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Lisette de Lapin (fl. 1422) was a French sorceress who lived in the 15th century.

Biography[]

Lisette was convicted of practising witchcraft by Muggles in the city of Paris in 1422, and was subsequently sentenced to death. She disappeared from her prison cell the evening before her scheduled execution.[1]

Theories[]

Animagus theory[]

One theory was that she was an Animagus whose animal form was small enough to allow her to slip out the barred window. This idea had never been confirmed, but, sometime after Lisette's escape, a large white rabbit was spotted sailing across the English Channel in a cauldron. A rabbit fitting that description would later serve as an advisor to King Henry VI.[1]

Inspiration for "Babbitty"[]

Magical historians suggested that Lisette de Lapin may have been the inspiration behind Beedle the Bard's character Babbitty, who turned into a rabbit to escape the foolish King and Charlatan.[1]

Etymology[]

"Lisette" is a French nickname for "Elisabeth".[2] "Lapin" is the French word for "rabbit", which combined with the the particle "de" ("of") to form the surname "de Lapin", can be interpreted as meaning either "of the rabbit" or "of a place called "Lapin".

Appearances[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 1.8 The Tales of Beedle the Bard, "Babbitty Rabbitty and Her Cackling Stump" (Albus Dumbledore's notes)
  2. "Lisette" at Behind the Name
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