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Chapter Challenge: 'The Mirror of Erised'

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Welcome to your twelfth Chapter Challenge! If you need a reminder of Chapter Twelve, [you can watch Matthew Lewis, Helen Howard and Imelda Staunton, reading 'The Mirror of Erised' any time you like here](https://www.wizardingworld.com/chapters/reading-the-mirror-of-erised "CH12"). 

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__Write down which you think was Harry’s best Christmas present and why.__

*This mini-challenge is worth 1 house point.*

  
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__Draw the Mirror of Erised. Make sure you include what *you* would see in its reflection.__
  
*This mini-challenge is worth 1 house point.*
 
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__Answer this question and get a clue about the next chapter. What do you get with a Chocolate Frog?__
  
*This mini-challenge is worth 1 house point.*
  
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__Write about yourself: If you had an Invisibility Cloak, what would be your first adventure?__

*This mini-challenge is worth 1 house point.*
  
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__Prediction time! Do you think Harry will ever see the Mirror of Erised again?__

*This mini-challenge is worth 1 house point.*

  
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__Time to be Mrs Weasley: In 'The Mirror of Erised', Mrs Weasley sends her children – and Harry – a special knitted Weasley jumper. Design a Weasley jumper for every member of your household. What colour would it be? Would it have a letter on the front? Or something else? And don’t forget to design one for yourself!__

*This mini-challenge is worth 2 house points.*

  
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__Secret quest: Choose something that belongs to you – perhaps a book or a toy or a mug or similar. Leave it somewhere with a note addressed to someone in your household. The note must say the person’s name and the words ‘Use it well’ just like the Invisibility Cloak. After a day you can ask for the object back if you want to!__

*This mini-challenge is worth 3 house points.*
  
  OR...

***

__Quiz time: If this secret quest isn’t for you, you can collect the same number of house points if you answer every question correctly in our [Chapter Twelve Quiz here](https://www.wizardingworld.com/quiz/chapter-quiz-chapter-twelve-five-questions "CQ12")...__

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Did you complete this Chapter Challenge? How many house points did you collect of the possible 10? Have you put all your pieces of paper in the hourglass so you don’t lose count? When a reading of Chapter Thirteen becomes available, there’ll be another challenge waiting for you!

And don’t forget to collect all your house points in your house hourglass. Remember, your hourglass can be any container – a bottle, a jar, a box. Every time you earn a house point, cut out a little square or circle of paper or card – colour it in with your house colour – and then put it into your hourglass. When you need to use scissors, make sure you ask an adult to help you.

Still need to find out which Hogwarts house you belong in? [Here’s a link to the Sorting Ceremony on our website](https://my.wizardingworld.com/register "Register"). Or download the Wizarding World app to find out your house whilst wearing the Sorting Hat! You’ll need an adult to help you register.

And for more quizzes, crafting, articles and other fun activites go to the [Harry Potter At Home Hub](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/harry-potter-at-home "HPAH hub").

__Illustration by Mary GrandPré © Scholastic__

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Try our four Hogwarts house-themed wordsearches 

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Simply click and drag to find all the words, all connected to each of the four Hogwarts houses. And if you don't know which house you're in, [remember you can get sorted with us right here.  ](https://my.wizardingworld.com/sorting-hat)

## The Gryffindor wordsearch 

<iframe width="600" height="650" src="https://bridgecard.wizardingworld.com/wordsearch/20200617/00023/" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

## The Ravenclaw wordsearch

<iframe width="600" height="650" src="https://bridgecard.wizardingworld.com/wordsearch/20200612/00022/" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

## The Hufflepuff wordsearch

<iframe width="600" height="650" src="https://bridgecard.wizardingworld.com/wordsearch/20200522/00019/" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

## The Slytherin wordsearch

<iframe width="600" height="650" src="https://bridgecard.wizardingworld.com/wordsearch/20200620/00025/" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

For more puzzles, [visit our puzzles hub](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/potter-puzzles) or check out our Wizarding World app. 

Ten times the Dursleys were the absolute worst 

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## That time they dropped Harry off at King’s Cross only so they could laugh at him…  
‘He was quite right, of course. There was a big plastic number nine over one platform and a big plastic number ten over the one next to it, and in the middle, nothing at all.
‘Have a good term,’ said Uncle Vernon with an even nastier smile. He left without another word. Harry turned and saw the Dursleys drive away. All three of them were laughing.'

__Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone__

## That time they made Harry pretend he didn’t exist…  
“And you, boy?’
Harry fought to keep his face straight as he emerged.
‘I’ll be in my room, making no noise and pretending I’m not there,’ he said.”

__Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets__

## That time they gave Harry the worst Christmas present of all time …  
‘Harry’s other presents were much more satisfactory than Dobby’s odd socks – with the obvious exception of the Dursleys’, which consisted of a single tissue, an all-time low…’

__Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire__

## That time Aunt Petunia revealed she knew a lot more about magic than she’d let on … 
‘‘They guard the wizard prison, Azkaban,’ said Aunt Petunia. 
Two seconds of ringing silence followed these words before Aunt Petunia clapped her hand over her mouth as though she had let slip a disgusting swear word. Uncle Vernon was goggling at her. Harry’s brain reeled. Mrs Figg was one thing – but Aunt Petunia?’

__Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix__

## That time they allowed Aunt Marge to mercilessly insult Harry and his parents…  
“Now, I’m saying nothing against your family, Petunia’ – she patted Aunt Petunia’s bony hand with her shovel-like one, ‘but your sister was a bad egg. They turn up in the best families. Then she ran off with a wastrel and here’s the result right in front of us.”

__Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban__

## That time they locked Harry up and passed him food through a cat-flap in his bedroom door …  
‘He was bearing down on Harry like a great bulldog, all his teeth bared. ‘Well, I’ve got news for you, boy ... I’m locking you up ... you’re never going back to that school ... never ... and if you try and magic yourself out – they’ll expel you!”

__Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets__

## That time Dudley teased Harry about his bad dreams…  
“Don’t kill Cedric! Don’t kill Cedric!” Who’s Cedric – your boyfriend?’
‘I – you’re lying,’ said Harry automatically. But his mouth had gone dry. He knew Dudley wasn’t lying – how else would he know about Cedric?
‘“Dad! Help me, Dad! He’s going to kill me, Dad! Boo hoo!”

__Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix__

## That time Uncle Vernon couldn’t get the word Dementor right …   
“But what ARE Dementoids?’ asked Uncle Vernon furiously. ‘What do they DO?”

__Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix__

## That time Aunt Petunia couldn’t bring herself to say anything meaningful to her nephew …  
‘She stopped and looked back. For a moment Harry had the strangest feeling that she wanted to say something to him: she gave him an odd, tremulous look and seemed to teeter on the edge of speech, but then, with a little jerk of her head, she bustled out of the room after her husband and son.’

__Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows__

## And every time they lied about how his parents had died …  
‘The only thing Harry liked about his own appearance was a very thin scar on his forehead which was shaped like a bolt of lightning. He had had it as long as he could remember and the first question he could ever remember asking his Aunt Petunia was how he had got it.
‘In the car crash when your parents died,’ she had said. ‘And don’t ask questions.”

__Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone__



Play our Fantastic Beasts crossword

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How well do you remember the Fantastic Beasts films? How impeccable are your crossword skills? Well, why not combine those two things and have a go at our latest puzzle?

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https://bridgecard.wizardingworld.com/crossword/20200602/00018/" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Visit our puzzles section to enjoy more challenges](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/potter-puzzles) or visit the Wizarding World app.

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Learn how to make a cardboard Basilisk

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Are you brave enough to take on this crafting challenge? Slytherin’s monster – also known as a Basilisk – was responsible for almost getting Hogwarts closed down in *Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets*. 

Here’s what Hermione found out from the library about the creature in *Chamber of Secrets*: ‘*Of the many fearsome beasts and monsters that roam our land, there is none more curious or more deadly than the Basilisk, known also as the King of Serpents. This snake, which may reach gigantic size, and live many hundreds of years, is born from a chicken’s egg, hatched beneath a toad.*’ 

Now it’s your turn to make the King of Serpents out of cardboard. Don’t believe us? Watch this video and find out how... 

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/h1ZqXz2DO4s" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

For more of our arts and crafts videos, check out our [Crafting Magic page](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/crafting-magic "Crafting Magic"), as well as our [Wizarding World YouTube channel](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChPRO1CB_Hvd0TvKRU62iSQ "Youtube"). 

And for even more stay at home fun, check out our [Harry Potter At Home hub](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/harry-potter-at-home "HPAH hub"), and bring the magic to you!


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

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Chapters

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Chapter Twelve: ‘The Mirror of Erised’ 

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Watch Matthew Lewis, Helen Howard and Imelda Staunton read Chapter Twelve of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone. Sign up to hear who's next.

Watch Matthew Lewis reading Harry Potter at home

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Matthew Lewis, Helen Howard and Imelda Staunton read Chapter Twelve of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone, for Harry Potter At Home. 

You can [register with the Harry Potter Fan Club](https://my.wizardingworld.com/register) to get all the latest updates on further video readings of *Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone.*

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Chapter Twelve | The Mirror of Erised

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Today we have a trio of talented actors to narrate a night-time adventure that brings Harry even more joy than his Christmas gifts. And remember to catch up on Chapter Eleven, [read by David Tennant and David Beckham here.](https://www.wizardingworld.com/chapters/reading-quidditch)

Matthew is best known for playing Neville Longbottom in the Harry Potter films. He has just wrapped on the new television adaptation of *All Creatures Great and Small* and will soon be seen in a leading role in the romantic comedy film *Baby, Done* across from Rose Matafeo. Credits include Kay Mellor’s ITV drama *Girlfriends* opposite Miranda Richardson and Zoe Wanamaker, BBC’s *Happy Valley*, Amazon’s Ripper Street, the feature Me Before You opposite Emilia Clarke and Sam Claflin and on stage in *Unfaithful* at London’s Found111. Oh, and he’s also a ~~Gryffindor~~ Hufflepuff!

Helen Howard is an actor, writer, acting and accent coach and co-founder of Matrix Theatre. Amongst many credits and fascinating roles, Helen's theatre highlights include *Harry Potter and The Cursed Child*, where she is currently playing Umbridge/Aunt Petunia/Hooch in the hugely successful MCG production.

And from one Umbridge to another...
 
Imelda Staunton is a BAFTA and Olivier Award winning actress who portrayed Professor Umbridge in the Harry Potter films. Her illustrious career has spanned film, radio, TV and theatre, where she has picked up nominations for an Academy Award, a Golden Globe and an Emmy along the way. 

Look forward to more famous faces and friends of the Wizarding World (and beyond!) to help us to read through all seventeen chapters of *Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s/Sorcerer’s Stone* over the upcoming weeks. You can see all of our chapters right here in our chapter hub.

**

You may notice some wonderful drawings representing the chapter during the read-through. Look forward to more artwork in every chapter and read below to see how you can get involved in [contributing yourself.](https://www.wizardingworld.com/terms/content-submission-guidelines)

[You can also listen to ‘The Mirror of Erised’ on Spotify if you fancy an audio-only version. ](https://open.spotify.com/episode/3s3NrjKxDGJ0F05FzkG9OD)

## Chapter Twelve: ‘The Mirror of Erised’ – Further reading and new activities 

Now that you’ve refreshed your memory of J.K. Rowling’s twelfth chapter of *Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone* (or *Sorcerer’s Stone* for our US readers), here’s more about ‘The Mirror of Erised’.      

- How much did you just learn? For the young (and the young at heart!) – [try our new Chapter Challenge!](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/harry-potter-philosophers-stone-chapter-challenge-twelve-the-mirror-of-erised) Collect house points as you complete chapter-themed tasks and quizzes, along with a secret quest. Oh and speaking of ‘house points’ [remember to get sorted into your Hogwarts house too!](https://my.wizardingworld.com/sorting-hat)

- For those who’ve visited the wizarding world before – [here’s a deep dive on the elusive Mirror of Erised](https://www.wizardingworld.com/features/what-the-mirror-of-erised-can-tell-us-about-the-boy-who-lived) and what the magical object teaches us about Harry’s character.

- Ready for some wizarding word play? Our friends at Bloomsbury have an anagram challenge for you! [Can you unscramble these Harry Potter-themed words?](https://hpmedia.bloomsbury.com/rep/files/wizarding-word-play-2015.pdf) Answers are upside down at the bottom –so no peeking!

- But when is Chapter Thirteen coming, we hear you cry? Be sure to check back at HarryPotterAtHome.com every week where you can expect new readings from a stellar cast of narrators.

-  In fact, if you’re worried about missing out on any updates from Harry Potter At Home and beyond, don’t worry. [Sign up to our Harry Potter Fan Club newsletter](https://my.wizardingworld.com/register), where you can receive exciting new updates every week on Harry Potter At Home, further chapters, and much more. [Here’s how.](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/new-harry-potter-fan-club-newsletter) 

- And what about this fan art? Yes, well reminded. We’re inviting you to send in your pieces to represent key moments from the first book, which will feature in future videos. At the moment, we’re looking for moments that feature in Chapter Thirteen onwards. 

By our mathematics skills, that would give us just five more chapters to go, so please do send us your interpretations of famous scenes from those chapters via the hashtag #HarryPotterAtHome to @WizardingWorld’s Twitter account. Submitting your artwork this way ensures the Harry Potter At Home project absolutely has your permission to use your pieces online.

You can check out [our rules and guidelines](https://www.wizardingworld.com/terms/content-submission-guidelines) to submitting here and an important note to all parent and guardians that you must submit your children’s art on their behalf.

- If you’re old enough, come join us on [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/wizardingworld/), [Twitter](https://twitter.com/wizardingworld) and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/wizardingworld) where the fun just keeps on coming with more quizzes, puzzles and extra challenges. 

- The easiest way to keep up to date with all the wizarding business we’re up to, is simply by registering. [Go here for more details.](https://my.wizardingworld.com/register)

## Harry Potter At Home 

[Harry Potter At Home](https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/harry-potter-at-home) is our way of bringing the magic into people’s homes, casting a Banishing Charm on boredom. These special video readings are just one of the many things you can do at home with us, whether alone or with your friends or family. Our new Harry Potter At Home project is very much a team effort, combining the resources of Harry Potter UK and US publishers Bloomsbury and Scholastic, Pottermore Publishing, Warner Bros., leading spoken-word producer and provider Audible, our numerous library suppliers, library supplier OverDrive, streaming platform Spotify, and of course, our very own magic-makers here at WizardingWorld.com.

Watch familiar faces reading Harry Potter at home - including Daniel Radcliffe, Olivia Colman, Whoopi Goldberg & Alia Bhatt. Sign up to hear who's next.

Harry Potter At Home Readings

Watch familiar faces read Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone for Harry Potter At Home - including Daniel Radcliffe, Eddie Redmayne & Stephen Fry.

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Complete the quote quiz: Vernon Dursley edition

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The First Year Hagrid Quiz

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The Hogwarts School List Quiz

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

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

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Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone named best and most influential book in the past 30 years by British Book Awards 

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The British Book Awards showcase and celebrate the best books, bookshops and publishers, and this year, *Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone*, published by Bloomsbury in the UK, has been honoured in their special 30from30 prize. Watch below to see J.K. Rowling’s acceptance speech. 

The Nibbies Acceptance Speech

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‘It is a massive honour to receive a 30th anniversary Best of the Nibbies award for *Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone*,’ she said. ‘It is particularly meaningful because the first award Harry ever won was a Nibbie.’ 

*Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone* was chosen from a longlist of 30 books, all past winners of the awards.  In their Winners’ Supplement The Bookseller said of the win: 

‘*Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone* was the book that lived. It changed everything for everyone and is the rightful winner of this one-off award.’

You can [visit The Bookseller website](https://www.thebookseller.com) to see more award winners from this year’s virtual ceremony. 

*Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone* is currently being revisited as part of Harry Potter At Home, with famous fans and friends of the Wizarding World reading different chapters of the first book in a very special readalong.

[You can visit the Harry Potter At Home hub here](http://harrypotterathome.com/), where you’ll find all sorts of activities to entertain fans at home, including special contributions from Bloomsbury and Scholastic, craft videos, fun articles, quizzes, puzzles and plenty more for first-time readers, as well as those already familiar with the wizarding world.

Illustration © Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

New Wizarding World face coverings coming soon 

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Warner Bros. Consumer Products has partnered with several different licensees to introduce face coverings that will feature beloved characters and iconic imagery from the Harry Potter series. 

Designed for fans of all ages, these family-friendly face coverings are adorned with various Wizarding World prints, showcasing everything from wands to Hogwarts house pride. As we continue to practise social distancing all over the world, these designs may be particularly beneficial for children, helping them feel more comfortable and normalising their experience.

![face-mask-png-crop](//images.ctfassets.net/usf1vwtuqyxm/4Nuqt70CzjnxoeAPtlhvgI/99c4104397a9d8e678e6e4d2454426e9/Zazzle-Harry-Potter-Mask-Image-Optimised.png)

In addition, the purchase of Wizarding World-themed face coverings will directly support those in need of assistance. Our partners involved in the creation of the coverings have committed to making a variety of donations to charities actively supporting first responders, underserved communities and others impacted by the spread of COVID-19.    

We hope this sprinkle of magic helps to bring a little familiarity and joy to Wizarding World fans.

*More information about how to purchase the new face coverings range will be coming soon.*

*Images from Trevco and Zazzle.*

Introducing the next phase of Harry Potter At Home 

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Some of the best-loved faces from global entertainment, music and sport have lent their voices to the story they love by recording videos of themselves reading the timeless first Harry Potter book, *Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone/Sorcerer’s Stone*.

We, alongside J.K. Rowling, have announced seven of those readers from the stellar line-up today.

Excitingly, Daniel Radcliffe, Stephen Fry, David Beckham, Dakota Fanning, Claudia Kim, Noma Dumezweni, and Eddie Redmayne are amongst the cast of narrators, with more surprises and special appearances from across the Wizarding World and beyond to come. Each will be reading different sections of this iconic book – with its themes of family, friendship, courage and overcoming adversity – to families around the world.  

And here is a sneak peek!

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/vm1xuYUY0dY" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Who better to lend their voice to Chapter One than the prolific actor who portrayed Harry in all eight films? Daniel Radcliffe has kindly read the whole of Chapter One of *Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone/Sorcerer’s Stone*, [‘The Boy Who Lived’, for your viewing and listening pleasure. ](https://www.wizardingworld.com/chapters/reading-the-boy-who-lived)

As the figurehead of the Harry Potter films for so many years, we hope you love watching this incredibly special video of Daniel revisiting Harry’s adventure – this time not on a film set, but through the pages of the first book. 
 
While you can watch Daniel’s [reading right here,](https://www.wizardingworld.com/chapters/reading-the-boy-who-lived) you can also listen in audio form thanks to Spotify, who will be hosting all of our readings on their platform. [You can listen via Spotify or Spotify Kids](https://newsroom.spotify.com/2020-05-05/stars-from-the-wizarding-world-and-beyond-bring-harry-potter-and-the-sorcerers-philosophers-stone-to-spotify/) – so parents and carers can enjoy the series with younger fans too. 

We look forward to new narrators every week as they take turns to read different sections of the *Philosopher’s Stone*/*Sorcerer’s Stone*, until we reach the end with Chapter Seventeen. Keep an eye out for some very special surprise cameos along the way too. 

As you watch Daniel read through ‘The Boy Who Lived’, you’ll notice some amazing artwork interspersed in the experience, thanks to some talented fans. Brilliantly, you yourself can get involved in future chapters, from Chapter Two onwards, so your own pieces can feature alongside our special guest narrators. According to our incredible mathematics skills, you have sixteen chapters remaining of *Philosopher’s Stone*/*Sorcerer’s Stone* to work with – so please do send in your artistic interpretations of key scenes. [Read all about how to get involved here.](https://www.wizardingworld.com/terms/content-submission-guidelines) 

[Harry Potter At Home](http://harrypotterathome.com/) is the Wizarding World’s way of bringing Hogwarts closer to you, as we all continue to stay at home and keep safe. For parents looking for new magical ways to entertain their children during this time, we launched the Harry Potter At Home hub full of quizzes, puzzles, fun videos and features, along with contributions from our friends, UK and US Harry Potter publishers, Bloomsbury and Scholastic, alongside assistance from Warner Bros., Audible and our many library partners. To learn more about everything Harry Potter At Home has to offer, our handy round-up should help! 

So, without further ado, make sure you’re sitting comfortably, as we enjoy the first Harry Potter book in a whole new way. Grab a Portkey over to the first video now.

For more Harry Potter at Home updates, be sure to keep checking our [magically evolving hub](http://harrypotterathome.com/), or learn how to sign up to the [Harry Potter Fan Club weekly newsletter](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/new-harry-potter-fan-club-newsletter). But for the whole Wizarding World experience, such as getting sorted into your official Hogwarts house, discovering your Patronus, your wand and much more, be sure to [register right here.](https://my.wizardingworld.com/register?utm_medium=newsarticle&utm_source=wwd_web&utm_campaign=hpah-video-chap1-register)

Illustration by Jim Kay © Bloomsbury Publishing 2015

A first look at Harry Potter: Magic Awakened revealed in China 

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NetEase Inc., one of the largest internet and video game companies in the world, have collaborated with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment on their own exciting Wizarding World mobile game, Harry Potter: Magic Awakened. At their Sixth Annual Product Launch 520 Conference, NetEase revealed video highlights of the game alongside a rousing live orchestra performance of John Williams’ iconic Hedwig’s Theme. 

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/W0h1MR-TdQw" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Harry Potter: Magic Awakened is co-developed and officially licensed by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and will launch under the Portkey Games label. The upcoming mobile game, which focuses on collectible cards and features strategy roleplay elements, is set to delight Harry Potter fans across China, where this game will be available to play.  

Set some years after the Second Wizarding War, Harry Potter: Magic Awakened invites players to embark on their very own illustrious wizarding journey, which includes mastering spells, recruiting allies, and devising unique strategies and magical combinations for player versus player combat. 

![magic-awakened-logo-gold](//images.ctfassets.net/usf1vwtuqyxm/2M7B6Wt8zTJS2DeU1DR7KD/92fd7b7362946407ec35102d138e8652/End-Card-HPMA-logo.jpg)

Fans in China will be able to visit [www.harrypottermagicawakened.com](https://www.harrypottermagicawakened.com) for more details.

*Stay tuned for more exciting Portkey Games developments, coming soon.*

Portkey Games reveals new trailer for Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells

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Enjoy your first look at the upcoming match-3 puzzle game, which is the latest offering from the Portkey Games label. You can [learn more about Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells and Portkey Games here.](https://www.wizardingworld.com/news/web-new-hp-mobile-puzzle-game-in-development)

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">We’re excited to share with you a first look at the upcoming, match-3 mobile game ‘Harry Potter: Puzzles &amp; Spells’ under the <a href="https://twitter.com/PortkeyGames?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PortkeyGames</a> label. <a href="https://t.co/TV4YI0BnPL">pic.twitter.com/TV4YI0BnPL</a></p>&mdash; Wizarding World (@wizardingworld) <a href="https://twitter.com/wizardingworld/status/1261269539024777217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 15, 2020</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

*Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells*, the recently announced game coming to mobile devices worldwide, has released its first official teaser trailer!

This first video takes players on an advance tour of some of the beloved settings they will visit as they progress through the puzzle gameplay. The teaser shows coloured blocks (adorned with winged keys, Chocolate Frogs and other well-known symbols you’re sure to recognise) flying around some of your favourite Wizarding World locations, floating through Diagon Alley and bouncing along Hogwarts staircases. 

![puzzles-and-spells-alternative-key-art](//images.ctfassets.net/usf1vwtuqyxm/3lffyFqSHkcPFdO51OzH7p/211d57fec30629d8650eca3ca5025adf/HPPS_KeyArt_Final_Eyebrow.jpg)

Bernard Kim, President of Publishing at Zynga, said of the game: ‘From the Great Hall of Hogwarts to the Gryffindor common room, Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells gives players a chance to revisit their favourite Wizarding World landmarks in a new way.’ 

As with all Portkey releases, the player will have the chance to be at the centre of their own adventure… get ready for some brain-teasing puzzles sprinkled with magic!

For more information on the upcoming Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells game, you can follow all updates on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, or [visit the official website.](https://www.harrypotterpuzzlesandspells.com)

Stay tuned for more [Portkey Games updates soon. ](https://www.portkeygames.com/) 

Stay up to date with the latest Wizarding World news here. Faster than an owl and more accurate than the Daily Prophet.

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

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J.K. Rowling Originals

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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.

Cauldrons

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Professor Slughorn teaches potions to Harry's class

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Cauldrons were once used by Muggles and wizards alike, being large metal cooking pots that could be suspended over fires. In time, magical and non-magical people alike moved on to stoves; saucepans became more convenient and cauldrons became the sole province of witches and wizards, who continued to brew potions in them. A naked flame is essential for the making of potions, which makes cauldrons the most practical pot of all.

All cauldrons are enchanted to make them lighter to carry, as they are most commonly made of pewter or iron. Modern inventions include the self-stirring and collapsible varieties of cauldron, and pots of precious metal are also available for the specialist, or the show-off.

## J.K. Rowling’s thoughts

Cauldrons have had a magical association for centuries. They appear in hundreds of years’ worth of pictures of witches, and are also supposed to be where leprechauns keep treasure. Many folk and fairy tales make mention of cauldrons with special powers, but in the Harry Potter books they are a fairly mundane tool. I did consider making Helga Hufflepuff’s hallow a cauldron, but there was something slightly comical and incongruous about having such a large and heavy Horcrux; I wanted the objects Harry had to find to be smaller and more portable.  However, a cauldron appears both in the four mythical jewels of Ireland (its magical power was that nobody ever went away from it unsatisfied) and in the legend of The Thirteen Treasures of Britain (the cauldron of Dyrnwch the giant would cook meat for brave men, but not for cowards).

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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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.

Explore J.K. Rowling’s articles on wizarding world themes. The inner workings of the wizarding world with a collection of original writings. 

Explore the inner workings of the wizarding world with a collection of writing from J.K. Rowling

The Magical Congress of the United States of America (MACUSA)

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## Origins

The Magical Congress of the United States of America, known to American witches and wizards by the abbreviation MACUSA (commonly pronounced as: Mah – cooz – ah) was created in 1693, following the introduction of the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy.  Wizards worldwide had reached a tipping point, suspecting that they could lead freer and happier lives if they built an underground community that offered its own support and had its own structures. This feeling was particularly strong in America, due to the recent Salem Witch Trials.

MACUSA was modeled on the Wizards’ Council of Great Britain, which predated the Ministry of Magic. Representatives from magical communities all over North America were elected to MACUSA to create laws that both policed and protected American wizardkind. 

MACUSA’s primary aim was to rid the continent of Scourers, corrupt wizards who had hunted their fellow magical beings for personal gain.  MACUSA’s second great law enforcement challenge was the number of wizarding criminals who had fled to America from Europe and beyond, precisely because of the lack of organised law enforcement such as existed in their own countries. 

The first President of MACUSA was Josiah Jackson, a warlike wizard who was voted into post by his fellow representatives because he was considered tough enough to deal with the difficulties of the post-Salem Witch Trials era. 

In these first years, MACUSA had no fixed meeting place. Meetings were held in different locations to avoid No-Maj detection. 

## Law Enforcement

President Jackson’s immediate priority was to recruit and train Aurors. The names of the first dozen volunteers to train as Aurors in the US have a special place in United States’ wizarding history. There were so few of them, and the challenges they faced so great, that they knew they might be required to lay down their lives when they took the job.  The descendants of these witches and wizards have been given particular respect in the US ever since. The original twelve were:

Wilhelm Fischer<br />
Theodard Fontaine<br />
Gondulphus Graves<br />
Robert Grimsditch<br />
Mary Jauncey<br />
Carlos Lopez<br />
Mungo MacDuff<br />
Cormac O’Brien<br />
Abraham Potter<br />
Berthilde Roche<br />
Helmut Weiss<br />
Charity Wilkinson<br />
        
Of these twelve, only two survived into old age: Charity Wilkinson, who would become MACUSA’s third President, and Theodard Fontaine, whose direct descendant Agilbert is the present day Headmaster of Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Also of note are Gondulphus Graves, whose family remains influential in American wizarding politics, and Abraham Potter, whose distant relationship to the famous Harry Potter would be uncovered by eager genealogists centuries later.

## Challenges

America remained one of the most hostile environments for magical people, mainly because of Scourer descendants who had vanished permanently into the No-Maj community and who kept suspicion of magic alive.  Unlike most Western countries, there was no cooperation between the No-Maj government and MACUSA. 

Initially, an enchanted edifice was created in the Appalachian Mountains as MACUSA headquarters, but over time this became an inconveniently remote location, especially as wizards, like No-Majs, were increasingly congregating in cities. 

In 1760, MACUSA relocated to Williamsburg, Virginia, home of the flamboyant President Thornton Harkaway.  Among many other interests, President Harkaway is credited with breeding Crups – dogs that closely resemble Jack Russells, apart from the forked tail. The Crup’s devotion to wizards is only surpassed by its aggression towards non-magical people.  Unfortunately, President Harkaway’s pack savaged several local No-Majs, who afterwards were only able to bark for a period of 48 hours. This breach of the Statute of Secrecy led to Harkaway leaving office in disgrace. (It might not be coincidence that Williamsburg was the first city in the US to have a dedicated psychiatric hospital. Sightings of odd happenings around President Harkaway’s residence might account for the admission of No-Majs who were, in fact, perfectly sane.)

MACUSA relocated to Baltimore, where President Able Fleming had his home, but the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, followed by the arrival of the No-Maj Congress in the city, made MACUSA understandably nervous and they departed for what is now known as Washington. 

It was there that President Elizabeth McGilliguddy presided over the infamous ‘Country or Kind?’ debate of 1777. Thousands of witches and wizards from all over America descended upon MACUSA to attend this extraordinary meeting, for which the Great Meeting Chamber had to be magically enlarged. The issue for discussion was: did the magical community owe their highest allegiance to the country in which they had made their homes, or to the global underground wizarding community? Were they morally obliged to join American No-Majs in their fight for liberation from the British Muggles? Or was this, simply put, not their fight?

The arguments for and against intervention were protracted and the fight became vicious. Pro-interventionists argued that they might be able to save lives; anti-interventionists that wizards risked their own security by revealing themselves in battle. Messengers were sent to the Ministry of Magic in London to ask whether they intended to fight. A four-word message returned: ‘Sitting this one out.’ McGilliguddy’s famous response was even shorter: ‘Mind you do.’ While officially the American witches and wizards did not engage in battle, unofficially there were many instances of intervention to protect No-Maj neighbours and the wizarding community celebrated Independence Day along with the rest of American society – although not necessarily alongside them. 

One of the most significant American magical laws was created in 1790, when MACUSA approved an edict to enforce total segregation of the wizarding and No-Maj communities. Rappaport’s Law, named after then-President Emily Rappaport, was created as a result of one of the worst breaches of the International Statute of Secrecy ever known, a breach in which the daughter of Rappaport’s Keeper of Treasure and Dragots and a Scourer descendant almost exposed the existence of magic worldwide. With the passing of Rappaport’s Law, intermarriage and even friendship between wizards and No-Majs became illegal in the United States.

MACUSA’s base remained in Washington until 1892, when an unforeseen uprising of the Sasquatch population caused another security breach. Historians place the blame for the rebellion on Irene Kneedander, Head of the Body for Protection of Magical Species (Humanoid), whose interpretation of her job title had involved attacking any Sasquatch that ‘stepped out of line.’ The arrival in Washington of the Sasquatch necessitated mass Obliviations and extensive repairs to headquarters. 

MACUSA needed a new refuge, and over the course of several years, wizards infiltrated the construction team of a new building in New York. By the time the Woolworth Building was completed it could both house No-Majs and – if activated by the correct spells – transform into a space for wizards. The only outer mark of the MACUSA’s new secret location was the owl carved over the entrance.

## MACUSA in the 1920s

As with most other magical governing bodies, the Department of Magical Law Enforcement is the largest department in MACUSA. 

Rappaport’s Law was still in operation in the 1920s and several offices in MACUSA had no counterpart in the Ministry of Magic; for example, a sub-division dealing with No-Maj Fraternisation and an office issuing and verifying wand permits, which everyone, citizen and visitor, was supposed to carry within the States. 

A significant difference between the wizarding governments of the United States and the UK of this time was the penalty for serious crime. Whereas British witches and wizards were sent to Azkaban, the worst criminals in America were executed. 

In the 1920s the President of MACUSA was Seraphina Picquery from Savannah. The Department of Magical Law Enforcement was headed by Percival Graves, a well-respected descendant of one of the original twelve American Aurors.

Patronus Charm

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Harry's stag patronus charges across the lake towards the Dementors.

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The Patronus is the most famous (and famously difficult) defensive charm.  The aim is to produce a silvery-white guardian or protector, which takes the form of an animal.  The exact form of the Patronus will not be apparent until the spell has been successfully cast.  One of the most powerful defensive charms known to wizardkind, the Patronus can also be used as a messenger between wizards. As a pure, protective magical concentration of happiness and hope (the recollection of a single talisman memory is essential in its creation) it is the only spell effective against Dementors.  The majority of witches and wizards are unable to produce Patronuses and to do so is generally considered a mark of superior magical ability.

Some witches and wizards may manage an incorporeal Patronus, which resembles a mass or wisp of silvery vapour or smoke. In some cases a witch or wizard may choose to produce an incorporeal Patronus deliberately, if he or she wishes to disguise the form it generally takes (Remus Lupin, for instance, is afraid that his corporeal Patronus gives too much away). The incorporeal Patronus is not a true Patronus and while it will give limited protection, it cannot provide the defensive power of the corporeal Patronus, which has the form and substance of an animal.

The Patronus Charm is one of the most ancient of charms and appears in many accounts of early magic.  In spite of a long association with those fighting for lofty or noble causes (those able to produce corporeal Patronuses were often elected to high office within the Wizengamot and Ministry of Magic), the Patronus is not unknown among Dark wizards.  While there is a widespread and justified belief that a wizard who is not pure of heart cannot produce a successful Patronus (the most famous example of the spell backfiring is that of the Dark wizard Raczidian, who was devoured by maggots), a rare few witches and wizards of questionable morals have succeeded in producing the Charm (Dolores Umbridge, for example, is able to conjure a cat Patronus to protect herself from Dementors).  It may be that a true and confident belief in the rightness of one’s actions can supply the necessary happiness.  However, most such men and women, who become desensitised to the effects of the Dark creatures with whom they may ally themselves, regard the Patronus as an unnecessary spell to have in their arsenal.

No reliable system for predicting the form of an individual’s Patronus has ever been found, although the great eighteenth-century researcher of Charms, Professor Catullus Spangle, set forth certain principles that are widely accepted as true.

The Patronus, asserted Spangle, represents that which is hidden, unknown but necessary within the personality.

> ‘For it is evident,’ he writes, in his masterwork ‘Charms of Defence and Deterrence’, ‘… that a human confronted with inhuman evil, such as the Dementor, must draw upon resources he or she may never have needed, and the Patronus is the awakened secret self that lies dormant until needed, but which must now be brought to light...’

Here, says Spangle, is the explanation for the appearance of Patronuses in forms that their casters might not expect, for which they have never felt a particular affinity, or (in rare cases) even recognise. Spangle is interesting on the subject of those unusual witches and wizards who produce a Patronus that takes the form of their favourite animal.

> ‘It is my firm belief that such a Patronus is an indicator of obsession or eccentricity.  Here is a wizard who may not be able to hide their essential self in common life, who may, indeed, parade tendencies that others might prefer to conceal.  Whatever the form of their Patronus, you would be well-advised to show respect, and occasionally caution, towards a witch or wizard who produces the Patronus of their choice.’

The form of a Patronus may change during the course of a witch or wizard’s life. Instances have been known of the form of the Patronus transforming due to bereavement, falling in love or profound shifts in a person’s character.  Thus Nymphadora Tonks’s Patronus changes from a jack rabbit to a wolf (not a werewolf) when she falls in love with Remus Lupin.  Some witches and wizards may be unable to produce a Patronus at all until they have undergone some kind of psychic shock.

It is usual, but not inevitable, for a Patronus to take the form of an animal commonly found in the caster’s native country.  Given their long affinity with humans it is perhaps unsurprising that among the most common Patronuses (although it must be remembered that any corporeal Patronus is highly unusual) are dogs, cats and horses.  However, every Patronus is as unique as its creator and even identical twins have been known to produce very different Patronuses.

Extinct Patronuses are very rare but not unknown.  Strangely, given their long connection with wizardkind, owl Patronuses are unusual.  Most uncommon of all possible Patronuses are magical creatures such as dragons, Thestrals and phoenixes. Never forget, though, that one of the most famous Patronuses of all time was a lowly mouse, which belonged to a legendary young wizard called Illyius, who used it to hold off an attack from an army of Dementors single-handedly.  While a rare and magical Patronus undoubtedly reflects an unusual personality, it does not follow that it is more powerful, or will enjoy greater success at defending its caster.

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Expecto Patronum

Expecto Patronum in J.K. Rowling's handwriting

Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

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Image of Ilvermorny school of witchcraft and wizardry 

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1920s Wizarding America

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The wizards of America had played their part in the Great War of 1914-1918, even if the overwhelming majority of their No-Maj compatriots were ignorant of their contribution. As there were magical factions on both sides, their efforts were not decisive, but they won many victories in preventing additional loss of life, and in defeating their magical enemies.

This common endeavour led to no softening on MACUSA’s stance on No-Maj/wizard fraternisation, and Rappaport’s Law remained firmly in place. By the 1920s the US wizarding community had become used to existing under a greater degree of secrecy than their European counterparts and to selecting their mates strictly from within their own ranks.  

The memory of Dorcus Twelvetrees’ catastrophic breach of the Statute of Secrecy had entered magical language, so that being ‘a Dorcus’ was slang for an idiot or inept person. MACUSA continued to impose severe penalties on those who flouted the International Statute of Secrecy. MACUSA was also more intolerant of such magical phenomena as ghosts, poltergeists and fantastic creatures than its European equivalents, because of the risk such beasts and spirits posed of alerting No-Majs to the existence of magic.

After the Great Sasquatch Rebellion of 1892 (for full details, see Ortiz O’Flaherty’s highly-acclaimed book *Big Foot’s Last Stand*), MACUSA headquarters was relocated for the fifth time in its history, moving from Washington to New York, where it remained throughout the 1920s. President of MACUSA throughout the decade was Madam Seraphina Picquery, a famously gifted witch from Savannah.

By the 1920s Ilvermorny School of Witchcraft and Wizardry had been flourishing for more than two centuries and was widely considered to be one of the greatest magical education establishments in the world. In consequence of their common education, all witches and wizards are proficient in the use of a wand. 

Legislation introduced at the end of the nineteenth century meant that every member of the magical community in America was required to carry a ‘wand permit’, a measure that was intended to keep tabs on all magical activity and identify the perpetrators by their wands. Unlike Britain, where Ollivanders was considered unbeatable, the continent of North America was served by four great wandmakers.  

Shikoba Wolfe, who was of Choctaw descent, was primarily famous for intricately carved wands containing Thunderbird tail feathers (the Thunderbird is a magical American bird closely related to the phoenix). Wolfe wands were generally held to be extremely powerful, though difficult to master. They were particularly prized by Transfigurers.

Johannes Jonker, a Muggle-born wizard whose No-Maj father was an accomplished cabinet maker, turned himself into an accomplished wandmaker. His wands were highly sought after and instantly recognisable, as they were usually inlaid with mother-of-pearl.  After experimenting with many cores, Jonker’s preferred magical material was hair of the Wampus cat.

Thiago Quintana caused ripples through the magical world when his sleek and usually lengthy wands began entering the market, each encasing a single translucent spine from the back of the White River Monsters of Arkansas and producing spells of force and elegance. Fears about over-fishing of the monsters were assuaged when it was proven that Quintana alone knew the secret of luring them, a secret he guarded jealously until his death, at which point wands containing White River Monster spines ceased production.

Violetta Beauvais, the famous wandmaker of New Orleans, refused for many years to divulge the secret core of her wands, which were always made of swamp mayhaw wood. Eventually it was discovered that they contained hair of the rougarou, the dangerous dog-headed monster that prowled Louisiana swamps. It was often said of Beauvais wands that they took to Dark magic like vampires to blood, yet many an American wizarding hero of the 1920s went into battle armed only with a Beauvais wand, and President Picquery herself was known to possess one.

Unlike the No-Maj community of the 1920s, MACUSA allowed witches and wizards to drink alcohol. Many critics of this policy pointed out that it made witches and wizards rather conspicuous in cities full of sober No-Majs. However, in one of her rare light-hearted moments, President Picquery was heard to say that being a wizard in America was already hard enough. ‘The Gigglewater,’ as she famously told her Chief of Staff, ‘is non-negotiable.’

Rappaport’s Law

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In 1790, the fifteenth President of MACUSA, Emily Rappaport, instituted a law designed to create total segregation of the wizarding and No-Maj communities. This followed one of the most serious breaches of the International Statute of Secrecy, leading to a humiliating censure of MACUSA by the International Confederation of Wizards. The matter was that much more serious because the breach came from within MACUSA itself.

In brief, the catastrophe involved the daughter of President Rappaport’s trusted Keeper of Treasure and Dragots (the Dragot is the American wizarding currency and the Keeper of Dragots, as the title implies, is roughly equivalent to the Secretary of the Treasury). Aristotle Twelvetrees was a competent man, but his daughter, Dorcus, was as dim as she was pretty. She had been a poor student at Ilvermorny and at the time of her father’s ascension to high office was living at home, hardly ever performing magic, but concentrating mainly on her clothes, the arrangement of her hair and parties.

One day, at a local picnic, Dorcus Twelvetrees became greatly enamoured of a handsome No-Maj called Bartholomew Barebone. Unbeknownst to Dorcus, Bartholomew was a Scourer descendant. Nobody in his family was magic, but his belief in magic was profound and unshakeable, as was his conviction that all witches and wizards were evil.  

Totally oblivious to the danger, Dorcus took Bartholomew’s polite interest in her ‘little tricks’ at face value. Led on by her beau’s artless questions, she confided the secret addresses of both MACUSA and Ilvermorny, along with information about the International Confederation of Wizards and all the ways in which these bodies sought to protect and conceal the wizarding community.

Having gathered as much information as he could from Dorcus, Bartholomew stole the wand she had obligingly demonstrated for him, showed it to as many pressmen as he could find, then gathered together armed friends and set out to persecute and, ideally, kill all the witches and wizards in the vicinity. Bartholomew further printed leaflets giving the addresses where witches and wizards congregated and sent letters to prominent No-Majs, some of whom felt it necessary to investigate whether there were indeed ‘evil occult parties’ happening at the places described.

Giddy with his mission to expose witchcraft in America, Bartholomew Barebone overstepped himself by shooting at what he believed were a group of MACUSA wizards, but which turned out to be No-Majs who had the bad fortune to leave a suspected building while he was watching it. Fortunately nobody was killed, and Bartholomew was arrested and imprisoned for the crime without any need for MACUSA involvement. This was an enormous relief to MACUSA who were struggling to cope with the massive fallout of Dorcus’s indiscretions. 

Bartholomew had disseminated his leaflets widely, and a few newspapers had taken him seriously enough to print pictures of Dorcus’s wand and note that it ‘had a kick like a mule’ if waved. The attention focused on the MACUSA building was so intense that it was forced to move premises. As President Rappaport was forced to tell the International Confederation of Wizards at a public inquiry, she could not be sure that every last person privy to Dorcus’s information had been Obliviated. The leak had been so serious that the after-effects would be felt for many years.

Although many in the magical community campaigned to have her imprisoned for life or even executed, Dorcus spent only a year in jail. Thoroughly disgraced, utterly shellshocked, she emerged into a very different wizarding community and ended her days in seclusion, a mirror and her parrot her dearest companions.

Dorcus’s indiscretions led to the introduction of Rappaport’s Law. Rappaport’s Law enforced strict segregation between the No-Maj and wizarding communities. Wizards were no longer allowed to befriend or marry No-Majs. Penalties for fraternising with No-Majs were harsh. Communication with No-Majs was limited to that necessary to perform daily activities.

Rappaport’s Law further entrenched the major cultural difference between the American wizarding community and that of Europe. In the Old World, there had always been a degree of covert cooperation and communication between No-Maj governments and their magical counterparts. In America, MACUSA acted totally independently of the No-Maj government. In Europe, witches and wizards married and were friends with No-Majs; in America, No-Majs were increasingly regarded as the enemy. In short, Rappaport’s Law drove the American wizarding community, already dealing with an unusually suspicious No-Maj population, still deeper underground.