Much likeStar Wars,Star Trek, Marvel, DC, and just about any other big franchise like it, the Wizarding World has a lot of lore already pre-established, dating all the way back to the very origin of magic itself and going right up until Harry Potter’s children arrive at Hogwarts. But while the basis is there for many lore elements, theHarry Potterbooks and movies don’t reveal everything, and it’s now up to pieces of media likeHogwarts Legacyto flesh out theWizarding World’s loreproperly. But there’s one character that’s somehow managed to appear across the franchise, in just about every time period, and that’s Peeves the poltergeist.
One of Hogwarts' oldest ghosts, Peeves practically came with the school when it first opened, and he’s spent 1000 years tormenting both students and staff alike. While Peeves doesn’t have any screen-time intheHarry Pottermovies, with his original scenes being cut from the first movie, he crops up plenty throughout the books and makes multiple appearances inHogwarts Legacy.
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Peeves - Hogwarts' Mischievous Poltergeist
Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry was first founded around the year 993, and it’s widely believed that Peeves the poltergeist was there on opening day. While most oftheHarry Potteruniverse’s ghostsare souls trapped halfway between the mortal plane and the next due to their extreme fear of death or their affinity for a particular location, Peeves is a little different. The stories say that Peeves was never actually living at all, and that he’s somehow the ghostly manifestation of childhood mischief.
Often appearing in brightly colored finery and a top hat, Peeves is Hogwarts' biggest, and longest-running troublemaker. Peeves delights in playing pranks on students and staff, but he has a particular penchant for teasing the schools' various caretakers over the years, beginning with Hogwarts' very first caretaker, Hankerton Humble.
In the 1870s, Hogwarts' caretaker Rancorous Carpe had grown sick of Peeves' antics and decided to trap the ghost once and for all. Carpe crafted a brilliant trap of countless weapons and a jar, all jinxed with containment charms. However, this did little to trap Peeves, who quickly broke out of the jar and turned those enchanted weapons on Carpe instead. Hogwarts had to be evacuated following this attempt, as Peeves continued to threaten students with various enchanted weaponry, from swords to canons and blunderbusses. Eventually, Peeves was calmed down byheadmistress Eupraxia Mole, who agreed to sign a contract with Peeves that granted several wishes, including access to the boys' toilets on the ground floor of the castle for a weekly swim, a selection of stale bread to throw at students, and a brand-new custom hat.
20 years later, Peeves can be seen inHogwarts Legacyscaring students outside Hogwarts' ground floor toilets. As well as general hijinks, Peeves also loves to get students in trouble, andHogwarts Legacyplayers can see this behavior on full display in the game’s opening hours. When Sebastian Sallow and the player-character are caught by Peeves in the library’s restricted section, the poltergeist quickly dashes upstairs to alert the librarian.
Peeves is seen throughout theHarry Potterseries, with the first mentions of him coming all the way from the first book, just before the first Hogwarts great hall feast. Here, ghosts like Nearly Headless Nick and Fat Friar question whether or not Peeves will be allowed at the feast after all of his antics. Peeves takes great pleasure in taunting Harry and his friends during their time at Hogwarts, telling teachers that they’re sneaking around after curfew, waking Harry up prematurely beforea big Quidditch match, and generally mocking the chosen one whenever he gets a chance.
Hogwarts Legacyis available now on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. PS4 and Xbox One ports are scheduled to release on April 4, whereas the Nintendo Switch version is arriving on June 22, 2025.
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