Slytherin House is commonly regarded as the evil house of Hogwarts students. While most prominent Slytherins are antagonists, the traits that the Sorting Hat looks for in a wizard or witch are not inherently evil. To be sorted into Slytherin, one must have cunning, ambition, and resourcefulness that knows no limits.
Here, we will look at the Slytherins featured throughout the franchise. We will be ranking them based on various factors, including how they match up to the legacy of Slytherin, the growth they experienced over the franchise’s lifespan, and how much of an impact they had on those around them.
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6 Dolores Umbridge
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Dolores Umbridge is infamous for her time as Hogwarts’ Defense Against the Dark Arts Professor, appointed by the British Ministry of Magic. During her tenure, Dolores would do whatever she believed she had to do to keep Harry from lying about the return of Voldemort. From banning literature on school grounds to enforcing a new policy that stated no groups larger than three people could be formed, Dolores’s reign of terror would impact the entire school.
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Her worst offenses would be levied against Harry himself, with Dolores forcing him to mutilate himself in the form of a magical punishment and even threatening to use an unforgivable curse to torture him, stating that what her boss doesn’t know wouldn’t hurt him. During this harsh interrogation, Dolores even noted that she had sent Dementors after Harry and his cousin, hoping that either Harry would be attacked or expelled.
5 Lucius Malfoy
Lucius Malfoy was a man of high influence thanks to his ambitious politicking and family money. Due to his high standing with multiple Ministry officials, Lucius managed to escape a tragic fate in Azkaban by making everyone believe he had only followed Lord Voldemort under the effects of the Imperius Curse.
Lucius would prove to be a powerful antagonist early on, often keeping dark artifacts that he would use to curse anyone that dared cross a path. In Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2002), Lucius inserts Tom Riddle’s diary into Ginny Weasley’s belongings, knowing that the dark artifact would strongly influence the young girl causing the Chamber of Secrets to open and release the basilisk that was being kept within. While Lucius didn’t fully know that Lord Voldemort still held an influence, his strong distaste for muggle-born and half-blood wizards and witches led him to take extreme actions.
4 Draco Malfoy
Forever remembered as the foil to Harry Potter, Draco Malfoy has a legacy of Slytherin villainy to live up to as he follows in his father, Lucius’, footsteps. Audiences immediately see the stereotypical Slytherin prejudice in Malfoy as he detests the Weasley family for their financial standing and Hermione Granger for being a witch born to two muggle parents.
Draco has been known to pull mean pranks over the years, but his ultimate evil act would come when his family’s life was at risk. With Voldemort threatening to punish Draco’s father should Draco fail to kill Dumbledore, Malfoy would set out to allow the Death Eaters to infiltrate Hogwarts and murder Dumbledore. Draco’s character growth would begin here as he realized he couldn’t kill the headmaster. Later on in life, we would discover Malfoy had raised his son to be a kinder wizard than he ever was.
3 Leta Lestrange
Leta Lestrange would be quite the anomaly among her family and Slytherins as a whole. While both parties are known to be harshly prejudiced, cocky, and haughty, Leta is kind and compassionate. The most Slytherin-like aspects of her personality would be her rebellious attitude and cunning wiles, though these were often used to oppose hostile forces.
Leta would leave a significant impact on the Scamander brothers, having developed feelings for both of them. While she had grown up as Newt’s childhood friend, she would go on to marry his older brother Theseus, though it is often implied that she still harbored strong feelings for Newt. Her devotion to protecting those she holds dear would cost her, as she sacrificed herself to Gellert Grindlewald’s attack, declaring her love in a last goodbye, seemingly directed at both of the brothers in what was one of the saddest moments in Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindlewald (2018).
2 Severus Snape
Snape would be a Slytherin that was forever changed by the effects of love and heartbreak. From a young age, Snape develops feelings for Lily Potter, Harry’s mother, although those feelings would be left un-reciprocated. Adding onto these emotional times was the constant bullying that Harry’s father and his friends did to Snape. Severus would grow to become a bitter man, taking his anger out on Harry throughout the boy’s tenure at Hogwarts.
Snape would go down in history as the man who murdered Albus Dumbledore. However, this action was taken because Albus had previously asked Snape to do so, to spare Draco Malfoy’s soul, and as an act of self-preservation, as Snape had previously made an unbreakable vow to succeed where Draco would fail. Snape’s true allegiance is revealed when he gives Harry his memories, showing that all of his actions were meant to keep Harry alive to preserve the memory of Harry’s mother, the woman that Snape truly loved.
1 Tom Riddle
Tom Marvelo Riddle, the man who would go on to be known as Lord Voldemort, was a Slytherin born from tragic circumstances. Having been born from the relations of a witch and a muggle placed under the influence of a powerful love potion, Tom’s father would abandon him before his birth, and his mother died during childbirth. Growing up with no guidance, the heir of Salazar Slytherin would grow to become quite sadistic and sociopathic as he sought great power, with his only fear being death.
Voldemort’s legacy in the series can not be ignored as he would cause two Wizarding Wars and play the main antagonist across eight franchise films. Exhibiting all of the traits associated with his ancestor, Voldemort would grow to have a snake-like appearance after separating his soul into seven different Horcruxes. His duel against Harry in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Part 2 (2011) was one of cinema’s most highly anticipated battles. Voldemort will go down as the greatest Slytherin and potentially the greatest villain in Harry Potter history.
