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Wizarding World Gold launches today!

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Wizarding World Gold has arrived! Available to order from today for yourself, or as a gift, learn more about some of its offerings in the video below.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">More magic awaits... Wizarding World Gold is here! Explore all our new 12-month subscription service has to offer, including the beautiful one-of-a-kind welcome gift. Learn more: <a href="https://t.co/TlAyrTrb7T">https://t.co/TlAyrTrb7T</a> <a href="https://t.co/kgyEFpIjAV">pic.twitter.com/kgyEFpIjAV</a></p>&mdash; Wizarding World (@wizardingworld) <a href="https://twitter.com/wizardingworld/status/1194256029174730753?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 12, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


As you can see in the video, by joining Wizarding World Gold you’ll receive a magical welcome gift, a personalised journal made just for you. The Keys and Curios journal is filled with interactive secrets and surprises that come to life with the Wizarding World app.
 
Also in the app…

Gold subscribers can expect to see exclusive content begin to appear, including videos, new articles, quizzes and more. Fans will also have access to all seven Harry Potter books as eBooks.  

Then we have the Vault, which holds many exciting discounts behind its doors.
 
This includes the like of 20% off at the Wizarding World online shop, 10% off at the Platform 9¾ store at King’s Cross, 10% off at the Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter store and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood store, 10% off at the MinaLima store in London and online and $50 off The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™ Exclusive Vacation Package at Universal Orlando Resort.  

There is also selected priority ticketing for our most popular Wizarding World events and locations, including *Harry Potter and the Cursed Child* shows in London, New York and San Francisco, as well as Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter. 

From collectible pin badges, available from Wizarding World UK and US locations, to competitions to win once-in-a-lifetime experiences, look forward to more magical surprises to come soon. 

[So, without further ado, learn more about Gold here.](https://www.wizardingworld.com/about-gold?utm_source=Direct)

The third Fantastic Beasts film confirms new details including cast members and location

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Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald

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Fancy another *Fantastic Beasts* film? Well, it’s our pleasure to announce that pre-production on the third chapter is officially underway. Here are some new details, including the cast, the production team, and a rather special new location. 

Many of the characters you know and love from the first two *Fantastic Beasts* films will be back for the next adventure in a cast led by Eddie Redmayne as Newt Scamander, Jude Law as Albus Dumbledore and Johnny Depp as Gellert Grindelwald along with Ezra Miller (Credence/Aurelius Dumbledore), Alison Sudol (Queenie Goldstein), Dan Fogler (Jacob Kowalski) and Katherine Waterston (Tina Goldstein).

Comedian and actor Jessica Williams, who was featured briefly in *Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald*, will have a bigger role in this film. Stay tuned to learn more about her character, Professor Eulalie 'Lally' Hicks, a teacher at Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the American equivalent of Hogwarts. 

The film will once again be directed by David Yates and will reunite producers David Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves, Lionel Wigram and Tim Lewis, along with executive producers Neil Blair, Danny Cohen, Josh Berger and Courtenay Valenti. The screenplay will be written by J.K. Rowling and Steve Kloves.  

As with the first two films, the third will take us to new continents, exploring wizarding cultures across the globe. The first *Fantastic Beasts* film introduced us to American wizarding life in 1927 New York, the second took us to Paris, and we can now reveal that the third film will officially be visiting... Rio de Janeiro, Brazil!

This location-reveal follows on from [J.K. Rowling’s mysterious Twitter header](https://twitter.com/jk_rowling/status/1057961162883719168?lang=en) last year and confirms that she was indeed referring to Brazil as one of the main destinations in the third Fantastic Beasts.

*The as yet un-named third instalment of Fantastic Beasts will start production in Spring 2020. The film will release on November 12, 2021.  As always, keep visiting WizardingWorld.com for more updates as we get them.*



Everything you need to know about Cursed Child: The Journey 

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How on earth did they achieve that Time-Turner effect? What were the script edits like? How did the flying Dementors work? Those who have seen *Harry Potter and the Cursed Child* know all too well about the abundance of magical riches the show has to offer. And now, some of its secrets are revealed in this beautiful, new behind-the-scenes book. 

Available in a stunning hardback edition or as an eBook and put together by Jody Revenson, *The Journey* explores the many different elements that came together to bring the eighth Harry Potter story to life, from costumes to music, from early development to Opening Night. Compiled with exclusive interviews with all the original creative team, fans can expect many fun behind-the-scenes titbits to be unveiled, such as extracts from director John Tiffany’s own notebooks, and new, gorgeous photography displaying the complex rehearsal process.

For those who order the eBook, *The Journey* comes with an interactive element, such as five videos that invite readers to dive even deeper into *Cursed Child*’s inception. For example, enjoy a time-lapse of how London’s Palace Theatre was brought to life. Both theatre and Harry Potter fans are in for a treat. 

*Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: The Journey* publishes on 31 October, 2019 in the UK and 5 November, 2019 in the US.

To pre-order from different territories, follow these links: [UK](https://www.littlebrown.co.uk/titles/harry-potter-theatrical-productions/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-the-journey/9780751576108/), [US](https://kids.scholastic.com/kids/book/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-the-journey-by-harry-potter-theatrical-productions/), [Aus](https://www.dymocks.com.au/book/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-the-journey-by-harry-potter-thea-productions-and-jody-revenson-9780751576108?cfclick=7f13bcf15eb243b0877563592683d084), [NZ](https://www.whitcoulls.co.nz/product/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child-the-journey-6496752), [India](https://www.amazon.in/Harry-Potter-Cursed-Child-Award-Winning/dp/0751576107/) and [South Africa](https://www.takealot.com/harry-potter-and-the-cursed-child/PLID56355835).


Cursed Child on Broadway releases new tickets

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Have all your friends seen it? Did your colleague go last week and mention it more often than Malfoy mentions his father? Would you see yourself holding *Cursed Child* tickets in the Mirror of Erised? Perhaps you’ve left it up to Santa, and put them on your Christmas list?

Well, prepare yourselves because we’ve got some very exciting news...

New tickets are now available for *Cursed Child* in New York. So whether you’ve not seen Cursed Child yet or you are - quite understandably – desperate to go again, it’s your lucky day – no Felix Felicis required. 

This astounding production, with so many awards it could rival the trophy room at Hogwarts, isn’t one you’ll want to miss. So don’t hang around like you’ve been on the wrong end of a Levicorpus jinx. 
Tickets available [here](https://harrypotter.ticketmaster.com/both-consecutive/calendar/2019/11?utm_source=wizworld&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=111onsale&utm_content=wweb).

*If the West Coast is more convenient, no Apparition will be necessary. [Tickets are also on sale](https://www.harrypottertheplay.com/san-francisco/tickets/) for Cursed Child in San Francisco!*

All the action to look forward to in Harry Potter: Wizards Unite this November 

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## “We are only as strong as we are united...” 

From the 8th November to the 14th, Wizards Unite kicks off Part 1 of its ‘Stronger United’ Brilliant Event. For those unfamiliar with Brilliant Events, these are special tasks within the game where new challenges, characters and rewards crop up.

This particular event, so titled ‘Stronger United’, (perhaps a reference to Albus Dumbledore’s famous speech post-return of Lord Voldemort) promises to feature Order of the Phoenix members, such as Mad-Eye Moody and Nymphadora Tonks. Members of the Ministry of Magic, like Arthur Weasley and his son Percy are expected to be seen in Part 2 of this event, starting on the 19th November. 

## Get in the community spirit 

On 17th November, gather your mates for a Community Day, where the game will offer up exclusive awards and high-level Chambers. This is the best day for those who take Wizards Unite super-seriously, and want the most challenging of, er, challenges. 

## Be a Hogwarts hero 

And finally, from the 26th of November to the 2nd of December, stand strong to help return Foundables from the Potions Classroom Registry Page. Expect Sirius, Harry and Snape to appear.

We know it’s getting cold outside, but those Foundables won’t return themselves. Best of luck. 

For all other Wizards Unite news, [swing by the official blog](https://www.harrypotterwizardsunite.com/post/stand-united-month-2019/). Onwards to December! 

Get the latest Wizarding World news here. Faster than an owl and more accurate than the Daily Prophet

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Ranked: most significant wizarding world duels

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A green beam comes from Voldemort's wand after he casts a killing curse.

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## Gilderoy Lockhart vs Severus Snape: *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*

You might think it’s curious that we’ve chosen to include this duel in this list. Lockhart, despite starting the Duelling Club, was disarmed by Snape almost immediately. But this duel marked the very first time Harry witnessed the Disarming Charm, Expelliarmus. Snape was desperate to loathe Harry, despite his promises to Dumbledore about Lily’s son. Isn’t it interesting that it was the Potions professor that first showed Harry the spell that saved his life countless times?

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## Tina Goldstein vs Theseus Scamander: *Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald*

We absolutely loved this duel between Tina and Newt Scamander’s brother, Theseus, at the French Ministry of Magic. In answer to a curse, Tina cast a spell that slammed Theseus into a chair, bound his hands and then made him fly backwards – still sitting on the chair – into a wall. Goldstein had serious moves. Newt summed it up: ‘I think that might have been the best moment of my life.’ 


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## Harry Potter vs Lord Voldemort: *Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire*

As though the first Harry versus Voldemort duel – Avada Kedavra versus Expelliarmus – wasn’t dramatic enough, the duellers’ wands shared the same core – a feather from the tail of Fawkes the Phoenix – and a rare phenomenon, Priori Incantatem, occurred. Also known as the reverse spell effect, Harry forced Voldemort’s wand to regurgitate spells it had performed, and ghosts emerged from the Dark Lord’s wand tip. Harry’s parents, amongst others, helped give him enough time to escape.

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## Percy Weasley vs Pius Thicknesse: *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*

This duel happened after Percy finally – FINALLY – saw sense and joined his family in fighting against Lord Voldemort at the Battle of Hogwarts. Whatever the jinx Percy used against Thicknesse, it looked pretty uncomfortable. But this duel is mainly in this list because Percy Weasley finally made a joke:

*‘Hello, Minister!’ bellowed Percy, sending a neat jinx straight at Thicknesse, who dropped his wand and clawed at the front of his robes, apparently in awful discomfort. ‘Did I mention I’m resigning?’* 

Perfect Percy came good in the end.  


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## Harry Potter vs Draco Malfoy: *Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Part One)*

A Harry versus Draco showdown isn’t exactly a rare occurrence in the wizarding world. In fact, Draco and Harry agreed to duel in his very first year at Hogwarts – although Draco never turned up. We’ve chosen this duel in *Cursed Child* though, because it was about more than Slytherin versus Gryffindor or DA versus Inquisitorial Squad: it was dad versus dad. They’d also improved a lot since their encounter at the Duelling Club in their second year. This duel was a masterclass in wand work, with at least ten different spells cast.  

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## Albus Dumbledore vs Lord Voldemort: *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*

Enchanted statues. Silver shields. A Phoenix swallowing a killing curse. A rope turning into a snake. Wisps of dark smoke. Water rising. You wouldn’t want to be caught in the middle of a duel like this one. This was a significant duel in the wizarding world, not just because of the awe-inspiring magic performed, but because it was the only time Dumbledore fought Voldemort head on. It also finally persuaded Cornelius Fudge that You-Know-Who had returned.

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## Severus Snape vs Minerva McGonagall: *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*

Secretly, we reckon most people hoped McGonagall and Snape’s underlying dislike for each other – remember their Quidditch rivalry? – would come to a head. And what better way than this wizard duel? And this one was pretty special. One of the most impressive moves from McGonagall was transforming a black serpent into smoke, and then solidifying it into ‘a swarm of pursuing daggers’.

McGonagall was cooler than Hogwarts in the snow about her duelling prowess though: when asked where Snape had gone by a Slytherin student she simply announced that he’d ‘done a bunk’. A round of applause for magnificent Minerva. 


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## Molly Weasley vs Bellatrix Lestrange: *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*

When Molly duelled Bellatrix after she attacked Ginny, it became clear very quickly why she belonged in the Order of the Phoenix, and also that she’d been hiding her duelling light under a bushel across the previous six books. We loved the way Bellatrix’s face changed as she realised that she’d met her match in Molly. And of course, there was that unforgettable line: ‘NOT MY DAUGHTER, YOU...' – you know the rest.

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## Harry Potter vs Lord Voldemort: *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*

In a mirroring of the spells they used in their first duel against each other, Voldemort shrieked Avada Kedavra and Harry relied on his trusty Expelliarmus in their final showdown:

*Harry saw Voldemort’s green jet meet his own spell, saw the Elder Wand fly high, dark against the sunrise, spinning across the enchanted ceiling like the head of Nagini, spinning through the air towards the master it would not kill, who had come to take full possession of it at last.* 

Who was the true master of the Elder Wand? If you don’t know... then you’ll find the answer in the chapter ‘The Flaw in the Plan’ from *Deathly Hallows*. 


How the Weasleys changed my life as a redhead  

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It is a truth universally acknowledged that redheads didn't generally have the best time in primary school. Having red hair, even without hand-me-down robes, was basically an invitation to be picked on, whether you went to a wizarding school or your standard comprehensive. As much as I insisted that my hair was actually *auburn* (or titian, depending on one's preference), unfortunately more things rhymed with ginger, so that was that. Then when I was introduced to not just one ginger hero in the Harry Potter series, but a whole family of them, you can imagine how delighted I was. Here's how the Weasleys helped me to live my best redheaded life...

It was 2001 and during 'circle time' in my year 6 classroom, our teacher asked which fictional character we would most like to be. I proudly opted for Ginny Weasley. Despite one classmate’s snarky cry of 'who?!', I was pleased with my choice. For the first time in a long time, there was a ginger character to get on board with. After all, Ginny was in one of the coolest wizarding families! She lived in the Burrow! She could cast a mean Bat-Bogey Hex! She became slowly possessed by the spirit of Lord Voldemort! OK, maybe not that last one.

Ginny wasn't the only redheaded Harry Potter character to inspire me. Ron, after all, was Harry's best friend, and he’s not teased about his hair in the books, not really. It wasn't a personality point, nor was it an invitation for the rest of the characters to treat him badly. In fact, the only character to point out his hair is Draco Malfoy, who then gets superbly taken down by Harry Potter, marking the end of any chance of them becoming friends. It made me realise that hair colour isn't nearly as important as being good at something; like Ron with his chess, or being a great friend, or sticking your neck out to help someone. Just because my hair colour was what my classmates zoned in on, it didn't need to define me.  

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Suddenly, the classmates that picked on me were just a bunch of mini Dracos. And who wants to be Draco, running to tell the teacher every time he wanted to get Harry in trouble and buying his way into the Quidditch team, when you can be ginger and winning the House Cup?   

Then there was the Weasley family beyond Ginny and Ron. Fred and George were easily the funniest and most likeable characters in the novels (in my opinion, anyway). Hilarious, charming and massively popular, it made me feel smug that we had at least one thing in common. Not to mention Bill, who especially made being a redhead cool, what with his ponytail and his fang earring.

Of course, I'm not the only one to feel like the Weasley family seriously helped me out as a youngster. Speaking about how J.K. Rowling helped her to love her red tresses, Laura, 33, said: "She inspired me when she said she loved ginger people at the *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2* premiere. I also love the fact that all the main characters are ginger like Lily, Ron, all of the Weasleys." Hayley, 28, added that thanks to the Weasleys, she's never dyed her hair a different colour. She said: "There wasn’t really anyone else who I knew in my year at school who was a redhead and people would always make jokes about me being ginger and I always desperately wanted to change my hair colour. But then the Weasleys got a bit of a cult following and became cool, so it helped me embrace my colour rather than hate it - haven’t touched hair dye since!"  

Even Rupert Grint himself had a lot to say about the Weasleys being up front and centre in the novels. Speaking at the *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2* premiere, saying to J.K. Rowling: "What you've done for ginger people … I can't put it into words. So, thank you, Jo," to the ecstatic screaming of what I assume was the ginger part of the crowds at Trafalgar Square.

Going from a hair colour that went from being widely mocked to coveted was great. With countless people dressing up for Hallowe’en sporting red hair and a broken wand as Ron, it can most definitely be said that the Weasley family contributed to the rise of the redheads, and I couldn't be happier to be a part of that crowd.  

Now, who wants to talk about Spattergroit?

Five things you (probably) didn’t know about Cursed Child

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## Gillyweed?

Sam Clemmett and Anthony Boyle, who played Albus and Scorpius in the original London production, had to take an unusual taste test. In the play they have to eat Gillyweed, the plant that when consumed has the effect of generating webbing between the fingers and toes, as well as gills to breathe underwater. To stand in for Gillyweed, they were offered a range of edible possibilities including actual seaweed and samphire. They settled on apple skin!

## The owls that are unseen

A whole flock of owls were created for the Hogwarts owlery in the play. These were meticulously created from many fabrics, feathers, sturdy brown paper and leather. But because they are nested in the upper reaches of the stage, the audience can’t even see them! ‘We knew that nobody would ever see them,’ props supervisor Lisa Buckley explains in the book, ‘but it was such a lovely thing to create this flock of owls. Sometimes, it’s actually nice to provide props that nobody really sees, but you know are there.’

## We can work it out

Movement director Steven Hoggett liked to put the original London production cast through their paces, ensuring they were physically fit for what he calls a ‘ballistic’ performance every night. Each day of the week had a different physical workout to contend with (from circuit training to silly dances on ‘Fun Friday’), but the week would always start and end with yoga: ‘to centre everyone again.’

## Muggles allowed

Unbelievably, lighting designer Neil Austin had never read the Harry Potter stories, or seen any of the films. As such, he was designated the team Muggle in the original London production cast and crew. That way he ensured that the production was accessible to all audience members. ‘I think it was quite helpful to have someone who doesn’t know the canon,’ says Austin in *The Journey*. ‘You can forget that this show needs to appeal not only to the fans, to the people who love the books, but also to the grandparents who haven’t read them and are taking the kids to the show for a treat. Or even the standard theatregoer, who’s heard this is a good show, but isn’t a Harry Potter fan, and is wondering if it’s got anything in it for them.’ We’ll let him off then...

## DO drop your t’s!

During rehearsals for the original London production, the cast and crew instituted a House Cup and everyone got themselves sorted. They had a scoreboard and a winning house every week, with points being awarded, but also deducted. For example, five points were taken for mispronouncing *Voldemort* with a hard *t*. *Harry Potter and the Cursed Child* uses J.K. Rowling’s original intention for the pronunciation, ending with a soft, French-sounding *Vold-de-mor*.

One other thing we learnt (which may not surprise some) is how boisterous the New York audiences turned out to be compared to London. ‘The weirdest thing was that they clap upon people’s entrances here, which doesn’t happen in the UK as much,’ says Paul Thornley, who played Ron in London and on Broadway. ‘And some comment more. But if people are involved in something, I don’t have a problem with that. I quite like it.’ And so do we!

*Harry Potter and the Cursed Child: The Journey* is available now in the [US](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NYR3NDT/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_H-aXDbD8D6H7E) and [UK](https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07NYR3NDT/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_U_x_H-aXDbD8D6H7E) in print and digital.

Who is the 'purest' Wizarding family?

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It’s actually a problem that has plagued the wizarding community for many decades, leading to the rise of Dark wizards, prejudice against Muggle-borns, and many broken families.

So, which wizarding family was most guilty of keeping themselves the ‘purest’? To find out, let’s dig through the Sacred Twenty-Eight, a directory of pure-blood families, and select a few... 
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### The Longbottoms
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>Look at Neville Longbottom – he’s pure-blood and he can hardly stand a cauldron the right way up.’
> <br>*Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*

Neville comes from a long-line of pure-blood wizards, although we don’t know as much about the individuals as we do with some other wizarding families. What we do know is that both of Neville’s parents were pure-blood, as was his gran, Augusta. When the family feared that Neville’s early lack of magical prowess might mean he was a Squib, his great uncle Algie pushed him off Blackpool Pier with the hope of forcing a bit of magic out of him. This may imply that certain members of Neville’s family felt a bit delicate about the thought of having a non-magical member.

Although the family seem generally good-natured, there is evidence of the Longbottoms marrying into the Black family tree. ‘Harfang Longbottom’, who is presumably one of Neville’s ancestors, is seen on the Black family tapestry connected to Callidora Black. Most pure-blood families from the Sacred Twenty-Eight directory do tend to be connected. After all, there aren’t really that many properly ‘pure’ blood wizards to choose from. And some families tend to go so hardcore they marry within their own line...
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### The Gaunts 

This leads us nicely on to the Gaunts, the despicable descendants of Salazar Slytherin, and the ancestors of Lord Voldemort. Determined to keep the family line ‘pure’ and pass down certain Slytherin skills, such as Parseltongue, the Gaunts had a tendency to marry their cousins, as Albus Dumbledore observed. As a result, the likes of Marvolo and Morfin Gaunt are cruel, mentally unstable and abusive. And the family seem to share the same strange physical traits too, such as their eyes facing opposite directions. 
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### The Malfoys and The Blacks 

The Black family motto speaks for itself: ‘toujours pur’, meaning ‘always pure’ in French. Indeed, the Blacks spent a lot of effort keeping non-magical types out of the family, to the extent that members were literally burnt out of the famous family tapestry if any ‘blood treachery’ was found. Usually, this punishment was served to people who married half-bloods or Muggle-borns, but was also a general chastisement for anyone who displayed any sort of rejection of the Black family’s ideals, such as Sirius. 

We’ve linked the Malfoy and Black family together for this section, as the two clans are inextricably intertwined – again – an effort to maintain their blood purity. Narcissa, a Black member, being the most notable link to the Malfoys. As such, Draco’s family and ancestors pride themselves on their pure-blood status and the riches that come with it. There is also a history of cruelty towards Muggles, such as Nicholas Malfoy, who was rumoured to have ‘despatched’ various Muggles under the guise of the Black Death...

The family is also known for being chiefly placed in Slytherin house. Something they hold with honour. And despite Draco carrying on this tradition, with his Slytherin-based son Scorpius and his pure-blood wife Astoria, 
he still managed to create tension with his parents by softening his views on blood purity. And *Cursed Child* fans will know that Scorpius is an absolute sweetheart. Could this be the beginning of a more sympathetic branch of the Malfoy family tree?
<br>

### The Lestranges

As with the above, Bellatrix’s family are tied to the Blacks and the Malfoys quite significantly. Indeed, Bellatrix, married into the Lestrange family specifically because of how steeped in pure-blood richness they were. From the way Bellatrix reacts around Lord Voldemort, it may be fair to say her love isn’t entirely reserved for her husband Rodolphus...

In *Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald*, we met a much earlier Lestrange member, Leta. We were also introduced to their family history a little more, which is steeped in French ancestry, with many dark secrets woven within. In terms of the family’s pure-ness, they seem quite dramatically so, and would do pretty much anything to achieve those ends. Take the cruel Corvus Lestrange, who forced a member of the Kama family (another very pure-blood family) to conceive with him under the Imperius Curse... 
<br>

### The Weasleys
<br> 

>'You’d never know the Weasleys were pure-bloods, the way they behave.’
> <br>Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 

We finish on a family who are technically quite pure-blood, but are deemed ‘blood traitors’ by various peers, and seem proud of it. It is, indeed, the Weasleys’ compassion and morals that led to several members marrying half-bloods, Muggle-borns, etc. and creating a family made with love, kindness and definitely not much blood purity. Look at Ron and Hermione as a major case study! Then there’s Arthur Weasley, who shows such an affinity with Muggles, he made a career based on his interest in Muggle artefacts. The only remotely bad apple we seem to find in the Weasley clan is Aunt Muriel, who seemed contemptuous of Hermione’s Muggle-born status,

The Weasleys may not be the purest pure-blood family in the wizarding world, but their hearts are certainly the purest of the lot.

Sirius Black and Harry Potter: two peas in a (Snargaluff) pod

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Harry and Sirius by the Black family tapestry at number twelve, Grimmauld Place

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## Childhoods more unstable than a cursed broom

Unlike James Potter, neither Sirius nor Harry were raised by loving parents. Harry was brought up – very begrudgingly – by his aunt and uncle and suffered years of neglect and bullying before finally escaping to Hogwarts. Sirius was brought up by his own parents, but never fitted in with the Black family stereotype – he was sorted into Gryffindor, which didn’t get him many Black family brownie points, and refused to accept their ‘pure-blood mania’. 

Although Harry was an only child like his father, he didn’t really grow up as one. More in common with Sirius, Harry was constantly reminded of how he didn’t measure up to Dudley, just as Sirius was told that his brother, Regulus, was a much better son. Sirius and Harry’s home lives were so unhappy at points that they both ran away from home. Harry ran away after he blew up his Aunt Marge and Sirius left home for good at sixteen. And where did he go? The Potters’.


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## The Marauders' legacy

James Potter and Sirius Black weren’t exactly model students at Hogwarts.  For starters, they created a map that was effectively a tool to help them make mischief without getting caught. Arguably Sirius was the biggest rebel of them all – he owned a flying motorbike for goodness sake! When Harry was given the Marauder’s Map by Fred and George in his third year, he was already breaking rules left, right and centre, thanks to his very own rule-breaking tool – his father’s Invisibility Cloak. 

Sirius was delighted to find a fellow rebel in Harry, and Sirius lived vicariously through Harry’s exploits at Hogwarts. Padfoot thoroughly approved of the underground Defence against the Dark Arts group – Dumbledore’s Army – delighted that Harry was taking a stand against Umbridge. We’ll never know whether James Potter would have encouraged the same kind of rule breaking in his son, but Sirius and Harry definitely shared a certain disregard for toeing the line.



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Harry looking at the Marauders Map in his dormitory

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## Fiery tempers worthy of a Hungarian Horntail

The very first time we met Sirius Black he was in a murderous rage, determined to kill Peter Pettigrew – disguised as Ron’s rat – who had betrayed Lily and James Potter. But this wasn’t the only time we saw Sirius lose his temper. Snape, Kreacher and even Mrs Weasley all felt the heat of his temper. And Harry isn’t exactly cool-headed either. Remember that time when he shouted – in glorious capital letters – at Ron and Hermione for keeping him in the dark all summer when they’d been hanging out with the Order? And he just couldn’t keep his anger for Umbridge under control at all – even after Professor McGonagall warned him of the danger.

We don’t know much about James Potter’s temper, but we do know that he was the Marauder who rescued Snape from a potential run-in with Lupin in werewolf form, even though the two hated each other. Perhaps he had a more rational head on his shoulders than Sirius or Harry? 



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Sirius Black pointing his finger in the Shrieking Shack

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## Fame’s a fickle friend to both of them 

James Potter was popular at Hogwarts – a great Quidditch player and head boy – but he wasn’t more widely known until after his devastating death at the hands of Lord Voldemort. His son though, experienced fame throughout Hogwarts and beyond, and his best friend Sirius Black’s name was familiar to witches and wizards everywhere – he even made it onto Muggle TV. Harry and Sirius both suffered for their fame at one time or another. 

For most of *Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix*, Harry was accused of lying about Voldemort’s return in the Daily Prophet, and later he was targeted as Undesirable Number One by the Ministry of Magic. Like Sirius, Harry had to go into hiding when a price was put on his head by the Ministry in *Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows*. As a result, Harry and Sirius most likely learned to distrust the authority of the Ministry in a way that James never did.  


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Sirius trapped in the Top Tower from the Prisoner of Azakban 

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## Transfiguring friends into family

Perhaps as a result of their unhappy upbringings, both Sirius and Harry’s friendships run deeper than your average playground pals. Arguably, James and Sirius acted like brothers, as well as best friends, emphasised particularly by the fact that Sirius actually moved in with the Potters when he ran away from the Black family home. Sirius was also best man at James and Lily’s wedding, a place often taken up by the groom’s brother.

Harry is similar in this way, and through his friendship with Ron, was adopted into the Weasley family to such an extent that Ron’s mother sent him Christmas presents and thought of him like a son. Sirius and Harry’s relationship is an interesting mix of friends and family too: Sirius is Harry’s godfather and sometimes treats him like a son, but at other times he seems to forget Harry isn’t his best friend, James Potter. ‘You’re less like your father than I thought’ Sirius told Harry when he refused to risk Sirius’ safety and meet his godfather in Hogsmeade. A harsh put-down that muddies the family-friend boundary between them. 



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## Brave Gryffindors to the last 

Along with James, Harry and Sirius showed unimaginable courage in the face of evil. Sirius, still a wanted man, didn’t hesitate to leave Grimmauld Place and go after Harry at the Ministry of Magic. Sirius was also determined to give Harry help and advice via owl and in the Gryffindor fireplace throughout his time at Hogwarts, risking being thrown back into Azkaban if caught. 

Harry stood up to bullies, fought dragons, and faced Lord Voldemort whilst still trying to attend classes at Hogwarts. And in the end, just like James and Sirius, Harry was willing to give up his life to protect the people – and wizarding world – that he loved.


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Harry and Sirius standing in the Department of Mysteries 

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

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

quiz

Quiz

Hero Quiz Hub Texture

The Neville Longbottom Quiz

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Neville defies Lord Voldemort and holds the sword of Gryffindor in the aftermath of the Battle at Hogwarts.

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As it’s Neville’s birthday, here's a quiz to see how much you really know about him. Let’s hope there’s no red smoke in your Remembralls after this quiz...

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Discover the films

Wizarding World Image Crediting

to Fantastic Beasts

The Albus Dumbledore Quiz

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Dumbledore uses the Deluminator outside the Dursley's house.

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Fascinating things, quizzes. So how well do you really know your Albus Dumble-lore?

Do you know your sherbet lemons from your Acid Pops? How about all of Dumbledore’s myriad middle names? What does ‘Nitwit, Blubber, Oddment, Tweak’ actually mean? (Just kidding, nobody knows that.) 

Let’s see how much you know about one of the greatest wizards there ever was.  

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The Ultimate Defence Against the Dark Arts Quiz

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Dark Mark

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‘The Dark Arts,’ to quote Severus Snape, ‘are many, varied, ever-changing and eternal. Fighting them is like fighting a many-headed monster, which, each time a neck is severed, sprouts a head even fiercer and cleverer than before.' Which means, in order to do well, you're going to have to have had paid attention to Harry's time in Defence Against the Dark Arts. 

Do you have what it takes to become an Auror or are you more of a Gilderoy Lockhart type? Take our Defence Against the Dark Arts quiz to find out... 

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The Hogwarts Castle Quiz

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> ‘Oh, I would never dream of assuming I know all Hogwarts’ secrets, Igor,’ said Dumbledore amicably.<br>
*Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire*
<br>

But how many of Hogwarts' secrets do *you* know, we wonder? Have a go at our latest quiz and be careful not to fall down a trick step.

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<p>

If you fancy solving some more Hogwarts mysteries, [why not try our 30-question ultimate Hogwarts quiz for an even bigger challenge?](/features/the-ultimate-hogwarts-quiz)

The Potions Quiz 

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Harry’s Potions lessons often came with mixed results. When taught by Snape, it was a bubbling nightmare, full of exploding cauldrons, orange potions and threatened toads. 

So, how good is your potions knowledge? Sadly, we have no annotated textbooks or Felix Felicis to help you here, but best of luck all the same. 

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Take these quizzes and discover how much you know about the Wizarding World. From spells to ghosts, potions to professors, wands to witches and more.

Quizzes - Wizarding World

Put your wizarding knowledge to the test with curious quizzes for all levels

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J.K. Rowling Originals

Hub Texture J.K. Rowling Originals

The Sorting Hat

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The famous Hogwarts Sorting Hat gives an account of its own genesis in a series of songs sung at the beginning of each school year. Legend has it that the hat once belonged to one of the four founders, Godric Gryffindor, and that it was jointly enchanted by all four founders to ensure that students would be sorted into their eponymous houses, which would be selected according to each founder’s particular preferences in students.

The Sorting Hat is one of the cleverest enchanted objects most witches and wizards will ever meet. It literally contains the intelligence of the four founders, can speak (through a rip near its brim) and is skilled at Legilimency, which enables it to look into the wearer’s head and divine his or her capabilities or mood. It can even respond to the thoughts of the wearer.

The Sorting Hat is notorious for refusing to admit it has made a mistake in its sorting of a student. On those occasions when Slytherins behave altruistically or selflessly, when Ravenclaws flunk all their exams, when Hufflepuffs prove lazy yet academically gifted and when Gryffindors exhibit cowardice, the Hat steadfastly backs its original decision. On balance, however, the Hat has made remarkably few errors of judgement over the many centuries it has been at work.

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JKR Sorting Hat illustration

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## J.K. Rowling’s thoughts

The Sorting Hat does not appear in my earliest plans for Hogwarts. I debated several different methods for sorting students (because I knew from early on that there would be four houses, all with very different qualities). The first was an elaborate, Heath Robinson-ish machine that did all kinds of magical things before reaching a decision, but I did not like it: it felt at once too complicated, and too easy. Next I placed four statues of the four founders in the Entrance Hall, which came alive and selected students from the throng in front of them while the school watched. This was better, but still not quite right. Finally, I wrote a list of the ways in which people can be chosen: eeny meeny miny mo, short straws, chosen by team captains, names out of a hat – names out of a talking hat – putting on a hat – the Sorting Hat.

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The Potter Family

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The Potter family is a very old one, but it was never (until the birth of Harry James Potter) at the very forefront of wizarding history, contenting itself with a solid and comfortable existence in the backwaters.  

Potter is a not uncommon Muggle surname, and the family did not make the so-called ‘Sacred Twenty-Eight’ for this reason; the anonymous compiler of that supposedly definitive list of pure-bloods suspected that they had sprung from what he considered to be tainted blood. The wizarding Potter family had illustrious beginnings, however, some of which was hinted at in *Deathly Hallows*. 

In the Muggle world ‘Potter’ is an occupational surname, meaning a man who creates pottery. The wizarding family of Potters descends from the twelfth-century wizard Linfred of Stinchcombe, a locally well-beloved and eccentric man, whose nickname, ‘the Potterer’, became corrupted in time to ‘Potter’. Linfred was a vague and absent-minded fellow whose Muggle neighbours often called upon his medicinal services. None of them realised that Linfred’s wonderful cures for pox and ague were magical; they all thought him a harmless and lovable old chap, pottering about in his garden with all his funny plants. His reputation as a well-meaning eccentric served Linfred well, for behind closed doors he was able to continue the series of experiments that laid the foundation of the Potter family’s fortune.  Historians credit Linfred as the originator of a number of remedies that evolved into potions still used to this day, including Skele-gro and Pepperup Potion. His sales of such cures to fellow witches and wizards enabled him to leave a significant pile of gold to each of his seven children upon his death. 

Linfred’s eldest son, Hardwin, married a beautiful young witch by the name of Iolanthe Peverell, who came from the village of Godric’s Hollow. She was the granddaughter of Ignotus Peverell. In the absence of male heirs, she, the eldest of her generation, had inherited her grandfather’s invisibility cloak. It was, Iolanthe explained to Hardwin, a tradition in her family that the possession of this cloak remained a secret, and her new husband respected her wishes. From this time on, the cloak was handed down to the eldest in each new generation. 

The Potters continued to marry their neighbours, occasionally Muggles, and to live in the West of England, for several generations, each one adding to the family coffers by their hard work and, it must be said, by the quiet brand of ingenuity that had characterised their forebear, Linfred.  

Occasionally, a Potter made it all the way to London, and a member of the family has twice sat on the Wizengamot: Ralston Potter, who was a member from 1612-1652, and who was a great supporter of the Statute of Secrecy (as opposed to declaring war on the Muggles, as more militant members wished to do) and Henry Potter (Harry to his intimates), who was a direct descendant of Hardwin and Iolanthe, and served on the Wizengamot from 1913-1921. Henry caused a minor stir when he publicly condemned then Minister for Magic, Archer Evermonde, who had forbidden the magical community to help Muggles waging the First World War. His outspokenness on the behalf of the Muggle community was also a strong contributing factor in the family’s exclusion from the ‘Sacred Twenty-Eight’.  

Henry’s son was called Fleamont Potter. Fleamont was so called because it was the dying wish of Henry’s mother that he perpetuate her maiden name, which would otherwise die out. He bore the burden remarkably well; indeed, he always attributed his dexterity at duelling to the number of times he had to fight people at Hogwarts after they had made fun of his name. It was Fleamont who took the family gold and quadrupled it, by creating magical Sleekeazy’s Hair Potion ( *‘two drops tames even the most bothersome barnet’* ).  He sold the company at a vast profit when he retired, but no amount of riches could compensate him or his wife Euphemia for their childlessness. They had quite given up hope of a son or daughter when, to their shock and surprise, Euphemia found that she was pregnant and their beloved boy, James, was born. 

Fleamont and Euphemia lived long enough to see James marry a Muggle-born girl called Lily Evans, but not to meet their grandson, Harry. Dragon pox carried them off within days of each other, due to their advanced age, and James Potter then inherited Ignotus Peverell’s Invisibility Cloak.

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JKR Mirror of Erised illustration

The Hogwarts Express

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The Hogwarts Express steaming through the country side

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As we know from early historical accounts, and from the evidence of early woodcuts and engravings, Hogwarts students used to arrive at school in any manner that caught their fancy. Some rode broomsticks (a difficult feat when carrying trunks and pets); others commandeered enchanted carts and, later, carriages; some attempted to Apparate (often with disastrous effects, as the castle and grounds have always been protected with Anti-Apparition Charms), others rode a variety of magical creatures.

In spite of the accidents attendant on these various modes of magical transport, not to mention the annual Muggle sightings of vast numbers of airborne wizards travelling northwards, it remained the responsibility of parents to convey their children to school, right up until the imposition of the International Statute of Secrecy in 1692. At this point, it became a matter of urgency to find some more discreet method of transporting hundreds of wizarding children from all over Britain to their secret school in the Highlands of Scotland.

Portkeys were therefore arranged at collecting points all over Britain. The logistics caused problems from the start. Up to a third of students would fail to arrive every year, having missed their time slot, or been unable to find the unobtrusive enchanted object that would transport them to their school. There was also the unfortunate fact that many children were (and are) ‘Portkey-sick’, and the hospital wing was frequently full to bursting for the first few days of every year, while susceptible students overcame their hysterics and nausea.

While admitting that Portkeys were not an ideal solution to the problem of school transportation, the Ministry of Magic failed to find an acceptable alternative. A return to the unregulated travel of the past was impossible, and yet a more secure route into the school (for instance, permitting a fireplace that might be officially entered by Floo powder) was strongly resisted by successive Headmasters, who did not wish the security of the castle to be breached.

A daring and controversial solution to the thorny problem was finally suggested by Minister for Magic Ottaline Gambol, who was much intrigued by Muggle inventions and saw the potential in trains. Where exactly the Hogwarts Express came from has never been conclusively proven, although it is a fact that there are secret records at the Ministry of Magic detailing a mass operation involving one hundred and sixty-seven Memory Charms and the largest ever mass Concealment Charm performed in Britain. The morning after these alleged crimes, a gleaming scarlet steam engine and carriages astounded the villagers of Hogsmeade (who had also not realised they had a railway station), while several bemused Muggle railway workers down in Crewe spent the rest of the year grappling with the uncomfortable feeling that they had mislaid something important.

The Hogwarts Express underwent several magical modifications before the Ministry approved it for school use. Many pure-blood families were outraged at the idea of their children using Muggle transport, which they claimed was unsafe, insanitary and demeaning; however, as the Ministry decreed that students either rode the train or did not attend school, the objections were swiftly silenced.

The Marauder’s Map

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Harry locates the One Eyed Witch using the Maurauder's Map.

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Perhaps no students (even including Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger and Tom Riddle) have ever explored the castle and grounds of Hogwarts as thoroughly and illicitly as the four creators and contributors to the Marauder’s Map: James Potter, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew.

James, Sirius and Peter were not initially impelled to explore the school grounds by night out of devilment alone (though that played its part), but by their desire to help their dear friend Remus Lupin to bear his lycanthropy. Prior to the invention of the Wolfsbane Potion, Lupin was compelled to undergo an excruciating transformation every full moon. Once his condition was discovered by his three best friends, they sought a way to render his transformations less solitary and painful, which led to them learning to become (unregistered) Animagi, so that they could keep him company without harm to themselves. The ability of Sirius Black, Peter Pettigrew and James Potter to become, respectively, a dog, a rat and a stag, enabled them to explore the castle grounds by night undetected. The interior of the castle, meanwhile, was mapped over time with the help of James Potter’s Invisibility Cloak.

The Marauder’s Map is lasting testimony to the advanced magical ability of the four friends who included Harry Potter’s father, godfather and favourite teacher. The map they created during their time at Hogwarts appears to be a blank piece of parchment unless activated by the phrase: ‘I solemnly swear that I am up to no good,’ a phrase that, in the case of three of the four makers, should be understood as a joke. The ‘no good’ of which they wrote never denoted Dark magic, but school rule-breaking; similar bravado is evinced by their use of their own nicknames on the map (‘Messrs Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs’).

The magic used in the map’s creation is advanced and impressive; it includes the Homonculous Charm, enabling the possessor of the map to track the movements of every person in the castle, and it was also enchanted to forever repel (as insultingly as possible) the curiosity of their nemesis, Severus Snape.

Although the precise circumstances surrounding the makers’ loss of their map are not given in the Harry Potter novels, it is easy to conclude that they eventually over-reached themselves and were cornered by Argus Filch, probably on a tip-off from Snape, whose obsession it had become to expose his arch-rival, James Potter, in wrongdoing. The masterpiece of a map was confiscated in Sirius, James, Remus and Peter’s final year and none of them were able to steal it back from a well-prepared and suspicious Filch. In any case, their priorities changed in their final months at school, becoming far more serious and focused on the world beyond Hogwarts, where Lord Voldemort was successfully rising to power. All four of the map’s creators would shortly be inducted into the renegade organisation headed by Albus Dumbledore, the Order of the Phoenix, and a map of their old school – no matter how ingenious – would no longer be of use to them except as a piece of nostalgia.

The Marauder’s Map was, however, of immense use to the young Weasley twins. The story of Fred and George’s acquisition of the map is told in *Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban*. It was a mark of their high esteem for Harry Potter, and their belief that he stood in need of assistance with a destiny none of them yet fully understood, that they later gifted the map to him, unwittingly passing it on to the child of one of the creators.

The map was subsequently confiscated from Harry Potter by a Death Eater in disguise at the school, who recognised it as a likely source of his own discovery.

## J.K. Rowling’s thoughts

The Marauder’s Map subsequently became something of a bane to its true originator (me), because it allowed Harry a little too much freedom of information. I never showed Harry taking the map back from the empty office of (the supposed) Mad-Eye Moody, and I sometimes regretted that I had not capitalised on this mistake to leave it there. However, I like the moment when Harry watches Ginny’s dot moving around the school in *Deathly Hallows*, so on balance I am glad I let Harry reclaim his rightful property.

Hatstall

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An archaic Hogwarts term for any new student whose Sorting takes longer than five minutes. This is an exceptionally long time for the Sorting Hat to deliberate, and occurs rarely, perhaps once every fifty years.

Of Harry Potter’s contemporaries, Hermione Granger and Neville Longbottom came closest to being Hatstalls. The Sorting Hat spent nearly four minutes trying to decide whether it should place Hermione in Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. In Neville’s case, the Hat was determined to place him in Gryffindor: Neville, intimidated by that house’s reputation for bravery, requested a placing in Hufflepuff. Their silent wrangling resulted in triumph for the Hat.

The only true Hatstalls known personally to Harry Potter were Minerva McGonagall and Peter Pettigrew. The former caused the hat to agonise for five and a half minutes as to whether Minerva ought to go to Ravenclaw or Gryffindor; the latter was placed in Gryffindor after a long deliberation between that house and Slytherin. The Sorting Hat, which is infamously stubborn, still refuses to accept that its decision in the case of the latter may have been erroneous, citing the manner in which Pettigrew died as (dubious) evidence.

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