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Patronus Quiz: What Is Your Patronus?
A Patronus takes the shape of the animal that fits your spirit best. Answer 10 questions to find out which of 20 silver guardians would burst from your wand.
Already know your Patronus? Find your Hogwarts house next.
10 questions · about 2 minutes
Think of your happiest memory…
Answer with your first instinct. There are 20 possible Patronuses and nothing you answer is saved.
All 20 Patronuses and what they mean
Each result comes with three core traits, what the animal says about you, a gentle warning about its weak spot and the characters who share it.
Stag
Protective · Steady · Brave
The stag is a guardian. You step forward when others need protecting, and people tend to look to you when things go wrong. Your strength is quiet until it is needed, and then it is hard to stop.
Watch out for: You can take on too much for other people and forget to ask for help yourself.
Shared with: Harry Potter and his father, James
Doe
Devoted · Gentle · Faithful
The doe stands for a love that lasts. You are gentle on the surface and fiercely loyal underneath, and the people you care about can rely on you for years, not weeks.
Watch out for: You can hold on to people and feelings long after they have stopped being good for you.
Shared with: Lily Potter and Severus Snape
Otter
Clever · Curious · Joyful
The otter is quick, clever and secretly fun. You love learning and solving problems, but you are also more playful than people expect once they get to know you.
Watch out for: You can work so hard at getting things right that you forget to enjoy them.
Shared with: Hermione Granger
Jack Russell terrier
Loyal · Spirited · Funny
The terrier is small, scrappy and impossible to scare off. You are loyal to your friends, quick to make them laugh and braver than you give yourself credit for.
Watch out for: You can doubt yourself and compare yourself to others more than you need to.
Shared with: Ron Weasley
Phoenix
Resilient · Wise · Hopeful
The phoenix is about renewal. You have come back from setbacks before and you will again, and you tend to see the bigger picture when everyone else is caught up in the moment.
Watch out for: You can keep your plans, and your feelings, to yourself for too long.
Shared with: Albus Dumbledore
Hare
Dreamy · Original · Intuitive
The hare is an outsider in the best sense. You notice what other people miss, you follow your own path and you are kinder than most to anyone who does not fit in.
Watch out for: People can mistake your calm for not caring, and you rarely correct them.
Shared with: Luna Lovegood
Horse
Free-spirited · Strong · Bold
The horse is strength with a free spirit. You are confident, energetic and independent, and you do not wait for permission to go after what you want.
Watch out for: You can resist being reined in even when slowing down would help.
Shared with: Ginny Weasley
Cat
Independent · Observant · Composed
The cat is self-possessed. You are observant, hard to fool and comfortable in your own company. Your respect is earned, but once someone has it, they keep it.
Watch out for: You can come across as cooler or stricter than you really feel.
Shared with: Minerva McGonagall (and, less happily, Dolores Umbridge)
Wolf
Loyal · Instinctive · Protective
The wolf belongs to a pack. You are fiercely loyal to your people, guided by instinct and wild at heart, and you would go a long way for the ones you love.
Watch out for: You can be wary of outsiders until they have proved themselves.
Shared with: Nymphadora Tonks, after she fell in love with Remus Lupin
Lynx
Perceptive · Calm · Watchful
The lynx sees clearly. You stay calm under pressure, read people and situations well and speak when it matters, which is why people trust you in a crisis.
Watch out for: You can watch from a distance when others would welcome you closer.
Shared with: Kingsley Shacklebolt
Goat
Stubborn · Independent · Tough
The goat is sure-footed and stubborn. You do things your own way, you are hard to push around and you can keep going over ground that would stop other people.
Watch out for: You can dig your heels in just to prove a point.
Shared with: Aberforth Dumbledore
Swan
Graceful · Devoted · Tender
The swan is grace and devotion. You are calm on the surface, deeply feeling underneath and loyal in your relationships, and you carry yourself with more poise than you realise.
Watch out for: You can hide how much you are struggling behind that calm surface.
Shared with: Cho Chang
Boar
Steadfast · Direct · Determined
The boar is courage without fuss. You are direct, determined and steady, the kind of person who stands their ground and does the hard thing without needing an audience.
Watch out for: You can charge ahead before you have heard everyone out.
Shared with: Ernie Macmillan
Fox
Witty · Resourceful · Quick
The fox is clever and quick on its feet. You are witty, resourceful and good at finding a way out of tight spots, and life is rarely dull when you are around.
Watch out for: You can rely on charm to get out of things you should face head-on.
Shared with: Seamus Finnigan
Eagle
Visionary · Ambitious · Fearless
The eagle sees the whole landscape. You are ambitious, independent and unafraid of heights, and you set your sights further than most people dare.
Watch out for: You can lose patience with people who move slower than you do.
Shared with: No major character in the books casts one, so it is yours to define
Owl
Wise · Patient · Thoughtful
The owl is quiet wisdom. You listen more than you talk, think before you act and give advice people remember years later.
Watch out for: You can overthink decisions that only need a quick answer.
Shared with: No major character in the books casts one, though owls are everywhere else at Hogwarts
Dolphin
Sociable · Bright · Warm
The dolphin is clever and social. You make friends easily, lift the mood in any room and use your intelligence to bring people together rather than to stand apart.
Watch out for: You can find it hard to be alone with your own thoughts.
Shared with: No major character in the books casts one, so it is yours to define
Bear
Protective · Strong · Kind
The bear is strength used kindly. You are protective, dependable and gentler than your strength suggests, and people feel safe when you are nearby.
Watch out for: You can go quiet and withdraw when you need time to recover.
Shared with: No major character in the books casts one, so it is yours to define
Raven
Mysterious · Clever · Curious
The raven is a puzzle-solver with a hint of mystery. You are curious about everything, especially the things other people avoid, and you are more playful than your serious face suggests.
Watch out for: You can keep people guessing when a straight answer would help.
Shared with: No major character in the books casts one, so it is yours to define
Hedgehog
Kind · Shy · Resilient
The hedgehog is soft at heart with a few spikes for protection. You are kind, a little shy and tougher than you look, and the people who get close to you never regret it.
Watch out for: You can curl up and hide when you would be better off asking for support.
Shared with: No major character in the books casts one, so it is yours to define
What is a Patronus?
A Patronus is a protective charm, cast with the incantation Expecto Patronum. It is made of positive feeling: hope, happiness and the will to survive. That makes it the main defence against Dementors, which feed on happiness and cannot feed on a Patronus.
A fully formed Patronus is called corporeal. It takes the shape of a silver-white animal that belongs to the person who cast it, and no two people choose theirs. A weaker, unformed Patronus is non-corporeal: a wisp of silver mist that can hold a Dementor back for a short while but cannot drive it off.
The charm is famously hard. Harry learns it from Remus Lupin in Prisoner of Azkaban, at thirteen, which is well beyond the usual level for his age. He later teaches it to Dumbledore's Army in Order of the Phoenix, and by the end of the year several members, including Hermione and Cho, can produce a full Patronus.
How the Patronus Charm works
The caster focuses on a single, powerful happy memory while saying the incantation. The memory matters as much as the wand movement. Harry's first attempts fail because the memories he chooses are not strong enough. Later, his strongest Patronus comes from a feeling rather than a memory: knowing that he can do it, because he has already done it.
Patronuses have other uses too. The Order of the Phoenix used them to carry spoken messages, which is how Kingsley Shacklebolt's lynx warns the wedding guests at the Burrow that the Ministry has fallen. Because a Patronus is unique, the shape also proves who sent it.
Why your Patronus is that animal
In the books, a Patronus often reflects something deep about a person: the people they love, the qualities they admire or who they are at their core. Harry's stag mirrors his father. Snape's doe mirrors Lily, the woman he loved for his whole life. Aberforth Dumbledore keeps goats at the Hog's Head, and his Patronus is a goat.
That is the idea behind this quiz. Rather than asking which animal you like most, it looks at how you behave: whether you run towards trouble, stay calm under pressure, keep a crowd laughing or need time on your own. Your answers build a profile across six traits, and the quiz matches that profile to the closest animal.
How this quiz works out your Patronus
Every answer adds points to one or more of six traits:
- Courage
- Loyalty
- Wisdom
- Freedom
- Gentleness
- Playfulness
Every Patronus has its own trait mix. A boar is high in courage and loyalty. A cat is high in wisdom and freedom. An otter mixes wisdom with playfulness. At the end, the quiz compares the shape of your profile with each animal's and gives you the closest match, plus the two runners-up.
We tested the quiz against every possible combination of answers, all 1,048,576 of them. Every one of the 20 animals can come up, and no single animal takes more than about 7.5% of the results. You get your animal because of how you answer, not because the quiz leans towards a favourite.
Famous Patronuses in Harry Potter
| Character | Patronus | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|
| Harry Potter | Stag | Matches his father James, who was an Animagus stag. |
| Hermione Granger | Otter | Seen when the trio fight off Dementors in Deathly Hallows. |
| Ron Weasley | Jack Russell terrier | Small, scrappy and loyal, much like Ron. |
| Albus Dumbledore | Phoenix | Echoes his companion, Fawkes. Confirmed by J.K. Rowling. |
| Severus Snape | Doe | Leads Harry to the sword in Deathly Hallows. It matches Lily Potter's. |
| Luna Lovegood | Hare | Cast during the Battle of Hogwarts. |
| Ginny Weasley | Horse | Confirmed by J.K. Rowling outside the books. |
| Minerva McGonagall | Cat | Fitting for an Animagus who turns into a tabby cat. Seen in Deathly Hallows. |
| Nymphadora Tonks | Wolf | Changed after she fell in love with Lupin. |
| Kingsley Shacklebolt | Lynx | Delivers his warning at Bill and Fleur's wedding. |
| Aberforth Dumbledore | Goat | He keeps goats at the Hog's Head. |
| Cho Chang | Swan | Shown during a Dumbledore's Army lesson. |
| Seamus Finnigan | Fox | Cast during the Battle of Hogwarts. |
| Ernie Macmillan | Boar | Cast during the Battle of Hogwarts. |
| Dolores Umbridge | Cat | Proof that the animal does not make the person. |
Some well-known characters never show a Patronus in the books, including Hagrid, Sirius and Neville. Voldemort and most Death Eaters are not shown casting one at all. Umbridge is the uncomfortable exception: her cat shows that being able to cast the charm does not make someone good.
Can your Patronus change?
Usually a Patronus stays the same for life, but it can change after an intense emotional upheaval. The clearest example is Tonks. During Half-Blood Prince her Patronus changes into a wolf, reflecting her love for Remus Lupin, a werewolf. Snape notices the change and mocks her for it.
Snape's doe is a related case. It matches Lily Potter's, and it reflects a love that never faded.
The same idea applies here in a smaller way. If you take this quiz after a big week, a breakup or a new start, your answers, and your Patronus, may shift. It is worth noticing which result feels most like you.
Your Patronus and your Hogwarts house
There is no rule linking a Patronus to a house. Gryffindors in the books have a stag, an otter, a terrier, a horse, a fox and a cat; Ravenclaws have a hare and a swan; Hufflepuffs have a wolf and a boar. A Slytherin has a doe. Your Patronus says what kind of person you are; your house says what you value most. Taking both quizzes gives a fuller picture.
Frequently asked questions
What is my Patronus?
Take the quiz above. It asks 10 questions about how you act, what you value and what makes you happy, then matches you to one of 20 Patronus animals.
How does the Patronus quiz work?
Each answer adds points to six traits: courage, loyalty, wisdom, freedom, gentleness and playfulness. Every Patronus has its own mix of those traits, and you get the animal whose mix is closest to yours. The two next-closest animals are shown too.
Is this the official Patronus quiz?
No. This is an independent fan quiz with its own questions and results. It is not connected to Warner Bros., J.K. Rowling or the official Wizarding World site, which has its own Patronus experience.
Which Patronuses can I get?
There are 20: stag, doe, otter, Jack Russell terrier, phoenix, hare, horse, cat, wolf, lynx, goat, swan, boar, fox, eagle, owl, dolphin, bear, raven, hedgehog.
Is a phoenix Patronus rare?
In the books, only Albus Dumbledore is known to have one. In this quiz the phoenix comes up about as often as most other animals, so if you get it, it says more about your answers than about luck.
Can your Patronus change?
Yes. In the books a Patronus can change after a great emotional upheaval, usually falling deeply in love or a loss. Tonks's Patronus changed to a wolf because of her love for Remus Lupin. If you retake this quiz in a different mood, you may also get a different result.
Can I retake the Patronus quiz?
As often as you like. Your first answers are usually the most honest, so your first result is the one most worth thinking about.
Do you save my answers?
No. The quiz runs in your browser and nothing is sent or stored.
Unofficial fan project. Not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to Warner Bros., J.K. Rowling or Wizarding World Digital.