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"...in wizarding families the ghoul often becomes a talking point or even a family pet."
Newt Scamander on the roles ghouls play in wizarding homes[src]

A ghoul was a magical beast that resembled a slimy, buck-toothed ogre.[1]

Description[]

GhoulFBE

A ghoul occupying an attic

They tended to live in the attics or barns of wizards and witches. Relatively harmless creatures, they were seen as merely nuisances for all the noise they made. They were relatively dimwitted and survived by eating bugs and other household pests. At most, they would groan and throw objects at other objects or people, although some could be convinced to be more bloodthirsty and angry and as such dangerous.[1]

A Ghoul Task Force existed at the Ministry of Magic, under the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. The Task Force was used to remove unwanted ghouls from houses that had passed in to Muggle ownership.[1] The Chameleon Ghoul was another variety of ghoul.[2][3]

History[]

At some point, ghouls mated with Demiguises to produce Hidebehinds.[1]

Ghouls were taught about at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in Ghoul Studies classes. The subject was taught in a classroom off the Serpentine Corridor.[4] In the 1988–1989 school year at Hogwarts, ghouls were taught in a fifth-year Defence Against the Dark Arts class by the then Professor Patricia Rakepick,[5] and later in the 1990–1991 school year, William Weasley taught seventh-year DADA students about Chameleon Ghouls.[3]

The attic in the Weasley family's home, The Burrow, was also home to a ghoul who occasionally banged on the pipes when it felt that the house was too quiet.[6] In 1997, Ron's family transfigured their Ghoul to look more like Ron. The idea was to make the ghoul look like Ron to replace him when he, Harry and Hermione set off to find the Horcruxes in case any Ministry workers were suspicious of Ron not attending school. The Ghoul had a contagious look to him so when the Ministry workers went to The Burrow to check, the family said that he had a highly contagious disease called Spattergroit.[7]

During the 1993–1994 school year at Hogwarts, Draco Malfoy, with the help of Gregory Goyle and Vincent Crabbe released a ghoul to attack Neville Longbottom in the Muggle Studies Classroom as a cruel prank. Thankfully, Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley managed to rescue Neville from the fearsome ghoul.[8]

Gadding With Ghouls

Gadding with Ghouls by Gilderoy Lockhart

There was a "murderous old ghoul" in a toilet in 12 Grimmauld Place, which was encountered by Ron, Harry, Hermione, and Tonks when they were cleaning the house in 1995.[9]

The wizarding celebrity author Gilderoy Lockhart authored a book about Ghouls, titled Gadding with Ghouls, about his supposed encounters and experience with these creatures.[6][10]

Known ghouls[]

Behind the scenes[]

  • The Ghoul, originally spelled ghūl, originates from Arabic folklore, in which it is a type of Djinn that dwells in burial grounds and feeds on human flesh.
  • In modern literature, they appear as undead monsters.

Appearances[]

Wiki
The Harry Potter Wiki has 23 images related to Ghoul.

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
  2. 2.0 2.1 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 11 (The Duelling Club)
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 7, Chapter 3 (On the Case) - Defence Against the Dark Arts Lesson "Chameleon Ghoul"
  4. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (film) - (see this image)
  5. Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery, Year 5, Chapter 1 (Year Five Begins) - Defence Against the Dark Arts Lesson "Ghoul"
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 3 (The Burrow)
  7. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 6 (The Ghoul in Pyjamas)
  8. 8.0 8.1 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
  9. 9.0 9.1 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 6 (The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black)
  10. Pottermore
  11. A ghoul is available in the "Downloadable Character Pack" DLC for LEGO Harry Potter: Years 5-7. The ghoul is called "Ron Weasley (Ghoul)" because it is the Weasley family ghoul, which was transfigured to look like Ron in 1997.
Magical creatures by classification
X Flobberworm · Horklump
XX Augurey · Bowtruckle · Chizpurfle · Clabbert · Diricawl · Fairy · Ghoul · Gnome · Grindylow · Imp · Jobberknoll · Mooncalf · Porlock · Puffskein · Ramora · Winged horse
XXX Ashwinder · Billywig · Bundimun · Crup · Doxy · Dugbog · Fire crab · Fwooper · Glumbumble · Hippocampus · Hippogriff · Hodag · Jarvey · Knarl · Kneazle · Leprechaun · Lobalug · Mackled Malaclaw · Moke · Murtlap · Niffler · Nogtail · Pixie · Plimpy · Pogrebin · Red Cap · Salamander · Sea serpent · Shrake · Streeler · Winged horse
XXXX Centaur · Demiguise · Erkling · Erumpent · Golden Snidget · Graphorn · Griffin · Hidebehind · Kappa · Kelpie · Merperson · Occamy · Phoenix · Re'em · Runespoor · Snallygaster · Sphinx · Tebo · Thestral · Thunderbird · Troll · Unicorn · Winged horse · Yeti
XXXXX Acromantula · Basilisk · Chimaera · Dragon · Horned Serpent · Lethifold · Manticore · Nundu · Quintaped · Wampus cat · Werewolf
Defence Against the Dark Arts (D.A.D.A.)
Subjectsdada
D.A.D.A. at Hogwarts
Classroom 3C · Classroom 3C backrooms · Temporary Classroom · Hogwarts Turris Magnus · Teacher's Office · Storeroom · Staircase · Storage room · Lesson Cup · Race Cup · Duelling Club · Dumbledore's Army
Professors
Isidora Morganach · Dinah Hecat · Arsenius Jigger · Albus Dumbledore · Galatea Merrythought · 1984–1985 professor · 1985–1986 professor · 1986–1987 professor · 1987–1988 professor · Patricia Rakepick · 1989–1990 professor · First 1990–1991 professor · Olivia Green · Quirinus Quirrell · Gilderoy Lockhart · Remus Lupin · Bartemius Crouch Junior (as Alastor Moody) · Dolores Umbridge · Severus Snape · Amycus Carrow (as Dark Arts teacher) · Unidentified professor · Brindlemore
Textbooks
The Dark Forces: A Guide to Self-Protection · Advanced Defence Against the Dark Arts · Break with a Banshee · Gadding with Ghouls · Holidays with Hags · Travels with Trolls · Voyages with Vampires · Wanderings with Werewolves · Year with the Yeti · The Essential Defence Against the Dark Arts · Defensive Magical Theory · Dark Arts Defence – Basics for Beginners · Confronting the Faceless · Defence Against the Dark Arts
Spells studied at Hogwarts under D.A.D.A.
Aqua Eructo · Boggart-Banishing Spell (Riddikulus) · Bombarda Maxima · Cave inimicum · Concealment Charms · Counter-curses · Counter-jinxes · Cruciatus Curse (Crucio) · Curse of the Bogies (Mucus ad Nauseam) · Cursed barrier spell · Densaugeo · Deprimo Spell (Deprimo) · Disarming Charm (Expelliarmus) · Ear-Shrivelling Curse · Everte Statum · Freezing Spell (Glacius) · Full Body-Bind Curse (Petrificus Totalus) · Fumos Duo · Green Sparks · Hex-Breaker· Hex-deflection · Hex Zapper · Homorphus Charm · Human-presence-revealing Spell (Homenum Revelio) · Impediment Jinx (Impedimenta) · Imperius Curse (Imperio) · Imperturbable Charm · Killing Curse (Avada Kedavra) · Knockback Jinx (Flipendo) · Lacarnum Inflamari · Langlock · Levitation Spell (Levioso) · Limbo Mist anticharm · Nonverbal spells · Patronus Charm (Expecto Patronum) · Pimple Jinx (Furnunculus) · Protective enchantments · Red Sparks (Vermillious) · Reductor Curse (Reducto) · Salvio hexia · Sea Urchin Jinx · Seize and pull charm (Carpe Retractum) · Shield Charm (Protego) · Smokescreen Spell (Fumos) · Snake-Vanishing Spell (Vipera Evanesca) · Softening Charm (Spongify) · Stretching Jinx · Tickling Charm (Rictusempra) · Tongue-Tying Curse (Mimblewimble) · Trip Jinx · Twitchy-Ears Hex · Verdimillious Charm (Verdimillious) · Verdimillious Duo Spell (Verdimillious) · Verdimillious Tria · Vermillious Duo · Vermillious Tria · Wand-Lighting Charm (Lumos)
Creatures studied at Hogwarts under D.A.D.A.
Banshee · Boggart · Chameleon Ghoul · Charmed skeleton · Cornish Pixie · Dementor · Dugbog · Erkling · Flesh-Eating Slug · Ghost · Ghoul · Gnome · Grindylow · Gytrash · Hag · Hinkypunk · Iguana · Imp · Inferius · Kappa · Manticore · Nocturnal beasts · Nogtail · Poltergeist · Red Cap · Snake · Troll · Vampire · Vampire bat · Werewolf · Yeti · Zombie
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