Bertha Jorkins

Bertha Jorkins worked as a civil servant in the British Ministry of Magic, transitioning between departments during her career from International Magical Co-operation to Magical Games and Sports. Her colleagues knew her as someone with an unfortunate tendency towards nosiness and a particular knack for uncovering secrets that others preferred to keep hidden. This combination of curiosity and indiscretion would ultimately prove fatal.

During her Hogwarts years in the 1960s and early 1970s, she established a reputation for being overly inquisitive about her fellow students’ private affairs. Her habit of stumbling upon confidential information continued well into her adult life at the Ministry, where she inadvertently discovered sensitive details that made her a liability to those in power. To protect certain secrets, a powerful memory charm was placed upon her, significantly affecting her mental faculties and leaving her somewhat scattered and forgetful.

In 1994, whilst on holiday in Albania, she encountered Peter Pettigrew, who had been hiding in the country’s forests. Her weakened mental state, caused by years under the memory charm, made it relatively easy for Pettigrew to break through the magical barriers protecting her memories. This unfortunate meeting led to her capture and eventual murder by Lord Voldemort, who tortured the information from her before killing her.

Her death proved pivotal in Voldemort’s return to power, as the intelligence she unwillingly provided enabled his resurrection. The Ministry initially dismissed reports of her disappearance, treating it as another instance of her scatterbrained nature rather than recognising the sinister truth behind her fate.