Centaurs in the Harry Potter universe are semi-wild creatures of intelligence supposedly greater than humans. Although sentient, they have not requested assignment as beings, preferring to remove themselves entirely from human affairs. Any centaur who decides to associate with humans, such as Firenze, who agreed to teach Divination at Hogwarts, is violently attacked by the other centaurs and banished. The Ministry of Magic's Department of Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures has a Centaur Liaison Office, but no centaur has ever used it. In the Ministry's parlance, "being sent to the Centaur office" is a euphemism for being fired. Like Chiron, centaurs are skilled in healing and astrology, and spend much of their time scouring the stars for portents. They live in forests, and their society consists of groups called herds. They do not appear to employ or need any technology more advanced than a bow and arrow. They are intensely proud and fiercely territorial, and one must be highly diplomatic in dealing with them. Not paying the proper respect to a herd of centaurs can have violent consequences, as Dolores Umbridge learned to her cost.In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the Hogwarts centaur herd, after being admonished fiercely by Hagrid, takes sides with the students against the Death Eaters and turn the tide of the fight.After the battle, they accepted Firenze again in the herd.
The films depict the centaurs with very bestial, animalistic facial features; however, the obvious attraction of Hogwarts' female population to Firenze suggests that the books depict centaurs in terms that are more classical. Rowling has revealed that there are no female centaurs in the Harry Potter universe.
Named Centaur characters:
Firenze
Bane
Magorian
Ronan
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