7 most misunderstood Harry Potter characters

Severus Snape isn't the only misunderstood Harry Potter character.

Professor Snape: 'Turn to Page 394' | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
Professor Snape: 'Turn to Page 394' | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban | Harry Potter
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Throughout seven books and eight movies in the Harry Potter series, readers and viewers are introduced to dozens of important characters. While we get a good read on many of these characters, there are more than a few characters who continue to surprise us. And there's an even smaller number of characters who are entirely misunderstood.

To highlight a few of those complicated Harry Potter characters, here are the seven most misunderstood people in the Harry Potter series. Let’s get things started with fan favorites Fred and George Weasley. 

7. Fred and George Weasley

We’re counting Fred and George Weasley as the same person for the purposes of this list. Throughout the book and film series, Fred and George Weasley are frequently portrayed as the up-to-no-good troublemakers of Hogwarts. They’re always working some angle to get out of schoolwork and just simply have the most fun.

While that’s true, Fred and George also happen to be genuine geniuses. They just weren’t cut out for the rigorous and formulaic teachings of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. I’d argue that they are more driven to succeed, even if it means taking shortcuts, than basically every other student outside of Hermione Granger. After testing out their joke products and holistic natural remedies on the students of Hogwarts, the Weasley twins drop out of Hogwarts during their sixth year in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Within a year, they run the most successful and bustling business in Diagon Alley. Before the time when they would have graduated, they were already successful businessmen. They are the Steve Jobs and Bill Gates of the Wizarding World and everyone laughed with and at them.

Written off as pranksters, Fred and George had the brightest futures of any of the students during Harry’s time at Hogwarts. It’s a shame the twins never go on to realize their full potential after the Second Wizarding War.