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Lee Jordan: "And what would you say, Royal, to those listeners who reply that in these dangerous times, it should be 'Wizards first'?"
Kingsley Shacklebolt: "I'd say that it's one short step from 'Wizards first' to 'pure-bloods first,' and then to 'Death Eaters'. We're all human, aren't we? Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving."
Kingsley Shacklebolt regarding the equality of humanity[src]

Human is a term referring to a species, for which the Latin name is Homo sapiens.[4] Humans are omnivorous beings that originated in Africa, that consisted of wizards and witches, Squibs and Muggles. In the wizarding world, some humans had children with non-human beings such as Veela, giants, and goblins, producing half-breeds. These half-breeds might be looked down upon by pure humans.

Description[]

Humans come in various shapes and sizes, and are one of the most variable species in the world in terms of physique. They are also claimed to be the most intelligent beings on Earth.

Physical description[]

Humans can be distinguished in terms of physical appearance, based on their appearance differences range in terms of:

  • Height
  • Weight
  • Skin colour
  • Hair colour
  • Hair length
  • Hair nature
  • Eye colour
  • Other physical features

Categories[]

In the wizarding world, humans were usually placed in one of these categories based on whether they can use magic or not:

Special authorities[]

Permission to carry a wand[]

Humans, unlike other magical species, were allowed to carry wands.[6][7]

Controversy with other species[]

Ministry of Magic Latin Logo

The British Ministry of Magic's logo - a symbol of the authority of humans

Non-human species were not permitted by the British Ministry of Magic to carry wands. This led to Barty Crouch Snr's house-elf Winky being freed,[8] and started much aggression between goblins and humans over the rights to use wands. Why only humans reserved the right to own a wand is unknown. Humans were the only beings that were known to create wands.[7] This is similar to how a goblin was the only being that could make a true impenetrable sword, such as Godric Gryffindor's Sword. It is unknown if there were any dangers of non-humans carrying a wand, since Muggles were known not to be able to use wands, due to the fact that they had no magical power to channel through it. Knowingly giving a wand to a Muggle would likely violate the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy.

Ministry of Magic[]

As humans were supposedly the smartest race in the world, they claimed rights over all magic laws.[6] These were created and enforced by the Ministries of Magic of various magical countries around the world. Here, human wizards and witches had authority over all other beings.[9]

Variations[]

Fleur Delacour

Part-Veela Fleur Delacour

In the wizarding world, many variations of humans existed, (often known as half-breeds) and many of them were the result of a human parent marrying a non-human parent. They were permitted to carry wands and practise human-based magic, despite part of their heritage being non-human. Variations of part-humans included:

See also[]

Behind the scenes[]

  • When speculating whether Voldemort had died or not following his attack on Harry Potter, Rubeus Hagrid stated that he didn't think there was enough human left in Voldemort for him to die.[5]
  • Creating Horcruxes causes one's humanity to diminish, leaving one to have less human features, physically and spiritually, as seen with Voldemort. However, creating even just one horcrux allows one to become immortal, thereby bypassing the mortality that all other mortals experience.
  • When Harry lost his godfather Sirius Black, Albus Dumbledore stated that the emotional pain he felt was proof he is still human, to which Harry violently replied he did not want to be human any more.[19]

Appearances[]

External links[]

Notes and references[]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 For humans to be able to mate with giants, goblins, House-elves, trolls, vampires and Veela, they must be closely related to each species.
  2. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 1 (The Boy Who Lived)
  3. 3.0 3.1 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Chapter 9 (The Writing on the Wall)
  4. WP favicon Human on Wikipedia
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 4 (The Keeper of the Keys)
  6. 6.0 6.1 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 5 (Diagon Alley)
  7. 7.0 7.1 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 24 (The Wandmaker)
  8. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 9 (The Dark Mark)
  9. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
  10. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 18 (The Weighing of the Wands)
  11. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 8 (The Wedding)
  12. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Chapter 24 (Rita Skeeter's Scoop)
  13. Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Chapter 11 (Quidditch)
  14. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Chapter 19 (The Silver Doe)
  15. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay, Scene 41
  16. J. K. Rowling's official site
  17. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald - The Original Screenplay
  18. Writing by J. K. Rowling: "Werewolves" at Wizarding World
  19. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Chapter 37 (The Lost Prophecy)
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