Before Harry ever started at Hogwarts, he had already been in a room with some of the biggest villains of his life. Voldemort’s failed attempt to kill Harry as a baby left him stuck with the Dursleys for his childhood. The Dursleys, right from the beginning, are represented as horrible people. But they are not the only problems Harry faces in the world. When Harry finally escapes his childhood home, he is only to be faced with various new antagonists. From professors who attempt to kill him to others with a vendetta against Harry for who his parents were, Hogwarts is not the safe haven Harry hoped it would be.
But, while some villains in theHarry Potteruniverse are actively dangerous in their actions and words, others are not much more than playground bullies. Antagonists make their mark in several ways, from those specifically wishing to kill Harry to others who seem to enjoy torturing the entire student body. At the same time, all the Death Eaters are villains, but some stick out as a much more significant threat, given their direct connection to Harry and his friends. Although some may switch sides, others remain purely evil from beginning to end.
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10The Dursleys
Cruel and vile to Harry, the Dursley family are the first genuinely awful people Harry ever gets to know. Vernon and Petunia are abusive to Harry, having him sleep under the stairs, giving him oversized hand-me-downs, forcing him to do all the chores, and neglecting him entirely. Dudley is not much better, but most of his awful tendencies tend to be a mix of taking after his parents and being a child. Just beforeHarry leaves to find Horcruxes, Petunia barely shows a sense of grief for her long-dead sister, and Dudley’s statement that he does not see Harry as a waste of space suggests he had undergone some development as he grew up.
9Professor Quirrell
As the first magical antagonist Harry faces in his first year at Hogwarts, Harry does not realize he is the true culprit as most of his attention is on Professor Snape. When the reveal emerges that Professor Quirrell is the actual villain of the movie, secretly having Voldemort attached to the back of his head, it is a huge surprise. Granted, not much is explained about Quirrell other than that Voldemort’s claims of power had gotten to him. However, Quirrell does not last long in the franchise; introduced and killed in the first installment of the series.
8Gilderoy Lockhart
Unlike most of the franchise’s villains, Gilderoy has nothing to do with Voldemort. Instead, the only real threat Gilderoy poses is his arrogance and idiocy.He is a professorwho knows nothing about his class, and every lesson he teaches is meant to hype his ego. Even everything Gilderoy claims to have done is fake, as he later revealed to have wiped everyone’s memories and taken credit for everything. The worst thing Gilderoy does to the students is giving them false academic information and attempts to wipe Harry and Ron’s memories, which ultimately backfires.
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7Draco Malfoy
Although Draco may have thought he would do anything to ensure Voldemort’s rise to power, thinking about it and participating are two very different things. Draco is mostly all talk and childish bullying throughout most ofHarry Potter.Still, the second Draco is given a significant responsibility to work for Voldemort; suddenly,things take a drastic turn for him. It is not necessarily a redemption arc but a realization of what he has gotten himself into. Draco is only about seventeen when he is asked to kill Dumbledore and allow Death Eaters to enter Hogwarts. Draco’s uncertainty toward how far he is willing to go continues when the Snatchers bring in Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and Draco hesitates to identify Harry.
While Draco is undoubtedly a villain of the series, having awful beliefs and bullying Harry, Ron, and Hermione countless times, he seems to be more comfortable name-calling than taking a life.
6Peter Pettigrew
Had it not been for Peter Pettigrew, Harry’s life could have turned out completely different. But, as it stands, Pettigrew had single-handedly ruined Harry’s life because he was a coward. Furthermore, it is never suggested that Voldemort’s beliefs had been Pettigrew’s while he was a child, as why would he have been friends with James, Sirius, and Remus if that was the case? However, Pettigrew admitted that he joined Voldemort out of fear and perhaps a desire for power. But, while Pettigrew is responsible for giving away James and Lily’s location and leading Voldemort’s resurrection spell, he does not portray a thrill for evil.
5Severus Snape
Although Snape was a double agent working on Dumbledore’s side, Snape’s actions and motivations can not be ignored. As a teenager, Snape created dark spells and appeared to share Voldemort’s beliefs about muggles and muggle-borns. Snape was not an innocent victim of the Marauders' bullying. Snape was also dangerous and somehow considered Lily separate from other muggle-borns. He then went on to resent that Lily never fell in love with him while she grew to love James, and that Snape’s hatred of James grew further.
As an adult, rather than wanting to save the entire Potter family, including the innocent baby, Snape was only interested in Lily surviving Voldemort’s attack. He was perfectly fine if James and Harry died. Although Snape agreed to protect Harry to the best of his ability, he still took pleasure in bullying him and Neville senselessly throughout their Hogwarts years.
4Lucius Malfoy
Lucius is a devoted Death Eater for most of the series. He completely follows the beliefs of pure-blood supremacy and happily taunts Arthur Weasley due to financial differences and standing in the Ministry. Lucius allows Malfoy Manor to be turned into Voldemort’s headquarters, and doing so also portrays just how low on the totem pole Voldemort may see him.
Voldemort doesn’t see Lucius as someone worth keeping his wand, as Voldemort takes it from him to try and kill Harry. Lucius' evil actions go beyond other wizards as he abuses his House Elf, Dobby, until Harry finds a way to save him and sneaks Tom Riddle’s diary to Ginny. When Lucius, Narcissa, and Draco leave the battle and seemingly switch sides, it appears to come from more of a place of knowing who the true loser will be.
3Bellatrix Lestrange
Bellatrix does not get any real screen time until she is broken out of Azkaban, which is one of the ways the audience learns just how dangerous she is. As it turns out, Bellatrix has more bad blood with Neville’s family than Harry’s. Bellatrix had tortured Neville’s parents to insanity around the time Harry’s parents had been killed. Still, she is perhapsthe most loyal Death Eaterof the group. She happily tortures Hermione for information and has a maniacal enjoyment of teasing her wish to kill Ginny. Bellatrix’s death is one of the biggest payoffs in the series.
2Lord Voldemort
As the franchise’s biggest villain,Voldemort has the most considerable backstoryand significant role as an antagonist. He barely appears in most installments, other than perhaps in the finale. Many of Voldemort’s plots against Harry fail, leaving him trying to conquer the wizarding world and defeat a teenage boy at once. One of the main things that worked about Voldemort is that he does not need to be physically present for others to fear him. His name and the knowledge of what he is capable of being more than enough to speak for him. Voldemort kills without remorse and takes pleasure in torture. However, his eventual defeat is still one of the most momentous victories in the franchise.
1Dolores Umbridge
Although she is not the central villain of the series, Dolores Umbridge may be the evilest individualHarry Potterever introduces. Out of the gate, her bright pink attire juxtaposes her dark heart and nature. Umbridge’s arrival at Hogwarts is about gaining control and keeping an eye on Dumbledore and Harry. But she goes above the call, making ridiculous rules that take all the fun out of school. But, she is not just a bad professor or headmistress in the sense of academics, as she also removes magic from classes. She also tortures students and takes joy in it.
Umbridge gives detentions where students are forced to write with blood quills which leave permanent scars on their hands. Umbridge is willing to torture the students. The moment that Umbridge is dragged away by centaurs is one of the brightest moments where her character is featured.
