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Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington (known after his death as Nearly Headless Nick) (d. October 31, 1492) is the resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower at the Hogwarts Castle.

Biography

Lifetime

Little is known about Sir Nicholas' past. As a child, Nick attended Hogwarts and was sorted into Gryffindor House. It is unknown which subjects he excelled at, but he was apparently poor at Transfiguration. In his adulthood, he was a Wizard of the Court.[2]

Death (1492)

9.

Nick reveals his chopped neck.

Sir Nicholas was sentenced to death by beheading after a teeth-straightening spell went awry on Lady Grieve. However, the executioner's axe was blunt. Thus, even after forty-five hacks Nick's head was only partially severed. Sir Nicholas was excecuted on the dawn of October 31st, 1492; the same date that Harry's parents died, but four-hundred and eighty-nine years prior.

The re-opening of the Chamber of Secrets (1992)

Harry Potter, after befriending Nick the previous year, attends his Deathday Party (the 500th anniversary of the event) in a Dungeon at Hogwarts. To Nick's great annoyance, his head was not off enough to join in the games of the Headless Hunt, a society of ghosts who had been decapitated on earth (a source of annual vexation to the ghost). During the 1992 school year, when the Chamber of Secrets was opened, he was one of those petrified by the Basilisk, which suggests that he might be Muggle-born, though it might have been simply a coincidence as Justin Finch-Fletchley appeared to be the main target of the Basilisk. By the end of the year he was revived (back to being a ghost).

Nearly headless nick petrified basilisk

Harry Potter discovering that Nick was petrified

1996

After Sirius Black, Harry's godfather, is killed, Harry asks Nick if he can return as a ghost. Nick explains that only a wizard afraid of death can become a ghost. It is most likely that Sirius Black is not afraid of death; he tells Harry that dying is "quicker and easier than falling asleep" when his spirit comes out of Resurrection Stone, along with three others, to speak to Harry as he went to what he believed to be his death in 1998. The alternative to becoming a ghost, or leaving an imprint of oneself on the earth, is to move on, or rather to move beyond the veil. However, such a thing did not happen to Lord Voldemort, though Voldemort's soul was so unstable there may not have been enough to leave an imprint on the earth. It is also possible that being a mere imprint, one with no power, may not have been appealing to Voldemort.

Behind the scenes

Sir Nicholas - Hogwarts-Ghost

Sir Nicholas pop out at the Great Hall of Hogwarts in 1991.

Harry and Ron talks to Nearly Headless Nick

Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Sir Nicholas in 1996.

  • While most of the Hogwarts students call him "Nearly Headless Nick," he prefers the more formal "Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington" or "Sir Nicholas." But, Harry also calls him Nick.
  • Nick's death was the same day as Lily and James Potter's, October 31st, but different years.
  • Although Nick claims that he has never been guilty of cowardice in his life, he also claims to have broken down sobbing when they told him that he would die.
  • He also admits to not being as brave as Sirius Black; Nick chose to become a ghost because he feared death, but Sirius would have "gone on" in Nick's own words.
  • He doesn't like Ron because he is always reminding Nick that he is dead.
  • It is unknown as to how he recovered from petrification by the Basilisk since he is unable to drink potions.
  • Professor Dumbledore explains in his notes on "The Wizard and the Hopping Pot" that muggle executions of wizards such as Sir Nicholas are rarely successful, given that wizards can magically protect themselves and escape. Sir Nicholas had his wand taken away, however, and was unable to leave his dungeon cell.
  • As of yet, Nick is the only one of the four house ghosts to have a speaking role in the films.

Appearances

Notes and references

External links

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Hogwarts Houses
Gryffindor ClearBG
Hufflepuff ClearBG
RavenclawCrest
Slytherin ClearBG
Namesake Founders
Godric Gryffindor · Helga Hufflepuff · Rowena Ravenclaw · Salazar Slytherin
Heads of House
Minerva McGonagall · Pomona Sprout · Filius Flitwick · Horace Slughorn
House Ghosts
Nearly Headless Nick · Fat Friar · Grey Lady · Bloody Baron
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