Played by: Jamie Campbell Bower (young) and Michael Byrne (old) While those only familiar with the films may not recall the name (he is played by two people but both only briefly), Gellert Grindelwald is a fascinating character for both his place in the history of Rowling's wizarding world and that in the personal history of Albus Dumbledore. The story of Grindelwald is revealed in the final book of the series The Deathly Hallows where it is said that he was once the best friend of Dumbledore when they were young. The two were very idealistic and wished to find the mythical Deathly Hallows so that they may be Masters of Death. While Dumbledore turned his back on the quest when his handicapped sister was killed, Grindelwald became even more determined - going onto wage war on the world until he was finally stopped by his old friend in 1945. Before Voldemort reared his ugly, snakelike head, Grindelwald was thought of as the most powerful dark wizard in history. What makes Grindelwald such an interesting character is that we only know him through hints. Not only is it very intriguing that his world-quaking quest coincided with the Second World War but also it is implied that he may have been Dumbledore's lover (or at least that Dumbledore loved him) which unveils new light on the sage old Hogwarts Headmaster. In fact, there's so much potential to Grindelwald and Dumbledore's untold battle that you could fill another book series with it. Are you reading this, JK?
