Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone Characters: Full List & Analysis

Who drives the story

Main characters

Harry Potter

A scrawny, black-haired, green-eyed orphan with a lightning scar, raised in a cupboard by the Dursleys, who learns on his eleventh birthday that he is a wizard — and famous. He wants a family and a home; he finds both at Hogwarts, and survives Voldemort's return by the protection his mother's love left in his skin.

Appears in:: Part 1: The Cupboard Under the Stairs; Part 2: Wands, Wraiths, and the Sorting Hat; Part 3: Trolls, Brooms, and a Mirror of Dreams; Part 4: Through the Trapdoor
Themes:: Love as protection; Belonging and found family; Choices over ability; Appearances deceive; Courage of the ordinary

Ron Weasley

Harry's red-haired, freckled best friend, sixth of seven children in a poor but loving pure-blood family. He is loyal to the last, sacrificing himself in the life-sized chess match that lets Harry reach the Stone.

Appears in:: Part 2: Wands, Wraiths, and the Sorting Hat; Part 3: Trolls, Brooms, and a Mirror of Dreams; Part 4: Through the Trapdoor
Themes:: Choices over ability; Courage of the ordinary

Hermione Granger

A bushy-haired, bossy Muggle-born who has memorised her textbooks before term begins, with a great fear of failure beneath the swottiness. Her logic and nerve — and a lie to protect her friends — turn two boys into her best friends.

Appears in:: Part 2: Wands, Wraiths, and the Sorting Hat; Part 3: Trolls, Brooms, and a Mirror of Dreams; Part 4: Through the Trapdoor
Themes:: Choices over ability; Courage of the ordinary

Rubeus Hagrid

The half-giant gamekeeper, expelled from Hogwarts with his wand snapped, who delivers Harry's letter, his squashed birthday cake, and his first taste of kindness. Fiercely loyal to Dumbledore, careless with dangerous creatures — he bought the three-headed dog from a hooded stranger.

Appears in:: Part 1: The Cupboard Under the Stairs; Part 2: Wands, Wraiths, and the Sorting Hat; Part 4: Through the Trapdoor

Albus Dumbledore

Hogwarts' headmaster, the only wizard Voldemort fears, with silver hair, a beard tucked into his belt, and half-moon spectacles. He moves the pieces quietly: the cloak, the mirror, the last-minute House Cup points.

Appears in:: Part 1: The Cupboard Under the Stairs; Part 2: Wands, Wraiths, and the Sorting Hat; Part 3: Trolls, Brooms, and a Mirror of Dreams; Part 4: Through the Trapdoor
Themes:: Love as protection; Belonging and found family; Courage of the ordinary

Professor Snape

The greasy-haired Potions master with a hooked nose who seems to hate Harry from the first feast. He spends the Quidditch match muttering a counter-curse to save Harry's life — and is suspected of villainy for it.

Appears in:: Part 2: Wands, Wraiths, and the Sorting Hat; Part 3: Trolls, Brooms, and a Mirror of Dreams; Part 4: Through the Trapdoor
Themes:: Appearances deceive

Professor Quirrell

The stammering Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who hides Voldemort's face beneath his turban. He let the troll in, jinxed the broom, and burns to death at Harry's touch.

Appears in:: Part 3: Trolls, Brooms, and a Mirror of Dreams; Part 4: Through the Trapdoor
Themes:: Love as protection; Appearances deceive

Lord Voldemort

The dark wizard who murdered Harry's parents, lost his body when his curse rebounded off baby Harry, and survives as a face on the back of Quirrell's head. He wants the Philosopher's Stone to restore himself.

Appears in:: Part 1: The Cupboard Under the Stairs; Part 2: Wands, Wraiths, and the Sorting Hat; Part 4: Through the Trapdoor
Themes:: Choices over ability; Appearances deceive

Draco Malfoy

A pale, drawling bully who despises anyone not pure-blood and tries to get Harry into trouble rather than face him directly.

Appears in:: Part 2: Wands, Wraiths, and the Sorting Hat; Part 3: Trolls, Brooms, and a Mirror of Dreams

The Dursleys

Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley — Harry's Muggle relatives, who fear anything unusual and mistreat him for a decade. Petunia is Lily's sister; Dudley is a spoiled, overweight bully.

Appears in:: Part 1: The Cupboard Under the Stairs; Part 4: Through the Trapdoor
Themes:: Belonging and found family

Neville Longbottom

A plump, forgetful boy whose grandmother sends him a Remembrall; his broken wrist in flying class sets off Harry's discovery as Seeker.

Appears in:: Part 2: Wands, Wraiths, and the Sorting Hat; Part 3: Trolls, Brooms, and a Mirror of Dreams
Themes:: Courage of the ordinary

Minerva McGonagall

The severe Transfiguration professor who can become a cat, Deputy Headmistress and Head of Gryffindor. She witnesses Harry's Remembrall catch and makes him Seeker instead of expelling him.

Appears in:: Part 1: The Cupboard Under the Stairs; Part 3: Trolls, Brooms, and a Mirror of Dreams

Also in the story

Supporting characters

Nicolas Flamel

Dumbledore's partner and the only known maker of the Philosopher's Stone, whose Elixir of Life has kept him alive for centuries — until the Stone is destroyed and he accepts death.

Appears in:: Part 4: Through the Trapdoor

Firenze

The centaur who rescues Harry from the hooded figure in the Forbidden Forest and warns him that Voldemort is in the woods and the stars foretell danger.

Appears in:: Part 4: Through the Trapdoor

How they are connected

Key relationships

Harry Potter The Dursleys
A scrawny, black-haired, green-eyed orphan with a lightning scar, raised in a cupboard by the Dursleys, who learns on his eleventh birthday that he is a wizard — and famous.
Harry Potter Lord Voldemort
He wants a family and a home; he finds both at Hogwarts, and survives Voldemort's return by the protection his mother's love left in his skin.
Ron Weasley Harry Potter
Harry's red-haired, freckled best friend, sixth of seven children in a poor but loving pure-blood family.
Rubeus Hagrid Harry Potter
The half-giant gamekeeper, expelled from Hogwarts with his wand snapped, who delivers Harry's letter, his squashed birthday cake, and his first taste of kindness.
Rubeus Hagrid Albus Dumbledore
Fiercely loyal to Dumbledore, careless with dangerous creatures — he bought the three-headed dog from a hooded stranger.
Albus Dumbledore Lord Voldemort
Hogwarts' headmaster, the only wizard Voldemort fears, with silver hair, a beard tucked into his belt, and half-moon spectacles.
Professor Snape Harry Potter
The greasy-haired Potions master with a hooked nose who seems to hate Harry from the first feast.
Professor Quirrell Lord Voldemort
The stammering Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher who hides Voldemort's face beneath his turban.
Professor Quirrell Harry Potter
He let the troll in, jinxed the broom, and burns to death at Harry's touch.
Draco Malfoy Harry Potter
A pale, drawling bully who despises anyone not pure-blood and tries to get Harry into trouble rather than face him directly.
Neville Longbottom Harry Potter
A plump, forgetful boy whose grandmother sends him a Remembrall; his broken wrist in flying class sets off Harry's discovery as Seeker.
Minerva McGonagall Harry Potter
She witnesses Harry's Remembrall catch and makes him Seeker instead of expelling him.

Go deeper

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone themes & symbols

Love as protection · Belonging and found family · Choices over ability · Appearances deceive

Themes explained

Read the full Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone summary

The full story act by act, the ending explained and a quick quiz.

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