Doxy

The Doxy is often mistaken for a fairy though it is a quite separate species. Like the fairy, it has a minute human form, though in the Doxy's case this is covered in thick black hair and has an extra pair of arms and legs. The Doxy's wings are thick, curved, and shiny, much like a beetle's. Doxies are found throughout northern Europe and America, preferring cold climates.

The Doxy, sometimes referred to as the Biting Fairy, is a small fairy-like magical beast, sometimes mistaken for a fairy.

Nature

Physiology and life cycle

The Doxy was covered in coarse black hair, and had an additional set of arms and legs. Doxies had shiny beetle-like wings, and a double row of sharp teeth.

If bitten, a wix should take an antidote immediately, as their venom was highly poisonous. Doxies buried their eggs underground, and Doxy Queens can lay up to five-hundred at once. The eggs generally hatch in two to three weeks. Doxies also possessed a chameleon-like tongue that they could extend to catch and eat smaller prey, such as Billywigs.

Distribution

Preferring cold climates, the Doxy was found throughout Northern Europe and North America.

Interaction with humans

Doxies are considered pests. They can infest houses, taking up residence in the draperies. Removing them required a good supply of Doxycide. Alternatively, they can be dispatched with a simple Knockback Jinx, as Doxies are particularly vulnerable to it, excluding the queens, which were more resistant. Doxies are also the favourite food of the Venomous Tentacula, meaning that the plant can also be used to effectively get rid of them.

History

Honeydukes produced a brand of candyfloss named Doxy Floss.

Newt Scamander had a swarm of Doxies in his suitcase during his visit to New York in 1926.

Doxies were involved in one of the obstacles of the All-Wizard Tournament, which was designed by Silvanus Kettleburn. After gaining control of a broomstick jinxed with a Hurling Hex, the participants had to use it to catch a released Doxy. Unfortunately, a cage full of additional Doxies was knocked over during the task, resulting in several participants and spectators being sent to the Hospital Wing with Doxy bites. Participants affected by the bites were medically disqualified from the final task by Madam Pomfrey.

In 1995 Cormac McLaggen was known to have eaten a pound of Doxy eggs for a bet, rendering him unable to try out for the Gryffindor Quidditch team in his sixth year at Hogwarts.

Fred and George Weasley used Doxy venom for their Skiving Snackboxes, a popular Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes product. In 1996, Harold Dingle tried to sell Doxy droppings to fifth-years, under the guise of them being powdered dragon claw, but these were confiscated by Hermione Granger.

Etymology

Doxy is an archaic English term, meaning "prostitute". It derives from the German word Docke, meaning "doll".