Igor Karkaroff
Origin: Harry Potter
Hair:
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Species: Human
Birthday:
Residence: Kagan Street 29 (16-112)
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Talent: Magic
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Languages: Bulgarian
Import Date: 5 (+)
Pets:
Professor Igor Karkaroff (d. 24 June – 31 July 1996)[2] was a wizard and Headmaster of Durmstrang Institute. During the First Wizarding War, he was a Death Eater who served Lord Voldemort. After being captured and briefly imprisoned in Azkaban following his master's defeat, Karkaroff turned in several of his fellow Death Eaters to the Wizengamot in exchange for his crimes being pardoned.
Karkaroff later went on to become Durmstrang's headmaster, leading the school's delegation to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the 1994 Triwizard Tournament. There, Karkaroff did everything he could to get his school's champion (Viktor Krum) in the lead, and flew into a panic when his Dark Mark began to burn. He fled when Voldemort returned, and for his treachery, Karkaroff was hunted down and murdered by his former comrades.
Physical description
Karkaroff was described to be tall and thin like Albus Dumbledore, but with an unctuously cheerful demeanour, while his smile 'didn't reach his eyes', which were blue and remained cold and unmoving.[14] This made him slightly unnerving. His weak chin was not completely covered by his goatee, which ended with a small curl. His teeth were yellow and he liked to dress in sleek, silver furs. As a former Death Eater, he bore the Dark Mark on his left inner forearm.
Personality and traits
Karkaroff was a ruthless and immoral man, having been a Death Eater in his youth and a turncoat when it suited him, as well as showing blatant favouritism as a judge of the Triwizard Tournament to increase the chances that his school's champion, Viktor Krum, would win. Karkaroff's betrayal of his Death Eater comrades to avoid Azkaban, as well as his going into hiding following Lord Voldemort's return, indicate that he was not at all a brave nor loyal man, somewhat similar to Peter Pettigrew, who betrayed the Order of the Phoenix out of fear as well. During his trial, Igor feigned regret and flattery to the judges, showing him to be a talented actor and liar, a skill Sirius Black informed Harry Potter of.
Despite his position as headmaster of Durmstrang, he showed neither responsibility nor care for his students, as he encouraged an atmosphere of fear and intimidation at Durmstrang while it was under his stewardship, forcing his students to steer the ship while he stayed in the cabin, harshly scolding Poliakoff in contrast to doting on the famous Krum, and then ultimately abandoned all of them to protect his own life, showing his immense selfishness, egotism and cowardice.[12]
His membership in the Death Eater organisation and implementation — or, at least, continuation — of a policy of refusing to admit Muggle-borns to Durmstrang, indicated that Karkaroff was prejudiced against those of different blood status (though if so he had did not seem to have the level of sadistic, genocidal hatred possessed by other Death Eaters such as Bellatrix Lestrange and Yaxley). Nevertheless, Karkaroff was (at least during his time with the Death Eaters), something of a sadist, as he was noted to have assisted Dolohov in torturing Muggles, and even after he 'reformed' during his headship of Durmstrang, he encouraged an environment where intimidation and fear rule over the school, leading parents to see him as unprincipled and egotistical. Even his warm greeting to Albus Dumbledore when he came to Hogwarts was less proof of a civil nature, and more proof of his ability to play at civility when it suited him. This is supported by his later yelling at Dumbledore after Harry Potter's name came out of the Goblet of Fire, and even spitting at his feet.[14]
Although Karkaroff proved himself to be a skilled actor and liar, he was also poor with controlling his emotions, as his short-temper led him to become increasingly angry and rude at Dumbledore and the British Ministry of Magic for allowing Harry to participate in the Triwizard Tournament that culminated to him spitting in front of Dumbledore's feet. His lack of bravery led him to continuously bombard Snape about the Dark Mark's increasing colour, constantly expressing a worried tone and expression.[14]
Karkaroff seemed to have been a reasonably skilled wizard, as it was said that it was impressive how he remained hidden from Voldemort for so long after the latter's rebirth, although Voldemort was keeping a low profile during the Ministry's denial, and that Karkaroff's death occurred shortly after the Ministry finally saw and accepted Voldemort's return further enforces this as a reason for his year-long survival. He was able to gain knowledge of a good number of Death Eaters' identities, despite Voldemort's tight secretive operations, including the otherwise undiscovered spy Augustus Rookwood, showing that he was at least skilled in intelligence gathering.[14]
Magical abilities and skills
While the extent of his magical skills is unknown, Karkaroff must have been a skilled wizard, given that he was the Headmaster of Durmstrang as well as a former Death Eater. His skills were such that he was able to evade the likes of Alastor Moody and even Lord Voldemort himself for extended periods of time.[14]
Dark Arts: Being a former Death Eater, Karkaroff would have been highly skilled in the Dark Arts. According to Alastor Moody, Karkaroff was proficient with the Unforgivable Curses. He was also able to evade the aforementioned veteran Auror for six months. More impressive still was that he successfully managed to stay hidden from Lord Voldemort himself for an entire year, presumably using various spells and enchantments (although whether these spells were Dark Magic is unknown) to make it harder for the Dark Lord to track him. Furthermore, whilst he was the Headmaster of Durmstrang, he encouraged the teaching of the Dark Arts as an academic subject, heavily implying that despite his abandonment of the Death Eaters and their cause, he was still a dedicated Dark wizard.[14]
Nonverbal magic: Karkaroff once summoned a number four in the sky after the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament to evaluate Harry Potter's performance without saying an incantation, showing he was skilled with nonverbal spells.[17]
Transfiguration: Karkaroff was capaple of performing Conjuration, a highly advanced and difficult branch of transfiguration, conjuring a ribbon to give Harry Potter a score of four out after the first task of the Triwizard Tournament.
Acting skills: Karkaroff was a very skilled actor and was able to convince others about his apparently benevolent convictions deceptively. During his trial before the Council of Magical Law, he successfully feigned flattery to the judges as well as remorse for his crimes, which could have significantly helped his lenient sentencing and eventual release from Azkaban. This shows he was able to successfully and very likely dishonestly persuade very accomplished individuals of his supposed good will, although he failed to convince more cynical and observant individuals such as Alastor Moody, who suspected he was being disingenuous. His notable acting ability was, however, noted by Sirius Black, who warned Harry Potter of his deceptive and cunning nature. In truth, he did not remotely see the errors of his ways. He was able to put on the facade of a civil professional during his visit to Hogwarts, though this became mitigated by his rising short-temper of Harry's selection and fear of Lord Voldemort, causing him to throw tantrums at Dumbledore or annoyingly bombard Snape.[14]
Possessions
Wand: Igor Karkaroff owned a wand of an unknown length, wood and core material.[17]
Walking stick: Igor Karkaroff owned a walking stick that he carried with him during the Welcoming Feast.
Dress robes: Igor Karkaroff owned white dress robes that he wore to the Yule Ball.