Dirk Gibbon

Dirk Gibbon (2 October, 1958 - 30 June, 1997) was a dark half-blood wizard who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1 September, 1970 to June of 1977. After graduation he became one of Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters. He fought in the Second Wizarding War, including the Battle of the Astronomy Tower in 1997. During the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, Gibbon set the Dark Mark above the Astronomy Tower. He was accidentally killed by fellow Death Eater Thorfinn Rowle, when he was hit by a stray Killing Curse.

Early life
Dirk Gibbon was born on 2 October, 1958, in Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, Wales. He was the son of a muggle, Mr. Gibbon, and Elowen Bole, a pure-blooded dark witch. A few months after his birth, Mr. Gibbon died in a mysterious accident. Dirk Gibbon was henceforth raised to loathe his father and his own family name.

Hogwarts years
Dirk Gibbon received his Hogwarts letter in the summer of 1970. Before attending, he purchased a wand made of blackthorn and dragon heartstring from Diagon Alley in London. He boarded the Hogwarts Express on 1 September, 1970, and was sorted into Slytherin House later that night, the sorting hat sensing great ambitious within him and sat with Lucius Malfoy, Bellatrix Black, Rodolphus Lestrange, Evan Rosier and several others. He shared a dormitory with a boy called Alban Seward. During his school years, Gibbon was a member of a gang of Slytherins aspiring to join He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, who was already beginning to slowly rise in power and followers, during which Gibbon became acquainted with Severus Snape, Evan Rosier, Wilkes, Alexander Avery Jr, Mulciber Jr, Rodolphus Lestrange, Bellatrix Black, Lucius Malfoy, Rabastan Lestrange, Narcissa Black, Antonin Dolohov, Amycus and Alecto Carrow, Augustus Rookwood, Walden Macnair, Vincent Crabbe Sr, Normert Goyle, and Barty Crouch Jr. He was also a member of the Slug Club due to his specialty in spell combination and invention.

Gibbon was an average student and passed many of his exams rather well. He scored middle or so on his O.W.L.s and did secure passing N.E.W.T.s in Charms, Herbology, Care of Magical Creatures, Potions, and Divination.

First Wizarding War
Gibbon joined the ranks of Lord Voldemort's Death Eaters sometime after graduation. He was used mainly for his brute force strength, and his powerful spell-casting, that, though unimpressive looking, were very effective, many being invented by Dirk himself. He received the Dark Mark between 1977 and 1979, and was ranked higher than most and, although he was never admitted entrance into the Inner Circle, on the time of Voldemort's defeat, he was on a promotion and was close friends with many Death Eaters, including all of his school mates.

Gibbon participated in the brutal murders of Gideon and Fabian Prewett, both Order of the Phoenix members, alongside Antonin Dolohov, Andreiko Igorbravitch and 2 others, but, despite a fierce duel between several Aurors and the already weakened Death Eaters, Gibbon was still able to escape, although he was identified and then became a Death Eater with 5,000 Galleons offered for information on his whereabouts. Gibbon was also present in many of the Death Eaters' attacks on Muggles and non-supporters of the Dark Lord and aided in torturing and killing countless Muggles and Non-Supporters of Gibbon's Master and, alongside Death Eaters like Wulfric Mulciber, imperiusing many to do horrific things. According to Igor Karkaroff, Gibbon was among the most important Death Eaters.

Battle at McKinnon House (1981)
On 18 July, 1981, Gibbon, along with many more-senior Death Eaters, was sent to the McKinnon Estate in Windsor, Berkshire, England, with the intention of wiping out the entire family- who were wealthy, and had ties to the Order of the Phoenix, the Death Eaters main opposition. The McKinnons and the Boneses were out on the garden at the time of the attack, celebrating Marlene Bones's (née McKinnon) son, Leopold's, first birthday.

The attackers that managed to break through the house's wards were Gibbon himself, Tav Travers, Cuthbert Selwyn, Thorfinn Rowle, Piers Jugson, Corban Yaxley, and Wulfric Mulciber. Within minutes of each other, the Death Eaters took down Francis McKinnon, aged 23, and Edgar Bones, aged 21, in the battle's first few moments. They additionally were able to murder Marlene Bones (née McKinnon), aged 21, before the arrival of Lord Voldemort at 10:13 A.M.. Voldemort murdered Cadmus Bones, aged 20, upon the point of his arrival.

Ivor McKinnon, a well-known Auror, and his brother, Reuben McKinnon, an Unspeakable for the Department of Mysteries, took on the remaining Death Eaters by themselves while Lord Voldemort entered the house. Voldemort then proceeded to murder Edwin Bones, a child, personally, and he additionally caused an explosion which killed Laurel McKinnon and her nephew, Leopold Bones (son of Edgar and Marlene). Aurors arrived by this point- including Otto Cattermole, Frank Longbottom, and Alastor Moody.

By 10:24 A.M., both Ivor and Reuben McKinnon, ages 54 and 51 respectively, were dead. The remaining Death Eaters that were uninjured, including Gibbon, Travers, Selwyn, became faced with Order members: including Sirius Black and Remus Lupin, Dedalus Diggle, Elphias Doge, and Emmeline Vance, who arrived after dispelling the Death Eaters in Diagon Alley. However, they were too late to save the family.

Mulciber, Rowle, Selwyn, and Yaxley quickly fled the scene. Jugson and Travers had been unmasked and identified, but they, too, managed to escape.

Imprisoned in Azkaban
Gibbon was the only Death Eater apprehended as he attempted to apparate away. He was never put on trial for the crimes committed by him and his fellow Death Eaters, but he was sentenced to life in Azkaban by Bartemius Crouch, Senior, in August 1981. There had been no doubt about the atrocities committed and so Gibbon was put away for life. His name was among the names that Igor Karkaroff revealed to the Council of Magical Law in an attempt to get himself freed from Azkaban, only to be informed that Gibbon had been captured several months after him. Gibbon then spent the next 14 years in his maximum security cell surrounded by Dementors, enduring his worst memories. Eventually, Tav Travers, Cuthbert Selwyn and Wulfric Mulciber would join their fellow murderer after being sentenced and found guilty. Piers Jugson and Corban Yaxley, however, were able to escape punishment by pleading ignorance and claiming to be under the Imperius Curse.

Gibbon's cell was based several cells down from the framed mass-murderer; Sirius Black, and, during the latter's 12 years of wrongful imprisonment, Gibbon, alongside many of his fellow imprisoned comrades could be heard muttering and screaming in his sleep, murmuring that if Peter Pettigrew, the double-crosser who the Death Eaters believed crossed them, leading Gibbon and the rest of the Death Eaters' master to the Potters and his downfall, was not dead as everyone believes, the traitorous Order member would have to answer to him.

Escape from Azkaban

 * "Dirk Gibbon, convicted of the deaths of Francis McKinnon, aged 23, Edgar Bones, aged 21, Marlene Bones (née McKinnon), aged 21, Ivor McKinnon, aged 54 and Reuben McKinnon, aged 51 and multiple mass Muggle murders and tortures'."
 * — The Daily Prophet 's report on his notorious record, regarding his escape from Azkaban

Early in 1996, Gibbon, after a mass Dementor revolt, along with the Lestranges and several other Death Eater convicts, escaped Azkaban and rejoined Voldemort. It was speculated in the Daily Prophet that the escape was aided by framed mass-murdered, Sirius Black, cousin of one of Gibbon's fellow recent escapees, Bellatrix Lestrange (nee Black), but that was refuted in the aftermath of the Battle of the Department of Mysteries. These ten were considered to be some of the most dangerous and highly guarded convicts due to their crimes being brutal and legendary. As a result, Gibbon and his allies became wanted witches and wizards, living in hiding to avoid being captured by the Ministry. Gibbon returned to Voldemort's service, but, unlike Bellatrix, Rodolphus, Rabastan, Antonin Dolohov, Mulciber and Augustus Rookwood, Gibbon did not participate in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries.

Burning the Burrow
Planning to lure Harry Potter out of his safe house and capture him, Lord Voldemort sent a squadron of Death Eaters under the command of his second-in-command, Bellatrix Lestrange and consisting of Fenrir Greyback, Travers, Gibbon and an unidentified Female Death Eaters to attack the Burrow, which Harry was known to be visiting. Slipping into the reeds during the evening of the Christmas day, Gibbon, Bellatrix, Travers, Fenrir and their unnamed companion encircled the Burrow and watched the house, waiting for a change to stick. As night falls, the dark wizards and witches stole into the pitch black sky on smoky wings via Umbra Flight. As Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks were leaving, Bellatrix Lestrange swoops from the sky a few metres from the front door then encircled the house with a raging ring of fire. Enraged by the sight of his godfather's killer, Harry pursues the witch into the reeds, followed by Ginny, who Fenrir Greyback follows. As the Weasleys attempt to follow Harry and Ginny, Gibbon and his companions apparated in front of them, although not before Remus, Arthur and Tonks are able break past the fiery circle and disappear into the darkness, which Gibbon does not dare fire after, as he risked hitting one of his allies. While Harry, Ginny, Remus, Arthur and Tonks uncertainly make their way through the reeds after Bellatrix and Fenrir, Gibbon and his two comrades engage in combat with Molly, George, Fred and Ron Weasley, with Gibbon leading them in Bellatrix's absence as he engages in combat with Molly with Travers and his companion lock in combat with the three Weasley brothers. Eventually, Travers is incapacitated with a Stunning Spell to the face, knocking him unconscious, forcing the female death eater to engage Fred, George and Ron while Gibbon is shocked to be still battling Molly, who was an exceptional duelist, forcing the Death Eaters back. However, just as the Death Eaters contemplated retreating and risking their master's anger, Bellatrix and Fenrir swoop overhead, visible in the firelight. Knowing that, with their allies in the air, Remus, Harry, Ginny, Arthur and Tonks would be soon attacking from behind, Gibbon and his companion, carrying Travers between them, take fight and swoop through the Burrow with Bellatrix and Greyback, setting it ablaze using the Ignis Imperium Charm to cause the Fiendfyre to be drawn upwards and into the Burrow, raging through the house, distracting the combatants as the dark wizards made their retreat. Though the squadron were unable to capture Harry, they left him without a safe location for his holiday, forcing him to return to Hogwarts early and struck even more fear into the Wizarding World, who realised how easy it was for Death Eaters to get any of them.

Battle of the Astronomy Tower and Demise
On 30 June 1997, Gibbon, thanks to Draco Malfoy, snuck into Hogwarts along with fellow Death Eaters Alecto and Amycus Carrow, Corban Yaxley, Thorfinn Rowle, and Fenrir Greyback in order to keep the castle defenders distracted while Draco murdered Albus Dumbledore. Gibbon and his allies met in combat with Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger, Ginny Weasley, Neville Longbottom, Luna Lovegood, William Weasley, Remus Lupin, Nymphadora Tonks, Filius Flitwick, Minerva McGonnagal, Pomona Sprout and several Aurors in battle below the Astronomy Tower. Gibbon was the Death Eater who set the Dark Mark above the Astronomy Tower. It is supposed that he did not like the idea of staying at the tower and waiting for Albus Dumbledore alone, so he ran downstairs. He died shortly afterwards, when a stray Killing Curse cast by Thorfinn Rowle that missed Remus Lupin struck Gibbon instead. It is unknown what happened to his body after the battle.

Magical abilities and skills

 * Dark Arts: Being a Death Eater, Gibbon was proficient in dark magic, including the casting of Dark charms and the Unforgivable Curses. Gibbon was capable of creating the Dark Mark above Hogwarts, during a battle, something that only a skilled and experienced dark wizard could create, according to Arthur Weasley. Gibbon also added to, although did not create, the Fiendfyre Curse surrounding the Burrow and later He also was able to cast the Avada Kadava, Imperio and Crucio, which all require general malice.
 * Duelling: As a Death Eater, he was a competent and experienced duellist, as he fought against the Order of the Phoenix and escaping in order to go to the Astronomy Tower, meaning he had some skill in martial magic.
 * Spell creation: Many of Gibbon's signature spells were invented by Gibbon personally, which made the fear of Gibbon and the Death Eaters even stronger. He also combined many dangerous spells to create new, unknown spells.
 * Apparation: Gibbon was capable of apparition, as he was able to apparate silently into the reeds surrounding the Burrow, showing considerable skill.
 * Umbra/Shadow Flight: Like all death eaters, Gibbon had the ability to fly without the aid of a broom in a pillar of billowing black smoke and solidify parts of himself in flight, which he can use to grab someone while in flight and cast spells while in flight.
 * Charms: Dirk appeared to be skilled with charms, being able to cast the highly complex Ignis Imperium or the flame-control charm during the Burning of the Burrow, which allowed him to guide and command the Fiendfyre alongside his companions to set the Weasley's home alight.