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With its “blank, frosted eyes” and “fleshless” bodies, an Inferius (plural: Inferi) is often believed to be an imitation of a ‘zombie’ in the wizarding world ofHarry Potter.J. K. Rowling clarified in her later writingsthat it is still different from its undead counterpart (“To me, a zombie will always mean Michael Jackson in a bright red bomber jacket”), and its only purpose in the story is to serve Voldemort. She describes the creatures as follows: “They are corpses, dead bodies that have been bewitched to do a Dark wizard’s bidding. Inferi have not been seen for a long time, however, not since Voldemort was last powerful… He killed enough people to make an army of them, of course.”
Grindelwald also believed he could create such servants byusing the Resurrection Stone, but this was a misconception. Although the process of forging animated corpses has not been revealed inHarry Potter, it is said to involve highly complex magic.
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Appearance
When Harry first encounters these “unfeeling” creatures, he finds them to be “cold as death”:
Everywhere Harry looked, white heads and hands were emerging from the dark water, men and women and children with sunken, sightless eyes […]
The gaunt, skeletal beings do not change in appearance after being cursed; they still resemble the humans they have been created from (in varying states of decay, of course, depending on when they died). Hence, the only way to determine if one is facing Inferi is by their eyes: they are white and “misted as though with cobwebs”, confirming that they are devoid of any form of life. It is also possible that the spell used to create them (or perhaps another spell that has not been mentioned) prevents them from decomposing any further. AsVoldemort’s Inferi are present in the caveduring both wizarding wars, it can be assumed that they cannot decay due to dark magic.
Nature
Since an Inferius has no will or conscious thought of its own, it is nothing more than “a grisly puppet” of the wizard who has created it. It can be used to “kill indiscriminately” or perform other “perilous jobs” for its master, without any concern for its own safety. According to the second W.O.M.B.A.T. (Wizards' Ordinary Magic and Basic Aptitude Test)featured on Rowling’s official website, it is implied that they may also be capable of speech.
They are immune to most spells that intend to cause harm and, thus, are difficult to defeat. For instance, when Harry casts a number of spells on them (including the Sectumsempra curse), they remain unaffected. While gashes do appear on their bodies, they have no blood to spill.
They also possess great physical strength and surprising speed, making them even more dangerous in large numbers. When Snape shows a picture of a bloody mass upon the ground in his Defense Against the Dark Arts class, it showcases the aggression of an Inferius. The creatures are considered frightening enough in the wizarding community thatthe Ministry of Magicimprisons Mundungus Fletcher in Azkaban for simply impersonating an Inferius. During the 2014 Quidditch World Cup, there are rumors that the Haitian National Quidditch team is using Inferi as mascots to intimidate other teams — which turns out to be true,as the Daily Prophet reports. They attack the crowds during the opening ceremony, causing around 300 individuals to suffer from shock, bites or broken bones.
The only way to destroy them is with fire, which is why they are usually enchanted by their masters to avoid flames. While in the cave, Dumbledore creates a large ring of fire to surround himself and Harry so the creatures can withdraw. Even when the flames vanish, they do not dare to emerge again.
Inferi’s Role in the Wizarding Wars
Voldemort was known to have created an army of Inferi duringthe First Wizarding War. As Rowling explained, these were mostly vagrant, homeless Muggles whom he had murdered, along with a few unfortunate wizards and witches who had supposedly ‘disappeared’. He also hidSlytherin’s locket, one of his Horcruxes, in a potion-filled basin, and used an Inferi-infested lake to protect it. This was eventually discovered by the Death Eater Regulus Black, who managed to procure the locket. However, he was overwhelmed with severe thirst due to the Drink of Despair in the basin and drank from the lake, which caused the inert Inferi to rise from the bottom and overpower him. Even though it is not confirmed, it is highly likely that Regulus was killed, and his body was dragged inside the lake to be another dead guardian.
Dumbledore and Harry have a similar experience when they visit the cave during the Second Wizarding War. The Inferi are dormant at first, when the two travel in a boat towards the island in the center of the lake. When Harry tries touse the Summoning Charmon the Horcrux, a body leaps out of the water but does not attack yet. He later fills a goblet with water from the lake for a desperate Dumbledore, who has drunk the potion. This provokes the Inferi to attack him until Dumbledore repels them with a Firestorm Charm. As he explains to Harry:
There is nothing to be feared from a body, Harry, any more than there is anything to be feared from the darkness. Lord Voldemort, who of course secretly fears both, disagrees.
For some reason, Voldemort does not have his Inferi participate inthe Battle of Hogwarts. This could be because it is either too difficult to summon them from the cave, or it is not possible to make them distinguish between the Death Eaters and his enemies. As Voldemort’s spells are broken when he dies, it is possible that the enchantment on the Inferi is also lifted at the end of the war.
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.
