Female human-like magical being, but less adept than a witch at disguising herself from Muggles (PA4, GF19). Hags are what one might refer to as "fairy tale witches." Hags are wild in appearance, and they have been known to eat children (FB, DP, fw), although at the Leaky Cauldron Harry once saw a hag eating raw liver (PA4). Hags can be quite frightening, apparently, since Quirrell had a "nasty bit of business" with one during his year off for first-hand experience in fighting the Dark Arts (PS5). Interested parties may also consult Gilderoy Lockhart's book Holidays with Hags (CS4), which probably can be picked up quite cheaply at Flourish and Blotts, Diagon Alley, London, UK these days.

For a list of known hags, see here.

See Dragons - Hebridean Black.

Muggle name for the sleepless three-headed dog who according to their mythology guards the gates of Hades. The dog's name was Cerberus, and the only time when he was ever overcome save by brute force was when the great musician Orpheus sang him to sleep. Hagrid had a huge three-headed dog which he called Fluffy (PS9, PS11, PS16), who now is reported to be living in the Forbidden Forest near Hogwarts (BP).
[NOTE: The name "hellhound" does not appear in the books; that is the name given to this type of creature in Muggle mythology. In the books, Fluffy is simply referred to as a "giant three-headed dog".]

A little one-legged creature, with the appearance of being made of smoke, the hinkypunk carries a light with which it lures travelers into bogs (PA9).

A Mer-horse, with the head and forequarters of a horse and the hindquarters and tail of a giant fish (FB).

A flying creature with the head, wings, and forelegs of a giant eagle and the body (including hind legs and tail) of a horse. The eyes are orange, while individual hippogriff colours vary as those of mundane horses do, including black, bronze, chestnut, grey, and roan. An adult hippogriff's wingspan is approximately 24 feet (PA6, FB).

Hippogriffs are carnivorous and are extremely dangerous until tamed, which should only be attempted by a trained witch or wizard. That said, hippogriffs can and do live on insects, birds, and small animals such as rats and ferrets (FB, GF27, OP6).

A person wishing to approach a hippogriff should maintain eye contact and should bow first; if the animal bows in return, it can be touched and even ridden. Hippogriff owners are required to keep them under Disillusionment Charms to prevent Muggles from seeing them (PA6, FB).

Hogwarts has access to at least a dozen hippogriffs for Care of Magical Creatures lessons; see Buckbeak for an example (PA6).

This garden pest resembles a pinkish mushroom covered with bristles, but is actually a carnivorous animal rather than a plant. Horklumps are the favourite food of gnomes (FB).

Neville once had to disembowel an entire barrel full of horned toads while in detention with Snape. Afterward, Ron fantasized about Mad-Eye Moody turning Snape into a horned toad, similar to the 'amazing bouncing ferret' punishment inflicted on Draco Malfoy (GF14). Horned toads are really lizards, and very fearsome-looking lizards at that. Poor Neville had quite an evening, I think. []

See Dragons - Hungarian Horntail.

Twelve palomino horses the size of elephants pull the Beauxbatons carriage as it flies through the sky. These magnificent animals are very powerful and require forceful handling. They drink only single-malt whiskey (GF15)

There are several breeds of winged horses:

• Abraxan - palomino
• Aethonan - chestnut, popular in Britain and Ireland
• Granian - grey, fast
• thestral - black, but see specific entry regarding visibility

A house-elf is a short intelligent creature with large bat-like ears, enormous eyes, and often a servile attitude (more...)

Creatures that look like normal human beings but which are not (at least some of the time in the case of werewolves).

• hags
• vampires
• werewolves

See Dragons - Hungarian Horntail.