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- Snape: "...we'll get the letter, you and me."
- Lily: "Really?"
- Snape: "Definitely."
- Lily: "And will it really come by owl?"
- Snape: "Normally. But you're Muggle-born, so someone from the school will have to come and explain to your parents."
- — Severus Snape explains to Lily Evans why her letter won't arrive by owl post.[src]
A special messenger is a wizard or witch assigned the post to deliver the acceptance letter from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry to Muggle-born people, explaining that magic truly exists, unless their parents or guardians have a wizard relation.
Special messengers can also be dispatched under special circumstances, even if the student-to-be's parents have a wizard relation; this happened in the case of Remus Lupin, whose parents thought there would not an opening for him given Remus's affliction of lycantrophy.[1]
Known messengers
- Albus Dumbledore (to Tom Riddle; to Remus Lupin)
- Rubeus Hagrid (to Harry Potter)
Behind the scenes
- Initially, Harry Potter simply received a normal Hogwarts acceptance letter, as would any wizard-born individual, though as he was not living with wizards at the time, his first letter was sent by Muggle Mail. When it was realised, however, that Harry's letters were most likely being intercepted, Rubeus Hagrid was sent as his special messenger.
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
- Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Appears in flashback(s))
- Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film) (Appears in flashback(s))
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Mentioned only)
- Pottermore (Mentioned only)