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— Ron Weasley regarding dragons and their nature [src]
Dragonologists transporting dragons across a vast distance
The motto of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is Draco dormiens numquam titillandus; Latin for Never tickle a sleeping dragon. The Hogwarts gamekeeper, Rubeus Hagrid , loved and adored dragons, briefly owning a Norwegian Ridgeback named Norbert , who turned out to be a female and was subsequently renamed Norberta. [2] In 1993 , the Minister for Magic , Cornelius Fudge , suggested placing dragons to guard the school, after being compelled to remove the Dementors , something that Professor Dumbledore thought Hagrid would be very happy with. [3]
A Ukrainian Ironbelly guarding high security vaults at Gringotts
Many useful materials come from dragons, but they are hard to obtain (see Uses below). It takes over a dozen wizards just to stun a dragon. Muggles believe that dragons are a mere myth, but have been known on occasion to glimpse these beasts. To prevent them from being seen by Muggles, and to protect them from poaching, dragons are kept on dragon reserves around the world, most of which are far from human habitation. Dragons cannot be domesticated, despite individuals trying to do so. However, it is possible to condition them via torture to make them somewhat subservient, as Gringotts Wizarding Bank had done to the one guarding the lower vaults , who had been trained to expect pain upon hearing a certain noise. The selling of dragon products is closely regulated by the Ministry of Magic, and only dragon species that are over-breeding are killed to make these items. Those who study dragons are known as dragonologist.
Uses
Harry Potter faces a Hungarian Horntail during the first task of the Triwizard Tournament
Dragons were used in the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament of 1994 , in which the champions had to retrieve a golden egg from a nesting mother. The varieties used were: the Hungarian Horntail, the Chinese Fireball, the Swedish Short-Snout, and a Welsh Green. Ron Weasley 's brother Charlie worked with dragons in Romania at the time, and helped transport the dragons used in the Tournament. [4] Dragons are also used to guard certain vaults at Gringotts Wizarding Bank , and one was used by Harry Potter , Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger to escape the bank following their break-in in 1998 . [5]
Though they cannot be domesticated, there is one known instance of a dragon being used as a mount. In May 1998 , Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger rode on the back of a dragon, though they had trouble maintaining a grip on their steed, and could not control its flight. [5] During the 1993–1994 school year , before playing in the Quidditch final against Slytherin , Harry dreamed that the Slytherin team were flying on dragons instead of broomsticks . When he awoke he realised that they would not be allowed to ride dragons. [3]
The dragon model, like the model in the First Task of Triwizard Tournament of 1994, was used in a roast chestnuts sale , near Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes , in Diagon Alley to hold the chestnut in place.
Material
The Catalonian Fireball appears to be an early draft on the Chinese Fireball because these were notes for Dragon Breeding for Pleasure and Profit on J. K. Rowling's Official Site . The same for the Portuguese Long-Snout which seems to be an early draft for the Romanian Longhorn and the Swedish Short-Snout .
According to Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them , in 1932 , there was a dragon attack at a muggle beach that a family of wizards on holiday defeated. It earned them the Order of Merlin , First Class. It is known as the Ilfracombe Incident.
In the credits of the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire , it says "No Dragons were harmed in the making of this movie". This probably refers to the scene in the movie where the Hungarian Horntail falls off the bridge.
Madam Rosmerta owns a silk dressing gown embroidered with dragons, which she was wearing on the night in June 1997 when Harry Potter and Albus Dumbledore apparated back from the Crystal Cave . [15]
In rare cases, a Patronus may take the form of a dragon, according to Pottermore.
Appearances