with Barty Crouch Snr happened to be a rather strict one. When Amos thought Crouch's house-elf Winky had conjured the Dark Mark, Crouch was offended by this and reprimanded Amos, especially since Crouch had proved and demonstrated throughout his long career that he detested and despised the Dark Arts and those who practise them.[5]

Ludo Bagman[]

Amos's relationship with Ludo Bagman is mostly unknown, since they were only seen together after the conjuring of the Dark Mark.[5] It is possible that their relationship was positive.

Etymology[]

"Amos" is one of the twelve minor prophets of the Old Testament; it means "carried" in Hebrew.[20]

It is believed that the surname "Diggory" was chosen by Rowling in honour of Digory Kirke, a character created by C. S. Lewis, one of her favourite authors.

Behind the scenes[]

Amos Diggory LEGO

Amos Diggory as depicted in LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4

Appearances[]

Wiki
The Harry Potter Wiki has 22 images related to Amos Diggory.

Notes and references[]

  1. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 24 (Rita Skeeter's Scoop) Hagrid tells Harry that he hopes he wins the Triwizard Tournament as "It’d show ’em all . . . yeh don’ have ter be pureblood ter do it." implying that Cedric is a pure-blood, making his parents either pure-bloods or half-bloods in turn. As well as this, Amos couldn't pronounce "policemen" correctly, making it unlikely he grew up among Muggles. He cannot be Muggle-born due to a "Diggory" being Minister and Nobby Leech being the first Muggle-born Minister. The Diggory Minister preceded Nobby.
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 31 (The Third Task)
  3. 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 3.11 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.18 3.19 3.20 3.21 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 6 (The Portkey)
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 9 (The Dark Mark)
  6. 6.0 6.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 32 (Flesh, Blood and Bone)
  7. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Act Three, Scene Eighteen
  8. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 1, Side Quest "Happy Birthday, Hagrid!"
  9. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 1, "Party Planner" Achievement
  10. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 4, "Magical Creatures Everywhere" Achievement
  11. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 1, Side Quest "Hagrid's Birthday"
  12. 12.0 12.1 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 11 (Aboard the Hogwarts Express)
  13. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 35 (Veritaserum)
  14. 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 17 (The Four Champions)
  15. 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 37 (The Beginning)
  16. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Act One, Scene Six
  17. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Act One, Scene Fourteen
  18. 18.0 18.1 18.2 18.3 Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
  19. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Act Three, Scene Eighteen
  20. Amos on Behind the Name
  21. 21.0 21.1 Jeff Rawle at the Internet Movie Database
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