The Noble Qilin

• Type: Magical Creature
• Native To: China (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore)
• Key Associations: International Confederation of Wizards, Purity of Heart, Divination
• Ministry of Magic Classification: (Not specified, but likely XXXXX due to rarity and power)

The Qilin is a revered and gentle magical creature with a distinctive and elegant appearance. It has a body resembling a cross between a deer and a horse, covered in shimmering, dragon-like scales that can be gold or silver. Its head is leonine in shape, featuring a single, slender horn on its forehead and large, expressive dark eyes that seem to hold ancient wisdom. The creature moves with a serene grace. (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore) Infant Qilins are smaller, more delicate versions of the adults, capable of walking shortly after birth. The creature's overall demeanor is one of profound peace and gentleness, though it is shy and will flee from those with impure intentions. (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore)

The Qilin possesses extraordinary magical abilities centered on insight and judgment.

• Purity Recognition: A Qilin's primary and most famous ability is to see into a person's soul and recognize if they are pure of heart. It will bow before any witch or wizard it deems truly noble and worthy, regardless of their power or lineage. This ability made it the arbiter for selecting the leader of the Wizarding World. (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore)
• Precognition: The Qilin has precognitive abilities, allowing it to see glimpses of the future. (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore)
• Use of Blood and Body: The Qilin is so powerful that even after death, its properties can be exploited. Gellert Grindelwald used Necromancy to reanimate a slain infant Qilin, creating a puppet to rig an election. He also used its blood to gain its precognitive visions and to bring the corpse back to a semblance of life. (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore)

For centuries, the Qilin was central to the political leadership of the global Wizarding World. An ancient tradition known as the “Walk of the Qilin” was used by the International Confederation of Wizards (ICW) to choose its new Supreme Mugwump. During the ceremony, a Qilin would be brought before the candidates, and the one to whom it bowed would be declared the new leader. (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore) Due to their immense power and the value placed upon them for this ceremony, Qilins became exceedingly rare and were considered endangered. They were highly protected creatures, living in remote areas such as the high mountains of China. (Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore)

The Qilin is central to the plot of Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore. In the 1930s, Magizoologist Newt Scamander helps a mother Qilin give birth to twins, an extremely rare event. However, acolytes of Gellert Grindelwald, led by Credence Barebone, attack them, killing the mother and abducting one of the infant twins. Unbeknownst to them, Newt Scamander rescues the surviving twin. Gellert Grindelwald murders the captured Qilin and uses its blood for his own precognitive visions. He then uses Dark Magic to reanimate its corpse, planning to use it at the upcoming ICW election in Bhutan. His plan succeeds initially, as the enchanted corpse bows to him, deceiving the assembled wizards. However, Bunty Broadmaterial, Newt's assistant, reveals the second, living Qilin. This pure-hearted creature first approaches Albus Dumbledore, who is deemed worthy but declines leadership. The Qilin then bows to Vicência Santos, who is subsequently elected the new Supreme Mugwump. This act exposes Grindelwald's deception and shatters his bid for power.

The Qilin does not appear in the original seven *Harry Potter* novels. Its existence and lore were introduced in the film *Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore*. The creature is directly based on the qilin (or kirin) from Chinese and other East Asian mythologies. In these legends, the qilin is a divine, peaceful creature whose appearance is said to foreshadow the arrival or passing of a benevolent and wise ruler. It is a symbol of prosperity, good fortune, and serenity, aligning perfectly with its role in the Wizarding World as an arbiter of worthiness.