User:Sonofapollo/Sandbox

Third Years
Ghosts are the disembodied spirits of once-living wizards or witches. They are the imprints of departed souls left upon the earth. Only magical beings can become ghosts. These fleshless spirits were either afraid of death or have some extraordinarily strong connection to the locations they haunt.

Characteristics of Ghosts:
 * They are visible, and appear as a greyish-silver apparition of their former (living) selves
 * They pass through solid objects without damaging themselves or the material
 * They create disturbance upon passing through fire, water and air
 * The temperature drops in the immediate vicinity of a ghost
 * Their appearance can also turn flames blue
 * In passing through an object, they may impart a sensation of icy coldness
 * Ghosts are either capable of, almost being able to taste rotten food
 * They are also weightless and may fly in any direction
 * Ghosts cannot be destroyed, however, they may be petrified with the gaze of a Basilisk

Poltergeists  are indestructible spirits of chaos. They haunt one specific location at time, generally those inhabited by a large number of adolescents, and either came with the building, or chose to enter it at some point. They are among the creatures classed as non-beings.

Poltergeists can fly and delight in vandalism, malicious mischief, and the general aggravation and embarrassment of living persons. These include: unscrewing chandeliers, writing rude words on chalkboards, throwing water balloons at people, throwing walking sticks at people, stuffing keyholes with chewing gum and other such acts, simply for their amusement.

Poltergeists are notably unruly - there was no way to get rid of a poltergeist once it had moved into a location. Some people could get it to settle down for a while, though it would inevitably start acting up again. Dolores Umbridge claimed that the Minister of Magic could sign an order banning a poltergeist, and once threatened Peeves with this action. However, her statement may reflect her belief in the superiority of wizards in general and the Ministry of Magic in particular, rather than specific knowledge of the nature of poltergeists, and that her efforts would be wasted.

Comparison between Ghosts and Poltergeists: Whilst similar, poltergeists differ from ghosts in a number of ways. Firstly, ghosts are incorporeal, whereas the poltergeist, is solid enough to move objects with physical force. Poltergeists have never once been living humans either. The latter trait may indicate amortality, the condition of never having died and being unable to die, as one was never alive to start. Poltergeists with form have enough physicality that they can have gum fly up their noses, and they are vulnerable to some of the same hexes as humans, including Langlock.

Ghouls are ugly creatures that resemble slimy, buck-toothed ogres. They tend to live in the attics or barns of wizards and witches. They are relatively harmless creatures and are just seen as nuisances because of the noise they make. They are relatively dimwitted, and live off of bugs and other household pests. At most, they will groan and throw objects.

A Ghoul Task Force exists at the Ministry of Magic, under the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures. The Task Force is used to remove unwanted ghouls from houses that have passed in to Muggle ownership. There is a variety of ghoul, called the Chameleon Ghoul.