HOUSE GHOSTS

nearly headless nick

Nearly Headless Nick (died October 31, 1492) is the nickname of the Gryffindor ghost (actually named Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington) whose neck was almost completely severed in life, but not enough to join in the games of the Headless Hunt, a society of ghosts who had been decapitated on earth (a source of annual vexation to the ghost). Harry Potter becomes friends with Sir Nicholas when he attends his "deathday" party (the 500th anniversary of the event) in a Hogwarts dungeon. The word mimsy is borrowed from Jabberwocky, where it is explained by Humpty Dumpty to be a portmanteau of flimsy and miserable (which quite fits with the character). Porpington is likely a portmanteau of Orpington and Perpignan. In the movie versions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (2001) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Sir Nicholas is played by John Cleese.

the bloody baron

The Bloody Baron is one of the ghosts that haunts Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His domain is Slytherin House. He is the only person, living or dead, who can exert any control over the poltergeist Peeves, given how Peeves is terrified of him. The Baron is covered with silvery blood stains which has never been explained in the books but theorized by some fans to have been Unicorn's blood, which is likewise silvery in color: however given how all ghosts of Hogwarts have a silvery hue this may be coincidence.

fat friar

The Fat Friar is the resident ghost of the Hufflepuff House. He is a jolly man and very forgiving. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone when the first years are waiting for McGonagall to return and the ghosts pass overhead the Fat Friar is pleading on behalf of Peeves the Poltergeist to allow him to come to the welcome feast despite his past wrongdoings.

grey lady

The Grey Lady is the ghost for Ravenclaw House. JK Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, has stated that The Grey lady appeared very briefly in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Many Harry Potter fans believe this passage refers to her: "[Harry and Ron] passed the ghost of a tall witch gliding in the opposite direction, but saw no one else." Fans have found no other unexplained mention of a ghost in the book, so it is assumed this is The Grey Lady. She makes a more notable appearance in the deleted scenes portion of the Chamber of Secrets DVD (when Harry is finding the secret of Tom Riddle's diary, he asks her for privacy). It seems rather strange that the Ravenclaw ghost is allowed in Gryffindor Tower. There are a number of Grey Lady ghost stories of Great Britain, and it is thought that they might have been an inspiration for this character.