Harry Potter Fans Can Now Discover Their Patronus in a Quiz Developed by J.K. Rowling Herself
A Patronus is much more than a spirit animal. It’s the concentrated form that your happiest memories coalesce into, creating a protective spirit that will shield you from dark forces — soul-sucking Dementors, for instance. And now, J.K. Rowling has created a virtual test that gives Harry Potter fans (yes, even us Muggles) the definitive answer to the question: what form does my Patronus take?
To see for yourself, you’ll need to join Pottermore, the digital destination for all things Harry Potter. You can only take the Patronus test — or “experience,” as it’s called — one time, so make sure you’re mentally prepared. The appropriately magical digital experience, which includes custom animation and music, involves a series of rapid-fire questions that you are meant to answer instinctively until you come to your creature match. You’ll want to come ready with a single, powerful happy memory to draw on, too; that’s the key to casting the advanced-level charm.
The launch of the quiz comes on the heels of a frenzy of speculation after Pottermore began teasing some kind of dark, mystical environment via Twitter and Instagram on Wednesday. Many fans correctly predicted, however, that the Patronus experience would soon drop.
As for the breadth of your animal options? That remains a mystery, but it seems to be massive. Fans tweeting about their results have gotten anything from a goshawk to a unicorn. “Patronuses are drawn from animals both familiar and magical, although magical beasts are amongst the rarest Patronuses,” Pottermore shared in a statement on the launch. It’s well-documented that Harry Potter’s own Patronus is a stag, Hermione’s is an otter, and Professor Snape’s takes the form of a doe, while J.K. Rowling shared this series of tweets about her own Patronus experience:
I took the @pottermore test (which I wrote) ages ago when it was a work in progress and got a pine marten Patronus. I was happy, because…
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 22, 2016
… my fondness for weaselly creatures is well documented. However, when we finalised the @pottermore test last week I took it again…
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 22, 2016
… and found that it had changed (which, as we know, can happen). My new Patronus has personal associations and I like it even better…
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 22, 2016
… so as far as I'm concerned, the @pottermore test works! Here's my Patronus… pic.twitter.com/xnjKfjGMx4
— J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) September 22, 2016
(It’s a heron.) In any case, fans are ecstatic about the added element of magic now at play in the Muggle world.