Horklump

Horklumps are pink, bristly, mushroom-like creatures mentioned in connection with the wizarding expression “to have a hairy heart.” Their brief appearance supplies a comic contrast between the expression’s metaphorical meaning—emotional coldness—and an unexpectedly literal, faintly revolting explanation involving the creatures.

Description and Handling

Horklumps are described as pink and bristly, with a mushroom-like form. Their texture and appearance make them an unlikely object of affection: the narrator remarks that it is difficult to see why anyone would want to fondle them. No further details about their habits or magical properties are given.

The Broken Engagement Anecdote

The creatures enter the account through Honoria, the narrator’s maiden aunt. She maintained that she had ended her engagement to a wizard employed in the Improper Use of Magic Office after discovering that he “had a hairy heart.” The expression ordinarily describes a cold or unfeeling witch or wizard, but a rumor offered a more literal and comic explanation: Honoria had actually caught her fiancé fondling Horklumps, an act she found deeply shocking.

Place in Wizarding Language

The anecdote turns on the gap between figurative language and physical conduct. Horklumps do not explain the expression itself; rather, the rumor makes its familiar metaphorical meaning collide with an eccentric incident involving the creatures. Their brief mention lends the phrase a note of grotesque humor, while the account leaves the rumor’s truth unresolved.