Was Stan Shunpike a Death Eater?

Stanley ‘Stan’ Shunpike is introduced in the third installment of the Harry Potter series as the young conductor of the Knight Bus. When Harry escaped the Dursleys’ home after causing Aunt Marge to swell up and float away, he accidentally summoned the violently purple, triple-decker bus. This was when he met Stan for the first time, who is described as having “large, protruding ears and a fair few pimples”. He did appear again on a few occasions throughout the novels, but remained absent in the films from then onwards (in which he was portrayed by Lee Ingleby).

Although he is only a minor character in the Harry Potter franchise, there has been some debate surrounding his status as a Death Eater. While it is true that he acted in that capacity towards the end, it was not actually of his own volition.

Who Was Stan Shunpike?

Not much is known about Stan’s early life, or even whether he attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. As he is described as being “eighteen or nineteen at most” in 1993, he must have attended school from 1986 to 1993 (if he ever did). Due to his thick Cockney accent, it can be assumed that he grew up in inner London.

On first impression, he did not seem too bright; he failed to recognize Harry and easily believed his alias of Neville Longbottom. Even after Cornelius Fudge met Harry at the Leaky Cauldron, disclosing his real identity, Stan continued to refer to him as ‘Neville’. He also showed some disdain towards Muggles when Harry asked him why they could not spot or hear the Knight Bus: “Them! Don’ listen properly, do they? Don’ look properly either. Never notice nuffink, they don’.” However, Stan was quite harmless, and his penchant for gossip actually proved to be useful to Harry as he was the first person to tell him about Sirius Black’s alleged crimes and recent escape from Azkaban. Like most wizards and witches, he expressed fear when Harry mentioned Voldemort by name (“Blimey, my ’eart’s goin’ that fast”) or when the Dementors were brought up.

The next time Harry saw him was during the Quidditch World Cup the next year, when the Death Eaters caused a riot after the match. As the Golden Trio escaped to a clearing in the woods, they found a number of young men (including Stan) attempting to attract the attention of a group of Veela (the mascots for the Bulgarian team). Like the others, he was making outrageous claims to impress them:

Harry met Stan again in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, when he (along with Hermione Granger and the Weasleys) took the Knight Bus to Hogwarts. Stan appeared star-struck then (even though Nymphadora Tonks threatened him for blurting out Harry’s name): “You keepin’ well, then, ’Arry? I seen your name in the paper loads over the summer, but it weren’t never nuffink very nice… I said to Ern, I said, ‘’e didn’t seem like a nutter when we met ’im, just goes to show, dunnit?’”

Did Stan Shunpike Become a Death Eater?

In 1996, the Daily Prophet reported the following:

Stan, in his usual boastful manner, falsely stated to his friends at a local pub that he was aware of the Death Eaters’ secret plans — thus, leading to his imprisonment. The Ministry of Magic, led by Rufus Scrimgeour at that time, continued to keep him in Azkaban even after interrogations with Stan revealed that he had no connection to the Death Eaters whatsoever. The higher-ups wanted to keep up a façade of progress in their hunt for Death Eaters, even if it was at an innocent man’s expense. Albus Dumbledore also tried to appeal to Scrimgeour directly about Stan, but to no avail. If there was any purpose to Stan’s character, it was his incarceration: not only did it reflect the Ministry’s growing inadequacy, but it was also one of the reasons why Harry refused to cooperate with the Minister.

In 1997, several prisoners were released from Azkaban by the Death Eaters. Either because he had built relations with the other prisoners or because Voldemort wanted to prove to the Ministry that it had no power anymore, Stan was also freed during this breakout. He was placed under the Imperius Curse, forcing him to join the Death Eaters’ ranks. This was confirmed when Harry saw his “strangely black face” while being pursued by Death Eaters during the Battle of the Seven Potters. Believing that Stan was under the spell’s control, Harry disarmed him instead of attacking him — a move that convinced Voldemort and the rest of the Death Eaters that he was the real Harry.

When Ron abandoned Harry and Hermione during their quest for the Horcruxes, he was captured by Snatchers, in front of whom he pretended to be Stan Shunpike. However, he was apprehended when he later tried to deceive the Snatchers again with the false name, as Scabior personally knew Stan (“’e’s put a bit of work our way”). Although this was not elaborated afterward, it again established a clear link between Stan and the Death Eaters. It is unknown whether he participated in the Battle of Hogwarts, but if he did survive the war, it is likely that he was freed from the curse after Voldemort’s death and given a full pardon.

Harry Potter

When Harry Potter learns that he is a wizard, he enters a world beyond belief. Aside from continuing his studies at Hogwarts with best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, Harry must also face Voldemort and his dark wizarding forces. The Harry Potter franchise is a worldwide phenomenon, spanning seven books, eight movies, three spinoff movies, a stage play, and numerous video games.

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