5 Legger

"He opened one of the cupboard's creaking doors: It had already been used as a hiding place for something in a cage that had long since died; its skeleton had five legs."

- Harry Potter discovers a 5 Legger skeleton when trying to hide the Half-Blood Prince's book.

The 5 Legger was a type of creature, so named because of its five legs, two set on its upper body like arms, and three arranged around its pelvis like a tripod, with three fingers on each foot. In addition, the creature had an elongated skull and horns similar to that of a triceratops.

At some point in Hogwarts history, someone had reason to hide one of these creatures in the Room of Requirement, choosing a large cupboard to place its cage in. Whether it was still alive at the time is unclear, but by 1997, it had degraded to the point of being a bare skeleton. Harry Potter, seeking to hide the Half-Blood Prince's copy of Advanced Potion-Making, chose the same cupboard, stashing it behind this creature's cage. It was presumably destroyed around a year later when Vincent Crabbe ignited most of the Room of Requirement with Fiendfyre.

Behind the scenes

 * Some fans believe the skeleton described in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince to be that of a Quintaped. However, concept art for the film adaptation depicts an entirely different creature.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)