The Heroes
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Harry Potter
The titular character and protagonist of the series, Harry Potter is known throughout the world as The Boy Who Lived due to his miraculous survival of a killing curse cast by the dark wizard Voldemort. Though Voldemort was somehow destroyed in his attempt to end the infant Harry's life, he succeeded in murdering Harry's parents. An orphan, Harry was left with his cruel aunt and uncle and knew nothing of his magical heritage until his eleventh birthday.
Modest and brave, Harry has excelled in the world of wizards, finding true friendship with Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, and showing skill in Defense Against the Dark Arts and an incredibly talent on the Quidditch field. Harry's bravery is perhaps is most defining trait, as he has without hesitation marched headlong into danger when someone or something he cared for was threatened.
The titular character and protagonist of the series, Harry Potter is known throughout the world as The Boy Who Lived due to his miraculous survival of a killing curse cast by the dark wizard Voldemort. Though Voldemort was somehow destroyed in his attempt to end the infant Harry's life, he succeeded in murdering Harry's parents. An orphan, Harry was left with his cruel aunt and uncle and knew nothing of his magical heritage until his eleventh birthday.
Modest and brave, Harry has excelled in the world of wizards, finding true friendship with Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, and showing skill in Defense Against the Dark Arts and an incredibly talent on the Quidditch field. Harry's bravery is perhaps is most defining trait, as he has without hesitation marched headlong into danger when someone or something he cared for was threatened.
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Ron Weasley
Ronald Weasley is youngest son and second youngest child of a large and loving wizard family. He is in many ways a very average person. He is not the top of the class, the funniest, or the best at sports, but neither is he particularly bad at anything. Ron sometimes struggles with feelings of inferiority and a desire to make a name for himself apart from being a Weasley or Harry Potter's best friend.
While Ron may not excel in everything, he is without a doubt one of the bravest and most loyal individuals to ever study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Undeterred even by his extreme fear of spiders, Ron bravely follows Harry on his adventures, fighting and sacrificing for his friends, family, and the greater good.
Ronald Weasley is youngest son and second youngest child of a large and loving wizard family. He is in many ways a very average person. He is not the top of the class, the funniest, or the best at sports, but neither is he particularly bad at anything. Ron sometimes struggles with feelings of inferiority and a desire to make a name for himself apart from being a Weasley or Harry Potter's best friend.
While Ron may not excel in everything, he is without a doubt one of the bravest and most loyal individuals to ever study at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Undeterred even by his extreme fear of spiders, Ron bravely follows Harry on his adventures, fighting and sacrificing for his friends, family, and the greater good.
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Hermione Granger
Gifted with a brilliant mind and persistent nature, this young muggle-born wizard epitomizes the ultimate overachiever. She is an obsessive reader driven by her constant thirst for knowledge and need to be the best. Her knowledge of random facts and ability to properly perform a variety of spells often serve as crucial tools for unlocking mysteries and helping her friends.
She is an only child from two non-wizard parents. However, despite the absence of ancestral wizard blood in her system, Hermione embodies the making of a fine wizard, and exceeds the average standards. She becomes friends with Harry and Ron during her first year at Hogwarts. She spends a lot of time in the school library, and is rarely seen without a book in her hands. Hermione is self-confident and an independent thinker who is not afraid to speak her mind.
Gifted with a brilliant mind and persistent nature, this young muggle-born wizard epitomizes the ultimate overachiever. She is an obsessive reader driven by her constant thirst for knowledge and need to be the best. Her knowledge of random facts and ability to properly perform a variety of spells often serve as crucial tools for unlocking mysteries and helping her friends.
She is an only child from two non-wizard parents. However, despite the absence of ancestral wizard blood in her system, Hermione embodies the making of a fine wizard, and exceeds the average standards. She becomes friends with Harry and Ron during her first year at Hogwarts. She spends a lot of time in the school library, and is rarely seen without a book in her hands. Hermione is self-confident and an independent thinker who is not afraid to speak her mind.
The Villains
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Voldemort
Lord Voldemort, born Tom Marvolo Riddle, was the son of Merope Gaunt, a direct descendant of Salazar Slitherin, and Tom Riddle, an attractive and wealthy Muggle who abandoned Merope after she admitted to being a witch. Merope Gaunt died shortly after giving birth to Tom, leaving him to fend for himself in with world. A brilliant mind, with growing power, he attended Hogwarts and excelled greatly, however he became obsessed with his Slitherin heritage and he seeked to find a way to cheat death at all costs.
Known as the half-blood orphan, he transformed himself into Lord Voldemort with a dark desire to take control of the Wizarding world by his constant attempts to build bad blood between pureblood and Muggle-born wizards. Voldemort records himself in a diary, writing of his dark desires to lead others in his footsteps and to someday "finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work." A true dark wizard, he presents himself as foe to many, especially Harry Potter and his trio of do good wizards.
Lord Voldemort, born Tom Marvolo Riddle, was the son of Merope Gaunt, a direct descendant of Salazar Slitherin, and Tom Riddle, an attractive and wealthy Muggle who abandoned Merope after she admitted to being a witch. Merope Gaunt died shortly after giving birth to Tom, leaving him to fend for himself in with world. A brilliant mind, with growing power, he attended Hogwarts and excelled greatly, however he became obsessed with his Slitherin heritage and he seeked to find a way to cheat death at all costs.
Known as the half-blood orphan, he transformed himself into Lord Voldemort with a dark desire to take control of the Wizarding world by his constant attempts to build bad blood between pureblood and Muggle-born wizards. Voldemort records himself in a diary, writing of his dark desires to lead others in his footsteps and to someday "finish Salazar Slytherin's noble work." A true dark wizard, he presents himself as foe to many, especially Harry Potter and his trio of do good wizards.
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Draco Malfoy
Draco Malfoy is the only child of Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy, a wealthy pureblood family with very old fashioned ideals about what makes a proper wizard. The Malfoys were Voldemort's servants during his reign of power, and still remain loyal to him after his downfall. Draco is a Slytherin in the same year as Harry, and will take any opportunity to mock or get Harry into trouble. He loudly professes his hate for muggle-born, or "mudblood," wizards and witches.
Draco Malfoy is the only child of Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy, a wealthy pureblood family with very old fashioned ideals about what makes a proper wizard. The Malfoys were Voldemort's servants during his reign of power, and still remain loyal to him after his downfall. Draco is a Slytherin in the same year as Harry, and will take any opportunity to mock or get Harry into trouble. He loudly professes his hate for muggle-born, or "mudblood," wizards and witches.
Peter Pettigrew
Peter Pettigrew is a wizard who was never very highly regarded by his teachers or friends. He was friends with James Potter and Sirius Black during his years at Hogwarts. Sometime after his graduation, he became a servant of Voldemort and betrayed the location of Lily and James Potter, causing their deaths. After Voldemort's downfall, he faked his death and framed Sirius Black for the betrayal of the Potters and murder of thirteen people, and then disguised himself as a rat, living with the Weasley family for years.
Peter Pettigrew is a wizard who was never very highly regarded by his teachers or friends. He was friends with James Potter and Sirius Black during his years at Hogwarts. Sometime after his graduation, he became a servant of Voldemort and betrayed the location of Lily and James Potter, causing their deaths. After Voldemort's downfall, he faked his death and framed Sirius Black for the betrayal of the Potters and murder of thirteen people, and then disguised himself as a rat, living with the Weasley family for years.
Dementors
Dementors are strange, undead like creatures clad in long black cloaks who guard the wizard prison Azkaban. They are able to suck the very happiness and sanity from the souls of humans, forcing people to relive their ver worst memories. They have one more skill, dubbed the Dementor's Kiss, where they suck the soul from a person, leaving them merely a physical shell. It's widely considered to be a fate worse than death. Dementors can be kept at bay by casting the Patronus Charm. However, the charm is very advanced magic and requires a great deal of skill and concentration. As such, many wizards never learn the charm.
Dementors are strange, undead like creatures clad in long black cloaks who guard the wizard prison Azkaban. They are able to suck the very happiness and sanity from the souls of humans, forcing people to relive their ver worst memories. They have one more skill, dubbed the Dementor's Kiss, where they suck the soul from a person, leaving them merely a physical shell. It's widely considered to be a fate worse than death. Dementors can be kept at bay by casting the Patronus Charm. However, the charm is very advanced magic and requires a great deal of skill and concentration. As such, many wizards never learn the charm.
Supporting Characters
Hogwarts Students and Staff
Hogwarts boasts a large staff. There are professors, who may also act as heads of house, such as the stern Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape, who shares a mutual dislike with Harry. The professorship of Defense Against the Dark Arts is said to be cursed, and as such there is a new DADA professor every year, including Gilderoy Lockhart and Remus Lupin in Harry's second and third years respectively.
Staff is not limited to professors. Albus Dumbledore acts as headmaster, and Rubeus Hagrid works as the groundskeeper in addition to being the professor of Care of Magical Creatures. Argus Filch is caretaker of the castle, and Madam Pomfrey is matron of the school's hospital wing.
Hogwarts also has a large student body across the seven years and four houses. Harry primarily interacts with students in his own year or house, Gryffindor. Some students Harry often interacts with are fellow Gryffindors Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom, Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, and Colin Creevey.
The Dursley Family
Vernon and Petunia Dursley were charged with raising Harry Potter after the death of Harry's mother and Petunia's sister, Lily and her husband James. Though they provided Harry with the necessities of food, clothing, and education, they never provided him with any level of emotional support or love. Instead, they were neglectful and emotionally abusive to Harry, while spoiling their own son, Dudley. The Dursleys are very anti-magic, and tried to conceal Harry's true heritage from him for the entirety of his childhood.
The Weasley Family
A large wizard family known for their ginger hair and Gryffindor hearts, the Weasley's may not always have a lot of money, but they undeniably have a lot of love. Molly, a homemaker, and Arthur, a worker in the Ministry for Magic, not only raise seven children (Sons Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George, Ron, and daughter Ginny), but gladly take Harry into their family.
Though they are all members of Gryffindor house, the Weasley children are very different. Percy, the eldest still in Hogwarts, strived to be responsible. He is a prefect, and gets excellent grades in school. The twins, Fred and George, are pranksters, often getting in trouble with Hogwarts staff, and they care little for grades. Ginny, the only girl, is a talented young witch, toughened by having six older brothers.
Sirius Black
Sirius Black was falsely convicted of the murders of twelve muggles and wizard Peter Pettigrew and the betrayal of the Potter Family to Lord Voldemort. He was sent to the wizard prison Azkaban. where he stayed for twelve years before escaping to pursue the real murderer, Peter Pettigrew. It was Black's Animagi ability that allowed him to survive the soul draining Dementors that guarded the prison and eventually escape it. Though Black did not "pull the trigger," so to speak, he feels responsible for the death of the Potters because it was he who suggested they use Peter as their secret keeper.
The Creatures
The Harry Potter novels feature a number of animal characters. Owls and cats are common pets for Hogwarts students. Owls, like Harry's own Hedwig, are used to deliver letters and packages. Many of the animals display great intelligence, like Hermione's cat Crookshanks, and Dumbledore's phoenix Fawkes. Creatures range from the mundane, like Neville's toad Trevor and Hagrid's boarhound Fang, to the fantastic, like the Giant Squid that lives in Hogwarts' lake, Buckbeak the hippogriff, Aragog the giant spider, and the basilisk.
Sources:
Google Images
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. New York: Scholastic, 1999. Print.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. New York: Scholastic, 1999. Print.
Hogwarts boasts a large staff. There are professors, who may also act as heads of house, such as the stern Minerva McGonagall and Severus Snape, who shares a mutual dislike with Harry. The professorship of Defense Against the Dark Arts is said to be cursed, and as such there is a new DADA professor every year, including Gilderoy Lockhart and Remus Lupin in Harry's second and third years respectively.
Staff is not limited to professors. Albus Dumbledore acts as headmaster, and Rubeus Hagrid works as the groundskeeper in addition to being the professor of Care of Magical Creatures. Argus Filch is caretaker of the castle, and Madam Pomfrey is matron of the school's hospital wing.
Hogwarts also has a large student body across the seven years and four houses. Harry primarily interacts with students in his own year or house, Gryffindor. Some students Harry often interacts with are fellow Gryffindors Seamus Finnigan, Dean Thomas, Neville Longbottom, Parvati Patil, Lavender Brown, and Colin Creevey.
The Dursley Family
Vernon and Petunia Dursley were charged with raising Harry Potter after the death of Harry's mother and Petunia's sister, Lily and her husband James. Though they provided Harry with the necessities of food, clothing, and education, they never provided him with any level of emotional support or love. Instead, they were neglectful and emotionally abusive to Harry, while spoiling their own son, Dudley. The Dursleys are very anti-magic, and tried to conceal Harry's true heritage from him for the entirety of his childhood.
The Weasley Family
A large wizard family known for their ginger hair and Gryffindor hearts, the Weasley's may not always have a lot of money, but they undeniably have a lot of love. Molly, a homemaker, and Arthur, a worker in the Ministry for Magic, not only raise seven children (Sons Bill, Charlie, Percy, Fred and George, Ron, and daughter Ginny), but gladly take Harry into their family.
Though they are all members of Gryffindor house, the Weasley children are very different. Percy, the eldest still in Hogwarts, strived to be responsible. He is a prefect, and gets excellent grades in school. The twins, Fred and George, are pranksters, often getting in trouble with Hogwarts staff, and they care little for grades. Ginny, the only girl, is a talented young witch, toughened by having six older brothers.
Sirius Black
Sirius Black was falsely convicted of the murders of twelve muggles and wizard Peter Pettigrew and the betrayal of the Potter Family to Lord Voldemort. He was sent to the wizard prison Azkaban. where he stayed for twelve years before escaping to pursue the real murderer, Peter Pettigrew. It was Black's Animagi ability that allowed him to survive the soul draining Dementors that guarded the prison and eventually escape it. Though Black did not "pull the trigger," so to speak, he feels responsible for the death of the Potters because it was he who suggested they use Peter as their secret keeper.
The Creatures
The Harry Potter novels feature a number of animal characters. Owls and cats are common pets for Hogwarts students. Owls, like Harry's own Hedwig, are used to deliver letters and packages. Many of the animals display great intelligence, like Hermione's cat Crookshanks, and Dumbledore's phoenix Fawkes. Creatures range from the mundane, like Neville's toad Trevor and Hagrid's boarhound Fang, to the fantastic, like the Giant Squid that lives in Hogwarts' lake, Buckbeak the hippogriff, Aragog the giant spider, and the basilisk.
Sources:
Google Images
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. New York: Scholastic, 1999. Print.
Rowling, J.K. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. New York: Scholastic, 1999. Print.