Howler

"You'd better open it, Ron. It'll be worse if you don't. My gran sent me one once, and I ignored it and - it was horrible."

- Neville talking to Ron about his Howler.

A Howler is a magical letter in a red envelope which plays a recorded message at a very high volume. The physical temperature of the Howler begins to rapidly increase upon delivery, and it will explode if left unopened for too long. This mechanism ensures that the recipient will open the Howler, even though he or she knows that it contains an unpleasantly loud message. Once the message has been received, the envelope burts into flames leaving only ashes.

People who have received Howlers

 * In 1992, Ron Weasley received a Howler from his mother after he stole his father's flying Ford Anglia.
 * In 1993, Neville Longbottom received a Howler from his grandmother, after he supposedly misplaced his password list enabling Sirius Black to enter Gryffindor Tower. Though this was not the first Howler that Neville received as he mentioned having gotten one before when Ron got one the previous year.
 * A significant number of Howlers were sent to the Ministry of Magic in the summer of 1994 after the disturbing events of that year's Quidditch World Cup. The Howlers were primarily critical of the security precautions, and they caused appreciable damage to Percy Weasley's work area.
 * Also, that year when Rita Skeeter wrote a nasty article on Hermione Granger she received a few Howlers from readers of Witch Weekly.
 * Harry Potter's Aunt Petunia received a Howler in 1995 from Dumbledore when the Dursleys threatened to kick Harry out of their home after a Dementor attacked Harry and his cousin, Dudley.

Behind the scenes
Instead of simply being a red envelope that can explode, in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film) Ron's Howler resembles a mouth with teeth (simulated by the red envelope and white paper, with a ribbon for the tongue) that screams at the recipient and tears itself to shreds once finished shouting.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)

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