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"Cup of tea? I was just thinking of making one. [...] I've only got teabags, I'm afraid — but I daresay you've had enough of tea leaves?"
— Remus Lupin offers Harry Potter some tea when the latter paid a visit to his office.[src]

Tea is a typical British beverage made with tea leaves and hot water[8].

Known uses

After the incident of the vanishing glass at the Zoo in Surrey in 1991, the Zoo director served Petunia Dursley strong, sweet tea while apologising over and over again[7]. A bit later that same year, Rubeus Hagrid's first request upon arriving at the Hut-on-the-Rock was to ask if tea could be made for him, though he commented that he wouldn't say no to something stronger[2]. When no tea was served to him, he made it himself and shared it with Harry Potter[2].

When Hagrid informed the trio that Buckbeak was going to be prosecuted, Ron offered to make tea, stating that such was what his mum always did when anyone was upset[3].


Tea leaves 1

Harry sees the Grim in his tea leaves in his Divination lesson.

In Harry's third year, Sybill Trelawney served her Divination class tea, and had them read the remaining tea leaves after they drank[6]. Trelawney told Harry she saw he had the Grim in Harry's tea leaves[6].

Remus Lupin was fond of making it from a kettle, and offered Harry Potter a cup whilst discussing the first Defence Against the Dark Arts class of that year, in which Lupin prevented Harry from facing the Boggart in the Wardrobe. He noted that he had only teabags at the moment, but quipped that Harry had probably "had enough of tea leaves", referencing Professor Trelawney's tea-leaf reading, which he had heard about.[1].

In Harry's fifth year, Dolores Umbridge brought him into her office following Albus Dumbledore's escape[4]. She rather forcibly offered Harry a choice of drinks, and after he chose tea, she slipped an entire bottle of (later revealed false, courtesy of Severus Snape) Veritaserum into the tea to try and get Harry to give up information she deemed important[4]. However, Harry, feeling that she was up to something, did not drink any of the tea, and instead, dumped the contents into a vase of dried flowers when she wasn't looking[4].

When Harry Potter, Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger visited Rubeus Hagrid in the 1996-1997 school year for the first time that year at his hut, he served them rock cakes and three bucket-sized mugs of mahogany brown tea.[9]

When Betty Braithwaite visited the home of Rita Skeeter to interview her about The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore, Rita served her tea and a slice of pound cake[5].

On the morning of 27 July, 1997, the day that Harry Potter left 4 Privet Drive for good, he accidentally trod on a cup of cold tea left outside his bedroom door[5]. At the time, he suspected it to be a trap laid by his cousin Dudley Dursley, but later came to realise it was left there out of kindness as Dudley had come to have a change of opinion about him.[5]

Behind the scenes

  • In Britain, tea is often used as a term to describe an afternoon snack time. In America, it is only ever used in the drink form.
  • The Pottermore team originally posted a pair of mugs containing tea leaves on the Insider section of Pottermore, asking for people to send their interpretations, on the 7th of December, 2012. On the 14th of the same month, they had posted up a set of three with clearer images, showing a rat, a dog, and a hippogriff - each representing a moment and chapter from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, which was published on Pottermore later that month. The chapters represented were revealed on the Insider section of Pottermore on Monday, December 17th, 2012.

Appearances

Notes and references

  1. 1.0 1.1 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Chapter 8 (Flight of the Fat Lady)
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Chapter 4 (The Keeper of the Keys)
  3. 3.0 3.1 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Chapter 11 (The Firebolt)
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - Chapter 28 (Snape's Worst Memory)
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Chapter 2 (In Memoriam)
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban - Chapter 7 (Talons and Tea Leaves)
  7. 7.0 7.1 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone - Chapter 2 (The Vanishing Glass)
  8. Tea at Wikipedia
  9. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Chapter 11 - (Hermione's Helping Hand)
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