Harry Potter Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Harry Potter Wiki

Rats are small mammals of the order Rodentia, distinguishable from mice by their larger size. Rats are typically regarded as vermin or pests, although they can be domesticated and kept as pets.

Rats can also serve as magical familiars to wizards and witches, although they typically only live for two or three years, and are not as popular as owls or cats.

Body parts from rats, such as the tail and spleen, are used as ingredients in potions, such as the Shrinking Solution. According to Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit, dead rats should be fed to dragons as a reward for good behavoir.

Scabbers

The rat Scabbers in 1991.

The Weasley family kept a pet rat named "Scabbers" for twelve years, owned first by Percy Weasley and later by his younger brother Ron. The fact that Scabbers managed to live for over twelve years greatly surpasses the life expectancy of an average rat, making people think that he is special. However, it was revealed in 1994 that Scabbers was actually an animagus named Peter Pettigrew, also known as "Wormtail", who had gone into hiding after Lord Voldemort's disappearance in 1981.

After fleeing Britain following his exposure, Pettigrew made his way to Albania, where he heard from the rats living in the area of Voldemort's presence in the forest.

The Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley sells sleek black rats that can play jump-rope with their own tails.

While hiding in a cave near Hogsmeade during the 1994–1995 school year, Sirius Black lived off of rats while keeping watch over his godson, Harry Potter, during the events of the Triwizard Tournament.

Sirius regularly fed the Hippogriff Buckbeak dead rats while keeping him at 12 Grimmauld Place.

Appearances

Advertisement