Order of the Phoenix (fiction)

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Order of the Phoenix
Some Order of the Phoenix members in the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix film adaptation, from left to right: Alastor Moody, Nymphadora Tonks, Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, Albus Dumbledore
Universe Harry Potter
Location 12 Grimmauld Place, London[HP5][HP6]
The Burrow[HP7]
Leader Albus Dumbledore
Purpose To prevent Lord Voldemort from conquering the world
Affiliations Dumbledore's Army
Enemies Lord Voldemort, Death Eaters

The Order of the Phoenix is a fictional secret organisation in the Harry Potter series of books written by J. K. Rowling. Founded by Albus Dumbledore to fight Lord Voldemort and his followers, the Death Eaters, the Order lends its name to the fifth book of the series, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.


Before the Harry Potter series starts – when the character Lord Voldemort declared war on the wizarding world – Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and a highly upstanding and powerful citizen of the wizarding world attempted to take control of the situation by founding the Order of the Phoenix.[citation needed] Several characters joined the organisation, seeking to prevent Voldemort from taking over the wizarding world and establishing a tyrannical new world order. During this period, before the events of the Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, the Order sustained heavy losses, including the murders of minor characters such as the Prewetts, the Bones and the McKinnons. The Longbottoms were also tortured to insanity at the hands of Bellatrix Lestrange.

Voldemort's first reign of terror ended after the murders of James and Lily Potter, and the unsuccessful attempt to murder Harry James Potter at the beginning of the series. The spell rebounded on to him, and severely diminished Voldemort's powers and as a result the Order was temporarily disbanded due to the lack of any further threat.


The Order led the fight against Voldemort in the fifth instalment during which the Minister of Magic refused to accept the return of Voldemort. In the fifth book, some Order members took turns guarding Sybill Trelawney's prophecy, which referred to Voldemort's downfall and Harry's role in defeating him. Rubeus Hagrid, the Hogwarts Grounds Keeper and an original Member of the Order, was accompanied by Olympe Maxime in an attempt to recruit the giants to the Order's cause. Some members also participated in a battle at the Department of Mysteries near the end of the fifth book. Order members patrolled Hogwarts, the Wizarding school, on the night of Dumbledore's death in Half-Blood Prince, fighting the Death Eaters who managed to enter the castle.


As the Order was created primarily to combat Voldemort and his Death Eaters, it is unknown if the Order stayed together after Voldemort's death at the end of the story, or whether it disbanded as it had after Voldemort's first fall.

Members of the Order[edit]



Character Accomplishments and Operations
Sirius Black Escaped from Azkaban and proceeded to serve in the revived Order. Helped defeat two Death Eaters in battle. Killed by his cousin Bellatrix Lestrange, in a battle within the Department of Mysteries. Also Godfather to Harry and best friend to James Potter. Left his house and Kreacher to Harry.
Aberforth Dumbledore Brother of Albus Dumbledore. Bartender of The Hog's Head in Hogsmeade village and possibly a member of the revived Order. Able to obtain useful information for the Order due to his post. Assisted Harry in avoiding Death Eaters and entering Hogwarts in Deathly Hallows. He sent Dobby to rescue Harry and other prisoners from the cellar of Malfoy Manor. He also helped defend the school during the Battle of Hogwarts, defeating Augustus Rookwood.
Albus Dumbledore Founder of the original Order and revived it following Voldemort's return to power. Headmaster of Hogwarts for several decades. Regarded as the greatest wizard of his time, and as the only wizard Lord Voldemort ever feared. Killed by Severus Snape, but planned his death.
Frank and Alice Longbottom Neville Longbottom's parents. They were also prominent Aurors, and had "thrice defied" Voldemort by 1981. Tortured to the point of insanity with the Cruciatus Curse by a group of Death Eaters led by Bellatrix Lestrange, who were looking for information on Voldemort's whereabouts. Since then, Frank and Alice reside in a closed ward of St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries. James Payton portrayed Frank Longbottom briefly in Order of the Phoenix.
Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody A member of the original Order during the first Wizarding War. Was brought out of retirement by Albus Dumbledore but was attacked, imprisoned, and impersonated by Bartemius Crouch Jr. Was scheduled to teach the post of Defence Against the Dark Arts in the fourth book. Also rejoined to serve in the revived Order. Killed by Voldemort as he accompanied Mundungus Fletcher (disguised as Harry Potter) to a safehouse. His eye was later taken by the Death Eaters and recovered by Harry Potter.
Peter Pettigrew Nicknamed "Wormtail" in his childhood for his unregistered Animagus form, he was friend to Sirius Black, James Potter and Remus Lupin. He later defected to the Death Eaters and betrayed James and Lily Potter, which resulted in their deaths. Killed by his own magical hand, which had been fashioned for him by Voldemort for his job well done in catching Harry and bringing Harry to Voldemort.
Sturgis Podmore A member of the Ministry of Magic who guarded the Prophecy until he was arrested by a Ministry security guard for trying to break into the Department of Mysteries. For this, he was sentenced to Azkaban for six months. Harry, Ron and Hermione speculated that Lucius Malfoy had placed him under the Imperius Curse. It was once revealed that he was in possession of an invisibility cloak.
Lily and James Potter Killed by Voldemort, who was attempting to kill their one and a half-year old son Harry.

Members of the reconstituted Order[edit]


Character Accomplishments and Operations
Fleur Delacour Most likely joined after becoming engaged to Bill Weasley. Helped move Harry from the Dursleys to the Burrow and nursed Harry and his friends in Shell Cottage after Dobby's death in Deathly Hallows. She was the only female Triwizard Champion of Tournament fought at Hogwarts, and was unable to complete both the Second and Third Tasks. Fought in the Battle of Hogwarts.

Order members[edit]


Sirius Black[edit]

Sirius Black, nicknamed Padfoot, is the last heir to the House of Black, a once notable pure-blood Wizarding family. He is the brother of Regulus Arcturus Black and a cousin of Bellatrix Lestrange. He rejected his family's pure-blood elitism and reverence for the Dark Arts. In contrast to his home life, Sirius greatly enjoyed life at Hogwarts. He was proud of the fact that he was the only Black to be sorted into Gryffindor. He was inseparable from his best friend James 'Prongs' Potter and befriended Remus 'Moony' Lupin and Peter 'Wormtail' Pettigrew.

Sirius, along with James, bullied Professor Snape, nicknaming him "Snivellus", from his first name, Severus, while they were at school. Sirius left home at the age of sixteen and took refuge with James and his parents. His outraged mother burned his name off the family tree, but he was left financially independent by his Uncle Alphard's generous bequest (hence Alphard's name was burnt off as well). After leaving school, he remained close friends with James and became close to his wife, Lily, after being best man at their wedding. When Harry was born, the Potters named Sirius as his godfather.

When the Potters went into hiding from Voldemort, Sirius was going to be their Secret-Keeper. Sirius, however, convinced James and Lily to switch Secret-Keepers at the last moment to Peter Pettigrew, believing that Voldemort would never think to hunt him and would attack Sirius instead. However, Pettigrew betrayed James and Lily, and they were murdered by Voldemort.

Harry survived and was rescued by Rubeus Hagrid, the gamekeeper of Hogwarts. Sirius asked Hagrid to give Harry to him, since he was Harry's godfather, but Hagrid, under Dumbledore's orders, refused and instead took Harry to live with the Dursleys. Sirius gave Hagrid his flying motorbike, saying he wouldn't need it. In his rage, Sirius tracked Pettigrew down, but during the confrontation Pettigrew faked his own death and killed twelve Muggles, framing Sirius for betraying the Potters and murdering Pettigrew and the Muggles. Sirius was arrested and sent to Azkaban without trial by Bartemius Crouch Senior. Unlike most of the other Azkaban prisoners, Sirius was able to keep his sanity because he knew he was innocent.

Twelve years later in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Sirius sees a picture of the Weasley family on the front cover of the Daily Prophet, in which a rat stands perched on Ron's shoulder. The rat is Ron's pet, Scabbers, and Sirius immediately recognises Pettigrew in his Animagus form, seeing a toe was missing. This knowledge clears his mind and enables him to escape Azkaban, accomplishing this feat by transforming into his Animagus dog form. His severe weight loss from malnutrition and the Dementors' lack of ability to differentiate between unsophisticated canine emotions and insanity allows him to slip through his cell bars. He then swims to shore. After his escape, Sirius takes refuge in and around Hogsmeade. Knowing that the Dementors are stationed around Hogsmeade and at Hogwarts, Sirius remains in his Animagus form during this time, and is able to enter the Hogwarts grounds without being detected by the Dementors. He makes several unsuccessful attempts to kill Pettigrew, until his presence is detected by the students and teachers of Hogwarts when he tries to enter Gryffindor Tower, and the school's security is increased. Towards the end of Prisoner of Azkaban, Harry, Ron, and Hermione confront Sirius and Harry attempts to kill him. Lupin, however, who has learned that Sirius is innocent after seeing Pettigrew's name on the Marauder's Map he had previously confiscated from Harry, prevents Harry from doing so.

Scabbers is unmasked as Pettigrew, and Harry begins to view Sirius as a surrogate father, Sirius even offering to let Harry live with him. However events swiftly turn against him again – Pettigrew escapes and Sirius is captured by the Dementors at Hogwarts and sentenced to the "Dementor's Kiss". Harry and Hermione help him escape with Buckbeak, a hippogriff who had also been unjustly condemned. In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Sirius advises Harry on how to complete the Triwizard Tournament tasks, and provides background on Death Eaters.

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, he takes refuge in his ancient family home at 12, Grimmauld Place, which he allows to be used as the Order headquarters. His confinement on Dumbledore's orders causes depression, and he is frequently withdrawn and antagonistic. He hates the House-Elf Kreacher, who for him represents the House he hated. Kreacher meanwhile resents Sirius for his difference to the rest of the Black Family. When he briefly leaves the house to see Harry off to Hogwarts, his Animagus form is recognised by Draco and Lucius Malfoy, resulting in more threats and warnings. Sirius acts as an older brother figure to Harry throughout the book but, according to Rowling, "what Harry craves is a father."[3] Sirius encourages Harry to oppose Dolores Umbridge and her reforms, and strongly approves of Harry starting the secret defensive tutorial group for students, Dumbledore's Army. He also demonstrates a high level of trust in and respect for Harry, willingly answering his questions about the Order and Voldemort. With his growing power, Voldemort implants a false vision into Harry's mind that Sirius is captive and under torture at the Department of Mysteries. Convinced that Voldemort is torturing Sirius, Harry and his friends gain access to the Department of Mysteries. When they are ambushed by Death Eaters, Harry realises that Voldemort has lured him into a trap. Snape, however, alerts the Order that the students have gone to the Ministry after confirming that Sirius is safe at Grimmauld Place. Several Order members arrive at the Ministry, Sirius among them, and battle the Death Eaters. During a frenzied duel with his hated cousin Bellatrix Lestrange, Sirius taunts her for failing to harm him. Bellatrix strikes Sirius with a curse, sending him backwards into an enchanted archway in the Death Chamber thus causing his death, from which Harry finds it hard to recover. Sirius's will stated that his possessions, home and house-elf Kreacher are to be inherited by Harry.

Sirius makes a final appearance toward the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when he is summoned in semi-living substantial form from beyond the veil by the Resurrection Stone to help Harry walk through the Forbidden Forest and sacrifice his life to Voldemort. Later, it was revealed that Harry named his first child James Sirius Potter, after his father James and his godfather Sirius.


Sirius' name is a reference to the Dog Star, which is also called Sirius (his animagus form is a large black dog). It is the brightest star in the night sky. In the film versions, Sirius has curly, brown hair with blue eyes. In the book, he is described as having straight (while matted and tousled) black hair and grey eyes.

Fleur Delacour[edit]

Fleur Isabelle Delacour is a student of Beauxbatons Academy in France, and is selected as a champion in the prestigious Triwizard Tournament. Her maternal grandmother is a Veela, from whom Fleur inherited her silvery-blonde hair, pale eyes, good looks, and ability to enchant men. It is revealed in the Tournament wand inspection that the core of Fleur's wand is a Veela hair from the head of her grandmother. During the Triwizard Tournament, Fleur is initially aloof and unfriendly despite receiving much admiration from the boys, especially Ron. During the second task of the Tournament, she attempts to rescue her sister Gabrielle Delacour from the lake, but fails, hindered by the Grindylows. When Harry rescues Gabrielle instead, Fleur is extremely grateful, despite her sister being in no real danger, and becomes much warmer towards both Harry and Hogwarts. Fleur takes last place in the Triwizard Tournament due to being stunned during the last task. In the following year, Fleur works at Gringotts with Bill Weasley, whom she already met during the Tournament, and the pair get engaged. Bill is attacked by werewolf Fenrir Greyback and severely mauled near the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. However, since Greyback is in his human form at the time of the attack, Bill suffers only partial lycanthropic contamination. Though Molly Weasley, who largely disapproves of Fleur, assumes that she will no longer wish to marry Bill, Fleur is adamant that their wedding plans go unchanged and proudly declares that Bill's wounds are a sign of his bravery in her eyes, adding, 'I am good looking enough for the both of us' anyway. This loving loyalty to her fiancé earns her much respect from most of Bill's erstwhile disapproving family, especially Molly, who are finally forced to admit that their love is genuine.

In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Fleur and Bill take part in the operation to escort Harry safely to the Burrow, and they witness Mad-Eye Moody being killed by Voldemort. The couple have their wedding at the Burrow, but the event is interrupted when Death Eaters attack after the fall of the Ministry of Magic. The newlyweds later provide a safe haven for the trio and others rescued from Malfoy Manor at Shell Cottage, their home. Both Bill and Fleur are combatants for the Order during the Battle of Hogwarts, and survive the battle. The couple go on to have three children: Victoire, Dominique and Louis.[5]


Aberforth Dumbledore[edit]

Aberforth Dumbledore is Albus Dumbledore's brother. He is the younger brother by some three years, and the less skilled of the two; as such, he is usually left in the background while his brother basks in the glory of his comparative success. After his parents' deaths and Albus's return home to look after their unstable sister Ariana, Aberforth quarrels with his brother and his brother's friend, Gellert Grindelwald, over their plans to start a new order, neglecting Ariana. Grindlewald began torturing him, leading to the three dueling. This argument results in Ariana's accidental death at the hands of one of them. At Ariana's funeral, Aberforth publicly confronts Albus and strikes him, breaking his nose. Eventually, Aberforth becomes the bartender of the Hog's Head inn. He is known for his strong affinity with goats. His Patronus takes the form of a goat, and it is said that as a child he fed the goats in company with his sister, Ariana. His tavern also, according to Harry's description in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, has a faint smell of goats. In the film adaptation, a bleating goat can be seen shuffling about in the back of the pub.

It is not until Deathly Hallows that Aberforth plays an important role in the series by taking Harry, Ron, and Hermione into his bar before the Death Eaters can capture them. Aberforth later reveals to the trio some facts they did not know about the history of the Dumbledore family. While being held prisoner in Malfoy Manor, Harry briefly glimpses Aberforth's eye in the remaining shard of the two-way mirror he was given by Sirius. Aberforth bought its counterpart from Mundungus Fletcher. Using the mirror to watch over the trio, Aberforth sends Dobby to rescue them and some other prisoners from the Manor. He liked Dobby and was upset to hear Bellatrix Lestrange killed him. Aberforth allows the resistance fighters to use a secure passageway from the Hog's Head to the Room of Requirement through Ariana's portrait, it being the only unguarded entrance to Hogwarts. The same passage is used to evacuate underage students from Hogwarts and, according to Neville, it was also used by members of Dumbledore's Army to get food when they were living in the Room of Requirement. Aberforth leaves the Order, believing the war against Voldemort is lost. However, he quickly joins the Battle of Hogwarts, and is last seen stunning Augustus Rookwood. According to Rowling, Aberforth survives the battle, and is still "at the Hog's Head, playing with his goats".[6]


Arabella Figg[edit]

Arabella Doreen Figg, better known simply as Mrs Figg, a squib, surreptitiously watches over Harry while he is at home with the Dursleys. She is a Chekhov's gun, first mentioned as a seemingly insignificant neighbour who takes care of Harry in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. She has a lifelong love of cats and does "a roaring trade" in crossbred Cats and Kneazles, their magical variant.[8] Though she maintains a good Muggle cover, Mrs Figg is a Squib, a non-magical being born to a family of wizards. Within the Order of the Phoenix, Mrs Figg functions as one of Dumbledore's liaisons between the magical and Muggle worlds. In Order of the Phoenix, she aids Harry after he and his cousin Dudley Dursley are attacked by two Dementors, and chooses to reveal herself to him. Mrs Figg explains to Harry that she deliberately made Harry's stays with her unpleasant so that the Dursleys would continue to send him to her, though she would have preferred to do otherwise. When the Ministry of Magic tries to have Harry expelled from Hogwarts for under-age use of magic (after he cast a Patronus charm to protect himself and his cousin) Mrs Figg's testimony before the Wizengamot is crucial in allowing Harry to stay at Hogwarts. However, according to Rowling, Squibs are incapable of seeing Dementors.[8] In Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Mrs Figg attends Dumbledore's funeral at Hogwarts.

Mrs Figg was portrayed by Kathryn Hunter in the film adaptation of Order of the Phoenix.

Mundungus Fletcher[edit]





Remus Lupin[edit]

Remus John Lupin, nicknamed Moony, first appears in Prisoner of Azkaban as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts professor. Most of the students hold him in extremely high regard and love his hands-on teaching style. During his tenure, he gives Harry private lessons in casting the Patronus Charm, to aid him in fighting off the Dementors patrolling the Hogwarts grounds. It is revealed in the climax of Prisoner of Azkaban that Lupin is a werewolf. He turns into a werewolf at every full moon and only retains his human mind while transformed by drinking the Wolfsbane Potion prepared for him by Snape. Dumbledore, one of the few wizards who is sympathetic towards his condition, made arrangements for Lupin to attend Hogwarts as a child, where he became close friends with James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew. Until the climax of Prisoner of Azkaban, Lupin believes Sirius to be guilty of betraying James and Lily and killing Pettigrew. Upon discovering that Sirius is innocent, and that the very much alive Pettigrew is the traitor, Lupin helps Sirius explain the truth to Harry, Ron, and Hermione in the Shrieking Shack. However, Lupin had forgotten to take the Wolfsbane Potion that night and so he reverts disastrously to beast form, retaining no control over his actions. Sirius, in dog form, drives Lupin safely away from the others into the Forbidden Forest, where he wakes the next morning restored to his human body and mind. Snape, however, furious over Sirius's eventual escape and his resultant loss of the Order of Merlin promised to him by Cornelius Fudge, publicly reveals the nature of Lupin's lycanthropy. Anticipating a public outcry in response to the threat he himself agrees he poses for students, Lupin resigns from his post.


By the opening of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, it is revealed that Lupin and Tonks have married. Later in the book, Lupin informs Harry, Ron and Hermione that Tonks is pregnant. However, feeling ashamed that he has turned Tonks into an outcast and guilty that his unborn child has a high chance of inheriting lycanthropy, Lupin plans to leave Tonks and their baby. This results in an intense argument between him and Harry, who insists that Lupin's actions are cowardly. Eventually, Lupin recognises the truth in Harry's words and returns to his wife in time for the birth of their son, Teddy Lupin, and subsequently asks Harry to be the boy's Godfather, which he accepts. Lupin remains active in the Order throughout the year and he provides the casualty reports section on the pirate radio station Potterwatch under the pseudonym of Romulus. Lupin commands a group of defenders on the school grounds during the Battle of Hogwarts. Both Lupin and his wife die in combat, killed by Antonin Dolohov and Bellatrix Lestrange respectively. At the time of his death, Lupin was the last surviving member of his group of friends.[1] Rowling has since stated that she originally intended for both Lupin and Tonks to survive,[9] but finally killed them off to compensate for the last-minute reprieve she gave to Arthur Weasley in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.[10][11] Lupin, along with Sirius, James, and Lily, makes one last appearance in the series when Harry uses the Resurrection Stone to bring them forth to comfort him. Lupin expresses his regret that Teddy will never know his father, but says that he will know why he died: trying to make a world in which his son could live a better life.


Both Harry Potter director David Yates and J.K Rowling have stated that Remus Lupin is their favourite character of the whole series.[12] Both Lupin's first name, Remus, and the pseudonym he uses on Potterwatch, Romulus, are a reference to the Roman mythological twin brothers Romulus and Remus, who are said to have had a wolf foster-mother. Furthermore, Remus' last name, Lupin, refers to the Latin word lupus, which means wolf.

Alastor Moody[edit]


In Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, Moody is appointed as the new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, coming out of retirement as a favour to Dumbledore. Shortly before the school year begins, however, Moody is attacked by Barty Crouch, Jr., who subdues him with the Imperius Curse and takes Polyjuice Potion to assume his appearance. He keeps the real Moody alive as a source both of Polyjuice potion ingredients and of personal information helpful in putting the impersonation over, and takes Moody's place at Hogwarts teaching Defence against the Dark Arts. Moody's well-known habit of carrying around his own drinks in a private hip flask allows Crouch to take the Polyjuice Potion as needed without raising suspicion. Crouch/Moody becomes noted for teaching and demonstrating normally higher-level topics to Harry's fourth-year class (such as the Unforgivable Curses), being a demanding teacher who expects students to work, as well as punishing Draco Malfoy by transforming him into a ferret to stick up for Harry when Malfoy was tormenting him. Crouch/Moody also mentors Harry, encouraging and tutoring him in the three Tournament tasks. After Harry unexpectedly returns alive from the graveyard battle with Voldemort, Crouch/Moody takes Harry back to his office, questions him about Voldemort and the graveyard, and reveals that he is working for Voldemort. He then prepares to kill Harry, but Dumbledore, McGonagall, and Snape stop him. Having neglected to take his hourly dose of Polyjuice potion, Crouch transforms back to his own appearance and, under the influence of Veritaserum potion, confesses everything. Dumbledore then rescues the real Moody from his magic trunk.[13]

In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, the real Moody has joined the newly re-formed Order, and leads the party transferring Harry from 4 Privet Drive to Number 12 Grimmauld Place. He appears at the climax of that book, arriving to the battle at the Department of Mysteries after being tipped off by Snape. He also appears with Lupin and Tonks at the very end, when they give the Dursleys a warning concerning their treatment of Harry.[14] Moody only features briefly in Half-Blood Prince. In Deathly Hallows he is killed by Voldemort after being abandoned by Mundungus Fletcher, who is acting as a decoy. The survivors are unable to recover his body, but later his eye is found by Harry upon Dolores Umbridge's door, being used by Umbridge to spy on Ministry of Magic employees. Harry retrieves the eye, disgusted that it would be used in such a way, and later buries it at the base of an old tree in Mad-Eye's memory.

Moody is portrayed by Brendan Gleeson in the film series.

James Potter[edit]

The Potters as illustrated by Mary GrandPré.

James Potter, nicknamed Prongs, is the father of Harry Potter. As an only child, James is very pampered as "an extra treasure" because his parents were already elderly when he was born.[15][16] James met Sirius Black, Remus Lupin and Peter Pettigrew when they entered Hogwarts. When James, Sirius and Peter discovered that Remus is in fact a werewolf, the three of them illegally learned to become Animagi to accompany Remus safely during his transformations and keep him under control. It is during this time that they discovered almost all the secret passageways of Hogwarts and designed the Marauder's Map. At school, James is said to have been a talented player on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. In the film version of Philosopher's Stone, Harry and his friends find James's name listed on a plaque as a Seeker on his Quidditch team; however, Rowling stated in an interview that she intended him to be a Chaser.[17]

Rowling describes James and Harry as having similar attributes: the same thin face, same hands, and the same untidy black hair sticking up at the back, and nearly the same height as his son during their school days. However, Rowling also describes James as having hazel eyes and a slightly longer nose than Harry does. Like Harry, James is generally described to be a good, loyal friend who "regarded it as the height of dishonour to mistrust his friends."[18] Characters in the books often comment on James's personality, about which Rowling comments that "there was a lot of good in James".[16] The Hogwarts student population seems to have admired James back in his day, and teachers respected his talent, though not his behaviour. His popularity, however, was not universal, as a mutual hatred sprang up between him and Snape.[19] Snape constantly tells Harry that James was "exceedingly arrogant",[20] and on one occasion, Sirius admits that he and James could sometimes be "arrogant little berks" but that "[James] grew out of it" (which Lily is said to have noted by their seventh year). He became Head Boy in his seventh year along with Lily Evans as Head Girl.[21] In Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, after seeing a scene from Snape's memories within a Pensieve of a fifteen-year-old James and Sirius bullying Snape, Harry agrees with Snape's assessment of his father's arrogance. According to Dumbledore in Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, however, James and Snape shared a rivalry not unlike that of Draco Malfoy and Harry. In addition, Lupin tells Harry that Snape "never lost an opportunity to curse James".[21] According to Rowling in a recent interview: "James always suspected Snape harboured deeper feelings for Lily, which was a factor in James's behaviour to Snape".[1] However, when Sirius attempts to goad Snape into the Shrieking Shack where Lupin stayed after transforming into a werewolf, James saves Snape's life.

After graduating from Hogwarts, James – along with Lily and his friends – become "full-time fighters" for the Order, and do not hold regular jobs, supporting his family and Lupin, whose status as a werewolf made him unemployable, on family gold.[22] In an interview, Rowling revealed that James and Lily were asked by Voldemort to join the Death Eaters, but refused, making it "one strike against them before they were even out of their teens".[23] When his son Harry becomes Voldemort's target, the Potters go into hiding and name Pettigrew as their secret keeper. However, on 31 October 1981, the Potters' whereabouts is betrayed by Pettigrew, and they are attacked by Voldemort without warning at their home in Godric's Hollow. James urges his wife to take Harry and run while he holds Voldemort off. Wandless, he is killed. He briefly appears in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire as a result of Priori Incantatem, when Harry's wand and Voldemort's meet, showing the most recent spells cast by each – in the case of Voldemort's wand, the most recent lives taken. He then appears at the end of the final book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows through the use of the Resurrection stone.



Lily Potter[edit]

Lily Potter (née Evans) is the mother of Harry Potter. Born 30 January 1960, she is described as being very pretty,[26] with startlingly green almond-shaped eyes and thick, long, dark red hair. In addition, Lily is one of the brightest students of her year, with a natural and intuitive ability at Potions.[27][28] She is one of the "all-time favourite students" of Horace Slughorn, who describes her as "vivacious", "charming", "very brave", and "very funny".[28][29] Rowling describes Lily as being "a bit of a catch"; she was a popular girl for whom many boys had romantic feelings.[15] Although Lily is Muggle-born, she is an extremely gifted witch at the top of her class. She was named a prefect in her fifth and sixth years at Hogwarts, and became Head Girl in her seventh year. Lily's sister Petunia Dursley despised her for being a witch and viewed her as a "freak", although Petunia is later revealed to have been jealous of her abilities. Rowling stated that Lily did receive warning letters for testing the limits of the statute of secrecy.[30] Lily's Patronus is a doe, presumably to pair with James's Animagus shape of a stag (also the form of Harry's patronus).[1][31]

After witnessing a memory from Snape about Lily's and James's time as Hogwarts students, Harry gathers the impression that Lily hated James, but Sirius and Lupin assure him that she did not; they "simply got off on the wrong foot".[21] Rowling confirmed this view when asked how Lily and James had gotten together if Lily hated him.[15] Lupin tells Harry that after James matured and changed his attitude, Lily started dating him in their seventh year.[21] Rowling later echoed Lupin's words, describing it as James having to "[tone] down some of his more 'bombastic' behaviour".[16] They married soon after leaving Hogwarts with Sirius as best man at their wedding.

The old, pre-Hogwarts friendship between Lily and Snape is fully revealed in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, along with the fact that Snape harboured unrequited romantic feelings for Lily from childhood. Rowling states that while Lily loved Snape as a friend, she might have returned those romantic feelings if Snape had not become so seriously involved in the Dark Arts.[32] Their relationship ends in their fifth year at Hogwarts, when Snape, angry and humiliated, unthinkingly calls Lily a "Mudblood" after she defended him against James and Sirius. After leaving Hogwarts, Snape became a Death Eater and informed Voldemort of half of an overheard prophecy, which Voldemort takes to refer to Lily and her son, Harry. Fearing for Lily's life, Snape joins the Order as a spy for Dumbledore, in exchange for what he hopes will be Dumbledore's protection of Lily. Voldemort offered Lily the chance to step aside before he killed Harry because of Snape's request to spare Lily's life, but Lily refused and Voldemort killed her.[33] The result of her selfless act of love manifested itself two ways: when Voldemort attempted to kill Harry with the Killing Curse the spell backfired, rendering Voldemort non-corporeal. The lingering protection afforded to Harry by Lily's sacrifice rendered Voldemort unable to touch him physically. The second way in which Harry is protected by Lily's sacrifice occurs when Petunia takes Harry in. Dumbledore told Harry that he had extended Lily's protection to Privet Drive, because Lily and Petunia are related by blood. This protection ends when Harry comes of age at 17.


Harry's dead parents are seen five times in the books (not counting their appearances in numerous magical photographs). Firstly in Philosopher's Stone Harry sees James and Lily in the Mirror of Erised. Secondly during Harry's struggle with Voldemort in Goblet of Fire they appear momentarily, along with other victims killed by Voldemort's wand. They appear in Snape's memories in both Order of the Phoenix and Deathly Hallows, and finally later in Deathly Hallows when Harry makes his self-sacrificing walk in the forest, determined to let Voldemort kill him without offering resistance, Harry's parents walk at his side and Lily tells him how proud they are of him.

In an interview[35] conducted by Daniel Radcliffe, Rowling revealed that Lily Potter's maiden name, Evans, was based on the real name of the author George Eliot, Mary Anne Evans.


Kingsley Shacklebolt[edit]





Nymphadora Tonks[edit]

Nymphadora Tonks is a Metamorphmagus, and an Auror. Her name means "Gift of the Nymphs", similar to "Theodore" ("God's Gift") and "Isidore" ("Isis's Gift"). She despises her given name and prefers to be called by her surname alone. She is still referred to as "Tonks" by her peers even after her marriage.





Arthur Weasley[edit]

Arthur Weasley is the patriarch of the Weasley family, a family of wizards who are considered "blood traitors" by Death Eaters for their interest in the Muggle world. He is married to Molly Weasley with whom he has seven children, including Ron, Harry's best friend. During his time at Hogwarts, Arthur belonged to the house of Gryffindor. Arthur is described as being tall and thin, and as having a receding hairline and wire-rimmed glasses. An affable, light-hearted man, he tends not to be the authority figure in the family; his wife Molly handles that area. Arthur works for the Ministry of Magic, initially in the Misuse of Muggle Artefacts Office. He is obsessed with learning about Muggle customs and inventions and owns a large collection of mostly Muggle used items. His department lacks funding, and his salary is insufficient to provide for a vast family, leaving his family finances precarious.





Bill Weasley[edit]



Bill fights against the Death Eaters' attack at Hogwarts near the end of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, where he is attacked by werewolf Fenrir Greyback who disfigures him. However, since Greyback is in his human form at the time of the attack, Bill suffers only partial lycanthropy contamination. Furthermore, Fleur, who declares his wounds as a proud sign of his bravery, is loyally adamant that their wedding proceed as scheduled, impressing Bill's family about the match's strength. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Fleur and Bill take part in getting Harry escorted safely from the Dursleys' house, and they witness Mad-Eye Moody being killed by Voldemort himself, which they announce upon their return to the Burrow. The couple have their wedding there and later provide safe haven for the trio and several others in Shell Cottage. Both Bill and Fleur were combatants for the Order during the Battle of Hogwarts and both survived the battle. Bill and Fleur later have three children: Victoire, Dominique and Louis.[5]


Charlie Weasley[edit]

Charlie Weasley is the second son of Arthur and Molly Weasley and is described as having a build like that of his brothers Fred and George: shorter and stockier than Bill, Percy and Ron. He has a broad, good natured face, which is slightly weather beaten and very freckly. His arms are muscly, and one of them has a long shiny burn. While at Hogwarts, he was a prefect,[40] a Quidditch Captain, and a legendary Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team. After school, Charlie chooses to go to Romania to work with dragons as a Dragon Keeper. At Harry, Ron and Hermione's request, he takes Hagrid's baby dragon, Norbert, an illegally hatched Norwegian Ridgeback, into his care in Harry's first year, and he is part of a team of Dragon Keepers that bring four dragons of different breeds to Hogwarts in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire for the First Task of the Triwizard Tournament. During the second rise of Voldemort, Charlie's task in the Order is to try to rally support abroad. Charlie returns to the Burrow in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows to participate in his brother Bill's wedding as best man. He enters the later part of the Battle of Hogwarts, alongside Horace Slughorn, at the head of reinforcements for the Order, and survives the battle without serious injury. He does not marry or have children, since he "preferred dragons to women", according to Rowling.[5]

Alex Crockford appeared as Charlie in a brief cameo in the film adaptation of Prisoner of Azkaban.

Molly Weasley[edit]





The Chicago Tribune's Courtney Crowder lists Molly Weasley as her favourite literary mother, describing her as the "original Mama Grizzly", citing her many touching moments with Harry as well as the final book in the series, where "her feelings jumped off the page" as testament to her strong personality. Crowder summarises Molly's character as "levelheaded, yet willing to fight, intelligent, welcoming, and above all, extremely loving".[43] In a Mother's Day article Molly was also voted the third greatest celebrity mum by The Flowers and Plants association who see the character as "formidable, practical, creative and resourceful".[44] Bob Smietana of Christianity Today links Molly's defence of Ginny in the final book into a wider theme in the series about the strength of parental love, which he feels to carry considerable emotional weight.[45] Empire listed Molly Weasley 21st on their Top 25 Harry Potter characters.[46] Novelist Stephen King notes that, when Molly's calls Bellatrix a "bitch" after she sees the Death Eater trying to kill Ginny was "the most shocking bitch in recent fiction", and that it shows how adult the books had become.[47]

Julie Walters portrays Molly Weasley in every film except Goblet of Fire, in which her role in the novel is cut out. In 2003 her portrayal of Molly was voted the second-best screen mother ever, behind Julia Roberts' Erin Brokovich.[48]


  6. ^ Harry Potter
  11. ^ a b c Rowling: I wanted to kill parents – Wild about Harry – MSNBC.com
  13. ^ Rowling, J. K. (2000). Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. London: Bloomsbury/New York City: Scholastic, et al. UK ISBN 074754624X/U.S. ISBN 0439139597. , chapter 36
  14. ^ Rowling, J. K. (2003). Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. London: Bloomsbury/New York City: Scholastic, et al. UK ISBN 0747551006/U.S. ISBN 043935806X. , chapter 38
  16. ^ a b c "James Potter". J.K. Rowling and the Final Chapter. MSNBC. Retrieved 7 June 2008. 
  17. ^ ""About the Books: transcript of J.K. Rowling's live interview on Scholastic.com," Scholastic.com, 16 October 2000". Retrieved 15 September 2007. 
  18. ^ Rowling, J. K. (2007). Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. London: Bloomsbury/New York City: Scholastic, et al. UK ISBN 1551929767/U.S. ISBN 0545010225. , chapter 5
  20. ^ Rowling, J. K. (1999). Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. London: Bloomsbury/New York City: Scholastic, et al. UK ISBN 0747542155/U.S. ISBN 0439136350. , chapter 14
  21. ^ a b c d Rowling, J. K. (2003). Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. London: Bloomsbury/New York City: Scholastic, et al. UK ISBN 0747551006/U.S. ISBN 043935806X. , chapter 29
  25. ^ http://twitter.com/#!/benedictclarke/status/107892013030055936
  26. ^ Rowling, J. K. (2005). Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. London: Bloomsbury/New York City: Scholastic, et al. UK ISBN 0747581088/U.S. ISBN 0439784549. , chapter 34
  27. ^ Rowling, J. K. (1997). Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. London: Bloomsbury/New York City: Scholastic, et al. UK ISBN 0747532699/U.S. ISBN 0590353403. , chapter 4
  30. ^ J.K.Rowling Official Site
  31. ^ The question ("James's patronus is a stag, and Lily's is a doe, is that a coincidence?") mistakenly refers to James's Patronus as a stag, a fact never mentioned in any of the books or by Rowling. However, Rowling did not correct the mistake. She responded 'no' and merely elaborated that Patronuses can mutate to reflect "the love of one's life...because they so often become the 'happy thought' that generates a Patronus."
  36. ^ What House was Tonks In?
  38. ^ Deathly Hallows Draft

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