Who at some point in their life has not tried to test if they have magical abilities? Whether it's staring at your pet trying to see if you can understand them, trying to make things move with the force or running as fast as you can to see if you can teleport, everyone has tried at least once (even those of you who won't admit it). Harry Potter inspired a generation of kids to wait for their Hogwarts letter and to believe in magic long into adulthood; many of us are concerned about our lost letters... Our owls are worse than Errol.

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One debate that has been had among Potterheads for many years has been who the most powerful wizards in the Potterverse are. Harry only using expelliarmus in the movies is a classic meme, but is he better than we think? Is Dumbledore more powerful than Merlin? These are the real questions.

Updated May 19, 2022, by Gabrielle Huston: Harry Potter boasted plenty of extraordinary witches and wizards! We've ranked the cream of the crop from weakest to strongest.

20 Olympe Maxime

Harry Potter - Olympe Maxime and Hagrid

Headmistress of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic, Olympe Maxime is a French half-giant who briefly dated Rubeus Hagrid.

Now, we don't know much about her magically, but Hagrid described her spellwork during their mission to visit the giants as 'brilliant.' Her half-giant status makes her immune to many spells, which is a great edge to have in battle. All of this, mixed with her fiery temper and stature, make her a formidable opponent.

19 Harry Potter

Harry Potter

Do we even need this paragraph? We all joke about movie Harry's dream of being an Auror based on the only spell in his arsenal; Expelliarmus. In the books, Harry is more knowledgeable and utilizes more spells. I mean, if you teach kids Defence Against The Dark Arts in a secret club designed to protect Hogwarts and fight Voldemort then you have to know your stuff.

While he is not the most powerful, he has determination and field experience, which earns him this place. After the books, he also becomes more skilled, but we're placing him on this list based on his time at Hogwarts.

18 Filius Flitwick

Harry Potter - Filius Flitwick

Known for being the Charms master at Hogwarts, Flitwick is more than the short professor who said 'swish and flick.' As a student, he was one of the best students alongside Dumbledore and holds the title of most knowledgeable Charms master in the world.

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Not just a smarty, Flitwick was also a dueling champion during his youth, which speaks volumes. We're sure his skill was on full display during the Battle of the Astronomy Tower and the Battle of Hogwarts.

17 Hermione Granger

Harry Potter - hermione making the polyjuice potion

Described as the 'brightest witch of her age', Hermione is a powerful and knowledgeable witch. We are putting her here based on her age at the end of her time at Hogwarts; she would be placed much higher if we judge her based on her current age. Seventeen-year-old Hermione was a strong fighter and is the main reason Harry is still alive (besides his mother's love). Hermione was the gem of the Golden Trio and we admire her in this household.

16 Remus Lupin

Harry Potter - Remus Lupin

Also known as Moony, Lupin is a beloved character in the eyes of many in the fandom. This kindhearted, brave and intelligent man was a member of the Marauders crew and eventually became the Defence Against The Dark Arts teacher, so the guy knows what's up.

Lupin's status as a werewolf makes him an even more intimidating opponent depending on the time of the month; he is not one to be messed with.

15 Sirius Black

Harry Potter - Sirius Black

Padfoot is yet another fan favorite and another Marauder; we remember him fondly as Harry's father figure and mentor. The man became an animagus and created the Marauder's Map while he was an underage wizard, marking him, James, and Remus as some of the most brilliant wizards Hogwarts had ever seen.

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He also performed un-Transfiguration on Peter Pettigrew, infused physical prowess in magical fights and could perform nonverbal magic. There is much more we could discuss here, but Sirius is one tough cookie.

14 Rufus Scrimgeour

Harry Potter - Rufus Scrimgeour

A hardened veteran Auror, Rufus Scrimgeour was the Head of the Auror Department; you have to be a strong person in this kind of position. In the midst of the Second Wizarding War, he was appointed Minister For Magic and provided the illusion of safety; his work getting Harry and Dumbledore's co-operation cost him his life, as he passed at the hands of Voldemort.

We do not have much in terms of concrete examples of him using his powers, but to be a hardened veteran leader of Aurors must take some skill, leadership and general awesomeness.

13 Bellatrix Lestrange

Harry Potter - Bellatrix and Voldemort

Bellatrix Lestrange was Voldemort's most loyal follower. A practitioner of the Dark Arts, Bellatrix was a highly skilled and intelligent witch without a conscience, which made her incredibly dangerous. She was an Occlumens, meaning she was mentally impenetrable and taught Occlumency to Draco Malfoy. She has used nonverbal magic numerous times throughout the series and was the only one besides Voldemort who successfully blocked Dumbledore's attacks. She could also perform the Unbreakable Vow and was skilled at flight and Apparition; Bellatrix is one tough opponent.

12 Nymphadora Tonks

Harry Potter - Nymphadora Tonks

As a metamorphmagus, Tonks had the natural ability to transform her facial features to entertain and to hide her identity, which was excellent for espionage. She was also young for an Auror, which speaks volumes about her magical skill.

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Glad she was on our side now, huh? She survived her first two encounters with Bellatrix Lestrange and could perform magic nonverbally. She was also a natural in defensive magic and received a N.E.W.T. in Potions.

11 Severus Snape

Harry Potter - Severus Snape

A controversial figure, indeed. Say what you like about Snape, he was a darn good Potions master who knew his stuff. He was also a skilled Occlumens and managed to teach Harry how to defend himself from Voldemort's mental attacks.

Snape especially talented at curses particularly from a young age and even managed to create his own jinxes and hexes. While we don't have many instances of Snape dueling, he did manage to successfully block McGonogall's attacks and no Death Eater ever raised a wand to him, which is very telling.

10 Aberforth Dumbledore

Aberfoth Dumbledore

Known by Muggles as Dumbledore's brother and known in the wizarding world for performing inappropriate charms on a goat, Aberforth is pretty well-known by many.

In his youth, he battled both Dumbledore and Grindelwald at the same time and not only held his own but survived dueling two incredibly gifted wizards. He could also conjure a corporeal Patronus like Harry, which is considered advanced magic.

Aberforth fought alongside our heroes in the Battle of Hogwarts and managed to be one of the survivors.

9 Kingsley Shacklebolt

Kingsley Shacklebolt

This guy is a behind-the-scenes MVP. Not only was he an Auror and a member of the Order of the Phoenix who worked undercover at the Ministry, but he also protected the Muggle Prime Minister by posing as their secretary.

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This condensed resume speaks for itself. When he became Minister for Magic after fighting in the Battle of Hogwarts, he worked with Ron, Harry, and Hermione to improve the Ministry for good.

8 Alastor Moody

Alastor Moody

Responsible for filling half the cells in Azkaban, 'Mad-Eye' Moody was one of the greatest sorcerers of his time. He had fully mastered multiple branches of magic, including Charms, Transfiguration, Defensive Magic, Herbology and Potions, which is incredible considering most wizards choose to specialize in one subject.

He could also cast powerful protective charms over Order of the Phoenix headquarters, charms so powerful even Lord Voldemort could not break through. Moody could perform both nonverbal and Dark magic to great effect.

7 Minerva McGonagall

Minerva McGonagall

Minerva was the best teacher at Hogwarts, hands down. Not only did she work for the Ministry and was Deputy Headmistress and Headmistress of Hogwarts concurrently, but she also participated in both Wizarding Wars.

She was an utter badass and is one of the few wizards to make the sorting hat take over five minutes to place her into either Ravenclaw or Gryffindor. McGonagall led the students of Hogwarts into the Battle of Hogwarts and emerged unscathed.

6 Nicolas Flamel

Nicolas Flamel

The guy who managed to make himself live for hundreds of years must be high up on this list. Nicholas Flamel must have been a powerful sorcerer to see his 690th birthday; imagine the upkeep that staying alive that long would take. Beauty gurus have nothing on him.

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He also made the Philosopher’s Stone himself, which is something that no ordinary wizard can accomplish. Voldemort wishes he lived for this long. On top of all this, Nicolas helped both Dumbledore and Newt Scamander take on Gellert Grindelwald, which is an extraordinary feat of bravery.

5 The Founders Of Hogwarts

Hogwarts castle with cloudy night sky in background

Now, anyone can lay claim to a piece of land and found a school, but the founders of Hogwarts were no ordinary wizards and witches.

They were all skilled individuals, but all have their niches; Gryffindor was a master duelist, Ravenclaw was a genius architect, Slytherin was a master Ligilimens, and Hufflepuff was skilled in Charms.

Taking all of this into account, intelligent wizards such as these are more than capable of teaching students magic.

4 Gellert Grindelwald

Mads Mikkelsen Shines As Grindelwald In Fantastic Beasts The Secrets of Dumbledore First Trailer
Mads Mikkelsen As Gellert Grindelwald In Fantastic Beasts The Secrets of Dumbledore Trailer

Arguably the most powerful wizard of his time, Gellert Grindelwald walked so that Voldemort could run. Grindelwald was skilled in the dark arts in his teens and was expelled from Durmstrang for experimenting and almost killing fellow students. Being kicked out of school led him to meet Albus Dumbledore and form a strong bond.

Grindelwald was charismatic and charmed multiple people with his ideas regarding freedom for wizard-kind. He managed to survive dueling the Dumbledore brothers and amassed a large following for his cause. He was ultimately defeated by Dumbledore, but not before he had terrorized and thrilled the wizarding community.

3 Merlin

Harry Potter - Merlin

If you have a nickname like Prince of Enchanters, you have to know your stuff. A member of King Arthur’s court, Merlin is arguably one of the greatest wizards of all time. His magical mastery was unparalleled by other wizards at the time and he is famous for his proficiency with charms.

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He is treated with honor and reverence by the modern wizarding community, who often use phrases such as ‘Merlin’s beard!’ and ‘Merlin’s trousers!’

2 Voldemort

Voldemort

We have a more extended article on Voldemort and honestly, you all know the drill with this guy. He was so into using the Dark Arts that he became permanently ugly and is an accomplished Legilimens.

Voldemort could fly without a broom, use magic without a wand, and was the first wizard to split his soul into eight pieces to obtain immortality. Not only this, but he transformed Nagini into Bathilda Bagshot for months on the off chance that Harry would show up; this is from miles away and while he is presumably doing other evil deeds.

1 Albus Dumbledore

Harry-Potter---Dumbledore-1

There's a reason that people are so happy to let this guy run the school where all their children live most of the year, even if there are 3-headed dogs and giant spiders on the grounds. We did a longer article on Dumbledore’s many accomplishments, but we’ll give you a quick summary.

He is considered the best at Transfiguration, was an accomplished duelist, received an Order of Merlin for defeating Grindelwald and won a Barnabus Finkley Prize for Exceptional Spellcasting. If that’s not enough accomplishment, he was also a youth representative for the Wizengamot and won an award for his alchemy skills, which he learned from Nicolas Flamel.

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