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{{Slytherin individual infobox
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{{Dark wizard individual infobox
 
|image=[[File:Walburga Black.jpg|250px]]
 
|image=[[File:Walburga Black.jpg|250px]]
 
|name=Walburga Black
 
|name=Walburga Black
 
|born=[[1920s|1925]]<ref name="BFT">''[[House of Black|Black family tree]]''</ref>
 
|born=[[1920s|1925]]<ref name="BFT">''[[House of Black|Black family tree]]''</ref>
|died=[[1985]]<ref name="BFT" ></ref> (aged 60)
+
|died=[[1985]]<ref name="BFT" ></ref> (aged 59 or 60)
 
|blood=[[Pure-blood]]<ref name="BFT" ></ref>
 
|blood=[[Pure-blood]]<ref name="BFT" ></ref>
|marital=Married/Widowed
+
|marital=Widowed
 
|species=[[Human]]<ref name="BFT" ></ref>
 
|species=[[Human]]<ref name="BFT" ></ref>
 
|gender=Female<ref name="BFT" ></ref>
 
|gender=Female<ref name="BFT" ></ref>
|hair=Grey
+
|hair=*Blonde (previously)
  +
*Grey
  +
|skin=White
 
|family=*[[Pollux Black]] (father) †<ref name="BFT" ></ref>
 
|family=*[[Pollux Black]] (father) †<ref name="BFT" ></ref>
 
*[[Irma Crabbe]] (mother)<ref name="BFT" ></ref>
 
*[[Irma Crabbe]] (mother)<ref name="BFT" ></ref>
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*[[Melania Macmillan]] (mother-in-law/first cousin-in-law once removed)<ref name="BFT" ></ref>
 
*[[Melania Macmillan]] (mother-in-law/first cousin-in-law once removed)<ref name="BFT" ></ref>
 
*[[Arcturus Black]] (father-in-law/first-cousin-once-removed)<ref name="BFT" ></ref>
 
*[[Arcturus Black]] (father-in-law/first-cousin-once-removed)<ref name="BFT" ></ref>
*[[House of Black|Black family]]
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*[[House of Black|Black family]] (paternal family)
  +
*[[Crabbe family]] (maternal family)
 
|hidem=y
 
|hidem=y
|house=[[Slytherin]]<ref name="slytherin">In Chapter 4 of ''Half-Blood Prince'', [[Horace Slughorn]] states: "The whole Black family had been in my house, but Sirius ended up in Gryffindor!" This implies that all Blacks except Sirius were Sorted into [[Slytherin]] while Slughorn was Head of House. Walburga, born in 1925, presumably attended Hogwarts c. 1936 to 1943, and thus would have been a student of Slughorn, who was stated to have begun teaching at Hogwarts around the same time as [[Albus Dumbledore]] in Chapter 5 of ''Half-Blood Prince'', in [[1930s|1938]] or earlier. [[Sirius Black]] also states "My whole family have been in Slytherin" and in Chapter 23 of ''Deathly Hallows'', confirming that at least those Blacks closely related to Sirius were in Slytherin.</ref>
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|house=[[Slytherin]]<ref name="slytherin">In Chapter 4 of ''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]'', [[Horace Slughorn]] states: "The whole Black family had been in my house, but Sirius ended up in [[Gryffindor]]!" This implies that all Blacks except Sirius were Sorted into [[Slytherin]] while Slughorn was Head of House. Walburga, born in [[1925]], presumably attended Hogwarts c. [[1936]] to [[1943]], and thus would have been a student of Slughorn, who was stated to have begun teaching at Hogwarts around the same time as [[Albus Dumbledore]] in Chapter 5 of ''[[Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince]]'', in [[1930s|1938]] or earlier. [[Sirius Black]] also states "My whole family have been in Slytherin" and in Chapter 23 of ''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]'', confirming that at least those Blacks closely related to Sirius were in [[Slytherin]].</ref>
|loyalty=[[House of Black]]<ref name="BFT" ></ref>
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|loyalty=*[[House of Black]]<ref name="BFT" ></ref>
  +
*[[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry]]
  +
*[[Slytherin]]
 
}}
 
}}
{{Quote|Stains of dishonour, filthy half-breeds, blood traitors, children of filth!|[[Portrait of Walburga Black at 12 Grimmauld Place|Portrait of Walburga Black]] screaming at members of the [[Order of the Phoenix]]|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix}}
+
{{Quote|My mother didn't have a heart, Kreacher. She kept herself alive out of pure spite.|[[Sirius Black]]|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix}}
 
'''Walburga Black''' ([[1920s|1925]][[1985]]) was a [[pure-blood]] witch, the daughter of [[Pollux Black]] and [[Irma Crabbe]], the sister of [[Alphard Black|Alphard]] and [[Cygnus Black III|Cygnus]], the wife and second cousin of [[Orion Black]] and the mother of [[Sirius Black|Sirius]] and [[Regulus Black|Regulus]]. Walburga was raised in Grimmauld Place, since she called it the "House of my fathers". She died in [[1985]]; but [[Portrait of Walburga Black at 12 Grimmauld Place|her portrait]] still remains at [[12 Grimmauld Place]] to, in a way, make the blood-traitors and half-bloods and anyone beneath the pure-blood elite uncomfortable at her house.
 
'''Walburga Black''' ([[1920s|1925]][[1985]]) was a [[pure-blood]] witch, the daughter of [[Pollux Black]] and [[Irma Crabbe]] and sister of [[Alphard Black|Alphard]] and [[Cygnus Black III|Cygnus]]. Walburga was probably raised in Grimmauld Place, since she called it the "House of my fathers". She married her second cousin [[Orion Black]], thus her married name was the same as her maiden name, and had two children, [[Sirius Black|Sirius]] and [[Regulus Black]].<ref name="BFT" /> She died in [[1985]]; [[Portrait of Walburga Black at 12 Grimmauld Place|her portrait]] still remains at [[12 Grimmauld Place]].
 
   
 
==Biography==
 
==Biography==
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{{Dialogue a-b|Harry|Were — were your parents [[Death Eaters]] as well?|Sirius|No, no, but believe me, they thought [[Tom Riddle|Voldemort]] had the right idea, they were all for the purification of the wizarding race, getting rid of [[Muggle-born]]s and having [[pure-blood]]s in charge… I bet my parents thought Regulus was a right little hero for joining up at first.|[[Sirius Black]] to [[Harry Potter]] on his family's views|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix}}
 
{{Dialogue a-b|Harry|Were — were your parents [[Death Eaters]] as well?|Sirius|No, no, but believe me, they thought [[Tom Riddle|Voldemort]] had the right idea, they were all for the purification of the wizarding race, getting rid of [[Muggle-born]]s and having [[pure-blood]]s in charge… I bet my parents thought Regulus was a right little hero for joining up at first.|[[Sirius Black]] to [[Harry Potter]] on his family's views|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix}}
   
Walburga was a member of the traditionalist [[pure-blood]] [[House of Black]], who looked down on any except other "respectable" pure-blood wizards. She was the daughter of [[Pollux Black]] and [[Irma Crabbe]], and sister of [[Alphard Black|Alphard]] and [[Cygnus Black III|Cygnus]]. She married her second cousin [[Orion Black|Orion]] and they had two children, Sirius and Regulus.
+
Walburga was a member of the traditionalist [[pure-blood]] [[House of Black]], who looked down on any except other "respectable" pure-blood wizards and believed in pure-blood supremacy. She was the daughter of [[Pollux Black]] and [[Irma Crabbe]], and sister of [[Alphard Black|Alphard]] and [[Cygnus Black III|Cygnus]]. Because of the family tradition of marrying respectable pure-blood families, she married her second cousin [[Orion Black|Orion]] and they had two children, Sirius and Regulus. 
   
 
===Family life and death===
 
===Family life and death===
  +
[[File:Blackfamily1970s.png|thumb|left|255px|The Blacks in the [[1970s]]. From left to right: [[Sirius Black|Sirius]], [[Orion Black|Orion]], [[Regulus Black|Regulus]], Walburga, and [[Kreacher]].]]
Her elder son [[Sirius Black]] was a severe disappointment to her because he did not agree with the ideology of [[blood purity]] and was sorted into [[Gryffindor]] house at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry|Hogwarts]], rather than the family's traditional house, [[Slytherin]]<ref name="slytherin" />. He was disinherited and removed from the [[House of Black|Black Family tree]] when he left home at the age of sixteen to live with the [[Potter family]]. Walburga maintained a habit of blasting people from the [[House of Black|Black family tree]] which stood in the hall of the family home at [[12 Grimmauld Place]] if they displeased her; she did so to her brother [[Alphard Black|Alphard]] simply because he left gold to Sirius. According to [[Kreacher]], Walburga was heartbroken by this abandonment.
+
Her elder son [[Sirius Black]] was a severe disappointment to her because he did not agree with the ideology of [[blood purity]] and was sorted into [[Gryffindor]] house at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry|Hogwarts]], rather than the family's traditional house, [[Slytherin]]<ref name="slytherin" />. Growing up, he ticked off his parents, particularly his mother, by decorating his room with posters from the muggle world depicting bikini-clad women and motorcycles, and had stuck those to the walls with irreversible sticking charms that infuriated her. He was disinherited and removed from the [[House of Black|Black Family tree]] when he left home at the age of sixteen to live with the [[Potter family]]. Walburga personally blasted her son from the tapestry. She maintained a habit of blasting people from the [[House of Black|Black family tree]] which stood in the hall of the family home at [[12 Grimmauld Place]] if they displeased her; she did so to her brother [[Alphard Black|Alphard]] simply because he left gold to Sirius despite being disowned. According to [[Kreacher]], Walburga was heartbroken by this abandonment, but nonetheless disowned both of them to cleanse the tapestry.
   
Her younger son [[Regulus Black|Regulus]] followed the family traditions and became his mother's favourite, and heir to the wealth, position, and traditions of the Black family. Regulus became a [[Death Eaters|Death Eater]] during the [[First Wizarding War]]; although neither Walburga nor Orion were followers of [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]] themselves, according to Sirius, they thought he "had the right idea"<ref name="OTP">''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]''</ref>, until they saw that Voldemort was ruthless in his pursuit for power, at which point they got cold feet. Regulus was killed in [[1979]] after trying to destroy Voldemort's [[Horcrux]]. As Regulus forbade Kreacher from telling this to anyone, Walburga thought Regulus died trying to leave the organisation. Walburga's husband [[Orion Black|Orion]] and brother [[Cygnus Black III|Cygnus]] also died in the same year. She died in [[1985]].
+
Her younger son [[Regulus Black|Regulus]], however, followed the family traditions and joined the Slytherin House and eventually became his mother's favourite, as well as heir to the wealth, position, and traditions of the Black family. Regulus became a [[Death Eaters|Death Eater]] during the [[First Wizarding War]]; although neither Walburga nor Orion were followers of [[Tom Riddle|Lord Voldemort]] themselves, according to Sirius, they thought he "had the right idea"<ref name="OTP">''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]''</ref>, until they saw that Voldemort was ruthless in his pursuit for power, at which point they got cold feet. Regulus was killed in [[1979]] after trying to destroy Voldemort's [[Horcrux]], and died childless without an heir. As Regulus forbade Kreacher from telling this to anyone, Walburga thought Regulus died trying to leave the organisation. Walburga's husband [[Orion Black|Orion]] also died in the same year. She died in [[1985]].
   
 
===Post-mortem===
 
===Post-mortem===
 
{{Main|Portrait of Walburga Black at 12 Grimmauld Place}}
 
{{Main|Portrait of Walburga Black at 12 Grimmauld Place}}
 
{{Dialogue a-b-c-d|Walburga|Freaks.|Kreacher|There, there, mistress.|Walburga|Scum of the earth. Not like it was in the days of my fathers.|Kreacher|Kreacher is here.|Portrait of Walburga on the ''people''|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)}}
 
{{Dialogue a-b-c-d|Walburga|Freaks.|Kreacher|There, there, mistress.|Walburga|Scum of the earth. Not like it was in the days of my fathers.|Kreacher|Kreacher is here.|Portrait of Walburga on the ''people''|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)}}
[[Image:Kreacher portrait OOTP 1.jpeg|thumb|left|250px|Kreacher polishing Walburga's portrait frame.]]
+
[[Image:Kreacher portrait OOTP 1.png|thumb|left|250px|Kreacher polishing Walburga's portrait frame.]]
[[Portrait of Walburga Black at 12 Grimmauld Place|Walburga's portrait]] remained magically fixed to the wall in the hallway of her family home, using a [[Permanent Sticking Charm]]. The picture, which was covered in canvas when inactive, showed an insane old woman, prone to screaming insults at anyone who disturbed the portrait. This happened several times when the [[Order of the Phoenix]] use Grimmauld Place as their headquarters after her death, and they tried unsuccessfully to remove the portrait for quite sometime. She survived the deaths of her family, but the destruction of it may account for her final madness. After their deaths, she was alone in the house except for the family [[house-elf]], [[Kreacher]], who seemed equally deranged due to his parroting her beliefs, until [[Harry Potter]] came to know and treat him better one year after inheriting him.<ref name="OTP" />
+
[[Portrait of Walburga Black at 12 Grimmauld Place|Walburga's portrait]] remained magically fixed to the wall in the hallway of her family home, using a [[Permanent Sticking Charm]]. The picture, which was covered in canvas when inactive, showed an insane old woman, prone to screaming insults at anyone who disturbed the portrait, particularly that of non-pure bloods. This happened several times when the [[Order of the Phoenix]] use Grimmauld Place as their headquarters after her death, and they tried unsuccessfully to remove the portrait for quite sometime. She survived the deaths of her family, but the destruction of it may account for her final madness. After their deaths, she was alone in the house except for the family [[house-elf]], [[Kreacher]], who seemed equally deranged due to his parroting her beliefs, until [[Harry Potter]] came to know and treat him better one year after inheriting him.<ref name="OTP" />
   
 
==Personality and traits==
 
==Personality and traits==
{{Quote|My mother didn't have a heart, Kreacher. She kept herself alive out of pure spite.|[[Sirius Black]] on his mother|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix}}
+
{{Quote|Stains of dishonour, filthy half-breeds, blood traitors, children of filth!|[[Portrait of Walburga Black at 12 Grimmauld Place|Portrait of Walburga Black]] screaming at members of the [[Order of the Phoenix]]|Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix}}
Walburga Black, like most members of her family, was obsessed with blood purity, and [[Portrait of Walburga Black at 12 Grimmauld Place|her portrait]] would often scream insults at blood traitors, [[half-blood]]s or [[Muggle-borns|muggle-born]] wizards. She had little affection for her son, [[Sirius Black|Sirius]] as he was viewed as a blood traitor by the [[House of Black|Black family]] but appeared to have a fairly good relationship with Sirius' younger brother, [[Regulus Black|Regulus]] and was proud of him when he joined the [[Death Eaters]]. Although she was not a Death Eater herself, she was convinced that [[Voldemort]] was doing the right thing by trying to eliminate [[Muggles]] and bringing wizards and witches out of hiding. Walburga was kind to her house elf, [[Kreacher]] who shared her views on blood purity. Kreacher was very loyal to her.
+
Walburga Black, like most members of her family, was obsessed with blood purity, and [[Portrait of Walburga Black at 12 Grimmauld Place|her portrait]] would often scream insults at blood traitors, [[half-blood]]s or [[muggle-born]] wizards. She had little affection for her son [[Sirius Black|Sirius]], as he was viewed as a blood traitor by the [[House of Black|Black family]] but appeared to have a fairly good relationship with Sirius' younger brother, [[Regulus Black|Regulus]]and was proud of him when he joined the [[Death Eaters]]. Although she was not a Death Eater herself, she was convinced that [[Voldemort]] was doing the right thing by trying to eliminate [[Muggle]]s and bringing wizards and witches out of hiding. Walburga was kind to her house elf, [[Kreacher]], who shared her views on blood purity. Kreacher was very loyal to her. Based on her portrait's tendencies of screaming uncontrollably, she seems to have had a very violent temper, similar to her elder son when angered. Sirius justified this by claiming that his mother was a spiteful and heartless woman.
   
 
==Magical abilities and skills==
 
==Magical abilities and skills==
*'''[[Charms]]:''' Whilst the true extent of her skill in this field is unknown Walburga Black was proficient enough to have placed a [[Permanent Sticking Charm]] on the back of [[Portrait of Walburga Black at 12 Grimmauld Place|her portrait]] to prevent anyone from taking it off the wall. The charm held in place for more than a decade after her death.
+
*'''[[Charms]]:''' Whilst the true extent of her skill in this field is unknown Walburga Black was proficient enough to have placed a [[Permanent Sticking Charm]] on the back of [[Portrait of Walburga Black at 12 Grimmauld Place|her portrait]] to prevent anyone from taking it off the wall. The charm held in place for more than a decade after her death. She could not, however, cast the [[Patronus Charm]].<ref name="LHP5-7">''[[LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7]]''</ref>
  +
*'''[[Dark Arts]]:''' Walburga was proficent in [[Dark Arts|Dark magic]], being able to cast both the [[Killing Curse]] and the [[Imperius Curse]] successfully, and of handling cursed objects.<ref name="LHP5-7"/>
   
 
==Etymology==
 
==Etymology==
*Walburga is a variation of the name ''Walpurga'', who was a saint for whom [[Wikipedia:Walpurgis Night|Walpurgis Night]] is named. Historically, Walpurgis Night was considered to be a time when the barrier between the living and the dead was weak and when witches held celebrations.Also, the [[Knights of Walpurgis |Knights of Walpurgis]] (later known as the [[Death Eaters]]) were named after Walpurgis Night.
+
*Walburga is a variation of the name ''Walpurga'', who was a saint for whom [[Wikipedia:Walpurgis Night|Walpurgis Night]] is named. Historically, Walpurgis Night was considered to be a time when the barrier between the living and the dead was weak and when witches held celebrations. Also, the Knights of Walpurgis (later known as the [[Death Eaters]]) were named after Walpurgis Night.
 
*Walburga was also the given name of the mother of [[Wikipedia:Josef Mengele|Josef Mengele]], a Nazi doctor who conducted horrific experiments on prisoners in concentration camps. She was said to have been extremely cruel and a Nazi supporter, rather like Walburga Black's views on retaining blood purity.
 
*Walburga was also the given name of the mother of [[Wikipedia:Josef Mengele|Josef Mengele]], a Nazi doctor who conducted horrific experiments on prisoners in concentration camps. She was said to have been extremely cruel and a Nazi supporter, rather like Walburga Black's views on retaining blood purity.
 
*[[Wikipedia:256 Walpurga|256 Walpurga]] is a large Main belt asteroid. It was discovered by [[Wikipedia:Johann Palisa|Johann Palisa]] on April 3, 1886 in [[Wikipedia:Vienna|Vienna]] and was named after [[Wikipedia:Saint Walpurga|Saint Walpurga]].
 
*[[Wikipedia:256 Walpurga|256 Walpurga]] is a large Main belt asteroid. It was discovered by [[Wikipedia:Johann Palisa|Johann Palisa]] on April 3, 1886 in [[Wikipedia:Vienna|Vienna]] and was named after [[Wikipedia:Saint Walpurga|Saint Walpurga]].
   
 
==Behind the scenes==
 
==Behind the scenes==
*In the [[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)|film adaptation]] of ''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'', [[Portrait of Walburga Black at 12 Grimmauld Place|Walburga's portrait]] was not heard screaming, but she could be heard muttering behind her curtain, and [[Kreacher]] still talked about the "scum" in [[12 Grimmauld Place]], such as "Mudbloods" and "Blood-traitors".
+
*In the [[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)|film adaptation]] of ''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'', [[Portrait of Walburga Black at 12 Grimmauld Place|Walburga's portrait]] was not heard screaming, but she could be heard muttering behind her curtain, and [[Kreacher]] still talked about the "scum" in [[12 Grimmauld Place]], such as "[[Mudbloods]]" and "[[Blood-traitors]]".
 
*Walburga's father was only thirteen when Walburga was born, although it is possible this is a mathematical error on Rowling's part (Rowling has admitted she lacks skills with mathematics).
 
*Walburga's father was only thirteen when Walburga was born, although it is possible this is a mathematical error on Rowling's part (Rowling has admitted she lacks skills with mathematics).
*On the tapestry from the film, Walburga and Orion are depicted together, and their heads looking in different ways, although they are in marriage. This is likely because both Walburga and Orion were born into the House of Black.
+
*On the tapestry from the film, Walburga and [[Orion]] are depicted together, and their heads looking in different ways, although they are in marriage. This is likely because both Walburga and [[Orion]] were born into the House of Black, and their marriage may have been arranged.
 
*Walburga was probably educated at Hogwarts as [[Horace Slughorn]] mentions that he has taught the whole Black Family.
 
*Walburga was probably educated at Hogwarts as [[Horace Slughorn]] mentions that he has taught the whole Black Family.
*Since Walburga and [[Lucretia Black]] were born on the same year, it is more likely that they were classmates at [[Hogwarts]]
+
*Since Walburga and [[Lucretia Black]] were born in the same year, it is more likely that they were classmates at [[Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry|Hogwarts]].
*Walburga may have known [[Tom Riddle]] as he was one year younger than her so she could have encountered him at Hogwarts.
+
*Walburga may have known [[Tom Riddle]]as he was one year younger than her, so she could have encountered him at Hogwarts.
   
 
==Appearances==
 
==Appearances==
  +
{{Imagecat|Images of Walburga Black}}
*''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'' {{1st}} {{Portrait}}
 
*''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)]]'' {{c|Voice only}}
+
*''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix]]'' {{Portrait}}
 
*''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)]]'' {{Portrait}}
 
*''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)]]'' {{Portrait}}
 
*''[[Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)]]'' {{Portrait}}
 
*''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]'' {{Portrait}}
 
*''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows]]'' {{Portrait}}
 
*''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)]]'' {{Portrait}}
 
*''[[Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)]]'' {{Portrait}}
  +
*''[[LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7]]'' {{1st}}
   
 
==Notes and references==
 
==Notes and references==
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}}
 
}}
 
{{End box}}
 
{{End box}}
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Walburga}}
 
 
[[de:Walburga Black]]
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[[es:Walburga Black]]
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[[fi:Walburga Musta]]
 
[[fr:Walburga Black]]
 
[[fr:Walburga Black]]
[[ru:Вальбурга Блэк]]
 
 
[[nl:Walburga Zwarts]]
 
[[nl:Walburga Zwarts]]
 
[[ru:Вальбурга Блэк]]
[[fi:Walburga Musta]]
 
  +
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Black, Walburga}}
 
[[Category:1925 births]]
 
[[Category:1925 births]]
 
[[Category:1985 deaths]]
 
[[Category:1985 deaths]]
[[Category:British individuals]]
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[[Category:English individuals]]
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[[Category:Dark wizards]]
 
[[Category:Females]]
 
[[Category:Females]]
 
[[Category:Hogwarts students]]
 
[[Category:Hogwarts students]]
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[[Category:Widowed individuals]]
 
[[Category:Widowed individuals]]
 
[[Category:Wizards]]
 
[[Category:Wizards]]
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[[Category:Hogwarts students during the Riddle-era]]

Revision as of 22:33, 3 September 2014

"My mother didn't have a heart, Kreacher. She kept herself alive out of pure spite."
Sirius Black[src]

Walburga Black (19251985) was a pure-blood witch, the daughter of Pollux Black and Irma Crabbe, the sister of Alphard and Cygnus, the wife and second cousin of Orion Black and the mother of Sirius and Regulus. Walburga was raised in Grimmauld Place, since she called it the "House of my fathers". She died in 1985; but her portrait still remains at 12 Grimmauld Place to, in a way, make the blood-traitors and half-bloods and anyone beneath the pure-blood elite uncomfortable at her house.

Biography

Early life

Harry: "Were — were your parents Death Eaters as well?"
Sirius: "No, no, but believe me, they thought Voldemort had the right idea, they were all for the purification of the wizarding race, getting rid of Muggle-borns and having pure-bloods in charge… I bet my parents thought Regulus was a right little hero for joining up at first."
Sirius Black to Harry Potter on his family's views[src]

Walburga was a member of the traditionalist pure-blood House of Black, who looked down on any except other "respectable" pure-blood wizards and believed in pure-blood supremacy. She was the daughter of Pollux Black and Irma Crabbe, and sister of Alphard and Cygnus. Because of the family tradition of marrying respectable pure-blood families, she married her second cousin Orion and they had two children, Sirius and Regulus. 

Family life and death

Blackfamily1970s

The Blacks in the 1970s. From left to right: Sirius, Orion, Regulus, Walburga, and Kreacher.

Her elder son Sirius Black was a severe disappointment to her because he did not agree with the ideology of blood purity and was sorted into Gryffindor house at Hogwarts, rather than the family's traditional house, Slytherin[2]. Growing up, he ticked off his parents, particularly his mother, by decorating his room with posters from the muggle world depicting bikini-clad women and motorcycles, and had stuck those to the walls with irreversible sticking charms that infuriated her. He was disinherited and removed from the Black Family tree when he left home at the age of sixteen to live with the Potter family. Walburga personally blasted her son from the tapestry. She maintained a habit of blasting people from the Black family tree which stood in the hall of the family home at 12 Grimmauld Place if they displeased her; she did so to her brother Alphard simply because he left gold to Sirius despite being disowned. According to Kreacher, Walburga was heartbroken by this abandonment, but nonetheless disowned both of them to cleanse the tapestry.

Her younger son Regulus, however, followed the family traditions and joined the Slytherin House and eventually became his mother's favourite, as well as heir to the wealth, position, and traditions of the Black family. Regulus became a Death Eater during the First Wizarding War; although neither Walburga nor Orion were followers of Lord Voldemort themselves, according to Sirius, they thought he "had the right idea"[3], until they saw that Voldemort was ruthless in his pursuit for power, at which point they got cold feet. Regulus was killed in 1979 after trying to destroy Voldemort's Horcrux, and died childless without an heir. As Regulus forbade Kreacher from telling this to anyone, Walburga thought Regulus died trying to leave the organisation. Walburga's husband Orion also died in the same year. She died in 1985.

Post-mortem

Walburga: "Freaks."
Kreacher: "There, there, mistress."
Walburga: "Scum of the earth. Not like it was in the days of my fathers."
Kreacher: "Kreacher is here."
— Portrait of Walburga on the people[src]
Kreacher portrait OOTP 1

Kreacher polishing Walburga's portrait frame.

Walburga's portrait remained magically fixed to the wall in the hallway of her family home, using a Permanent Sticking Charm. The picture, which was covered in canvas when inactive, showed an insane old woman, prone to screaming insults at anyone who disturbed the portrait, particularly that of non-pure bloods. This happened several times when the Order of the Phoenix use Grimmauld Place as their headquarters after her death, and they tried unsuccessfully to remove the portrait for quite sometime. She survived the deaths of her family, but the destruction of it may account for her final madness. After their deaths, she was alone in the house except for the family house-elf, Kreacher, who seemed equally deranged due to his parroting her beliefs, until Harry Potter came to know and treat him better one year after inheriting him.[3]

Personality and traits

"Stains of dishonour, filthy half-breeds, blood traitors, children of filth!"
Portrait of Walburga Black screaming at members of the Order of the Phoenix[src]

Walburga Black, like most members of her family, was obsessed with blood purity, and her portrait would often scream insults at blood traitors, half-bloods or muggle-born wizards. She had little affection for her son Sirius, as he was viewed as a blood traitor by the Black family but appeared to have a fairly good relationship with Sirius' younger brother, Regulus, and was proud of him when he joined the Death Eaters. Although she was not a Death Eater herself, she was convinced that Voldemort was doing the right thing by trying to eliminate Muggles and bringing wizards and witches out of hiding. Walburga was kind to her house elf, Kreacher, who shared her views on blood purity. Kreacher was very loyal to her. Based on her portrait's tendencies of screaming uncontrollably, she seems to have had a very violent temper, similar to her elder son when angered. Sirius justified this by claiming that his mother was a spiteful and heartless woman.

Magical abilities and skills

Etymology

  • Walburga is a variation of the name Walpurga, who was a saint for whom Walpurgis Night is named. Historically, Walpurgis Night was considered to be a time when the barrier between the living and the dead was weak and when witches held celebrations. Also, the Knights of Walpurgis (later known as the Death Eaters) were named after Walpurgis Night.
  • Walburga was also the given name of the mother of Josef Mengele, a Nazi doctor who conducted horrific experiments on prisoners in concentration camps. She was said to have been extremely cruel and a Nazi supporter, rather like Walburga Black's views on retaining blood purity.
  • 256 Walpurga is a large Main belt asteroid. It was discovered by Johann Palisa on April 3, 1886 in Vienna and was named after Saint Walpurga.

Behind the scenes

  • In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Walburga's portrait was not heard screaming, but she could be heard muttering behind her curtain, and Kreacher still talked about the "scum" in 12 Grimmauld Place, such as "Mudbloods" and "Blood-traitors".
  • Walburga's father was only thirteen when Walburga was born, although it is possible this is a mathematical error on Rowling's part (Rowling has admitted she lacks skills with mathematics).
  • On the tapestry from the film, Walburga and Orion are depicted together, and their heads looking in different ways, although they are in marriage. This is likely because both Walburga and Orion were born into the House of Black, and their marriage may have been arranged.
  • Walburga was probably educated at Hogwarts as Horace Slughorn mentions that he has taught the whole Black Family.
  • Since Walburga and Lucretia Black were born in the same year, it is more likely that they were classmates at Hogwarts.
  • Walburga may have known Tom Riddle, as he was one year younger than her, so she could have encountered him at Hogwarts.

Appearances

Wiki
The Harry Potter Wiki has 12 images related to Walburga Black.

Notes and references

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16 1.17 1.18 1.19 1.20 1.21 1.22 1.23 1.24 1.25 1.26 1.27 Black family tree
  2. 2.0 2.1 In Chapter 4 of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Horace Slughorn states: "The whole Black family had been in my house, but Sirius ended up in Gryffindor!" This implies that all Blacks except Sirius were Sorted into Slytherin while Slughorn was Head of House. Walburga, born in 1925, presumably attended Hogwarts c. 1936 to 1943, and thus would have been a student of Slughorn, who was stated to have begun teaching at Hogwarts around the same time as Albus Dumbledore in Chapter 5 of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, in 1938 or earlier. Sirius Black also states "My whole family have been in Slytherin" and in Chapter 23 of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, confirming that at least those Blacks closely related to Sirius were in Slytherin.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
  4. 4.0 4.1 LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7