Minor Harry Potter Characters

The Harry Potter series is known for its many and varied minor or sub-main characters, many of whom are memorable, interesting characters and often have their own fanbases.

Gryffindor

 * Lavender Brown
 * Lavender Brown is a girl in Harry's year at Hogwarts. She is a close friend of Parvati Patil. She is one of the few people who actually enjoy Trelawney's Divination classes. In Goblet of Fire she helps round up the escaped Blast-Ended Skrewts and in Order of the Phoenix she at first sides with the Ministry, but eventually joins the DA. She attends the Yule Ball in Fourth Year with Seamus Finnegan, and dates Ron Weasley (during which time, she is responsible for the nick-name "Won-won") for a while in Half-Blood Prince She is injured in the final battle against Voldemort, and it is unknown if she survives.


 * In fanon, Lavender is often portrayed as a weak, shallow, looks-obsessed girl, who would rather run away from a fight than stand and help her friends. She is frequently shown to be a bully who, with Parvati Patil's help, torments Hermione Granger in the Gryffindor girl's dormitory.


 * Colin Creevey
 * Colin is a Muggle-born fan of Harry Potter's, a year younger than the Golden Trio. He loves taking photographs and was excited  when he found out that he could make them move using a magical developing solution.  Colin is Petrified by the basilisk during his first year and joins the DA in his fourth year.  During his sixth year, Colin fights in the final battle at Hogwarts and is slain.


 * Dennis Creevey
 * Colin's younger brother, Dennis is three years younger than Harry. He joins the DA with his brother.


 * Seamus Finnegan
 * One of Ron and Harry's dorm-mates, Seamus is a son of a witch and a Muggle. Seamus is canonically a little cruel, in the manner of teen-aged boys everywhere--he laughs at Neville's mishaps and joins the dire predictions of Harry's chances as a newly-made Seeker--but generally good-natured and easygoing.  He is less impressed by Harry Potter and Dumbledore than most and initially tends to believe the mainstream news (Rita Skeeter and the Daily Prophet) over Harry, but changes after Professor Dumbledore's death.  He fears banshees.  Seamus is best friends with Dean Thomas, the fifth member of their dormitory room. Seamus supports Ireland at the Quidditch World Cup. He is a member of the reformed DA, with a fox Patronus, and fights in the final battle against Voldemort, but it is unknown whether he survived.


 * Lee Jordan
 * Best friend of Fred and George Weasley, Lee participates in their pranks. He acts as the announcer at Hogwarts Quidditch matches under the watchful eye of Professor McGonagall.  He has brown eyes and dreadlocks, a pet something with long hairy legs, and appears to have a crush on Angelina Johnson.  Lee joins the DA at its formation.  He runs an underground Wizarding radio programme called Potterwatch as 'River', acting as the voice of the resistance during Voldemort's return.  Lee participates in the final battle, but his survival is unknown.


 * Neville Longbottom
 * Neville is one of Ron and Harry's dorm-mates. Neville is friends with Ron, Harry, and Hermione and is revealed in The Order of the Phoenix as the other child associated with Trelawney's prophecy.  He is the son of Frank and Alice Longbottom, respected Aurors and members of the original Order of the Phoenix.  Neville grows over the years from a clumsy, shy, fairly incompetent boy (his family feared he would turn out to be a Squib) to a courageous defender of Hogwarts, taking charge of the student resistance during Seventh Year against the Death Eaters at Hogwarts.  He is an important member of the DA, and fights in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, and the Battle of Hogwarts. After the end of the Second Wizarding War, Neville becomes Hogwarts' professor of Herbology, a subject at which he always excels.  According to an interview with JKR, Neville marries Hannah Abbot.


 * Parvati Patil
 * Parvati is a girl in Harry's year at Hogwarts. She is a close friend of Lavender Brown and shares a dorm with her and Hermione. Parvati and Lavender like giggling together about fashion.  She is (obviously) of Indian descent and she and her sister are described as the two prettiest girls in their year.  Parvati enjoys Madame Trelawney's divination classes.  Parvati attends the Yule Ball during her fourth year escorted by Harry Potter, though they are never that fond of each other.  Parvati joins Dumbledore's Army at its formation, along with her twin sister, Padma.  She does well in Defense Against the Dark Arts, Divination, and Transfiguration. Parvati is a member of the second D.A. and fights in the Battle of Hogwarts, which she presumably survives.


 * Despite fanon interpretations, Parvati is brave and a very competent witch.


 * Dean Thomas
 * Dean is one of Ron and Harry's dorm-mates. Described by Rowling as a tall, black boy in the American edition of the first book, he is a half-blood wizard, though neither he nor his mother knew of his wizarding heritage until the arrival of Dean's Hogwarts letter.  His family&mdash;mother, stepfather, and several half-siblings&mdash;live in London.  He is best friends with Seamus Finnigan and has a continuing argument with his dorm-mates over the merits of football, specifically West Ham, versus Quidditch.  Dean is artistic and generally easy-going, brave and loyal.  He joins the DA at its formation and continues to support Harry even when forced on the run during the Voldemort-controlled Ministry.  Dean dates Ginny Weasley during his fifth and sixth years and is a bit upset when Harry and Ginny start a relationship shortly after he and Ginny break up, but never behaves badly towards Harry because of it.  He replaces Katie Bell as Gryffindor Chaser.  Capture by the Snatchers and brutal imprisonment notwithstanding, Dean shows true Gryffindor spirit and after his rescue, fights in the Battle of Hogwarts despite the loss of his wand.  His death is never mentioned, so he appears to have survived.


 * Fred Weasley
 * Twin to the similarly irrepressible George, Fred is the louder and more caustic wit of the two pranksters. He is two years older than Harry.  Born April 1st, with the red hair typical to their family, Fred and his twin cause mayhem at Hogwarts, presenting Harry with the Marauder's Map in their fifth year.  Fred is popular at school, best friends with Lee Jordan and a torment to his older brother Percy.  He dates Angelina Johnson.  He is a Beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and skilled, despite a tendency to mimic Oliver Wood's speeches behind his back.  He and George quit Hogwarts during their seventh year, when Hogwarts is under the auspices of Dolores Umbridge, going into business running a joke shop called Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.  They are quite successful, showing an aptitude for magical invention and expanding their tendency for pranks into profit.  Fred is intensely loyal to his friends, House, school, and family, which leads him to shun Percy intensely when Percy chooses the Ministry over them.  As soon as they are allowed, the twins join the second Order of the Phoenix and aid in many ways, developing magical items for the Order's use.  Fred speaks on Potterwatch under the code name 'Rapier'.  Reconciling immediately with the repentant Percy, Fred fights beside him in the Battle of Hogwarts, but is slain.


 * George Weasley
 * Twin to the similarly irrepressible Fred, George is the slightly quieter and more moral of the two pranksters. He is two years older than Harry.  Born April 1st, with the red hair typical to their family, George and his twin cause mayhem at Hogwarts, presenting Harry with the Marauder's Map in their fifth year.  George is less malicious in his pranks and popular at school, best friends with Lee Jordan and a trial to his older brother, Percy.  He is a Beater on the Gryffindor Quidditch team and skilled, despite a tendency to fall asleep during particularly long-winded rants from their Captain.  He and Fred quit Hogwarts during their seventh year, when Hogwarts is under the auspices of Dolores Umbridge, going into business running a joke shop called Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes.  They are quite successful, showing an aptitude for magical invention and expanding their tendency for pranks into profit.  George is intensely loyal to his friends, House, school, and family, which leads him to shun Percy intensely when Percy chooses the Ministry over them.  As soon as they are allowed, the twins join the second Order of the Phoenix and aid in many ways, developing magical items for the Order's use. George loses an ear to Severus Snape's Sectumsempra while acting as a decoy for Harry, but starts making jokes about it as soon as he wakes up.  George fights in the Battle of Hogwarts and survives.  Devastated by his twin's death, George never truly recovers.  George eventually marries Angelina Johnson and has two children, Fred II and Roxanne.


 * Ginny Weasley
 * The youngest Weasley child and only girl, Ginny is a year younger than Harry and her brother Ron. She has a crush on Harry from the beginning.  Ginny is energetic, stubborn, and has a bit of the same prankster's spirit as Fred and George, who are particularly fond of her.  She is quite talented, but during her first year, falls prey to possession by Tom Riddle, through his old diary.  Ginny is good friends with Hermione Granger and introduces the group to Luna Lovegood.  She is one of the founding members of Dumbledore's Army and the one who comes up with the name.  Ginny flies well and serves as the Gryffindor Quidditch team's Seeker and Chaser.  She fights in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries and the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, helps Luna and Neville restart the D.A. to defend Hogwarts from within during her sixth year, but is forced into hiding with her family during the Easter holidays.  Ginny fights in the Battle of Hogwarts, summoned by Neville, and survives.  After graduation, Ginny plays for the Holyhead Harpies for some time, then becomes the Quidditch correspondent for the Daily Prophet.  She marries Harry and they have three children, James Sirius, Albus Severus, and Lily Luna.  Her Patronus is a horse.


 * Despite fanon guesses, Ginny's full name is Ginevra, not Virginia. Her name also does not rhyme with 'Minerva'.


 * Percy Weasley
 * Percival (Percy) Weasley is four years older than Harry and extremely driven. He served Hogwarts as prefect for two years and Head Boy for one.  Percy is a stickler for authority, very ambitious, and determined to succeed in the Ministry of Magic in a way he has not seen his father's career progress.  He receives high marks in all his subjects at Hogwarts, despite the pranks and mockery of Fred and George, and goes to work at the Ministry of Magic shorty after graduation.  His tenure there is diligent but unfortunate, as his superiors reacted very badly to the return of Voldemort.  Percy chooses to back the Ministry, breaking with his family over their support of Dumbledore and Harry.  After Voldemort's takeover of the Ministry, Percy is trapped at the Ministry until he manages to contact Aberforth Dumbledore.  He manages to join in the Battle of Hogwarts, reuniting with his family.  He ends up dueling with Voldemort's puppet Minister, tendering his resignation in the midst of the fight just before an explosion causes Fred's death.  After the war, Percy returns to the new Ministry and serves under Kingsley Shacklebolt.  According to Rowling, Percy marries a woman named Audrey and has two daughters, Molly and Lucy.


 * Easily the most disliked of the Weasley children.


 * Oliver Wood
 * Oliver Wood is four years Harry's senior and Percy Weasley's dorm-mate. They may be the only two Gryffindor boys in their year.  Oliver serves as the Quidditch team Keeper and acts as team Captain for his fifth-seventh years.  He is incredibly and ambitious and that energy is focused on one thing: Quidditch.  Finally achieving a Gryffindor Quidditch championship in his seventh year, Oliver is ecstatic, overjoyed to be able to help Gryffindor excel.  Oliver is humble about his own skill, but quite talented, signing as Puddlemere United's reserve Keeper shortly after leaving Hogwarts.  He is scrupulously fair, though he has an unfriendly rivalry with Slytherin Quidditch Captain Marcus Flint.  Oliver returns to Hogwarts with Angelina, Alicia, and Katie to fight in the Battle of Hogwarts, which he survives.

Hufflepuff

 * Hannah Abbot
 * A member of Dumbledore's Army and prefect.


 * Susan Bones
 * The niece of Amelia Bones, the Head of Magical Law Enforcement in the Ministry of Magic. Susan joins Dumbledore's Army.


 * Cedric Diggory
 * Cedric is noted for being good-looking and athletic, and plays Chaser on the Hufflepuff Quidditch team. He takes over as captain in his fifth year. Something of a rival to Harry, Cedric is the official Hogwarts Champion in the Triwizard Tournament. He also dates Cho Chang after taking her to the Yule Ball. At the end of the Tournament, he is murdered by Lord Voldemort when he and Harry are both transported by portkey to the graveyard where Voldemort's father is buried.


 * In the Movies, Cedric is played by Robert Pattinson, who went on to play sparkly vampire Edward Cullen in the Twilight movies. We're pretty sure he wishes he hadn't, and we sympathize. We like Cedric much better.


 * Others:
 * Justin Finch-Fletchley
 * Ernie Macmillan
 * Zacharias Smith

Ravenclaw

 * Terry Boot
 * A member of Dumbledore's Army. He helps Harry cope with the Malfoy ambush on the Hogwarts Express in Order of the Phoenix and fights in the Battle of Hogwarts.


 * Cho Chang
 * Cho is Harry's romantic interest for a while, and they date for a brief period in his fifth year, but it doesn't work out. She plays Chaser for the Ravenclaw Quidditch team, seeming to have trouble with injuries in the early books. She dates Cedric Diggory during Goblet of Fire and is very distraught by his death.


 * In fandom, Cho is either Harry's One True Love or, more often, an evil harpy out to ruin his happiness with Ginny/Hermione/Draco/the OC.


 * Penelope Clearwater
 * A girl with long, curly hair who dates Percy Weasley while he is at Hogwarts. She is Petrified by the basilisk in Chamber of Secrets.


 * Luna Lovegood
 * A girl in Ginny's year and an acquaintance Harry's after he meets her at the start of his fifth year. Luna is considered very weird&mdash;she dresses oddly, she says odd things, and she goes about in a vague, dreamlike state, as though she's not quite in touch with reality. She is often the butt of jokes, and other students steal her things. Her father, Xenophilius Lovegood, is the editor of The Quibbler, a magazine most wizards consider a joke. However, she joins Dumbledore's Army and takes part in the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, the Battle of the Tower, and the Battle of Hogwarts, proving herself a competent witch and a good friend.


 * Padma Patil
 * Parvati's twin sister. She also joins Dumbledore's Army.


 * Others:
 * Michael Corner
 * Roger Davies

Slytherin

 * Millicent Bulstrode
 * During Chamber of Secrets, Hermione takes a hair from Millicent's robes to use in the Polyjuice Potion she, Harry, and Ron brewed in secret. Unfortunately, the hair turned out to be from Millicent's cat.


 * Vincent Crabbe
 * Goon #1 of Draco Malfoy's. In Deathly Hallows, it is revealed that he is, in fact, by far the most competent and evilest of his clique. Dies from his own spell.


 * Marcus Flint
 * Chaser and captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team. Harry thought he might have troll blood. He had to repeat one year at Hogwarts.


 * Gregory Goyle
 * Goon #2 of Draco Malfoy's, and the dumber one.


 * Theodore Nott
 * The son of the Death Eater Nott.


 * Pansy Parkinson
 * Draco's canonical girlfriend, who is described as having a pug-face. As one might expect as the girlfriend of a fanon Sex God, she is bashed quite often. What can be seen of her canon personality seems to consist of cowardice and adoring Draco Malfoy. In fanon, she is a vicious, gossiping schemer.


 * Blaise Zabini
 * Over the years, Blaise Zabini has had the misfortune of being cast as either a girl or a blond-haired, blue-eyed sex god (sometimes both); in canon, he is a dark-skinned male. He is a friend of Draco Malfoy canonically; as one might imagine, this means he often gets Stued.

Professors, Staff, and Ghosts

 * Cuthbert Binns
 * History of Magic Professor and the only teacher who is a ghost.


 * The Bloody Baron
 * The Slytherin ghost.


 * The Fat Friar
 * The Hufflepuff ghost.


 * Argus Filch
 * The Groundskeeper of Hogwarts. He is known for disliking students and owning an ill-tempered cat called Mrs Norris.


 * Filius Flitwick
 * Head of Ravenclaw House and Charms Professor.


 * The Grey Lady
 * The Ravenclaw ghost, later revealed as the very daughter of Rowena Ravenclaw.


 * Madam Hooch
 * Flying teacher and Quidditch referee.


 * Sir Nicholas de Mimsy-Porpington
 * Better-know as Nearly Headless Nick. He is the Gryffindor ghost.


 * Irma Pince
 * The librarian. Known to get very irate when students talk in the library or mistreat the books.


 * Poppy Pomfrey
 * The nurse who runs Hogwarts' Hospital Wing.


 * Pomona Sprout
 * Head of Hufflepuff House and Herbology Professor.


 * Sybil Trelawney
 * Divination Professor.

Order of the Phoenix

 * Dedalus Diggle


 * Aberforth Dumbledore


 * Arabella Doreen Figg


 * Mundungus "Dung" Fletcher


 * Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody


 * Kingsley Shacklebolt


 * Nymphadora Tonks


 * Arthur Weasley


 * Bill Weasley


 * Charlie Weasley


 * Molly Weasley

The Ministry

 * Ludo Bagman
 * Head, Department of Magical Games and Sports


 * Bartemius Crouch
 * Head, Department of International Magical Cooperation


 * Cornelius Fudge
 * Minister for Magic


 * Dolores Umbridge


 * Rufus Scrimgeour
 * Minister for Magic after Fudge


 * Kingsley Shacklebolt
 * Auror; later Minister for Magic after Scrimgeour

Death Eaters

 * Lucius Malfoy
 * Draco's dad. Suave and icy Ministry official, arguably the Big Bad of Chamber of Secrets. Despite his very nasty qualities, he truly, honestly loves his family, and ends up being a tool to blackmail them on several occasions.


 * Quirinius Quirrel
 * Taught Defense Against the Dark Arts in Harry's first year, despite secretly being a dark wizard himself. Possessed by the disembodied Voldemort using unicorn blood.


 * Bellatrix Lestrange
 * Voldemort's most powerful servant, cousin of Sirius and aunt of Draco. Entirely stark raving mad and a fan favorite.


 * Rodolphus Lestrange
 * Bella's husband, who she married for his influence.


 * Rabastan Lestrange
 * Rodolphus's brother. Generic goon.


 * Igor Karkaroff
 * Headmaster of Durmstrang School and former Death Eater. Eventually murdered for his desertion.


 * Bartemius Crouch, Jr.
 * Son of the aforementioned Crouch. This rather disturbing specimen tortured Neville's parents into insanity, murdered his father, and impersonated Auror Alastor Moody to get his job at Hogwarts. Eventually gets his soul sucked out.


 * In the Movies, Barty Crouch, Jr. is played by David Tennant, who went on to play the the Tenth Doctor.


 * Antonin Dolohov
 * A particularly nasty character who murdered Ron's maternal uncles, the Prewetts. Seems to specialize in a curse involving purple flames.


 * Walden McNair
 * The Ministry's executioner.


 * Crabbe, Sr.
 * Father of Vincent Crabbe. Generic goon.


 * Goyle, Sr.
 * Father of Gregory Goyle. Generic goon.


 * Nott, Sr.
 * Aging, single father of Draco's friend Theodore Nott.


 * Avery
 * Dimwitted and unlucky, tortured by his boss more than any other Death Eater.


 * Augustus Rookwood
 * The Death Eaters' plant in the Ministry.


 * Mulciber
 * Imperius Curse expert.


 * Selwyn
 * From a wealthy family. A 'Snatcher' who hunts down Muggle-borns for the villains.


 * Travers
 * Another Snatcher. Massacred the entire McKinnon family.


 * Fenrir Greyback
 * The werewolf who bit Remus. Attacks children, even when not transformed.


 * Evan Rosier
 * Mangled Alastor during the First War. Dead before the plot begins.


 * Wilkes
 * Just as dead as Rosier.


 * Jugson
 * Generic goon.


 * Amycus and Alecto Carrow
 * Two obnoxious sibling Death Eaters.


 * Yaxley
 * Stick-in-the-mud Ministry henchman. Later takes over the Department of Magical Law Enforcement.


 * Gibbon
 * Killed by a misfired curse from his allies.


 * Thorfinn Rowle
 * A huge man, and by far the most psychotic of the group. Essentially a living tank.

Others

 * Dobby the House-elf
 * Dobby 'befriends' Harry during Chamber of Secrets, though at the start of the book Harry would just as soon have seen Dobby vanish off the face of the Earth. At the end of the book, Harry frees him from servitude to the Malfoy family, which earns him Dobby's eternal gratitude. Dobby is different from other house-elves in that he enjoys his freedom while still finding satisfaction in serving; he takes wages from Dumbledore for working in the Hogwarts kitchens, scandalous to other elves (such as Winky).


 * Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley Dursley
 * Harry's adoptive family.


 * Firenze the Centaur
 * Teaches Astrology for a while after Umbridge kicks Trelawney out.


 * Gilderoy Lockhart
 * Teaches Defence Against the Dark Arts in year two.


 * Augusta "Gran" Longbottom
 * Neville's grandmother


 * Frank and Alice Longbottom
 * Neville's parents. Driven insane by the Death Eaters.


 * Winky the House-elf
 * Formerly the house-elf of the Crouch family, dismissed by Barty Crouch, Sr., after allowing Barty Crouch, Jr., to escape during the Quidditch World Cup. Goes on to work in the Hogwarts kitchens, though she is dissatisfied and seen getting drunk on butterbeer.