Cygnus Black

Cygnus Black (1938 – 1992) was a pure-blood wizard and a member of the noble and ancient House of Black. His primary significance in the wizarding world stems from his lineage and descendants. As the husband of Druella Rosier, he was the father of three influential daughters: Bellatrix Lestrange, Andromeda Tonks, and Narcissa Malfoy. Through them, he was the maternal grandfather of Nymphadora Tonks and Draco Malfoy. Cygnus upheld his family's staunch belief in pure-blood supremacy, a value that dictated his family's alliances and led to the disownment of his own daughter, Andromeda.

Cygnus Black was born in 1938. His parentage is not specified in the novels, but supplementary materials identify his parents as Pollux Black and Irma Crabbe (J.K. Rowling's Black Family Tree). He had two siblings, a sister named Walburga Black and a brother named Alphard Black (J.K. Rowling's Black Family Tree). Like all members of his family, he almost certainly attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he would have been sorted into Slytherin house. He later married a fellow pure-blood witch, Druella Rosier, and they had three daughters. His family's ideology is evident in the marriages he arranged or approved for his children. His eldest daughter, Bellatrix, married Rodolphus Lestrange, a wealthy pure-blood from a family known for its affinity for the Dark Arts. His youngest, Narcissa, married Lucius Malfoy, the scion of another powerful and wealthy pure-blood family. However, his middle daughter, Andromeda, defied the family's principles by falling in love with and marrying a Muggle-born wizard, Ted Tonks. As a result, Cygnus disowned Andromeda, and she was “blasted off” the Black family tree tapestry located at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place. Cygnus Black died in 1992, before Harry Potter's first encounter with the Black family's history. The cause of his death is unknown.

There is no physical description of Cygnus Black in the novels. His personality can only be inferred from his actions as recorded on the Black family tree tapestry. His decision to disown his daughter Andromeda for marrying a Muggle-born demonstrates a severe and unforgiving nature, fully aligned with the House of Black's fanatical belief in pure-blood supremacy. He valued blood purity over familial affection, a trait shared by many of his relatives, including his sister Walburga Black and his daughter Bellatrix Lestrange.

No specific magical abilities or skills of Cygnus Black are mentioned. As a graduate of Hogwarts from an ancient and powerful wizarding family, he was presumably a competent and well-educated wizard.

• Black family tree tapestry: As a member of the House of Black, Cygnus was represented on the magical tapestry in the drawing room of Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, which detailed the family's lineage back to the Middle Ages.
• House of Black Fortune: Cygnus would have had access to the considerable wealth and heirlooms belonging to the House of Black.

• Druella Rosier: Cygnus's wife. She was a member of the pure-blood Rosier family, another name listed among the “Sacred Twenty-Eight”.
• Bellatrix Lestrange: His eldest daughter. Bellatrix fully embraced the family's ideology, becoming one of Lord Voldemort's most fervent and cruel Death Eaters. She married Rodolphus Lestrange.
• Andromeda Tonks: His middle daughter. He disowned her after she married Ted Tonks, a Muggle-born. This act severed her from the family. She was the mother of Nymphadora Tonks.
• Narcissa Malfoy: His youngest daughter. Narcissa also upheld the family's values by marrying the wealthy pure-blood Lucius Malfoy. She was the mother of Draco Malfoy.
• Walburga Black: His sister and the mother of Sirius Black and Regulus Arcturus Black, making Cygnus their maternal uncle. She shared his rigid pure-blood views. (J.K. Rowling's Black Family Tree)
• Sirius Black: His nephew. Sirius rejected the family's values and was also disowned and blasted off the family tapestry.
• Regulus Arcturus Black: His nephew. Regulus initially followed the family's path and became a Death Eater but later turned against Lord Voldemort.

• Cygnus: The name is Latin for “swan” and is also the name of a prominent northern constellation, sometimes known as the Northern Cross. This follows the House of Black's tradition of naming children after stars and constellations (e.g., Sirius, Regulus, Bellatrix, Andromeda).
• Black: A common English surname, its connotations with darkness are fitting for a family deeply associated with the Dark Arts and a grim history.

Much of the specific detail about Cygnus's immediate family, including the names of his parents (Pollux Black and Irma Crabbe) and his siblings (Walburga Black and Alphard Black), is not present in the text of the novels. This information originates from the comprehensive Black Family Tree that J.K. Rowling drew by hand to be used as a prop for the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. This prop and its details have since been made widely available online (Pottermore).