Arabella Doreen Figg
Origin: Harry Potter
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Species: Human
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Residence: Olsen Street 27 (15-106)
Occupation: Breeder of Cat/Kneazle Crossbreeds
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Import Date: 5
Mrs Arabella Doreen Figg was a Squib, a dealer of cross-bred cats and kneazles,[6] and a member of the Order of the Phoenix.[1] She lived on Wisteria Walk in Little Whinging, in a house that smelled strongly of cabbage; she also owned and extensively photographed at least four part-kneazle cats, named Tibbles, Snowy, Mr Paws, and Tufty.[3]
She lived near Harry Potter and the Dursley family, and used to babysit Harry in the 1980s and the early 1990s, mainly to keep an eye on him for Albus Dumbledore.[3][1] As Dumbledore had believed Harry was too young to understand his place in the wizarding world, Mrs Figg kept her true identity a secret throughout most of Harry's childhood, and he knew nothing about her affiliation to the wizarding world until after he and Dudley Dursley were attacked by dementors in 1995.[4][1] Mrs Figg supported the Order to the best of her abilities,[1] but probably did not fight at the Battle of Hogwarts. She most likely survived the war and continued cross-breeding and trading part-kneazle cats.
Biography
First Wizarding War (1970s–1981)
It is possible that she became a member of the Order of the Phoenix in the First Wizarding War, although her most notable contribution to the cause was taking up residence in Little Whinging, most probably on Albus Dumbledore's orders, to keep an eye on young Harry Potter.[1] This may have begun prior to the end of the First War, initially in order to watch over the Dursley family.
Between the wars (1981–1995)
Arabella Figg lived in a Muggle community, working undercover for the Order of the Phoenix. Most of her job involved watching Harry Potter and ensuring that no harm came to him from Lord Voldemort. During times when the Dursley family went on holiday, they left Harry Potter with Mrs Figg, who once gave him an ancient chocolate cake as a "treat"[7] but most often bored him senseless with pictures of her part-kneazle cats.[3]
Figg made sure he didn't particularly enjoy his time with her, and took care never to reveal her heritage to either Harry or the Dursleys. She found treating him in that way difficult, and regretted it, but felt it was necessary to ensure that the Dursleys would not withdraw Harry from her care.[1] However, she was unable to do this for Dudley's eleventh birthday due to breaking her leg from tripping over one of her cats. This forced her to use crutches to get around for a time; at the start of the summer, she was crossing Privet Drive on her crutches when she was knocked down by Dudley on his new racing bike.
Second Wizarding War (1995–1998)
On 24 June 1995, Lord Voldemort returned to power. Informed of Voldemort's return by Harry Potter, Albus Dumbledore gave Sirius Black the task of alerting the "old crowd" of Voldemort's return, including Arabella Figg, Remus Lupin and Mundungus Fletcher. Despite hearing the name "Figg", Harry was unaware that this was the same Mrs Figg he had been neighbours with.[8]
In 1995, Harry and his cousin Dudley were attacked by Dementors in Little Whinging. Figg sensed the distinct presence of the Dementors, and though she never actually saw the Dementors, she was still able to describe them, more specifically the feeling of despair they bring, in front of the Wizengamot during Harry's trial.[5][9] Not trusting Mundungus Fletcher to effectively fulfil his duties of following and protecting Harry, she charged Tibbles with the task. When she discovered Mundungus had abandoned his post, she eventually tracked Harry and his cousin Dudley down herself, to discover they had just barely survived a Dementor attack.
As the three walked back to the Dursleys, with Harry half carrying Dudley, she revealed that she was not a Muggle, as previously believed, but a Squib, and moreover, a member of the Order of the Phoenix. She also took the time to apologise for the miserable experience she had to give Harry whenever he stayed with her. She was extremely furious with Mundungus for abandoning his post and when he abruptly returned, proceeded to violently assault him with a shopping bag containing tins of cat food before ordering him to report to Dumbledore.[1]
The Hearing
Mrs Figg was also a witness at Harry's trial before the Wizengamot, regarding his unauthorised use of magic as an underaged wizard. She arrived in her bedroom slippers, and her description of the Dementors was unimpressive, as she described them as "big and wearing cloaks" .
However, she ultimately managed to convince Amelia Bones and various other unbiased members of the Wizengamot with her accurate description of a Dementor's presence. Despite Cornelius Fudge's attempts to discredit her on the basis of being a Squib, Mrs Figg, along with Albus Dumbledore, managed to persuade the Ministry to clear Harry of all charges.[5]
Albus Dumbledore's funeral
During the Battle of the Astronomy Tower in 1997, Albus Dumbledore was killed by Severus Snape, who sided with the Death Eaters. Figg attended Dumbledore's funeral in 1997, at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.[10]
Battle of Hogwarts
As she could not fight due to her lack of magic, it is unknown if she participated in the Battle of Hogwarts, though she may have assisted or aid the fighters along with Argus Filch and Madame Pomfrey in some non-magical capacity.
Later life (1998–)
It is most likely that she survived the Second Wizarding War, and maintained her involvement in the "roaring trade" of cross-bred Kneazles and cats.
Physical description
Arabella Figg was described as a batty old woman with grizzled grey fly away hair, almost always seen wearing a hairnet and tartan carpet slippers.[4] On the night of Harry and Dudley's attack by the Dementors she was wearing a pink dressing gown and fluffy slippers.[11]
Personality and traits
In Harry Potter's youth, the Dursleys left him in Mrs Figg's care at least once a year, and during their time together, she had often forced him to look endlessly at photos of "all the cats she'd ever owned".[3] In 1995, she admitted that, though she didn't enjoy it, she had intentionally kept Harry bored and miserable, as the Dursleys would never have left him with her if they thought he enjoyed it.[1] Though Harry only thought of her as his "batty old cat-obsessed neighbour"[4] before discovering she was a Squib, she appeared to be a clever woman with a bit of a temper. She physically attacked Mundungus Fletcher when he left his post of watching Harry Potter, and prior to that, had been quite sarcastic, even slightly insulting, during her conversation with Harry.[1]
She appeared nervous, even timid, during Harry's disciplinary hearing, though that was likely due to the stigma surrounding being a Squib, as well as the fact that she had to testify before the entire Wizengamot. Regardless, she was a brave, vigorous woman, who, despite her lack of magical ability, did her best to support the Order of the Phoenix. Arabella felt rather offended when she found out that the Ministry did not register her in their records due to her status as a Squib.[5]
Relationships
Albus Dumbledore
Arabella Figg knew Albus Dumbledore at least since the time of the First Wizarding War. After Lord Voldemort's first downfall, Dumbledore trusted Figg with the task of watching Harry Potter during his time at the Dursleys' house. Figg appeared to respect Dumbledore and consider him a great wizard; when Harry was surprised that she knew Dumbledore, she replied that "everybody knows Dumbledore."[1] Figg and Dumbledore both participated in Harry's trial before the Wizengamot in 1995.[5] She later attended Dumbledore's funeral at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in 1997.[10]
Harry Potter
Mrs Figg was tasked with watching over Harry Potter after he was sent to live in Little Whinging, and the Dursleys regularly left Harry with her when they wanted to exclude him from their outings.[3] Though it was difficult for her to have to do so, she made sure to show Harry an incredibly dull time, knowing the Dursleys would otherwise never leave Harry in her care.[1]
The tent that Mr Weasley borrowed for the 1994 Quidditch World Cup reminded Harry of Mrs Figg's house: crocheted covers on mismatched chairs and a strong smell of cats.[12]
In 1995, Harry learned that Mrs Figg was a Squib when Mundungus Fletcher failed to fulfil the duty he was given of following and protecting Harry, leaving Harry and his cousin Dudley to be attacked by dementors. Mrs Figg also testified in Harry's defence during his trial before the Wizengamot, and later attended Albus Dumbledore's funeral.[10]
Dursley family
Mrs Figg's relationship with the Dursley family is largely unknown, though they evidently thought she was no different from their other neighbours, as they allowed her to take care of Harry occasionally while they were gone.[3]
Order of the Phoenix
In 1995, Mrs Figg apologised to Harry for deliberately making his earlier visits as boring as possible, since she believed that if he'd actually enjoyed himself, the Dursleys would have stopped letting her look after him from time to time. This suggests she didn't agree with the way the Dursleys treated Harry.[1]
Figg knew many members of the Order of the Phoenix. She met Sirius Black in 1995, when he informed her that Albus Dumbledore was reinstating the Order.[8] It is possible that she had previously met other members, such as James and Lily Potter.
She was also quite familiar with Mundungus Fletcher, a petty criminal and member of the Order, who addressed Mrs Figg as "Figgy." When Mundungus left Little Whinging to purchase stolen cauldrons in favour of watching over Harry Potter, Figg was furious; she both verbally and physically assaulted him, whacking him with a shopping bag full of canned cat food and calling him a "useless, skiving sneak thief".[1]