Number Twelve, Grimmauld Place
The ancient Black family home and headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix
🏚️ The Black Family Residence
Twelve Grimmauld Place is the ancestral home of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, located in London. The gloomy townhouse is hidden from Muggles and protected by powerful magic. It serves as headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix during both wizarding wars.
Centuries Old
Building Age
Unplottable
Hidden Location
Fidelius Charm
Protection Type
Order HQ
Primary Use
Location and Protection
Hidden from Muggles
The house is invisible to Muggles, squashed between numbers 11 and 13. When wizards know the secret, the building magically expands and appears between its neighbors. The address must be revealed by the Secret-Keeper.
Fidelius Charm
Protected by the Fidelius Charm with Dumbledore as Secret-Keeper. Only those to whom the secret is revealed can find or see the building. After Dumbledore's death, all those who knew the secret became Secret-Keepers themselves.
Additional Protections
Multiple enchantments protect the house including anti-Apparition charms, intrusion detection, and various hexes. Mrs. Black's portrait is permanently stuck to the wall due to a Permanent Sticking Charm.
🏠 Interior and Layout
The interior of Number Twelve is dark, dusty, and filled with generations of Dark artifacts and pure-blood family heirlooms. The house reflects the Black family's proud and prejudiced history.
Main Rooms
Entrance Hall
Dark hallway with portraits of the Black family. Mrs. Black's portrait hangs here, shrieking at visitors and "blood traitors." Troll-leg umbrella stand and serpent door knocker. Gas lamps provide dim lighting.
Drawing Room
Where Order of the Phoenix meetings are held. Contains long table for meetings. Decorated with heavy drapes, old furniture, and Black family artifacts. Kreacher often lurks here muttering.
Kitchen
Underground kitchen where Order members gather informally. Large fireplace connected to Floo Network. Stone walls and floor. More welcoming than formal rooms. Kreacher's domain when not sulking.
Library
Contains many books on Dark Arts and pure-blood ideology. Sirius allows Harry, Ron, and Hermione to research here. Includes books on curses, hexes, and Black family history.
Bedrooms
Multiple bedrooms on upper floors. Sirius's old room still has Gryffindor banners and Muggle pictures showing his rebellion. Regulus's room remained untouched after his death. Guest rooms for Order members and Harry.
Drawing Room (Second Floor)
Contains Black family tapestry showing family tree. Burns mark where Sirius was "blasted off" for being disowned. Shows marriages, births, deaths, and disownments over centuries.
Dangerous Contents
| Item/Creature | Description |
|---|---|
| Boggart in Writing Desk | Removed by Mad-Eye Moody during cleaning. Had been trapped there for years. |
| Doxy Infestation | Curtains full of Doxies. Require Doxycide spray to remove. Bite is venomous. |
| Cursed Objects | Musical box inducing mysterious sleep, cursed locket (fake Horcrux), silver instruments of unknown purpose. |
| Severed House-Elf Heads | Mounted on walls as "decorations." Traditional Black family practice when house-elves became too old to serve. |
| Dark Arts Books | Library contains dangerous books including guides to dark curses and blood magic. |
| Venomous Tentacula | Dangerous plant in conservatory. Requires careful handling. |
👻 Mrs. Walburga Black's Portrait
The portrait of Sirius's mother dominates the entrance hall. Permanently stuck to the wall by a Sticking Charm too powerful to remove, she awakens at the slightest noise to scream insults at anyone she deems unworthy.
The Portrait's Behavior
Triggered by Noise
Any loud sound causes the portrait to awaken and begin shrieking. Visitors must be extremely quiet. Once awake, she screams about blood traitors, Mudbloods, half-breeds, and the shame of the Black family.
Pure-Blood Fanaticism
Obsessed with blood purity and the Black family's "noble" heritage. Calls Muggle-borns slurs, denounces blood traitors, and expresses hatred for anyone not pure-blood. Disowned her own son Sirius for rejecting these values.
Cannot Be Removed
Tried everything to remove the portrait - cutting, blasting, magical removal - all failed. Heavy curtains can muffle her but nothing silences her permanently. The Permanent Sticking Charm is too powerful even for skilled wizards.
Kreacher's Loyalty
Kreacher, the house-elf, remains devoted to Mrs. Black's portrait and memory. He agrees with her views and often converses with the portrait, much to the Order's frustration.
Typical Outbursts
"MUDBLOODS! SCUM! CREATURES OF DIRT!" "FILTH! BLOOD TRAITORS! BESMIRCHING THE HOUSE OF MY FATHERS!" Mrs. Black's shrieks can be heard throughout the house when triggered. The Order members have learned to tiptoe and whisper to avoid waking her, though this isn't always possible.
🧹 Kreacher - The Black Family House-Elf
Kreacher is the aged house-elf who served the Black family for generations. He embodies their prejudices and remains loyal to their dark legacy, creating significant problems for the Order of the Phoenix.
Ancient
Age
Black Family
Loyalty
Bitter
Personality
Eventually Redeemed
Character Arc
Character and Behavior
Appearance
Ancient, wrinkled house-elf with white hair sprouting from bat-like ears. Wears filthy rag marked with Black family crest. Bent with age, shuffles rather than walks. Bulging eyes filled with bitterness.
Pure-Blood Ideology
Absorbed the Black family's prejudices over decades of service. Calls Muggle-borns slurs, despises "half-breeds" like Lupin, and considers his current masters unworthy. Mutters insults under his breath constantly.
Conflicted Loyalty
Forced to obey Sirius (his master) but hates him as a "blood traitor." Passes information to the Malfoys via Narcissa. His divided loyalty leads to tragedy when he manipulates Sirius into the Department of Mysteries trap.
The Tale of Regulus
Kreacher holds the key to understanding Regulus Black's fate. He accompanied Regulus to the cave where a Horcrux was hidden. Regulus ordered Kreacher to destroy the locket and never tell what happened. Kreacher failed to destroy it but kept it hidden for years.
Redemption
When Harry treats Kreacher with kindness, gives him Regulus's fake locket, and shows respect, Kreacher's attitude transforms. He becomes helpful, cleans the house, cooks for the trio, and even leads house-elves into battle at Hogwarts.
Key Moments
| Event | Significance |
|---|---|
| Cave with Regulus | Voldemort tests the cave's defenses on Kreacher. Regulus sacrifices himself to try to destroy the Horcrux. |
| Sirius's Death | Kreacher's betrayal helps lure Sirius to Department of Mysteries where he dies. Kreacher shows no remorse initially. |
| R.A.B. Revelation | Kreacher reveals Regulus Arcturus Black took the real Horcrux and left a fake. Critical information for Harry. |
| Battle of Hogwarts | Leads house-elves charging into battle wielding cleavers, shouting for Harry Potter and Regulus Black's honor. |
🌳 The Black Family Tapestry
An enormous tapestry hanging in the second-floor drawing room depicts the Black family tree. It shows centuries of pure-blood marriages, with burn marks where "unworthy" family members were blasted off after being disowned.
Family Tree Highlights
Sirius Black
Status: Burned off (disowned)
Ran away from home at age 16. Disowned for rejecting pure-blood ideology and supporting Muggles and Muggle-borns. Only member of his Slytherin family sorted into Gryffindor.
Regulus Black
Status: On tapestry (died young)
Sirius's younger brother. Initially a Death Eater but later tried to destroy Horcrux. Died in the cave at age 18. Family believed he was murdered by Voldemort for trying to leave.
Andromeda Tonks (née Black)
Status: Burned off (disowned)
Sirius's favorite cousin. Disowned for marrying Muggle-born Ted Tonks. Mother of Nymphadora Tonks. Resembles her sister Bellatrix but with kind eyes.
Bellatrix Lestrange (née Black)
Status: On tapestry
Married Rodolphus Lestrange (pure-blood). Remained in good standing. Fanatical Death Eater and Voldemort's most loyal follower. Kills Sirius, her cousin.
Narcissa Malfoy (née Black)
Status: On tapestry
Married Lucius Malfoy (pure-blood). Mother of Draco. Remained in good standing. Despite family loyalty, lies to Voldemort to protect her son.
Phineas Nigellus Black
Status: On tapestry (deceased)
Former Hogwarts Headmaster. Least popular headmaster in history. His portrait hangs in both Grimmauld Place and Dumbledore's office, allowing communication between locations.
Family Motto
"Toujours Pur" (Always Pure) - The Black family motto encapsulates their obsession with blood purity and pure-blood marriages. Anyone who married a Muggle or Muggle-born, or who supported blood traitor causes, was disowned and burned off the tapestry.
🛡️ Order of the Phoenix Headquarters
During the Second Wizarding War, Sirius offers Grimmauld Place as headquarters for the reformed Order of the Phoenix. The secure location proves invaluable despite the house's gloomy atmosphere and dark history.
Order Activities
Meetings
Regular Order meetings held in the drawing room. Members discuss strategy, share intelligence about Death Eater activities, and coordinate resistance efforts. Children excluded from meetings, causing frustration for Harry.
Safe House
Provides secure accommodation for Order members and protection for Harry during summers. The Fidelius Charm keeps location secret from Voldemort and Death Eaters.
Harry's Inheritance
Sirius leaves the house to Harry in his will, making Harry the youngest ever house owner. Harry later allows Remus and Tonks to live there. Eventually gives Kreacher to Hogwarts.
Security Breach
After Dumbledore's death, the secret becomes known to all who had been told. Death Eaters camp outside but cannot enter. The trio briefly uses it as refuge but abandons it when Death Eaters infiltrate.
💔 Sirius's Childhood Home
For Sirius, Grimmauld Place represents everything he hated about his family - their prejudice, cruelty, and obsession with pure-blood supremacy. Being forced to hide there during the Second Wizarding War is torture for him.
Sirius's Memories
| Aspect | Description |
|---|---|
| Childhood | Raised with pure-blood ideology. Expected to become a Slytherin and support Dark Arts. Rebelled by choosing Gryffindor and supporting Muggles. |
| Running Away | Left home at 16 to live with the Potters. Never forgiven by his family. Uncle Alphard left him gold, was then disowned himself. |
| Trapped Again | After escaping Azkaban, forced to hide in the house he hated. Cannot leave due to being a wanted fugitive. Depression worsens from isolation. |
| Final Irony | Dies in the Department of Mysteries trying to escape the prison of his childhood home and protect Harry, falling through the veil. |
Relationship with Harry
Sirius's time at Grimmauld Place allows him to develop a closer relationship with Harry, though he remains frustrated by his inability to actively fight. He sees James in Harry and sometimes forgets Harry isn't James. His desperation to escape the house's oppression ultimately leads him into the trap that costs his life.