7.28.2008

GRAWP---HUH.... A TINY BROTHER

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Grawp is the giant half-brother of Hagrid in the Harry Potter books. In the film adaptation of the book Grawp is completely computer-generated using a new "soul capturing" process from Image Metrics..Andrew Whitehead spent 18 months working on the giant Grawp for the film. The voice of Grawp is performed by Tony Maudsley.
First introduced in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Grawp is brought from his mountain home to the Forbidden Forest outside Hogwarts by Hagrid. Grawp and Hagrid were born of the same mother, the giantess Fridwulfa; Hagrid's father was a wizard, whereas Grawp's father was a giant. Grawp is about 16 feet (4.9 metres) tall, which Hagrid claims is small for a giant. His knuckles are the size of a cricket ball (~225 mm in circumference). The other giants were bullying Grawp, and this was a factor in Hagrid's decision to bring him to the Forbidden Forest. Big and dim, he only knows a few words in English and his manners are wild and unpredictable. At first, he seemed indifferent to his brother's attempts to civilise him, preferring to spend his time tearing down trees.
When Grawp first appears in the Order of the Phoenix, Hagrid takes care of him, but must keep him tied to multiple trees simultaneously. However, after Hagrid leaves Hogwarts to continue his work for the Order of the Phoenix, he leaves Grawp in the care of Harry, Ron, and Hermione. Much to their surprise, when they find themselves trapped in the forest during a confrontation with the local centaur population, Grawp inadvertently manages to divert the centaurs' attention from Harry and Hermione. At the time, Grawp displays considerable distress at being unable to find his brother Hagrid, whom he calls 'Hagger'. He also remembers Hermione, calling her "Hermy" (a shorter form suggested by Hagrid because he felt Grawp would not be able to pronounce the full name).
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Grawp is moved to the mountains, where he is apparently progressing much better. He also attends Dumbledore's funeral with Hagrid, much more civil and calm than before, and dressed formally. He also appears to understand emotions, at least to some extent, as he pats Hagrid's head to comfort him. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Grawp, Hagrid, and Fang go into hiding after Hagrid throws a "Support Harry Potter" party and it is implied that Grawp helped them all escape. He is the only Giant fighting against the Death Eaters in the Battle of Hogwarts, and carries Hagrid from their hiding place to the castle on Hagrid's request (shoving him through a window in the process). This is probably borne out of a desire to protect Hagrid, as he frequently calls his name while fighting the Death Eaters. Grawp participates in the victory celebration over Voldemort's defeat (albeit from a window, since he is too big to fit into the hall), and the Hogwarts students show their appreciation by tossing food into his laughing mouth.
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NORBERT @ NORBERTA

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Norbert, later renamed Norberta, is a Norwegian Ridgeback dragon that Hagrid had acquired as an egg from a mysterious, hooded stranger, who turned out to be Lord Voldemort who had concealed himself in the body of Hogwarts' (then) current Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Quirrell. The Ministry of Magic classifies dragon eggs as Class A Non-Tradable goods. Hagrid helps the dragon hatch from the egg. Norbert becomes very dangerous and much bigger in the weeks following, so Harry, Ron, and Hermione finally persuade Hagrid to give her to Ron's older brother Charlie, who is studying dragons in Romania. While helping Hagrid take care of his new pet, Ron is bitten and is in the Hogwarts hospital wing the night Charlie's friends come to collect the dragon. Harry and Hermione take Norbert up in a crate under Harry's invisibility cloak. However, Malfoy also sneaks out in the dead of night and is caught by Professor McGonagall. After Charlie’s friends take Norbert away, Hermione and Harry are also caught, as is Neville who was found lurking in the corridors on his way to warn them about Malfoy. Norbert is frequently mentioned throughout the rest of the series. Most of Norbert's story was cut out of the Philosopher's Stone film for time reasons.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Charlie Weasley revealed to Hagrid that Norbert was actually female, and had been renamed Norberta. Charlie notes that female dragons are more vicious than the males.


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FLUFFY---A MUSIC LOVER

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Fluffy is a giant three-headed dog used by Hagrid to guard the trapdoor leading to the underground chamber where the Philosopher's Stone is hidden in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. The only way to get past Fluffy is to lull him to sleep by playing music. Fluffy is based on Cerberus, the three-headed dog from Greek Mythology that guards the gates to the underworld. As with Fluffy, Cerberus was lulled to sleep with music by Orpheus.
In the book Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry, Ron, and Hermione accidentally run into Fluffy after running from caretaker Argus Filch. At Halloween, Harry and Ron witness Snape entering the door to Fluffy's chamber, and for the next few days he has a pronounced limp and is overheard saying "How are you meant to keep your eyes on all three heads at once?" However, it is later revealed that he followed Professor Quirrell into the chamber. Later, Professor Quirrell gets past Fluffy by playing a harp, while Harry, Ron, and Hermione use a flute that had been given to Harry by Hagrid because Fluffy falls asleep to music.
In the book, Hagrid acquires Fluffy from a Greek he meets in a pub, while in the film Hagrid says he got Fluffy from an Irish person instead. Steve Kloves says when he wrote the script it said "Greek," but was changed somewhere down the line. J. K. Rowling was asked in an interview what happened to Fluffy after he was no longer needed to protect the Stone. She said Fluffy was released into the Forbidden Forest.


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7.27.2008

FANG--A DROOLING BOARHOUND

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Fang is a large boarhound that, aside from his enormous size, appears to be an entirely ordinary dog. While Fang's appearance is intimidating, he is, in Hagrid's words, "a bloody coward." Boisterous and loving with people he knows, he seems especially fond of Harry and at times, Hermione. Fang, like Hagrid, is not as fierce as he looks. He seems to enjoy licking Harry, Ron, or Hermione around the face or ears, as he is mentioned attempting to do it in many of the trio's visits to Hagrid's house.
In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone he accompanied Harry, Hagrid, Draco Malfoy, Hermione and Neville into the Forbidden Forest to look for an injured unicorn. In the following book, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry and Ron took Fang into the forest where he was scared stiff of both the gigantic acromantula and Mr Weasley's flying Ford Anglia. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, an escaping Death Eater set fire to Hagrid's hut while Fang was inside; Hagrid entered the flaming hut, slung Fang over his shoulder, and carried him to safety. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Fang and Hagrid participated in the Battle of Hogwarts; though Fang's exact involvement was not clear. He was last seen running away after a shattered vase frightened him. Fang is said in the books to be a boarhound.


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BUCKBEAK @ WITHERWINGS

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Buckbeak along with eleven other hippogriffs, is introduced during one of Hagrid's Care of Magical Creatures classes. Hagrid explains that hippogriffs are very calm, powerful giants, but are touchy creatures and demand respect. Harry successfully approaches Buckbeak, who allows him to ride him around the paddock. He still must bow on subsequent encounters, though Buckbeak apparently had taken a great liking to Harry from then on.
Draco Malfoy, in an arrogant attempt to show up his school nemesis, endeavours to approach Buckbeak as well. It becomes obvious that the Slytherin neither listened to nor cared about Hagrid's warnings about the hippogriffs' touchiness, as he makes contemptuous remarks about Buckbeak. Quickly angered, Buckbeak slashes Draco's arm with his claws. Pretending to be injured much more severely than he truly is, Draco persuades his father, Lucius Malfoy, to use his political power to sentence Buckbeak to death. Hagrid's numerous appeals fail, and Walden Macnair of the Committee for the Disposal of Dangerous Creatures comes to Hogwarts to execute Buckbeak. With the use of a time-turner, Hermione and Harry free Buckbeak and rescue Sirius Black from the tower in which he was being held before being handed over to the Dementors. Sirius escapes with Buckbeak and flies to safety. During most of Harry's fourth year, Sirius and Buckbeak hide in a cave in the mountains above Hogsmeade. After this, they move to Number 12 Grimmauld Place, whereupon Buckbeak stays in Sirius' mother's former room.
In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry inherits Buckbeak, and allows Hagrid to look after him again. To avoid suspicion from the Ministry of Magic, he is given the alias "Witherwings" (Hagrid also calls Buckbeak by the nickname "Beaky"). A fiercely loyal creature, Buckbeak chased away Professor Snape from Harry by slashing his claws at the end of Half-Blood Prince. Buckbeak also features in the Battle of Hogwarts at the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows leading the Hogwarts' Thestrals against Voldemort's giants.


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ARAGOG---THE WRONG OPENER

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Aragog was an Acromantula - an enormous, sentient, talking spider that made a unique clicking noise as he moved in search of prey. Hagrid raised him from an egg as a Hogwarts student, keeping him inside a cupboard. The spider's discovery was partly responsible for Hagrid's expulsion. Hagrid was caught talking to the spider in the dungeons by Tom Riddle. Riddle then alleged that the creature was the "Monster of Slytherin," and that Hagrid, by extension, had opened the Chamber and released it. In fact, the "Monster" was a basilisk which Riddle, the real Heir of Slytherin, had released.
After Hagrid's expulsion, Aragog lived in the Forbidden Forest. Hagrid even found him a mate, Mosag, with whom Aragog had many offspring and became the patriarch of an entire colony of Acromantulas. He remained grateful to Hagrid and kept his carnivorous children from attacking him when he came to visit, but this did not extend to anyone else (as Harry, Ron, and Fang found out in Chamber of Secrets). Hagrid had told them to simply "follow the spiders." Doing as he wished, they found Aragog and his children, who tried to eat them. They were only saved at the last minute by Ron's flying car that had been lost in the forest a few months prior. Aragog remained in the forest for the rest of his life, eventually growing weak, going blind, and dying in the Half-Blood Prince. Hagrid retrieved Aragog's body from the forest, fearing that his children would devour his body. During his funeral, Professor Slughorn bottles his precious venom and takes it for himself.
Later in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Aragog's offspring return during the Battle at Hogwarts; having been driven from the Forbidden Forest, they began to attack Death Eaters and Hogwarts' inhabitants indiscriminately. Hagrid endangers himself and, potentially, other Hogwarts' inhabitants by attempting to protect Aragog's offspring from harm, in fact being captured by them and taken to Voldemort.


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PEEVES--- THE POLTERIGEIST

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Peeves is a poltergeist who haunts Hogwarts. Being a poltergeist, Peeves is a spirit rather than a physical being, but very different from the ghosts for which he is occasionally mistaken. Peeves is capable of flight, intangibility and teleportation. Like ghosts, he is also capable of invisibility, however he is usually observed to take physical form. Peeves is also seen to have the ability to manipulate objects; a trait not generally possible with ghosts. Peeves's existence is essentially the embodiment of disorder ("an indestructible spirit of chaos"[28]), where he is observed to constantly cause it. In appearance, he is a small man with a mischievous face, dressed in wildly coloured clothing. He derives joy from mischievous acts, causing more of disruptions rather than actually being violent and dangerous. As a "spirit of chaos," it is his entire purpose to cause disorder, break things, and be as annoying and disruptive as possible.
Peeves does not listen to Hogwarts prefects, teachers or anyone else, with the exception of the headmaster of the school, Albus Dumbledore, and the ghost of the Slytherin house, the Bloody Baron. Argus Filch, who is usually left with cleaning up the messes and damage Peeves causes, is his nemesis and works continuously to try to get Peeves thrown out. However, Rowling has stated in an interview that not even Dumbledore would be able to rid Hogwarts of Peeves forever.[29] Peeves is, however, vulnerable to some magic; in Prisoner of Azkaban, Remus Lupin uses magic to teach Peeves a lesson by making the gum Peeves was stuffing into a keyhole shoot back out and up the poltergeist's nose. In Half Blood Prince, Harry also uses magic to glue Peeves's tongue to the roof of his mouth, after which Peeves angrily departs.
Peeves is not completely chaotic nor without loyalties. During Dolores Umbridge's attempts to take control of Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix which were met with passive insurrection, he actually shows respect for his fellow troublemakers Fred and George Weasley and takes their parting words ("Give her hell from us, Peeves") to heart as they flee the school, marking possibly the only time Peeves ever obeys a student, let alone salutes one. This is immediately followed by his finest hour; his destructive tendencies shift into overdrive and he goes on a rampage. When Umbridge attempts to sneak out of Hogwarts, Peeves chased her out of the castle; alternately whacking her with Minerva McGonagall's cane and a sock full of chalk. Peeves is depicted in Deathly Hallows only two times, first where he aids the defenders of Hogwarts by dropping Snargaluff pods on the heads of attacking Death Eaters, and second singing a victory song for Harry at the end.


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HEDWIG---AN INNOCENT FRIEND

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Hedwig is Harry Potter's owl. According to J. K. Rowling, Hedwig is a Snowy Owl, which Rowling considers to be the most beautiful owl of all. In the story, Hedwig is a gift to Harry from Hagrid in the first book of the series, purchased in Diagon Alley while shopping for supplies for Harry's first year at Hogwarts. The name Hedwig is a name Harry found in his schoolbook, A History of Magic. Hedwig is used for messages throughout the series. In the fifth book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Hedwig is intercepted by Professor Dolores Umbridge and is hurt. Harry pretends he feels unwell in History of Magic lesson and sets off to find Professor Grubbly-Plank, Hedwig behind his back. Keeping Hedwig at home during the summer holiday continues to be just one more area of conflict between Harry and the Dursleys.
Hedwig could be considered an owl with a 'formal' personality, and has a habit of staring/hooting "reproachfully", cuffing Harry with a wing when miffed (which is rather often), and being far more vocal than the average Snowy Owl. She also can act with hurt or anger due to Harry's sometimes innocently thoughtless actions or words. It is implied throughout the books that Hedwig can fully understand Harry and, apparently, to some extent vice versa. This implies in turn that she is a very intelligent owl, or that owls hide their intelligence from Muggles. At the start of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Hedwig is killed during Harry's escape from the Dursleys' by a stray killing curse. Hedwig's death represented the death of innocence.


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GRIPHOOK--A GREEDY POSSESSIVE GOBLIN

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Griphook is the most developed Goblin character in the series, who appears in the first and seventh books. He is an employee at Gringotts until the Second Wizarding War. In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he was assigned to take Hagrid and Harry Potter to Harry's vault (to get gold to purchase supplies) and Vault 713 (which contained the Philosopher's Stone). He is not seen again until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, imprisoned in the Malfoy Manor. When Hermione Granger lied under torture to Bellatrix Lestrange that the Sword of Gryffindor was a fake, Bellatrix sent for Griphook for confirmation. Though he knew the sword was real, he lied and told her it was a fake. He was saved, along with Harry, Ron, and Hermione, by Dobby and successfully escaped to Bill Weasley's Shell Cottage. Bellatrix killed Dobby for helping them escape. Griphook's respect for Harry grew after watching him bury the elf, because he dug the grave by hand without magic. Griphook considers Harry Potter as a very strange wizard.
Because Harry needed to get the Horcrux out of Bellatrix's vault, Harry asked Griphook to assist him breaking into Gringotts. He reluctantly agreed in exchange for the sword of Gryffindor. They broke in successfully but when escaping he betrayed them to the other goblins and escaped with the sword. However, at the end of the book the sword reappears when Neville Longbottom pulls it from the Sorting Hat and slays Nagini.


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FIRENZE---A CENTAUR ALWAYS A MYSTERY

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Firenze is a Centaur and later a teacher at Hogwarts. He is described in the book as a blonde centaur with astonishingly blue eyes. He also has a muscled upper body, like all centaurs. Supposedly, he is quite good-looking, as many of the female population of Hogwarts are attracted to him. His first appearance comes towards the end of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, in which he rescues Harry from Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest. Having carried Harry to safety on his back, Firenze is involved in an altercation with the other centaur residents in the forest, who object to the symbolic suggestion that centaurs are subservient to humans. They argue further about the responsibility of centaurs to read the future in the stars and whether it is correct to intervene in the unfolding of that future. Firenze remains with his herd but he is clearly at odds on some issues.
The character does not make another appearance until Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, in which he is appointed by the headmaster, Albus Dumbledore, to teach Divination at Hogwarts in place of Sybill Trelawney, who had been sacked by the High Inquisitor, Dolores Umbridge. When Harry sees Firenze in class, it is obvious that Firenze has been attacked, and it emerges that he was indeed cast out of the centaur herd for agreeing to answer Dumbledore's request for help. Firenze ignored the centaurs' taboo on assisting humans because he felt he had an obligation to contribute to the struggle against Voldemort. At the end of the fifth book, Firenze remained a member of the teaching staff, and in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince he shares teaching duties with a reinstated Trelawney, a situation which she finds distasteful. Dumbledore keeps him on because Firenze would have no place left to go, as he is an exile from his herd.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, he is seen near the end of the book fighting alongside the other professors of Hogwarts, helping to defend the school against Voldemort and his Death Eaters; it was mentioned that he was wounded on his flanks by the Death Eaters but ultimately survived the battle. Although not mentioned in the series, according to a J. K. Rowling web chat Firenze's herd is later forced to acknowledge that Firenze's pro-human leanings are not shameful and allows him back into the fold


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7.17.2008

FAWKES--TAIL FEATHER IN THE WANDS

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Fawkes is Albus Dumbledore's pet phoenix. Fawkes is an intensely magical creature, possessing a number of incredible magical abilities, the precise extent of which is unknown. Phoenix tail feathers are suitable for inclusion in some wands; Fawkes himself provided the feathers for both Lord Voldemort's and Harry Potter's wands. Whenever Fawkes dies, whether by violence or of old age, he bursts into flame and is promptly reborn out of the ashes as a baby phoenix. As an adult, he is about swan-sized and possesses magnificent red and gold plumage, but infant stage Fawkes has the appearance of a newborn chicken and in his geriatric stages he has dull, limp plumage like a "half-plucked turkey".
Fawkes plays a special role in Chamber of Secrets: He is summoned by Harry's loyalty to Albus Dumbledore to the aid of the protagonist as he (Harry) fights against Salazar Slytherin's basilisk, the monstrous serpent that lives in Hogwarts and is controlled by Tom Riddle's diary through Ginny Weasley. Fawkes gouges the basilisk's eyes out, blinding it and eliminating its ability to kill with its gaze. Harry is later wounded by the basilisk's fang; he nearly dies from the venom, but Fawkes heals the wound with his tears. (Phoenix tears have healing powers and are the only antidote for basilisk venom). Fawkes then brings Harry, Ginny, Ron and Gilderoy Lockhart back up to the castle, bearing their combined weight as they hold his tail feathers.
During the confrontation between Voldemort and Dumbledore in the Ministry of Magic towards the fifth book's end, Fawkes saves Dumbledore's life by swallowing a Killing Curse from Voldemort. Fawkes then bursts into flame and is reborn as a chick from the ashes. After Dumbledore's death in Half-Blood Prince, Fawkes is heard singing a lament for him. When the singing stops, Harry knows that Fawkes has left Hogwarts forever. It is unknown what becomes of Fawkes afterwards. He makes no appearances in Deathly Hallows except in a flashback from Severus Snape's final memories.


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CROOKSHANKS--IS HE A ANIMAGUS???????

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Crookshanks is the pet cat of Hermione Granger. "Crookshanks" means, "bent legs"; in keeping with this, the cat is described as bow-legged when the characters first meet him. He was described as having a "squashed face," which was inspired by a real cat J. K. Rowling once saw that she said looked like it had run face first into a brick wall. Hermione bought Crookshanks from a shop in Diagon Alley out of sympathy, as nobody wanted him due to his squashed-looking face.
Crookshanks had a habit of trying to hunt down the pet rat of Ron Weasley, Scabbers. This caused a great deal of fighting between Ron and Hermione in the third book. Rowling has confirmed that Crookshanks is half kneazle,[21] an intelligent, cat-like creature who can detect when they are around untrustworthy people, explaining his higher than normal cat intelligence and stature. Because of this, he was immediately aware that Scabbers, Ron Weasley's pet rat, was not a real rat, and that the huge black dog lurking around the school was not a real dog. Crookshanks was proved right when it was revealed that Scabbers was in fact Peter Pettigrew, whereas the dog was Sirius Black. Sirius eventually persuaded Crookshanks to trust him and sent him to bring Pettigrew to him; Crookshanks, who had been pouncing on Scabbers from the moment the two had met, evidently agreed. Afterwards, Crookshanks played no major role.
It had been suggested that Crookshanks is an Animagus; however, J. K. Rowling has officially confirmed that he is not


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Magizoology---study of magical creatures

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Magizoology (a portmanteau of "magic" and "zoology") is the study of magical creatures in the Harry Potter series. A person who studies Magizoology is known as a magizoologist. There are magizoologists who work in the Ministry of Magic, particularly in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. One notable magizoologist is Newt Scamander, who in the universe of the series is the author of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a textbook on magical creatures that is popular in the wizarding world. Rowling used Newt Scamander as her pseudonym for the real-life Fantastic Beasts. Other characters who study magical creatures include Newt's grandson Rolf Scamander, as well as Luna Lovegood who eventually marries Rolf, although these two have only been referred to by Rowling as naturalists.


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7.15.2008

VEELA--A BEAUTIFUL BEAST

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Veela are a race of semi-human, semi-magical creatures reminiscent of the Sirens of Greek mythology. They appear to be young, beautiful human women, and their appearance and especially their dance are magically seductive to all males. When Veela are angry, however, they transform into something more like Harpies — their faces turn into cruel-beaked bird heads and long scaly wings burst from their shoulders, and they can launch balls of fire from their hand.
They have been known to take jobs as cheerleaders for leading Quidditch teams, including the Bulgarian team during the Quidditch World Cup. Other hints also point to Veela being of Eastern European origin.

Veela — also known as Vila, Wila, or Wili — are nymph-like creatures in Slavic mythology, who live in bodies of water and have power over storms. They often appear as beautiful women, but are known to shapeshift into swans, snakes, horses, or wolves. Their voices hypnotize those who hear them, and they are fierce warriors. Interestingly, given that Fleur Delacour's wand has a hair from her Veela grandmother, it is said in some legends that if even one of their hairs is plucked, a Veela will either die or be forced to change into a non-human shape. Veela's are main features of Serbian folklore such as the story of Marko Kraljevic and the veela.


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REDCAPS--buck-toothed little demons

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A Red Cap or Redcap, also known as a powrie or dunter, is a type of malevolent murderous goblin, elf or fairy found in British folklore. They inhabit ruined castles found along the border between England and Scotland. Redcaps are said to murder travelers who stray into their homes and dye their hats with their victims' blood (from which they get their name). Indeed, redcaps must kill regularly, for if the blood staining their hats dries out, they die. Redcaps are very fast in spite of the heavy iron pikes they wield and the iron-shod boots they wear. Outrunning the buck-toothed little demons is quite impossible; the only way to escape one is to quote a passage from the Bible. They lose a tooth on hearing it, which they leave behind.


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GRINDYLOWS--A BOGEYMAN FOR CHILDREN

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A grindylow is a DARK creature that originated from folktales in the English county of Yorkshire.
Grindylows are a sort of "bogeyman" used as a ploy to keep children from getting in the cold water in the area. They were to grab little children with their long arms and fingers and devour them if they came close to the edge of pools, marshes, or ponds. Peg Powler and Jenny Greenteeth are similar water spirits.

In the Harry Potter universe, grindylows live at the bottom of the Hogwarts lake and coexist, and indeed are domesticated by, its resident merpeople.


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DEMENTORS--THE SOULLESS SOUL SUCKERS

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The Dementors are soulless creatures considered to be among the foulest beasts on Earth. They are soul-sucking fiends who guard the wizard prison, Azkaban, until after the fall of Voldemort. In the books, Dementors appear to have a generally human shape, approximately ten feet (3.05 meters) in height, but covered in dark, hooded cloaks that reveal only grey, decayed hands. The wraith-like creatures have no eyes, and there is a large hole where the mouth should be. According to the author, they grow like fungi in the darkest, dankest places, creating a dense, chilly fog. They appear to possess a few traits of magic, notably, their ability to glide (fly, in the film adaptations) unsupported in either world. A dementor's gender is never hinted, but is heavily implied that they are genderless. The dementor's intelligence is also seldom hinted, but they are presumed sentient as they have been seen leading revolts and know how to use their abilities. A dementor's social life is debatable, as they are seen in large groups, in groups of two or three, or alone, they tend to choose one victim as their own or will share a victim. They almost work together, which implies that they are technically solitary.
Dementors are invisible to Muggles, but affect them in the same way. While at least one Squib in the series has claimed to see a Dementor, Rowling has stated that this was a lie and she noticed it because of the effect it had on her. Rowling has likened the effect of a Dementor to the human ailment known as depression, which the author has herself experienced. She describes it as "that absence of being able to envisage that you will ever be cheerful again. The absence of hope. That very deadened feeling, which is so very different from feeling sad."
Being blind, Dementors sense and feed on the positive emotions, happiness and good memories of human beings to move around, forcing them to relive their worst memories. The very presence of a Dementor makes the surrounding atmosphere grow cold and dark, and the effects are cumulative with the number of Dementors present. Despite their attachment to human emotion, Dementors seem to have difficulty distinguishing one human from another, as demonstrated by Barty Crouch Jr's escape from Azkaban, wherein they could detect no emotional/mental difference between the younger Crouch and his mother. In addition to feeding on positive emotions, Dementors can perform the Dementor's Kiss, where the Dementor latches its mouth onto a victim's and sucks out the person's soul. The victim is left as an empty shell, incapable of thought and with no possibility of recovery. It is believed that existing after a Dementor's Kiss is worse than death. The Ministry of Magic occasionally uses this as a punishment, such as on Barty Crouch, Jr. One way to shield oneself from Dementors is to use the Patronus Charm to drive them away. Chocolate is an effective first aid to mild cases of contact.
Harry Potter first encountered Dementors during his third year of school, when they were sent to guard Hogwarts against Sirius Black, who had recently escaped Azkaban Prison. Harry, whenever he got near one, was forced to relive his worst memory: hearing the last moments of his parents' lives before they were murdered by Lord Voldemort, which begins with Harry hearing his mother screaming. To overcome the Dementors, Harry asked Remus Lupin for assistance. Lupin taught Harry the Patronus Charm, albeit with some difficulty.
Harry's encounter with Dementors in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was in an alley near his home on Privet Drive, when he and his cousin Dudley Dursley were ambushed by two Dementors sent secretly and illegally by Dolores Umbridge. At the end of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the Dementors of Azkaban stage a mass revolt against their employers to join Lord Voldemort, as he can provide them with more humans to feast upon.
In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows the Ministry, under the control of Voldemort, used Dementors to punish those who were Muggle born for no other reason than because Voldemort hated Muggles and Muggle-borns. The Dementors also took part on Voldemort's side during the Battle of Hogwarts. After the appointment of Kingsley Shacklebolt to the position of Minister, Dementors are removed from Azkaban. Rowling said that after Voldemort's demise, Dementors will never be used by the Ministry of Magic again and the Ministry will contain them by limiting their numbers.


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BUGBEAR--AN OBJECT OR SOURCE OF DREAD

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A bugbear is a legendary creature comparable to the bogeyman, bogey, bugaboo, hobgoblin and other creatures of folklore, all of which were historically used in some cultures to frighten disobedient children. In medieval England, for instance, the Bugbear was a creepy and gigantic bear that lurked in the woods; children were warned not to stray too far from home or misbehave, for "the Bugbear will get you". In a modern context, the term bugbear serves as a metaphor for something which is annoying or irritating.
According to Webster's Dictionary, a bugbear is "an imaginary goblin or spectre used to excite fear", "an object or source of dread", or "a continuing source of irritation".


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BOGGART--A FRIGHTENED FRIGHTENER

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A Boggart is a shape-shifter that takes on the form of its intended victim's worst fear. It generally likes to hide in dark, enclosed places, such as in cupboards, under beds, or in hollow trees. The term is derived from the boggart of British folklore; these creatures are annoying household spirits, but do not traditionally have shape shifting abilities. Since a boggart changes shape upon sight, few know what one actually looks like in unaltered form. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Professor Lupin teaches his students in Defence Against the Dark Arts to approach a boggart in groups of two or more, so that the boggart will have difficulty in choosing which one to frighten. A common wizards' defence against a boggart is to use a spell to make it appear amusing, since boggarts are weakened by laughter. Pointing a wand at the boggart and saying "Riddikulus" while thinking of something very funny achieve this; this charm can apparently be used to destroy an already weakened boggart.
Characters and their Boggarts:

Harry Potter - A Dementor (When Professor Lupin tells him he thought that Harry's boggart would take the shape of Lord Voldemort, Harry explains that he did think of Voldemort at first, but then remembered the night on the Hogwarts Express just before the start of third year, and the dementor who boarded the train searching for Sirius Black.)

Ron Weasley - Giant Spider

Hermione Granger - Professor McGonagall telling her she had "failed everything".

Neville Longbottom - Professor Snape.

Remus Lupin - The full moon. He fears turning into a werewolf.

Molly Weasley - The dead bodies of her loved ones.

Parvati Patil - A bloodstained, bandaged mummy

Seamus Finnigan - Banshee.

Dean Thomas - A severed hand walking on its own.

Lord Voldemort - His own corpse.

Albus Dumbledore - The corpse of his dead sister.

Author J. K. Rowling has stated that her boggart would be a a giant spider.

Actor Rupert Grint has stated that, like Ron, his boggart would be a spider.
The boggart first appears in the Prisoner of Azkaban, where Remus Lupin first shows his class the boggart. Then the boggart appears in Prisoner of Azkaban again, where Harry uses it to practice his dementor spell (Expecto Patronum). The boggart appears in the Goblet of Fire in the final task of the Triwizard Tournament and once again takes the form of a dementor. Lastly, the boggart appears in the Order of the Phoenix when Mrs. Weasley has difficulty getting rid of the boggart as it turns into her children's lifeless bodies. Eventually Remus Lupin destroys the boggart. He does this despite the boggart not having been weakened at all by laughter, an indication as to his magical power.


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BANSHEE--MESSENGER FROM THE OTHER WORLD

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The Banshee (IPA: /ˈbænʃiː/), from the Irish bean sí ("woman of the síde" or "woman of the fairy mounds") is a female spirit in Irish mythology, usually seen as an omen of death and a messenger from the Otherworld. Her Scottish counterpart is the bean shìth (also spelled bean-shìdh).
The aos sí ("people of the mounds", "people of peace") are variously believed to be the survivals of pre-Christian Gaelic deities, spirits of nature, or the ancestors. Some Theosophists and Celtic Christians have also referred to the aos sí as "fallen angels". They are commonly referred to in English as "fairies", and the banshee can also be described as a "fairy woman"


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DARK CREATURES--THE OFFSPRING OF STRONG AMBIENT DARK MAGIC

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Dark creatures are frequently mentioned in the Harry Potter books though the term is not easily defined. The Harry Potter Lexicon speculates in its essay on the subject that dark creatures, as opposed to normal magical animals, are those that use dark powers for more than mere survival. Many magical creatures, such as manticores and erklings, are very dangerous, but are not considered "dark creatures," since they are natural predators utilising their power in their quest for food, reproduction, and survival; having no consciences or malicious purposes, they may not necessarily be considered "evil." A dark creature, on the other hand, seeks to harm for the sake of harm, not for its own survival. Many such creatures are defined in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. It is possible (though this is not clear) that the term demon is an appropriate term for any Dark creature, since some such creatures, such as Red Caps and grindylows, are known to be both. Dark creatures do not necessarily reproduce and may simply result from spontaneously generating in places of strong ambient Dark Magic or where a strongly emotive or suggestive act has been committed. Red caps, for instance, appear on battlefields or other locations where human blood has been spilled in large amounts. Dementors "grow like fungus," according to J. K. Rowling, in the foulest, darkest places. Most dark creatures are not, by human standards, intelligent; vampires and werewolves, who are intelligent, are part human.


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7.14.2008

DRAGONS-- MYTHICAL BEASTS A MYTH OR A MYSTERY

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Dragons are giant winged, firebreathing reptiles. Widely regarded as terrifying yet awe-inspiring, they can be found all over the world and are frequently referred to in Chinese and medieval European folklore. Able to fly and breathe fire through their nostrils, they are one of the most dangerous and hardest to conceal creatures in the wizarding world. The Ministry of Magic classifies them as most dangerous, or known wizard killers. Despite that there are people who are trained to work with them, called dragon keepers.
he Motto of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus, which is Latin for, Never tickle a sleeping dragon. Hogwarts gamekeeper Rubeus Hagrid loves dragons, and briefly owned a Norwegian Ridgeback named Norbert. In 1993, the then Minister for Magic Cornelius Fudge, suggested placing dragons to guard the school, after removing the Dementors.
Many useful materials come from dragons, but they are hard to obtain. It takes at least a dozen wizards to stun a dragon. Muggles believe that they are only a myth, but occasionally glimpse these beasts. To prevent them from being seen by Muggles, and to protect them from poaching, dragons are kept in dragon reserves around the world, most of which are far from human habitation. Dragons cannot be domesticated, despite individuals, such as Rubeus Hagrid trying to do so.

There is no officially sanctioned breeding of dragons as dragon breeding was outlawed by the Warlocks' Convention of 1709. However, they have been known to interbreed, producing rare hybrids. Below is a list of the twelve known breeds of dragons. Antipodean Opaleye Catalonian Fireball Chinese Fireball Common Welsh Green Hebridean Black Hungarian Horntail Norwegian Ridgeback Peruvian Vipertooth Portuguese Long-Snout Romanian Longhorn Swedish Short-Snout Ukrainian Ironbelly


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UNICORNS-- MYTHICAL BEASTS A MYTH OR A MYSTERY

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"Only one who has nothing to lose, and everything to gain, would commit such a crime. The blood of a unicorn will keep you alive, even if you are an inch from death, but at a terrible price. You have slain something pure and defenseless to save yourself and you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."
—Firenze to Harry Potter
The Unicorn is a white, horse-like creature with a single horn on its forehead. Unicorn foals are pure gold. They turn silver when they're about two years old. They grow their horn at around four. At about seven years old, they're fully grown and turn pure white. They are so brightly white it makes snow look gray in comparison. Their hooves are golden and their blood is silver-blue in colour and shines under moonlight.
Unicorns prefer a woman's touch, but the young are more trusting and don't mind men as much. Various parts of the unicorn - the horn and tail hair in particular - are used in potions and for the cores of wands. They inhabit the forests of Europe.
The blood of a unicorn can be used to keep a person who is near death alive, but "you will have but a half-life, a cursed life, from the moment the blood touches your lips."
In 1995, fourth year students at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry studied unicorns in their Care of Magical Creatures class.


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7.12.2008

HOUSE ELVES-- MYTHICAL BEASTS A MYTH OR A MYSTERY

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House-elves are 2-3 feet tall, with spindly arms and legs and oversized heads and eyes. They have pointed, bat-like ears and high, squeaky voices. Their names are usually pet-like diminutives (Dobby, Winky, Hokey); they do not appear to have surnames. They habitually refer to themselves in the third person and use a strange manner of speaking. House-elves are generally obedient, pliant, and obsequious.
Rather than conventional clothing, house-elves wear discarded items like pillowcases and tea-towels. House-elves' masters can free them by giving them an item of clothing: at the end of Chamber of Secrets, for example, Harry tricks Lucius Malfoy into freeing his house-elf Dobby by handing Lucius a book stuffed inside his "slimy, filthy sock." When Lucius discards the sock, Dobby catches it and is automatically freed.
House-elves possess their own forms of powerful magic, distinct from that used by wizards and witches, which they generally use in the service of their masters. This magic can be used without the permission of their masters, or even against their orders, though such disobedience obliges them to punish themselves in various painful ways. Among other things, this magic allows house-elves to travel instantly from place to place, in a manner similar to apparition; they are able to do this even within the boundaries of Hogwarts and other places where Anti-Apparition and Anti-Disapparition charms are in effect, preventing human apparition and disapparition. House-elves can, however, use side-along apparition to transport humans.

The full nature of the elves' magic is never fully disclosed, but it seems to be quite formidable. Along with the ability to apparate anywhere at any time, both Dobby and Kreacher demonstrate that they can overpower wizards when necessary. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Dobby forcefully repels Lucius Malfoy while protecting Harry. Later, in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Kreacher is ordered by Harry to capture Mundungus Fletcher and bring him to 12 Grimmauld Place, a task that he accomplishes within a few days, even though, as Kreacher puts it, "He has many hidey-holes and accomplices". It would appear that when a house-elf is called upon to perform a duty, his or her magical nature supplements the order in such a way as to ensure its completion. According to Kreacher, a house-elf's strongest law is the master's bidding.
House-elves can become intoxicated by drinking Butterbeer.


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BASILISK--MYTHICAL BEASTS A MYTH OR MYSTERY

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In the Harry Potter universe, a basilisk is a monstrous serpentine creature. Much larger than its mythical counterpart, the basilisk of the Harry Potter universe is capable of reaching lengths of up to fifty feet and living for hundreds of years. Basilisks are completely uncontrollable except by Parselmouths, and the first basilisk is believed to have been created by a Dark wizard and Parselmouth named Herpo the Foul.[HPF] Herpo made this discovery by attempting, with success, to hatch a chicken egg under a toad. A basilisk kills both with its powerful venom and with its stare, which is immediately lethal to anyone who gazes at it directly.[HPF] To anyone who gazes at it indirectly, such as through a camera or in a reflection, it induces a profound state of petrification. Ghosts who look at it directly will become petrified, as they cannot die again.It would seem that glasses do not work as protection from a basilisk's eyes as Moaning Myrtle was described as wearing spectacles and yet still died. The tear of a phoenix is the only known cure for the devastating effect of the basilisk's venom.
In the second volume of the series, a basilisk was the monster that inhabited the Chamber of Secrets. When student Tom Marvolo Riddle opened the Chamber of Secrets the Basilisk killed Moaning Myrtle, then hibernated for 50 years. During the events of the book, it was set loose again by a Horcrux of Lord Voldemort, and attempted to kill several Muggle-borns, but due to sheer luck all its victims were merely petrified. Spiders always flee from the Basilisk, as they are mortal enemies. The only thing the Basilisk seems to fear is the rooster, as the crowing of the rooster is fatal to a Basilisk. Tom Riddle's Horcrux commanded Ginny Weasley to kill all the school roosters, remarked upon by Hagrid. When Harry discovers the existence of the chamber and of its location, Riddle reveals his identity and sets the basilisk loose upon Harry while Ginny's life force ebbs away. Fawkes appears to assist Harry, blinding the basilisk with its talons and carrying the Sorting Hat; Harry pulls the sword of Godric Gryffindor from that hat, and uses it to impale the basilisk's head, killing it. The basilisk's fangs and its venom absorbed by the sword of Gryffindor proved instrumental for destroying most of Voldemort's Horcruxes.
In the Final volume of the series, after losing the sword of Gryffindor to Griphook, Ron and Hermione go to the Chamber of Secrets and pull some fangs out of the Basilisk's skull, and use one to destroy Helga Hufflepuff's cup.


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CENTAURS--MTHICAL BEASTS A MYTH OR A MYSTERY

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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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GIANTS-- MYTHICAL BEASTS A MYTH OR A MYSTERY

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Giants in the Harry Potter universe are capable of interbreeding with humans- both Hagrid and Olympe Maxime are half-giants. However, relations between giants and wizards are toxic; wizards on the whole loathe giants and have engaged in an active campaign to hunt and hound giants out of civilization. The last giants in Britain were killed apparently by Ministry decree, as Dumbledore had argued against it, but most deaths have been due to territorial aggression between themselves as wizards force them to live together in ever more confined spaces. The last few giants remaining in the world (the total number is between 70 and 80) are collected together in an isolated region east of Belarus. Giants range in height from twenty to twenty-five feet (6 to 7.5 meters), and have skin similar to rhino hide. Their society is "governed" by a chief called a Gurg, who spends most of his time demanding food from his underlings.
Voldemort has employed giants in his attacks, after convincing them that he can offer them a better life. Hagrid revealed in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix that he and Madame Maxime went on an Order mission to ask the Giants to take part in the war against Voldemort; however Karkus the Gurg was killed by other Giants, thus Hagrid and Maxime were forced to introduce themselves to Golgomath, the new Gurg. Walden Macnair and other Death Eaters were sent by Voldemort in a mission too to get the Giants into the Dark Lord's side. Giants took part in the Battle of Hogwarts in the end of the series, mostly fighting for Voldemort. Giants either have vaguely Nordic names, such as Hengist and Fridwulfa, or onomatopoeic names like Grawp and Karkus.


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GOBLINS--MYTHICAL BEASTS A MYTH OR A MYSTERY

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Goblins are magical creatures (defined as beings, rather than beasts), chiefly involved with metal work and the running of Gringotts bank. They are represented by the Goblin Liaison Office in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. Goblins are described as having long, thin fingers and feet, black eyes, and domed heads that are much larger than human heads. Goblins eat a diet of largely raw meat, roots, and fungi. Goblins converse in a language known as Gobbledygook. Goblins harbour very different feelings about ownership than Wizards: they consider the true owner of an object to be its maker, invariably, rather than its purchaser, whom they see as simply renting the object until their death, and resent the passing of goblin-made heirlooms through Wizarding families without further payment. As seen through the goblin Griphook, goblins can be bloodthirsty and cruel, especially towards Wizards. Wizarding Law prohibits the ownership of wands by goblins. Goblins are capable of using goblin magic which (like elf magic) is independent of Wizarding magic.
Relations between goblins and wizards have been strained for centuries from misunderstandings on both sides, sometimes leading to violence in the form of goblin rebellions and riots. Students at Hogwarts study the Goblin Wars fought between wizards and goblins in their History of Magic class. Along with house-elves, goblins seem to occupy positions as second-class citizens in the Wizarding world. Goblins consider wizards to be arrogant.The goblins remain a neutral force during the Second Wizarding War, siding with neither Lord Voldemort or the opposition to him, claiming that it is "a wizard's war". In some cases, a state of friendship exists between certain wizards and goblins (particularly Bill Weasley, who works as a Curse Breaker for Gringotts Bank), and there have even been some instances of goblin-wizard interbreeding (Professor Flitwick has distant goblin ancestry, which likely accounts for his small size).
Named Goblin characters:

Griphook

Gornuk, an associate of Griphook

BogrodRagnok

Ragnuk the First: Supposedly the creator of the sword of Godric Gryffindor


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WEREWOLVES--MYTHICAL BEASTS A MYTH OR A MYSTERY

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The werewolf is a creature that exists only for a brief period around the full moon. At any other time, a werewolf is a normal human. However, the term werewolf is used for both the wolf-like creature and the normal human. A werewolf can be distinguished from a true wolf physically by several small distinguishing characteristics, including the pupils, snout, and tufted tail. Most werewolves live outside of normal society and steal food to survive. At one point they supported Lord Voldemort, whom they thought would give them a better life. Remus Lupin is the only known exception to this.
A person becomes a werewolf, when bitten by a werewolf in wolf-form. Once this happens, the person must learn to manage the condition. Potionmaker Damocles Belby developed a draught called Wolfsbane Potion that controls some of the effects of the condition; by allowing the sufferer to maintain their human mind in wolf form, it prevents them from harming others. Nothing discovered in the wizarding world can completely cure a werewolf. Once in a while, this condition (or disease) can be passed down through parentage.
There are only three known werewolves in the Harry Potter series: Remus Lupin, an unnamed character who was in the same ward as Arthur Weasley in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, and Fenrir Greyback, a supporter of Voldemort, who bit a young Lupin. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Greyback attacks and kills a five-year old boy, the younger brother of two Hogwarts students. Later in the book, he attacks Bill Weasley. However, since Greyback was in human form at the time, Bill did not become a complete werewolf, but did gain some wolfish features, such as favouring very rare meat. It is also known that werewolf traits are not necessarily transferred to offspring, as seen in Ted Remus Lupin, the only child of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks, who was not born as a werewolf.
Gilderoy Lockhart claims to use the Homorphorus charm to transform "the Wagga Wagga werewolf" back into a human in his book. However, given his limited credibility (as he writes a severely altered account of other people's doings to insert himself in their role), this should be doubted. In addition, it is not clear whether this is touted as a permanent cure or whether it nullifies the Wolf transformation for the remainder of this full moon only.


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THESTRALS--MYTHICAL BEASTS A MYTH OR A MYSTERY

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Thestrals are the most elusive and least horse-like breed of magical horse. They have acquired an undeserved reputation as omens of evil. They are visible only to those who have witnessed and accepted a death, and are described as having "blank, white, shining eyes," a "dragonish face", "long, black manes", "great leathery wings", and the "skeletal body of a great, black, winged horse". They are also described, by Hagrid, as "dead clever an' useful". Dolores Umbridge asserted that Thestrals are considered as "dangerous creatures" by the Ministry of Magic.
Thestrals have fangs and possess a well-developed sense of smell, which will lead them to carrion and fresh blood. According to Hagrid, they will not attack a human-sized target without provocation. Their wings are capable of very fast flight for at least several hours at a time, though they usually spend their time on the ground, and they have an excellent sense of direction. The breed is at least semi-domesticable, given a willing trainer. Thestrals can be used to pull loads, and make a serviceable if very uncomfortable mode of transportation for someone with enough nerve
Hogwarts has a herd in the nearby Forbidden Forest and primarily uses them to pull the carriages that transport students to and from the Hogsmeade train station. They are introduced to Care of Magical Creatures students in the fifth year under Hagrid — in the same year that Harry becomes able to see them (after witnessing the death of Cedric Diggory), after having previously thought that the carriages moved on their own. In Order of the Phoenix several characters are shown to be able to see Thestrals including Harry, Hagrid, Neville, Luna, and Theodore Nott. The first film causes a continuity error as Harry witnesses Professor Quirrell's demise in the end, as well as Cedric's, and does not see the Thestrals until his fifth year. (Rowling has explained there is no such continuity error in the novels: Harry does not actually witness Quirrell's death, as he is unconscious at the time.)[20] Thestrals are featured in the Battle of Hogwarts at the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, seen attacking Death Eaters.


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7.08.2008

SPELLS REFRENCE FOR MAGICAL PEOPLE M-W

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Mobiliarbus
Mobiliarbus allows the wizard or witch to move a tree.
Mobilicorpus
To move someone through the air, you can use Mobilicorpus.
Morsmordre
Invented by the vile Lord Voldemort, Morsmorde creates the Dark Mark, the mark that occurs when one of Voldemort's Death Eaters commits a murder.
Muffliato
Muffliato causes the target to hear a buzzing sound, therefore making them unable to hear a close discussion.
Nox
To counter the Lumos spell, a spell that causes light to appear, you can use Nox. Nox causes the light to disappear.
Obliviate
Obliviate erases one's memory of a specific incident.
Oppugno
Oppugno summons animals and less intelligent humans and causes them to attack the target.
Orchideous
To cause a bouquet of flowers to appear, the caster can use Orchideous.
Pack
Pack arranges and packs the wizard or witch's luggage.
Peskipiksi Pesternomi
Oddly enough, Peskipiksi Pesternomi is prounounced, "Pesky pixie, pester no me." Relative to the pronunciation, Peskipiksi Pesternomi causes pixies to leave.
Petrificus Totalus
Petrificus Totalus causes the target to be frozen in a full body bind. Most of the time, the victim falls over.
Point Me

Useful for traveling, Point Me causes the wand's head to face north.
Portus
Portus causes the specified item to turn into a Portkey, a mechanism that teleports on touch.
Prior Incantato
To view the last spell that was cast by a wizard or witch, you can use Prior Incanto. It causes a vague picture of the previous spell that was cast.
Protego
Protego creates a shield that makes average spells bounce back.
Periculum
Periculum causes red sparks to shoot out of the caster's wand.
Quietus
Quietus causes a magically modified voice to return to normal. It is a counter to the spell Sonorus (below).
Reducio
As a counter to the charm Engorgio (a spell that causes objects to enlarge), Reducio causes engorged items to shrink.
Reducto
Reducto obliterates objects that are ahead of the wizard or witch.
Relashio
Relashio shoots hot sparks from the caster's wand, or shoots discharges of hot water if the caster used the spell underwater. It can also cause the target to release whatever they hold.
Rennervate
When stunned by Stupefy (see below), Rennervate causes the affected to recover. Rennervate can also bring someone back to consciousness.
Reparo
Reparo fixes broken objects.
Rictusempra
Rictumsempra causes the target to laugh uncontrollably.
Riddikulus
When attacked by a Boggart, a transforming creature that changes to the wizard or witch's biggest fear, you can use Riddikulus. Riddikulus causes the Boggart to change into a humorous form, causing the Boggart to weaken from laughter.
Scourgify
Scourgify cleans the targeted object.
Sectumsempra
Created by the Half-Blood Prince, Sectumsempra cuts the target, matching the wand's movement.
Serpensortia
Serpensortia causes a serpent to appear from the wizard or witch's wand.
Silencio
Silencio is a silencing charm and causes things to be silent.
Slug-Vomiting Curse
The slug-vomiting curse causes the target to vomit slugs.
Sonorus
Used as a microphone, Sonorus causes the caster's voice to be magnified.
Specialis Revelio
Specialis Revelio reveals an object's secrets or properties.
Stupefy
Stupefy causes the target to fall into unconsciousness.
Tarantallegra
Tarantallegra causes the target to dance wildly.
Tergeo
To siphon the water on a surface, you can use Tergeo.
Transmorgrifian Torture
Although the effect is unknown, the transmorgrifian torture spell is known to be a dark curse.
Waddiwasi
Waddiwasi can cause small objects to be thrown through the air.
Wingardium Leviosa
Used to levitate objects, Wingardium Leviosa was one of the first spells ever cast in the book series.


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SPELLS REFRENCE FOR MAGICAL PEOPLE I-L

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Impedimenta
Impedimenta is used to prevent the target from reaching the caster. Usually, Impedimenta causes the target to trip or fall backwards, as well as stopping in place.
Imperio
Imperio is an Unforgivable Curse that causes the target to be under the control of the caster. Therefore, the target must do whatever the caster's wants.
Impervius
A repelling spell, Impervius causes spells to bounce back at the caster.
Inanimatus Conjurus
A counter to the vanishing spell Evanesco, Inanimatus Conjurus can recover objects that were hidden.
Incarcerous
Incarcerous can imprison the target by tying the person up using ropes.
Incendio
Incendio creates fire.
Tarantallegra
Tarantallegara makes the target's legs shake violently.
Lacarnum Inflamarae
Lacarnum Inflamarae causes an orb of fire to thrust out of the wizard or witch's wand.
Langlock
A spell invented by the Half-Blood Prince, Langlock causes the target's tongue to be attached to the roof of their mouth.
Legilimens
Legilimens allows the wizard or witch to view the thoughts and memories of the target.
Levicorpus
Levicorpus causes the target to be hung upside down by their ankles. It is thought to be invented by the Half-Blood Prince.Liberacorpus
Liberacorpus is used to stop the effects of Levicorpus (above).
Locomotor
Locomotor causes an object to levitate and move to wherever the wizard or witch wants to. However, to cast this spell, you must include the object's name, such as "Locomotor Book."
Locomotor Mortis
Not related to Locomotor (above), Locomotor Mortis causes the target's legs to be immobile.
Lumos
Used like a flashlight, Lumos creates a stream of light to appear at the head of the caster's wand.
Lumos Maxima
Lumos Maxima is the same as Lumos (above), but causes a larger beam of light to appear.
Lumos Solem
Lumos Solem is the same as Lumos and Lumos Maxima (both above), but the light that appears is said to be as bright as the sun.


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SPELLS REFRENCE FOR MAGICAL PEOPLE E-H

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Engorgio
Engorgio can enlarge an object. For example, the Weasley's enlarged their tent at the Quidditch World Cup to allow everyone to fit in comfortably. Engorgio is known to make the interior of an object larger while keeping the exterior size, as well as enlarging the entire object.
Ennervate
Ennervate can be used to wake someone up, as well as making an unconscious person conscious again.
Episkey
To heal small injuries, the witch or wizard can use Episkey.
Evanesco
Evanesco is a disappearing spell that can make objects vanish.
Expecto Patronum
A defensive spell, Expecto Patronum (the Patronus Charm) creates a materialization of the user's positive feelings, to protect the wizard or witch. For example, Harry's Patronus is his father.
Expelliarmus
Used to disarm an enemy, Expelliarmus can knock the target's wand out of their hand or even throw the enemy back.
Ferula
Ferula creates a bandage and splint, in the event of an injury.
Finite Incantatem (or Finite)
Finite Incantatem (also can be cast as Finite) is a counter-spell and blocks other spells.
Flagrate
By casting Flagrate, the wizard or witch's wand can create fiery marks.
Furnunculus
Furnunculus causes boils to appear on the target.
Glacius
Glacius creates cold air that freezes everything that it touches.
Homorphus Charm
To return an Animagus, or shape-shifter, to their human form, the wizard or witch can cast the Homorphus charm.


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SPELLS REFRENCE FOR MAGICAL PEOPLE C-D

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Carpe Retractum
Carpe Retractum can be used to send yourself to an object. It is similar to Accio (above).
Colloportus
Colloportus seals a door, making it locked. However, if Alohomora (above) is used, the door is unlocked.
Confundus
Confundus confuses a target.
Conjunctivitus Curse
The Conjunctivitus curse changes a target's eyesight.
Crucio
Crucio causes the victim to suffer greatly. It is one of the three Unforgivable Curses.
Deletrius
Deletrius erases pictures and after-effects.
Densaugeo
Densaugeo causes a target's teeth to grow extremely fast.Depulso
Depulso, the banishing charm, is the opposite of Accio (above). Depulso causes an object to fly away.
Diffindo
Diffindo tears an object, such as a bag.
Dissendium
Dissendium is used to access Honeydukes. By casting the spell, the statue of a witch opens up, revealing the secret passageway.


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SPELLS REFRENCE FOR MAGICAL PEOPLE A-B

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Accio
Accio is the summoning charm. It can be used in two ways: casting the spell and then saying the item that is to be summoned, or by pointing the wand at the object and casting the spell. It's opposite is Depulso, the banishing charm (see below).
Aguamenti
Aguamenti causes a stream of water to shoot from the caster's wand. For example, if a fire starts, the wizard or witch can cast Aquamenti to put out the fire.
Alohomora
Alohomora can be used to unlock and open doors. It can open doors that were sealed with the Colloportus (see below) spell.
Anapneo
Anapneo clears a person's throat, if blocked. It is a useful substitute to the Heimlich maneuver.
Aparecium
Aparecium makes invisible ink and other invisible items appear.
Avada Kedavra
Avada Kedavra is the killing curse and is one of Unforgivable Curses. The spell creates a burst of green light and kills the target immediately.
Avis
Avis makes a group of birds fly from the caster's wand.
Bat-Bogey Hex
The Bat-Bogey Hex causes bogies (or boogers in American slang) to change into bats that can be used to attack.
Bubble-Head Charm
The bubble-head charm creates a bubble to appear around the caster's head. Can be used as a breathing set.


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7.07.2008

ONE OF THE MOST THRILLING AND THE BEST OF THE LOT HP7 TRAILER EVER MADE

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ONE OF THE MOST THRILLING AND THE BEST OF THE LOT HP7 TRAILER EVER MADE


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7.05.2008

One of my favourite combo trailer

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7.04.2008

About Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone 2001

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Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, released in the United States as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, is a 2001 fantasy/adventure film based on the novel of the same name by J.K. Rowling. Directed by Chris Columbus, it is the first in the popular Harry Potter films series. The story follows Harry Potter, a boy who, on his eleventh birthday, discovers that he is a wizard and who is then sent to Hogwarts — a school of magic — whereby he can complete his magical education.

The film stars Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter, alongside Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as Harry's best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The adult cast features Richard Harris, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Rickman and Ian Hart.

Warner Bros. bought the film rights to the book in 1999. Production began in 2000, with Columbus being chosen from a short list of directors to create the film. Rowling insisted that the entire cast be British, in keeping with the cultural integrity of the book and the film. Rowling also approved the screenplay, written by Steve Kloves. The film shot primarily at Leavesden Film Studios, as well as historic buildings around the country, and was released in the United Kingdom and the United States in November, 2001. Along with mostly positive critical reception, it made in excess of $976 million at the worldwide box office and received three Academy Award nominations. The second, third, fourth, and fifth books have also been adapted into successful films, with the sixth and seventh confirmed.


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ABOUT Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets 2002

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Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets is a 2002 fantasy adventure film, and the second film in the popular Harry Potter films series, based on the novel by J. K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The film was released on November 15, 2002 and was directed by returning director, Chris Columbus. The screenplay was adapted by returning screenwriter, Steven Kloves.
Most of the major cast and crew from Philosopher's Stone (also known as Sorcerer's Stone) returned for Chamber of Secrets, including child stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint and director Chris Columbus. However, it was the last appearance by Richard Harris as Dumbledore (and additionally Harris's last film altogether) and currently the last Harry Potter film directed by Columbus. New key actors included Kenneth Branagh as Gilderoy Lockhart and Jason Isaacs as Lucius Malfoy.
The film was very well received at the box office making $879 million USD worldwide
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Daniel Ratcliff as Harry is more mature physically and emotionally. The round face has lengthened and the demeanor is more assured. Emma Watson as Hermione has tamed the notoriously wild hair for this installment, which I found to be rather a shame in a gone-Hollywood sort of way, but otherwise remains the know-it-all you cant help but like in spite of herself and yourself, for that matter. Rupert Grint as Ron Weasely, the hapless third member of the team, is still the best thespian of the three. With a rubbery face that can go from confused to terrified in less time than it takes to tell, hes the one with the most childlike quality and the one in which we invest the most emotional stake. Robbie Coltrane returns as Hagrid, the slow but loyal giant with a penchant for dangerous creatures who takes Harry under his wing. Make of that what you will. Richard HarrisAlbus Dumbldore, the Merlin-like headmaster of Hogwarts, and Maggie Smiths Minerva McGonagall, the deputy headmistress, make a nice sweet and tart balance that Harrisrecent death makes bittersweet.
A word about the length, which is 161 minutes. That is longer than most kids can deal with, but the audience of kids that I saw it with were so caught up in the action, that the usual fidgeting and worse was all but non-existant.
For those who havent read the Harry Potter books, this is a nice introduction, fully of ancient gothic castles, odd magical creatures, paintings with subjects who move, and a whiff of real danger. It is no substitute, though, for the books themselves, rich as they are with enough imagination to engage even the most jaded of readers of any age. Each volume would be enough for a miniseries of several hours length and while that might happen one day, this installment will tide us over just fine until then.


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7.03.2008

ABOUT HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKHABAN

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Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban is a 2004 fantasy adventure film, based on the novel of the same name by J. K. Rowling. Directed by Alfonso Cuarón, it is the third film in the popular Harry Potter films series. It stars Daniel Radcliffe as the teenage wizard Harry Potter, and Rupert Grint and Emma Watson as Harry's best friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. Gary Oldman and David Thewlis joined the cast as the new characters Sirius Black and Remus Lupin. In this movie, the role of Albus Dumbledore was played by Michael Gambon who took over from the late Richard Harris who died of Hodgkin's disease. Steve Kloves returned as screenwriter, while Chris Columbus (the director of the previous two films) became a producer, alongside David Heyman. The film was released on May 31, 2004 in the United Kingdom and on June 4, 2004 in the United States.

The film was nominated for two Academy Awards — Academy Award for Original Music Score and Academy Award for Visual Effects at the 77th Academy Awards held in 2005.


Thirteen year-old Harry Potter has reluctantly spent yet another summer with the Dursleys, his dismal relatives, "behaving himself" and not practicing any magic. That is, until Uncle Vernon's bullying sister, Aunt Marge, comes to visit. Aunt Marge has always been particularly horrible to Harry and this time pushes him so far that he "accidentally" causes her to inflate like a monstrous balloon and drift away! Fearing punishment from his Aunt and Uncle--and repercussions from Hogwarts and the Ministry of Magic, which strictly forbids students from using magic in the non-magic world--Harry escapes into the night. Along the way, Harry will try to make sense of Hermione’s puzzling appearances and disappearances, with the help of Ron and the giant Hagrid, who has taken on a new position at Hogwarts as the Care of Magical Creatures teacher. A confrontation between Harry and the menacing Sirius Black seems inevitable, but what exactly is Professor Lupin’s relationship with Black? What is the dark secret that Professor Snape is so eager to reveal? And just why is Ron’s pet rat Scabbers so frantic to escape his grasp? Harry will need all of the courage, magic and support he can muster to answer these questions and uncover the truth behind Sirius Black and his ties to the gifted young wizard’s mysterious past.


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