Flavius Belby

Flavius Belby was a wizard and a former student of Professor Horace Slughorn at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He is famous throughout the Wizarding World for being the sole recorded survivor of an attack by a Lethifold, an achievement he managed by successfully casting the Patronus Charm.

Flavius Belby was born in 1715 and lived until 1791 (Pottermore). He attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he was taught Potions by Professor Horace Slughorn. Slughorn considered him a promising student and recalled telling him that he would “go a long way.” Belby's most significant recorded life event occurred during his adulthood when he was attacked by a Lethifold in Papua New Guinea (Pottermore). The Lethifold, a highly dangerous magical beast that resembles a gliding black cloak and suffocates its victims in their sleep, attacked him. Belby was able to save himself by remembering to cast the Patronus Charm, which is the only known defence against this particular dark creature. This act made him famous, as he is the only wizard known to have survived such an encounter. He later documented this harrowing experience in a book (Pottermore).

There is no description of Flavius Belby's physical appearance or personality in the original novels. His survival of a Lethifold attack suggests he was courageous and quick-thinking under extreme pressure.

• Defensive Magic: Belby was an exceptionally skilled wizard, evidenced by his ability to cast a corporeal Patronus Charm powerful enough to repel a Lethifold. The Patronus Charm is an advanced and difficult piece of magic, and its successful use against such a deadly creature demonstrates considerable magical power and mental fortitude.

• Book: According to a Famous Wizard Card, Belby authored a book about his experience titled Fanged Fiends of the Far East (Pottermore).

• Horace Slughorn: Belby was one of Slughorn's esteemed former students. Decades after Belby had left Hogwarts, Slughorn still proudly recounted his story to new students, such as Harry Potter, as an example of a talented pupil he had taught who went on to achieve great things.
• Belby Family: Flavius shares a surname with Marcus Belby, a Ravenclaw student during Harry Potter's time at Hogwarts, and Marcus's uncle, Damocles Belby, the celebrated inventor of the Wolfsbane Potion. While a direct familial link is not specified in the books, it is highly likely they belong to the same wizarding family.

• Flavius: A Roman family name derived from the Latin word flavus, meaning “golden” or “yellow-haired.” It was the name of a dynasty of Roman Emperors, including Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian.
• Belby: The origin of this surname is uncertain. It may be a variant of an English toponymic surname, possibly derived from a place named Beby or Beeby.

Much of the specific information known about Flavius Belby, beyond Horace Slughorn's anecdote in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, comes from a Famous Wizard Card, which was later published on Pottermore (now WizardingWorld.com). This supplementary material established his lifespan (1715-1791), the location of the Lethifold attack (Papua New Guinea), and the title of the book he supposedly wrote about the experience.