The ubiquity of cups of tea in the wizarding world is surely an inevitability. After all, Harry’s story is set in the UK, and Hogwarts is famously extremely cold. But the beloved beverage snuck up time-and-time again in the stories in both mundane and magical ways.

Hagrid swears by them

Rubeus Hagrid has a lot of creature comforts, and we’re not just talking about the creatures. Every time Harry, Ron and Hermione visited his friendly hut, a giant, steaming mug of tea would usually be waiting for them. And due to Hagrid’s generous stature, we were always pleased to see that his crockery was equally large. After all, what’s better than a cup of tea than a very, very big cup of tea?

Upon Harry’s first week at Hogwarts, it was actually a heartening offer of a cup of tea at his house that really kicked off his friendship with Hagrid. This simple beverage really can be the glue that holds a relationship together.

A cup of tea can sometimes have an ulterior motive

On a couple of occasions, a ‘cup of tea’ was basically an excuse for two characters to meet up and set the world to rights. Take Harry’s visit to Professor Lupin’s office in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. After a wobbly beginning with his new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, an offer of a cup of tea in his office was Lupin’s way of telling Harry he had his back.

Of course, we would soon find out about Lupin’s childhood friendships with Harry’s dad and Sirius Black – so we like to think this cup of tea was Lupin’s way of finally getting to connect with his old best friend’s son.

And it’s an excellent excuse to get out of an awkward situation

The power of a cup of tea is unparalleled – you can use it as an excuse to visit someone, to get away from your desk for five minutes – or even get out of uncomfortable social situations! It is, once again, the British way.

One amusing instance of this is during the house-cleaning mission at Grimmauld Place where one room has been inhabited with ‘spiders the size of saucers’. Curiously, Ron disappears from this scene to make a cup of tea for an hour and a half.

Another amusing scenario – again with the Weasleys – reveals the extreme usefulness of a cup of tea as an escape route. During Arthur’s recovery at St Mungo’s, Molly is incensed to discover he’s decided to experiment with Muggle stitches for his injuries. Everyone else, on the other hand, is suddenly extremely thirsty.

Or act as a peace offering?

Sometimes a cup of tea can just be a cup of tea. But sometimes, it can be representative of so much more.

One particularly poignant scene in the final book saw Harry accidentally tread on a full cup of tea outside his Privet Drive bedroom. At first, Harry assumed this was another of Dudley’s booby traps. After years of torment from his cousin, that would make the most sense, right?

Later, he discovered that no... no, Dudley had actually... made him a cup of tea. After Harry had rescued him from a traumatic Dementor attack earlier in the series, his cousin had tried to, heaven forbid, make amends. After an entire childhood of bullying Harry, this innocent cuppa was a huge moment in Dudley’s development, paving the path for an even bigger one: a handshake.

Although the cousins would never be bosom buddies, we couldn’t help but be slightly touched by this surprising olive branch. And by the time we reach the events of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, we learn the pair kept in touch into adulthood. Who’d have thought that Big D had it in him?

Then there’s the matter of tea leaves

Of course, it wouldn’t be the wizarding world if the most seemingly innocuous of things didn’t carry a magical quality. For wizards and witches, tea leave reading is an ancient art of Divination, although some find the practice somewhat woolly.

You can read about the different types of tea leave symbols here.

Unfortunately, having Professor Trelawney as a professor in the subject meant that Harry's tea leaves were always the most dire of outcomes - with the soggy leaves often forecasting his impending doom.

This is perhaps an instance where a hug in a mug is perhaps not so comforting. But for the most part, it tends to solve most of life’s problems.