The magical world of Harry Potter is a place so many of us Muggles wish we could visit for real. To explore the castle, learn the spells, concoct the potions, learn to play Quidditch… it would be a dream come true for millions of fans around the world.
You’ve got to be careful what you wish for, though. Even something as simple as choosing an appropriate magical pet could be much more complex than it seems at first. Harry’s owl, Hedwig, wasn’t the perfect companion Hagrid hoped she would be when he bought her for Harry’s eleventh birthday. Here are some reasons Hedwig was the best Harry Potter pet, alongside some reasons she was just awful.
BEST: She’s Unique
Now, we won’t get into the dogs versus cats debate. That’s a hot button issue for a lot of people, whose personal opinions on the matter aren’t about to budge one iota. Neither should they. Let’s just agree that both can be great pets for the right family.
Let’s also agree, however, that both cats and dogs are very common pets. If you really want to stand out from the crowd and be noticed (not that Harry Potter ever has any trouble in that area anyway), a magnificent snowy owl is the way to do so. Even in the magical world, where pet owls aren’t exactly unusual, snowy owls are going to turn heads. They’re native to the Arctic, after all.
SUCKS: She’s Temperamental
Growing up with the nefarious Dursleys, Harry didn’t exactly have a lot of freedom as a child. He was first forced to sleep in the cupboard under the stairs, having very little extra freedom when he moved up into Dudley’s second bedroom. Poor Hedwig was cooped up in her cage, and it was Harry that paid the price for that.
As the books detail, Hedwig was quick to turn her nose (/beak) up at Harry’s attempts to placate her, or refuse the middling food he had to offer her (vegetables from the soup he’d been given by his aunt). This is neither boy nor owl’s fault, of course, but way to make an untenable situation worse, Hedwig.
BEST: She’s Useful
As any pet owner will tell you, your furry family members are invaluable in all sorts of ways. They provide companionship, hilarious videos for social media, comfort, and loyalty.
What can pets usually not do, though? Send and deliver your post, that’s what. The owls of Harry Potter, however, perform this role in the magical world, and Hedwig is no exception. We’d like to see a rat or toad do that.
SUCKS: She’s Impractical
So, yes. The likes of Neville Longbottom’s toad Trevor and Hermione Granger’s cat Crookshanks aren’t best suited to flying letters and packages long distances, what with… being a toad and cat respectively. This isn’t The Wind In The Willows. They do have a major advantage over the owls, though: they can stay right there in the dormitory with their owners.
While at Hogwarts, Harry doesn’t get to see a lot of Hedwig. She tends to remain in the school’s owlery when she isn’t out on a job. The whole companionship thing takes a hit as a result.
BEST: She Always Manages To Find Harry Again
As we mentioned in the last entry, it’s a little unfortunate that Hedwig has to stay apart from Harry during most of their time at Hogwarts. Still, that’s the way it is when your pet has important work to be doing. The postal service waits for nobody.
However, it would be unfair to suggest that she isn’t loyal to him as a result. Whenever the two are separated (when Harry left the Dursleys at the beginning of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, for instance), Hedwig finds her way back to him. She had been delivering a birthday gift to Hermione, but somehow knew to find Harry at the Leaky Cauldron. Considering that Hermione was on vacation in France at the time, that’s some achievement!
SUCKS: She’s Very Conspicuous
Once again, this is hardly a failure on Hedwig’s part. We’ve already mentioned the fact that the owl was so distinctive purely by virtue of being a rare snowy owl. This wasn’t really an issue for much of the series, either.
The issue arose when Harry wanted to contact Sirius Black, his godfather who was on the run from the law after his escape from Azkaban. Sirius had found himself a secure place to lay low, but a snowy owl traveling back and forth from his safe haven would have drawn too much attention. When Harry himself was being hunted, the beautiful, distinctive bird would have been a similar liability.
BEST: She Never Failed A Delivery
However intelligent the animals may be, the fact remains that you should surely expect an issue or two to arise with owl post. You know, lost packages, droppings-strewn packages, that sort of thing. Not so with Hedwig.
As Harry himself marvels in the book, she never failed to deliver a package or letter for him, even when he couldn’t provide an address for her. How did Hedwig know where Sirius’ hideout was? Well, she had to for plot reasons, but otherwise, this is a truly remarkable owl.
SUCKS: She’s Judgmental And Proud
As we’ve seen, then, Hedwig was clearly a feathery prodigy of some kind. A beautiful, super intelligent bird, it was inevitable that all of that talent would go to her head.
True enough, she demonstrated her haughty and judgmental ways throughout the series. For instance, in the books, J.K. Rowling details her relationship with Ron Weasley’s owl, Pigwidgeon. As the younger, excitable owl fluttered around, her disapproval was made clear.
BEST: She Sacrificed Herself For Harry
Pet owners often speak of their furry friends’ unconditional love. The bonds people form with their pets can be remarkable, so it’s ironic that Hedwig’s love for Harry led to her death and almost doomed them both.
During the infamous Battle of the Seven Potters, the Death Eaters who ambushed the group didn’t know about the Polyjuice Potion trick and couldn’t tell which was the real Harry. In the movie adaptation of Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows (Part One), Hedwig is flying alongside the group and swoops in to protect Harry when she’s hit by a killing spell. In the original book, she is struck while in a cage in the sidecar of Hagrid’s motorcycle.
SUCKS: Her Death Was Such An Anti-Climax
As we just saw, then, there were actually two different versions of Hedwig’s death. In the book, she’s just struck by an errant killing spell while in her cage, which is perhaps even more tragic for the futility of it all.
As The Deathly Hallows came to a close, so many big characters are lost in unceremonious ways. This was necessary as the story wrapped up, but it just didn’t give Harry (or the fans) the chance for any closure. Unfair as it is, Hegwig’s sudden demise was probably the suckiest thing about the beloved character.
