Luna Lovegood

For Luna, we’ve chosen Dumbledore’s Army. The anti-Umbridge Defence Against the Dark Arts group run by Harry meant so much to this free-spirited Ravenclaw. Treated unkindly by fellow students due to her eccentric ways, Luna told Harry that the DA ‘was like having friends’. Luna made lifelong friends thanks to the DA – as well as learning some handy defensive magic.

Luna may have been thankful for the DA, but we’re pretty sure her new pals were thankful for her fiercely loyal friendship too.

Newt Scamander

If we could ask our favourite Magizoologist he’d probably find it tricky to choose only one kind of fantastic beast to be thankful for. So we’re making his mind up for him. How about Salamanders – fire-dwelling lizards that feed on flame? But why choose this creature above all his others? What about Pickett and Bowtruckles? Or the baby Nifflers? Or Mooncalves? We’re so thankful for those unbearably cute creatures! Ultimately we think it would be Salamanders. For Newt, the creatures were inextricably linked to Tina Goldstein. ‘She has eyes just like a Salamander’, Newt told Jacob. And although his friend warned against telling Tina this, we’re so glad Newt did. And she didn’t seem to mind either…

Gilderoy Lockhart

We think Professor Lockhart would claim to be thankful for all sorts of things: his bravery fighting off banshees, his fearlessness against ghouls, his ability to save people from vampires, hags, yetis, trolls… But that was all a lie. We think that deep down, Gilderoy would be most thankful for Witch Weekly magazine. He really did win Witch Weekly’s Most-Charming-Smile Award five times in a row. It’s possibly the only achievement he was famous for that he actually earned himself.

Hedwig

Harry’s precious snowy owl, Hedwig, often had a worse time than Harry at number four, Privet Drive. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, when Harry was locked in his room by the Dursleys, poor Hedwig wasn’t allowed out of her cage. The only food available to her was soggy vegetables from Harry’s stone-cold soup. After all this, we think Hedwig would be thankful for Hogwarts. There she had the owlery to catch up with all of her feathered friends and the freedom to spread her snowy wings across the wide-open skies of the Scottish Highlands – as well as a constant supply of prey from the Forbidden Forest!

Jacob Kowalski

To say that Jacob was a little overwhelmed by his trips into Newt’s suitcase might be an understatement. But who wouldn’t be with all those fantastic beasts gadding about? It might be strange then that we’ve chosen the Occamy – a small snake-like bird – as something Jacob would be thankful for. But Occamy egg shells are solid silver, and this was the thank you Newt left behind for Jacob after their first adventure together ended: ‘Dear Mr Kowalski, You are wasted in a canning factory. Please take these Occamy eggshells as collateral for your bakery. A well-wisher.’

Baked goods for everyone, all thanks to an Occamy! Little did Jacob know that his adventures with magical creatures were only just beginning…

Hermione Granger

We’re sure Hermione would be thankful for Harry and Ron, for Crookshanks and for the beautiful dress robes she wowed everyone with at the Yule Ball. But we reckon that Hermione would be most thankful for the Hogwarts library. The library and its books were there for her, even when she’d fallen out with her friends. It played a crucial role, not just to get her top marks, but also to help her solve many-a-mystery. And don’t forget it was also the place where Viktor Krum liked to watch her work. How romantic! To prove our point here’s what Ron had to say on the matter: ‘Because that’s what Hermione does,’ said Ron, shrugging. ‘When in doubt, go to the library’.

Fred & George Weasley

Fred and George’s joke-shop dream may have stayed as elusive as a Crumple-Horned Snorkack without Harry’s helping hand in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. So we’ve chosen Harry’s Triwizard Tournament winnings as something the twins would be thankful for. Without it, Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes may never have existed so we’re pretty grateful for those thousand Galleons too. Imagine how many laughs we would have missed out on? U-No-Poo – a modern classic. And who doesn’t want a Pygmy Puff for a pet?

Remus Lupin

Given Lupin’s ‘furry little problem’ as his friend James Potter used to call it, we think Remus would be thankful for the Wolfsbane Potion. The potion made Werewolves like Lupin ‘safe’, which meant he was able to keep his mind when he transformed, and curl up in his office as ‘a harmless wolf’. However, because it was a fairly modern invention, Lupin didn’t always have the potion and used to turn into a ‘fully fledged monster once a month’. Without the Wolfsbane Potion, Lupin never would have been able to take up a post at Hogwarts.

Neville Longbottom

It’s fair to say that Neville struggled with many of his classes at Hogwarts. Even by his second year he was afraid the Heir of Slytherin would come after him, because he claimed he was ‘almost a Squib’. But there was one area that Neville excelled in: Herbology. Right at the beginning of his journey, a good Herbology mark meant Neville scraped it through end-of-year exams. Then in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows we found out that he became a Herbology Professor at Hogwarts! Herbology really did help Neville blossom into the Horcrux-slaying Gryffindor we all know and love. We think he would be very thankful for the existence of this green-fingered subject. And Stinksap to anyone who says otherwise!

Ron Weasley & Harry Potter

Saving them both from Devil’s Snare; figuring out the identity of Slytherin’s monster and passing on the information whilst petrified; helping Harry beat a dragon by relentlessly teaching him Accio; getting them through their homework and O.W.L.s.; coming up with Dumbledore’s Army; saving them both from Bill and Fleur’s wedding… The list goes on. We think Harry and Ron would be eternally thankful for Hermione Jean Granger. Perhaps Ron most of all, who was lucky enough to marry her in the end.

We’ll leave you with a quote from Dumbledore: ‘We have much to be thankful for. Would you care for a sherbet lemon?’