Amycus Carrow

Amycus Carrow was a pure-blood or half-blood wizard, a Death Eater, and the brother of Alecto Carrow. He was known for his thuggish demeanor and sadistic cruelty. During the height of the Second Wizarding War, Amycus served as the Dark Arts professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry under the regime of Lord Voldemort. His primary role in the story is to represent the brutal oppression enforced by Voldemort's followers, particularly within the walls of Hogwarts, and his actions provoke Harry Potter into using an Unforgivable Curse.

Amycus Carrow was among the Death Eaters who infiltrated Hogwarts on the night of Albus Dumbledore's death. He and his sister Alecto Carrow were let into the castle by Draco Malfoy via a pair of linked Vanishing Cabinets. They ascended the Astronomy Tower just after Severus Snape killed Dumbledore. In the ensuing Battle of the Astronomy Tower, Amycus fought against members of Dumbledore's Army and the Order of the Phoenix. During the battle, he was struck by Ginny Weasley's powerful Bat-Bogey Hex but managed to escape with the other Death Eaters. Following Lord Voldemort's takeover of the Ministry of Magic in 1997, Amycus was appointed as a professor at Hogwarts, which was then under the control of Headmaster Severus Snape. He taught what was formerly Defence Against the Dark Arts, but the subject was renamed Dark Arts. His curriculum was a practical study in dark magic, and he and Alecto were placed in charge of all discipline. They enforced a reign of terror, punishing students by forcing them to practice the Cruciatus Curse on other students who had earned detention. The Carrows were particularly harsh towards students who defied them, such as Neville Longbottom.

On the eve of the Battle of Hogwarts, Lord Voldemort tasked the Carrows with guarding Ravenclaw Tower, anticipating that Harry Potter might go there. After Alecto touched her Dark Mark upon seeing Harry, summoning Voldemort, Amycus arrived at the door of the Ravenclaw Common Room. He demanded entry from Minerva McGonagall, planning to lie to Voldemort by claiming that Ravenclaw students had forced Alecto to summon him to ambush him. When McGonagall calmly refused him entry and rebuked him, Amycus spat in her face in a fit of rage. This act of profound disrespect enraged Harry Potter, who had been watching from under his Invisibility Cloak. Harry revealed himself and successfully cast the Cruciatus Curse on Amycus, incapacitating him. Professor Minerva McGonagall then bound Amycus with the Imperius Curse, forced him to give her his wand, and tied him up securely with his stunned sister. He was left in the Ravenclaw Common Room and was presumably captured by the victorious forces and sent to Azkaban following the Battle of Hogwarts.

Amycus is described as a squat, lumpy man with a pasty face and a lopsided sneer. He has a distinctive, wheezing laugh. His personality is brutish, sadistic, and cowardly. He delights in the suffering of others, as shown by his enthusiastic implementation of cruel punishments at Hogwarts. He is not particularly intelligent, relying on intimidation and violence rather than cunning. His plan to blame students for his sister's summoning of Voldemort and his act of spitting at Professor Minerva McGonagall reveal his cowardice and vulgar nature. He lacks the finesse or ideological fervour of other Death Eaters like Bellatrix Lestrange, serving more as a thug to enforce Voldemort's will.

• Dark Arts: Amycus was proficient enough in the Dark Arts to be appointed its professor at Hogwarts. He frequently used and taught the Cruciatus Curse, one of the three Unforgivable Curses.
• Duelling: While he participated in two major battles, his skills as a duellist appear limited against formidable opponents. He was hit by Ginny Weasley's Bat-Bogey Hex at the Astronomy Tower and was swiftly and nonverbally incapacitated by both Harry Potter and Minerva McGonagall at Ravenclaw Tower. He was unable to defend himself against Harry's Cruciatus Curse.

• Wand: Amycus possessed a wand, the specific details of which (wood, core, length) are unknown. It was confiscated by Minerva McGonagall prior to the Battle of Hogwarts.

• Alecto Carrow: His sister and fellow Death Eater. They were almost always seen working together, from the assault on Hogwarts to their tenure as tyrannical professors. They functioned as a brutal team.
• Lord Voldemort: As a Death Eater, Amycus was a servant of Lord Voldemort. He seemed to serve more out of a love for cruelty and power than deep loyalty, and he showed immense fear of Voldemort's wrath.
• Severus Snape: Amycus served as a Deputy Headmaster under Severus Snape at Hogwarts. He followed Snape's orders but likely viewed him only as a superior within the Death Eater hierarchy.
• Minerva McGonagall: His adversary at Hogwarts. He treated her with utter contempt, while she viewed him as a vulgar thug. She showed her superior magical ability by easily subduing him.
• Harry Potter: His enemy. The confrontation between them was brief but significant, as Amycus's vile behaviour provoked Harry into using an Unforgivable Curse for the second time in his life, this time with intent and success.

• Amycus: This name is likely a reference to a figure in Greek mythology. Amycus was the brutish and cruel king of the Bebryces who challenged all visitors to a boxing match he would always win, killing them. This mythological figure's violent and thuggish nature is a clear parallel to the character's personality.
• Carrow: The surname may derive from “carrion,” the decaying flesh of dead animals. This connects him to the themes of death, decay, and corruption associated with the Death Eaters.

• In the film adaptations, Amycus Carrow is portrayed by British actor Ralph Ineson.
• In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, the confrontation in Ravenclaw Tower is altered. Alecto is stunned by Luna Lovegood, and Amycus is then stunned by Harry Potter from under the Invisibility Cloak. The notable scene where Amycus spits in Professor McGonagall's face is omitted from the film (film).
• The films depict both Carrows being present in the Great Hall when Harry Potter confronts Severus Snape, where they are both stunned by Professor McGonagall before Snape flees (film).