Filius Flitwick

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Professor Filius Flitwick (born October 17, year unknown)^[1] is a fictional character in the Harry Potter books. His character provides some comic relief in the books. He generally plays small parts in the plot events of the stories. Probably his most significant role is to introduce various spells into the story.

Flitwick is the Charms Master and Head of Ravenclaw House^[2] at Hogwarts. His squeaky voice matches his tiny stature; he stands on a stack of books in order to see over the top of his desk and sits on a pile of cushions at the staff table.

[edit] Teaching

Flitwick's teaching style seems to be rather laid back in comparison to other professors. He has allowed his class to play games during the last class before the Christmas holidays and seems resigned to a fair amount of chaos as students practice new Charms. He is often hit by misaimed or bad spells, often flying around the room or growing boils. Some of the spells he teaches include a levitation charm -Wingardium Leviosa-, Cheering Charms, Summoning Charms, the Banishing Charm, and the Silencing Charm. The Charms classroom is on the third floor of the school ^{PS Ch.9}, but Flitwick's office is on the seventh floor. ^{PA Ch.21}

[edit] Other services to the school

Professor Flitwick serves Hogwarts in many ways outside of the classroom. He used his magical skills to help decorate the Great Hall at Christmas time in the first book. During Harry's second year, Flitwick helped Professor Sinistra carry a petrified Justin Finch-Fletchley to the hospital wing. He taught the front doors to recognise a picture of Sirius Black after his second break-in in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. He helped patrol the perimeter of the maze for the third task of the Triwizard Tournament held in Harry's fourth year. He eventually removed most of the swamp that had been created within the school by Fred and George Weasley in the fifth book in a couple of seconds (he chose to leave a small patch of it because he said he thought it was "a good bit of magic", but it is possible that it was left as a tribute of the two troublemakers), though he had previously left the swamp untouched to annoy Dolores Umbridge. Near the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Flitwick is summoned by Minerva McGonagall to ask Professor Severus Snape to come to the aid of the Order of the Phoenix against the Death Eaters (Battle of The Tower). However, he is unable to do so, since he has been stunned by Snape.

[edit] Loyalty

Flitwick is quietly supportive of both Harry Potter and Dumbledore when Dolores Umbridge attempts to undermine them both in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. He gives Harry a box of sugar mice after Harry's interview detailing Lord Voldemort's second rise to power is published in The Quibbler. When Fred and George Weasley set their custom fireworks loose in the castle, Flitwick calls Umbridge to deal with them rather than extinguishing them himself- which, as Charms professor, would most likely be a simple task for him.

[edit] Notes about his past

Hermione Granger tells that Filius Flitwick was once a duelling champion ^[1], very intelligent, and quite handsome when he was younger ^[2]. He taught at Hogwarts when James Potter and his contemporaries were there. J.K Rowling mentions on her official website that Flitwick is human, with "a dash of goblin ancestry".

[edit] Name

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The name "Flitwick" could be derived from the name of the town of Flitwick in Bedfordshire (though that name is pronounced "Flittick"), or it could be a combination of "flit" (that is, to move quickly and lightly) and "wick" (a word from Northern England meaning "lively"). Filius is the Latin word for "son".

[edit] Film version

Warwick Davis as "the Conductor", a character very similar to the one he played in the 1st two films; Professor Flitwick.

Warwick Davis played Flitwick in the Harry Potter film series. During the first two films, Flitwick is an old half-goblin with a big white moustache. In the third film, this same character does not appear, although Warwick Davis plays another, different, character, a short human with brown hair and moustache, not very similar to the Flitwick in the previous movies. This character, the chorus conductor, is identified in the credits as "Wizard" and not Flitwick. Davis was hired because Flitwick had no role in the story, but the producers wanted him nonetheless. The character reappeared in the fourth movie, with the same make-up and still being the conductor, although in a speaking role. His make-up was not returned to that of the first and second because Mike Newell, director of the fourth, liked the younger-looking Flitwick better. He was not named in the movie, but was seen eating at the staff table and was identified in the credits as "Filius Flitwick", suggesting that Flitwick is also a music conductor.

J.K Rowling said^[3]: "I must admit, I was taken aback when I saw the film Flitwick, who looks very much like a goblin/elf (I’ve never actually asked the filmmakers precisely what he is), because the Flitwick in my imagination simply looks like a very small old man.".

[edit] References

• ^[1] "JKRowling.com Archives: Birthdays" from MuggleNet
• ^[2] "Who is the head of Ravenclaw House?" from the J.K.Rowling Official Site
• ^[3] "Is Flitwick a short human or is he some other type of being?" from the J.K.Rowling Official Site