Harry Potter: 10 Best Characters Introduced After The Philosopher's Stone

10. Peter Pettigrew - Wormtail

Every dark lord needs a pathetic follower to perform their duties; Frankenstein has Igor, Captain Hook has Mr Smee, and Lord Voldemort has Peter Pettigrew, better known as Wormtail.

This character was introduced in The Prisoner of Azkaban, but his influence on the series began way before. As a former Hogwarts student and member of the Order of the Phoenix, Pettigrew was one of the first examples of a wizard turning on the side of good and aligning with Voldemort. He infamously exposed the Potters' location to Lord Voldemort, leading to their deaths - a crime he then pinned on Sirius Black (more on him later).

Naturally, he's a rather wretched creature who you love to hate. He had all the worst qualities of a rat, making his Animagus animal all the more appropriate. Plus, the reveal that he was hiding as Scabbers in Prisoner of Azkaban was one of the most inventive character debuts in the whole series.

Despite his awful nature, it's still easy to pity him and the poor choices he made, making him a pretty complicated character.