Giant Squid

"The bane of ancient mariners and students at Hogwarts - should the latter decide to go for a dip in the lake."

- Collectors' card for giant squids.

The Giant Squid is a huge creature that lives in the Black Lake at Hogwarts. It is semi-sentient and apparently not very dangerous, as:-
 * It rescued Dennis Creevey when he fell off his boat during his first year boat trip to Hogwarts Castle for the Sorting ceremony of 1994, and put him back in the boat.
 * It lets itself be tickled by Lee Jordan and Fred and George Weasley.
 * It sometimes accompanies students during a swim in the Black Lake.2013-08-01_200059.png

Behind the scenes

 * True giant squids (genus Architeuthis) are deep-sea-dwelling creatures and can not live in fresh water such as inland lochs in Scotland. It would not be able to stand the sunlight, pressure, salinity (or lack thereof) of the water, the space or the lack of food. At one point during the books it is fed bread, which it would not be able to digest. Giant squid also have very tender skin that would break if they were tickled by a stick, as the Weasley twins did. However, it is possible that, like Aragog, the Squid evolved/grew differently due to Hagrid's care and the surrounding environment. As of the many creatures living around Hogwarts in that period, it might have been a magical mutant or, in fact, a kraken.
 * Ronald Weasley once stated that dating Lavender Brown was like going out with the giant squid because the more that he hinted that he wanted to finish it, the tighter she held on.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
 * Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter Trading Card Game
 * LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
 * Pottermore