10 Oldest Characters In The Harry Potter Universe

The world of Harry Potter has only been around for over 20 years, but it contains many characters whose stories have begun decades, sometimes even centuries, in the past.

Even though witches and wizards are still human in appearance (and general durability), their world is one that allows its inhabitants to live much longer than most, with characters - on the whole - having a longer life expectancy than regular humans, and that's even without factoring in the magical methods that can be used to prolong their existence even further.

The Harry Potter universe also contains a vast array of creatures capable of hitting similarly impressive life spans - some even more so than the wand-wielders themselves. There are characters in the wizarding world that have fought in multiple wars, some that have seen Hogwarts' earliest students come and go, and even others who are just famous for being old. Like, insanely old.

And while not all of these wrinkly record-setters are still alive, they'll go down in history as some of the oldest magical beings ever to walk (or slither across) the Earth.

Age: 116 (now deceased)

One of the most revered, powerful wizards who ever lived, Albus Dumbledore was a beacon of hope and strength for the magical community, and his tragic demise at the hands of Severus Snape remains an event that fans of the movies and books - as well as the characters in them - will never forget.

Born in 1881, Dumbledore spent most of his life at Hogwarts school. He was a student there for many years, and shortly after graduating, he returned as Professor of Transfiguration. Then, he was later promoted to headmaster, a role he filled until his death on 30 June 1997.

Of course, he briefly returned - in the afterlife - a year later to greet Harry, after the young wizard was "killed" by Voldemort during the Battle Of Hogwarts. The bearded wonder currently resides in his portrait, overlooking the headmaster's office he called his own for many years.