Magical Objects - Quills

Anti-Cheating Quill

The Anti-Cheating Quill, a quill with an anti-cheating charm on it, first mentioned in Philosopher's Stone.[PS Ch.16] Although it is not mentioned in other exams, it is presumably used for all the exams Harry takes at Hogwarts.

Blood Quill

The Blood Quill is used by Umbridge throughout Order of the Phoenix to carry out her perverse punishment of "cutting up" students. In the fifth book, Harry has detention with Umbridge on several occasions. During these detentions, he is required to write lines (I must not tell lies), and is not released from this until Umbridge believes "the message has sunk in." Rather than using a regular quill, Umbridge makes Harry use a blood quill, which is described as unusually sharp with a black nib. As the user writes, the quill magically (and painfully) cuts into the back of the user's hand and uses their blood for ink. When carried out repeatedly over a period, this can lead to permanent scarring, as shown by Harry to Rufus Scrimgeour in the last two books. Another victim of this form of detention is Lee Jordan. In the film interpretation, all members of Dumbledore's Army were punished using this method.

Quick Quotes Quill

A Quick Quotes Quill is a stenographic tool employed by Rita Skeeter to spin the words of her subjects into a more salacious or melodramatic form more to her liking. Because she sucks on it first before writing (which then the quill writes to her liking), it is speculated that the quill will also write to the likings of others (as long as he or she sucks it before it begins writing).

Rita uses the quill to interview Harry (inside a Hogwarts broomstick cupboard) about his participation in the Triwizard Tournament in Goblet of Fire for her column "Me, Myself, and I" in the newspaper, The Daily Prophet. Harry continually tries to correct the inaccuracy of the quill to Rita. However, she rudely ignores him. Additionally in Deathly Hallows, Rita mentions in her interview concerning Dumbledore's posthumous biography that the Quick Quotes Quill helped her to write the book so quickly after his death.