8 Unforgettable Characters You’ll Meet in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

But Harry and his tried and true friends aren’t the series’ only beloved characters. Chamber of Secrets introduces readers to a whole slew of gloriously dynamic figures—witches, wizards, and…creatures you’ll love, or love to hate—many of whom will make appearances throughout the series. Here are eight of our favorites.
Dobby. Dobby comes into the story not with a fizzle but a bang, and he serves as our introduction to one of the wizarding world’s most intriguing magical creatures: house-elves. Short of stature, floppy of ear, and decked out in nothing but a pillowcase, Dobby invariably knows more than he’s letting on, but has a real knack for banging into walls whenever he feels he has said too much.
Lucius Malfoy. He’s the father of Harry’s school rival, Draco, and is basically the Hogwarts version of an overprivileged helicopter parent—but a lot more evil, and a lot more likely to be involved in some very dark magic.
Gilderoy Lockhart. Lockhart is every incompetent teacher you’ve ever had, but with better hair. He’s a celebrity memoirist, famous for his account of magical derring-do, when he becomes Hogwarts’ new Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. But despite having literally written books on the subject, he doesn’t know much in the way of magic. Case in point: when in doubt, it’s always best NOT to unleash a swarm of pixies on a class of 12-year-olds, but what do we know? He’s the professor.
The Weasley family. We meet Ron Weasley in book one, of course, but Chamber of Secrets is the first time we encounter the wonderful Weasley clan en masse—from Arthur Weasley and his fascination with spark plugs and all things Muggle-related to Ginny’s schoolgirl crush on Harry.
Colin Creevey. Excitable Hogwarts first-year Colin would run for both president and vice-president of the Harry Potter Fan Club if such a thing existed. Colin loves nothing more than to tag along and take pictures of the famous Harry Potter, much to Harry’s chagrin. Despite his faults, you’ve gotta love Colin—like a puppy, he has a lot of heart and a heap of (misdirected) affection.
Aragog. Aragog is Hogwarts Castle’s friendly neighborhood spider, and by “neighborhood” we mean he hangs out in the deepest parts of the Forbidden Forest, and by “friendly” we mean he eats people. Related: Chamber of Secrets is also the book that reveals Ron’s deepest held terror—spiders.
Moaning Myrtle. This Hogwarts student-turned-Hogwarts ghost spends most of her time in the girl’s bathroom, weeping profusely. Also, she has a thing about being dead, so don’t bring it up in conversation. She’s kind of sensitive about it.
Tom Riddle. Fifty years before Harry came to Hogwarts, a student named Tom Riddle was faced with the same situation Harry’s facing in Chamber of Secrets: saving Hogwarts—the only place he has ever called home—from strange supernatural attacks, lest it close down for good. All those years ago, Tom Riddle was the one who caught the perpetrator, and through some magical dealings he’s back and willing to lend Harry a hand. Hopefully he’s not harboring any dark and dangerous secrets.