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| Ernest "Ernie" Macmillan | |
|---|---|
| Biographical information | |
| Born |
c 1980 |
| Blood status |
Pure-Blood |
| Title(s) | |
| Physical description | |
| Species | |
| Gender |
Male |
| Hair colour |
Blond |
| Skin colour |
Light |
| Family information | |
| Family members |
Affiliation Occupation Department of Magical Law Enforcement office. House Hufflepuff Loyalty Dumbledore's Army Wizengamot ג=died as a child
|
| Magical characteristics | |
| Boggart |
Lord Voldemort |
| Patronus |
Boar |
| Affiliation | |
| Occupation |
Assistant Director of the Daily Prophet |
| House | |
| Loyalty |
Dumbledore's Army Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Hufflepuff Macmillan family Bones family Order of the Phoenix (during the Battle of Hogwarts |
| . | |
- "Personally I think this is really important, possibly more important than anything else we'll do this year, even with our O.W.L.s coming up. I, personally, am at a loss to see why the Ministry has foisted such a useless teacher on us at this critical period. Obviously, they are in denial about the return of You-Know-Who..."
- —Ernie Macmillan on Dumbledore's Army
Ernest "Ernie" Macmillan (b. 1980) was a pure-blood wizard who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from 1991 to 1998 and was sorted into Hufflepuff house. He was an academically strong student and good friends with Hannah Abbott and Justin Finch-Fletchley and belonged to a family that held strong ties with the Order of the Phoenix, his mother being a member while his father supported the underground anti-Voldemort movement during both wars. In 1992, Ernie initially suspected that Harry was the Heir of Slytherin during the opening of the Chamber of Secrets in his Second year, and was upset when Justin was petrified, though he eventually learned the truth. In his fifth year, Ernie became a member of Dumbledore's Army, an organisation found and led by Harry for the purposes of learning practical defensive magic. He joined the D.A. again when it was re-instated during his seventh year, opposing Death Eater control of Hogwarts and fighting in the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998. Later he married his former roommate, Susan Bones and has two children.
Biography[]
Early life[]
- "...in case you’re getting ideas, I might tell you that you can trace my family back through nine generations of witches and warlocks and my blood’s as pure as anyone’s..."
- —Ernie yelling at Harry Potter during the Chamber of Secrets incident
Ernie was born into a pure-blood family that
Ernie in his second year.
can trace its lineage back nine generations; he may be related to Melania Black née Macmillan, Sirius Black's paternal grandmother, a pure-blood family, which references to both his surname and blood heritage. Although he is proud of his blood status, Ernie is not prejudiced against those of other blood statuses, befriending and looking out for Justin Finch-Fletchley, a Muggle-born. Both of Ernie's parents - Macklemore and Cassandra - were loyal supporters of the Order of the Phoenix and outspokenly against the Death Eaters beliefs, with Ernie's mother, Cassandra Macmillan, being a member of the Auror Office and a the Order of the Phoenix, while his father, Macklemore, was a loyal supporter and ally of the Order. Ernie's mother. However, Ernie's mother was killed soon after the end of the first war, trying to take the Death Eater, Augustus Rookwood, into custody, where she took a Killing Curse intended for a fellow Auror. Her sacrifice however, was not in vein, for, as she ran forwards to protect her fellow Auror, she sent a Knockout Jinx at the traitorous Unspeakable, knocking him out and allowing the Ministry to capture him. Cassandra was awarded an Order of Merlin, First Class for her brave sacrifice.
Hogwarts years (1991-1998)[]
First year[]
Ernie began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on 1 September, 1991. He was sorted into Hufflepuff House, which valued characteristics such as loyalty and friendship, and readiness to work. During the Welcoming Feast he soon became friends with fellow Hufflepuff students Hannah Abbott, Susan Bones, and Justin Finch-Fletchley and stayed friends with them through out the entire school year.
Second year[]
- "Hannah, he’s a Parselmouth. Everyone knows that’s the mark of a Dark Wizard. Have you ever heard of a decent one who could talk to snakes? They called Slytherin himself Serpent-tongue. Remember what was written on the wall? Enemies of the Heir, Beware. Potter had some sort of run-in with Filch. Next thing we know, Filch’s cat’s attacked. That first year, Creevey, was annoying Potter at the Quidditch match, taking pictures of him while he was lying in the mud. Next thing we know — Creevey’s been attacked."
- — Ernie's suspicions about Harry Potter
During his second year, Ernie came to believe that Harry Potter was the Heir of Slytherin, after he spoke Parseltongue in front of the entire Duelling Club. In actuality Harry was trying to stop the snake conjured by Draco Malfoy from attacking Justin Finch-Fletchley. However, Ernie perceived it differently. He believed that Harry was in fact urging the snake to attack instead. He showed bravery when he stepped in to protect his friend, suggesting that he should hide in their common room and stay there until the coast was clear.
Ernie went into discussion with the other Hufflepuffs regarding if Harry was the heir of Slytherin, considering the coincidences with the victims. He voiced that being a Parselmouth was the very symbol of a Dark wizard and was probably the reason why Voldemort wanted to kill Harry, Voldemort did not want another Dark Lord competing against him. Harry, who was attempting to explain to Justin what really happened, was eavesdropping on their conversation and attempted to convince Ernie that the altercation at the Duelling Club was not what it seemed. Ernie stated that Harry should not try anything, as he himself was pure-blood and also brought up the fact that Harry hated his Muggle relatives. When it seemed that their argument was going nowhere, Harry eventually gave up.
Soon enough, Ernie's fears worsened when Justin was petrified. He discussed the matter with their mutual friend Hannah, who was initially sceptical because she thought Harry was nice, but was eventually persuaded to Ernie's point of view.
However, Hermione Granger, one of Harry's best friends, was later petrified as well. This made Ernie realise that Harry could not be the Heir of Slytherin, as he knew Harry would never harm Hermione, and he gave Harry a public apology. He believed that Malfoy could be the culprit, but Harry gave an emotionless no, making Ernie and Hannah stare.
Third year[]
In his third year, Ernie took many subjects similar to Hermione. He once told Ron Weasley that she had never missed a Muggle Studies lesson, despite having another class at exactly the same time that she also attended. This was due to Hermione's use of a Time-Turner to attend all her lessons.
Fourth year[]
- "Only a week away! I wonder if Cedric knows? Think I’ll go and tell him...."
- — Ernie's excitement over the Triwizard Tournament
In the summer of 1994, Ernie and his family attended the Quidditch World Cup final between Ireland and Bulgaria. Whilst there a Death Eater raid ensued, resulting in chaos amongst those attending.
Ernie's fourth year held place to the Triwizard Tournament, which was hosted at Hogwarts that year. He supported fellow Hufflepuff Cedric Diggory when he qualified and again stopped speaking to Harry Potter, who also qualified, but underage, as he was one of many students who initially believed that Harry had entered himself into the tournament in a bid for further glory. He tried to convince friends in Hufflepuff to agree with him, but they needed not much convincing.
He also wore a Support Cedric Diggory/Potter stinks badge. Ernie and other Hufflepuffs frequently harassed Harry Potter with their badges, even though Cedric asked them not to. However, he likely wore off wearing this badge after Cedric requested his housemates to stop wearing them after the first task. After the tournament came to a close, Cedric Diggory was murdered by Lord Voldemort, coming as a shock to all students and staff members. He attended Diggory's memorial feast as did his friends. Cedric Diggory was a member of Hufflepuff and since Harry was with him when he died, Ernie appeared to have forgotten any ill wishes he thought of Harry and believed his claims to Voldemort returning whilst the Ministry did not. Ernie was among the very few students that did believe Harry's account of Voldemort's return. The MacMillans also again gave their support to Potter and Dumbledore, Ernie's father being one of those Dumbledore called upon to reform the Order of the Phoenix.
Fifth year[]
- "I'm doing eight. Eight or nine. I'm getting an hour in before breakfast everyday. Eight's my average. I can do ten on a good weekend day. I did nine and a half on Monday. Not so good on Tuesday — only seven and a quarter. Then on Wednesday —"
- — Ernie's time spent studying for his O.W.L.s[src]
In 1995, Ernie became a Hufflepuff prefect, alongside Hannah Abbott. Unlike previous years, during which he had thought ill of Harry for certain acts he believed him to have committed, Ernie was one of the few Hogwarts students who believed Harry's story that Lord Voldemort had returned. Unlike a vast majority of the wizarding world, Ernie and his family believed Harry and Ernie's father, Macklemore, was an outspoken supporter of Albus Dumbledore and Harry Potter, a belief his son emulated, even going as far as to make an openly public declaration of support on Harry's behalf.
Shortly after the beginning of term, Ernie joined Dumbledore's Army because of his belief in Harry and because of his dismay with Dolores Umbridge, a Ministry of Magic employee who became Defence Against the Dark Arts professor but refused to teach students any practical defence. Ernie believed Dumbledore's Army to be one of the most important things they would be doing that year—apart from O.W.L.s. In the run-up to his examinations, he would study between eight and ten hours a day. He developed the irritating habit of boasting about this fact, then inquiring about other students' study habits. Later on that year, Azkaban experienced a mass breakout and Augustus Rookwood - Ernie's mother's killer - escaped. The knowledge that his mother's killer was on the lose caused Ernie to work even hard in the D.A sessions, hoping to use these skills to avenge his mother.
When Headmaster Albus Dumbledore was forced to flee the school after the D.A. was discovered, Umbridge took his place as Head of the school. However, Hogwarts itself refused to recognise her authority and sealed the Headmaster's Tower against her, prompting her to throw what was referred to as a "right little tantrum". This act was witnessed by the Fat Friar, Hufflepuff's house ghost, who told Ernie about it and who in turn relayed it to Harry, Ron and Hermione. Unfortunately, this happened to be overheard by Draco Malfoy and several other Slytherins who had joined Umbridge's newly-formed Inquisitorial Squad.
When Malfoy stated that he would have to dock points from Hufflepuff and Gryffindor, Ernie immediately contradicted him by stating that fellow Prefects had no authority to do so, but was overridden by the Squad's new powers and his contradiction was used as an excuse to dock five points from Hufflepuff, much to Ernie's mingled shock and fury. When Fred and George Weasley implied that they were going to cause some trouble in the school, Ernie looked uncomfortable and made an excuse about some unfinished Transfiguration homework so he wouldn't be associated.
After term had ended, Ernie was one of the members of the D.A. who helped foil an ambush on Harry by Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle on the Hogwarts Express, cursing them so vociferously that they were reduced to three gigantic slugs in Hogwarts robes. Ernie and Justin then helped hoist them into the luggage rack to ooze out the journey, taking particular pleasure in doing so as revenge for the points Malfoy had unfairly docked from Hufflepuff.
Sixth year[]
- Ernie: "Harry! We heard a noise and someone said something about the Dark Mark —"
- Harry Potter: "Out of the way!"
- — Ernie witnessing Harry chase Severus Snape and Draco Malfoy[src]
Ernie's hard work and determination from the previous year paid off. He was the only Hufflepuff student in his year who reached the required level to advance to N.E.W.T Potions. Ernie earned at least an 'Exceeds Expectations' on his O.W.L. exam, something Severus Snape claimed was very hard to achieve. Ernie had also qualified for N.E.W.T-level Defence Against the Dark Arts, most likely because of Harry Potter's teaching the previous year. Ernie also attended Apparition lessons with his fellow students and during the first lesson he did a leap into his hoop. An action that had both Dean Thomas and Seamus Finnigan roaring with laughter at his expense.
Later in the year, Death Eaters invaded Hogwarts, Dumbledore's Army was called to battle and the Battle of the Astronomy Tower broke out. It was likely Ernie never received his D.A. signal, as he had left the Hufflepuff Common Room to investigate a disturbance he had heard when he saw Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape, and Harry Potter running down a corridor. He asked Harry what was going on, but got no response save for two of his housemates getting knocked aside. He would later discover that Albus Dumbledore had been killed that night by Snape, and then attended his funeral several days later to pay his respects with his father.
Seventh year[]
- Professor McGonagall: "Prefects, when I give the word, you will organise your House and take your charges in an orderly fashion to the evacuation point."
- Ernie Macmillan: "And what if we want to stay and fight?"
- — Minerva McGonagall and Ernie shortly before the Battle of Hogwarts
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Ernie at Hogwarts.
As a pure-blood, Ernie was able to return to Hogwarts for the 1997–1998 school year after the Ministry of Magic fell under Lord Voldemort's control; indeed, Hogwarts attendance became mandatory, although he was kept under close eye for his father, who's pro-muggle beliefs and support of the Order made him a wizard who's loyalties were known to lie with the Boy-Who-Lived. Presumably, Ernie's Muggle-born friend Justin Finch-Fletchley was not able to come back to school, though Hannah Abbott returned. The two joined the revived Dumbledore's Army, which was led by Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood in the absence of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, who were off hunting down Voldemort's Horcruxes. The D.A. members opposed the anti-Muggle propaganda and Dark Arts taught by Death Eater professors Alecto and Amycus Carrow. They painted rebellious phrases on the walls and freed students from detention, where they faced beatings and even the Cruciatus Curse. The suspicions towards who Macklemore and his family's allegiances lay, combined with Ernie's defiance of the Carrows, led to the Carrows sending several Death Eaters after Ernie's father in an attempt to control the young MacMillan. This ended in failure and embarrassment for the Death Eaters, which Macklemore's attackers ending up beaten-up by Macklemore soon after Christmas. Mr. Macmillan proceeded to go on the run, his defiance of the Death Eaters being a source of great pride to Ernie.
Battle of Hogwarts[]
On 2 May, 1998, Harry, Ron and Hermione returned to Hogwarts as Voldemort approached with his army. A meeting was held in the Great Hall, and when Professor McGonagall laid out the plans to evacuate the younger students from the school,
Ernie behind Cho Chang and Padma Patil.
Ernie indicated his willingness to fight against the Death Eaters by directly asking McGonagall about those who wished to remain behind. His question was applauded by a number of students who held similar feelings. He also rose to Harry's defence alongside all of his house when Pansy Parkinson attempted to hand him over to Voldemort.
During the subsequent battle, Ernie, along with Luna Lovegood and Seamus Finnigan, came to the aid of Harry, Hermione, and Ron by using their Patronuses to drive off a group of Dementors. Ernie's took the form of a boar.
Later life[]
Ernie and after the battle at Hogwarts and his graduation became Assistant Director of the Daily Prophet, the top job after Barnabas Cuffe's. He married Susan Bones and had two children. Irene was their first child and Justin, who was named after Justin Finch-Fletchley, was their second.