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{{Conjecture}}
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{{Spoiler|HM|MA}}
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{{Youmay|the dark object used as a torture device by Dolores Umbridge|the [[R's quills|unrelated black-coloured quills]] that the organisation [[R]] disguised some of their messages as}}
 
{{Object infobox
 
{{Object infobox
|name=Blood quill
+
|name = Black Quill
|image=[[File:Blood Quill.jpg|250px]]
+
|image = Dolores Umbridge's Enchanted Quill concept art.jpg
  +
|location =
|manufacturers=
 
  +
|manufacturer = [[Dolores Umbridge]]<ref name="Umbridge"/>
|made=
 
  +
|made = Prior to [[1995]]
|usage=Writing equipment; brutal method of punishment to the writer
+
|usage = Writing equipment; brutal method of punishment to the writer<ref name="OOTP13"/>
|owners=[[Dolores Umbridge]]
+
|owners = [[Dolores Umbridge]]<ref name="OOTP13">{{OOTP|B|13}}</ref>
 
}}
 
}}
 
{{Quote|He let out a gasp of pain. The words had appeared on the parchment in what appeared to be shining red ink. At the same time, the words had appeared on the back of Harry's right hand, cut into his skin as though traced there by a scalpelyet even as he stared at the shining cut, the skin healed over again, leaving the place where it had been slightly redder than before but quite smooth... He looked back at the parchment, placed the quill upon it once more, wrote ''I must not tell lies'', and felt the searing pain on the back of his hand for a second time; once again, the words had been cut into his skin, once again they healed over seconds later. And on it went. Again and again Harry wrote the words on the parchment in what he soon came to realise was not ink, but his own blood. And again and again the words were cut into the back of his hand, healed, and then reappeared the next time he set quill to parchment.|[[Harry Potter]] experiencing the Black Quill|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix}}
{{Quote|That's right. Because you know, deep down... you deserved to be punished. Don't you, [[Harry Potter|Mr. Potter]]? Go on.|[[Dolores Umbridge]] to [[Harry Potter]] in detention|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)}}
 
  +
This '''Black Quill'''<ref name="PM">{{PM}} - [http://www.pottermore.com/en-us/book5/chapter13/moment1/black-quil Black Quill]</ref>, also known as the '''Blood Quill''', was a [[Dark Arts|Dark magical]] object used as a torture device. It did not require [[ink]], as it wrote with the [[blood]] of the person using it. It was invented by [[British Ministry of Magic]] employee [[Dolores Umbridge]]<ref name="Umbridge">Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists - ''"Her punishment quill is of her own invention"''</ref> some time in [[1994]].<ref name="pottermore-umbridge">{{WW|dolores-umbridge}} -([http://www.reddit.com/r/harrypotter/comments/2kvcx0/phoenix_is_out_on_pottermore/clp258m transcript)]</ref>
   
A '''blood quill''' is a [[Dark Arts|Dark magical]] object of torture that is a type of [[quill]] that does not require [[ink]], as it writes with the [[blood]] of the person using it. What the user writes will be carved onto the back of his or her hand, and the blood from the words sliced into the hand will be magically siphoned and be used as ink on the parchment. The wound on the back of the hand will then heal, slightly redder than before, and then open up when the user writes again. Continuous use of it will eventually scar the back of the hand. The quill is black, long, thin, and extremely sharp.
+
What the user wrote would be carved onto the back of their hand and the blood from the words sliced into the hand would be magically siphoned and used as ink on the parchment. The wound on the back of the hand would then heal, slightly redder than before, and then open up when the user wrote again. Continuous use of it would eventually scar the back of the hand. The quill was black, long, thin, and extremely sharp.<ref name="OOTP13" />
   
 
==Known use==
 
==Known use==
  +
{{Dialogue a-b-a|Dolores Umbridge|You’re going to be using a rather special one of mine. Here you are. I want you to write ''I must not tell lies''.|Harry Potter|How many times?|Oh, as long as it takes for the message to ''sink in''.|Umbridge instructing Harry to use the quill|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix}}
[[File:Detention_dolores.jpg|thumb|274px|Professor Umbridge overseeing Harry's detention with the blood quill]]
 
 
During the [[1995–1996 school year]] at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]], [[Dolores Umbridge]] was [[Defence Against the Dark Arts]] professor and High Inquisitor. As a method of punishment, she had students who displeased her write lines using the Black Quill,<ref name="OOTP13" /> which Professor [[Minerva McGonagall]] considered a "medieval method" of teaching.<ref name="OPF">{{OOTP|F}}</ref>
{{Quote|He let out a gasp of pain. The words had appeared on the parchment in what appeared to be shining red ink. At the same time, the words had appeared on the back of Harry's right hand, cut into his skin as though traced there by a scalpel--yet even as he stared at the shining cut, the skin healed over again, leaving the place where it had been slightly redder than before but quite smooth...He looked back at the parchment, placed the quill upon it once more, wrote ''I must not tell lies'', and felt the searing pain on the back of his hand for a second time; once again, the words had been cut into his skin, once again they healed over seconds later. And on it went. Again and again Harry wrote the words on the parchment in what he soon came to realize was not ink, but his own blood. And again and again the words were cut into the back of his hand, healed, and then reappeared the next time he set quill to parchment|Harry experiences the blood quill|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix}}
 
   
 
[[File:Detention dolores.jpg|250px|thumb|left|Professor Umbridge overseeing Harry's detention with the Black Quill]]
During the [[1995–1996 school year]] at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]], [[Dolores Umbridge]] was [[Defence Against the Dark Arts]] professor and High Inquisitor. As a method of punishment, she had students who displeased her write lines using a blood quill,<ref name="OP15">''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'', Ch. 15</ref> which Professor [[Minerva McGonagall]] considered a "medieval method" of teaching<ref name="OPF">''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)]]''</ref>.
 
 
Harry Potter was one of the students upon whom Umbridge frequently forced this punishment, since he persistently claimed that [[Tom Riddle|Voldemort]] had [[Return of Lord Voldemort|returned]] during the Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, which the [[British Ministry of Magic|Ministry of Magic]] refused to believe. He used the Black Quill during many detentions, from 5:00 p.m. to well over midnight, until he acquired a [[Harry Potter's scars#Scars on Harry's hand|scar]] on the back of his hand reading "''I must not tell lies''".<ref name="OOTP13" /> [[Hermione Granger]] prepared a solution made of [[Murtlap Essence]] in order to help relieve the [[pain]] Harry suffered from using the Black Quill.<ref name="OOTP15">{{OOTP|B|15}}</ref> [[Lee Jordan]] was another student who was forced to use the Black Quill for mocking [[Educational Decree Number Twenty-Six]].<ref name="OP25">{{OOTP|B|25}}</ref> There were also many students [[Dolores Umbridge|Umbridge]] put into detention for using the [[Skiving Snackbox]], claiming to have "[[Umbridge-itis]]", but failed to discover their secrets. It is unknown if she used the Black Quill to punish these students, though she failed to extract the true cause of their symptoms, and was forced to let them leave her class in droves.<ref name="OOTP30">{{OOTP|B|30}}</ref>
 
{{Quote|Tut, tut, I don't seem to have made much of an impression yet. Well, we'll just have to try again tomorrow evening, won't we? You may go.|[[Dolores Umbridge]] examing Harry's hand after his first detention|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix}}
 
 
[[File:Bloodquill.png|thumb|250px|The words carved on the back of Harry's hand.]]
 
 
[[Harry Potter]] was one of the students Umbridge frequently forced this punishment upon, since he persistently claimed that [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]] had [[Return of the Dark Lord|returned]], which the [[British Ministry of Magic|Ministry of Magic]] refused to believe. He used the blood quill during many detentions, until he acquired a [[Harry Potter's scars#Scars on Harry's hands|scar]] on the back of his hand reading "''I must not tell lies''". [[Hermione Granger]] prepared a solution made of [[Murtlap Essence]] in order to help relieve the pain Harry suffered from using the blood quill.<ref name="OP15"/> [[Lee Jordan]] was another student who was forced to use the blood quill.<ref name="OP25">''Order of the Phoenix'', Ch. 25</ref> There are also many students Umbridge put into detention for using the [[Skiving Snackbox]] and claiming to have "[[Umbridge-itis]]", but after failing to discover their secrets, she is forced to allow them to leave her classes in droves. It is unknown if she used the blood quill to punish these students.
 
   
 
==Legacy==
 
==Legacy==
 
{{Quote|You've been through all that persecution from the Ministry when they were trying to make out you were unstable and a liar. You can still see the [[Harry Potter's scars#Scars on Harry's hands|marks]] on the back of your hand where that [[Dolores Umbridge|evil woman]] made you write with your own blood, but you stuck to your story anyway...|A year after Harry Potter was punished with the Black Quill|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince}}
 
[[File:Dolores Umbridge.PNG|200px|thumb|right|[[Dolores Umbridge]], the only known user of the Black Quill form of punishment]]
 
Harry's torturous detentions from Umbridge served as a symbol of her tyranny and the lengths to which she would go to silence him from telling the truth,<ref name="OOTP13" /> though it is never known whether other Ministry employees or even [[Cornelius Fudge]] himself were ever aware that she used these disciplinary actions. It is possible that the Ministry was unaware of it and would not condone the usage, as when Umbridge prepared to use the [[Cruciatus Curse]] on Harry she said, "What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him", giving rise to speculation that Umbridge might be doing more than a few unlawful things behind her employer's back, the Black Quill possibly included.<ref name="OOTP32">{{OOTP|B|32}}</ref> Furthermore, [[Percy Weasley]], in a [[Percy Weasley's letter to Ronald Weasley (1995) II|letter to his brother]] [[Ronald Weasley]], described Umbridge as a "delightful woman", showing that he himself was totally ignorant of Umbridge's sinister nature.<ref name="OOTP14">{{OOTP|B|14}}</ref>
   
  +
Due to the sadistic punishments he received from Umbridge for standing up to her, Harry hated Umbridge from the bottom of his heart, a hatred rivalling that which he initially felt towards [[Severus Snape]]. He loathed Umbridge's high, girlish voice and her wide, toad-like smile during his detentions, her denial of Harry's claims and the way she seemed to enjoy and take pleasure as he carved his hand and wrote in his own blood.<ref name="OOTP13" />
{{Quote|You've been through all that persecution from the Ministry when they were trying to make out you were unstable and a liar. You can still see the [[Harry Potter's scars#Scars on Harry's hands|marks]] on the back of your hand where that [[Dolores Umbridge|evil woman]] made you write with your own blood, but you stuck to your story anyway...|[[Hermione Granger]] to [[Harry Potter]] one year after he was punished with the blood quill|Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince}}
 
   
 
However, Harry was convinced talking about the punishments he was forced to do wasn't a good idea. He stubbornly clung to the belief that this was a private battle of wills between himself and Umbridge. He didn't want to give in or give her the satisfaction of hearing that he had complained about it. He was repeatedly suggested by Ron to report this to Professors [[Minerva McGonagall|McGonagall]] or [[Albus Dumbledore|Dumbledore]]. Harry refused on the belief that the former has not enough authority to override the punishment, while not wanting to bother with the latter for ignoring him.<ref name="OOTP13" /> This suggested that while Umbridge had enough authority to silence a teacher, she could not utilise the quill if the headmaster did not approve it, furthering the quill's illegality.
Harry's torturous detentions from Umbridge have served as a symbol of her tyranny and the lengths to which the Ministry would go to silence him from telling the truth, though it is never known whether other Ministry employees or even [[Cornelius Fudge]] himself were ever aware that she used these disciplinary actions. It is possible that the Ministry was unaware of it and would not condone the usage, as when Umbridge prepared to use the [[Cruciatus Curse]] on Harry she said "What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him", giving rise to speculation that Umbridge might be doing more than a few unlawful things, the blood quill included. [[Percy Weasley]], in a [[Percy Weasley's letter to Ronald Weasley (1995) II|letter to his brother]] [[Ronald Weasley]], described Umbridge as a "delightful woman", and is is speculated that if he knew what type of punishments she was handing out he might not have described her as such. However, it is possible that Percy, being so deep within the Ministry and so convinced what they were doing was the right thing, might have made some excuse or even overlooked Umbridge's behavior if he learned about it.
 
   
 
During the [[Christmas]] of [[1996]], Harry was visited at [[The Burrow]] by then-[[Minister for Magic]] [[Rufus Scrimgeour]]. The purpose of Scrimgeour's visit was to ask Harry to be the Ministry's "poster child"; that is, he would pop in and out of the Ministry from time to time and tell the public that the Ministry was doing the right thing in the [[Second Wizarding War|war against Lord Voldemort]]. Scrimgeour tried to persuade Harry to work with the Ministry to create the image that "The Chosen One" was supporting them while they continued to get nowhere in capturing Death Eaters and putting the wrong people in [[Azkaban]], to give an image of progress.<ref name="HBP16" />
[[File:Dolores_Umbridge.PNG|thumb|[[Dolores Umbridge]], the only known administer of the blood quill form of punishment.]]
 
Due to the sadistic punishments he received from Umbridge for standing up to her, Harry hated Umbridge from the bottom of his heart, a hatred rivaling that which he felt towards [[Severus Snape]]. He loathed Umbridge's high, girlish voice and her wide, toad-like smile during his detentions, and the way she seemed to enjoy and take pleasure as he carved his hand and wrote in his own blood. However, Harry was convinced talking about the punishments he was forced to do wasn't a good idea, he stubbornly clung to the belief that this was a private battle of wills between him and Umbridge and he didn't want to give in or give her the satisfaction of hearing that he complained about it. He was repeatedly suggested by Ron to report this to Professors [[Minerva McGonagall|McGonagall]] or [[Albus Dumbledore|Dumbledore]], but aside from his pride, he refused on the believe that the former has not enough authority to override the punishment, while not wanting to bother with the latter for ignoring him, suggesting that while Umbridge has enough authority to silence a teacher, she could not utilise the quill if the headmaster does not approve it, furthering the quill's illegality.
 
   
 
To bribe Harry, Scrimgeour told him he could get him in contact with [[Gawain Robards]], Head of the [[Auror Office]], as Umbridge had told the Minister that Harry had an ambition to become an Auror. Upon hearing that Umbridge was still in Ministry employment, anger began to bubble at the pit of Harry's stomach. When Harry pointed out that Scrimgeour didn't care if he (Harry) lived or died as long as he created the illusion that the Ministry was doing well, he raised his right fist and showed Scrimgeour the scars of ''I must not tell lies'' Umbridge had forced him to carve into his own flesh, shining white on the back of his cold hand, and pointed out that the Ministry wasn't so keen to be friends during their [[Campaign to discredit Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter|campaign to discredit him and Dumbledore]] the previous year.<ref name="HBP16">{{HBP|B|16}}</ref>
During the [[Christmas]] of [[1997]], Harry was visited at [[The Burrow]] by then-[[Minister for Magic]] [[Rufus Scrimgeour]]. The purpose of Scrimgeours visit was to ask Harry to be the Ministry's "poster child", that is, he would pop in and out of the Ministry from time to time and tell the public that the Ministry was doing the right thing in the [[Second Wizarding War|war against Voldemort]]. Scrimgeour tried to persuade Harry to work the Ministry to create the image the "The Chosen One" was supporting them while they continued to get no where in capturing Death Eaters and putting the wrong people in [[Azkaban]] also to give an image of progress.
 
   
  +
==Known uses==
To bribe Harry, Scrimgeour told Harry he could get him in contact with [[Gawain Robards]], Head of the [[Auror Office]], as Umbridge had told the Minister that Harry had an ambition to become an Auror. Upon hearing that Umbridge was still in Ministry employment, anger began to bubble at the pit of Harry's stomach. When Harry pointed out that Scrimgeour didn't care if he (Harry) lived or died as long as he created the illusion that the Ministry was doing well, Harry raised his right fist and showed Scrimgeour the scars of ''I must not tell lies'' Umbridge had forced him to carve into his own flesh, shining white on the back of his cold hand, and pointed out that the Ministry wasn't so keen to be friends during their [[Campaign to discredit Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter|campaign to discredit him and Dumbledore]] the previous year.
 
  +
*[[Harry Potter]] (multiple detentions during the [[1995–1996 school year]])<ref name="OOTP13" />
  +
*[[Lee Jordan]] (for mocking [[Educational Decree Number Twenty-Six]])<ref name="OP25" />
  +
*[[Dumbledore's Army]] (following the group's discovery by Umbridge and the [[Inquisitorial Squad]])
   
 
==Behind the scenes==
 
==Behind the scenes==
  +
*The usage of this torturous quill was described as "sick" by Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and even [[Imelda Staunton]], the actress that plays [[Dolores Umbridge]] in the [[Harry Potter (film series)|film adaptations]].
 
*In the [[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)|film adaptation]] of ''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'', all the [[Dumbledore's Army]] members had to use it after [[Cho Chang]] was [[Veritaserum|forced]] into betraying them, for breaking [[Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four|Educational Decree Number Sixty-Eight]]. It created so much pain that it made several people, including [[Nigel Wolpert]], [[Luna Lovegood]], [[Ginevra Weasley|Ginny Weasley]] and [[Michael]] start sobbing over the deep gouges in the backs of their hands. This was against Dumbledore's will, as he wished to blame himself for the DA so they wouldn't get into trouble. Fred and George appeared particularly angry with Umbridge, thus adding to their later revenge.
+
*In {{OOTP|FA}}, all the [[Dumbledore's Army]] members had to use it after [[Cho Chang]] was [[Veritaserum|forced]] into betraying them, for breaking [[Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four|Educational Decree Number Sixty-Eight]]; Cho alone was not required to use the quill as a result.
*The blood quill is rather similar to a device in Franz Kafka's short story "''[[Wikipedia:In the Penal Colony|In the Penal Colony]]''", where inmates are tortured and executed with a crude device that carves the sentence into the convicted person's skin.
+
*The Black Quill is rather similar to a device in Franz Kafka's short story "''{{wplink|In the Penal Colony}}''", where inmates are tortured and executed with a crude device that carves the sentence into the convicted person's skin.
  +
*Given the recent introduction of a [[blood pact]] into canon, which adds another layer to the question of what magical properties blood have in regard to magic, dark or otherwise, it is uncertain if signing a contract or other legal document with Umbridge’s quill would mean it is magically binding as well as legally, or if that would require additional spellwork.
  +
*Before Rowling revealed otherwise, Blood Quills/Black Quills were believed by fans to be restricted, controlled items meant to be used, solely, strictly, for the signing of magically-binding documents (contracts, etc.), in blood, in order to make them legally-binding, and, because of this, that Umbridge's use of them on the students during her time at Hogwarts was highly illegal.
   
 
==Appearances==
 
==Appearances==
  +
*{{OOTP}} {{1st}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'' {{1st}}
 
  +
*{{OOTP|F}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)]]''
 
  +
*{{OOTP|G}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)]]''
 
  +
*{{HBP}} {{Mention}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]''
 
  +
*{{PM}} {{1st ID}}
  +
*{{WW}}
  +
*{{HM}} {{Mention}}
  +
*{{WU}}
  +
*{{MA}} {{HoM mention}}
  +
*{{HPWA}}
   
 
==Notes and references==
 
==Notes and references==
 
{{Reflist}}
 
{{Reflist}}
  +
[[de:Schneidende Schreibfeder]]
 
  +
[[es:Pluma Negra]]
 
[[fr:Plume de Dolores Ombrage]]
 
[[fr:Plume de Dolores Ombrage]]
  +
[[ru:Чёрное перо]]
[[Category:Quills]]
 
  +
[[pl:Krwawe pióro]]
[[Category:Dark Magic Artefacts]]
 
 
[[Category:Blood-related magic]]
 
[[Category:Campaign to discredit Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter]]
 
[[Category:Campaign to discredit Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter]]
 
[[Category:Dark Magic artefacts]]
  +
[[Category:Discipline at Hogwarts]]
 
[[Category:Dolores Umbridge's possessions]]
 
[[Category:Dolores Umbridge's possessions]]
[[Category:Discipline at Hogwarts]]
+
[[Category:Foundables]]
[[Category:Feather]]
+
[[Category:Quills]]

Latest revision as of 19:01, 22 February 2024

"He let out a gasp of pain. The words had appeared on the parchment in what appeared to be shining red ink. At the same time, the words had appeared on the back of Harry's right hand, cut into his skin as though traced there by a scalpel — yet even as he stared at the shining cut, the skin healed over again, leaving the place where it had been slightly redder than before but quite smooth... He looked back at the parchment, placed the quill upon it once more, wrote I must not tell lies, and felt the searing pain on the back of his hand for a second time; once again, the words had been cut into his skin, once again they healed over seconds later. And on it went. Again and again Harry wrote the words on the parchment in what he soon came to realise was not ink, but his own blood. And again and again the words were cut into the back of his hand, healed, and then reappeared the next time he set quill to parchment."
Harry Potter experiencing the Black Quill[src]

This Black Quill[3], also known as the Blood Quill, was a Dark magical object used as a torture device. It did not require ink, as it wrote with the blood of the person using it. It was invented by British Ministry of Magic employee Dolores Umbridge[1] some time in 1994.[4]

What the user wrote would be carved onto the back of their hand and the blood from the words sliced into the hand would be magically siphoned and used as ink on the parchment. The wound on the back of the hand would then heal, slightly redder than before, and then open up when the user wrote again. Continuous use of it would eventually scar the back of the hand. The quill was black, long, thin, and extremely sharp.[2]

Known use

Dolores Umbridge: "You’re going to be using a rather special one of mine. Here you are. I want you to write I must not tell lies."
Harry Potter: "How many times?"
Dolores Umbridge: "Oh, as long as it takes for the message to sink in."
— Umbridge instructing Harry to use the quill[src]

During the 1995–1996 school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Dolores Umbridge was Defence Against the Dark Arts professor and High Inquisitor. As a method of punishment, she had students who displeased her write lines using the Black Quill,[2] which Professor Minerva McGonagall considered a "medieval method" of teaching.[5]

Detention dolores

Professor Umbridge overseeing Harry's detention with the Black Quill

Harry Potter was one of the students upon whom Umbridge frequently forced this punishment, since he persistently claimed that Voldemort had returned during the Defence Against the Dark Arts classes, which the Ministry of Magic refused to believe. He used the Black Quill during many detentions, from 5:00 p.m. to well over midnight, until he acquired a scar on the back of his hand reading "I must not tell lies".[2] Hermione Granger prepared a solution made of Murtlap Essence in order to help relieve the pain Harry suffered from using the Black Quill.[6] Lee Jordan was another student who was forced to use the Black Quill for mocking Educational Decree Number Twenty-Six.[7] There were also many students Umbridge put into detention for using the Skiving Snackbox, claiming to have "Umbridge-itis", but failed to discover their secrets. It is unknown if she used the Black Quill to punish these students, though she failed to extract the true cause of their symptoms, and was forced to let them leave her class in droves.[8]

Legacy

"You've been through all that persecution from the Ministry when they were trying to make out you were unstable and a liar. You can still see the marks on the back of your hand where that evil woman made you write with your own blood, but you stuck to your story anyway..."
— A year after Harry Potter was punished with the Black Quill[src]
Dolores Umbridge

Dolores Umbridge, the only known user of the Black Quill form of punishment

Harry's torturous detentions from Umbridge served as a symbol of her tyranny and the lengths to which she would go to silence him from telling the truth,[2] though it is never known whether other Ministry employees or even Cornelius Fudge himself were ever aware that she used these disciplinary actions. It is possible that the Ministry was unaware of it and would not condone the usage, as when Umbridge prepared to use the Cruciatus Curse on Harry she said, "What Cornelius doesn't know won't hurt him", giving rise to speculation that Umbridge might be doing more than a few unlawful things behind her employer's back, the Black Quill possibly included.[9] Furthermore, Percy Weasley, in a letter to his brother Ronald Weasley, described Umbridge as a "delightful woman", showing that he himself was totally ignorant of Umbridge's sinister nature.[10]

Due to the sadistic punishments he received from Umbridge for standing up to her, Harry hated Umbridge from the bottom of his heart, a hatred rivalling that which he initially felt towards Severus Snape. He loathed Umbridge's high, girlish voice and her wide, toad-like smile during his detentions, her denial of Harry's claims and the way she seemed to enjoy and take pleasure as he carved his hand and wrote in his own blood.[2]

However, Harry was convinced talking about the punishments he was forced to do wasn't a good idea. He stubbornly clung to the belief that this was a private battle of wills between himself and Umbridge. He didn't want to give in or give her the satisfaction of hearing that he had complained about it. He was repeatedly suggested by Ron to report this to Professors McGonagall or Dumbledore. Harry refused on the belief that the former has not enough authority to override the punishment, while not wanting to bother with the latter for ignoring him.[2] This suggested that while Umbridge had enough authority to silence a teacher, she could not utilise the quill if the headmaster did not approve it, furthering the quill's illegality.

During the Christmas of 1996, Harry was visited at The Burrow by then-Minister for Magic Rufus Scrimgeour. The purpose of Scrimgeour's visit was to ask Harry to be the Ministry's "poster child"; that is, he would pop in and out of the Ministry from time to time and tell the public that the Ministry was doing the right thing in the war against Lord Voldemort. Scrimgeour tried to persuade Harry to work with the Ministry to create the image that "The Chosen One" was supporting them while they continued to get nowhere in capturing Death Eaters and putting the wrong people in Azkaban, to give an image of progress.[11]

To bribe Harry, Scrimgeour told him he could get him in contact with Gawain Robards, Head of the Auror Office, as Umbridge had told the Minister that Harry had an ambition to become an Auror. Upon hearing that Umbridge was still in Ministry employment, anger began to bubble at the pit of Harry's stomach. When Harry pointed out that Scrimgeour didn't care if he (Harry) lived or died as long as he created the illusion that the Ministry was doing well, he raised his right fist and showed Scrimgeour the scars of I must not tell lies Umbridge had forced him to carve into his own flesh, shining white on the back of his cold hand, and pointed out that the Ministry wasn't so keen to be friends during their campaign to discredit him and Dumbledore the previous year.[11]

Known uses

Behind the scenes

  • The usage of this torturous quill was described as "sick" by Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and even Imelda Staunton, the actress that plays Dolores Umbridge in the film adaptations.
  • In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, all the Dumbledore's Army members had to use it after Cho Chang was forced into betraying them, for breaking Educational Decree Number Sixty-Eight; Cho alone was not required to use the quill as a result.
  • The Black Quill is rather similar to a device in Franz Kafka's short story "In the Penal Colony", where inmates are tortured and executed with a crude device that carves the sentence into the convicted person's skin.
  • Given the recent introduction of a blood pact into canon, which adds another layer to the question of what magical properties blood have in regard to magic, dark or otherwise, it is uncertain if signing a contract or other legal document with Umbridge’s quill would mean it is magically binding as well as legally, or if that would require additional spellwork.
  • Before Rowling revealed otherwise, Blood Quills/Black Quills were believed by fans to be restricted, controlled items meant to be used, solely, strictly, for the signing of magically-binding documents (contracts, etc.), in blood, in order to make them legally-binding, and, because of this, that Umbridge's use of them on the students during her time at Hogwarts was highly illegal.

Appearances

Notes and references

  1. 1.0 1.1 Short Stories from Hogwarts of Power, Politics and Pesky Poltergeists - "Her punishment quill is of her own invention"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 13 (Detention with Dolores)
  3. Pottermore - Black Quill
  4. Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Dolores Umbridge" at Wizarding World -(transcript)
  5. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
  6. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 15 (The Hogwarts High Inquisitor)
  7. 7.0 7.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 25 (The Beetle at Bay)
  8. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 30 (Grawp)
  9. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 32 (Out of the Fire)
  10. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 14 (Percy and Padfoot)
  11. 11.0 11.1 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 16 (A Very Frosty Christmas)