The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black

• Type: Ancient Wizarding Family, Pure-blood Lineage
• Motto: Toujours Pur (French for “Always Pure”)
• Primary Allegiance: Historically, Pure-blood supremacy and the Dark Arts.
• Ancestral Home: Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, located in Islington, London.
• Key Traits: Extreme pride in blood purity, intermarriage between pure-blood cousins, disowning family members who defy tradition, a tradition of naming children after stars and constellations.
• Associated Families: Malfoy, Lestrange, Crouch, Rosier, Potter (through Dorea Black), and Weasley (through Cedrella Black, who was disowned).

The House of Black was one of the oldest, wealthiest, and most powerful pure-blood wizarding families in Great Britain. Their history is steeped in an fanatical belief in pure-blood superiority, a value system encapsulated by their family motto, Toujours Pur (“Always Pure”). This ideology led them to practice the Dark Arts and to hold Muggles, Muggle-borns, werewolves, and other non-human magical beings in contempt. The family maintained its blood purity through strategic marriages with other prominent pure-blood families, such as the Malfoys and Lestranges. Any family member who disagreed with their supremacist views or associated with those deemed “unworthy”—such as Muggles, Muggle-borns, or so-called “blood traitors“—was promptly disowned and literally blasted off the family tree. The Black Family Tapestry, a magical artifact located at Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, shows these disownments as charred, black burn marks over the names of the exiled. During the First Wizarding War and Second Wizarding War, many members of the House of Black were enthusiastic supporters of Lord Voldemort, with several, including Bellatrix Lestrange and Regulus Arcturus Black, becoming Death Eaters. The family line ultimately came to an end with the deaths of its last two male heirs, Sirius Black and his younger brother, Regulus Arcturus Black. Upon Sirius's death, all remaining Black family possessions, including Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place and the house-elf Kreacher, were passed to his godson, Harry Potter.

The legacy of the House of Black is a significant undercurrent throughout the series, primarily through the actions of its last members and the use of its ancestral home.

• Haven for the Order: In a profound act of irony, Sirius Black offered the family's ancestral home, Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place, to serve as the headquarters for the reconstituted Order of the Phoenix. The house, filled with dark artifacts and the prejudiced portrait of Walburga Black, became a sanctuary for those fighting against the very ideals the Black family had championed for centuries.
• Pivotal Characters: Key members of the family drive the plot forward. Sirius Black serves as Harry's godfather and a link to his parents. Bellatrix Lestrange acts as one of Lord Voldemort's most dangerous and fanatical lieutenants, responsible for the deaths of Sirius and Dobby. Narcissa Malfoy (née Black) plays a decisive role in Harry's survival by lying to Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest.
• The Horcrux Hunt: The story of Regulus Arcturus Black is central to understanding the Horcruxes. His defiance of Voldemort, his sacrifice to steal Slytherin's Locket, and the note he left behind (signed R.A.B.) provided Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger with crucial clues in their mission to destroy the Dark Lord. The family's house-elf, Kreacher, becomes an essential ally in this quest.

• Notable Members:
  • Phineas Nigellus Black: A former Headmaster of Hogwarts and great-great-grandfather of Sirius Black. His portrait at Hogwarts and Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place served as a reluctant messenger for Albus Dumbledore.
  • Sirius Black: The last heir of the Black family. He rejected his family's values, was sorted into Gryffindor, and joined the Order of the Phoenix. He was falsely imprisoned in Azkaban for twelve years.
  • Regulus Arcturus Black: Sirius's younger brother. A Death Eater who became disillusioned and died trying to destroy one of Voldemort's Horcruxes.
  • Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black): A fanatically loyal and sadistic Death Eater who was fiercely devoted to Voldemort.
  • Andromeda Tonks (née Black): Sister of Bellatrix and Narcissa. She was disowned for marrying the Muggle-born wizard Ted Tonks and was the mother of Nymphadora Tonks.
  • Narcissa Malfoy (née Black): Sister of Bellatrix and Andromeda. She married Lucius Malfoy and was the mother of Draco Malfoy.
• Key Possessions:
  • Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place: The family's ancestral home, protected by numerous enchantments including the Fidelius Charm.
  • Kreacher: The fiercely loyal, albeit initially hostile, Black family house-elf.
  • The Black Family Tapestry: A magical tapestry detailing the family lineage, dating back to the Middle Ages.
  • Dark Artefacts: The house contained numerous dangerous objects, including a cursed music box, malevolent silver snuffboxes, and the real locket Horcrux for a time.
  • Fake Locket: The locket that Regulus Arcturus Black left in place of the Horcrux, containing his final message to Voldemort.

• J.K. Rowling released a detailed, hand-drawn version of the Black Family Tree, which revealed many names and relationships not specified in the novels. This tree confirmed that Cedrella Black was disowned for marrying Septimus Weasley, making her an ancestor of Ron Weasley. It also showed that Dorea Black married Charlus Potter, establishing a direct marital link between the two families. (J.K. Rowling)
• In the film adaptation of `Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix`, the Black Family Tapestry is depicted as a vast, dark, and intricate wall covering, with the faces of disowned members appearing scorched. (film)
• The family's tradition of naming children after stars and constellations (Sirius, Regulus, Bellatrix, Andromeda, Cygnus, Orion, Cassiopeia) reflects their arrogant, lofty view of themselves as wizarding aristocracy, far above the common populace.