Resembling an overgrown ferret, the Jarvey is one of the few beasts that can actually talk. Its speech, however, consists entirely of rude phrases and insults (FB).
- Jarveys prey on gnomes, moles, voles, and rats (FB).
- A Muggle monk named Brother Boniface had an encounter in the garden with a talking Jarvey, but his Friar merely thought he had been drinking too much Turnip Wine (FB).
Commentary
Notes
- "Jarvey" is an old slang term for a cab-driver, dating from the days when cabs were horse-drawn [NSOED].
- Rowling may have been inspired by the strange story of a family who kept an alleged "talking mongoose" on the Isle of Mann: "The Bizarre Saga of Gef the Talking Mongoose". Supposedly Gef was quite rude, once saying "If you are kind to me, I will bring you good luck. If you are not kind, I shall kill all your poultry. I can get them wherever you put them!”
- Arthur Weasley mentions a wizard named Mortlake being brought for questioning about some extremely odd ferrets, and the Committee on Experimental Charms was involved. Possibly he was experimenting with Jarveys (CS3).
- A book related to the movie Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them included a movie-prop document held in the movie by Auror Percival Graves about why Newt Scamander was expelled from Hogwarts. According to a screen capture of the prop, Newt was keeping an illegal Jarvey, and even though he was caught, Dumbledore defended him. Note: the Lexicon does not consider movie props to be canon, but if future Fantastic Beasts movie scripts confirm this information, then it may become canon.
OFFENSE: Illegal possession of a magical beast causing endangerment of human life and violation of Animal Welfare Laws 101/304.
DATE: 1913
LOCATION: Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, United Kingdom
LEVEL: 3
WITNESSES: Multiple.
NOTES: Proposed expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry due to the illegal possession of a magical beast causing endangerment of human life and violation of animal welfare laws 101/304.
Magical Beast: Jarvey, Level 3
Punishment: Expulsion from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.
– The expulsion was never enforced – Hogwarts Professor Albus Dumbledore defended Newton resulting in his name being cleared.
* The Ministry of Magic Animal Welfare Department were also informed of the violation and required to rehouse the magical creature.
From the Web
"Jarvey" from Harry Potter Wiki
