Phyllida Spore

Phyllida Spore
Biographical information
Died	In or before 1984
Nationality	British or Irish
Title(s)	Professor Headmistress Dame
Signature
Physical information
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Hair colour	Black
Skin colour	Fair
Affiliation
Occupation	Author Herbologist Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Loyalty	Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Professor Dame Phyllida Spore was a witch who lived during the 15th century. A celebrated Herbologist, she was the author of the textbook One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi and also served as Headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Additionally, she also first cultivated the Magical Enhancer, however realising its dangerous nature she chose to hide the knowledge away in a magically protected box to make sure that the knowledge never fell into the wrong hands.

Biography

"Wish I could've studied here when Phyllida Spore was Headmistress. Greatest Herbologist of all time. I've read One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi at least a thousand times."

— An Hufflepuff student at Hogwarts in 1890

Phyllida Spore

Phyllida Spore lived in the 15th century. She studied Herbology, writing One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, a textbook that was still used at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in the 1990s.

Spore became the Headmistress of Hogwarts during her lifetime. At some point, she also earned the title "Dame", the female equivalent of the honour of knighthood in Great Britain. During her tenure Spore finished work on The Spore Scrolls, a collection of Herbology scrolls which detailed how to cultivate the highly powerful Magical Enhancer. Initially archiving the scrolls in the Hogwarts Library, she later realised how dangerous the fungus she created could be, so she hid the only known specimen, The Spore Scrolls, and a letter in a box in the Forbidden Forest, under the guard of the centaurs. Years later, Albus Dumbledore discovered the box and, sharing Professor Spore's concerns about the Magical Enhancer, left it hidden in the forest.

Professor Spore died sometime in or before 1984. Two portraits of her hung at Hogwarts: one painted in 1408 depicted a middle aged woman, and another, hung in the Headmaster's office, depicted her as a younger witch with long dark hair sitting in a chair with skull-shaped finials.

Magical abilities and skills

• Herbology: Phyllida was a very skilled and knowledgeable Herbologist, having thorough knowledge of One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi and having written several books about the subject. She was the first to cultivate a special fungus that could enhance a wizards magical abilities beyond imagination. Professor Sprout called it "the Philosopher's Stone of Herbology".
• Healing magic: One of her books (Healing at Home with Herbs) specialised on the healing properties of such herbs, showing she also had good knowledge of healing magic.
• Charms: Phyllida was able to cast a unique Anti-Alohomora Charm on The Spore Scrolls' box, which could only be unlocked by the incumbent Hogwarts Headteacher.

Behind the scenes

• The portrait of Spore that is featured in the Goblet of Fire film was based on an 1858 portrait of poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861), by Michele Gordigiani.

Etymology

Her first name is from Greek for "leaf" or "plant". A spore is a body produced by fungi, algae and non-flowering plants that is very protective and resistant to drought.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First mentioned)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film) (Appears in portrait(s))
• Pottermore (Mentioned only)
• The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (Appears in portrait(s))
• The Art of Harry Potter: Mini Book of Graphic Design (Appears in portrait(s))
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery (Appears in portrait(s))
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (Mentioned in History of Magic classes)
• Hogwarts Legacy (Mentioned only)