- "Caractacus Burke was not famed for his generosity."
- — Albus Dumbledore[src]
Caractacus Burke (b. before 1863) is one of the original founders of Borgin and Burkes. Caractacus was one of the few people Albus Dumbledore interviewed to find out more about Voldemort's past. Dumbledore learned from Caractacus' memory that Merope Gaunt came to him, and sold the Salazar Slytherin's Locket for ten Galleons, not realising it was a priceless item.
Caractacus was also the one who hired Tom Riddle after he had left Hogwarts to research and collect items for him. It took him completely by surprise when Tom Riddle disappeared.[1]
What ultimately happened to Burke is unknown, but by 1992, the shop seemed to be exclusively operated by Mr. Borgin.[2]
Biography
Early life
Burke was born quite a long time ago, most likely in the nineteenth century, to the pure-blood Burke family.
As shopowner
In 1863, Burke, along with his partner Borgin, founded the shop Borgin and Burkes in Knockturn Alley, an infamous street with stores such that sell a variety of Dark items. When he ran the shop, he was not especially generous, and did not consider himself above giving someone with a valuable artifact to sell much less than its worth in Galleons, as he demonstrated when, in the 1920s, he was visited by Merope Gaunt, a pure-blood descendant of Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Merope was pregnant with a son, Tom Riddle, and wished to sell an artifact belonging to her famous ancestor, which Burke greatly underpayed her for, as she had no idea of its true value.
Etymology
Caractacus Burke is reportedly named after Irishman William Burke, a bizarre serial killer who, with help from a partner, murdered dozens of people in Edinburgh in the late 1820s, selling the bodies as fresh cadavers to a local medical school. (Caractacus, too, was a real person, a British hero who tried to fend off Roman invaders; it was also the first name of the character played by Dick Van Dyke in the movie Chitty Chitty Bang Bang).
Behind the scenes
Caractacus is possibly related to Herbert Burke and other members of the pure-blood Burke family.[3]
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First mentioned)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)
Notes and references
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