The intricacies of the wizarding world in the fictional universe of the Harry Potter series are vast and detailed, and one of the more curious aspects of wizard culture is the existence of squibs. One would assume that being born into a magical family means that someone will be gifted with magical powers, but that is not always the case. Occasionally there will be someone in a magical family who displays little to no magical talent. In the world of Harry Potter, such unique individuals are commonly called squibs.
Being a squib can be a pretty tough lot in life, especially if your entire family is a part of the wizarding world. But because magic is so unpredictable, sometimes there are people who actual squibs, and sometimes there are those who only appear to be squibs, but actually possess some magical talent. So here are 5 squibs in the Harry Potter universe, along with 5 characters who were mistakenly thought to be squibs.
Confirmed To Be A Squib: Angus Buchanan
Although most people won’t be familiar with the name Angus Buchanan unless they’re the hardest of hardcore Harry Potter fans, Buchanan is actually the most famous squib in the entire wizarding world. Angus was actually the son of two pure blood wizards, and he was born in Scotland in the mid-1800’s.
He was apparently the only squib in his large family, so he really had a foot in both the wizarding and muggle worlds. Eventually, Angus wrote his own memoir titled My Life As A Squib, which became a bestseller in the wizarding world and gave witches and wizards insight into the squib experience.
Thought To Be Squib: Kelly Brown
People in the muggle world may know Kelly Brown (yes, that Kelly Brown) as a talented rugby player, but people in the wizarding world have long suspected Brown of actually being a talented squib. As the captain of the Scottish rugby team, Brown has repeatedly wowed the muggle world with his incredible sports playing skills.
He’s so good in fact, that folks in the wizarding world have come to believe that he may be a squib with a little extra dose of magical talent. There are technically no rules against people from wizarding families partaking in muggle sports either, so Brown’s performance abilities are rightfully suspect.
Confirmed To Be A Squib: Dolores Umbridge’s Brother
Not much is known about Dolores Umbridge’s brother at this point in time, and no doubt Dolores herself made sure of that. Despite all of her bloviating about her wizarding heritage and unimpeachable magical blood, Dolores’ brother was in fact a squib.
Dolores is actually only a half blood witch, her father was a wizard but her mother was a muggle. Her younger brother wound up being little more than a muggle himself, which apparently caused a lot of tension within her family. Ultimately that tension was too much to take, and her parents split up, with Dolores and her father staying in the wizarding world and her mother and brother going to the muggle one.
Thought To Be Squib: Stuart Hogg
Yet another Scottish rugby player and suspected squib is Stuart Hogg, who actually is a confirmed wizard (at least according to J.K. Rowling’s twitter account). For those who are wondering why there are apparent possible squibs and wizards in the Scottish national rugby team, it’s because of an organization called the Wizarding Supporters of Scottish Rugby Union, or WSSRU for short.
It’s an international organization for the supporters of the muggle Scottish rugby team, and it has been long suspected that they may be doing things in order to give their favorite team an extra magical edge over the competition.
Confirmed To Be A Squib: Marius Black
As anyone might expect from the noble House of Black, their squib family members are literally and figuratively erased from the family for the ignominy of of being a squib. One known squib in the Black family is Marius Black, the third child of Cygnus Black and Violetta Bulstrode.
Marius was born either in the late 1910’s or early 1920’s, and although he was obviously disowned from the family for his squib status it’s unclear when exactly he was excommunicated from the Blacks, or whether or not he had any descendants. It would be fascinating to see some later generation “muggle-born” witches and wizards in the Black family, though.
Thought To Be Squib: Ariana Dumbledore
Ariana Dumbledore was often treated like the deep, dark secret of the entire Dumbledore family, and it’s difficult to comprehend why. There was a lot of speculation about what it was that was keeping Ariana from the rest of the world, and one of the most popular theories to explain her conspicuous absence was the possibility that she was a squib.
However it would seem that this speculation couldn’t be further from the truth. When Ariana was a little girl she was spotted by some muggle boys doing magic, and they attacked her so viciously that she never recovered from the trauma.
Confirmed To Be A Squib: Arabella Figg
Arabella Figg is pretty much living proof that even if you’re born a squib, you can make your mark on the wizarding world for good. For the better part of a decade, Mrs. Figg spent her time as the Dursleys miserable old neighbor who occasionally babysat Harry.
Little did they or Harry know, Mrs. Figg was actually a squib who was sent to look out for Harry by Albus Dumbledore himself. She was a loyal aid to Harry and to Dumbledore, and in an exceedingly rare occurrence, Mrs. Figg was actually a member of the Order of the Phoenix as well.
Thought To Be Squib: Neville Longbottom
Obviously the most well known and iconic possible squib in the original Harry Potter series was Neville Longbottom. Despite being the son of two of the most talented and impressive magical folks in the entire wizarding world, it was initially believed that Neville may have been a squib.
He didn’t display any outward signs of magical ability when he was young, and it was only an accident that his magical powers were discovered at all. Presumably, his family would have figured it out eventually, but his powers revealed themselves when one of his family members accidentally dropped him out of a window. In a move of magical self-preservation, Neville bounced off to safety instead of splattering all over the pavement.
Confirmed To Be A Squib: Argus Filch
It’s an unfortunate state of affairs, to be a squib born into a wizarding family. There are only a few possible options ahead of squibs too. The most popular path seems to be just joining the muggle world and leaving the wizarding world behind (squibs incorporating themselves into muggle society is actually where many “muggle born” witches and wizards descend from).
But some squibs, like Argus Filch, decide to stick around and make a go of things in the magical world instead. Filch has chosen to at least be around magic even if he has no magical power, but it seems to make him utterly miserable.
Thought To Be Squib: Credence Barebone
Probably the most impressive and terrifying instance of someone who was believed to be a squib who actually possessed magical abilities is obviously Credence Barebone. Credence was adopted by the leader of an anti-witchcraft organization, and his adoptive mother’s abuse led him to repressing all of his magical abilities.
But Credence’s power was so great that it needed to find an outlet somewhere, and that it did. Credence developed something called an Obscurus, an extremely powerful and dark force that is a physical manifestation of all of that repressed energy. In short, Credence’s Obscurus may be the most powerful that has ever existed.
