Credit: Warner Bros.“Here, eat this, it’ll help. It’s alright, it’s chocolate”__ Remus Lupin, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Chocolate is the closest thing we have to real magic. As the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher Remus Lupin tells Harry Potter after his horrendous encounter with a Dementor aboard the Hogwarts Express in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, it always makes us “feel better” — its healing properties are simply otherworldly.
Here in the Muggle world (the real one, that is), there’s even an annual holiday during which people indulge in delicious chocolate eggs: Easter (Christmas isn’t quite as choc-centric).
But, unfortunately, those marvelous eggs aren’t delivered by the Easter Bunny — they come from chocolate factories, which are nowhere near as magical as their Hollywood counterparts. In other words, the magical creature doesn’t exist.
However, in the Wizarding World, which also celebrates the pastime, the chances of the Easter Bunny’s existence increase exponentially, even though there is no hard evidence. The same applies to Santa Claus — though there have been no sightings of the magical gift-giver, he’s most likely a wizard who uses all sorts of spells to get about.
So what about the Easter Bunny, then? If they do exist in the Wizarding World, what are they, exactly? Well, we have a few theories that we’ve pulled out of our hat, so curl up and enjoy the read. Oh, and have some chocolate — you’ll feel better. Professor Lupin’s orders.
Harry Potter‘s Easter Bunny Explained
The Easter Bunny Is an Animagus
The Easter Bunny could be a witch or wizard expertly skilled in Potions and Transfiguration.
As the “insufferable know-it-all” Hermione Granger kindly explains in Prisoner of Azkaban, “An Animagus is a wizard [or witch] who elects to turn into an animal,” meaning that it’s someone who can transform, at their will, into another creature, with the “Marauders” being the best example.
Sirius Black turns into a black dog (Padfoot), James Potter turns into a stag (Prongs), and Peter Pettigrew turns into a rat (Wormtail). And then there’s Transfiguration professor Minerva McGonagall, who can transform into a tabby cat.
If the Easter Bunny does exist in the Wizarding World, they may very well be an Animagus. And perhaps they weren’t always the Easter Bunny, but over the years, took it upon themselves to deliver chocolate eggs to witches and wizards up and down the country!
Related: ‘Harry Potter’ Reboot Gets Surprising Cast Update
It’s a Magical Creature (AKA Fantastic Beast)
The Easter Bunny is probably an official magical creature.
We didn’t include Remus Lupin under “Animagus” because he’s a werewolf, which means he has no choice but to transform, making him a magical creature (AKA fantastic beast). The Wizarding World is teeming with magical creatures, but they’re not all terrifying and deadly.
While there’s no mention of the Easter Bunny in the A-Z Magizoology encyclopedia “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”, there are a number of magical rabbits, such as the Frog-Rabbit, the Flaming Purple Rabbit, and the Transforming rabbit.
However, none of them would qualify for the role of the Easter Bunny (not even the Transforming rabbit), but it’s possible our long-eared, chocolate-loving magical creature is yet to be recorded: an elusive creature known only in Wizarding World legend!
Related: Harry and Hermione May Be Coupled Up in ‘Harry Potter’ Reboot
They Use Polyjuice Potion
The Easter Bunny may not be an Animagus or a magical creature.
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Hermione, in an attempt to impersonate Slytherin student Millicent Bulstrode using Polyjuice Potion, accidentally turns into something else entirely after mixing the hair of another creature into the concoction.
“Look at my face,” a whiskered Hermione tells Harry and Ron from the cubicle in the girls’ bathroom, to which an amused Ron replies, “Look at your tail!” Hermione has accidentally taken on the appearance of a humanoid cat — Millicent Bulstrode’s cat, to be precise.
Fortunately, her existence as a half-human, half-feline is short-lived, as the effects of Polyjuice Potion are temporary. However, if a certain witch or wizard has access to a limitless supply of the magical mixture, along with some rabbit hair, well, you get the idea!
Related: ‘Harry Potter’ May Remove ‘Fantastic Beasts’ From Canon, Reboot Could “Adopt” Trilogy
Lupin Is Actually Harry Potter‘s Easter Bunny
The Easter Bunny may actually be a magical creature that’s also human!
It’s fair to say that werewolves, by their very nature, contradict the idea of a magical creature. Technically speaking, they’re magical beings like goblins, elves, or centaurs. But in this instance, we’re talking about a specific individual, and it’s none other than Remus Lupin himself.
When a full moon rises, we know that Lupin becomes a werewolf, a creature of the night who, as Hermione so eloquently puts it in Prisoner of Azkaban, “would kill his best friend.” But when he isn’t hunting rabbits in the Forbidden Forest, is he behaving like one?
Just look at that smile on his face in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (in which he’s played by David Thewlis) when he tells Harry he’ll “feel better” once he eats some chocolate.
Now, there’s a man who obviously loves and appreciates the sugary treats and wants everyone to experience the joy of a good, old-fashioned bar of milk chocolate.
And yes, we are suggesting that, when he’s not at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and when he’s not hunting under a full moon, he’s using Transfiguration to become the Easter Bunny. That, or he has a cheap costume hidden away in that trunk of his.
Do you think the Easter Bunny exists in the Wizarding World? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!