Moke

• Type: Magical Creature (Reptile)
• Native To: Great Britain and Ireland
• Ministry of Magic Classification: XXX (Competent wizard should cope) (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them)
• Distinguishing Features: Silvery-green skin, ability to shrink at will

The Moke is a silvery-green lizard that can grow up to ten inches in length and is native to the British Isles. (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) Its primary and most remarkable magical ability is its capacity to shrink at will. This allows the Moke to evade detection by Muggles and other predators, making it extremely difficult to find. (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them)

The skin of the Moke, known as Mokeskin, is a highly valued material in the wizarding world. Its protective properties are directly derived from the creature's natural ability to shrink. When Mokeskin is fashioned into a container, such as a purse or pouch, it inherits the shrinking characteristic. The pouch will shrink tightly closed at the approach of a stranger, making it impossible for anyone but the owner to retrieve its contents. This makes Mokeskin pouches ideal for carrying valuables, as they are essentially thief-proof. Albus Dumbledore noted that a charm must be placed upon the Mokeskin pouch during its creation to ensure only the owner can access it. (The Tales of Beedle the Bard)

The most notable object made from a Moke in the series is the Mokeskin pouch that Rubeus Hagrid gave to Harry Potter for his seventeenth birthday. Hagrid described it as something “that stuff'll only come out for the owner.” Throughout Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Harry used this pouch to carry several of his most important possessions during the hunt for the Horcruxes:

• The shards of the two-way mirror given to him by Sirius Black
• The Golden Snitch bequeathed to him by Albus Dumbledore
• The locket of Salazar Slytherin, after retrieving it from Dolores Umbridge
• The Marauder's Map
• His broken holly and phoenix feather wand

The pouch's magical properties proved invaluable, particularly when the trio was captured by Snatchers, as it prevented them from discovering the Horcrux hidden within. In his notes on “The Tale of the Three Brothers,” Albus Dumbledore also mentions having used a Mokeskin pouch himself. (The Tales of Beedle the Bard)

• The Moke is one of the magical creatures detailed in the in-universe textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.
• The name “Moke” may be related to “moki,” a type of lizard native to the southwestern United States, or the archaic English word “moke,” a slang term for a donkey.