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This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at PSU chapter.

While I know that there are characters missing from this list, these are some of the most well-known and popular villains of the Harry Potter world ranked from slightly sinister to full blown evil: 

 

8. Professor Snape (Slightly Sinister)

Everyone’s on the fence on whether or not Snape was a hero or a villain. While I believe he was never a true villain, he’s on this list because he was a grown man who unflinchingly bullied school children and aided in Dumbledore’s death; planned or not, I can’t forgive him for it.  

 

7. Draco Malfoy (Extremely Insufferable)

Poor Draco, the boy who first appeared to us in the Harry Potter series as a typical adolescent bully tragically transformed into one of Voldemort’s followers. Manipulated by his father and with little to no decent role models, it was inevitable for Draco to go down the road he did. While I don’t particularly care for Draco, it’s hard not to feel a little bad for the guy when you look at the man who raised him. 

 

6. The Dursleys (Downright Dishonorable) 

The only non-magical people on this list. These muggles were downright awful parental figures to Harry, keeping him stuffed in a closet for most of his adolescence while systematically putting him down and discouraging him from reaching his full potential. His uncle Vernon was a particularly awful human being, probably due to his natural prejudice, innate arrogance and close-minded nature. 

 

5. Lucius Malfoy (Arrogantly Obnoxious)

The epitome of smug, arrogant and big-headed, Lucius Malfoy, father of Draco Malfoy, was one of the most villainous Harry Potter characters that no one really cared about. His most dangerous quality was his obnoxious arrogance and his quick wit that helped him belittle anyone he considered beneath him, aka “muggles”, “mud bloods” and pretty much anyone who wasn’t him. 

 

4. Peter Pettigrew (Disgustingly Despicable)

The man who lived as a rat for the good part of 12 whole years. His cowardice combined with his weak will and sniveling personality made him one of the most disliked and repulsive villains in the Harry Potter franchise.

 

3. Dolores Umbridge (Diabolically Abominable)

Umbridge brought a very sadistic level of evil into the world of Harry Potter. Psychological and physical torment with the use of her magic quill was one of the many ways in which she tormented the students of Hogwarts. Dolores brought somewhat of a human level of evil to the movies, in which she reminded you of that teacher you despised in grade school, only ten times worse. 

 

2. Bellatrix Lestrange (Dangerously Depraved)

One of the most murderous witches within Voldemort’s slew of loyal followers, Bellatrix committed some of the most despicable acts within the whole Harry Potter series, including torturing Hermione and murdering two of the most beloved Potter characters: Dobby and Sirius Black. If you want to look on the bright side, Bellatrix Lestrange is at the very least a strong female witch for evil little witches and wizards to look up to and her unhinged personality actually made her quite an interesting character to watch. 

 

1. Lord Voldemort (Viciously Villainous)

The ringleader for evil witches and wizards and mass murderer of innocents. Not much needs to be said about the Dark Lord except that it’s no wonder why he is the way he is; he literally has no soul. 

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Haley Deitz is a Senior at The Pennsylvania State University, pursuing an Advertising major with minors in Media Studies, Women’s Studies, and Digital Media Trends and Analytics. Haley is a contributing writer for Her Campus Penn State, whose dream job is still yet to be determined. Her hobbies include reading, writing, and being the best dog mom she can be.
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Samantha Grillo graduated from Penn State University with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism. She loves creative writing, pop culture and Penn State, all of which led her to joining the Her Campus Penn State team at the beginning of her freshman year as a contributing writer. In her free time, Samantha enjoys reading, watching her favorite TV shows, and catching up on the latest movies.