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Ron Weasley: "I was getting really worried when you didn’t answer any of my letters. I thought it was Errol’s fault at first —"
Harry Potter: "Who’s Errol?"
Ron Weasley: "Our owl. He’s ancient. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d collapsed on a delivery."
— A discussion regarding Errol[src]

Errol was one of the Weasley family's owls.[4] He was a great grey owl,[3] or Strix nebulosa.

He was "ancient" by 1992, and his poor eyesight caused him to hit objects in flight. According to Harry Potter, he resembled a moulting feather duster.[4] Ron Weasley often called Errol a "bloody bird," a "ruddy bird," or a "menace".[5]

Biography[]

Errol had been with the Weasley family since at least 1984, before Charlie Weasley started at Hogwarts School. During a game of truth-or-dare with friends sometime during in 1989–1990, Bill Weasley revealed that, in his youth, Charlie used to try and turn the family pets into dragons. Since this was before he knew any spells, he settled on sticking paper wings on Scabbers using Spellotape and on making Errol fly around with a dragon mask, and then following them around while jotting down his "observations of dragon behaviour".[1]

Errol clumsy

Errol's clumsiness and bad eye-sight

When Ron Weasley didn't hear from Harry Potter all summer, he initially thought it was Errol's fault because it wouldn't be the first time he collapsed on delivery. Errol was absolved when Ron learned that Dobby had deliberately prevented Harry from receiving post.[4]

Errol later delivered Hermione Granger's letter to Ron and Harry. Hermione advised Ron to use another owl next time because another delivery might finish Errol off.[6] He also delivered Molly Weasley's Howler to Ron after he and Harry stole Arthur Weasley's flying Ford Anglia and drove it to Hogwarts.[7]

Books chapterart poa 01

Errol with Hedwig and a Hogwarts owl

On 31 July 1993, on Ron's behalf, Errol delivered Harry's first birthday present, a letter, and the Daily Prophet article about the Weasleys winning the Grand Prize Galleon Draw before his third year at Hogwarts. He lost consciousness during the journey, and he had to be carried into 4 Privet Drive by Harry's owl Hedwig and a Hogwarts owl.[8] Later that day, Harry sent Hedwig to stay at the Burrow with Errol while Marge Dursley visited Privet Drive.[9]

When she heard that Harry was expected to live on an extreme diet in the summer of 1994, Mrs Weasley sent Errol with an enormous fruitcake and assorted pasties. This was too much for Errol, whom Harry described as "elderly and feeble," and he needed five full days to recover.[10] Errol and Percy Weasley's owl Hermes had become annoyed by Ron's excitable owl Pigwidgeon, which forced Ron to keep him in his own room.[11]

Errol passed away at some point between August 1994 and April 2020, with subsequent letters from Arthur and Molly Weasley being delivered by either an unidentified barn owl or briefly by Fawkes.[2]

The Calamity[]

In April 2020, Errol appeared as a Foundable during another surge of the Calamity. Volunteer members of the Statute of Secrecy Task Force were able to return him to his original time.[2]

Etymology[]

Errol is a village in Scotland, near Perth, which may have served as inspiration for the name of the Weasley family owl.

It is also the name of a dragon in an early Terry Pratchett novel that flies into windows and has the tendency to explode.

It is also possible that his name refers to "error" (as the two words are similar), because of the bird's age and known characteristics.

Behind the scenes[]

Appearances[]

Wiki
The Harry Potter Wiki has 9 images related to Errol.

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 6, Side Quest "Adventures in Curse-Breaking"
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Owls" at Wizarding World
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 3 (The Burrow)
  5. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
  6. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 4 (At Flourish and Blotts)
  7. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 6 (Gilderoy Lockhart)
  8. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 1 (Owl Post)
  9. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Chapter 2 (Aunt Marge's Big Mistake)
  10. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 3 (The Invitation)
  11. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 5 (Weasley's Wizard Wheezes)
Owls
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Barn owl · Barred owl · Blakiston's fish owl · Brown Fish owl · Brown owl · Collared Scops Owlet · Eagle owl · Eastern screech owl · Golden owl · Great grey owl · Hawk Owl · Little owl · Long-whiskered owlet · Milky Eagle Owlet · Red owlet · Scops owl · Screech owl · Snowy owl · Spectacled owl · Spot-Bellied Eagle Owlet · Spot-Bellied Owl · Tawny owl
Known owls
Artemis · Astor Bellchant's owl · Sirius Black's barn owl · Sirius Black's owl · Brodwin · Errol · Ominis Gaunt's owl · Goodwin Kneen's owls · Grey owl · Rubeus Hagrid's owl · Hawk-like owl · Hedwig · Hermes · Jacob's sibling's owl · Draco Malfoy's eagle owl · Paper-owl · Pigwidgeon · Albus Potter's owl · James Potter II's owl · Sebastian Sallow's owl · Scouthibou · Temeritus Shanks's owl · Horace Slughorn's owl · Unidentified 19th-century Hogwarts student's barn owl · Hogwarts school owls · Unidentified Hufflepuff student's snowy owl · Unidentified Muggle-born Hogwarts student's owl · Ivy Warrington's owl · Nigel Wolpert's owl · Igor (owl)
Others
Content Droppings · Famous Stuffed Owls · Howlet's Wing · Owl Airforce · Owl dung fertiliser · Owl Order Service · Owl Postal Service · Owl Racing
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