Harry Potter Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Harry Potter Wiki

Torquil Travers was a British wizard and a member of the pure-blood Travers family. He served as the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for the British Ministry of Magic in the 1920s.[2]

Biography[]

Early life[]

Torquil Travers was born into the pure-blood Travers family, one of the "Sacred Twenty-Eight", a number of families that were judged to be still "truly pure-blood" by the author of the Pure-Blood Directory published in the 1930s.

Working for the Ministry[]

He ended up joining the British Ministry of Magic and eventually became the Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. In early September 1927, he joined Arnold Guzman, Rudolph Spielman, and Theseus Scamander in a hearing about Newt Scamander's appeal against his international travel ban. Later that year, he was accompanied by a number of Ministry wizards that included Theseus Scamander, Head of the Auror Office, and Leta Lestrange, arrived at Hogwarts Castle to question then-Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor, Albus Dumbledore in his own classroom regarding Newt Scamander's rumoured voyage to Paris.[3]

Hogwarts Viaduct Crimes of Grindelwald

He then joined Newton Scamander, Porpentina Goldstein, Theseus Scamander, Rudolph Spielman, Nagini, Jacob Kowalski, and Yusuf Kama at the Hogwarts Viaduct. Dumbledore raised his arms for his Admonitors to be removed, and Travers walked forward to remove them, but Theseus stopped him and did it himself.

Personality and traits[]

Torquil Travers was described as a "harsh, mean-spirited man".[4]

Having risen to a high position of power within the Ministry of Magic, Travers enjoyed the authority he possessed and disliked being contradicted or contested on any subject. He considered his place as the wizard in charge of the security of the British community as giving him the ability to pursue any course of action he saw fit, whether it was interrupting a Defence Against the Dark Arts class at Hogwarts while Dumbledore was still teaching (and in spite of Professor McGonagall's protests) or ordering the arrest of people for merely coming into contact with criminals like Gellert Grindelwald and his followers. His immediate reaction to any problem seemed to be attempting to remove it, leading Dumbledore to criticise the policies he had introduced while at the Ministry as those of "suppression and violence".

His position has also led him to expect instant obedience or submission to his demands or orders. Although he seemed to agree to compromise about lifting Newt Scamander's travel ban in exchange for him tracking down Credence Barebone and killing him, he refused to accept any negotiations about the terms of the deal, rejecting Newt's request as soon as he refused it. He also demanded that Dumbledore fight Grindelwald for the Ministry rather than ask, all the while ignoring the Hogwarts teacher's advice regarding his approach to dealing with the threat. He also refused to listen to Theseus's advice about arresting the entire crowd present at Grindelwald's rally and instead ordered him to follow his orders instead of questioning them.

He was also a very blunt man who made minimal effort to hide his opinions and feelings. He remained convinced, despite clear evidence to the contrary, that Newt was responsible for the partial destruction of New York during the Obscurus incident. While this led him to express his dislike of certain people and their opinions (he never hid his disdain for Dumbledore), he didn't let his feelings blind him to the fact that Dumbledore was a far more powerful wizard than he was and that he was the only one who had the skill necessary to defeat Grindelwald. He also seemed to have a soft spot for Theseus Scamander, who served under him as the Head of the Auror Office, trusting him with the lead of the intervention to arrest the Paris rally. His trust or favour Theseus was enough to accept to include his fiancé, Leta Lestrange, as a member of his own staff when he expressed a desire for her to work at the Ministry.

Magical abilities and skills[]

Etymology[]

  • Torquil is an Anglicised form of the Norwegian and Swedish masculine name Torkel, and the Scottish Gaelic name Torcall, ultimately stemming from the Old Norse name Þorkell. This Old Norse name is made up of the two elements: Þór, meaning "Thor" the Norse god of thunder; and kell (in some variants ketill), meaning "(sacrificial) cauldron".
  • Travers is an English and Irish surname that means "toll or tolltaker" (as on bridges), "traverser" (Norman: "to cross"), "skilful", or (in French) "from the crossroads".

Behind the scenes[]

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

Department of Magical Law Enforcement employees
Department of Magical Law Enforcement logo
Heads of Department
Justus Pilliwickle · Torquil Travers · Bartemius Crouch Senior · Amelia Bones · Pius Thicknesse · Corban Yaxley · Arthur Weasley · Harry Potter
Auror Office
Heads: Theseus Scamander · Rufus Scrimgeour · Gawain Robards · Harry Potter
Mordecai Berrycloth · John Dawlish · Penelope Fawley · Dorian Fungbury · Timothy Hale · Alice Longbottom · Frank Longbottom · Neville Longbottom · Patricia McManners · Alastor Moody · Alastor Moody's father · Riya Patel · Proudfoot · Savage · Kingsley Shacklebolt · Nymphadora Tonks · Ronald Weasley · Williamson · Unidentified Aurors · Helen Thistlewood · Solomon Sallow · Aesop Sharp · Aesop Sharp's partner · Unidentified male Auror at Hogwarts · Director of the Investigation Department No. 61042
Improper Use of Magic Office
Heads: Travers · Dolores Umbridge
Mafalda Hopkirk · Honoria's fiancé · Mafalda Hopkirk's Ministerial Superior · Rufus Fudge · Orabella Nuttley · Chester Davies · Linderina Crane
Other personnel
Council of Magical Law guards · Leta Lestrange · Minerva McGonagall · Elphinstone Urquart · Elton Elderberry · Alastor Gumboil · Arnold Peasegood · Arthur Weasley · Perkins · Bilius Finbok · Cerberus Langarm · Hermione Granger · Bob Ogden · Constance Pickering · Ruth Singer · Tulip Karasu's mother · Tulip Karasu's father · Dempster Wiggleswade · Amelia Bones's assistant · Arthur Weasley's ten subordinates · Unidentified Hit Wizard · Unidentified Wizengamot clerk · Director of the Investigation Department and Ministry Police
Advertisement