Amycus Carrow
- "We can push it off on the kids. Yeah, that's what we'll do. We'll say Alecto was ambushed by the kids, them kids up there, and we'll say they forced her to press her Mark, and that's why he got a false alarm... He can punish them. Couple of kids more or less, what's the difference?"
- — Amycus's selfishness and cowardice[src]
Professor Amycus Carrow was a Dark wizard, brother of Alecto Carrow and a Death Eater. Amycus fought in the First Wizarding War along with his sister. They did not search for Lord Voldemort after his first downfall but were forgiven after Voldemort's return in 1995 and joined the Death Eater ranks in the Second Wizarding War.
After the fall of the Ministry of Magic in 1997, Amycus was made Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, which for all intents and purposes simply became "Dark Arts" during his tenure. His sister was stationed at Hogwarts as well. Alecto was the new Muggle Studies professor. He and his sister were also made Deputy Headmasters, serving under Headmaster Severus Snape. Amycus liked to cruelly punish and torture the students who opposed the new regime.
In the evening of 1 May 1998, shortly before the Battle of Hogwarts, he was tortured by Harry Potter when he spat in Professor McGonagall's face. He was then Imperiused and tied up in Ravenclaw Tower by McGonagall herself. After the battle, it can be assumed he was sent to Azkaban along with his sister, where presumably they carried out life-long sentences for their crimes.
Biography[]
Early life[]
Amycus Carrow was born sometime before 1981[11] into the pure-blood or half-blood Carrow family,[2] somewhere in the British Isles. At some point before his instruction in the magical arts, he acquired a wand.[5]
He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in his youth and was a member of Slytherin house.[10] He seemed to have been acquainted with Albus Dumbledore.[5]
First Wizarding War[]
A wanted poster of Amycus Carrow
Amycus and his sister supported Lord Voldemort and became Death Eaters during the First Wizarding War. After Voldemort's downfall in 1981, they did not search for their master, believing that Voldemort was gone forever, and managed to avoid imprisonment in Azkaban.[11][12]
Despite all this, the Carrows were among those who, after Voldemort's return, resumed their Death Eater activities.[11] The two siblings were fairly active during the Second Wizarding War.[5][6]
Second Wizarding War[]
Rebirth of the Dark Lord[]
Amycus and his sister were, most likely, among the Death Eaters that were summoned by Lord Voldemort to the churchyard at Little Hangleton on 24 June 1995, as their absence wasn't noted by Voldemort himself.[13]
Battle of the Astronomy Tower[]
- Amycus Carrow: "He's not long for this world anyway, if you ask me! Look at him — what's happened to you, then, Dumby?"
- Albus Dumbledore: "Oh, weaker resistance, slower reflexes, Amycus. Old age, in short... one day, perhaps, it will happen to you... if you are lucky..."
- — Amycus and Dumbledore mocking each other atop the Astronomy Tower[src]
Amycus and Alecto among other Death Eaters atop the Astronomy Tower
In the evening of 30 June 1997, Amycus and his sister participated in the assault on Hogwarts Castle, orchestrated by Draco Malfoy, that resulted in the death of Albus Dumbledore.
When the Death Eaters arrived at the top of the Astronomy Tower, where Dumbledore was trapped, Amycus tried to make fun of the Headmaster and turned suddenly violent when Dumbledore hypothesised that he, Amycus, might not reach his old age. When Severus Snape arrived at the scene, Amycus hurriedly said that Draco was not able to kill Dumbledore, and Snape cast the Killing Curse that ended the Headmaster's life.[5]
On Snape's orders, he and his sister quickly left the Tower panting excitedly. On the corridors below, Amycus duelled Ginny Weasley, sending multiple Cruciatus Curses at her. Harry Potter shot an Impediment Jinx that made him slam into the opposite wall. Amycus and Alecto retreated after Snape with their arms over their heads under blasts by Minerva McGonagall. As brother and sister descended the Marble Staircase, Harry took a shortcut and arrived at the grounds before them.[14]
Amycus is present at the Death Eater meeting held in Malfoy Manor
As the two Death Eaters closed in after him, one of them cast a spell that sent Harry to the ground. Harry hit one of them, who stumbled and fell, tripping up the other, with another Impediment Jinx. The two siblings then ran to the gates and Disapparated beyond the school boundaries.[14]
That summer, the Carrows attended a Death Eater meeting at Malfoy Manor concerning plans to capture or kill Harry Potter and take over the Ministry of Magic.[15]
It is possible that he was one of the Death Eaters who stood watch outside 12 Grimmauld Place, as one of them was said to be a "pallid, podgy man", a description that matched Amycus.
Appointment at Hogwarts[]
- "The other teachers are all supposed to refer us to the Carrows if we do anything wrong. They don't, though, if they can avoid it. You can tell they all hate them as much as we do. Amycus, the bloke, he teaches what used to be Defence Against the Dark Arts, except now it's just the Dark Arts. We're supposed to practise the Cruciatus Curse on people who've earned detentions —"
- — Neville Longbottom regarding his recently acquired scars[src]
Headmaster Severus Snape with Deputy Heads Alecto (left) and Amycus Carrow (right)
On 1 August 1997, the Death Eaters managed to stage a coup over the Ministry of Magic, thus gaining influence over all wizarding Britain.[16] A month later, on 1 September, Amycus and Alecto were made Defence Against the Dark Arts and Muggle Studies, respectively,[4] as well as Deputy Headmasters under newly appointed Headmaster Severus Snape.[9]
The Defence Against the Dark Arts curriculum was changed so that it was now simply "Dark Arts". Amycus had his seventh-years practise the Cruciatus Curse on students given detentions.[17] His syllabus also apparently covered the usage of the Killing Curse and Fiendfyre.[18]
As Deputy Headmasters, the Carrows were put in charge of all punishment. The members of faculty were obliged to report any rule-breaking student to them, although they did not if they could avoid it. Punishments given out by the Carrows included torture via the Cruciatus Curse as well as chaining students and corporal punishment in the form of beatings and slashes with knives.[17]
Amycus watching over the students of Hogwarts
Dumbledore's Army, led by Neville Longbottom, led the resistance against the Carrows. Amycus made a particularly deep gash in his cheek after he refused to use the Cruciatus Curse on students in detention.
The group, now made illicit after the reenactment of the Educational Decree Number Twenty-Four, used to sneak into the corridors at night and put up graffiti on the walls with messages like "Dumbledore's Army, Still Recruiting". Michael Corner was caught releasing a first-year the Carrows had chained up and was violently tortured.[17]
Once the Carrows realised they had no hold over Neville, particularly after the Death Eaters' failed attempt to abduct his grandmother, they planned to kill him or send him to Azkaban. As the Carrows chased him, Neville chose the Room of Requirement as a hideout, and the rest of Dumbledore's Army soon followed his footsteps and moved into the room as the Carrows tried to hunt them down.[17]
Overthrow[]
- Minerva McGonagall: "But let me make one thing very clear. You are not going to pass off your many ineptitudes on the students of Hogwarts. I shall not permit it."
- Amycus Carrow: "Excuse me? It's not a case of what you'll permit, Minerva McGonagall. Your time's over. It's us what's in charge here now, and you'll back me up or you'll pay the price. (spits in her face)"
- — Amycus arguing with Minerva McGonagall, before being cursed by Harry Potter[src]
By the evening of 1 May 1998, news of Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger's break-in of Gringotts Wizarding Bank reached the student body; Terry Boot was beaten up by the Carrows for yelling about it in the Great Hall over dinner.[17]
That same day, as Lord Voldemort became aware that Harry, Hermione, and Ron were hunting down and destroying his Horcruxes, he instructed Amycus and Alecto that Harry might try to get into the Castle and Ravenclaw Tower. At the Carrows' urgent request, Professor Flitwick, Head of Ravenclaw House, let Alecto into the common room, where she stood guard.[6]
His sister was keeping watch when Harry arrived with Luna Lovegood. Alecto immediately touched her Dark Mark, letting Voldemort and all the Death Eaters know that they had got him. Alecto was immediately Stunned by Luna, but Amycus demanded Minerva McGonagall to let him into the Tower. Once inside, he saw his unconscious sister but no sign of Harry, as both he and Luna were hidden beneath his Invisibility Cloak.
Aware that they were going to feel Voldemort's wrath if they did not hand him Harry, Amycus planned to pass it off on the students, and when Professor McGonagall objected calling Amycus a coward in the process, he spat in her face. This show of disrespect for both sentient life and McGonagall enraged Harry to the point of disregarding stealth and revealing himself by throwing a Cruciatus Curse at Amycus with such force that he slammed into the wall.
Minerva McGonagall then bewitched him with the Imperius Curse to carry his unconscious sister, then used a spell to conjure a net, and the siblings were tied up and hoisted into the air, where they were left dangling beneath the ceiling.[6]
Post-war[]
Neither Amycus nor his sister fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, as both of them were kept tied-up at Ravenclaw Tower. Following the end of the battle and the Second Wizarding War, during the trial of Dolores Umbridge, he and a few other Death Eaters infiltrated the Ministry and helped Umbridge escape, leading to the Battle at the Ministry. Harry, Ron, and Hermione then arrived at the scene and successfully arrested them.[19]
Physical description[]
Amycus Carrow was squat and lumpy, with a lopsided leer and a wheezy giggle, much like his sister.[5] Hunched, he had a pallid, doughy face and tiny eyes. He also had a "pig-like" face.[6] As a Death Eater, he bore the Dark Mark on his left inner forearm.
Personality and traits[]
- Eagle door knocker: "Where do Vanished objects go?"
- Amycus Carrow: "I dunno, do I? Shut it!"
- — Amycus ignorantly tries to enter Ravenclaw Tower[src]
Amycus was an extremely sadistic man who enjoyed punishing and torturing students, ordering them to perform the Cruciatus Curse on students given detention. Indeed, Neville even claimed that Amycus "made Umbridge look tame". He had no qualms teaching students such deadly magic, despite potentially lethal consequences, such as Vincent Crabbe's usage of Fiendfyre backfiring on him.[17] He was extremely insolent and offensive, banging hard on the door to Ravenclaw Tower when he failed to solve the riddle to open it, putting his face close to Minerva to command her support, and ended up spitting in her face.[6] He was also very hot-tempered, as seen by his responding with violence without warning.[5][6]
He was also a coward, however, as Amycus planned to blame the Ravenclaw students for allegedly forcing Alecto to press her Dark Mark so that they would be punished by Voldemort instead of himself and his sister. This demonstrated a sense of naivety, as Voldemort would have likely known he was lying either through Legilimency or simply because the lie was somewhat unbelievable. He did show genuine concern for his sister when he found her unconscious, suggesting that he did care about her at least. He was also incredibly arrogant as he demanded that McGonagall would support him.[6] Despite this lack of bravery in fear of being punished by the Dark Lord, according to Nymphadora Tonks, Carrow appeared to be prepared to fight to the death during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, resulting in aggressiveness that overwhelmed the Order of the Phoenix.[20]
Moreover, Amycus did not seem to be very bright, as he was unable to answer the riddle to get into Ravenclaw Tower when asked by the eagle knocker on the door or to give a reason why Harry Potter would go into Ravenclaw Tower when he was of Gryffindor House, when asked by Minerva McGonagall. He also did not seem very suspicious about Severus Snape's true loyalties, suggesting that he truly believed that Snape was on their side.[6]
Magical abilities and skills[]
- Dark Arts: Amycus was accomplished in dark magic, as he was a Death Eater.[5] He could cast the Cruciatus Curse effectively[14] and, apparently, the Killing Curse. It is also likely that he could summon Fiendfyre and presumably had the means to control it, though he was never shown doing so.[18] He was skilled enough to teach students in curses and was placed as a professor of the Dark Arts class.
- Duelling: Amycus was skilled in duelling, as he seemed too much for Ginny Weasley to overpower during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower despite her use of Felix Felicis.[5] Although, he was unable to stand up to more powerful duellists such as Minerva McGonagall, as both he and his sister retreated with their arms covering their heads as she sent blast after blast after them.
- Apparition: Like most adult wizards, Amycus was capable of apparating at will. Amycus disapparated away from beyond Hogwarts grounds following the Battle of the Astronomy Tower.[14]
- Teaching Skills: Amycus taught the Dark Arts to students during his time as a Professor at Hogwarts. He did have some noticeable skill in teaching, particularly to receptive students such as Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle. According to Neville Longbottom, Crabbe and Goyle loved the class, and it was the only subject in which they had ever shown any talent. It is known that Amycus was talented enough to teach students to successfully perform both the Cruciatus Curse and the Killing Curse.
Etymology[]
Amycus[]
- In Greek mythology, Amykos was the son of the sea god, Poseidon, and the nymph, Melia. He was a boxer as well as a soldier in the Trojan War. He eventually turned evil and was killed by Polydeuces, a son of Zeus and one of Jason's Argonauts.
- "Amycus" is also genus of South American spiders.
- "Amycus" may come from the Latin "amicus", meaning "friend" (however this is ironic, as Amycus is obviously not a friendly one).
Carrow[]
- In English, the word; "Carrow", can refer to two places. "Carrow" in Norfolk, or "Carraw" in Northumberland. The first is assumed to have its name derived from the Old English word "carr", meaning "rock", and a word of Celtic origin; "hoh", meaning "spur of a hill". While the second appears to have been named either after the plural of the Old English word "carr", or after a mixture of a form of "carr", and another Old English word; "raw", meaning "row".
- The surname may also have derived from the Welsh surname Caeriw (meaning "dweller at the foot of a hill").
- It is also possible, that the surname was originally a shortened version of the Cornish surname; "Nancarrow".
Behind the scenes[]
Ralph Ineson as Amycus Carrow in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Amycus Carrow is played by Ralph Ineson in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2.
- Amycus's role in the films is significantly smaller than in the books: in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, all of Amycus's lines were given to Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback; in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, he was only seen in the Meeting at Malfoy Manor; and in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 he is only seen during the ousting of Severus Snape in the Great Hall, in which he is defeated as Severus Snape deflects two fire-creating spells cast by Minerva McGonagall during their duel and they hit Amycus and his sister, probably intentionally.
- It's possible that he is the same individual as the squat, wheezy man as the two are described similarly in appearance. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 however, the two are shown to be separate individuals, with the latter being portrayed by Graham Duff. Since Duff's Death Eater is tall and has a deep voice, it's possible that he's a completely different character who was given Amycus's line in the books.
- In the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, Amycus and his sister appear as bosses in the Great Hall shortly before the Battle of Hogwarts. He is voiced by Ineson in the game.
Appearances[]
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game) (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
- Pottermore
- Harry Potter (website)
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
- The Archive of Magic: The Film Wizardry of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
- Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Appears non-canonically on a poster)
- Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (Mentioned in History of Magic classes)
- The Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Notes and references[]
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 2 (Spinner's End) - He had likely already left Hogwarts by 1981, when the First Wizarding War ended. However, it is known that Voldemort accepted underage Death Eaters, like Draco Malfoy and Regulus Black.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Pure-Blood" at Harry Potter (website) lists the Carrow family as having been pure-blood in the 1930s, meaning they had no known Muggles or Muggle-borns; however, like the pure-blood Malfoys, he may have been "one of many half-bloods" on the family tree. See Writing by J. K. Rowling: "The Malfoy Family" at Harry Potter (website)
- ↑ "World Exclusive Interview with J K Rowling," South West News Service, 8 July 2000 - "Hogwarts just serves Britain and Ireland."
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 12 (Magic is Might)
- ↑ 5.00 5.01 5.02 5.03 5.04 5.05 5.06 5.07 5.08 5.09 5.10 5.11 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 27 (The Lightning-Struck Tower)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7 6.8 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 30 (The Sacking of Severus Snape) - "Hunched like his sister, he had a pallid, doughy face and tiny eyes, which fell at once on Alecto, sprawled motionless on the floor."
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
- ↑ See this interview; “Samantha: Was snape the only death eater who could produce a full patronus J.K. Rowling: Yes, because a Patronus is used against things that the Death Eaters generally generate, or fight alongside. They would not need Patronuses.”
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 28 (The Missing Mirror)
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 2 (Spinner's End)
- ↑ "Are Alecto and Amycus (the two sibling Death Eaters) the Carrows mentioned by Snape in Spinner's End?" on J. K. Rowling's official site
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 33 (The Death Eaters)
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 14.3 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 28 (Flight of the Prince)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 11 (The Bribe)
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 17.4 17.5 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 29 (The Lost Diadem)
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 31 (The Battle of Hogwarts)
- ↑ The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (see this webpage)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 29 (The Phoenix Lament)
