Ranked: The Most Powerful Creatures In The Potterverse

In the Harry Potter universe, the creatures are talked about far less than the witches and wizards because the characters take up so much of the attention. And it’s a shame, because some of these creatures are just incredible. This world provides a vast and rich lore, including numerous fantasy creatures that we just don’t see in our own world. They even have unicorns.

But from the little we know, just what do you think are the most powerful creatures? Take a look at this ranked list and let us know if you agree.

10. Thestrals

Thestrals must be pretty lonely, when you think about it. They can only be seen by those who’ve seen death, so although they aren’t bad creatures in the slightest, they herald death to those who actually know what they look like.

They’re interesting creatures, but they’re extremely sad.

Thestrals probably wouldn’t beat any of these creatures in a fight, but they still seem to have some strength to them and are capable of flying great distances—as proven when Harry and his friends used them to fly from the Highlands to London and the thestrals didn’t seem to break a sweat.

NEXT: Harry Potter: 16 Most Disturbing Creatures In The Series

9. Boggarts

Boggarts are only so far down on this list because it’s fairly easy to get rid of them—but nonetheless, on first glance, they’re pretty terrifying and have the real power to mess with someone…

A boggart takes the form of someone’s worst fear, regardless of what that is. For example, Harry’s worst fear was a dementor, so the boggart took the form of one. Lupin’s was a full moon so while the boggart didn’t appear quite as intimidating for him, it was able to shift pretty quickly from one thing to the next.

A boggart’s power is pretty limited once the illusion is broken though, and since its counter-curse was taught to thirteen-year-olds in Prisoner Of Azkaban, it’s probably not as powerful as most others mentioned on this list. Still creepy, though.

8. Acromantula

Acromantula probably aren’t very powerful on their own, but when they form a group… oh boy.

We see them in book two, and it’s every arachnophobe’s worst nightmare. They converge on Harry and Ron, traumatizing Ron who has a fear of spiders. I’m not even particularly scared of spiders and when I saw this scene in the cinema, my skin was crawling…

They eat live prey, their own dead relatives, and they also have a taste for human flesh and tend to eat those two which is exactly why they deserve a place on the most powerful list. I mean, if they prey on humans…

7. Giants

Giants are almost the opposite. They don’t have much intelligence, but their sheer brute strength means that Voldemort was desperate to have them on side. He sent Death Eaters to try and rally them while Dumbledore sent Hagrid, and the fact Hagrid seemed to end up with severe injuries purely by accident from his own half-brother makes me wonder exactly what damage a giant could do if it was actually trying to hurt someone.

So on sheer force alone, and the fact Voldemort wanted them for his army, they’re pretty powerful. Good thing they tend to live far from civilization!

6. Centaurs

Centaurs are half-man, half-horse, and are classified as ‘beasts’ by the Ministry Of Magic. Despite that, they claim to be more intelligent than humans, and they take insults to heart. If you need reminding of that, reread the passage where they feel insulted by Dolores Umbridge!

The main reason these creatures seem so powerful, aside from that scene, is their intelligence though. Centaurs spend years practicing the art of Divination because they want to know the fates, and it seems that they actually can. Although their remarks seem laughable in the books at first, they actually do seem to know some eerie things and allude to them around Harry, particularly Firenze.

5. Vampires

It was difficult to know where to put vampires on this list, simply because we don’t hear too much about them - but we know they exist in the wizarding world, co-existing with humans and other species, and for this reason I have to rank them pretty highly. Because vampires are awesome, and surely powerful in this universe.

It’s confirmed that they drink blood which alone makes them pretty terrifying. I really wish J.K. Rowling had provided more information on them though. I get that vampires can be considered kind of cliché and maybe that’s why she didn’t elaborate, but she had a chance to put her own original spin on things!

4. Werewolves

For most of the month, werewolves are pretty harmless. They exist as humans and most of them live peaceful lives. For example, no one would ever have guessed Remus Lupin was a werewolf (well, if Hermione hadn’t been given hints by Snape). Werewolves like Fenrir Greyback are another story entirely but for the most part, they’re harmless. Until the full moon.

Werewolves during the full moon become a beast with no conscience or memory, who only want to attack and kill, and apparently, magic deflects off them half the time. That’s not particularly comforting, and is one of the main reasons I’d class them as one of the most powerful creatures in the Potterverse.

3. Dementors

A fraction of the size of a basilisk or a dragon, barely bigger than a human, are dementors. So just why are they coming in third?

They’re used to guard the wizard prison Azkaban, and their presence in the third book is unnerving. Not only do they have the ability to instantly depress a person and, in cases of severe trauma, make them relive their worst memories—they can suck out your soul, and there’s nothing you can do about it if you can’t conjure a patronus. Which is extremely advanced magic and anyway, not everyone has a wand in dire situations.

So sure, not as physically intimidating, but dementors are definitely scary in their own right.

2. Basilisks

We only see one basilisk in the series (in Chamber Of Secrets) but that’s plenty, thanks.

It uses the plumbing to get around and Harry, a parselmouth, is the only one who can hear it speak. Even from the start, this creature sounds terrifying and took the books in a pretty dark direction. Harry could literally hear a voice in the wall talking about how it smelled blood, and how it needed to kill to satisfy the thirst. Yikes.

About as huge as a dragon, the only reason I’m giving the dragon the advantage over the basilisk is the wings and the fire. But I’m pretty sure a basilisk could take out any other creature.

1. Dragons

Dragons come in top here, for obvious reasons. Yes. We think dragons are the most powerful creatures in the wizarding world.

We first see a baby one in the first book, and it couldn’t possibly prepare us for when Harry faces one in the Triwizard Tournament. They’re huge, strong, breathe fire, and for all of those reasons, are considered extremely dangerous. They even use them to guard high priority vaults in Gringotts, which proves just how frightening these beasts are.

Dragons may be a cliché in fantasy, but they win this list hands down.