The Most Dangerous Object Sold In Harry Potter's Hogsmeade

In the world of well-loved fantasy book series Harry Potter, adapted into eight super-successful films, Hogsmeade is a little village near Hogwarts that many of the students frequently visit during the school year, assuming they can get their parents to sign the permission slips. There are plenty of great offerings there, like sweets from Honeydukes or tea from Madam Puddifoot's, but some of the items for sale are a bit more dangerous than candy and cider.

There are plenty of dangerous finds in the many shops throughout Hogsmeade. The local herbology shop, Dogweed and Deathcap, is named after a poisonous mushroom – deathcap mushrooms can kill an adult with a small bite, and are even suspected as the cause of death for (real-life) historical figures like Holy Roman Emperor Charles VI. And if it's in the store's name, they kind of have to sell it. You could certainly find many ingredients for a seedy potion here.

Or a student could venture into Zonko's Joke Shop for the tools Fred and George Weasley often used to cause chaos, like dungbombs and nose-biting teacups. These items inspired some of the twins' crazy inventions for their own shop, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

But what if you're looking for something specific there, something dangerous? Some of these items aren't put on display at the Hogsmeade stores, but there are ways. Just ask Hagrid about a Norwegian Ridgeback Dragon Egg, for example.

Generally, the place to go for the really dark and gritty is the Hog's Head Inn, owned by Albus Dumbledore's brother, Aberforth Dumbledore. The Hog's Head Inn is where Professor Trelawney spoke the prophecy about Harry Potter, and later on, it's the place where Hogwarts students recruit soldiers for Dumbledore's Army. With a shadier reputation than the Three Broomsticks down the road, it's a place Hogwarts' groundskeeper Hagrid loves to frequent.

The more perilous items offered here aren't on the menu, but that doesn't stop the patrons from selling them or using them as collateral. The most dangerous item that we know traded hands there is a Norwegian Ridgeback dragon egg. With venomous fangs, the ability to breathe fire, and an affinity for snacking on large water mammals, you don't want to mess with a Norwegian Ridgeback. 

Hagrid has a habit of falling in love with and taking care of any creature no matter how dangerous, even dragons. In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Hagrid hatches the dragon egg and names it Norbert. Harry, Ron, and Hermione find out and convince Hagrid to send him to Romania, where Ron's brother Charlie Weasley works with dragons. The egg-shelled Norbert (later renamed Norberta) appears to be the most dangerous item sold in Hogsmeade. Of course, in the world of Harry Potter, it's entirely possible that something even more outlandish changed hands in the sleepy town.