Amycus Carrow was born in Great Britain before the 1980s into the Carrow family. He was the brother of Alecto Carrow. Both Amycus and Alecto were fanatics of blood purity and were recruited as Death Eaters by Lord Voldemort. Amycus Carrow and Alecto Carrow were among the Death Eaters who did not pursue the Dark Lord after his first downfall in Godric’s Hollow. Therefore, they were not sentenced to Azkaban. However, after Voldemort’s return in 1995, they rejoined the ranks of the Death Eaters, and Amycus and Alecto together became professors at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry after the death of Albus Dumbledore and after Severus Snape became headmaster.
Early Life
Amycus Carrow was born to the Carrow family in Great Britain before 1980. It is very likely that the Carrows had Pure-blooded roots, or at least Half-blood ancestry, as it is unlikely that a Muggle-born witch or wizard would align themselves with Lord Voldemort. Alecto Carrow was the sister of Amycus Carrow, and they both studied at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. They were both sorted into Slytherin house. Amycus seemed to know Albus Dumbledore personally as they exchanged pleasantries on top of the Astronomy Tower a few moments before the latter’s death in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Amycus participated in the First Wizarding War and helped Lord Voldemort and the others in the Death Eater ranks by killing and harming several wizards and witches who were against their cause.
The Dark Arts
Amycus Carrow was a fanatic of the Dark Arts and probably practiced it very early when he studied at Hogwarts. However, his interest in Dark Arts led to him finding Lord Voldemort and him becoming a Death Eater. His interest in Dark Arts also secured him a place as the Defence Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He was also made the Deputy Headmaster of Hogwarts along with his sister Alecto Carrow who had been appointed as the Professor of Muggle Studies. He was mostly a Dark Arts teacher than someone who taught defensive spells to students as he was given autonomy to teach whichever way he wanted. The fall of the Ministry of Magic further made it easier to cover up his teaching practices.
Hogwarts Professor
As a Hogwarts Professor, Amycus Carrow did several terrible things, including teaching his students to attack other students, including using the Cruciatus Curse on students who were in detention. Neville Longbottom was coerced by Professor Amycus Carrow several times to use the Cruciatus Curse on children, but he refused all the time and was punished severely by Amycus and Alecto. The tenure of Amycus at Hogwarts came to an end when he spat at Professor McGonagall’s face as she was trying to hide Harry Potter’s presence in the Ravenclaw Tower.
Appearances in the Harry Potter Universe
Amycus Carrow first appeared in the Harry Potter series in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower in the midst of the Second Wizarding War. It is possible that he appeared before this in Little Hangleton at the graveyard of Tom Riddle Sr, where Lord Voldemort summoned all his Death Eaters, but his presence was not acknowledged.
Amycus, his sister Alecto and several other Death Eaters, including Bellatrix Lestrange and Fenrir Greyback, entered Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on 30 June 1997 after Draco Malfoy repaired a vanishing cabinet in the Room of Requirement, which had a twin in Borgin and Burkes. Amycus soon met Albus Dumbledore and mocked the latter for his slow reflexes, to which Dumbledore mocked Amycus stating that if he were lucky, he might live long enough to be old.
After a few moments, Severus Snape cast the Killing Curse at Dumbledore, and eventually, they all tried to escape from the tower. On his way down, Amycus was attacked by several spells from Professor Minerva McGonagall, and he also battled Ginny Weasley but finally was able to escape to the grounds. Here, Amycus and Alecto dueled with Harry, but with the help of Snape, they were able to escape swiftly.
Soon after, Amycus Carrow was made the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, and his sister became the Professor of Muggle Studies. They were also made Deputy Headmasters and Deputy Headmistresses, respectively. They tortured a lot of students during their tenure. Finally, on 1 May 1998, Harry Ron, and Hermione broke into Hogwarts in search of a Horcrux and, after confirming that it was the Lost Diadem of Ravenclaw, decided to enter the Ravenclaw Tower with Luna Lovegood to get a better idea about the Horcrux.
Alecto Carrow was guarding the tower when she saw Harry and immediately touched her Dark Mark to summon the Death Eaters. Luna stunned Alecto immediately, and Professor McGonagall and Amycus had an argument, and Amycus spat on McGonagall’s face. Enraged, Harry cast the Cruciatus Curse on Amycus, and Professor McGonagall later imperiused him, made him carry his sister away, and bound them tightly with a magical spell.
The Battle of Hogwarts took place soon after, and it is highly likely that neither Amycus nor Alecto fought in the battle as they were both restrained and kept in custody by Professor McGonagall.
Amycus – The Last Jinxed Professor
One of the most interesting things about Amycus Carrow is that he was the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor at Hogwarts. Interestingly, this position had been jinxed long before Harry and his friends joined Hogwarts. Tom Riddle had come back to Hogwarts immediately after graduating before he had completely transformed into Lord Voldemort, asking for a position as a teacher in the Defense Against the Dark Arts. However, Professor Dippet, the Headmaster of Hogwarts at that time, declined and asked him to apply after a few years.
Enraged, Tom had jinxed the position of the Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, and no professor since then had ever been able to stay for more than a year. This jinx would be broken when Lord Voldemort died, and therefore, Amycus Carrow was the last professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts to be subject to that jinx.
FAQs
Who killed Amycus Carrow?
Nobody killed Amycus Carrow. In fact, Amycus didn’t even fight in the Battle of Hogwarts as he was restrained and kept in Hogwarts by Professor Minerva McGonagall after he spat on her, and Harry Potter defended her by casting the Cruciatus Curse on him. It is highly unlikely that anyone killed Amycus after the war was over, as he was probably transferred to Azkaban prison along with his sister Alecto Carrow.
What subject does Amycus Carrow teach?
Amycus Carrow was made the Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts. He was supposed to teach students how to apply defensive spells and protect themselves from the Dark Arts. However, he instead made it a point to teach Dark Arts to students and even punished the students who didn’t want to learn the Dark Arts or tried to defy him in any way.
Is Amycus Carrow a Death Eater?
Yes, Amycus Carrow is a Death Eater who worshipped and feared Lord Voldemort. He and his sister Alecto Carrow were both Death Eaters and they helped the other Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort with their cause by taking part in both the First Wizarding War and the Second Wizarding War.
