Babbitty Rabbity

Babbitty Rabbity is the clever witch protagonist of the wizarding fairy tale, “Babbitty Rabbity and her Cackling Stump”, one of the stories featured in The Tales of Beedle the Bard. An accomplished witch and an Animagus, Babbitty lived her life disguised as a simple washerwoman for a foolish Muggle King. Her tale is a cautionary one, celebrated for its clear moral that magic cannot reawaken the dead, and for its illustration of resourcefulness in the face of persecution.

According to the tale, Babbitty was a washerwoman in the service of a foolish Muggle King who wished to keep all magic for himself. When the King hired a charlatan to be his private instructor in magic, Babbitty overheard the charlatan's fraudulent claims and cackled with laughter. To avoid being exposed, the charlatan blackmailed Babbitty, threatening to reveal her as a witch unless she assisted him in a public demonstration of magic. Hiding in a bush, Babbitty performed several spells on the charlatan's behalf, such as making a hat disappear and levitating the King's horse. The demonstration was a success until a captain in the King's Brigade of Witch-Hunters challenged the charlatan to bring his deceased hound back to life. Knowing this was impossible, Babbitty refused to help further. Accused of being a witch and threatened with being burned at the stake, Babbitty devised a clever plan. She had the charlatan ask for a tree to be sawn down. She then cried out that the stump should be used to prove that a charlatan could be sawn in half. When the terrified charlatan declared that Babbitty had cursed the stump, the stump began to cackle and speak. It demanded the King build a statue of Babbitty upon it and never harm a wizard or witch again. Amid the chaos, Babbitty transformed into her white rabbit Animagus form and escaped through a hole at the stump's base. The charlatan was exposed, the statue was built, and the story concludes that a stout white rabbit—presumably Babbitty—lived at its base forever after, guarding it.

The story provides no description of Babbitty's human form. In her Animagus form, she is a “stout old white rabbit.” Babbitty's personality is defined by her cleverness, courage, and wit. She is resourceful enough to outsmart a King and a con man, and brave enough to face down the threat of execution. Her decision to laugh at the charlatan shows a keen sense of humor and an intolerance for foolishness. Despite being blackmailed, she demonstrates great ingenuity in turning the situation to her advantage, ultimately securing her freedom and exposing the fraud.

• Animagus: Babbitty was a skilled Animagus, able to transform into a white rabbit at will. According to Albus Dumbledore's notes in The Tales of Beedle the Bard, her story contains one of the earliest references to this form of magic.
• Wandless Magic: She performed all her spells without a wand while hidden, indicating a high level of magical proficiency and control.
• Charms and Transfiguration: The spells she performed for the charlatan included a Vanishing Spell (on a hat) and a Levitating Charm (on a horse).
• Knowledge of Magical Principles: Crucially, Babbitty understood the fundamental laws of magic, particularly that it is impossible to bring the dead back to life. This piece of wisdom forms the central moral of her tale.

The tale does not mention any significant magical or personal possessions belonging to Babbitty. Her primary asset was her own formidable magical ability.

• The Foolish King: As his washerwoman, Babbitty was his employee. She becomes his adversary when his foolish desire for magic and susceptibility to the charlatan's lies places her life in danger. She ultimately manipulates his gullibility to ensure her own escape.
• The Charlatan: The story's main antagonist, this unnamed con man blackmails Babbitty to conceal his own lack of magical ability. His greed and cowardice stand in stark contrast to Babbitty's cleverness and bravery, and he is ultimately exposed and disgraced due to her actions.

• Babbitty: This name is likely a diminutive or whimsical form of “Barbara.” The sound is also reminiscent of “babble,” which may reflect the story's status as a children's tale.
• Rabbity: This part of her name is a direct and simple reference to her rabbit Animagus form, which is central to her escape and the story's conclusion.

“Babbitty Rabbity and her Cackling Stump” is one of the five stories in The Tales of Beedle the Bard, a book bequeathed to Hermione Granger by Albus Dumbledore. Ron Weasley was familiar with the story from his childhood. In his published notes on the tale, Dumbledore praises its core lesson about the finality of death, noting that it is a less gruesome and more subtle introduction to this principle than the “Tale of the Three Brothers”. He also discusses the historical context of Animagi and wandless magic, suggesting that the tale, while fictional, reflects real magical principles that have been known for centuries. The story's theme of a “cackling” witch is a deliberate play on Muggle stereotypes.