Harry Potter
Harry Potter is the protagonist of the novel, dealing throughout the book with the public knowledge that Voldemort has returned, the grief of losing his god father Sirius, and the preparation of the coming war. He is taken from the Dursleys' home early summer in order to spend the rest of it at the Burrow, however first he takes Harry to help him recruit Horace Slughorn as a potions master at Hogwarts. Harry is a brave and headstrong Gryffindor, who fights for what is right and fears for the safety of his friends, often blaming himself for the danger they are in. His wish is that he will be able to become an auror, a dark wizard hunter, after he leaves Hogwarts. Throughout the book Harry suffers with several trust issues and suspects that Draco Malfoy and Snape are planning something within the school, although he is eventually proven to be right, his suspicions cause him to act rashly and almost kill Draco with a dangerous spell that he did not understand.
Ron Weasley
Ron is Harry’s best friend, yet he is always worried he is in the shadow of his older brothers and Harry, due to their achievements. During the course of his sixth year at Hogwarts, Ron becomes the keeper of the Gryffindor quidditch team and begins a relationship with a girl, despite his underlying feelings for Hermione. This relationship causes a lot of tension in the book as it progresses, as his girlfriend Lavender’s emotions are far more intense than his own and he does not know how to cope with such a relationship. Ron has little interest in academic studies, but he has a love of quidditch and lightens the mood of all situations.
Hemione Granger
Hermione is Harry’s other best friend as well as one of the smartest characters in the book. She places her studies above almost everything else, but understands and values her friends above even her grades. Hermione is a muggle-born, which means she receives prejudice from characters, such as Draco Malfoy, in Hogwarts. Hermione is organized and cares deeply about injustice, seeing the way that, for example, house elves are treated, as wrong and inhumane, despite the fact that many other ignore the practice of keeping the elves as slaves.
Albus Dumbledore
Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts, becomes a far darker character in this story, as he works with Harry to uncover Voldemort’s past and slowly suffers the effects of a dark magic spell that is killing him. Far more is revealed about the amount of secrets Dumbledore is keeping, however he is a calm and collected character always, even in the face of his death at the end of the book.
Voldemort
Voldemort is the antagonist of the Harry Potter series, a powerful dark wizard who hates all creates and people that he deems to be impure. Much of the novel is dedicated to Harry trying to uncover Voldemort’s secrets, learning about his childhood in a muggle orphanage and about the fact that he was conserved under the influence of a love potion, which prevents him from being able to feel love for others.
Snape
Severus Snape is no longer a potions master, as he was in the previous book, but a defense against the dark arts teacher. Harry suspects that he is in league with Draco, and so with Voldemort in a plot involving the castle. Although he is proven to be correct, Harry does not know that Snape in truly in league with Dumbledore, and that Dumbledore wants Snape to kill him instead of Draco being able to do it.
Draco
Draco spends much of the book in a dark place mentally, struggling with the burden that Voldemort has placed on him with the task of killing Dumbledore. He battles with himself and his fear that if he disobeys Voldemort’s orders, he and his parents will be killed for it.
Slughorn
The new potions master of Hogwarts. He retired after the first wizard war, yet is brought back by Dumbledore, who needs his memories from when he taught Tom Riddle about Horcruxes. Slughorn had a club of talented students that he knows will go on to do great things, called the slug club.
Merope Gaunt
Voldemort's mother. She was a powerful witch that fell deeply in love with a man and suffered heartbreak that led to her downfall. Merope is a recurring subject throughout the book.
