"Listen, I knew Bertha Jorkins. She was at Hogwarts when I was, a few years above your dad and me. And she was an idiot. Very nosy, but no brains, none at all. It's not a good combination, Harry. I'd say she'd be very easy to lure into a trap."— Bertha's lack of intelligence[src] Show Bertha Jorkins (born c. 1953-1958; died 1994) was a witch and Ministry of Magic employee who worked in the Department of Magical Games and Sports before her death. BiographyEarly lifeBertha Jorkins was born at some point between 1 September, 1953, and 31 August, 1958. Her parentage is unknown. Hogwarts yearsBertha Jorkins was a few years ahead of James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. She was a gossipy girl and not very bright, which Sirius noted to not be a very good combination.[4] During her school years, she would regularly complain about mistreatment from other students and spread rumours, even once ending up in front of Dumbledore following an incident. Bertha was described as being a slightly plump girl with a sulky expression, though her expression could just be due to the fact she was complaining to Dumbledore. She once complained about being Hexed by a boy whom she teased because she had caught him kissing Florence behind the Hogwarts greenhouses.[5] Career at the MinistryAfter graduating from Hogwarts, Bertha joined the Ministry of Magic and floated between Departments, including Department of International Magical Co-operation while Barty Crouch Snr was the Department Head. She finally ended up in the Department of Magical Games and Sports under the leadership of Ludo Bagman. Bertha had the misfortune of making a visit to the estate of Crouch Snr with some papers for him to sign, where she discovered the Crouch family secret that they were keeping their convicted Death Eater son Barty Crouch Jnr trapped in their house under the Imperius Curse and an invisibility cloak when their house-elf Winky was talking to the criminal, of which Bertha heard enough to deduce who was under the cloak. When Bertha confronted Crouch Snr, he had to place a powerful Memory Charm on her to alter her memory and make her forget what she had found out. However, the Memory Charm was so powerful, in fact, that she suffered permanent brain damage, leading to the extreme forgetfulness she had since been known for.[6] DeathBertha Jorkins went on holiday to Albania in 1994. One night in a wayside inn, she ran into Peter Pettigrew, who the Ministry thought to be dead at the hands of Sirius Black. Although she recognised him, he was able to persuade her to take a stroll with him into the woods, and he was able to overpower Bertha and bring her before his master, Lord Voldemort, who was hiding in Albania. Lord Voldemort was able to break through the Memory Charm placed by Crouch Snr on her through torture and learned of the imprisonment of his follower Crouch Jnr, and also learned valuable information about the Triwizard Tournament which he would use to try to kill Harry Potter.[7] Breaking through the Memory Charm had left Bertha severely "damaged," by permanently damaging her mind and body beyond repair, and Lord Voldemort murdered her with the Killing Curse, because he had no more use for her. Voldemort used her death to turn his snake Nagini into a Horcrux. Pettigrew noted this was a poor move, believing that the Ministry would notice her disappearance and that they could have simply modified her memory to cover their tracks, which Voldemort believed would be an insult to her memory.[7] Post-mortem"Don't let go, now! Don't let him get you, Harry — don't let go!"— Bertha's echo to Harry Potter in the Little Hangleton graveyard[src] As a result of her demise, Bertha did not return when she was supposed to. Her reputation of being forgetful and not very bright made many believe she had lost track of time and was perhaps just lost, so the truth was not discovered for a while.[3]  Bertha Jorkins (far right) emerging from Voldemort's wand during the duel in Little Hangleton During the duel between Harry Potter and Lord Voldemort in the Little Hangleton graveyard, when the spells of the two duellists clashed into a Priori Incantatem, Bertha was one of the echoes to emerge from the bond. She supported Harry while withholding Voldemort. Harry would later report Bertha's fate and temporary return to Dumbledore and Sirius, thus solving the mystery of her disappearance.[8] Three years later, Bertha was ultimately avenged when Harry defeated Voldemort during the latter's last stand.[9] Physical appearanceBertha was a slightly plump woman.[5] Personality and traitsBertha was a very gossipy and nosy woman, though she was not very bright, which in Sirius Black's opinion, not a very good combination.[4] She was displeased with the mistreatment she received from her schoolmates despite her nosiness being the cause of their motive.[5] Even in adulthood, her intelligence did not improve much, as upon discovering Barty Crouch Jnr still alive and hidden from the world, she confronted Crouch Snr instead of leaving to report to the Ministry, thus letting to her being struck with a Memory Charm. This ultimately became her downfall, as upon seeing the still alive Peter Pettigrew, she easily fell into his trap (which Sirius stated was a high possibility due to her poor personality combination) by accepting his proposal to take a stroll instead of reporting him, thus leading to her capture and delivery to Voldemort's clutches.[6] After being struck by Crouch's intensive Memory Charm, Bertha's short term memory was permanently compromised, leading others to see as a new trait of forgetfulness that nobody questioned about.[3][6] When Voldemort tortured her extensively to break the Memory Charm, it left her damaged beyond repair, physically and mentally,[8] though Pettigrew believed she was still fit enough to have her memories modified again and sent back to the Ministry to avoid suspicions.[7] Upon her brief return to the mortal realm, Bertha was supportive of Harry Potter, as she moved to haunt Voldemort in order to give Harry time to escape.[8] EtymologyHer first name, Bertha, means "intelligent" or "shining" — an ironic first name, as she was gossipy, forgetful and not always wisely cautious about danger. Jorkins may be from Mr Jorkins, a character in Charles Dickens' David Copperfield and A Christmas Carol. Behind the scenes
Appearances
Notes and references
Who put the memory charm on Bertha Jorkins?Bertha was placed under a very powerful Memory Charm by Mr Crouch, so powerful that it damaged her memory permanently. Bertha was captured in Albania by Voldemort. She was tortured by the Dark Lord, and told him a great deal of information as a consequence.
Why was Bertha Jorkins useful to Voldemort?Bertha Jorkins was useful to Voldemort in the sense that she gave him the information he used to form his plan. Explanation: In one of the series named Harry Potter and the Goblet of fire, Bertha Jorkins helped Voldemort by giving him news about the Triwizard match and the Quidditch Cup.
How did Bertha Jorkins know about Barty Crouch Jr?Bertha had the misfortune of making a visit to the estate of Barty Crouch Sr. with some papers for him to sign, where she discovered the Crouch family secret that they were keeping their convicted Death Eater son Barty Crouch Jr.
Is nagini a Bertha Jorkins?Nagini was Lord Voldemort's final Horcrux
In an interview, J.K. Rowling revealed that it was the murder of Bertha Jorkins that made Nagini a Horcrux. After Voldemort discovered his Horcruxes were in danger, Nagini was magically protected, described as being encased in a 'starry, translucent sphere'.
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Why did Bertha Jorkins have a memory charm?
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