Feather Quill

• Type: Writing Implement
• Owners: Commonly owned by nearly all witches and wizards; no single line of ownership.
• Maker: Various magical artisans and shops, such as Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop in Hogsmeade.

A feather quill, often referred to simply as a quill, is the standard writing instrument used throughout the wizarding world. It is created from the flight feather of a large bird, such as a goose, swan, eagle, or pheasant. The shaft of the feather is hollow and the tip is sharpened to a point, which is then dipped into an ink pot to draw up ink for writing on parchment. Quills come in a wide variety of sizes, colors, and types of feather. Harry Potter purchased a long, black-and-gold pheasant feather quill during his first visit to Diagon Alley. They are a required item for all students attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

While a standard quill has no inherent magical properties, many are enchanted for specific purposes. These magical variations showcase the blend of the mundane and the magical in wizarding life.

• Anti-Cheating Quill: These quills are bewitched with an Anti-Cheating Spell and are distributed to students during major examinations, such as the Ordinary Wizarding Levels (O.W.L.s) and Nastily Exhausting Wizarding Tests (N.E.W.T.s). They prevent the user from writing down any information they did not know on their own.
• Black Quill: A particularly cruel instrument of torture used by Dolores Umbridge. This quill requires no ink, as it magically writes using the writer's own blood. As the user writes, the words are painfully carved onto the back of their hand, leaving permanent scars. It is considered a Dark Artefact.
• Quick-Quotes Quill: An acid-green quill owned by the journalist Rita Skeeter. This quill has a mind of its own, automatically transcribing interviews but twisting the subject's words into sensational, often fabricated, quotes for articles in publications like the Daily Prophet.
• Self-Inking Quill: A more convenient type of quill that does not need to be repeatedly dipped in ink.
• Spell-Checking Quill: A quill enchanted to automatically correct spelling errors as the user writes. Hermione Granger owned one of these, which Ron Weasley once tried to borrow, only to have it refuse to write for him due to the sheer number of mistakes in his essay.

The feather quill is a ubiquitous object that helps establish the distinct, pre-industrial aesthetic of the wizarding world, setting it apart from the modern Muggle world of ballpoint pens. Beyond this world-building function, specific enchanted quills play significant roles in the plot. The Quick-Quotes Quill is a central antagonist tool in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Through it, Rita Skeeter publishes slanderous articles about Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, and Rubeus Hagrid, influencing public opinion and creating immense personal distress for the characters. The most significant and sinister quill is the Black Quill featured in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Dolores Umbridge forces Harry to use it during detentions to write lines, physically and psychologically torturing him. The resulting scar on his hand, which reads “I must not tell lies,” serves as a permanent, painful reminder of the tyranny he faced from Umbridge and the Ministry of Magic. The use of Anti-Cheating Quills during O.W.L.s highlights the strict academic standards and integrity expected at Hogwarts. Finally, the various types of quills available for purchase in Diagon Alley and Hogsmeade illustrate the commercial and practical applications of magic in everyday wizarding life.

J.K. Rowling has stated that the choice to have the wizarding world use quills and parchment instead of modern pens and paper was a deliberate one. It was intended to create a sense of a world that is “stuck in time” and to draw a clear line between the magical and Muggle worlds (Pottermore). In the film adaptations, the Quick-Quotes Quill is depicted as being very large and flamboyant, floating in the air and writing on a notepad of its own accord, emphasizing its automated and malevolent nature (film). The scarring effect of the Black Quill is also shown in graphic detail, highlighting the severity of Umbridge's cruelty (film).