Harry Potter: Gryffindors, Ranked Least To Most Evil

Casual fans of the Harry Potter franchise commonly misunderstand Slytherins as being evil and Gryffindors as being good. However, there is a lot more nuance to the franchise’s many characters, no matter their Hogwarts house. There are definitely some examples of evil Gryffindors or at least those who do some pretty dark things to get what they want.

Looking at the franchise in a more nuanced way requires seeing each house for what it is: a sorting of children based on their dominant traits, not a life-long test of good and evil. To do this, it is worth looking at which Gryffindors are on the evil side, as well as which ones are innocent and heroic.

10 Neville Longbottom

He may have started the series as the butt of the joke but Neville grew into one of the best wizards in the franchise. He stood up to friends and enemies alike to ensure that people did what was right. He was not viewed as a particularly intelligent character early on in the movies, but he never let that humiliation turn him cruel or lazy.

He was committed to doing what was right at all costs and, because of this, is easily one of the least evil Gryffindor characters in the series.

9 Ginny Weasley

Ginny Weasley was an independent character, living her own life in a way that made those around her proud. She defended the students at Hogwarts, fought in the Department of Mysteries and the Battle of Hogwarts, and was a remarkably talented young witch.

While she did some dark things during her first year, they were all under the control of Voldemort, who stole most of her agency and free thought from her. After suffering that way due to the Dark Arts, Ginny dedicated herself to making sure the same thing never happened to anyone else.

8 Ron Weasley

Ron Weasley was not an evil character, but he did have a spiteful side that often lashed out against those closest to him. He frequently acted cruelly to Hermione, which led to her being insulted and abandoned. He also was very jealous of Harry’s life, frequently abandoning him because he didn’t see himself as being valuable enough in others’ eyes.

Even with all of that said, however, Ron was one of the best friends and biggest supporters in the Harry Potter series, which he deserves credit for. His jealousy comes from a life of being the youngest boy and the least exceptional, which would make anyone a bit jealous and spiteful at times.

7 Remus Lupin

Remus Lupin thought that his werewolf side made him evil, but that was not true. He was overall one of the least evil characters in the books. However, he did show a dark side when he came face to face with Peter Pettigrew, who he seemed ready to kill along with Sirius.

Furthermore, the books show a more cowardly and cruel side of Remus Lupin, who grew scared of life with his wife and child and tried to run away from it. Had he not gotten a very stern scolding by Harry, he would have abandoned his family to a possible suicide mission.

6 Harry Potter

Harry tended toward moodiness and dark attitudes, which is reasonable when you are the only person who can stop an evil dictator. However, it often resulted in him being oblivious to the struggles of those around him, which caused them pain.

Furthermore, when pushed he did some dark things. While his attack on Malfoy was unintentionally harmful, he shows very little remorse for it, and he even works up enough rage late in the last book to successfully cast the Cruciatus Curse. All in all, there were signs that Harry might have been the villain if the story was told from another perspective.

5 Sirius Black

After the deaths of Lily and James, Sirius sets out to destroy Peter Pettigrew for betraying them. Then, after spending twelve years in Azkaban, Sirius is still more than ready to kill him. While that kind of rage could be understandable in the spur of the moment and as an act of grief, after twelve years, it can only be considered pre-meditated.

Sirius was not a murderer, but he was more than ready to become one if the right circumstances presented themselves. This willingness shows the dark side to his character, a side which is unusual to see in a hero.

4 James Potter

It is well documented in the Harry Potter series that James Potter was a bully in his school years, so much so that fans frequently debate who deserved more hate, James Potter or Severus Snape. James was particularly cruel to Snape, who he bullied on regular occasions and even assaulted with magic.

While Sirius is sure to tell Harry that his father grew out of his more repugnant behavior, it is still an important part of his character for fans to judge him by. James is compared to Dudley and Malfoy in the books, which means he should get just as much grief as they do.

3 Hermione Granger

Hermione Granger is a beloved member of the Golden Trio, but movie fans might be shocked to learn some of the things that Hermione did in the books. She had a mindset that she always knew best, which led to her being cruel to Luna, dismissive of Harry’s thoughts and concerns, and disbelieving in the Deathly Hallows.

However, these are not even the worst things Hermione Granger ever did. In addition to her attitude, she acted cruelly, sending birds at Ron’s head and trapping Rita Skeeter in animagus form in a jar for a year, only to then blackmail her with that knowledge. While she might not be considered evil, she was certainly closer to the dark side than fans might guess.

2 Albus Dumbledore

Albus Dumbledore may be seen as the paragon of good in the Harry Potter series, but there is plenty of reason to see his dark side. The most obvious is that he raised Harry to die, having no idea that Harry would survive the encounter. He seemingly showed no remorse for this action.

In addition, he used Snape’s grief against him to force him into a dangerous position as a double agent, kept vital secrets, and seemingly allowed a lot of tragedies to happen. Book fans will know that he was also best friends/lovers with Gellert Grindelwald, the previous wizarding dictator, who he shared a desperate craving for power with. All put together, Dumbledore certainly seemed to have a perspective that the ends justify the means, the very thing he and Grindelwald fought over.

1 Peter Pettigrew

As was probably expected, Peter Pettigrew takes first place as the evilest Gryffindor, having betrayed some of his best friends to a mass murderer and framed another one for their murder. Peter is the proof that evil can truly come from any house, and is not limited to those from Slytherin.

Peter Pettigrew joined the Death Eaters, made it possible for Voldemort to get to Lily and James, framed Sirius, and then helped Voldemort rise again. He stood on their side without a moment’s hesitation until just before his death. A character who could so willingly betray all of those close to them is evil indeed.