Vampires

Vampires are a species of Dark Creatures, sometimes referred to as the “living dead”, known for their consumption of blood. While their existence is acknowledged within the wizarding world, they appear to be a relatively rare presence, particularly in Great Britain. They are a subject of study in Defence Against the 'Dark Arts' and are considered to be “beings” by the Ministry of Magic.

Information on vampires in the canonical texts is limited, but several characteristics can be inferred.

• Diet: Vampires subsist on blood. The vampire Sanguini was observed at a party looking intently at the necks of several female guests, and his companion Eldred Worple had to restrain him from biting someone.
• Physical Appearance: The only detailed description of a vampire comes from Sanguini, who is depicted as tall and emaciated with dark shadows under his eyes.
• Weaknesses: Traditional folklore about vampire weaknesses is present in the wizarding world, though its effectiveness is unconfirmed.
  • Garlic: Professor Quirrell claimed to have had a “nasty bit of trouble with a vampire in Romania” and filled his classroom with garlic to ward it off.
  • Sunlight: It is implied that vampires cannot be in direct sunlight, as Hermione Granger dismissed Ron Weasley's theory that Severus Snape was a vampire by noting they had seen Snape in the daylight.
  • Decapitation: When asked on a first-year exam how to cure a werewolf bite, Ron Weasley mistakenly answered with a method he believed was for vampires: “you chop its head off.” The accuracy of this method is unconfirmed in the novels.

Vampires are a known entity in wizarding society, though they seem to operate on its fringes.

• Academic Study: Vampires are part of the Defence Against the Dark Arts curriculum at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Gilderoy Lockhart's book, Voyages with Vampires, was a required text for second-year students, detailing his supposed encounters with them.
• Social Integration: Despite their nature, some vampires appear to integrate into wizarding society. Sanguini was a guest at Horace Slughorn's Christmas party, indicating that they are not universally shunned and can attend high-profile social events.
• Regulation: The Ministry of Magic's Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures includes a Being Division, which is responsible for relations with self-aware creatures like vampires and werewolves.

• Sanguini: The most prominent vampire in the series. He attended Horace Slughorn's Christmas party as the guest of author Eldred Worple, who had written a book about him titled Blood Brothers: My Life Amongst the Vampires.
• Lady Carmilla Sanguina: A vampire mentioned in Gilderoy Lockhart's book Voyages with Vampires. It is highly likely she was fictional, given Lockhart's fraudulent nature.
• Unnamed Vampire in Romania: Professor Quirrell claimed to have met a vampire in Romania, using it as an excuse for the strong smell of garlic in his classroom.
• Carmilla Sangfroid: A vampire mentioned on a Famous Witches and Wizards Card. (video game)
• Amarillo Lestoat: A vampire author of A Vampire's Monologue, mentioned on a Famous Witches and Wizards Card. (video game)

• In a 2004 interview, J.K. Rowling stated that she deliberately kept vampire lore to a minimum because the literary tradition of vampires was already so rich and well-established that she felt she had nothing new to add to it. (J.K. Rowling interview)
• On the Pottermore website, Rowling revealed that she had once created a vampire professor named Trocar for an early draft of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. He was intended to be a Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher but was ultimately cut from the story. (Pottermore)
• In the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Sanguini is shown being served a red beverage in a goblet by a house-elf at Horace Slughorn's party. (film)