Flobberworm

Flobberworm
Species information
Length of average adult	Ten-inch
Distinction	Produces Flobberworm Mucus
Ministry of Magic Classification	X

"While Dumbledore turns a blind eye, Hagrid has maimed several pupils during a series of lessons that many admit to being 'very frightening.' 'I was attacked by a hippogriff, and my friend Vincent Crabbe got a bad bite off a flobberworm,' says Draco Malfoy, a fourth-year student. 'We all hate Hagrid, but we're just too scared to say anything.'"

—Rita Skeeter reports exaggerated claims in the Daily Prophet.

The Flobberworm is a ten-inch, toothless brown worm which eats vegetation, especially lettuce and cabbage. It is a fairly boring creature, with a Ministry of Magic Classification of only X (the lowest possible ranking, or "boring"). Each end is identical to the other, and from both it exudes mucus which is sometimes used to thicken potions. It moves very little and prefers to live in damp ditches.

Contrary to the claims of Draco Malfoy and his gang, which were designed to attack Hagrid and his quality as a professor (although he was doing a pretty good job of that himself), Flobberworms do not have teeth and do not bite.

Flobberworms are apparently edible and Flobberworm fritters are sometimes served for lunch at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, much to the dismay of the student body.

The Flobberworm was notable for being one of the few living creatures capable of being Summoned with the Summoning Charm.

History

"Nobody really liked Care of Magical Creatures, which, after the action-packed first class, had become extremely dull. Hagrid seemed to have lost his confidence. They were now spending lesson after lesson learning how to look after flobberworms, which had to be some of the most boring creatures in existence. 'Why would anyone bother looking after them?' said Ron, after yet another hour of poking shredded lettuce down the flobberworms' throats."

—Ron gripes about looking after the flobberworms.

After losing his nerve during the Hippogriff debacle in his first Care of Magical Creatures lesson during the 1993–1994 school year, Rubeus Hagrid had his third year students raise flobberworms for a term. The exercise was completely pointless, as they prefer to be left alone and to do nothing. They didn't require much care, although they seemed unable to control how much food they needed as they will die if overfed. For the students' final exam, they simply had to monitor a flobberworm and make sure it was alive at the end of the hour appointed for the lesson.

In potions

Flobberworm mucus is green and sticky and is used to thicken potions. Flobberworm mucus is a vital ingredient in the Wiggenweld potion.

In the book, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Snape's detention for Harry includes scraping flobberworm mucus off the desks.

Behind the scenes

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Peter Pettigrew offered to have himself turned into a flobberworm while begging Sirius and Remus not to hand him over to the Dementors (ironic, as his nickname is Wormtail).
• In the PC version of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets Flobberworm mucus is used as an ingredient to the Wiggenweld Potion, which will give stamina to the player in both the console games and the PC games.
• You are able to use Flobberworm Mucus in potions on Pottermore.
• In the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (video game) PC version, Snape sends Harry into the dungeons to fetch various ingredients to create Wiggenweld Potion. Flobberworm mucus is one of them.
• Showing remarkable continuity, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game) has Harry actually create the potion itself in the Potions Club, using the exact same ingredients that Snape listed in the first video game.
• Despite not being mammals, flobberworms are apparently capable of perspiring.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (video game) (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game) (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film) (Mentioned in newspaper article)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (video game) (Mentioned only)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
• Pottermore
• Lego Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (DS version only) (Mentioned only)

Notes and references

Magical Creatures by classification