By Daniel Furn

Published: Thursday, 12 January 2023 at 12:00 am

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Opting for an 1890s setting, the much-anticipated Harry Potter RPG Hogwarts Legacy would never be able to incorporate many of the characters from the beloved books and films.

However, that doesn’t mean that ancestors of fan-favourite characters can’t appear thanks to the franchise’s expansive lore, and that is exactly the case with Hogwarts Legacy’s resident Headmaster: Phineas Nigellus Black.

Phineas is not only related to several modern-day Potter characters but even makes a few appearances in the books and movies – and in true franchise tradition, he is played by one of Britain’s great acting talents as Simon Pegg joins the Hogwarts Legacy cast.

Here’s everything you need to know about Phineas Nigellus Black, your soon-to-be headmaster once you’re enrolled in Hogwarts Legacy.

Who is Phineas Nigellus Black?

Phineas Nigellus Black was a wizard born to the ancient House of Black who became headmaster of the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the 1800s. As you might expect from the surname, Phineas is the great-great-grandfather of Sirius Black, but also Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy. He’s also a distant relative of the Weasley and Longbottom families!

As with other previous Hogwarts headmasters, a portrait of Phineas was hung up in the headmaster’s office following his death in order to advise his successors. He can briefly be seen in the Order of the Phoenix film when Dumbledore asks him to check for news of the missing Arthur Weasley.

However, he has a much more prominent role in the books where a portrait of him at Grimmauld Place is also featured, particularly in the Deathly Hallows when he is used to relay information between Hogwarts and Harry, Ron and Hermione.

 

As with most Black family members, Phineas was sorted into Slytherin House and had strong views on blood purity, even disowning one of his sons for supporting Muggle rights. The last Slytherin headmaster until Severus Snape, in the books Sirius described Phineas as the least popular headmaster Hogwarts had ever known.

In the official press release announcement, Phineas is described as a “cantankerous headmaster”.

“Headmaster Black is hated by the students, of whom he also has a great disdain for,” it reads. “Wildly ill-suited to his job, his goal is to do the least amount of work possible and avoid exposure to the student body – preferring to focus on his status in the wizarding world and his surgically manicured beard.”

In his casting reveal video, actor Simon Pegg described Phineas as a “pompous and disinterested” character who is “the opposite of Sirius Black – he’s not noble, he’s not brave, he’s just a self-interested fool”. You can learn more about Phineas Nigellus Black and Pegg’s involvement below: