Hags

Hags are a species of magical beings known in the Wizarding World. Often confused with old or ugly Witches by Muggles, they are a distinct, non-human species with a fearsome reputation, most notably for their practice of eating human children. They are considered 'Beings' by the Ministry of Magic, placing them in a similar category to Goblins or Vampires rather than magical beasts.

While direct encounters with hags are not depicted in the novels, their nature is detailed in supplementary texts, particularly the notes by Albus Dumbledore in The Tales of Beedle the Bard.

• Diet: Hags have a rudimentary liking for the taste of human children.
• Anatomy: They are known to possess three toes on each foot.
• Intelligence: While described as having 'minimal intelligence', they are classified as 'Beings' by the Ministry of Magic, implying a level of intelligence and speech comparable to humans that distinguishes them from 'Beasts'.

Hags hold the classification of 'Being' from the Ministry of Magic's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. This classification is reserved for creatures with sufficient intelligence to understand the laws of the magical community and to bear part of the responsibility for shaping them. For this reason, hags are not listed in Newt Scamander's book Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, which focuses exclusively on 'Beasts'. Despite their classification as Beings, hags are not integrated into wizarding society and, like Trolls and Giants, are generally found in wilder parts of the world. Their existence, along with that of Vampires and Werewolves, is concealed from Muggles by the International Statute of Secrecy.

Hags are a known part of the Wizarding World's folklore and general knowledge, appearing in books and conversation.

• The Tales of Beedle the Bard: The story of “Babbitty Rabbitty and her Cackling Stump” features the concept of a hag, as the foolish Muggle king confuses the witch Babbitty Rabbitty for one. Albus Dumbledore's notes on this tale provide the most detailed canonical information about the species.
• Holidays with Hags: This is the title of one of Gilderoy Lockhart's fraudulent autobiographical books. The title suggests that encounters with hags are considered adventurous and dangerous, though it is highly probable that Lockhart's accounts within are entirely fabricated.
• General Knowledge: Hags are known enough in the Wizarding World that a young Harry Potter, upon discovering what he believed to be a creature hidden in a transfigured armchair at Horace Slughorn's temporary home, wondered if it might be a hag or an Inferius.
• Figurative Language: The term “hag-faced” or “hag-like” is used as a descriptor for individuals with a particularly unpleasant or ugly appearance. This is seen in the description of a portrait in 12 Grimmauld Place and in an advertisement for Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes Patented Daydream Charms. This implies that the stereotypical appearance of a hag is well-known.

No hags are named or encountered directly in the seven primary novels.

• Hag of the Hebrides: A hag allegedly encountered by Gilderoy Lockhart in his book Holidays with Hags. She appears as a boss character in the Chamber of Secrets video game. (video game)

• In Muggle folklore, the term “hag” is often used interchangeably with “witch” to describe an old, malevolent, and ugly magic-user. In the Wizarding World, J.K. Rowling makes a clear distinction between the human Witches and the non-human species of Hags.
• While several characters in the films have a “hag-like” appearance, particularly in locations like Knockturn Alley, none are explicitly identified as being the hag species. (film)