D.H.P.C.C.G. - Walden Macnair

Appearances/Mentions:

• Book 3, Pgs. 235, 292-295 and 302.
• Book 4, Pgs. 565 and 613.
• Book 5, Pgs. 382, 695, 707, 713 and 721.

Important Events:

• Book 3, Pg. 235 - "Before Fudge could answer, two wizards came through the castle doors behind him. One was so ancient he appeared to be withering before their very eyes; the other was tall and strapping, with a thin black mustache. Harry gathered that they were representatives of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures...
  The black-mustached man was fingering something in his belt; Harry looked and saw that he was running one broad thumb along the blade of a shining axe."
• Book 3, Pg. 241-243 - "...an’ the executioner, Macnair, he’s an old pal o’ Malfoy’s..."

• Book 3, Pg. 292-295 - "Where is the beast?" came the cold voice of Macnair.
  "Out -- outside," Hagrid croaked.
  Harry pulled his head out of sight as Macnair's face appeared at Hagrid's window, staring out at Buckbeak. Then they heard Fudge.
  "We -- er -- have to read you the official notice of execution, Hagrid. I'll make it quick. And then you and Macnair need to sign it. Macnair, You're supposed to listen too, that's procedure --"
  Macnair's face vanished from the window. It was now or never.

  "It is the decision of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures that the hippogriff Buckbeak, hereafter called the condemned, shall he executed on the sixth of June at sundown --"
  "... sentenced to execution by beheading, to be carried out by the Committee's appointed executioner, Walden Macnai..."
  "... as witnessed below. Hagrid, you sign here..."
  "Well, let's get this over with," said the reedy voice of the Committee member from inside Hagrid's cabin. "Hagrid, perhaps it will be better if you stay inside --"
  "No, I -- I wan' ter be with him.... I don' wan' him ter be alone --"
  "One moment, please, Macnair," came Dumbledore's voice. "You need to sign too."

  "Where is it?" said the reedy voice of the Committee member. "Where is the beast?"
  "It was tied here!" said the executioner furiously. I saw it! just here!"
  "How extraordinary," said Dumbledore. There was a note of amusement in his voice.
  There was a swishing noise, and the thud of an axe. The executioner seemed to have swung it into the fence in anger.
  "Someone untied him!" the executioner was snarling. "We should search the grounds, the forest."
  "Macnair, if Buckbeak has indeed been stolen, do you really think the thief will have led him away on foot?" said Dumbledore, still sounding amused. "Search the skies, if you will.... Hagrid, I could do with a cup of tea. Or a large brandy."
  "O' -- o' course, Professor," said Hagrid, who sounded weak with happiness. "Come in, come in...."
  Harry and Hermione listened closely. They heard footsteps, the soft cursing of the executioner, the snap of the door, and then silence once more.

• Book 3, Pg. 302 - "Look!" Hermione whispered. "\Who's that? Someone's coming back out of the castle!"
  Harry stared through the darkness. The man was hurrying across the grounds, toward one of the entrances. Something shiny glinted in his belt.
  "Macnair!" said Harry. "The executioner! He's gone to get the dementors! This is it, Hermione --"

• Book 4, Pg. 565 - "Macnair . . . destroying dangerous beasts for the Ministry of Magic now, Wormtail tells me? You shall have better victims than that soon, Macnair. Lord Voldemort will provide. ..."
  "Thank you, Master . . . thank you," murmured Macnair.

• Book 4, Pg. 613 - "Malfoy was cleared!" said Fudge, visibly affronted. "A very old family - donations to excellent causes -"
  "Macnair!" Harry continued.
  "Also cleared! Now working for the Ministry!"

• Book 5, Pg. 382 - 'I mean we soon found out he didn' object ter all wizards - just us.'
  'Death Eaters?' said Harry quickly.
  'Yep,' said Hagrid darkly. 'Couple of 'em were visitin' him ev'ry day, bringin' gifts ter the Gurg, an' he wasn' dangling them upside-down.'
  'How d'you know they were Death Eaters?' said Ron.
  'Because I recognised one of 'em,' Hagrid growled. 'Macnair, remember him? Bloke they sent ter kill Buckbeak? Maniac, he is. Likes killin' as much as Golgomath; no wonder they were gettin' on so well.'

  'Well, it wasn' the giants who worried us most,' said Hagrid. We were more concerned abou' the Death Eaters. Dumbledore had told us before we wen' not ter tangle with 'em if we could avoid it, an' the trouble was they knew we was around - 'spect Golgomath told 'em abou' us. At night, when the giants were sleepin' an' we wanted ter be creepin' inter the caves, Macnair an' the other one were sneakin' round the mountains lookin' fer us. I was hard put to stop Olympe jumpin' out at 'em,'

• Book 5, Pg. 695 - Harry put his ear close to the door to listen and heard Lucius Malfoy roar, 'Leave Nott, leave him, I say - his injuries will be nothing to the Dark Lord compared to losing that prophecy. Jugson, come back here, we need to organise! We'll split into pairs and search, and don't forget, be gentle with Potter until we've got the prophecy, you can kill the others if necessary -Bellatrix, Rodolphus, you take the left; Crabbe, Rabastan, go right -Jugson, Dolohov, the door straight ahead - Macnair and Avery, through here - Rookwood, over there - Mulciber, come with me!'

• Book 5, Pg. 707 - where Nevilles hand had been only seconds before; both scrambled away from the spot, then a thick arm came out of nowhere, seized Harry around the neck and pulled him upright, so that his toes were barely touching the floor.
  'Give it to me,' growled a voice in his ear, 'give me the prophecy -'
  The man was pressing so tightly on Harry's windpipe that he could not breathe. Through watering eyes he saw Sirius duelling ... nobody seemed to realise that Harry was dying. He turned his wand backwards towards the man's side, but had no breath to utter an incantation, and the man's free hand was groping towards the hand in which Harry was grasping the prophecy -
  'AARGH!'
  Neville had come lunging out of nowhere; unable to articulate a spell, he had jabbed Hermione's wand hard into the eyehole of the Death Eaters mask. The man relinquished Harry at once with a howl of pain. Harry whirled around to face him and gasped: 'STUPEFY!'
  The Death Eater keeled over backwards and his mask slipped off: it was Macnair, Buckbeak's would-be killer, one of his eyes now swollen and bloodshot.

• Book 5, Pg. 713 - Dumbledore had most of the remaining Death Eaters grouped in the middle of the room, seemingly immobilised by invisible ropes;

• Book 5, Pg. 721 - `you will find several escaped Death Eaters contained in the Death Chamber, bound by an Anti-Disapparation Jinx and awaiting your decision as to what to do with them.'

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