AN TRIBUTE TO PEEVES THE POLTERGEIST

Why Peeves deserved his moment on screen (and we deserved to see it).

“He walked very fast along the corridor, the note to McGonagall clutched tight in his hand, and turning a corner walked slap into Peeves the Poltergeist, a wide-faced little man floating on his back in midair, juggling several inkwells.

“Why it’s Potty Wee Potter!” cackled Peeves, allowing two the inkwells to fall to the ground where they smashed and spattered the walls with ink; Harry jumped backward out of the way with a snarl.

“Get out of it, Peeves.”

“Oooh, Crackpot’s feeling cranky,” said Peeves, pursuing Harry along the corridor, leering as he zoomed along above him. “What is it this time, my fine Potty friend? Hearing voices? Seeing visions? Speaking in” - Peeves blew a gigantic raspberry - “tongues?”

I’m currently on my third read-through of the Harry Potter books and on book five, Order of the Phoenix—the arguably most emotionally charged book in the series where Harry is justifiably angry, angsty, and generally yelling at everyone for 800 pages.

As someone who read all the Harry Potter books later in life—I read the full series for the first time during the pandemic—these books have quickly become my go-to comfort reads. I always like to have one of them on hand, ready to be picked up when I need something familiar and magical to pull me out of my own swirling thoughts. Few books or movies manage to ground me the way this series does.

On a side note, lately, I’ve also been listening to Amy Poehler’s new podcast, Good Hang, where she closes out each episode by asking her guest, “What’s making you laugh and feel lighter these days?” I love that question. It’s a refreshing take on the more standard (and overused) “What’s bringing you joy?” question — which always makes me want to vomit. But Amy’s question stuck with me. It made me realize how much I’ve been craving laughter again.

Like many people, I’ve found myself stuck in a pattern of just getting through the day. Not terrible, but not particularly light either. Somewhere along the way, I stopped actively seeking out things that made me laugh—books, shows, conversations, even just my own silly observations. And I miss it.

So, I’ve been reaching for my favorite comfort things - food (tacos or rice with some kind of saucy chicken), and, of course, books. Which is how I found myself back into reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix—ironically, one of the darkest books in the series—and looking for something lighter in it.

That’s when Peeves showed up, as he always tends to do at the best and worst times.

No matter how heavy or tense the storyline gets, Peeves the poltergeist always manages to make me laugh out loud. He’s an agent of mischief who exists entirely to stir the pot—and he does it spectacularly.

Take, for example, the scene where Harry is marching furiously to Professor McGonagall’s office after getting detention from Umbridge. Peeves, floating by, sings out, “Oooh, Crackpot’s feeling cranky!” It’s ridiculous and perfectly timed and made be laugh a ton. Harry is already a boiling teapot about to explode, and Peeves—without skipping a beat—blows the whistle on it in the most hilarious way possible.

Peeves is always the one who pokes the balloon and lets the chaos fly. He’s honest in the most irreverent way, calling things exactly as he sees them. And in doing so, he gives readers a moment to laugh—even if it’s at the worst possible time for the other characters.

Which brings me to one of my biggest Harry Potter movie gripes: Peeves was completely cut out.

I understand that when adapting a massive book series to film, not everything can make the cut. Characters are trimmed, scenes are shortened, timelines compressed. But the absence of Peeves is a genuine loss, especially because he’s not just comic relief—he’s an essential part of the school’s spirit. Hogwarts without Peeves is like Fred and George without Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.

Peeves—along with the Weasley twins, of course—reminds me that laughter might just be the most important part of being alive. Maybe even the point of it. He shows us that laughter can be its own form of rebellion—a way to push back against the worst parts of the world and the feeling that it’s inappropriate to laugh when everything feels so heavy. And in a story where resistance is so often solemn and deadly serious, Peeves fights his own strange little battle—with pranks, rhymes, and the occasional well-aimed ink bottle.

Here are some of my favorite Peeves moments that never fail to make me laugh:

Chamber of Secrets - Peeves taunting Harry about being the Heir of Slytherin:

“Oh Potter, you rotter, oh what have you done? 

You’re killing off students, you think it’s good fun.”

Order of the Phoenix - Peeves distracts the students during their OWLs:

“Oh, Ickle firsties, what a strife, 

Exam time makes you fear for your life!”

Order of the Phoenix - Peeves sings after Umbridge is attacked by centaurs:

“Oh, Professor Umbridge, 

You’re in for a smidge 

Of trouble with centaurs 

Who don’t like your bridge.”

Deathly Hallows - During the Battle of Hogwarts, Peeves helps fight back:

“We did it, we bashed them, we Potter’s the one, 

And Voldy’s gone moldy, so now let’s have fun!”