It’s hard to believe, but it’s been 20 years since the premiere ofHarry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,the first of eight films in theHarry Potterseries.The highly-anticipated 20th anniversary reunion,Return to Hogwarts,will premiere onHBO Maxon New Year’s Day, July 10, 2025, and will bring back most of the series’ stars includingDaniel Radcliffe,Rupert Grint,Emma Watson,and many others.
In celebration of the 20th anniversary, we are taking a look back at the film series and remembering its most intelligent witches and wizards. Since intelligence can be measured using a number of factors, I’ve narrowed it down to one’s knowledge of the magical arts as well as one’s mastery and application of that knowledge for the sake of this list. Of course, some of the characters on this list will have many more years of experience, so that must be kept in mind as a natural caveat. Lastly, there are plenty of characters who undoubtedly would make it on to this list but given their limited screen time (since we’re not taking into account the lore from the novels), there isn’t enough material to sufficiently judge their place in the line-up.
Without further ado, I present to you a ranking ofHarry Potter’s most intelligent characters.
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9. Fred and George Weasley
It may come as a surprise to see Hogwarts’ most notorious pranksters on the same list as intellectual legends such as Hermione Granger and Professor Dumbledore. But despite their chaotic antics, Fred and George Weasley (OliverandJames Phelps) show no shortage of intelligence, creativity, and business savvy. The Weasley twins started their own joke shop business with Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes and were selling gag gifts to their peers as early as their fourth year at Hogwarts. Fred and George may have dropped out of Hogwarts in their seventh and final year in the most epic and outrageous exit in Hogwarts’ history, but their intelligence continued to blossom and branch into a successful business that carried on even after Fred’s death (RIP).
8. Luna Lovegood
Intelligence comes in many forms, and there is no better example of that than Luna Lovegood (Evanna Lynch). Luna displays wisdom far beyond her years, though her classmates often dismiss her intelligence as kookiness. Luna is fueled by pure, raw curiosity, a desire to learn the mysteries of the universe, which makes her scope of knowledge unique and often misunderstood. She proves to be invaluable in Harry’s quest to defeat Voldemort when she suggests Harry look for the Horcrux in Ravenclaw’s Lost Diadem, and she is also one of the very few people with the nuanced emotional intelligence Harry needs in moments of loss and hardship.
7. Remus Lupin
Remus Lupin (David Thewlis) was essentially the Hermione Granger of his friend group at Hogwarts, the level-headed companion trying to keep his friends from causing endless mischief and mayhem. Along with Sirius Black, James Potter, and Peter Pettigrew, Remus was one of the original creators of the Marauder’s Map, the highly advanced magical document that was first introduced inHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. He was also one of the only professors of the Defence Against the Dark Arts during Harry’s time at Hogwarts who actually knew a thing or two about the Dark Arts! Granted, the bar is low, but Professor Lupin clearly had the extensive knowledge, emotional intelligence, and wisdom necessary to make an excellent teacher and mentor to Harry.
6. Sirius Black
Along with James Potter and Peter Pettigrew, Sirius (Gary Oldman) learned in his fifth year how to become an unregistered Animagus, a highly advanced form of magic that allows the witch or wizard to transform into an animal at will. He was also the only prisoner to ever escape from Azkaban, the most notoriously fearsome and heavily dementor-guarded prison in the wizarding world, without outside help. Sirius’ headstrong personality sometimes skewed his judgment, like when he insisted on accompanying Harry to the train station in the form of his Animagus Padfoot, but ultimately, Sirius was one of the most intelligent members of the Order of the Phoenix andHarry Pottercharacters in general.
5. Minerva McGonagall
Professor McGonagall (Maggie Smith) is Professor Dumbledore’s right hand, and following his death, an excellent successor as Headmaster of Hogwarts. There is no doubt that she is one of the most intelligent witches of her generation. She is a skilled Animagus and a master of Transfiguration, one of the most complex and dangerous forms of magic, and her actions during the Battle of Hogwarts further cemented her status as a skilled sorceress and certified badass. Also, Dame Maggie Smith just naturally exudes intellectual superiority in everything she does, so her version of Professor McGonagall earns her a few extra points.
4. Severus Snape
Professor Snape (Alan Rickman)is a divisive character, particularly given the fact that he bullied a child for years because he still harbored a grudge with his dead father (who, admittedly, reallywasa jerk). That being said, Snape does go down as one of the most courageous, intelligent, and skilled wizards in theHarry Potteruniverse. He was the only wizard to master Occlumency so expertly that he was able to deceive the Dark Lord himself and serve as a double agent for years. He was also one of the most gifted Potions Masters, able to create complex elixirs such as Veritaserum and Wolfsbane Potion, as well as a highly skilled duelist and practitioner of the Dark Arts. The self-proclaimed Half-Blood Prince, Snape showed signs of brilliance (and maliciousness) at a young age, having created his original curseSectumsemprawhen he was a student at Hogwarts.
3. Hermione Granger
It’s hard to picture Harry and Ron surviving without Hermione Granger, the brightest witch of her time. In her second year — at a mere 12 years old — Hermione figured out that the monster inside the Chamber of Secrets was a basilisk. In her third year, she deduced that Professor Lupin was a werewolf. Throughout the entirety of their friendship, Hermione’s logical prowess and iron-clad memory kept Harry and Ron alive, quite literally. Hermione is a naturally gifted powerhouse of knowledge, but she doesn’t rely on natural ability alone. Hermione is endlessly dedicated to the pursuit of knowledge and is always reading and studying and gathering information that will help her in the future. Hermione is one of the most intelligent characters inHarry Potternot because of her wealth of knowledge, but her application of that knowledge that she proves time and time again, especially inDeathly Hallows Part Iwhen her strategizing, quick thinking, and preparedness kept Harry and Ron alive on their hunt for the remaining horcruxes.
2. Tom Riddle/Voldemort
Professor Dumbledore once said that Tom Riddle, a.k.a. Lord Voldemort, a.k.a. “He Who Must Not Be Named” (Ralph Fiennes/Hero Fiennes Tiffin/Christian Coulson), was the most brilliant student that Hogwarts has ever known. The magical mastery needed to create the horcruxes alone is beyond comprehensible, and that was just the tip of the iceberg. Voldemort was an unparalleled master of Occlumency and Legilimency, the ability to penetrate the minds of others while also shielding one’s own. He was the only wizard known to have the ability to create and control Inferi using the Dark Art of Necromancy and the only known wizard besides Dumbledore to be able to apparate silently. During his time at Hogwarts, a young Tom Riddle showed early signs of terrible greatness that rivaled even Albus Dumbledore himself.
1. Albus Dumbledore
Said to be the only wizard that the Dark Lord himself was afraid of, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore (Richard Harris/Michael Gambon) was considered to have been the greatest wizard of all time. His intelligence is unmatched, particularly when it comes to his tactical genius that led to dismantling the Dark Lord’s plans and ultimately forging a pathway to his defeat following years of predicting, planning, and strategizing. Dumbledore also showed an emotional intelligence that allowed him to pierce through Voldemort’s nature long before he became the Dark Lord. His ability to see into the heart of those around him, as well as his natural intuition, deductive skills, strategic thinking, and magical mastery, is what ultimately leads him to make difficult choices for the greater good, even if that means sending Harry down a path that can only end in sacrifice.
