Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter/Characters/Mrs. Norris
| Muggles' Guide to Harry Potter - Character | |
| Mrs. Norris | |
|---|---|
| Gender | Female |
| Hair color | Dust-coloured |
| Eye color | Yellow |
| Related Family | None |
| Loyalty | Argus Filch |
Overview
[edit | edit source]Mrs. Norris is a cat, the pet of Argus Filch, the caretaker at Hogwarts. She is described as a little, tale-telling, grey cat that thrives on getting students in trouble. She is almost skeletally thin, but Filch evidently cares very deeply for her, for unknown reasons.
Role in the Books
[edit | edit source]When [[../Augustas skiny jeans], Ron, Hermione, and Neville are in the Trophy Room waiting for Draco Malfoy to arrive for the promised Wizard's Duel at midnight, Filch's approach is heralded by us overhearing him talking to Mrs. Norris.
As Harry is on his way to the library at Christmas, under his Invisibility Cloak, he passes Mrs. Norris in the halls. Mrs. Norris seems to be able to perceive him, but may not be able to recognize him as a student; in any event, she allows him to pass without going for Filch.
She enters the room with the Mirror of Erised as Harry and Ron are in there. Her luminous eyes fixed on them, making them wonder if Harry's Invisibility Cloak works on cats. She turns and leaves, but the boys go soon after, in case she has gone to fetch Filch.
Harry is accosted by Filch, accompanied by Mrs. Norris, after trailing mud into the castle. After hearing Peeves smash a Vanishing Cabinet, he is certain Peeves could be expelled for this. He gleefully says to Mrs. Norris, "we’ll have Peeves out this time, my sweet..."
During Nearly Headless Nick's Deathday party, Mrs. Norris is Petrified and left hanging by her tail from a torch bracket. Filch is distraught, depressed and eventually furiously angry at this, demanding that someone must be punished. He spends much of the book sitting at the spot where Mrs. Norris was initially left hanging.
Later in the story, Professor Sprout is seen to be reassuring Filch about the restorative potion she is making, saying he will have Mrs. Norris back in no time.
Harry notices Mrs. Norris on the Marauder's Map, prowling the second floor. He takes this as his cue to illicitly go to Hogsmeade, as she is nowhere near the secret passage.
Harry notices Filch and Mrs. Norris "safely in their office" on the Marauder's Map after leaving the Prefects' bathroom.
Harry later drops his egg clue down the staircase. Filch appears at the foot of the stairs, saying, "My sweetǃ This is a Triwizard clue! This belongs to a school champion!" This indicates that Mrs. Norris is with him. While Filch searches, she looks directly at Harry, making him wonder again if the Cloak works on cats. She may also be alerted to his presence by the scent of perfumed soap; she gives a large meow, looking for the source from behind Filch's legs.
Ron jocularly suggests kidnapping Mrs. Norris and using her to practice Stunning.
As Harry is on his way to the Owlery, Mrs. Norris slinks past him, turning her yellow eyes upon him for a moment before disappearing behind a statue of Wilfred the Wistful. "I'm not doing anything wrong," Harry calls after her, but she returns soon afterwards, leading Filch. During the altercation between Harry, Cho and Filch, she spends her time looking hungrily at the owls.
On the Trio's first trip to the Room of Requirement, they check the Map, and see Mrs. Norris is on the fourth floor.
On their way to Dumbledore's office, Harry and Professor McGonagall pass Mrs. Norris, who turns and hisses faintly, but Professor McGonagall simply says "Shoo!" and she slinks away into the shadows.
During Peeves' reign of chaos at the school, he shuts Mrs. Norris inside suits of armour twice, from which she has to be rescued, "yowling loudly", by a furious Filch.
Mrs. Norris appears shortly after an argument between Ron and Ginny after he finds her kissing Dean. She comes around the corner, breaking the tension. On the sound of Filch’s shuffling feet coming after her, Harry and Ron leave the area.
Just before the Battle of Hogwarts, Harry dashes through a corridor seeing owls everywhere. Mrs. Norris is hissing and trying to bat them with her paws, possibly to encourage them to return to safety. She could also just be acting like a cat would, trying to get at birds.
Strengths
[edit | edit source]Mrs. Norris has all the abilities of a cat, such as quick reflexes, the ability to see in the dark and a keen sense of scent.
She is a very intelligent cat and has the ability to communicate with Filch through the bond she has with her owner. She often appears before he does, or will accompany him on his travails through the castle. They are very close and he refers to her as "my sweet".
Weaknesses
[edit | edit source]Her small size is a disadvantage, as evidenced by the fact that Peeves manages to trap her in suits of armour. She also may be more cowardly that she seems, as McGonagall is able to shoo her away.
Relationships with Other Characters
[edit | edit source]Mrs. Norris seems to distrust all of the Hogwarts students, and seems to have no mission in life other than to report their infractions to Filch. In return, all of the students detest Mrs. Norris, and many have expressed a wish to do her harm; however, whether through their fear of Filch or their inability to catch her, no harm has yet befallen her from the students.
It is mentioned at one point that Ginny, who is very fond of cats, was upset by her Petrification.
Analysis
[edit | edit source]Mrs. Norris seems exceptionally smart for a cat, to the point that we might think her a cat-Kneazle crossbreed like Crookshanks, an Animagus, or Filch's familiar, it those existed in this world. However, the author has stated that she is just a highly intelligent (and unpleasant) cat.
Questions
[edit | edit source]
- Mrs. Norris is evidently cared for by Filch. Why is she so thin?
- How do Filch and Mrs. Norris communicate? Is this by magical means? Why or why not?
- Is Mrs. Norris a genuinely unpleasant character? Why might she not be?
Greater Picture
[edit | edit source]Cats are a recurring theme in the series. Others, like Crookshanks or Mrs. Figg's cats such as Mr. Tibbles, make an appearance; Hermione also unintentionally transforms into one in the second book. McGonagall's Animagus form and her Patronus are both cats. Even Umbridge seems to like kittens, although in a very gaudy and nauseating form (her Patronus is also a cat). Cats are often associated with magic, and in particular witches, in traditional mythology.
It is stated very early on in the series that a student may bring an owl or a cat or a toad. It may be a surprise to find that a member of staff has one, although perhaps this should not be unforeseen. She appears to fill a dual rôle of Filch's companion and his assistant, and is clearly the most important being in his life. Additionally, she - like Filch - is unable to perform magic, but does a good job of keeping him informed.
Mrs. Norris is one of the few characters mentioned by name in all seven books, and plays a small rôle in every one. She also survives the final battle.