Portrait of a mermaid

Portrait of a mermaid
Biographical information
Born	Before 1890 (possibly)
Physical information
Species	Mermaid
Gender	Female
Hair colour	Blonde
Skin colour	White
Affiliation
Loyalty	Prefects' Bathroom

"There was a single golden-framed painting on the wall. It featured a blonde mermaid who was fast asleep on a rock, her long hair over her face."

— Description of the mermaid's portrait

A portrait of a mermaid was located in the Prefects' Bathroom in Hogwarts Castle. The portrait was set in a golden frame, and was noted to show off to people using the bathroom if she was awake. Myrtle Warren did not seem to like this portrait very much.

History

Sometime after 24 November 1994, Cedric Diggory took his golden egg to the Prefects' bathroom to think it over. This portrait showed off for him as he thought, and it was partially due to its existence that he realised merpeople would be involved in the Second Task of the Triwizard Tournament.

Harry Potter in the Prefect's Bathroom with this portrait

On Diggory's suggestion, Harry Potter came to the bathroom later in the school year for the same reason. Despite the mermaid being asleep during his visit, it still helped him in coming to the same conclusion Diggory did.

On the evening before Harry would go to the Second Task, he had a sort of nightmare that the mermaid was poking Harry with his broomstick, while he was in the water inside the portrait.

Behind the scenes

The stained-glass window in the film

The mermaid portrait depicted as a mural in Hogwarts Legacy

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, this is a moving stained-glass window instead of a portrait.
• In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, she gets angry at Harry because he spilled all her water from the stained-glass window and throws scorpions at him. If you refill her portrait with water, she gives you the missing part of the sink.
• It is unknown if the portrait was that of a real merperson or was simply a generic depiction of a mermaid.
• In Hogwarts Legacy, it is a described as a mural of a mermaid.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance) (Appears in portrait(s))
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film) (Appears in portrait(s))
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game) (Appears in portrait(s))
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game) (Appears in portrait(s))
• Pottermore (Appears in portrait(s))
• Wizarding World (Appears in portrait(s))
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Appears in portrait(s))
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (Appears in portrait(s))
• Hogwarts Legacy (Appears in portrait(s))
• The Art and Making of Hogwarts Legacy (Appears in portrait(s))
• The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac (Appears in portrait(s))