Sir-Nicholas De Mimsy-Porpington

Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington, known after his death as Nearly Headless Nick (d. 31 October 1492), was a wizard who attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and was Sorted into Gryffindor House. He was a wizard of the royal court as an adult. He was executed by an improper decapitation, after he had a magical mishap with Lady Grieve. He tried to straighten her teeth but it backfired and she grew tusks. Since then, he became the resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower at the Hogwarts Castle.
==Biography==
===Early life===
Little is known about Sir Nicholas's childhood. He lived in the fifteenth century and was born into the noble Mimsy-Porpington family somewhere in the British Isles.
When he turned eleven, Nicholas attended Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, where he was sorted into Gryffindor. It is unknown at which subjects he excelled in, but he was apparently poor in Charms.Extra Stuff - "Nearly Headless Nick" on 
In his adulthood, Sir Nicholas openly associated with Muggles. He was knighted and was a courtier at King Henry VII's royal court.
===Execution===
Sir Nicholas met Lady Grieve while strolling in the park on the evening of 30 October 1492. He was certain he could straighten her crooked teeth, but his attempt to do so backfired, causing her to grow a tusk.
Sir Nicholas was immediately taken into custody and sentenced to death as a result of this mistake. Before being locked in a dungeon, his wand was taken from him, thus preventing him from using magic to escape. Throughout the night he cried that he would soon undo the damage done to Lady Grieve.
A priest came to Sir Nicholas's cell to comfort him and escort him to the execution site at dawn the following day. He became a "gibbering wreck" when the executioner told him to kneel before the block. However, the executioner's axe was blunt, as the grindstone used to sharpen it had been misplaced. Thus, it took forty-five hacks to kill Sir Nicholas and even then his head was only partially severed. Naturally, these acts of betrayal and idiocy alone were not enough to condemn Sir Nicholas to such a brutal death, but the rampant acts of previous juvenile encounters led to an unsympathetic public.
Albus Dumbledore explained in his notes on The Wizard and the Hopping Pot that Muggle executions of wizards such as Sir Nicholas were rarely successful, given that wizards could magically protect themselves and escape. Sir Nicholas had his wand taken away, however, thus was unable to leave his dungeon cell.
===Post-mortem===
Sir Nicholas chose to linger as a ghost rather than "go on", because, by his own admission, he feared death. He became the resident ghost of Gryffindor Tower at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and would spend his life after death there. By at least 1890, there was a bust carved in his honour that was located in the Faculty Tower, next to one of Phineas Nigellus Black. 
"Nearly Headless Nick", as he was called by the majority of the student body, was always happy to point new Gryffindors in the right direction when late to class.
Later during the school year, Jacob's sibling met Sir Nicholas in their brother's room, with Bill, Charlie and Percy Weasley, along with his pet rat Scabbers, where he remarked how the Fat Friar had told him about their intention to locate the Marauder's Map, which reminded him about how their brother believed a dragon could be within the castle, which only the map could reveal. He believed the map could be within the dark and dirty room as Jacob had once been in possession of. After they searched the room with the help of Jacob's sibling Wand-Lighting Charm, they found a hand-written letter from Jacob to a student called Olivia Green, whom Nick remembered for possessing exceptional bravery for a Ravenclaw, and told them to seek the Grey Lady for answers.
=== 1991–1992 school year ===
On 1 September 1991, Sir Nicholas, the Fat Friar and the other ghosts had an argument on whether Peeves should be allowed to attend the Start-of-Term Feast or not. Sir Nicholas was of the opinion that the poltergeist gave the ghosts a bad name with his misdoings, while the Friar wanted to "forgive and forget". During this discussion, the ghosts passed through the Chamber of Reception, in which the first years were waiting for the start of the Sorting Ceremony. Sir Nicholas was surprised to see the newcomers.
At the feast, Sir Nicholas sat opposite Harry Potter and patted his arm when the latter was Sorted into Gryffindor. He later introduced himself and showed the result of his botched beheading: his nearly chopped neck, when Seamus Finnigan wondered how could someone be Nearly Headless.
Later in the year, Sir Nicholas told the Grey Lady how Harry Potter was made Seeker of Gryffindor. - Chapter 15 (New Seeker)
====1992–1993 school year====
In 1992, Sir Nicholas tried to join for the Headless Hunt, although his application was denied by Sir Patrick Delaney-Podmore, who only accepted huntsmen "whose heads have parted company with their bodies". Nick was embittered that "half an inch of skin and sinew" connecting his head and neck was not good enough to qualify as "beheaded".
After Harry Potter returned to the Castle after a rainy Quidditch practice on 24 October 1992, Argus Filch took him to his office in order to fill in a write-up in which Filch accused Harry of "befouling the castle" with mud. Sir Nicholas convinced Peeves to smash the school's Vanishing Cabinet over the office as a distraction. 
Later that same evening, a message was left on one of the Castle's walls, announcing the opening of the Chamber of Secrets and Mrs Norris, Argus Filch's cat, was found petrified.
Later in the year, on 18 December 1992 Sir Nicholas was petrified on one of the Castle's corridors, along with Justin Finch-Fletchley. Sir Nicholas inadvertently saved Justin's life by taking the brunt of the Basilisk's otherwise-lethal gaze, with Justin seeing the basilisk through Nick rather than being directly exposed to its vision. Nick received the full blast of its power, but as a ghost it was naturally impossible for him to die again. 
Justin was then carried up to the hospital wing by Professor Flitwick and Professor Sinistra, but nobody seemed to know what to do for Sir Nicholas. This could have been the first time that a ghost was petrified, as Petrification does not seem to be something that happens often, seeing as it is incredibly advanced Dark Magic. In the end, Professor McGonagall conjured a large fan and gave it to Ernie Macmillan with instructions to waft the ghost up the stairs, most likely towards the hospital wing.
By the end of the year, Professor Sprout's Mandrakes had fully matured and were used to make a Mandrake Restorative Draught which was administered to revive all those who had been Petrified, including Sir Nicholas. The method by which the draught was administered to Sir Nicholas is unknown. 
He was later seen in the Great Hall at the End-of-Term Fest greeting Hermione after she was revived. He was not present in the Great Hall when Hagrid returned to the school after his stint in Azkaban.
====1994–1995 school year====
In the afternoon of 1 September 1994, the Hogwarts ghosts gathered to decide whether Peeves should be allowed to attend the Start-of-Term Feast. The Fat Friar wanted to give him another chance, but both Sir Nicholas and the Bloody Baron decided against it.
As a result, Peeves wreaked havoc in the kitchens, spilling soup all over the place and scattering pots and pans everywhere. At the Start-of-Term Feast, Sir Nicholas let this incident slip at the Gryffindor table, shocking Hermione Granger that "slave labour" made their dinner.When the Second Wizarding War came to an end, it is highly likely that the ghosts (including Sir Nicholas) celebrated Harry's victory and Voldemort's demise
==Physical description==
As a ghost, Sir Nicholas was pearly-white and slightly transparent. He would usually sport a ruff, which would ensure his partially severed head stayed in place, as well as tights, a pair of breeches, a doublet or, occasionally, a tunic. He had a preference for extravagant plumed hats. He also sported long curly hair, and a small moustache and goatee. He carried himself in a prim fashion and spoke in an airy, delicate tone.
==Personality and traits==
Sir Nicholas was affable, kind, and always willing to lend a hand to Harry Potter and other fellow Gryffindors whenever they needed it. Nicholas apparently enjoyed eating during his lifetime, as after his death he spent the feasts at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry looking wistfully at the food. Sir Nicholas was polite and delicate, staying away from potentially indiscreet questions and sensible about the fact that he was no longer living.
Nicholas showed interest in the lives of the students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and took delight in showing off his wound to the dismay of those around him. He was very proud of his bravery and noble heritage, getting easily offended if anyone referred to him as a coward. He was very sociable, being friends with the Grey Lady, Harry Potter, and a number of other ghosts who attended his five-hundredth Deathday Party. He also had a cordial relationship with the Bloody Baron and Sir Patrick Delaney-Podmore. He did not enjoy being known as Nearly Headless Nick, he preferred to be addressed by his full name or Sir Nicholas.
==Magical abilities and skills==
*Charms: Nick had some skill with charms, although his skills were evidently problematic and in serious need of improvement, considering that when he attempted to straighten Lady Grieve's crooked teeth with a charm, he made her grow tusks instead.
*Study of Ancient Runes: Nick was capable of reading and understanding ancient runes, probably due to his several hundred years of existence. He was thus able to teach his knowledge to help Hogwarts students understand and translate such ancient runes.
==Etymology==
Nicholas is from the Greek Nikolaos, "victory of the people." Nick is a jokey, ironic nickname and pun -- one definition of nick is "to cut slightly," and he received more than just a little cut when he was beheaded. Sir indicates he was knighted by a British monarch when he was alive. Porpington is a name Rowling made up and is closest to porpentine, an obsolete name for a porcupine. "Like quills upon the fretful porpentine...": From Shakespeare's Hamlet. Nick can be a prickly-tempered person at times. Mimsy may have come from the same word coined by Alice in Wonderland author Lewis Carroll. It appears in his nonsense poem "The Jabberwocky": "All mimsy were the borogoves..."
==Behind the scenes==
*In the film adaptations of and , Nearly Headless Nick is played by John Cleese.
**In the video game , Nick is voiced by British voice actor Jason Anthony.
*In , Hermione Granger, rather than Seamus Finnigan, is the one to ask how he can be "Nearly Headless"
*In the Welsh translation, Nicholas is called "Syr Goronwy ap Gwallter", which literally translated as "Sir Goronwy son of Gwallter", commonly Anglicised as "Walter".
*In , Nick says he had not eaten in nearly 400 years; however, he had, at the time, already been dead for nearly 500 years. In later editions this was changed to "in nearly five hundred years".
*It should be noted that Sir Nicholas's clothes do not match the time period he's said to be from. The ruff, doublet and breeches did not come into fashion until the sixteenth century and are mostly associated with the reign of Elizabeth I. This would be more consistent with earlier versions of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in which Sir Nicholas claims to have been dead for four hundred years.
*The Harry Potter time-line is originally based upon Nick's death-day party in . With him having died in 1492 and celebrating his 500th death day, this ostensibly places the novels in the early to mid 1990s. The timeline was later reinforced in Deathly Hallows on James and Lily Potter's graves.
*In the first draft of , Nick sang a self-penned ballad explaining how his head had (nearly) come off. There was a priest who comforted him.
*While most of the Hogwarts students call him "Nearly Headless Nick", he prefers the more formal "Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington" or "Sir Nicholas". Harry, however, also calls him Nick. The fact that he prefers to be called Sir Nicholas is only mentioned in the first book and film.
*It is unknown as to how he recovered from petrification by the Basilisk, since he is unable to drink potions.
*In the PS1 versions of the first two video games, he is seen wearing a high hat and his head constantly falls off to the side.
*In the German translation of the second game (PS1 version), Nicholas states that it is his 150th deathday. Which would incorrectly place his death in 1842.
*Sir Nicholas was the first ghost named in the series.
*Sir Nicholas is the only House Ghost who did not live during the founders' time.
*The manner of Sir Nicholas's death may be a reference to , an executioner in the service of King Charles II, who was infamous for taking multiple attempts to perform his executions.
==Appearances==
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
* 
==External links==
*Extra information about Nearly Headless Nick from J.K. Rowling
==Notes and references==
Category:1492 Entire Deaths
Category:Basilisk Entire Victims
Category:Busts
Category:Courtiers
Category:Deaths By Decapitation
Category:Executed Known Individuals
Category:Foundables
Category:Ghosts
Category:Gryffindors
Category:Historical Known Figures
Category:Males
Category:Nobility
Category:An Order-Of•The-Phoenix Allies
Category:Portraits
Category:Wizards