Harry Potter · Character

Buckbeak

Supporting
First seen · Book 3 · Ch. 5

Buckbeak is a supporting character in Harry Potter (Book 3).

Gender: male
Age: adult creature
First appears: Book 3 · Ch. 5
Books: 2

Buckbeak, Hagrid's proud and temperamental hippogriff, first soars into the story as the creature who gives Harry his exhilarating first hippogriff flight, only to be condemned to death after Draco Malfoy's insolence provokes a slashing attack. Rescued at the last moment through Hermione's Time-Turner, he carries Sirius Black to freedom and lives on as a fugitive under the alias Witherwings. In later years he shares Sirius's mountain hideout, a fierce yet vulnerable companion whose dignity demands respect from all who approach him.

Description

Stormy gray with a gleaming coat that shifts seamlessly from feathers to hair. Powerful hybrid build: eagle wings, front legs, and head atop horse body, hind legs, and tail. Brilliant orange eyes glow fiercely above a cruel steel beak and half-foot talons. Thick leather collar and chain accent his proud, predatory stance. Buckbeak’s body is that of a large gray horse, joined to the head and immense feathered wings of an eagle. A fierce orange eye gives his face an intensely watchful expression, while his front knees are bent and covered in scales. He carries himself with a proud, wary dignity, his powerful form seeming always poised between stillness and flight.

Connections

Family & partnersFriends & mentorsRivals

Harry PotterAlly
Harry earns Buckbeak's trust with a respectful bow and his first flight; he later saves Buckbeak from execution and reunites with him at Sirius's hideout.
Hermione GrangerRescuer
Hermione's Time-Turner makes Buckbeak's rescue from execution possible.
Rubeus Hagridpet hippogriff
Hagrid dotes on Buckbeak and fights desperately to save him from execution; after Buckbeak's escape, their bond endures from afar as Buckbeak shelters with Sirius.
Sirius BlackCompanion
Buckbeak carries Sirius to freedom and becomes his fellow fugitive, sharing his cave hideout.
Draco MalfoyEnemy
Draco's insult provokes Buckbeak's attack, which Draco and his father exploit to have Buckbeak condemned.

Story so far

BOOK 3Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
- Introduced in Hagrid's first Care of Magical Creatures lesson, where Harry bows to him and earns a triumphant flight
- Slashes Draco Malfoy's arm after Draco insults him
- Sentenced to execution by the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures and awaits death at Hagrid's hut
- Rescued by Harry and Hermione using the Time-Turner
- Carries Sirius Black to freedom and goes into hiding, renamed Witherwings
BOOK 4Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Lives in hiding with Sirius in a mountain cave near Hogsmeade
- Found tethered near a large rock when Harry, Ron, and Hermione visit Sirius
- Greets the trio, who bow respectfully before approaching him
- Feasts on chicken bones, retaining his fierce, uncompromising dignity