Ghosts

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It's time to dress your Portrait up for Halloween

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Original Hard edge Promo Module Portrait Maker - New Halloween items

Complete the quote quiz: ghosts of Hogwarts edition

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Nearly Headless Nick greets guests at his Deathday Party

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Complete the quote quiz: the ghosts of Hogwarts edition

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Moaning Myrtle: I do have feelings, you know, even if I am ___ 

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Fat Friar: Hope to see you in ___! ... My old house, you know.

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Peeves: And Voldy’s gone___, so now let’s have fun!  

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The Grey Lady: I stole the ___ from my mother.’ 

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Nearly Headless Nick: Well, this Hallowe’en will be my ___ deathday 

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Moaning Myrtle: ‘Wait till everyone finds out you’ve got ___!’ 

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Peeves: What is it this time, my fine Potty friend? Hearing voices? Seeing visions? Speaking in – ___?’  

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From Moaning Myrtle to Nearly Headless Nick, the ghosts (and the poltergeist) of Hogwarts certainly add some character to the castle. How well can you recall some of their most memorable lines?

Play our ghosts of Hogwarts crossword

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Get into the competitive *spirit* with our latest puzzle, the perfect Hallowe'en treat. 

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*If you're enjoying our puzzles, look out for more in our [Potter Puzzles hub](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/potter-puzzles). [Gold Members](https://www.wizardingworld.com/harry-potter-fan-club) can play regular challenges in our app feed, with a few treats thrown in for free-users too.*

The ghosts wordsearch

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Moaning Myrtle in her bathroom from the Chamber of Secrets 

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The pros and cons… of being a Hogwarts ghost

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Binns teaches the class about the Chamber of Secrets 

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Although no magic can truly bring back the dead, the wizarding world is haunted by ghosts who choose to stay behind. Ghostly existence is nothing like mortal life; no physical pleasure can be experienced, knowledge cannot be expanded, and worst of all, ghosts can’t fully taste Hogwarts food, unless it’s exceptionally mouldy. Why would anyone would choose such a fate?

But in full awareness of these facts, many witches and wizards do still stay behind after they’ve died, whether through guilt, regrets or simply unfinished business. In the case of Moaning Myrtle, she was able to help Harry solve the mysteries of her own death.

We’ve decided to weigh up the pros and cons of being a Hogwarts ghost to see if we can understand the desire for such a destiny...

## PROS

## The joys of haunting

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Throwing pots, disturbing lessons, scaring the living daylights out of unsuspecting students – Peeves is one troublesome poltergeist. Most of us wouldn’t dream of following Peeves’ actions due to fear of the consequences that may arise, but as [‘an invisible entity that moves objects, slams doors and creates other audible, kinetic disturbances’](/writing-by-jk-rowling/peeves), what’s the worst that can happen? Even if someone tried an unforgivable curse, it’s not going to do much as, well, you’re already dead. Causing mayhem sounds like a fun way to pass the days – but then again, you’ve got to stick around forever so probably best not to get on the wrong side of anyone…

## Flying 

Flying is an experience that most of us only get to experience on occasion – and even then, being on a plane is never quite the fun we anticipate it to be. Hogwarts ghosts are blessed with the pleasure of flying around as much as they wish – and without any issues about legroom.

## Free of the shackles of money

It’s coming up to payday and once again, your wallet is feeling on the lighter side – a Muggle and wizard issue alike that only a ghost (or perhaps a Niffler) would evade. The expenses of being a ghost have got to be non-existent compared to your average mortal, so gold would definitely not be on their mind. It’s hard to know if Hogwarts ghosts enjoy the summer holidays like us, but if we were ghosts, we’d be spending our summer lounging by the pool in the lushest 5-star hotel imaginable – just think, you wouldn’t even have to ask anyone to put sun cream on your back! 

## Seeing the future

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Still image of the Grey Lady from the Hogwarts Ghosts portraits

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What’s the world going to be like in 1000 years? Unfortunately, we won’t be around to see for ourselves – but the Hogwarts ghosts will still be here and up to their usual tricks. Will aliens ever invade? What will life really be like in the year 3000? Only good ol’ Nearly Headless Nick and the Grey Lady will be there to find out. If only we could get our hands on a time machine! 

## CONS

## The lonely afterlife

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Still image of the Fat Friar from the Hogwarts Ghosts portraits

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It’s hard to imagine living among hundreds of students would be lonely, but being a Hogwarts ghost must be rather isolating at times – constantly being around excited young people enjoying their mortal lives, hopeful and excited for their futures. While the Fat Friar seems jolly enough, and Nearly Headless Nick certainly makes an effort to befriend the students – such as inviting Harry, Ron and Hermione to his freakish Deathday Party – we’re not sure they’d count as real friends. We suppose Peeves is always around if you need a laugh. 

## Food not-so-glorious food

The food at Hogwarts is simply divine – especially if there’s a special occasion. We can’t imagine having to stare at the glorious roast potatoes, glazed parsnips and plump puddings and not be able to indulge. It is suggested that ghosts may be able to taste some food by walking through it (the older and more rotten the better), but it would never be the same experience as when they were mortal. 

## Sheer boredom

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This next downside is one that is often overlooked, but one of the main reasons we would never want to be a ghost. Unless you’re Professor Binns, most Hogwarts ghosts don’t have a job – having a death date doesn’t look good on the CV. So what do ghosts do all day? Float around watching lessons? Moaning Myrtle keeps herself busy spying on as many boys as she can, but even that must get boring after a while. 

## Being a bit behind the times

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Still image of the Bloody Baron from the Hogwarts Ghosts portraits

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As the Bloody Baron constantly reminds us by sporting blood-stained attire, returning as a ghost means existing in the state that you died in. There’s no time for a quick shower or makeover – however someone looks during their last few seconds of life is how they will remain for eternity. Perhaps that’s why Moaning Myrtle cries so much – imagine being stuck in school uniform forever? Yikes.

In conclusion, there’s plenty of upsides to being a Hogwarts ghost – but are they really worth the risk of getting stuck with Peeves forever? We’re not sure we’re convinced…

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The secret lives and deaths of the Hogwarts ghosts 

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We may only know the ghosts of Hogwarts as the [ghosts of Hogwarts](/writing-by-jk-rowling/hogwarts-ghosts "Hogwarts Ghosts by J.K. Rowling"): spirits that haunt the halls, guiding students and occasionally causing mischief. Yet they didn’t just come with the building – well, not all of them anyway. Before they were ghosts, they were people – people with lives that were interesting, dramatic and sometimes gruesome. Here are some of the lesser-known stories of Hogwarts’ spookiest squatters… 

## Nearly Headless Nick

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Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, aka Nearly Headless Nick, led a choppy life. He was originally born in the 15th century to a family of nobles, which he left at the age of 11 to attend Hogwarts. He was sorted into [Gryffindor](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/gryffindor) – the house that, hundreds of years later, he would go on to represent as house ghost. 

After Hogwarts, Nick found himself as a wizard at the royal court, who also knighted him. He was friendly with Muggles, including a lady-in-waiting from the court, Lady Grieve, who would ultimately be the cause of his doom. The story goes that Nick met Grieve while strolling in the park, and – being the friendly chap he was/is – insisted that he could fix her crooked teeth with magic. But the spell backfired, and she instead started to grow a tusk. Nick was then arrested and sentenced to death: a botched beheading that, because of a dull axe, took 45 hacks to kill him, but still didn’t sever his head from his body. Hence the nickname Nearly Headless Nick. 

## Moaning Myrtle 

Before she was Hogwarts’ most, er, impassioned ghost, Moaning Myrtle was an unhappy and picked-upon child. Born in the late 1920s to Muggle parents, Myrtle Warren started her Hogwarts life in the early 1940s, where she was sorted into [Ravenclaw](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/ravenclaw). She had no friends, and was bullied relentlessly because of her glasses and acne. But she would soon have all of eternity to get her own back.

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Myrtle’s transition from lonely student to eccentric ghost was thanks to the [Chamber of Secrets](/writing-by-jk-rowling/chamber-of-secrets "Chamber of Secrets by J.K. Rowling"). Having been teased by fellow student Olive Hornby, Myrtle hid in the first-floor girls’ toilets and began sobbing in one of its stalls. It was here that she ran into Voldemort himself, Tom Riddle, who she overheard speaking [Parseltongue](/features/everything-you-didnt-know-about-parseltongue "Everything you didn’t know about Parseltongue") in order to open the Chamber, which was hidden behind the sinks. Thinking that Riddle was intruding in the girls’ bathroom, she opened the stall door to tell him off – only to be confronted with the Chamber of Secrets’ Basilisk, whose gaze killed her instantly. 

Her body was later found by Hornby, whose discovery would haunt her – both figuratively and literally, for Myrtle returned as a ghost and immediately started to torment her. After a complaint to the Ministry of Magic, Myrtle was consigned to the bathroom forever. 

## The Fat Friar 

Not much is known about the Fat Friar. He’s fat, obviously. And a friar. But much of his life remains a mystery. What we do know is that he was born late into the tenth century, and was sorted into [Hufflepuff](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/hufflepuff) at Hogwarts – and run by its founders. Some point after finishing his magical education, the Fat Friar – not his real name – joined a mendicant religion as a friar, meaning that he spent his life begging in the name of charity. 

A noble life for a noble man, but the Fat Friar’s kindness was to be his undoing. For his fellow clergy grew suspicious at his ability to cure the pox with nothing but a stick, and he was soon executed. His penchant for pulling rabbits out of the communion wine probably didn’t help either.

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## The Grey Lady

In death she’s known as the Grey Lady. In life she was Helena Ravenclaw, daughter of legendary witch Rowena Ravenclaw, who founded [Ravenclaw house](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/ravenclaw) in 993.

Helena’s relationship with her mother was complex. An ambitious witch in the shadow of a brilliant one, Helena envied her mother’s status and wisdom – which was enhanced by her enchanted diadem. A few years into her magical education, she betrayed her mother by stealing the diadem – believing it could make her powerful – and running away from Hogwarts. The betrayal embarrassed Rowena, who told no one that the diadem was missing. On her death bed, however, she did send a young man to find Helena, so she could see her daughter for one last time. That young man tracked her down to a forest in Albania, and what happened next would be her downfall...

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## The Bloody Baron

How the Bloody Baron became the Bloody Baron – an apparently dangerous ghost soaked in someone else’s blood – remained a mystery at Hogwarts for quite a while. It all began, however, with Helena Ravenclaw. The Baron, born into nobility in the late tenth century, was infatuated with Helena ever since they met at Hogwarts, though she always spurned his advances. Not much is known about the Baron beyond his involvement with Helena, but it’s clear that he was a hot-tempered young man.

When Helena ran away with her mother’s diadem, the Baron was asked to track her down: which he did, to a forest in Albania. With her cornered, the Baron pleaded with Helena to come back with him, but – in her own words – became ‘furious at my refusal, jealous of my freedom’ and stabbed her to death. Rightly horrified at what he had done, he then used the same knife to kill himself – sentencing himself to an eternity of penance, soaked in Helena’s blood. He has since remained at Hogwarts as [Slytherin's](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/slytherin)ghost.

## Special mention: Peeves 

Why is Peeves a special mention? Because Peeves is technically not a ghost, he’s a poltergeist. This means that he never died, and therefore never lived. Instead, it’s said that the pesky prankster came into existence with the founding of Hogwarts. Not much is known about how or why Peeves came to be, but [J.K. Rowling has said](/writing-by-jk-rowling/peeves "Peeves By J.K. Rowling") before that he ‘came with the building’, that he was like ‘dry rot... like a severe plumbing problem in a very old building’. It’s probably fair to say that Argus Filch would agree.

The Hogwarts ghosts

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## Nearly Headless Nick: Gryffindor house ghost

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Animated illustration of Gryffindor house ghost, Nearly Headless Nick

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### Who was he? 

A fifteenth-century nobleman who went to [Hogwarts](/features/hogwarts "Hogwarts"). His real name was Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington. 

### How did he die?

[Nick,](/features/nearly-headless-nick "Nearly Headless Nick") a wizard at the royal court of Henry VII, fell in love with Lady Grieve. After trying to magically fix her crooked teeth, the spell backfired, Lady Grieve grew tusks, and Nick was sentenced to death for his actions. 
 
### A frightfully interesting fact 

Nick wrote a ballad about his own demise, entitled *[The Ballad of Nearly Headless Nick](/book-extract-long/ballad-of-nearly-headless-nick "The ballad of Nearly Headless Nick").* 

## The Grey Lady: Ravenclaw house ghost

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Animated illustration of Ravenclaw house ghost, the Grey Lady

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### Who was she?

The morose daughter of the Ravenclaw house founder, Rowena Ravenclaw. Her real name was Helena.

### How did she die?

In a horrible way, frankly. After stealing her [mother’s diadem](/features/rowena-ravenclaws-diadem "Rowena Ravenclaw's diadem") and running away, Rowena Ravenclaw sent The Baron to retrieve her. Alas, it didn’t go so well. The Baron, mad with jealousy at Helena’s freedom, ended up stabbing her when she refused to return with him. [Helena’s ghost](/features/grey-lady "The Grey Lady") had a ‘single dark wound’ upon her chest as a result. 

### A frightfully interesting fact 

The ‘forest in Albania’ where Helena would go into hiding was also frequented by Lord [Voldemort](/features/lord-voldemort "Lord Voldemort"). Eventually, the enchanted diadem would become one of Voldemort’s [Horcruxes](/features/the-horcruxes "The Horcruxes"), after he discovered its hiding place in a hollowed tree. 

## The Fat Friar: Hufflepuff house ghost

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Animated illustration of Hufflepuff house ghost, the Fat Friar

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### Who was he? 

A jolly fellow who resembled a monk, who was sorted into [Hufflepuff](/collection/all-about-hufflepuff "Hogwarts houses: Hufflepuff") back in his day. 

### How did he die? 

His magical ways roused suspicion, and he was eventually executed after the senior churchmen grew suspicious of his ability to cure the pox, and his penchant for pulling rabbits out of the Communion cup. 

### A frightfully interesting fact 

[The Fat Friar](/features/fat-friar "The Fat Friar") always resented the fact that he never became a cardinal. 

## The Bloody Baron: Slytherin house ghost

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Animated illustration of the Slytherin house ghost, the Bloody Baron

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### Who was he? 

A hot-tempered sort of fellow, who was responsible for the death of the Grey Lady, aka Helena Ravenclaw. In his living days, he was simply known as The Baron. It was only at the point of his death that the ‘bloody’ part of his name was added in. And for good reason.

### How did he die?

Head over heels in love with Helena Ravenclaw, The Baron murdered her out of anger when Helena refused to return home with him. After stabbing her fatally, he was so remorseful, he used the same weapon to take his own life.

### A frightfully interesting fact 

[The Bloody Baron’s](/features/bloody-baron "The Bloody Baron") chains were an ‘act of penitence’ for what he did to Helena.

## Peeves the poltergeist: a Hogwarts bonus

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### Who was he? 
 
Well, that’s the thing. Strictly speaking [Peeves](/features/peeves "Peeves") wasn’t a ghost at all so we can’t be sure. Think mischief-maker with a penchant for ‘kinetic disturbances’. We do know that he reflects his nature, a seamless blend of humour and malice.

### How did he die? 

Who knows? We’re not even sure he was ever alive like the other house ghosts, but many attempts have been made to remove Peeves from Hogwarts. One such attempt in 1876 went disastrously wrong and led to the whole school being evacuated. 

### A frightfully interesting fact 

Peeves was named for being the pet-peeve of every Hogwarts caretaker ever. Also – ‘poltergeist’ roughly means ‘noisy ghost’ in German. For more info on the little hoodlum, [read here](/writing-by-jk-rowling/peeves "here").

How do ghosts exist in the wizarding world?

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__Illustration by Jim Kay © Bloomsbury__

[Ghosts](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/ghosts) are the imprints of witches and wizards who have died and left a part of themselves behind. Only those who are magical can return as ghosts (meaning Muggles can’t become one). However, even though all witches and wizards have the ability to come back as a ghost, those who are smart, don’t. 

It is said that those who do return have unfinished business of some sort. There are lots of reasons for this such as regret, fear or guilt. Some ghosts are those with a very strong attachment to the material world who refuse to move on. 

[Ghosts](https://www.wizardingworld.com/fact-file/magical-miscellany/ghost) are transparent, three-dimensional and can pass through solid objects (including people) without causing any damage. Though they do cause disturbances in fire, water and air. If you are in the presence of a ghost the temperature will drop, and if there is more than one ghost around, the temperature drops even further. If you are unlucky enough to have one pass through you, it would feel like someone had emptied a bucket of freezing water over you! They also have the ability to turn flames blue. 

While it may seem tempting to remain on earth forever, ghosts are just shadows of their former living selves. They can’t experience much of the world. They can no longer touch anything, eat anything and they won’t be able to learn anything new. A ghost’s level of knowledge and talent remains the same as when they died. Not being able to move on means that ghosts are often not the best company. They will not let go of any grudges or resentments – just ask [Nearly Headless Nick](https://www.wizardingworld.com/fact-file/characters-and-pets/nearly-headless-nick) about the fact he’s only nearly headless!  

As well as not being able to come back as a ghost, Muggles can’t seem to see them. Witches and wizards are much more sensitive to paranormal activity which is why they can see and interact with ghosts. However, that is not to say Muggles are completely oblivious, they might feel that a haunted place is cold or feel creeped out by being there.   

Overall, being a ghost sounds like a pretty rubbish deal to us. To be a ghost is to be stuck forever as a shell of yourself – which we can do without. 

And how does being a ghost differ to being a portrait, you ask? [Let's unpack that next.](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/how-do-magical-portraits-actually-work)

Ghostly Helping: 6 times ghosts were more friendly than frightening

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### That time Nearly Headless Nick caused a commotion to distract Filch 

> ‘‘‘Harry! Harry! Did it work?’
> Nearly Headless Nick came gliding out of a classroom. Behind him, Harry could see the wreckage of a large black and gold cabinet which appeared to have been dropped from a great height.
> ‘I persuaded Peeves to crash it right over Filch’s office,’ said Nick eagerly. ‘Thought it might distract him –’
> ‘Was that you?’ said Harry gratefully. ‘Yeah, it worked, I didn’t even get detention. Thanks, Nick!’’

### That time Moaning Myrtle revealed the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets…  

> ‘…They said something funny. A different language, I think it must have been. Anyway, what really got me was that it was a boy speaking. So I unlocked the door, to tell him to go and use his own toilet, and then –’ Myrtle swelled importantly, her face shining, ‘I died.’
> ‘How?’ said Harry.
> ‘No idea,’ said Myrtle in hushed tones. ‘I just remember seeing a pair of great big yellow eyes. My whole body sort of seized up, and then I was floating away ...’ She looked dreamily at Harry. ‘And then I came back again. I was determined to haunt Olive Hornby, you see. Oh, she was sorry she’d ever laughed at my glasses.’
> ‘Where exactly did you see the eyes?’ said Harry.
> ‘Somewhere there,’ said Myrtle, pointing vaguely towards the sink in front of her toilet.’

### That time Peeves gave Umbridge the farewell from Hogwarts she deserved…  

> ‘Professor Umbridge left Hogwarts the day before the end of term. It seemed she had crept out of the hospital wing during dinnertime, evidently hoping to depart undetected, but unfortunately for her, she met Peeves on the way, who seized his last chance to do as Fred had instructed, and chased her gleefully from the premises whacking her alternately with a walking stick and a sock full of chalk. 
> Many students ran out into the Entrance Hall to watch her running away down the path and the Heads of Houses tried only half-heartedly to restrain them. Indeed, Professor McGonagall sank back into her chair at the staff table after a few feeble remonstrances and was clearly heard to express a regret that she could not run cheering after Umbridge herself, because Peeves had borrowed her walking stick.’

### That time the Grey Lady helped Harry work out the location of Ravenclaw’s lost diadem…  

> "‘And ... and the diadem?’
> ‘It remained where I had hidden it when I heard the Baron blundering through the forest towards me. Concealed inside a hollow tree.’
> ‘A hollow tree?’ repeated Harry. ‘What tree? Where was this?’
> ‘A forest in Albania. A lonely place I thought was far beyond my mother’s reach.’
> ‘Albania,’ repeated Harry. Sense was emerging miraculously from confusion, and now he understood why she was telling him what she had denied Dumbledore and Flitwick. ‘You’ve already told someone this story, haven’t you? Another student?’
> She closed her eyes and nodded.
> ‘I had ... no idea ... he was ... flattering. He seemed to ... to understand ... to sympathise ...’
> Yes, Harry thought, Tom Riddle would certainly have under- stood Helena Ravenclaw’s desire to possess fabulous objects to which she had little right.
> ‘Well, you weren’t the first person Riddle wormed things out of,’ Harry muttered. ‘He could be charming when he wanted ...'"

### That time Moaning Myrtle helped the Hogwarts Champions out with their Triwizard clues…  

> "Oh ... I see ...’ said Myrtle, picking at a spot on her chin in a morose sort of way. ‘Well ... anyway ... I’d try the egg in the water. That’s what Cedric Diggory did.’
> ‘Have you been spying on him, too?’ said Harry indignantly. ‘What d’you do, sneak up here in the evenings to watch the Prefects take baths?’
> ‘Sometimes,’ said Myrtle, rather slyly, ‘but I’ve never come out to speak to anyone before.’
> ‘I’m honoured,’ said Harry darkly. ‘You keep your eyes shut!’
> He made sure Myrtle had her glasses well covered before hoisting himself out of the bath, wrapping the towel firmly around himself and going to get the egg.
> Once he was back in the water, Myrtle peered through her fingers and said, ‘Go on, then ... open it under the water!"

### That time Peeves fought for good in the Battle of Hogwarts… 

> “Harry, Ron and Hermione raised their wands at once, ready to strike, but the duellers were weaving and darting around so much that there was a strong likelihood of hurting one of their own side if they cast curses. Even as they stood braced, looking for the opportunity to act, there came a great ‘wheeeeeeeeeeee!’ and, looking up, Harry saw Peeves zooming over them, dropping Snargaluff pods down on to the Death Eaters, whose heads were suddenly engulfed in wriggling, green tubers like fat worms."


The terrible tale behind the Bloody Baron’s bloodiness

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The Great Hall at Halloween with the ghosts

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Arguably the most terrifying of the [Hogwarts ghosts](/writing-by-jk-rowling/hogwarts-ghosts "Hogwarts Ghosts By J.K. Rowling"), the Bloody Baron wore the chains he clanked so loudly as penance for a crime of passion committed centuries ago. 

With his silver bloodstains and harsh, whispering voice, the Bloody Baron was the most fearful phantom on the block. But none of the other spirits knew the tale of unrequited love behind his bloodied state. That is, except for the one whose murder earned him his nickname: Helena Ravenclaw, known to Hogwarts students as the Grey Lady.

The Baron was believed to have attended Hogwarts in the time of the four founders, and was violently in love with the daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw. The pair were soon doomed to share the same posthumous universe for eternity. How did this happen? 

Overshadowed by her brilliant, brainy mother, Helena stole what legend has it was a cornerstone of Rowena’s wit and wisdom – a tiara enchanted to enhance the wisdom of the wearer. This would later be known as the lost diadem of Ravenclaw.

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‘<em>I stole the diadem,</em>’ Helena told Harry during the Battle of Hogwarts. ‘I sought to make myself cleverer, more important than my mother. I ran away with it.’ Helena fled to Albania with her mother’s diadem, never to achieve her ambitions. She could never have predicted that Voldemort would find her mother’s precious diadem centuries later and turn it into a Horcrux.

The loss of the diadem was a terrible blow to Rowena, who hid its loss and her daughter’s betrayal from the other Hogwarts founders. On her deathbed, Ravenclaw sent the Baron to find Helena, because she knew that he loved her daughter. ‘She sent a man who had long loved me, though I spurned his advances, to find me. She knew that he would not rest until he had done so,’ Helena told Harry.

The hot-headed Baron tracked her down, but when Helena refused to return with him, he murdered her in a rage. Overcome with remorse, he turned the blade on himself. ‘All these centuries later, he wears his chains as an act of penitence… as he should,’ Helena said bitterly.

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The Bloody Baron was the ghost of Slytherin house and was famous for the clattering of chains and rages in the Astronomy Tower, no doubt still tortured by his actions all those years ago. The Grey Lady, Ravenclaw’s house ghost, would often be seen drifting around the castle serenely. 

Both ghosts regularly attended Hogwarts start-of-term feasts, but tended to stick to their own house tables. Both had a reputation for being standoffish. Nearly Headless Nick (Gryffindor) and the Fat Friar (Hufflepuff) were a lot friendlier to their students.

It took quite some persuading on Harry’s part to get the story of her death out of the Grey Lady. It was only when Harry reminded her of the part she played in helping Voldemort locate the diadem in the forest where she died that she remorsefully shared her tale. It seemed it was not just the Baron who was tormented by regret.

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An unexpected benefit of the Bloody Baron’s reputation was that he was the only one who could keep Peeves under control. We don’t know if Peeves knew the story behind the Baron’s bloodstained appearance, but we hope he would’ve been tactful enough to steer clear of any songs on the subject if he did.

Embrace your Hallowe'en spirit with our spooktacular collection

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Turn down the temperature and roll out the mouldy cheese as we gather the ghosts of Hogwarts (and a Poltergeist for good measure). Just in time for spooky season, have a scroll through this haunted collection of spirited fun. 

Which Hogwarts ghost are you most like?

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## If you have trouble letting things go… you’re like Nearly Headless Nick
Are you someone that holds grudges? Do you find it difficult move past things – however big or small? If someone else were to take the last biscuit from the tin, would you never forgive them? If the answer to those questions is yes, then you’re like Nearly Headless Nick. Despite not meeting the vital criteria, Nick couldn’t get over the fact he was never allowed to join the Headless Hunt (despite having been struck in the neck with a blunt axe forty-five times) and would happily complain to you about it. That was a grudge which had lasted centuries and was set to last for centuries more. He simply couldn’t move on – though that is quite common for ghosts. And if you find yourself sympathising and understanding his position, we reckon you’re most like him.

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## If you love nothing more than a good moan… you’re like Moaning Myrtle (of course)
Moaning Myrtle was always one for… well, moaning. She moped during her time as a human and that certainly continued with gusto when she joined the afterlife. And while we do understand that being a ghost is not the happiest way to exist, she really did seem to enjoy wallowing in misery. In fact, she even had plans to share her toilet with Harry if he didn’t make it back from the Chamber of Secrets, as misery truly does love company. If you’re someone that searches for things to be annoyed about, gets a thrill out of complaining about the weather, your neighbours, or anything really, then you’re most like Moaning Myrtle.

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

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and the Chamber of Secrets

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## If you are a fan of a statement necklace… you’re like the Bloody Baron
Do you like your fashion choices to make a big statement? Do you never go anywhere without a chunky, eye-catching necklace? Then you’re like the Bloody Baron. He’s worn the same chains for years. And yes, he did wear them to punish himself (for unforgivably murdering Helena Ravenclaw), but they certainly caught your eye. We don’t think your story is as dark as the Baron’s and we doubt you have such a profound reason for your choice of neckwear. But if you can’t bear to leave the house without a bit of bling, then he’s the ghost you’re most similar to.

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## If you have a certain air of mystery… you’re like the Grey Lady
The Grey Lady managed to slip under the radar for quite a few years. As a ghost we never really saw her or heard about her until the diadem came into play. And as a human, she managed to sneak off and escape to live in a forest when she stole that precious artefact from her mother (though she was eventually tracked down). If you’re someone who knows how to quietly slink away when you don’t want to be around people, then you’re most like the Grey Lady. We can imagine that you’re the type of person who plays their cards close to their chest, isn’t very likely to text back and knows exactly how to keep people at arm’s length.

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

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and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2

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## If mischief is your middle name… you’re like Peeves
Ok, so Peeves was a poltergeist rather than a ghost, but we reckon he still counts. One of the most disruptive forces in the school, nobody (apart from Fred, George or maybe the Marauders) could come close to his trickster ways. Whether he was swinging from (or unscrewing) chandeliers, bursting out of blackboards, loosening the carpet to trip people up or smashing cabinets as a distraction – he was an expert in causing chaos. If you have been known to get into mischief yourself or think there is nothing more hilarious than a practical joke, then we reckon you and Peeves are like two pesky peas in a pod.

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## If you’re always in a good mood… you’re like the Fat Friar 
The Fat Friar always seemed to be rather jolly. Even though he was a ghost destined to be stuck as nothing more than a mere imprint for the rest of eternity – he never seemed bothered. What always stood out was the way he smiled and affectionately chatted to students. He was also one of the only people in the school to think Peeves deserved a second chance. His good-humoured nature was his defining feature. And if you’re like the Friar, we reckon you are someone that is known for their sunny smile, unshakeable positivity and laidback nature.

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