I absolutely love Harry Potter’s magical fights.
But the wizarding world’s more than blasting spells.
It’s a universe with a rich history.
And it’s built by great witches and academics too.
So where better to start than with Bathilda Bagshot…
The most celebrated magical historian of the 20th century.
Continue reading to discover:
- 13 unique facts that you didn’t know about Bathilda Bagshot.
- Some of the funniest things people have ever said about Batty.
- How many books she’s authored across multiple arcane subjects.
- And so much more…
About Bathilda Bagshot
| Born | Around 1873 |
| Purity | Pure-Blood (Likely, but unproven) |
| House | Unknown |
| Character Traits | Friendly, Amiable, Senile (Due to age) |
| Patronus | Non-corporeal (Likely, but unproven) |
| Wand | Unknown |
| Zodiac Sign | Unknown |
Bathilda Bagshot background
Bathilda Bagshot was born into the Bagshot family around 1873.
Sadly, there’s not much we know about her heritage.
However, we can confirm that Bathilda had at least a sister or a brother.
Because she’s the great aunt of Gellert Grindelwald.
A very powerful Dark Wizard (someone who uses Dark magic).
One that could even match Albus Dumbledore.
The Headmaster of Hogwarts.
A magical school of witchcraft and wizardry.
And because of this connection:
Fans suspect that the Bagshot family were Pure-bloods.
A rare bloodline with all of its members capable of magic.
The earliest information we know about Bathilda is from the 1890s.
At this time, she’s already an adult.
In fact, Batty had her own house.
And she lived in Godric’s Hollow.
It’s a very small village.
Somewhere in the West Country of England.
In fact, the place only had 1 church, a pub, and a few shops to its name.
Not to mention, very old-fashioned cottages and homes.
“Sounds like a very boring life. Does anything exciting ever happen?”
Well, around the same time, Kendra Dumbledore would move to Godric’s Hollow.
Along with her three children:
Albus, Aberforth, and Ariana.
And if there’s anything you should know about the Dumbledores…
They’re not your ordinary wizarding family.
In fact, the very reason for their move’s quite a pickle.
It’s because their father, Percival Dumbledore, was sent to Azkaban.
A maximum security prison for magical convicts.
However, did Batty shy away from meeting the new neighbors?
No, of course not.
She’s very friendly.
In fact, Batty knocked on their door with a batch of homemade Cauldron Cakes.
A delicious sweet made with rich chocolate and marshmallow filling.
But did Kendra say thanks and welcome her inside?
Sadly, she didn’t.
What’s worse, she even slammed the door in Batty’s face.
A pretty rude response for someone who went out of their way to bake you a cake.
“Wow. So that marks the end of any friendship with the Dumbledores, right?”
Well, not exactly.
You see, Albus Dumbledore’s no ordinary wizard.
And if you know how powerful Harry Potter can be.
Even the main character can’t match Albus in his prime.
So when the young wizard wrote an impressive paper about trans-species Transfiguration.
A type of transformation magic that can change organisms.
Batty took notice.
She even reached out and sent an owl to the Dumbledore family.
And that’s how Bathilda got to know the Dumbledores.
In fact, she was pretty much the only person on speaking terms with Kendra.
A remarkable feat considering she didn’t want Batty’s Cauldron Cakes.
Moreover, when Kendra passed away.
Bathilda’s probably the only person any of the Dumbledores could talk to at the time.
“But that’s it, right? Nothing crazier ever happens again?”
No, there’s still more to the story.
In fact, in the summer of 1899, a new member of the Bagshot family arrived.
It’s Gellert Grindelwald.
An intelligent young wizard with strong magical powers.
And he’s the great-nephew of Bathilda Bagshot.
Batty made sure to introduce him to Albus.
She thought it’d be an excellent opportunity for them.
A chance for the gifted wizards to connect.
And, soon enough, the talented young boys would become great friends.
Likewise, not much is known whether Batty knew anything more than the surface level.
So there’s no guarantee that she shared any of the radical views of Gellert.
Or, any of the mischievous actions her great-nephew did against the Dumbledores.
However, Batty did witness the fistfight.
An argument between the Dumbledore brothers at Ariana’s funeral.
But we can’t say for certain if she learned anything more.
Bathilda Bagshot occupation
Bathilda was a magical historian.
An expert in the wizarding world’s vast history.
And if it’s anything like where we live right now.
It’s an important job only the smartest can do at a high level.
In fact, a study shows that history can encourage being a good citizen.
Also, it’s very effective at teaching life lessons.
So if it works the same way in Harry Potter.
Batty was doing a great service for the wizarding world.
She was teaching everybody the collective lessons from the past.
What’s more, Ms. Bagshot was even recognized as the best magical historian of the 20th century.
And what many consider her greatest feat is the book she authored.
The A History of Magic textbook.
Hogwarts also adopted the use of the text.
And the class was taught by Professor Cuthbert Binns.
A British wizard with a great love for magical history.
Bathilda Bagshot character
While Bathilda was friendly and good-natured in her younger years.
Age wasn’t all too kind to Batty.
The brilliance she once showed started to fade.
And, in its place, she slowly became more and more senile.
In fact, research proves how age can impact cognition.
It mentions the significant decline in cognitive function as people grow old.
Meaning that the elderly would have a lot more trouble processing information.
What’s worse, Batty’s age was also used against her.
For example, when Rita Skeeter visited her home.
An infamous journalist that’s known for gossip and false information.
She used Veritaserium on Batty.
A strong potion that would force anyone to tell the truth.
It compelled Bathilda to tell everything she knew about Albus Dumbledore.
Like the cover-up of Ariana Dumbledore’s death as a sickness.
Not to mention Dumbledore’s relationship with her nephew, Gellert Grindelwald.
And Rita spun the story as she wanted to.
3 most famous Bathilda Bagshot quotes
Unfortunately, Ms. Bagshot doesn’t have many famous lines.
In fact, she doesn’t say much at all.
And when she does appear on screen.
She talks in Parseltongue.
The language of snakes and serpents.
However, other people do have a lot to say about her.
And here are some of my favorite descriptions about Batty:
#1: “Kendra Dumbledore slammed the door in my face when I went around to welcome her with a batch of homemade Cauldron Cakes. The first year they were there I only ever saw the two boys. Wouldn’t have known there was a daughter if I hadn’t been picking Plangentines by moonlight the winter after they moved in, and saw Kendra leading Ariana out into the back garden. Walked her round the lawn once, keeping a firm grip on her, then took her back inside. Didn’t know what to make of it.”
#2: “We had a very quiet birthday tea, just us and old Bathilda, who has always been sweet to us, and who dotes on Harry… Bathilda drops in most days, she’s a fascinating old thing with the most amazing stories about Dumbledore, I’m not sure he’d be pleased if he knew! I don’t know how much to believe, actually, because it seems incredible that Dumbledore could ever have been friends with Gellert Grindelwald. I think her mind’s going, personally!” (from Lily Potter)
#3: “Dear Batty, Thanks for your help. Here’s a copy of the book; hope you like it. You said everything, even if you don’t remember it. Rita.” (from Rita Skeeter)
More facts about Bathilda Bagshot
#1: Has written 10 other books
While most people know Bathilda Bagshot for the book, A History of Magic.
It’s not the only thing she wrote.
In fact, Batty’s authored 10 other books in her time.
And it goes to show how hard-working she can be.
Sadly, these titles were never revealed.
So no one can say for sure what their texts discussed.
But most fans guess they were presumably other periods of magical history.
However, we do know that she taught before.
Hermoine once called her:
“Professor Bagshot.”
Specifically when she referenced Batty’s work.
As a result, she might’ve taught at Hogwarts for some time.
And she could’ve written other textbooks for her class.
#2: Died at the hands of Lord Voldemort
If there’s one scene that always gave me the chills.
It’s from the movie the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.
The moment when Batty’s revealed to be dead.
And that a snake had been hiding in her body the whole time.
In fact, if you’re pretty curious about how it played out.
You can watch the movie clip yourself:
However, as scary as it looks, it gave us a clue about what happened to Batty.
You see, the snake’s actually Nagini.
A serpent owned by the Dark Lord.
And that means Voldemort murdered Ms. Bagshot.
But instead of disposing of her body…
He animated it using his pet snake.
A clever trap set for when Harry Potter came back to Godric’s Hollow.
Read also: Why Did Voldemort Become Evil? 3 Surprising Answers
#3: Skilled in Herbology
Batty’s got a lot of talents.
And apart from knowing her way around magical history.
She doesn’t shy away from other disciplines too.
In fact, Bathilda Bagshot’s actually pretty good at Herbology.
The study of arcane plants.
She kept and grew magical herbs in her garden.
And a lot of them were Plangentines.
Plants that would magically transform into fruits.
Or, even flowers to be used as gifts.
What’s more, she even knew what exact time to pick them.
Information you wouldn’t typically know as a beginner.
So it’s safe to assume Bathilda was proficient at Herbology too.