Magical Creatures

Magical creatures are a diverse and integral part of the wizarding world, encompassing a vast array of fauna with magical abilities or origins. They range from harmless, domesticable pets to immensely powerful and dangerous beasts that require specialist knowledge to handle. The study of these creatures is a core subject at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry known as Care of Magical Creatures. The Ministry of Magic, specifically through its Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, is responsible for managing, classifying, and concealing them from the Muggle world.

The Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures classifies all known beasts, beings, and spirits. This system provides a quick reference to the perceived dangerousness of a creature. The classifications are detailed in the book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by Newt Scamander.

• XXXXX: Known wizard-killer / impossible to train or domesticate.
• XXXX: Dangerous / requires specialist knowledge / skilled wizards may handle.
• XXX: Competent wizard should cope.
• XX: Harmless / may be domesticated.
• X: Boring.

A fundamental distinction in the wizarding world is the classification of entities into one of three categories: Being, Beast, or Spirit.

• Being: The official definition of a Being is “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.” Members of this category include Humans, Goblins, and House-elves. Historically, other races like Centaurs and Merpeople were offered Being status but rejected it in protest, preferring to remain classified as Beasts and manage their own affairs separately from the Ministry of Magic.
• Beast: This category includes any magical creature that does not meet the criteria for being a Being. It is the largest and most diverse category, covering creatures from Dragons to Flobberworms. This classification also includes creatures that have chosen to be designated as such, like Centaurs and Merpeople.
• Spirit: This classification is reserved for ethereal, non-corporeal entities. The most common examples are Ghosts, which are the imprints of deceased witches and wizards, and Poltergeists like Peeves, a spirit of chaos.

The following are examples of creatures categorized by the Ministry of Magic's danger classification. (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them) XXXXX (Known wizard-killer / impossible to train or domesticate)

• Acromantula
• Basilisk
• Chimera
• Dragon
• Lethifold
• Nundu
• Quintaped
• Werewolf (in transformed state)

XXXX (Dangerous / requires specialist knowledge)

• Centaur
• Erumpent
• Grindylow
• Merpeople
• Phoenix
• Sphinx
• Thestral
• Unicorn

XXX (Competent wizard should cope)

• Ashwinder
• Boggart
• Bundimun
• Doxy
• Griffin
• Hippogriff
• Jarvey
• Red Cap
• Salamander

XX (Harmless / may be domesticated)

• Bowtruckle
• Clabbert
• Diricawl
• Gnome
• Jobberknoll
• Niffler
• Pixie
• Porlock
• Puffskein

X (Boring)

• Flobberworm
• Horklump

Much of the detailed lore and classification regarding magical creatures comes from the supplementary textbook Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, written by J.K. Rowling under the pseudonym of Newt Scamander. This book was originally published in 2001 for charity. The book and its author later became the inspiration for the Fantastic Beasts film series, which greatly expanded the number and variety of known magical creatures in the wizarding world. (film)