In the fictional universe of J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter novels, ghosts play an important secondary role, mainly as supporting characters. Unlike the ghosts in a traditional ghost story, these ghosts are neither frightening nor necessarily ghoulish (the traditional ghostly deformities, such as bloodstains and missing heads, are played mostly for laughs, rather than fright), and many ghosts act as advisors to the main characters in their times of need.
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Characteristics
Ghosts in the novels appear silvery and translucent (this is in contrast to the films, which depict them with more human colourings). They can fly and pass through walls, tables and other solid objects, but nonetheless have some ability to physically affect, and be affected by, the "real" world. Moaning Myrtle can, for instance, splash the water in her toilet.[HP2] Ghosts' banquet tables are laden with rotten food, as the decomposition increases their ability to almost smell and taste it.[HP2] Touching or walking through a ghost induces a sensation "like walking through an icy shower."[HP2] Ghosts can be affected by magic and curses, though not to the same degree that living beings can.[HP2] In the Harry Potter universe, only wizards can become ghosts. As Nearly Headless Nick explained to Harry in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, "Wizards can leave an imprint of themselves upon the earth, to walk palely where their living selves once trod ... I was afraid of death. I chose to remain behind. I sometimes wonder whether I oughtn't have ... Well, that is neither here nor there ... In fact, I am neither here nor there..."[HP5] Despite having chosen their afterlives, many ghosts appear quite unhappy; they bemoan their not-quite inability to eat, and many are described as "gloomy."[HP2] They also appear to have an attraction to the morbid and melancholy; Nearly Headless Nick celebrated his "deathday" as opposed to his birthday, for which he included a cake designed to resemble a grey tombstone, black curtains, black candles with blue flames that gave off no heat, a "band" consisting of 30 musical saws, which sounded like "a thousand fingernails scraping an enormous blackboard" and a speech with the opening line, "My late, lamented lords, ladies and gentlemen, it is my great sorrow..."[HP2] Ghosts are very sensitive about their condition. When the Ministry of Magic initially classified them as "beings", i.e., sentient creatures with full legal rights, they claimed that the term was insensitive when they were clearly "has-beens". The Ministry's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures therefore comprises a separate "Spirit division" as well as its original being and beast divisions.[HPF] Moaning Myrtle flies into a rage if anyone mentions the fact that she is dead.[HP2] The concept of imprinting a part of yourself onto the physical world that remains after death is a recurring element in Harry Potter, and has analogues in the many moving portraits who interact with Hogwarts' physical inhabitants, and also in such magically imbued objects as the Marauder's Map and Tom Riddle's diary. The Ministry's spirit division apparently controls the activities and haunting locations of troublesome ghosts. Moaning Myrtle was forced to go back and haunt the place of her death (a toilet) after she had disrupted the wedding of Olive Hornby, a girl who had teased her at school.[HP2]
Hogwarts ghosts
Hogwarts is home to at least 20 ghosts[HP1], but when people in the novels speak of the ghosts at Hogwarts they are usually referring to one of the four "resident" ghosts of each of the Hogwarts houses: Nearly Headless Nick, the almost-decapitated cavalier who resides in Gryffindor tower; the Bloody Baron, who resides in the Slytherin dungeon; the jovial Fat Friar, who resides with the Hufflepuffs, and the Grey Lady, who "lives" with the Ravenclaws. These ghosts seem to act something like advisors and aides to the students; Nick is frequently seen helping Harry during moments of uncertainty or crisis. Peeves, the Hogwarts poltergeist, is not considered a ghost, but an "indestructible spirit of chaos" according to Rowling.[1]
Nearly Headless Nick
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
| Nearly Headless Nick | |
 John Cleese as Nearly Headless Nick in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. |
|
| House | Gryffindor |
| Actor | John Cleese |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, often referred to as Nearly Headless Nick, (died October 31, 1492) is the Gryffindor House ghost whose neck was almost completely severed in life after 45 hits with a blunt axe. Harry Potter becomes friends with Nicholas when he attends his "deathday" party (the 500th anniversary of the event) in a Hogwarts dungeon. Sir Nicholas' death date has the distinction of having served as the basis for the entire timeline of dates in the Harry Potter series, until the timeline was confirmed by the headstone of James and Lily Potter in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Nicholas has a small role in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, where he is merely introduced as Gryffindor's house ghost. In Chamber of Secrets, he celebrates his Five-Hundredth Deathday Party and he is a victim of the Basilisk that Ginny Weasley unleashes, under the influence of Tom Riddle. The stare of the Basilisk is supposed to be lethal to anyone who looks at it directly in the eye. While the living students all had some barrier between them and the Basilisk (and are therefore petrified rather than killed), Nicholas does look at the Basilisk's eyes directly. However, since he is already dead, he too is only petrified. Nicholas appears again in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix when he explains to Harry the nature of death and what it means when a ghost is left behind. Harry had been looking for some comfort to see Sirius Black again, but Nicholas's explanation dashes Harry's hope of communicating with Sirius. Nicholas makes clear that this is not possible. He appears briefly in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when Harry asks him to bring him to the Grey Lady (see below). The word "mimsy" is borrowed from Jabberwocky, where it is explained by Humpty Dumpty to be a portmanteau of "flimsy" and "miserable" (which quite fits with the character). Perhaps the name "Mimsy-Porpington" is inspired by the "fretful porpentine" spoken of by the Ghost of Hamlet's father. (See Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 5.) In the movie versions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001), and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Sir Nicholas is played by John Cleese.
The Bloody Baron
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
| The Bloody Baron | |
 Terence Bayler as the Bloody Baron in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
|
| House | Slytherin |
| Actor | Terence Bayler |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
The Bloody Baron is one of the ghosts that haunts Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is the Slytherin House ghost. He is the only person besides Dumbledore who can exert any control over the Poltergeist Peeves; Peeves is terrified of him for some unknown reason, referring to him as "Your Bloodiness" and "Mr. Baron." The Baron's nickname comes from the fact that he is covered with blood, which appears silvery on his ghostly form. When Nearly-Headless Nick is asked in the first book why the Baron is so bloody, Nick delicately comments that "[he has] never asked" However, this is explained in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, when Helena Ravenclaw (see below) tells Harry that the Baron had been in love with her when the two were alive, and when she ran off with the diadem, Rowena Ravenclaw sent the Baron after her, knowing he would not stop until Helena was found. When she refused to return with him, however, the Baron killed her in a fit of rage, and then, in remorse, killed himself with the same weapon. He has thus haunted Hogwarts ever since, wearing his ghostly chains as a form of penitence ("as he should," Helena bitterly adds). In contrast to a very solemn and quite frightening ghost in the books, in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (the only film adaptation in which the character has to date appeared), the Bloody Baron is represented as being quite mirthful.
The Fat Friar
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
| The Fat Friar | |
| House | Hufflepuff |
| Actor | Simon Fisher-Becker |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
The Fat Friar is the Hufflepuff House ghost. He is a jolly man and very forgiving. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone when the first years are waiting for Professor McGonagall to return and the ghosts pass overhead, the Fat Friar is pleading on behalf of Peeves the Poltergeist to allow him to come to the welcome feast despite his past wrongdoings.
The Grey Lady
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
| The Grey Lady | |
 Nina Young as the Grey Lady in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. |
|
| House | Ravenclaw |
| Actor | Nina Young |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
Helena Ravenclaw, more widely known by her nickname The Grey Lady, is the Ravenclaw House ghost. J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, has stated that The Grey Lady appeared very briefly in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It is of common agreement that the Grey Lady is the ghost that Harry and Ron encounter on their way to visit the Mirror of Erised, as referenced in this passage: "[Harry and Ron] passed the ghost of a tall witch gliding in the opposite direction, but saw no one else". Fans have found no other unexplained mention of a ghost in the book, so it is assumed this is The Grey Lady. She may also be "the ghost of a long haired woman" that floats past Harry and Hagrid when they are talking about a conversation between Dumbledore and Snape in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. According to a letter written by J. K. Rowling to Nina Young, the actress who played the Grey Lady in the first film, she is "a highly intellectual young lady …. She never found true love as she never found a man up to her standards".[2] The Grey Lady makes a more notable appearance in the deleted scenes portion of the Chamber of Secrets DVD. When Harry is finding the secret of Tom Riddle's diary, he asks her for privacy. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows it is revealed that the Grey Lady is Helena Ravenclaw - daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw, and was killed by the Bloody Baron. She informs Harry Potter that she stole the Diadem of Ravenclaw from her mother, in an attempt to become smarter than she, and then went into hiding in Albania. It was a dying Rowena Ravenclaw's wish to see her daughter again and so sent for the Bloody Baron to look for her, knowing that he would not rest until he brought her back. However, she refused to come with him and in a moment of blind rage, he killed her with a single stab wound to her chest. Overcome with remorse, the Bloody Baron killed himself using the same weapon in turn. The diadem remained in the hollow of the tree in the Albanian forest until Voldemort managed to charm the story out of her ghost, The Grey Lady. Riddle, who had been seeking out historically significant objects to make into Horcruxes later retrieved the diadem from Albania and hid it in the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts while visiting the castle years later. There are a number of Grey Lady ghost stories of Great Britain — for example, the benevolent Grey Lady of Glamis Castle — and it has been suggested that they might have been an inspiration for this character. She may also have been inspired by Lady Jane Grey, who was cousin of King Edward VII, Queen Elizabeth I and Queen Mary I. Lady Grey was Queen of England for a short time (9 days only, in fact, and held the shortest term of any queen of England).
Other known ghosts
Moaning Myrtle
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
| Moaning Myrtle | |
 Shirley Henderson as Moaning Myrtle in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. |
|
| House | Ravenclaw |
| Parentage | Muggle-born |
| Actor | Shirley Henderson |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets |
Moaning Myrtle is introduced in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets as a ghost who haunts the second floor girls' lavatory at Hogwarts. Unlike the other Hogwarts ghosts, Myrtle is not very sociable. True to her nickname, she has a tendency to sob, whine, wail and complain, especially when death is referred to. Hermione Granger aptly points out, "She's a little sensitive." Her constant moping and wailing causes plumbing problems in the lavatory, which she haunts. It was revealed by J. K. Rowling on her website that Myrtle was in Ravenclaw. In Chamber of Secrets, it is established that the character is the ghost of a Muggle-born witch who died while a student at Hogwarts, fifty years before the events in the book. The books indicate that Myrtle was often bullied during her years at Hogwarts, leading her to become extremely depressed and often retreat to the second floor girls' lavatory to weep and cry her depression to tears. It is revealed through the events in the book that Myrtle was hiding there to elude Olive Hornby, a classmate of hers who perpetually tormented her with teasing, when the Chamber was opened and Tom Riddle's Basilisk emerged and killed her. Tom Riddle used her death to create his very first Horcrux: his diary. It is also worth mentioning that Moaning Myrtle was Tom Riddle's (later Lord Voldemort) first known victim. After death, Myrtle haunted Olive everywhere she went, until Olive complained to the Ministry of Magic, who ordered Myrtle to return to Hogwarts. Ever since then, Myrtle has haunted the same lavatory where she died. Moaning Myrtle's role in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is to help Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger find out about the monster inside the Chamber of Secrets. Myrtle also helps Harry with his second task in the Triwizard Tournament, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Myrtle tells Harry how to solve the puzzle of the golden egg that he retrieved in the first task, by opening the egg underwater. Myrtle apparently has a slight crush on Harry; in Chamber of Secrets, she admits to being mildly disappointed that he survived the encounter with the Basilisk, as she would have liked him to join her as a ghost. She also spied on Harry while he was taking a bath in the prefects' bathroom. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, she appears to comfort Draco Malfoy, who is worried about the task given to him by Lord Voldemort. After Harry injures Malfoy using Sectumsempra, Myrtle is not hesitant to spread the news, screaming that Harry had murdered him.
Professor Binns
Professor Cuthbert Binns teaches History of Magic and has the distinction of being the only teacher at Hogwarts who is a ghost. It is said that he died while taking a nap in the staff room but continued teaching as though nothing had happened. Professor Binns has a small role in the books, but has an important scene in the second, in which he reveals, albeit reluctantly, the history and legend of the Chamber of Secrets.
Headless Hunt
The Headless Hunt is a society for ghosts who had been decapitated on Earth that first appears in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. They did not invite Nearly Headless Nick to join them. When he applied, they turned him down, since he did not fulfil their requirements; the Headless Hunt only accept huntsmen whose heads have entirely parted company with their bodies (complete decapitation) and Nick still has half an inch of skin and sinew holding his neck on. Therefore, he is unable to participate in the hunt's games like "Horseback Head-Juggling", "Head Polo" and "Head Hockey". They reappear in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, seen charging down the hall outside the Room of Requirement during the Battle of Hogwarts. Sir Patrick Delaney-Podmore is the leader of the Headless Hunt and refuses Nearly Headless Nick's application to that organisation, for the logical reason that the latter is not really decapitated. Sir Patrick is a celebrity among the ghosts of the Harry Potter books and manages to perform many tricks that involve him literally losing his head - including but not limited to a mock jump of surprise when he sees Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger at Nick's Deathday Party. Nearly Headless Nick refers to Sir Patrick Delaney-Podmore as "Sir Properly-Decapitated Podmore" in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets[HP2] He is possibly an ancestor to Sturgis Podmore, a member of the Order of the Phoenix, owing to their common rare surname, though this has not been confirmed.
Assorted Deathday party guests
- A ragged man in chains
- A knight with an arrow in his forehead
- A plump ghost who attempts to taste the food
- Some gloomy nuns
- The Wailing Widow, a witch from Kent
Peeves
| Harry Potter character | |
|---|---|
| Peeves | |
| Species | Poltergeist |
| Actor | None (cast as Rik Mayall, scenes cut from final outcome and not put in deleted scenes) |
| First appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
Peeves is a poltergeist who haunts Hogwarts. Being a poltergeist, Peeves is a spirit rather than a physical being, but very different from the ghosts for which he is mistaken occasionally. He is considered notorious among the witches and wizards of Hogwarts Peeves's existence is essentially the embodiment of disorder ("an indestructible spirit of chaos" [3]), where he is observed to constantly cause it. In appearance, he is a small man with a mischievous face, dressed in wildly coloured clothing. He is capable of flight, intangibility and teleportation. Like ghosts, he is also capable of invisibility, however he is usually observed to take physical form. Peeves is also seen to have the ability to manipulate objects; a trait not generally possible with ghosts. He derives joy from mischievous acts, causing more of disruptions rather than actually being violent and dangerous. As a "spirit of chaos," it is his entire purpose to cause disorder, break things, and be as annoying and disruptive as possible. Peeves does not listen to Hogwarts prefects (to Percy Weasley's great displeasure), teachers or anyone else, with the exception of the headmaster of the school, Albus Dumbledore, and the ghost of the Slytherin house, the Bloody Baron. Argus Filch, who is usually left with cleaning up the messes and damage Peeves causes, is his nemesis and works continuously to try to get Peeves thrown out. However, Rowling has stated in an interview that not even Dumbledore would be able to rid Hogwarts of Peeves forever.[4] Peeves is, however, vulnerable to some magic; in Prisoner of Azkaban, Remus Lupin uses magic to teach Peeves a lesson by making the gum Peeves was stuffing into a keyhole shoot back out and up the poltergeist's nose. In Half Blood Prince, Harry also uses magic to glue Peeves's tongue to the roof of his mouth, after which Peeves angrily departs. Certainly, he rarely invades classrooms in which lessons are taking place. Peeves is not completely chaotic nor without loyalties. During Dolores Umbridge's attempts to take control of Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix which were met with passive insurrection, he actually shows respect for his fellow troublemakers Fred and George Weasley and takes their parting words ("Give her hell from us, Peeves") to heart as they flee the school, marking possibly the only time Peeves ever obeys a student, let alone salutes one. This is immediately followed by his finest hour; his destructive tendencies shift into overdrive and he goes on a rampage. When Umbridge attempts to sneak out of Hogwarts, Peeves chased her out of the castle, alternately whacking her with a cane and a sock full of chalk. Peeves is depicted in Deathly Hallows only two times, first where he aids the defenders of Hogwarts by dropping Snargaluff pods on the heads of attacking Death Eaters, and second singing a victory song at the end. In the epilogue to the seventh book, Harry tells his son Albus, "don't mess with Peeves."
References
- ^ The Leaky Cauldron and MuggleNet interview Joanne Kathleen Rowling: Part Two (2005). Retrieved on 2007-06-01.
- ^ Ghosts Harry Potter Lexicon
- ^ Peeves chews gum, how can he when he is a ghost?jkrowling.com.
- ^ "J. K. Rowling interview with The Leaky Cauldron and Mugglenet". Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
