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Harry Potter: "What? Isn't there just a password?"
Luna Lovegood: "Oh no, you've just got to answer a question."
Harry Potter: "What if you get it wrong?"
Luna Lovegood: "Well, you have to wait for somebody who gets it right. That way you learn, you see?"
— Harry Potter and Luna Lovegood discuss how to enter the Ravenclaw common room[src]

The eagle door knocker of Ravenclaw Tower was a bronze, eagle-shaped knocker on the door to the Ravenclaw common room, which acted as the tower's guardian in much the same way as the Fat Lady did for Gryffindor Tower. Unlike the Fat Lady, however, the knocker did not ask for a password, but instead for a thought-provoking question that had to be answered in order to enter. The questions differed constantly, asking puzzles and riddles.[1]

The questions typically had no straight forward answer, but required a level of reasoning or logic behind them that reflected the wisdom of the hopeful entrant to the tower.[1] The knocker often complimented successful entrants for their skilful logic,[1] but tended to go quiet if the answer was wrong.[2] The question would remain the same until it was answered.[1] The knocker would not let anyone in who did not know the answer to its question,[1][2] though if someone else answered the question, one might enter with the help of another who answered correctly.[1][2]

History[]

Eagle door knocker HL

The eagle door knocker in the 1890s

During her time at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Ignatia Wildsmith, the inventor of Floo powder, was faced with a particularly challenging riddle from the eagle door knocker and had to spend two days sleeping in the corridor outside the Ravenclaw common room.[3]

When Luna Lovegood and Harry Potter attempted to enter Ravenclaw Tower just before the Battle of Hogwarts with the purpose of seeing a statue depicting Ravenclaw's lost diadem, the knocker waylaid them with a question to which Luna answered.[1]

Moments later, the knocker halted Amycus Carrow, who could not answer its question, and attempted to blast and bludgeon his way past the door instead. The knocker's question was answered correctly by Minerva McGonagall, whom Carrow demanded open the door.[2]

Description[]

The knocker had a soft, musical voice, and seemingly paid little heed to any sort of dialogue other than that of answering its question,[1][2] again a difference to the Fat Lady.

Questions asked by the door knocker[]

Question Addressee Date Answer given Success
"Who lived longer, the ghost or the poltergeist?"[4] Unidentified 19th-century Hogwarts student (If sorted into Ravenclaw)[4] 1 September 1890 "A non-being can never have been."[4] Successful
"Which came first; the Phoenix or the Flame?"[1] Luna Lovegood 2 May 1998 "A circle has no beginning."[1] Successful
"Where do Vanished Objects go?"[2] Amycus Carrow "I dunno, do I? Shut it!"[2] Unsuccessful
Professor McGonagall "Into non-being, which is to say, everything."[2] Successful

Behind the scenes[]

  • The door knocker is voiced by English actress Amy Louise Pemberton in Hogwarts Legacy.[5]
    • It seems as though there is an oversight in the game, as the knocker is not physically used. Meanwhile, each instance in the book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows features a description of how each person who wishes to enter knocks. Luna 'knocks once, which, in the silence, sounds like a cannon blast to Harry', Amycus Carrow 'raps on the door' and there is a 'genteel tap' from Professor McGonagall.

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 29 (The Lost Diadem)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 30 (The Sacking of Severus Snape)
  3. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 5, Side Quest "Out of Sorts"
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 Hogwarts Legacy, Main Quest "Welcome to Hogwarts"
  5. IMDb favicon Amy Louise Pemberton at the Internet Movie Database
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