....the eighth and final film in the "Potter" franchise, opens in theaters on July 15. If it's been a while since you've read the books (or seen the movies), here's a quick refresher on the major characters and why they're important. Be warned, though: spoilers about the series (including the final book/movie) abound! (Photo credit by Warner Bros.)
Harry Potter
On the cusp of coming of age, Harry has a singular mission: to destroy the evil Lord Voldemort - the same man who killed his parents, James and Lily, and left him an orphaned baby. Since their deaths, Harry has lived with his nonmagical and thoroughly venal relatives, the Dursleys, when he is not at Hogwarts, his magic school. During his fifth year at Hogwarts, he learns he is the subject of a prophecy involving Voldemort: he and the Dark Lord will face off in a final showdown, and only one can survive. Aside from the loss of his parents, Harry has also had to deal with the deaths of his beloved godfather, Sirius Black, and Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore. He's in love with Ginny Weasley, but stopped seeing her because he didn't want to endanger her life. The two eventually get back together. In the last book/film, he's struck with a difficult task: find the hidden pieces of Voldemort's soul (called Horcruxes) and destroy them, so that the evil wizard can finally be killed. (Photo credit by Warner Bros.)
Ron Weasley
"From the moment they met on the Hogwarts Express before their first year of school, Harry and Ron have been friends. If Harry's running headlong into trouble, Ron's usually right there with him. There have been moments of friction, though, since Harry has more fame and more money, the lack of which is sometimes hard for Ron to take. There's romantic tension between Ron and Hermione, but the road to their true love has some bumps. (Photo credit by Warner Bros.)
Hermione Granger
"Harry's other best friend, she is by far the smartest student in their class, and extremely gifted in magic. Born to nonmagical parents, Hermione is usually the voice of caution, and tries to keep Harry out of trouble - but is usually unsuccessful. But in the end, she's right there in the thick of things. She and Ron followed Harry on his quest to destroy the Horcruxes and vanquish Voldemort. (Photo credit by Warner Bros.)
Lord Voldemort
"Born to a witch mother and a Muggle father, Tom Marvolo Riddle was a Hogwarts student before becoming the evil Lord Voldemort, perhaps the most hated Dark wizard ever. Afraid of death, he separated his soul into pieces, called Horcruxes, and hid most of them, so that no one could kill him without destroying all the fragments. Some of those pieces have already been destroyed, but Harry finds the rest in the final volume, ""Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows,"" and is able to destroy him. (Photo credit by Warner Bros.)
Severus Snape
A teacher at Hogwarts, Snape has always had it in for Harry. But he also convinced none other than Dumbledore that his days working for Voldemort were over, that he was a double agent and had switched to the good side. At the end of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," it was Snape who uttered the fatal spell that killed Dumbledore. It later turns out that he was acting on Dumbledore's orders, and it was his love for Harry's mother, Lily, that drove him to join the Order of the Phoenix and to protect Harry. (Photo credit by Warner Bros.)
Albus Dumbledore
He may be dead, but that doesn't mean he's not a major character. Harry's mentor for years, Dumbledore died at the end of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," killed by Severus Snape. But as J.K. Rowling has said, Dumbledore will only truly be gone when no one is loyal to him. Harry remains Dumbledore's man. (Photo credit by Warner Bros.)
Hagrid
A gentle giant who is the groundskeeper at Hogwarts and good friend and protector of Harry, Hermione and Ron. Hagrid loves all creatures, great and small, winged and fanged. He was the first magical person to greet Harry when he first learned he was a wizard. (Photo credit by Warner Bros.)
Draco Malfoy
Harry's nemesis at Hogwarts, he's always had a thing for the dark side. And no wonder - his father, Lucius, was one of Voldemort's biggest supporters. But Draco couldn't kill Dumbledore, even though Voldemort ordered him to. While Harry still doesn't like him, by the sixth book Harry feels "the tiniest drop of pity" because he knows that Voldemort was making Draco do things under threat of death. (Photo credit by Warner Bros.)
Ginny Weasley
The youngest of the Weasley children and the only girl, Ginny has had a thing for Harry since the beginning. She's smart and brave, and understands when Harry tells her they can't be together because he doesn't want anything to happen to her. But Ginny is powerful - just ask her brothers about the strength of some of the spells she's used on them. (Photo credit by Warner Bros.)
Neville Longbottom
Neville is one of Harry, Ron and Hermione's classmates. His parents, like Harry's, were members of the original Order of the Phoenix, the group dedicated to destroying Lord Voldemort. His parents were tortured into insanity by Voldemort's Death Eaters, and Neville was raised by his grandmother. In "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," Neville joins Dumbledore's Army, the underground student group Harry forms to protect Hogwarts, and plays an integral role in the final battle between good and evil at the wizard school. (Photo credit by Warner Bros.)
Bellatrix Lestrange
One of Voldemort's most devoted servants, Bellatrix was imprisoned in Azkaban jail for torturing aurors Frank and Alice Longbottom into insanity. She escaped as part of a mass breakout that occurred when the dementors (the dark creatrors that guard the wizard prison) abandoned Azkaban to join the Dark Lord. After returning to Voldemort, she joins him and the other Death Eaters in battles against the Order of the Phoenix. She's also the one who kills Harry's godfather, Sirius Black, during a showdown in the Ministry of Magic. (Photo credit by Warner Bros.)
The Weasleys
The magical Weasleys are like surrogates to Harry. Arthur and Molly Weasley have taken him in like another son. They have plenty of children of their own along with Ron and Ginny, there's Bill, Charlie, Percy, and the twins Fred and George. Bill marryies Fleur Delacour, the beautiful girl who competed with Harry in the Tri-Wizard Tournament. The Weasleys are also no strangers to tragedy. Arthur gets bitten by Voldemort's snake, Bill is attacked by the werewolf Fenrir Greyback, George loses an ear in battle and Fred dies in the final showdown at Hogwarts. (Photo credit by Warner Bros.)
The Dursleys
Harry's nonmagical family. Petunia is his aunt, Lily's sister. Vernon is her odious husband, and Dudley is their horrible son. They've never wanted Harry, but they took him in because Petunia is Harry's only relative on his mother's side, and powerful ancient magic ensured that Harry could not be harmed while in their home. Harry returns to their home one last time before setting off to destroy Voldemort's Horcruxes. (Photo credit by Warner Bros.)
