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Charlie Weasley: "Norbert? The Norwegian Ridgeback? We call her Norberta now."
Rubeus Hagrid: "Wha — Norbert's a girl?"
Charlie Weasley: "Oh, yeah."
Hermione Granger: "How can you tell?"
Charlie Weasley: "They're a lot more vicious."
— Explanation of Norberta's name change[src]

Norberta[2] (born Norbert; Spring of 1992)[1] was a female[2] Norwegian Ridgeback Dragon hatched by Rubeus Hagrid in his hut at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.[1]

Biography[]

Pre-birth[]

Inside of hagrid's hut

Norberta's egg in the fire

During the 1991–1992 school year, Professor Quirinus Quirrell, trying to figure out how to get past Fluffy and retrieve the Philosopher's Stone, disguised himself and enticed Rubeus Hagrid to play a game of cards by wagering Norberta's egg. They had a few drinks, and Quirrell asked him if he was sure he could handle raising a dragon. Hagrid told him about how he managed Fluffy, inadvertently giving Quirrell the information he needed. Hagrid later assumed that 'the stranger' was a Dragon dealer.[3]

Birth[]

Hagrid: "I've decided to call him Norbert. He really knows me now, watch. Norbert! Norbert! Where's Mummy?"
Ron Weasley: "He's lost his marbles."
— The trio and Hagrid discussing Norberta[src]
Norbert hagrid

Norberta shortly after hatching

Rubeus Hagrid kept the egg in his hut, warming it over a fire until it hatched. Ron, Harry, and Hermione were present when Norberta hatched. Also present (though at first unknown) was Draco Malfoy, who peered through a window of Hagrid's hut. The trio feared that Hagrid would get in trouble, and so convinced him to get rid of the dragon. The baby dragon looked "like a crumpled black umbrella" with large spiny wings, a skinny body and a long snout with wide nostrils, horn stubs and bulging, orange eyes and tried to bite Hagrid, although he found her to be adorable and instantly wanted to keep her. He named the newborn dragon "Norbert", believing her to be a boy, and fed her with a bucket of brandy mixed with chicken blood every half hour, as recommended in Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit.[1]

Raised in Romania[]

Astronomy Tower farewell Norbert

Harry and Hermione watching Norbert taken away from Hogwarts by Dragonologists

However, as the young dragon grew, she became too violent and dangerous to keep. After Norberta bit Ron Weasley's hand, for which he had to go to the Hospital Wing due to the venom in her fangs, Hagrid had no choice but to release Norberta to Charles Weasley, who worked with dragons in Romania.[1]

When Hagrid met Charlie at Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour's wedding, he was informed that the dragon, originally thought to be a male and had been given the male name Norbert, was now called Norberta, as Charlie had discovered that she was in fact a female. He said that he was able to tell by the females being much more violent and ferocious.[2]

Etymology[]

Norbert is a Germanic first name, derived from nord ("north") and berht ("bright"). Norberta is simply a feminine form of this name.

Behind the scenes[]

PM BlueMonday Baby Norbert

"Baby Norbert" on Pottermore

L Toys Toys HarryPotter Toys HatchingNorbertFigure 1229898

Norberta figure at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter

Norberta LEGO

Norberta as a LEGO Harry Potter mini-figure

Norberta - PAS

Norberta as seen in Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells

  • Norberta has a different departure in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Instead of her presence remaining a secret and Harry and Hermione handing her over to Charlie's friends, the Hogwarts staff becomes aware of her, and Dumbledore had her sent off to Romania. Also, the dragon is shown to be affectionate with the groundskeeper, rather than violent. Because of this difference in behaviour, it is possible that Norbert is in fact a male in the film version of the story.
  • Since Hagrid's conversation with Charlie was not featured in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1, Norberta's identity as a female dragon was never acknowledged in the films.
  • "Baby Norbert" was one out of the thirty-two options generated by an old feature[4] on Pottermore, "Wonderful wizarding world happiness generator", which was about things that could cast away the Blue Monday blues.[5]
    • The description was "A baby dragon may not be everyone’s idea of ‘cheerful’, but when Norbert (or Norberta, actually) was just a wee baby, we could kind of see why Hagrid went all gooey over him/her".[6]
  • In The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, one can purchase a plush version of Norberta.
  • While Norberta is black-coloured, the LEGO Harry Potter mini-figure is green.
  • Norberta also appears to be greenish in Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells.
  • In LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4, the parts with Noberta, before and after being hatched, appear only in a Time-Turner mission, but Hagrid does not explain where he got the egg.

Appearances[]

Wiki
The Harry Potter Wiki has 33 images related to Norberta.

See also[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 14 (Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 7 (The Will of Albus Dumbledore)
  3. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 16 (Through the Trapdoor)
  4. Features: "Wonderful wizarding world happiness generator" at Pottermore (archived)
  5. "Introducing our 'Wonderful wizarding world happiness generator', which is ready and waiting to cast away those #BlueMonday blues. Click here to receive your very own piece of wizarding world happiness, and let us know what you got… pottermo.re/Happiness" - @pottermore on Twitter and Facebook
  6. Features: "Wonderful wizarding world happiness generator (text only version)" at Pottermore (archived)
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