The following are supporting characters in the Harry Potter series written by J. K. Rowling.

The Dursleys[link]

The Dursley family are Harry Potter's last living relatives. In order to ensure Harry's safety, Albus Dumbledore placed him in the Dursleys' care when he was a baby. The Dursleys live at Number 4, Privet Drive, Little Whinging in Surrey, England. They are all Muggles, and despise all things related to magic – and anything out of the ordinary in general – and the Wizarding World, especially the Potters.

The name "Dursley" derives from the small town in Gloucestershire, near Rowling's birthplace.

Vernon Dursley[link]

Vernon Dursley is Harry's uncle, Petunia's husband (and therefore Lily Potter's brother-in-law), Dudley's father and Marge's brother. Vernon is described as a big, beefy man, with hardly any neck, and a large moustache. He is very much the head of his family, laying down most of the rules for Harry and doing most of the threatening, as well as spoiling Dudley. He is also the director of a drill-making firm, Grunnings, and seems to be quite successful in his career. He regularly reads the Daily Mail.

Uncle Vernon and his wife have grudgingly raised Harry from an early age. He and Petunia never informed Harry about the magical world, including how his parents died; they explained it away as a car crash. Unlike Petunia, who proves to have a slight feeling of familial loyalty to Harry, Vernon seems to hate his nephew so much that in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, he is willing to throw him out of the house, knowing that doing so would put him in grave danger. In fact, while discussing the Dementor attack with Harry, Vernon actually hopes aloud that Harry will receive the death penalty. Vernon also has an aversion to imagination, to any references to magic, and anything even slightly out of the ordinary; in the first book, when Harry mentions dreaming about a flying motorbike, Vernon responds by angrily bellowing that motorbikes do not fly, despite Harry's protests that it was only a dream.

When the Dursleys decide to leave Privet Drive to go into hiding, Vernon nearly shakes Harry's hand good-bye, though he ultimately cannot bring himself to do it. In the film version, he leaves without even a word to Harry. On a deleted scene on the Blu-ray/DVD release, Vernon and Harry's departure plays out like the novel; however, Vernon shows no sentiment whatsoever.

Vernon is portrayed by Richard Griffiths in the film series.

Petunia Dursley[link]

Petunia Dursley is Harry’s aunt, Lily Potter's sister, Vernon's wife, Dudley's mother and Marge's sister-in-law. She is described as a blonde (though dark-haired in the films), bony woman with a "rather horsey" face and a very long neck, and spends most of her time spying on her neighbours. Her eyes are large and pale, quite unlike Lily's. Her whole family is made up of Muggles, except for Lily, a Muggle-born witch. According to Petunia, her parents were proud of having a witch in the family, but Petunia saw her sister as a freak. In fact, she was envious and resentful of Lily's magical abilities^[1] and went so far as to write to Dumbledore, pleading to be allowed to enter Hogwarts. Dumbledore gently denied her enrollment. Afterwards, Petunia grew cold towards the school and, by extension, towards the wizarding world in general. She had no contact with Lily after her marriage to James Potter and the birth of her nephew, Harry, though she did send the family a "horrible vase" that baby Harry broke while riding on a toy broom. The gift echoes Harry's Dursley-sent Christmas presents, which are never pretty or welcome.

Petunia has more knowledge of the wizarding world than she is initially willing to admit. After the Dementors attack Harry and Dudley, Petunia states that she knows Dementors guard the wizard prison, Azkaban. When Harry and the rest of her family look at her strangely, she explains that she heard "that awful boy" telling Lily about them years ago. Harry assumes that the "awful boy" was his father, James, but in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, he learns via memories that it was actually Severus Snape, who knew both Lily and Petunia when they were children. On one occasion, Petunia and her husband almost send Harry out of their house but she receives a Howler from Albus Dumbledore and decides not to send the boy away.

Before the Dursleys leave Privet Drive to go into hiding, Petunia almost wishes Harry good luck, suggesting that she does feel a tiny sense of familial attachment to her nephew; however her self-imposed hatred of Harry and magic prevent her from doing so, and she leaves without a word. In the film version of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, she leaves Harry without showing any sentiment; however, in a deleted scene on the Blu-ray/DVD release, Petunia shows acknowledgment of the wizarding world, and ultimately deep remorse for the loss of her sister Lily.^[2]

Actress Fiona Shaw portrays adult Petunia in the films, with Ariella Paradise playing her as a child.

Dudley Dursley[link]

Dudley Dursley is the only child of Vernon and Petunia, Marge's nephew and Harry's only cousin. Described as a very large, blonde (though brown-haired in the films) boy, Dudley is generally given his way in almost everything, and shows the symptoms of a spoiled brat. In the first book, for example, he is showered with an enormous number of incredibly expensive presents (including a bicycle, a gold wristwatch and his own television), and yet shows no signs of gratitude. Dudley is a cold-hearted bully and the leader of a gang of thugs with whom he regularly beats up Harry and younger children on the flimsiest of excuses. He is only one month older than Harry. The same year Harry starts at Hogwarts, Dudley is enrolled at his father's old private boarding school, Smeltings.

In Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Dudley is given a pig's tail by Rubeus Hagrid as punishment for Vernon "[insulting] Albus Dumbledore in front of me". ^[3] The tail had to be removed at a private hospital in London, though what explanation the Dursleys would have had to give is unknown. In Goblet of Fire, Dudley becomes wider than he is tall, and the Smeltings school nurse advises the Dursleys to put him on a strict diet. During the summer when this diet is enforced (all members of the family must follow this diet too), the Weasleys arrive at Number 4, Privet Drive to pick Harry up for the Quidditch World Cup, and Fred Weasley "accidentally" drops a Ton-Tongue Toffee, which enlarges Dudley's tongue to four feet long before his hysterical mother reluctantly allows Arthur Weasley to shrink it.

In the fifth book, two Dementors attack Dudley and Harry in a playground. Dudley collapses, and Harry uses the Patronus Charm to drive a group of Dementors away from himself and his cousin. Mrs. Figg then comes running in and reveals she is a Squib by talking about Dementors. Harry and Mrs. Figg half carries the shaken Dudley home, though Dudley is convinced that Harry used magic to draw the Dementors to them. After the confrontation, Harry wonders what sort of bad memories Dudley could have relived, as Dementors force people to relive their worst experiences. Rowling later revealed, in an on-line chat, that Dudley's worst fear was seeing himself for who he really was: a cruel, selfish, violent bully with no feelings whatsoever for others, and this revelation shocked him to the core.^[1] The experience does, in fact, give Dudley a more favourable impression of Harry, as seen in Deathly Hallows, when Dudley is the only member of the family to accept Harry: he shakes his hand and thanks him for saving his soul from the Dementor attack, and shows some concern for him when the Dursleys leave to go into hiding. In his appreciation of his cousin's belated gratitude, Harry says good-bye to him using Dudley's former gang name, "Big D". In the film version, however, there is no such sentiment as Dudley leaves Harry before he can say any final words; however, on the Blu-ray/DVD release, a deleted scene includes the reconciliation between the two cousins.^[4]

Rowling revealed on her website that many people have asked her to include an adult Dudley with a wizarding child in the epilogue of Deathly Hallows, and that she herself considered it, but decided upon reflection that any "latent wizarding genes would never survive contact with Uncle Vernon's DNA" and thus she did not do so. Rowling says that Harry and Dudley would "stay on Christmas card" terms for the rest of their lives,^[5] and that Harry would take his family to visit Dudley's when they were in the neighbourhood, but it was something that James, Albus and Lily "would dread".^[6] However, Dudley's kids and Harry's occasionally would "get together while the adults sat in awkward silence".

Dudley is portrayed by Harry Melling in the Harry Potter films.

Marge Dursley[link]

Marjorie "Marge" Dursley is Vernon's sister and described as physically resembling him; a large woman with hardly any neck and even a bit of a moustache, even though it is not as bushy as Vernon's. Though she is not a blood relative of Harry, he has been forced to call her "Aunt Marge" throughout his whole life with the Dursleys. Marge lives in the country, where she breeds bulldogs and because of her commitment to her animals, she rarely visits Privet Drive, to Harry's considerable relief. Each of her visits stands out in Harry's mind for her cruelty to him. Owing to Vernon's and Petunia's lies, Aunt Marge believes that Harry is a horrible boy, and delights in insulting both him and his dead parents. In Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban after she insults Harry's parents, Harry loses his temper and accidentally inflates her, thus causing her to blow up like a balloon and float up to the ceiling. Marge is later rescued, changed back to normal, and the Ministry of Magic modifies her memory. She also appeared in a memory in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix: When Harry is chased up a tree by one of Marge's bulldogs named Ripper while the Dursleys laugh at him from the ground and Marge refuses to call the dog off.

Pam Ferris appeared as Marge in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Others[link]

Bathilda Bagshot[link]

Bathilda Bagshot is a noted historian in the wizarding world, and author of the book A History of Magic. She lives in the village where Harry Potter was born, Godric's Hollow, and is an old family friend of Dumbledore, and the Potters' neighbour and friend. Gellert Grindelwald is her great-nephew, which is why he comes to live in Godric's Hollow after being expelled from Durmstrang. Bathilda is a major source of information for Rita Skeeter's biography of Dumbledore, who extracts this information under the influence of Veritaserum; it is possible her memory is also modified following the "interview".^[7] Harry decides to go to Godric's Hollow in order to get information from Bathilda, and because he wants to see his parents' grave. Hermione thinks that Dumbledore might have entrusted her with Gryffindor's Sword. She dies before Harry's arrival in Godric's Hollow, probably at the hand of Lord Voldemort (or one of his Death Eaters), who enchants her decaying body to use as an outer skin for his snake, Nagini to wait for Harry. The snake is then instructed to subdue Harry when he arrives in Bathilda's house looking for the sword until Voldemort himself can get there to finish him off.

Hazel Douglas plays Bathilda in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1.

Frank Bryce[link]

Frank Bryce is a reclusive Muggle World War II veteran who works as the caretaker of the Riddle family mansion in Little Hangleton. In 1942, the Riddles were murdered by Tom Riddle (later to become Lord Voldemort), and since Bryce had the keys to the large house where the deaths occurred, he was arrested and questioned in connection with the murders. As there was lack of evidence (because the bodies were unmarked as the Killing Curse leaves no sign of violence or damage on the victims) the police could not prove that the Riddles had been murdered, and were forced to release Bryce. However, the community of Little Hangleton still believed Bryce to be guilty. As a result, he lived out the rest of his life as a pariah, isolated and living on the grounds of the Riddles' estate, while still working in the grounds.

In the beginning of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire Voldemort secretly returns to the Riddle house. Bryce inadvertently finds himself overhearing Voldemort's plan to kill Harry, initially believing Voldemort and Wormtail to be spies, but before he can take action, Nagini finds him and reveals his presence to Voldemort, who kills him almost immediately with the Avada Kedavra curse. He appears once more in the same book, during Harry and Voldemort's graveyard duel. The Priori Incantatem effect brings back an "echo" of Bryce from the tip of Voldemort's wand. Despite not knowing who he is, Bryce enthusiastically encourages Harry to keep fighting.

Dumbledore states his belief in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince that the murder of Bryce was used to create Voldemort's presumably sixth and final Horcrux, implanted in Nagini. However, Rowling later said Voldemort used the earlier murder of Bertha Jorkins for this.^[8]

Eric Sykes appeared as Bryce in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Crabbe and Goyle[link]

Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle are Slytherin students in Harry's year; both of their fathers, Crabbe Sr and Goyle Sr, are Death Eaters. Due to their size and strength, the pair act as Draco Malfoy's minions and serve to intimidate fellow students. Crabbe and Goyle are both brawn-over-brains type; they are entirely lacking in introspection or curiosity. They seem unable to make up their own minds or to see things their own way. Nonetheless, Crabbe is depicted as slightly more intelligent than Goyle; in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, he is hand-picked by Malfoy as his second in the Midnight Duel with Harry that never takes place.

Crabbe and Goyle make their first appearance as new Slytherin Quidditch Beaters in the opening match against Gryffindor in their fifth year; after Harry catches the Snitch, Crabbe vents his frustration by purposely hitting a Bludger into Harry's back and knocking him off his broom, but receives the light punishment of writing lines. They do not return to the team the following year, as they regularly serve as Malfoy's lookouts during his forays into the Room of Requirement. After Malfoy leaves the school following the death of Dumbledore just before the end of the term, Crabbe and Goyle are left in a state of loneliness.

The three of them are reunited in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Both of them speak for the first time, Crabbe's voice being described as "oddly soft for someone with his huge frame" and Goyle's simply as a grunt. Crabbe has sided with the Death Eaters with more conviction than either Goyle or Malfoy, and becomes increasingly independent of Malfoy, well aware of the Malfoy family's falling out of favour with Voldemort. The pair have developed into surprisingly powerful wizards. Crabbe and Goyle are mentioned as having excelled in inflicting the Cruciatus Curse on other pupils who had received detentions under Amycus Carrow's direction: according to Neville Longbottom, it was "the first time they were the best in anything". During the fight for the Horcrux diadem with Harry, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger in the Room of Requirement, Crabbe defies Malfoy's order to not kill Harry and casually throws around the Avada Kedavra curse. Finally, he summons Fiendfyre and turns the room into a blazing inferno, but it quickly rages beyond his control and ultimately leads to his death and the destruction of the Horcrux. Goyle is knocked unconscious during the ensuing fight, but is rescued along with Malfoy by Harry, Ron and Hermione. Goyle and Malfoy are left mourning Crabbe's death.

Joshua Herdman has played Goyle and Jamie Waylett portrayed Crabbe in the first six films of the Harry Potter film series to date; only Herdman appears in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2, with Crabbe's role in the plot being replaced by Goyle, and Goyle's being replaced by Blaise Zabini.^[9][10]

Gabrielle Delacour[link]

Gabrielle Delacour is the only younger sister of Fleur Delacour. Her age in Goblet of Fire is estimated by Harry to be no more than eight, and this statement is reinforced when it is stated in Deathly Hallows that she is eleven. During the Triwizard Tournament, in which Fleur is the champion for Beauxbatons, Gabrielle along with Ron, Hermione, and Cho Chang is used as underwater "bait" for the champions to rescue. Unfortunately Fleur does not manage to rescue Gabrielle in time because she is held back by Grindylows and is forced to return to the surface, but Harry goes on to save her as well as his own hostage, Ron. She makes a small appearance later on in the book when the contestants' families are allowed to watch them compete. She is clinging to her mother and gives Harry a smile and a wave when she sees him, which is when he returns.

Fleur hints in Half-Blood Prince that Gabrielle (much like the young Ginny Weasley) has developed a crush on Harry, since she "never stops talking" about him. Gabrielle and Ginny serve as bridesmaids at Bill Weasley and Fleur's wedding in Deathly Hallows. Her part-Veela heritage begins to develop as she matures and she is nicknamed "Fleur in miniature". She retains the crush on Harry at that time, causing Ginny to clear her throat loudly in mild jealousy when she throws him a flirtatious look.

Gabrielle was portrayed by Angelica Mandy in the film adaptation of Goblet of Fire. Mandy reprised her role for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1, but appeared only in background scenes and was uncredited.

Cedric Diggory[link]

Cedric Diggory was a Hufflepuff student two years above Harry. A Hufflepuff prefect, he shows a notable streak of modesty and fairness. When he catches the Snitch and wins the match after Harry falls off his broomstick following an encounter with the Dementors, he believes the circumstances of the match to be unfair and protests that the result should be nullified and the match replayed. He is described as being exceptionally handsome, tall, with chiselled features, a straight nose, dark hair, and bright grey eyes.

In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Cedric is selected as the Hogwarts champion for the Triwizard Tournament. After Harry is also picked to compete, Malfoy makes "Support Cedric Diggory/Potter Stinks" badges, which Cedric tries to discourage his housemates from wearing. For the first task, Cedric transfigures a rock into a dog in order to distract his dragon and successfully finds his golden egg, but he receives a burn on his cheek in the process. He is later Cho Chang's date for the Yule Ball. As compensation for Harry's warning about the dragons before the first task, Cedric assists Harry in solving the clue of the second task by telling him to take a bath with the egg in the prefects' bathroom, and just "mull things over in the hot water". Cedric is the second of the four champions to find the village of the merpeople and rescue his hostage, using a Bubble-Head Charm, but surfaced one minute over the one-hour time limit.

During the third task, Harry saves Cedric's life twice while in the maze, and when they find the Triwizard Cup, Cedric refuses to take it without Harry, so they grab hold of it together. The cup turns out to be a Portkey which transports them to the Little Hangleton graveyard, where Voldemort and Peter Pettigrew await Harry's arrival; Pettigrew murders Cedric on the spot upon Voldemort's order to "kill the spare". In the midst of the Priori Incantatem effect during Harry's duel with Voldemort, Cedric's spirit appears and asks Harry to take his body back to his parents. Despite an attempted cover-up of the incident by the Ministry of Magic, Dumbledore candidly reveals the true nature of Cedric's demise to the students at the end-of-term feast, stating that to attribute it to an accident would be "an insult to his memory". Cedric Diggory was in his sixth year at Hogwarts in The Goblet of Fire.

Robert Pattinson appeared as Cedric in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and made a brief cameo in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in a flashback taken from Goblet of Fire. The actor who portrayed him in Prisoner of Azkaban is unidentified, and his character is not clearly identified as being Cedric (his Quidditch uniform, however, has the word "Diggory" on it).

Gellert Grindelwald[link]

Gellert Grindelwald is a Dark wizard who, in a list of "Most Dangerous Dark Wizards of All Time", would be second only to Voldemort, according to Rita Skeeter's book The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore. His name is first mentioned on Dumbledore's Chocolate Frog card, which notes that Dumbledore defeated Grindelwald in 1945.

Grindelwald attended the wizarding school Durmstrang, from which he was expelled at age sixteen for his dangerous and evil experiments that nearly resulted in the deaths of some of his fellow students. He left the symbol of the Deathly Hallows on one of the walls in Durmstrang before departing. After Durmstrang, he went to live with his great-aunt Bathilda Bagshot in Godric's Hollow, where he met the young Dumbledore. In Deathly Hallows, it was revealed that Grindelwald had gone to Godric's Hollow to investigate the grave of the Peverell brothers (the original owners of the Hallows), but struck up a close friendship with Dumbledore, and the two planned to establish a new world order, where wizards would rule over Muggles "for the greater good" (the phrase later became Grindelwald's excuse for the atrocities he committed in his reign of terror). They also planned to work together in their quest for the Hallows. Later Rowling claimed at a Q&A session that she implied Dumbledore being once in love with Grindelwald, and thus he has 'lost his moral compass', but she did not say whether those feelings were returned.^[11][12] However, some critics are still skeptical about this.^[13][14]

However, Aberforth Dumbledore, Albus' younger brother, argued against these plans, because he feared their grand ambitions would leave his disabled, traumatised sister, Ariana, abandoned. Later the argument culminated in a three-way duel among Albus, Aberforth, and Grindelwald. Ariana was inadvertently killed by one of them. Grindelwald fled, fearing retribution and henceforth, Albus ended his friendship with him. Grindelwald successfully became master of one of the Deathly Hallows, the Elder Wand, by stealing it from the previous owner, the wand-maker Gregorovitch. Gaining the Elder Wand's immense power, he subsequently committed many terrible acts. It is revealed that Grindelwald's actions have caused many deaths that have greatly affected the students of Durmstrang, including Viktor Krum, whose grandfather was murdered by Grindelwald.

After Grindelwald's rise to power, Dumbledore delayed meeting him again for several years due to his fear of being confronted with his sister's death and the fact that he himself might have been the one who accidentally killed her. Both wizards were highly intelligent and skilled in battle, and when their battle eventually occurred, those who witnessed it later said that no other wizarding duel ever matched it. Grindelwald, who at the time possessed the supposedly unbeatable Elder Wand, lost to Dumbledore. Since Dumbledore won the duel over Grindelwald, the Elder Wand transferred its allegiance to Dumbledore. After Dumbledore triumphed over Grindelwald, the defeated dark wizard was imprisoned in the top-most cell of Nurmengard. He remained there, growing emaciated and toothless through the ravages of the prison, until the events of Deathly Hallows when Voldemort arrives, seeking the Elder Wand. Grindelwald, showing no fear of Voldemort and welcoming death, tells him that he never owned the wand, and Voldemort kills him in rage. In the chapter "King's Cross", Harry suggests to Dumbledore that Grindelwald lied to Voldemort in order to prevent him from breaking into Dumbledore's tomb, where he knew the Elder Wand lay.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1, young Grindelwald is portrayed by Jamie Campbell Bower.^[15] The older Grindelwald is played by Michael Byrne.^[16] In the film, unlike in the book, Grindelwald reveals to Voldemort the whereabouts of the Elder Wand, and thus is not killed.

Viktor Krum[link]

Viktor Krum (Bulgarian: Виктор Крум) is a Seeker for the Bulgarian national Quidditch team who has entered the International Quidditch League at an early age. Many wizards of his time consider him a prodigy. He has bushy eyebrows and a hooked nose, which he inherited from his father. He is also described as being well coordinated on a broom but slightly unbalanced on land.^[17] Despite his success and fame, Krum appeared to be unhappy and lonely, and was further characterised as being very quiet and reserved, though Hermione says he is a genuinely nice person beneath the sullen exterior. In the Quidditch World Cup title game between Bulgaria and Ireland, he suffers a severe bloody nose during the match and catches the Snitch as quickly as he can to end it, which hands victory to Ireland because Bulgaria was trailing by 160 points at the time.

Krum is named Durmstrang champion upon entering his name for the prestigious Triwizard Tournament. He is often viewed with suspicion by his peers due to Durmstrang's reputation for teaching the Dark Arts, while looked upon with admiration for his feats, mainly by giggling Hogwarts girls. Whilst competing in the Triwizard Tournament, he takes to visiting the Hogwarts library in order to try to talk to Hermione. He eventually gains the courage to ask her to the Yule Ball, a traditional formal dance associated with the Triwizard Tournament. Krum has to rescue her from the merpeople in the Great Lake for the Second Task, revealing his deep affection for her. Immediately afterward, he invited her to stay with him in Bulgaria and stated that he had "never felt this way about a girl before." He becomes jealous of Harry when a slanderous news article by Rita Skeeter falsely states that Hermione is toying with both boys' affections, and confronts him about it. When he learns the truth, he and Harry become friendly, shortly before the appearance of a mentally incapacitated Bartemius Crouch Sr. Crouch's disguised son stuns Krum shortly afterward, to murder his father unnoticed. In the climax of the book, Krum, under the influence of an Imperius Curse cast by Barty Crouch Jr, uses the Cruciatus Curse on Cedric Diggory to eliminate any opposition for Harry to win the tournament, but is not arrested nor punished for this, as he was not in control of his own functions.

Krum briefly returns in Deathly Hallows, as a wedding guest of Bill and Fleur. He has a heated discussion with Xenophilius Lovegood, after he recognises a symbol that Xenophilius wears around his neck as the mark of Grindelwald; the symbol is later discovered to be the mark of the Deathly Hallows. His attitude suggests that he wants to get back together with Hermione, and he is disgruntled to see her dancing with Ron. Krum then asked Harry (who was disguised as a Weasley) whether or not Ginny Weasley was single, showing that he has his eye on her too. J.K. Rowling later stated that Krum eventually found love in his native Bulgaria.

Stanislav Ianevski portrayed Krum in the film adaptations of Goblet of Fire and Deathly Hallows.

Augusta Longbottom[link]

Augusta Longbottom is Neville Longbottom's paternal grandmother, introduced in Philosopher's Stone before Neville leaves for Hogwarts. She raised him from a young age after Neville's parents were tortured and permanently incapacitated by a group of Death Eaters led by Bellatrix Lestrange. Early on, it is established that Neville is terrified of his grandmother, who is a very strict disciplinarian, a perfectionist, a staunch opponent of Voldemort and a no-nonsense witch, especially towards Neville, sometimes complaining he is not as gifted a wizard as his father.

In Order of the Phoenix, Neville discloses that his grandmother fully supports Harry and Dumbledore's proclamations that Voldemort had returned, even going so far as to cancel her subscription to the Daily Prophet, because they keep toeing the Ministry of Magic line that Harry was lying. Later, Harry and his friends are visiting Arthur Weasley in St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries and meet Augusta and Neville who are visiting Frank and Alice; Augusta explains to Harry's friends how Neville's parents got into that state. She reprimands Neville for failing to have already told his friends what happened to his parents, saying he should be "proud" to be their son for their bravery.

In Half-Blood Prince, Augusta wants Neville to continue studying Transfiguration instead of Charms, which she considers a soft option. It is revealed by Minerva McGonagall that Augusta thinks like this because she failed her Charms O.W.L. McGonagall also writes a letter to Augusta telling her it's time that she "learned to be proud of the grandson she's got, rather than the one she thinks she ought to have".^[18]

Deathly Hallows is a definite turning point for the relationship between Augusta and her grandson. Towards the climax of the book, it is revealed that the Death Eaters targeted Augusta when Neville began acting as leader of the reformed Dumbledore's Army. The Ministry official John Dawlish is sent to arrest her; according to Neville, he was expecting an old woman living alone to be an easy target. However, the implications are that Augusta is actually an extremely capable witch as Dawlish ends up in St. Mungo's Hospital and she goes on the run, sending Neville an encouraging letter, which he keeps by his heart. Augusta arrives at the Battle of Hogwarts to assist her grandson. Bolstered by Neville's leadership of the D.A. during his seventh year at Hogwarts, Augusta ultimately becomes extremely proud of him.

Xenophilius Lovegood[link]

Xenophilius "Xeno" Lovegood is Luna Lovegood's father and the editor of The Quibbler, a magazine that often publishes stories about wild conspiracy theories or research on seemingly non-existent creatures.

He is introduced in Deathly Hallows as a guest at the wedding of Fleur Delacour and Bill Weasley, and is said to be a friend. He is described as eccentric looking, being slightly cross-eyed, with shoulder-length white hair the texture of candyfloss and wearing garishly coloured robes. Xenophilius wears the symbol of the Deathly Hallows around his neck as a way of showing his willingness to help other believers in the Hallows in their quest to obtain them.

Later in the story, he explains to Harry, Ron, and Hermione the significance of the Deathly Hallows. Although initially one of the staunchest supporters of the anti-Voldemort, pro-Harry Potter movement through his magazine, Xenophilius later betrays the trio's location to the Death Eater-controlled Ministry of Magic in a bid to ensure the safe return of his kidnapped daughter. After an ensuing battle with Xenophilius and the Death Eaters, the trio escape and the Death Eaters arrest Xenophilius, which saves his reputation, as he is mentioned on the clandestine "Potterwatch" radio broadcast as a persecuted anti-Voldemort dissident, and the issue of The Quibbler in which he attacks Harry is buried under the ruins of his home and never distributed. Harry, Ron, and Hermione never reveal his attempted betrayal, which was motivated solely by fear for Luna's life.

Welsh actor and singer Rhys Ifans portrays Xenophilius in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1.

Teddy Lupin[link]

Ted Remus "Teddy" Lupin is the orphaned only son of Remus Lupin and Nymphadora Tonks and godson of Harry Potter. He is named after Tonks's late father, Ted Tonks, and his own father, Remus. Teddy is a Metamorphmagus like his mother Nymphadora, and is not affected by his father's lycanthropy.^[1][19] Later, in the epilogue of Deathly Hallows, he is announced by Harry's elder son James as being in King's Cross Station and snogging Victoire Weasley, the daughter of Fleur Delacour and Bill Weasley. Rowling stated that Teddy was raised by his maternal grandmother, Andromeda Tonks,^[1] and not by his godfather, Harry. However, he has a very close relationship with Harry, who mentions that he usually comes to dinner at his house four times a week and a prospect of having his godson move in. Played by Luke Newberry though was cut from the epilogue scene in Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows part 2

Narcissa Malfoy[link]

Narcissa "Cissy" Malfoy (née Black), born Narcissa Black to Cygnus Black III and Druella Rosier, is the youngest of three sisters, her older sisters being Bellatrix Lestrange and Andromeda Tonks. She is a cousin of Sirius and Regulus Black and an aunt to Nymphadora Tonks, Andromeda's daughter. Narcissa attended Hogwarts, where she was in Slytherin. She later married Lucius Malfoy, with whom she has one son, Draco, of whom she is extremely protective. Narcissa is first described as a tall, slim blonde who would have been attractive had it not been for "a look that suggested there was a nasty smell under her nose". Although Narcissa certainly seems to share the Blacks' and her husband's views on blood purity on the outside,^[1] her actions indicate she is far more concerned about the welfare of her family than helping Voldemort.

Although Narcissa makes her first, very brief appearance in Goblet of Fire, where she attends the Quidditch World Cup with her husband and son, her role in the series first becomes important in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. At the beginning of the book, Narcissa and Bellatrix arrive suddenly at Snape's home. Narcissa is distraught, almost hysterical, with her husband imprisoned in Azkaban and her son forced to accept a difficult and dangerous assignment by Voldemort. She begs Snape to help Draco and asks him to make an Unbreakable Vow, to which he agrees. Narcissa also appears later in the novel, shopping with Draco for his new robes at Madam Malkin's. She and Draco bump into Harry, Ron and Hermione. Harry taunts Narcissa for her husband being sent to Azkaban, and in turn, she mocks his dead godfather, Sirius Black. Narcissa also says that "Harry will be reunited with dear Sirius before I am reunited with Lucius", showing that she believes Harry to die soon. Draco defuses the situation by leaving with his mother.

In Deathly Hallows, Narcissa's home is being used (against her will) as the Headquarters for Voldemort and his Death Eaters and for confining several prisoners, including eventually, Harry, Ron, and Hermione. When this group escapes with the help of Dobby, Voldemort places Narcissa and her family under house arrest. In the climax of the book, the Malfoys are brought with the other Death Eaters to Hogwarts, when Voldemort invades the castle. When Voldemort casts a Killing Curse on Harry, Narcissa is ordered to verify his death. When she feels Harry's heart beating, she quietly asks him whether Draco is still alive at Hogwarts, a fact that Harry confirms. Knowing that she will not be free to search for her son unless she can return with the Death Eaters as part of a "conquering army", Narcissa lies to Voldemort and declares Harry to be dead. She is later seen at the end of the book, with her husband and son, unsure what to do and how to behave amidst the celebration of Voldemort's death. However, thanks to her lie to Voldemort, the Malfoys manage to "weasel their way" out of imprisonment in Azkaban.^[1]

In the film series, Narcissa shows very little to no animosity towards Harry, only dueling him after he attacks Draco during the Battle of Malfoy Manor. After Harry and Voldemort start fighting, she is seen walking away with Lucius and Draco, thus renouncing their Death Eater lifestyle which later grants them amnesty. Narcissa is portrayed by Helen McCrory in the film series.

Olympe Maxime[link]

Madame Olympe Maxime is the headmistress of Beauxbatons, the French wizarding school. The character is introduced in Goblet of Fire when her school is invited to the Triwizard Tournament, with Fleur Delacour being elected as Beauxbaton's champion. When Harry is chosen as the fourth champion and second Hogwarts champion, she is angered and is about to leave the tournament, but she eventually agrees to stay. In Goblet of Fire, she is described as being elegant and wearing black satin robes, and having olive skin and handsome features, but being extremely tall. It is revealed that Madame Maxime's huge size is due to her half-giant background. She fiercely denies this, although she is around the same height as fellow half-giant Rubeus Hagrid. Upon first sight, Hagrid immediately takes a crush on Madame Maxime, which he shows by attempting to groom himself properly and wearing his hairy brown suit when she is around.

In Order of the Phoenix, Hagrid tells Harry, Ron, and Hermione that he and Madame Maxime visited the giants during that summer in order to get them into the Order of the Phoenix's side. Unfortunately, they failed in their mission, because Voldemort also sent a group of Death Eaters to address the giants. When giants attack Hagrid, Madame Maxime defended him by using a conjunctivitis curse. Hagrid describes her spell work as "brilliant". She separates from Hagrid during the return journey, however, because he would not abandon his giant half-brother Grawp, who proves to be a highly taxing travelling companion. She returns to Beauxbatons alone. In Half-Blood Prince, Madame Maxime is among those paying respects at Dumbledore's funeral. Her last appearance is in Deathly Hallows, where she attends the wedding of Bill Weasley and Fleur Delacour.

Frances de la Tour appeared as Madame Maxime in Goblet of Fire, and reappeared in the role in Deathly Hallows.^[20]

Cormac McLaggen[link]

Cormac McLaggen is a Gryffindor student one year above Harry. He is introduced for the first time during the train journey to Hogwarts in Half-Blood Prince as a member of Horace Slughorn's Slug Club, due to his uncle's close ties with the Ministry of Magic. Cormac is shown as an unsympathetic Gryffindor character, and his Gryffindor bravery is both a strength and a flaw: he is foolhardy and proud, bordering on arrogant. Cormac tries out for the position of Keeper when Harry becomes captain; however, Hermione secretly jinxes him with the Confundus Charm, causing him to miss his last save and thus helping Ron retain his spot on the team. Cormac does not take his loss well, accusing Ginny of favouritism by giving Ron easy shots to block.

Cormac fills in during Gryffindor's match against Hufflepuff as Keeper when Ron is unable to play due to poisoning, but his debut is disastrous, as he orders the team about instead of focusing on his own position, knocks Harry unconscious with a bludger, and contributes to Gryffindor's lopsided 320–60 loss, thus earning him universal dislike among his housemates. Cormac also briefly becomes a pawn in the escalating tensions between Ron and Hermione, when he accompanies Hermione to Slughorn's Christmas party as her date, in retaliation for Ron's relationship with Lavender Brown. The plan backfires when she becomes exasperated with McLaggen's arrogant behaviour, and she leaves him stranded under the mistletoe and avoids him for the remainder of the party.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 he is seen in Hogwarts Express and in Part 2 he is seen participating in Battle at Hogwarts in which he survives.

Freddie Stroma appears as McLaggen in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2.

Auntie Muriel[link]

Muriel is a great-aunt of the Weasley children (on Molly's side). According to Ron, she is rude to just about everyone she meets. Harry first meets her in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows during Bill and Fleur's wedding. She is described as having bloodshot eyes and a large, feathery pink hat, making her look like a "badly tempered flamingo". She lends her beautiful goblin-made tiara to Fleur for the wedding. During the wedding, she starts an argument with Elphias Doge about Dumbledore's past and Rita Skeeter's The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore. Muriel provides her house in The Deathly Hallows to act as a place The Order of the Phoenix members can take Harry when they remove him from the safety of the Dursleys'. Later in the book, most of the Weasleys and several others hide in her house because they are targeted as blood traitors or Mudbloods.

Matyelok Gibbs appears as Muriel in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 1, but during the film she is never identified.^[21]

Moaning Myrtle[link]

Moaning Myrtle is a ghost that haunts the second floor girls' lavatory at Hogwarts. True to her nickname, she has a tendency to sob, whine, wail and complain, especially when death is mentioned. Her constant moping and wailing causes plumbing problems in the lavatory she haunts. Rowling revealed on her website that Myrtle was in Ravenclaw House.^[22]

In Chamber of Secrets, it is established that the character is the ghost of a Muggle-born witch who died while a student at Hogwarts, fifty years before the events in the book. Myrtle was hiding in the second floor girls' lavatory to elude Olive Hornby, a classmate of hers who perpetually tormented her about her glasses, when the Chamber of Secrets was opened and the basilisk emerged and killed her. Tom Riddle used her death to create his second Horcrux: his diary.^[8] After death, Myrtle haunted Olive everywhere she went, until Olive complained to the Ministry of Magic, which ordered Myrtle to return to Hogwarts. Ever since then, Myrtle has sulkily haunted the same lavatory where she died. Despite living up to her name, she has been shown to be flirtatious with Harry – especially during his bath, and saying that if he should die, he can share haunting the lavatory with her. She also makes lascivious comments regarding Cedric's bath suggesting voyeuristic tendencies.

Myrtle also helps Harry with his second task in the Triwizard Tournament, in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Myrtle tells Harry how to solve the puzzle of the golden egg that he retrieved in the first task, by opening the egg underwater. She is shown being much less miserable, and enjoys having Harry briefly to herself to boss around. He later meets her in the lake where she directs him to the merpeople's village and says they don't like her. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, she appears to comfort Draco, who is worried about the task Voldemort assigned him. After Harry injures Malfoy using Sectumsempra, Myrtle quickly spreads the news throughout the school, screaming, "Murder! Murder in the bathroom!"

Shirley Henderson portrays Myrtle in the film versions of Chamber of Secrets and Goblet of Fire.

Garrick Ollivander[link]

Garrick Ollivander is the proprietor of Ollivanders, a prestigious shop which sells magical wands in Diagon Alley. Although Ollivander is generally presented as a genial elderly man, Harry is unnerved both times he meets him in the series because the wandmaker appears to admire what Voldemort could do with his original wand and, later, the Elder Wand. Despite his wares' popularity, he can easily remember the materials and attributes of every wand he has ever sold. In Philosopher's Stone, Ollivander assists a young Harry in selecting his first wand. Finding Harry a particularly difficult customer to match, Ollivander finally selects an eleven-inch-long wand made of holly containing a phoenix feather (later revealed to have come from Dumbledore's phoenix, Fawkes), which is perfectly suited to Harry. Ollivander is intrigued that that particular wand would suit Harry, and reveals that Fawkes contributed only one other feather, to the wand being used by Voldemort.

Ollivander appears in Goblet of Fire during the preliminary ceremonies of the Triwizard Tournament, where he acts as an expert judge for the Weighing of the Wands. In Half-Blood Prince, his shop has closed and is boarded up, and Ollivander himself is missing. The opening scene of the Half-Blood Prince film shows Mr Ollivander hooded and forcibly seized from his shop by three Death Eaters. In Deathly Hallows, Ollivander has been captured by Voldemort and imprisoned at Malfoy Manor with Luna, with whom he develops an affectionate relationship as the two strive to keep each other's spirits up. He is among those rescued from the manor by Dobby, after which, at Shell Cottage, he provides Harry and his friends with some useful information about the Elder Wand. He later goes into hiding at the home of Auntie Muriel and sends Luna a new wand as a gift.

British actor John Hurt appears as Ollivander in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone and reprised his role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2.

His first name was revealed in Pottermore. It was also revealed that he is married and has a son and a daughter (the latter deceased). Some of the names of his wandmaker ancestors were also revealed: Geraint Ollivander (ancestor), Gerbold Octavius Ollivander (paternal grandfather), Gervaise Ollivander (father).

Pansy Parkinson[link]

Pansy Parkinson is a Slytherin student who is described as pug-faced and frequently seen with an unnamed gang of Slytherin girls, acting as their leader, or at least spokeswoman. She is also Draco Malfoy's female counterpart and apparent love interest. She is first mentioned in the Sorting in Philosopher's Stone, and makes her first appearance in Madam Hooch's flying class, during which she teases Parvati Patil for defending Neville Longbottom after Draco steals Longbottom's Remembrall. In Prisoner of Azkaban, she cries and follows Malfoy to the hospital wing after he is attacked by Buckbeak, and continues to fawn over him despite his deliberate exaggeration of the extent of his injury. They attended the Yule Ball together in Goblet of Fire, and on the train ride to Hogwarts at the start of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, she is seen stroking Malfoy's hair while his head lay in her lap, visibly impressed by his bold claims concerning his job for Voldemort, even though he does not tell her what it is.

Throughout the series, Pansy regularly mocks Harry and his companions. She gives false information on Harry, Hermione, and Hagrid to Rita Skeeter, and openly voices criticisms of Hagrid to Umbridge in terms of her displeasure about his Care of Magical Creatures class and her difficulty in understanding his voice. She and other Slytherins also taunt the Gryffindor Quidditch players from the stands during a morning practice, notably teasing Angelina Johnson about her braided hair. During a Gryffindor-Slytherin match, which is also Ron's debut as the new Gryffindor Keeper, she conducts the Slytherin students as they sing a demeaning song entitled "Weasley is our King".

Pansy has a slightly increased role in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. She is made a Slytherin prefect along with Malfoy, and later joins Dolores Umbridge's Inquisitorial Squad. When Dumbledore's Army flees the Room of Requirement following Dobby's revelation of an informant, Pansy searches the girls' bathrooms for escaped members and seizes Hermione's list of names as evidence. However, the Inquisitorial Squad members are jinxed in the midst of a student rebellion following Fred and George Weasley's departure from Hogwarts. Pansy is thereafter admitted to the hospital wing and misses a day's worth of lessons after sprouting a pair of antlers. Near the conclusion of Deathly Hallows, when Voldemort demands Harry's surrender in order to prevent the Death Eaters from attacking Hogwarts, Pansy urges Minerva McGonagall to comply, and the Gryffindors, Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs collectively respond by standing up and pointing their wands at her. She eventually evacuates with the other Slytherins.

Pansy was portrayed by Genevieve Gaunt in Prisoner of Azkaban and by Scarlett Byrne in Half-Blood Prince, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 1 and Part 2.

The Peverell brothers[link]

The Peverell family is first mentioned in Half-Blood Prince as ancestors of Marvolo Gaunt, the maternal grandfather of Voldemort. In the final book of the series, they are revealed to be the original owners of the Deathly Hallows, which, according to The Tales of Beedle the Bard, they received from Death, although Dumbledore believed it is more likely that they created them themselves. The Peverell lineage continues through its living descendants, including Harry Potter and his children.

After Hermione saw the symbol of the Deathly Hallows on Ignotus Peverell's grave in Godric's Hollow, Harry recalled Marvolo Gaunt boasting that his ring held the Peverell coat of arms on it, thus realising that the three brothers were the Peverells. Harry deduces that he is descended from Ignotus, as the cloak is passed down through his family. Furthermore, Rowling has confirmed that Harry and Voldemort are indeed distant relatives because of their relation to the Peverells, as the majority of wizard families share common ancestry.^[1]

Antioch Peverell was the eldest of the three Peverell brothers, and owner of the Elder Wand. He was killed in his sleep after bragging about the wand's invincibility, having won a duel with it. The murderer then stole the Elder Wand, thus initiating its bloody history.

Cadmus Peverell was the middle of the three Peverell Brothers, and owner of the Resurrection Stone. Using the Stone, he resurrected the girl he had once hoped to marry, who had died an untimely death. Though she had returned to the mortal world, she did not truly belong there and suffered. Driven mad by this, he killed himself to join her. The Stone was later embedded in a ring that ended up belonging to Marvolo Gaunt.

Ignotus Peverell was the youngest of the three Peverell brothers, described in The Tales of Beedle the Bard as 'the humblest and also the wisest of the brothers'. He was the owner of the Cloak of Invisibility, due to which, unlike his brothers, he successfully avoided dying for many years, living a full and long life, and ultimately "greeting Death as a friend." Harry deduces that his invisibility cloak is the original cloak owned by Ignotus. Unlike other cloaks of invisibility, it has never shown any kind of fading or damage despite the cloak being passed down through many generations of the Peverell family and ultimately to Harry. Harry is therefore a descendant of Ignotus Peverell. Both by birthright and by blood relations, Harry Potter is the rightful owner of the three Deathly Hallows yet he decides to keep the Cloak only, returning the Elder wand to Dumbledore's grave, and leaving The Resurrection Stone lost in The Forbidden Forest. In the film Deathly Hallows Part 2, Harry destroys the Elder Wand, snapping it in half and throwing the two broken halves away.

Madam Rosmerta[link]

Madam Rosmerta is the landlady of The Three Broomsticks pub. She is described in the books as "a curvy sort of woman" with curly hair; several pupils—including Ron—have a crush on her. In Prisoner of Azkaban, Madam Rosmerta is angered when Dementors are in Hogsmeade as their presence is scaring away many of her customers. Apart from hosting an informal meeting between McGonagall, Cornelius Fudge, Filius Flitwick, and Hagrid, she does not play a major role in the early part of the Harry Potter series.

In Half-Blood Prince, however, it emerges that, in order to fulfil his mission to assassinate Dumbledore, Draco has managed to place Rosmerta under the Imperius Curse. He uses her to pass on a cursed necklace to Hogwarts student Katie Bell, who accidentally touches the necklace and is herself subjected to the very harmful curse intended for the Headmaster. Draco also commands her to send a bottle of poisoned mead to Horace Slughorn intending it to be a Christmas present for Dumbledore, after overhearing Hermione mentioning that the school security would not recognise something put in a mislabelled bottle, and knowing that a package from Rosmerta would not be checked. Malfoy communicates with Rosmerta through enchanted fake Galleons. After Harry and Dumbledore's adventure in the cave to retrieve a locket they believe to be one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, they Apparated to Hogsmeade, where Madam Rosmerta alerts them to the presence of the Dark Mark above the school and gives them brooms on which they can travel rapidly back to Hogwarts, where Draco's plan can be brought to completion. Rosmerta is among those paying respects at Dumbledore's funeral.

She is named after the Gaulish goddess Rosmerta, whose attributes include abundance and fertility.

Julie Christie appeared as Madam Rosmerta in the film adaptation of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.

Stan Shunpike[link]

Stanley "Stan" Shunpike is the young, pimply conductor of the Knight Bus. He speaks with a Cockney accent, and converses with Harry as he travels to London in the first part of Prisoner of Azkaban. He also appears briefly in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire at the Quidditch World Cup, boasting to a group of Veela, the Bulgarian team's official mascot, of his ambitious plans to become the next Minister of Magic. In Order of the Phoenix, he conducts the Knight Bus when Harry, Ron, Hermione, Fred, George, Ginny, Lupin, and Tonks take it to return to Hogwarts after the Christmas holidays. Stan mentions that he does not believe the media rumours about Harry being insane, though Harry interprets Stan's actions as not caring how insane someone is as long as he/she is famous enough to get into the papers.

In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Stan is arrested on suspicion of Death Eater activity. Harry and Dumbledore, however, believe that he is almost certainly not guilty. Even so, Stan is kept in Azkaban in order for the Ministry of Magic to give the pretence that progress is being made in the capturing of Death Eaters. When the new Minister for Magic asks Harry to be a sort of mascot for the Ministry, Harry refuses on the grounds of the Ministry's actions at the time – namely holding Stan under arrest. In Deathly Hallows, a "strangely blank" looking Stan is among the Death Eaters who pursue Harry during his escape from Privet Drive. Harry gives himself away to his attackers by attempting to only disarm Stan, as Harry believes him to be under the Imperius Curse. Later on, when Harry, Ron and Hermione are captured in the forest by Fenrir Greyback, Ron attempts to pose as Stan only to be immediately disbelieved and told Stan has "put a bit of work their way" referring to turning in missing or wanted Muggle-borns.

Stan was portrayed by Lee Ingleby in the film adaptation of Prisoner of Azkaban.

Rita Skeeter[link]

Rita Skeeter is a reporter for the Daily Prophet and a correspondent for the Witch Weekly, who specialises in yellow journalism, for which she is armed with such magical devices as the Quick-Quotes Quill. Rita is an unregistered Animagus, capable of transforming into a beetle to spy on unsuspecting victims for her stories. As a reporter who fabricates information in order to write an appealing story, she is a nuisance to Harry and his friends throughout Goblet of Fire, and a brief but reluctant ally in Order of the Phoenix. She is described as having curly blonde hair, jewelled spectacles, thick fingers with two inch long nails painted crimson, a crocodile-skin handbag, and a heavy jawed face.

Harry first encounters Rita when she interviews the Triwizard Tournament contestants for an article in the Daily Prophet, which turns out to be a highly falsified story on Harry himself. During the situations where Rita overhears information, the book subtly refers to her presence: Viktor Krum mentions that Hermione has a water beetle in her hair, and during the Yule Ball, she overhears Hagrid telling Madame Maxime that he is half-giant, Harry having noticed a beetle on a nearby statue. Rita prints an article that portrays Hagrid as dangerous, prompting letters from parents frightened by the idea of having a "ferocious" giant teach their children. When Rita encounters Harry, Ron, and Hermione in Hogsmeade, Hermione insults her. Rita, in revenge, then writes a nasty story about Hermione based on false rumours provided by Pansy Parkinson, making her out to be a plain but skilled witch who uses love potions to "satisfy her taste for celebrity wizards," including Harry and Krum. Rita's last defaming article states that Harry is "disturbed and dangerous," and uses comments from Draco and his Slytherin cronies as its basis. Ultimately, Hermione discovers the means by which Rita spies on others and forces her to "keep her quill to herself for a full year", threatening to report her to the authorities as an illegal Animagus. Her last article discredits Harry and serves as the basis for Cornelius Fudge's refusal to believe Harry's story about Voldemort's return. It is also the start of the Ministry's smear campaign against Harry and Dumbledore.^[23]

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Hermione blackmails Rita by threatening to reveal that she is an Animagus and forces her to interview Harry about Voldemort's return. She then must submit her story to The Quibbler. Rita later makes a brief appearance in Half-Blood Prince, where Harry is infuriated to notice her clutching a notebook at Dumbledore's funeral. Although Rita does not make an appearance in Deathly Hallows, she is mentioned on numerous occasions throughout the novel, generally in a negative light in relation to her unauthorised biography of Dumbledore entitled The Life and Lies of Albus Dumbledore. The book depicts the former headmaster in an extremely negative light but is mostly based on truth, much to Harry's horror. It is implied that she gained some of her information in unethical or illegal ways.^[24][25] When asked on a web chat if Rita was still reporting, Rowling answered; "Naturally, what could stop Rita? I imagine she immediately dashed off a biography of Harry after he defeated Voldemort. One quarter truth to three quarters rubbish." and "Snape: Scoundrel or Saint?"^[1]

It has been speculated that the fraught relationship between Rowling and the press was the inspiration for the author to develop the character. However, Rowling noted in 2000 that the character actually predates her rise to fame.^[26] Rita was intended to be in Philosopher's Stone, as Rowling revealed in an interview: "you know when Harry walks into the Leaky Cauldron for the first time and everyone says, "Mr. Potter you're back!", I wanted to put a journalist in there. She wasn't called Rita then but she was a woman. And then I thought, as I looked at the plot overall, I thought, that's not really where she fits best, she fits best in Four when Harry's supposed to come to terms with his fame."^[27]

Miranda Richardson appeared as Rita in the film adaptation of Goblet of Fire as well as a cameo in the Deathly Hallows.^[28]

IGN's Joe Utichi called Rita his eighth favourite Harry Potter character, saying that she was "terrifyingly familiar".^[29]

Hepzibah Smith[link]

Hepzibah Smith is introduced within Dumbledore's Pensieve, as part of a series of memories shown to Harry by his headmaster probing into Voldemort's past. She is described as having been an extremely wealthy, well-born old witch who enjoyed collecting antiques and collectibles. In the memory, Hepzibah wears long robes and gowns of pink, and when sitting upon her throne-like chair, she is described as giving the impression of a large "melting iced cake". She wears a large, elaborate, ginger wig upon her head and dabs her red cheeks with rouge.

Tom Riddle, fresh out of Hogwarts and working for Borgin and Burkes, visits Hepzibah to make an offer for some goblin-made armour which she owns. He presents her with flowers and charms and flatters her. Enamoured with Riddle, Hepzibah shows him her most prized possessions – a cup, owned by her ancestor Helga Hufflepuff, and a locket which once belonged to Salazar Slytherin, that she had purchased from Borgin and Burkes. Two days after the events of the memory occurred, Hepzibah died, and Hufflepuff's cup and Slytherin's locket were never found. Dumbledore theorises that Riddle had killed Hepzibah and tampered with the memory of her house-elf, Hokey, so that she thought she had accidentally poisoned her mistress's evening drink. This is not the case; however, it proves at an early age, that Tom Riddle had a certain thirst for trophies, and other valuable objects that he could collect. Hufflepuff's cup and Slytherin's locket would go on to become two of Voldemort's seven Horcruxes: Tom Riddle's diary, Marvolo Gaunt's ring, Voldemort's pet snake Nagini, Salazar Slytherin's locket, Helga Hufflepuff's cup, Rowena Ravenclaw's Diadem, and albeit inadvertently, Harry Potter. Rowling has confirmed that Hepzibah's death was used by the Dark Lord to create a Horcrux using the cup.^[8]

Andromeda Tonks[link]

Andromeda "Dromeda" Tonks is the mother of Nymphadora Tonks. Born Andromeda Black, she is a pure-blood witch, daughter of Cygnus Black and Druella Rosier and sister of Bellatrix Lestrange and Narcissa Malfoy. The middle sister, she was burned off the family tapestry in Number 12, Grimmauld Place by her aunt Walburga and estranged from the family because she married Ted Tonks, a Muggle-born wizard. She was Sirius Black's favourite cousin. Andromeda is responsible for giving her daughter the name "Nymphadora",^[30] a name like those typical of her family. She has a talent for household spells and cleanliness, lacked by her husband and daughter.

She is not introduced until the beginning of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. She strongly resembles her sister Bellatrix, so much so that Harry thinks she is Bellatrix upon first meeting her, but Andromeda is kind looking and has soft brown rather than black hair. She and Ted are later tortured for information on Harry's whereabouts. For someone who is not a member of the Order of the Phoenix, the war with Voldemort and his followers exacts a very heavy toll on Andromeda: her husband, her daughter, her son-in-law and her sister are all killed. Rowling stated in an interview that after the war, Andromeda raises Teddy Lupin, her grandson.^[1]

Ted Tonks[link]

Ted Tonks is a Muggle-born wizard who is described as a "fair-haired, big-bellied man". He marries Andromeda Black. Their marriage led to his wife's disownment by the rest of her strict pure-blood family. Ted and Andromeda are the parents of Nymphadora Tonks. Ted plays an active role in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Near the beginning of the novel, his home is a hideout for Harry and Hagrid, as the two are on the run from Voldemort. His home holds the Portkey that helps Harry escape to The Burrow. Later due to Ted's refusal to register as a Muggle-born, he is one of the Muggle-born wizards to flee the Ministry's new oppressive regime after the Death Eaters take over. During his flight, he meets the goblins Griphook and Gornuk, as well as Dean Thomas and Dirk Cresswell. Soon after, Ted is murdered by Snatchers who also kill Gornuk and Cresswell.^[31] When Nymphadora gives birth to her and Lupin's son, they name him Teddy in honour of her father.

Oliver Wood[link]

Oliver Wood is Captain of the Gryffindor Quidditch team in the first three novels and was first introduced in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. He is simply described as being big and burly. Wood is a talented and keen player and a born leader as captain, but also tends to act as a taskmaster due to his obsession with the game; he never cancels practices, poor weather conditions notwithstanding, and holds training sessions in early morning hours. Although Oliver is in general a nice person, he lacks tact. Oliver appears briefly in Goblet of Fire, when he excitedly introduces Harry to his parents at the Quidditch World Cup and announces that he joined the Puddlemere United reserve team. He is one of many Hogwarts students, past and present, who takes part in the Battle of Hogwarts in Deathly Hallows, and is among the survivors; Harry sees him assisting Neville Longbottom in carrying the body of Colin Creevey. He is four years above Harry in Gryffindor.

Oliver Wood was portrayed by Sean Biggerstaff in the first two films and once again in the eighth film.

[edit] The Muggle Prime Minister

The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, referred to as the Muggle Prime Minister by wizards, receives a visit from Cornelius Fudge and Rufus Scrimgeour in the opening chapter of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Using a series of flashbacks, Rowling describes how the Prime Minister is aware of the existence of the wizarding world, through several meetings with Fudge that include his first night as Prime Minister, the night in which Sirius Black escaped from Azkaban, the notification of the incident in the Quidditch World Cup and the announcement of the importation of dragons and a sphinx for the Triwizard Tournament, and finally the Azkaban mass break-out from the fifth book. Rowling intended to include the Prime Minister scene in earlier books, but she thought that it could not properly fit until the sixth book.^[32]

In the first chapter of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, the Prime Minister recalls his day, during which one of his political opponents had been criticising him and his government for several catastrophes that have recently happened in Britain. Readers discover a little later during the discussion with Fudge, that these catastrophes are, in fact, the doings of Voldemort and his followers. He also discovers that he is protected by an Auror who now works in his office, Kingsley Shacklebolt.

The Weird Sisters[link]

The Weird Sisters are a wizards' rock band. Their instruments include guitars, bass, lute, cello, bagpipes and drums. They are booked by Dumbledore to play at Hogwarts during the Yule Ball. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire they are described as "all extremely hairy and dressed in black robes that had been artfully ripped and torn." A full music video of the band playing at the Yule Ball is included as an extended scene on the Goblet of Fire film 2-disc DVD. In 2005, Warner Bros., the international distributor of Goblet of Fire was sued for trademark violations by members of a Canadian folk-rock band named The Wyrd Sisters.^[33][34] The name, however, originates from Norse Mythology, as a reference to the Norns. The term is also used in Shakespeare's play Macbeth to describe the three witches.

The members of the band according to Wizards of the Coast Famous Wizard cards are:

• Heathcote Barbary – rhythm guitar
• Gideon Crumb – bagpipes
• Kirley Mcormack – lead guitar
• Merton Graves – cello
• Orsino Thruston – drums
• Donaghan Tremlett – bass
• Myron Wagtail – lead singer
• Herman Wintringham – lute

They appear as a conventional band in the film version Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. The members were:

• Jarvis Cocker (of Pulp) as Myron Wagtail – vocals
• Jonny Greenwood (of Radiohead) as Kirley Mcormack – lead guitar
• Jason Buckle (of All Seeing I) as Heathcote Barbary – rhythm guitar
• Steve Mackey (of Pulp) as Donaghan Tremlett – bass
• Steven Claydon (of Add N to (X)) as Gideon Crumb – keyboards and bagpipes
• Phil Selway (of Radiohead) as Orsino Thruston – drums

They performed three songs (all composed by Cocker), entitled "Do the Hippogriff", "This Is the Night" and "Magic Works" during the Yule Ball. The band was originally to be played by Franz Ferdinand.^[35]

Grandchildren of the Weasley and Potter family[link]

James Sirius Potter[link]

James Sirius Potter is the first-born child of Harry and Ginny, born at least one year before his brother Albus. He was named after Harry's father and godfather and he is described as being similar in character to both of his namesakes as well as his uncles, Fred and George Weasley, with a penchant for practical jokes and general misbehaviour.^[HP7] James is played by Will Dunn in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2.

Albus Severus Potter[link]

Albus Severus "Al" Potter is Harry and Ginny's second-born child. He is said to look much like Harry, and the only one to have inherited Lily Potter's green eyes. During the Deathly Hallows epilogue, when he is being sent to Hogwarts for the first time, he fears that he will be placed in Slytherin, not Gryffindor, but Harry tells him that if that happens, then Slytherin will have gained a brilliant young wizard. He also tells him that the Sorting Hat takes what he wants into consideration and that if it means that much to him to be in Gryffindor, then go for it. He is named after the two headmasters of Hogwarts throughout the time period the series take place, Severus Snape and Albus Dumbledore.

Albus is played by Arthur Bowen in Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

Lily Luna Potter[link]

Lily Luna Potter is the daughter of Harry and Ginny, and is the youngest of their three children. She is named after her paternal grandmother and her mother and father's good friend, Luna Lovegood.^[36] She is two years younger than her brother Albus, and is the same age as Ron and Hermione's son Hugo. In the epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, she accompanied her parents as they escorted James and Albus to Platform 9¾.

Lily is played by Daphne de Beistegui in Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

Rose Weasley[link]

Rose "Rosie" Weasley is Hermione and Ron's daughter and oldest child. Rose is introduced in the Deathly Hallows epilogue in which she is leaving for her first year at Hogwarts, as is Harry and Ginny's middle child Albus. According to Ron she inherited her mother's brains and is jokingly instructed by Ron not to befriend Scorpius, Draco Malfoy's son, but to beat him in everything, including their exams. Like her mother, she changes into her Hogwarts robes earlier than necessary.

Rose Weasley is played by Helena Barlow in Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

Hugo Weasley[link]

Hugo Weasley is Hermione and Ron's son and youngest child. He is close in age to Harry and Ginny's daughter and youngest child, Lily, and had not yet started at Hogwarts by the epilogue of Deathly Hallows.

Hugo is played by Ryan Turner in Deathly Hallows: Part 2.

Victoire Weasley[link]

Victoire Weasley is the eldest child of Bill and Fleur Weasley (née Delacour) and the oldest of the Weasley grandchildren.^[37] She is named Victoire as she was born on the second anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts.^[36] Victoire herself is only mentioned in the epilogue of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, where James (Harry's son) saw her snogging Teddy Lupin and proceeded to tell his family along with Ron, Hermione, Rose and Hugo.

Other children[link]

• Dominique Weasley^[36][38] second daughter of Bill and Fleur
• Louis Weasley^[36][38] son of Bill and Fleur
• Molly Weasley^[36][38] first daughter of Percy and Audrey named after her grandmother
• Lucy Weasley^[36][38] second daughter of Percy and Audrey
• Fred Weasley^[36][38][39] son of George and Angelina, named after his father's deceased twin.
• Roxanne Weasley^[36][38] daughter of George and Angelina

References[link]

External links[link]

	Harry Potter portal
	Fictional characters portal

	Book: Harry Potter
Wikipedia books are collections of articles that can be downloaded or ordered in print.

• The Harry Potter Lexicon's page on the Dursley family

Krum
Ruler of Bulgaria
A 1917 depiction of Krum leading his forces.
Reign	803–814
Died	13 April 814(814-04-13)
Predecessor	Kardam
Successor	Omurtag
Consort	unknown
Offspring	Omurtag Budim
Royal House	"Krum's dynasty" (possibly Dulo)

Krum the Horrible^[1] (Bulgarian: Крум) was Khan of Bulgaria, from after 796, but before 803, to 814 AD. During his reign the Bulgarian territory doubled in size, spreading from the middle Danube to the Dnieper and from Odrin to the Tatra Mountains. His able and energetic rule brought law and order to Bulgaria and developed the rudiments of state organization.^[2]

Establishment of New Borders[link]

In c. 805, Krum took advantage of the defeat of the Avar Khaganate to destroy the remainder of the Avars and to expand his authority across the Carpathians over Transylvania and along the Danube into eastern Pannonia. This resulted in the establishment of a common border between the Frankish Empire and Bulgaria, which would have important repercussions for the policy of Krum's successors.

Conflict with Nikephoros I[link]

Bulgaria under Khan Krum (new territories gained under his rule are in yellow)

Krum engaged in a policy of territorial expansion. In 807 the Bulgarian forces defeated the Byzantine army in the Struma valley. In 809 Krum besieged and forced the surrender of Serdica (Sofia). This victory provoked the reaction of the Byzantine Emperor Nikephoros I, who proceeded to settle Anatolian populations along the frontier to protect it. He also attempted to retake and refortify Serdica, although this enterprise ultimately failed.

In early 811, Nikephoros I undertook a massive expedition against Bulgaria, and advanced to Marcellae (near Karnobat). Here Krum attempted to negotiate on July 11, 811, but Nikephoros was determined to continue with his plunder. His army somehow avoided the Bulgarian ambushes in the Balkan Mountains and made its way into Moesia. They managed to take over Pliska on July 20, as only a small, hastily assembled army was in their way. Here Nikephoros helped himself to the treasures of the Bulgarians, while setting the city afire and turning his army on the population. A new diplomatic tentative from Krum was rebuffed and Nikephoros once again showed himself to be a brutal, savage and merciless leader.

In his Chronicle, the 12th-century Michael the Syrian, patriarch of the Syrian Jacobites, described the brutalities and atrocities of Nikephoros. "Nikephoros, emperor of the Byzantyne empire, walked into the Bulgarians' land: he was victorious and killed great number of them. He reached their capital, seized it and devastated it. His savagery went to the point that he ordered to bring their small children, got them tied down on earth and made thresh grain stones to smash them."

While Nikephoros I and his army pillaged and plundered the Bulgarian capital, Krum mobilized as many soldiers as possible, giving weapons even to peasants and women. This army was assembled in the mountain passes to intercept the Byzantines as they return to Constantinople. At dawn on July 26 the Bulgarians managed to trap the retreating Nikephorus in the Vărbica pass. The Byzantine army was wiped out in the ensuing battle and Nikephorus was killed, while his son Staurakios was carried to safety by the imperial bodyguard after receiving a paralyzing wound to the neck. It is said that Krum had the Emperor's skull lined with silver and used it as a drinking cup. This glorious and masterful strategic victory secured Krum the respect of the ancient world.

Conflict with Michael I Rangabe[link]

Krum feasts with his nobles, while the servant (right) is bringing the skull of Nikephoros already made a drinking cup full of wine

Staurakios was forced to abdicate after a brief reign (he died from his wound in 812), and was succeeded by his brother-in-law Michael I Rangabe. In 812 Krum invaded Byzantine Thrace, taking Develt and scaring the population of nearby fortresses to flee towards Constantinople. From this position of strength, Krum offered a return to the peace treaty of 716. Unwilling to compromise his regime by weakness, the new Emperor Michael I refused to accept the proposal, ostensibly opposing the clause for exchange of deserters. To apply more pressure on the Emperor, Krum besieged and captured Mesembria (Nesebar) in the fall of 812.

In February 813 the Bulgarians raided Thrace, but were repelled by the Emperor's forces. Encouraged by this success, Michael I summoned troops from the entire Byzantine Empire and headed north, hoping for a decisive victory. Krum led his army south towards Adrianople and pitched camp near Versinikia. Michael I lined up his army against the Bulgarians, but neither side initiated an attack for two weeks. Finally, on June 22, 813, the Byzantines attacked but were immediately turned to flight. With Krum's cavalry in pursuit, the rout of Michael I was complete and Krum advanced on Constantinople, which he besieged by land. Discredited, Michael was forced to abdicate and become a monk — the third Byzantine Emperor undone by Krum in as many years.

Conflict with Leo V the Armenian[link]

The new emperor Leo V the Armenian offered to negotiate, and arranged for a meeting with Krum. As Krum arrived, he was ambushed by Byzantine archers and was wounded as he made his escape. Furious, Krum ravaged the environs of Constantinople and headed home, capturing Adrianople en route and transplanting its inhabitants (including the parents of the future Emperor Basil I) across the Danube. In spite of the approach of winter, Krum took advantage of the good weather to send a force of 30,000 into Thrace, which captured Arkadioupolis (Lüleburgaz) and carried off 50,000 captives in the Bulgarian lands across the Danube. The loot from Thrace was used to enrich Krum and his nobility, and included architectural elements utilized in the reconstruction of Pliska, perhaps largely by captured Byzantine artisans.

Krum spent the winter preparing for a major attack on Constantinople, where rumor reported the assembling of an extensive siege park to be transported on 5,000 carts. However, before he set out, he died on April 13, 814, and was succeeded by his son Omurtag.

Legacy[link]

Krum was also remembered for instituting the first known written Bulgarian law code which ensured subsidies to beggars and state protection to all poor Bulgarians. Drinking, slander and robbery were severely punished. Through his laws he became known as a strict but just ruler, bringing Slavs and Bulgars into a centralized state.

See also[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Krum of Bulgaria

• History of Bulgaria
• Bulgars

Sources and references[link]

• Andreev, Jordan; Lazarov, Ivan; Pavlov, Plamen (1999) (in Bulgarian). Кой кой е в средновековна България (Who is Who in Medieval Bulgaria). Sofia. 
• Fine Jr., John V. A. (1983). The Early Medieval Balkans. Ann Arbor. 
• (primary source) Iman, Bahši (1997). Džagfar Tarihy (vol. III). Orenburg. 
• (primary source) Syrien, patriarch of the Syrians Jacobites, Michel le (1905). "t. III". In J.–B. Chabot (in French). Chronique de Michel le Syrien. Paris: J.–B. Chabot. pp. 17. 
• Theophanes the Confessor, Chronicle, Ed. Carl de Boor, Leipzig.
• Васил Н. Златарски, История на българската държава през средните векове, Част I, II изд., Наука и изкуство, София 1970, pp. 321–376.
• Norwich, John J. (1991). Byzantium: The Apogee. Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.. ISBN 0-394-53779-3. 

References[link]

External links[link]

• Borders of Bulgaria during the reign of Khan Krum
• History, Rulers of Bulgaria — Khan Krum
• SCRIPTOR INCERTUS — About the Emperor Nikephoros and how he left his bones in Bulgaria
• Khan Krum Featured on Bulgarian Commemorative Coin

Hermione Jean Granger ( /hərˈmaɪ.əni ˈdʒiːn ˈɡreɪndʒər/) is a fictional character and one of the three protagonists (the other two being Harry Potter and Ron Weasley) of J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter series. She initially appears in the first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, as a new student on her way to Hogwarts. After Harry and Ron save her from a mountain troll in the girls' toilets, she becomes close friends with them and often uses her quick wit, deft recall, and encyclopaedic knowledge to help them. Rowling has stated that Hermione resembles her at a younger age, with her insecurity and fear of failure.^[1]

Character development[link]

Hermione is a Muggle-born Gryffindor student, and the best friend of Harry Potter and Ron Weasley. J.K. Rowling states that she was born on 19 September 1979^[1] and she was nearly twelve when she first attended Hogwarts.^[2] She is an overachiever who excels academically, and is described by Rowling as a "very logical, upright and good" character.^[3] Rowling adds that Hermione's parents, two Muggle dentists, are a bit bemused by their odd daughter but very proud of her all the same."^[4] They are well aware of the wizarding world and have visited Diagon Alley with her. Rowling has described the character of Luna Lovegood as the "anti-Hermione" as they are so different.^[5] Hermione's foil at Hogwarts is Pansy Parkinson, a female bully based on real-life girls who teased the author during her school days.^[6]

Rowling claims the character of Hermione carries several autobiographical influences. "I did not set out to make Hermione like me but she is...she is an exaggeration of how I was when I was younger."^[3] She recalled being called a "little know-it-all" in her youth.^[1] Moreover, she states that not unlike herself, "there is a lot of insecurity and a great fear of failure" beneath Hermione's swottiness. In fact, it is revealed in the fifth book that the sorting hat considered sorting Hermione into Ravenclaw. Finally, according to Rowling, next to Albus Dumbledore, Hermione is the perfect expository character; because of her encyclopaedic knowledge, she can always be used as a plot dump to explain the Harry Potter universe.^[7] Rowling also claims that her feminist conscience is saved by Hermione, "who's the brightest character" and is a "very strong female character".^[8]

Hermione's name is derived from William Shakespeare's The Winter's Tale;^[9] Rowling claimed that she wanted it to be unusual since if fewer girls shared her name, fewer girls would get teased for it^[9] and it seemed that "a pair of professional dentists, who liked to prove how clever they are...gave [her] an unusual name that no-one could pronounce."^[10] Her original last name was "Puckle", but Rowling felt the name "did not suit her at all", and so the less frivolous Granger made it into the books.^[1] Rowling confirmed in a 2004 interview that Hermione is an only child.^[11]

Appearances[link]

[edit] Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone

Hermione first appears in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone when she meets future companions Harry and Ron on the Hogwarts Express. She constantly annoys her peers with her knowledge, so Harry and Ron initially consider her arrogant, especially after she criticises Ron's incantation of the Levitation Charm.^[12] They heartily dislike her until they rescue her from a troll, for which she is so thankful that she lies to protect them from punishment, and their friendship begins.^[13] Hermione's knack for logic later enables the trio to solve a puzzle that is essential to retrieving the Philosopher's Stone, and she defeats the constrictive Devil's Snare plant by summoning a "jet of bluebell flame".^[14]

Rowling said on her website that she resisted her editor's requests to remove the troll scene, stating "Hermione is so very annoying in the early part of Philosopher's Stone that I really felt it needed something (literally) huge to bring her together with Harry and Ron."^[1]

[edit] Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Hermione (along with Mrs. Weasley and a few female students of Hogwarts) develops a liking for Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher Gilderoy Lockhart as he had written all the books required for the subject of Defence Against The Dark Arts in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.^[15] During a morning confrontation between the Gryffindor and Slytherin Quidditch teams, a brawl nearly ensues after Draco Malfoy calls her a "Mudblood," an insulting epithet for Muggle-born wizards which she does not yet understand and later ignores. She assembles the Polyjuice Potion needed for the trio to disguise themselves as Malfoy's housemates to collect information about the Heir of Slytherin who has reopened the Chamber of Secrets. However, she is unable to join Harry and Ron in the investigation after the hair plucked from the robes of Slytherin student Millicent Bulstrode (with whom Hermione was previously matched up during Lockhart's ill-fated Duelling Club) was that of her cat, whose appearance she takes on in her human form; it takes several weeks for the effects to completely wear off. Hermione is Petrified by the basilisk after successfully identifying the creature through library research. Though she lies incapacitated in the hospital wing, her information is crucial to Harry and Ron in their successful mission to solve the mystery of the Chamber of Secrets. Hermione is revived after Harry kills the basilisk, but she is devastated to learn that all end-of-year exams have been cancelled as a school treat.^[16]

[edit] Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Hermione buys a cat named Crookshanks, who takes to chasing Ron's pet rat, Scabbers.^[17] Before the start of term, Professor McGonagall secretly gives her a Time-Turner, a device which enables her to go back in time and handle her heavy class schedule, though this is not revealed until the penultimate chapter. Much tension comes into play between Hermione and her two best friends; Harry is furious with her because she told McGonagall that he had received a Firebolt, which was confiscated to be inspected for traces of dark magic. Ron is angry because he feels Crookshanks is responsible for Scabbers' disappearance, while Hermione fiercely maintains that Crookshanks is innocent.

While filling in for Remus Lupin in one Defence Against the Dark Arts class, Severus Snape labels Hermione "an insufferable know-it-all" and penalises Gryffindor after she speaks out of turn in her attempt to describe a werewolf when no one else does. She correctly deduces Lupin's secret after completing Snape's homework assignment from the class, while Crookshanks proves vital in exposing Scabbers as Peter Pettigrew, a friend of James and Lily Potter who revealed their whereabouts to Lord Voldemort the night of their murders, and was able to wrongly implicate Sirius Black (revealed to be Harry's godfather) in the Potters' deaths.^[18] The Time-Turner enables Hermione and Harry to rescue Sirius and the hippogriff Buckbeak.^[18]

[edit] Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Hermione is horrified by the cruelty she witnesses to house-elves and founds S.P.E.W., the Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare, as an effort to gain basic rights for the elves. She is Bulgarian Quidditch prodigy Viktor Krum's date at the Yule Ball of the Triwizard Tournament.^[19] The proper pronunciation of her name (Her-my-oh-nee) is interjected into the plot when she teaches it to Krum; the best he can do is "Herm-own-ninny," but she has no problem with it.^[1] She later gets into a heated argument with Ron after he accuses her of "fraternising with the enemy" in reference to her friendship with Krum. In the book, Hermione's feelings toward Ron are hinted at when she says that Ron can't see her "like a girl," but Krum could. She supports Harry through the Triwizard Tournament, helping him prepare for each task. At the end of the second task, she was asked by Krum to come to Bulgaria with him, but she politely refused. It is unknown if Krum and Hermione kissed, as mentioned in the sixth book. Near the end of the term she stops fraudulent tabloid reporter and unregistered Animagus Rita Skeeter, who had published defamatory material about Hermione, Harry, and Hagrid during the Triwizard Tournament, by holding her Animagus form (a beetle) captive in a jar.^[20]

[edit] Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

Hermione becomes a Gryffindor prefect along with Ron, and befriends Luna Lovegood, but their friendship gets off to a rocky start after Hermione chastises the publication of Luna's father: "The Quibbler's rubbish, everyone knows that." She also lambasts housemate Lavender Brown for believing the Daily Prophet's allegations of Harry fabricating stories of Voldemort's return. Ron and Hermione spend much of their time bickering, likely due to their growing romantic feelings toward one another, but they show continued loyalty to Harry. Later, with Luna's assistance, Hermione blackmails Rita Skeeter into interviewing Harry for an upcoming issue of The Quibbler. Attempts to ban the magazine from Hogwarts are futile as the story spreads quickly through the school. One turning point in the series is when Hermione conceives the idea of Harry secretly teaching defensive magic to a small band of students in defiance of the Ministry of Magic's dictum to teach only the subject's basic principles from a textbook, with no hands-on practice. Hermione gets an unexpectedly huge response, and the group becomes the nascent Dumbledore's Army. She is involved in the battle in the Department of Mysteries and seriously injured by a spell from Death Eater Antonin Dolohov, but makes a full recovery.^[21]

[edit] Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

New Potions professor Horace Slughorn invites Hermione to join his "Slug Club,"^[22] and she helps Ron retain his spot on the Gryffindor Quidditch team when she secretly jinxes Cormac McLaggen, causing him to miss his last save attempt during Keeper tryouts. Hermione's feelings for Ron continue to grow and she decides to make a move by inviting him to Slughorn's Christmas Party, but he romances Lavender instead in retaliation for his belief that Hermione had kissed Krum years earlier. She attempts to get even by dating McLaggen at the Christmas party, but her plan goes bust and she abandons him midway through the party.^[23] Ron and Hermione continually feud with each other (Ron is upset with her because she set birds to attack him after seeing him and Lavender Brown kissing; Hermione is mostly mad because of her growing jealousy) until he suffers a near-fatal poisoning from tainted mead, which frightens her enough to reconcile with him. Following Dumbledore's death, Ron and Hermione both vow to stay by Harry's side regardless of what happens.^[24] A minor subplot in the book is that Hermione and Harry form a rivalry in Potions, as Hermione is used to coming first in her subjects and is angered that Harry outperforms her undeservedly by following tips and different instructions written in the margins of Harry's potions book by the previous owner. Hermione is also the only one of the trio to successfully pass her Apparition test (Ron failed and Harry was too young).

[edit] Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

In the seventh and final book, Hermione accompanies Harry on his quest to destroy Voldemort's remaining Horcruxes. Before leaving on the quest, she helps ensure the safety of her parents by placing a false memory charm on them, making them think they are Wendell and Monica Wilkins, whose lifetime ambition is to move to Australia. She inherits Dumbledore's personal copy of The Tales of Beedle the Bard, which allows her to decipher some of the secrets of the Deathly Hallows. She prepared for their departure and journey by placing an Undetectable Extension Charm on a small beaded purse so she is able to fill the infinite depths of the bag with materials they will need. Hermione's spell saves her and Harry from Lord Voldemort and his snake Nagini in Godric's Hollow, although the ricochet snaps Harry's wand. When she, Ron, and Harry are captured by Snatchers, who are on the hunt for Muggle-borns under the Ministry's orders, Hermione disguises Harry by temporarily disfiguring his face with a Stinging Jinx. She also attempts to pass herself off as former Hogwarts student Penelope Clearwater and a half-blood to avoid persecution, but is later recognised and taken to Malfoy Manor where Bellatrix Lestrange tortures her with the Cruciatus Curse in an attempt to extract information on how Hermione, Harry, and Ron came to possess Godric Gryffindor's sword (which was supposed to be safe in the Lestrange vault at Gringotts). Even under torture, Hermione is able to use her quick thinking to lie to Bellatrix that the sword is a fake. When the others are able to escape their cell, Bellatrix threatens to slit Hermione's throat. Hermione, Harry, Ron and the other prisoners being held in Malfoy Manor are eventually rescued by Dobby.

Hermione later uses Polyjuice Potion to impersonate Bellatrix when the trio attempt to steal Hufflepuff's cup from Gringotts. She, Harry, and Ron join Dumbledore's Army in the Battle of Hogwarts, during which Hermione destroys Hufflepuff's cup in the Chamber of Secrets with a basilisk fang, eliminating another Horcrux. Hermione and Ron also share their first kiss in the midst of the battle.^[25] In the final battle in the Great Hall, Hermione fights Bellatrix with the help of Ginny Weasley and Luna Lovegood. However, the three of them are unable to defeat Bellatrix and stop fighting her once Molly Weasley orders them to disengage.^[26]

Epilogue[link]

Nineteen years after Voldemort's death, Hermione and Ron Weasley are married. They have two children, Rose and Hugo.^[27] She begins her post-Hogwarts career by working in the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, where she is instrumental in greatly improving the lives of house-elves; she later moves higher up in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement while ensuring the eradication of oppressive pro-pureblood laws.^[28] Rowling stated in a webchat that Hermione found her parents in Australia and relieved them of the memory charm she had placed on them.^[29]

Film portrayal[link]

Emma Watson has portrayed Hermione in all the Harry Potter films. Watson's Oxford theatre teacher passed her name on to the casting agents of Philosopher's Stone, impressed with her school play performances.^[30] Though Watson took her audition seriously, she "never really thought she had any chance" of getting the part.^[31] The producers were impressed by Watson's self-confidence and she outperformed the thousands of other girls who had applied.^[32]

Rowling herself was supportive of Watson after her first screen test.^[30] When asked if she thought actors suited the characters, Rowling said, "Yes, I did. Emma Watson in particular was very, very like Hermione when I first spoke to her, I knew she was perfect from that first 'phone call."^[4]

Watson was well-received for the first film; IGN even claimed that "from Hermione Granger's perfect introduction to her final scene, Watson is better than I could have possibly imagined. She steals the show."^[33] IGN also claimed that her "astute portrayal of Hermione has already become a favorite among fans."^[34]

Before the production of Half-Blood Prince, Watson considered not returning,^[35] but eventually decided that "the pluses outweighed the minuses" and that she could not bear to see anyone else play Hermione.^[36]

Watson has said that Hermione is a character who makes "brain not beauty cool," and that though Hermione is "slightly socially inept," she is "not ashamed of herself."^[37] When filming Chamber of Secrets, Watson was "adamant" that she wasn't like Hermione, but she reflects that "as I got older, I realised she was the greatest role model a girl could have."^[38] In 2007, before the release of Order of the Phoenix, Watson said, "There are too many stupid girls in the media. Hermione's not scared to be clever. I think sometimes really smart girls dumb themselves down a bit, and that's bad. When I was nine or ten, I would get really upset when they tried to make me look geeky, but now I absolutely love it. I find it's so much pressure to be beautiful. Hermione doesn't care what she looks like. She's a complete tomboy."^[36]

Screenwriter Steve Kloves revealed in a 2003 interview that Hermione was his favourite character. "There's something about her fierce intellect coupled with a complete lack of understanding of how she affects people sometimes that I just find charming and irresistible to write."^[7]

Characterisation[link]

Outward appearance[link]

In the books, Hermione is described as having bushy brown hair and brown eyes. Her front teeth, already very large, grow uncontrollably in Goblet of Fire after she is hit by a spell cast by Draco Malfoy. Madam Pomfrey attends to her in the hospital wing and, at her request, shrinks the teeth down to a normal size for her mouth. Hermione believes this will upset her parents.

Personality[link]

Hermione's most prominent features include her prodigious intellect and cleverness. She is levelheaded, book-smart and is very good with logic. She is often bossy yet unfailingly dutiful and loyal to her friends—a person who can be counted on. Rowling stated that Hermione is a person that "never strays off the path; she always keeps her attention focused on the job that must be done."^[39] Despite Hermione's intelligence and bossy attitude, Rowling says that Hermione has "quite a lot of vulnerability in her personality,"^[40] as well as a "sense of insecurity underneath," feels "utterly inadequate...and to compensate, she tries to be the best at everything at school, projecting a false confidence that can irritate people."^[41] During her Defence against the Dark Arts exam at the end of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Hermione reveals that her biggest fear is failure, after a Boggart takes the form of Professor McGonagall and tells her that she has failed all her exams.

Hermione has an extremely compassionate side to her personality and is quick to help others, especially those who are defenceless, such as Neville Longbottom, first-years, House-Elves, fellow Muggle-borns, half-giants like Hagrid, and werewolves like Lupin. It was revealed by Rowling after the publication of the final book that Hermione's career in the Ministry was to fight for the rights of the oppressed (such as House-elves or Muggle-borns). Hermione is also very protective of her friends and values them so much that Rowling has suggested that, if Hermione had looked in the Mirror of Erised, she would have seen Harry, Ron, and herself "alive and unscathed, and Voldemort finished."^[42] Hermione has also learned to ignore what bullies such as Malfoy say to her, often preventing Harry and Ron from retaliating and thinking of some way to outsmart him. She accepts her status as a Muggle-born witch, and states in Deathly Hallows that she is "a Mudblood and proud of it".^[43]

Magical abilities and skills[link]

Hermione is portrayed during the whole series as an exceptionally talented young witch. Rowling has stated that Hermione is a "borderline genius."^[44] She received eleven O.W.L.s and ten Outstandings . She is the best student in Harry's year and is repeatedly the first student to master any spell or charm introduced in classes and even from more advanced years, as evidenced when she is able to conjure a Protean Charm on the D.A.'s fake Galleon coins, which is actually a N.E.W.T. level charm.^[45] She is also the first one to be able to cast non-verbal spells.^[46] Hermione is an exceptional duellist, capable of outmatching even Death Eaters, as shown in the battle at the Department of Mysteries, at the Lovegoods' house, and in the Battle of Hogwarts. However, Rowling has stated that while during the first three books Hermione would have beaten Harry in a magical duel, by the fourth book Harry is so good at Defence Against the Dark Arts that he would have defeated Hermione.^[47] Hermione did not tend to do as well in subjects that were not learned through books or formal training, as broom flying did not come as naturally to her in her first year as it did to Harry,^[48] and she showed no affinity for Divination, which she dropped from her third year studies.^[49] She was also not good at Wizard's Chess, as it was the only thing at which she ever lost.^[50]

Hermione's Patronus is an otter, Rowling's favourite animal.^[51] Her wand is made of vine wood and dragon heartstring core; vine is the wood ascribed to Hermione's fictional birth month (September) on the Celtic calendar.^[52]

Reception[link]

In The Ivory Tower and Harry Potter, the first book-length analysis of the Harry Potter series (edited and compiled by Lana A. Whited), a chapter titled "Hermione Granger and the Heritage of Gender," by Eliza T. Dresang, discusses Hermione's role in the series and its relation to feminist debates.^[53] The chapter begins with an analysis of Hermione's name and the role of previous characters with the same name in mythology and fiction, and the heritage Hermione has inherited from these characters due to her name. Dresang also emphasises Hermione's parallelism with Rowling herself and how, as Hermione has some attributes from Rowling herself, she must be a strong character.

The chapter also points out the fact that, despite being born to Muggle parents, Hermione's magical abilities are innate. Her "compulsion for study" helps both the character's development, which makes Hermione "a prime example that information brings power", and the plot of the series, as her knowledge of the wizarding world is often used to "save the day". Dresang states that "Harry and Ron are more dependent on Hermione than she is on them." However, she also remarks that Hermione's "hysteria and crying happen far too often to be considered a believable part of the development of Hermione's character and are quite out of line with her core role in the book."^[53]

UGO Networks listed Hermione as one of their best heroes of all time, saying, "Most of us can probably recall having a classmate like Hermione when we were in grammar school" -- one who "can at first be a little off-putting, but once you get to know her, she's not a bad chick to have on your side".^[54] IGN also listed Hermione as their second top Harry Potter character, praising her character development.^[55]

Philip Nel of Kansas State University notes that "Rowling, who worked for Amnesty International, evokes her social activism through Hermione's passion for oppressed elves and the formation of her 'Society for the Promotion of Elfish Welfare'".^[56]

However, in an analysis for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Rowland Manthrope states that "seven books on, we still only know her as swottish, sensible Hermione — a caricature, not a character."^[57]

In popular culture[link]

Hermione has been parodied in numerous sketches and animated series. In Saturday Night Live, Hermione was played by Lindsay Lohan.^[58] On his show Big Impression, Alistair McGowan did a sketch called "Louis Potter and the Philosopher's Scone". It featured impressions of Nigella Lawson as Hermione.^[59] In 2003, Comic Relief performed a spoof story called Harry Potter and the Secret Chamberpot of Azerbaijan, in which Miranda Richardson, who plays Rita Skeeter in the Harry Potter movies, featured as Hermione.^[60][61] Hermione also features in the Harry Bladder sketches in All That, in which she appears as Herheiny and is portrayed by Lisa Foiles. The Wedge, an Australian sketch comedy, parodies Hermione and Harry in love on a "Cooking With..." show before being caught by Snape.^[62] Hermione also appears as Hermione Ranger in Harry Podder: Dude Where's My Wand?, a play by Desert Star Theater in Utah, written by sisters Laura J., Amy K. and Anna M. Lewis.^[63] In the 2008 American comedy film Yes Man, Allison (played by Zooey Deschanel) accompanies Carl (Jim Carrey) to a Harry Potter-themed party dressed as Hermione.

In Harry Cover, a French comic book parody of the Harry Potter series by the Pierre Veys (subsequently translated in Spanish and English), Hermione appears as Harry Cover's friend Hormone.^[64] Hermione also appears in The Potter Puppet Pals sketches by Neil Cicierega, and in the A Very Potter Musical and A Very Potter Sequel musicals by StarKid Productions played by Bonnie Gruesen.

References[link]