Lead

"Is this all real? Or has this been happening inside my head?" The topic of this article is of a real-life subject that has been mentioned "in-universe" in a canon source. The Harry Potter Wiki is written from the perspective that all information presented in canon is true (e.g., Hogwarts really exists), and, as such, details contained in this article may differ from real world facts.

Lead (chemical symbol Pb) is a chemical element; a soft, malleable heavy metal. Lead has a bluish-white colour after being freshly cut, but it soon tarnishes to a dull greyish colour when exposed to air.^[1] Lead is a highly poisonous metal, and whether swallowed or inhaled it will negatively affect almost every organ and system in the human body; thus its use has been widely phased out due to its well-known strong toxicity. 

Just prior to his sorting on 1 September, 1991, Harry Potter's legs felt like lead because of the nerves, just as he was stepping into the Great Hall for the first time. After the ceremony and the feast, Harry's legs were noted to have felt as if they were made of lead once again, although this was only because he was very tired and full of food.^[2] On the day of the Gryffindor v. Slytherin Quidditch match in 1992, the sky was noted to resemble the colour of lead.^[3] After being knocked unconscious by Dementors in 1994, Harry Potter woke up in the Hospital Wing, his limbs feeling as heavy as lead.^[4] As Harry Potter was waiting for Sirius Black's reply owl in the summer of 1994, he felt a leaden feeling in his stomach, as he gazed at the owl-free sky at The Burrow.^[5] When Harry asked Cho Chang to the Yule Ball in late 1994, but was turned down, he felt as though his insides had been filled with lead.^[6] Shortly after the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, Harry helped Rubeus Hagrid extinguish the fire that blazed in his cabin, his arm feeling like lead.^[7]

The earliest Bludgers were made of lead. It was discovered, however, that lead was too soft a metal to make a good Bludger, as it was easily dented by Beater's bats, affecting the Bludger's ability to fly straight. As such, future Bludgers were made of iron.^[8]

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First mentioned)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Mentioned only)
• Quidditch Through the Ages (Mentioned only)

Notes and references