Walburga Black (1925 – 1985) was a pure-blood witch and the formidable matriarch of the House of Black during the First Wizarding War. The wife of her cousin Orion Black and mother to Sirius Black and Regulus Black, she was a fanatical believer in pure-blood supremacy. Though deceased before the events of the main series, her enduring presence is felt through her enchanted, life-sized portrait in the hallway of Number 12, Grimmauld Place, which screeches insults at any who disturb it. Her portrait and the state of her home serve as a potent symbol of the decay and bigotry of the ancient House of Black.
Walburga Black was born in 1925 to Pollux Black and Irma Crabbe, making her a scion of the main Black family line. She had two younger brothers, Alphard and Cygnus Black. In keeping with the family's tradition of marrying within pure-blood circles, she wed her second cousin, Orion Black. They resided in the Black family ancestral home at Number 12, Grimmauld Place in London and had two sons.
As the mistress of Grimmauld Place, Walburga upheld the family’s motto, Toujours Pur (Always Pure), with extreme prejudice. She instilled these values in her sons, finding great pride in her younger son, Regulus Black, who was sorted into Slytherin and embraced the family's ideology. Her relationship with her elder son, Sirius Black, was deeply antagonistic. She reviled him for being sorted into Gryffindor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, his friendships with “blood traitors” like James Potter, and his open rejection of the Dark Arts and pure-blood dogma. When Sirius ran away from home at the age of sixteen, Walburga blasted his name and image from the Black Family tapestry, effectively disowning him. During the First Wizarding War, her favored son Regulus joined the Death Eaters, a decision she likely supported. However, Regulus became disillusioned and was killed in 1979 while attempting to destroy one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes. According to the house-elf Kreacher, Walburga was heartbroken by his death, though she was unaware of the true, heroic nature of his demise.
Walburga lived out her remaining years alone in Grimmauld Place with only Kreacher for company. She died in 1985. Before her death, she ensured her portrait was permanently affixed to the wall of the entrance hall with a Permanent Sticking Charm, allowing her to continue guarding the honor of her house even after her passing.
Walburga is only ever seen through her enchanted portrait. In it, she is depicted as a life-sized woman with a “mad, wild-eyed face,” sallow skin that looked as if it were cracking, yellowing eyes, and wearing a black velvet cap. Her personality was hateful, violent, and consumed by a fanatical belief in the superiority of pure-blood wizards. Her portrait screams hysterically whenever it is disturbed, spewing vicious insults and epithets at members of the Order of the Phoenix. Her vocabulary of slurs included “scum,” “filth,” “mutants,” “freaks,” and “creatures of dirt,” reserved for Muggle-borns (whom she called Mudbloods), werewolves, and blood traitors. She was fiercely proud of her heritage and viewed the presence of anyone not aligned with her beliefs as a “stain” on her ancestral home.
While her specific abilities are not detailed, as a member of the powerful House of Black, Walburga was undoubtedly a highly skilled witch.