Moon

Ronald Weasley: "It's beautiful, isn't it? The moon."

Harry Potter: "Divine."

— Ron mentions the moon

The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite and the fifth largest natural satellite in the Solar System. The moon's phases and substances are very useful and important in the wizarding world.

The mooncalf is a creature that only comes out of its burrow during a full moon and then performs a complicated mating dance. The presence of a full moon can induce basilisk eggs to hatch early if given certain other circumstances.

Potions

The phases of the Moon influence the making of potions, as studied by Hesper Starky. Veritaserum takes a full moon cycle to mature and when making Polyjuice Potion, the fluxweed for it must be picked during the full moon.

Diseases

It was believed by medieval Healers that taking the liver of a toad, binding it tight about the victim's throat and standing naked by the full moon in a barrel of eels' eyes would cure spattergroit. Wizards infected with lycanthropy transform into a Werewolf if exposed to the full moon's rays.

History

Moonlight lit the grounds of the Forbidden Forest in 1992 as Rubeus Hagrid conducted a detention for Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy and Neville Longbottom there. During the detention, after an encounter with centaurs, he described them as being "ruddy stargazers" who are "not interested in anythin' closer'n the moon."

In the summer of 1992, moonlight was streaming through the bars of Harry's window in The Smallest Bedroom as Ron, Fred and George Weasley arrived by flying car to rescue him from 4 Privet Drive. As they made their escape, the car "shot suddenly toward the moon" when Fred put his foot down on the accelerator.

At approximately one o'clock in the morning on 31 July, 1993, the moon was large, full and golden, and silhouetted by Errol, Hedwig and an owl sent by Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry as they flew to his house with birthday wishes and, in the case of the latter, a form for Harry's guardians to sign so that he could go to Hogsmeade

As Harry Potter went to bed on the night of 5 February, 1994, he twitched the hangings of his four-poster shut to block out a ray of moonlight.

In the early evening of 6 June, 1994, thick clouds covered the moon, although later that night when Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Sirius Black, Professor Lupin and Peter Pettigrew left the Shrieking Shack through the entrance at the base of the Whomping Willow, the clouds moved aside to reveal a full moon, and Lupin, who was a werewolf, transformed.

On the evening of 30 October, 1994, as the students of Hogwarts greeted the delegations from Beauxbatons and Durmstrang, a pale, transparent-looking moon shone down over the Forbidden Forest.

In early 1995, as Harry Potter travelled to the Prefects' bathroom to work out the golden egg clue, the corridors of Hogwarts were moon-lit. In February of that year, as he searched more and more desperately for a way to survive for up to an hour in the Great Lake, its "dark and icy depths" started to seem to him "as distant as the moon."

During the summer holidays of 1995, The Quibbler published an interview with a wizard who claimed to have flown to the moon on a Cleansweep Six and brought back a bag of Moon Frogs to prove it.

In April 1997, on the night that Rubeus Hagrid buried Aragog, the moon glistened palely through the trees and illuminated Aragog's body.

In June of that year, the moon was crescent on the night of the Death Eater attack on Hogwarts.

Sometime prior to 27 July of that year, on the night of Charity Burbage's murder, the moon was out and shown down upon Severus Snape and Yaxley as they paid a visit to Lord Voldemort at Malfoy Manor.

In December of that year, a ghostly moon hung behind the Lovegood house in the afternoon sky as Harry, Ron and Hermione visited it.

Behind the scenes

Flying Ford Anglia in front of the moon

• Mary GrandPré's chapter-header illustration for Chapter 3 ("The Burrow") of the U.S. edition of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets depicts the Flying Ford Anglia in front of a full moon.
• In the depiction of the Riddle House on the night of the murder of Frank Bryce on Pottermore, the moon is shown to be crescent.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First mentioned)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film) (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• Pottermore
• Harry Potter: The Creature Vault (mentioned only)