Spider

Spider
Species information
Related to	Acromantula
Distinction	Eight legs and eyes

"If you must know, when I was three, Fred turned my - my teddy bear into a great big filthy spider because I broke his toy broomstick... You wouldn't like it either if you'd been holding your bear and suddenly it had to many legs and... "

— Ron Weasley about his fear of spiders

Ron Weasley's fear of spiders.

Spiders are small (with the exception of the Acromantula) eight-legged and eight-eyed creatures. The largest species of spider is the Acromantula, which also has the ability to speak. Spiders are known for spinning webs. The webs of the Acromantula are large and dome-shaped. Spiders of all sizes fear the Basilisk above all other things, which caused those at Hogwarts to flee into the Forbidden Forest in the 1992–1993 school year. Ron Weasley is arachnophobic, meaning that he is deathly afraid of spiders. The Tarantula is a family of spiders, examples of which can be found for sale in Knockturn Alley. The spell Arania Exumai knocks spiders back, and in the PC games Rictusempra is also effective against spiders. Barty Crouch Jr., disguised as Alastor Moody, taught his fourth year Defence Against the Dark Arts class the use of the Unforgivable Curses, preforming one of each of the three curses on one of each of three spiders (a tailless whipscorpion in the movie). Spiders like living in dark places like the cupboard under the stairs, Broomsheds, and even the Forbidden Forest. These creatures can also be found in the Muggle universe.

Types of Spiders

• Acromantula
• Tarantula

Behind the scenes

• In the film version of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the three Unforgivable Curses are demonstrated in the Defence Against the Dark Arts class on an Amblypygid, which is in fact not a spider.

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