Gryffindor House - for the Brave of Heart

Founder: Godric Gryffindor
Head: Minerva McGonagall
Ghost: Sir Nicholas de Mimsy Porpington
Colors: Red and Gold
Mascot: Lion
 

Gryffindor is the "golden" house of Hogwarts. It's pupils are brave and strong. They are the talented athletes and students due to their hard work and talent, rather than Slytherin's cheating. Rumor has it that Dumbledore himself was in Gryffindor, and it is Godric Gryffindor's hat that became the Sorting Hat.

Gryffindors can be considered as almost perfect, but their bravery and headstrong nature does land them into trouble. Take Harry and Ron for example, the things that they have done - Jumping into the Chamber of Secrets, or trying to stop Snape (this was their error, it was not Snape but Quirrell who wanted the Stone for Voldemort) from getting to the Sorcerer's Stone etc. Thats not all, even Neville goes along with Harry and the rest to try and save Sirius Black from Voldemort in the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry of Magic.

Yet it is a fact that Gryffindors stand up for friends and what they believe is right.

Some Gryffindors

• Katie Bell:
  A chaser on the house Quidditch team. This drawing is heavily influenced by the movie...just because I had no mental image of her, really... She joined Dumbledore's Army during Harry Potter's 5th year.

• Lavender Brown:
  Friends with Parvati Patil, the two of them are very interested in Divination and somewhat idolize Professor Trelawny She had a pet rabbit named Binky, who suffered an untimely demise. In her 5th year she joined Dumbledore's Army.

• Colin Creevy:
  Extremely small and annoying, Colin is a year younger than Harry Potter and looks up to him immensely Or rather, stalks him constantly. He is never without his camera, with which he manages to capture many moments Harry would rather forget. This camera saves his life, when he glimpsed the Basilisk through it's lens instead of with his eyes. Colin also joined Dumbledore's Army in his 4th year.

• Dennis Creevy:
  Colin's younger brother, who is, amazingly, even tinier than Colin. Dennis fell into the lake on his boat trip to Hogwarts, but was pushed back by the giant squid. He spent the rest of the evening enveloped by Hagrid's moleskin coat. Dennis joins Dumbledore's Army along with his brother.

• Seamus Finnigan:
  Sandy-haired and Irish, Seamus made a feather catch fire during one of their early Charms lessons, and attended the Quidditch World Cup (rooting for Ireland, of course...). Seamus is a half-blood, and enjoys ketchup on his sausages.
  When the Daily Prophet began printing slanderous articles about Harry Potter, Seamus was hostile towards Harry for most of their 5th year. He eventually came to realize the truth, that Voldemort had risen again. He and Harry are now back on speaking terms.

• Hermione Granger
  Brunette, bushy-haired and formerly bucktoothed, Hermione was at first a bossy know-it-all who irritated Ron tremendously (and they still bicker a lot), but becomes an appreciated and vital part of their team after a shared traumatic experience with a troll. She has "loosened up" a great deal in recent years, yet kept a good head on her shoulders. Hermione has also developed a social conscience, and makes great humanitarian efforts (if they can be called humanitarian...) towards house elf liberation.
  I think Hermione is awesome. The best student Hogwarts has seen for many a year, she can be uptight about rules and school work, but her behavior is certainly preferable over Harry and Ron's constant and often careless rule-breaking. Every time she does something they get angry with her for, she's only acting out of love and concern for them. She is the glue that holds the three of them together (especially when Ron and Harry fight... and I love the befuddlement her emotional outbursts cause them!), yet can stand quite well on her own. She helps Harry with his girl troubles, gives him the idea to start Dumbledore's Army, and the both of them with homework difficulties, although she encourages to solve these problems on their own.
  In their 4th year she is romantically pursued by Viktor Krum, much to Ron's ill-disguised dismay. It's amusing in a painful sort of way.... I think that Ron's affections would probably be returned, if he could only get his head out of his you-know-where and come to grips with his emotions. These feelings seemed to get temporarily put on hold during their 5th year, when the return of Voldemort became an all-consuming priority. Sigh... I guess we'll just have to see.

• Angelina Johnson:
  A tall black girl, Angelina is a chaser on the house Quidditch team and Oliver Wood's successor as Captain. She experienced a rather frustrating first year as Captain, having to deal with a new Keeper and suspension of their Seeker and both Beaters. However, her enthusiasm rivals Oliver Wood's to a respectable degree. She attended the Yule Ball with Fred Weasley, and joined Dumbledore's Army the next year.

• Lee Jordan:
  The Weasley twin's best friend, Lee sports dreadlocks and a pet tarantula. He commentates Hogwarts Quidditch matches, and often finds it difficult to be unbiased. Professor McGonagall often has to keep him in line. Lee joined Dumbledore's Army.

• Parvati Patil:
  Friends with Lavender Brown, also a fan of Divination and Professor Trelawney. She has dark hair worn in a plait, and is considered by Seamus one of the prettiest girls at Hogwarts. She attends the Yule Ball with Harry Potter.

• Alicia Spinnet:
  A chaser on the house Quidditch team. I decided it was high time I drew a gal with short hair at Hogwarts!

• Dean Thomas:
  A tall black boy, Dean is a great artist and forger of signatures. He is a fan of West Ham soccer, a sport which perplexes wizard-born Ron Weasley.

• Harry Potter
  Harry Potter is a small, scrawny, bespectacled boy with vibrant green eyes and jet black hair which is never quite tidy. He would be quite unremarkable if it weren't for the thin, lightning-shaped scar across his forehead, making him perhaps the most famous wizard alive, though he would trade that fame in an instant to undo the tragic circumstances surrounding it.
  Harry is a wonderful protagonist: he is not blonde, handsome or otherwise suave. He worries about the same things we all do, gets embarrassed, angry, frustrated with class and his friends, and is definitely not perfect. But he is an endearing, sympathetic character. The Sorting Hat said that Harry has a definite need to prove himself, though to who I'm not quite sure. The world, I suppose. He is tremendously talented on the Quidditch field, is a fairly good student (though no one can compare to Hermione...), and doesn't let his fame go to his head. On the contrary, he tries to be as normal as he can. He occasionally gets cocky, and I do agree with Professor Snape that he gets away with far more than other students ever would...but in return for that freedom, he always ends up in more perilous situations (and with more injuries) than any other students (not counting Cedric). It has been prophesized that Harry is destined to combat Voldemort, much to Harry's rage. It seems that all the hurt, loss, anger and general crappiness that Harry has endured in his young life is finally starting to catch up with him. He's grown into a very angry young man, but with good reason. He has lost everyone dear to him except Ron and Hermione, and I hope they're not next. I also hope Harry remembers to stay close to his friends to help him through the next 2 years, which are sure to be his most taxing yet. Poor Harry.....

• Ronald Weasley
  Tall, long-nosed, freckle-faced, red-haired and hot-tempered, Ronald Weasley is Harry Potter's best friend. Ron is a fiercely loyal friend and supporter, as illustrated by his relentless support of the ailing Chudley Cannons Quidditch team. The sixth of seven children in a financially-struggling family, Ron has insecurities that run deep. He has been typecast as the famous Harry Potter's "sidekick", and feels he will never outshine his brothers, yet is expected to do just as well. These insecurities sometimes rear their ugly faces, such as when Harry was selected to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, or when he found out that the money he'd paid Harry back with was disappearing Leprechaun's gold. Then Ron has a tendency to lose his temper, and can be brutally stubborn about apologies.
  But out of these insecurities rises a proud boy with strong convictions and emotions. He is an excellent chess player, and recently proved himself a worthy Quidditch Keeper and somewhat reluctant prefect. Ron seems to be developing some deeper feelings for Hermione Granger, but is having difficulty dealing with them. :)
  Ron has stood by Harry Potter's side throughout the struggle against Voldemort, fighting bravely at the Ministry of Magic against hordes of Deatheaters. He fell victim to a strange tank of floating brains, and was temporarily quite disabled because of it, but has recovered. I have no doubt that he will continue to fight for the side of good, and find his own way to achieve the recognition he yearns for.

• Fred Weasley

• George Weasley
  Well what can I say about these two. The best to do about them would be to read the books. If I start writing about their antics, all my hosting space would be used up and even that would not suffice. Just this for Fred and George: Hats off to you Guys!

• Ginny Weasley
  The youngest and only girl in the immense Weasley family, Ginny enjoys her brothers' protection and guidance, but is also isolated from them in a way. She was quite taken with the celebrity Harry Potter from the moment she saw him, and, lucky for her, he soon befriended her brother Ron. And it's a good thing.
  Ginny's first year at Hogwarts, she had the misfortune of stumbling across the enchanted diary of Tom Riddle, and began to confide in it. Tom was a clever lad, and he sapped her strength and soon gained control of her mind. He used her to unleash the Basilisk, hidden deep in the castle. The beast petrified many Hogwarts residents, but luckily no one was killed (this time). Poor Ginny found herself in terrifying situations: memory lapses, waking up with feathers and chicken blood around her (chickens are the natural enemies of the Basilisk). Right before she reached out for help, Tom stole her away to the Chamber of Secrets; Harry saved her, which only served to make her attraction and embarrassment towards him even more severe.
  Contrary to what I, and I think others, expected, Ginny has turned into a very strong and able young witch. She held her own during the battles with the Deatheaters at the Ministry, and has learned some great hexes as well as maturing. She is no longer enamored with Harry, and has begun dating other young men, much to the chagrin of Ron. She also reminds us along with Harry, that only SHE among their friends knows what it is like to be truly possessed by the Dark Lord.

• Percy Weasley
  Slender and tall like his father and brother Ron, Percy is the third of seven redheaded, freckled children. Percy was a prefect at Hogwarts, and even became Head Boy his 7th year. Sporting horn-rimmed glasses and a shiny prefect/Head Boy badge (under constant attack by Fred and George Weasley), Percy makes a somewhat pompous-appearing figure of authority. After his graduation, he began working for the Ministry of Magic, under Mr. Crouch, whose adhesion to regulations Percy deeply admires.
  Unfortunately, Percy chose the side of the Ministry when Dumbledore attempted to spread the truth of Voldemort's return. Whether this was because of his true feelings on the matter, or he was simply blinded by his desire to succeed in the structure of government. In doing so, he has openly criticized his family, and disassociated himself from them and their 'subversive, misled ways' as much as possible. This was a truly sad thing for me to read; the heartbreak of his parents, and anger and shame of his siblings. He even returned the sweater his poor mother sent him for Christmas, and attempts to convince Ron not to be friends with Harry, saying Harry is crazy and dangerous. He seems to have become Fudge's personal note-taker, being present at Harry's expulsion trial, and seemingly thoughtlessly obeying his every word.
  It should be interesting indeed to see what happens now that the Ministry has FINALLY acknowledged that what Dumbledore and Harry have been saying is true, that Voldemort HAS returned. I hope he gives a full apology to his family, and that they accept it, and that Percy adds his support and powers to the upcoming battle.

• Neville Longbottom
  A small boy with a round face, Neville Longbottom is hardly the stereotypical Gryffindor. He is forgetful, nervous and clumsy, and is "nearly a squib." Indeed, Neville struggles in every subject except Herbology, which he is exceedingly talented in. He melts cauldrons in potions, his charms go terribly askew, and he's dependent on Hermione to pass transfiguration. But he is a very sweet boy with, I feel, a strong sense of right and wrong. He earned the points that won the House Cup for Gryffindor their first year by bravely standing up to his friends, even though it landed him in a total-body-petrification curse. :)
  You can't help but feel sympathetic for Neville from the start, and continue to increasingly as the books go on. He has a toad named Trevor who is constantly escaping from him, and he was raised by his tyrannical grandmother who relentlessly pressures him to "uphold the Longbottom honor." He is brutally bullied by Professor Snape, whom Neville is absolutely terrified of (in fact, Neville's Boggart took the form of Snape). It is later revealed that Neville's parents were accomplished Aurors, who were tortured to insanity by Barty Crouch Jr., Bellatrix Lestrange, and their Deatheater friends. Neville visits his parents at St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries, but they do not recognize him. How horrible is that? One can hardly blame Neville for his problems.
  Neville joined the Dumbledore's Army club his 5th year, and made unbelievable improvements in his spell-casting and deflecting. He accompanied Harry to the Ministry of magic, and held his own against many Deatheaters. I was hoping he'd get to take out the Deatheaters who tortured his parents, but not this time. Hopefully in the future....
  It was revealed that Neville was born around the same time as Harry Potter, and that it could have been him the prophecy predicting Voldemort's downfall could have been referring to him as well as Harry. But, Voldemort chose Harry as the greater threat, sparing Neville from that fate.

• Oliver Wood
  A burly boy four years older than Harry Potter, Oliver Wood is the rather enthusiastic Gryffindor Quidditch keeper and Captain during Harry's first years at Hogwarts. He seems to be quite the stereotype of the jock, but is really a pretty friendly guy. He's just extremely preoccupied with Quidditch. He gets the team up at the crack of dawn to practice his latest strategies, has them practice in horrible weather, and loves every minute of it. His life seems to revolve around the sport, and is heartbroken when the Quidditch cup escapes their grasp. But that temporary despair is well worth it, when the Gryffindor team finally, finally succeeds in his final Hogwarts year. After graduation, Oliver went on to play for Puddlemere United Reserve Team.