Charming offers many more types of non-humans for play but does not have comprehensive documentation written for each. If you’re interested in drafting something, please get in touch with a member of staff!
Centaurs appear as half-horse and half-human, but are not created by breeding the two. They originated from Greece and have traditionally Greek or Gaelic names. They reside exclusively in the Forbidden Forest unless outcast from their herd. The average lifespan of a centaur is unknown. They grow quickly during their first year of life and reach sexual maturity by the age of two years, much like a horse. They have their own small hierarchy that is similar to a herd of wild horses. There is a male leader and a female leader who lead the herd, with the female centaur residing over the other females and the male over the other males. It is the leaders’ job to keep the herd in order, protect them, and deliver punishment to misbehaving members. Both leaders are able to choose a successor and must do so once they reach 57 years of age. Beneath the successor in rank are the other herd members. Centaurs also have their own brand of divination.
Recommended reading: HP Wiki on Centaurs
Merfolk are an aquatic species with their own complex social structures similar to — but not the same as — those employed by humans. There are three subspecies that a British witch or wizard might encounter:
Selkies are the merfolk native to Scotland, and comprise the colony in the Black Lake. Their survival requires that they hunt and protect themselves from others in the lake, making them combative (but not unduly so) in nature. From the waist up, they appear as grey-skinned humans, albeit with pointed teeth, green hair, and yellow eyes. As cloth is impractical underwater, a demure young lady might be shocked at their nudity, though jewlery is popular. Their silver-scaled tails can be quite lengthy, bringing the selkie to a full seven feet in length.
Merrows are the most "monstrous" merfolk in terms of appearance, and are native to Ireland. Their human features are littered with scales, and their teeth more pronounced.
Sirens are not native to Britain, but may be found in private collections or at the Sanditon resort. A warm-water species, they are native to Greece and feature prominently in mythology.
Recommended reading: Hp Lexicon on Merpeople | HP Wiki on Merpeople | HP Wiki on the Hogwarts colony
House elves are magical creatures who serve witches and wizards as slaves. They are granted freedom from servitude if their Master presents them with clothing, but most find freedom to be distressing. Their average life expectancy is 200 years. They usually have simple two-syllable names given to them by their Masters in a way that would suggest they are regarded as pets. (Ex: Dobby, Kreacher, Hokey, Winky, Hooky) They can serve either a wealthy wizarding family or work in the Hogwarts kitchens preparing meals for the students and faculty. Some might also find work in magical factories.
Recommended reading: Hp Wiki on House-Elves
Goblins are most well-known for their high level of cleverness. Most wizards consider them subservient. However, they highly value the silverwork that Goblins can create. They can most often be found in the Slums. If a Goblin's talents are great, they can work their way up to the middle-class. However, they are often considered and treated as if they are Lower Class, hardly better than house-elves. They are able to breed with humans. Their names are often unique and consist of two-syllables. Generally, they usually have at least one 'g' in their name. Ex: (Ragnuck, Gringott, Eargit, Urg, Ug, Alguff, Ragnok, Bogrod, Griphook, Gornuck, Nagnok, Brodrig).
Recommended reading: HP Wiki on Goblins
Ghosts are pale, semi-translucent beings that glow a pearly-white. Only a wizard or witch can be become a ghost. They do so because they are afraid to die — they remain in this state forever, unable to move on. Nearly Headless Nick tells Harry, "Wizards can leave an imprint of themselves upon the earth, to walk palely where their living selves once trod ... I was afraid of death. I chose to remain behind. I sometimes wonder whether I oughtn't have ... Well, that is neither here nor there ... In fact, I am neither here nor there..."
Ghosts can pass through solid objects as well as people — when they do so, the living person feels like they've been hit by a sheet of ice. They do not eat, though there is some speculation as to whether or not they can almost taste rotten food. They are often tied to their place of death — Moaning Myrtle and her bathroom stall, for instance. It is also believed that they can move liquid and gas. As a rule however, ghosts cannot effect the physical world. They communicate with each other through ghostly letters and when a decision needs to be made, hold a ghostly counsel. They celebrate their deathday, rather than their birthdays.
Recommended reading: HP Wiki on Ghosts | HP Lexicon on Ghosts | JKR on Ghosts
While similar to ghosts, Poltergeists are not actually ghosts. They are an "indestructible spirit of chaos" that haunt a specific location. They are able to move physical objects and were never living humans. They have existed and always existed and cannot live or die. Therefore, they cannot breed. They can fly as well as become invisible and take part in vandalism, malicious mischief and aggravation and embarrassment of people. Most poltergeists either "came with the building" or chose to enter it at some point. Peeves took part in unscrewing chandeliers, writing rude words on chalkboards, throwing water balloons and walking sticks at people and stuffing keyholes with chewing gum.
There is no way to get rid of a poltergeist once it has chosen that location to bother. It's possible to get them to settle down for a short while, but never to get them to stop their poor behavior. They also seem to be vulnerable to hexes. They generally choose their own name though it often has to do with being obnoxious, annoying and chaotic. They wear clothes that are often clownish appearance. Peeves wore loud, outlandish clothes with a bell-covered hat and an orange bow tie.
Recommended reading: Hp Lexicon on Peeves | HP Wiki on Poltergeists
Hags, also known as crones, are similar to witches and are always female. They have been known to come from Russia, England, and mainland Europe and are often named just like a human would be - with a first and last name that coincides with where their origins are located. Some go by nicknames they have been given by the muggles, witches and or wizards - usually they aren't flattering. They are known for being savage though they do possess the ability to speak and write like a human. They are also known for having green skin, being extremely ugly and are rumored to have four toes on each foot (though no one has ever wanted to get close enough to check.) Their eyes are often black and gray while their hair can be any shade of green as well as black and/or grey.
While they are similar to witches in that they do have magic, it is ancient and wandless. The spells they can perform are very rudimentary and often lean toward dark magic. They have difficulty disguising themselves from muggles and are often ostracized. "Hags are often malevolent, and some have shapeshifting skills, or at least maintain the illusion of shapeshifting." – (HP Wiki).
Some live in shacks in the slums while others choose to live in caves in the Forbidden Forest. They have been known to eat children and raw liver (which certainly doesn't help the idea of inviting them into society.) However, about a century or two ago, the Ministry classified them as Beings, after which centaurs and merpeople decided to be classified as Beasts so that they would not be associated with Hags.
While it is possible for them to breed with humans, it is highly unlikely and one would choose to do so. When humans and hags do breed and the baby is a girl, she will always be a hag.
Recommended reading: HP Wiki on Hags | HP Lexicon on Hags | HP Lexicon on known Hags
Portraits are sentient beings with their own motives, personalities and backstories that litter the wizarding world—but are created by artists, rather than born. They can be found throughout Hogwarts, the Ministry of Magic, and private homes the world over. While each character in a portrait has a “home” frame, they may visit any other frames in the building in which they reside. They have their own application template owing to their uniqueness as characters.
Unless they are a portrait of an individual who died in the last fifty years, portrait play-bys are required to be sharable.
Recommended reading: HP wiki on Portraits
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