Mysterious Malady

Mysterious Malady
Ailment information
Provoked by	Bloom For You flowers
Symptoms	Unwakeable sleep
Treatment(s)	Antidote to the Mysterious Malady
Known affected	Neville Longbottom Cassandra Vole Seamus Finnigan Ginevra Weasley Molly Weasley Kingsley Shacklebolt Luna Lovegood Minerva McGonagall

"There's more to this mysterious malady than meets the eye."

— Astrid Cole

The Mysterious Malady was an illness that made witches and wizards fall into an unwakeable sleep during the 2010s. Astrid Cole eventually discovered that the Bewildering Blooms owner Yubert Thorne was responsible for the malady using his Bloom For You flowers.

History

"It's odd. And a bit frightening, really."

— Kevin Farrell

Yubert Thorne was a supporter of Voldemort and his Death Eaters, and was bitter about their defeat at the Battle of Hogwarts. He decided to get revenge by poisoning the witches and wizards responsible. He created the Bloom For You plant, which would only grow for the person they were bred for, using their hair. Once in their possession, the plant would cause them to fall into a deep sleep. Obtaining the hair of witches and wizards who fought against Lord Voldemort during the Battle of Hogwarts, he began to grow and give the plants to them.

The Mysterious Malady was first reported by the Daily Prophet in the 2010–2011 school year. According to Kevin Farrell, no cure had been found and even the Healers at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries were "stumped". Known victims who were infected by the malady were Seamus Finnigan, Luna Lovegood, Ginevra Weasley, Kingsley Shacklebolt, and Molly Weasley.

Eventually, the British Ministry of Magic sent plant-based Healer and Herbologist Astrid Cole to Hogwarts to work alongside other professors to find an antidote for the Mysterious Malady. During her time at Hogwarts, Astrid suspected that the Bewildering Blooms owner Yubert Thorne had something to do with the malady, as he arrived moments before Professor Neville Longbottom was affected by the malady and suddenly fell into an unwakeable sleep.

She later revealed her suspicion of Yubert to a student and asked them to help her in "playing detective", to which the student agreed. Professor Minerva McGonagall was also targeted by the malady. Yubert's first attempt to poison her was unintentionally prevented by Cassandra Vole, who was supposed to deliver a plant to her but decided to steal it for herself. Cassandra was instead affected by the malady and fell into a deep sleep. On the second attempt, Yubert successfully poisoned Professor McGonagall after inviting her out for a drink at the Three Broomsticks Inn.

Yubert also planned to poison several more people after McGonagall, with the student finding evidence in his shop. Their hairs were stored in jars with their names on them, including those of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, another member of the Weasley family, Professor Filius Flitwick, and Professor Horace Slughorn. Eventually, all the evidence proved Yubert Thorne to be the villain behind the malady, trying to take revenge for the Death Eaters' defeat. Thorne was sent to Azkaban and the victims were revived with an antidote brewed by the student and Astrid Cole.

Behind the scenes

• "The Mysterious Malady" was the name of the Harry Potter: Magic Awakened season that featured this event. The season took place from 6 February to 19 March 2024.

Appearances

• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (First appearance)