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"The Hinkypunk is a little one-legged creature and looks as if it is made of smoke. It carries a lantern with which it lures travellers into bogs."
Folio Bruti[src]

A Hinkypunk was a diminutive, one-legged magical beast[4] with the appearance of wispy blue, grey or white smoke.[2] It had a proclivity for luring travellers off of their paths at night, into treacherous bogs or wetlands under the guise of a helpful, lamp-bearing being.[2] They were impish varmints who revel in inconveniencing magical folk and non-magical folk alike. They could propel fireballs far from their lamps, causing serious damage.[1] They also sporadically emitted hollering and grunting noises.[1]

History[]

Jacob Kowalski: "What'd yah got there.."
Newt Scamander: "It's a Hinkypunk, so it disrupts tracking charms."
— Jacob asking what a Hinkypunk was[src]
Newt's Hinkypunk

Newt Scamander's hinkypunk

In 1927, famous Magizoologist Newt Scamander kept one Hinkypunk in a container and dropped it into his suitcase before heading out to Paris to find Tina with Jacob Kowalski.[5]

"Lures travellers into bogs You notice the lantern dangling from his hand? Hops ahead — people follow the light — then —"
— Remus Lupin teaching third year DADA students about Hinkypunks[src]

Hinkypunks were part of Professor Remus Lupin's third-year Defence Against the Dark Arts schedule in the 1993–1994 school year.[3] The class was scheduled to begin study of the Creatures on 5 November, 1993; however, Professor Lupin was absent due to his illness and Professor Snape took the class instead.[3] Professor Snape took the opportunity to lecture the class about werewolves rather than continuing with the appointed curriculum.[3]

Study on them therefore began the following Monday when Professor Lupin returned.[2] The class found the creature rather frail and harmless-looking, although Professor Lupin warned them of how the Hinkypunk would lure travellers ahead with its lantern, although exactly what would happen thereafter was left ambiguous, as the creature then made a loud squelching noise against the glass.[2]

Hinkypunks were later included in the third year exams for Defence Against the Dark Arts in June of 1994, the second-to-last exam.[6] Professor Lupin had created an obstacle course in the sun, and included an artificial bog, into which a Hinkypunk was placed.[6] Students then had to ignore the misleading instructions given by the creatures, which Ronald Weasley failed at[6] despite having battled six in September of that year.[1]

Physical description[]

"They had a very enjoyable lesson. Professor Lupin had brought along a glass box containing a hinkypunk, a little one-legged creature who looked as though he were made of wisps of smoke, rather frail and harmless-looking."
— Third year DADA students observing a Hinkypunk[src]
Hinkypunk WU

The ethereal appearance of Hinkypunks

The Hinkypunk was short and stout in appearance, with no apparent eyes, ears, mouth or nose.[1] Their translucent and cloudy form gave the impression that they were comprised entirely of wispy white smoke.[2] They had maggoty body shapes, with two protruding arms and one thick, supporting leg, the latter feature of which causing their characteristic hobble.[1]

Defence[]

One could avoid confrontation with the Hinkypunk by simply moving out of their throwing range.[2] However, if one was close enough to a Hinkypunk, the creature would throw flame from its lantern, and therefore destruction was advised. The following method was recommended:

  1. Trap the Hinkypunk in a corner or approach it in a tight space.
  2. Perform Lumos Duo on the Hinkypunk in question until it solidifies.
  3. While the Hinkypunk is still solid and dazed, blinded by the wand light, attack it with the Knockback Jinx three to five times, thereby causing it to disappear in a puff of white smoke.[1]

Behind the scenes[]

Appearances[]

Wiki
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Notes and references[]

Defence Against the Dark Arts (D.A.D.A.)
Subjectsdada
D.A.D.A. at Hogwarts
Classroom 3C · Classroom 3C backrooms · Temporary Classroom · Hogwarts Turris Magnus · Teacher's Office · Storeroom · Staircase · Storage room · Lesson Cup · Race Cup · Duelling Club · Dumbledore's Army
Professors
Isidora Morganach · Dinah Hecat · Arsenius Jigger · Albus Dumbledore · Galatea Merrythought · 1984–1985 professor · 1985–1986 professor · 1986–1987 professor · 1987–1988 professor · Patricia Rakepick · 1989–1990 professor · First 1990–1991 professor · Olivia Green · Quirinus Quirrell · Gilderoy Lockhart · Remus Lupin · Bartemius Crouch Junior (as Alastor Moody) · Dolores Umbridge · Severus Snape · Amycus Carrow (as Dark Arts teacher) · Unidentified professor · Brindlemore
Textbooks
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection · Advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts · Break with a Banshee · Gadding with Ghouls · Holidays with Hags · Travels with Trolls · Voyages with Vampires · Wanderings with Werewolves · Year with the Yeti · The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts · Defensive Magical Theory · Dark Arts Defence – Basics for Beginners · Confronting the Faceless · Defence Against the Dark Arts
Spells studied at Hogwarts under D.A.D.A.
Aqua Eructo · Boggart-Banishing Spell (Riddikulus) · Bombarda Maxima · Cave inimicum · Concealment Charms · Counter-curses · Counter-jinxes · Cruciatus Curse (Crucio) · Curse of the Bogies (Mucus ad Nauseam) · Cursed barrier spell · Densaugeo · Deprimo Spell (Deprimo) · Disarming Charm (Expelliarmus) · Ear-Shrivelling Curse · Everte Statum · Freezing Spell (Glacius) · Full Body-Bind Curse (Petrificus Totalus) · Fumos Duo · Green Sparks · Hex-Breaker· Hex-deflection · Hex Zapper · Homorphus Charm · Human-presence-revealing Spell (Homenum Revelio) · Impediment Jinx (Impedimenta) · Imperius Curse (Imperio) · Imperturbable Charm · Killing Curse (Avada Kedavra) · Knockback Jinx (Flipendo) · Lacarnum Inflamari · Langlock · Levitation Spell (Levioso) · Limbo Mist anticharm · Nonverbal spells · Patronus Charm (Expecto Patronum) · Pimple Jinx (Furnunculus) · Protective enchantments · Red Sparks (Vermillious) · Reductor Curse (Reducto) · Salvio hexia · Sea Urchin Jinx · Seize and pull charm (Carpe Retractum) · Shield Charm (Protego) · Smokescreen Spell (Fumos) · Snake-Vanishing Spell (Vipera Evanesca) · Softening Charm (Spongify) · Stretching Jinx · Tickling Charm (Rictusempra) · Tongue-Tying Curse (Mimblewimble) · Trip Jinx · Twitchy-Ears Hex · Verdimillious Charm (Verdimillious) · Verdimillious Duo Spell (Verdimillious) · Verdimillious Tria · Vermillious Duo · Vermillious Tria · Wand-Lighting Charm (Lumos)
Creatures studied at Hogwarts under D.A.D.A.
Banshee · Boggart · Chameleon Ghoul · Charmed skeleton · Cornish Pixie · Dementor · Dugbog · Erkling · Flesh-Eating Slug · Ghost · Ghoul · Gnome · Grindylow · Gytrash · Hag · Hinkypunk · Iguana · Imp · Inferius · Kappa · Manticore · Nocturnal beasts · Nogtail · Poltergeist · Red Cap · Snake · Troll · Vampire · Vampire bat · Werewolf · Yeti · Zombie
Scotland
Wizarding locations
North Ford Bog · Pitt-upon-Ford · San Bakar's Tower · Hogsmeade Valley · Hogsmeade · High Street (Hogsmeade) · Overlook Mine · Horklump Hollow · Upper Hogsfield · Falbarton Castle · Forbidden Forest · Spinners Cavern · Jackdaw's Tomb · North Hogwarts Region · Korrow Ruins · Collector's Cave · South Hogwarts Region · Hogwarts Castle · Lower Hogsfield · Aranshire · Hogwarts Valley · Brocburrow · Dale Family Tomb · Keenbridge · Gilded Perch · Mine's Eye · Feldcroft Region · Feldcroft · Feldcroft Catacomb · Isle of Drear · Rookwood Castle · Irondale · Moonstone Garden · South Sea Bog · Coastal Cavern · Tomb of Treachery · Poidsear Coast · Poidsear Castle · Phoenix Mountain Cave · Marunweem Lake · Marunweem · Marunweem Ruins · Tower Tunnel · Coastal Mine · Manor Cape · Bainburgh · Bainburgh Manor · Henrietta's Hideaway · Cragcroftshire · Cragcroft · Clagmar Coast · Clagmar Castle
Non-magical locations
Aberdeen · Arbroath · Argyllshire · Aviemore · Aviemore train station · Banchory · Dufftown · Dundee · Edinburgh (capital city) · Glasgow · River Clyde · Hebrides · Isle of Skye · Portree · Inverness · Loch Lomond · Loch Ness · Lowercroft · Wildbrook Crescent · Montrose · Peebles · Vale of McGowan · Wigtown
Magical and mundane creatures
Blood-Sucking Bugbear · Flying Seahorse · Hebridean Black · Hinkypunk · Loch Ness Monster · Quintaped · Scottish stag · Selkie · Weetimorousbeastie
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