Pets come to Hogwarts in Harry Potter mobile game

They’ll help manage your mischief  

© Jam City   Professor Minerva McGonagall and Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, and a brass owl, in Hogwarts’ Great Hall in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery.

By Samit Sarkar, Polygon

The halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry are now a little less lonely in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery — the game’s latest update allows players to own pets.

Students at the British magical school can choose from four different furry friends: Cat, Owl, Rat and Toad. Sure, they’re decidedly less exotic than the animals that Rubeus Hagrid was known to have cared for, like Aragog the acromantula and Buckbeak the hippogriff, but they’re also much safer to pal around with.

If you can’t pick just one, don’t worry — it’s possible to own one of each species. The animals will nap in your house dormitory, and you can take any one of them with you on your adventures around the Hogwarts castle and grounds.

A pet doesn’t merely serve as a faithful companion. Hogwarts Mystery is a free-to-play game governed by an energy mechanic, and owning a pet helps out with that: When a pet wakes up, it will provide you with an energy boost.

Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, which is developed and published by Jam City as part of Warner Bros.’ Portkey Games label, launched in late April on Android and iOS. In the game, players experience the life of a Hogwarts student, including studying magic, taking classes and making friends. For more, check out the screenshots of the pets in the gallery below, and our impressions of the RPG.