Rougarou

The Rougarou is a fearsome, dog-headed magical beast native to the swamps of Louisiana in North America (Pottermore). It is considered highly dangerous and has a significant, though dark, connection to the history of the American wizarding school, Ilvermorny. The hair of a Rougarou is also known to be used as a powerful wand core (Pottermore).

The history of the Rougarou in the wizarding world is primarily tied to the founding of Ilvermorny. The creature is indigenous to Louisiana, and its magical properties became known to the founders of the school, Isolt Sayre and James Steward. They used the hair of a Rougarou as a core for some of the first wands ever created at Ilvermorny (Pottermore). A specific Rougarou played a sinister role in Isolt's life; she encountered one in the forests near Mount Greylock and initially befriended it. However, she later discovered that this creature was the Animagus form of her estranged and malevolent father, William Sayre, who had been hunting her. This Rougarou was ultimately killed by a Pukwudgie named William, who was defending Isolt and her family (Pottermore). Due to this traumatic personal history, Isolt Sayre decided against using the Rougarou as a symbol for one of the Ilvermorny houses, despite its power and significance (Pottermore).

A Rougarou is described as a dog-headed creature that stalks the swamps of Louisiana (Pottermore). Its reputation within the American wizarding community is that of a particularly dangerous and aggressive beast. In 1926, Queenie Goldstein expressed fear that the public might mistake one of Newt Scamander's escaped creatures for a Rougarou, noting that the panic would be immense and that even Newt's entire collection of beasts paled in comparison to the danger posed by a single Rougarou (film).

The most notable magical property of the Rougarou is its hair, which can be used as a wand core. Wands containing a Rougarou hair core are noted to have a particular affinity for the Dark Arts (Pottermore). Beyond this, its primary abilities appear to be immense physical strength and a ferocious nature, making it a formidable threat.

As a magical beast, the Rougarou does not own possessions.

• Isolt Sayre: Isolt had a complex relationship with the Rougarou, initially showing kindness to one she encountered before realizing it was her father, William Sayre, in his Animagus form. This transformed her perception of the creature into one of personal terror (Pottermore).
• American Wizarding Community: The creature is widely feared. The mere possibility of a Rougarou being loose in New York City was cause for extreme alarm for Queenie Goldstein (film).
• Pukwudgies: At least one Pukwudgie, named William, demonstrated hostility toward a Rougarou, killing it with a poisoned arrow to protect Isolt Sayre and her family (Pottermore).

The name Rougarou is taken directly from Cajun and French folklore, where it is a legendary creature often equated with a werewolf. The term is a variation of the French loup-garou (loup meaning “wolf,” and garou derived from a Frankish term for “werewolf”). This folklore is especially prevalent in Louisiana, which aligns perfectly with the creature's stated habitat in the wizarding world.

The Rougarou is not mentioned in any of the seven original Harry Potter novels. Its lore was first introduced by J.K. Rowling through a series of writings titled “History of Magic in North America” on the Pottermore website in 2016. It was first mentioned in the cinematic universe in the film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016), when Queenie Goldstein voices her concerns to Newt Scamander. Rougarou hair is one of the exclusive North American wand cores that wizards and witches can be assigned on the Wizarding World website (formerly Pottermore).