Warning!
At least some content in this article is derived from information featured in Harry Potter: Magic Awakened. As such, spoilers will be present within the article. |
- "What do you need? I'm sure we have your size."
- — Malkin's friendliness towards her customers[src]
Madam Malkin was a witch and the owner of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions in Diagon Alley. She was a squat woman dressed all in mauve who was very friendly to her customers,[1] unless anyone displayed signs of aggression in her shop.[4]
Biography[]
- "Hogwarts, dear? Got the lot here -- another young man being fitted up just now, in fact."
- — Malkin graciously greeting Harry Potter into her shop in 1991[src]
Malkin became the proprietor of Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions sometime before 1991. In August 1991, when Harry Potter first visited Diagon Alley with Rubeus Hagrid to purchase his school supplies for his first year at Hogwarts, Malkin greeted him kindly and found some robes to fit him. It was then, that Harry first met his long-term adversary Draco Malfoy in her shop, who was also buying his school robes.[1]
In early 1992, Madam Malkin went to Paris for the Which Witch? fashion show, and left her shop closed with a notice outside.[6]
In August 1993, Harry Potter returned to her shop when shopping in Diagon Alley, to purchase new school robes for the upcoming academic year, along with other needed school supplies from other shops.[7]
In 1995, Madam Malkin had a sale in her shop, for which an advertisement was published in the Daily Prophet.[8]
In 1996, Malkin was unsuccessfully trying to fit new robes on a particularly disgruntled Draco Malfoy, who was in the shop with his mother Narcissa Malfoy. When Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger entered her shop to purchase their own robes, Draco nastily insulted Granger as a 'Mudblood', much to her shock and disapproval for such inflammatory language being used in her shop. Whilst the trio argued bitterly and traded insults with the Malfoys, Malkin became very anxious of the escalating tension, and even tried to tweak the robe he was trying on, but ended up accidentally pinching him with her needles. Malfoy and his mother then left the shop in contempt, with Narcissa Malfoy disdainfully telling her she would rather do business with rival tailors Twilfitt and Tattings, because of the 'scum' that she served, leaving Malkin highly insulted. She picked up all the robes which had fallen to the floor, cleaned them with a wave of her wand, and fitted and sold robes to the trio. She seemed to be relieved when everyone had left, as it meant no more confrontation in her shop.[4]
Madam Malkin survived the Second Wizarding War and was still running her shop by 2008. Before 1 September that year, she helped a student dress up and get their robes.[2]
During the Calamity in the late 2010s and early 2020s, Madam Malkin made a custom set of flowing, light-weight combat robes for an Auror member of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force, with the additional freedom of movement increasing their defensive strength in combat.[9]
Physical description[]
Madam Malkin was described as being a squat, smiling witch who was dressed in mauve clothing.[1]
Personality and traits[]
- "I don't think there's any need for language like that! And I don't want wands drawn in my shop either!"
- — Malkin's disapproval of poor behaviour in her establishment[src]
Madam Malkin was generally friendly, helpful and personable towards her customers,[1] as well as fair; most notably, she reprimanded both Draco Malfoy for using the highly insulting term 'Mudblood' in her presence despite him being a wealthy customer, and Harry Potter and Ron Weasley for drawing their wands in response. However, she was not above being irritated or offended, as she was when Narcissa Malfoy implied her shop was of lower class for catering to Muggle-borns, and could become very easily distracted if in this mood. She was also shown to care for the welfare of her customers, as she was greeted Harry Potter generously into her shop in 1991 and was very willing with their purchases, and even reminded Draco to be careful when wandering around Diagon Alley.[4]
Magical abilities and skills[]
- "Snatching up the fallen robes and moving the tip of her wand over them like a vacuum cleaner, so that it removed all the dust."
- — Malkin performing non-verbal magic[src]
- Charms: Malkin could successfully use a spell which removed dust from objects like a vacuum cleaner.[4] Malkin was capable of conjuring at least a non-corporeal Patronus.[3][5]
- Nonverbal magic: Malkin was able to instantly clean up dust which had gathered on several robes which had fallen on the floor merely by running the tip of her wand across them, without using an incantation.[4]
Possessions[]
- Wand: Madam Malkin owned a wand, of unknown length, wood and core materials.[4]
- Magical tape measure: Madam Malkin owned a measuring device capable of magically moving on its own accord, in order to measure the necessary clothing lengths of her customers.[1]
- Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions: Madam Malkin was the owner of her own shop in Diagon Alley, which sold dress robes, travelling cloaks and even Invisibility Cloaks for wizards and witches, along with school uniforms for Hogwarts students.[1]
- Self-playing harp: Madam Malkin owned an enchanted harp, that could play by itself.[10]
Etymology[]
The name 'Malkin' may be derived from 'Malkin Tower' which was a key element in the Pendle witches trial.[11]
A malkin is also an old name for a scarecrow, dressed to frighten away birds. Malkin-trash was someone who was poorly or frighteningly dressed.[12]
It could also be of early medieval English origin, deriving from a female given name first recorded as 'Malkyn' in 1297, a diminutive form of 'Malle', itself a nickname form of 'Mary'. To Malle has been added the diminutive suffix 'kyn or kin', meaning 'close relative of'. 'Mary' was an extremely popular medieval female given name, being the claimed name of the mother of Christ in the New Testament. The original name is thought to have been derived from the Aramaic 'Maryan', translating as the 'wished-for-child', but others claim that it means 'the star of the sea'.[13]
Behind the scenes[]
- Paula Arundell, the actress portraying Hermione Granger in the Melbourne Princess Theatre production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, also portrayed Madam Malkin, voicing her when the cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child read aloud Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 5 (Diagon Alley) together, organised by Bloomsbury Publishing for the 2021 Harry Potter Book Night.[14][15]
- Graymalkin was the name of a cat that belonged to one of the Three Witches (the Weird Sisters) in William Shakespeare's Macbeth.
Appearances[]
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film) (Name seen on sign)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (GBC version only)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) (Name seen on sign)
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game) (Name seen on sign)
- Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) (Name seen on sign)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Name seen on sign)
- Harry Potter Trading Card Game
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
- LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
- Pottermore (Mentioned only)
- Wizarding World (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (Mentioned only)
- Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
Notes and references[]
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 5 (Diagon Alley)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Harry Potter: Magic Awakened, Year 1, My First Days at Hogwarts
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 6 (Draco's Detour)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 4 (The Leaky Cauldron)
- ↑ Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 14 (Percy and Padfoot)
- ↑ Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
- ↑ Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
- ↑ Pendle witches on Wikipedia
- ↑ Malkin or Maukin at Lexicons of Early Modern English
- ↑ Last name: Malkin at SurnameDB
- ↑ (see this video) (video currently set to private)
- ↑ Bloomsbury Books UK on Twitter: "#HarryPotterBookNight has moved to 24th June (although if you have an event planned today then go for it, and have fun!). Ahead of that, here’s a sneak peek of the wonderful casts of the Cursed Child reading from the chapter ‘Diagon Alley’ (from Philosopher's Stone)"