Charles Rookwood

Charles Rookwood was a wizard from the 19th century, a former Hogwarts professor of Ancient Runes, and one of the four “Keepers.” The Keepers were a secret organization dedicated to safeguarding a powerful and dangerous form of ancient magic. Appearing posthumously through a magical portrait, Rookwood serves as a guide and mentor to the protagonist in the 19th-century wizarding world. His legacy is notably contrasted with that of his descendant, the dark wizard Victor Rookwood (Hogwarts Legacy).

All biographical information for Charles Rookwood comes from the video game Hogwarts Legacy.

• Hogwarts and the Keepers: Charles Rookwood attended Hogwarts as a student in Ravenclaw House. He later returned to the castle to serve as the Professor of Ancient Runes. During his time, he, along with his colleagues Percival Rackham, Niamh Fitzgerald, and San Bakar, discovered a deep well of ancient magic. They also encountered a student, Isadora Morganach, who could wield this magic and sought to use it to remove all pain from the world. Fearing the potential for corruption and misuse, Rookwood and the others formed a secret group called the Keepers to guard this magic. They ultimately came into conflict with Isadora, a confrontation that resulted in her death. To prevent anyone from making the same mistake, the Keepers created a series of trials to test any future wielder of ancient magic and hid the repository of power away. (Hogwarts Legacy)
• Posthumous Guidance: After his death, Charles Rookwood's consciousness and memories lived on in a magical portrait he created. This portrait, along with those of the other Keepers, was enchanted to guide a future student who could perceive the traces of ancient magic. In the 1890-1891 school year, his portrait was activated by the arrival of a new fifth-year student. Rookwood guided the student to his own trial, which was hidden in a secret chamber beneath Rookwood Castle, his ancestral home. He tested the student's abilities and resolve before entrusting them with his memories of the events surrounding Isadora and the repository. (Hogwarts Legacy)

As seen in his magical portrait, Charles Rookwood appears as a wise, elderly wizard with a long grey beard and a stern, thoughtful expression. He typically wears the formal robes of a Hogwarts professor. His personality is cautious, measured, and deeply committed to his duty as a Keeper. He is resolute in his belief that some forms of magic are too powerful for any single individual to control, a conviction born from his tragic experience with Isadora Morganach. Despite his stern demeanor, he serves as a responsible and crucial mentor. (Hogwarts Legacy)

• Ancient Magic: Rookwood was one of a select few wizards who could perceive and wield ancient magic. His understanding of its potential and dangers was profound, leading him to dedicate his life to its containment. (Hogwarts Legacy)
• Expert in Ancient Runes: As the Hogwarts Professor of the subject, he was an accomplished master of Ancient Runes and runic magic. (Hogwarts Legacy)
• Enchantment and Charmwork: Rookwood was highly skilled in creating complex magical enchantments. His most significant creation was his sentient magical portrait, capable of complex interaction, storing memories, and creating a portal to a pocket dimension containing his trial. (Hogwarts Legacy)
• Dueling: While not seen dueling directly, his status as a Keeper and his role in confronting Isadora Morganach suggest he was a highly capable and powerful wizard. (Hogwarts Legacy)

• Wand: Rookwood possessed a wand, the details of which are unknown. (Hogwarts Legacy)
• Keeper's Portrait: His primary possession after death, which allowed him to fulfill his duty as a Keeper long after he had passed away. (Hogwarts Legacy)
• Rookwood Castle: His family's ancestral home, which housed the secret entrance to his Keeper trial. By the 1890s, it had fallen into the hands of his dark wizard descendant, Victor Rookwood. (Hogwarts Legacy)

• The Keepers: Rookwood shared a deep bond of trust and a common purpose with his fellow Keepers: Percival Rackham, Niamh Fitzgerald, and San Bakar. They worked in concert to protect the secrets of ancient magic. (Hogwarts Legacy)
• Isadora Morganach: Initially a promising student and colleague, Isadora's divergent and reckless philosophy regarding ancient magic turned her into an antagonist for Rookwood and the other Keepers. Her story serves as a cautionary tale that heavily influences Rookwood's actions. (Hogwarts Legacy)
• Victor Rookwood: His descendant, a dark wizard and leader of a gang of poachers and Ashwinders. Charles Rookwood's legacy of protection and secrecy stands in stark opposition to Victor's greed and cruelty, a fact that Victor resents. (Hogwarts Legacy)

• The name Charles is of Germanic origin, meaning “free man.”
• The surname Rookwood combines “rook,” a black bird from the crow family often associated with cunning and ill omens, and “wood.” The name may also allude to the rook chess piece, suggesting a character of strategic importance, which befits his role as a guardian and planner.

• Charles Rookwood is a character created specifically for the video game Hogwarts Legacy (2023) and does not appear in the original seven Harry Potter novels.
• The Rookwood family name, however, is canonical to the books. Augustus Rookwood was a Death Eater who worked as a spy for Lord Voldemort in the Department of Mysteries during the First Wizarding War. The shared surname strongly implies that Charles Rookwood and Augustus Rookwood are from the same pure-blood family line, though their exact relationship is not stated.