Harry Potter is full of legendary wizards and terrifying Dark Lords. These people studied at Hogwarts, the greatest and smartest school of wizardry. Magic itself takes skill, focus, and a fair amount of brains. So you’d think the characters in this universe would be at least a little smarter than the average Muggle.
Well… not always. Some characters make you sigh so hard at the screen. Whether it’s hiding Horcruxes in the least subtle places imaginable or straight-up ignoring the obvious return of Voldemort, a few people in the wizarding world make decisions that are just baffling.
Franchise:Harry PotterAuthor:J.K. RowlingSpin-off:– Fantastic Beasts movie series:1. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (2016)2. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald (2018)3. Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore (2022)– Stage Play:Harry Potter and the Cursed Child (Parts 1 & 2)Books Released:7 (1997-2007)Movies Released:8 (2001-2011)Total Box Office:Over $9.5B worldwide (as of March 15, 2026)
Many of these characters still played important roles in the story. This ranking focuses on the characters whose decisions are the hardest to defend. Here are our picks for the 10 dumbest characters in Harry Potter.
10. Lavender Brown Builds A Relationship Around “Won-Won“
Jessica Cave as Lavender Brown | Credit: Warner Bros.
Lavender starts dating Ron in Half-Blood Prince, and within minutes, he’s already “Won-Won.” She gets upset if Ron doesn’t sit with her, sends him a necklace that literally says “My Sweetheart,” and turns every small thing into relationship drama.
And it’s not just the romance. Lavender also believes pretty much everything Professor Trelawney says, including insisting a prophecy predicted her rabbit’s death, even when Hermione points out that the timeline doesn’t even match.
9. Voldemort Picks The Least Subtle Horcrux Hiding Spots
For someone who prides himself on being the most brilliant dark wizard alive, Voldemort makes some pretty foolish Horcrux decisions when creating Horcruxes in Harry Potter. Instead of hiding pieces of his soul in random, forgettable objects, he goes for historically important artifacts: Hogwarts founder relics, his mother’s ring, even a giant snake he carries around with him.
If the goal was to keep them hidden forever, choosing some of the most recognizable magical objects imaginable defeats the point. Voldemort may be powerful, but subtlety was never really his thing.
8. Lucius Malfoy Casually Dumps A Horcrux Into Hogwarts
Tom Riddle’s diary | Credit: Warner Bros.
Lucius Malfoy spends most of the series acting like a calculated pure-blood mastermind. But the diary incident really doesn’t help that image. While trying to get rid of Tom Riddle’s diary, Lucius somehow decides Hogwarts is the place to dump it, slipping it into Ginny Weasley’s things. And he doesn’t even know he’s handling a Horcrux.
This also isn’t Lucius’s only bad call. Between later botching the prophecy mission and landing in Azkaban, his track record isn’t exactly impressive.
7. Dolores Umbridge Thinks Antagonizing Centaurs Is A Good Idea
Dolores Umbridge already spends most of Order of the Phoenix treating anyone she sees as “lesser” with open contempt. That attitude follows her straight into the Forbidden Forest. When she runs into a group of centaurs, Umbridge somehow decides that insulting them and calling them “filthy half-breeds” is the way to go. While surrounded. In their own forest.
Unsurprisingly, the centaurs aren’t exactly thrilled and carry her off. For someone so convinced she’s in control, Umbridge completely misreads the situation here.
6. Peter Pettigrew Lives As Ron’s Pet Rat For 12 Years
Timothy Spall as Peter Pettigrew | Credit: Warner Bros.
Peter Pettigrew gives Voldemort the Potters’ location, believing Voldemort has chosen the winning side. When that falls apart, his survival plan is turning into a rat. He spends the next twelve years as Scabbers, Percy, and then Ron Weasley’s pet rat at Hogwarts. Sleeping in their dorm, getting carried around in pockets. When Voldemort returns, Pettigrew goes straight back to him. All that betrayal just to spend twelve years as Scabbers.
5. Cornelius Fudge Ignores Voldemort’s Obvious Return
Cornelius Fudge during his time as Minister for Magic at the Ministry | Credit: Warner Bros.
Harry comes back from the Triwizard Tournament, one of the dangerous locations in Hogwarts that nearly killed him, saying Voldemort is back. Cedric Diggory is dead. Dumbledore backs the story up. And Cornelius Fudge somehow decides the real issue is Harry and Dumbledore causing panic. Instead of doing anything useful, he spends the next year denying Voldemort’s return and going after them instead.
His big solution? Send Dolores Umbridge to Hogwarts. Fudge only accepts the truth once it’s literally impossible to deny anymore. By that point, Voldemort has already had plenty of time to recover.
4. Argus Filch Thinks A Cat And A Clipboard Can Police Hogwarts
Argus Filch in the Harry Potter movies | Credit: Warner Bros.
Filch spends most of the series trying to catch students breaking rules. The problem is he’s a Squib working in a castle full of teenage witches and wizards. While students are using spells, secret passages, and invisibility cloaks, Filch’s entire strategy is Mrs. Norris and a clipboard of rules. He even secretly tries to learn magic through a Kwikspell course. Somehow, he still thinks he can keep Hogwarts under control.
3. Dudley Dursley Starts Fights He Can’t Even Understand
Dudley spends most of the early books acting like the world’s most spoiled bully. His parents treat him like he’s brilliant, but canon doesn’t exactly back that up. His school reports constantly mention bad grades and poor behavior. On top of that, Dudley keeps picking fights with Harry and then failing to keep up with the conversation.
In Philosopher’s Stone, Harry tells him, “No thanks, the toilet’s never had anything like your head down it, it might be sick,” and runs off before Dudley even realizes he’s been insulted. Dudley loves starting confrontations, but understanding them is another story.
2. Crabbe And Goyle Follow Draco Into Every Bad Idea
Crabbe and Goyle with Draco Malfoy | Credit: Warner Bros.
Crabbe and Goyle spend most of their Hogwarts years acting as Draco Malfoy’s muscle rather than contributing much thinking of their own. When Draco joins the Inquisitorial Squad under Dolores Umbridge, they happily abuse their authority just to bully other students.
In Goblet of Fire, Harry and Ron knock them out with drugged cupcakes just to steal their hair for the Polyjuice Potion. And when Crabbe finally tries something himself in Deathly Hallows, he casts Fiendfyre in the Room of Requirement, a spell he can’t control, and ends up burning himself along with the entire room.
1. Gilderoy Lockhart Uses A Broken Wand And Obliviates Himself
Gilderoy Lockhart in Chamber of Secrets | Credit: Warner Bros.
Gilderoy Lockhart might look ridiculous, but his actions arguably make him Harry Potter‘s most sinister villain. He spends most of Chamber of Secrets bragging about his magical achievements, most of which he actually stole from other witches and wizards and then erased their memories. His one real specialty is the Memory Charm.
When things finally go wrong in the Chamber, Lockhart tries to use Obliviate on Harry and Ron so no one finds out the truth. The only problem is that he does it with Ron’s broken wand. The spell backfires immediately and wipes Lockhart’s own memory instead. After an entire year of bragging about his brilliance, Lockhart manages to Obliviate exactly one person: himself.
Our RankCharacterReason10Lavender BrownTurns her relationship with Ron into nonstop “Won-Won” drama and believes everything Trelawney says9VoldemortHides Horcruxes in obvious, famous magical objects8Lucius MalfoyDumps Tom Riddle’s diary into Hogwarts without knowing it’s a Horcrux7Dolores UmbridgeInsults centaurs while completely surrounded by them6Peter PettigrewBetrays the Potters only to spend 12 years hiding as a rat5Cornelius FudgeRefuses to accept Voldemort’s return despite clear evidence4Argus FilchA Squib trying to police Hogwarts with a cat and a clipboard3Dudley DursleyStarts fights he doesn’t even understand2Crabbe & GoyleFollow Draco Malfoy into every bad idea without thinking1Gilderoy LockhartUses a broken wand and wipes his own memory
Who is the dumbest character in Harry Potter?
Gilderoy Lockhart takes the top spot here. His entire reputation comes from stealing other wizards’ achievements and erasing their memories. When he tries to wipe Harry and Ron’s memories with a broken wand, the spell backfires and wipes his own.
Why is Voldemort considered dumb in Harry Potter?
Voldemort is powerful, but his Horcrux choices are surprisingly careless. Instead of hiding pieces of his soul in random objects, he chooses famous magical artifacts that are easier to recognize and trace.
Why did Cornelius Fudge ignore Voldemort’s return?
Fudge refuses to believe Voldemort has returned because admitting it would cause panic and threaten his position as Minister for Magic.
Why are Crabbe and Goyle considered dumb in Harry Potter?
Crabbe and Goyle mostly follow Draco Malfoy and rarely think for themselves. When Crabbe finally tries something on his own in Deathly Hallows, he casts Fiendfyre and immediately loses control of it.
Why is Gilderoy Lockhart considered a fraud?
Lockhart built his fame by stealing other wizards’ achievements and erasing their memories so they couldn’t reveal the truth.
These ten definitely aren’t the only characters in Harry Potter who make questionable decisions. Which character had you shaking your head the most? Tell us in the comments!
All Harry Potter movies are streaming on HBO Max (U.S.).
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