Magic in Harry Potter
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In
In humans, magic or the lack thereof is an inborn attribute. It is usually inherited and carries "dominant resilient genes".
Rowling based many magical elements of the Harry Potter universe on real-world mythology and magic. She has described this as "a way of giving texture to the world".[2] The books present the idea that the Muggle interpretation of these stories is a distorted version of what goes on in the wizarding world.
The magic of Harry Potter became the subject of a 2017 British Library exhibition and accompanying documentary. The exhibition, entitled Harry Potter: A History of Magic, is the first at the British Library to be inspired by a single series by a living author.[3]
Using magic
Witches and wizards train to learn how to control their magic. With young and untrained children, magic will manifest itself subconsciously in moments of strong emotion: apprehension, fear, anger and sadness.
Almost all magic is done with the use of a wand. On the subject of wandless magic, Rowling says:[citation needed]
You can do unfocused and uncontrolled magic without a wand (for instance when Harry blows up Aunt Marge) but to do really good spells, yes, you need a wand.
A wizard or witch is only at their best when using their own wand. When using another's wand, one's spells are not as strong as they normally would be.[HP1]
Within the books, technical details of magic are obscure. Of Harry's lessons, only those involving magical beasts, magical creatures, potions or divination are given in any detail.
Spellcasting
It is possible to use a wand without holding it. In Order of the Phoenix, Harry himself performs lumos to light his wand when it is lying on the ground somewhere near him.
Spells are divided into rough categories, such as "charms", "curses", "hexes", or "jinxes". Although offensive and potentially dangerous curses exist in number, three are considered usable only for great evil, which earns them the special classification of "Unforgivable curses".
The limits of magic
Before publishing the first Harry Potter novel, Rowling spent five years establishing the limitations of magic – determining what it could and could not do. "The most important thing to decide when you're creating a fantasy world," she said in 2000, "is what the characters can't do." For instance, while it is possible to conjure things out of thin air, it is far more tricky to create something that fits an exact specification rather than a general one; moreover, any objects so conjured tend not to last.[6]
Death
Rowling has described death as the most important theme in the books.
Likewise, it is not possible to make oneself immortal unless one makes use of an object of great power to sustain life, such as the
Death is studied at the
Principal exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration
The principal exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration is a precept of magical theory mentioned by Hermione and later repeated by Ron in the final book. She explains that nutritious food is one of these: Witches or wizards can cook and prepare food using magic, and even multiply it, but not create it out of nothing.
There are numerous examples in the series of food seeming to have been conjured from nothing, such as when ingredients suddenly materialize in pots in Molly Weasley's kitchen, and when Professor McGonagall creates a self-refilling plate of sandwiches for Harry and Ron in Chamber of Secrets. In all cases, these events can be reasonably explained as food either being multiplied, or being transported from elsewhere. An example of the latter is the explanation given for banqueting at Hogwarts: The food is prepared by house elves in the kitchens below and then laid out on four replica tables, directly below the actual house tables in the Great Hall. The elves then magically transport the food from the replica tables up to the house tables at once (serving all the students simultaneously rather than requiring some to wait while others already have their meals).
The dining hall is the only apparent exception to Gamp's law explicitly mentioned in the series, but explained as magical transportation, not creation
Emotion
As explained earlier, young untrained wizards can trigger uncontrolled magic when they are in the state of intense emotion. But emotions also affect trained witches and wizards and their magical abilities. For instance, in Half-Blood Prince, a heartbroken
Several magical spells require the use of certain emotions when casting them. The Patronus charm, for example, requires the caster to concentrate on a happy memory.[a] Another example is the Cruciatus Curse, which causes immense pain; as Harry discovers during a duel with Bellatrix Lestrange, effective use of this forbidden dark magic requires sadistic desires.[HP5]
Love (in its broadest meaning) is depicted as a particularly powerful form of magic. According to Dumbledore, love is a "force that is at once more wonderful and more terrible than death, than human intelligence, than forces of nature".[HP5] Lily's voluntary sacrifice on Harry's behalf saves him from Voldemort as a baby, and Harry makes a similar sacrifice to save his friends at the end of Deathly Hallows.[HP7] A certain key prophecy in the series describes Harry as having "power the Dark Lord knows not", referencing his capacity for love.[HP5]
True love is impossible to create magically; Amortentia, a love potion, can only create a powerful sense of infatuation and obsession.
Magical abilities
The following is a list of special abilities that a wizard or witch in the Harry Potter universe may have.
Animagi
An animagus (
Each animagus has a specific animal form, and cannot transform into any other animal. The animal cannot be chosen: It is uniquely determined by that individual's personality; in most cases the animagus will change into the same animal used in the animagus'
Animagi transformation can be performed wandlessly. Sirius and Peter are left wandless for over 10 years, but both retain the ability with no apparent difficulties. When animagi transform they take on the appearance, not necessarily all traits, of a normal animal. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, it is noted that Ron's pet rat Scabbers (later revealed as Peter Pettigrew's animagus form) has lived over twelve years, when a genuine rat would only live about three. Also, an animagus in animal form retains the ability to think like a human, which is the principal difference between being an animagus and being transfigured into an animal. Otherwise, they would forget that they were a wizard and presumably be trapped in this form without knowing their own self, unless transformed back by another wizard. Characteristics of an animagus' human form often manifest themselves in the animal transformation; animal-form McGonagall and Rita Skeeter both show markings around their eyes that resemble their glasses, while Pettigrew has a missing toe on one of his front paws, mirroring his human-form's amputated finger. When an animagus registers, they must record all the defining physical traits of their animal form, so that the Ministry can identify them.
Explicit emphasis is placed in the books on the differences between animagi and
Metamorphmagi
A metamorphmagus (a
The extent of these appearance-altering abilities and the limits thereof are not entirely clear. According to Rowling, a metamorphmagus can alter his or her appearance completely, for instance, from black to white, young to old, handsome to plain, and so on.[11] In one example, Tonks changes her face by reshaping her nose into "a beaklike protuberance like Snape's", to "something resembling a button mushroom", and "one like a pig snout" which reminded Harry of his cousin Dudley.[12] The emotional state of a metamorphmagus can affect their abilities.
Parseltongue
Parseltongue is the language of snakes. It is often associated with Dark Magic, although Dumbledore stated that it is not necessarily an evil quality. Those possessing the ability to speak it (parselmouths) occur very rarely. People apparently acquire the skill either through learning or via a method of
Harry temporarily regains the ability in The Cursed Child, along with a pain in the scar.
Other known parselmouths include
Ron uses parseltongue in the
Rowling borrowed the term from "an old word for someone who has a problem with the mouth, like a
Seers
A seer is a witch or wizard with the
In the
According to McGonagall, true seers are extremely rare.
Legilimency and occlumency
Legilimency is the magical skill of extracting feelings and memories from another person's mind – a form of magical "telepathy" (although Snape, an able practitioner of the art, dismisses the colloquial term "mind-reading" as a drastic oversimplification). It also allows one to convey visions or memories to another person, whether real or imaginary. A witch or wizard possessing this skill is called a legilimens, and can, for example, detect lies and deceit in another person, witness memories in another person's past, or "plant" false visions in another's mind.
The counter-skill to legilimency is occlumency (and its user, known as an occlumens), by which one can compartmentalize one's emotions, or prevent a legilimens from discovering thoughts or memories which contradict one's spoken words or actions. An advanced form of occlumency is planting false temporary memories inside an occlumens' own head while blocking all contradictory true memories, so if a legilimens, even a highly skilled one, were to attempt to read the occlumens' mind, the legilimens would only find the corroborating false memories and believe everything was right.
The skills are first mentioned in Order of the Phoenix. Legilimency and occlumency are not part of the ordinary curriculum at Hogwarts, and most students would graduate without learning them.
Voldemort, Snape, and Dumbledore are all skilled in legilimency and occlumency, albeit with the use of their wands. Voldemort is said to be the master of legilimency by Snape, as he, in almost all cases, immediately knows if someone lied to him. In addition, in Deathly Hallows, Voldemort repeatedly uses legilimency to interrogate his victims. Voldemort practices occlumency throughout the period of Half-Blood Prince to deny Harry access to his thoughts and emotions. However, in Deathly Hallows, Voldemort repeatedly loses grip, resulting in occasional but very powerful burst of thoughts, visions, and emotions to be sent to Harry.
Throughout the books, Snape is repeatedly said to be highly skilled in occlumency,[16] explaining how he was able to deceive Voldemort for years. Even before Order of the Phoenix, Harry has the impression that Snape can read minds.
During the Order of the Phoenix Snape is directed by Dumbledore to give Harry lessons in occlumency. Due to the antagonism between the two, and Harry's secret desire to know Voldemort's thoughts, he makes poor progress, and only once manages to overcome Snape and enter his mind.[OotP Ch.26] In Deathly Hallows, Harry finally masters occlumency – shutting his mind to Voldemort – when Dobby dies. He realises that his grief – or as Dumbledore calls it, love – can block out the Dark Lord.
Queenie Goldstein, in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, is revealed to be a proficient legilimens, born with the ability; she is able to read the minds of Jacob Kowalski and others in the film, as well as sense and hear them from afar through their thoughts and emotions. Unlike Snape, Voldemort, and Dumbledore she does not require a wand for legilimency: The ability to read minds comes for her naturally.
Apparition and disapparition
Apparition is a magical form of teleportation, through which a witch or wizard can disappear ("disapparate") from one location and reappear ("apparate") in another. It is usually accompanied by a cracking or popping sound, though the more skilled wizards such as Dumbledore can apparate "so suddenly and silently" that they seem to have "popped out of the ground". According to Harry, apparition is also accompanied by a very unpleasant squeezing sensation, as though being sent through a tight rubber tube.[HBP Ch.4]
The Ministry of Magic licenses apparition. A witch or wizard must be 17 years old, or older, and have a license to apparate as a means of transportation in much the same way real-world governments require individuals to have a license to drive a motor vehicle. Students at Hogwarts may attend Ministry-administered apparition lessons during their sixth year, and take their examination once they turn seventeen. The books depict apparition as possible, although illegal, without a license, but it is usually not done (except by special permission during lessons). Harry illegally apparates without a license in Deathly Hallows but, since his magical trace was at that point lifted, the Ministry is likely unaware that he does it.
Learning to apparate is difficult, and students run the risk of splinching – being physically split between the origin and destination – which requires the assistance of the Ministry's
Writing in the books indicates that the characters consider it uncouth to apparate directly into a private area, such as a home. Dumbledore states in Half-Blood Prince that it would be "quite as rude as kicking down the front door". For this reason, and for reasons of security, many homes have anti-apparition spells protecting them from uninvited intrusions. The accepted way to travel to a home is to apparate to a nearby location, and continue to the final destination on foot. Apparition is considered unreliable over long distances, and even experienced users of the technique sometimes prefer other means of transport, such as
For reasons of security, the grounds and buildings of Hogwarts are protected by ancient anti-apparition and anti-disapparition spells, which prevent humans from apparating on the school grounds. There is also a spell that prevents individuals from disapparating, which Dumbledore places on the Death Eaters captured at the Ministry in Order of the Phoenix; a sister spell, which allows one to apparate into a location but prevents them from disapparating out of it, is cast by the Death Eaters in Hogsmeade in combination with the caterwauling charm. Dumbledore is the only person who can both apparate and disapparate from the school grounds, since he is the headmaster, and then only from certain locations, such as the top of the astronomy tower, which presumably protrudes above the domain of the anti-apparation charm.
A witch or wizard can use side-along apparition to take others with them during apparition. Dumbledore successfully transports Harry this way several times in Half-Blood Prince, and Harry's first non-lesson attempt at the skill is the side-along apparition with the weakened Dumbledore when they return from the seaside cave.
In the film version of Order of the Phoenix, Death Eaters and Order members apparate and disapparate in clouds of black and white smoke respectively. In the film, Death Eaters also appear to be able to "half-apparate" in which their bodies were made out of smoke, giving them the recently improvised ability to fly. Both times Fred and George apparated and disapparated, they did it with a pop as in the books.
In the books, the words "apparate" and "disapparate", like many other
Other teleportation
Some magical creatures have their own forms of instantaneous travel, such as a house elf's ability to teleport or a phoenix's ability to appear and disappear in a burst of flame. Unlike wizards, elves are not restricted by anti-apparition magic.
Some magical devices like the Floo Network, Portkeys and Vanishing Cabinets also provide forms of magical teleportation.
Veela charm
An ability attributed to
As shown in Goblet of Fire, one can use veela hair as cores in magical wands. According to famed wandmaker Mr. Ollivander, these wands are "a little temperamental".
Magical resistance
Powerful creatures such as
Subjects at Hogwarts
At Hogwarts, students must study a core group of subjects for the first two years, after which they must choose between several electives in addition to the core subjects. During their final two years, students are permitted to take more specialized subjects such as Alchemy.
Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Potions, Astronomy, History of Magic, and Herbology are compulsory subjects for the first five years, as well as flying lessons for the first year, which becomes optional for the remaining six years. At the end of their second year, students are required to add at least two optional subjects to their syllabus for the start of the third year. The five choices are Arithmancy, Muggle Studies, Divination, Study of Ancient Runes, and Care of Magical Creatures. Very specialised subjects such as Alchemy are sometimes offered in the final two years, if there is sufficient demand. There is a total of twelve named Professors at Hogwarts, each specializing in one of these subjects.
Transfiguration
Transfiguration is essentially the art of changing the properties of an object.
Defence Against the Dark Arts
Defence Against the Dark Arts, commonly shortened to D.A.D.A.,
Charms
Charms is the class that teaches how to develop incantations for the uses of bewitchment. Rowling has described charms as a type of magic spell concerned with giving an object new and unexpected properties.
Potions
Potions is described as the art of creating mixtures with magical effects. It requires the correct mixing and stirring of ingredients at the right times and temperatures. As to the question of whether a Muggle could brew a potion, given the correct magical ingredients, Rowling said on
Notable potions featured in the series include the love potion Amortentia,[23] Confusing Concoction,[24](pp 152–153) Draught of Living Death,[23][25] Draught of Peace,[23] the luck potion Felix Felicis,[23] Pepperup Potion,[23] Polyjuice Potion,[26] Skele-Gro[24](pp 159–160) Sleekeazy's Hair Potion,[24](p 160)[27] and the truth serum Veritaserum.[28][29]
Astronomy
Astronomy classes take place in the Astronomy tower, the tallest tower in Hogwarts, and are taught by Professor Aurora Sinistra. Lessons involve observations of the night skies with
History of magic
History of magic is the study of magical history.
Herbology
Herbology is the study of magical plants and how to take care of, utilise, and combat them. There are at least three greenhouses described in the books, holding a variety of magical plants. Herbology is also the only subject
Arithmancy
Arithmancy is a branch of magic concerned with the magical properties of numbers. As Harry Potter does not take this subject, the class is never described in the books. It is, however, a favourite subject of Hermione. Arithmancy is reportedly difficult, as it requires memorising or working with many charts. In Order of the Phoenix, it is mentioned that the study of Arithmancy is required to become a Curse-Breaker for
Study of ancient runes
Study of ancient runes, more commonly known as ancient runes, is a generally theoretical subject that studies the ancient
Divination
Care of magical creatures
Care of magical creatures is the class which instructs students on how to care for
Muggle studies
Muggle studies is a class that involves the study of the muggle (non-magical) culture "from a wizarding point of view". The only need for witches and wizards to learn about muggle ways and means is to ensure they can blend in with muggles while needing to do so (for example, at the 1994 Quidditch World Cup). As the class is only mentioned as being taken by Hermione, and for just one year, little is known about its curriculum or whether it is well attended by children of wizarding-only families.
In the opening chapter of the final book, Voldemort murders Professor
Alchemy
Alchemy classes are not mentioned in the Harry Potter series; however, Rowling has used alchemy as an example of a 'specialized' subject offered when there is sufficient demand, presumably then taught by Dumbledore, the only known alchemist at the school. Historical
Flying
Flying is the class that teaches the use of
Apparition
Apparition is an optional class for those in the sixth and seventh years at Hogwarts in preparation for obtaining their license to apparate, or disappear and reappear instantly in another location. In Harry's sixth year,
Spell-like effects
Unbreakable vow
The unbreakable vow is a voluntary agreement made between two witches or wizards. It must be performed with a witness ("bonder") on hand, holding their wand on the agreeing persons' linked hands to bind them with magic as a tongue of flame. The vow is not literally "unbreakable" as the person taking it is still able to go back on his or her word, but doing so will cause death. The Unbreakable Vow was first introduced in Half-Blood Prince, in which Snape made a promise to Narcissa Malfoy to protect Draco, with Bellatrix as the "bonder", as her son attempted to fulfil a task set by the Dark Lord, and for Snape to fulfil the task if Draco fails. Another example in Half-Blood Prince occurs when Ron tells Harry how Fred and George tried to make him undertake an unbreakable vow when he was too young to know what it meant, but because of their father's indignant intervention, they did not complete it.
Priori incantatem
Priori incantatem (from Latin: priorem incantatum – "previous incantation"), or the reverse spell effect, is used to display the spells cast by a wand. The spells cast by the wand will emerge in smoky or ghost-like replicas in reverse order, with the latest spell emerging first. It is first encountered in Goblet of Fire when Barty Crouch Sr.'s house elf Winky is caught holding Harry's wand. This spell is used to reveal that it was indeed Harry's wand (that was used by Crouch's son) that cast the Death Eaters' dark mark. In
Forcing two wands that share the source of their cores to battle can unintentionally cause a potent form of priori incantatem. The tips of the two wands will connect, forming a thick golden "thread" of energy, and the two wands' masters fight a battle of wills. The loser's
Dark Arts
The Dark Arts are magical spells and practices that are usually used for malicious purposes. Practitioners of Dark Arts are referred to as Dark Wizards and Dark Witches. The most prominent of these is Voldemort, known to them as the Dark Lord. His followers, known as Death Eaters, practice the Dark Arts while doing his bidding.
The type of spells characteristic of Dark Arts are known as curses,[31] which usually cause harm to the target. All, to a certain degree, are in some circumstances justifiable. The motivation of the caster affects a curse's result. This is most clearly outlined for the Cruciatus curse: When cast by Harry, angered by the death of his godfather at Bellatrix's hands and desiring to punish her, it causes a short moment of pain. As Bellatrix herself comments, righteous anger does not allow the spell to work for long. When cast by figures such as Voldemort, who desire to inflict pain for its own sake, it causes intense agony that can last as long as the Dark witch or wizard persists.
Use of Dark Magic can corrupt the soul and body; Voldemort has used such magic in his quest to prolong his life and obtain great power. The Dark Arts also cause Voldemort to look deformed and inhuman, a side effect of splitting his soul into Horcruxes.
According to Snape, the Dark Arts "are many, varied, ever-changing and eternal ... unfixed, mutating, indestructible".[HBP Ch.9] In magical dueling, there are any number of spells that may be used to attack, immobilise, or disarm an opponent without causing pain or lasting harm; however, spells such as the Cruciatus Curse[b] wound or seriously distress a victim in some way. Dark spells can be classified into three groups: Jinxes, hexes, and curses.
In the wizarding world, use of the Dark Arts is strongly stigmatised and extreme forms are illegal; however, these spells are prevalent enough that even before the rise of Voldemort, many schools (including Hogwarts) taught
Unforgivable curses
The Unforgivable Curses is a wizarding law category for the three worst known spells of the Dark Arts. They were first so-classified in 1717. These curses are used by the books' villains, such as Voldemort and the
- The killing curse (incantation: avada kedavra) manifests as a jet of green light that causes immediate death. The killing curse has no counter-curse, and allegedly cannot be blocked by most magical means. However, it can be blocked by love (e.g. Lily Potter giving up her life for her son created a reflex charm that defeated it, but since she died, how she did it is unknown); further, the green energy bolt is shown as being dodged, blocked by solid objects, and deflected with a few other powerful and fast spells, in particular stunning spells.[c]
- The cruciatus curse (incantation: crucio, Latin for "I torture") causes the victim intense pain and is used for torture, but does not physically harm them. The strength of the curse is determined by the person who cast it. It was used regularly by the Death Eaters. The curse can torture a person to the point that they are exhausted to death, or in a more sadistic case, it causes permanent amnesia and insanity. Effective casting requires the caster to have sadistic desires. It is shown as a bright-faded blue light (though it is usually invisible or even a red bolt of light in the films).
- The imperius curse (incantation: imperio, mind control or hypnosis, and can force the victim to do things they would normally be unwilling or unable to. The strength and duration of the curse depends on the caster, as well as the level of resistance by the victim. The curse is shown as a bright haze. (It was depicted as either invisible, or a green, mist-like haze in the films.)
The use of the unforgivable curses was authorised against Voldemort and his followers by
Dark Mark
The Dark Mark is the symbol of Voldemort and the Death Eaters and takes the form of a skull with a snake coming out of the mouth in place of a tongue. The mark is cast into the sky by Death Eaters whenever they have murdered someone. Morsmordre is the spell to conjure the Mark. It first appears in Goblet of Fire and is described as a "colossal skull, composed of what looked like emerald stars, with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue". Once in the sky it was "blazing in a haze of greenish smoke". Dark Marks are also branded on the left forearm of the closest followers of Voldemort. The mark serves as a connection between Voldemort and each who bears it; he can summon them by touching his mark, causing it and those of his followers to burn and change colour. Death Eaters can summon Voldemort in the same fashion. Following Voldemort's ultimate defeat, the Dark Marks on his Death Eaters fade into a scar "similar" to Harry's.[13] In the books, the Dark Mark is described as green; however, in the films, it was only green at the Quidditch World Cup. In all other film appearances it has been grey.
Inferius
An inferius (plural: inferi)[e] is a
Inferi are considered dangerous and frightening enough by the magical world that impersonating an inferius (as
The Ministry of Magic fears that Voldemort is killing enough people to make an army of inferi: As they are dead, they are very difficult to stop. When Voldemort was hiding one of his
Horcrux
A horcrux is an object created using dark magic to attain effective immortality. The concept is first introduced in the sixth novel, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, although horcruxes are present in earlier novels without being explained or identified as such.
To create a horcrux, a witch or wizard must first prepare the chosen object[34] in a ritual which Rowling described only as "too horrible to go into detail about". Following the preparation of the object, the witch or wizard must then take a life, an act which splits the soul. Following that, further dark rituals are required in order to remove the soul shard from the maker and place it into the prepared object. Once this is done, the horcrux becomes magically protected from almost all forms of destruction, requiring extremely powerful magic or especially destructive substances to do so.
Ordinarily, when one's body is killed, the soul departs for the next world. If, however, the body of a horcrux maker is killed, that portion of his soul which was still in his body will not pass on to the next world, but will rather exist in a non-corporeal form capable of being resurrected by another wizard. If all of someone's horcruxes are destroyed, then his soul's only anchor in the material world would be his body, the destruction of which would then cause his final death. To destroy the horcrux, the destroyer must destroy it in such a way that it is put beyond magical repair. In the second book, Tom Riddle's diary (later found to be a horcrux) is destroyed by Harry with a basilisk's venomous fang. In the seventh book, Gryffindor's sword, which is impregnated with basilisk venom, an old basilisk fang, and fiendfyre are the substances used to destroy them.
Portraits
In the Harry Potter series the subjects of magical portraits (even those of characters that are dead) can move, interact with living observers, speak and demonstrate apparent emotion and personality. Some can even move to other portraits to visit each other, or relay messages, or (if more than one painting of the subject exists) move between separate locations by way of their portraits. An example of this is Phineas Nigellus Black (Sirius Black's great-great-grandfather), who has a painting in the Headmaster's office to offer advice to the current headmaster and another one at 12 Grimmauld Place. Many such portraits are found on the walls of Hogwarts.
Some portraits are used to conceal the entrance of a room or passageway. For example, the Fat Lady's portrait covers the entrance to the
Portraits are enchanted to move by the artist, but the degree to which they can interact with others depends on the power of the subject.[35] Rowling has commented that a portrait is merely a faint imprint of the deceased subject, imitating their basic personality and thought patterns. They are therefore "not as fully realised as ghosts".[36] In Harry Potter and the Cursed Child the portrait of Albus Dumbledore describes himself as only "paint and memory" and Professor McGonagall (his successor as headteacher of Hogwarts) comments that, although she speaks to Dumbledore to help her in making decisions, "portraits don't represent even half of their subjects".[37]
Portraits in the Headmaster's office
The portraits in the Headmaster's office depict all the former Heads of Hogwarts, with the exception of Dolores Umbridge. They advise the Headmaster and are "honour-bound to give service to the present headmaster" (according to Armando Dippet). Rowling has explained that portraits of past headteachers tend to be more realistic than most, as the subject in question usually imparts knowledge and teaches them how to behave before their death. The portrait of Snape was installed in the Headmaster's Office at Harry's request.[35]
The Fat Lady
The portrait of the Fat Lady covers the door to
In Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius Black slashes the Fat Lady's portrait when she won't let him in without a password and it is some time before she dares to guard Gryffindor Tower again. After her portrait is restored, she requests protection in case someone tries to attack her portrait again. Thus, two security trolls are hired. In Half-Blood Prince, she gets so annoyed with Harry's late return that she pretends the password has changed and tries to call him back when he heads off to talk to Dumbledore. When Harry later confirms Dumbledore's death, she lets out a sob and, for the only time in the series, she opens without the password for Harry in her grief.
Photographs
Wizarding photographs of people have similar properties to magical painted portraits: The figures within move about or even sometimes leave the frame. They appear in wizard newspapers and other print media, as well as on
Footnotes
- ^ Intense motivation, under extenuating circumstances, helps a lot. An example of this is when Harry is able to conjure a corporeal Patronus when Sirius is in danger of being administered the Dementor's Kiss.[HP3]
- ^ also Sectumsempra, judged to be Dark by reliable authorities[citation needed]
- ^ Harry Potter is the only person known to have survived (twice), nullified (once), and deflected (once) the killing curse.
- ^ cf. imperative
- ^ The Latin word inferus (plural: inferi) means "those below", often referring in the plural to "the gods below" (see
- ^ In the first film the Fat Lady is played by Elizabeth Spriggs. In the third film she is played by Dawn French.
References
- ^ "FAQ". jkrowling.com. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
- ^ Harry Potter: A History of Magic. 28 October 2017. BBC.
- ^ Flood, Alison (8 August 2016). "Harry Potter's 20th birthday to be marked with British Library show". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 November 2017.
- ^ "Harry is a metamorphmagus". Rumours. J.K Rowling official site. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011. Retrieved 27 February 2008.
- Pottermore. Retrieved 5 May 2017.
- ^ South West News Service. 8 July 2000.
- ^ "Harry Potter and me". BBC Christmas Specials. 28 December 2001. BBC.
- ^ Anelli, Melissa. "More About that Veil". Harry, A History. Archived from the original on 20 November 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2017.
- ISBN 978-1-78110-628-0.
- ^ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Motion Picture). 2004.
Hermione during 'Defence against the Dark Arts', when Snape substitutes for Lupin.
- ^ "Rumour section". J.K. Rowling's official site. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011.
- ^ Rowling, J.K. (2003). Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Scholastic. p. 85.
- ^ a b "J.K. Rowling web chat transcript". MuggleNet. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012.
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Dumbledore is dead, Harry. And I've told you before, portraits don't represent even half of their subjects.
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Further reading
- Highfield, Roger (2002). The Science of Harry Potter: How magic really works. New York: Viking. ISBN 978-0-670-03153-5.
- Teare, Elizabeth (2002). "Harry Potter and the technology of magic". In Whited, Lana A. (ed.). The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter: Perspectives on a literary phenomenon. Columbia, Missouri: University of Missouri Press. pp. 29–342. ISBN 978-0-8262-1549-9.
- Black, Sharon (2003). "The Magic of Harry Potter: Symbols and Heroes of Fantasy". Children's Literature in Education. 34 (3): 237–247. S2CID 162551714.