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Pub trivia – fun facts you didn't know about wizarding inns

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__Spoiler warning! There are some mild spoilers ahead – turn back now if you’re not familiar with the stories…__

## The Leaky Cauldron is the oldest pub in London

Despite what many [Muggles](/fact-file/magical-miscellany/muggles) think, the title of oldest pub in London goes to this well-loved wizarding establishment. Found on Charing Cross Road, the [Leaky Cauldron](/fact-file/locations/the-leaky-cauldron) was built in the 1500s – long before Charing Cross Road was even planned! Its true address is number one, [Diagon Alley](/fact-file/locations/diagon-alley).

## Muggles used to frequent the Leaky Cauldron

This wizarding institution wasn’t always a place that where only magical folk congregated. As it was built two centuries before the imposition of the International Statute of Secrecy, it was initially visible to Muggle eyes too. Muggles weren’t made to feel unwelcome or turned away. Having said that, thanks to the *interesting* conversations and even more *interesting* magical pets, many scarpered before finishing their mead.

![LeakyCauldron WB F1 SomeoneOutsideLeakyCauldron Illust 080615 Land](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/5sxx5inySIAWsKA0gcuUEG/ca736eb81e715e092136f42c579a2719/LeakyCauldron_WB_F1_SomeoneOutsideLeakyCauldron_Illust_080615_Land.jpg)

## Neville Longbottom and Hannah Abbott lived above the Leaky Cauldron

In a turn of events that we find extremely adorable, after leaving [Hogwarts](/fact-file/locations/hogwarts) not only did [Neville](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/neville-longbottom) continue his passion for magical plants as [Herbology](/fact-file/magical-miscellany/herbology) professor, but he also married [Hufflepuff](/fact-file/magical-miscellany/hufflepuff), [Hannah Abbott](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/hannah-abbott-fact-file). The happy couple decided to make a home for themselves living above the one-and-only Leaky Cauldron.

## A pub was the headquarters of a rebellion

Although we never learnt which one it was, according to *Sites of Historical Sorcery*, one of the wizarding pubs in [Hogsmeade](/fact-file/locations/hogsmeade) was said to have been the headquarters of the 1612 [goblin](/fact-file/creatures/goblin) rebellion. Could it have been the [Hog’s Head Inn](/fact-file/locations/the-hogs-head) which was known for its dubious dealings and schemes? Or perhaps it was the cosiness of the [Three Broomsticks](/fact-file/locations/the-three-broomsticks) that convinced the goblins to make it their base?

![pottermore-moments-hp-b5-hogs-head-homepage-hero](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/2zygTLqXtChkWM7Asbbca3/14624eac244b6e0d0dd667458176dd1a/pottermore-moments-hp-b5-hogs-head-homepage-hero.jpg)

## The Hog’s Head Inn was run by a Dumbledore

While [Albus Dumbledore](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/albus-dumbledore) ran Hogwarts, just down the road his brother, [Aberforth Dumbledore](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/aberforth-dumbledore-fact-file), ran the Hog’s Head Inn. Crochety and a big fan of goats, he and his brother didn’t always see eye-to-eye. Ultimately, they were both extremely good people and Aberforth even helped the resistance at Hogwarts after Albus’ death – thanks to a secret passage that connected the [Room of Requirement](/fact-file/locations/the-room-of-requirement) to his pub.

## Sybill Trelawney made her infamous prediction at the Hog’s Head Inn

The Hog’s Head Inn was the location of many crucial story moments from the founding of [Dumbledore’s Army](/fact-file/magical-miscellany/dumbledores-army) to [Hagrid](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/rubeus-hagrid) winning a dragon egg in a game of cards. However, there was one particular moment that changed the course of wizarding history forever. On a gloomy night, Albus Dumbledore went to interview [Sybill Trelawney](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/sybill-trelawney) for the role of [Divination](/fact-file/magical-miscellany/divination) teacher. He was thoroughly unimpressed until, among the ramshackle décor and sticky floor, she made her prediction about the boy destined to end [Voldemort](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/lord-voldemort) and rid the world of his evil!

![pottermore-moments-three-broomsticks-homepage-hero](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/YvfQFf3Sc7Y1rQNcmqoKm/7278f0704d0a659047a66375127ed129/pottermore-moments-three-broomsticks-homepage-hero.jpg)

## Katie Bell was given the cursed opal necklace at The Three Broomsticks

Run by Madam Rosmerta, the Three Broomsticks was a warm and welcoming establishment in Hogsmeade. Yet Dark Magic still managed to worm its way in there in the form of the cursed opal necklace. Part of a clumsy attempt on Dumbledore’s life, [Gryffindor](/fact-file/magical-miscellany/gryffindor) Quidditch team member, [Katie Bell](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/katie-bell), took the necklace from the pub while under the influence of the [Imperius Curse](/fact-file/spells/the-imperius-curse) and narrowly escaped its deadly power.

## It wasn’t just witches and wizards who frequented the Three Broomsticks

Said to be as old as the only all-wizard village in Britain, the Three Broomsticks was a bit of a haven for all sorts of magical beings, such as hags, who couldn’t disguise themselves particularly well in the Muggle world. In fact, Ron and Hermione once thought they spotted an ogre!

Every quote to live by from your favourite witches

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Hermione wearing a red dress and smiling at Bill and Fleur's wedding.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1

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and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1

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## The importance of keeping things in perspective

![HP-F1-philosophers-stone-hermione-charms-learning-classroom-web-landscape](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/qVjLFPXczR2mwGR54M1JK/5ffbc10854b90be415e66d18504a0f56/HP-F1-philosophers-stone-hermione-charms-learning-classroom-web-landscape)

‘Books! And cleverness! There are more important things – friendship and bravery…’

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Hermione Granger: Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone

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Despite being known for her exceptional brain power, [Hermione](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/hermione-granger) also knew the importance of nurturing the other elements of her personality too. It’s a lesson she learnt in her first year after finding genuine friendship. It is also one that we could do with remembering too.

## Don’t be afraid to be bold

![HP-F5-order-of-the-phoenix-ginny-da-wand-determined-web-landscape](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/3yxtbUPaKL5YRyOXEmcss7/b5f3840e6afd0c2e76548570d0532593/HP-F5-order-of-the-phoenix-ginny-da-wand-determined-web-landscape)

‘…anything’s possible if you’ve got enough nerve.'

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Ginny Weasley: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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If you don’t ask you don’t get! As [Ginny](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/ginny-weasley) reminds us, if we shy away from a challenge, we’re never going to achieve our dreams. If we find our courage? Well, the world is our oyster.

## Be proud of who you are

![HP-F4-goblet-of-fire-mcgonagall-desk-web-landscape](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/71JqjFqxFPKBLmoFUGKYJD/22d4d28400d268c5d1382d675b5ce1ae/HP-F4-goblet-of-fire-mcgonagall-desk-web-landscape)

‘It’s high time your grandmother learned to be proud of the grandson she’s got, rather than the one she thinks she ought to have...’

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Minerva McGonagall: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

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The no-nonsense [McGonagall](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/minerva-mcgonagall) was a witch worth listening to! It’s all too easy to get caught up in the comparison trap, trying to think about who you *should* be and feeling inadequate next to others. However, you are brilliant just the way you are. You are one-of-a-kind. If the Head of [Gryffindor](/fact-file/magical-miscellany/gryffindor) can see that – so can you.

## There is always hope

![HP-F5-order-of-the-phoenix-luna-da-room-of-requirement-casting-patronus-web-landscape](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/5zrwB81bovDEUXWbMyCWia/26babee3a72e41ff8557681a28703f5a/HP-F5-order-of-the-phoenix-luna-da-room-of-requirement-casting-patronus-web-landscape)

‘The things we lose have a way of coming back to us in the end. If not always in the way we expect.’

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Luna Lovegood: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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When times are hard, it can be easy to give up hope and become despondent. Yet this poignant point from the wonderfully eccentric [Ravenclaw](/fact-file/magical-miscellany/ravenclaw) is a reminder that good days are on the horizon – even if we can’t quite see them yet.

## Don’t be afraid to dream big

![WB-HP-F7-hermione-reading-promo-crop](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/7uWvZ2RIgkybj8J1lCs5RA/39672ce02de6ff4e27d39381deb3c05f/WB-HP-F7-hermione-reading-promo-crop.jpg)

‘I’m hoping to do some good in the world!’

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Hermione Granger: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

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No matter who you are, you *can* make a difference. If you channel Hermione’s determination, we’re sure you will go on to do great and brilliant things.

## An excellent reminder

![HP-F5-molly-weasley-harry-potter-web-10744](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/1ugOAEKJsmxHxy7rDSEkO8/d6f828346ab08de9e2eb69ed086fdf71/weasley-quiz-title-.jpg)

‘A good first impression can work wonders.'

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Molly Weasley: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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A sage piece of advice from [Mrs Weasley](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/molly-weasley)! She might have said this to Harry before his [Ministry](/fact-file/locations/the-ministry-of-magic) hearing, but we think this is something that can be applied to many different areas of your life. From making friends to job interviews, things are always easier if you start off on the right foot.

## Do what is right, not what is easy

![WB-HP-F2-hermione-examining-potion-ingredients-with-cauldron-web-landscape](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/4L5hkIozTd68acqd3hpP2I/27590dc492caea34621b56bdd472e45b/WB-HP-F2-hermione-examining-potion-ingredients-with-cauldron-web-landscape.jpg)

‘Well, if you two are going to chicken out, fine… I don’t want to break rules, you know. I think threatening Muggle-borns is far worse than brewing up a difficult potion.’

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Hermione Granger: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

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Hermione was the witch who once declared being expelled to be a fate worse than death. To hear her trying to convince [Harry](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/harry-potter) and [Ron](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/ron-weasley) to break the rules was rather shocking. Yet she raises an extremely valuable point. Sometimes you need to push the boundaries to do what is right. Following the rules can only go so far – especially if those rules cause more harm than good. It can be hard to stand up and be counted but we should all try to do so.

## Protect what is important

![WB-HP-F8-professor-sprout-web-landscape](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/6PcDR4xjlhQ8xtErVUHYBc/198864f4ef4413d1ed6e50f91411088e/WB-HP-F8-professor-sprout-web-landscape.jpg)

‘I feel that if a single pupil wants to come, then the school ought to remain open for that pupil.’

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Pomona Sprout: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

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This was a brave statement from [Professor Sprout](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/pomona-sprout) in the wake of [Dumbledore’s](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/albus-dumbledore) death. [Hogwarts](/fact-file/locations/hogwarts) was so much more than a school. For many like Harry, it was a sanctuary and place they could call home. A place that should be protected. This is a sentiment we could all take on board. We should all work hard to take care of what, and who, is important to us.

## Don’t judge a book by its cover

![hp-f4-fleur-arrival-beauxbatons-great-hall-uniform-web-landscape](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/7L4Bw903CP5Rnv0MuCknWF/16abc8334d6185d0b8be2af4c5f93c45/hp-f4-fleur-arrival-beauxbatons-great-hall-uniform-web-landscape.jpg)

‘What do I care how ’e looks? I am good-looking enough for both of us, I theenk! All these scars show is zat my husband is brave!’

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Fleur Delacour: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

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You might think glamorous and goodlooking [Fleur Delacour](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/fleur-delacour) would also be extremely vain. Yet she wasn’t. Filled with self-confidence, she didn’t judge her husband based on his appearance – she knew it was the content of his character that truly mattered. That attitude is one we think everyone should embody.

## Boundaries are good

![mcgonagall-web-header-wand](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/6J6heLMpK9Lee0eL8faPnj/18ebb3e1a6694c1ed440bf094b02a127/mcgonagall-web-headrer.jpg)

‘I do not generally permit people to talk when I am talking.’

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Minerva McGonagall: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

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Quite right too! Don’t let anybody try to take your voice or diminish you. If someone tries to talk over you, channel your inner McGonagall and lay down the law – they’ll soon learn a valuable lesson.

Your birth month tells us your Harry Potter soulmate

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## January: The determined and dedicated Oliver Wood is your perfect match

![WB-HP-F1-philosophers-stone-oliver-wood-web-landscape](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/7iJHeRIUbca989dspC4c2t/a8eae533de5cb364c2b8ef17aa39c857/WB-HP-F1-philosophers-stone-oliver-wood-web-landscape.jpg)

When considering your ideal partner, you don’t want someone who is afraid of commitment and isn’t willing to put the work in. You want someone who is going to give the relationship their all. This is why you and [Oliver Wood](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/oliver-wood) make a perfect pair. This [Gryffindor](/fact-file/magical-miscellany/gryffindor) proved his determination time and time again as [Quidditch](/fact-file/magical-miscellany/quidditch) Captain. He was always coming up with training techniques and drills to make the team better. Yes, some of his teammates might have complained about the early starts, but it didn’t put Oliver off… and it worked. That’s the type of dedication you admire.

## February: Your soulmate is the creative and eccentric Luna Lovegood

![WB-HP-F5-luna-lovegood-wears-spectrespecs-with-quibbler-web-landscape](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/5jiVEF9rz3GdDt6go666da/6431193cd66631881320a9921f2913fe/WB-HP-F5-luna-lovegood-wears-spectrespecs-with-quibbler-web-landscape.jpg)

There is nothing that bores you more than blending into the crowd. From your curious insights to your wacky wardrobe, you march to the beat of your own drum. You are proud to celebrate your uniqueness, and you are looking for a partner that doesn’t shy away from their individuality too. This is why [Luna Lovegood](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/luna-lovegood) with her [Spectrespecs](/fact-file/objects/spectrespecs) and radish-like earrings is your ideal match. The two of you would have a joyful relationship that celebrated creativity, eccentricity and a shared belief in the Crumple-Horned Snorkack.

## March: The brilliantly hilarious Ron Weasley is the one for you

![HP-F6-ron-in-bed-smiling-web-landscape](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/51khMqIDGh7ltBpFgDIet4/4390b7228f2368b128a11304e8a73108/HP-F6-ron-in-bed-smiling-web-landscape.jpg)

Life’s too short not to have fun. Who wants to be miserable? Yes, serious things happen but you still want to find the joy in life, and you want a partner who can do that too. This is why you and [Ron Weasley](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/ron-weasley) would make the perfect pair. From his ‘Merlin's most baggy Y-fronts’ exclamations to quippy ‘Oh, of course… I forgot we’ll be hunting down [Voldemort](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/lord-voldemort) in a mobile library’ comebacks – his quick with would keep you entertained for life.

## April: The elegant and poised Fleur Delacour is your ideal soulmate

![hp-f4-fleur-arrival-beauxbatons-great-hall-uniform-web-landscape](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/7L4Bw903CP5Rnv0MuCknWF/16abc8334d6185d0b8be2af4c5f93c45/hp-f4-fleur-arrival-beauxbatons-great-hall-uniform-web-landscape.jpg)

Graceful, elegant and gliding through life – that’s the ultimate dream. You aren’t interested in awkward situations and embarrassing encounters; you want life to be as serene as possible. As you want this from your partner too, you and [Fleur Delacour](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/fleur-delacour) would make a flawless duo. No matter what situation she faced – from walking into the [Great Hall](/fact-file/locations/the-great-hall) for the first time to rejecting [Yule Ball](/fact-file/magical-miscellany/yule-ball) dates, she was always perfectly poised which is something you appreciate.

## May: The thoroughly good Cedric Diggory is who you’re drawn to

![HP-F4-goblet-fire-cho-cedric-walking-into-yule-ball-together-happy-web-landscape](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/7Gg3rW3wpho401kh28ueXG/2ce6bdeb293a9f962407b31ab38c3c2b/HP-F4-goblet-fire-cho-cedric-walking-into-yule-ball-together-happy-web-landscape)

You have no time for people that like to play games in relationships. You abhor anyone who has a mean streak. You really can’t stand when people are rude to those around them. This is why [Cedric Diggory](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/cedric-diggory) is the perfect person for you. Despite being handsome, intelligent and an extremely talented wizard, this [Hufflepuff](/fact-file/magical-miscellany/hufflepuff) was also humble. He was *good*. He helped Harry despite him being his [Triwizard](/fact-file/magical-miscellany/triwizard-tournament) rival and never let being the rising star at [Hogwarts](/fact-file/locations/hogwarts) go to his head. Cedric is a partner you would always feel safe with… and he is perfect for you.

## June: Your soulmate is Lavender Brown who wears her heart on her sleeve

![HP-F6-half-blood-prince-weasleys-wizard-wheezes-lavendar-looking-at-ron-web-landscape](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/41iicwNjHTdrMVNZoiTdoC/ddf961f7074d912a9307c0dc9e2716aa/HP-F6-half-blood-prince-weasleys-wizard-wheezes-lavendar-looking-at-ron-web-landscape)

As someone who is often described as vivacious and an open book, you have real difficulty bonding with people who are closed off or reserved. You find those who keep their cards close to their chest rather unsettling – which is why [Lavender Brown](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/lavender-brown) is your soulmate. Whether she was snogging Ron in front of the whole [Gryffindor common room](/fact-file/locations/the-gryffindor-common-room) or giving him gaudy necklaces as a token of her affection, she was not afraid of her emotions or letting everyone else see them. This type of openness is something you can’t help but be drawn to.

## July: Your perfect match is loyal Neville Longbottom

![HP WB F4 Neville and his plant crop ](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/66z5lwGFVYTJTiW2dNdKfw/e99e49796545303b7dec644c11004840/NevilleLongbottom_WB_F4_NevilleLongbottomWithPlantPromoShot_Promo_080615_CROP.jpg)

Don’t underestimate [Neville](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/neville-longbottom). He might have initially been a clumsy underdog, but he soon surpassed that and became a [sword-of-Gryffindor-wielding](/fact-file/objects/the-sword-of-gryffindor) hero. One who was loyal to his friends, his school and loyal to what was right. As someone born in July, this is what you would like to find in a partner. You don’t want a person who could easily be swayed. You want someone who is as committed to you as Neville is to his [Mimbulus mimbletonia](/fact-file/plants-and-potions/mimbulus-mimbletonia), which is why he is the one for you.

## August: The logical and intelligent Hermione Granger is the one for you

![HP-F7-deathly-hallows-part-one-hermione-bill-fleur-wedding-red-dress-web-landscape](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/5aJclseoYsrr4a0y0XPiQY/be44e1bfabc2a5f7422ed6e87a5df30e/HP-F7-deathly-hallows-part-one-hermione-bill-fleur-wedding-red-dress-web-landscape)

As somebody who is known for their sharp mind and love of learning, we think you and the [cleverest witch of her age](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/hermione-granger), who takes the largest books out of the [Hogwarts library](/fact-file/locations/the-hogwarts-library) for ‘light reading’, would get on like a house on fire. Your days would be spent verbally sparring with each other, debating Ancient Rune translations and generally broadening your minds and you wouldn’t want it any other way.

## September: The discerning Draco Malfoy is your wizarding soulmate

![WB-F3-draco-in-care-of-magical-creatures-with-monster-book-of-monsters-web-landscape](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/4FeDA9gWYlkm3iFXZMUOF5/47927d38da6fcc8d4660a5cd92a7e6d6/WB-F3-draco-in-care-of-magical-creatures-with-monster-book-of-monsters-web-landscape.jpg)

There’s nothing wrong with being shrewd or ambitious, these are traits that you rather admire. In fact, you find someone who knows exactly what they want and how to get it extremely attractive. This is why [Draco Malfoy](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/draco-malfoy) is the one for you. We are in no way saying you are prejudiced or a bully like he was. However, the embodiment of [Slytherin](/fact-file/magical-miscellany/slytherin) traits, he was not afraid to openly say he liked the finer things in life or believe he deserved them – just like you.

## October: Fiery Ginny Weasley is your magical match

![GinnyWeasley WB F6 GinnyAtSlughornsParty Still 080615 Land](//contentful.harrypotter.com/usf1vwtuqyxm/4otWY19HKE4WyOOy4Q0wSu/66177ea78a84f5e28b9fb79b2b961e51/GinnyWeasley_WB_F6_GinnyAtSlughornsParty_Still_080615_Land.jpg)

If there was a witch that knew exactly who she was, it was [Ginny Weasley](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/ginny-weasley). Having had a rough start at Hogwarts she blossomed into a fierce and phenomenal person – with an excellent talent for the [Bat-Bogey Hex](/fact-file/spells/the-bat-bogey-hex). That self-assuredness is something that you are looking for in a partner. You don’t want somebody who doesn’t take the time to work on being the best version of themselves. You want someone who is confident and powerful – exactly like Ginny.

## November: Harry Potter’s bravery is what makes him your soulmate

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[Harry Potter](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/harry-potter) is not afraid to confront the difficult things in life. He doesn’t shy away from a challenge or let fear stop him. He puts himself out there whether that’s soaring through the sky on his [broomstick](/fact-file/objects/broomstick), fighting the forces of evil or summoning up the courage to ask his crush to the Yule Ball. This is something that you strongly relate to. You’re not one to be called timid and you can’t stand cowardice. We’re not saying you’re necessarily an extrovert, but you stand up when it matters and that’s why Harry is your ultimate wizarding soulmate.

## December: The glass half-empty Moaning Myrtle is your perfect match

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There is no person that gets on your nerves more than the one who is relentlessly optimistic. You don’t have time from all that chirpiness and being constantly told to look on the bright side. In fact, being stuck with someone like that would be your worst nightmare. You want someone who will always look on the gloomy side – which is why [Moaning Myrtle](/fact-file/characters-and-pets/moaning-myrtle) (emphasis on the *Moaning*) is your perfect match. Despite her crush on Harry Potter, with your maudlin outlook, we’re sure you could win her over and many (un)happy centuries sitting in the [u-bend of a Hogwarts toilet](/fact-file/locations/moaning-myrtles-bathroom) discussing all the reasons why everything is awful.

For beginners, for novices, for Harry Potter superfans going 20 years-strong, dig deep into the wizarding world with our collection of features.

Features - Wizarding World

How the Hogwarts Professors act like a family unit

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## The patriarch of the family: Dumbledore

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Dumbledore taking a baby Harry to Privet Drive.

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and the Philosopher's Stone 

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Nobody could dispute the fact that Dumbledore was in charge at Hogwarts, not even his enemies. As he once told Lucius Malfoy, then chair of the Hogwarts governors:

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…you will find that I will only truly have left this school when none here are loyal to me.

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and the Chamber of Secrets

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Which never really happened, did it? Even after his death a few years later, certain brave students remained loyal to Dumbledore. Picture Neville, sneaking around the Hogwarts corridors at night to daub ‘Dumbledore’s Army, Still Recruiting’ on the walls while the Carrow siblings blustered about. And later, Harry arriving at the Headmaster’s office when the battle was over, seeking out Dumbledore’s portrait to seek “one last piece of advice.”

In his lifetime, Dumbledore’s approval and advice was sought by many students and teachers. Even the [Minister for Magic](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/ministers-for-magic) himself, Cornelius Fudge, asked Dumbledore for help, at least in the early days. Dumbledore made his students and his staff feel safe. He steered the Hogwarts ship through choppy waters time and time again, seemingly unflappable and always willing to extend the warmest of welcomes. It’s no wonder so many remained loyal to him for so long. He even got Snape on side, for goodness sake. 

## The maternal figure: McGonagall


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If Dumbledore was Hogwarts’ leader, then Professor McGonagall was definitely his second-in-command. Even before she literally marshalled troops to protect Hogwarts in the final battle with Voldemort, McGonagall was fierce in her loyalty both to Dumbledore and to the school she would later lead herself – in [Cursed Child](https://www.wizardingworld.com/discover/on-stage), McGonagall became Hogwarts’ Headmistress, and she guarded the school every bit as closely as Dumbledore.

Her loyalty was particularly fierce when it came to her own house, Gryffindor. She was not afraid to challenge or even punish her students when warranted, but she always looked out for them. When she sat Harry down and told him, over a biscuit, to be careful around Professor Umbridge, for example. Or when she gave Neville a much-needed confidence boost as he struggled with his grandmother’s expectations:


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It’s high time your grandmother learned to be proud of the grandson she’s got, rather than the one she thinks she ought to have – particularly after what happened at the Ministry.

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and the Half-Blood Prince

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Because McGonagall noticed things about her students. She was shrewd and strict, yes, but she also supported them. In her way, she was every bit as fiercely maternal as, say, [Molly Weasley.](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/matriarchs-and-patriarchs-of-the-wizarding-and-muggle-worlds)

## The clever older brother: Flitwick


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Bright, courageous, and full of Ravenclaw wit and wisdom, Professor Flitwick might have been small in stature but he was certainly someone to look up to. He was a creative thinker who knew a lot about his subject, [Charms](https://www.wizardingworld.com/quiz/how-well-would-you-do-in-professor-flitwicks-charms-classes) – it was Flitwick’s talents Professor McGonagall called upon to help defend Hogwarts during the final battle, and in happier times, Flitwick’s delightful Christmas decorations were the talk of his classroom.

But he also had a few other tricks up his sleeve. Given he was apparently once a champion dueller, perhaps it shouldn’t have surprised us when Flitwick was the one to chase Snape out of Hogwarts, or to see him battle some of Voldemort’s best Death Eaters. As modest as he was, Flitwick never showed off his skills, although he undoubtedly had many. As we said: certainly someone to look up to.

## The entertaining aunt: Sprout


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Professor Sprout also knew her subject, Herbology, inside out and back-to-front. Her classroom was full of surprises. From re-potting Mandrakes to squeezing Bubotuber pus to juicing Snargaluff pods, it might have been messy and occasionally smelly (her preferred fertiliser was dragon dung), but Herbology with [Professor Sprout](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/why-professor-sprout-was-the-perfect-head-of-hufflepuff) was never boring.

Which some might also say about Sprout herself. With her flyway hair, earth-covered clothes and mud-encrusted fingernails Harry once imagined would make his Aunt Petunia faint, Sprout might have cut a somewhat dishevelled figure, but she was not one to be underestimated. Professor Sprout was a no-nonsense, down-to-earth, determined woman who loved her students and was willing to defend Hogwarts with whatever weapons she could find – including Mandrakes. We imagine she’d be great fun to have a cup of tea with, if you could drag her away from the greenhouse.

## The needlessly strict (and unfairly indulgent) uncle: Snape

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A troll lies unconscious on the floor of the girls' bathroom. Harry, Ron, Hermione, Quirrell, Snape and McGonagall stand around it.

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For students in his house, Slytherin, Professor Snape could be indulgent. He often turned a blind eye to Draco Malfoy’s bad behaviour – when a spell Draco aimed at Harry inadvertently hit Hermione, causing her teeth to grow past her chin, not only did Snape not reprimand him, but his response to Hermione was just cruel. 

Conversely, he’d dock points from Harry and other Gryffindors for anything that took his fancy: taking library books outside school, helping Neville with his Shrinking Solution, even answering questions in class (those last two were Hermione, in case you wondered.)

So unless you were sat at the Slytherin table, we can’t imagine Snape being a popular dinner guest. Still, he did occasionally reel his disdain in enough to sit down for a quasi-family gathering, as when he joined the rest of the teachers for Christmas dinner in *Prisoner of Azkaban*. He might have been reluctant to pull a cracker, but under Dumbledore’s fatherly eye at least he couldn’t needlessly take points from Gryffindor.

## The eccentric one you humour during the holidays: Trelawney 


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Professor Trelawney is standing in the courtyard upset after being sacked while Professor McGonagall comforts her. Professor Umbridge and Argus Filch are stood there too

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and the Order of the Phoenix

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Speaking of that infamous Christmas dinner, Professor Trelawney’s unexpected appearance was a masterclass in eccentricity. Like many relatives you only see during the holidays, Trelawney saw no need to moderate her behaviour or swallow down her opinions for the select group of people with whom she had little in common (save their shared love of Hogwarts, perhaps). On the contrary, she gave all her baseless predictions and fateful dramatics full reign. 

She didn’t, however, take McGonagall up on her offer of tripe.

## The loveable cousin: Hagrid


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Hagrid sat outside of his hut playing the flute. Fang is lying on the grass in front of him.

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Undemanding and understanding, Hagrid might not have been the most book-smart professor at Hogwarts, but if we were throwing a Hogwarts family reunion his name would definitely be at the top of the invite list. We like to think he’d turn up with a bottle of mulled mead and some rock cakes, possibly in his [hairy brown suit](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/ranked-wizarding-fashion-icons-web), maybe in the company of Fang or some other fearsome creature, hopefully not doused in that cologne he once wore to meet Madame Maxine – but regardless of his party garb we’re sure he’d bring the fun. And, really, what more can we say?

The Hogwarts Legacy Hogsmeade Crossword

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How much do you know about Hogsmeade in the 1800s? 

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For all the latest news, videos and features on [Hogwarts Legacy](https://www.wizardingworld.com/hogwarts-legacy), our handy hub has everything you need.

The Hogwarts Legacy professors wordsearch

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Good luck with this one - or else it might be detention...

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[See our latest wordsearches, crosswords and Number Magic puzzles over at our hub](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/potter-puzzles)

Or if you want to learn more about [Hogwarts Legacy](https://www.wizardingworld.com/hogwarts-legacy), the game, we have a handy hub full of fun videos, interviews, behind-the-scenes looks, and much more. 

Muggle on the Street: See the fan reaction to the upcoming Harry Potter tv series

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Join us for more Potter ponderings in a fresh episode of Muggle on the Street right here. What are fans looking forward to about the TV series? What are they hoping to see in it? And how did their Harry Potter journey even begin? Find out...

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The young Hufflepuff fan whose favourite character is VOLDEMORT? You contain multitudes, sir. 

***

You can catch up on our previous episode of Muggle on the Street in Atlanta [right here](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/watch-our-new-video-series-muggle-on-the-street) - and keep an eye out for where we're going next!

Who knows - perhaps we'll bump into you for our next episode. 

Welcome home – the Harry Potter characters who found home at Hogwarts

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Harry smiling while sat in a compartment on the Hogwarts Express

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

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and the Prisoner of Azkaban

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## Tom Riddle

From the moment they first crossed paths, the similarities between [Tom Riddle, aka Voldemort](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/unravelling-the-riddle-of-tom), and Harry, the boy he would later try and kill, were pretty clear. In *Chamber of Secrets*, when Harry encountered the diary-preserved form of Tom Riddle, Riddle remarked:

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…there are strange likenesses between us, Harry Potter. Even you must have noticed. Both half-bloods, orphans, raised by Muggles. Probably the only two Parselmouths to come to Hogwarts since the great Slytherin himself. We even look something alike…

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And Voldemort's actions only strengthened those connections. In trying to kill Harry as a baby, Voldemort actually made him into a Horcrux. Years later, in taking Harry's blood, Voldemort bound them together even more tightly. They were both descended from the Peverells. They had wands that shared a core. And of course, they were both alone until they came to Hogwarts: two Muggle-raised half-bloods arriving in a place they could finally feel at home.

Tom Riddle might have come to Hogwarts with an over-inflated sense of his own worth – when Dumbledore came to offer Riddle a place, he said he'd always known he was special – but there’s no doubt his childhood had been tough. With no family to speak of, raised in an orphanage where he didn’t fit in, Hogwarts gave Riddle a sense of himself, a history he could claim, and access to friends who would later become followers. It's fair to say he took advantage of all these things, but we can’t blame Hogwarts for the mockery Riddle made of his welcome.

## Severus Snape

Riddle might have immediately felt he’d found his rightful place at Hogwarts, but for [Severus Snape](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/severus-snape), the process seemed more gradual. 

Snape also had something of an unhappy childhood. There were lots of arguments, and Snape’s father didn't like magic, or anything, much. So Hogwarts, which Snape talked about endlessly before he arrived, represented a new beginning. Snape was Sorted into his house of choice, Slytherin; welcomed by prefect Lucius Malfoy; and became friends with Avery and Mulciber, who all later became Death Eaters. Meanwhile, his interest in Dark Magic grew, as he recorded nasty spells in his Half-Blood Prince textbook.

But if Hogwarts represented a new beginning for Snape, then it was a story that quickly turned dark. And it might have been even worse, were it not for one person: [Lily Evans](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/unsung-heroes-of-harry-potter-stories-lily-potter). 

While Snape’s friendship with Lily didn't prevent him from exploring the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, she did at least force him to think twice and consider his choice of friends. It was Lily who pointed out Avery and Mulciber’s cruelty, and Lily who called Snape out for using the word Mudblood. But even she couldn't stop him from going down that dark path, so when Lily finally cut ties, Snape no longer had any reason not to become a Death Eater himself.

And when it all, finally, really fell apart for Snape – when Lily was dead – where did he go? He went back to Hogwarts. Back to the place he’d been so desperate to get to, the one place he could call home. After that, it seems, he never left.

## Harry Potter

In the final chapters of *Deathly Hallows*, as Harry walked through the Hogwarts grounds towards Voldemort and towards his death, he reflected on the similarities between himself, Riddle and Snape:


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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

He and Voldemort and Snape, the abandoned boys, had all found home here…

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Just as Riddle and Snape before him, Harry arrived at Hogwarts’ huge front door from a world where he'd never felt at home. Like Riddle, he preferred to stay at Hogwarts for the school holidays. Like Snape, he found belonging in his Hogwarts house. But he had an instinctive distaste for the kind of pure-blood ideals Voldemort was drawn to, and he never sought to use his time at Hogwarts to build followers or explore Dark Magic.

For Harry, Hogwarts was simply home. Obviously it wasn't all plain sailing, but those visits to Hagrid’s hut, the parties in Common Room, the meals in the Great Hall, the games on the Quidditch pitch – that was where Harry was truly himself. And as he faced those final moments, he recognised just how much Hogwarts had given him. Dumbledore once told Harry 'It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities…’ and if Riddle chose to make a mockery of the welcome Hogwarts gave him, then Harry’s choice – to sacrifice himself on the grounds of the one place he’d ever felt welcomed – showed the depths of his appreciation.

## Honorable mentions

Harry, Voldemort and Snape weren’t the only abandoned children to find a home at Hogwarts. That draughty castle provided a warm welcome to many students over the years, including…

## Neville Longbottom

Not only was [Neville](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/pottermore-neville-longbottom-infographic) living without his parents before he arrived at Hogwarts, his relatives had so little faith in his magical abilities he once got dangled out of a window by his ankles. But as anxious and self-conscious as he may have been when he arrived, by the end of his school career Neville was a [sword-carrying Gryffindor through-and-through](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/why-neville-longbottom-was-always-a-true-gryffindor), leading rebellions and killing snakes and taking on Voldemort without batting an eyelid. Hogwarts nurtured Neville. He found friends and interests and talents to take forward into adult life, eventually becoming a Hogwarts professor himself.

## Hagrid

[Hagrid](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/10-things-you-might-not-know-about-hagrid)’s hut was as much of a Hogwarts fixture as the Great Hall and the Quidditch Pitch.  Not even being expelled – and then, years later, arrested – after being unjustly accused of opening the Chamber of Secrets could tear Hagrid away from his home for long, and we have Dumbledore to thank for that. As Harry himself said in the film version of *Chamber of Secrets*: ‘There’s no Hogwarts without you, Hagrid.’

## Professor Trelawney

Hagrid wasn't the only Hogwarts professor Dumbledore allowed to stay after others attempted to force them out. [Sybill Trelawney](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/sybill-trelawney) might have been a questionable Divination teacher but she, like many of Harry's professors, had made her home at Hogwarts. Dumbledore wouldn't hear of her being kicked out, even if it did mean angering Umbridge even more than he had done already.

## Dumbledore

Lastly, there was [Dumbledore](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/things-you-may-not-have-noticed-about-albus-dumbledore) himself. So closely associated was Dumbledore with the school he led for so many years, he was even laid to rest there after his death. Which is pretty fitting. After all, Dumbledore's Hogwarts was a place of welcome and refuge, so it makes sense that it became the final home for the man who did so much to make it one.

How would you fight during the Battle of Hogwarts?

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## If you think you’d be a great army general… your Battle of Hogwarts inspiration would be Professor McGonagall 

She was the undisputed Queen of Transfiguration, and Professor Minerva McGonagall certainly used that skill to great effect during the Battle of Hogwarts. In fact, one of the very first things McGonagall did after Harry caught her up on the whole Voldemort-is-coming situation was cast a spell to animate the Hogwarts statues and suits of armour. Then, like a general marshalling her troops, she sent them off to guard the castle, brandishing swords and spiked balls on chains as they clattered and clashed through the corridors. Later, we also witnessed McGonagall shepherding a herd of galloping desks, hair askew as she screamed ‘CHARGE!’, and that is something we won’t forget in a hurry.

Whether in battle or at the front of her classroom, Professor McGonagall was always at the top of the Transfiguration game. You could also say the same of another Hogwarts Transfiguration teacher and Deputy Headmistress, [Professor Matilda Weasley](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/all-the-hogwarts-legacy-characters-we-know-about). Professor Weasley, who taught at Hogwarts in the 1890s, appears in [Hogwarts Legacy](https://www.wizardingworld.com/hogwarts-legacy) – and if you’ve ever fancied yourself as a star Transfiguration student, she might just be the one to help you realise those ambitions. We cannot promise galloping desks, but if you like the idea of turning one thing into something else then Hogwarts Legacy could be your ticket to ride.

## If you’d focus on protection before attack… your Battle of Hogwarts inspiration would be Professor Flitwick

Whilst his fellow teachers readied for battle, Professor Filius Flitwick’s complicated charms focused on layering up Hogwarts’ defences. He might have worked from a distance, but his spells were by no means insignificant. Quite the opposite: when he pointed his wand through the Snape-smashed window and began muttering his complex incantations it was, as Harry noted, as if he had *‘…unleashed the power of the wind into the grounds…’*

And although he understood the importance of defence, Flitwick was also prepared to fight when needed. He was actually the first to attack Snape – also by animating a suit of armour – when he, Sprout and Slughorn discovered McGonagall and Snape mid-duel. Later on in the battle, he duelled Death Eaters with the rest of them and even felled Dolohov, the Azkaban escapee who’d previously murdered Molly Weasley’s brothers. 

But Flitwick's protections were Hogwarts’ first line of defence, and they bought Harry valuable time. So if you, too, are able to think calmly under pressure and focus on the bigger picture, Flitwick would be your battle guide.

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Professor Sprout is teaching a Herbology class in the greenhouse. She is holding a Mandrake up in the air.

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## If you’re a creative thinker (with a love of plants)… your Battle of Hogwarts inspiration would be Professor Sprout

As Professor Pomona Sprout said when Flitwick worried they couldn’t keep Voldemort out for long: *‘…we can hold him up.’*

When McGonagall explained the impending battle situation to her fellow professors, Professor Sprout knew what was what. She didn’t panic or dwell on anxieties but immediately turned her attention towards possible solutions. She also drew on her extensive subject knowledge to identify plants that could be used defensively – Venemous Tentacula, Devil’s Snare, Snargaluff pods. Now that’s someone who knew her subject inside out, and was not afraid to use her knowledge in unexpected ways. 

If you’re also able to think on your feet, and particularly if you’ve ever wanted to throw Venemous Tentacula at an enemy and watch it reel them in, we know a way to channel your inner Professor Sprout. [Hogwarts Legacy](https://www.wizardingworld.com/hogwarts-legacy) allows players to experience the Herbology style of fighting just as Professor Sprout (and Neville) did during the Battle of Hogwarts. You can take down enemies using combat plants including Chinese Chomping Cabbages, Mandrakes, and – yes – Venomous Tentaculas. So put those wands away, get your Herbology thinking hats on, and arm yourself with some of the wizarding world’s best defensive plantlife. 

## If you’d be willing to use whatever tools were at your disposal… your Battle of Hogwarts inspiration would be Professor Trelawney 

Professor Sybill Trelawney’s credentials as a Seer might have been as foggy as the future she attempted to interpret, but her crystal balls did have one clear use: they made great weapons. During the Battle of Hogwarts, Trelawney’s tennis serve of a throw saw her hit Fenrir Greyback squarely on the head, right after Hermione’s spell had blasted him away from Lavender Brown. Knocked out cold by a crystal ball. Nobody saw that one coming, now, did they? 

But desperate times call for desperate measures, and for all her vaguely hysterical and often inaccurate predictions, Trelawney knew when to cut the act and join the action. The fact that she used her precious crystal balls as weapons in order to help defend her home shows she knew where her loyalties were. And if you, too, would use whatever means necessary in defence of something or someone you loved: well, grab a crystal ball.


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## If you’ve ever secretly fancied trying out an Unforgivable Curse… your Battle of Hogwarts inspiration would be the Death Eaters

Look, we’re not judging – at the beginning of the Battle of Hogwarts even Harry tried out an Unforgivable Curse, using Crucio on Amycus Carrow after he spat in McGonagall’s face.


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‘I see what Bellatrix meant,’ said Harry, the blood thundering through his brain, ‘you need to really mean it.’

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Think you could cast an Unforgivable Curse and really mean it? Get on [Hogwarts Legacy](https://www.wizardingworld.com/hogwarts-legacy) – you can try out curses and all manner of other of Dark Arts-infused spells and charms. Because we get it. Sometimes you’ve just got to try these things for yourself. After all, seeing someone spit in the face of the Queen of Transfiguration herself, for example: well, that would really get our blood boiling.

A magical inheritance: the symbolism of objects in the wizarding world

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## Sirius Black and Grimmauld Place

[Sirius](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/chapter-that-made-us-fall-in-love-with-sirius-black) inherited Grimmauld Place – along with its collection of dark objects and his mother’s portrait – because he was the last surviving Black. This was despite deliberately cutting ties with his family, running away at sixteen and later joining the Order of the Phoenix to work against Voldemort even as his younger brother, Regulus, joined the Death Eaters.

All of which is to say that, in the Black family, inheritance followed a specific path, regardless of where that path led. Dumbledore later confirmed this, telling Harry: *‘Black family tradition decreed that the house was handed down the direct line, to the next male with the name of Black.’*

This direct line was broken when Sirius died and was able to will the house to Harry, but if we assume the Blacks were typical of so-called ‘sacred’ wizarding world families obsessed with blood-status, then inheritance seems to have been focused on upholding established patriarchal norms. The fact they followed this strict hierarchy is not surprising when you think about other Black family behaviours: beheading house-elves when they died, the conviction that to be a Black ‘made you practically royal’, the insistence on only marrying pure-bloods. 

So when you really look at it, the way Sirius extracted himself from his family was pretty remarkable. And while he may have hated being back in Grimmauld Place, his inheritance of that house meant he was able to leave it to Harry, which broke a lot more than an old family tradition: it ended the Black’s pure-blood line of inheritance, for good.

## Harry’s Invisibility Cloak

Harry might have inherited a whole house from his godfather, but his father’s [Invisibility Cloak](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/7-times-harrys-invisibility-cloak-came-in-handy) was something else. When it was later revealed as the third Deathly Hallow – a cloak ‘that really and truly renders the wearer completely invisible, and endures eternally, giving constant and impenetrable concealment, no matter what spells are cast at it', to use Xenophlius Lovegood’s description – it became clear that the Invisibility Cloak he first used to sneak around Hogwarts held great significance. It meant Harry was related to Ingotus Peverell, the cloak’s original owner and one of the three brothers immortalised in *The Tales of Beetle the Bard*. It gave him, a boy who spent his formative years with Muggles, access to a wizarding world history that was literally the stuff of legend. It made him the true possessor of one of the three Hallows, a set of magical objects so steeped in mythology even Dumbledore was once obsessed by them.

So it’s probably not surprising that when Harry discovered the Hallows and realised he owned one he, too, became briefly obsessed. Reckless, even (see: shouting out Voldemort’s name when talking about the first Hallow – the Elder Wand – forgetting it was Taboo, and therefore getting himself, Ron and Hermione captured by Snatchers.) But as the Horcrux hunt continued to demand more and more, Harry soon let go of his Hallows obsession. There was even a moment when he possessed all three Hallows but in the end, the Invisibility Cloak was the only one he chose to keep. Because he understood that only the cloak was truly his.

## The Gaunt family ring (including the Resurrection Stone)

Harry wasn’t the only Peverell ancestor to possess a Hallow without any knowledge of its true significance. 

Voldemort’s grandfather Marvolo Gaunt lived in squalor but prided himself on his ancestry, and particularly prized the objects that underscored his family’s pure-blood status. One such object was [a ring bearing what Gaunt believed was the Peverell coat of arms](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/magical-properties-and-defences-of-voldemorts-horcruxes), which could also have been the symbol of the Deathly Hallows and certainly contained the second Deathly Hallow: the Resurrection Stone. Now, wizarding world history is long and, as Sirius once told Harry, all the pure-blood families were interrelated, so perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise to discover Voldemort and Harry were both descended from the Peverells, but it was an interesting connection. 

Still, as with so many of the strange similarities between them, the way Voldemort and Harry treated those family heirlooms showed how different they were. Harry chose to keep and use his Invisibility Cloak, eventually passing it down to his son, James, as we learned in Cursed Child. On the other hand, Voldemort, apparently not aware of the Resurrection Stone, prized the ring solely for its value and status as a Peverell artefact. He stole it from his uncle Morfin, then ensured Morfin was imprisoned for the deaths of the Riddles, Voldemort’s Muggle family. And once he had the ring he didn’t put it away to treasure as an ancestral heirloom. Oh no. He turned it into a Horcrux. 

Even if Gaunt would never willingly have given his half-Muggle grandson his most treasured possession, it’s clear Voldemort valued the ring for the same reasons. He saw it as a symbol of his connection to the Peverells, and that was important because it gave him an established lineage.

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Harry Potter grabs the Slytherin locket from the cave.

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## Slytherin’s locket 

Gaunt’s other prized possession was a locket that once belonged to another ancestor, Salazar Slytherin. As with the ring, Gaunt treasured it *‘…just as much as his son, and rather more than his daughter’*, as Dumbledore told Harry.

And again, Voldemort followed his grandfather’s lead. He revered the ring as a high-status item. Once again, it connected him directly to someone he viewed as an illustrious ancestor – in this case, the founder of Slytherin house. 

But the locket caused Voldemort significantly more trouble than the ring. After his mother, Merope, stole it from his grandfather and sold it to Borgin and Burkes, the locket was bought by a witch called Hepzibah Smith to add to her collection of rare artefacts – she also owned Helga Hufflepuff’s cup, which her family apparently couldn’t wait to get their hands on. And as soon as Voldemort heard the tale, he couldn’t wait to get his hands on both artefacts, adding Hufflepuff’s cup to his Horcrux collection, as he did with the Slytherin locket he saw as rightfully his.

And so, for a while there were two Gaunt-owned family heirlooms containing a piece of Voldemort’s soul knocking about. We don’t know exactly what happened to the locket after Ron used the Sword of Gryffindor to destroy its horrible Horcrux soul, but we doubt Voldemort would ever have passed it on in the way Harry passed his Invisibility Cloak onto James.

## Lucius Malfoy’s Dark Arts collection

As one of Voldemort’s chief Death Eaters (at least, while the going was good), Lucius Malfoy shared his master’s love of a dark object, although he didn’t really treat Voldemort’s Horcruxes with due reverence. Of course, he probably didn’t know the diary he slipped in amongst Ginny Weasley’s books in *Chamber of Secrets* contained a sliver of his master’s soul, but for a man his son would later (in *Cursed Child*) call *‘a true collector... of Dark Magic’*, he was a little cavalier with some items in his possession.

Perhaps that’s because Lucius Malfoy was in no doubt about his inheritance. He didn’t need objects to underscore his pure-blood lineage, he seemingly liked to collect them for their own sake. After all, if Mr Borgin’s mutterings were to be believed, Malfoy Manor was stuffed as full of dark arts objects as the Black’s home, albeit perhaps a little less cluttered.

It’s interesting, then, to think that without Lucius Malfoy’s collection of dark artefacts his son, Draco, might never have been able to team up with his old enemy, Harry, to rescue their sons and prevent the return of Voldemort. Because in *Cursed Child*, Lucius Malfoy’s illegally-owned Time Turner enabled Draco, Harry, Ginny, Hermione and Ron to travel back to 1981 and save the wizarding world. Now, what would Voldemort say about that? 

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## Ron Weasley’s chess set

Like the Blacks and the Malfoys, the Weasleys were one of those old, established, wizarding world families. But unlike the Blacks and the Malfoys, the Weasleys did not care a jot about blood status, and their house was not stuffed full of dark artefacts (unless you count some of those Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes products.)

But that is not to say the Weasleys didn’t pass items down within the family. On the contrary, Ron arrived at Hogwarts with inherited items coming out of his ears: Bill’s old robes, Charlie's old wand, Percy’s old rat (ahem) and his [grandfather’s old wizard chess set](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/how-ron-weasleys-wizard-chess-match-showed-his-true-potential). He had issues with some of these hand-me-downs, it’s true, but the skills he developed playing with his family’s chess set meant he was able to take on Professor McGonagall’s giant chess game at the end of *Philosopher’s Stone*, allowing Harry to eventually find and recover the Philosopher’s Stone and securing fifty points for Gryffindor in the process.

Chess sets aside, the Weasleys didn’t have an abundance of valuable magical objects to pass on, but Ron did inherit some pretty significant things from his family. A feeling of belonging, a sense of justice, and an attitude that said everybody was welcome, no matter what their blood status. These weren’t life-altering objects or Hallowed items, but without Ron (and, obviously, Ginny)’s Weasley inheritance, it’s fair to say Harry’s life in the wizarding world would have been much poorer.

The Molly Weasley wordsearch 

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Finish this wordsearch as quickly as you can, or Molly might send you a Howler!

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[See our latest wordsearches, crosswords and Number Magic puzzles over at our hub](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/potter-puzzles)

Matriarchs and patriarchs of the wizarding (and Muggle) worlds

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## Lucius Malfoy

What a delightful guy [Lucius Malfoy](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/why-lucius-malfoy-was-the-perfect-example-of-the-worst-slytherin-traits) was. Treating his House-Elf to regular death threats (five times a day, according to Dobby). Slipping Voldemort’s diary into Ginny Weasley’s old Transfiguration book. Securing Draco’s place as Slytherin Seeker by buying the whole Quidditch team new brooms. Such a long list of manipulative acts, it’s a wonder he had any time at all to give to his son. Maybe that’s why he never did appear to give Draco much time, or any warmth, and not a lot of love. 

We got our first glimpse of Lucius in Borgin and Burkes, selling off poisons and Dark objects as he snapped at his son over exam results. Imperious and disdainful, as a former Death Eater obsessed with pure-blood status, Lucius Malfoy seemingly expected his family to embody the same qualities. He encouraged Draco to look down on Muggle-borns and use the derogatory term, ‘Mudblood.’ The fact that Draco responded to those expectations almost to the letter shows how much he revered his father. Draco even accepted the seemingly impossible task Voldemort set him – killing Dumbledore – to make up for his father’s mistakes. Yes, Draco was Lucius’s son, through and through.

At least, he was for a while. In *Cursed Child* we saw Draco in a different light. His father’s influence on him loosened after the Battle of Hogwarts, and his marriage to Astoria seemingly softened some of the sinister views he’d inherited. And he certainly loved his son, Scorpius.

## Molly Weasley

Not all Wizarding World families were obsessed with their blood status, as the Weasleys’ demonstrate only too well. Frequently called blood traitors by those who favoured so-called ‘pure-blood’ families like the Malfoys, the Weasley family home was a warm and welcoming place for all their children’s friends, no matter their background.

Which is not to say that life at the Burrow had no structure. Life might have been chaotic at times, but the Weasley family had a consistent figurehead in [Molly Weasley](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/chapter-that-made-us-fall-in-love-with-molly-weasley). A talented cook with her own history of family rebellion – her brothers, Gideon and Fabian Prewett, were killed by Voldemort’s Death Eaters, and Molly herself could be a bit of a rebel, if her 4am stroll in the Hogwarts grounds was anything to go by – Molly was fiercely devoted to her family. She was not afraid to scold them when she felt their behaviour was out of line, but she’d also defend her husband and children literally to the death if required, as [Bellatrix Lestrange found out to her cost](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/mrs-weasleys-defining-moments-from-boggarts-to-bellatrix).

Molly’s ferociously protective nature could be suffocating at times, and she did not always get things right. She was wrong about Bill marrying Fleur, for example, and when she worried repeatedly about Fred and George’s education even though it was clear their interests lay elsewhere. But Molly led the Weasley family with love, and everyone knew it.

## Vernon Dursley

[Vernon Dursley](https://www.wizardingworld.com/writing-by-jk-rowling/vernon-and-petunia-dursley)’s approach to family, by contrast, did not seem to be driven by love as much as it was by appearances. What other people thought of them was very important to both Dursley parents and Petunia certainly had her own curtain-twitching foibles, but Vernon’s particular dedication to keeping up appearances made him do a lot of odd things. The way the Dursleys treated Harry was, of course, the prime example. Keeping him hidden as much as possible, trying to stop him from attending Hogwarts, locking up his school belongings and even Harry himself when he stepped out of line, refusing to acknowledge anything about Harry’s life in the wizarding world – well. The Dursleys definitely had a talent for avoiding any topic that threatened their normal, ordered existence. Instead, Vernon preferred to do things like admire his own company car as loudly as possible and to enrol his son, Dudley, in a school with a quaint uniform and a policy that allowed students to hit each other with a stick. Because for Vernon it was all about keeping up appearances and he did his best to make sure the Dursley’s appearance was always perfectly normal, thank you very much. 

## Augusta Longbottom

Neville Longbottom’s Gran was a force to be reckoned with. A formidable woman with a very distinctive way of dressing (fox-fur, stuffed-vulture hat), she expected a lot of the grandson she brought up after his parents were tortured into insanity by Bellatrix Lestrange and her husband. Such traumatic events might knocked the stuffing out of lesser witches and wizards, but [Augusta Longbottom](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/unsung-heroes-augusta-longbottom) would not be beaten. She was proud of her son and his wife and, in the end, she was very proud of her grandson, although it has to be said she did make him work for it. 

She certainly had no qualms about interfering in Neville’s education, trying to make him take Transfiguration for his OWLs (even though he hated the subject) rather than the Charms class he wanted (and which Augusta herself had failed). And she was very keen that he uphold his family name, reprimanding Neville when she believed he was ashamed of his parent’s fate. 

This attitude meant she was often stern with Neville, putting pressure on him to do well within the narrow confines that she demanded. But she also modelled for him a fierce pride and defiance that Neville, in his own way, exhibited from the beginning. It wasn’t for nothing that Dumbledore awarded Neville ten points for bravery at the end of Philosopher’s Stone. Even as a young, awkward first year, Neville displayed qualities that his grandmother could recognise, if she took the time to notice.


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