Quill

Quill
Object information
Usage	Writing
Owners	Most of the Wizarding world Some Muggles

"The optimum writing tool for any witch or wizard."

— Description

A quill is a writing instrument made from a feather whose tip has been cut into a pointed shape. It was the standard writing instrument in the wizarding world, as opposed to pens and pencils in the Muggle world.

They were more visually appealing than pens, but had a number of inconveniences; unlike pens, it was difficult for left-handed people to use them, they regularly had to be sharpened, and had to be continually dipped into a pot of ink as you go.

History

On 31 July 1991, Harry Potter and Rubeus Hagrid shopped for quills in Diagon Alley as a part of Harry's school supplies. In 1992, Gilderoy Lockhart owned a large peacock feather quill. For Christmas that year, Hermione Granger bought Harry Potter an eagle feather quill. Harry used an eagle feather quill to do his homework during the summer in 1993. In 1994, Harry Potter used his eagle feather quill to write a letter to Sirius Black. He used this same quill to write to Ron saying he could attend the 1994 Quidditch World Cup.

In 1995, while at the British Ministry of Magic for his hearing, he noticed an Auror dictating a report to his quill. Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop sold pheasant-feather quills. Hermione bought a black-and-gold one during the first Hogsmeade visit of the 1995–1996 school year. Albus Dumbledore had a "handsome scarlet quill" on the desk in his office; since it matched the colour of Fawkes's body feathers, it might have been a phoenix feather quill.

Types of quills

A peacock quill

There was a great variety of quills, some plain and simple, some (like Fwooper quills) more fancy-looking, others enhanced with magical properties. Numerous types of feathers were used including pheasant, eagle, peacock (Gilderoy Lockhart's favourite), and perhaps phoenix. Augurey feathers, however, were no good for this purpose as they repelled ink.

• Anti-Cheating Quills
  • Used at Hogwarts during written exams. They were charmed with an Anti-Cheating Spell, making it impossible to cheat.
• Auto-Answer Quills
  • They were banned during written exams at Hogwarts School.

The Black Quill

• Dolores Umbridge's Black Quill
  • This quill did not use ink, but used the writer's own blood to mark the paper. Harry had to use this quill to write lines in 1995 while serving detentions with Professor Umbridge. His hand was now permanently scarred with I must not tell lies from writing with this quill. Lee Jordan also was forced to use this quill for joking about a rule Professor Umbridge imposed.
• Quick-Quotes Quill
  • Great for reporters, this quill wrote what the speaker dictated - often exaggerating the story. Rita Skeeter had an acid green one.
• Quill of Acceptance
  • Detected the birth of each wizard or witch, then wrote his or her name down in a large parchment book at Hogwarts. The Deputy Head checked the book every year, and then sent owls to these children as they approached their eleventh birthdays to invite them to attend Hogwarts.
• Self-Inking Quills
  • These quills were sold at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. They probably inked themselves without needing to be manually dipped in an inkwell.
• Sugar Quills
  • A confection that looked like a writing quill, so that it could be nibbled on discreetly during classes. This treat was sold at Honeydukes Sweetshop.
• Smart-Answer Quills
  • These quills wrote smart-alecky answers and were sold at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.
• Spell-Checking Quills
  • Corrected the user's spelling, sold at Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Ron Weasley had one, but its charm wore off leaving his homework terribly misspelt (example: his name was written as Roonil Wazlib).
• Self-Spelling Quills
  • Presumably similar to the above and a banned device in examinations.

Appearances

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (film)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (film)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (play)
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay
• Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Mentioned only)
• Pottermore
• Harry Potter (website)
• The Queen's Handbag
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
• Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened
• Hogwarts Legacy