- "Left, ave you, Ginger? And you decided to go camping? And you thought, just for a laugh, you'd use the Dark Lord's name?"
- — Scabior threatening Ron Weasley[src]
Scabior (d. 2 May 1998) was a wizard and a Snatcher in the gang led by Fenrir Greyback during the height of the Second Wizarding War.
Biography[]
Early life[]
- "Funny 'ow they all thinks we wants to 'ear that [they were in Slytherin]. But none of 'em can tell us where the common room is."
- — Scabior commenting on the people he's snatched [src]
Little is known of Scabior's early life. However, given his intimate knowledge of the interior of the Slytherin common room and its location, he would have attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in his youth and was a member of that house, as only members of that house would have possessed such detailed knowledge of the common room.
Imprisonment in Azkaban[]
At some point in his life Scabior was imprisoned in Azkaban for undisclosed crimes, but was released sometime before or after Lord Voldemort's infiltration of the Ministry of Magic on 1 August 1997.
Second Wizarding War[]
- Fenrir Greyback: "We've caught Harry Potter!"
- Scabior: "I know 'es swollen, ma'am, but it's 'im! If you look a bit closer, you'll see 'is scar. And this 'ere, see the girl? The Mudblood who's been travelling around with 'im, ma'am. There's no doubt it's 'im, and we've got 'is wand as well! 'Ere, ma'am —"
- Narcissa Malfoy: "Bring them in."
- — Scabior's gang of Snatchers arrives at Malfoy Manor with a captured trio[src]
Following his release from Azkaban, Scabior became a Snatcher during the height of the Second Wizarding War, catching Muggle-born wizards and anyone who opposed Voldemort, in return for gold. Several of his victims lied that they were in Slytherin House, but when Scabior asked them where their common room was, none of them could answer. He also knew Stanley Shunpike and would later recall that the bus driver had given him grief.
He was among the group that captured Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley in the spring of 1998. On Greyback's orders, Scabior checked the list of truants, searched the prisoners' tent for Harry's glasses, read a cutting from the Daily Prophet and expressed terrified awe at the thought of summoning Voldemort. He was also the only member of the group not to jeer when Greyback expressed a desire to bite Hermione, instead encouraging his leader to restrain himself.
Having taken the trio to Malfoy Manor, where Voldemort had set up base, Scabior assured Narcissa Malfoy the prisoner they had caught was Harry Potter. Later, when Bellatrix Lestrange took Godric Gryffindor's Sword from one of the Snatchers, Scabior drew his wand on her but was quickly Stunned. Draco Malfoy then moved Scabior's unconscious form to the courtyard with those of the other Snatchers.
Battle of Hogwarts and death[]
On 2 May 1998, Scabior participated in the Battle of Hogwarts, leading an army of Snatchers. Scabior nearly ran into the protective enchantments cast by the Hogwarts staff, which killed and disintegrated a number of Snatchers. After Voldemort managed to destroy the magical protection around the Castle, Scabior led the Snatchers into the Wooden Bridge, where he briefly duelled Neville Longbottom before the latter cast a spell to make the bridge collapse; Scabior attempted to get to safety, but inevitably fell to his death into the chasm below.
Personality and traits[]
In his youth, Scabior was sorted into Slytherin at Hogwarts, so it can be assumed he was, in adulthood, a very cunning, resourceful and ambitious individual who was committed to pursuing his goals as a Snatcher. Scabior appeared to be primarily motivated as a Snatcher for personal gain, since Snatchers were generally motivated by the promise of a monetary reward from the Ministry, which involved taking part in the hunting, kidnapping and murder of Muggle-borns. He also referred to Muggle-borns as "Mudbloods", showing he was prejudiced against them to an extent. He seemed to both fear and respect Lord Voldemort, and seemed eager and scared at the idea of delivering Harry Potter to the Dark Lord directly.
He was also the only member of the group not to jeer when Greyback expressed a desire to bite Hermione, instead encouraging his leader to restrain himself. This restraint was a quality rarely seen amongst Voldemort's allies and may have been Scabior's only redeeming quality.
Magical abilities and skills[]
- Duelling: Scabior was a moderately skilled duellist, as he was able to capture several rebellious Muggle-borns and other runaways, even killing some in battle, showing he had some skill in martial magic. However he was neither fast nor skilled enough to defend himself against Bellatrix Lestrange when she attacked him and the other Snatchers.
- Apparition: Like most adult wizards, Scabior was capable of apparating, as he transported the trio to Malfoy Manor via apparition with his band of Snatchers in 1998.
- Dark Arts: Scabior was skilled with dark magic, as he was able to successfully cast the Killing Curse and Imperius Curse, handle cursed objects, and was also capable of casting the Impediment Jinx proficiently.
Possessions[]
- Wand: Scabior owned a wand of unknown length, wood and material.
- Pink scarf: Hermione Granger owned a pink scarf that she put on a tree. This scarf was later stolen by Scabior and he was seen wearing it.
- Ring: Scabior owned a ring in the form of the skull of a kudu, a horned-like animal.
Behind the scenes[]
- Scabior is portrayed by Nick Moran in the two-part film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
- In the films, Scabior's role was expanded as he, instead of Greyback, was depicted as the leader of the Snatchers. He also teases Hermione, again instead of Greyback. In fact, the first of the two-part film, Greyback seemed to be a subordinate of Scabior's group, while the second part Scabior led a very large army of Snatchers to invade Hogwarts.
- Scenes that were cut from the film involved Scabior being violent and perverse. Nick Moran said: "It's all very reminiscent of Germany in the 1930s. I give Ron Weasley a proper kicking and call him Ginger. Then I sniff Hermione and say: "You're going to be my favourite". If you take the wands out, it's something out of an Eli Roth movie."
- Scabior is a boss in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game).
- In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Scabior is briefly strangled by a whip conjured by Bellatrix, then thrown to the ground and ordered to leave along with Fenrir. This differs from the book, in which he was stunned by Bellatrix and his fate left unknown after the said incident.
- In the book Bellatrix mentions that she plans on killing him and the rest of the Snatchers for defying her. It's never shown whether or not she ends up doing so, or if they were killed in a rage by Voldemort for letting Harry and his friends escape. It's possible that he was spared and lived on to fight in the Battle of Hogwarts like in the films.
- When the trio were captured by the snatchers in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 to be brought to Malfoy Manor, Scabior appears to be wearing Hermione's scarf, which was tied to a tree by Hermione earlier on in the film. This was noticed by an Alohomora listener during their live film watch.