Walburga Black

Walburga Black (1925 – 1985) was a pure-blood witch and the formidable matriarch of the House of Black during the First Wizarding War. The wife of her cousin Orion Black and mother to Sirius Black and Regulus Black, she was a fanatical believer in pure-blood supremacy. Though deceased before the events of the main series, her enduring presence is felt through her enchanted, life-sized portrait in the hallway of Number 12, Grimmauld Place, which screeches insults at any who disturb it. Her portrait and the state of her home serve as a potent symbol of the decay and bigotry of the ancient House of Black.

Walburga Black was born in 1925 to Pollux Black and Irma Crabbe, making her a scion of the main Black family line. She had two younger brothers, Alphard and Cygnus Black. In keeping with the family's tradition of marrying within pure-blood circles, she wed her second cousin, Orion Black. They resided in the Black family ancestral home at Number 12, Grimmauld Place in London and had two sons.

As the mistress of Grimmauld Place, Walburga upheld the family’s motto, Toujours Pur (Always Pure), with extreme prejudice. She instilled these values in her sons, finding great pride in her younger son, Regulus Black, who was sorted into Slytherin and embraced the family's ideology. Her relationship with her elder son, Sirius Black, was deeply antagonistic. She reviled him for being sorted into Gryffindor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, his friendships with “blood traitors” like James Potter, and his open rejection of the Dark Arts and pure-blood dogma. When Sirius ran away from home at the age of sixteen, Walburga blasted his name and image from the Black Family tapestry, effectively disowning him. During the First Wizarding War, her favored son Regulus joined the Death Eaters, a decision she likely supported. However, Regulus became disillusioned and was killed in 1979 while attempting to destroy one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes. According to the house-elf Kreacher, Walburga was heartbroken by his death, though she was unaware of the true, heroic nature of his demise.

Walburga lived out her remaining years alone in Grimmauld Place with only Kreacher for company. She died in 1985. Before her death, she ensured her portrait was permanently affixed to the wall of the entrance hall with a Permanent Sticking Charm, allowing her to continue guarding the honor of her house even after her passing.

Walburga is only ever seen through her enchanted portrait. In it, she is depicted as a life-sized woman with a “mad, wild-eyed face,” sallow skin that looked as if it were cracking, yellowing eyes, and wearing a black velvet cap. Her personality was hateful, violent, and consumed by a fanatical belief in the superiority of pure-blood wizards. Her portrait screams hysterically whenever it is disturbed, spewing vicious insults and epithets at members of the Order of the Phoenix. Her vocabulary of slurs included “scum,” “filth,” “mutants,” “freaks,” and “creatures of dirt,” reserved for Muggle-borns (whom she called Mudbloods), werewolves, and blood traitors. She was fiercely proud of her heritage and viewed the presence of anyone not aligned with her beliefs as a “stain” on her ancestral home.

While her specific abilities are not detailed, as a member of the powerful House of Black, Walburga was undoubtedly a highly skilled witch.

• Charms: Her most notable magical feat was the casting of a powerful Permanent Sticking Charm on her own portrait. This spell was so effective that it resisted all attempts at removal, even from powerful wizards like Albus Dumbledore, demonstrating a high degree of magical proficiency.
• Dark Arts: Given her family's notorious affinity for the Dark Arts, it is almost certain she was knowledgeable and proficient in this branch of magic.

• Number 12, Grimmauld Place: The ancestral home of the House of Black, which she inherited and was the last to occupy before her death.
• Portrait of Walburga Black: A life-sized, sentient portrait of herself, enchanted to shriek insults at those she deemed unworthy. It was hung in the main hallway and hidden behind moth-eaten curtains.
• Kreacher: The Black family's loyal house-elf. Kreacher was devoted to his mistress and her pure-blood ideals, often muttering her sayings and insults.
• Black Family Heirlooms: As matriarch, she was the keeper of the family's possessions, including the ornate Black family tapestry and, unknowingly, Salazar Slytherin's Locket, which had been stolen by her son Regulus.

• Sirius Black (Son): Walburga had a venomous relationship with her elder son. She detested him for betraying the family's values and ultimately disowned him. Sirius, in turn, despised her and everything she stood for.
• Regulus Arcturus Black (Son): He was her favored child. She was immensely proud of him for being a “proper” son who upheld the Black family name and traditions. His death caused her immense grief.
• Orion Black (Husband/Cousin): Walburga and Orion shared the same fanatical pure-blood ideology and co-managed their household with an iron fist. He supported the disownment of Sirius.
• Kreacher: The house-elf revered Walburga as the last great matriarch of the house. He absorbed her prejudices and remained fanatically loyal to her memory, cherishing her portrait above all else.
• Order of the Phoenix: After her death, her portrait became a major nuisance to the Order of the Phoenix when they used her home as their headquarters, acting as an unintended, and very loud, security system.

• Walburga: The name is likely derived from Saint Walpurga, an 8th-century English abbess. Her feast day, May 1st, coincides with Walpurgisnacht (Walpurgis Night), a German festival with strong associations with witches and pagan rituals, fitting the Dark Arts theme of the House of Black.
• Black: A surname that directly reflects the family's “dark” nature, their practice of the Dark Arts, and their grim, morbid aesthetic.

• Walburga's birth and death years (1925-1985) and the names of her parents (Pollux Black and Irma Crabbe) were confirmed on the Black Family Tree drawing J.K. Rowling created for a charity auction. (Black Family Tree drawing)
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the portrait's screaming causes the wallpaper around it to peel back, revealing frantic, handwritten script underneath. (film)