Seven

"Wouldn't it be better, make you stronger, to have your soul in more pieces, I mean, for instance, isn't seven the most powerfully magical number, wouldn't seven--?"

— Tom Riddle discusses the power of the number seven

Bridget Wenlock

Seven was the most powerful magical number, based on centuries of mythology, science, and mathematics, and therefore had a very important role in the wizarding world. Arithmancer Bridget Wenlock was the first to note this through a theorem which exposed the magical properties of the number seven.

History

The Arithmancer, Bridget Wenlock (1202–1285) was the first witch to establish the magical properties of the number seven. She wrote her ground-breaking theorem on the back of a sugar packet, using her usual invisible ink. She then proceeded to send her cousin a letter, forgot where she wrote the theorem, and thought it was on the envelope. She hunted down the envelope and intercepted it at her cousin's house, where she learned her mistake.

Seven was the age by which most experts believed that magic would reveal itself in a wizard or witch.

Behind the scenes

The number seven held notable magical significance in the wizarding world, being considered the most magically powerful number. This belief was reflected in multiple important cultural, alchemical, and historical contexts.

In-universe

The significance of the number seven in the series

• Septimus Malfoy and Septimus Weasley both bore the name derived from the Latin word for "seventh", suggesting a wizarding tradition connected to numerology.
• Wizards and witches came of age at seventeen.
• Wizards typically began to show magical ability around age seven.
• Students studied at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for seven years.
• There were seven floors in Hogwarts Castle.
• There were seven core subjects:
  • Astronomy
  • Charms
  • Defence Against the Dark Arts
  • Herbology
  • History of Magic
  • Potions
  • Transfiguration
• Marauder's Map revealed seven secret passages out of the school.
• The Polyjuice Potion required seven ingredients:
  • Fluxweed
  • Knotgrass
  • Lacewing flies
  • Leeches
  • Powdered Bicorn Horn
  • Shredded Boomslang Skin
  • A piece of the person that one wanted to turn into (usually hair).
• The Wolfsbane Potion had to be taken every day for seven days before the full moon.
• The Wizarding Schools Potions Championship was held every seven years on years divisible by seven.
• Harry improved his potion in the sixth year by stirring once clockwise after every seven anticlockwise stirs, as directed in the Half-Blood Prince's annotated book.
• Harry wore the number 7 on his Quidditch robes.
• The Animagus potion required dew collected over seven days untouched by sun or human feet.
• A Quidditch team had seven players.
• There were seven hundred fouls possible in Quidditch.
• Harry Potter caught seven Golden Snitches during his time on the Gryffindor team.
  • First year: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin and Gryffindor vs. Hufflepuff
  • Second year: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin
  • Third year: Gryffindor vs. Ravenclaw and Gryffindor vs. Slytherin
  • Fifth year: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin
  • Sixth year: Gryffindor vs. Slytherin
• There were seven obstacles protecting the Philosopher's Stone:
  • Fluffy
  • Devil's Snare
  • Winged Keys
  • Chessboard Chamber
  • Mountain troll
  • Potion riddle
  • Mirror of Erised
• In the potion riddle, there were seven potions.
• Molly and Arthur Weasley had seven children.
  • Bill Weasley
  • Charlie Weasley
  • Percy Weasley
  • Fred Weasley
  • George Weasley
  • Ron Weasley
  • Ginny Weasley
• Thaddeus Thurkell had seven children, all Squibs.
• Walter Parkin had seven children.
• Violet Tillyman and Myron Otherhaus had seven children.
• Harry Potter paid seven Galleons for his wand at Ollivanders.
• There were seven letters in both 'Sickles' and 'Galleon.
• Seven people exited the Shrieking Shack when Sirius Black was proven innocent in 1994.
  • Harry Potter
  • Hermione Granger
  • Ron Weasley
  • Sirius Black
  • Remus Lupin
  • Peter Pettigrew
  • Severus Snape
• The Serpent of Slytherin attacked seven victims during the 1992–1993 school year.
  • Mrs Norris
  • Colin Creevey
  • Nearly-Headless Nick
  • Justin Finch-Fletchley
  • Hermione Granger
  • Penelope Clearwater
  • Harry Potter
• Lord Voldemort believed that seven was the most powerful magical number, and intentionally split his soul into seven pieces by creating six Horcruxes in addition to the fragment in his body.
  • However, he unknowingly made Harry Potter another Horcrux when he tried to kill him as a child, and therefore ended up with seven Horcruxes.
    • T. M. Riddle's Diary
    • Marvolo Gaunt's Ring
    • Slytherin's Locket
    • Hufflepuff's Cup
    • Ravenclaw's Diadem
    • Harry Potter
    • Nagini
• There were seven defected Death Eaters:
  • Regulus Black
  • Severus Snape
  • Igor Karkaroff
  • Peter Pettigrew
  • Draco Malfoy
  • Narcissa Malfoy
  • Lucius Malfoy
• In 1996, Bellatrix Lestrange asked Severus Snape seven questions regarding to his loyalty to Lord Voldemort:
  • Where was he when Voldemort fell?
  • Why did he never make any attempt to find Voldemort?
  • What has he been doing during the period between Voldemort's fall and rebirth?
  • Why did he stop Voldemort from procuring the Philosopher's Stone?
  • Why did he not return to Voldemort immediately when all Death Eaters were summoned?
  • Where was he during the Battle of the Department of Mysteries?
  • Why is Harry Potter still alive despite being under his mercy for five years?
• In 1997, seven assassins infiltrated Hogwarts Castle to assassinate Albus Dumbledore:
  • Draco Malfoy
  • Amycus Carrow
  • Alecto Carrow
  • Corban Yaxley
  • Thorfinn Rowle
  • Fenrir Greyback
  • Gibbon
• Harry Potter's Chocolate Frog Card stated that he was famous for seven reasons:
  • Being the first and only known wizard to have survived the Killing Curse.
  • Being the youngest Seeker in a century, having gained a spot on the Hogwarts Gryffindor Quidditch team in 1991 at only eleven years old.
  • Finding and opening Salazar Slytherin's Chamber of Secrets in his second school year and defeating the monster within, which was a Basilisk.
  • Being the youngest competitor of the Triwizard Tournament and the winner of said tournament in 1995.
  • Being the only known Gryffindor student to be able to speak Parseltongue.
  • Being the last Master of Death to have united the three Deathly Hallows.
  • Defeating the most powerful and dangerous dark wizard of all time, Lord Voldemort, in the Battle of Hogwarts.
• Nicolas Flamel was seven years older than his wife.
• The prophecy stated that the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord would be born as the seventh month dies.
• In the Battle of the Seven Potters, there were seven Harry Potter.
  • Harry Potter
  • Ron Weasley
  • Hermione Granger
  • Fred Weasley
  • George Weasley
  • Fleur Delacour
  • Mundungus Fletcher
• Seven main events from Harry's perspective occurred during the Second Wizarding War:
  • Battle of the Seven Potters
  • Infiltration of the British Ministry of Magic
  • Attack at Godric's Hollow
  • Ambush at the Lovegood House
  • Skirmish at Malfoy Manor
  • Break-in of Gringotts Wizarding Bank
  • Battle of Hogwarts
• Seven prisoners escaped from Malfoy Manor in 1998.
  • Harry Potter
  • Ron Weasley
  • Hermione Granger
  • Garrick Ollivander
  • Luna Lovegood
  • Dean Thomas
  • Griphook
• Albus Dumbledore showed Harry seven memories related to Tom Riddle.
  • Bob Ogden meeting the House of Gaunt
  • Dumbledore meeting the young Riddle at Wool's Orphanage
  • The teenage Riddle meeting his uncle Morfin Gaunt
  • Riddle's discussion with Horace Slughorn (counterfeit memory)
  • Riddle meeting Hepzibah Smith
  • Riddle asking Dumbledore for a teaching position
  • Riddle's discussion with Horace Slughorn (real)
• Harry Potter and Ron Weasley both received seven O.W.L.s
• Hermione Granger took seven subjects in sixth year.
• Gilderoy Lockhart assigned seven textbooks in one school year.
  • Break with a Banshee
  • Gadding with Ghouls
  • Holidays with Hags
  • Travels with Trolls
  • Voyages with Vampires
  • Wanderings with Werewolves
  • Year with the Yeti
• The phrase "Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot and Prongs" has seven syllables.
• Harry received seven socks from Dobby by 1994.
• The book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them was annotated by Harry with “XXXXXXX” next to Pixies.
• Bridget Wenlock, who discovered the magical properties of seven, had a first and last name each with seven letters.
• The Triwizard Tournament returned after seven centuries.
• Arthur Weasley won 700 Galleons in the Daily Prophet draw.
• Clause 7 of the Decree for the Reasonable Restriction of Underage Sorcery allowed magic in life-threatening situations.
• At the end of the 1991–1992 school year, before extra points were awarded, Slytherin would have won the House Cup seven years in a row.

Out-of-universe

• J. K. Rowling has seven letters in her last name.
• Rowling chose to write seven books to represent each school year and because she spent seven years in secondary school.
• The series began in 1997 and concluded in 2007.
• Many fans anticipated the seventh book to be released on 7 July 2007, though it came out two weeks later.
• Voldemort was portrayed by seven actors across the films (including cut scenes).
  • Ian Hart
  • Richard Bremmer
  • Christian Coulson
  • Ralph Fiennes
  • Hero Fiennes Tiffin
  • Frank Dillane
  • Michael Berendt
• Rowling referred to the main student characters of the series as the "Big Seven":
  • Harry Potter
  • Ron Weasley
  • Hermione Granger
  • Ginevra Weasley
  • Neville Longbottom
  • Luna Lovegood
  • Draco Malfoy
• Seven actors reprised their roles in other media:
  • Jamie Campbell Bower as Gellert Grindelwald in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
  • Toby Regbo as Albus Dumbledore in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
  • Hebe Beardsall as Ariana Dumbledore in Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore
  • Eddie Redmayne as Newton Scamander in a The Wizarding World of Harry Potter show
  • Imelda Staunton as Dolores Umbridge in a The Wizarding World of Harry Potter ride
  • Tom Felton as Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (play)
  • Warwick Davis as Filius Flitwick in the Harry Potter television series
• There are seven chapters in The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac, each illustrated by a different artist.
• Rowling split the dedication of Deathly Hallows into seven parts.
• Chapter 4 of Deathly Hallows is called The Seven Potters.
• The series contains seven books and seventeen chapters in the first book.
• There are thirty-seven chapters in the final book when including the epilogue.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (play)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (film)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
• Quidditch Through the Ages
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
• The Tales of Beedle the Bard
• Pottermore
• HarryPotter.com
• J. K. Rowling's official site
• Daily Prophet Newsletters
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• Harry Potter: The Character Vault
• Harry Potter: The Creature Vault
• LEGO Harry Potter: Building the Magical World
• LEGO Harry Potter: Characters of the Magical World
• LEGO Creator: Harry Potter
• Creator: Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7
• LEGO Dimensions
• LEGO Harry Potter
• Harry Potter: Quidditch World Cup
• Wonderbook: Book of Spells
• Wonderbook: Book of Potions
• Harry Potter for Kinect
• Harry Potter: Spells
• Fantastic Beasts: Cases from the Wizarding World
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
• Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
• Hogwarts Legacy
• The Harry Potter Wizarding Almanac

External links

• Seven on Wikipedia