The Harry Potter series is full of iconic characters, but just because a character is popular doesn’t mean they are well-written. What separates the best from the rest is consistency, growth, and emotional payoff across seven books. Characters like Severus Snape are not the most likable — but their motivations hold up under scrutiny, which is important when trying to qualify good writing.
With HBO’s TV reboot on the horizon, it's worth taking a look at which characters stand out as the best-written in the Harry Potter series. The movie adaptations cut a lot of important context from the books, so paying close attention to the source material as we move into a new era of Harry Potter will be crucial in determining whether the TV series is a success or a flop.
10 Unanswered Harry Potter Questions The HBO Series Must Explore, Ranked
The Harry Potter series on HBO can expand the Wizarding World by answering major lore questions left unresolved in the books and movies.
10 Albus Dumbledore Is One of the Most Complex Harry Potter Characters – in the Books
Albus Dumbledore may not have been a good man, but he was one of the strongest sorcerers the wizarding world has ever seen. The way the books slowly peeled back the layers of all of Dumbledore’s machinations was nothing short of genius. Readers begin the Harry Potter series thinking Dumbledore is a kindly old man prone to odd, if comical, remarks.
It's not until Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows that readers, along with Harry himself, learn just how much Dumbledore has been hiding over the past six years. Dumbledore’s betrayal is visceral, but after everything is said and done, Harry still names his second son after the man. Baffling as that decision may be, it's still a clear indicator of just how well Dumbledore's character was written.
9 Remus Lupin Shows Quiet Strength Despite a Life of Tragedy
Remus has faced so many challenges in his life. He was bitten by the werewolf Fenrir Greyback when he was 4 years old. Every month, he goes through the incredibly painful process of transforming into a werewolf. If he doesn't have his Wolfsbane Potion, he succumbs to the mind of his wolf, losing himself until the full moon sets.
When James and Lily Potter died, and Peter Pettigrew framed Sirius Black for his own death & revealing the Potters’ location to Voldemort, Remus lost everything: his friends, his support network, his faith in Sirius. His status as a werewolf makes it hard for him to find steady work. Though he's one of the most accomplished wizards, especially in the study of Defense Against the Dark Arts, Remus is largely shunned from wizarding society.
Still, through all his hardships, Remus remains compassionate. He stays steadfast in his fight for the Light, and his death during the Battle of Hogwarts is something fans never recovered from. Many fix-it fics alter this from canon, as Remus’ death is too heartbreaking. That so many fans wish Remus had lived on in canon proves how well-written and how well-received his character was.
8 Luna Lovegood Provides Emotional Wisdom Behind Her Quirky Exterior
Luna Lovegood is decidedly quirky by nature, but it's clear she's not trying to fit into any boxes or meet anyone's expectations — that's what makes her one of the best-written Harry Potter characters. She has a distinct voice, almost as if she is the voice of a neutral reader or observer. Her philosophies are rooted in truth and fact, which isn't surprising considering she's in Ravenclaw House.
Luna is integral to the narrative, especially in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. No one in Harry's inner friend circle can empathize with what he went through in the graveyard at the end of the third task of the Triwizard Tournament. Witnessing Cedric Diggory’s death, being unable to do anything to stop it, was a huge learning moment for Harry — he can't save everyone. No matter how hard he tries, death will do what it does and take even the kindest of souls.
Luna saw her mother die when she was 9 years old, which deeply impacted the way she viewed the world. Luna's calm and accepting perspective on death helps Harry cope with this trauma, and it's essential for his growth. Luna is especially key in helping Harry grieve the death of Sirius, which Harry also witnessed and was powerless to stop.
7 Neville Longbottom Grows Into a Hero Despite a Tragic Childhood
Readers first see Neville Longbottom as a nervous and forgetful young boy who is unfairly disregarded and bullied by his peers. Toward the end of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Neville musters enough courage to stand up to Harry, Ron, and Hermione when they sneak out of Gryffindor Tower to confront Snape (or so they believe). As the years go on, more instances of this bravery occur, and little by little, Neville becomes a strong wizard and an even stronger young man — brave to a fault, just like his parents, Alice and Frank Longbottom, two highly talented Aurors. What happened to Neville’s parents was cut from the films, but it's crucial to understanding Neville's character arc.
Very easily, Neville could have been the Chosen One from the Prophecy that Voldemort was so afraid of. Two babies were born at the end of July to parents who had defied Voldemort three times: Harry Potter and Neville Longbottom. Voldemort selected Harry to target because he was a half-blood just like him. In the aftermath of Voldemort's downfall, Bellatrix Lestrange, Barty Crouch Jr., Rodolphus Lestrange, and Rabastan Lestrange hunted down the Longbottoms in retaliation, thinking they knew what had happened to their master. The Longbottoms were subjected to repeated and prolonged use of the Cruciatus Curse, the Unforgivable Curse that inflicts unimaginable torture on its victims.
Alice and Frank suffered permanent brain damage, were institutionalized at St. Mungo's Hospital, and were unable to recognize their son, Neville. Considering this heartbreaking context, Neville's insecurities and timidness make a lot more sense, so it's a shame that this is all lost on movie-only fans. Neville and Harry are foils of one another, mirrors of what could have been if one were selected instead of the other. Harry could have grown up knowing his parents, but perhaps they would not have known him. Neville could have grown up with no parents and the burden of being the Chosen One.
6 Ron Weasley Is the Most Relatable Character in the Series
Ron Weasley functions as the series’ everyman character. He has the most realistic reactions as a teenager experiencing the growing pains of academics, friendship, romance, and saving the world on top of it all. There's a huge sect of the Harry Potter fanfic community that engages in “Ron-bashing”, but when you look at his achievements and development on the page instead of the screen, you'll see that Ron is much more than a jealous boy that ‘Hermione can do better than’.
Ron is loyal. He has human responses to stress and fear. Sometimes it seems like he turns on those he loves, like when he resented Harry for becoming the second Hogwarts Champion in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire or when he abandoned Harry and Hermione in The Deathly Hallows. But here's the key thing: Ron came back. He had an outburst, he expressed his feelings, he sat with them, and he humbled himself enough to come back to the very people who he always felt overshadowed him and say he was wrong. He grew.
5 Severus Snape Is the Most Divisive Yet Brilliantly Written Character
Severus Snape is one of the best-written Harry Potter characters because the readers hate him right alongside Harry and his friends all the way up until Snape’s true loyalties and motivations are revealed during the Battle of Hogwarts. Snape says and does reprehensible things throughout the Harry Potter books, and it's not until this big reveal that all these horrible things are given context. Snape’s particular fascination with the Dark Arts did cause him to align with Voldemort, but once the Dark Lord murdered Lily Potter, Snape sacrificed everything to serve Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix. Secretly.
Snape allowed everyone around him, aside from Dumbledore, to believe the worst about him, which served a huge narrative purpose. Because both sides of the war believed Snape to be a Dark wizard, he was able to be the ultimate double agent. Though Harry was the spitting image of James Potter, Snape’s nemesis, Harry also held many qualities of his mother, Lily — Snape's childhood friend and the love of his life. Everything Snape did, he did to protect Lily’s legacy. This is what sets him apart from Dumbledore. Snape didn't just lie to Harry, he lied to everyone, and when Snape found out how Dumbledore knew all along that Harry was destined to die in order to defeat Voldemort once and for all, he was outraged.
Harry's second son is named Albus Severus — Snape did not deserve to be relegated to middle-name status after all he did. Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape were both liars, both men who held life-shattering secrets, but Dumbledore masqueraded as a likable man while plotting and enabling the death of a child for the greater good. Snape was abhorrable, redeemed only posthumously because the driving force behind all his villainy, and all his acts of goodness, was his enduring love for Lily. Snape's single utterance of “Always” is quoted by romantics everywhere.
4 Sirius Black Lives a Life Defined by Injustice and Loyalty
Sirius is one of the most popular characters in Harry Potter. Being portrayed by Gary Oldman only heightened his fan appeal. Allure aside, Sirius’ life has been one tragedy after another. Growing up in a blood supremacist family, his childhood was traumatic. While Sirius spurned the Blacks’ fanatical belief in blood supremacy, his brother Regulus joined the Death Eaters. Sirius never knew that Regulus changed sides and was pivotal in Harry’s search for the Horcruxes, which is heartbreaking. Sirius died believing his brother was just as wretched as the rest of his family.
Sirius was framed for his best friends’ deaths, and he was forcibly separated from raising his godson. Repeatedly. First, by being falsely imprisoned in Azkaban for 12 years. Then, by being a prisoner in Grimmauld Place, his own home, because the Ministry still considered him a Voldemort-supporting fugitive. Through it all, Sirius was kind, loving, and utterly supportive of Harry. His anger at all that was unjustly done to him is quietly restrained, though absolutely earned.
Tragically, Sirius died by falling into the veil during the battle at the Ministry in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, before ever getting his name cleared or being able to make a home with Harry as he dreamed. Like with Remus Lupin, many fix-it fics include a plotline where Sirius is brought back from the dead. Harry has endured enough loss in his life. He shouldn't have to live without Sirius.
3 Draco Malfoy is One of the Most Morally Complex Characters in Harry Potter
Draco Malfoy develops substantially throughout the Harry Potter books. At first, Draco seems like he's rotten to the core, spouting the vile ideology perpetuated by his blood-supremacist ancestors. As the books progress, readers see how Draco’s motivations change over time, and his morality is represented by shades of gray.
To go from a spoiled boy blinded by prejudice who looked down on blood traitors like the Weasleys and Muggle-borns like Hermione to playing a key part in Voldemort’s defeat — that's some of the best character development there is in literature. The movies, regretfully, omitted the scene where Draco tosses his wand to Harry at the end of the Battle of Hogwarts, but hopefully HBO’s Harry Potter TV show will stay faithful to the books in this regard.
2 Hermione Granger Proves Intelligence and Courage Make a Lasting Impact
As a Muggle-born witch, Hermione Granger had to fight extra hard to fit in at Hogwarts. Beyond Harry and Ron, she didn't have many friends, and most of her classmates scorned her for her wit and bookishness rather than praising it. Hermione even experienced harsh words from adults who were supposed to be her mentors, like Professor Snape calling her an “insufferable know-it-all”. Through all the extra challenges placed before her due to her Muggle background, Hermione had even more on her plate as Harry's friend.
Each school year brought mortal peril to the forefront in one way or another, and Heroine still managed to be top of their class in most subjects. Hermione Granger is a feminist icon. She's unapologetically herself, she's bold, brilliant, and brave, and utterly ruthless when standing up for what she believes in. She's an inspiration for an entire generation of women, and she's sure to continue being a positive influence on generations to come as young people newly discover the Harry Potter franchise through HBO’s upcoming TV reboot.
1 Harry Potter Deserves the Top Spot for Consistent Growth Across Seven Books & Eight Movies
Harry Potter has to be in the first spot for the series’ best-written characters. It's his story, after all. Many fans grew up alongside him as he learned all about magic and faced harsh challenges. While Harry faces the expected schoolyard rivalries, he also faces existential concerns that grow in threat level as the years go on. Harry's emotional framework remains consistent across seven books — and most importantly, it remains believable.
As the protagonist, much of the narrative weight falls on Harry. The story can't go on without him being there to drive it forward, and without him doing it in a way that readers will believe and keep coming back to. Harry is not the most complex character in the series, nor does he have the most tragic backstory. But he doesn't need those attributes to be the best-written character.
Harry Potter
- Created by
- J.K. Rowling
- First Film
- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
- Latest Film
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two
- Cast
- Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Alan Rickman, Michael Gambon, Ralph Fiennes, Maggie Smith, Robbie Coltrane
- Reunion Date
- January 1, 2022
- Where to watch
- HBO Max