How to Identify the Hogwarts Faculty in Harry Potter

Much of the action in the 7 Harry Potter novels takes place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardy, so it's not surprising that many of the character are faculty members of that school. Here's a handy breakdown of who's who on the the Hogwarts faculty.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

1. Albus Percival Wolfric Brian Dumbledore. Headmaster of Hogwarts and the most skilled and talented wizard of his time. He is the mentor and protector of Harry Potter, as well as the architect, overtly or covertly, of many of Harry's adventures. As a young man he fell in love with another talented wizard, Gellert Grindelwald, but the two young men eventually got into a duel which resulted in the death of Dumbledore's sister. Years later Dumbledore dueled with Grindelwald again and put him into prison for a series of horrendous crimes. While serving as a teacher Dumbledore brought the young orphan Tom Marvolo Riddle to Hogwarts. This talented, yet sadistic and megalomaniacal boy later became the evil wizard Lord Voldemort. In the sixth book in the series Professor Snape kills Dumbledore as part of a pre-arranged plan. Dumbledore was already fatally ill from a curse and had caught wind that Voldemort had ordered student Draco Malfoy to kill Dumbledore. Snape agreed to the plan because it could save Draco from losing his soul, it would spare Dumbledore from a painful death and it would make Snape appear to be truly faithful to Voldemort and his cause.
2. Severus Snape. Professor Snape is probably one of the most interesting and multi-dimensional characters in the series. Born into a poor, dysfunctional family, he falls in love at an early age with Lily Evans. The two later become students at Hogwarts, but she eventually falls for and marries the cocky, popular James Potter. Embittered and angry, Snape becomes attracted to Dark Magic and joins the followers of Lord Voldemort—the Death Eaters—in Voldemort's first bid for power. When Voldemort kills Lily and James, the guilt-wracked Snape switches sides and promises Dumbledore he will protect Harry. Snape works for years as Potions Master, and even briefly gets the job he had long coveted—Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts. As a teacher he is an arrogant, bad-tempered, petty bully and sadist and is open in his favoritism of the students of Slytherin House over any others. He deeply resents Harry, even though he continues to secretly protect him. Snape becomes of member of the re-formed anti-Voldemort resistance group, the Order of the Phoenix, and works as that groups double agent while ostensibly rejoining the Death Eaters. After killing Dumbledore, Snape serves briefly as Hogwarts Headmaster. In the last book, Voldemort has his snake Nagini kill Snape, and Snape dies in Harry's arms, leaving the boy the information (in the form of vaporous memories) that he had been faithful to Dumbledore, the Order of the Phoenix and the Potters all along, despite the tremendous danger in which that put him.
3. Minerva McGonegal. Deputy Headmistress and sometimes Headmistress of Hogwarts, Head of Gryffindor House, Professor of Transfiguration, Member of the Order of the Phoenix and an Animagus who can change into a cat. She is strict and puts up with no nonsense, but she is also a fierce advocate of those she knows to be in the right.
4. Rubeus Hagrid. The kind-hearted half-giant groundskeeper, gamekeeper and Care of Magical Creatures Professor at Hogwarts as well as a great friend and protector of Harry. Visits to his hut on the Hogwarts grounds are always a highlight of the books. Hagrid has a soft spot for strays and taking in animals that are really too dangerous to be domesticated. Because of his simple trusting nature characters with evil motives have frequently taken advantage of him.
5. Filius Flitwick. The tiny, part-human, part-goblin Charms Master.
6. Cuthbert Binns. History of Witchcraft Teacher (and ghost!).
7. Phineas Nigellus Black. A former Headmaster of Hogwarts and ancestor of Sirius Black. Though long dead, he still occupies his portrait in the Headmaster's office and is often put to work traveling to different picture frames in different locations and reporting on what he sees.
8. Quirinus Quirrell. Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor during Harry's first year. At the end of the first book it is revealed that a form of Lord Voldemort was living on the back side of Quirrell's head, compelling Quirrell to search for the Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone.
9. Gilderoy Lockhart. Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor known for his shameless self-promotion and narcissistic volumes of memoirs.
10. Remus John “Moony” Lupin. Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, member of the Order of the Phoenix and the Marauders, friend and protector of Harry and a werewolf. He marries fellow Order member Nymphadora Tonks and they have a baby, Teddy Remus Lupin, but he and his wife are both killed during the Battle of Hogwarts.
11. Alastor “Mad-Eye” Moody. Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, legendary Auror and member of the Order of the Phoenix. For much of the fifth book he is impersonated by Barty Crouch Jr. He is killed early on in the seventh book in an aerial battle with Voldemort and the Death Eaters.
12. Horace Slughorn. Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, sometime Head of Slytherin House and Potions Master, as well as founder of the “Slug Club,” a group for students he considers talented and promising.
13. Madam Poppy Pomfrey. Healer in charge of the Hogwarts Hospital Wing.
14. Argus Filch. The unpleasant caretaker of the school, he enjoys wandering the halls at night with his cat, Mrs. Norris, attempting to catch students in violation of the rules.
15. Pomona Sprout. Herbology teacher who teaches her students about the peculiar plants of the wizarding world. She is eventually succeeded by her student Neville Longbottom.
16. Madam Rolanda Hooch. Teacher of broomstick flying, Quidditch referee and (presumably) Quidditch coach.
17. Irma Pince. The Hogwarts Librarian. Overly protective of her collection.
18. Sybill Trelawney. The rather daffy, dreamy Professor of Divination. Her predictions are usually quite wrong, though a good deal of the novels' hang on her major prediction about the fate of Harry and Voldemort. Dolores Umbridge tries to fire Trelawney and publicly humilate her, but Dumbledore reinstates her.
19. Firenze. A Centaur who, like Professor Trelawny, also teaches Divination—albeit with greater success.
20. Dolores Umbridge. Umbridge was an official at the Ministry of Magic under the Administration of Cornelius Fudge, and like Fudge, she vehemently denied Harry's claim that Voldemort had returned to corporeal form and was staging a come-back. Fudge sent her to Hogwarts to suppress what he felt were the Harry- and Dumbledore-led threats to his administration. Umbridge served as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Hogwarts High Inquisitor and briefly as Headmistress. She was known for her sadistic punishments of students. Though she was attacked by centaurs at the end of the fifth book, she eventually returned to a position with the Ministry, though after the fall of Voldemort she was imprisoned.