Lesson 2: XXXX Creatures 

Welcome to lesson 2 of magizoology. As you already see have I skipped straight ahead to the more interesting creatures; I figured, seeing you all are pure bloods indulging mostly in the more finer dark arts, we drop the cuddle animals and work our way to deadly ones, starting with the XXXX classified beasts and creatures.

I already pointed out in lesson one, does the xxxx stand for 'dangerous, requires specialist knowledge and only a skilled wizard may handle this beast or creature'. In this lesson will we deal with the following creatures or beast: Centaur, demiguise, Erkling, Erumpent, Graphorn, Griffin, Kappa, Kelpie, Merpeople, Occamy, Phoenix, Re'em, Runespoor, Snidget, Sphinx, Tebo, Thestral, Troll, Unicorn and the Yeti. So without further ado let us have more closer look into this fine of magical beasternay and let me give you some more proper explanation for them all. 

Centaur

A centaur is a creature that has the head, torso and arms of a man joined by the other half of a horse. “The Centaur is given a XXXX classification not because it is unduly aggressive, but because it should be treated with great respect. “ quoted from  https://www.freebooks4u.net/fantasticfiction/2010/173/2271.html

The upper quote is actually the main reason why centaurs are marked xxxx, as centaurs avoid both wizard and muggle contact at all times and try all in their power to hide themselves. A small population is found living in the forbidden forest on Hogwarts grounds. That is mostly because centaurs are forest dwelling creatures and are rather fond of the older magical forests. Centaurs live in herds of 10 to 50 individuals.

The other reason why centaurs should be treated with respect is because they are highly intelligent and know a great deal about magical healing, Divination, archery and Astronomy. They are capable of human speech and due to that reason they are named being by the Ministry of MAgic in 1811 The centaurs, however, refused to accept such a name. Further useful information regarding the centaur can be, that we must never call them half breed or you might find yourself trapped as their prisoner.  

Merpeople

Merpeople are beasts that live underwater and are found globally. The term Merpeople is an umbrella term for several distinct sub-species. Under the term, we find the Selkie, Merrow and the Siren.

When we have a closer look to these three species, we find that all three, despite of looks, have a love for music and live in organized communities. All three speak the Mermish language and it is a language very few wizards and witches speak, seeing the voice of a merperson sounds like a harsh screeching when it is used above the water. Another common tread that the merpeople have, is that they are known to keep grindylow as pets, use lobalugs as weapons and that there is one race that managed to domesticate the hippocampus.

When we look deeper in the 3 subspecies of the merpeople we find the following differences.

• Selkie: Native to Scotland on the Orkney and Shetland Islands and they are a shape shifting creature. The name selkie is Scottish for seal, the reason to that is that the selkie can shed their seal skin to become human.

• Merrow: Native to Ireland, gaelic equivalent to mermaid. They are human from the waist up and have a body of a fish from the waist down.

• Siren: Native to Greece. They are the seductive bird women who sing to sailors to lure them on their island and have them shipwrecked.   

Phoenix

The phoenix had branded civilizations thought out the years of our history. It has become the symbol for reincarnation, power and rest. The phoenix is a swan sized bird with scarlet to red and gold plumage. It also has a golden beak and talons, black eyes and its tail is of the size of peacock. 

It is said that the feathers of the phoenix glow in the darkness, while its tail feathers are hot to the touch. Phoenixes nest on high mountain peaks and they are gently herbivores who avoid fights. Phoenix posses many outstanding powers, making them one of the most powerful creatures to roam our word.

Among those powers, we find that they can carry immensely heavy loads and their tears have the power of healing. The tears are only know antidote for basilisk venom and are able to bring people back even if they are on the brink of death. Phoenixes have the ability to regenerate themselves by rising from the ashes as a new born chick. This event is called the burning day and it gives the phoenix a life span possibly very close to immortality. 

Furthermore, the phoenixes are immune to the the full force of a killing curse and the gaze of basilisk. Besides these remarkable abilities, the phoenix also finds itself capable to disappear into a burst of flames, similar to apparition and take anybody who is holding on to them with them. As last ability, we find that a phoenix song will increase the courage of the good and strike down fear in the hearts of evil. 

The phoenix receives the M.O.M classification of xxxx not because it is dangerious, but because it very hard to domesticate, seeing so far only two phoenixes have been domesticate, being Fawkes owned by the late Prof. Dumbledore and Sparky the team mascot for the New Zealand Quidditch team the Moutohora Macaws.

Thestral

Thestrals are very rare winged horses that have a skeletal body, face with reptilian features and leathery bat-like wings. The ministry of magic considers them to be dangerous and they, undeservedly, have the name of bad omens or omens of misfortune to their name. The reason to that is because thestrals are only seen by wizards and witches who have witnessed and fully accepted the concept of death.

Due to their Grim and ghostly figure, thestrals are often seen as aggressive, which is not entirely true. Thestrals have a more calm, “dullish” nature to them, but they are gentle and clever, because domesticated thestrals are smart enough to understand the speech of their owner, if that very owner asks them to travel to a specific location. Thestrals are very loyal animals, they are known to attack anyone or anything they deem as a threat and will thus attack any enemy of their owner.

The thestral can be found in dark environments, but the forest is their natural dwelling where they live as carnivorous animals. Their diet consists out of both flying and grounded prey. When we have a look at the abilities, we see that their main ability is to remain hidden by the means of invisibility to all besides those who have seen death. They have an extraordinary sense of smell, making it possible for them to detect the scent of fresh meat or blood even if the scent is very faint.

The more useful ability of a thestral, though rarely used within the wizard world, is their sense of direction, putting them on the list of transportation mean besides apparition and broom. They can fly long distances in relative short amount time and their wings are capable of carrying the weight of two humans plus their own body weight. 

Unicorn 

The unicorn is a white horse creature with a single horn on its head. During their foal period, they are pure gold and they turn silver around the age of two years and grow their horn around the age of four. At about 7, they are fully grown and the unicorn turns to a shade of white that is so bright, it can make snow look pale grey. The hoves remain golden during their lifespan while their blood is silver-blue that shines under moonlight.

A unicorn prefers a woman's touch, but the foals are more trusting to allow men near them. They are very quick on their hooves, so the unicorns are almost impossible to catch. They mostly inhabit the European old forests, herds from max 15 creatures, dominated by the alpha male or the single stallion within the herd. If there is not a stallion present to lead the herd, then the leader role will be taken over by the alpha female. She can also take on that role temporally when the stallion leaves the herd for a certain period of time.

In our magical world, is it forbidden by law to consume the blood of a unicorn. Only if you have nothing to lose and everything to gain shall a person commit such a crime for a unicorn is pure and defenseless. Killing such a creature to save your own live will give you a cursed life from the moment the blood touches your lips. It is for that reason why consuming unicorn blood, that has the power to keep you alive even if you are an inch from death, is considered the practice of dark and illegal magic.

Credit:

https://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Magizoology

https://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Centaur

https://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Merpeople

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selkie

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Merrow

https://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Phoenix

https://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Thestral

https://harrypotter.wikia.com/wiki/Unicorn