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Druella Black[4] (née Rosier) (fl. 1951-1955) was a pure-blood witch who married Cygnus Black III. The couple had three daughters: Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa.

Biography[]

Narcissa, Andromeda, and Bellatrix

Druella's three children from left to right, Narcissa, Bellatrix, and Andromeda

Druella was a member of the Rosier family, a family that strongly believed in blood purity.

Druella and her husband had three daughters: Bellatrix, Andromeda, and Narcissa. Bellatrix was the oldest and Narcissa the youngest. Her oldest and youngest shared her belief in the importance of blood purity. This belief led them to make acceptable pure-blood marriages, Andromeda however did not.

Through Bellatrix, Druella was the mother-in-law of Rodolphus Lestrange and the grandmother of Bellatrix's only daughter, Delphini. Delphini was fathered by Voldemort through an affair he and Bellatrix shared. Through Andromeda (who was disowned for marrying Muggle-born wizard Ted Tonks), she was the grandmother of Nymphadora Tonks and great-grandmother of Teddy Lupin. Through Narcissa, she was the mother-in-law of Lucius Malfoy, the grandmother of Draco Malfoy, and great-grandmother of Scorpius Malfoy.[2]

Druella may be related to Gellert Grindelwald's lieutenant Vinda Rosier, the Death Eater Evan Rosier, and another Death Eater named Rosier.[5]

Behind the scenes[]

  • Based on a statement by Horace Slughorn, Druella may have been a member of the Slytherin House, like her husband Cygnus. However, he may have not meant Druella, as she was a Rosier at the time.
  • In the Black family, the name Ella also appears before Druella married Cygnus. There were Ella Max and Elladora.
  • One of Druella's daughters, Bellatrix, has thick eyelids (she is described by Harry Potter as having heavily-lidded eyes). It is likely that this feature of her appearance was inherited from her mother as no mention is ever made of this characteristic in any members of the Black family.
  • Sirius Black's statement that "I'm the last Black left" may indicate that Druella is dead, as her married name is Black. However, more likely Sirius only meant Blacks by birth, who would be eligible to inherit 12 Grimmauld Place. Neither the books nor the Black family tree give any indication of her death, and since her daughters are only in their mid-40s at the end of Deathly Hallows, she may well still be alive.
  • Druella broke the Black family tradition of naming members of their family after stars when she and her husband, Cygnus, named their youngest daughter Narcissa, derived from the flower of the same name, the daffodil. Narcissa however restarted the tradition, naming her only son Draco, who in turn named his son Scorpius. However, Narcissa may be meant as a reference to Narcissus from Greek mythology, and many constellations are based on Greek mythology, This includes the constellation Narcissa's sister Andromeda was named after.

Etymology[]

Druella may be a combination of the names Drusilla, often shorted to Dru and meaning "dewy-eyed" or "fruitful", and Ella, a Norman name derived from the Germanic word ali, meaning "other".[6] Drusilla was the name of infamous Roman Emperor Caligula's favourite sister, as well as the daughter named after her.

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. Druella's youngest daughter was born in that year.
  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 2.18 2.19 2.20 Black family tree
  3. The traits of the Black family are dark hair and pale skin. Narcissa, while part of the Black family, has blonde hair, implying it to be a trait inherited from her mother.
  4. Andromeda, Narcissa and Bellatrix - A tale of three sisters - It’s sometimes said that if you try to exert your own opinions on your children they’ll end up either obeying you or deliberatley rebelling against you. In the case of Cygnus and Druella Black, their three daughters ran the gamut: one obeyed, one rebelled and one ended up somewhere in between.
  5. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 30 (The Pensieve)
  6. Behind the Name: Ella
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