Avery (Death Eater)

Avery is the surname of a pure-blood wizarding family known for producing at least two Death Eaters who served Lord Voldemort. An elder Avery was among Tom Riddle's first followers at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the 1940s. A younger Avery, presumed to be his son, was an active Death Eater in both the First Wizarding War and Second Wizarding War, and is noted for his presence at Voldemort's rebirth and his participation in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

The first wizard known by the surname Avery was a student in Slytherin house during the same period as Tom Marvolo Riddle in the 1940s. He was a member of Riddle's gang of fellow Slytherins, a group that included the precursors to the Death Eaters such as Lestrange, Mulciber, Nott, and Rosier. This Avery was present in a memory Harry Potter viewed in the Pensieve, where a young Tom Riddle questioned Professor Horace Slughorn about the nature and creation of Horcruxes.

A second, younger Avery served Lord Voldemort as a Death Eater. It is widely believed he is the son of Tom Riddle's contemporary.

• First Wizarding War: During the First Wizarding War, this Avery was an active Death Eater. Following Lord Voldemort's first downfall in 1981, he successfully avoided a sentence in Azkaban by claiming he had acted under the influence of the Imperius Curse, a lie that Voldemort would later hold against him.
• Second Wizarding War: On the night of Voldemort's rebirth in the Little Hangleton graveyard, Avery answered the summons of the Dark Mark. Upon his arrival, he grovelled at Voldemort's feet, begging for forgiveness and repeating his excuse of being under the Imperius Curse. Disgusted by this cowardice and disloyalty, Voldemort tortured him with the Cruciatus Curse before accepting him back into his service.
• Battle of the Department of Mysteries: In 1996, Avery was one of the twelve Death Eaters dispatched to the Department of Mysteries to retrieve the prophecy concerning Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort. Alongside Lucius Malfoy, he confronted Harry in the Hall of Prophecy. During the ensuing battle, he was incapacitated by a Stunning Spell cast by Hermione Granger. Following the arrival of Albus Dumbledore and members of the Order of the Phoenix, Avery was captured and subsequently imprisoned in Azkaban.

The novels provide no physical description of either the elder or younger Avery. The younger Avery's personality is shown to be sycophantic and cowardly. He grovels for Voldemort's forgiveness and uses a false excuse to explain his years of absence, demonstrating a primary concern for his own self-preservation rather than loyalty. He appears arrogant when confronting Harry Potter and his friends, but his defeat at the hands of Hermione Granger suggests he is not a particularly formidable duellist.

As a qualified wizard and a member of Voldemort's inner circle, Avery was skilled in the Dark Arts.

• Duelling: He participated in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, but his skills were not sufficient to overcome a group of teenage students, as he was stunned by Hermione Granger.
• Knowledge of Unforgivable Curses: As a Death Eater, he was familiar with the Unforgivable Curses and was subjected to the Cruciatus Curse by Voldemort himself as punishment.

• Wand: Avery possessed a wand, though its specifications are unknown.
• Death Eater Robes: During the Second Wizarding War, he wore the standard uniform of a Death Eater: a black, hooded robe and a mask to conceal his identity.

Avery was a servant of Lord Voldemort, whom he addressed as “My Lord.” His relationship was defined by fear and subservience rather than genuine loyalty, as evidenced by his failure to seek out his master after his first fall. Voldemort held him in contempt, punishing him for his perceived weakness. He operated alongside other Death Eaters such as Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Lestrange, and Macnair.

The name Avery is an English surname of Norman origin, derived from the Old French name Alberic, which itself comes from the Germanic name Alberich. Alberich translates to “elf ruler” or “ruler of supernatural beings.” This could be an ironic choice for a pure-blood supremacist family, as the name links them to a non-human magical race.

• It is a common and logical fan assumption that the two Averys mentioned in the books are father and son, which would illustrate how families like the Malfoys, Lestranges, and Notts passed their allegiance to Voldemort through generations. This has not been officially confirmed by J.K. Rowling.
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, actor Richard Trinder is credited as playing a Death Eater named “Avery” during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries (film).