Apparate
To transport oneself instantly to any destination. Apparating is accompanied by a loud crack sound, and there is always a risk of Splinching. Because it is difficult and dangerous, Apparation requires a license from the Department of Magical Transportation, which can only be issued to those aged seventeen and older. It is impossible to Apparate or Disapparate within Hogwarts.
Azkaban
Prison fortress where wizarding criminals are sent.
Basilisk
Snake-like creature whose gaze will turn you to stone.
Borgin and Burkes
Purveyors of Dark artifacts; this shop is located in Knockturn Alley.
The Burrow
The home of the Weasley family.
Centaurs
Half-man, half-horse creatures. Centaurs live in the Forbidden Forest.
Cornish pixies
Naughty little fairies that create havoc.
Defense Against the Dark Arts
Subject taught at Hogwarts to teach young witches and wizards how to defend themselves against harmful hexes, jinxes and spells, as well as against witches and wizards who use the Dark Arts.
Deathday Party
Celebration held by ghosts to commemorate the day they died.
Diagon Alley
A long cobbled street filled with the most fascinating wizarding shops in the world. Accessible through the Leaky Cauldron pub in London.
Divination
Magical art of telling the future using tea leaves, crystal balls and so forth. Professor Trelawney is Divination teacher at Hogwarts.
Floo powder
Glittering powder that allows witches and wizards to travel magically via the Floo Network by throwing the powder into a fireplace, stepping into the flames, and naming their destination.
Flourish and Blotts
Wizarding bookshop in Diagon Alley.
Forbidden Forest
The dark woods surrounding the Hogwarts grounds. Students are not allowed to go there unless accompanied by a teacher.
Galleons, Sickles, and Knuts
Wizarding money. Galleons are gold; Sickles are silver; Knuts are bronze. There are seventeen Sickles to a Galleon and twenty-nine Knuts to a Sickle.
Ghoul
Ghostly creature that generally lives in attics, eating spiders and moths. The Weasleys have one living in their attic.
Gnomes
Very small creatures with leathery skin and large, bald heads like knobbly potatoes. They have horny feet and razor-sharp teeth. They live in holes in gardens and aren't very bright. To de-gnome a garden, grab the gnome by the ankles, swing it round your head and throw!
Gringotts
The wizard bank in London, with vaults far below the streets, run by goblins.
Gryffindor House
One of the four houses in Hogwarts. Harry, Hermione Granger, and the Weasleys are all in Gryffindor house. It was founded by Godric Gryffindor, and the Gryffindor coat of arms features a lion. The resident ghost is Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, also known as Nearly Headless Nick. Professor McGonagall is the head of Gryffindor house and Professor Dumbledore was in Gryffindor in his youth.
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
The best school of its kind in the world. The greatest witches and wizards of the age founded Hogwarts more than a thousand years ago: Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. They built a remote castle so that witches and wizards could train in safety. Pupils attend starting at age eleven for seven years of rigorous training in the art of witchcraft and wizardry. There are a hundred and forty-two staircases at Hogwarts and everything keeps moving around, so things are not always in the same place. Hogwarts is in a secret location somewhere in the North of the United Kingdom.
House-elf
Small creature that works as a servant in some wizarding houses. A house-elf can only be set free when its master or mistress gives the elf a piece of clothing.
Howler
Wizarding letter which, when opened, shrieks and howls at the reader in an extremely loud voice. Comes in a red envelope and is usually sent by someone who is very angry. Ron Weasley received one from his mother after crashing his father’s flying Ford Anglia into the Whomping Willow.
Hufflepuff House
One of the four houses in Hogwarts. It was founded by Helga Hufflepuff and their coat of arms bears a badger. The resident ghost is the Fat Friar.
Invisibility Cloak
Magic cloak granting the wearer invisibility.
Invisibility Cloak
Magic cloak granting the wearer invisibility.
Knockturn Alley
Street of wizard shops devoted to the Dark Arts. Shops include Borgin and Burkes.
Kwickspell
Correspondence course in beginner's magic for Squibs (witches or wizards who have weak magical powers).
The Leaky Cauldron
The wizarding pub and boarding house through which witches and wizards gain access to Diagon Alley.
Mandrake
Powerful restorative used to return cursed or transfigured people to their natural state. The cry of the Mandrake plant is fatal to anyone who hears it. Also known as Mandragora.
The Ministry of Magic
Government agency that tries to keep witches and wizards secret from non-magical people.
Muggle
Person without magical powers.
Nimbus Two Thousand
A very fast broomstick, sleek and shiny with a mahogany handle. Harry's first broomstick.
Mudblood
Term used to describe a person who has non-magical parents. This term is considered a great insult.
O.W.L.s
Ordinary Wizarding Levels. Hogwarts standard-level examinations which are taken at the end of the fifth year.
Parselmouth
Wizard who can talk to snakes, a rare trait. Commonly thought to be the sign of a Dark wizard, given that Salazar Slytherin and Lord Voldemort were both skilled Parselmouths.
Polyjuice Potion
Potion that will transform the drinker into another person for a period of time.
Quidditch
The wizarding national sport. Played on broomsticks by seven players: three Chasers, one Keeper, two Beaters, one Seeker. Played with four balls: the Quaffle (red) is used for scoring; two Bludgers (black) which try to knock players off their brooms; one Golden Snitch (bright gold with silver wings). The Chasers throw the Quaffle to each other and try to score by throwing the Quaffle through one of the six hoops. Ten points are awarded every time a player scores. The Keeper guards the goalposts and tries to prevent the Chasers from scoring. The Beaters try to keep the Bludgers away from their team and knock them towards the opposing team. The Seeker tries to catch the Golden Snitch. Whichever team catches the Golden Snitch earns 150 points. The game ends when the Snitch is caught.
Ravenclaw House
One of the four school houses in Hogwarts. Founded by Rowena Ravenclaw. The Ravenclaw coat of arms bears an eagle. The resident ghost is the Grey Lady.
Skele-Gro
Potion used to re-grow bones after they have been removed.
Slytherin
One of the school houses in Hogwarts. Founded by Salazar Slytherin. The Slytherin coat of arms is a snake. The resident ghost is the Bloody Baron. Harry's arch-enemy, Draco Malfoy, is in Slytherin. Professor Snape is head of Slytherin house.
The Sorting Hat
The hat that decides which house each student belongs in during their time at Hogwarts.
Squib
Someone who despite being born into a wizarding family has little or no magical ability.
Transfiguration
The art of turning one thing into another.
Wand
Implement used by wizards to perform magic. Available from Ollivanders in Diagon Alley.
Whomping Willow
Large tree in the grounds of Hogwarts that hits anything that comes too close to it.
