• Glossary • Insults, Curses, and Interjections Hag is an insulting name used for a particularly unpleasant or cruel woman. Read More
• Thing Hagrid’s crossbow was apparently kept near or within view from the door of his hut. It was just outside the door, with a pair of galoshes, when Harry and Ron first visited (PS8). When he was nervous about Cornelius Fudge coming and sending him to Azkaban the following year,… Read More
• Magical artifacts Hagrid carries a pink umbrella which conceals his broken wand. which was snapped in half when he was expelled from Hogwarts in june, 1943. The wand/umbrella seems to work just fine. He used it to start a fire, put a pig-tail jinx on Dudley (with a “flash of violet light”… Read More
• Sports teams The Haitian National Teams are from the country of Haiti in North America. Quidditch The Haiti were participants in the 2014 Quidditch World Cup in Patagonia, Argentina (Pm). The team mascots, Inferi, caused havoc during the tournament’s opening ceremonies when they tried to capture and devour anyone… Read More
• Wizarding culture Hallowe’en is a holiday celebrated by both the Muggle and wizarding worlds. It falls on the 31st of October every year. Hogwarts celebrations Hallowe’en at Hogwarts is the occasion of seasonal decorations and an evening feast (PS10, CS8, PA8, GF16). Decorations include a thousand live… Read More
• Hogwarts • Wizarding culture Hallowe’en at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is a special occasion at the school, with a magnificent feast and amazing decorations in the Great Hall. Hallowe’en Year One Where: Great Hall; to be continued later in the common rooms (PS10) Who: Hogwarts students & staff… Read More
• Ministry of Magic A room located in the Department of Mysteries on Level Nine of the Ministry of Magic (OP34)… Read More
• Food and drinks • Glossary A large basket or wickerwork packing-case with a cover used to pack or transport food and/or drink (what in the U.S. would be called a picnic basket). By extension, the term is also used to refer to a present of a consignment of food in any type of case or… Read More
• Dark magic items The Hand of Glory is a magical object which gives light only to the holder. It looks like a shriveled arm. Read More
• Glossary Equivalent to “merry Christmas”, of course. Worthy of mention because “happy Christmas”, while perfectly understandable, is not the form commonly used in the U.S. Read More
• Common items When Harry arrives at Number Four Privet Drive with Hagrid on the flying motorbike he is wrapped in “blankets” (PS1). As a grown-up, a blanket is the only thing that Harry Potter has from his mother. Since he received it after Aunt Petunia’s death from… Read More
• Symbols The essays Harry’s Dreams and Harry’s Dreams, Continued discuss these in detail. Read More
• Clothing Harry wears glasses. They were frequently broken by Dudley over the years before Harry shipped off the Hogwarts for the first time, and they are wrapped with tape. After his glasses were damaged by his first trip by Floo Powder, Arthur Weasley repaired them for him with a silent Mending… Read More
• Wizarding culture The wild state of Harry’s hair was a constant irritant to Vernon Dursley: About once a week, Uncle Vernon looked over the top of his newspaper and shouted that Harry needed a haircut. Harry must have had more haircuts than the rest of the boys in his class put together,… Read More
• Furniture and household items As a going-away present at the end of Harry’s first year, Hagrid put together a leather-bound photo album filled with magical moving photographs of Harry’s parents, James and Lily Potter, “smiling and waving” (PS17). Read More
• Headlines and advertisements Harry Potter: Disturbed and Dangerous is the headline for Rita Skeeter’s article about Harry Potter, appearing in the Daily Prophet on the morning of the Third Task of the Triwizard Tournament in 1995 (GF31). The article was about the effect of Harry’s scar on… Read More
• Wizarding culture GIFTS HARRY HAS RECEIVED See also the essay Harry’s Things by Morag Traynor (2004). Birthday presents Christmas presents Other gifts From the Dursleys 10th: a coat hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon’s old socks (PS3) 12th: ignored (CS1) 13th: ignored (… Read More
• Diseases and healing Harry Potter had several scars caused by various dangerous situations. Read More
• Hogwarts The list of new books for Harry’s second year: The Standard Book of Spells, Grade 2 by Miranda Goshawk Break with a Banshee by Gilderoy Lockhart Gadding with Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart Holidays with Hags by Gilderoy Lockhart Travels with Trolls by Gilderoy Lockhart Voyages with Vampires by Gilderoy Lockhart… Read More
• Headlines and advertisements He Says He Hates Me is a letter written to the Problem Page of the Daily Prophet (DP3). Ms Lilith Molesby’s letter asks whether a Love Potion will help her capture a wizard who isn’t ready to settle down. The Prophet’s Agony Aunt, Grizel Hurtz, sensibly points… Read More
• Clothing Hats can be found throughout the series, the most notable of which are Bill Weasley’s cursed hat, Fred and George’s headless hat and shield hat, and the Sorting Hat… Read More
• Glossary Archaic term referring to a person who takes more than five minutes to be sorted by the Sorting Hat (Pm). Read More
• Glossary A bag or backpack for carrying food on an outdoor trip.  … Read More
• Quidditch A Quidditch foul where the Quaffle goes through the goal hoop before it is released from the Chaser’s hand (it must be thrown to score) (QA6). Read More
• Quidditch A highly intimidating Quidditch move where the three Chasers fly together, one in the centre and slightly ahead of the other two in a triangle shape (QA10). Read More
• Titles, nicknames, and honorifics Many secondary (12-18) schools have a Head Boy and Head Girl. These students are sometimes chosen, by the teachers, for their excellence, but they could also be elected by their peers. The Head Boy and Girl represent the school externally and head up the prefects. Read More
• Titles, nicknames, and honorifics Many secondary (12-18) schools have a Head Boy and Head Girl. These students are sometimes chosen by the teachers for their excellence, but they could also be elected by their peers. The Head Boy and Girl represent the school externally and head up the prefects. Read More
• Hogwarts Each of the four Hogwarts Houses has a Head, a staff member who is responsible for the students in that house. During Harry’s years at Hogwarts, the Heads were: Slytherin – Severus Snape Gryffindor – Minerva McGonagall Ravenclaw – Filius Flitwick Hufflepuff – Pomona Sprout In what… Read More
• Games, toys, and jokes When placed upon a person’s head, the head will become invisible, making it look as if the wearer is completely headless… Read More
• Sports and competitions The Headless Hunt is a group of a dozen decapitated ghosts who ride ghost horses and engage in such activities as Horseback Head-Juggling, Head Polo, and Head Hockey. The Hunt is led by Sir Patrick Delaney-Podmore, who maintains a strict policy to only accept huntsmen whose heads have completely separated… Read More
• Headlines and advertisements Headlines and articles from the Daily Prophet by date: Historical A series of articles about the disappearance of Violet Tillyman in the Floo Network (DL) Bring Back Our Baskets! (12 February 1883) (QA6) Our Chasers Aren’t Cheating! (22 June 1884) (QA6) An article by… Read More
• Occupations The witch or wizard who runs a wizarding school. Among other duties, a headmaster or headmistress is tasked with hiring faculty and acting as a sort of figurehead for the school. Albus Dumbledore was Headmaster of Hogwarts until the end of Harry’s sixth year, while Minerva McGonagall was the Deputy Headmistress. Igor Karkaroff is… Read More
• Occupations Healers are the doctors of the Wizarding world (OP23, 30, TBB/FFF).  At St. Mungo’s, they wear lime green robes with an image of a crossed bone and wand (OP29).  To become a Healer, students must achieve a N.E.W.T. of at least an E in Herbology, Transfiguration, Potions, Charms, and… Read More
• Books and Literature The book The Healer’s Helpmate is a standard household guide to common first aid for magical injuries and illnesses. The book contains a chapter on “Bruises, Cuts, and Abrasions” which Mrs. Weasley consulted while trying to heal the black eye Hermione had received from the twins’ punching telescope (HBP5). Read More
• Common items Hedwig’s cage was a large but portable owl cage in which she spent much of her time while travelling and on Privet Drive in the summers. Read More
• Sports teams The Heidelberg Harriers are a European Quidditch team based in Heidelberg, Germany (QA7). In 1983, a seven-day long Quidditch match against the Holyhead Harpies is considered to be “one of the finest Quidditch games ever seen”. The captain of the Harriers, Rudolf Brand, proposed to Harpies’captain Gwendolyn… Read More
• Titles, nicknames, and honorifics Only the “Heir of Slytherin” could open the Chamber of Secrets and control the Basilisk inside (CS9). Read More
• Books and Literature The Heir of Slytherin is one of several Dark Magic books in the Minister for Magic’s office. It is a book about Lord Voldemort (CC1.19). Minister Hermione Granger kept this book in the booby-trapped bookcase (CC1.19). Read More
• Plants • Potion ingredients Hellebore is a mundane flowering plant used in some potions. Read More
• Glossary A helter-skelter is an amusement park ride, often in the form of a lighthouse, which consists of a spiral slide running around the outside of a whimsical structure. Riders sit on burlap sacks or other simple things like that and slide down. Read More
• Plants Henbane is a highly toxic plant that can be used in drinks and medicinal substances in small amounts. Read More
• Areas of knowledge • Hogwarts academics
• Hogwarts academics Herbology class at Hogwarts is the study of magical plants and fungi, including their care and their magical properties and uses. Some magical plants form important ingredients in potions, others have magical effects in their own right. Read More
• Titles, nicknames, and honorifics “Hermy” was Grawp’s pronunciation of Hermione’s name. Read More
• Games, toys, and jokes Presumably one of these sweets makes the eater begin to hiccup. Read More
• Magical objects Found in Delphi’s room at St Oswald’s Home for Old Witches and Wizards, it contained a hidden prophecy in Parseltongue (CC3.21). Read More
• Historical events • Hogwarts Over a thousand years ago, the four greatest witches and wizards of the age shared a dream, to create a school where young people of the wizarding world could study and be trained in the magical arts they needed to become skilled, fully-trained wizards. These four great wizards each founded… Read More
• Books and Literature One of the most famous wizarding books, a standard reference published in 1947 by Little Red Books. Read More
• Hogwarts academics Consists of lectures on various aspects of magical history. It is extremely boring, but this is due to the teacher, Professor Binns’, teaching style, not the material itself, which seems to emphasize vicious goblin riots, goblin rebellions, and giant wars. Read More
• Headlines and advertisements The History of the Quidditch World Cup appeared in the Daily Prophet on 14 March 2014, before the start of the Quidditch World Cup tournament (QWC). Background The article highlights the contents of The Official Guide to the Quidditch World Cup from the International Confederation of Wizards Quidditch Committee… Read More
• Occupations Hit-Wizards are the police officers of the Wizarding world (DP2). The Department of Magical Law Enforcement maintains squads of trained Hit-Witches and Wizards whose job it is to capture dangerous wizarding criminals. A group of these Hit-Wizards captured Sirius Black after he supposedly killed Peter Pettigrew. The Hit-Wizards are not… Read More
• Art and Culture The Hobgoblins was a wizarding musical group whose lead singer, Stubby Boardman, retired in 1980 after an incident involving a turnip (OP10). Read More
• Glossary • Titles, nicknames, and honorifics Term for residents of Hogsmeade (OP25). Read More
• Glossary • Titles, nicknames, and honorifics Term for the students and staff of Hogwarts (DH32). Read More
• Sentient objects Also see Armour and Suits of Armour Suits of armour stand in a number of places around the castle. They are empty, mere metal and leather, but they do seem to have some amount of magical animation and even sentience to them. They seem to move about: The… Read More
• Hogwarts Bathrooms were installed in Hogwarts after Muggles invented modern plumbing (Pm). There appear to be a boys’ bathroom and a girls’ bathroom on each floor, although the girls’ bathroom on the second floor is out of order and avoiding because it is where Moaning Myrtle spends most of her time… Read More
• Hogwarts The “booming” Hogwarts bell sounds to indicate the start and end of classes at Hogwarts. It also sounds to indicate the start of break time and to signal when break is over and classes are about to resume (GF13). It is heard in classrooms (CS6, CS10,… Read More
• Hogwarts • Organizations A group of twelve wizards charged with overseeing the running of Hogwarts.  They have the power to suspend or fire Headmasters (CS14), and can decide to shut down Hogwarts if the school is deemed unsafe – a situation that arises when the Chamber of Secrets is opened (both times), when… Read More
• Hogwarts • Transportation The arriving first-years travel across the Lake to the castle in a flotilla of small boats, propelled by magic and escorted by Hagrid (PS6).  … Read More
• Hogwarts • Sentient objects The names of future Hogwarts students are written down at birth in the Book of Admittance, a special parchment book bound with dragon hide kept in a locked tower. When a magical child is born, the Quill of Acceptance floats out of a silver ink pot nearby to write the… Read More
• Art and Culture Well, there isn’t a Hogwarts choir, really. But in the third film, director Alfonso Cuarón created one for the Welcoming Feast. The choir members are inexplicably holding very large toads as they sing. The director is Professor Flitwick. The music that the choir sings was written for the film version… Read More
• Hogwarts academics Students at Hogwarts all take the same basic classes their first and second year. Before summer term in their second year, they choose several elective courses which they will study through fifth year. The results of the O.W.L. exams and the careers advice given toward the end of fifth year… Read More
• Transportation The Hogwarts Express is a passenger train which makes a run between King’s Cross Station, London, and Hogsmeade Station, taking students to and from Hogwarts. The train makes this run at least four times a year, and probably more often than that, as needed. It does leave without… Read More
• Food and drinks • Hogwarts • Wizarding culture Hogwarts treats its students to large feasts to mark the beginning (PS7, CS5, PA5, GF12, OP11, HBP8) and end of the school term (PS17, PA22, GF37, OP38), plus Halloween (PS10, CS8, PA8, GF16) and Christmas (PS12, CS12, PA11,… Read More
• Hogwarts There are fireplaces located throughout Hogwarts; they are in the Great Hall, the common rooms, the Professors’ offices, the Divination classroom etc. The fireplaces at Hogwarts are not usually connected, but they can be (Pm). For example, Snape is able to use his fireplace to contact Lupin (PA14). The… Read More
• Magical identities There are at least twenty ghosts that reside at Hogwarts (PS7). Each of the four houses has their own house ghost; Nearly-Headless Nick is Gryffindor’s ghost, the Bloody Baron is Slytherin’s, the Fat Friar is Hufflepuff’s and the Grey Lady is Ravenclaw’s. When ghost-related decisions must be made, they… Read More
• Titles, nicknames, and honorifics Dolores Umbridge was made the first Hogwarts High Inquisitor in history when the Ministry passed Educational Decree Number Twenty-three (OP15). She was given the authority to inspect her fellow teachers and, should they prove lacking, have them sacked. She took the job with relish and clearly enjoyed bullying others. Read More
• Books and Literature Hogwarts: A History is a one-thousand-page book about the thousand-year history of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The book describes such things as the enchanted ceiling of the Great Hall (PS7), the fact that the Founders thought boys were less trustworthy than girls (OP17), and other facts. One… Read More
• Hogwarts Four giant hourglasses – one for each house – stand in niches in a corner opposite the main doors in Hogwarts’ Entrance Hall; they automatically track house points (PS15). Read More
• Hogwarts Students at Hogwarts are grouped into four houses: Gryffindor, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff, and Slytherin. Read More
• Hogwarts Prefects are students who accept some responsibility for maintaining order and discipline at Hogwarts. There are a number of Prefects from each house: two from each house, chosen in August before the start of their fifth year. They are under the jurisdiction of the Head Boy and Girl. Prefects have… Read More
• Sentient objects The Hogwarts Quill of Acceptance is a magical quill at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry which detects the birth of each magical child, then writes his or her name down in a large parchment tome bound with dragon hide, known as the Book of Admittance. Both are… Read More
• Clothing Hogwarts students are required to have three sets of plain black work robes. All pupils’ clothes should carry name tags (PS5). Read More
• Headlines and advertisements Hogwarts School Increases Security is a headline from a magical newspaper in 1926. Hogwarts School needed better security because evil Wizard Gellert Grindelwald, an old friend of Albus Dumbledore, was on a rampage in Europe (WFT). Read More
• Hogwarts The Hogwarts School Song is a short anthem praising Hogwarts which is sung by the entire student body and staff on special occasions. Dumbledore directed the school song at the end of the start-of-term feast when he felt in a particularly festive mood. The last time the song was known to… Read More
• Hogwarts At Hogwarts, a staff of about fourteen teachers apparently handles classes for hundreds of students. These teachers tend to remain at Hogwarts for many years as masters of their subject area. They have quarters in the castle, although some do live off school grounds at least part of the year. Read More
• Hogwarts Hogwarts students come from across the United Kingdom and Ireland. They are sorted into one of four houses and spend most of their time with their fellow house members for the seven years they attend Hogwarts. All British and Irish wizarding children are invited to attend Hogwarts and most do,… Read More
• Occupations At Hogwarts, a staff of about fourteen teachers apparently handles classes for hundreds of students. Any way you look at it, that’s a lot of classes for a few staff members. Read More
• Furniture and household items Hogwarts’ tea towels bear the school crest and are used in place of clothes by the unfree elves who work there (GF21). Read More
• Common items Hogwarts trunks are large, portable receptacles that Hogwarts students use to store their clothing and other possessions. Read More
• Architecture • Hogwarts Hogwarts walls tend to allow more coming and going than non-magical walls. To make the Room of Requirement appear, a person has to walk past the section of blank wall three times concentrating hard on what is needed, for instance, and when the gargoyle guarding the head’s office is given the… Read More
• Timelines and calendars This calendar lists important events in the Hogwarts school year as well as a few important events which happened during Harry Potter’s years at the school. Birthdays are not listed here but on their own page. January first week – Hogwarts Express comes back to school from London… Read More
• Glossary • Plants A small plant typically found in the southern United States. Rowling saw hogwort at Kew Gardens circa 1992 and the name stuck in her mind. Read More
• Glossary In Britain, “holiday” can refer to any day or time off (as in leave from work) rather than just a vacation or official holiday. National holidays are usually called Bank Holidays, because the banks are closed. Read More
• Books and Literature Thrilling autobiographical accounts of adventures dealing with various exotic and dangerous beasts, none of which, as it turns out, actually involved the author. Read More
• Sports teams The Holyhead Harpies are a Quidditch team based in Holyhead (Caergybi) on the island of Anglesey (Ynys Môn) in North-West Wales. It was founded in 1203 (QA7). robes: dark green with a golden talon on the chest (QA7) home: Holyhead, North Wales The Holyhead Harpies only… Read More
• Headlines and advertisements Holyhead Harpies Draw Record Crowd is an article published in the Sports section of the Daily Prophet about the Holyhead Harpies Quidditch team (DP1). The Prophet reported that the Harpies, who always field an all-witch team, are drawing new fans to every match. The Prophet interviewed Harpy team captain Gwenog Jones about the… Read More
• Food and drinks Tasty candy sent to Harry as a gift by Molly Weasley his first Christmas at Hogwarts (PS12). Read More
• Hogwarts academics Homework, schoolwork assigned to be completed outside of class time, is part of the students’ lives at Hogwarts. Teachers assign essays, research, and other tasks which must be completed before the next time the class meets. Details of homework assignment can be found in the entries for individual classes. Read More
• Food and drinks
• Dark magic items A Horcrux is ‘the receptacle in which a Dark wizard has hidden a fragment of his soul for the purposes of attaining immortality’ (JKR). ‘The receptacle is prepared by dark magic to become the receptacle of a fragmented piece of soul and that that piece of soul deliberately detached from… Read More
• Potion ingredients The juice of a horklump, a creature resembling a pink spreading mushroom with black bristles, which is used for potion-making. (FB)… Read More
• Wandmaking Used as wand cores by wandmaker James Steward and his wife Isolt Sayre of Ilvermorny Wizarding School for their adopted sons, Chadwick and Webster Boot (Pm). Read More
• Ilvermorny Horned Serpent is one of the four houses of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The name was chosen by Isolt Sayre. Thunderbird house stands for the mind of the wizard and is the house for scholars. Read More
• Potion ingredients Horned slugs are an ingredient the boil-cure potion. The slugs must be stewed before being added to the potion (PS8). Read More
• Potion ingredients Horseradish powder, the ground root of the horseradish plant, is a potion ingredient used in the brewing of Felix Felicis (BoP). Read More
• Hogwarts The House Cup is awarded at the end of each academic year at Hogwarts. The House with the most House points at the end of the year wins the House Cup. Points are given or taken away by professors and prefects. Read More
• Hogwarts • Hogwarts academics Points are given or taken away to reward or punish the behavior of students. Points are accumulated over the course of the school year, at the end of which a House Cup is awarded to the house with the most. Giant hourglasses set in niches along one wall in a… Read More
• Hogwarts academics Who, When, Why, and How Many… student: Harry teacher: Snape points taken: -1 reason: “cheek” notes: When asked a question by Snape, who was intentionally provoking him, he responded, “I don’t know. I think Hermione does, though, why don’t you try her?” ref: PS8… Read More
• Hogwarts academics Who, When, Why, and How Many… student: Hermione teacher: Sprout points given: +10 reason: knowing the properties of the mandrake notes: introduces the mandrake ref: CS6 student: Hermione teacher: Sprout points given: +10 reason: knowing why mandrakes are dangerous notes:… Read More
• Hogwarts academics Who, When, Why, and How Many… student: Hermione teacher: Snape points taken: -5 reason: she’d helped Neville with his Shrinking Solution when Snape had told her not to notes: Hermione got distracted and was a little sloppy with the Time-Turner ref: PA7 student: Neville… Read More
• Hogwarts academics Who, When, Why, and How Many… student: Harry, Ron teacher: Snape points taken: -50 reason: yelling at Snape for his cruelty toward Hermione over the misfired Densaugeo notes: Snape also gave them detention, but did nothing to Draco for his part in the fight. ref:… Read More
• Hogwarts academics Who, When, Why, and How Many… student: Harry teacher: Umbridge points taken: -10 reason: “Hmmm, let’s think…maybe Lord Voldemort?” notes: Hermione had started an argument by pointing out that the course aims didn’t cover application of the theory, and the rest of the class joined in. Read More
• Hogwarts academics Who, When, Why, and How Many… student: Harry teacher: Snape points taken: -50 reason: “lateness” notes: Snape was having fun here… ref: HBP8 student: Harry teacher: Snape points taken: -20 reason: “Muggle attire” notes: Having been immobilized on the Hogwarts… Read More
• Communication A Howler is a nasty letter sent to tell someone off. It arrives in a red envelope, smoking slightly. It must be opened immediately or it explodes. Upon opening, the Howler screams at the recipient in a voice magically magnified for maximum effect. Students at Hogwarts occasionally receive Howlers from… Read More
• Dark magic items • Magical objects One of Voldemort’s Horcruxes; a small, magical golden cup with two finely wrought handles, engraved with a badger (Helga Hufflepuff’s device) and inherited by the Smith family from Hufflepuff. (HBP20)… Read More
• Hogwarts Hufflepuff House is the Hogwarts house of founder Helga Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff House values character traits such as dedication, fair play, and hard work. Hufflepuffs are often unjustly characterized as unintelligent or as losers not good enough for any of the other houses. Basic Facts Head: Professor Pomona Sprout (1990s)… Read More
• Sports teams The Hufflepuff Quidditch Team members are drawn from the students of Hufflepuff House of Hogwarts.  The team wear robes of yellow. The Hufflepuff team really proved itself a strong Quidditch contender in the 1993-1994 season, with Cedric Diggory putting an excellent side together. Diggory was a bit large for… Read More
• Clothing Newt Scamander had a black and yellow Hufflepuff scarf in his suitcase when it was checked by harbor Customs in 1926 New York City. It appeared with other common items in his suitcase instead of his menagerie of Fantastic Beasts when he turned a small dial to “Muggle Worthy” (WFT). Read More
• Glossary Hard candy pieces, usually flavoured with peppermint and recognisable by their black and white stripes. They are often round-ended but can be seen as angular lumps. Read More
• Sports teams The Hungarian National Teams are from the Eastern European country of Hungary. Gobstones Grugwyn Rufford wrote a letter to the Daily Prophet complaining that coverage was given to frivolous Quidditch team features rather than the news that the Welsh National Team had beaten the Hungarian National Team at… Read More
• Quidditch Hunter is an archaic Quidditch term for the equivalent player to the modern Seeker (QA4). Background notes This term was in use from the mid-1200s, when Quidditch was still the game of “Cuaditch” (QA4). These players were called Hunters because their only task in the match was to capture… Read More