Travers Biographical information Born Before 1980s Blood status Pure-blood or half-blood[1] Nationality British Physical information Species Human Gender Male Hair colour Grey[2] Relationship information Family members Torquil Travers (possible relative)Sloan Travers (possible relative)Travers family Magical characteristics Wand Unknown length, wood and core[3] Patronus None[4] Affiliation Occupation British Ministry of Magic official Loyalty Travers familyDeath EatersLord VoldemortDeath Eater controlled Ministry of MagicDepartment of Magical Law EnforcementMuggle-Born Registration Commission

Travers was a British Dark wizard and a Death Eater. He fought in the First Wizarding War, during which he helped murder Marlene McKinnon and her family, and was imprisoned for committing this crime.[5]

Travers escaped from Azkaban after Lord Voldemort's return in 1995 and fought in several battles of the Second Wizarding War, including the Battle of the Seven Potters, the Ambush at the Lovegood House and the Battle of Hogwarts. His ultimate fate is uncertain.

Travers was born into the Travers family, one of the Sacred Twenty-Eight families published in the Pure-Blood Directory in the 1930s.[6]

During the First Wizarding War, Travers murdered the family of Marlene McKinnon, according to Igor Karkaroff. According to Karkaroff, Travers was among Lord Voldemort's most important supporters.[5] He could not escape imprisonment and was sentenced to Azkaban sometime in, or prior to, 1981 for this crime.

Travers escaped from Azkaban in the mass breakout in January 1996 and once again served Voldemort as an active Death Eater.

Travers threatening Ginny Weasley in the Death Chamber

He was apparently arrested at some point afterwards, though he escaped again in the 1997 mass break-out with Stan Shunpike that was hushed up by the British Ministry of Magic as Kingsley Shacklebolt said that Travers should be in Azkaban.[7] On 27 July 1997 Travers participated in the Battle of the Seven Potters, pursuing Hermione Granger, who was disguised as Harry Potter, and Kingsley Shacklebolt, who cursed him, causing his hood to fall back revealing to Shacklebolt that he had broken out of prison.[7]

Before the beginning of August of the same year, Travers was convicted again for his Death Eater activities.[8]

Death Eaters meeting held at Malfoy Manor during the height of the Second Wizarding War

On 1 August 1997, the British Ministry of Magic was taken over by the Death Eaters and Pius Thicknesse (under the influence of the Imperius Curse) was made Minister for Magic.[9]

Travers was then released from Azkaban when the Death Eater-led Ministry hosted up a mass breakout.[8]

Now falsely cleared, Travers went on to work at the Ministry of Magic (at the Department of Magical Law Enforcement), as a superior to Mafalda Hopkirk. He also seemed to have some involvement with the recently created Muggle-Born Registration Commission, as he got to choose which Ministry employee could act as a stenographer for the Muggle-born trials.[10]

Death Eaters Travers and Selwyn ambushing the Lovegood home

On 30 December 1997, Travers and Selwyn came to Xenophilius Lovegood's home because he claimed, truthfully, that Harry Potter was there. After Travers checked the area, they threatened to kill Luna Lovegood, his daughter, if he summoned them under false pretences, only to see Harry escape.[3]

Ron and Hermione (disguised as Dragomir Despard and Bellatrix Lestrange) breaking into Gringotts Bank

Later that year on 1 May, Travers met Hermione Granger, disguised by means of the Polyjuice Potion as Bellatrix Lestrange, and went into Gringotts Wizarding Bank with her. While there he expressed disdain towards Muggle-born beggars as well as goblins; a Muggle-born witch had previously begged Travers to represent her case to insist she was magical, and requested his wand to prove it, which Travers refused and cruelly mocked her. Harry placed him under the Imperius Curse to facilitate their breaking in to the Lestrange Vault and sent Travers off to hide.[11]

On 2 May 1998 Travers took part in the Battle of Hogwarts. During the conflict, Travers fought Parvati Patil and Dean Thomas with the help of Dolohov and another Death Eater.[12] His ultimate fate is uncertain though it's likely that he was either killed in battle, imprisoned in Azkaban for his crimes, or on the run from the law, following the defeat of Voldemort and the Death Eaters.

Travers was described as a tall, thin wizard with a crown of bushy grey hair, a long sharp nose, and a cool voice.[2] As a Death Eater, he bore the Dark Mark on his left inner forearm, which had faded to a mere scar since Voldemort's death.

Travers was a Death Eater, obsessed with blood purity. In 1998, he expressed his disdain towards Muggle-born beggars, whom he laughed at (going as far as calling them "it"), as well as goblins, whom he didn't like to associate with. He was also something of a xenophobe: when he was met with an apparently foreign wizard, Dragomir Despard (in truth Ron Weasley), Travers didn't shake hands with him with his entire hand, but instead just used two of his fingers, acting as though he feared he would be soiled, despite being told that the man is sympathetic to their cause.[11] His hatred towards Muggles lead him to hate blood traitors as well, as he brutally murdered a member of the Order of the Phoenix and her entire family. He seemed quite calm and composed as an individual, especially when compared to more mentally unstable Death Eaters such as Bellatrix Lestrange or Selwyn. He also took the pragmatic action of using the Human-presence-revealing spell when Xenophilius Lovegood claimed to have Harry Potter, even when Selwyn believed him to be lying. He was willing to be social with other Death Eaters shown when he greeted Bellatrix Lestrange (actually a disguised Hermione Granger) and spoke with her on their way to Gringotts, though he was also suspicious of her presence and continued to watch her. He was also offended when Bellatrix (again Hermione) suggested that he did not have as much of Lord Voldemort's favour as she, showing that he desired his master's approval.

Travers is an English and French surname that described a man who lived near a bridge or ford, or occasionally as an occupational name for the collector of tolls at such a location. It is derived from the Old French verb traverser, meaning "to cross"[13].

Travers also shares a surname with the writer P. L. Travers, author of the Mary Poppins books: J. K. Rowling is an admirer of P. L. Travers and followed Travers in having her books published under her first two initials and surname rather than her full name.[14]

Avery (II) · Alecto Carrow · Amycus Carrow · Crabbe · Bartemius Crouch Junior † · Antonin Dolohov · Gibbon † · Goyle · Gareth Greengrass's brother · Jugson · Barnaby Lee's father · Barnaby Lee's mother · Bellatrix Lestrange † · Rabastan Lestrange · Rodolphus Lestrange · Walden Macnair · Mulciber (I) · Mulciber (II) · Nott · Pyrites (possibly) · Augustus Rookwood · Rosier · Evan Rosier † · Thorfinn Rowle · Selwyn · Merula Snyde's father · Merula Snyde's mother · Travers · Wilkes † · Corban Yaxley · Unidentified Death Eaters

Regulus Black † · Igor Karkaroff † · Draco Malfoy · Lucius Malfoy · Peter Pettigrew † · Severus Snape †

Borgin · Vincent Crabbe · John Dawlish · Delphini · Golgomath · Gregory Goyle · Fenrir Greyback · Mafalda Hopkirk · Narcissa Malfoy (defected) · Ismelda Murk (unofficially, supposedly) · Nagini · Mr Padgett · Mrs Padgett · Pansy Parkinson · Quirinus Quirrell · Albert Runcorn · Stanley Shunpike (Imperiused) · Scabior · Serpent of Slytherin · Pius Thicknesse (Imperiused) · Dolores Umbridge

British Ministry of Magic (under Voldemort's control) · Daily Prophet (under Voldemort's control) · Dementors · Draco Malfoy's gang · Kreacher (formerly) · Tom Riddle's gang · Gang of Slytherins · Giants (Golgomath's control) · Inferi · Charmed skeletons · Muggle-Born Registration Commission · Theodore Nott (possibly) · Snatchers · Werewolf army · The Unforgivable

Abandoned nuclear power plant · Borgin and Burkes · British Ministry of Magic Headquarters (under Voldemort's control) · The Cave · Chamber of Secrets · Forbidden Forest · Gaunt Shack · Lee family house · Lestrange Vault · Little Hangleton graveyard · Malfoy Manor · Misty Dell · Riddle House · Snatcher Camp · Spinner's End · The Abandoned Substation · The Ruins · The Quarry