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The most bizarre things we learned from the Fantastic Beasts textbook

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## We might need to rethink the phrase ‘dead as a dodo’

The Diricawl – a ‘plump-bodied, fluffy-feathered, flightless bird’ from Mauritius, is a species we Muggles were once familiar with. In fact, we knew it by the name ‘dodo’ before we drove the species to extinction. 

But the dodo, according to this textbook, is not quite dead. Apparently the Muggle world overlooked the Diricawl’s ability to disappear at will, thinking the birds had vanished altogether. The wizarding world knew differently of course, but they’ve no plans to correct us any time soon – as the disappearance of the ‘dodo’ alerted us to the need to protect other species. 

## Billywigs can make you float forever

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They may be rumoured to provide the key ingredient for Fizzing Whizzbees, but there is a dark side to Billywig stings. Young witches and wizards have been known to deliberately provoke the insects into stinging so they can experience giddiness and levitation (certainly better than the pain of a wasp or bee sting!). The danger is that, in the case of severe allergic reaction, ‘permanent floating may ensue’. 

So how does that work, exactly? Are you forced to spend the rest of your life bumping off walls and ceilings like an old PC screensaver? Or do you just float off into the sky never to be seen again, like a child’s lost balloon? Neither option sounds great. 

## Laptop on the blink? Check for Chizpurfles

Though their preferred snack is any magical substance found around the house (potion leftovers or [wand cores](/writing-by-jk-rowling/wand-cores "Wand Cores by J.K. Rowling"), for example), these tiny crab-like creatures are also known to invade electrical goods. Apparently, our Muggle gadgets are the next best thing on the menu. 

Giving new meaning to the phrase ‘bugs in the system’, Chizpurfle activity accounts for many of those so-called manufacturing flaws that cause seemingly brand-new products to fail the first time they’re plugged in. Thankfully, they shouldn’t affect the warranty.

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## Uric the Oddball should NOT own any more birds

According to Newt’s footnotes, Uric the Oddball lived up to his title. Uric’s research into the health benefits of Fwooper song didn’t earn him much credibility, not after he turned up to report his findings ‘wearing nothing but a toupee that on closer inspection proved to be a dead badger’. It turns out that three months of exposure to the bird’s singing can turn people slightly mad. 

Then there was the Augurey incident. After waking up in a room with 50 of the wailing birds, Uric naturally thought he’d died and become a [ghost](/writing-by-jk-rowling/ghosts "Ghosts by J.K. Rowling"). He bought himself a ten-day concussion after attempting to walk through a wall. As you do.

## Mooncalves make crop circles and magic poop

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The Mooncalf sounds like a strange looking creature indeed with its flat feet, spindly legs and bulgy eyes. But its appearance might be the least weird thing about it. By the light of the full moon, they come out of their burrows to perform ‘complicated’ dances that leave geometric patterns in wheat fields. So *that’s* where those come from.

But that’s not all they leave behind. Mooncalves produce a silvery dung which is said to be an excellent fertiliser for magical plants. We’re sure Professor Sprout must have had a stash down at the Greenhouses.

## Fairies aren’t all we think they’re cracked up to be

Much like unicorns, fairies have managed to get a good deal from the Muggle press over the years. However, their abilities and intelligence have been greatly exaggerated. While we might picture them granting wishes, conversing with humans and waving tiny wands, fairies aren’t capable of most of their storybook antics. They are, to put it bluntly, a bit thick. 

Fairies are also terribly vain, which makes them ideal for decorative purposes. Just bung ’em on a Christmas tree and they’ll be happy. 

## Jobberknoll death screams are just plain freaky

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> It makes no sound until the moment of its death, at which point it lets out a long scream made up of every sound it has ever heard, regurgitated backwards. 
 *Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them* 

Let’s just think about that for a moment… Merlin’s beard, that’s some way to go! Plus, it raises so many questions. Why does it do it? What on earth does that sound like? How long do the nightmares last after hearing it? It doesn’t bear thinking about.

## In case of Kappas, throw cucumbers

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Imagine you’re hanging around near a body of water in Japan. Suddenly you’re attacked by a bloodthirsty, monkey-shaped demon covered in scales. What do you do? Well, you carve your name on a cucumber and lob it over to them, obviously.

We’re not sure what was going through the head of the person who made this discovery, but there’s another, non-vegetable-related, approach to dealing with Kappas. Simply trick it into bowing so that the water in the hollow in its head spills out, rendering it powerless. Perfect, if you forgot to pack your emergency cucumber that morning.

## Fire crabs shoot flames out of their bums

Just in case you were wondering.

***

[Learn more about Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, and all the other Hogwarts library books, here.](https://www.pottermorepublishing.com/where-can-i-read-and-listen-to-the-hogwarts-library-books/)

Bizarre things from the Fantastic Beasts textbook

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Everything you need to know about The Tales of Beedle the Bard

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## Who was Beedle the Bard?
Beedle the Bard was a storyteller who wove his tales in the 15th century. Although much of his life remains a mystery, we do know he was born in Yorkshire and that he was a wizard. There is also one surviving woodcut that depicts him with ‘an exceptionally luxuriant beard’. Aside from his facial hair, it’s impossible to truly know Beedle, but perhaps we can catch a glimpse of him in his stories. A wizard who was sympathetic to Muggles, ‘mistrusted Dark Magic’ and believed that ‘kindness, common sense and ingenuity’ were more admirable than even the most powerful magic.

## What’s special about his tales?
‘You’ve never heard of The Tales of Beedle the Bard?’ Ron asked Hermione incredulously in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. This just about sums up why the tales are so special. For centuries, the fables have been the staple of wizarding childhoods, the sound of bedtime stories.  To children who grew up in wizarding families, ‘the Hopping Pot and the Fountain of Fair Fortune are as familiar’ to them ‘as Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty are to Muggle (non-magical) children’.

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## Are they fairy tales?
The question of whether Beedle’s stories are fairy tales is an interesting one. Can you have a fairy tale in the wizarding world – where magic is as normal as eating a bowl of porridge? In some ways they do ‘resemble our fairy tales in many respects; for instance, virtue is usually rewarded, and wickedness punished’. They also contain lessons for children to unpick and ponder over with their parents. Though what can we say about the magic? Might it be that the magic of a fairy tale is in its words, in its writer’s imagination – in yours? So perhaps Beedle’s stories don’t differ from fairy tales so much after all, as long as the words transport you somewhere magical, whether there are spells in the story or not.  As Dumbledore once told Harry: ‘‘Of course it is happening inside your head, Harry, but why on earth should that mean that it is not real?’’.

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## The Tales

__The Wizard and the Hopping Pot__

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A kind old wizard helps Muggles with their sicknesses and sorrows by pretending the magic he uses to heal them comes directly from his ‘lucky cooking pot’ rather than his own power. When he dies, he leaves the pot to his uncaring only son who refuses to help the local Muggles as his father did. But the pot has other plans…



__The Fountain of Fair Fortune__

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On the longest day of the year, one lucky person is chosen to bathe in the waters of The Fountain of Fair Fortune. Three witches down on their luck decide to join forces and enter the enchanted garden together, with a knight accidentally in toe. Their journey to the fountain isn’t quite as simple as they thought…




__The Warlock's Hairy Heart__


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A handsome young warlock observes his friends falling in love and decides he never wants to ‘fall prey to such weakness.’ Secretly, he employs some grisly Dark Arts to ensure his heart is never won by another. This plan, as you might expect, goes very hairy… 






__Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump__


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Particularly familiar to Ron Weasley, this is the story of a foolish king entranced by the idea of being the only person in his land with the power of magic. To achieve his goal he forms a Brigade of Witch-Hunters to hunt down all witches and wizards, and at the same time demands an Instructor to teach him magic – and sure enough, someone volunteers. But Babbitty the washerwoman knows something about him that the king doesn’t… 





__The Tale of the Three Brothers__


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This is the origin story of the Deathly Hallows. Three brothers conjure a bridge to make an impossible crossing at twilight. They meet Death halfway across the bridge and he is angry that he has been cheated of three victims of the river. Pretending to congratulate them, Death gives each brother the prize they have asked for, but the results might not be quite what they wished for…  

## Thoughts from Albus Dumbledore
In the more recent editions of The Tales of Beedle the Bard you will find commentary on Beedle’s stories from none other than Professor Albus Dumbledore himself. These notes were found ‘among the many papers that Dumbledore left in his will to the Hogwarts Archives’. They include ‘observations on wizarding history, personal reminiscences and enlightening information on key elements of each story’. The tales have much to teach us, but Dumbledore’s notes really do shine a light into their very depths.

And now –like Ron – you too can experience the joy of being read The Tales of Beedle the Bard. The cream of Wizarding World talent, from Noma Dumezweni to Jude Law, have joined forces to tell the stories of Beedle the Bard for the first time in audio, in support of J.K. Rowling’s charity Lumos. 
New audiobook The Tales of Beedle the Bard will be released 31 March. Until then, you can pre-order it exclusively with Audible right [here in the UK](https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Tales-of-Beedle-the-Bard-Audiobook/1781103798?qid=1582716267&sr=1-1&pf_rd_p=c6e316b8-14da-418d-8f91-b3cad83c5183&pf_rd_r=GG5CBZ27C7HF8EPKMEGX&ref=a_search_c3_lProduct_1_1), [here in the US](http://audible.com/Beedle?utm_source=ww_website&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=wizarding_world), or [here for Canada](http://audible.ca/Beedle?utm_source=ww_website&utm_medium=article&utm_campaign=wizarding_world "Canadian audio link for Beedle the Bard audio").

As Dumbledore wrote in his will: ‘To Miss Hermione Jean Granger, I leave my copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, in the hope that she will find it entertaining and instructive.’
And we hope that you do too… 

The Weirdest Fantastic Beasts

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## Ashwinder

We begin our roundup of the weirdest fantastic beasts with the Ashwinder: a thin, pale grey serpent with red glowing eyes. The red glowing eyes are kind of a standard for the wizarding world, but the creation of an Ashwinder gets pretty weird. When a magical fire is allowed to burn unchecked for too long, the serpent rises from the embers and then slithers away, leaving an ashy trail behind it.

For those who don’t like snakes, you may be relieved to hear that the Ashwinder lives for only an hour, after which it collapses into dust. The bad news is that during that time it lays eggs – usually in a dark, secluded spot (like a house!) – that give off intense heat and could ignite a dwelling within minutes. Oh dear…

## Diricawl

The Diricawl is a plump-bodied, fluffy-feathered, flightless bird – sound familiar? Well, you’d be absolutely right. Muggles were once fully aware of the existence of the Diricawl, but they knew it by another name: the dodo. It turns out, the Diricawl is remarkable for its methods of escaping danger; it can vanish in a puff of feathers and reappear elsewhere (the phoenix shares this ability). Obviously unaware that the Diricawl could vanish at will, Muggles believe they have hunted the species to extinction.

## Clabbert

The weirdness of the Clabbert is all about its appearance. A cross between a monkey and a frog, the Clabbert has mottled green, smooth and hairless skin with webbed hands and feet, as well as long arms and legs that allow it to swing between branches. But that is all quite normal compared to what it has on its head. The Clabbert’s most distinctive feature is the large pustule in the middle of its forehead, which turns scarlet and flashes when it senses danger. According to Newt Scamander, American wizards once kept Clabberts in their gardens to give them early warning of Muggles. However, trees full of glowing Clabbert pustules attracted too many Muggles asking why their neighbours still had their Christmas lights up in June. Well, it’s unlucky to keep your decorations up – maybe those Muggles were just trying to help?

## Bundimun

If witches and wizards start asking each other, ‘what’s that awful smell?’, the answer may well be a Bundimun. The presence of this creature is usually announced by a foul stench of decay. Skilled at creeping under floorboards and behind skirting boards, they infect houses, oozing a secretion which rots away the very foundations of the dwelling in which it is found. This might be odd, but it looks even weirder. At rest, the Bundimun resembles a patch of greenish fungus with eyes, though when alarmed it will scuttle away on its numerous spindly legs. It feeds on dirt. Delightful. Poor Bundimun – we bet it doesn’t have many friends.

## Augurey

The Augurey doesn’t sound too strange… at first. It’s a thin and mournful-looking bird, somewhat like a small and underfed vulture, and greenish-black in colour. It is intensely shy and flies only in heavy rain (okay – a bit odd), but otherwise it remains hidden in its tear-shaped nest. Things get weirder when you learn about its distinctive low and throbbing cry, which was once believed to foretell death. Patient research revealed, however, that the Augurey merely sings at the approach of rain. One more quirk: Augurey feathers are useless as quills because they repel ink. Huh.

## Jobberknoll

The Jobberknoll is a tiny blue speckled bird which eats small insects. So far, so Muggle. However, it makes no sound until the moment of its death, at which point it lets out a long scream made up of every sound it

has ever heard, regurgitated backwards – what a way to go! The feather in the Jobberknoll’s cap is that it’s, well… feathers, are used in Truth Serums and Memory Potions.

## Kappa

The Kappa inhabits shallow ponds and rivers. It is often said to look like a monkey with fish scales instead of fur with a hollow in the top of its head, in which it carries water. The Kappa feeds on human blood (eeesh!) but apparently may be persuaded not to harm a person if it is thrown a cucumber with that person’s name carved into it. Yes, that’s right – a cucumber will save a witch or wizard from a Kappa that wants to drink their blood. Well, this is an article about the wizarding world’s weirdest beasts – what did you expect?

## Lethifold

Also known as ‘Living Shroud’, the Lethifold resembles a black cloak perhaps half an inch thick; thicker if it has recently killed and digested a victim (stop reading now if you’re easily scared!). It glides along the ground at night, like a rustling shadow, and generally attacks the sleeping – though its victims rarely have a chance to use any magic against it. Once its prey has been successfully suffocated, the Lethifold digests its food there and then in their bed. It then exits the house slightly thicker and fatter than before, leaving no trace of itself or its victim behind. Is it just us, or have you got the shivers?

## Streeler

After all that talk of Lethifolds, this one will cheer you up! The Streeler is a giant snail that changes colour on an hourly basis. As a result, it has been kept as a pet by those who enjoy its kaleidoscopic colour changes. Slight downside to this rainbow show: Streelers leave a trail so venomous that it shrivels and burns all vegetation over which it passes. Aunt Petunia certainly wouldn’t want those in her perfectly manicured garden!

Why every parent should read Beedle the Bard to their kids

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*The Tales of Beedle the Bard* has, for centuries, been as much a staple of wizarding childhood as Cinderella or Snow White has for tiny Muggles. After all, the Bard’s tales are like the Wizarding World’s equivalent of *Aesop’s Fables*, and provide valuable lessons for magical children – but there’s a lot us Muggles can learn from them, too.    

## They’re funny – in a way kids totally get

The first tale – ‘The Wizard and the Hopping Pot’ – leans heavily on just the kind of gross, icky humour that has toddlers falling about. We read of warty little children, smelly cheese, sloppy sour milk and (best of all) a ‘plague of hungry slugs’. Throughout the collection, there are plenty of shudder-worthy images: in ‘The Fountain of Fair Fortune’, a bloated worm drinks one of the heroine’s tears. If that doesn’t raise a merry grimace on their little gap-toothed faces, then you’re not reading it right!

## The use of language is exquisite, but never impenetrable 

Like Muggle fairy stories, the tales are a glorious repository of elegant, archaic language and poetic turns of phrase. Maybe a sullen ‘warlock’ is expected by ‘his kinsfolk’ to perk up ‘when a maid catches his fancy’, or the ‘charlatan’ who cheated the ‘foolish king’ out of ‘a silver chalice’ needs the help of a local ‘washerwoman’. Words and ideas all too seldom encountered in cartoons or  apps.

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## The text is brief, and illustrated

Beedle the Bard’s tales are concise, and can easily be boxed off at bedtime. They’re also leavened with illustrations, some pretty (the floral spandrels draped across most pages), some worth dwelling on for explanation (the lute and spilled goblet), and some also funny (wait until you get to the bamboozled levitating horse). 

## There’s a subtle whiff of romance…

…without any of the bluntly hormonal goings-on of the later Potter books. Instead, there are hints of a more chivalric brand of love – one that nods to beauty, but cares more about truthfulness – acknowledging the ephemeral, sometimes foolish, often sadly unpredictable nature of the human heart. 

Better yet, contrasted with the tragic drippy heroines found throughout the Muggle fairytale canon, the tales are, for their vintage, refreshingly feminist. Witches, by and large, take their fates into their own hands without waiting for a brave knight or handsome prince to save the day, thank-you-very-much.

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## Beedle provides timeless moral guidance

Virtue is rewarded and wickedness punished. Power, deception and intimidation will only get characters so far; the real winners prevail through ingenuity, application, kindness and common sense. Helping others is a noble end in itself. Jealousy and vanity, left unchecked, are always toxic. All things must pass, but therein lies the imperative to lead an upstanding life. 

## The stories gain more meaning as you get older 

Each tale is helpfully dissected in a collection of short afterwords by no less a figure than [Albus Dumbledore](/features/albus-dumbledore "Albus Dumbledore"), giving the tales even more resonance when you grow up. 

The all-too-relevant lessons about prejudice and intolerance, as seen through the prism of [pure-blood](/writing-by-jk-rowling/pure-blood "Pure-Blood by J.K. Rowling") wizarding history, are timeless for any age. Even bowdlerisation – the iffy Muggle practice of expunging naughty words or ideas from classic texts to remove unsavoury notions – is touched on in an illuminating reference to literary fusspot Beatrix Bloxam. 

Dumbledore even treats us to an intriguing glimpse into the world of wizarding superstition, when discussing the lore which grew up around the [Elder Wand](/features/elder-wand "Elder Wand") in the famous ‘[The Tale of the Three Brothers](/features/tale-of-the-three-brothers "Behind the scenes: animating the Tale of the Three Brothers")’.

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Finally, in a profound climax, the late [Hogwarts](/features/hogwarts "Hogwarts") Headmaster reminds readers of the vulnerability and weakness in the face of temptation, or heartache, or loss we all share. 

And that’s true whether you’re a child, an adult, a witch, wizard, Muggle or Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot and Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards.

Early uses of magic revealed in The Tales of Beedle the Bard

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[Hermione](/features/hermione-granger "Hermione Granger") might have dismissed the Hallows as a simple fairy tale, but they ended up proving to be all too real – and the details Beedle gave in ‘[The Tale of the Three Brothers](/features/tale-of-the-three-brothers "Behind the scenes: animating the ‘Tale of the Three Brothers’")’ were startlingly accurate.

And [the Hallows](/features/the-deathly-hallows "The Deathly Hallows") weren’t the only time Beedle demonstrated the long, curious history of the magical world. From Babbitty Rabbitty, to the warlock’s [Horcrux](/features/the-horcruxes "The Horcruxes")-like hairy heart and the determined Hopping Pot, Beedle highlighted some pretty developed magic…

## ‘The Wizard and the Hopping Pot’: sentient magical objects

[Dumbledore’s](/features/albus-dumbledore "Albus Dumbledore") view of ‘The Wizard and the Hopping Pot’ – the tale of a bewitched pot that wouldn’t stop hopping unless its Muggle-hating owner helped his father’s neighbours – was that the story, with its pro-Muggle message, was ahead of its time.

However, it also featured a significant piece of magic. How exactly did the creator of the Hopping Pot influence an object even after his death, and – what’s more – enable it to make moral judgements?

If we compare the Pot to other magically activated objects, such as Mr Weasley’s [enchanted Ford Anglia](/features/the-flying-ford-anglia "Behind the scenes: creating the flying Ford Anglia") or the Hogwarts [Sorting Hat](/features/the-sorting-hat "The Sorting Hat"), it seems a particular enchantment was needed to bewitch it into fulfilling its function, such as the pot hopping, the car flying, or the Hat sorting students. 

Making judgements seems to be learned behaviour, though. The car was ‘turned wild’ by the [Forbidden Forest](/features/the-forbidden-forest "The Forbidden Forest") and the Sorting Hat was happy to talk [Harry](/features/harry-potter "Harry Potter") through his Slytherin anxieties after Harry comes across the hat again in [Dumbledore’s office](/features/dumbledores-office "Dumbledore's office").  

So maybe the Hopping Pot was already enchanted and just absorbed enough of its original owner’s intentions to enforce them. We’ll never know, but on a related note, it seems likely [Mr Weasley](/features/arthur-weasley "Arthur Weasley") could have picked up some tips from the Hopping Pot’s creator.

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## ‘The Fountain of Fair Fortune’: the Pensieve

Like Harry pretending to feed Ron the [Felix Felicis](/features/felix-felicis "Felix Felicis") potion, the Fountain of Fair Fortune proved more tricksy than lucky – none of the three witches or their Muggle companion suspected it wasn’t actually enchanted. It was, in fact, the choices they each made in reaching the Fountain that led to them enjoying long, happy lives. Which sounds like something Dumbledore might advise, funnily enough.

There’s another moment in ‘The Fountain of Fair Fortune’ that brings Dumbledore to mind. Specifically, something Dumbledore, as Headmaster of [Hogwarts](/features/hogwarts "Hogwarts"), owned – the [Pensieve](/features/pensieve "Pensieve"). ‘The Fountain of Fair Fortune’’s Amata used her [wand](/features/wands "Wands") to withdraw memories, then dropped them into the rushing water that was the Fountain’s final obstacle. But unlike Dumbledore, Amata didn’t study them – she let her memories wash away. In doing so, all her regrets disappeared and she no longer had need of the Fountain.

The Hogwarts Pensieve didn’t work like that: it was a container, after all, not a stream. Still, drawing out memories is pretty clever, so Amata must have known some advanced magic. And she was also wise enough to know when she was happy. No wonder Sir Luckless flung himself at her feet.

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## ‘The Warlock’s Hairy Heart’: Horcrux magic

In terms of its storybook princess, ‘The Warlock’s Hairy Heart’ was closest to a Muggle fairy tale – but the warlock’s actual hairy heart was rooted firmly in the wizarding world.

The warlock, Beedle told us, used [Dark Arts](/collection/the-dark-arts "The Dark Arts") ‘to ensure his immunity’ from love. We later discover this meant he’d removed his heart from his body and kept it in a casket in a dungeon, where it became strange and shrunken and hairy. 

Dumbledore pointed out how similar this was to a [Horcrux](/features/the-horcruxes "The Horcruxes"): ‘He is dividing what was clearly not meant to be divided – body and heart, rather than body and soul – and in doing so, he is falling foul of the first of Adalbert Waffling’s Fundamental Laws of Magic.’

So even in the darkest depths of the wizarding world nobody can literally carve out their heart and expect to live – for long, anyway. Still, we can think of [one Dark Arts practitioner](/features/lord-voldemort "Lord Voldemort") who’d give it a try if it worked. And at least the hairy-hearted warlock only divided himself once…

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Illustration of Salazar Slytherin's broken locket

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## ‘Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump’: Animagi

Long before [the Marauders](/features/everything-we-know-about-the-marauders "Everything we know about the lives of the Marauders") and [Rita Skeeter](/features/rita-skeeter "Rita Skeeter") there was Babbitty Rabbitty: an early [unregistered Animagus](/features/wizarding-world-illegal-animagi "Unregistered Animagi from Rita Skeeter to Peter Pettigrew"). Although as Dumbledore notes, Beedle’s depiction of her Animagus form was not entirely accurate, given that he asks us to believe Babbitty can talk while in rabbit form, which isn’t possible for true Animagi.

This wasn’t the only magic Babbitty displayed: she Vanished a hat, made a horse fly – presumably using a charm like [Wingardium Leviosa](/features/wingardium-leviosa "Wingardium Leviosa") – and she threatened the King with terrible pain along the lines of the [Cruciatus Curse](/features/cruciatus-curse "Crucio"). In Beedle’s time, Unforgivable Curses were not illegal, so Babbitty could have made threats without fear of redress. Which was perhaps just as well – she seemed a bit of a rule-breaker…

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Animated illustration of a young Sirius Black

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## ‘The Tale of the Three Brothers’: well, you all know this one

Which brings us to Beedle’s best-known tale. ‘The Tale of the Three Brothers’ introduced three objects that proved instrumental in Harry’s fight against Voldemort – not because uniting them made him Master of Death, but because of the role each played in Harry’s life.

The [Elder Wand](/features/elder-wand "Elder Wand") was the least significant for Harry, but it was the one Voldemort coveted, and when Voldemort – never quite grasping the right truth – failed to recognise Harry as master of the wand, it cost him dear. 

For Harry, the [Resurrection Stone](/features/resurrection-stone "Resurrection Stone") was far more important, because it meant he was able to see the family that died to save him. That gave him the courage to make his own sacrifice.

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But it was the [Invisibility Cloak](/features/invisibility-cloak "Invisibility Cloak") that repeatedly proved its value. When we discovered Harry’s [connection to the Peverells](/features/the-potter-family-tree "The Potter family tree") – the real-life brothers who inspired Beedle’s tale – it became obvious that the Cloak was both the stuff of legend and a piece of magic so clever it could help with everything from midnight jaunts around Hogwarts to the defeat of one of the Darkest wizards.

Some interesting data about your favourite Quidditch teams 

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When you sign up to the Harry Potter Fan Club, one of the fun things you can do is pick your Favourites: AKA your top things about the wizarding world, from favourite characters to favourite Quidditch teams. You can learn more about [Favourites here](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/10-interesting-facts-about-your-wizarding-passport-favourites) if you haven’t chosen yours yet!

With the upcoming release of Quidditch Through the Ages Illustrated Edition coming soon (published 6th October – [learn more about that here](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/bloomsbury-reveal-cover-for-new-illustrated-edition-of-quidditch-through-the-ages)) we’ve been looking into some of your favourite Quidditch teams, all of which are beautifully illustrated in the new book. 

![quidditch-through-ages-page-teams](//images.ctfassets.net/usf1vwtuqyxm/69iw9gqz2I0jMSJIJ4LESj/072b3231fbcbc4e79feaaa60425dfb20/quidditch_pic.jpg)

First, a quick reminder: in the wizarding world, there is a British and Irish Quidditch League, with teams up and down the country representing select villages, towns and cities. Think of it like the wizarding world’s equivalent of the football league. As you can see from Emily Gravett’s illustration above – each team comes with its own history, colours and crest, and you can pick some of these to be your favourite team on your profile here. So, which team resonated with our fans the most? Take a look.
 
## The most popular Quidditch team is... 

The Holyhead Harpies! Yes, the Quidditch team (famous for being the only one to be made up entirely of women) struck a chord with our Harry Potter Fan Club members the most, winning the top slot by a landslide. Interestingly, Ravenclaws were the house most likely to pick this team. 

And a fun fact for you: the Holyhead Harpies is the team that Ginny would go on to play for after Hogwarts.
 
## And in second place...

The Chudley Canons! Ron Weasley’s beloved team, famous for their vibrant orange colours, came in second place in our list altogether – although Slytherins favoured this team far less than the other three houses... It should be no surprise, however, that Ron’s house, Gryffindor, was the house that were most likely to pick Chudley Cannons as their team. 
 
## In third place...

The Falmouth Falcons! A bit more of a leftfield choice makes up our top three, but all four houses are in agreement on this one. Again, Ravenclaws loved them the most, and Hufflepuffs the least. 
 
## Other interesting things...

- Ravenclaws were most likely to pick Puddlemere United, the oldest team in the Quidditch league, as their favourite. Also, their outfits are blue which suit the Ravenclaw colours! 

- Slytherins were most likely to pick the team Ballycastle Bats as their favourite. Interesting – Snape, who was Head of Slytherin house, was once described as a bat. 

- In regards to our Favourites and our users, Hufflepuffs were the least interested in picking Quidditch teams, usually placed last looking at the data of each team. Slytherins weren’t far behind them either. Quidditch isn’t for everybody, and that’s OK!

- Ravenclaws, however, just seem to really like Quidditch! Based on these results, anyway. More often than not, Ravenclaws were top of the list when it came to picking favourite teams – seven of them, in fact. 

****

So, did your favourite team make our top three? Or are you yet to pick your [Favourites](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/10-interesting-facts-about-your-wizarding-passport-favourites)?

And remember, *Quidditch Through the Ages Illustrated Edition* is released 6th October with [Scholastic in the US](https://scholasticlibrary.digital.scholastic.com/978-1-338-34056-3.html) and [Bloomsbury in the UK](https://harrypotter.bloomsbury.com/uk/quidditch-through-the-ages-illustrated-edition-9781526608123/?ewid=153). Or you can visit our [Quidditch hub](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/quidditch) to learn all about the wizarding sport, with quizzes, features and more.

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What truly is the best Deathly Hallow?

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Xenophilius Lovegood holding his Deathly Hallows Pendant.

They're the 3 most powerful objects in Harry Potter, but which Deathly Hallow is best; the Invisibility Cloak, the Resurrection Stone, or the Elder Wand?

Which Deathly Hallow is the Best? | Wizarding World

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If you could own one of the [Deathly Hallows](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/why-were-harry-potter-and-lord-voldemort-so-obsessed-with-the-deathly-hallows), the most powerful objects in the Wizarding World, which would it be? Funnily enough, when Harry, Ron and Hermione discussed which one they’d pick, they all chose differently.

But what do you think? Obviously, it’s all subjective – but let’s weigh them up and try and make a choice all the same. It’s actually a pretty difficult decision, when you really think about it.

'I think you’re right,’ she told him. ‘It’s just a morality tale, it’s obvious which gift is best, which one you’d choose –’
The three of them spoke at the same time; Hermione said, ‘the Cloak,’ Ron said, ‘the wand’, and Harry said, ‘the stone.’

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Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

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## The Invisibility Cloak

So funny to think that we were introduced to a Hallow so early in Harry’s adventures – in fact, the very first book. Funnier still, to think that Harry used one of the most powerful and rare objects in the world to basically sneak around Hogwarts and mess about.

Passed down to him from his father, this magnificent Invisibility Cloak had been an heirloom in the Potter family for many years – and it started with Ignotus Peverell, one of the three brothers believed to have inspired Beedle the Bard’s story, ‘The Tale of the Three Brothers’. 

The [Invisibility Cloak](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/7-times-harrys-invisibility-cloak-came-in-handy) makes a great case for being the best Hallow – as the brother who chose it was able to evade death for many years, unseen, while the other two brothers had much unhappier endings. And think of how many times Harry would’ve been caught out without it. It’s basically the most sensible option – so no surprises that this is the one Hermione chose. And it’s true that such a cloak could be incredibly advantageous in day-to-day life: hiding from unwanted acquaintances at parties, pretending to be ghosts to prank your friends and, er, probably actually useful things too. 

But of course, the Cloak does come with complications – in the wrong hands, it would be a criminal’s best friend: just think, they’d never get caught. But used wisely, as Ignotus Peverell did, it could allow you to glide through life seamlessly. Wouldn’t that be nice?

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## The Resurrection Stone

‘No spell can reawaken the dead’, Dumbledore once told Harry – although this legendary stone possesses magic that comes close. As told in ‘The Tale of the Three Brothers’, the Resurrection Stone has the power to [bring loved ones back from the grave](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/how-does-the-wizarding-world-examine-life-after-death) – but at a cost. In the story, when the second brother used the stone to bring back his lost love, she was ‘sad and cold’ and didn’t ‘truly belong’ in the mortal world anymore, causing the brother to kill himself in despair. 

When Harry learnt of such a stone, this was understandably the Hallow that enchanted him the most. After experiencing so much loss in his life, it was natural Harry would gravitate to the one thing that could bring his loved ones back, albeit not truly as they were before. Of course, many readers can relate to Harry – but would it be worth bringing back absent friends if they weren’t truly happy? Or would it help with the grief – if they were brought back for a short time?

When Harry finally found the stone, he used it to bring back his parents, Remus Lupin and Sirius Black – who guided him in his final struggle against Voldemort – before disappearing. Could he have found that bravery without them?

The stone may seem too devastating a choice for many, but arguably, could do the world the most good – imagine bringing back great leaders from times gone by for advice, or simply resurrecting a loved one just to say goodbye properly. Is there a magic more powerful than that?

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## The Elder Wand

A lot of people would argue that one Hallow rises above and beyond the others – [the Elder Wand](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/everything-we-know-about-the-elder-wand), the Deathstick, the Wand of Destiny. So legendary is this wand that it has acquired many names throughout the centuries, but ultimately, only one exists. This seemingly unbeatable weapon has driven many a wizard to callously murder its previous owner – with a long line of significant people carrying it, from [Gellert Grindelwald to Lord Voldemort](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/witches-and-wizards-you-might-not-have-realised-were-related). Of course, a wizard doesn’t have to be killed in order to acquire it – Albus Dumbledore won the wand fair and square from Grindelwald in their famous 1945 duel, while Harry became its master after disarming Draco Malfoy. Voldemort’s obsession with it ultimately led to his downfall. So, it’s not that great, is it?

But the scope of the Elder Wand’s power does, indeed, seem endless – even having the power to fix Harry’s broken wand, which is usually impossible to do. But with great power comes great responsibility, of course, and Harry ultimately decided that the wand was way more trouble than it was worth. Fair enough. Sure, you’d own the most powerful magical object in history – but a bunch of Dark wizards would be after your blood on a day-to-day basis. So really, is the Elder Wand worth the admin?

## So... Which one is the best?

Well, that’s really up to you. But based on our own reasoning, we’d have to side with Hermione and Ignotus Peverell and go with the Invisibility Cloak. While both the other objects carry far too much weight, the Invisibility Cloak is quite the opposite. 

Feel free to have this debate at home with your friends! You can learn a lot about someone based on which one they pick...

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Learn all about the Hogwarts Library books, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Quidditch Through the Ages and the Fantastic Beasts textbook. Explore more around these fascinating guides and storybooks with handy articles and quizzes.

The Hogwarts Library Collection 

Take part in our official wand ceremony

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A handy guide to the Hogwarts library books

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[Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them](https://www.wizardingworld.com/discover/books/fantastic-beasts-and-where-to-find-them), by world-famous magizoologist Newt Scamander is both a fun and fascinating guide to magical creatures and an indispensable introduction to the beasts of the wizarding world.

[Quidditch Through the Ages](https://www.wizardingworld.com/discover/books/quidditch-through-the-ages) is a comprehensive guide to the wizarding world’s favourite sport.

[Lastly, The Tales of Beedle the Bard](https://www.wizardingworld.com/discover/books/tales-of-beedle-the-bard) is a collection of popular fairy tales written for young witches and wizards, as familiar to Hogwarts students as ‘Sleeping Beauty’ and ‘Cinderella’ are to us.

Visit the [Pottermore Publishing website](https://www.pottermorepublishing.com/when-in-doubt-go-to-the-library/) to delve into the three Hogwarts Library titles as eBooks and audiobooks.

The Hogwarts Library

Learn all about the Hogwarts Library books, The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Quidditch Through the Ages and the Fantastic Beasts textbook. Explore more around these fascinating guides and storybooks with handy articles and quizzes.

A handy guide to the Hogwarts library books

Hogwarts Library Handy Guides