The Ministry Of Magic
A
AGRIPPA:
Famous historical Wizard who appears in the `Famous Wizards and Witches` series of collectable cards.
ANIMAGUS:
A witch or wizard that can change into animal form.
APPARATE / DISAPPARATE:
The ability of a witch or wizard to vanish from one place and appear in another almost instantly.
AUROR:
Dark wizard catcher.
AZKABAN:
The wizard prison.
B
BASILISK:
King of Serpents, a monster imprisoned inside The Chamber of Secrets, capable of killing merely by gazing at his victim. It was unleashed first of all by Tom Marvolo Riddle (later known as Lord Voldemort).
BEATER:
Position on Quidditch team. Beaters keep Bludgers away from their team.
BEAUXBATONS ACADEMY OF MAGIC:
Aschool of witchcraft and wizardry.
BERTIE BOTT'S EVERY FLAVOR BEANS:
Magical jellybeans that come in literally EVERY flavor, including spinach and liver.
BLAST-ENDED SKREWTS:
Mean-spirited, crab-like creatures bred by Hagrid, which Harry and his classmates must care for in GOBLET OF FIRE.
BULDGER:
A Quidditch ball that flies around the field trying to knock players off their brooms.
BOGGART:
A shape-shifting monster; takes the form of whatever it thinks will frighten those near it.
BUBOTUBERS:
Magical plants that look like slugs. Their pus has healing qualities, but can also cause painful blisters when it comes directly in contact with skin.
C
CANARY CREAM:
Creamy snack that turns those who eat it into canaries. Invention of Fred and George Weasley.
CHAMBER OF SECRETS:
Hidden chamber within Hogwarts, built over a thousand years ago by Salazar Slytherin, one of the school's four founders. According to legend, only Slytherin's true heir can ever open the Chamber, unleashing a horrible monster that supposedly lives inside it.
CHASER:
Quidditch position. Chasers try to score with the Quaffle.
CHOCOLATE FROGS:
A popular candy among wizards.
CHUDLEY CANNONS:
A Quidditch team.
CRUCIATUS CURSE:
Cruciatus Curse One of three illegal Unforgivable Curses. Causes intense pain. It's used to torture someone. "Crucio!"
D
DAILY PROPHET:
The wizards' newspaper.
DARK MARK:
Skull and serpent symbol that is the sign of Voldemort. It appears in the night sky during the Quidditch World Cup. It's said that the Death Eaters, Voldemort's followers, display the sign whenever they have killed.
DEATH EATERS:
Name of the group of Dark wizards who are Voldemort's followers.
DEATHDAY:
The day when a ghost celebrates when he or she became a ghost.
DEMENTORS:
Dark, cloaked, faceless creatures from Azkaban, A dementor's kiss will suck out a person's soul.
DIAGON ALLEY:
Mysterious, magical twisting street of shops where wizards and witches shop for supplies. Gringotts bank located here, also.
DURMSTRANG:
Another wizarding school in Europe. No one knows its true whereabouts, but people assume it's in the cold Far North.
E
ELFRIC THE EAGER:
An infamous wizard of past times who led an unsuccessful uprising.
EMERIC THE EVIL:
A famous historical wizard.
F
FIREBOLT:
State-of-the-Art racing broom that can even go faster than a Nimbus Two Thousand.
FLOO POWDER:
Magical, glittering powder that, when sprinkled, transports a wizard or witch from one place to another in a flash.
FLOURISH AND BLOTTS:
Wizard bookstore in Diagon Alley.
FOE-GLASS:
A magical mirror that shows one's enemies.
FORBIDDEN FOREST:
Forest surrounding Hogwarts. Home to unicorns and other mystical creatures. Very dangerous; Hogwarts students are told to stay away from it.
G
GALLEONS:
Coins, form of wizard money.
GILLYWEED:
Magical plant that, when eaten, gives a person gills like a fish, allowing her or him to breathe underwater.
GOBLET OF FIRE:
A large wooden cup that is filled to the brim with dancing blue flames. It magically selects the contestants for the Triwizard
Tournament.
GOLDEN SNITCH:
The most important ball in Quidditch. It's fast and hard to catch; must be caught by the Seeker to earn 150 bonus points, which usually wins a game.
GRINGOTTS:
The wizards' bank.
GRYFFINDOR:
One of four student houses at Hogwarts. Named after Godric Gryffindor, one of Hogwarts's four founders.
H
HIPPOGRIFF:
Magical creature that is half bird and half horse.
HOGSMEADE:
Wizarding village that Hogwarts students (third years and up) can visit occasionally on the weekend. Filled with shops like Zonko's Joke Shop and the Shrieking Shack.
HONEYDUKES:
An amazing candy store in Hogsmeade.
HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITCHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY:
Boarding school housed in an old castle where witches and wizards learn their craft --- and much more.
HOWLER:
A screaming, scolding letter sent by owl. Ron receives one from Mrs. Weasley after he flies the family car without permission.
HUFFLEPUFF:
One of four student houses at Hogwarts. Named for Helga Hufflepuff, one of the school’s four founders.
I
IMPERIOUS CURSE:
One of three illegal Unforgivable Curses. When cast, it gives a wizard total control over another person or creature. "Imperio!"
INVISIBILITY CLOAK:
A "silvery gray" cape that makes it's wearer invisible.
J,K
KEEPER:
Player who guards the goal posts in a Quidditch game.
KILLING CURSE:
One of three illegal Unforgivable Curses. It will kill a person or creature when cast. "Avada Kedavra!"
THE KNIGHT BUS:
Magical bus that serves as emergency transport for stranded witches and wizards. It picks up Harry in Book Three (PRISONER OF AZKABAN).
KNOCKTURN ALLEY:
An alleyway of shops devoted to the Dark Arts. An offshoot of Diagon Alley.
L
THE LEAKY CAULDRON:
A "tiny, grubby-looking pub" at the entrance to Diagon Alley where witches and wizards hang out.
LITTLE HANGLETON:
Town where Tom Riddle and his family once lived. Many years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Riddle and their son Tom were found dead in the house.
M
MANDRAKE:
A screaming plant that helps "return people who have been transfigured or cursed to their original state."
MARAUDER'S MAP:
Map showing every detail of Hogwarts castle and the castle grounds. It magically shows people moving around within the school, too. Also shows secret passageways to Hogsmeade, the wizarding village.
MINISTRY OF MAGIC:
Council whose main job is to keep wizards and witches a secret from Muggles.
THE MIRROR OF ERISED:
A mirror that Harry discovers in a hidden room at Hogwarts. Whoever looks in the mirror sees his or her greatest desire reflected back at them.
MUDBLOOD:
A mean name to call someone who is Muggle-born (born to non-magical parents, like Hermione).
MUGGLE:
A non-magical person. Examples: the Dursleys, and most of you reading this glossary....
MUNGO'S HOSPITALFOR MAGIC MALADIES AND INJURIES:
Where wizards can recuperate and receive treatment.
N
NIMBUS TWO THOUSAND:
A super-duper, fast-flying broomstick. The eye candy of every wizarding child.
O
OLLIVANDER'S:
The wand shop in Diagon Alley. The owner, Mr. Ollivander, has a perfect memory of every wand he has ever sold.
OMNIOCULARS:
Magical binoculars that have instant replay and slow-motion features.
O.W.L.s:
Ordinary Wizarding Levels. Exams Hogwarts students must take at age 15 (fifth year).
P
PARSELMOUTH:
A witch or wizard who can talk to (and understand) snakes. A talent that Salazar Slytherin, one of the founders of Hogwarts, was famous for.
PATRONUS:
An "anti-dementor," it guards a person from dementors.
PENSIEVE:
Magical basin that stores a persons thoughts and memories. Dumbledore has one.
PLATFORM NINE AND THREE QUARTERS: The magical platform (invisible to Muggles) at London's King's Cross Station where Hogwarts students board the Hogwarts Express train to school.
POCKET SNEAKOSCOPE:
A tool that lights up and spins whenever someone untrustworthy is near.
POLYJUICE POTION:
Changes a person into someone else
PORTKEY:
Object (which usually looks like trash to a Muggle) that can transport wizards from one place to another at a specific, prearranged time.
Q
QUAFFLE:
A ball used in Quidditch to score goals.
QUICK-QUOTES QUILL:
Magical quill that writes by itself. Used by many Daily Prophet reporters.
QUIDDITCH:
Wizard sport played up in the air on broomsticks. A bit like soccer.
QUIDDITCH WORLD CUP:
Championship tournament like World Cup Soccer. Each country has a team; a world champ is determined in a final playoff. The game is attended by 100,000 witches and wizards at a magical stadium unseen by Muggles.
R
RAVENCLAW:
One of four student houses at Hogwarts. Named after Rowena Ravenclaw, one of the school’s four founders.
REMEMBRALL:
A glass marble ball that turns red when held by its owner if he or she has forgotten something.
S
SECRECY SENSOR:
Tool that vibrates when it detects concealment or lies.
SEEKER:
The key position on a Quidditch team. The Seeker must catch the Golden Snitch before the other team’s Seeker does. When the Snitch is caught, the match ends.
SHRIEKING SHACK:
A house in Hogsmeade commonly believed to be the most haunted dwelling in Britain.
SLYTHERIN:
One of four student houses at Hogwarts. Named after Salazar Slytherin, one of the school’s four founders.
SORCERER'S STONE:
Special stone that can change metal into gold and produces the Elixir of Life, which makes the drinker immortal.
SORTING HAT:
Tattered, talking wizard's hat, which, when tried on, tells first years which house they will live in at Hogwarts.
S.P.E.W.:
Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare. An organization started by Hermione Granger to get fair treatment for the hard-working house-elves.
SQUIB:
Someone who has no magical powers even though he or she was born into a wizarding family.
T
THE THREE BROOMSTICKS:
Pub in Hogsmeade, where wizards congregate and Hogwarts students go to drink butterbeer.
TIME-TURNER:
An hourglass-like tool that allows a witch or wizard to travel back in time.
TON-TONGUE TOFFEE:
Magical toffee invented by twins Fred and George Weasley. It makes one's tongue swell to a giant size.
TRIWIZARD TOURNAMENT:
Year-long magical tournament between three European wizarding schools --- Hogwarts, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang. One student from each school is chosen to compete, their names selected by the ancient Goblet of Fire.
U
UNFORGIVEABLE CURSES:
Three cruel curses illegal in the wizarding world. Includes the Imperious Curse, the Cruciatus Curse, and the Killing Curse.
V
VEELA:
Beautiful female creatures that can enchant boys and men.
VENTASERUM:
A powerful Truth Potion.
W
WEASLEYS' WIZARD WHEEZES:
Charmed joke items that Fred and George Weasley invented and try to sell.
WEIRD SISTERS:
Band that plays at the Yule Ball, the Hogwarts school dance.
WRONSKI FEINT: Daring Quidditch move; on flying broomstick, a player goes into a fast, steep dive.
X,Y,Z
YOU-KNOW-WHO:
A euphemism for Voldemort, used by those too scared to mention his real name.
YULE BALL:
Christmas dance held at Hogwarts for fourth-years and older.
