======Cantankerus Nott======
=====Introduction=====
Cantankerus Nott was a [[pure-blood]] [[wizard]] and a zealous advocate for [[pure-blood]] supremacy. He is notable primarily as the anonymous author of the //Pure-Blood Directory//, a controversial publication from the 1930s that sought to definitively list the British wizarding families he considered to be "truly" pure-blooded. The families listed in his work became known as the [[Sacred Twenty-Eight]], and his biased definitions had a lasting impact on the social hierarchy and prejudice within the wizarding world. All known information about him comes from supplementary materials written by [[J.K. Rowling]]. (Pottermore)
=====Biography=====
A member of the notoriously conservative [[Nott]] family, Cantankerus Nott anonymously published the //Pure-Blood Directory// sometime in the early 1930s. The book's stated goal was to help preserve the purity of [[wizard]] bloodlines by identifying the families that had remained "untainted." (Pottermore)
Nott's methodology was widely criticized as flawed and based on his personal prejudices. He arbitrarily excluded families for reasons he deemed sufficient to suspect "tainted blood." For instance, the [[Potter]] family was omitted because their common [[Muggle]] surname led Nott to believe they originated from impure stock. He was forced to include the [[Weasley]] family due to their demonstrable pure-blood ancestry, but he noted their affinity for Muggles and branded them as [[blood traitor]]s, suggesting they were as "bad as [[Muggle-born]]s." (Pottermore)
The publication of the directory sparked outrage among many of the excluded families, who argued that their ancestors simply had [[Muggle]]-sounding names or that no family could prove an entirely pure lineage without some degree of self-deception. Despite the controversy, the twenty-eight families listed in the directory came to be known as the [[Sacred Twenty-Eight]], a term that became ingrained in the lexicon of pure-blood elitists. (Pottermore)
=====Physical Appearance and Personality=====
No physical description of Cantankerus Nott exists.
His personality, as inferred from his work and his given name, was elitist, prejudiced, and argumentative. His creation of the //Pure-Blood Directory// reveals a deep-seated belief in pure-blood superiority and a contempt for anyone with [[Muggle]] ancestry or sympathies. His decision to publish anonymously suggests a possible awareness of the controversy his work would generate, though it does not imply any lack of conviction in his beliefs. (Pottermore)
=====Magical Abilities and Skills=====
There is no specific information regarding Cantankerus Nott's magical prowess, [[wand]], or other abilities. His work on the //Pure-Blood Directory// suggests he possessed skills in writing and historical research, albeit applied with extreme bias.
=====Possessions=====
  * **//Pure-Blood Directory//:** Nott's most significant work, which he authored. This book served as the definitive, albeit controversial, list of the [[Sacred Twenty-Eight]] pure-blood families. (Pottermore)
=====Relationships=====
  * **[[Nott]] Family:** As a member of the Nott family, Cantankerus's views align with the family's known reputation for being staunch pure-bloods. He is almost certainly an ancestor of [[Nott (Death Eater)|Mr. Nott]], a [[Death Eater]] in service to [[Lord Voldemort]], and the grandfather or great-grandfather of [[Theodore Nott]], a [[Slytherin]] student in [[Harry Potter]]'s year at [[Hogwarts]]. This lineage demonstrates the persistence of pure-blood ideology within the family across several generations.
=====Etymology=====
  * **Cantankerus:** This is a direct borrowing of the English word "cantankerous," which means "bad-tempered, argumentative, and uncooperative." The name is a clear reflection of his belligerent and prejudiced character.
  * **Nott:** The surname may be a play on "naught," meaning "nothing," perhaps as a commentary on the ultimate emptiness of his pure-blood ideology. It could also allude to "knotty," as in a complex or difficult problem, reflecting the social strife his work created.
=====Behind the Scenes=====
Cantankerus Nott is not mentioned in any of the seven original //Harry Potter// novels. His existence, history, and the creation of the //Pure-Blood Directory// were established by [[J.K. Rowling]] in an essay titled "The Sacred Twenty-Eight," originally published on the [[Pottermore]] website. This character and his work serve to provide a canonical origin for the concept of the [[Sacred Twenty-Eight]] and to further develop the historical context of blood purity prejudice in the wizarding world.