Magical creatures comprise a colourful and integral aspect of the fictional wizarding world in the Harry Potter series by J. K. Rowling. Throughout the seven books of the series, Harry and his friends come across many of these creatures on their adventures, as well as in the Care of Magical Creatures class at Hogwarts. Rowling has also written Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a guide to the magical beasts found in the series. Many of these are derived from folklore, primarily Greek mythology, but also British and Scandinavian folklore. Many of the legends surrounding mythical creatures are also incorporated in the books. "Children ... know that I didn't invent unicorns, but I've had to explain frequently that I didn't actually invent hippogriffs," Rowling told Stephen Fry in an interview for BBC Radio 4. "When I do use a creature that I know is a mythological entity, I like to find out as much as I can about it. I might not use it, but to make it as consistent as I feel is good for my plot."[1]
Many pets in the series are ordinary animals with magical properties. Owls, for example, deliver mail. Only creatures that exist exclusively in the magical world are listed below.
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Magizoology (a portmanteau of "magic" and "zoology") is the study of magical creatures in the Harry Potter series. A person who studies Magizoology is known as a magizoologist. There are magizoologists who work in the Ministry of Magic, particularly in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. One notable magizoologist is Newt Scamander, who in the universe of the series, is the author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a textbook on magical creatures that is popular in the wizarding world.[2]
The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures of the Ministry of Magic is responsible for overseeing and regulating magical creatures. It is divided into three divisions: the Beast Division, the Being Division, and the Spirit Division. A "being" is generally defined, according to Fantastic Beasts, as "any creature that has sufficient intelligence to understand the laws of the magical community and to bear part of the responsibility in shaping those laws." This includes humans, goblins, hags, and vampires. According to this definition, fairies, pixies, gnomes, and most other creatures are classified as "beasts." Centaurs and merpeople are said to have rejected "being" status in favour of "beast" status, as have leprechauns. Werewolves and Animagi are notable because they are typically in human form—a werewolf transforms from human state only at the full moon, and an Animagus is a human who has learned to transform into an animal at will. Their classification is unclear, and offices responsible for werewolves exist in both the Beast and Being Divisions. A number of creatures, such as house-elves, giants, banshees, veelas, dwarfs, and Dementors, have never been described in the novels either as beings or as beasts, so their legal status is unclear. Affairs related to ghosts come under the auspices of the Spirit Division.
Below is the complete list of magical creatures mentioned in the Harry Potter universe. Those creatures that Rowling took from myth and folklore have links to their mythological articles. The Blast-Ended Skrewt is a hybrid of a fire crab and manticore. Inferi are neither beasts nor beings, but merely animated corpses with no will of their own. For a list of magical plants mentioned in the series, such as mandrakes and devil's snares, see List of fictional plants.
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Luna Lovegood, a pupil at Hogwarts, professes belief in a number of magical creatures that the overwhelming majority of wizards consider imaginary. As a result, their appropriate classification is unknown. Among them are:
In the Harry Potter universe, a basilisk is a monstrous serpentine creature. Larger than its mythical counterpart, the basilisk in the Harry Potter universe is capable of reaching a length up to fifty feet and living up to hundreds of years. Basilisks are uncontrollable except by Parselmouths, and the first basilisk is believed to have been created by a Dark wizard and Parselmouth named Herpo the Foul.[HPF] Herpo made this discovery by attempting, with success, to hatch a chicken egg under a toad. A male basilisk has a scarlet plume on its head[HPF]. A basilisk kills both with its powerful venom and its eyes, which are immediately lethal to any creature who looks at them directly.[HPF] To anyone who looks at it indirectly, such as through a camera or in a reflection, it creates a profound state of petrification. Ghosts who look at it directly will become petrified, since they could not die a second time.[HP2] A phoenix tear is the only known cure for the devastating effect of the basilisk's venom. Spiders flee from the Basilisk, as they are mortal enemies. The basilisk flees only from the crowing of a rooster, which, if heard by the basilisk, is fatal.
In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, a basilisk was the monster inhabiting the Chamber of Secrets. When student Tom Riddle, later known as Lord Voldemort, opened the chamber, the basilisk killed Moaning Myrtle and hid in the chamber for 50 years, until Riddle's memory (and soul) opened the chamber again by possessing Ginny Weasley. During the events in the book, it is set loose again by one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, and attempts to kill several Muggle-borns, but due to good fortune all its victims were merely petrified. The Horcrux commanded Ginny Weasley to kill all the school roosters remarked upon by Hagrid. When Harry discovers the existence of the chamber and of its location, Riddle reveals his identity and sets the basilisk loose upon Harry while Ginny's life force ceases. Fawkes helps Harry, by blinding the basilisk with his talons and carrying the Sorting Hat; Harry pulls the sword of Godric Gryffindor from the hat, and uses it to impale the basilisk in the roof of its mouth, killing it.
The basilisk's fangs and its venom absorbed by the sword of Gryffindor proved instrumental for destroying most of Voldemort's Horcruxes. In Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter used a fang to puncture Tom Riddle's diary (one of Voldemort's Horcruxes). In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, after losing the sword of Gryffindor to Griphook, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger return to the chamber and pull some fangs from the dead basilisk's mouth, using one to destroy Helga Hufflepuff's cup. This time the chamber was opened by Ron by imitating Harry's Parseltongue. Ron Weasley, Neville Longbottom, and Albus Dumbledore used the sword of Gryffindor, laced with the basilisk's venom, to destroy the locket, Nagini, and the Gaunt ring, respectively.
A boggart is a shape-shifter that takes on the form of its intended victim's worst fear. While real-life mythology describes boggarts as house elves who cause trouble, Rowling's Boggarts are more like Brollachans, magical creatures originating from Scotland. Boggarts like to hide in dark, enclosed places, such as closets and cabinets. Since a boggart changes shape upon sight, their unaltered shape is little known. (In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Mad-Eye Moody determines, with his magical eye, that there is a boggart in the desk in the drawing room.)
In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Remus Lupin teaches his students in Defence Against the Dark Arts to approach a boggart in groups of two or more, so that the boggart will have difficulty in choosing which one to frighten. The Riddikulus charm is used to combat Boggarts, by changing their appearance into a less fearsome or even comical apparition, which weakens the creatures.
The shape in which boggarts appear indicate the worst fears of several characters:
Author J. K. Rowling has stated that her boggart would be the same as Mrs. Weasley's: her loved ones dead or, alternatively, herself buried alive.[5]
Centaurs in the Harry Potter universe are wild creatures who claim to possess intelligence greater than humans. Their heads and torsos resemble those of humans but they possess the four legs, lower bodies and tail of a horse. Although sentient, they have not requested assignment as beings, preferring to remove themselves entirely from human affairs. Centaurs who decide to associate with humans, such as Firenze, who agrees to teach Divination at Hogwarts, can be seen as traitors and attacked by other centaurs. Firenze's interest in human affairs resulted in violent reprisals by other centaurs and were it not for Hagrid's intervention, Firenze could have been killed. The Ministry of Magic's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures has a Centaur Liaison Office, but no centaur has ever used it. Centaurs are skilled in healing and astrology, and spend much of their time scouring the stars for portents. They live in forests, and their society consists of groups called herds. They do not appear to employ or need any technology more advanced than a bow and arrow. They are proud and territorial, therefore high diplomatic skills must be employed when dealing with centaurs. Displaying lack of respect to centaurs can have violent consequences, as Dolores Umbridge learned to her cost. In Deathly Hallows, the Hogwarts centaur herd, after being admonished fiercely by Hagrid, takes sides with the Order of the Phoenix, and turns the tide of the Battle of Hogwarts.
The films depict the centaurs with very bestial, animalistic facial features. However, the obvious attraction of Hogwarts' female population to Firenze suggests that the books depict centaurs in terms that are more classical.
Named Centaur characters:
The dementors are soulless creatures[6] considered to be among the foulest beings on Earth. They are soul-sucking fiends who, as their name suggests, cause people who encounter them for too long to lose their minds. They are the guards of the wizard prison, Azkaban, until after the return of Lord Voldemort.
In the books, dementors appear to have a generally human shape, approximately 3 metres (10 feet) in height, but covered in dark, hooded cloaks that reveal only grey, decayed hands. The wraith-like creatures have no eyes, and there is a large hole where the mouth should be. According to the author, they grow like fungi in the darkest, dankest places, creating a dense, chilly fog. They appear to possess a few traits of magic, such as unlocking doors (one unlocks and opens the door separating itself from Harry by a gesture of its hand) and notably, their ability to glide (fly, in the film adaptations) unsupported in either world. Despite their abilities of gliding and their ghost-like appearance, dementors possess a physical body. The dementors' intelligence is also seldom hinted at, but they are presumed sentient as they have been seen leading revolts and know how to use their abilities.
Being blind, dementors hunt their prey by sensing emotions. They feed on the positive emotions, happiness and good memories of human beings, forcing them to relive their worst memories. The very presence of a dementor makes the surrounding atmosphere grow cold and dark, and the effects are cumulative with the number of dementors present.
Despite their attachment to human emotion, dementors seem to have difficulty distinguishing one human from another, as demonstrated by Barty Crouch Jr's escape from Azkaban, wherein they could detect no emotional difference between the younger Crouch and his mother. They also have difficulty sensing animals because their feelings are more primitive than human emotions; this particular weakness enabled Sirius Black, an Animagus, to escape from Azkaban after transforming into a dog.
Besides feeding on positive emotions, dementors can perform the Dementor’s Kiss, where the dementor latches its mouth onto a victim's lips and sucks out the person's soul. Three such dementors nearly succeeded in defeating Harry Potter using this method, the first attempt was in the Forbidden Forest with Sirius Black, the second was when he and Dudley were attacked, and the third was when Harry and his friends attempted to sneak off the Shrieking Shack. After such a kiss from deadly creatures, the victim is left as an empty shell, incapable of thought and with no possibility of recovery. It is believed that existence after a Dementor's Kiss is worse than death.
Because they are immortal, very few methods exist to repel a Dementor; one way to shield oneself from dementors is to use the Patronus Charm to drive them away. Chocolate is an effective first aid against the effects of mild cases of contact, which may suggest a non-magical, physiological effect on a person's endorphin level. Dementors are invisible to Muggles, but affect them in the same way.
Harry first encounters dementors during the beginning of his third year of school, when they are sent to guard Hogwarts against Sirius Black, who has recently escaped Azkaban. Harry, whenever he gets near one, is forced to relive his worst memory: hearing the last moments of his parents' lives before they are murdered by Voldemort, which begins with Harry hearing his mother screaming. To overcome the dementors, Harry asks Remus Lupin for assistance. Lupin teaches Harry the Patronus Charm, albeit with some difficulty.
At the end of Order of the Phoenix, the dementors of Azkaban stage a mass revolt against their employers to join Voldemort, as he can provide them with more humans to feast upon; in Deathly Hallows, the Ministry, under the control of Voldemort, uses dementors to punish Muggle-borns due to Voldemort's hatred of Muggles and Muggle-borns. The dementors also take Voldemort's side during the Battle of Hogwarts, mainly since they knew that he would be much more lenient on their choice of victims. After the appointment of Kingsley Shacklebolt to the position of Minister for Magic, dementors are removed from Azkaban, and the Ministry contains them by limiting their numbers.
Rowling created the dementors after a time in her life in which she, in her own words, "was clinically depressed".
Ghosts play an important secondary role, mainly as advisors. Unlike the ghosts in a traditional ghost story, these ghosts are neither frightening nor necessarily ghoulish, and many ghosts act as advisors to the main characters in their times of need. Ghosts in the novels appear silvery and translucent. They can fly and pass through walls, tables and other solid objects, but nonetheless have some ability to physically affect, and be affected by, the living world. Moaning Myrtle can, for instance, splash the water in her toilet.[HP2] Ghosts' banquet tables are laden with rotten food, as the decomposition increases their ability to almost smell and taste it.[HP2] Touching or walking through a ghost induces a sensation "like walking through an icy shower."[HP2] Ghosts can be affected by magic and curses, though not to the same degree that living beings can.[HP2]
In the Harry Potter universe, only wizards and witches can become ghosts. As Nearly Headless Nick explained to Harry, "Wizards can leave an imprint of themselves upon the earth, to walk palely where their living selves once trod ... I was afraid of death. I chose to remain behind. I sometimes wonder whether I oughtn't have ... Well, that is neither here nor there ... In fact, I am neither here nor there..."[HP5] Despite having chosen their afterlives, many ghosts appear quite unhappy; they bemoan their not-quite inability to eat, and many are described as gloomy.[HP2] They also appear to have an attraction to the morbid and melancholy.[HP2]
Ghosts are very sensitive about their condition. When the Ministry initially classified them as "beings," i.e., sentient creatures with full legal rights,[7] they claimed that the term was insensitive when they were clearly "has-beens." The Ministry's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures therefore comprises a separate "Spirit Division."[HPF] The Ministry's spirit division apparently controls the activities and haunting locations of troublesome ghosts. Myrtle was forced to go back and haunt the place of her death (Hogwarts) after she had disrupted the wedding of the brother of Olive Hornby, a girl who had teased her at school.[HP2]
Named Ghost characters:
Peeves, the Hogwarts poltergeist, is not considered a ghost, but an "indestructible spirit of chaos" according to Rowling.[8]
Giants in the Harry Potter universe are capable of interbreeding with humans; Rubeus Hagrid is a half-giant, as is his love interest Olympe Maxime, though she adamantly denies this. However, relations between giants and wizards are toxic; wizards on the whole loathe giants[HP4] and have engaged in an active campaign to hunt and hound giants out of civilisation.[HP5] The last giants in Britain were killed apparently by Ministry decree, although Dumbledore had argued against it,[HP5] but most deaths have been due to territorial aggression among themselves, as wizards force them to live together in ever more confined spaces.[HP5] The last few giants remaining in the world (the total number is between 70 and 80) are collected together in an isolated region east of Belarus. Giants range in height from twenty to twenty-five feet (6 to 7.5 metres), and have skin similar to rhino hide.[HP5] Their society is "governed" by a chief called a Gurg, who spends most of his time demanding food from his underlings.
Voldemort has employed giants in his attacks, after convincing them that he can offer them a better life.[HP4] Hagrid revealed in Order of the Phoenix that he and Madame Maxime went on an Order mission to ask the Giants to take part in the war against Voldemort; things were going well until Karkus the Gurg was killed by other Giants, thus Hagrid and Maxime were forced to introduce themselves to Golgomath, the new Gurg who disliked them. Several Death Eaters are sent by Voldemort in a mission too, to get the Giants onto the Dark Lord's side. Giants took part in the Battle of Hogwarts in the end of the series, mostly fighting for Voldemort.[HP7]
Goblins are magical creatures defined as beings, rather than beasts, that are chiefly involved with metal work and the running of Gringotts bank. They are represented by the Goblin Liaison Office in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Goblins are described as having long, thin fingers and feet, black eyes, and domed heads that are much larger than human heads.[DH Ch.24] Goblins eat a diet of largely raw meat, roots, and fungi.[DH Ch.25] Goblins converse in a language known as Gobbledegook.[HP4] Goblins harbour very different feelings about ownership than wizards: they consider the true owner of an object to be its maker, invariably, rather than its purchaser, whom they see as simply renting the object until their death, and resent the passing of goblin-made heirlooms through Wizarding families without further payment.[DH Ch.25] Wizarding Law prohibits the ownership of wands by goblins. Goblins are capable of using goblin magic which (like elf magic) is independent of Wizarding magic.
Relations between goblins and wizards have been strained for centuries from misunderstandings on both sides, sometimes leading to violence in the form of goblin rebellions and riots. Along with house-elves, goblins seem to occupy positions as second-class citizens in the Wizarding world. The goblins remain a neutral force during the Second Wizarding War, siding with neither Voldemort nor the opposition to him, claiming that it is "a wizard's war."[DH Ch.15] In some cases, a state of friendship exists between certain wizards and goblins (particularly Bill Weasley, who works as a Curse Breaker for Gringotts Bank), and there have even been some instances of goblin-wizard interbreeding (Professor Flitwick has distant goblin ancestry, which likely accounts for his small size).[9]
Named Goblin characters:
House-elves are small elves that are used by wizards as slaves. They are loosely based on the Hiberno-British mythological brownie or hobgoblin. They are 2–3 feet tall, with spindly arms and legs and oversized heads and eyes. They have pointed, bat-like ears and high, squeaky voices. Their names are usually pet-like diminutives, and do not appear to have surnames. They habitually refer to themselves in the third person and use a strange manner of speaking. House-elves are generally obedient, pliant, and obsequious. Rather than conventional clothing, house-elves wear discarded items like pillowcases and tea-towels. House-elves' masters can free them by giving them an item of clothing, much like the Hob of English Folklore. House-elves can become intoxicated by drinking Butterbeer.
House-elves possess their own forms of powerful magic, distinct from that used by wizards and witches, which they generally use in the service of their masters. This magic can be used without the permission of their masters, or even against their orders, though such disobedience obliges them to punish themselves in various painful ways. Among other things, this magic allows house-elves to travel instantly from place to place, in a manner similar to Apparition; they are able to do this even within the boundaries of Hogwarts and other places where Anti-Apparition and Anti-Disapparition charms are in effect, preventing human Apparition and Disapparition. House-elves can, however, use side-along Apparition to transport humans.[HP7] The full nature of the elves' magic is never fully disclosed, but it seems to be quite formidable. Along with the ability to Apparate anywhere at any time, Dobby, Winky, Hokey and Kreacher all demonstrate that they can overpower wizards when necessary. In Chamber of Secrets, Dobby forcefully repels Lucius Malfoy while protecting Harry Potter. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, when Barty Crouch is unmasked and confesses to what happened on the night of the Quiddich World Championship, he says: "Winky used her own brand of magic to bind me to her". Later, in Deathly Hallows, Kreacher is ordered by Harry to capture Mundungus Fletcher and bring him to 12 Grimmauld Place, a task that he accomplishes within a few days, even though, as Kreacher puts it, "He has many hidey-holes and accomplices." Moreover, although House-elves are not allowed to carry wands, the magic they can perform without wands is considerably greater than that of wizards' non-wand magic.
In Deathly Hallows, the dead Dumbledore tells Harry: "Of House-elves (...) Voldemort knows and understands nothing. Nothing. That they have a power beyond his own, a power beyond the reach of any magic, is a truth he had never grasped". For reasons not made clear, however, Dumbledore seems to have never included such information in the knowledge imparted to Hogwarts students in the normal course of their studies. While the school's curriculum includes the study of many magical creatures and their ways and abilities, there is no mention of any such study of House-elves. Certainly, Harry, Ron and Hermione – who had completed six of the school's seven years of study – are greatly surprised by witnessing what Dobby is able to do, and had clearly never heard before of House-elves having such abilities.
It is never made clear whether House-elves are bonded primarily to the families they serve or to their homes. Ron Weasley comments that he wishes his family were rich enough to afford a house with a House-elf, suggesting that they are linked to houses rather than to families (very much like serfs in the Middle Ages). In addition, when the ownership of Grimmauld Place passes to Harry in Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Harry's status as the rightful owner of the house is confirmed when the House-elf Kreacher grudgingly obeys his commands. On the other hand, in Goblet of Fire, it is said that a House-elf who has been freed is normally told to find a new family to serve. There is an Office of House-Elf Relocation at the Ministry of Magic.
House-elves are unendingly loyal to their human families; so much so, that Dobby, who served the Malfoy family, attempts to punish himself each time he utters a negative remark about his former masters even after freed. However, he is able to overcome it more as time passes, even going so far as to defiantly tell Bellatrix Lestrange that none of the Malfoys are masters over him. According to Kreacher, "a House-elf's highest law is his master's bidding"; however, while House-elves must obey their masters whatever their personal feelings may be, they are far from mindless automata. House-elves have been known to disobey the rules (usually by finding, when necessary, loopholes in orders that allow for unintended interpretations) to protect themselves or their friends. Because of their docile, obedient natures, some families abuse their house-elves. Dark wizard families in particular seem to make a habit of bullying and mistreating House-elves; the Malfoys forced Dobby to slam his own ears in the oven door or iron his hands if he attempted to disobey them; the Black family had a tradition of decapitating House-elves who were too old to carry a tea tray, then placing their stuffed and mounted heads on a wall.
Most House-elves would be devastated if freed, for it would mean that they had failed to serve their masters properly; but Dobby enjoys being free. Though he summons the courage to request payment when he is hired at Hogwarts, even Dobby does not want to be paid too much. Most people in the wizarding community are unwilling to pay a House-elf, as this would obviate the point of having one.[HP4] Indeed, most House-elves seem to regard paid service as a disgrace to their species. During her time at Hogwarts, Hermione Granger establishes S.P.E.W (the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare) to champion House-elf's rights,[10] a movement that garnered little interest from her fellow classmates or from House-elves. After Hermione begins leaving elf-sized clothes around the Gryffindor common room, intending for Hogwarts' House-elves to inadvertently free themselves while cleaning, Dobby the house elf, confides in Harry that the other House-elves find the idea so insulting that Dobby is the only resident elf still willing to clean in Gryffindor Tower. According to Rowling, Hermione works in the Ministry of Magic after Hogwarts and manages to make positive changes for House-elf rights.
Thestrals are the most elusive and least horse-like breed of magical winged horse. They have acquired an undeserved reputation as omens of evil.[11] They are visible only to those who have witnessed and accepted a death,[12] and are described as having "blank, white, shining eyes," a "dragonish face," "long, black manes," "great leathery wings," and the "skeletal body of a great, black, winged horse." They are also described, by Hagrid, as "dead clever an' useful."[11] Dolores Jane Umbridge asserted that Thestrals are considered "dangerous creatures" by the Ministry of Magic, although that might just be prejudice against half-breeds, as Hagrid is a half-giant and is showing thestrals in class.
Thestrals have fangs and possess a well-developed sense of smell, which will lead them to carrion and fresh blood. According to Hagrid, they will not attack a human-sized target without provocation. Their wings are capable of very fast flight for at least several hours at a time, though they usually spend their time on the ground, and they have an excellent sense of direction. The breed is domesticable, given a willing trainer (Hagrid suspects that he has the only domesticated herd in Britain). Thestrals can be used to pull loads, and make a serviceable if very uncomfortable mode of transportation for someone with enough nerve. Harry rides to the Ministry of Magic by thestral in the fifth book.
Hogwarts has a herd in the nearby Forbidden Forest and primarily uses them to pull the carriages that transport students to and from the Hogsmeade train station. They are introduced to Care of Magical Creatures students in the fifth year by Hagrid—in the same year that Harry becomes able to see them after witnessing the death of Cedric Diggory, having previously thought that the carriages moved on their own. However, at the end of year four, after witnessing said death, Harry still thinks the carriages move on their own. That suggests that either the ability to see them takes some time to be developed, that Harry had not yet accepted Cedric's death, that Rowling had not imagined thestrals by that time, or that she decided to leave that moment for the fifth book because it was part of its plot. Thestrals are featured in the Battle of Hogwarts at the end of Deathly Hallows, seen attacking Death Eaters. Rowling has revealed that the Elder Wand has a core of Thestral hair, the only wand with such a core.
The werewolf is a creature that exists only for a brief period around the full moon. At any other time, a werewolf is a normal human. However, the term werewolf is used for both the wolf-like creature and the normal human. A werewolf can be distinguished from a true wolf physically by several small distinguishing characteristics, including the pupils, snout, and tufted tail. A person becomes a werewolf when bitten by a werewolf in wolf-form. Once this happens, the person must learn to manage the condition. The 'Wolfsbane Potion' controls some of the effects of the condition; by allowing the sufferer to maintain their human mind in wolf form, it prevents them from harming others. The potion tastes horrible and very few are skilled enough to brew it, and according to Lupin, the addition of sugar to the potion renders it useless and inert. Nothing discovered in the wizarding world can completely cure a werewolf. Most werewolves live outside normal society and steal food to survive. They generally support Voldemort, whom they think will give them a better life. This is however not surprising, since they are shunned by the wizard community and are both feared and hated by the common witch and wizard. Remus Lupin is the only known exception to this. There are only three known werewolves in the Harry Potter series: Lupin, Fenrir Greyback and an unnamed character who was in the same ward as Arthur Weasley in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. Bill Weasley who is attacked by Fenrir Greyback in The Battle of the Astronomy Tower in the Half-Blood Prince, is not a werewolf. Although Bill suffered a number of side-effects from the attack, including a scarred face and a new love of very rare steak, he does not become a werewolf as Greyback was in human form at the time of the bite. The condition of Lycanthropy can be genetic, but (as seen in the case of Teddy Lupin), it is not necessarily so.
Below is a list of magical creatures that met Harry or have some significant role in the series.
Crookshanks is the pet cat of Hermione Granger. He is described as having a "squashed face," which was inspired by a real cat Rowling once saw, which she said looked like it had run face first into a brick wall, most likely a Persian. Hermione buys Crookshanks from a shop in Diagon Alley out of sympathy, as nobody wants him because of his behaviour and his squashed looking-face. Rowling has confirmed that Crookshanks is half Kneazle,[13] an intelligent, cat-like creature who can detect when they are around untrustworthy people, explaining his higher than normal cat intelligence and stature. Because of this, he is immediately aware that Scabbers, Ron Weasley's pet rat, is not a real rat, and that the huge black dog lurking around the school is not a real dog; it is later revealed that Scabbers is Peter Pettigrew, and the dog is Sirius Black. Sirius eventually persuades Crookshanks to trust him and sends him to bring Pettigrew to him; Crookshanks, who has been pouncing on Scabbers from the moment the two met, evidently agrees. It has been confirmed by Rowling that Crookshanks is not an Animagus.[13] Crookshanks also befriended Sirius Black during the third novel. Ron Weasley develops a dislike for Crookshanks due to his repeated attempts to catch Scabbers. When Scabbers is revealed as Peter Pettigrew, Ron begins to like Crookshanks.
Dobby was a house elf owned by the Malfoy family who first appears in the Dursley family's house at Privet Drive in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and attempts to discourage Harry from returning to Hogwarts. Dobby later tries to keep Harry away from Hogwarts by magically sealing off the hidden entrance to Platform 9¾, but Harry and Ron foil that plot by piloting the Weasleys' flying car back to school. During a Quidditch match of Gryffindor vs Slytherin, Dobby enchants a Bludger to chase after only Harry, hoping to cause him enough injury to be sent home; the Bludger only manages to break Harry's arm, which is relieved of bones by Professor Gilderoy Lockhart and ultimately mended by Madam Pomfrey. Dobby discloses that when an enslaved house-elf is presented with an article of clothing from his or her master, that house-elf is subsequently set free; when Harry (after returning from the Chamber of Secrets) discovers that Dobby's master is Lucius Malfoy, he resolves to repay Malfoy for the dirty deed he committed by slipping Ginny Weasley the enchanted diary. Harry gets one of his own filthy socks and stuffs it into the diary. Malfoy, in disgust, unwittingly throws the diary at his servant, Harry having thereby tricked Malfoy into setting Dobby free, a feat that secures him the house elf's undying loyalty. In a fit of rage, Lucius tries to attack Harry as revenge for setting Dobby free, but Dobby protects Harry from the spell.
Dobby returns in Goblet of Fire. Now a free elf, he has been seeking payment in exchange for his services, which makes it difficult for him to find employment. He obtains a post at Hogwarts and is the only paid house-elf on the staff. Dobby gives Harry the gillyweed he needs to survive the second task of the Triwizard Tournament. Dobby also quickly becomes the only house-elf who will clean Gryffindor common room, since in an effort for S.P.E.W. Hermione starts leaving knitted clothing half-hidden around the room in an attempt to free the elves, which they find insulting.
Dobby appears in Order of the Phoenix, showing Harry the hidden Room of Requirement, which Harry uses for the secret meetings of Dumbledore's Army. When Professor Umbridge finds out about the meetings later, Dobby enters the room to warn the group to leave. In Half-Blood Prince Harry entrusts Dobby to help watch Kreacher when he orders him to work in the Hogwarts kitchens with the other house-elves. When Harry needs somebody to follow Draco Malfoy, he is helped by Dobby and Kreacher. When they report back, Kreacher tells Harry only mundane and sycophantically flattering things about Draco, such as his class schedule and accolades about his Pureblood heritage, while Dobby cuts to the chase and tells Harry about Malfoy's visits to the Room of Requirement.
Dobby makes his last appearance in Deathly Hallows when Aberforth Dumbledore sends him to the rescue in the cellar of Malfoy Manor (despite the promise he made to Harry in Chamber of Secrets never to try to save Harry's life again). Dobby helps Harry and Ron escape their prison and gets Luna Lovegood, Dean Thomas, and Mr Ollivander out of the manor, then helps Harry and Ron free Hermione and Griphook from torture at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange. While he succeeds in his task, Bellatrix throws a silver knife at Harry, but the knife hits Dobby instead, and after Apparating to Shell Cottage he dies before he can be healed. Harry abandons his magical powers as he manually digs a grave for Dobby (since by Deathly Hallows, Harry and his friends were fugitives), but picks up his wand to engrave an epitaph upon a smooth white rock: "Here Lies Dobby, A Free Elf". Dobby's last words to Harry were "Harry Potter," the same as his first words to him when he meets him in Privet Drive in Chamber of Secrets.
Dobby's name is derived from a creature in English folklore. This creature performs household chores and is kind to children,[14] as is the character in the series.
Dobby was voiced by Toby Jones in the film adaptations of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.[15] In the Comic Relief spoof, Harry Potter and the Secret Chamberpot of Azerbaijan, he is played by Basil Brush.[16][17] IGN put Dobby as their 24th top Harry Potter character, with his death described as "one of the most touching moments in the series."[18] In NextMovie.com's Harry Potter Mega Poll, Dobby was voted as the No. 1 favourite magical creature in the series.[19]
Fawkes is Albus Dumbledore's pet phoenix, a mythological bird which cyclically bursts into flame upon its death and then is reborn from the ashes. Phoenix tail feathers are suitable for inclusion in some wands (both Harry and Voldemort's wands contain a feather from Fawkes's tail) and their tears have healing powers. Fawkes can also teleport himself and others in a burst of flame.
In Chamber of Secrets, Harry's display of loyalty to Dumbledore results in his summoning Fawkes to his aid as he fights against Salazar Slytherin's basilisk in the Chamber of Secrets. Fawkes gouges the basilisk's eyes out, blinding it, and therefore eliminating its ability to kill with its gaze. Fawkes later uses his tears to save Harry from dying from a wound he incurred from the basilisk's fang, which contains poisonous venom. Fawkes then brings Harry Potter, Ron and Ginny Weasley, and Gilderoy Lockhart back up to the castle, bearing their combined weight as they hold his tail feathers.
In Goblet of Fire, during the duel between Harry and Voldemort, the "reverse spell effect" ('Priori Incantatem') occurs, as both of their wands are made of Fawkes's feathers (the only two feathers the phoenix ever provided).
During the confrontation between Voldemort and Dumbledore in the Ministry of Magic at the climax of Order of the Phoenix, Fawkes saves Dumbledore's life by swallowing a Killing Curse from Voldemort. Fawkes then bursts into flame and is reborn as a chick from the ashes.
After Dumbledore's death in Half-Blood Prince, Fawkes is heard singing a lament. When the singing stops, Harry knows that Fawkes has left Hogwarts forever. In an interview, Rowling stated this was to symbolize the loss of Dumbledore. When asked why Fawkes didn't return to Harry due to his loyalty to Dumbledore, Rowling stated that Fawkes was non-transferable to owners.
According to Rowling, Fawkes is named after 17th century conspirator Guy Fawkes.[20]
Firenze is a centaur and, beginning in Order of the Phoenix, a Divination teacher at Hogwarts. He is described in the book as a palomino centaur with astonishingly blue eyes. He is quite good-looking, and many of the female population at Hogwarts are attracted to him. He first appears towards the end of Philosopher's Stone, in which he rescues Harry from Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest. Having carried Harry to safety on his back, Firenze is involved in an altercation with the rest of his centaur herd in the forest, who object to the symbolic suggestion that centaurs are subservient to humans.
The character does not make another appearance until Order of the Phoenix, in which he is appointed by Dumbledore to teach Divination at Hogwarts in place of Sybill Trelawney, who has been sacked by Dolores Umbridge. For this, he is cast out of his herd and attacked by his fellows, as Firenze ignored the centaurs' taboo on assisting humans because he felt he had an obligation to contribute to the struggle against Voldemort. In Half-Blood Prince he shares teaching duties with a reinstated Trelawney, because Firenze would have no place left to go, as he is an exile from his herd. In Deathly Hallows, he is seen near the end of the book fighting alongside the other members of the Hogwarts staff, helping to defend the school against Voldemort and his Death Eaters; it is mentioned that he was wounded on his flanks by the Death Eaters but ultimately survived the Battle of Hogwarts. Although not mentioned in the series, Rowling revealed that Firenze's herd is later forced to acknowledge that Firenze's pro-human leanings are not shameful and allows him back into the fold.[21]
The character is based on Steve Eddy, Rowling's former English teacher who attempted to discourage her from writing mythical, fantasy tales in favour of ones with grittier topics.[22]
Ray Fearon voiced Firenze in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.
His name is the Italian form of Florence.
Griphook is a goblin and an employee at Gringotts until the Second Wizarding War. In Philosopher's Stone, after Hagrid presents Harry's key and Dumbledore's letter to an unnamed goblin in the Gringotts' lobby, Griphook is called over to escort Harry and Hagrid through the underground rail-system to Harry's vault (to get gold to purchase supplies) and, afterwards, to Vault 713 to retrieve the Philosopher's Stone. He is not heard of again until Deathly Hallows, when the Snatchers holding him captive also capture Harry, Ron and Hermione. When Hermione lies under torture to Bellatrix Lestrange that the sword of Gryffindor is a fake, Bellatrix asks Griphook for confirmation. Though he knows the sword is real, he lies and tells her it is a fake. He is saved, along with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, by Dobby and successfully escapes to Shell Cottage. Because Harry needs to get a Horcrux out of Bellatrix's vault, he asks Griphook to assist him in breaking into Gringotts. He reluctantly agrees in exchange for the sword of Gryffindor. Griphook and the trio break in successfully but when escaping, Griphook betrays them to the other goblins and escapes with the sword. It is not known whether he escapes or if he is among those killed by Voldemort. At the end of the book, however, the sword reappears when Neville Longbottom pulls it from the Sorting Hat and slays Nagini.
Verne Troyer appeared as Griphook in the film adaptation of Philosopher's Stone and Warwick Davis portrayed him in the Deathly Hallows films. In the Deathly Hallows film, Griphook is killed while trying to escape with Gryffindor's sword.
Hedwig is Harry Potter's Snowy Owl, given to him in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone as an eleventh birthday present by Rubeus Hagrid, who purchases the owl in Diagon Alley. Hedwig is used for delivering messages throughout the series, and also serves as a companion to Harry, especially during the summers he spends living with the Dursleys when he is unable to interact with other wizards. It is implied throughout the books that Hedwig can fully understand Harry, and to some extent vice versa. In the fifth book, Order of the Phoenix, Hedwig is intercepted by Dolores Umbridge and is hurt, but is later healed by Professor Grubbly-Plank. At the start of Deathly Hallows, Hedwig is killed during Harry's escape from Privet Drive by a stray Killing Curse (in the film version, she is killed while attacking a pursuing Death Eater trying to hurt Harry). According to Rowling, Hedwig's life represents Harry's innocence.[23]
Although the character of Hedwig is female, she is played on film by male owls (female snowy owls have dark patches of plumage, while only the males are completely white, as Hedwig is).
The John Williams composition which serves as title music for the entire film series is named "Hedwig's Theme".
Hokey is a house-elf who works for Hepzibah Smith, an old woman who is deceived by Tom Riddle during his employment at Borgin and Burke's into showing him Slytherin's locket and Hufflepuff's cup, which he uses as the vessels for two of his Horcruxes. Hokey is introduced when Dumbledore uses the Pensieve to show Harry the memory he got from the house elf in Half-Blood Prince. Her memory allows Harry and Dumbledore to get a glimpse of the visit Voldemort makes two days before Hepzibah Smith is poisoned to death and both treasures disappear. Riddle, who magically tampers with Hokey's memories, frames Hokey for Hepzibah's murder. She does not deny the accusation and is convicted for accidental murder, later dying of mental anguish induced by the Dementors in Azkaban.
Kreacher is a house-elf that served the House of Black for decades. His name is a pun on the word creature, indicating that his masters, who espoused pure-blood supremacy, regarded him as a mere creature. Kreacher first appears in Order of the Phoenix as an unwilling servant to Sirius Black. Kreacher disdains Sirius, mainly due to his devotion to his former masters (Regulus Black in particular, who had treated him well) and Sirius having broken with the family's pure-blood values. Sirius also treats him harshly because the elf is a living reminder of a home to which he had had no intention of returning. Knowing too much of the Order of the Phoenix's activity, Kreacher is not allowed to leave Grimmauld Place. Years of being isolated in the house alone, with only the screaming portrait of Mrs. Black for company, caused him some mental instability, in which he seems to speak his personal thoughts and feelings aloud, completely unaware of doing so. Kreacher desires to leave Sirius and serve his next of kin, Bellatrix Lestrange and the Malfoys. He betrays Sirius and persuades Harry to go to the Department of Mysteries, where a trap has been laid. Sirius is killed by Bellatrix in the ensuing combat, while trying to save Harry. Following Sirius's death, Harry inherits all Sirius's possessions, including a highly unwilling Kreacher. Harry immediately orders him to work at Hogwarts, where he comes to blows with Dobby about his lack of loyalty to Harry.
In Deathly Hallows, Harry and his friends manage to coax from the house-elf the current whereabouts of Salazar Slytherin's Locket, a Black heirloom and one of Lord Voldemort's Horcruxes. They also learn about how Regulus had exchanged the Horcrux at the cost of his own life, and that Kreacher himself was used by Voldemort, who told him to drink the potion out of the basin that would be used to protect the Horcrux. Harry then sends Kreacher to retrieve the locket from Mundungus Fletcher; he gives the old elf the fake Horcrux locket as a token of remembrance. Seeing Harry's kindness and politeness, the elf undergoes a substantial change in personality, appearing cleaner and happier, and ceasing to mutter insults under his breath. He begins to regard Harry as his real master and fulfils his chores dutifully, as well as greatly enhancing his cooking abilities. When Grimmauld Place is infiltrated by Death Eaters, Harry decides against calling the elf back to them, fearing possible betrayal. In the Battle of Hogwarts, however, Kreacher's loyalties are revealed — he rallies the Hogwarts house-elves in the names of Harry and Regulus, and leads them into battle against the Death Eaters. It is implied that he survived the battle, as Harry wonders whether Kreacher will bring him a sandwich after his battle with Voldemort.
Kreacher appears in the film version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, voiced by Timothy Bateson.[24] Producers admitted they had wished to cut the character from the film, but when Rowling was consulted, she advised: "You know, I wouldn't do that if I were you. Or you can, but if you get to make a seventh film, you'll be tied in knots."[25] In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, Kreacher is voiced by Simon McBurney, as Timothy Bateson had died.[26]
Nagini, Voldemort’s snake, is introduced in the first chapter of Goblet of Fire[27] and is described as a long, green, hooded serpent. Her name is a Hindi word which means “she-snake” or “serpent”. As with his diary, Voldemort intended Nagini to be a tool as well as a a safeguard to his immortality.[28]
Voldemort is able to communicate with Nagini due to his ability to speak Parseltongue, the language of snakes.[29] Readers are first introduced to Nagini when the snake alerts Voldemort to the presence of an eavesdropping Frank Bryce, an old gardener who had worked for the late Riddle family.[27] During the fourth year Harry spends at Hogwarts, Voldemort’s temporary body is sustained by Nagini’s venom, harvested by Peter Pettigrew.[27] In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Harry takes a direct viewpoint of Nagini’s attack on Arthur Weasley in one of his dreams, feeling that he (Harry) himself is the snake.[30] Albus Dumbledore believes this to be due to Harry’s special connection to Voldemort, with Harry’s witnessing the attack by virtue of the fact that Voldemort’s mind “happened to be” in Nagini at the time.[30] This is the first indication of Nagini and Voldemort’s deeper connection, having the ability to share thoughts and connect with Harry.[30]
In Deathly Hallows, Nagini consumes Charity Burbage, a Hogwarts Muggle Studies professor, after the Killing Curse is used on her.[28] Nagini is later placed inside the corpse of Bathilda Bagshot by Voldemort, and uses the hiding place to launch a surprise assault on Harry when he visits Godric’s Hollow.[28] Because some snakes (pitvipers and pythonids) can sense heat and movement in a way humans cannot, Nagini is able to detect Harry and Hermione even when they are under the Invisibility Cloak.[21] After discovering that Harry is searching for his Horcruxes, Voldemort places Nagini into a protective magical cage to prevent her from being killed, but still uses her to kill Severus Snape by expanding the cage over and on top of him.[28] When Harry is apparently killed by Voldemort, Nagini is released from the protective enchantment and is draped around Voldemort's shoulders during the Death Eaters’ victory march back to Hogwarts.[28] After Neville Longbottom openly defies Voldemort, Voldemort punishes him by forcing the Sorting Hat on his head and setting it on fire.[28] The Death Eaters are then attacked and a battle ensues, and Neville pulls Godric Gryffindor's sword from the Hat, as Harry had done in Chamber of Secrets,[29] and beheads Nagini.[28]
Voldemort made Nagini his final Horcrux when he was hiding in the forests of Albania by murdering Bertha Jorkins.[21] This formed some sort of connection between him and the snake. Due to this connection, Voldemort has excessive control over the snake, even for a Parselmouth, as mentioned by Dumbledore in Half-Blood Prince. Nagini was also able to inform Voldemort, about the presence of Harry in Godric's Hollow, due to this connection.
Peeves is a poltergeist who wrecks havoc in Hogwarts. Peeves is often "chased" by Argus Filch, who is a Squib, trying to make him stop whatever he is doing. In the last book, Deathly Hallows, he proves himself trustworthy when throwing dung bombs at the Death Eaters. Being a poltergeist, Peeves is a spirit rather than a physical being, but very different from the ghosts for which he is occasionally mistaken. Peeves is capable of flight and can choose whether to be physically tangible. However, he is usually observed to take physical form. Peeves is able to manipulate objects, a trait not generally possible with ghosts, but common to poltergeists. Peeves's existence is essentially the embodiment of disorder,[31] where he is observed to constantly cause it. In appearance, he is a small man with a mischievous face, a wide mouth, dressed in vibrantly coloured clothing. He derives joy from disaster and mischievous acts, usually causing disruptions rather than being violent and dangerous.
Peeves only listens to a select few: Dumbledore, the Bloody Baron (whom he fears), in the second book Nearly Headless Nick, and by the fifth book Fred and George Weasley. Filch, who is usually left with cleaning up the mess and damage Peeves causes, is his nemesis and works continuously to try to get Peeves thrown out; however, Rowling has stated in an interview that not even Dumbledore would be able to rid Hogwarts of Peeves forever.[32] Peeves is, however, vulnerable to some magic; in Prisoner of Azkaban, Professor Lupin uses magic to teach Peeves a lesson by making the gum Peeves was stuffing into a keyhole shoot back out and up the poltergeist's nose. In Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, Harry uses magic to glue Peeves's tongue to the roof of his mouth, after which Peeves angrily departs.
During Dolores Umbridge's attempts to take control of Hogwarts in Order of the Phoenix, Peeves shows his loyalty to Hogwarts, and his destructive tendencies shift into overdrive as he goes on the rampage at the Weasley twins' request. When Umbridge attempts to sneak out of Hogwarts, Peeves chases her out, whacking her with Minerva McGonagall's cane (which she lent to him for that purpose) and a sock full of chalk. Peeves is depicted in Deathly Hallows twice, first where he aids the defenders of Hogwarts by dropping Snargaluff pods on the heads of attacking Death Eaters, and second singing a victory song for Harry at the end.
It is also implied that Peeves was still at Hogwarts at the time of epilogue,since Harry tells his son Albus Severus not to "mess with Peeves".
Rik Mayall was cast as Peeves for film adaptation of Philosopher's Stone. However, his scenes were cut from the final film and have yet to be released publicly (being omitted even from the deleted scenes section of the DVD release).[33] Peeves was subsequently omitted from the Potter films that followed, though he can be seen in the Harry Potter video games. Peeves is also referenced in dialogue in the Queen's Handbag short film.
Winky is a house-elf who originally served the Crouch family. She is described as having enormous brown eyes and a nose like a tomato. She viewed herself as a dutiful house-elf and guarded the family's many secrets. When Barty Crouch Jr is rescued from Azkaban by his mother, he is supervised and nursed back to health by Winky. In Goblet of Fire, she persuades Barty Crouch Sr to let his son attend the Quidditch World Cup; she attends it with the younger Crouch, who is hiding under an Invisibility Cloak, and claims the apparently empty seat beside her is being saved for Crouch Sr. During the festivities, Crouch Jr steals Harry's wand from his pocket and later uses it to conjure the Dark Mark, in spite of Winky's fervent attempts to stop him. In the resulting chaos, Harry and his friends see Winky running into the forest, appearing to struggle against some invisible force, the invisible Crouch Jr. Later she is caught with Harry's wand, which is magically proven to be the one used to conjure the Dark Mark; though Crouch Sr realises what happened, he agrees with the apparent conclusion that Winky conjured the mark, and fires her, giving her clothes, both to save face and as punishment for failing to control Crouch Jr. Following her dismissal, Dobby takes the distraught Winky to work with him at Hogwarts. There the unhappy Winky, who continues to act as if Crouch was her master and refuses to give up any of his secrets, begins to have a drinking problem that lasts the next several years. Winky eventually sobers up a bit,[21] and eventually fights in the Battle of Hogwarts with the other house-elves.[34]
There are many pets and animals associated with the Weasley family:
Over the course of the series, Hagrid cares for a large number of animals, many of them dangerous, including Aragog (Acromantula), Buckbeak (Hippogriff), Fang (boarhound), Fluffy (Cerberus), Norbert (Norberta) (Norwegian Ridgeback Dragon), and Tenebrus (Thestral). Hagrid's love for animals got him the teaching job for Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts. In their fourth year, Harry and his classmates were expected to help take care of Hagrid's Blast-Ended Skrewts, one of which (grown to giant size) was placed in the hedge maze for the final task of the Triwizard Tournament. Although its tough outer-shell can repel spells, Harry is able to pass it without getting hurt.
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