Bob Hitchens

Bob Hitchens was a wizard and an employee of the Ministry of Magic during the Second Wizarding War. A background character, he worked in the Department of Magical Maintenance and was an acquaintance of Arthur Weasley. His brief mention serves to illustrate the daily life and inner workings of the Ministry.

Bob Hitchens is known to have worked for the Ministry of Magic in the Department of Magical Maintenance as of 1995. On 12 August of that year, he shared a lift at the Ministry with Arthur Weasley and Harry Potter, who was on his way to a disciplinary hearing. Arthur greeted Hitchens familiarly before he exited the lift. After Hitchens had left, Arthur informed Harry that, in addition to his official Ministry job, Hitchens ran a “nice sideline” business involving Fanged Frisbees, which were items banned at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Bob Hitchens's physical appearance is never described in the novels. He appeared to be on friendly, collegial terms with Arthur Weasley, as they greeted each other casually by their first names. Arthur's comment about his sideline business suggests that Hitchens had an entrepreneurial streak, creating and selling novelty magical goods that bordered on being illicit, at least within certain contexts like Hogwarts.

• Magical Maintenance: As an employee in the Department of Magical Maintenance, Hitchens presumably possessed skills in spells related to cleaning, repair, and the general upkeep of magical environments and artifacts.
• Magical Item Enchantment: His creation and sale of Fanged Frisbees indicates some level of talent in Charms and the enchanting of mundane objects to give them aggressive magical properties.

• Fanged Frisbees: Hitchens was known to create and sell these dangerous toys as a “sideline” business. A Fanged Frisbee is a frisbee enchanted to grow fangs and actively try to bite passers-by.

Arthur Weasley Hitchens was an acquaintance and colleague of Arthur Weasley. They were on a first-name basis, suggesting a friendly professional relationship within the Ministry of Magic. Arthur was aware of Hitchens's less-than-official business ventures but spoke of it with a tone of mild amusement rather than disapproval.

• The first name Bob is a common English diminutive for Robert. Its ordinariness helps establish Hitchens as an everyday wizard working a routine job.
• The surname Hitchens is a common English surname, reinforcing his status as a regular member of the wizarding world with no known connection to any prominent magical families.

Bob Hitchens is a minor character exclusive to the novel Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. He does not appear, nor is he mentioned, in the film adaptation. No further information about him has been provided by J.K. Rowling.