Poltergeists

[lipglossusa at yahoo.com]

No: HPFGUIDX 30708

What exactly is the difference between a ghost and a poltergeist?  Is 
Peeves considered a poltergeist just because he's always wreaking 
havoc?  Were all the ghosts at Hogwarts wizards and witches while 
they were alive? (Or witch-in-training, in the case of Moaning Myrtle)
Professor Binns is really the only one we know for sure was a wizard, 
but was Peeves one as well? And why hasn't Dumbledore gotten rid of 
him anyway-- he really is annoying for the students and teachers.  
For awhile I thought that Peeves was a potentially important 
character-- that JKR would reveal his character's purpose in a future 
book-- but since Peeves was not at all in the movie, and JKR 
apparently agreed with all the cuts the movie made, I'm no longer 
sure if this is the case.  But I do think there is a reason Peeves is 
still around, and it is not just due to Dumbledore's kind-
heartedness. 

Also, if the Hogwarts ghosts were wizards while they were alive, JKR 
has not yet said whether muggles can be ghosts too, though it is 
implied that you have to "magical" in order to see the ghosts.    

Marina