Black Family Tree Tapestry

• Type: Magical Object, Historical Record
• Owners: The Black Family; later, Harry Potter (by inheritance)
• Maker: Unknown, presumably commissioned by an early member of the Black Family

The Black Family Tree Tapestry is a vast, ancient-looking tapestry located in the drawing room of 12 Grimmauld Place. It is large enough to cover an entire wall and is intricately embroidered with what appears to be golden thread. The tapestry traces the lineage of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black from the Middle Ages to the late 20th century. Woven at the top is the Black Family motto: “Toujours Pur,” a French phrase meaning “Always Pure.” For each family member, the tapestry displays their name, along with their dates of birth and death, connected by lines of gold embroidery. A significant feature of the tapestry is the way it represents disowned family members. Individuals who have been cast out—such as those who married Muggles, Muggle-borns, or were deemed blood traitors—are “blasted” from the tree. This act leaves a small, round, black burn mark in their place, permanently destroying their name and record from the official family lineage.

The primary magical function of the tapestry is to serve as a dynamic, enchanted record of the Black Family's lineage. It is unclear if it updates automatically upon births and deaths or requires a family member to perform a spell. The tapestry can be magically altered to remove individuals. Sirius Black explained that his mother, Walburga Black, was responsible for blasting his name off the tapestry after he ran away from home. This suggests that a deliberate magical act is required to disown a family member from the record. The resulting burn marks serve as a permanent, visible testament to the family's strict adherence to its pure-blood ideology and its intolerance for those who defy it.

The tapestry documents the Black Family line stretching back to the Middle Ages and has been preserved in the family's ancestral home for generations. It acts as a historical artifact embodying the family's pride, wealth, and prejudice. During the Second Wizarding War, while 12 Grimmauld Place served as the Headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix, Sirius Black showed the tapestry to Harry Potter. He used it to explain his family's dark history and its connections to other pure-blood families. Sirius pointed out several family members who had been disowned, including:

• Andromeda Tonks, his favorite cousin, who was disowned for marrying the Muggle-born wizard Ted Tonks.
• His own name, which was burned off after he ran away from home and rejected his family's beliefs.
• Other relatives mentioned by Sirius as being blasted off include an ancestor who married a Muggle and a family member who was a Squib.

He also used the tapestry to highlight family members who became Death Eaters, such as his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange, who married Rodolphus Lestrange, and Narcissa Malfoy, who married Lucius Malfoy. The tapestry thus visually demonstrates the interconnectedness of many dark wizarding families.

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the tapestry is a crucial narrative device. It provides a detailed exposition of the pure-blood supremacy ideology that underpins much of the conflict in the wizarding world. It serves to flesh out Sirius Black's character, providing concrete evidence of the oppressive family environment he rebelled against and explaining the deep personal cost of his choices. The tapestry establishes vital family connections between key characters, clarifying that Sirius Black is the cousin of Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy, which makes Draco Malfoy his nephew. It also reveals that Nymphadora Tonks is his first cousin once removed, explaining their familial bond within the Order of the Phoenix. The existence of “blasted” names on the tree introduces the concept of being formally disowned, illustrating the severe social consequences of defying pure-blood traditions.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the tapestry is depicted with small, animated portraits of each family member that fade or burn away when they are disowned. The novel's description does not explicitly mention portraits, focusing instead on names and dates. (film)
• J.K. Rowling created a more detailed, hand-drawn version of the Black Family Tree for a charity auction in 2006. This document revealed many more family members and their connections, including the fact that Cedrella Black was disowned for marrying Septimus Weasley, making Arthur Weasley a second cousin once removed to Sirius Black. It also named Marius Black as the disowned Squib and confirmed that Phineas Black (son of Phineas Nigellus Black) was disowned for supporting Muggle rights. (J.K. Rowling, hand-drawn family tree)