Nifflers

• Type: Magical Creature
• Owners: Rubeus Hagrid (for teaching purposes), Lee Jordan
• Maker: Natural species, not made

A Niffler is a British beast with a Ministry of Magic Classification of XXX, meaning a competent wizard should be able to cope with one. (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them book)

Nifflers are small, rodent-like creatures native to Britain. They are described as being fluffy, covered in black fur, and having a long snout, making them resemble a cross between a mole and a platypus. Their most notable physical feature is a pouch on their bellies which serves as a storage space for treasure they collect. This pouch possesses magical dimensional properties, allowing a Niffler to hold far more than seems physically possible, similar to an Undetectable Extension Charm. Despite their gentle and even affectionate nature, Nifflers can be highly destructive to property in their single-minded pursuit of shiny objects. For this reason, Hermione Granger noted that they are not suitable to be kept as house pets. They live in lairs, which can be up to twenty feet below ground, and give birth to litters of six to eight young. (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them book)

The Niffler's primary “magical property” is its instinctual and powerful attraction to glittering and valuable objects, such as gold, silver, and jewels. This makes them exceptional at locating treasure. They use their long snouts and sharp claws to burrow deep into the ground with great speed. Due to this innate ability, Nifflers have been utilized by certain members of the wizarding community:

• Treasure Hunting: Goblins are known to keep Nifflers to help them burrow deep into the earth to search for treasure.
• Education: Nifflers were used in Rubeus Hagrid's fourth-year Care of Magical Creatures class at Hogwarts to teach students about magical beasts. Hagrid buried Leprechaun Gold for the students' Nifflers to find as part of a competition.
• Disruption: Lee Jordan used two Nifflers as a prank to cause chaos in Professor Dolores Umbridge's office, where they tore the room apart in an attempt to get shiny items. One even tried to bite the rings from her fingers.

The history of the Niffler species is not detailed in the texts, but their use by Goblins suggests a long-standing relationship with the wizarding world as a tool for locating buried valuables. Their inclusion in the Care of Magical Creatures curriculum indicates they are a well-documented and understood beast. Their presence in the story is primarily as a creature studied at Hogwarts and as an instrument of mischief during the students' rebellion against Dolores Umbridge.

Nifflers first appear during Harry Potter's fourth year in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. In a Care of Magical Creatures lesson, Rubeus Hagrid has each student take a Niffler and search for buried Leprechaun Gold. Ron Weasley's Niffler won, and Ron became particularly fond of the creature, expressing a wish to own one. He was disappointed to learn that the Leprechaun Gold it had collected would vanish. In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Lee Jordan levitates a pair of Nifflers through the window of Dolores Umbridge's office. The creatures wreak havoc, destroying furniture and decorations in their hunt for anything shiny. Professor Umbridge, believing Hagrid was responsible, was furious. Hagrid was ultimately called to remove them safely.

• The Niffler's role in the wizarding world was significantly expanded in the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film series. In the films, Newt Scamander owns a particularly mischievous Niffler that frequently escapes his magical suitcase to steal valuables, driving several key plot points. (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them film)
• The companion book, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, provides the canonical Ministry of Magic Classification and details about their lairs and breeding habits, information not present in the original seven novels.