Decades later, Harry PotterHarry Potter’s beloved cast of characters helps the story continue to endure. Unlike many other popular franchises, where the protagonist is the main draw, Harry Potter is just one of many compelling characters in his story, and some of the characters around him are sometimes even more intriguing than he is. This begins in Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stoneas most of the characters it introduces are fascinating at first and become deeper as the series progresses.
Like the magic Harry Potter The universe expands in the sequels, with each installment introducing new characters who become integral to the series, despite being absent from the previous books. While there are many characters to choose from, the best new characters introduced in each book are the ones that are most entertaining, best developed, and influential to the overall series. Many of these characters are just as central to the narrative as Harry is.
Related Harry Potter: All the owners of the Elder Wand
The Elder Wand has had several owners throughout the Harry Potter franchise. Here are all the wizards who have owned or possessed the famous Death Wand.
7 Hermione Granger
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone
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The Philosopher’s Stone features many essential characters besides Harry, but none are as compelling as Hermione. As a fiercely intelligent, compassionate, loyal, and brave individual, Hermione could easily have been the protagonist of her own series. She is the glue that holds the main trio of Harry, Ron Weasley, and herself together, and without her, Harry and Ron wouldn’t have gotten very far, with Hermione being responsible for many of the group’s greatest discoveries and achievements.
Even with her ambition and tendency to excel, Hermione never loses sight of what matters most, as she remains loyal to those she loves and constantly shows kindness to others.
Despite the close friendship between Harry and Ron, Hermione proves to be a better friend than Ron, as she remains by Harry’s side throughout Goblet of Fire and Deathly Hallows, While Ron’s jealousy and insecurities cause him to temporarily abandon his friends, even with her ambition and tendency to excel, Hermione never loses sight of what matters most, as she remains loyal to those she loves and constantly shows kindness to others. Even at 11 years old in the first book, Hermione is already an inspiring character who is wise beyond her years.
6 Dobby
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
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The Chamber of Secrets It expands the wizarding universe with the introduction of house elves. While Dobby is mischievous and brings humor to the story, he has valid reasons behind his actions that provide further insight into the dynamics of wizarding families like the Malfoys and their dark connections. Dobby gaining freedom and the relationship he forms with Harry is a deeply satisfying arc and one of the best parts of the story. Chamber of Secrets end.
Dobby’s story could have ended there, but instead he becomes a recurring character throughout the series, appearing in all the books that followed except for Prisoner of AzkabanHe becomes a charming source of help to Harry, from telling him about the Room of Requirement, the perfect place for Dumbledore’s Army to practice, to freeing Harry and his friends from Malfoy Manor. All this time he spends with Dobby makes his final death all the more heartbreaking.
5 Black Syrian
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
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The Prisoner of Azkaban The series delves deeper into the story of what happened to Harry’s parents, James and Lily, and who betrayed them to Voldemort. Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew all bring something unique to the story and their own connection to Harry’s parents, but none of them are as captivating as Sirius. From believing he betrayed James and Lily and was Voldemort’s right-hand man to learning he was framed for crimes he didn’t commit, Sirius is a very interesting and engaging character. Prisoner of Azkaban The story is a roller coaster of emotions.
Sirius Black spent 12 years imprisoned in Azkaban.
Its impact goes beyond Prisoner of Azkabanas he takes his responsibilities as Harry’s godfather seriously and becomes a father figure in Harry’s life. This makes Sirius’ death in Order of the Phoenix Even more devastating, as Harry loses the man who was his godfather and his parents’ best friend. Aside from Cedric Diggory in Goblet of FireNo other prominent, likable character had died unexpectedly up to this point in the series, which makes Sirius’ death all the more shocking and surprising.
4 Barty Crouch Jr.
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
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Barty Crouch Jr. portraying Mad-Eye Moody is one of the Harry Potter The best plot twists from the books, a genuinely surprising and sinister reveal that completely recontextualizes Moody’s actions throughout the story. While there are many Death Eaters in the series, Barty Crouch Jr. feels more unique than most of them. Nothing in the series can rival his journey as a ruthless teenage Death Eater, a prisoner of Azkaban, secretly escaping and living under his father’s Imperius Curse, and spending a year in disguise as part of an elaborate plan to make Voldemort’s return a reality.
Part of what makes Crouch such an interesting character is the mystery surrounding him, as much of him remains a mystery after receiving the Dementor’s Kiss. Most of the time we spend with him in the story is under the guise of Moody, who, despite being a bit gruff, comes across as a well-meaning ally to Harry. Crouch manages to be witty and even likable through this disguise, all while manipulating events to bring Voldemort back, which completely changes the entire series.
3 Luna Lovegood
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
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As memorable as Order of the PhoenixAlthough the villain Dolores Umbridge is the protagonist, the best character this book introduces is Luna Lovegood. Despite coming into the series at a relatively late stage, Luna quickly feels like a natural extension of the main group that includes Harry, Ron, Hermione, Ginny Weasley, and Neville Longbottom. Luna’s eccentricities, kindness, and ability to tell uncomfortable truths make her a wonderful and valuable character to have in the story.
Since most of Hogwarts’ prominent student characters are from Gryffindor or Slytherin, it’s a refreshing change of pace for Luna to be a Ravenclaw, and her membership in this house helps her find the lost Ravenclaw Diadem, one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes.
The connections Luna makes with these characters and as a member of Dumbledore’s Army extend to The Half-Blood Prince and Deathly Hallowswhere she remains a vital character. Since most of the prominent Hogwarts student characters are from Gryffindor or Slytherin, it is a refreshing change of pace for Luna to be a Ravenclaw, and her membership in this house helps in finding the lost Ravenclaw Diadem, one of Voldemort’s Horcruxes. Luna also provides much of the comedy and heart during the final books.
2 Horatio Slughorn
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
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Instead of introducing a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Severus Snape takes the position in The Half-Blood Princewith Horace Slughorn replacing Snape as Potions teacher. While many characters who knew Harry’s parents were more associated with James, Slughorn’s connection was with Lily, who had been one of his favourite students, giving Slughorn and Harry a distinctive connection. However, Slughorn’s past with Tom Riddle was even more important.
Both Lily and Harry were members of the Slug Club, an exclusive club for Slughorn’s favourite students who were talented or famous.
The fact that Slughorn was the one to tell a young Riddle about the Horcruxes was a game-changing revelation that clarified many things about Voldemort and finally exposed the way to defeat him for good. This set up the plot of the final book and brought the story into its final stages. Beyond his importance to the plot, Slughorn has his own satisfying arc as he divulges the information he regrets sharing all those years ago and fights alongside his colleagues and students during the Battle of Hogwarts, even standing up to Voldemort at one point.
1 Gellért Grindelwald
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
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Gellert Grindelwald is first mentioned on the back of Albus Dumbledore’s Chocolate Frog card in the first book, but does not appear until the final book in the series. Grindelwald proves to be pivotal to Dumbledore’s backstory and to the discovery of the Elder Wand. As a powerful Dark wizard decades before Voldemort’s rise to power, Grindelwald adds new dimensions to the history of Dark magic, which was later explored in the Fantastic beasts Movies.
Much of the mystery and intrigue in Deathly Hallows relates to Grindelwald, as Harry gradually learns more about the dark wizard’s role in Dumbledore’s past and why he is the key to what Voldemort seeks. Grindelwald is one of the many ways in which Deathly Hallows It picks up on small details from previous installments in the series in a surprising and satisfying way. It’s the best new character introduced in Deathly Hallows Who marked the path of the Harry Potter franchise in later years.
Harry Potter $60 $94 Save $34
Harry Potter is a multimedia franchise about an orphan boy who enrolls at Hogwarts School of Wizardry, where he discovers the truth about himself, his family, and the terrible evil that haunts the wizarding world. Adapted from the novels, Harry Potter is an eight-episode film series that follows the journey of Harry Potter and his friends, Hermoine Granger and Ron Weasley, as they navigate the complicated world of growing up, school life, and magic. Beginning in the first year and continuing through to the seventh year, the films chronicle the students’ time at Hogwarts while unfolding a sinister plot that centers on the unsuspecting Harry. With the return of the dark wizard, Voldemort, the students and faculty of Hogwarts will struggle to move forward as the world around them may be forever changed. Harry Potter has expanded beyond the world of its films and novels with several video games, a spin-off film series titled Fantastic Beasts, and even attractions at Universal Studios.
Cast Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Tom Felton, Alan Rickman, Matthew Lewis, Bonnie Wright, Evanna Lynch, Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Richard Harris, Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter, Alfred Enoch, Harry Melling, Gary Oldman, Robert Pattinson, Warwick Davis, Oliver Phelps, James Phelps, David Bradley, David Thewlis, Katie Leung, Jason Isaacs, Imelda Staunton, David Tennant, Jamie Campbell Bower, Timothy Spall, Robbie Coltrane, Eddie Redmayne, Jude Law, Katherine Waterston, Ezra Miller, Dan Fogler, Alison Sudol, Johnny Depp, Mads Mikkelsen Created by JK Rowling First film Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Expand $60 on AmazonSee on TargetSee on Walmart