Harry Potter · Character
Mrs. Figg
- Supporting
- First seen · Book 1 · Ch. 1
Mrs. Figg is the elderly neighbor with whom the Dursleys leave Harry every year on Dudley's birthday in Harry Potter (Book 1).
- Gender
- female
- Age
- elderly
- First appears
- Book 1 · Ch. 1
- Books
- 2
Arabella Figg begins the series as Harry's eccentric, cat-obsessed neighbor on Privet Drive, whose cabbage-scented house and endless cat photographs make her the dreaded babysitter of his Muggle childhood. Her broken leg in the first book inadvertently sends Harry along on Dudley's birthday trip to the zoo, where his accidental magic first surfaces. By the time of Goblet of Fire she lingers only as a familiar memory of his life with the Dursleys, but she is ultimately revealed as a Squib quietly placed by Dumbledore to keep watch over the boy, recasting her dull eccentricity as faithful, hidden guardianship.
Description
Mrs. Figg is an elderly woman with a wrinkled face, wild gray hair escaping untidy buns, and squinting eyes full of eccentricity. She hobbles on crutches from a broken leg, dressed in shabby cardigans, long skirts, and mismatched stockings. Her frail build carries a musty scent of cats and damp, with a mad, peering presence. Mrs. Figg is identified as old, but the book provides no specific details of her face, coloring, hair, build, or clothing. Her home is furnished in a style like her own, with crocheted covers, and has a strong smell of cats; beyond this impression, her appearance is unspecified.
Connections
Family & partnersFriends & mentorsRivals
Albus DumbledoreAlly / agent
Unknown to Harry, she acts as Dumbledore's lookout on Privet Drive, a role that recasts her as a loyal protector.
Harry PotterNeighbor / secret guardian
Harry regards her as a tedious, odd babysitter in Book 1 and only a faint memory by Book 4, unaware that she has been watching over him for Dumbledore all along.
- TD
The DursleysNeighbor
The Dursleys rely on her to mind Harry during family outings, until her broken leg disrupts their plans for Dudley's birthday.
Story so far
BOOK 1Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
- Introduced as the elderly neighbor with whom the Dursleys leave Harry every year on Dudley's birthday
- Remembered by Harry for her cabbage-smelling house and endless photographs of her cats
- Breaks her leg tripping over a cat, forcing the Dursleys to take Harry to the zoo
- Secretly serves as Dumbledore's watcher over Harry on Privet Drive, unknown to him
BOOK 4Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
- Briefly evoked as an old neighbor from Harry's Privet Drive life
- Recalled chiefly through the familiar atmosphere of her home
- No new role or developments are revealed for her in this book
Appearances
Meet Mrs. Figg in Bookworm
Meet Mrs. Figg in your EPUB — spoiler-safe to the book you're on.