We are celebrating 20 Years of the Lexicon with a Twentieth Anniversary Canon Celebration!
Hogwarts

Rubies

"I see there are no longer any points left in the Gryffindor hourglass to take away. In that case, Potter, we will simply have to-"
"Add some more? I think Potter and his friends ought to have fifty points apiece for alerting the world to the return of You-Know-Who! What say you, Professor Snape?"
"What?'  ...Oh - well - I suppose…"
-- Severus Snape and Minerva McGonagall (OP38)

The Gryffindor hourglass in the Hogwarts Entrance Hall for recording House Points is filled with red rubies (Pm, OP38).

  • During Harry's first trip to Gringotts with Hagrid, he saw a goblin "weighing a pile of rubies as big as glowing coals" (PS5).
  • The sword of Gryffindor is "ruby-encrusted" (CS13, CS18, HBP23). The rubies on the hilt are the "size of eggs" (CS17)
  • The Gryffindor hourglass was shattered during the Battle of the Tower, spilling rubies onto the floor (HBP28).
  • On the first train trip to Hogwarts, James Potter imagined wielding the Sword of Gryffindor (DH33).
  • The tail lights of Sirius Black's flying motorbike are ruby-colored: "James and Sirius zoomed away into the night sky, their tail light twinkling behind them like a vanishing ruby." (PRE)

The color "ruby-red" is one of J.K. Rowlings favorite ways to describe a sky or sunset:

"The sky outside the window was ruby-red; it seemed to be sunset." (CS13)
"The sun was sinking fast now; the sky had turned to a clear, purple-tinged grey, but to the west there was a ruby-red glow." (PA16)
"Dumbledore turned back to look out of the fiery window; the sun was now a ruby-red glare along the horizon." (HBP25)
"The sky burned ruby" (TBB:FFF).

 

Commentary

Etymology

From ruber, Latin for red.

Pensieve (Comments)

Tags: gemstones Gryffindor-Slytherin rivalry punishment red rewards rivalry rule-breaking rules status

Editor: