SOURCE: Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling (2000).

DESCRIPTION: "...Squinting up at the shamrock Harry realised that it was actually composed of thousands of tiny little bearded men with red waistcoats, each carrying a minute lamp of gold or green..." (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by J. K. Rowling)

NOTES: The Leprechauns at the Quidditch World Cup are the Irish team's mascots. They perform as an amazing cheerleading squad, creating giant shamrocks in the air and showering the audience with gold. (This gold disappears after an hour and isn't worth anything.) When the rival team, Bulgaria, begins to play dirty, the leprechauns are the first on the field to battle with their mascots, the Veela.

HISTORY: Rowling's leprechauns stay pretty close to the common idea of the tiny men in green. This is a bit of surprise after all the intriguing faery creatures in the previous book, Prisoner of Azkaban.

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