Hag - an evil-appearing, ugly old woman, who seems less human-like than witches do. Hags come in different varieties, some being benevolent harvest spirits while others torment and even eat people.

Haruspication - Divination via the inspection of animal entrails.

Hebridean Black (Dragons)- from the British Hebrides, this creature grows up to thirty feet in length. It has brilliant purple eyes, rough scales and sharp, shallow ridges along its back. The wings are batlike in structure and an arrow-shaped spike tips off its tail. It hunts deer, large dogs and cattle.

Hellebore (Plant) - poisonous and an ingredient in the Draught of Peace potion.

Hepatoscopy - a form of Divination where animal entrails, particularly the liver, are inspected to tell the future.

Herbology - the use of herbs and plants in magic, going back for thousands of years, to the ancient Sumerians.

Hex - the evil spell or curse intended to cause harm to a person or object. "Hex" comes from hexe, the German word for "witch".

Hinkypunk - a one-legged creature, smokey in appearance, originating in the folklore of England's West Country. Lurking in remote areas at night, the hinkypunk awaits the unwary traveler and lights a lantern, then steps into view. Seen at a distance, the light is mistaken for the traveler's destination or perhaps another traveler, but he is led into a ditch, a bog, or even over the edge of a cliff -- all to amuse the nasty hinkypunk.

Hippocampus - a mer-horse, with the head and front legs of a horse and the tail of a giant fish. Hippocampus comes from Greek for "horse", hippos, and "sea monster", kampos. The hippocampus pulls the chariot of the sea god, Poseidon.

Hippogriff - another creature which makes use of the Greek word, hippos, meaning "horse". This is a creature that flies, the result of a rare union between a male griffin (half eagle and half lion) and a female horse. This animal has an eagle head, the forelegs of a griffin, and the body of a horse. They can be dangerous, unless they are tamed, and the person to train this creature should be an experienced wizard. One should bow to the hippogriff they wish to approach. If the animal bows back, then they can be touched and ridden.

Hogwarts - the school of magic in Britain, located somewhere in Scotland. Its founders were Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw, Salazar Slytherin, and Godric Gryffindor, giving their last names to the four houses which make up this academy. Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus, meaning "Never tickle a sleeping dragon", is the Latin motto for Hogwarts. See Hogwarts

Holly (Plant) - one of the "wand trees". Harry has a wand made of holly. This plant is a symbol of resurrection and traditionally associated with Christmas.

Homorphus Charm (Spell) - used to turn werewolves back into humans.

Honking Daffodil (Plant) - obviously a flower that makes noise.

Horklump - a fleshy creature that resembles a pinkish mushroom covered with wiry black bristles, which can be found in northern Europe. Rather than rooting, it spreads tentacles into the ground to search out earthworms as its food source. This carnivorous garden pest is the favourite food of gnomes, another garden pest.

Horn Tongue (Spell) - a hex that puts a horn on someone's tongue.

Hornbeam (Plant) - a "wand tree". Viktor Krum's wand is made of hornbeam wood.

Horoscope - see Astrology - predicting one's future based on the relative positions of the planets. A chart showing the heavens as they were the moment someone was born; the astrologer has to know the day, month, and year of the subject's birth, and the location and exact time of day or night.

Hover Charm (Spell) - a charm that makes an item or items float.

Hufflepuff - one of the four houses of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

Hufflepuff, Helga - founder of Hufflepuff House

Hungarian Horntail (Dragons) - this black and lizardlike dragon is considered to be the most dangerous of its species. It has yellow eyes, bronze horns and spikes along its lengthy tail. Its fire has a range of up to fifty feet. The eggs are colored like cement and the shells are very hard. The Horntail's prey includes goats, sheep and sometimes humans.

Hurling Hex (Spell) - makes moving objects, such as brooms, throw its rider off.

Hydromancy - water was important in many forms of Divination. In one method, practiced in ancient Greece, three stones were dropped one at a time into a pool of still water. The first was round, the second triangular, and the third stone square. The patterns of concentric ripples were studied for images or reflections to interpret.