In the Harry Potter universe, a being is, as defined by Newt Scamander in Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, a creature "worthy of legal rights and a voice in the governance of the magical world". This definition is distinct from "beast", or a normal, albeit magical, animal. Cover of the first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Philosophers Stone Harry Potter is a popular series of fantasy novels by British writer J. K. Rowling. ... Newton Newt Artemis Fido Scamander, Order of Merlin, Second Class is a fictional magizoologist from the Harry Potter series of books. ... Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is both a fictional book described in the Harry Potter series of childrens novels by the British author J. K. Rowling, and a real book by that author. ... Magical creatures comprise a colourful and integral aspect of the magical world in the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling. ...

In the magical universe, there are many non-human creatures of human or near-human intelligence. Since sentience is very difficult to define in the best of cases, there is much confusion in the wizard world as to which creatures are defined as beings. According to the current official definition, decided upon in 1811 by Minister for Magic Grogan Stump, a being is: "Any creature that has sufficient intelligence to understand the laws of the magical community and to bear part of the responsibility in shaping those laws." This definition is broadly applicable to the sentient creatures in the series, but as yet there is still a great deal of ambiguity, and in practice the distinction still appears largely cultural. Joyce Rollins is a lesbian. ... In the Harry Potter series of novels by J. K. Rowling, the Minister for Magic (original British editions and the film series) or Minister of Magic (US editions) is the head of the Ministry of Magic. ... In J.K. Rowlings Harry Potter series of novels the Ministry of Magic is the governing body of the magical community of Britain and succeeded the earlier Wizards Council. ...

Magical creatures officially classed as "beings" include humans, goblins, hags and vampires. Centaurs, merpeople and spirits are sentient creatures that have formally requested reassignment, either because they have no interest in shaping wizard law (in the case of the centaurs and the merpeople) or because they consider themselves "has beens" rather than "beings" (in the case of spirits). Leprechauns are sentient but have never requested classification as beings. Werewolves are considered beings in human form, but beasts in their wolf form. Acromantulas and manticores, though sentient, are too inherently predatory and violent to ever be considered capable of shaping wizard law. Pure-blood extremists have attempted numerous times to reclassify Muggles as "beasts," presumably on the assumption that Muggles, inherently given as they are to ignoring the wizard world, are not of sufficient intelligence to shape wizard law. Human beings are defined variously in biological, spiritual, and cultural terms, or in combinations thereof. ... A goblin is an evil or mischievous creature of folklore, often described as a grotesquely disfigured, elf-like phantom. ... A hag (or crone) is a kind of malevolent, wizened old woman often found in folklore and childrens tales such as Hansel and Gretel. ... Further reading Christopher Frayling - Vampyres: Lord Byron to Count Dracula 1992. ... See also centaur (planetoid), Centaur (rocket stage) Guido Reni, Abduction of Deianira, 1620-21 In Greek mythology, the centaurs (Greek: Κένταυροι) are a race part human and part horse, with a horses body and a human head and torso (illustration, right). ... Merpeople refers to the mythological creatures known as Mermaids and Mermen. ... The article is about the ghosts which inhabit Hogwarts in the Harry Potter novels by J. K. Rowling. ... In Irish mythology, a leprechaun is a type of elf said to inhabit the island of Ireland. ... A werewolf in folklore and mythology is a person who changes into a wolf, either by purposefully using magic in some manner or by being placed under a curse. ... It has been suggested that Fire-Crab be merged into this article or section. ... A Manticore For the record label, see Manticore Records. ... This article describes magic in the fictional Harry Potter universe. ... Look up muggle in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

That is the extent of the information revealed so far about what constitutes a being and what constitutes a beast. However, it does not appear to fully account for the situation as presented in the novels. House-elves have never been described as beings, though they would appear to fit the definition, as would veela and giants, since they are both capable of interbreeding with humans, and therefore of coexisting in wizard society. Dementors are particularly puzzling; despite being described as dark creatures, and having demonstrated that they can only barely control their predatory natures, until recently, they acted as the guards in Azkaban prison and therefore, technically, played a role in shaping wizard law. None of these creatures is listed as a "beast" by Newt Scamander, yet none have officially been described as "beings." It should perhaps be noted that Rowling hasn't actually produced a list of beings, meaning that any creature not listed as a beast may well be a being. House-elves are fictional creatures that exist in the world of Harry Potter. ... Fairies in Slavic mythology come in several forms and their names are spelled differently based on the specific language. ... For other meanings of the word giant, see Giant (disambiguation) Giants are humanoid creatures of prodigious size and strength, a type of legendary monster that appear in the tales of many different races and cultures. ... A Dementor in the film, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban A drawing of a Dementor In the Harry Potter book series, a dementor is a soul-sucking fictional fiend. ...

Sources

• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by JK Rowling. Bloomsbury Edition pp. x-xiii and 25. ISBN 0747554668