Harry Potter and the Fantastic Witches of the Magical World
The world of Harry Potter is familiar to Muggles and Potterheads alike. While Muggles have just heard the name of ‘The Boy Who Lived’, the world of Potterheads is painted with the many hues of the different characters of Harry Potter that give us Muggle-borns a live insight into the magical world. Speaking of the magical worlds, it is not only the powerful wizards like Harry, Lord Voldemort or Albus Dumbledore who can perform exceptional magic. Often backing them up and fighting for themselves we see powerful and mighty witches who often save the day. So let us light up our minds with our wand tips, put on our invisibility cloaks, sneak out and seek the world of Harry Potter. Lumos Maxima!
SPOILER ALERT! Don’t complain later that you weren’t warned. Enjoy reading otherwise! (Muggles can go through the key words at the end to understand better)
The Boy Who Lived, better known as Harry Potter, was always accompanied by his two best friends in whatever missions he took up and they always did their best and often directed him towards the right path. They are none other than Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger. Hermione is said to be the brightest witch of her age by various professors and her peers alike because the complex spells that took them such a long time to master, Hermione could get done with most of them in her first go! She indeed was bright and had a great presence of mind that saved Harry’s neck many times. Hermione was a very realistic and logical person. She always sought to find ways out of situations by herself and didn’t rely on false beliefs and myths. Because of her principles, studious Hermione even gave up Divination in her third year because she believed Professor Trelawney’s prediction styles to be full of baloney. When they were in Xenophilius’s house and the Death Eaters showed Hermione made sure that the Death Eaters had a glimpse of Harry before they escaped so that Xenophilius would be spared and that Ron was covered in the Invisibility Cloak so that the fact that he is accompanying Harry in his quest against the Dark Lord doesn’t get out.
She truly is a Ravenclaw even if she was in Gryffindor. But that doesn’t mean she didn’t rightfully belong in Gryffindor. Like any other Ravenclaw, Hermione was brave at heart. She was brave enough to obliviate her parents’ memories to keep them safe and to undergo and survive and still not give in to Bellatrix’s Cruciatus curse. Indeed Hermione is incredible. Here I would just like to say looking at Hermione, 10000 points to Gryffindor.
Ginny Weasley is another one of the fantastic and powerful witches of Harry Potter whose one Bat-Bogey Hex will rightfully penetrate your defense spell. She is also the love interest of the main protagonist, Harry Potter and rightfully so is she his soulmate. She too like any other Weasley is in Gryffindor and is distinguished by her flaming red hair and fierce spirit. Ginny is an excellent Quidditch player where she plays Seeker once and then Chaser for Gryffindor. Like Harry, Ginny is excellent on the broom. Ginny is also a member of Professor Horace Slughorn’s Slug Club where most people are because of their parentage or as in Harry’s case the reason is behind his infamous lightning scar, but Ginny got in because Slughorn was utterly impressed by the young woman’s mastery of the Bat-Bogey Hex charm. She also has the ability to put Harry to a stop whenever he is unreasonably angry or frustrated; something Ron and Hermione couldn’t achieve. Ginny is also a woman who lives by her choice. She dates Dean Thomas and Michael Corner and snaps shut her brother Ron if she tries to intervene in her personal choices. She is also known for being possessed by Lord Voldemort himself but survived with Harry’s help and lived past it by grace the Gryffindor in her spirit. I don’t blame Harry at all for falling for this powerful woman.
Luna Lovegood is presumably the most loved one of all because she is just simply flawless and on top of that just adorable. But it is not only a soft personality she possesses but her wit as well that makes us fall for her. Luna with her quirky bit inherited from her father Xenophilius Lovegood is a Ravenclaw in every possible sense. Luna’s is infamously called Loony Lovegood by others because of her quirky personality and unusual interests. She takes interest in magical creatures that most probably don’t really exist but still the intensity with which she researches and talks about them is enough for us to believe even a hypothetical concept. Luna is also a member of Dumbledore’s Army where she masters many spells and charms including the Patronus Charm which played their own role in the Battle of Hogwarts. Luna has always been a calm, composed and respectful witch who loves her friends a lot and even turns fierce whenever needed. Witty, Bold and Loyal she shows traits of the founders of her school (excluding Slytherin) and never misses to make us love her even more.
Hogwarts has a variety in their staff as well and that is well seen in the quality witches who teach there. Professor Minerva McGonagall, the Transfiguration professor and the Head Of Gryffindor House is a fierce and lovable woman who poses a mother figure in Hogwarts from time to time. She is a skilled teacher who comes out as stern to most students but is also very protective of each and every pupil. She is also one of the seven registered animagi in the wizarding community with her animagus form being that of a cat with square markings around her eyes as a symbol of her square spectacles. She is also the one to lead the Battle of Hogwarts after the sacking of Severus Snape. It is enchanting to see her duel the former Death Eater and protect the school and pupil. And who can forget the famous burn she gave to Slytherin House as Pansy Parkinson wished for everyone to hand Harry over to Voldemort. She indeed is an amazing witch and also a great woman.
Professor Pomona Sprout is the Head of Hufflepuff House and teaches Herbology and she too is a witch of skill. And who can forget Professor Sybill Trelawney, the Divination Professor, whose prophecy dictated the fate of Lord Voldemort. Maybe if it hadn’t been for her prophecy, the Boy Who Lived would never have gotten any recognition from the Dark Lord and there would have been a long wait till someone rose from the oppressed to oppose and end Voldemort.
And who can forget the two brave Gryffindor ladies, Molly Weasley and Lily Potter. Lily died saving Harry whose protection of love shielded him from Voldemort and protected him which is clear as he is known to survive the Killing Curse, Avada Kedavra, twice. Hadn’t Lily cast herself in between Harry and Voldemort we would never have the Chosen One. Molly is the lovable mother in the series. The way she keeps her seven children together and raises them into such amazing people. She is also a loving parental figure to Harry and took care of him all the time like her own son. And who can forget the killing of the most cunning Death Eater, Bellatrix Lestrange, in an attempt to protect her daughter Ginny and avenge Fred’s death.
Speaking of which we come to our final witch, Bellatrix Lestrange. Bellatrix is really hated by all Potterheads alike for her personality and for her status as a Death Eater. She, being a true Slytherin, has a pride in her pure-blood status and loathes and despises Muggles and Muggle-borns. She is utmost loyal to her master Voldemort and is his most valuable soldier. She is, as Harry says, a witch of immense talent but no control over it. Bellatrix is indeed a powerful witch who is capable of taking 10 wizards/witches together. But no Potterhead can ever forgive her for killing Sirius Black, Dobby and Nymphadora Tonks.
Magic is amazing, powerful and beautiful and is also balanced by the equilibrium of good and evil. And this amazing magical world will never be complete without these witches whose valour, chivalry, wisdom, wit, loyalty and cunningness shape the story throughout. With this we have reached an end of our insight into the influence of these witches in the wizarding world. With this let us now end our adventure and extinguish our wand tips for the day. Nox!
Key words (for Muggles)
- Muggle: Non-magical people (also used to refer to people who are not Harry Potter fans)
- Lumos Maxima: a simple spell to generate light from wand tips
- Nox: used to extinguish the light from our wand tips
- Hogwarts: a school of witchcraft and wizardry in Britain
- Gryffindor: House in Hogwarts, named after its founder Godric Gryffindor
- Ravenclaw: House in Hogwarts, named after its founder Rowena Ravenclaw
- Hufflepuff: House in Hogwarts, named after its founder Helga Hufflepuff
- Slytherin: House in Hogwarts, named after its founder Salazar Slytherin
- Cruciatus Curse: An unforgivable curse used prominently by evil witches and wizards; induces immense pain both emotional and physical to the person upon whom it is performed
- Quidditch: famous wizarding sport including four balls, 6 high hoops and 7 players on each team
- Seeker: player in Quidditch
- Chaser: player in Quidditch
- Dumbledore’s Army: a students’ association formed by Harry and his friends where they learn and practice Defense Against Darks Arts
- Patronus Charm: used to repel foul creatures called Dementors who feed on our fears
- Transfiguration: art of transforming objects, animals and even people into a variety of things using spells
- Animagus: a person who can change into one particular animal anytime at will
- Death Eaters: an organisation formed by Voldemort consisting of witches and wizards loyal to him
- Herbology: study of various magical plants and learning their properties to make useful things out of them
- Divination: art of seeing the future and to predict certain things
