Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone characters

Appears from the start

An orphaned boy who, as an infant, survived the attack that killed his parents and left him with a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead. He is taken in by his aunt and uncle, the Dursleys, who despise anything out of the ordinary and raise him unloved and knowing nothing of his history. He grows up believing his parents died in a car crash, unaware that among wizards he is famous as the only person ever to survive a killing curse.

First appears in chapter 6

The youngest son in a large, warm, but not wealthy wizarding family, whom Harry meets aboard the Hogwarts Express. Loyal and quick with a joke, he is self-conscious about his hand-me-down robes and wand and about following five older brothers through the same school. He knows the wizarding world Harry is only beginning to discover and becomes his first real friend.

First appears in chapter 6

A girl born to non-magical parents, already an eager and exacting student before term begins. She first appears on the train, brisk, bossy, and reciting what she has read, and she is easily hurt beneath her know-it-all manner. Her diligence and nerve prove as useful to Harry and Ron as their daring.

Appears from the start

The enormous, warm-hearted gamekeeper of Hogwarts, trusted by Dumbledore to carry the orphaned baby Harry to safety. Years later he is sent to deliver Harry's school letter and welcome him back into the wizarding world. Fiercely devoted to Dumbledore and to Harry, he has a weakness for dangerous creatures and a habit of letting slip things he was meant to keep quiet.

Appears from the start

The headmaster of Hogwarts, regarded by many as the greatest wizard of the age. Calm, eccentric, and fond of small pleasures, he arranges for the infant Harry to be left with the Dursleys and quietly watches over him from a distance. He is one of the few the dark wizard who killed Harry's parents is said to have feared.

Appears from the start

A stern, upright witch, deputy headmistress of Hogwarts and head of Gryffindor House, who can transform into a cat. She first appears keeping watch over the Dursleys' street the night the infant Harry is left there, and later teaches Transfiguration. Strict but fair, she holds her students to exacting standards.

Also known as You-Know-Who, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named

Appears from the start

The dark wizard whose name most witches and wizards are too frightened to speak. Years before, he killed Harry's parents and tried to kill the infant Harry, but the curse rebounded, his power was broken, and he disappeared. Many believe him dead; a few fear he has only gone into hiding and will one day return.

First appears in chapter 5

A pale, haughty boy from a wealthy old wizarding family, whom Harry meets in a robe shop before either learns the other's name. Boastful about pure wizarding blood and status and contemptuous of anyone he considers beneath him, he becomes Harry's rival once they reach school and are sorted into opposing houses.

First appears in chapter 7

The dour, black-haired Potions master and head of Slytherin House. From Harry's first days he seems to single Harry out with open dislike, and Harry comes to suspect him of worse. Sharp-tongued and forbidding, he keeps his reasons entirely to himself.

First appears in chapter 5

The nervous, stammering teacher of Defence Against the Dark Arts, who wears a large turban and seems frightened of his own subject. Harry first meets him in a wizarding pub before term begins. He comes across as timid and harmless.

First appears in chapter 7

A round-faced, forgetful, and easily frightened boy sorted into Gryffindor alongside Harry. Raised by a formidable grandmother, he is anxious and accident-prone and slower than his classmates to find his footing, but well-meaning and quietly braver than he seems.