Overview

Centaurs are considered Beasts by the Ministry of Magic, rated XXXX, due to their magical abilities and intelligence to understand magical law and order. They look akin to a half-man, half-horse hybrid. The equestrian half is on the bottom, with colors and patterns varying from individual to individual. They are not half breeds though, but an entirely different species altogether. A fully grown centaur can be at least 7 feet tall and weigh up to 1200 lbs.

Society

Centaurs are a very private creature, keeping to themselves and preferring that other magical beings leave them be, with the exception of merfolk. Living in social groups, they have partners, children, families, and a hierarchy all their own. These herds can have between 10 and 50 members of all ages. They have their own language, but are also capable of understanding and speaking human tongues. They have special gifts in Divination, a core magical concept of their species.
They are extremely proud and do not take kindly to insults, either of their kin or heritage. This pride extends to not allowing themselves to be used by mankind, one of the largest betrayals a centaur can make. Also, they prefer a simple way of living, preferring natural tools and weapons like bows over the use of any kind of technology. This makes them highly adept at living in their natural environment, normally forests. Everywhere there are centaur herds, each country’s Ministry sets aside land for their use and concealment.
Lastly, they have a great sense of integrity. Centaurs don’t wish to harm the young of any species, seeing them as innocent thus far in their lives. This patience and kindness can disappear, however, if the ‘children’ start to come of age and begin to cause problems for the herd.

History with Wizards

In 1811, the current Minister of Magic, Grogan Stump, offered Being status to the centaurs. At this time, the definition of a being was “any creature that has sufficient intelligence to understand the laws of the magical community and to bear part of the responsibility in shaping those laws." Centaurs are highly intelligent creatures who could’ve taken this status and joined the magical community to write, make, and influence law. However, they declined the offer. Their reasoning was based on the same status being offered to Hags and Vampires, and they refused to be classified in the same group as those creatures. Not surprisingly, merfolk followed the centaurs’ example just one year later.
During the rise of the Second Wizarding War, Dolores Umbridge enacted and enforced Law Fifteen B. This called centaurs creatures with ‘near-human intelligence.’ It also enabled the Ministry to highly regulate and restrict their habitats and lands. Due to the Ministry’s actions, being under the control of Voldemort, this stirred up the centaurs into a frenzy. Ultimately, this is why they fought alongside wizards against the Death Eaters in the Battle of Hogwarts.

Credits/References

Written by unknown
Base code by Andrew Sutherland, edited by Iselin Merilä and Desmond Gray.