Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Magic/Dragon
From Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection
| Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter - Magic | |
| Dragon | |
|---|---|
| Type | Creature |
| Features | Large lizard; wings, can fly, breathes fire |
| First Appearance | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
Contents |
[edit] Overview
Dragons are among the more famous magical beasts; even Muggles know about them and would immediately recognize one. This has meant that memory-modifying charms have been required on more than one occasion, when a dragon was seen by a number of Muggles.
[edit] Extended Description
Female dragons are generally larger than males, and often more aggressive, particularly when nesting. All dragons are protected by a very tough hide, which renders them nearly impervious to Stun spells; to Stun a dragon, several wizards must cast the spell simultaneously.
According to the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, dragons have been known to inter-breed with other dragon species; the hybrids that are produced are somewhat rare.
Dragon varieties:
- Antipodian Opaleye: Native to New Zealand, said to be the most beautiful of dragons. Its favourite food is sheep, although it only kills when hungry. This dragon species is not particularly aggressive.
- Chinese Fireball: With a fringe of golden spikes, and an mushroom-shaped cloud of flames when it is angry, the Chinese fireball is the only Asian dragon. The Fireball is quite aggressive, but it is more tolerant with its own species, rather than other dragons. It mainly feeds on mammals, mostly pigs, but one of its favourites is a human.
- Common Welsh Green: The dragon is coloured to match the grass around its homeland, thus affording it some camouflage. These tend to nest in the hills where a reservation has been established for their protection. Welsh Green eggs are dark brown with green spots. This species' roar is easily recognized. The Welsh Green is not troublesome, as dragons go; it prefers to feed on sheep rather than humans unless provoked.
- Hebridean Black: Rough scales and brilliant purple eyes. They mostly hunt deer but have been known to eat cattle and large dogs.
- Hungarian Horntail: Presumed the most dangerous species, the Horntail got its name from the spikes all over its tail. The Horntail will eat goats, humans (whenever possible), and sheep. The Horntail has yellow eyes and is shaped like a lizard. Its flame is the longest of any species and ranges up to fifty feet.
- Norwegian Ridgeback: One of the rarest breeds. It is more aggressive to its own type and looks like a Horntail. This dragon will feed on large mammals and strangely, water-dwelling creatures. Ridgeback eggs are black.
- Peruvian Vipertooth: The smallest dragons known to wizards. Copper-coloured with venomous fangs. It is happy to feed on cows and goats at any time, it did, however, develop a taste for humans in the nineteenth century, so the International Confederation Of Wizards was forced to cull the species to a certain extent.
- Romanian Longhorn: Green scales and long golden horns. The Romanian Longhorn's territory has become the worlds most important dragon reservation. These dragons are in peril of extinction because they are hunted for their horns, which have now become Class B Tradable Material.
- Swedish Short-Snout: A silvery-blue dragon. It prefers to live 'wild' in mountainous areas. Its skin is used for protective gloves and shields. Its extremely hot flame has a blue colour, and will turn wood and bone to ash.
- Ukrainian Ironbelly: This dragon is is the largest breed known. It has red eyes and grey scales. It is a slower fighter than other species, but is still extremely dangerous. It can crush houses where it lands, and weighs as much as 6 tons.
A dragon is first encountered in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone when Harry, Ron, and Hermione watch the hatching of Norbert, a Norwegian Ridgeback, in Hagrid's cabin. Hagrid was allowed to win a dragon egg from a hooded stranger in the the Hog's Head. We find out later in the book that the intent was to get Hagrid drunk so that he would reveal one of the layers of defence surrounding the Philosopher's Stone, and how to get past it.
Earlier in the same book, Hagrid had mentioned the rumour that some of the tunnels under Gringotts Wizarding Bank are protected by dragons; this is also where we first hear of Hagrid's longing to own a dragon himself. Ron also mentions that his older brother Charlie is in Romania working with dragons. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the trio encounters a dragon guarding some of the deep vaults of Gringotts.
In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Harry was taken by Hagrid to the clearing in the Forbidden Forest where the four dragons for the First Task were being kept. Harry had to face a Hungarian Horntail to retrieve the golden egg in the First Task, which he completed successfully.
Dragon eggs are Class A Non-Tradeable Goods.
