Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Yaxley

Overview
Yaxley is a Death Eater who was apparently part of Lord Voldemort's organization the first time Voldemort came to power. When we first see him, he is unnamed, but is described as having a heavy, brutal-looking face.

Half-Blood Prince
Yaxley is mentioned by Severus Snape, as being one of the other Death Eaters who had not sought the Dark Lord after he had vanished. We later see him, though he is only referred to as "the brutal-faced Death Eater", as one of the Death Eaters who tries to encourage Draco Malfoy to kill Dumbledore. He seems to be the leader of this group as he instructed the others to let Draco kill the headmaster and even attacked Fenrir Greyback when he attempted to kill Dumbledore himself. Yaxley is later stunned by Harry Potter on his way down from the tower, where he is presumably arrested afterward.

Deathly Hallows
Yaxley appears out of thin air on the first page of the book, and is greeted by Severus Snape as they head to Malfoy Manor for a council with Lord Voldemort. In the rank-based positioning of people around the table, Yaxley is placed near mid-point, while Snape sits at Voldemort's right hand. Yaxley reports that according to Dawlish, an Auror that he has Confunded, Harry Potter will be moved from Privet Drive the day before his birthday. Snape states this is a false trail, Harry will be moved before that date. Yaxley says that they have several people in the Department of Magical Transport and will know if Harry uses the Floo network or tries to Apparate; Snape says that he will not, the Order distrusts everything connected to the Ministry. Yaxley also says that he has placed Pius Thicknesse, the head of Magical Law Enforcement, under the Imperius Curse, which Voldemort comments is a first step towards taking over the Ministry.

Harry, Ron, and Hermione enter the Ministry of Magic to try and find the Locket Horcrux. Ron is disguised as a maintenance worker named Cattermole. Yaxley sees Cattermole/Ron and tells him that it is raining in his office, and to correct it immediately. He also comments that Cattermole's wife is currently before the Muggle-Born Registration Commission, and says that it will be harder on her if his office is not returned to normal. Harry recognizes Yaxley as one of the four Death Eaters who had witnessed Albus Dumbledore's murder, the only one who had not been named by Dumbledore at the time.

We see him shortly afterwards at Mary Cattermole's trial, where he is interrogating her along with Dolores Umbridge. In contrast to Umbridge who speaks in a false kindly manor, Yaxley completely voices his disgust at the muggle-born woman, even scoffing when she voices concern at the fate of her children. He and Umbridge are soon stunned by an invisible Harry. Unfortunately he recovers in time to attempt to stop them from escaping the Ministry. Yaxley grabs Hermione as the trio disapparate and is dragged along to Grimmauld Place by side-along Apparition. Hermione then uses a Revulsion Jinx, but because he has seen the door to Grimmauld Place, he may now be able to enter the house.

When Harry enters the Forbidden Forest after the first half of the Battle at Hogwarts, he must pass several guards, Yaxley and Dolohov, on his way to where Voldemort is waiting. In the second half of that battle, Harry, from underneath his Invisibility Cloak, sees Yaxley slammed to the floor by George and Lee Jordan.

Strengths
He seems to have a fairly high rank among the Death Eaters, seeing as he was given such a high position in the Death Eater controlled Ministry of Magic, and the fact that he seemed to be in charge of the group of Death Eaters that Draco brought into Hogwarts.

Relationships with Other Characters
Yaxley seems to be friends with Dolohov, as the latter is seen patting his back in a congratulatory way after he reports that he put Thicknesse under the Imperius Curse. The two are later seen conversing while standing guard for Harry Potter.

He also seemed to be on good terms with some of his fellow pure-blood supremacists at the Ministry such as Dolores Umbridge and Albert Runcorn, even showing rare approval towards the latter.