Deer

Deer
Species information
Eye colour	Various
Hair colour	Various
Native to	Worldwide
Alternative names	Stag (males) Doe (females)
Mortality	Mortal
Distinction	Males (stags) grow antlers in adulthood
Affiliation	Potter family
Status	Extant

"And out of the end of his wand burst, not a shapeless cloud of mist, but a blinding, dazzling, silver animal. He screwed up his eyes, trying to see what it was. It looked like a horse."

— Harry Potter's corporeal stag Patronus

Deer is the common name for a family of ruminant animals grouped by the fact that the males grow antlers in adulthood. A male deer is called a stag, whereas a female a doe. One particular species of deer was the Scottish stag. Deer was the preferred food of the Hebridean Black breed of dragon.

It was a possible corporeal form of the Patronus Charm. Deer had become synonymous with the Potter family, as Harry Potter's stag Patronus was widely known.

Venison is meat from deer consumed by humans, dragons, and Snargaluffs as food.

History

The deer was a reoccurring Patronus within the Potter family: James Potter, his wife Lily, and his son Harry all had deer for Patronuses. James Potter was also an Animagus who could take the form of a large stag.

The doe that led Harry Potter to the Sword of Gryffindor

Professor Severus Snape, as a sign of his undying affection for Lily, also had a doe for a Patronus, which persisted long after her death.

In 1998, Snape cast this Patronus as a guide to lead Harry Potter to the Sword of Gryffindor hidden within a frozen lake of the Forest of Dean. Harry felt an instinctual familiarity with the doe Patronus.

Deer lived in the Forbidden Forest. In 1890, a deer drinking at a lake in the forest was suddenly attacked and killed by a strangely aggressive Dugbog, with its death witnessed by Poppy Sweeting and her friend. In May of 1996, when Rubeus Hagrid was discussing Grawp with Harry and Hermione, he said that he was able to get his own food; "birds an' deer an' stuff".

Deer Patronuses

James Potter

Lily J. Potter

Harry Potter

Severus Snape

Appearances

Harry Potter's stag Patronus in POP! Vinyl form

• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (First mentioned) (Appears as a Patronus)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) (Appears as a Patronus)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game) (Appears as a Patronus)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (Appears as a Patronus)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (Appears as a Patronus)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film) (Appears as a Patronus)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game) (Appears as a Patronus)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Appears as a Patronus)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (Appears as a Patronus)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (video game) (Appears as a Patronus)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (Appears as a Patronus)
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 (video game) (Appears as a Patronus)
• Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Appears as a Patronus)
• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Mentioned only)
• The Tales of Beedle the Bard
• Pottermore (Appears as a Patronus)
• Harry Potter (website) (Appears as a Patronus)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4 (Appears as a Patronus)
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7 (Appears as a Patronus)
• LEGO Dimensions (Appears as a Patronus)
• LEGO Harry Potter (Appears as a Patronus)
• The Making of Harry Potter (Appears as a Patronus)
• Harry Potter for Kinect (Appears as a Patronus)
• Harry Potter Trading Card Game (First appearance)
• Fantastic Beasts: Cases from the Wizarding World
• Harry Potter: The Character Vault (Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Wizards Unite (Appears as a Patronus)
• Harry Potter: Magic Awakened (Appears as a Patronus)
• Hogwarts Legacy