Imp

Imp
Species information
Eye colour	Yellow
Skin colour	Grey
Hair colour	Bald
Related to	Pixie (most likely)
Native to	Britain & Ireland
Height of average adult	Six to eight inches
Mortality	Mortal
Distinction	Love of slapstick humour Similar height to the Pixie Eats insects
Ministry of Magic Classification	Beast XX
Status	Extant

"Found only in Britain and Ireland, the imp has a slapstick sense of humour and will amuse itself by pushing and tripping the unwary."

— Chocolate Frog Card

The Imp was a magical beast found only in Great Britain and Ireland, notable for its sense of slapstick humour. Imps delighted in tripping and pushing anybody they could get their hands on, as well as lobbing Wizard Crackers and other small projectiles at anybody that they wished to torment.

While rather nonthreatening, an Imp could nonetheless be dispatched rather easily by anyone, by throwing back Wizard Crackers that it had thrown, or by using a Knockback Jinx to daze it, and then dropping it into the nearest cage, hole, or bottomless pit.

Description

The height of the Imp was considered comparable to that of the Pixie, between six to eight inches, but that was where the physical similarities ended. The Imp could not fly like the Pixie, nor was it as brightly coloured. Imp breeding habits were like the Pixies, but their young hatched full formed.

Imps made their home in damp or marshy areas, where they indulged their slapstick sense of humour by pushing and tripping the unwary.

The Imp's diet consisted mainly of insects.

History

1986–1987 school year

In the late 1980s, an Imp lived in the Magical Creatures Reserve. During the 1986–1987 school year, this Imp caused some trouble in Zonko's Joke Shop known as the "Zonko's Dungbomb Disaster".

1989–1990 school year

During the 1989–1990 school year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Professor Silvanus Kettleburn taught sixth year students in Care of Magical Creatures about how to handle Imps.

Behind the scenes

• Imps are a creature originating from Germanic myth. Though their portrayal varies greatly, they are often seen as the mischievous familiars of witches or wizards.
• In the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, you encounter Imps within Ollivanders, where you must knock them out with the Knockback Jinx and throw them in a cage to trap them. You will have similar encounters with them in the remainder of the game and in the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. They also appear in the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, but instead of throwing them into a cage, they throw Wizard crackers, and you must kill them by throwing the Cracker back at them.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (First appearance)
• Pottermore (Appear on food packet label)
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite