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"Aristotle Twelvetrees was a competent man, but his daughter, Dorcus, was as dim as she was pretty."
— A description of Dorcus and her father[src]

Dorcus Twelvetrees was an American witch who lived during the 18th century. The daughter of Aristotle Twelvetrees, she was responsible for one of the greatest ever breaches of the International Statute of Secrecy, which led to the passage of Rappaport's Law.[2]

Biography[]

Early life[]

Dorcus was born into a wizarding family sometime in the 18th century. She attended Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, but did not do well academically, and apparently did not go on to pursue a career afterwards.[2]

At the time her father, Aristotle Twelvetrees, rose to the office of Keeper of Treasure and Dragots under President Emily Rappaport, Dorcus was still living with her parents, and rarely used magic. Described as "pretty" but "dim", her primary interests included fashion, styling her hair, and organising parties.[2]

Bartholomew Barebone affair[]

Dorcus met Bartholomew Barebone, a handsome No-Maj at a neighbourhood picnic one day. She was instantly smitten and performed "little tricks" for him. Interpreting his interest as nothing more than politeness and curiosity, she duly answered his "artless" queries. In the course of these interactions, she revealed to him the locations of Ilvermorny and the headquarters of the Magical Congress of the United States of America. She also provided him information about the International Confederation of Wizards and the manners in which the wizarding community endeavoured to hide itself from the No-Maj world.[2]

Unbeknownst to her, Bartholomew was in fact descended from a Scourer line, meaning that he vehemently believed in the existence of magic, and that all witches and wizards were evil. Having manipulated Dorcus into revealing as much about the wizarding world as he could, he then proceeded to steal her wand. He showed the wand to as many newspaper reporters as possible. A few newspapers were motivated to publish pictures of it, describing it as having a "kick like a mule" when waved. He also printed and distributed leaflets listing the wizarding addresses Dorcus had revealed to him, and sent letters to important No-Majs. This prompted some to investigate whether the "evil occult parties" he described were actually occurring.[2]

After shooting at a group of No-Majs he wrongly assumed to be Magical Congress of the United States of America employees, Bartholomew was arrested by No-Maj authorities, but the damage had already been done. The MACUSA was left struggling to cope with one of the most massive breaches of the International Statute of Secrecy in history. They attempted to modify the memories of all No-Majs exposed to the leaked information, but, as President Rappaport testified at a public inquiry, there was no way to be certain they had obliviated everyone.[2]

Imprisonment and later life[]

Many within the magical community advocated imprisoning Dorcus for life for her actions. Some even called for her to be executed. However, she ultimately spent only a year in prison, emerging a traumatised and thoroughly disgraced woman. She lived out the rest of her days in isolation, with only a mirror and a parrot to keep her company.[2]

The Twelvetrees-Barebone affair prompted the passage of Rappaport's Law in 1790. This law banned American wizards and witches from marrying or befriending No-Majs, and led to the total segregation of the No-Maj and wizarding communities in the United States.[2]

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. Based on the fact that she had already graduated from Ilvermorny in 1790.
  2. 2.00 2.01 2.02 2.03 2.04 2.05 2.06 2.07 2.08 2.09 2.10 2.11 2.12 2.13 2.14 2.15 2.16 2.17 Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Rappaport's Law" at Wizarding World
  3. Since her father was a wizard, she was not a No-Maj-born witch.
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