The Ghoul in the attic

[Meredith]

No: HPFGUIDX 97075

Bookworm:
> Here are some definitions I found:
> 1. One who delights in the revolting, morbid, or loathsome. 
> 2. A grave robber. 
> 3. An evil spirit or demon in Muslim folklore believed to plunder 
> graves and feed on corpses. 
> [from Arabic, to seize, snatch.]
> 
> The Thesaurus definition I found is:
> A perversely bad, cruel, or wicked person: archfiend, beast, 
devil, 
> fiend, monster, ogre, tiger, <and of course ;-) > vampire.
> 
> And here is another definition:
> Ghouls, associated with vampires, are supernatural beings that can 
> take on any shape to scare humans. They devour the bodies of the 
> recent dead, feed on corpses, and live near graves and cemetaries.
> 
> Is the Burrow near a cemetery? Is this the start of a vampire!
> Weasley theory? <bg>
> 
> I always thought a ghoul was a type of ghost. Learn something 
> everyday. 



>From Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find them:
"The Ghoul, though ugly, is not a particularly dangerous creature. I 
resembles a somewhat slimy, buck-toothed ogre, and generally resides 
in attics or barns belonging to wizards, where it eats spiders and 
moths. IT moans an occassionally throws objects around, but is 
essentially simple-minded and will, at worst, growl alarmingly at 
anyone who stumbles accross it. A ghoul tas force exists at the 
Department for Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures to remove 
ghouls from dwellings that have passed into muggle hands, but in 
wizarding families the ghoul often becomes a talking point or even a 
family pet."

So no mention of eating children, or vampires in the potterverse. 
They also appear to be removable, though because there's no danger 
to children, they're allowed to stay. It even sounds a little too 
tame for Hagrid to bother with. ;-)

~Luckie