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Or perhaps in Slytherin
You'll make your real friends,
Those cunning folk use any means
To achieve their ends.
The Sorting Hat

This Hogwarts House was founded by Salazar Slytherin and exemplifies ambition, cunning and resourcefulness. Its colour is green and silver, its animal is the serpent, its ghost is the Bloody Baron, its Head of House is Horace Slughorn (replaced by Severus Snape between his retirement and return) and it is associated with the element of water. Slytherins have a — not always fair — reputation for being underhanded bigots, and their house has the reputation of producing more dark wizards than any other house.

Notable Slytherins include Tom Marvolo Riddle, Severus Snape, Lucius Malfoy, the Blacks, Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, Gregory Goyle, Horace Slughorn, Leta Lestrange, Albus Severus Potter, Scorpius Malfoy, and Merlin.


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    General 
  • Adaptational Heroism: Some of the background Slytherin students in the film adaptations are neutral while the ones in Hogwarts Legacy are very friendly and hospitable to the main player character. The latter is justified due to the game being set long before Voldemort's negative influence.
  • Alpha Bitch: Produces bitchy clique leaders like Gryffindor makes heroes.
  • Always Chaotic Evil: Played dead straight for the first five books. Every Slytherin student we see is at least implied to be an elitist, bullying creep concerned with blood supremacy. The password into their common room in Book Two is even "Pureblood." We don't get an actual decent Slytherin until the sixth book, when J. K. Rowling introduced the character of Professor Slughorn — and even he shows some mildly anti-Muggleborn tendencies.
    • The only other (comparatively) good Slytherins are bit characters that barely show up in-story. Regulus Black, Sirius's brother, was originally a Death Eater that got the heck out of Dodge once he realized just how evil Voldemort really was and subsequently stole and attempted to destroy one of Voldemort's Horcruxes, but he's long dead by the time the story begins. Andromeda Tonks is a genuinely good person who married a Muggle-born wizard despite being a member of the Noble House of Black, causing her to be disowned and burnt off the Black family tree — and she gets exactly one brief scene in the last book before being mostly forgotten about, her house being All There in the Manual.
    • The Cursed Child finally subverts this by providing some unambiguous, purely good Slytherin students with sweet Scorpius Malfoy and heroic Albus Potter.
  • Ambition Is Evil: The former Trope Namer. Ambition, as per the Sorting Hat, is the quality that Slytherin supposedly prized among his students alongside purity of blood and cunning. By the time of the series, Slytherin only contains a bunch of pureblood elite Rich Bitch who live on inherited wealth, with very few of them showing genuine ambition.
  • Animal Motifs: Sneaky, sneaky Slytherin is associated with sneaky, sneaky snakes.
  • Aristocrat Team: The Slytherin House of Hogwarts was founded to house magical students that held the characteristics that Salazar Slytherin valued: cunning, resourcefulness, and ambition. However, due to Salazar's belief that only those of the esteemed wizard families and those of pureblood should be allowed within the halls of Hogwarts, Slytherin House would soon garner a reputation of creating more dark wizards and witches than the other houses. Most of its student body would be from the families of corrupt politicians and aristocrats, harbouring a fanatical Anti-Muggle, Wizard Supremacist ideology that eventually led to the creation of Lord Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
  • Barbaric Bully: Slytherin bullies tend to prefer beating the shit out of their victims, their Quidditch team is notoriously brutal, and many of past Slytherin, especially the worst generation from the 60s and 70s, go on to become Death Eaters.
  • The Beautiful Elite: When they aren't described as pug-faced and inbred, the Slytherins (usually the leaders) are depicted as gorgeous aristocrats. Averted for the two most prominent Slytherins in the series, Tom Riddle and Severus Snape, who come from poor upbringings which only spur them to be even more ambitious than the spoiled pureblood kids who don't have to study hard to get anywhere.
  • Black Sheep: Salazar Slytherin was this to the other Hogwarts founders due to his pureblood supremacist views.
  • Black Shirt: A lot of them ended up being Death Eaters.
  • Les Collaborateurs: More Slytherins supported Umbridge than anyone else did — though, like Voldemort's case, Umbridge may simply have focused on recruiting followers from her own house. According to Voldemort, a sizable number of Slytherins joined his army in attacking Hogwarts. The rest left with Slughorn and Rowling says that gathered reinforcements from across Britain in support of Harry, though this was never mentioned in the books.
  • Colour-Coded for Your Convenience: Their heraldic colours are green and silver, meant to represent brackish waters.
  • Combat Pragmatist: How they play Quidditch. Rowling also subsequently claimed that they left the school to gather reinforcements during the Battle of Hogwarts, although it was never mentioned in the actual book.
  • Cynic–Idealist Duo: The Cynics to Gryffindors Idealist. Most if not all Slytherins, have shown to be untrusting and skeptical of the intentions of others. Snape was perhaps the best example, but largely to how tragic his past was. Narcissa Malfoy was never truly loyal to Voldemort either, because despite his overwhelming power, she cared more for family.
  • Delinquents: Slytherins frequently rely on thuggery and violence to exert influence on other people in Hogwarts.
  • Dick Dastardly Stops to Cheat: The Slytherin Quidditch team seems to have a problem with this overall, with their own hubris and drive to win sabotaging their own success.
    • Chamber of Secrets has the Slytherins at a distinct advantage over Gryffindor due to their new brooms, as well as a rogue Bludger forcing the Gryffindor Beaters to protect Harry instead of watching out for the rest of the team. This means that Slytherin is able to take an early 60-0 lead without much trouble. But Draco, instead of immediately trying to find the Snitch and win the game, gets so caught up in taunting Harry that he doesn't even notice the Snitch hovering inches above his own ear - but Harry does. This ends up costing Slytherin the game, and Flint tears a strip off of Draco for it.
    • By the time of the Quidditch finals in Prisoner of Azkaban, the Slytherins start off with a huge points advantage — they're far enough ahead on the scoreboard that Harry can't catch the Snitch until the Gryffindor Chasers score enough goals to close the gap, or else Gryffindor will win the game but lose the cup. But rather than utilize what is essentially free time for Malfoy to catch the Snitch and win the game, the Slytherins insist on repeatedly trying (and failing) to injure the Gryffindor players, causing Madam Hooch to award Gryffindor multiple free penalty shots. The end result is that Gryffindor is able to close the points gap and, once Harry grabs the Snitch, win the cup.
  • Dirty Coward: Self-preservation is one of the traits of Slytherin; while this doesn't always translate into cowardice,note  it often does for Slytherins that aren't on the side of the bad guys.
  • Dumb Muscle: Despite being described as cunning, witty, and ambitious, most Slytherins fit this trope, i.e. Crabbe, Goyle, and just about the entire Slytherin Quidditch team.
  • Dysfunction Junction: Slytherins, especially during Harry's school time, are frequently the children of snooty high society types, Death Eaters, psychos, murderers, and/or all of the above and many of them seem to have inherited their parents' prejudices and then you get the occasional half-blood in the house like Millicent and Tom Riddle—it's like blood in the water.
  • Elaborate Underground Base:
    • The Slytherin Common Room is located in the dungeons. It adjoins the Great Lake, giving it a greenish tint.
    • The Chamber of Secrets, accessible only by the Heir of Slytherin, is similarly located under Hogwarts.
  • Elemental Motifs: Represents Water among the four Houses, reflected by their most prominent staff member, Severus Snape, who brews potions, and their common room, which is under the lake.
  • Enforced Cold War: With Gryffindor.
  • Everyone Has Standards: In the film version of Order of the Phoenix, a few Slytherin students can be seen cheering the Weasley twins after they wreck Umbridge's classroom, implying that even they don't like her.
  • Evil Reactionary: Pure-blood supremacist ideas are a core of Slytherin's history, and it has resulted in the decay of the house, in Harry's times, into a cesspool of elitism, bigotry, and general social regression.
  • Fantastic Racism: Many Slytherin characters we are introduced to have serious Pureblood biases. Hell, their Common Room's entry password is "Pureblood", inviting questions whether the house even accepts Muggleborns at all. We know that it at least accepts Half-bloods like Tom Riddle and Severus Snape, though.
  • Fatal Flaw: Slytherins often lack the scruples to counteract their ambition, leading to ruthlessness and prejudice. Elitism is also a common issue for them.
  • Flanderization:
    • It's likely that Slytherin suffered an internalized version of this as a result of Voldemort's rise to power. The only major Slytherin free of interest in the Dark Arts and Blood Purity is Horace Slughorn, who comes from an earlier generation than Voldemort. Basically, Voldemort's obsession with being the Heir of Slytherin and the fact that he recruited Death Eaters from his own house and then their children after them, essentially cast a large blot on their legacy, making people believe that their extreme aspects were their core ideas.
    • As a Slytherin, Slughorn prizes reaching the maximum potential of your talent and the social impact and benefit it can have on the rest of the world, showing a commitment and interest in the bigger picture that other houses often lack and ironically doing more to encourage mixing of houses and building house unity than even a model of fair play like Professor McGonagall.
  • For the Evulz: What the worst of them lapse into, even if it's technically not their credo.
  • The Friend Nobody Likes: The other three Hogwarts Houses dislike them due to their bullying and ideals of pureblood supremacy. Noble Gryffindor is always at odds with them, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff always side with Gryffindor whenever they're against Slytherin in a Quidditch match, and when Pansy suggests turning Harry over to Voldemort, all of the non-Slytherin students stand up and silently point their wands at the Slytherins. McGonagall calmly threatens Slughorn with a duel to the death if he or any of the Slytherin students attempt to fight on Voldemort's side.
  • Gondor Calls for Aid: While they were the only house that leave the castle en masse during the Battle of Hogwarts (see below), Slytherins did return to help Hogwartsnote  when everything started going to shit for Voldemort and the Death Eaters — although you'd never know that from reading the books, as Rowling only mentioned this later.
  • Gonk: Most Slytherins are given rather unflattering descriptions. Crabbe, Goyle, Bulstrode and Flint are all described as troll-like, Montague has large hairy arms, Pansy has a face like a pug, Nott is seedy-looking and even Draco is mentioned to resemble a weasel. The only exception is Blaise Zabini, who’s described as being very handsome.
    • In the movies, Crabbe and Goyle, whilst still large, are not troll-like, with Goyle even losing most of his fat after year two. Pansy and Draco are also very attractive. Meanwhile Flint, British Teeth aside, is also far better looking then a troll.
  • Greater-Scope Villain: Salazar Slytherin, being the founder of pure-blood supremacist thought which drives most of the major villains.
  • Green and Mean: Their house colours are green and silver. The Slytherin Common Room is also depicted as having a constant greenish tint, because it's located underground, adjoining the Great Lake.
  • Hate Sink: In the first five books, all named Slytherin students that Harry meets are described as rude, racist, obnoxious, narrow-minded elitist bullies and cowards with no redeeming features or members whatsoever. To top it off, most are described as dumb and ugly, though this can be attributed to Harry being an Unreliable Narrator. The fact that none of them are in Dumbledore's Army certainly drives the point home.
  • Informed Attribute: The Hat of Slytherin house, we are told, is ambition, but with the exceptions of Snape and Tom Riddle (which are ironically half-bloods, far from the Slytherin paragon), no one we see in Slytherin displays any genuine ambition. Slytherins are likewise supposed to be cunning, witty, and defenders of "wizarding pride," but most of the canon Slytherins are bullies and Dumb Muscle who enjoy more physical presence than wizarding talent, and whose idea of "cunning" is openly attacking Gryffindor Quidditch players before a game and then banking on their Head of House to bail them out. Then again, with no ambition to put as a hat, they are left with racism or being deceptive, which aren't values for a school to have. Presumably, most of them are in there because that's the House they wanted to be put in.
  • It's All About Me: A common trait and flaw of Slytherin. They often do their deeds thinking of themselves and not others.
  • Jerk Jock: Slytherin's Quidditch players are often shown to be one of these. Higgs and Pucey are notable exceptions.
  • Motive Decay: It’s implied the whole house has undergone this over the centuries, having once produced great wizards such as Merlin that avert Ambition Is Evil by seeking to bring positive change to the wizarding world. Now, the house is almost all snobbish aristocrats pushing traditionist wizarding values of blood purity.
  • My Species Doth Protest Too Much: What few Slytherins aren't complete jerks are this and can be quite amicable as Slughorn can attest.
  • Neutral No Longer: It's implied that the majority of Slytherin simply didn't pick sides in the war, probably due to their house's enmity with the other three leaving them no safe haven if they sided against Voldemort and the children of his supporters decided to get revenge. But when push came to shove and it was clear that Voldemort was going to take or lose everything, the Slytherins spread out across Britain to gather up just everyone they could find to help fight, and then returned with an army that could win purely through virtue of numbers — or so Rowling claimed in a interview later, the actual book has Slytherin House evacuated en masse after one of their number tries to turn Harry in to Voldemort. They're never spoken of again afterwards.
  • Never Be a Hero: Their trait of self-preservation manifests as this trope. While Slytherins are unlikely to perform the heroic feats of Gryffindor, they're also less likely to needlessly endanger themselves as a Gryffindor would.
  • Noble Demon: Though the Slytherin house's reputation for cruelty and selfishness is well deserved (and well-earned), to the few people whom they deem worthy of their love (or at the very least, respect) Slytherin are capable of loyalty, bravery, honor, love, kindness, and heroism fierce enough to equal (and sometimes even rival) any Gryffindor. Of course, they are not the majority, most of them genuinely live up to the worst of their House reputation.
  • Obviously Evil: Their emblem is a snake, they live in a dungeon, part of their folklore concerns their founder, who only wanted to teach pureblood, leaving a monster to "cleanse" Hogwarts of undesirables, and they are a group that extols underhandedness, self-centred behaviour, exclusivity, and at various points in history, outright bigotry. Oh, and it was the training ground for the vast majority of the 20th Century's dark wizards. Working around the house's unpleasant image was an uphill battle, both for the fandom and for Rowling.
  • Offscreen Moment of Awesome: The Neutral No Longer / Gondor Calls for Aid. It would be great if we actually got to see that happen; instead it's just a vague "Hey look! reinforcements!" moment. Then Rowling confirms in an interview that the Slytherins came through for the good guys, and probably because they realized that the situation was dire and some things were more important than their prejudices.
  • Planet of Hats: Until the sixth book, all Slytherins seen in the series are depicted as unpleasant people who run on the rather small-minded philosophy that they are better than everyone else. They are either bullies, blood supremacists, or both.
  • The Proud Elite: The house is often occupied by the children of wealthy, pure-blood witches and wizards.
  • The Spock: Slytherins are defined by their ruthless pragmatism and self-preservation. While this doesn't make the house inherently evil, in spite of its Motive Decay, it's hard-pressed to produce heroes as Gryffindor does.
  • Token Good Teammate: A small example, but Harry notes that two Quidditch players, Adrian Pucey and Terence Higgs, are genuinely good opponents who don't have a long record of fouls and cheats behind their names. Higgs is replaced by Malfoy after the first book while Pucey keeps fulfilling this role in the Quidditch team up until the third book, where he's replaced with Warrington who is more aggressive and underhanded. However, he returned for the fifth book.
  • The Unfettered: With ambition and pragmatism being two of their greatest traits, Slytherins will "use any means to achieve their ends".
  • Unscrupulous Hero: At best, their pragmatism and ruthlessness can be used for heroic means.
  • Upbringing Makes the Hero: It's not impossible to have Slytherin students who are good or altruistic but they have to be raised in a way that looks past their racist ideals.
  • Upper-Class Twit: Mostly those from Draco's year or social circle. Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy, Flint, Bulstrode, and Pike are all shown to be not very bright or outright unfriendly to the others.
  • The Usual Adversaries: Most Death Eaters were educated at Hogwarts, and with two known exceptions, every last one of those was a Slytherin.
  • Villain with Good Publicity: Slytherins are stereotyped as "evil" wizards, yet the actually evil ones seem to have both an unusually high amount of followers and disproportionately large representation in the wizarding government.
  • Wicked Cultured: An article on Pottermore has been written on the various treasures owned by Slytherins, stating that they had "displayed some exquisitely dark, yet beautiful designs over the years". This is most apparent in their common room, with its dim green lighting, skull decor, black leather furniture, and views of Hogwarts Lake from beneath the surface.
    "Say what you like about Slytherin house, they had great taste."

     Draco Lucius Malfoy 
See his page here.

    Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/vincent_crabbe.jpg
Crabbe
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/gregory_goyle.jpg
Goyle
Portrayed by: Jamie Waylett (Crabbe), Joshua Herdman (Goyle)
Voiced by: Alan Prieto and Raúl Valadez (Latin American Spanish, Crabbe), Ricardo Méndez (Latin American Spanish, Goyle); Gustavo Sanches (Brazilian Portuguese, Crabbe)

"Honestly, Goyle, if you were any slower, you'd be going backwards!"
Draco

Draco's friends/underlings/bodyguards. They are nowhere near intelligent, and are both very large and brutish. They follow Draco everywhere, and when Draco joins the Death Eaters, they follow suit.


  • Acrofatic: In the last book, Crabbe, despite being described as overweight, is mentioned as outrunning everyone who is trying to flee the Fiendfyre in the Room of Requirement. It doesn't save him though.
  • Adaptational Attractiveness: Starting from the Prisoner of Azkaban, Goyle really isn't visibly heavy in any way (Josh Herdman, his actor, apparently lost a significant amount of weight after shooting for the second film wrapped). Crabbe, on the other hand, remains fat.
  • Adaptational Comic Relief: Their stupidity is mostly played for laughs in the films, they’re also given much more comedic moments, whereas in the books, they did little more than flank Draco.
  • Adaptational Dumbass: Although Crabbe and Goyle aren't known for being smart in the books, they have one moment in the movies where they come off as even dumber. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets has Harry, Ron, and Hermione leave potion-laced cupcakes on a random banister for the duo to eat in the original book, while in the movie, Harry and Ron leave the cupcakes to randomly float around suspiciously in the air in front of Crabbe and Goyle. Ron even lampshades in the movie just how easily tricked the duo are when they eat the floating cupcakes without hesitation.
    Ron: How thick could you get?!
  • Adaptational Hairstyle Change: Crabbe is described as having a bowl cut in the books, while his onscreen counterpart has closely-cropped black hair (Crabbe does have a bowl cut in the fifth movie, but has a shaved head in the sixth).
  • Adaptational Intelligence: While still not very smart, Goyle in the movies still shows more intelligence than his literature counterpart, who borders on being Too Dumb to Live.
  • Adaptational Nice Guy:
    • Crabbe in the movies, since he’s portrayed as more dumb than evil, has many Not So Above It All moments and his Not-So-Harmless Villain moment is given to Goyle. He is portrayed as giving in to his emotions, especially when everyone else around is doing it, for example clapping at Hagrid's return from Azkaban, singing the Hogwarts song, or dancing with Viktor Krum. Draco usually motions for him to stop and Crabbe looks disappointed.
    • In the LEGO games, Crabbe is shown to be supportive of Harry during his duel against Draco in the dueling club and is the only student who claps for Harry after he wins Liquid Luck. Goyle meanwhile glares at Malfoy and Crabbe when they laugh at the petrified Mrs Norris.
  • Adaptation Personality Change: Downplayed, as their personalities stay mostly the same, but in the books there are subtle moments that imply that Crabbe is more vicious then Goyle and Malfoy, whilst Goyle is simply dumb. The movies show Goyle to be more aggresive and slightly more intelligent whilst Crabbe is the dumber one.
  • Alliterative Name: Gregory Goyle.
  • Asshole Victim: In Deathly Hallows, Crabbe casts Fiendfyre in an attempt to kill Harry, Hermione, and Ron but he becomes its sole victim.
  • Ax-Crazy: Crabbe is smiling like a kid in a candy store whilst attacking the trio.
  • Bald of Evil: In Deathly Hallows, Goyle changes his hairstyle to a buzzcut, invoking the image of a neo-nazi skinhead.
  • Big Eater: Crabbe is mentioned to be one of the last to finish eating at feasts, and leaves the Great Hall with more sweets to eat. In Goyle's case his first notable action in the books was to attempt to steal Harry and Ron's food, only to get bitten by Scabbers.
  • The Brute: Malfoy uses them to do his dirty work whilst he bosses them around.
  • Bumbling Henchmen Duo: They're a pair of toadies that constantly follow Malfoy around and do his bidding. Both of them are dumb as a rock.
  • Butt-Monkey: In the films, Crabbe winds up on the receiving end of most humiliations regarding Slytherins, such as getting his pants pulled down by Harry in Prisoner of Azkaban, getting ferret!Malfoy shoved in his pants in Goblet of Fire, and getting Shot in the Ass by one of the Weasley's fireworks in Order of the Phoenix.
    • In the LEGO games, Goyle is Shot in the Ass by Ron in the Room of Requirement. As a nod to Goyle taking Crabbe's role from the books.
    • In the films, Malfoy also treats Crabbe with even less respect than Goyle, which is opposite to the books.
    • In the books, Goyle suffers the most misfortune and is most often mocked by the trio. He’s described as being even dumber then Crabbe, which is saying something.
  • Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: By the end of the final book Crabbe has become adept at dark magic and is evil enough to try and kill Harry. Goyle also is described as doing well in Amycus Carrow's Dark Arts class.
  • Death by Adaptation: Due to Jamie Waylett's trouble with the law, Crabbe was written out of the last two films and Goyle was killed off instead.
  • Demoted to Extra: Due to Josh Herdman receiving an arm injury shortly before filming, Goyle takes a temporary backseat for Malfoy's gang in the film version of Prisoner of Azkaban. His part is filled by Canon Foreigner Pike.
  • Disney Villain Death: In Deathly Hallows Part 2, Goyle is killed when a chair he's climbing comes loose, causing him to fall into the Fiendfyre.
  • Divergent Character Evolution: They start out as their book counterparts with very little to no personality, but starting from the second movie we see them get some unique characteristics. Crabbe becomes a Butt-Monkey who has his Not So Above It All moments while Goyle becomes The Big Guy with a Hair-Trigger Temper. Crabbe embodies the dumb part while Goyle embodies the muscle part. Also, in the books Malfoy prefers Crabbe since he's smarter than Goyle. In the movies it's the other way around.
  • The Dividual: They are Malfoy's two thuggish henchmen who primarily act as a single unit.
  • Dumb Jock: In their fifth year, they become Beaters for the Slytherin Quidditch team. Their (lack of) intelligence, of course, needs no mention.
  • Dumb Muscle: Basically their entire characterizations. For example, Snape mentions in Half-Blood Prince that they failed their Defence Against the Dark Arts OWLs. In the movies, Malfoy goes as far as to admit he thinks Goyle is illiterate.
  • Eviler than Thou: Crabbe is willing to kill Hermione, whereas Malfoy will not kill. (Though it could be debated that he probably would if he wasn't a coward and less squeamish. Fear of Voldemort and a risk of failing could have played a factor.)
  • Evil Is Burning Hot: Crabbe tries to kill Harry, Ron, and Hermione with Fiendfyre, an incredibly dangerous and uncontrollable cursed fire.
  • Evil Sounds Deep: When Ron transforms into Crabbe using Polyjuice Potion, his voice is described as a deep grunt.
  • Fat Bastard: Crabbe is short and round and in the books attempts to kill his classmates.
  • Fat Idiot: Crabbe in the films, although Goyle isn't exactly a genius. In the books, Crabbe is the smarter of the two.
  • Fingore: In the book version of Philosopher’s Stone, Goyle is bitten on his finger by Scabbers when they and Malfoy try to steal Harry and Ron's sweets on the train.
  • Flat Character: They're both very interchangeable, and have very little personality other than Draco Malfoy's dumb hench-bodyguards.
  • Foil: Collectively, they can be considered a foil to Dudley Dursley. Setting aside the easy comparisons of physique, Crabbe and Goyle capably match Dudley in the field of being stupid, incurious, thuggish louts whose only interest is bullying others. (Whatever traits of Dudley's aren't reflected by Crabbe and Goyle, such as his spoiled, ungrateful attitude and his leader-among-bullies persona, are instead reflected by Malfoy; see Foil under his entry.) However, whereas Dudley eventually wises up and begins the process of bettering himself and mending his relationship with Harry, Crabbe and Goyle only get worse after Snape takes over Hogwarts. It's especially salient that, while Dudley has taken his share of magical needling from mischievous but well-meaning characters like Hagrid and the Weasley twins, what prompts his eventual Heel–Face Turn is his one and only brush with the horrific power of dark magic, embodied by the Always Chaotic Evil dementors. By contrast, the allure of the Dark Arts is precisely what brings out the worst in Malfoy's sidekicks, even leading one of them (Crabbe in the book, Goyle in the film) across the Moral Event Horizon when he casts Fiendfyre in an attempt to kill the trio.
  • Foreshadowing: When Draco gets beaten to a bloody pulp by George and Harry in Order of the Phoenix, Harry notices that Crabbe is too busy cackling to help his friend. This foreshadows that Crabbe is a Sadist who couldn’t care any less about his friends.
  • Gang of Bullies: The pair form one with Malfoy, acting as his personal henchmen when he picks on others.
  • Good Old Fisticuffs: In the movies, Goyle tries to solve most problems using his fists instead of his wand or brain.
  • Hair-Trigger Temper: Goyle is prone to violent outbursts in the films.
  • Hate Sink: These two boneheads are Mr. Malfoy minus even the microscopic redeeming qualities that Draco himself possessed, or any kind of explanation for their actions beyond being obnoxious, brutish bullies. Having the same personality as Draco but being even dumber, uglier, and crueller, no one was remotely sorry when Crabbe (Goyle in the movie) got himself killed in an unbelievably stupid way by his own misdirected spell in an attempt to kill Harry, Ron, and Hermione, making him the only person in the series dumb enough to die in the Room of Requirement.
  • Heel–Face Turn: Goyle becomes a better person by the end of the seventh book.
  • Hidden Depths:
    • A villainous version of the trope: while the two are so stupid Malfoy once wonders if Goyle can read, they are both adept at casting dark spells, including Fiendfyre and the Unforgivable Curses. They were also able to cast the difficult Disillusionment Charm well enough to hide from the trio.
    • In the films Crabbe seems to enjoy singing the Hogwarts song, much to Draco's annoyance.
  • Hoist by His Own Petard: Crabbe tries to kill the trio with Fiendfyre in the last book, but loses control of the spell and ends up being immolated himself.
  • Jabba Table Manners: They were digging into those cupcakes weren't they?
  • Karmic Death: Crabbe (Goyle in the film) suffers one, killing himself with Fiendfyre.
  • Kill It with Fire: Crabbe (Goyle in the film) dies when his uncontrolled Fiendfyre burns down the Room of Requirement with him in it.
  • Like Father, Like Son: Both of their fathers are Death Eaters, and are described as being large and dim like their sons. Crabbe's father appears to be the more serious Death Eater, as he is seen in battle and unhesitatingly aims a Killing Curse at Hermione (something Vincent would also try to do). Goyle's father is only really seen once and never does anything noteworthy, much like how Gregory is less vocal and ambitious than Vincent.
  • More Despicable Minion: Crabbe turns out to be even worse than Malfoy; while Malfoy was unable to kill Dumbledore, Crabbe had no problem with trying to murder Harry, Ron and Hermione with Killing Curses and Fiendfyre.
  • Not So Above It All: Crabbe, frequently in the films.
    • He claps for Hagrid and enjoys dancing with Krum, but deleted scenes show him enjoying Lupin’s class and singing the Hogwarts’ school song.
  • Not-So-Harmless Villain: While not notably skilled or smart by any means, Crabbe (Goyle in the film) reveals himself to be considerably more ruthless than previously thought in the Battle of Hogwarts, where he is able to cast Killing Curses and Fiendfyre without hesitation.
  • Pet the Dog: Crabbe has a few moments in the films, such as cheering with the rest of the school for Harry and enjoying Hogwarts’ song.
  • Psychopathic Man Child: After first revealing himself to be a sadistic Not-So-Harmless Villain, Crabbe talks about being rewarded for capturing Harry "like a small child promised a large bag of sweets."
  • Putting on the Reich: The casual outfits worn by Crabbe and Goyle are inspired by neo-Nazi clothing. Both boys shave their heads during the final two films, making the comparison even more obvious.
  • Required Secondary Power: Crabbe has no problem casting the powerful Fiendfyre curse. Unfortunately he didn't bother to learn how to stop or control the flames which ended up killing him.
  • Royally Screwed Up: There are some implications that their lack of intelligence is due to Royal Inbreeding. Marrying one's own relatives is traditional among the more elitist pure-blood families to preserve blood purity, and wizards are by no means immune to the physical and mental birth defects this can cause, as shown by the Gaunts.
  • Running Gag: Several in the films and games.
  • Sadist: Crabbe in the books takes great enjoyment out of the suffering of others, even his friends. Both also enjoy using the Cruciatus curse on first years.
  • Soft-Spoken Sadist: When we finally hear them speak in the last book, Harry's narration noted that Crabbe's voice is far softer than he expected. In the films, Goyle speaks in a softer voice then usual whilst urging Draco to kill Harry.
  • Spared by the Adaptation: Due to Jamie Waylett's trouble with the law, Crabbe was written out of the last two films and Goyle was killed off instead.
  • The Starscream: In the last book, Crabbe openly defies Draco's orders and mocks him, realising that he and his father have fallen out of favour with Voldemort and attempts to get directly into the Dark Lord's good graces by killing Harry.
  • Stout Strength: Both of them are described as thickset and strong at the same time.
  • Terrible Trio: When partnered with Malfoy, they act as a Foil to Harry, Ron and Hermione. Since Ron and Hermione are loyal, kind and helpful, whereas Crabbe and Goyle are treacherous, rude and generally useless to Malfoy’s plans.
  • Token Evil Teammate: Whilst every Slytherin student is a major Jerkass and bully, Crabbe takes the cake when he tries to outright MURDER his own classmates.
  • Too Dumb to Live: Crabbe casting Fiendfyre, a jinx so deadly and unpredictable that even Hermione was afraid to try it. For most of the series, they were portrayed as too stupid to think without Malfoy. In the second book, they choose to eat cakes left in a random location without showing the slightest suspicion. The film makes it even more jarring when the cakes in question are floating in midair.
  • Took a Level in Jerkass: Vincent Crabbe in Deathly Hallows goes from a quiet thug to an arrogant fool who eagerly uses Dark Magic in order to torture eleven year olds and kill his classmates. In the film, since Crabbe is not present, Goyle is the one who becomes this evil.
  • Torture Technician: Said to have become quite adept at the Cruciatus Curse under the Carrows' tutelage in Deathly Hallows.
  • Toxic Friend Influence: Downplayed. But in the final film, instead of Draco calling the shots, Goyle takes the lead and eggs Draco to kill Harry in a similar manner to Bellatrix egging him to kill Dumbledore.
  • Unskilled, but Strong: They're thicker than brick walls, but during the seventh book, they get good at casting Dark curses, including the Cruciatus Curse. Crabbe also learned to conjure Fiendfyre, which creates enchanted flames so powerful they can destroy nearly anything, including Horcruxes. But the idiot forgot the vital part of the lesson, actually learning how to control or turn off the spell.
  • Vocal Dissonance: Crabbe, a large and brutish looking boy, has an unusually high-pitched voice.
  • The Voiceless:
    • They don't have a single line of dialogue for the whole first six books. Crabbe's Not-So-Harmless Villain moment in Deathly Hallows is all the more shocking by the fact that he actually gets to talk. Although it is clear that the Trio has heard them speak before, as Harry goes out of his way to correct Ron's speaking voice to sound more like Goyle's during the Polyjuice scene in Chamber of Secrets. Also, in the book, where they do get the voices of Crabbe and Goyle after their transformation, Harry/Goyle's voice is described as being a low rasp, while Ron/Crabbe's voice is described as being a deep grunt.
    • The films avert this, as Crabbe is often heard talking in the third film and Goyle speaks for the first time in the fourth film. The second film has them remarking in an amused manner at the floating cakes, considering them cool.
  • Villainous Glutton: Their first meeting with Harry, Ron, and Hermione involves the two boys trying to steal some of their sweets, only to be driven off when Scabbers bites Goyle's finger.
  • Would Hurt a Child: They enjoy beating up kids younger then them. Taken to a whole new level of sadism when they use the Cruciatus curse on first years.
  • Youth Is Wasted on the Dumb: They're a pair of brainless Delinquents who enjoy making others' lives miserable. In the final battle, Crabbe (Goyle in the films) gets himself killed by throwing deadly curses at everyone, eventually losing control and killing himself instead.

    Pansy Parkinson 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pansy_parkinson.png
Portrayed by: Genevieve Gaunt, Lauren Shotton, and Scarlett Byrne
Voiced by: Marisol Romero (Latin American Spanish), Flávia Fontenelle (Brazilian Portuguese)

"Ooh, sticking up for Longbottom. Never thought you'd like fat little crybabies, Parvati."

Pansy Parkinson is a Slytherin in Harry's year, described as arrogant and always insulting anyone she pleases to. She is Draco Malfoy's girlfriend for most of the series, and is in many ways the female version of Draco. But just before the battle of Hogwarts, she suggests the Hogwarts students betray Harry Potter to Voldemort, so she is the first student to be evacuated.


  • Adaptational Attractiveness: Does not have a pug face (see below) in the films.
  • All Girls Like Unicorns: She works hard to hide it but she's just as enamoured by the unicorn foals as Lavender and Parvati.
  • All Girls Want Bad Boys: Pansy seemed to be quite fond of Draco
  • Alliterative Name: Both her first and last name start with "P".
  • Alpha Bitch: Rowling states that Pansy is an amalgamation of every girl who's ever teased her in school. It certainly shows.
  • Animal Motifs: Is said to have a face like a pug.
  • Dirty Coward: When Voldemort delivers an ultimatum to Hogwarts in Book 7 to either surrender Harry or face a massive siege, she's more than ready to turn him in. The coward part comes from how her arm is shaking as she points at Harry, which suggests that she is more afraid of Voldemort than loyal to him (although the two feelings aren't mutually exclusive among Death Eaters) after seeing him at the peak of his power for the past year.
  • Everyone Has Standards: She proves this of the faculty student body of Hogwarts. When Voldemort offers to spare the school in return for Harry, she is the only student who jumps at the offer. One could be forgiven for being tempted, considering what they were up against, but not even the youngest, meanest or most cowardly characters support her plan.
  • Evil Counterpart: Pansy seems to be considered Hermione's "show", as Malfoy is Harry's "show". Ultimately, Pansy is Hermione's Arch-Enemy and not Harry's. Harry and Pansy never really even interact with each other, though she does hurl taunts at him.
  • Floral Theme Naming: A pansy is a type of violet.
  • Girl Posse: She has one, though the other members are never named.
  • Hate Sink: She is unmistakably rude, insulting, prejudiced and cruel. Many Slytherins share these traits in the earlier books, but she is never given any redeeming qualities or depth and remains a gossip and a bully to the end. Taken to the extreme before the Battle of Hogwarts, where she is notably the only student to suggest taking up Voldemort's offer to turn Harry over to the Death Eaters. Even Malfoy stops associating with her at some point after graduation.
  • Informed Deformity: We are constantly told that she has a pug face and is not very pleasing to look at in general. However Rita Skeeter describes her as pretty in her article about her. We are never really given an unbiased opinion of her looks in the books, however Draco (who is known to be a snob) seems to find her attractive. All three of the actresses who portray her in the films are very pretty.
  • Informed Flaw: We are told by Hermione that Pansy isn't particularly smart ("thicker than a concussed troll"), however she was never stated to do poorly in class and was even appointed Slytherin prefect. It should be noted that Hermione strongly dislikes her so this description may not be entirely accurate.
  • Lap Pillow: Draco rests his head on her lap on the train in The Half-Blood Prince.
  • Malicious Slander: She feeds Rita Skeeter's phony love triangle and suggests Hermione's been drugging Harry and Krum with love potions. After all the hate mail (some of it cursed) this leads to, Hermione is rather satisfied whenever Pansy gets in trouble.
  • Not So Above It All: Though she tries to hide it, she's just as excited as the other girls when they learn about unicorns in their Care for Magical Creatures class. She also admits that she found Cedric Diggory attractive, though she said it to taunt Cho Chang and Harry (whose appearance was compared negatively to Cedric's).
  • Politically Incorrect Villain: Aside from believing in Pure Blood supremacy, it's possible to read Pansy as a racist. In Order of the Phoenix, she mocks Angelina Johnson, who is black, for her hair braids, which she claims look like "worms."
  • The Quisling: Is the only student to openly suggest that Hogwarts should turn Harry over to Voldemort.
  • Rich Bitch: It's never confirmed how wealthy her family is, but she certainly acts like she belongs in this category.
  • The Rival: To Hermione. The two seem to have a similar (though less intense) relationship that Harry and Draco have.
  • Romantic Runner-Up: Pansy was often ship teased with Draco and they even went to the Yule Ball together. However, he ended up marrying Astoria Greengrass.
  • Ship Tease: With Draco, who she seems to have a crush on. It doesn't go anywhere.
  • Stupid Evil: Hermione claims her to be thick as a troll. This may not be entirely accurate though.
  • Troll: Doesn't bother hiding the fact that she loves to shittalk about others out of malice.
  • Villainous Cheekbones: When played by Scarlett Byrne - also plays into Adaptational Attractiveness due to the fact that Scarlett (and Genevieve or Lauren for that matter) are actually quite lovely in Real Life.
  • Villainous Friendship: Her friendship with Malfoy does seem genuine; for example, she was genuinely brought to tears when he was injured by Buckbeak.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: What happens to her after the conclusion of the Battle of Hogwarts is never elaborated on, other than that her friendship with Draco supposedly ended at some point after graduating from Hogwarts.

    Blaise Zabini 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/blaise_zabini.jpg
Portrayed by: Louis Cordice

"Yeah, Zabini, because you're so talented...at posing..."
Ginny

Blaise Zabini is a Slytherin student in Harry's year and an associate of Draco Malfoy. He's left unseen for the first five books, but finally gets a physical description and role in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. Although he doesn't take part in bullying like his peers, he shares their same prejudiced views.


  • Ascended Extra: Since Crabbe's actor was fired before the filming of the final movie, Blaise's character becomes his replacement in the Terrible Trio. However, rather than condemning Blaise to a fiery death, screenwriter Steve Kloves conferred Crabbe's actions and demise onto Goyle instead, so Blaise gets away alive as Goyle did in the book.
  • The Beautiful Elite: The most aristocratic of Malfoy's group. While Malfoy can be prone to snivelling, and Crabbe and Goyle are just Dumb Muscle, Blaise has the looks, the snobbery, and the withdrawn temperament to fit the Slytherin ideal.
  • Chekhov's Gunman: Actually subverted, in an uncharacteristic move for Rowling. After his Early-Bird Cameo in Stone (see below), Blaise was shelved until Prince, whereupon he was given a very rich, detailed introduction aboard the train as a friend but no lackey to Malfoy. The seasoned HP reader knows to expect from that kind of intro that Rowling's got something important lined up for the character, but not in this case: Blaise makes no particular contribution to the plot, and all but disappears from the series halfway through Prince. In retrospect, it's clear that the only reason Rowling pulled Blaise out of the woodwork was that she wanted a Slytherin in the Slug Club (and she'd rejected the obvious choice, Malfoy, since it was to be a point of sympathy for Slughorn that he treated Malfoy with pleasant indifference). Alas, filling a narrative niche is not the same thing as adding to the plot, and Blaise never quite donned the holster and joined Rowling's stable of Chekhov's Gunmen.
  • Early-Bird Cameo: Blaise is mentioned as the last new Hogwarts student to be sorted in 1991.
  • Fantastic Racism: He seems to believe in pure-blood supremacy. Though it should be noted that he also views a lot of fellow pure-blood supremacists with disdain, and only seems mildly interested in Draco's Death Eater work.
  • The Friend Nobody Likes: Rarely seems to hang out with Malfoy's Gang. The one time he's shown with them he and Draco spend most of their conversation snarking at each other and Goyle reacts with violence when Blaise accidentally falls on him. Pansy Parkinson seems to have a somewhat better relationship with him though.
  • Jerk Jock: He's seen as one of the Chasers in the sixth film. This is never mentioned in the books, but only two of the Chasers are identified making it possible that he's the third.
  • Narcissist: He's handsome and he knows it.
  • Pretty Boy: Takes after his famously beautiful mother. What's interesting is that fandom had already pegged him as this even before they knew what he actually looked like; they guessed correctly.
  • She's a Man in Japan: Is renamed to Bella in the Dutch translation of Philosopher's Stone. After Half-Blood Prince revealed Blaise' gender, the Dutch translation of said book corrected this, by changing the name to the masculine Benno.
  • Small Name, Big Ego: Insults everyone, prompting Ginny to insult him back with "You're so talented... at posing."
  • Smug Snake: Seems to be his main personality trait. He even displays little respect for Malfoy, a rare move for a Slytherin of his year.
  • Tall, Dark, and Handsome: Described as tall, dark-skinned and attractive, taking after his famously beautiful mother.
  • Tall, Dark, and Snarky: He doesn't speak much in the books, but scoffs, sneers or taunts in most of his appearances. Unlike his housemates, however, his snark isn't just limited to other houses, muggles and the muggle-born, as he also seems to hold pureblood elitists and Death Eaters in low esteem.
  • Token Minority: Only Slytherin of colour mentioned.
  • The Unseen: For the first 5 books. This led to an interesting case of Fanon considering both his personality and gender.note  He was later described as being a tall, handsome black boy in the sixth book.
  • Villainous Cheekbones: Described as having these in the books.

    Theodore Nott 

A Slytherin boy who wants nothing to do with Draco Malfoy.


  • Fantastic Racism: Along with most of the Slytherins, of course, but as far as Nott goes, he's more than likely related - perhaps a direct descendant - of a man named Cantankerus Nott, who is credited with anonymously publishing the Pure-Blood Directory, listing the British wizarding families who were still "truly pure-blood" by his time. In other words, Cantankerus Nott literally wrote the book on pure-blood supremacism. His father was also a Death Eater, and one of the longest serving ones at that. He was shown at least once making fun of Hermione's blood-status along with Draco.
  • I See Them, Too: During a Care of Magical Creatures lesson in his fifth year, he was one of only three students present who could see Thestrals, suggesting that he may have witnessed his mother's death firsthand. He found the creatures rather distasteful as he watched one eating, judging by his face.
  • Missing Mom: Is dead according to JK Rowling.
  • Small Role, Big Impact: In Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, he is arrested for possession of an illegal Time-Turner... a Time-Turner which is used by Albus, Scorpius and Delphini to go back in time and change the past.
  • The Stoic: When Harry witnesses him talking with Malfoy, Crabbe, and Goyle he was the only one who didn't have a sinister reaction to Harry's presence.
  • Villainous Respect: He's one of the few Slytherins who Draco treats as an equal due to being clever (unlike Crabbe and Goyle), a pure-blood, and probably for being the son of a Death Eater. Unfortunately for Draco, Nott isn't interested in joining his Gang of Bullies, and two only rarely hang out.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: We never hear about him in the final book. He presumably remained at Hogwarts where he likely was treated better than most others as he was a pure-blood and the son of a Death Eater. Whether or not he participated in the final battle is unknown as well.

    Millicent Bulstrode 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/millicent_bulstrode.jpg
Portrayed by: Helen Stuart

Another bullying Slytherin, not part of Draco's gang per se but apparently quite intimidating in her own right.


  • Adaptation Expansion: In the Chamber of Secrets video game there is an unnamed Slytherin girl who other characters describe as a real witch, and voices her opinion that Severus Snape is more attractive than Gilderoy Lockhart.
  • Brawn Hilda: Described as large and square with a heavy jaw and rather hag-like.
  • The Bully: More than once she's been physically violent with Hermione.
  • Combat Pragmatist: She's paired with Hermione in the Duelling Club scene in Chamber of Secrets, and when the dust settles after the first round, she's forgone magic and has Hermione in a headlock.
  • Distaff Counterpart: Sort of a female version of Crabbe and Goyle.
  • Huge Schoolgirl: Is said to be taller than Harry and larger in general than a lot of other students.
  • Informed Attribute: Hermione seemed to believe that Millicent was close enough to Malfoy and his gang that he would tell her if he was the heir of Slytherin or if he knows who is. We never see her interact with Malfoy, Crabbe, or Goyle other than when they were all part of the Inquisitorial Squad. Since Hermione failed to transform into her, we never see how Draco would've reacted to her presence.
  • Precocious Crush: If the unnamed Slytherin girl in the Chamber of Secrets video game truly is her, then she apparently has a crush on Snape.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: She's part of the Inquisitorial Squad in Order of the Phoenix, but doesn't feature in the Death-Eater-fication of Slytherin in the last two books.

    Marcus Flint 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/marcus_flint.png
Portrayed by: Jamie Yeates
Voiced by: Jorge Roig Jr. (Latin American Spanish)

"Take that side!"

Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team when Harry arrives at Hogwarts (he's a Chaser).


  • Big Brother Instinct: He protected Draco from Fred and George when they moved to physically attack him.
  • British Teeth: And how. Pretty much a caricature of the stereotype. This character description from the books even made it onto the first two films where he made his onscreen appearance, with actor Jamie Yeates wearing false teeth over his real teeth.
  • Dumb Jock: Described as troll-like. He’s the Captain of the Slytherin Quidditch team and gets Held Back in School.
  • Everyone Has Standards: Not necessarily in a moral sense, but he's happy to indulge in Draco's father buying the team brooms and seems amused by Draco's calling Hermione a mudblood. When Draco costs the team a win because he was too busy taunting Harry to notice the Snitch hovering within his reach, Flint wastes no time in yelling at him afterwards.
  • Fantastic Racism: Possibly. He seemed pretty amused when Malfoy called Hermione a mudblood, and physically protected him from retaliation. Rowling states that his family were some of the few "true" pure-bloods left in the twentieth century.
  • Held Back in School: The reason why he's in school during what would be his eighth year. In some copies though, his age is changed to be the same as that of Oliver Wood and Percy Weasley.
  • Jerk Jock: Flint is mentioned as being needlessly aggressive on the Quidditch field, having gained a reputation as a dirty player who uses any tactic(including cheating) to win.
    • The movies showcase this as he violently takes down Angelina Johnson and Oliver Wood, with a big smile on his face, whilst the crowd looks horrified.
  • The Rival: To Oliver Wood. Their rivalry seems to be more personal then that of other Quidditch captains throughout Harry's school year. Their pre-match handshakes usually quickly devolve into each attempting to break the other's fingers with their grips.
  • What Happened to the Mouse?: It's unknown what becomes of him after the events of the Second Wizarding War, and what his involvement in it was (if any).
  • Writers Cannot Do Math: He's still at Hogwarts in the third book even though he should have left at the end of the second. When asked about this, JKR said that he'd had to repeat his last year. This was later changed so he was only a fifth year in the first book.

    Pike 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/pike_harry_potter.jpg
Portrayed by: Bronson Webb

A Slytherin student in the films and minor member of Malfoy's gang.


  • Canon Foreigner: There’s no character named Pike in the books, in fact, all Slytherin boys from Harry’s year are identified (Crabbe, Goyle, Malfoy, Nott and Zabini) and Pike isn’t one of them.
  • Not His Sled: Webb's character was theorized for years to be Theodore Nott, another Slytherin character in Harry's year before Rowling revealed that they were different characters. One distinction between the two is that while Nott wasn't a part of Malfoy's gang, Pike is.
  • One-Shot Character: Created exclusively for the third film. It's implied he takes Goyle's role in this film because of Josh Herdman's injury.
  • Screams Like a Little Girl: Pike has a high-pitched voice, as shown when invisible Harry grabs him by the scarf and spins him around.

    Flora and Hestia Carrow 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/180px-Flora_and_hestia_carrow_5185.jpg
Portrayed by: Amber and Ruby Evans

These girls only appear in the films. They are young Slytherin girls who are members of the Slug Club, and are seen at Horace's party. In the final film, they and the other Slytherins are evacuated to the dungeons.


  • Canon Foreigner: These twins were created for the films and aren't referenced in the books.
  • Chekhov's Gunman: The appearance of the twins was supposed to tie into Draco Malfoy travelling between the Vanishing Cabinet in Hogwarts and the one in Borgin and Burkes, but this connection was not highlighted in the final cut of the film.
  • Colour-Coded for Your Convenience: The dresses they wear at the Christmas party are Slytherin green.
  • Creepy Twins: No insight is given into their personality. They're creepy primarily for no other reason being identical, pale, and not saying a word in any of their appearances.
  • Eerie Pale-Skinned Brunette: A double dose. They are very aloof and creepy.
  • Fantastic Racism: While unknown if they harbour these traits, they like many other notable or incidental Slytherin students are related to Death Eaters, in this case the brother-sister Carrow pair.
  • Theme Twin Naming: The twins are named for the Roman goddess of flowers and the Greek goddess of the hearth, and their actresses are both named for gems.

    Albus Severus Potter 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/albus_2.jpg
Click  to see him in The Cursed Child
Portrayed by: Arthur Bowen (films), Sam Clemmett (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, first runs on West End and Broadway)
Voiced by: Fernando Calderón (Latin American Spanish), Marcus Junior (Brazilian Portuguese)

"Hogwarts isn't actually that pleasant a place when you don't fit in."

The middle son of Harry Potter and Ginny Potter (née Weasley) and the best friend of Scorpius Malfoy. Singled out for his fame and magical ineptitude, Harry finds it hard to relate to his son's plight and the young Slytherin seeks to compensate for some of Harry's worst mistakes.


  • Adaptation Dye-Job: Like his father, Al's eye colour changed from green to blue in the movie adaptations.
  • All of the Other Reindeer: The only Potter to be sorted into Slytherin, and is introverted and insecure compared to his confident siblings and cousins.
  • Ascended Extra: Albus is the protagonist of the eighth story, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.
  • Birds of a Feather: The basis for his and Scorpius's friendship: both are the gossiped-about children of famous fathers, both feel determined to break free of the past's legacy, and both have a well-intentioned troublemaking streak.
  • Black Sheep: Albus alone is sorted into Slytherin, and it takes its toll.
  • Chronic Hero Syndrome: Seems to have inherited Harry's impulse to try to save people.
  • Contrasting Sequel Main Character: In many ways, an inverse of his father. Harry grew up unaware of the wizarding world, was sorted into Gryffindor, was popular (most of the time) and a talented wizard with great skill on a broom. Albus, by contrast, grew up in the wizarding world with two famous parents, is sorted into Slytherin, and is a bullied Inept Mage who's rubbish on a broom.
  • Dead Guy Junior: Al is named in honour of two past headmasters; Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape.
  • Deadpan Snarker: Particularly when Scorpius is involved. Another thing Albus inherited from Harry.
    Albus: How to distract Scorpius from difficult emotional issues. Take him to a library.
    Albus: I’m not sure being fearless is going to be good for your health.
  • Emo Teen: Albus's situation isn't great, but his brooding and self-pity take it over the top. Scorpius and Harry - both of whom had a tougher time growing up - eventually call him out on this.
  • Failure Hero: Albus is terrible at magic and most of his attempts to do good end up furthering Big Bad's plan. Tellingly, the climax of Act IV has Albus take a backseat while Harry and his friends fight the Big Bad.
  • Family Eye Resemblance: Albus is mentioned in the epilogue as the only one of Harry and Ginny's three children to have inherited the green eyes.
  • Famous Ancestor: The "Chosen One" is his father, and his mother is a war hero and renowned Quidditch player.
  • Hate at First Sight: Subverted. Everyone (in and out of universe) expects him to loathe Scorpius on sight, which Rose even invokes. Instead, they become the best of friends instantly.
  • In-Series Nickname: His family calls him "Al" though he prefers Albus.
  • Homoerotic Subtext: With Scorpius. Scorpius is Albus's only real friend, and they help each other overcome grief, evil and death throughout The Cursed Child. They share several moments of intimacy and romantic moments, most notably when they meet on the moving staircases. It became even more relevant when they updated the play. All Scorpius' ship tease with Rose, and any mentioning of the boys getting girlfriends are taken out. Plus, some more scenes with Scorpius are added or modified to be more romantic. There's now a scene where Albus tells his father Harry that Scorpius is "the most important person in my life" and "he might always be the most important".
  • Messy Hair: Just like dear old dad. But averted in the movies, where his hair's actually neater than even movie!Harry and this trope plays straight for James.
  • Middle Child Syndrome: Much of Albus's turmoil comes from feeling this way, believing that his siblings are much more like his heroic parents, while he's the odd one out.
  • "Not So Different" Remark: Realises he's more similar to his dad than he thought; namely, both of them are insecure, constantly struggled growing up and have a heroic trouble-making streak.
  • Odd Name, Normal Nickname: Unlike his first namesake, Albus Potter is shortened to "Al" by his family.
  • Odd Name Out: Being the only one of Harry's kids not named after the former's more normally-named parents probably doesn't help his Middle Child Syndrome much.
  • Only Friend: Mutually with Scorpius, as most Hogwarts student are suspicious of Harry Potter's son being sorted into Slytherin. (Ironically if not for his friendship with the Death Eater's son, he'd probably be on friendlier terms with his extended family and other Gryffindors, but Albus makes it clear he won't give Scorpius up for anyone).
    Albus: I've - I've got a friend, Scorpius, and I know you don't like him but he's all I need.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: If he had just done as he was told by Harry, then nothing would have gone wrong. Ultimately, his and Scorpius's attempts to undo Harry's mistake end up strengthening the Big Bad.
  • Retgone: In the world where Voldemort rules the world, he was not born due to Harry dying in 1998.
  • Strong Family Resemblance: A carbon copy of his father.
  • Undying Loyalty: He's fiercely devoted and defensive of Scorpius despite the longstanding enmity between the Potters and Malfoys, and suspicions that Scorpius is Voldemort's son.
  • You're Not My Father: Albus comes to resent Harry over the course of his first years at Hogwarts and eventually comes to think Harry wishes he wasn't born. They mend their relationship by the end.

    Scorpius Hyperion Malfoy 
https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/scorpius_malfoy.png
Portrayed by: Bertie Gilbert (films), Anthony Boyle (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, first runs on West End and Broadway)

"This is mayhem to the nth degree. Which is great, thumbs-up great, it's just- I have got to say- I don't mind admitting- I am a tiny bit- just a tiny bit scared."

The son and only child of Draco Malfoy and Astoria Malfoy (née Greengrass). His isolated upbringing left him socially awkward and his only friend at Hogwarts is Albus Potter, who sucks Scorpius into a dangerous adventure.


  • All of the Other Reindeer: According to Rowling, he's a little maltreated due to his family's past (and his name).invoked
  • Badass Bookworm: Heavy on the "bookworm." About as capable as a teenage wizard can be expected to be in a magical fight, but with a love of knowledge second only to Hermione's.
    Scorpius: My geekness is a-quivering.
  • Birds of a Feather: With Albus, both are the gossiped-about children of famous fathers, both feel determined to break free of the past's legacy, and both have a well-intentioned troublemaking streak.
  • Deadpan Snarker: So very much, probably even moreso than Albus.
    Albus: You were right, Scorpius. This train is magical.
    Scorpius: At this precise moment in time, I take no pleasure in being right.
  • Deuteragonist: Scorpius appears almost as much as Albus and gets a significant amount of solo attention in Act III.
  • Foil: He's about as far removed from his father as you can get. While Draco was a haughty and entitled jerkass who hated Harry's guts, Scorpius is a complete geek who immediately hits it off with Harry's son Albus.
  • Friend Versus Lover: Scorpius resents Delphi once he realises Albus is attracted to her.
  • The Heart: Of the Malfoy clan, as his kindness and compassion stand out amidst a traditionally cruel and ruthless family. He also acts as the moodier Albus's conscience and moral compass a lot of the time.
  • Homoerotic Subtext: With Albus. Albus is Scorpius's only real friend, and they help each other overcome grief, evil and death throughout The Cursed Child. They share several moments of intimacy and romantic moments, most notably when they meet on the moving staircases.
    • It became even more relevant when they updated the play. All Scorpius' ship tease with Rose, and any mentioning of the boys getting girlfriends are taken out. Plus, some more scenes with Scorpius are added or modified to be more romantic. There's now a scene where Albus tells his father Harry that Scorpius is "the most important person in my life" and "he might always be the most important".
  • Identical Grandson: Heavily resembles Draco, who himself resembled Lucius.
  • In-Universe Nickname: Come Act III, a few unsavory characters start calling him "The Scorpion King," which confuses and upsets Scorpius.
  • The Lancer: To Albus. Unusual for Lancers, Scorpius is meek, kind and rule-abiding, while Albus is the moodier, rebellious part of the duo.
  • Like Father, Unlike Son: Invoked by Draco. Despite their almost carbon copy looks, eleven-year-old Scorpius is nothing like his father was as a child, and Draco actively went to lengths to ensure his son doesn't become a second Draco, the same way he was during his time at Hogwarts.
  • Missing Mom: By Scene Four of Act One, his mother has died of her illness.
  • Morality Pet: Heavily implied to become this to his father. Having a son made Draco determined to make sure Scorpius wasn't raised like he was.
  • Nice Guy: Sweet, forgiving and relentlessly upbeat despite his rather painful life so far.
  • Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: He and Albus attempts to undo Harry's mistake end up strengthening the Big Bad Augurey.
  • Only Friend: With Albus, as he's ostracized by the rest of the school for his family's Death Eater ties.
  • Only Sane Man: Strongly feels this way while Albus embraces convoluted schemes.
    Scorpius: Okay, whatever was holding your brain together seems to have snapped.
  • Socially Awkward Hero: Shy, geeky and prone to babbling when he's nervous which doesn't help him win over other students. (Within a minute of meeting Albus and Rose he manages to stumble over his own name and burst into song). He gains more confidence thanks to his friendship with Albus and the events of the play.
  • The Smart Guy: Scorpius is quite studious, and is able to recall minor details regarding the mechanics of magical objects from love potions to Time Turners.
  • Strong Family Resemblance: Rumours say that Scorpius is Voldemort's child. Given that Scorpius is described as resembling Draco as much as Albus resembles Harry - which is basically identically - it's clear that, despite the rumours, the only person Astoria has conceived a child with is the man she married - Draco.
  • Theme Naming: Continues his grandmother's family tradition of naming children after stars and constellations.
  • Took a Level in Badass: Scorpius is much more confident and less fearful after fending for himself in Act III
  • True Companions: When he and Albus find themselves potentially with no way out, he pulls a Samwise-worthy line:
    Scorpius: Still, if I had to choose a companion to be at the return of eternal darkness with, I'd choose you.
  • Turn Out Like His Father: Defied by the Malfoys themselves. At least in his youth, Draco was an elitist snob who looked down his nose at everyone and treated his friends, Crabbe and Goyle, like flunkies more than companions. Having been humbled by the events of the book series and having had time to reflect on his misdeeds, Draco made it a point to raise Scorpius as a kind and well-meaning boy.
  • Undying Loyalty: To Albus, following his hare-brained plans and even resetting the timeline - where he had a much easier and more comfortable life - to get Albus back.
  • Villainous Legacy: Rumours abound that Scorpius is actually the son of Voldemort. It's a bunch of baloney, given that Scorpius looks identical to Draco.
  • White Sheep: He's a very sweet, heroic Malfoy compared to his ex-nasty father and even nastier grandfather.

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