Beatrix Bloxam

Beatrix Bloxam (1794 – 1810) was a witch and the author of The Toadstool Tales, a series of children's books. Her work is infamous in the wizarding world for being banned because it induced nausea and vomiting in its readers. She is primarily known through a posthumous critique by Albus Dumbledore, who cited her writing as an example of self-indulgent and poorly conceived wizarding literature, contrasting it with the more profound lessons found in works like The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

Beatrix Bloxam lived a short life, from 1794 to 1810 (video game). During her lifetime, she authored The Toadstool Tales, a collection of stories intended for a young wizarding audience. However, the books contained magic that caused unpleasant physical reactions in those who read them, specifically nausea and vomiting. As a result, the entire series was eventually banned. Centuries later, her work was referenced by Albus Dumbledore in his personal notes on The Tales of Beedle the Bard. In his commentary on “The Fountain of Fair Fortune,” Dumbledore criticized the simplistic, pro-magic messages prevalent in some wizarding stories and used Bloxam's writing as a prime example of this flawed approach. He specifically quoted the opening of one of her tales, “The Warlock's Hairy Heart,” and dismissed it as a “self-indulgent autobiography” disguised as a children's story, highlighting its unsuitability for its intended audience.

There is no known description of Beatrix Bloxam's physical appearance. Based on Albus Dumbledore's analysis of her work, one can infer that Bloxam may have been somewhat narcissistic and self-absorbed. His description of her writing as a “self-indulgent autobiography” suggests she may have projected her own feelings and experiences into her stories without consideration for her young readers. The harmful side effects of her books could also indicate a lack of care or a profound misunderstanding of the magic she was using.

• Literary Magic: Bloxam was capable of imbuing her written works with magic that had a direct physical effect on the reader. This is a rare and complex form of magic. However, as the effects were uniformly negative (nausea and vomiting), it suggests her control and understanding of this magic were deeply flawed.
• Writing: She was a published author in the wizarding world, though her legacy is one of notoriety rather than acclaim.

• The Toadstool Tales: Her only known works are the stories contained within this banned series. No other possessions are documented.

No details about Beatrix Bloxam's family, friends, or other personal relationships are known. Her most significant, albeit posthumous, “relationship” is with her critic, Albus Dumbledore, whose commentary on her work provides the majority of the information known about her.

• Beatrix: This name is of Latin origin, derived from Viatrix, meaning “voyager,” and later associated with the Latin beatus, meaning “blessed” or “she who brings happiness.” This is deeply ironic, as her books brought sickness rather than joy to their readers.
• Bloxam: An English surname of locational origin, derived from a place in Oxfordshire, England. It has no clear magical connotations.

• Beatrix Bloxam is not mentioned in the seven main Harry Potter novels. All canonical information about her comes from J.K. Rowling's supplementary book, The Tales of Beedle the Bard.
• Her dates of birth and death (1794-1810) are sourced from a Chocolate Frog Card that appears in the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game) and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (video game).
• The character serves as a literary device to contrast with Beedle the Bard, representing a style of wizarding storytelling that Dumbledore considered shallow, harmful, and ultimately inferior to Beedle's morally complex fables.