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Wizarding hobbies Muggles would love to do (and a few Muggle hobbies wizards enjoy)

PMARCHIVE-Wizarding hobbies Muggles would love to do (and a few Muggle hobbies wizards enjoy)

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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone 

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and the Philosopher's Stone 

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Yes, really! This ancient wizard’s game, which resembles marbles, comes with a bit of a twist. For example, if you lose a point, your [gobstone](/writing-by-jk-rowling/gobstones) sprays you with foul-smelling liquid. So much fun! Known as a ‘minority sport’ due to its dwindling popularity, the chance to partake in a historical wizarding tradition from years gone by simply thrills us Muggles – even in the era of video games. 

You can read all about the history of Gobstones, by J.K. Rowling, [here](/writing-by-jk-rowling/gobstones).

## Wizards: Knitting

> ‘No, I was merely reading the Muggle magazines,’ said Dumbledore. ‘I do love knitting patterns.'<br>
> *Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince*
> 
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With the power to fly, transport wherever they need, and summon items to them in mere moments – you’d think any sort of Muggle labour would be above wizards. However, Albus Dumbledore is known to be quite fond of knitting patterns, and was once seen enjoying the Muggle magazines at Horace Slughorn’s hideaway.

He’s not the only one. In *Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone*, we see Hagrid knitting what looks like a ‘canary yellow circus tent’ (and to this day, [we still have no idea what this was for](/features/6-questions-we-still-have-about-harry-potter-and-the-philosophers-stone)) and of course there was Hermione’s short-lived pursuit of making little house-elf hats. Alas, quite unfairly, witches and wizards can knit magically, which surely takes the therapeutic nature out of the whole thing.

## Muggles: Quidditch

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A step up from Gobstones, we’re sure you all agree. Although we’d argue that this dangerous wizarding sport is not for everyone, most people would leap at the chance to get on a broom and start throwing Quaffles. Yes, Quidditch truly does seem like one of the most envy-inducing sports that wizardkind has over us, quite literally elevating our own sports, like football, to the next level. From magical mascots to state-of-the-art brooms, to an intriguing number of creative fouls, us Muggles simply can’t compete with the entertainment value. Although...

## Wizards: Rugby

Having said that, there is a strange fascination with the [Muggle sport rugby](/writing-by-jk-rowling/scottish-rugby) in the wizarding world. This all stemmed from the story of Angus Buchanan, a Squib who resided in the 19th century, who was kicked out by his father after lying about his lack of magical prowess, and joined the Muggle community to become a top-league rugby player. After publishing his book, *My Life as a Squib*, Angus’s rugby stardom achieved cult status in the wizarding world, with fans of his coming to attend matches. The thrill and theatrical nature of rugby appealed to wizards, although amusingly, they could never get their head round cricket, with one *Daily Prophet* review describing it thus: ‘A Beater who is unable to fly defends three sticks instead of a hoop, while a Snitch without wings is thrown at the sticks. That’s it. Sometimes for several days.’

## Wizards: DIY

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Alright, this particular hobby may be specific to one Arthur Weasley, but nonetheless his fascination with all things Muggle is a truly endearing trait – and also very ‘dad’ of him. Among Arthur’s favourite Muggle artefacts are definitely plugs – which he collects – but he’s also quite partial to screwdrivers. And then there’s his Ford Anglia, which he enjoyed taking apart and reconfiguring with magic. Imagine if you simply asked Arthur to put up some shelves for you - he would jump at the mundane opportunity. 

## Muggles: Wizard’s Chess

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Chess in the Muggle world is one of our oldest strategy games and has been around in some form since the 6th century. For wizards and witches, the boardgame is slightly edgier, with the chess pieces actually obliterating each other once they are taken. 

The most Muggles can do to replicate the magical game is to get really grumpy whenever they find themselves in stalemate - and start just throwing the pieces off the table in a huff. It’s not magical, but it gives the game a bit of a kick, maybe. 

*What wizarding hobby would you pick?*

Discover the films

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to Fantastic Beasts

The wizarding world cryptic crossword #3

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For our first cryptic crossword - [play it here.](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/wizarding-world-cryptic-crossword)

[Or our second, play here.](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/another-wizarding-world-cryptic-crossword)

And here is today's! 

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Yes, they are rather difficult. Take your time.

For more puzzles, crosswords and wordsearches, [visit our puzzles hub.](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/potter-puzzles) And we have even even more in our Wizarding World app. 

The Luna Lovegood wordsearch

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Thankfully, this wordsearch does not contain any Nargles.

<iframe width="600" height="650" allowtransparency="true" style="background: #FFFFFF" src="https://bridgecard.wizardingworld.com/wordsearch/20230128/00143/" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

For more crosswords and wordsearches, [visit our puzzles hub](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/potter-puzzles) or you can also enjoy Wizarding World challenges in our app. Scan the QR code below to check it out.

![wizarding-world-app-qr-code-with-padding](//images.ctfassets.net/usf1vwtuqyxm/19sj3D6vOwqCj1FAWayhW7/25a5a201a196b9e9b4bc03a44b34db34/QR-wizarding-world-app-code-with-padding.png)

The scariest Harry Potter moments 

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Here are some of the most frightening incidents from the stories.

## Is that dog looking at me?

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> ‘Lumos,’ Harry muttered, and a light appeared at the end of his wand, almost dazzling him. He held it high over his head, and the pebble-dashed walls of number two suddenly sparkled; the garage door gleamed, and between them, Harry saw, quite distinctly, the hulking outline of something very big, with wide, gleaming eyes.<br>
>*Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*
>

We’ll start off with one of the nicer ones. 

There are few more unsettling things than feeling like you’re being watched. When Harry caught the Knight Bus from Magnolia Crescent, he thought he could discern a mysterious (‘but massive’) dog skulking in the shadows. Back at Hogwarts, Ron unhelpfully suggested it might have been a Grim, which would have resulted in Harry’s immediate death. Thanks, Ron!

Later, during a game of Quidditch, he almost came off his broom when he saw ‘the silhouette of an enormous shaggy black dog’ in the otherwise empty top row of seats in the stand. As it happened, a pitch invasion of about a hundred Dementors made sure of that. The dog later dragged Ron into a gap of the roots of the Whomping Willow, breaking his leg in the process. Although it is soon revealed as Sirius, the sightings of the giant black dog provide the unsettling undercurrent throughout *Prisoner of Azkaban*.

## Give us a kiss

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We get introduced to the wraith-like Dementors, guardians of Azkaban, in *Prisoner of Azkaban*. But it’s actually the opening of the *Order of the Phoenix* where they make their most frightening intervention. Up until this point, you might have been under the impression that Little Whinging was a relatively safe – positively boring - haven for Harry. But after a bitter altercation with Dudley, in which Harry threatened him with his wand, something strange happened.

> The balmy evening was suddenly piercingly, bitingly cold. They were surrounded by total, impenetrable, silent darkness, as though some giant hand had dropped a thick, icy mantle over the entire alleyway, blinding them.<br>
>*Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*
>

The sound of ‘long, hoarse, rattling breaths’ can only mean one thing and the pair are swiftly ambushed by two Dementors. The smell of the Dementor’s putrid breath filling the air, his head a confusion of shrill laughter, all his happiness leaving him, it took all of Harry’s resolve to cast his Patronus to save Dudley from the Dementor crouched over him, preparing to kiss.

Harry Potter is full of deadly creatures – but the thought of having your soul sucked out is scarier than all of them put together. 

## When the Inferi made us never want to go back into the water

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Inferi being fought off with Dumbledore's flames in Horcrux Cave

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Hordes of zombies can be disconcerting, at the best of times. Early on in *Half-Blood Prince*, when Dumbledore explained the origins of the Inferi to Harry – that they are dead bodies bewitched to do a Dark wizard’s bidding, and that Voldemort had killed enough people to make an army of them – perhaps we should have taken that as a strong warning of what was to come.

> A slimy white hand had gripped his wrist, and the creature to whom it belonged was pulling him, slowly, backwards across the rock. The surface of the lake was no longer mirror-smooth; it was churning, and everywhere Harry looked, white heads and hands were emerging from the dark water, men and women and children with sunken, sightless eyes were moving towards the rock: an army of the dead rising from the black water.<br>
>*Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince*
>

In this climactic sequence in the cave, Dumbledore was prostrate on the floor having drained a cup of potion one too many times. As Harry desperately tried to revive him, he was helpless to repel the numbers of Inferi climbing out of the icy water that surrounded them – he tried numerous ineffective spells in the process (in fact, you could say he had an *Inferi-ority* complex). Even Sectumsempra was useless when the assailants had no blood left to spill. Luckily, Dumbledore snapped out of it in time to unleash a huge ring of fire, which consumed the Inferi and led to their escape – but the mere memory of them still sends icy chills.

## That Bathilda Bagshot moment

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Close-up film still of Bathilda Bagshot holding candle

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Following one of the most moving sequences in the stories, where Harry visited the grave of his parents, so cruelly murdered by Voldemort, the visit to Bathilda Bagshot’s cottage came as a huge shock. Maybe Harry and Hermione should have read the signs of the bad smell, or the poor state of Bathilda’s skin, or the fact that she doesn’t seem to be up for a chat. And certainly Bathilda’s seeming insistence for Harry to go upstairs with her, *just the two of them*. When he thought she had led him directly to the sword of Godric Gryffindor… Well, you know the rest… 

> And in the instant that he looked away, his eyes raking the tangled mess for a sword hilt, a ruby, she moved weirdly: he saw it out of the corner of his eye; panic made him turn and horror paralysed him as he saw the old body collapsing and the great snake pouring from the place where her neck had been.<br>
>*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*
>

## Harry encounters a baby Lord Voldemort at Kings Cross station 

> He recoiled. He had spotted the thing that was making the noises. It had the form of a small, naked child, curled on the ground, its skin raw and rough, flayed-looking, and it lay shuddering under a seat where it had been left, unwanted, stuffed out of sight, struggling for breath.<br>
>*Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*
>

There is no more surreal and disturbing scene than when Harry awoke in a white space full of cloudy vapour – at some strange point between life and death. The place, it transpired, was King’s Cross, with its glittering glass roof high above him. It seemed empty, apart from the ‘thumping and whimpering noises’ coming from the horrible creature he then encountered, which he instinctively wanted to comfort, but it repulsed him too much. 

Dumbledore appeared in this dream-like space to explain how Harry was Voldemort’s seventh Horcrux and to relate his own history with Grindelwald, during which Harry has to ignore the creature whimpering behind them. It is a revelatory moment in the stories, but the creature’s presence makes it a strange and horrifying pause before Harry finally fulfils his destiny.

## Lavender’s horrible sweetheart necklace

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> ‘It’s from Lavender,’ said Ron, sounding revolted. ‘She can’t honestly think I’d wear…’<br>
>*Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince*
>

One for all you lovers out there… sometimes the scariest things can come in strange forms. Never mind giant spiders, Ron’s Christmas present from Lavender Brown in *Half-Blood Prince* had the power of nightmares, and the essence of bad dreams for many teenage boys. The thick gold chain might have been bad enough, but the large gold letters spelling the words *‘My Sweetheart’* certainly sealed the deal. We’re sure Lavender meant well, but the level of saccharine is too much to handle. 

What are some of your favourite (or least favourite) scary moments? Let us know on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/pottermore).

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

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and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Find out which Hogwarts house you're in

Sorting Ceremony PROMO HOMEPAGE V3

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Harry Potter: Magic Awakened is launching globally this summer 

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The wait is almost over for global audiences excited to get their hands on Harry Potter: Magic Awakened. [Pre-register now and get ready to master the magic.](http://go.wbgames.com/MagicAwakened)

Harry Potter Magic Awakened | Coming soon worldwide 

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In the game, you’ll play as a young witch or wizard starting at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Fans will be able to customise their character accordingly and enjoy the many facets of wizarding world life, such as discovering your Hogwarts house, perusing supplies in Diagon Alley, learning spells that can be cast in the form of cards – and taking part in Duelling Club. There will also be an intriguing story running through the game as you accumulate magical knowledge – so expect to meet a few familiar characters – and some exciting new ones along the way.

With [Hogwarts Legacy](https://www.wizardingworld.com/hogwarts-legacy) continuing to cast its spell on fans, and the news of another upcoming game coming soon, [Quidditch Champions](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/harry-potter-quidditch-champions-invites-fans-to-play), its a big year for gaming gurus with a penchant for the Wizarding World.

You can visit our [Portkey Games page](https://www.portkeygames.com/) to learn more about all the offerings under our official gaming label.

Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions invites fans to be the first to play

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*Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions* is a fast-paced, online multiplayer game featuring the world’s most iconic magical sport. From Warner Bros. Games, under the [Portkey Games label](https://www.portkeygames.com/), it engages players in the sport of Quidditch and other broomstick adventures alongside friends in a competitive setting.

So, how to join the playtests? Simply visit [QuidditchChampions.WBGames.com ](https://quidditchchampions.wbgames.com/en?utm_source=wwd_web&utm_medium=newsarticle&utm_campaign=QuidditchChampions&utm_content=Games) to sign up for the chance to be a Quidditch Champion. 

***

While you wait for more info on *Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions*, you can still geek out with us about [Hogwarts Legacy over at our hub. ](https://www.wizardingworld.com/hogwarts-legacy)

Harry Potter: Magic Awakened reveals new story trailer 

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From your train journey to the Sorting Ceremony, Harry Potter: Magic Awakened will give you the full Hogwarts experience. The immersive collectible card and wizarding dueling game has already become the No.1 top grossing mobile game in Mainland China – and we love the unique artistic style this game is designed in. This latest look at the game puts you right in the center of the storyline, from Hagrid’s delivery of the Hogwarts letter to dueling lessons at Hogwarts.

Harry Potter Magic Awakened | Story Trailer

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As you can see, the game invites you to customise your look, go shopping in Diagon Alley and generally improve your magical knowledge – but we’re intrigued by some of the unfamiliar characters we see in the trailer too, such as the blonde Slytherin student intent on getting to her Potions class! 

[Harry Potter: Magic Awakened](https://www.wizardingworld.com/discover/portkey-games/harry-potter-magic-awakened) is one of many titles that sits under the Portkey Games label, which is dedicated to creating new Wizarding World mobile and video game experiences that place the player at the centre of their own adventure, inspired by J.K. Rowling’s original stories. You can learn more about Portkey Games here.

You can [pre-register on Google Play](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.netease.wb.goog.hpma&hl=en&gl=US&pli=1) or the [App Store](https://apps.apple.com/pl/app/harry-potter-magic-awakened/id1490196497) right now to learn more, or [visit the official website.](https://www.magicawakened.com/en-gb)