5 Harry Potter Movie Characters Who Are Exactly Like The Book Versions

Things get lost in adaptation all the time, and that's definitely true of the seven-novel "Harry Potter" series, which hit bookshelves in 1997 with "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" and got a movie adaptation in 2001, kicking off an eight-part series (the final book, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, was split into two parts). A lot of plot elements and even some characters from the sprawling books about the titular young boy who discovers he's a wizard — played by Daniel Radcliffe — ended up on the cutting room floor, and some characters, like Rupert Grint's main character Ron Weasley, ended up changing in the journey from page to screen.

This begs the question, though — out of the many, many "Harry Potter" characters depicted on-screen in the film franchise, which are the most faithful to their literary counterparts? Unfortunately, this does take Harry himself out of the running, but not in a bad way; Radcliffe puts a great spin on the Boy Who Lived and makes him a little funnier and lighter than he is on screen. That also eliminates Ron, as we previously mentioned, and that duo's best friend and Ron's eventual wife Hermione Granger (Emma Watson), the latter of whom is a little more sophisticated and put together than the frazzled, often frantic Hermione found within the pages of the "Harry Potter" books. With that said, some of the casting for the "Harry Potter" film franchise was absolutely pitch-perfect, and the actors portraying these characters did the books justice. Here are 5 "Harry Potter" characters from the movies who are (almost) exactly like they are in the books.

Introduced as Harry, Ron, and Hermione first arrive at the massive and magical Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with their incoming class (under the stewardship of Hogwarts groundskeeper Rubeus Hagrid, played by the late Robbie Coltrane), Professor Minerva McGonagall is, as young Harry thinks to himself in the books, "not someone to cross." A stern and immensely powerful witch who can turn herself into a cat at will as an Animagus (a skill honed by only particularly talented spellcasters), McGonagall is also the professor of Transfiguration at Hogwarts — a notoriously difficult subject where students are asked to perform spells that, say, turn mice into teacups — and the deputy headmistress of Hogwarts, working closely with headmaster Albus Dumbledore (Richard Harris in the first two films and Michael Gambon for the remainder of the franchise after the former passed away). Stern though she may be, McGonagall is also a source of support throughout Harry's years at Hogwarts, and when the Dark Lord Voldemort (Ralph Fiennes) and his supporters attack Hogwarts in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows — Part 2," McGonagall is on the front lines sending Hogwarts' gargoyles into the fray with defensive spells.

The late Dame Maggie Smith, who passed away in 2024, was the perfect choice to play McGonagall, and fans of the books were likely stunned when they first saw her performing the role on-screen because of just how excellent she was in the role. Whether she's exasperated with Harry, Ron, and Hermione or working to protect Hogwarts and its students, Smith's McGonagall is a force to be reckoned with, just like her literary counterpart.

First introduced in the book version of "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban" as a student in the Hogwarts house Hufflepuff — there are four Houses, including Hufflepuff for the hard workers, Slytherin for the cunning, Ravenclaw for the clever, and Gryffindor the brave, with the last one housing Harry — Cedric Diggory narrowly beats Harry in a Quidditch match while the two are both playing as Seekers. In the next book, "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire," the legendary and dangerous Triwizard Tournament comes to Hogwarts and intends to choose three champions, with one from Hogwarts, one from the French school Beauxbatons, and one from the Eastern European school Durmstrang. Durmstrang produces international Quidditch star Viktor Krum (Stanislav Yanevski on screen) and the titular, supposedly impartial Goblet chooses Fleur Delacour (Clémence Poésy) from Beauxbatons alongside Cedric, representing Hogwarts. Then the Goblet goes haywire and, of course, chooses Harry as a second Hogwarts champion.

Though Cedric is understandably annoyed that he has to share the spotlight, he proves himself to be a deeply honorable competitor alongside Harry, and the two even share secrets to ensure that neither of them is caught unaware before a challenge. In the films, Cedric is played by future "Twilight" and "The Batman" star Robert Pattinson, who's perfect for the role ... and even though he's not in the franchise for very long because Cedric is murdered by Voldemort and his henchman Peter Pettigrew (Timothy Spall) at the end of "Goblet of Fire," Pattinson really brings the role to life during his time on-screen. That makes it all the more unfortunate that Pattinson apparently hates the character, though.

Considering that Harry only survives an attack from Voldemort as an infant because his own mother, Lily, protects him and sacrifices her life — imbuing him with a special power as a result — motherhood is incredibly important in the "Harry Potter" franchise, and it's best represented by Molly Weasley (portrayed by Julie Walters in the films). The mother of seven children — eldest Bill (Domhnall Gleeson), Charlie (not seen in the films), twins Fred and George (James and Oliver Phelps), Harry's best friend Ron, and the family's only girl Ginny (Bonnie Wright) — Molly is absolutely formidable. A loving yet typically exasperated wife to her husband Arthur Weasley (Mark Williams), Molly is a force to be reckoned with but has an enormous heart and essentially adopts Harry as her own child, constantly welcoming him home to the Burrow every holiday season and making sure he's well-fed thanks to her legendarily great spell-casting skills in the kitchen.

Walters, a venerated British actress who's remained booked and busy for decades, is genuinely ideal as the overprotective, deeply loving, Molly, who makes a brief appearance meeting Harry at the magical Platform 9 3/4 that ferries Hogwarts students from London's King's Cross to the school. Walters' dynamic with Williams also feels particularly true to the Arthur and Molly we see in the novels. From Molly acting as Harry's surrogate mother — and parenting her own enormous family — to her surprising dueling skills that we see in both the book and film version of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" where she defends her only daughter from certain death, Molly is one of the best characters in all of "Harry Potter," and Walters plays her to perfection.

Introduced in the very first book and film as one of Harry's new classmates at Hogwarts — who also ends up sorted into Gryffindor along with Harry, Ron, and Hermione — Neville Longbottom, played on-screen by Matthew Lewis, seems bumbling and foolish at first glance. Before the kids even properly arrive at Hogwarts, Neville is running around the Hogwarts Express looking for his lost toad Trevor, and whenever we see him cast spells, he seems like he can't really overcome his own anxiety to perform them correctly. As it turns out, Neville's anxiety — especially around his Potions professor, Severus Snape (the late, great Alan Rickman) — simply masks his own power as a wizard. In the fifth book, "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," Harry learns that Neville's parents, Frank and Alice Longbottom, were kidnapped and tortured into insanity by Voldemort's most loyal followers — which explains why Neville was raised by his austere grandmother, Augusta Longbottom, who's a minor character in the novels — and when a handful of those torturers escape the wizarding prison Azkaban, Neville's resolve stiffens. From that point on, he trains alongside Harry to become a stronger dueler ... and not only does he prove invaluable during the book and movie's climactic fight at the Ministry of Magic's Department of Mysteries, he's a vital part of the Battle of Hogwarts in "Deathly Hallows."

To say that Lewis experienced a real-life "glow-up" alongside his character is an understatement; as Neville grew from a timid, apple-cheeked young boy into a determined and capable man, Lewis did as well. Throughout the "Potter" films, he brings the perfect mix of humor, heart, and bravery to this complex character, and when he slays Voldemort's loyal snake (and Horcrux) Nagini in "Deathly Hallows — Part 2" on-screen, it's enough to make you cheer out loud.

If you need someone to play a totally unhinged and even terrifying character, who's a better choice than Helena Bonham Carter? We mean that in a good way — Carter is a legendarily talented actress know for everything from period pieces like "Howards End" to off-beat roles like the craven Mrs. Lovett in her then-partner Tim Burton's adaptation of "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." So who does Carter play in the "Harry Potter" franchise? Starting with "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," she portrays Voldemort's most loyal Death Eater, Bellatrix Lestrange, whose pure-blood heritage makes her a cousin of Harry's beloved godfather Sirius Black (Gary Oldman in the film franchise). After Bellatrix kills Sirius at the end of "Order of the Phoenix" in front of Harry during that aforementioned battle at the Department of Mysteries, Harry vows revenge against her, and they cross paths throughout the final four films ("Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and both halves of "Deathly Hallows"). Finally, Bellatrix is toppled by Molly Weasley as the Death Eater tries to attack Ginny during the Battle of Hogwarts; in the book, Harry starts towards her when he sees her go after Ginny until Molly steps in, while the film lets Molly take the spotlight entirely.

Carter is perfect as Bellatrix, a sneering, screeching banshee of a woman who loves nothing more than violence and cruelty — and she's also amazing in "Deathly Hallows — Part 1" when the actress has to play Hermione Granger masquerading as Bellatrix with the help of Polyjuice Potion. This was an inspired bit of casting, and it's genuinely hard to imagine a better performer to play Bellatrix.

The "Harry Potter" movies are streaming on Peacock and HBO Max.