Preserved Egg

Biodata

Feature	Details
Name	Preserved Egg (皮蛋)
Species/Race	Black cat/Kneazle with a Spirit Cat bloodline 1 264
Gender	Male 24
Affiliation	Matthew Black
Occupation/Role	Matthew's familiar, companion, scout, and occasional cook 20 263
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Level 1 Wizard Apprentice	28	Matthew taught Preserved Egg to circulate the Aemon Basic Meditation Method. This triggered a Magic Outburst and substantially increased his magic power, improving the scale and endurance of his clones. He cannot advance further without learning Ancient Runes and constructing Runic Models. 28
Level 3 Wizard Apprentice	263	After studying Ancient Runes and Runic Magic while receiving Matthew's potions, Preserved Egg reached Level 3 Wizard Apprentice. His Meditation Method had reached its limit, leaving him close to a Formal Wizard breakthrough. 263
Formal Wizard	330	Preserved Egg condensed a Mental Crystal Core and inscribed Invisible Hand as his innate spell. The advancement greatly improved his magic reserves, spell control, and casting speed. 330

Background / History

Preserved Egg accompanied Matthew at his home near Ottery St Catchpole. While rummaging through the sundries room, he found and carried out the scarred metal disc with a red crystal that triggered Matthew's first journey to another world. When Matthew returned, Preserved Egg had remained exactly where he was; Matthew's examination of his memories indicated that time had stopped for him during the crossing. 1 4

He travelled with Matthew to Hogwarts and quickly became known among several students after returning Neville Longbottom's missing toad, Trevor, unharmed. 7 8

After Matthew taught him the Meditation Method, Preserved Egg began studying Ancient Runes alongside his master. His initial progress was slow because he needed to understand the magical meaning of each rune before constructing Runic Models, but meditation substantially improved his intelligence and memory. 66 264

By the summer following his advancement to Level 3 Wizard Apprentice, Preserved Egg had become proficient at Runic Magic, especially Invisible Hand, and had learned to prepare meals with it. Matthew later supervised his successful breakthrough to Formal Wizard and taught him the Wizard Handbook: Upper Volume, Spirit Gathering Method, and Spirit Condensation Method for his continued cultivation. 263 330

Appearance

Preserved Egg is a sleek black cat with striking blue eyes. 1 8

• Black fur that does not shed. 21
• Bright blue eyes noted by Hermione Granger. 1 8
• Can divide parts of his tail into small black fluff balls that grow into full clones. 24
• Can use magic to shrink himself to a much smaller size. 264
• After becoming a Formal Wizard, he possesses a physical Mental Crystal Core between his brows. 330

Personality

Preserved Egg is curious and mischievous, particularly around small animals and birds. He tried to pounce on Percy's owl Hermes and later brought Trevor to Matthew with the toad held in his mouth, though he deliberately did not injure it. 1 8

He is affectionate toward Matthew, frequently rubbing against him, leaping into his arms, and purring when scratched under the chin. He also enjoys being spoiled and resents being treated as a search animal rather than being allowed to relax like other familiars. 20 21

Despite this pampered behavior, Preserved Egg cooperates immediately when Matthew calls on him in danger. He has formed a social circle with Hogwarts' other cats, including Mrs. Norris. 20 24 25

Preserved Egg is proud of his intelligence, magical ability, and cooking, and enjoys opportunities to show off—particularly if they might impress other cats. He is eager to test his Runic Magic in battle, although he still complains when Matthew treats him as a “tool cat” for cooking, scouting, or publicity. 263 321 330

Abilities & Skills

Spirit Cat Bloodline

Preserved Egg inherited the intelligence and splitting ability of a Spirit Cat.

• His intelligence is stated to be comparable to that of a human child. 1
• Meditation later raised his intelligence and memory to roughly the level of a human teenager, allowing him to learn runes much more efficiently. 264
• He can understand Matthew's instructions and relay reconnaissance information when Matthew uses the Speak with Cats spell. 24 25
• His magical physiology prevents shedding. 21
• Because separated body parts instinctively become clones, he must deliberately suppress this ability to provide an individual strand of fur. 146

Clone Splitting

Preserved Egg can create autonomous copies of himself by dividing his tail.

• A detached tail can split into ten segments, each becoming a black fluff ball that expands into a clone; his main body then regenerates a new tail. 24
• The main body receives and shares the clones' memories, allowing him to scout areas beyond Matthew's line of sight. 24
• Clones multiply again when attacked, provided their magic power is not exhausted. 25 28
• His clones disappear once their stored magic is depleted. 28
• After beginning meditation, his enhanced magic allowed the clones to split far more extensively than before. 28
• By the Forbidden Forest operation, he could split his tail into more than a dozen furballs at once, using the resulting clones as ground-based reconnaissance while he fought from the air. 322

Cultivation and Runic Magic

Preserved Egg cultivates through the Meditation Method and has learned Ancient Runes and Runic Magic under Matthew's instruction.

• He is particularly proficient with Invisible Hand, using it for delicate tasks such as cooking, carrying objects, and lifting people. 263 310
• He learned a Runic Magic technique that vibrates the air with magical power, allowing him to speak human language despite his feline vocal structure. 263 264
• He can use Wind Wings for rapid aerial movement and has employed Lumos, Lightning Bolt, and large fireball attacks in combat. 321 322
• As a Formal Wizard, Invisible Hand became his innate spell, allowing him to cast it instantly and control up to ten hands simultaneously with improved precision. 330
• Inscribing Invisible Hand also reduced the preparation time for its derivative spells, including Grip of Thunder and Burning Hand. 330
• Matthew supplied him with an Undetectable Extension Charm Pocket, restorative potions, and practical Wizard Tools, enabling him to sustain himself during field operations. 322
• He has been taught the advanced Wizard Handbook: Upper Volume, Spirit Gathering Method, and Spirit Condensation Method to support his growth beyond the Formal Wizard stage. 330

Familiar Assistance

Preserved Egg has repeatedly helped locate missing familiars and animals around Hogwarts.

• He returned Trevor to Neville aboard the Hogwarts Express without harming him. 8
• Matthew states that Preserved Egg's connections with Hogwarts' cats help him search for lost animals. 20
• He later led Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Neville through the castle in another search for Trevor. 20
• His clones monitored the route to Hogsmeade and alerted Matthew when Professor Quirrell travelled to the village. 66 83
• He assisted Hermione in searching for Crookshanks and later provided the group searching for Hermione with information from his clone's memories. 334 339

Relationships

• Matthew Black — Master and primary companion. Preserved Egg accompanies Matthew between home and Hogwarts, responds to their agreed Call Companion signal, and fights alongside him. Matthew also serves as his teacher and provides the runic education, potions, and resources that enabled his cultivation breakthroughs. 1 21 24 25 263 330
• Hermes — Percy's owl; Preserved Egg attempted to pounce on him during Hermes's visit to Matthew's home. 1
• Trevor — Neville Longbottom's toad; Preserved Egg found him on two separate occasions and returned him unharmed. 8 20
• Hermione Granger — Hermione admires Preserved Egg's eyes and fur, pets him on the Hogwarts Express, and briefly carries one of his clones. She later joins him in searching for Crookshanks. 8 28 334
• Mrs. Norris — A cat acquaintance at Hogwarts; Preserved Egg had been on a “date” with her before Matthew asked him to search for Trevor. 20
• Luna Lovegood — Luna witnessed Preserved Egg's Formal Wizard breakthrough and discussed innate spells with him and Matthew. 330
• Newt Scamander — Newt was intrigued by Preserved Egg's Spirit Cat ancestry, unusually high intelligence, Runic Magic, and ability to speak human language. 264
• Crookshanks — A feline friend with whom Preserved Egg frequently explored the Forbidden Forest; Preserved Egg helped search for him after he disappeared. 334 339
• Oriana — During the Forbidden Forest operation, Preserved Egg cooperated with Matthew's Alchemical Golem Oriana and Transfiguration Clone to fight enemies and extinguish the forest fire. 322

Story Role / Major Arcs

• Metal Disc Discovery — Preserved Egg's curiosity leads him to uncover the mysterious metal disc in Matthew's sundries room, setting Matthew's otherworld journey in motion. 1
• Hogwarts Express — He retrieves Neville's missing toad, establishing his usefulness to Matthew's fellow students. 8
• Chamber of Secrets Trial — Preserved Egg accompanies Matthew to 1943, scouts the Chamber of Secrets through his clones, and helps Matthew navigate while avoiding the Basilisk's gaze. 23 24
• Battle with the Basilisk — His clones track the Basilisk's movements, endure repeated attacks by splitting further, and swarm its eyes to create an opening for Matthew. More than a hundred clones participate by the battle's later stages. 25
• Three-Headed Dog Encounter — After his meditation-enhanced growth, Preserved Egg overwhelms the dog with multiplying clones, allowing Matthew and the others to leave safely. 28
• Quirrell Surveillance — Preserved Egg deploys clones around Hogsmeade to watch for Professor Quirrell, providing Matthew with timely intelligence on Quirrell's movements. 66 83
• Luna's Dormitory Incident — When Luna was bullied by her dormmates, Matthew used his own Black Transfiguration form to impersonate Preserved Egg and expose the girls' actions through projected memories. The real Preserved Egg was in the Forbidden Forest at the time and unknowingly received the blame and public credit. 155
• Newt Scamander Visit — Preserved Egg's ability to speak and cast Runic Magic astonishes Newt Scamander and Newt's household. 264
• Forbidden Forest Operation — Acting remotely under Matthew's direction, Preserved Egg battles werewolves and Shadow Wolves with flight, light, lightning, fire, clones, potions, and Wizard Tools. He later helps Matthew's group approach the Acromantula swarm. 321 322 323
• Formal Wizard Breakthrough — Matthew oversees Preserved Egg's breakthrough, during which he condenses a Mental Crystal Core and makes Invisible Hand his innate spell. 330
• Crookshanks Search — Preserved Egg assists Hermione in looking for Crookshanks and later shares crucial information about Hermione's last known movements in the Forbidden Forest. 334 339

Trivia

• Under Matthew's Speak with Cats spell, Preserved Egg's voice sounds like that of a prepubescent boy. 24
• Matthew once calls him “Maodan” after he becomes covered in ash while exploring the sundries room. 1
• Hermione wanted to keep one of Preserved Egg's clones as a dormitory pet, but it vanished after its magic ran out. 28
• Although he cannot naturally produce human speech, his sound-vibration Runic Magic allows him to speak fluently. 263 264
• He learned much of his cooking from Hogwarts' house-elves after sneaking into the kitchens for food. 263
• Matthew calls him the strongest fighting cat in the world after his Formal Wizard breakthrough. 330