Silvanus Kettleburn
Origin: Harry Potter
Hair:
Eyes:
Species: Human
Birthday:
Residence: Kay Street 16 (36-87)
Occupation: Zoologist
Affiliation:
Talent: Magic
Medical notes: Arrived with one arm and half a leg, rest of his limbs lost
Sports/Instruments:
Languages:
Import Date: 5 (+)
Pets:
Professor Silvanus Kettleburn (b. 22 November,[3] pre-1927) was a British wizard who, after graduating from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, served as professor of Care of Magical Creatures.[6]
His recklessness and the nature of his subject resulted in him losing all his limbs but one arm and half of one leg.
He retired in 1993,[6] but still made visits to dragon sanctuaries.[3]
Early life
Silvanus Kettleburn was born to a wizard and a witch on 22 November. He received magical instruction at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, in which he was Sorted into Hufflepuff,[1] and presumably achieved high marks in Care of Magical Creatures, later leading him to become a teacher in that subject.
At some point in his life, Silvanus owned twelve pet Nifflers. They destroyed his home, his boat and his favourite replacement leg. Instead of being sad or angry, however, he was ecstatic and could hardly wait to get twelve more.[7]
At some point during the early to mid-1920s or earlier, Silvanus met and befriended the famous Magizoologist Newton Scamander, whom he helped with his best-selling book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by providing some of the information it contained about Chimaeras.[citation needed]
At some point in his life, Kettleburn became the Professor of Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts School under Headmaster Armando Dippet. During his time as a professor, Kettleburn amassed sixty-two periods of probations.[8] One of which was when a worm he provided for the play of The Fountain of Fair Fortune (which was in fact, an Engorged Ashwinder) exploded and started a fire. This started a duel between the girls playing Amata and Asha, in which Professor Herbert Beery was caught in the crossfire. Beery's head was reported to have been disfigured. It took him a long time for it to return to normal, which led to his retirement as a professor.[8]
At some point in or after the 1969–1970 school year, a student by the name of Patricia Rakepick approached him for information about how to enter the Forbidden Forest undetected. Seen as how she was his most gifted pupil at the time of her inquiry, he questioned her as to why she wanted to go into the forest, to which she replied she merely wanted to explore it and to study the magical creatures that dwelled within it, and told him she meant to become a Magizoologist after she left school. Accepting this explanation, he advised her to use a broomstick.[citation needed]
By the time Albus Dumbledore, the Transfiguration Professor, had taken over from Professor Dippet as Headmaster, Professor Kettleburn had calmed down a considerable amount, though this was likely because he only had one and a half of his original limbs left:[8] one arm and half a leg.[1]
By the 1980s, Professor Kettleburn had long become one of the regulars at the Hospital Wing at the school, where he had been treated by Poppy Pomfrey for and subsequently recuperated from various creature-induced injuries at the Hospital Wing no less than nineteen times, to the point where he eventually had a bed reserved just for him. Even so, he apparently took this with a surprising amount of good humour, almost affectionately referring to the Hospital Wing as his 'home away from home' during his twentieth time visiting.
During the 1986–1987 school year, he was invited to visit a Magical Creature Reserve in Ireland, and he left his baby Occamy, Squawk, in the care of the Hogwarts Hippogriff Club.[9]
During the 1987–1988 school year, he taught fourth-years, such as Jacob's sibling, classes on several magical creatures including Bowtruckles,[10] Nifflers,[7] Streelers,[11] and Kneazles.[12] He also bragged that he had won Hogsmeade's Most Maimed Award for ten years running.[13]
In this school year, he spent a considerable time asking for students' help in locating a Chimaera loose some where on the grounds of Hogwarts.[5] Professor Kettleburn and Rubeus Hagrid had also been transporting a large number of magical creatures to the school for teaching purposes for the Care of Magical Creatures, when they accidentally lost control over them and they escaped and overran Hogwarts Castle, and got injured while in the process of rounding them up.[14]
He continued to teach these students until their graduation in 1991.
The Hogwarts student Jacob's sibling described his scent as the streets of Edinburgh after a storm.[citation needed]
At some point during his tenure at Hogwarts, Kettleburn authored the internal Hogwarts guide Kettleburn's Classification of Chompers, which detailed magical creatures that should be avoided by Hogwarts students, including Hippogriffs.[15][16]
Retirement
Kettleburn remained in his position as Professor of Care of Magical Creatures until 1993, when he retired to spend more time with his remaining limbs. According to Rubeus Hagrid, who succeeded him, Professor Dumbledore came straight to his hut after Kettleburn said that he had had enough.[6] As a retirement present, Albus Dumbledore presented Kettleburn with a set of enchanted wooden prosthetics, which needed constant replacement due to his habit of visiting dragon sanctuaries.[1]
During his retirement, Professor Kettleburn moved to Hogsmeade. During the Battle of Hogwarts, his physical infirmities prevented him from fighting directly but, determined to play his part, he clambered into his attic of his house and threw his entire stock of Flobberworms out of the skylight at passing Death Eaters. While this had little to no effect on the outcome of the battle, it was generally felt to show the right spirit.[3]
He never married and had no children,[1] and died sometime prior to 22 November, 2014.[4]
Personality and traits
Silvanus Kettleburn had an extreme, professorial enthusiasm for the subject of Magizoology and great fondness for magical creatures of all kinds, especially the dangerous ones. Kettleburn was often cheerful but somewhat eccentric. Like Newton Scamander, he advocated for the protection and preservation of magical creatures, informing his class that he would risk life and limb, and indeed had done so, to protect the magical creatures in his care. He was also quite dutiful in regards to his profession, brushing off Rita Skeeter's accusation that he was regularly endangering his students by saying he was more careful with his students than he was with himself.
Despite this, Kettleburn was considered reckless by many people, including his former employer Armando Dippet,[8] and not without good reason. Indeed: True though it might be that the numerous injuries he had suffered or the limbs he had lost throughout his life, by, in his eagerness, recklessly neglecting to take the proper safety precautions when dealing with beasts, Silvanus Kettleburn did not mind or regret any of them, as he regarded his mangled body as a testament to his dedication to his work.
In the lesson about Nifflers (with Patricia Rakepick's pet Niffler Sickleworth), Kettleburn confided in her that he owned twelve of them, and still wanted twelve more, even when they had destroyed his boat, house and his favourite prosthetic leg.[7]
One notable example of Kettleburn's recklessness was the The Fountain of Fair Fortune incident in the Great Hall. This incident resulted in a packed Hospital Wing, a Great Hall smelling of burned wood, and Herbert Beery's head growing out of proportion. Kettleburn had mellowed considerably by the time Dumbledore took over,[8] although he was regarded as a "lovable if eccentric man".[1]
Magical abilities and skills
Care of Magical Creatures: As the Professor of Care of Magical Creatures, Kettleburn was highly knowledgeable and proficient in the field of Magizoology, the study of magical creatures. He was particularly fond of dealing with dangerous beasts like his successor, such as Chimaeras, but was more than capable of handling and teaching his students about non-violent beasts as well.
Charms: Kettleburn appeared to be proficient with charms, given how he was able to successfully cast an Engorgement Charm on an Ashwinder snake to significantly enlarge its size,[8] and timely cast the Sleeping Charm to subdue a Ukrainian Ironbelly.[17] He could also cast a successful Hurling Hex.[18]
Possessions
House: Kettleburn owned a small house in the village of Hogsmeade from where he would walk up to Hogwarts for work every day, and to which he retired to after leaving his profession.[3]
Wand: Like most wizards and witches, Professor Kettleburn owned a wand, which was 11½ inches long, made of chestnut wood and had a phoenix feather core, which was described as being "whippy".[1]
Silvanus Kettleburn's prosthetics: Kettleburn was given enchanted wooden prosthetics by Albus Dumbledore, that often needed replacing due his frequent visits to dragon sanctuaries.[3]
Boat: Kettleburn owned a boat, that was eventually destroyed by his pet Nifflers.[7]
Nifflers: At some point, Kettleburn owned twelve Nifflers that destroyed his house, boat, and favourite replacement leg; he could hardly wait to get twelve more.[7]