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... Spiders flee before the Basilisk, for it is their mortal enemy, and the Basilisk flees only from the crowing of the rooster, which is fatal to it. (Chamber of Secrets)

Now, in Harry Potter, there are real roosters; and then there are "fake" roosters (off the top of my head, at least two come to mind: A wizard having a rooster Animagus form; and conjuring a rooster the way Hermione conjured birds with Oppugno Jinx).

Would the rooster that is a product of magic (like the 2 methods I listed above) be fatal to a Basilisk?

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    If you could do magic and want to kill a basilisk, you could also conquer a sword, or a pillar of fire, or a lot of things that are not a fake rooster.
    – CHEESE
    Jun 21, 2017 at 17:30
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    Did some of F&G's fake wands turn into chickens or am I just misremembering?
    – ibid
    Jun 21, 2017 at 17:35
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    If the Basilisk can only hear the sound of the crowing rooster, does it still flee? An what differentiates the sound of a real rooster vs that of an impersonation or recording?
    – Peter M
    Jun 21, 2017 at 18:06
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    I'm just imagining Harry Potter trying to kill the Basilisk by imitating a rooster, instead of by trying to stick Griffindor's sword through the Basilisk's mouth.
    – Purrrple
    Jun 21, 2017 at 19:55
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    Given the effect of looking at a Basilisk through a mirror -- petrification -- I wonder if hearing a fake rooster would have a similar "proportional" effect on the Basilisk -- i.e., the Basilisk faints.
    – tonysdg
    Jun 21, 2017 at 20:00

2 Answers 2

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We don't know. Nowhere in Harry Potter canon, a fake rooster is pitted against a basilisk, nor is the use of fake roosters discussed by any of the characters.

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    But maybe a fake rooster can kill a fake basilisk.
    – SQB
    Jul 21, 2017 at 12:39
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    I think we can be reasonably sure that a fake basilisk can kill a real rooster though
    – Valorum
    Dec 5, 2019 at 18:26
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I would think it would have to be a legitimate rooster. I think a fake one may scare the basilisk off, but there is something to be said of something authentic versus a copy. On the other hand, if producing a rooster through magic actually creates a genetically identical rooster to the real thing then I don't see why not. However, I would think this goes against the laws of nature (specifically the "Five Principal Exceptions to Gamp's Law of Elemental Transfiguration") because Wizards would just be creating roosters and hens and all manner of other animals, so that they could get food from them, and Hermione stated that they can't conjure food from nothing. All that said, I would personally stick with the answer of no, but of course this is all just speculation.

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    I realise you don't have enough reputation to post comments yet, but be wary of posting comment-like speculative answers. They'll tend to get downvoted and flagged. For the time being try and offer actual answers with real references. It won't take long to get enough reputation to allow comments.
    – Tim
    Jun 22, 2017 at 0:21
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    What if someone uses Avis, conjures some birds, and eats them? Would he/she violate the exceptions to Gamp's law?
    – Myungjin Hyun
    Aug 7, 2017 at 17:17
  • There is nothing in the books that I'm aware of that answers this question, so the answer must be speculative (unless JK Rowling answers herself). I honestly don't care if I get down voted in this case, but if it was a question that could be answered with a book reference then I would care more. Furthermore, I gave the closest thing to a real answer that there is (using Gamp's laws). I'm not trying to be argumentative (and I hope you don't take me as mean spirited), but what's the point in asking a speculative question if everyone will just down-vote when you give an corresponding answer?
    – Brian Ruff
    Aug 12, 2017 at 15:55
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    A conjured rooster CANNOT! kill a basilisk. Otherwise Tom Riddle would have been a colossal fool to kill the actual roosters! There would be no point in killing them if they were available at the wave of a wand.
    – user88577
    Aug 19, 2017 at 17:20
  • This question explains why the animagus form is always non-magical. Similarly, I could postulate that rooster and toad animagi cannot exist, as both the animals have magical properties even if they are non-magical. Both are directly involved in breeding a basilisk, while the rooster additionally has the power to kill the basilisk
    – user88577
    Aug 19, 2017 at 17:39

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