Doxy

Doxy
Species information
Skin colour	Purple Brown
Hair colour	Black
Related to	Fairy Pixies
Native to	North America Northern Europe
Alternative names	Biting Fairy
Mortality	Mortal
Distinction	Two sets of limbs Beetle-like wings Two rows of venomous teeth Common household pests
Ministry of Magic Classification	Beast XXX
Status	Extant

"The Doxy is often mistaken for a fairy though it is a quite separate species. Like the fairy, it has a minute human form, though in the Doxy’s case this is covered in thick black hair and has an extra pair of arms and legs. The Doxy’s wings are thick, curved and shiny, much like a beetle’s. Doxys are found throughout northern Europe and America, preferring cold climates."

— Newt Scamander, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them

The Doxy, sometimes referred to as the Biting Fairy, was a small Fairy-like magical beast, sometimes mistaken for a Fairy.

Nature

Physiology & Life cycle

The Doxy was covered in coarse black hair, and had an additional set of arms and legs. Doxies had shiny beetle-like wings, and a double row of sharp teeth. If bitten, a wizard or witch should take an antidote immediately, as their venom was highly poisonous. Doxies buried their eggs underground, and Doxy Queens can lay up to five-hundred at once. The eggs generally hatched in two to three weeks.

Distribution

Preferring cold climates, the Doxy was found throughout Northern Europe and North America.

Interaction with humans

Doxies were considered pests. They can infest houses, taking up residence in the draperies. Removing them required a good supply of Doxycide. Alternatively, they can be dispatched with a simple Knockback Jinx, as doxies were particularly vulnerable to it, excluding the queens, which were more resistant.

Cormac McLaggen was known to have eaten a pound of Doxy eggs for a bet, making him unable to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team in his 6th year at Hogwarts.

Uses

Fred and George Weasley used Doxy venom for their Skiving Snackboxes, sold at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Harold Dingle used Doxy droppings to pretend it was powdered Dragon claw to sell to fifth years, but was confiscated by Hermione Granger.

Etymology

Doxy is an archaic English term, meaning "prostitute". It derives from the German word Docke, meaning "doll".

Behind the scenes

Doxy reference image used by the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures

• In the GBC video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, the Folio Bruti entry for these creatures is titled "Doxy Drone". This might mean that, like the male honey bees, doxies may have a biological haplodiploid sex-determination system or simply that male doxies have distinct behavioural patterns.
• Despite being described as being covered in coarse black hair in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, their depictions in the video games normally include little or no hair and a dark blue or purple colour.
• In some of the video games, most of the time a Venomous Tentacula is another way to effectively get rid of a doxy, for doxies are its favourite food.
• In one of the featuretes for Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film), a Doxy is seen using a chamelon-like tongue to catch and eat a Billywig.
• Despite gaining a new appearance in the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, the Doxy seen in Cases of the Wizarding World returns to its original appearance.

Appearances

Doxies in flight

A Doxy as depicted on Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game) (PC Version)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film)
• Fantastic Beasts: Cases from the Wizarding World
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• Wonderbook: Book of Potions
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Mentioned only)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite