Poppy Sweeting

Poppy Sweeting
Biographical information
Born	Between 1 September 1874 and 31 August 1875
Blood status	Pure-blood or half-blood
Nationality	British or Irish
Physical information
Species	Human
Gender	Female
Hair colour	Brown
Eye colour	Brown
Skin colour	Light
Relationship information
Family members	Angus Sweeting (father) Violet Sweeting (mother) Grandmother Havelock Sweeting (possible relative) Sweeting family
Magical characteristics
Wand	Unknown length, wood and core
Affiliation
House	Hufflepuff
Loyalty	Sweeting family Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry Hufflepuff

Poppy Sweeting (b. 1874/1875) was a witch who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during the late 19th century.

Biography

Childhood

Poppy was born to Angus and Violet Sweeting, a couple of poachers who illegally hunted and traded magical creatures and who raised her in poacher camps. She described her childhood as being very difficult, having to move around a lot and not being able to fit in her parents' lifestyle. Poppy had a much closer relationship with her grandmother, who did research on magical creatures without hurting them, and would spend time with her whenever she got the chance.

One day, Poppy witnessed a Hippogriff being captured by poachers who planned to kill the creature. Unable to stand the fate that awaited the Hippogriff, Poppy freed and fled with her. During her flight, she witnessed a Mooncalf dance for the first time and watched it alongside the Hippogriff, who she called Highwing. She then went to her grandmother's house to live with the only family member she got along with.

Horntail Hall

Poppy attended Hogwarts and was sorted into Hufflepuff. By the 1890–1891 school year, she was a fifth-year and attended classes such as Potions with other fifth-years such as Amit Thakkar, Garreth Weasley, Samantha Dale, and the new fifth-year. During that school year, she befriended the new student after they helped her stand up against two classmates who were torturing a Kneazle named Persephone. This event led her to introduce the student to her secret animal companion Highwing. Poppy also shared her concerns regarding the presence of poachers around Hogwarts and decided that they should try to act against them.

Poppy conducted her own investigations and repeatedly overheard poachers mention a place called the Horntail Hall when they were in Hogsmeade. She was able to track down some of them and contacted her newly-made friend so that they could both inspect a camp seemingly recently abandoned by the poachers. On their way, they also witnessed a particularly violent Dugbog, which further raised Poppy's concerns as this was not an isolated incident to her. Poppy and the new student then found and entered the Horntail Hall, which turned out to be a dragon fighting pit.

Poppy and the student found out that the poachers, who turned out to be associated with Ranrok's Loyalists, had recently captured a female Hebridean Black and seized the dragon's egg. Poppy asked the student to reclaim the egg, after which they confronted the poachers in an attempt to free the dragon. They were able to take out a group of poachers and unlock the chain that held the dragon prisoner, thus enabling the creature to escape, while Poppy and her friend took advantage of the ensuing mayhem to flee as well.

Poppy later met with her friend at the Three Broomsticks and explained that they had to return the egg they had collected to the dragon, as the latter might have been consumed with anger and despair for having lost her egg. She therefore tracked down the location of the dragon. She led her friend into the mountains where the dragon had returned to her nest. They quickly spotted the dragon above them, and Poppy was relieved to notice that the dragon did not have a collar implanted by the poachers like they had done to enslave other dragons. However, the dragon quickly took notice of them as well and began breathing fire at them. Nevertheless, Poppy and her friend were able to reach the nest and placed the egg on it. Although the dragon looked as if she would attack them, nearly causing Poppy to fall from the mountain, she simply took the egg and flew away.

Saving the Snidgets

Returning to Hogsmeade after the dragon left, Poppy began to worry about her grandmother and correctly suspected that the poachers might have gone after her in retaliation for Poppy sabotaging the Horntail Hall. Although her grandmother was not harmed, they had found notes regarding the possible existence of Golden Snidgets, a species generally considered to be extinct. Poppy refused to let the Snidgets get captured by the poachers, and suggested contacting centaurs to help her and her friend in their endeavours against the poachers.

Although she knew that meeting the centaurs was dangerous (especially because she feared that they would know about her family), Poppy and her friend went into the Forbidden Forest to meet with them. They were met with open hostility by the herd led by Elek, but were saved thanks to the interceding of Dorran. After explaining their concerns to Dorran, Poppy and her friend were directed to the Moonstone Garden. There, Poppy and her friend retrieved a moonstone which, according to Dorran's instructions, they placed onto a henge. The feat attracted Mooncalves that began dancing, much to Poppy's amazement. Afterwards, Poppy decided to confide in her friend about her parents.

Poppy and her friend reported back to Dorran, who directed them to the Gilded Perch, the last refuge of the Golden Snidgets. They were able to enter the place, with Poppy expressing amazement at the location, but they were ambushed by poachers that had tracked them down in an attempt to seize the Snidgets. Fortunately, Poppy and her friend were able to keep them at bay long enough for the centaurs led by Elek and Dorran to join in the fight and dispatch the band of poachers. Poppy was then lucky enough to witness the hatching of three Snidget eggs. Even though she worried about what would happen to them, she was reassured by Dorran that the centaurs would protect them.

After spending some time with the Snidgets, Poppy made her way back to Hogwarts. She expressed considerable gratitude towards her new friend for helping her defeat the poachers, and manifested the desire to make friends with other people as well.

Personality and traits

Poppy had a kind heart and loved all manner of magical beasts. She had extensive knowledge of creatures and was averse to poachers and their associates. She actually preferred the company of beasts as opposed to humans, as beasts felt more honest to her. Therefore, she was reclusive towards her classmates.

Magical abilities and skills

• Care of Magical Creatures: Unlike her parents who were poachers and were only interested in making profit from magical creatures, Poppy took a genuine interest in them and only wished to make sure that they were protected from danger and developed her skills in looking after such creatures, spending a lot of time with the creatures that were kept in Hogwarts. She knew how to handle Puffskeins and Kneazles. She also befriended a Hippogriff, Highwing, which was an exceptional accomplishment in the field of care of magical creatures.
• Charms: As a student in Hogwarts, Poppy was taught a wide variety of charms. She demonstrated her proficiency with the Shield Charm, being able to cast one that was able to withstand the fire breathed by a dragon. During her fights against poachers alongside the new fifth-year, she also used the Slowing Charm and the Knockback Jinx.
• Duelling: Despite her peaceful and kind nature, Poppy demonstrated an ability to hold her own when fighting against other wizards, especially the poachers she was up against during her fifth year. She knew how to use the Disarming Charm, and used Chinese Chomping Cabbages to help her in battle during the last standoff she took part in against the poachers in the Gilded Perch.

Relationships

Family

Angus and Violet Sweeting

Poppy had no good relationship with her parents, as they were poachers, while Poppy loved animals. Even as a young child, her relationship with her parents wasn't good. During her fifth year, Poppy admitted that she had lost contact with her parents, and she actually felt better this way.

Grandmother

Poppy had a very positive relation with her grandmother, calling her her best friend besides Highwing. The feeling was mutual, as her grandmother took her in after Poppy fled from her parents and their poaching lifestyle. Both Poppy and her grandmother shared a love for magical creatures.

Friends and allies

Unidentified Hogwarts student

Poppy felt very comfortable around this individual, as they also shared her love for magical creatures. Her fondness for this person was such that she shaded her biggest secrets with them, like her friendship with Highwing and ultimately her dark past as a child to a pair of poachers.

Behind the scenes

• Poppy is voiced by Alice Haldane in Hogwarts Legacy.

Appearances

• Hogwarts Legacy (First appearance)
• The Art and Making of Hogwarts Legacy
• Harry Potter: Quidditch Champions (As a character skin)