Phyllida Spore

Chapter 46

Image credit: here Dame Phyllida Spore was a former headmistress of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry during the fifteenth century. Not only did she attend the school in her youth, but she was also a celebrated figure in the field of herbology. Spore spent a number of years locating and studying different specimens of magical plants and fungi. She noted care instructions, possible benefits, how the plants could affect Muggles, and other useful information. Spore also tested several mundane plants to see if they had any magical uses. After compiling this research, Spore wrote and published One Thousand Magical Herbs and Fungi, which has been frequently used as a textbook for Herbology. The reason we know so much about magical plants today is due to Spore’s efforts, however, this book only covers a thousand herbs and there are still many plants that have been discovered since its publication. Towards the later half of her herbology career, Spore was offered the position of headmistress at Hogwarts, which she gratefully accepted. Even though she took on new administrative duties, Spore continued to pursue her research in magical plants. She was known to be a compassionate person who always held others’ well-being in high regard. Due to an influx in Muggle diseases at the time, Spore had a theory that certain magical plants and potion ingredients could cure Muggles of mundane diseases if administered several times in small amounts. Inspired by the cure for dragon pox that was created by Gunhilda of Gorsemoor a century before, Spore correlated the disease with smallpox and hypothesized that taking a bit of the main herb ingredient from the cure and diluting it with other substances that were safe for Muggles would eventually eliminate the disease within a few weeks. This theory seemed to work wonders after a few tests and the cure Spore made managed to save several hundred Muggle lives, especially during the smallpox outbreak in France during the 1440s. Due to her efforts as a “doctor”, Spore was knighted in England and given the title of Dame. There are two portraits of Spore that hang within the walls of Hogwarts. One is in the Headmaster’s office which depicts her earlier in her life, sporting long dark hair and a green robe. The other hangs in the Grand Staircase, showing her as a middle aged woman right before she retired from her position as headmistress.