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Wizard’s Council: On Favorite Potterverse Characters

By W&W Staff

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Our Wizard’s Council convenes to consider the question of the hour: Which Potterverse character is your favorite?

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Welcome to the Wizard’s Council. Back in olden days, before the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy in 1692, the Wizarding world was governed by the Wizard’s Council. This was the longest serving ruling body over the Wizarding World in history, and though it was disbanded in 1707 with the founding of the Ministry of Magic, it was still considering one of the wisest and august bodies to ever rule the UK and Irish Wizarding Worlds. (Sadly, the same cannot be said for the Ministry, which seems to only be as good as it’s current Minister.) Here at Wizards and Whatnot, we come together once again as this august body to think deeply on the issues of our time.

Philosophical Question of the Hour: Which Potterverse character is your favorite?

DAN: My favorite character from the Harry Potter series is probably Hermione Granger, but in the interest of picking someone a little less expected, I offer up an alternative: Dolores Umbridge.

I know, I know–Umbridge is a egomaniacal shrew who literally tortures children. I’m on board there. But her utter loathsomeness fascinates me. While reading Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix for the first time, I wanted to walk inside the book and slap her back and forth across the face until my hand went numb. Not even Voldemort inspired that kind of passion.

Actually, Voldemort makes for an interesting point of comparison. In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Dumbledore tells Harry that, at some point, Voldemort went beyond “usual evil.” That’s spooky and everything, but in fantasy fiction, going beyond usual evil is actually kind of, well, usual. Umbridge is all about usual evil. Her weapons are the weapons of insufferable little tyrants everywhere: bureaucracy, proscription, and prejudice. Her ordinariness makes her more relatable than the larger-than-life Voldemort–I think we’ve all known people with a little Umbridge in them–and therefore scarier.

Also, it’s not just that she does horrible things; it’s that she does them in the most obnoxious way possible, with her titters and simpers and little pink suits. My slapping hand is getting itchy just thinking about it.

So I can’t say that I like Dolores Umbridge, but I admire her potency. She’s one of Rowling’s most vivid creations.

KATIE: I can get on board with Dan’s perspective, because I love a villain without a backstory, someone who’s actual human garbage just because that’s how some people are. Of course, my favorite character is at the opposite end of that spectrum—talk about predictable, but Lily Evans has my heart.

We might not get much of her, but we can all admire her courage, her humor, her spark, and I plan on leaving detailed instructions to have “I wouldn’t go out with you if it was a choice between you and the giant squid” carved on my gravestone. Legend.

More to the point, Lily is the first fictional character to ever validate me the way I needed at a certain time in my life, she was the first I related to in an impactful way. Severing her friendship with Snape meant putting herself first, it meant knowing that she was important and worthy, and that she knew what her path was and she couldn’t let someone else lead her astray. She refused to accept an apology that fell flat because what he’d said was supported by the way he acted, no matter what he claimed to the contrary, and Lily’s actions are a testament to what it means to end a toxic relationship.

I think we all reach a point in at least one relationship—whether platonic or romantic—where we know it’s bad for us. Sometimes it’s hard to let go and sometimes it’s near or totally impossible to escape, but if we can do it, we should. You have to know what’s best for yourself, and follow through. The more time that passed, the more I realized that I’d learned that in the pages of a book, from a character whose story we only get the bare bones of.

Lily Evans made me feel like I was worth something when I felt like I wasn’t. I can’t say that of many fictional characters, and so she’s stayed with me ever since.

MARNIFER: Hermione is definitely up there as probably the greatest character of the series, and I have a personal fondness for Snape based almost entirely upon how much I love Alan Rickman. But my true favorite is the incomparable Luna Lovegood.

When Luna appears for the first time in Order of the Phoenix, she springs fully-actualized from J.K. Rowling’s head like Athena. A tour de force of wackiness, Luna is probably the oddest and the quirkiest character in the Potterverse — and in a world already teeming with magical weirdos, that’s saying something.

I celebrate and find kinship with oddballs and outsiders because I consider myself a strange person, and Luna is the posterchild for weird. I love how she’s simultaneously immune to and unaware of others’ reactions to her. Luna accepts herself fully and doesn’t waste any time worrying what anyone thinks of her. Rumor has it this very quality made her the favorite character of Rowling herself. Luna’s confidence is inspiring. Her matter-of-fact bluntness is refreshing and often hilarious. And can we talk about her sense of style? Luna has the best wardrobe at Hogwarts, with some of the most memorable outfits of the series.

Her first appearance is paired with the introduction of Thestrals, my other favorite creature, creating a synergistic nature to my love for both. I adore how unique Luna is, and how even in this fantastical world she doesn’t fit in. She’s peculiar even to those for whom “extraordinary” is a way of life, and this makes her instantly more likeable and charming.

RYAN: I definitely have to tip my hat to Dan. Umbridge was one character that always stuck in my mind for one simple reason, I despised her more than old No-Nose (that term never gets old) in the Order of the Phoenix. The way she cleared her throat to interject into a conversation, makes me cringe every time I hear it. While I always rooted on Harry in the books and films, like one should do with the hero, one character has always had my attention, Hagrid. He was always a great adult friend to the trio, but also had a thing for dangerous creatures.

It’s easy to say Hagrid’s hut was a hangout for the trio, always going there for tea. Since the first year, Hagrid knew the trio were trouble but always was willing to lend a helping hand or try to talk reason into them. I think Hagrid felt he fit into this group of misfits lead by Harry, who he cared very much about. Hagrid had a good heart and the trio viewed him as a peer rather than an adult because of it. This drew me to Hagrid from the start, as he was always there for the trio.

One thing was also apparent with Hagrid, dangerous creatures and him went hand in hand. The more dangerous they were, the better for Hagrid. As the series went on, the ante was always upped with his pets. I always found Hagrid’s love for/interest in deadly creatures appealing, often speaking out about how much they are misunderstood. While he knew how to care for the creatures, mishaps with creatures often got him and the creature in hot water.

Hagrid was always that one character that had me wondered what he was going to do next. He was just as unpredictable as the pets he kept.

KELLY: The Harry Potter series is so amazing because of ALL the characters. Good or bad, the combination of them all is what makes the series so great.

That being said, in terms of favorite characters, most of mine have already been mentioned. I have always found it very difficult to choose a favorite between Luna, Hermione, and Hagrid. Luna makes me proud to be a Ravenclaw, without Hermione the books would be seriously lacking, and Hagrid is just one of the most lovable characters ever created. So, taking them out of the equation leaves the one and only… *drumroll please*… Neville Longbottom!

Sure Neville isn’t the most complex or interesting character, but on the lovability scale, he is off the charts right along with Hagrid. Neville starts off as this goofy little boy who adds some comic relief, but when you hear his back-story about his parents’ torture and how his grandmother is disappointed in him it really tugs at your heartstrings. In the Deathly Hallows, when Harry, Ron, and Hermione hear about Neville leading Dumbledore’s Army with Luna and Ginny, you feel proud of him. Then, when he comes out of the portrait hole to meet them and he tells them everything that’s been going on at Hogwarts and how he’s been beaten, you feel even more proud! One of my favorite scenes of the entire film is when he pulls the sword out of the sorting hat and kind of saves the day. I absolutely love it.

I also need to give a shout out to Fred & George because they’re absolutely hilarious.

Next: Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them Script to Be Published

Our Wizard’s Council meets every other week, unless there is an emergency session. Check out our other entries here.

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