Niffler

Niffler
Species information
Hair colour	Black
Native to	Britain
Ministry of Magic Classification	Beast XXX
Status	extant

"Long-snouted, burrowing creatures native to Britain with a penchant for anything shiny."

— Description of a Niffler

A Niffler is a creature with a long snout and a coat of black, fluffy fur. They are attracted to shiny things, which make them wonderful for locating treasure, but this also means that they can wreak havoc if kept (or set loose) indoors. Nifflers in general are usually harmless.

Students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry learned about Nifflers in Care of Magical Creatures class, an elective that could be chosen in third year.

Nifflers are assigned to Curse-Breakers by the Gringotts Head Goblin to burrow underground in search of treasures hidden in cursed sites.

Description

Nifflers are rodent-like creatures with a long snout similar to that of a platypus and a coat of black, fluffy fur. Native to Britain, they live in burrows as deep as twenty feet below ground, and females produce six to eight young in a single litter.

A Niffler's pouch can hold numerous items

Nifflers have a pouch on their bellies which held far more than at first seemed possible, like the effects of an Undetectable Extension Charm on a container.

Nifflers are gentle by nature and can even be affectionate towards their owners. However, they can destroy belongings looking for sparkly objects, and for that reason it is inadvisable to keep them as a house pet. It is also implied that they can turn vicious if provoked, as the second Niffler released into Dolores Umbridge's office apparently tried to take a chunk out of her leg.

History

Nifflers are kept by Goblins to burrow for treasure.

Newton Scamander owned a niffler, which escaped twice from his suitcase during his visit to New York in 1926 and tried to rob both the Steen National Bank and a jewel shop of numerous valuables. In 1927, the same niffler produced four offspring each in a different colour.

During the 1994–1995 school year, Rubeus Hagrid used them as part of the Fourth years Care of Magical Creatures class. Prior to class he hid Leprechaun gold in the earth in front of his hut. He paired each student with a Niffler and promised a prize to whoever found the most gold. Ron Weasley asked Rubeus Hagrid if they could buy these Nifflers as pets, and with knowledge, Hagrid said his mum wouldn't want one because they wreck houses, but this was not a definitive "no". This means there is a very good chance that wizards could purchase Nifflers. When Hagrid caught Gregory Goyle pocketing the gold, he explained that trying to steal it was pointless, as Leprechaun gold was worthless because it disappeared after a few hours. Ron's Niffler found the most gold, so Hagrid rewarded him with an extremely large slab of chocolate from Honeydukes.

During Dolores Umbridge's tenure as Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, Lee Jordan used a Levitation Charm to levitate two Nifflers through her office window to wreck the office. Umbridge blamed Hagrid for it, and this did not help him in the least during her Hogwarts High Inquisitor inspections.

Nifflers were among the threats to the Statute of Secrecy that the International Confederation of Wizards had to deal with in the the 2010s.

Behind the scenes

• Newt Scamander wrote in his book that Nifflers were black. In Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, baby Nifflers are shown with other colours, suggesting that other colours were rare or that Niffler hair darkens when they age.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• LEGO Dimensions
• Wonderbook: Book of Spells
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• The Archive of Magic: The Film Wizardry of Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite

Media