Hag

"They say he met vampires in the Black Forest, and there was a nasty bit o' trouble with a hag -- never been the same since. Scared of the students, scared of his own subject now, where's me umbrella?" Vampires? Hags? Harry's head was swimming."

- Hagrid explains Quirrell's fear of hags.

A hag is a savage being that looks like an ugly, old witch but has more warts. They possess rudimentary magic, similar to that of a troll. Little is known of them, though it is thought that they are what Muggles think are witches and are therefore popular in Muggle literature.

History

 * Quirinus Quirrell supposedly had a "nasty bit o' trouble" with a hag sometime in 1991 during his Grand Tour.
 * Sometime in or before 1992, Gilderoy Lockhart published a book called Holidays with Hags; the book probably does not contain any useful information on them, though.
 * In 1993, Harry Potter thought he saw a hag ordering a plate of raw liver from behind a thick balaclava.
 * A hag sent in "A Word in Support of Hags" to the Daily Prophet, offering babysitting services.

Ministry classification
The Ministry of Magic classifies hags as beings, a fact that causes centaurs and merpeople to desire the classification of beast.

Known hags

 * Annis Black
 * Babayaga
 * Cordelia Misericordia
 * Leticia Somnolens
 * Malodora Grymm
 * Old Mother Hubbard

Habitats
Hags can occasionally be encountered in Diagon and Knockturn Alleys, as well as Hogsmeade ; however, some hags like Annis Black live in caves.

Diet
Hags eat children and raw liver are part of their diets.

Etymology
From hægtesse, meaning witch.

Behind the scenes

 * It is possible that Honoria Nutcombe is a hag, given that she founded the Society for the Reformation of Hags in the seventeenth or eighteenth century.
 * Hags have only four toes on each foot

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire 
 * The Queen's Handbag
 * Pottermore