The Ferret

• Type: Creature, Transfiguration Form
• Notable Instance: Draco Malfoy
• Distinction: A common Muggle animal also found in the wizarding world, most famous as the form Draco Malfoy was transfigured into as a punishment.

A ferret is a small, carnivorous mammal. While they exist as regular animals in the wizarding world, their most notable appearance in the series is the result of a Transfiguration spell. In 1994, after a lesson on the Unforgivable Curses, Draco Malfoy attempted to attack Harry Potter from behind in the Entrance Hall of Hogwarts. The new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor, Alastor Moody (secretly Barty Crouch Jr. in disguise), witnessed the act and swiftly transfigured Malfoy into a ferret as punishment. The ferret was described as being sleek, white, and pointed, mirroring Malfoy's own physical characteristics, particularly his pale blond hair. Professor Moody then magically bounced the terrified ferret up and down on the stone floor, a spectacle that Ron Weasley found immensely amusing. To further humiliate him, Moody levitated the ferret over to Gregory Goyle and dropped it down the front of his robes. Minerva McGonagall arrived and, appalled at the use of Transfiguration as a punishment, reversed the spell, returning a furious and humiliated Malfoy to his human form. The incident became legendary among Hogwarts students, and Malfoy was taunted with the nickname “the amazing bouncing ferret” for years afterward, particularly by Ron Weasley. Ferrets are also mentioned as ordinary animals within the wizarding community. During Harry's visit to the Magical Menagerie in Diagon Alley in 1993, he overheard a witch complaining that she was having her ferret “re-boned,” indicating they are kept as pets or companions and are subject to magical remedies.

The transfiguration of Draco Malfoy serves several key purposes in the narrative:

• Character Humiliation: For Malfoy, a character who relies heavily on his pure-blood status and influence, being forcibly turned into a small animal and publicly ridiculed is a moment of profound humiliation that defines his school-age rivalry with Harry and his friends.
• Establishing a “New” Moody: The act immediately establishes the new professor's immense power, zero-tolerance policy for dark behavior, and his unorthodox, borderline cruel methods. For the reader, it serves as an early, albeit misleading, characterization of the real Alastor Moody.
• Foreshadowing: Minerva McGonagall's firm declaration, “We never use Transfiguration as a punishment!,” highlights that Moody's actions are far outside the ethical norms of Hogwarts teaching. This hints that something is amiss with the professor, foreshadowing the later reveal of his true identity as Barty Crouch Jr., who held a deep-seated hatred for Death Eaters and their families.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the scene is largely faithful to the book, though Moody himself stuffs the ferret down Gregory Goyle's (or Vincent Crabbe's, depending on the shot) trousers. The scene is extended with the arrival of Lucius Malfoy, who complains to Albus Dumbledore, an interaction that does not occur in the novel. (film)