Death-eater

When Voldemort first rose to power, the Death Eaters were his most trusted allies - in so far as Voldemort trusted anyone. All Death Eaters were marked with the Dark Mark on their forearms. The Dark Mark, Voldemort's sign (a skull with a snake protruding from its mouth) was used to summon the Death Eaters - when Voldemort touched any of the signs, the others would all turn black, and the Death Eaters were expected to apparate next to their Master.

Some of Voldemort's followers were close enough to him that they were considered part of his "inner circle." They carried out his most important missions.

A prophecy was made about Voldemort and Harry Potter in a small wizard pub, but a Death Eater was found listening to it, and was thrown out of the building. However, the Death Eater told the Dark Lord what he heard, and acting on that information Voldemort attacked Harry when he was one year old. But the spell failed to work, and he lost his body and fell from power. But he did not die, and in the hope that he would someday return, the Death Eaters who had not yet been captured began convincing people either that they had not ever been a follower of Voldemort, or that they had been bewitched or tricked into working for him. Some even said that they had been Death Eaters, but had renounced the Dark Lord.

At the end of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, on being returned to full power, Voldemort summons all the original Death Eaters to him. But some of them have betrayed him and are too afraid to return to him, and others are dead or imprisoned.

In the course of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, a number of prominent Death Eaters manage to escape from Azkaban, presumably with help from those on the outside. At the end of this book, on a command from the Dark Lord, several travel to the Hall of Prophecy in the Ministry of Magic to force Harry Potter to hand over the prophecy stored there. However, during the night's events, Albus Dumbledore and other members of the Order of the Phoenix arrive in the nick of time and capture (or recapture) almost all of the Death Eaters present.

Known Death Eaters

• Lucius Malfoy
  • Crimes: Gave Voldemort's school diary to Ginny Weasley and headed the operation in the Department of Mysteries
  • Current Status: Imprisoned
• Peter Pettigrew
  • Crimes: Framed Sirius Black for the betrayal of Lily and James Potter and the deaths of twelve innocent Muggles and himself
  • Current Status: Officially believed dead, still at large
• Barty Crouch Jr.
  • Crimes: Participated in the torture of the Longbottoms and delivered Harry Potter to Lord Voldemort
  • Current Status: Kissed by a Dementor making him "worse than dead"
• Bellatrix Lestrange
  • Crimes: Participated in the torture of the Longbottoms, headed the operation in the Department of Mysteries and murdered Sirius Black
  • Current Status: Still at large
• Rudolphus Lestrange
  • Cimres: Participated in the torture of the Longbottoms
  • Current Status: Unknown, most likely imprisoned
• Rabastan Lestrange
  • Crimes: Participated in the torture of the Longbottoms
  • Current Status: Unknown, most likely imprisoned
• Augustus Rockwood
  • Crimes: Served as a double agent for Voldemort
  • Current Status: Unknown, most likely imprisoned
• Antonin Dolohov
  • Crimes: Helped kill Gideon and Fabian Prewett, nearly killed Hermione Granger
  • Current Status: Unknown, most likely imprisoned
• Walden Macnair
  • Crimes: Served as a double agent for Voldemort
  • Current Status: Unknown, most likely imprisoned
• Crabbe
  • Current Status: Unknown, most likely imprisoned
• Goyle
  • Current Status: Unknown
• Avery
  • Current Status: Unknown, most likely imprisoned
• Nott
  • Current Status: Unknown, most likely imprisoned
• Jugson
  • Current Status: Unknown, most likely imprisoned
• Mulciber
  • Current Status: Unknown, most likely imprisoned
• Travers
  • Crimes: Murdered the McKinnons according to Igor Karkaroff
  • Current Status: Unknwon

Ex-Death-Eaters

• Regulus Black
  • Reason for ceased servitude: Tried to back out of Death Eating after seeing how far Voldemort was willing to go and was ordered killed by Voldemort
  • Current Status: Dead
• Igor Karkaroff
  • Reason for ceased servitude: Naturally stopped serving Voldemort when he was defeated and decided to fully reform, turning in Augustus Rockwood in the process
  • Current Status: In hiding
• Quirrell
  • Crimes: Served as a host for the bodiless Voldemort, attempted to steal the philosopher's stone and murder Harry Potter
  • Reason for ceased servitude: Was killed by Harry Potter in self-defense (the ancient protection Harry's mother put on him burned Quirrell to death)
  • Current Status: Dead
• Evan Rosier
  • Reason for ceased servitude: Refused to be caught by the Aurors after Voldemort's fall and killed in battle by Mad-Eye Moody
  • Current Status: Dead
• Severus Snape
  • Reason for ceased servitude: Reformed (reason unknown)
  • Current Status: Double agent for Dumbledore
• Wilkes
  • Reason for ceased servitude: Death (no further details available)
  • Current Status: Dead

Innocents Who Served Voldemort Supposedly, Unknowingly, or Against Their Will

• Sirius Black
  • Supposed Crimes: Betrayal of Lily and James Potter and the deaths of twelve innocent Muggles and one wizard
  • Actual Course of Events: Framed by Peter Pettigrew
  • Current Status: Never formally cleared, dead
• Ludo Bagman
  • Supposed Crimes: Gave information to Voldemort
  • Actual Course of Events: Gave information to Augustus Rockwood not realizing he was a Death Eater
  • Current Stauts: Cleared
• Ginny Weasley
  • Supposed Crimes: Opened the Chamber of Secrets
  • Actual Course of Events: Possesed by Voldemort by means of his school diary
  • Current Status: Never accused

External Links

• Harry Potter Lexicon item on Death Eaters