When fans think of the most notable villains in Harry Potter, the immediate image that comes to mind is without a doubt that of Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters. The Dark Lord is Harry Potter’s nemesis and hunts him down throughout most of the series.
But Voldemort isn’t the only threat the characters of Harry Potter have to face. One doesn’t have to be a Death Eater — or even human, for that matter — to be a dangerous antagonist. While not all these characters are as quite as terrifying as Voldemort, others might be scarier or even less likable.
10 Merope Riddle’s Sexual Assault Of Tom Riddle Sr. Is The Reason Voldemort Exists
Brutally abused by her family, Merope Gaunt falls in love with a handsome Muggle, Tom Riddle Sr. He doesn’t reciprocate her feelings and as such, she enchants him into loving her, possibly with Amortentia (a powerful love potion). The two of them are married and, once she is pregnant, Merope allows the enchantment to fade. She may have believed the child would hold her husband by her side, but, perhaps unsurprisingly, it doesn’t work.
Merope is abandoned by her husband and gives birth to her son in Wool’s Orphanage, naming him Tom Marvolo Riddle with her last breath. While Merope’s choices may have been heavily influenced by her trauma, the fact remains that she sexually assaults someone. If the evil of Voldemort was created, it is in no small part because of her.
9 The Dursleys Raise Harry In An Abusive Environment
Harry Potter’s Muggle family likes to claim they are normal, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Their hatred of Harry’s magical nature leads them to badly abuse Harry. He is forced to sleep in a cupboard, do all the chores, and endure the bullying of his brutal cousin Dudley.
Harry grows up humiliated, malnourished, and denied all forms of simple respect. According to Albus Dumbledore, it’s a paltry price to pay for Harry’s survival. Harry may have been safe from villainous dark wizards, but he was at the mercy of villainous Muggles.
8 Argus Filch’s Preference For Torture Makes Him Incompatible With His Hogwarts Post
The Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry may be beautiful, but its staff isn’t always the most qualified. In fact, some are about as safe to have around magical children as the Dursleys. Squib Caretaker Argus Filch makes no secret of how much he dislikes young witches and wizards. He is often in charge of detentions and resents Dumbledore for having removed harsh corporal punishment as an option.
Filch's preference for torture makes him welcome Dolores Umbridge when she joins the staff of Hogwarts and becomes High Inquisitor. To give him credit, he does show loyalty to the school and assists the Order of the Phoenix during the Battle of Hogwarts, but his sadistic temperament should have made him incompatible with his post long before Harry became a student.
7 Gilderoy Lockhart Attempts To Obliviate Harry & Ron & Pays The Price
Argus may desire to hurt the students, but compared to the yearly Defense against the Dark Arts teachers, he’s practically harmless. Many new members of the staff are revealed to be Death Eaters and even those not involved with Voldemort become some kind of threat. The incompetent Gilderoy Lockhart is an excellent example. A fraud who uses other people’s achievements to boost his own popularity, he lacks the magical expertise needed to teach.
Lockhart proves to be dangerous when pushed into a corner. Confronted with the possibility of having to face the monster in the Chamber of Secrets, he attempts to Obliviate Harry and Ron Weasley. He uses Ron’s broken wand to do so, leading the spell to backfire and hit him instead. He receives permanent spell damage, his mind seriously damaged by the miscast Forgetfulness Charm.
6 Aragog Nearly Feeds Ron & Harry To His Children
Encouraged to investigate the secret of Slytherin’s monster by Hagrid, Ron and Harry make their way into the Forbidden Forest, where they meet the acromantula Aragog. Raised by Hagrid, the creature is sworn to not harm any humans and grants Hagrid safety from his numerous offspring.
Unfortunately, Ron and Harry aren’t so lucky. Aragog decides he will not keep his children from tasting fresh meat and allows them to hunt Ron and Harry down. The two intrepid Gryffindors are only saved by the arrival of the Weasleys’ Ford Anglia. Without the magical car, Hagrid may have inadvertently gotten the Chosen One and his best friend killed.
5 Rita Skeeter’s Inflammatory Articles Make Things Difficult For Harry
Rita Skeeter may not seem like a preeminent villain, but she’s far more important than she seems. The reporter has a preference for writing inflammatory articles, often targeting Harry and his friends. Her words are never harmless.
Hermione even receives hate mail with curses attached after Rita implies that she is toying with the affections of Harry and Viktor Krum. After learning that Rita is an illegal beetle animagus, Hermione blackmails her and gets her to stop, but by then, the damage is already done. Rita’s articles set the tone for the smear campaign against Harry that will later hide the return of Lord Voldemort.
4 The Dementors Are Among The Most Terrifying Magical Creatures In Existence
There are many terrifying creatures in the world of Harry Potter, but dementors may very well rank at the very top. They embody fear, feeding on positive emotions until the only thing left is insanity and dark memories. They are the guards of the Wizarding Prison Azkaban and a Dementor’s kiss can turn a person into a soulless husk.
Dementors can be fought off with the Patronus Charm, which is fortunate, as Harry has to confront them on more than one occasion. They also take the Dark Lord’s side during his rise and multiply so much during the war they begin affecting the Muggles.
3 Cornelius Fudge’s Hunger For Power Drives Him To Hide Voldemort’s Return
As the Minister of Magic, Cornelius Fudge originally seems fairly good-natured and harmless, as he supports Harry in the Aunt Marge incident. But this is deceptive, as he is a hypocritical, power-hungry, and bigoted man, so desperate to hold onto his post that he fiercely denies Voldemort’s return.
Fudge uses his influence with the Daily Prophet against Albus Dumbledore and Harry and even has Dolores Umbridge installed at Hogwarts to fulfill his purposes. His actions allow the Dark Lord to regain his strength in the shadows and prove to be devastating for his political career.
2 Dolores Umbridge Is The Most Hated Character In Harry Potter
Voldemort may be the main villain of Harry Potter, but he doesn’t even come close to being the most hated character. That dubious honor goes to Dolores Umbridge. Umbridge is the one who originally orders the Dementor attack on Harry and Dudley in order to silence Harry. When this fails, she becomes his Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher and dedicates herself to turning life at Hogwarts into a nightmare.
Umbridge even tortures students in detention using a Black Quill. After Voldemort’s takeover of the Ministry of Magic, Dolores is more than happy to put his policies of Muggleborn persecution into practice. Though she isn’t actually a Death Eater, she doesn’t have to be. Her character exemplifies the worst things in human nature. Her pettiness, cruelty, and corruption remind viewers of day-to-day bureaucrats in a twisted portrayal that is nevertheless incredibly believable.
1 Gellert Grindelwald Is Killed After Defying Lord Voldemort
While Gellert Grindelwald is more preeminently the main antagonist of Fantastic Beasts, his first appearance is in the Harry Potter movies. A highly dangerous dark wizard, he originally bonds with Albus Dumbledore over their shared ideals of Muggle domination. The two have a fallout after the death of Albus’s sister Ariana and Grindelwald goes on to unleash a campaign of destruction on the world, declaring war upon the Muggles.
In 1945, Albus eventually faces Grindelwald in a legendary duel and defeats him. He is imprisoned in his former fortress of Nurmengard and it is there that Voldemort finds him many years later. Seeking information on the Elder Wand, Voldemort receives no answers from Grindelwald. Still having some dose of respect for Albus, Gellert defies Voldemort and is killed as a result.