Willy Widdershins, notorious Muggle-baiter (seen here heavily bandaged after one of his regurgitating toilets backfired against him during its creation)
- George: "Why would anyone bother making door keys shrink?"
- Arthur: "Just Muggle-baiting. Sell them a key that keeps shrinking to nothing so they can never find it when they need it... Of course, it's very hard to convict anyone because no Muggle would admit their key keeps shrinking--they'll insist they just keep losing it."
- — Exchange between George and Arthur Weasley[src]
Muggle-baiting is a term for the practical jokes which wizards and witches sometimes play on unsuspecting Muggles. These pranks typically involve enchanting everyday objects in a way that will confuse or frighten Muggles who encounter them.[1]
According to Arthur Weasley, while some in the wizarding community consider Muggle-baiting to be simply a good laugh, it is actually a manifestation of much more serious anti-Muggle sentiments.[2] Such cases are too trivial for Aurors to handle, so the Magical Law Enforcement Patrol is responsible for catching such culprits instead.
The Ministry of Magic keeps an official definition of what actions entail "Muggle-baiting". These definitions are "stringent", and some wizards believed more lenient definitions were in order.[3]
Known types of Muggle-baiting
Appearances
- Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First mentioned)
- Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
- J. K. Rowling's official site (Mentioned only)
Notes and references
- ↑ Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 3
- ↑ Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 9
- ↑ Wizards' Ordinary Magic and Basic Aptitude Test - Grade 1, Question 9
