Characters / The Dresden Files – Harry's Household

WARNING! Due to the books relying heavily on mystery and surprise, the pages would be virtually unreadable with excessive spoiler tags. Therefore, all spoilers except for the most recent novel (Battle Ground) are UNMARKED. Tread carefully.

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The Dresden Files Character Index
Harry Dresden | Harry's Household |The White Council | The Church | The Vampire Courts | The Denarians | The Fae | The Fomor | The Kemmlerites | Chicago Mafia | Other Powerful Entities | Ordinary People and Badass Normals

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Our hero's semi-loyal pets, his kids and the dirty-minded familiar that lives in his skull. (A skull he owns, anyway.)

Harry Dresden

See Harry Dresden

Bob the Skull

Bob the Skull

Harry's snarky spirit companion.

Harry's wiseass spirit of intellect familiar, currently inhabiting a skull after some unspecified, long-ago incident that pissed Mab off at him. Since technology goes haywire around wizards, Harry can't use a computer, which is why he keeps Bob around. Bob knows how valuable he is, and as such Harry has to bribe him with things like trashy romance novels and trips outside his skull to make sure he cooperates.

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• Above Good and Evil: invoked Bob is established In-Universe as being True Neutral, and for all of his power his allegiance is only bound to whoever currently owns his skull.
• All Guys Want Sorority Women: Bob's first action when let out was to trigger and watch an orgy at a local sorority.
• Bash Brothers: Bob's new role with Butters as the owner, after Butters lets him off the leash and he gets to show what he can do besides act as a knowledge bin.
• Blow You Away: Downplayed example; in addition to "spirit of intellect", Harry (and Bob himself) occasionally refers to the old entity as a "spirit of air".
• Blue-and-Orange Morality: Bob is a spirit of logic and reason, and generally doesn't understand little things like "morality" or "ethics". It's more pronounced in the earlier novels, when he's sometimes audibly exasperated with Harry having to explain to him that sometimes, no, murder isn't the best solution to taking out the current Big Bad.
• Cannot Tell Fiction from Reality: Maaaybe... In Small Favor Harry notes that Bob is a being of pure thought, which, in a sense, all fictional characters are too, and that Bob may consider the characters in his romance novels to be kin. He even talks to them as he reads. He's also offhandedly mentioned to Harry that there are other universes where "fictional" characters are real, so it's possible that he just has trouble keeping track.
• Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass: Bob mostly serves as Harry's snarky assistant, chief information resource, and eyes and ears when the need arises. We had no reason to think that he was anything resembling powerful until we saw his evil side in Dead Beat, where he nearly killed Harry with necromantic magic in less than a minute. And though that was by trickery, it was also demonstrated just how dangerous his knowledge was, as it turned out that he was the spirit who helped Kemmler, among other things, create the Darkhallow. His power is also alluded to by Luccio in Small Favor when she (not knowing that Bob is still around and in Harry's possession) refers to him when discussing what an insane Archive would be capable of, remarking that he was a 'miniature Archive' in Kemmler's service and that 'the things it [Bob] was capable of were appalling'. It isn't until Changes, however, that it's really shown that Bob is an incredibly powerful entity in his own right, capable of shielding a human by resisting the willpower of the Lords of Outer Night and the Red King by himself. We see it even further in Ghost Story where Bob wrecks a number of Corpsetaker's lemur lieutenants by himself and the kind of stuff Evil Bob was capable of, which might put him on even terms with a senior member of the White Council. Now that is powerful.
  • Battle Ground has him being a key linchpin in Harry's binding ritual against Ethniu. Bob forms a circle of power around Ethniu, and successfully matches wills against the Last Titan long enough for Harry to bring Demonreach into play so he can shove her evil ass down into The Well to rot for the rest of eternity.
• Deadpan Snarker: To the extent that he can hold his own in Snark-to-Snark Combat with Harry. Then again, his personality is based on his owner.
• Dirty Old Man: invoked Word of God is that his personality is based on his owner. He's obsessed with sex because Harry was a Hormone-Addled Teenager when he acquired Bob (although to be fair Harry hasn't improved that much over the years). He retains this personality after transferring to Butters because that's how he was when Butters first met him, and that first impression stuck.
• Everyone Has Standards: Bob is generally cheerfully amoral. But even he thinks Heinrich Kemmler was a monster.
• Evil Me Scares Me: Necro-Bob is seriously, seriously powerful, and while regular Bob has Blue-and-Orange Morality, the other guy pretty much just doesn't have any morality.
• He Knows Too Much: Throughout the books it seems like Mab's desire to kill Bob stems from some kind of Noodle Incident, but it is revealed in Cold Days he knows how to kill immortals.
• Hypercompetent Sidekick: To Harry, in that he's a memory spirit of immense knowledge and power (see Crouching Moron, Hidden Badass).
• I Hate Past Me: In a downplayed and lighthearted case, he's a walking example for Harry himself, as he's basically a perpetual reminder for him in how embarrassing he was as a Hormone-Addled Teenager.
  • More seriously, Bob is terrified of Necro-Bob, the part of him that was Kemmler's assistant, and begs Harry to not let that part of his personality out.
• Immortal Genius: An immortal spirit sealed inside an enchanted skull, and Harry relies on him to serve as a Spirit Advisor. He knows much more than Harry about nearly every field of magic, since he's had hundreds of years to learn.
• Instant Allegiance Artifact: He is completely and truly loyal to whoever owns his skull. This is why, despite all his potential power, Harry almost never took the risk of bringing him out into the field.
• Journey to the Center of the Mind: Harry enters the skull in Ghost Story and perceives Bob's home as the ultimate bachelor pad, with a huge TV, a top-of-the-line stereo system, and just about every video game system ever made. Bob himself takes a human form with a strong resemblance to James Dean.
• Leap of Faith: Bob states that he is actually incapable of making this. He is a being of reason and logic. That is his basis of power. To delve into matters of Faith is something he won't do as he could piss off the wrong angel, Fallen or otherwise.
• Let's Get Dangerous!: Let's just say that when Bob needs to take on other spirits, he rarely has any trouble handling them, the only possible exceptions being a Physical God and his evil self.
• Literal Split Personality: When accessing the memories/knowledge he gained under Kemmler Bob turns into the evil spirit Kemmler "twisted" him into. After this nearly kills or corrupts Harry Bob severs this part of himself. Which is great, since now no future owners can use his knowledge for evil... but unfortunately, the process involved him severing enough knowledge to become an entirely new spirit, Necro-Bob.
• Logical Weakness: As noted above, he cannot make a Leap of Faith as he is a spirit of logic and reason, not faith.
• Lovable Sex Maniac: Even though he has no body. Among other things, he usually spends his time reading sleazy romance novels when he is not helping Harry. In Turn Coat, Bob loftily excuses his fascination with the naked female form to Harry as being a purely aesthetic appreciation for their beauty and grace...
  Harry: (rolling his eyes) And they have boobs.
  Bob: (gleefully) And they have BOOBS, Harry!
• Magical Computer:
  • Literally. Bob has an expansive knowledge of all things magic, and somehow possesses the capability to understand the current state of magic and any changes to it that may have occurred. According to Luccio, it's mentioned that this essentially makes Bob a "mini-Archive" based around magical knowledge.
  • And as of Ghost Story he now has access to the Internet! God help us all.
    Bob: (gleefully) It's like ninety-percent porn!
• Meaningful Name: A likely coincidental case; Bob's name comes from the name "Robert", which in turn is an ancient Germanic name meaning "bright". Bob's "true" form when not in a vessel such as his skull is as a swirl of bright golden lights.
• Mind over Matter: Bob can use the skull to show emotions, such as letting the jaw drop open in surprise or banging the forehead against the wall in frustration. That, and turning the pages of his paperback romances, are about all he can do while inside the skull. Once he leaves it, though, he can do a lot more as long as he's protected from exposure to sunlight.
• Mind Rape: Kemmler is described as having "twisted" Bob into something against his very nature as a spirit of intellect, and Bob is shown to become incredibly uncomfortable whenever Harry tries to make him talk about the experience.
• Mr. Exposition:
  • His general role in most stories. Harry either needs information, information translated, or Bob to go gather information. His knowledge is extremely extensive. In Cold Days he was shocked when Demonreach's glyphs were beyond even him.
  • Word of God says his writing teacher told him not to create "Talking Heads" which are characters who just exist to explain things so he added a literal talking head whose only job was to explain things.
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Harry sits up and takes notice after Bob (someone who is quite cheerfully Above Good and Evil) unironically calls Heinrich Kemmler "sick and twisted" in Dead Beat. Additionally, Bob sounds genuinely shocked and baffled when he's investigating the runes on Demonreach in Cold Days and actually doesn't understand what they mean.
• Pragmatic Adaptation: The TV series changed Bob from a spirit living in the skull (but able to leave it at times) to a ghost attached to the skull. This is because it's much easier to show emotion and the like with, you know, a face.
• Protectorate: Bob can be this to Harry. When Thomas comes to Bob for help taking care of Oblivion War business, Thomas tasks Bob to determine if the knowledge Thomas is about to give him would be a danger to Harry and if it is, keep it from him. After learning the scope of the War, how even knowledge of the War is dangerous, and considering Harry's general personality, Bob keeps silent about the matter to Harry. Presumably, he has kept quiet to Butters as well.
• Putting on the Reich: Evil Bob worked for Kemmler for a while, and picked up an appreciation for SS gear, if Ghost Story is anything to go by.
• Running Gag: Both his status as a Lovable Sex Maniac and Harry's utter bafflement with Bob being able to convey certain emotions/sounds/facial expressions despite just being a glowing skull.
• Servile Snarker: He's bound to serve Harry. That doesn't mean he has to be polite about it.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: When Harry tells him that he will be used in Battle Ground to help bind Ethniu, Bob completely freaks out and wants to leave for Utah instead.
• The Smart Guy: Bob serves this purpose as the Mr. Exposition.
• Smart People Speak the Queen's English: James Marsters voices Bob with having a high-class British accent in the audio books, contrasting with his lewd fixations. If The Law is anything to go by, Jim Butcher views him as having an accent somewhere between classic Skeletor and a carnival barker.
• Superpowered Evil Side: You don't want to mess with Dark Bob.
• True Neutral: invoked In-Universe, he has this morality by default as a spirit of intellect. According to Word of God, his morality is only limited to that of his current owner (i.e., Harry and/or Butters).
• Weakened by the Light: He can be "killed"/destroyed by direct sunlight.

Mister

Mister

Mister in his natural state.

Harry Dresden's gigantic gray house cat with a missing tail. Mister is a matter-of-fact animal and eats Harry's leftover food whenever possible. He "narrates" the micro-comic "Everything the Light Touches".

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• Affectionate Nickname: He refers to Harry as Big Monkey and to Maggie as Little Monkey.
• Cats Are Magic: He can see and interact with ghosts. In Ghost Story, when Harry's spirit shows up at Murphy's house and the gang doesn't believe it's him despite Mort's reassurances, Mister bounds in and shoulder bumps the air where Harry is like he used to when he was alive and Harry finds that he can actually pet Mister. After that, no one doubts.
• Cats Are Superior: When Mouse moved in, Mister immediately established his dominance in the household. Even when Mouse becomes dog-asaurus, Mouse respects Mister's authority.
• A Day in the Limelight: Mister is the narrator in the pre-Peace Talks short story "Everything the Light Touches".
• Demoted to Extra: He was never a huge character, but appears less and less after Harry dies, to the point where he's completely absent from Battle Ground.
• Detect Evil: Mister is capable of this as well. However, since Mouse is better at it, he doesn't make use of this usually after Mouse arrives. As Harry puts it, he tends to make lots of noise and then leave when supernatural danger is around.
  • He detects the arrival of Victor Sell's demon long before it arrives.
  • He senses Susan's vampire side taking control and warns Harry with a screech.
  • He's able to sense the piece of the slime golem being activated and futilely tries to warn Molly alongside Mouse when she's testing her magic on it.
• Glamour Failure: Bizarrely inverted. He has the unique attribute of being the only thing in the entire universe who looks exactly the same to Harry under Wizard Sight as he does without it. However, the one time Harry looks is a one-off gag in the short story "Day Off".
• Green-Eyed Monster: The short story narrated by him makes it clear he is quite jealous of the attention Mouse receives. It's also literal since his eyes can glow green as he's a cat.
• Inexplicably Awesome: Played for Laughs; As noted above, for whatever reason Mister is the only entity in the entire known universe to look exactly like he normally does when put under the Sight.
• Improbable Age: Downplayed; Harry found him as a kitten about three years before Storm Front. By the time of Skin Game, Mister is seventeen or eighteen years old — Maine Coons, which are probably the most comparable breed of cat in terms of size, typically only live for ten to thirteen years. Still, it's possible to have a thirty-pound cat closing in on eleven years and showing no real signs of age, so they're certainly still out there.
• Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He is far more fond of Harry and Maggie than he would normally let on.
  • Cold Days has him far less abrasive to Harry than usual, happy to see him alive and well.
  • Also, when he senses Harry is upset, he is more than willing to team-up with Mouse to console him, despite his abrasive attitude towards the dog.
• Killer Rabbit: Mister is this to the brownies who clean Harry's home, to the point that the other fairies have set up a guarding system. He sometimes takes this role toward cars and dogs, either attacking or fleeing from them on sight. Harry has speculated that Mister's tail was ripped off by one or the other when he was a kitten.
• Mega Neko: He weighs around thirty pounds, but not from body fat; he's just an enormous cat. Harry remarks at one point that Mister is bigger than some dogs.
• Running Gag: Harry has a whole grab-bag of jokes about Mister's massive size, usually related to his eating habits (dogs, sheep, small children...) or breeding (part bobcat).
• The Nondescript: From a metaphysical standpoint. According to Harry, Mister looks the exact same when looked at by his Third Eye as normally. Can also be considered an aversion in that sense too, since Mister is literally the only being Harry has encountered that is like this.
• Oh, Crap!: After "Day Off", he bolts every time Andi is in the room. He also has this reaction when the slime golem's power is near.
• This Is My Human: Bob, who's ridden around in his head, says he thinks this. Harry also makes note of this, musing that likely Mister adopted him, not the other way around.
• Trademark Favorite Food: Any leftovers that Harry brings home from Mac's pub, and the occasional saucer full of Coca-Cola.
• Uneven Hybrid: A non-human example. Harry (semi-jokingly) speculates that he's at least part wildcat.

Mouse

Mouse

One of Harry's best friends... and most powerful allies.

"Woof."

Harry's dog, acquired accidentally when Harry was hired by a Tibetan monk to retrieve a litter of Tibetan Temple Dog puppies from captivity. Mouse accidentally got left behind, and Harry couldn't get in touch with the monks to return him. Harry named him Mouse because he was small, grey and quiet... and the last line of the book in which he's introduced is, "Why did you buy large-breed puppy chow?" He has since become a good friend to Team Harry, and later picks up guarding Maggie. He narrates the third part of the short story "Zoo Day".

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• Amplified Animal Aptitude: As he is in fact a magic dog, it's not too odd that Mouse seems to be about as smart as an average human. He's still a dog, though; he can't talk (in Human speech), nor does he have opposable thumbs, and his idea of a good time is a nice long bellyrub and a non-shared hot dog.
  • In Changes fellow animals can understand Mouse, and he "speaks" clearly and articulately. He really is as smart as, or smarter than, a human.
  • In Skin Game, when Maggie Dresden mentions she and Mouse are reading James and the Giant Peach, Harry needs to consider if she means she's reading it to him, or if Mouse might be reading it too, considering the dog is as smart as most people.
  • In "Zoo Day", it's mentioned that he read a book written by older Carpenter kids on how to fight children's monsters alongside Maggie. He understood it just as well as Maggie.
  • In "Christmas Eve", he's helping Harry assemble a bike for Maggie. Harry's actually failing at following the instructions, while Mouse can follow them easily. Handing the pieces to Harry and even guiding him in what he's supposed to do, by the end Harry's mostly holding the instructions and letting Mouse direct him on what to do. Yes, Mouse is a better mechanic than Harry is. He's also read "A Christmas Carol" and recognizes quotes from it.
• Angry Guard Dog: Not normally, as he's a Big Friendly Dog. Until someone threatens anyone Mouse cares about, he shifts into this mode quick and will take them apart. Literally. Bar none.
• Animal Talk: In "Zoo Day", he's shown talking to the various animals at the zoo, asking them to show off and do cool stuff so that Maggie has a good time. He mentions he finds it funny that humans think you need to use your mouth to speak.
• Asian Lion Dogs: He's a Temple Dog — a crossbreed between a mortal canine and Chinese guardian spirit called a Foo Dog, bred to guard Chinese temples. It's implied that his pedigree may be even more purely spirit than that; the wizard Ancient Mai describes him simply as a Foo Dog, a pair of vampires refer to him as an "Ice Demon" from "The Land of Dreams" (that is, Tibet), and in Ghost Story the archangel Uriel calls him "little cousin". Either way, he's a tremendously intelligent dog with the ability to perceive spirits and a strong protective streak. In Turn Coat, his angry growling at an accused wizard is considered enough to assume the latter's guilt. Temple Dogs also bond to homes and other living spaces and draw their power from their threshold, a magical barrier created around a home by the memories and bonds of the people living there; Mouse is noted to have gained a significant upgrade in power when he moved from Harry's apartment to the Carpenter family's household.
• Attack Animal: Normally Mouse is friendly towards everyone and tries to suck up to them for treats. However, when Harry or Thomas gives the order, he becomes a 200-pound ball of pain and death, such as when Mouse he swiftly kills Quintus Cassius in Dead Beat.
  Harry: Mouse, kill him. (cue Neck Snap)
• Angel Unaware: Uriel refers to him as "cousin". His exact nature and true power remain a mystery.
• Beware the Nice Ones: Mouse usually acts like a big goofball, but he's perfectly capable in a fight, and the one time we've been able to understand his speech (when Harry and co are in dog form) he openly threatens Lea to get her to turn them back. And he has absolutely no qualms with killing when needed, to the point that he thoroughly ensured Cassius and at least one vampire remained dead once he got them in his teeth. He also calmly tells his Shadow (one of his older littermates) that while he never won their little fights as puppies and is somewhat out of shape — at a contrast to his brother's lean physique caused by a very hard life — meaning that he could never win a fair fight, he wouldn't hesitate to sacrifice his own life so as to take them both down together and protect Maggie. This actually gets his Shadow to back down and demonstrate grudging respect.
• Big Eater: According to the RPG, he consumes a HUUUUUGE amount of kibble. In "Zoo Day", after he falls behind a little in a chase, he reminds the reader, a touch defensively, that he is a Good Dog and that means he gets lots of treats.
• Big Friendly Dog: As one might expect from a dog who's an actual supernatural force of good, he's one of these except for the "dumb" part (which is all Obfuscating Stupidity) and plays it up to make himself less scary to people who meet him. In particular, as a puppy he was able to win over Murphy who described herself as phobic about large dogs. Supernatural powers and intelligence aside, he generally looks and acts like a particularly large and laid-back Tibetan Mastiff.
• The Big Guy: For Harry's team. Words have described his level of power and threat to his enemies as between Hulk-tier and Superman-tier. He is the only thing besides a Sword of the Cross that Anduriel, the Fallen of Nicodemus, outright fears.
• Canine Companion:
  • He started off as Harry's, helping him detect some evil mojo if it was approaching, like Mavra in Dead Beat. He is fiercely loyal to Harry, and highly dangerous to anything evil.
  • After Harry's death, he is inherited by Maggie and in Skin Game it's revealed that they rarely leave the other one's side. Maggie still suffers from panic attacks after her kidnapping, but Mouse's presence is able to soothe her. Officially, Mouse is her medical dog for panic attacks, and thus allowed to be with her even in schools.
• Canis Major: He's colossal, having grown so big that Dresden doesn't generally call him a "dog" anymore. "Dogasaurus" is common, and when referring to both of his pets, he refers to them as "Mister, my large cat, and Mouse, my small ankylosaur". Dresden's also claimed that he's half chow and half wooly mammoth. For comparison's sake, here are some pictures of Tibetan Mastiffs◊, which Mouse is said to appear to be a member of; see also Bernese mountain dogs, which Mouse has also been described as akin to. Mouse is bigger (as in at least three feet tall at the shoulder).
• Color Blind Confusion: Like all dogs, Mouse can only see blue and yellow and cannot distinguish red and green.
  Mouse: Maggie says my vest is red. I do not know what means, but that is her favorite, and that makes me happy.
• A Day in the Limelight: He's one of the main characters in "Zoo Day".
• Deadpan Snarker: As his narration in "Zoo Day" indicates, he's learned Harry's sense of humor.
• Death Glare: Mouse can pull them off very well. Coming from a dog his size, even a one-eyed version makes people smart enough back away.
• Detect Evil: This is part of what being a Foo Dog means - he's not just a 'conventional' Evil-Detecting Dog, but has this as a proper, fully-functional magical ability that's accurate enough to serve as evidence in wizard courtrooms.
• Even the Dog Is Ashamed:
  • Mouse has been known to sigh at Harry's density when it comes to the fair sex.
  • At one point plays up an injury to make the person whose fault it was feel guilty.
  • Also when Harry is giving the guitar a bad name.
  • When Andi is kidnapped again Mouse opines that she should be locked in a garage until she learns to take care of herself.
  • In Turn Coat he constantly has to intervene to keep Molly and Morgan from killing each other when Harry is away. He manages to express a certain degree of exasperation, if not outright shame, with the fact that everyone manages to start up a Mexican Standoff when left unsupervised by Harry for more then five minutes. When Harry scolds everyone for not just talking to each other, Mouse also demands to not be included in the scolding.
  • He and Mister are simultaneously exasperated at Molly being Too Dumb to Live by feeding magic in the detached part of a dark magic construct to practice telekinesis in the comic Down Town.
• Evil-Detecting Dog: Exaggerated. As a Foo Dog, this is an explicit superpower of his, and one that he has more than enough sapience to fully comprehend and act on. His breed's judgement of good and evil is so famously accurate and reliable that the White Council (never known for being the most trusting or open-minded of organisations) consider it solid courtroom evidence.
• Fluffy the Terrible: Literally and figuratively, since he's a very fluffy dog and 'Mouse' isn't a very intimidating name. Mouse has a bark that crosses dimensional borders, shrugs off bullet wounds and being hit by a speeding van, and is a credible physical threat to a high-ranking fae. Luckily, he's also loyal, compassionate, and possibly more intelligent than his owner. Anduriel, Nicodemus' Fallen, has demonstrated fear of Mouse on multiple occasions. Mab, the Winter Queen herself, treats Mouse with utmost civility, bowing to him and calling him Guardian. This is considerably more respect than she gives Dresden himself.
• Genius Bruiser: A fully sapient dog who's smart and perceptive even by human standards, is more well-versed in supernatural lore than one might expect and is frequently mistaken for a small bear.
• Gentle Giant: Mouse is a huge dog and could easily savage pretty much anyone he meets. He's also loving, affectionate, and perfectly happy receiving a belly rub from Harry's friends. He's even gentle enough that Murphy, who suffers a phobia of large dogs, can feel comfortable with him. That said, if you're a monster who's going after Harry or other innocents, the gloves come off.
• Gigantic Adults, Tiny Babies: Mouse earned his name because he fit into Harry's coat pocket as a puppy. Fully grown, he barely fits into the Blue Beetle's back seat.
• God's Hands Are Tied: Mouse is a Temple Dog, and apparently some sort of rules prevents him from intervening when Haunts hunt a child. So long as the Haunts do not get physical with their prey, at which point they would break the rules and become fair game for his intervention.
• Gut Feeling: He can sense dark energies and describes them in this manner.
  Mouse: Something was wrong. I knew it in my tail.
• Half-Human Hybrid: A dog variant. Mouse is a Temple Dog — part mortal canine, part Chinese guardian spirit called a Foo Dog.
  • As revealed in Changes, his pedigree may be even more purely spirit than that; one of the characters refers to him as an actual Foo Dog. Ancient Mai also calls him a Foo Dog, and the Eebs refer to him as an "Ice Demon" from "The Land of Dreams" (aka Tibet).
  • In Ghost Story, Uriel refers to Mouse as "little cousin".
• Heroic Dog:
  • Mouse saves Harry's life on multiple occasions.
  • In Dead Beat he wants to save Harry, but knows Harry well enough to save Butters first and drag the young man to safety.
  • He becomes Maggie's protector in Ghost Story.
• If I Wanted You Dead...: Mouse has shown a few times when he has used restrained force when dealing with troublemakers. When Thomas is overcome by his Hunger and nearly feeds on Molly, Mouse only tackles him and grips his neck in his jaws with only enough pressure to bind Thomas there but not kill him.
• Intellectual Animal: He has at least human-level intelligence and even higher wisdom.
• Ironic Name: Harry named Mouse back when he was a tiny puppy that fit into the pocket of Harry's duster. Mouse grows up to be a huge, huge dog.
• It Can Think: While Mouse isn't a threat to him, Thomas is startled to see Harry speak to Mouse as if the dog can understand him in Dead Beat, and then hastily informs Mouse that he hadn't meant it when he'd said something rude about Harry earlier.
• Large Ham: In Turn Coat Molly was scared Luccio had her mind addled and attempted to use mind magic to examine her. Morgan saw this and drew a gun he had hidden on his body and fired. Mouse took the bullet and held the situation to a stalemate until Harry arrived. When things were settled, Mouse played up his pain and suffering while Molly tended to the wound he got because of her to make her feel even more guilty about her stupid and reckless action.
• Living Emotional Crutch: To Maggie, Harry's daughter. After the trauma the Red Court inflicted upon her, she is a very fragile girl. However, Mouse has been with her since then and serves as a source of comfort for her. He gains certification to be a service dog for her panic attacks as a cover so she will always be protected from being stuffed into a fridge, and she probably would have panic attacks if he isn't around.
• Loyal Animal Companion:
  • Thomas is convinced that Harry was actually an impostor once when he showed up with a human sidekick. Might also qualify for Molly, since Harry frequently tells Mouse to hold back and protect her in dangerous situations.
  • After Harry's death, he is now this to Maggie. He is (officially) her service dog to justify him never leaving her side.
• Made of Iron: Shrugs off being hit by a speeding van, and considers being shot a minor inconvenience. It's also noted that Temple Dogs have much longer lifespans than normal dogs, making it likely that Mouse will be around to protect Maggie for longer than a normal human lifespan at least.
• Make the Dog Testify: A nonverbal version. Towards the end of Turn Coat, Mouse's testimony is instrumental in bringing a villain to justice by identifying his scent. It helps that this is a court of wizards, so "my dog can identify the culprit" is not quite so blink-inducing, particularly since most of the Chinese wizards can and do identify him as an intelligent, evil-detecting Temple Dog.
• Mighty Roar: Mouse doesn't bark often, but when he needs to sound an alarm, he can literally be heard for a mile, through multiple walls, ceilings and floors. It also will awaken people if there is danger but without causing panic and break through enchantments as well.
• Noodle Incident: Somewhere between Proven Guilty and White Knight, the vets apparently once mixed up Mouse's papers, and tried to neuter him rather than give him the shot and x-ray he was there for. Whatever Mouse did exactly, Harry mentions he was glad the vet let him "pay for the damages".
• Not So Above It All: "Zoo Day" establishes that while he's clearly as intelligent as any human, he still very much has the general outlook of a dog. For instance, he defends being overweight from getting so many treats as being that he deserves treats since "I'm a Good Dog. Everybody says so."
• Obfuscating Stupidity: Mouse is at least as intelligent as any human. In Changes, when Harry and his associate are transformed by Lea into hounds, they can understand Mouse speak. It turns out that he's smart and powerful enough to be called a demon by Lea, and frightens her enough to make her back down by threatening to literally bite her ass off.
• Once Done, Never Forgotten: Played for Laughs; Mouse is very defferential to Mister ever since the old tomcat repeatedly swatted him on the nose when Mouse was just a tiny puppy. This respect has continued even into the present, where Mister is only "bobcat-sized" but Mouse is now the size of "a small Ankylosaur".
• Only Sane Man: A dog variant. He certainly sometimes feels this way around Harry and the company he keeps.
• Papa Wolf: Don’t screw with his family. He does not take kindly to it. During one particular occasion when his Shadow was planning to go after Maggie, Mouse made it very clear that if he did try, he would eviscerate him with his teeth even if it cost him his life just to make sure he didn’t go anywhere near her. It’s enough to make Shadow rethink his priorities.
• Pop-Cultured Badass: Well, he is Harry's dog. In "Zoo Day", he references The Dark Knight, and he's also familiar with A Christmas Carol and James and the Giant Peach.
• Right-Hand Attack Dog: A holy empowered 200-lb+ beast that could simultaneously snap a man's neck and tear out his throat with ease, maul a White Court vampire into Ludicrous Gibs, threaten a high-ranking fae and be taken seriously, and scare Anduriel, the captain of Lucifer's guard, but then become the most loving and affectionate puppy, despite his size, to his master and friends. Also, he can read and follow bike assembly instructions better than his master.
• This Is My Human:
  • Towards Harry, this is his viewpoint as he tells Lea.
    Lea: How did [Harry] ever win you?
    Mouse: He didn't. I won him.
  • In "Zoo Day", he refers to Harry and Maggie as "my humans". Harry is "my Friend Harry", and Maggie is "the Best Little Girl in the World".
• Took a Level in Badass: Temple Dogs draw their power from a home's threshold; as Harry's apartment doesn't have a very strong one, his own power was limited there. Although he learned a few ways around the limitations, after moving to the Carpenters' "he went from Thing to Hulk when he moved in to protect Maggie".
• Uncatty Resemblance: Ironically, despite being a dog, he's closer to this personality-wise. Mouse is a Combat Pragmatist and a Deadpan Snarker who likes to confuse his opponents with pop-culture references.
• Unusual Pets for Unusual People: A mysterious, extremely smart, holy empowered dog for a powerful wizard implied to be The Chosen One.
• Winds of Destiny, Change!: According to Maggie, Mouse has something akin to this. He can "cheat" and make things happen in more positive way: restaurants will have really nice waiters and tables free, tv shows play the most interesting commercials, animals at the zoo will be particularly active and do tricks while Maggie visits or doors Maggie might need will conveniently be unlocked. According to her Mouse doesn't use his power when she's at school. Mouse himself mentions spending energy for two days to make Maggie and Harry's day together in "Zoo Day" go very well.
• Xenofiction: He's one of the narrators of "Zoo Day".

Maggie Dresden

Margaret "Maggie" Angelica Dresden

Daughter of Chicago's only private wizard investigator

The daughter of Harry and Susan Rodriguez, conceived during Death Masks and was introduced as the Living MacGuffin of Changes. She was kidnapped by Arianna to be used in a sacrificial ritual, but saved by Harry. After living with the Carpenters for a time (due to her father believed to be dead) she and Harry meet at last and form an instant bond and as of Peace Talks now lives with him.

Narrates the second part of the short story "Zoo Day".

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• A Boy and His X: She and Mouse, whom Harry tasked as her protector, are virtually inseparable. They even fight monsters together and Michael states he's registered as an "emotional support animal" so he can attend school with her.
• Break the Cutie: Compare the smiling photo to the broken-down crying wreck she is when Harry meets her (after narrowly securing her a reprieve).
  • When Harry inquires about her in Cold Days it's revealed that she's recovered a great deal aside from some PTSD and her subsequent appearances have her as more of a smiling, happy child.
• Buffy Speak: According to her, Mouse "slayerized" a monster under her bed.
• The Cutie: Was this until Arianna kidnapped her. Luckily, a couple years with the Carpenters have helped get back there to the point she's a semi-well adjusted happy child again with brief moments of PTSD.
• A Day in the Limelight: She's one of the narrators and main characters of "Zoo Day".
• Disappeared Dad: Harry, by virtue of not being told she even existed for the first five years of her life, later his supposed death, and afterwards his fear of her being in danger from both his enemies and himself. After meeting her Skin Game, he resolves to be a part of her life and by Peace Talks she now lives with him.
  • "Zoo Day" reveals that she has a fear of him finding out about her "spazzing out" at times and decide he doesn't want a broken daughter, not realizing the lengths he'd go for her.
• Generation Xerox: Maggie Dresden is every bit her father's daughter. She has a somewhat cynical view that brings some snark and a tendency to call monsters by nicknames she made up for them (as well as kicking their butts). Her shirt in "Zoo Day" implies she's a Star Wars fan just like him and notes that her father looks cooler wearing his duster. Unfortunately, like Harry, part of her personality is the result of some rather traumatic experiences.
• Half-Human Hybrid: Jim confirms at Phoenix Con 2017 the fact she is born from a mother who wasn't entirely human at the time of conception and birth have some effect on Maggie's life. Here.
  Jim Butcher: You can't just not [have her mom being part vampire affect her].
• Happily Adopted: As of Ghost Story is now living with the Carpenters with Mouse as her companion. After meeting her father, she moves in with him in-between Skin Game and Peace Talks though Maggie still loves the Carpenters very much and is always welcome at their home.
• Harmful to Minors: It's very likely she saw what the Red Court did to her first foster family - all of them, children included - in the process of kidnapping her. The short story "Zoo Day" somewhat confirms this.
• Hero of Another Story: At EasterCon 2015, Jim announced that he was planning a series following Maggie's future adventures at an Extranormal Institute as she battles monsters and beings visible only to children and forgotten about by adults.
  • "Zoo Day" confirms she's already this, having "slayerized" one of these monsters and takes on a whole pack of them without her father ever knowing.
• Human Sacrifice: Arianna planned this for her, and after Arianna's plans fell through thanks to her death at Harry's hands, the Red King tried to do the same. She was saved, but it's pretty safe to say that she'll have scars for years to come.
• Little Miss Badass: "Zoo Day" reveals the existence of the "Creeps", monsters that only children can see and that Maggie and Mouse beat one of them already and she takes on a whole pack of them.
  • On the latter, she pulls off a duo of Taking the Fight Outside and Bring It, shocking the demons into temporary silence, followed by a Curb Stomp Cushion snarking the whole way. She is Harry Dresden's daughter, after all.
• Little Miss Snarker: As her comments about stupid adults in the narration in "Zoo Day" indicate, Maggie takes after her father.
• Missing Mom: Susan Rodriguez because it was first too dangerous to keep her around while Susan was fighting the Red Court, and later she dies in a Heroic Sacrifice, saving little Maggie from the Red Court.
• The Nicknamer: In "Zoo Day", she takes to call the leader of the haunts "Space Face" and "Tear Streaks."
• Protectorate: As Michael puts it in Skin Game:
  Michael: Things did not turn out well for the last monster who raised his hand against your child. Or any of his friends. Or associates. Or anyone who worked for him. Or for most of the people he knew.
  Michael: Whether or not that was your intention, you did establish a rather effective precedential message to the various predators should they ever learn of her relationship with you.
• Tome of Eldritch Lore: She has a book on Creeps, supernatural creatures only children can see and whom the children forget when the grow into teenage and adulthood. The book was written by the Carpenter children, each one passing it to the next and eventually forgetting about the book entirely, starting with Molly, all the way to Harry Carpenter, who gave it to Maggie. It details the various types of Creeps they encountered and how to defeat them.
• You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: Maggie's reaction, with Badass Armfold, when she and her dad enter the zoo and run into a gang of school girls under Demonic Possession.
• Wise Beyond Their Years: Due to what she's been through, she is rather perceptive if a bit cynical.
  • In "Zoo Day", she holds back Mouse from attacking a demonically possessed schoolgirl because she knows it would be hard to explain to onlookers. If only she knew Mouse was going for the one who sent the demon.

"Bonnie"

Bonea, aka "Bonnie"

Daughter of "Lash" and Dresden, Bonnie is a spiritual entity that had been growing in Harry's head for years. When Lash sacrificed herself in White Night, it was an act described as one of "true selfless love and creation" and led to the creation of their child. Harry identifies her as a "spirit of intellect" possessing the sum knowledge of both Harry and Lash.

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• Book Dumb: Inverted; she has lots of raw data but not a lot of practical experience.
• Children Are Innocent: Very. Being a spirit of intellect doesn't change the fact she's only a few years old which make her something akin to a newborn when compared to beings like Bob. Something which especially shows when making pancakes with her sister in Peace Talks.
• Curious as a Monkey: She has a lot of knowledge but not a lot of life experience, which results in her asking a lot of questions to try to contextualize things.
• Exact Words: Demonreach and Mab both describe it as a parasite. As Harry's subconscious notes, that's a darkly humorous way of describing a fetus. While Demonreach probably didn't know any better, Mab certainly did.
• Expy: Of the Greek goddess Athena, being a powerful spiritual entity that emerges from her father's skull and is intricately intertwined with both wisdom (being the "child" of a Fallen Angel's shadow) and war (as she lived through some of the deadliest fights in her father's life).
• Fallen Angel: She's the child of one, and has all of the Fallen Lasciel's memories and knowledge.
• Meaningful Name: invoked Word of Jim is that Dresden named her Bonea, a Scottish word meaningful beautiful (and also punning on Bonnie's home inside a skull-shaped object). She'll be nicknamed "Bonnie" for short.
• Mix-and-Match Man: In Harry's mind, she's described as looking like a patchwork of both various important female friends in Harry's life and Harry himself. To be more specific, she has her mother Lash's blue-green eyes, Karrin Murphy's square and balanced chin, the Archive's rounded cheeks, Susan Rodriguez's jawline, Elaine Mallory's nose, and Kim Delaney's hairstyle (which is the same color as her father Harry's).
• Mundane Utility: In Peace Talks, Bonea uses all the knowledge at her disposal to help her sister Maggie make pancakes.
• No-Sell: As a creature formed from Harry's essence, Mab warns that she would sail right past any protections around his loved ones. The fact that she's genuinely innocent and just looking for help is also part of the reason why any wards would have no effect on her.
• Obliviously Evil: She's not evil, she just doesn't know any better, and places tremendous burden on Harry's mind simply by existing. He also notes that this is what would happen to Maggie; the Parasite would cause terrible damage to the girl's psyche, but really she's just a scared little girl looking for the closest thing she would have to family after Harry's Death by Childbirth.
• Odd Name, Normal Nickname: Bonea, a spirit of intellect, is usually called "Bonnie".
• Our Ghosts Are Different: Okay, not a ghost, but a disembodied spiritual entity of intellect. She was born from Lash's act of love in sacrificing herself for Harry, and eventually takes possession of the wooden skull Harry had carved for Bob.
• Punny Name: Her name is Bonea because it has the word bone in it and she lives in a (wooden) skull.
• Someone To Remember Her By: She's effectively Dresden's daughter by Lash, born from her remains combined with parts of Dresden's own psyche.
• Spanner in the Works: For the same reason as Demonreach. She helped the Genius Loci and Mab keep Harry's body metabolically active while he was dead.
• Superior Successor: To Bob; being what amounts to the offspring of a Fallen Angel, unlike him she can make leaps of faith and and has even more metaphysical power to throw around.
• Unskilled, but Strong: Bonea is immensely naïve and completely unaware of how the world works (unlike Bob, who is several centuries old at the youngest), she's only existed as an independent conscious entity for a few months at most after she's "born" at the very end of Skin Game. However, she's also terrifyingly powerful due to having all of the knowledge and memories of a Fallen Angel.
• True Neutral: invoked In-Universe, she has this morality by default as a spirit of intellect.
• Walking Spoiler: No one expected her existence, or for Harry to have been pregnant since White Night.
• Weakened by the Light: Being a spirit of intellect like Bob, she can be presumably destroyed by exposure to direct sunlight.

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