Charlus Potter

Charlus Potter
Biographical information
Died	Before 31 October, 1981
Blood status	Pure-blood (most likely)
Marital status	Married
Physical information
Gender	Male
Family information
Family members	Dorea Black (wife) † Son Cygnus Black II (father-in-law) † Violetta Bulstrode (mother-in-law) Pollux Black (brother-in-law) † Irma Crabbe (sister-in-law) Cassiopeia Black (sister-in-law) † Marius Black (brother-in-law) Walburga Black (niece) † Cygnus Black III (nephew) † Alphard Black (nephew) † Potter family
Affiliation
Loyalty	Potter family

Charlus Potter was a wizard and a member of the Potter family. He married Dorea Black and together had a son. Since Dorea was not disowned by her family (who believed strongly in the importance of blood purity), it can be assumed that Charlus was a respectable pure-blood wizard.

Etymology

• Charlus could refer back to the name Charles. It is derived from the Germanic karl or hari. It can mean "man" or "army,warrior". This can relate to many members of the Potter family.
• Potter is a very common surname of English origin. It traditionally refers to the occupation of making pottery. Beatrix Potter was a well-known English children's author. Potter's field is the name for a burial ground for the unknown or unclaimed dead, particularly soldiers and orphans; the Potter family had many members that fit that description. The Potter Box is a model for making ethical decisions developed at Harvard University. J. K. Rowling has also commented that she has liked the name since childhood, as a family that had lived near her carried this surname.

Behind the scenes

• There is some speculation that Charlus Potter was the father of James Potter and the paternal grandfather of Harry Potter, given that J. K. Rowling has said that James's parents were older when they had him, and Dorea Potter would have been forty years old when he was born. However, Rowling also said that James's parents died of natural causes when they were elderly, presumably around the same time. Dorea died at the age of fifty-seven, which is not elderly in wizarding terms. This may be a mathematical error, as Rowling has also admitted that math is not her strong suit and inconsistencies have been noted in the timeline.
• Another possibility is that Charlus was an uncle or a distant cousin of James. If so, then this leaves us with the mystery of what happened to the son of Charlus and Dorea. Since Harry was not supposed to have any living family other than the Dursley family, we could assume that Charlus, Dorea, and their son must have died before 1981.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) (Appears on Black family tree tapestry)