Firstly, a reminder from the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them textbook on the Ministry of Magic's classifications for magical creatures...

Ministry of Magic (M.O.M.) Classification

XXXXX Known wizard killer/impossible to train or domesticate
XXXX Dangerous/requires specialist knowledge/skilled wizard may handle
XXX Competent wizard should cope
XX Harmless/may be domesticated
X Boring

Kappa

M.O.M. Classification: XXXX

These blood-sucking Japanese water demons are not to be underestimated – even if they do look quite bizarre. We know we would be perplexed coming across a creature with the body of a monkey, covered in fish scales, with a hollow groove at the top of its head to carry water. However, all is not lost if you run in to one, as there is a simple way to persuade it to not drain your blood. Just carve your name into a cucumber and lob it at the Kappa.

Yep, that’s right, throwing a cucumber could save your life – who knew?

Hippogriff

M.O.M. Classification: XXX

With the head of a giant eagle and a body of a horse, Hippogriffs are certainly impressive looking creatures. While they can be tamed, they should be approached with respectful eye-contact and a good solid bow. But did you know that Hippogriffs will only lay a single fragile egg? Once laid it only takes 24 hours for the fledgling to hatch – and they’ll even be able to fly within a week!

Mooncalf

M.O.M. Classification: XX

These shy creatures, with their bulbous eyes and spindly legs, only emerge from their burrow at the full moon. However, their shyness doesn’t stop them from getting their groove on. They dance in the moonlight, performing complicated routines, while standing on their hindlegs – pretty impressive if you ask us. Many wizards profit from their night-time shimmying. If you collect the silvery dung of a Mooncalf before the sun rises, then spread it on magical flowerbeds and herbs, your plants will grow fast and strong. What an ingenious use for leftover dung.

Nundu

M.O.M. Classification: XXXXX

This beast from east Africa is possibly the most dangerous to exist – and a lot of that is to do with its incredibly bad breath. This giant leopard moves silently and destroys entire villages with its breath that causes disease (sounds like they could really do with some mouthwash). They’re also incredibly tough, and it takes at least 100 skilled wizards to be able to subdue one.

Puffskein

M.O.M. Classification: XX

These round little creatures with custard-coloured fur make excellent pets – especially as they have no objection to being cuddled… or thrown. Natural scavengers, they eat a whole host of things, but their favourite happens to be the bogies up the nose of a sleeping witch or wizard. When it is hungry, a thin pink tongue will emerge from the Puffskein and snake its way around the house in search of yummy bogies. So, if you have a tickly nose at night, you might want to check for rogue Puffskeins.

Billywig

M.O.M. Classification: X

Native to Australia, these insects are sapphire blue, speedy and have wings attached to their head. They also have a long thin stinger at the bottom of their body which causes giddiness followed by levitation. Some Australian witches and wizards enjoy the effect so much they try to get stung. However, they should be careful, as too many stings can cause days of uncontrollable levitation and if you are allergic to them, it can be permanent. Dried Billywig stings are believed to be used in Fizzing Whizzbees – though we must admit the thought of ground-up insects in our sweets puts us off a little bit.

Fire Crab

M.O.M. Classification: XXX

These creatures might be called Fire Crabs, but they actually resemble a tortoise with a shell covered in jewels. They’re also something that we wouldn’t like to get on the wrong side of… literally. Some wizards try to catch them and turn their shells into cauldrons. We reckon they soon regret it, because Fire Crabs shoot flames out of their rear ends when threatened. We can imagine that their explosives behinds are enough to put off even the most dedicated hunters.

Fwooper

M.O.M. Classification: XXX

Originating in Africa, these birds are a riot of colour. Their plumage can be pink, yellow, orange or lime-green – which certainly comes in handy if you’re after a fancy quill. However, while the song they sing may be enjoyable at first, it will soon drive you to insanity (just like that song they won’t stop playing on the radio). To avoid their owners going round the twist, Fwoopers are sold with a Silencing Charm that must be refreshed every month. Though one wizard disagreed about their singing driving you up the wall. Uric the Oddball tried to prove Fwooper song benefitted your health by listening to one for three months straight. Though when he came to the Wizards’ Council to share his findings, he arrived in his birthday suit and a toupee – which turned out to be a dead badger. We think we will stick to using the Silencing Charm.

Flobberworm

M.O.M. Classification: X

Ok, so the Flobberworm may just be one of the most boring magical creatures to ever exist, but we couldn’t go without mentioning such an iconic beastie. One end may be indistinguishable from the other – but they still deserve some love. We guess one fact that isn’t exactly weird, but at least proves that they’re not completely useless, is that Flobberworm mucus is used to thicken potions – how riveting!

You can learn more about the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them textbook here.