Sheep

Sheep are mundane, non-magical animals known to both the Muggle and Wizarding world. They are livestock animals primarily valued for their wool, meat, and milk. Within the context of the Harry Potter series, sheep do not possess any known magical properties and their sole significant appearance is as part of a magically-created environment. They are sometimes confused with the goats associated with Aberforth Dumbledore.

The only direct and explicit mention of sheep in the novels occurs during the imprisonment of Alastor Moody.

• Imprisonment of Alastor Moody:
  • In 1994, after the Quidditch World Cup, the real Alastor Moody was captured by Barty Crouch Jnr. and Peter Pettigrew. To impersonate him for the school year, Barty Crouch Jnr. used Polyjuice Potion and kept the real Moody imprisoned within Mad-Eye Moody's Trunk.
  • This magical trunk had seven locks, and one of its enchanted compartments contained a small, artificial landscape described as “a pretty little field, set with a few stubby trees.”
  • A “herd of fat sheep was grazing” within this magical field. The real Moody, kept under the Imperius Curse, was confined in a pit at the end of this field. The purpose of the sheep is not stated, but they formed part of the scenery of his prison.
• Distinction from Goats:
  • Sheep are often associated with goats, which feature more prominently in the story. The animals herded by Aberforth Dumbledore in and around Hogsmeade are explicitly identified as goats.
  • While hiding near Hogsmeade, Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger hear the “bleating of sheep,” a sound which can be made by both sheep and goats. However, the animals that appear with Aberforth are described as a “herd of what looked like shaggy white goats.”
  • Furthermore, Aberforth Dumbledore's Patronus takes the form of a goat, not a ram or sheep.

• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, the compartment of Mad-Eye Moody's Trunk where Moody is imprisoned is depicted as a deep, dark, well-like pit. The magical field and the herd of sheep from the novel are not present. (film)