It's time to take another look at the wonderful Harry Potter series with our picks for the 25 best characters.

Before we reveal our choices, a quick word about the selection process... These are based on overall fan reaction, impact on the franchise (novels and films weighed equally), character relevance to the best moments in the series, and significance in the Potter mythos. If you're surprised that your own faves didn't make the list, that's what the comments are for!Now, join us in the Great Hall for this special assembly as we look at the top 25

Harry Potter

The 25 Best Harry Potter Characters 26 IMAGES

characters...

25 Dobby

24 Gellert Grindelwald

23 Ginny Weasley

22 Gilderoy Lockhart

21 Albus Severus Potter

20 Molly Weasley

19 Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody

18 Minerva McGonagall

17 Dolores Umbridge

16 Lucius Malfoy

15 Newt Scamander

14 Remus Lupin

Dobby's role in the film series is far smaller than in the books, where he made frequent appearances in-between Chamber of Secrets and Deathly Hallows. In the books, we saw more of how kind-hearted and loyal Dobby was, particularly towards Harry Potter, to whom he was indebted for his freedom. But even those who only knew Dobby from The Chamber of Secrets film were probably affected by his sacrifice in The Deathly Hallows Part 1, where he proved crucial in freeing Harry and his friends from a horrific scenario, only to fall victim to Bellatrix Lestrange in the process. The fact that Dobby, in his dying moments, clearly had no regrets about literally giving his all for his friend Harry resulted in one of the most touching moments in the series.It's the Fantastic Beasts movies where Grindelwald is truly coming into his own as a villain. These prequels are showcasing Grindelwald's reign of terror in the early 20th Century and his troubled relationship with close friend-turned-rival Albus Dumbledore. It's not every villain that can manage to hide in plain sight for an entire movie before finally revealing himself.While it wasn't really captured in the films, Ginny becomes a true leader of rebel forces like no other. She's a strong, determined and alluring young woman who is always there to fight the forces of evil as a member of Dumbledore's Army. Ginny is the quintessential "girl who got her guy" – and we wouldn't have it any other way.The vain and self-aggrandizing Lockhart's habit of exaggerating his own deeds would backfire when he was hired as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry . He would at first relish the position as yet another avenue of self-promotion, but his buffoonery and incompetence soon got the best of Lockhart. His false claims are revealed by Harry Potter and his friends after Lockhart cowardly attempted to flee the school upon being ordered to confront the monster in the Chamber of Secrets.To date, the Potter movies have only given us a small glimpse of Harry and Ginny's troubled son. To get the full story behind Albus Severus' time at Hogwarts and the adventures he faces, you have to be lucky enough to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on stage. But we're hopeful that it'll only be a matter of time before this young wizard gets his time in the cinematic spotlight.While we're used to Molly as a lovably concerned (or amusingly chastising, if you're Fred and George), classic mother figure, she also has her own courage and strength to call upon – willingly risking herself as a member of the Order of the Phoenix. And when her children are threatened, well… Let's just say, Bellatrix learned her lesson the hard way.In spite of his seemingly fragile mental state, the veteran Moody was convinced to come out of retirement by Dumbledore to serve as the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. But Moody was shortly attacked by Barty Crouch Jr., who would trap and subsequently impersonate him using polyjuice potion in service of Voldemort. The real Moody would go on to serve in the reformed Order of the Phoenix, faithfully protecting Harry Potter from Voldemort and his forces until he died in the line of duty in The Deathly Hallows Part 1.She grew up attending Hogwarts and returned to the school as an adult to teach Transfiguration, under Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, who would later entrust her with the Deputy Headmistress position and serve with her in the Order of the Phoenix during the First Wizarding War. After the infant Harry Potter's defeat of Voldemort, McGonagall was one of the members of the Order who traveled to Privet Drive to leave the child in the care of the Dursley family whom she viewed as the "worst kind" of Muggles. She would later take Potter into her own house at Hogwarts and watch over him throughout his time there.This is a woman who thinks the appropriate way to punish a student involves making him perform a ritual which, thanks to magic, causes him to bleed over and over again – one of many despicable acts. The fact that she spoke in a blatantly forced sing-song voice and wore gaudy pink clothing only added to her hideousness. Imelda Staunton does a great job playing this character, but it should be noted that as nasty as Umbridge is in the film, in the book, she's even worse – causing many a Harry Potter reader to feel true hate for this fictional character. Stephen King referred to Umbridge as "the greatest make-believe villain to come along since Hannibal Lecter."Lucius is brought to life in the films by the great Jason Isaacs, who gives the character just the right arrogant, smug attitude – you can feel Lucius' absolute conviction in his actions, and his anger that a boy like Potter would dare attempt to stop Voldemort and those, like Lucius, who follow his lead. Watching Lucius' fall from grace in The Deathly Hallows Part 1, as he now had much more to prove to his Dark Lord, only added to our fascination with the character.Thanks to the Fantastic Beasts prequels, Newt has become our gateway into the weird and wonderful creatures of the Harry Potter universe. We do wish the first two movies had done more to truly flesh out Newt as a character and not just Dumbledore's soft-spoken errand boy, but at least Newt still has several more movies in which to find himself. The character currently scores an N for "Needs Improvenewt."All that, and he's a werewolf! Lupin doesn't see that as a plus of course, but it's a very cool extra component to the character, as we see this thoughtful, warm man work to control the monster he turns into. And while Lupin's role is lessened after

The Prisoner of Azkaban

, he remains a dependable figure in Harry's life and a valiant member of the Order of the Phoenix – and eventually, for Tonks, something even more important.