Beauvais Family

The Beauvais family is a notable pure-blood or half-blood wizarding family from North America, celebrated for their expertise in the field of wandmaking. Based in New Orleans, they are known for creating powerful wands from unique magical materials native to the region. The family and its history are detailed in supplementary materials written by J.K. Rowling and are not mentioned in the original seven Harry Potter novels. (Pottermore)

The Beauvais family established a significant reputation in the American wizarding community for generations through their craft of wandmaking. The most famous member of the family was the wandmaker Violetta Beauvais, who created highly sought-after wands in New Orleans. (Pottermore) The family's creations were distinctive, crafted from the wood of the swamp mayhaw tree. The wand core was always hair from the head of a rougarou, a dangerous, dog-headed magical beast that inhabits the swamps of Louisiana. These powerful wands were known to have a particular affinity for the Dark Arts, and it was often said that they chose witches and wizards who practiced or were drawn to Dark Magic. (Pottermore) Due to the controversial nature of their wands, the Beauvais family's legacy is a complex one, associated with both great power and a dark reputation. (Pottermore)

• Violetta Beauvais: The most prominent known member of the family. A renowned wandmaker from New Orleans whose creations were both famous and notorious. Her use of rougarou hair as a wand core linked her name permanently to the powerful, dark-leaning wands. (Pottermore)

• Wandmaking: The primary skill and legacy of the Beauvais family is their mastery of wandlore. They were experts at crafting wands from materials unique to their homeland in North America. (Pottermore)
• Specialized Materials: The family's trademark was the use of two specific components:
  1. Wood: Swamp mayhaw wood. (Pottermore)
  2. Core: Rougarou hair. (Pottermore)
• Reputation: The wands made by the Beauvais family were considered exceptionally powerful but were widely believed to be best suited for the Dark Arts. This reputation attracted a particular kind of clientele to the family's business. (Pottermore)

The surname 'Beauvais' is of French origin and is a toponymic name referring to the city of Beauvais in northern France. This suggests that the family's ancestors were French, which is consistent with their known location in New Orleans, a city with a strong French colonial history.

The Beauvais family, including Violetta Beauvais and the history of their wandmaking craft, were created by J.K. Rowling for the Pottermore website. Their story is part of the collection of writings titled History of Magic in North America, which was released to expand the wizarding world in conjunction with the Fantastic Beasts film series. The family is not mentioned in the original seven Harry Potter novels, the core films, or the video games.