Throughout all of the Harry Potter installments, we’ve been introduced to dozens of characters. Because J.K. Rowling is so good at world-building and character development, fans feel like they have a good understanding even of side characters who are only mentioned periodically.

This has led to a lot of lists ranking the witches and wizards that are ostensibly the most powerful in the Potterverse. These lists tend to miss an important detail, though -- not all of the characters are human. So how different would those lists look if we included all magical beings, and not just witches and wizards?

For this list, we’re going by the official Rowling-approved definition of ‘being.’ According to Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (the faux-textbook, not the movie), the Ministry of Magic definition of being is “any creature that has sufficient intelligence to understand the laws of the magical community and to bear part of the responsibility in shaping those laws.”

So nothing like dragons or acromantulas here, since they’re classified as beasts. We’re also only including characters that actually appear in the books or movies (sorry, Merlin), and privileged power over skill when deciding rankings.

Here are the 20 Most Powerful Characters In Harry Potter, Ranked.

20. Neville Longbottom

We spent the first few books pitying Neville, but by the conclusion of the series, he’d proven that he had a lot of untapped power just beneath the surface. Neville’s issue was never subpar magical power, but a lack of confidence that translated into a (temporary) lack of skill.

By the time Deathly Hallows comes around, he has proven himself as a leader of the resistance within Hogwarts. His magical power and grit is proven when the Sword of Gryffindor appears to him during the climactic final battle with Voldemort. As we’ve learned, the Sword doesn’t appear to just anyone, so this is a ringing endorsement of Neville.

Another point in his favor is his heritage. His parents were both formidable Aurors who apparently defied Voldemort three times -- which meant Neville could have been the Chosen One instead of Harry.

19. Griphook the Goblin

The first non-human on this list is Griphook, who helps the Trio break into Bellatrix Lestrange’s vault. Before that, though, he was one of the goblins who worked in Gringotts, and was also on the run from Voldemort during his second rise to power.

Although Griphook died in the movie adaptation, in the book he survives. This especially impressive since not only was he ambushed by Snatchers, but he’s never captured by Death Eaters after stealing back the Sword of Gryffindor.

His position within Gringotts and his survival during the Second Wizarding War put him a cut above the other goblins, who are already powerful in their own right.

Goblins have their own type of magic, and can cast spells without wands (though that hasn’t stopped them from being bitter about wizards keeping wands for themselves). Not much is known about goblin magic since they guard their secrets very closely, but it's assumed to be pretty formidable -- just ask Bill Weasley.

18. Hermione Granger

Harry Potter would never have survived his many trials without Hermione. While she’s obviously notable for her skill -- she wasn’t called the cleverest witch of her age for no good reason -- Hermione also had a lot of magical power. This never failed to infuriate blood purists who thought that Muggleborns wouldn’t have as much power as purebloods.

Hermione has already learned how to master a few simple spells by the time she gets on the Hogwarts Express, before ever setting foot in a magical classroom. She constantly outpaced her classmates and quickly mastered nonverbal spells, wandless magic, and even duelling.

Plus, it’s safe to say that without her powerful Shield Charms, the Golden Trio would have been killed at the beginning of the seventh book.

As powerful as she is, though, since so much of her prowess comes from skill, she’s a bit lower on the list.

17. Kingsley Shacklebolt

Before he became Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt was one of the Ministry’s most talented Aurors, and a key member of the Order of the Phoenix. During his time as a member of the Auror, he crossed wands with Voldemort not once, but twice -- and lived to tell about it.

That alone would be enough to earn him a place on our list, but he demonstrates his magical prowess multiple times throughout the series.

In scenes where the Order is fighting, Kingsley is often described as fighting two Death Eaters at once, proving his immense talent at duelling. He’s always portrayed as being one of the more level-headed adults in the series, but his demeanor masks an incredible reserve of power, which he tends to unleash when especially angry.

16. Amelia Bones

Casual fans probably aren’t very familiar with Amelia Bones, since she only appears once on screen in the movies. (Hint -- she’s one of the witches who asks Harry a question during his Ministry hearing in Order of the Phoenix.) In the books, though, we get a lot more information about just how formidable this witch is.

Amelia Bones was head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, so she was even more powerful than the Auror Kingsley. Her power was famous in Wizarding Britain, where she was considered one of the greatest witches of her time.

In fact, she was so formidable that Voldemort killed her himself for her resistance, and all the evidence led people to believe that she put up a huge fight. It’s a shame that we didn’t get to see more of this character, because she was clearly not someone to be messed with.

15. Harry Potter

Harry wasn’t the best student in school, but he made up for it with impressive magical abilities. By the age of thirteen, he was able to cast a corporeal Patronus, which many adults weren’t able to do.

He was also naturally gifted at Defense Against The Dark Arts and was able to cast extremely powerful spells when emotional. Plus, you know, there was that whole defeating the Dark Lord thing.

However, he’s not higher on this list because so many of his victories throughout the series were due either to dumb luck or the help of either Ron or Hermione.

Even his final defeat of Voldemort required a lot of skill and planning, not just sheer power. The series’ main character was definitely extraordinary, but not the most powerful person we were introduced to.

14. Ginny Weasley

The film adaptations of the books did Ginny Weasley wrong. The youngest Weasley child and only daughter wasn’t just Harry Potter’s love interest, she was an extremely capable witch who arguably had more power than her famous partner.

The number seven is significant in the Potter world, and Ginny is the seventh child of Arthur and Molly. She’s also the first Weasley daughter in seven generations. Those double sevens might be part of the reasons she’s so naturally powerful.

Her curses were well-known for being extremely dangerous, and similar to Harry, she was able to produce a full Patronus at just fourteen. She even held her own against many talented Death Eaters at just sixteen during the Battle of Hogwarts.

Underestimating Ginny Weasley was the last mistake some characters made before being hit with a curse.

13. Remus Lupin

Lupin’s biggest identifier in the series, of course, was his status as a werewolf. That gave him power in a different way, though it was more often a curse and a detriment to him throughout his life. Aside from being a werewolf, though, Lupin was already a powerful wizard.

As the level-headed Marauder, he didn’t exactly flaunt how talented he was -- but that doesn’t mean he was any less impressive. He contributed to the Marauder’s Map, which required a lot of complicated magic to pull off.

As a member of the Order, he was often sent away on missions, and was one of only three people to leave the Department of Mysteries unscathed. He’s also proven himself to be especially adept at nonverbal magic.

12. Golgomath the Giant

The next character on our list isn’t well-known even to serious fans, but that doesn’t make him any less powerful.

In the movies, the only giants we see are Grawp, Hagrid’s half-brother, and a giant causing destruction during the Battle of Hogwarts. In the books, though, Hagrid and Madame Maxime are sent as an envoy to the giants, because Dumbledore guesses correctly that Voldemort will try to recruit them.

One of those giants is Golgomath, a member of the giant colony Hagrid and Maxime were visiting. The two half-giants were trying to woo Karkus, the leader of the giants, but Golgomath beheaded him just when they were making headway. Golgomath is described as an extremely powerful warrior.

His power is different, but given his size (about twenty-five feet tall), his status as leader, and the fact that he's impervious to many spells, he earned a spot on the list.

11. Sirius Black

It takes an immense amount of magical ability to become an Animagus, so it’s impressive for any witch or wizard to achieve. It’s even more impressive when you become an Animagus before you even take your OWLs. This was just one way that Sirius Black demonstrated his capabilities, and he’d go on to hone his talent even further.

Like Lupin, he contributed to the Marauder’s Map, casting the extremely difficult Homonculous Charm to track the whereabouts of everyone in the castle. He also proved himself to be a proficient dueller while he was in the Order.

Most impressive, though, was his willpower while locked up for twelve years in Azkaban. Most people went insane from the dementors’ effects. While Sirius was forever affected by his imprisonment, he never lost what made him unique. That’s a real testament to who he was as a person.