My Favorite Minor Characters from Harry Potter

The Harry Potter series is one of my favorite fantasy series, as it is for many people both my age range and younger. Over the seven books of the series, there have been many, many characters, either important or just mentioned in passing. Here are my favorite minor characters in Harry Potter - characters that I felt were exceptionally well written or that impacted the story significantly even though they are barely seen.

Lily and James Potter

These two characters are perhaps not considered "minor" in several circles, but they never appear alive in the story, and they exist more as a memory than an actual person. I included them together, because rarely, with the exception being the chapter "The Prince's Tale" in the seventh book, do they appear apart. Together they form an important entity, and that entity is Harry's parents. Lily and James escaped Voldemort three times, which set them up to be murdered, and then Lily's sacrifice ensured that Harry would survive. Theirs is a story of tragedy that is always floating under the surface of the entire series, even when it is not explicitly mentioned. Despite the incident in the fifth book in the Pensive (which I am inclined to forgive, as all 15 year old boys are arrogant and obnoxious), they were good people, and it is revealed that Lily herself was exceptionally kind and intelligent.

Neville Longbottom

Neville Longbottom starts out as a minor character in the series, just another named Gryffindor, and evolves into so much more. By the end of the series he might not be considered a minor character, but he starts out that way, and his evolution is one of the best character arcs in the entire series. He is the pudgy boy with questionable skill and no self confidence, who has suffered in his life more than the people around him know. He has always been brave, but never had the confidence in himself to call on that bravery. And the fact that he could have been Harry adds another layer to his character, and by the time you reach book seven, Neville is a completely different character, and a really awesome one at that.

Minerva McGonagall:

Minerva McGonagall is the severe but fair face of rule enforcement at the head of Gryffindor house. I have always loved her, for her skill in magic, her confidence in herself, and for the way she cares about her students. She is independent, strong, and interesting, even though she hardly appears outside of the role of strict Transfiguration teacher. Her loyalty to Dumbledore and her scathing wit is also great. The scenes involving her and Dolores Umbridge in The Order of the Phoenix are some of the best scenes in the entire series.

Regulus Black

Regulus Black is one of the unsung heroes of the Harry Potter series. In fact, he is often dismissed as weak-minded, cowardly and a Death Eater by even his own brother. But the reality was that he was foolish, but in the end he made the right decision, and he of the many "good" wizards was one of the only ones to treat house elves with love and respect. He, like Lily and James, is dead before the series begins. Only his note, and the tale that Kreacher tells in The Deathly Hallows brings him into the series at all. His taking of the necklace Horcrux did make the trip to the cave somewhat in vain, but Dumbledore was already on borrowed time. I find him fascinating, and can't wait for J.K. Rowling to release her Encyclopedia to find out more about his character history.

Aberforth Dumbledore

Aberforth was a character in the series long before he was actually named or revealed as the Headmaster's brother. He is the bartender at the Hog's Head that plays a small part in The Order of the Phoenix, and he comes into greater prominence in The Deathly Hallows, when he is revealed to be Albus' brother and helps Harry, Hermione and Ron. His story and his existence humanizes Dumbledore, makes him more of a character and more of a person, rather than the all-powerful and sagely Merlin figure. Aberforth is one of the few characters in the series who does not have endless faith in Dumbledore, and this sets him apart. But in the end, he was a skilled wizard, and he was where he was needed.

J.K. Rowling created a magical series, with not only three-dimensional, realistic major characters, but fleshed out and impressive minor characters as well. These were only three of the many, many characters in her books. If you'd like to know more about them, or more about the major players in the series, I suggest you go and pick up the first book in the series and start reading! You won't regret it.