Child Of The Storm The Magical Worlds Characters

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Main Character Index | Harry Thorson | Harry’s Friends (Carol Danvers) | Avengers and Associates | Other Heroes and Allies | The Magical Worlds | Civilians | Gods and Cosmic Entities | X-Men | Villainous Groups | Non-Aligned Villains

This page lists tropes associated with The Magical Worlds in Child of the Storm.

Beware: Spoilers for Child of the Storm are unmarked.

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The Wanded Magical World

The Magical World of Hogwarts, the various Ministries of Magic, Beauxbatons, and Durmstrang, among others. More populous and organised than the Wandless community, they tend to be correspondingly more isolated from non-magical affairs. This relates to the outbreaks of ‘Pureblood’ sentiment, of magical people and magical heritage being superior to non-magical heritage, as well as an obsession with secrecy from the rest of the world — a secrecy which is steadily being eroded.

General

* Boring, but Practical: Wanded magic is apparently this when compared to Wandless magic (the type used by the White Council). It’s compared by Harry Dresden to be like comparing a set of lock picks (Wandless) to a keychain (Wanded) – Wanded magic can be easily learned and standardized, is more stable, has more practitioners born into it, and offers greater mental protection against Black Magic (while for Wandless practitioners, someone getting Drunk on the Dark Side is a very real threat regardless of their initial intentions).
* Fantastic Racism: Even the more benevolent members of the society have a somewhat arrogant and condescending attitude towards “muggles”, viewing them as foolish and easy to manipulate. With the exception of people like Arthur Weasley, and later Lucius Malfoy (who actually apologizes in a way to Arthur, saying he was right the whole time), this is apparently rather common.
* Linear Warriors, Quadratic Wizards: For a long time, the Wizarding World was convinced this was the case, which led to stagnation and Fantastic Racism. And since the Child of the Storm universe is crossed over with The Dresden Files and the Marvel and DC Universes, among others, they are starting to realize that the “muggles” have caught up to them while they were doing nothing, and have actually overtaken them in several ways.
* Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: It’s noted by multiple characters that, given the political mess he steered the Ministry into, Fudge is very unpopular. However, the only other person who’d be willing to take on Wisdom, Barty Crouch Sr, is known to be despised by Thor for throwing his best friend into Azkaban without a trial, and the Ministry doesn’t need more enemies.

Albus Dumbledore

Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore
Dumbledore had flaws. He acknowledged them, and quietly lamented what they had cost him. But whatever could be said about him – and there was a lot to be said – he did not tolerate anyone hurting his students by word or deed.

The Headmaster of Hogwarts, who has adjusted rather quickly to the altered status quo. A truly brilliant man, and one with many regrets (many derived from his own mistakes and their horrendous consequences), he serves as a Reasonable Authority Figure and something of an indirect mentor and grandfatherly figure to Harry. He is, among other things, a very powerful and wise wizard who commands respect from all around him – even, in Ghosts, an unstable Harry reliably listens to him. He’s also got a definite mischievous streak. All canon tropes up through Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire apply.

* Already Met Everyone: If they’re on Earth, and even tangentially connected with the magical world, he’s probably met them, and perhaps even corresponded with them.
* The Archmage: As per canon, and given serious props by every major magical practitioner in the story – and for good reason. He’s as powerful as any member of the Senior Council, and even well past his first century (well into old age by wanded standards), he’s capable of absent-mindedly defeating four HYDRA wizards coordinating and trained specifically to kill him with a couple of spells, he’s the magical version of an Omnidisciplinary Scientist (seriously – he’s corresponded with practically everyone) and no slouch with the non-magical sciences either, and he’s capable of wiping the floor with something that was a god-eating Eldritch Abomination before it possessed a Reality Warper while in his pyjamas.
* Awesomeness by Analysis: Deduces the origins of the HYDRA magical troops attacking him in chapter 70 by their casting styles, while fighting them and not even paying total attention to them. During Forever Red, he is also the only person who deduced that Harry’s mind hadn’t been erased by the Red Room, but removed and hidden, specifically by Maddie – who had pulled a Heel–Face Turn with nothing but pure logic and observed evidence.
* Badass Bookworm: A genius who spends his spare time brushing up both on magical theory and muggle science, and can take out four highly trained (specifically to take him out, as it happens) witches and wizards working for HYDRA with two spells, and without even giving them his full attention. Wanda also states that he and Voldemort were a match for one another – and given Voldemort’s Adaptational Badass nature, that’s no mean feat, either. * In chapter 65 of Ghosts, he really flexes his muscles, taking on the Spirit of the Fallen Fortress, a nightmarish Eldritch Abomination that’s possessing Hermione, a no-longer-latent Reality Warper. When Harry finds it, even with all his raw power and Hermione’s knowledge to deploy it effectively, he can only barely get the upper-hand, briefly. Dumbledore? He mops the floor with it.

* Been There, Shaped History: In a subtle way, one that possibly even he isn’t aware of: he fought alongside Namor, Captain America and the Howling Commandos against Grindelwald and HYDRA, Charles Xavier mentions him as something of a mentor in the art of teaching of young superhumans and his entreaty of the Phoenix for mercy eventually led to the birth of Piotr and Ilyana Rasputin, a.k.a. Colossus and Magik. He also led the Order of the Phoenix during the Wizarding War against Voldemort’s forces.
* Beware the Nice Ones: He’s charmingly affable in a somewhat eccentric and grandfatherly kind of way. He’s also an experienced and ruthless spymaster who can mop the floor with reality-warping Eldritch Abominations in his dressing gown.
* Big Good: For the Wizarding World.
* Birds of a Feather: Surprisingly enough, with Sean Cassidy, in the determination to be cheerful despite a Dark and Troubled Past. Also with Harry Dresden – Dark and Troubled Past aside, both have made sacrifices and gone to some dark places to protect others, have a reckless protege who constantly throws himself into danger, and are a little ridiculous, but no less dangerous because of it. Additionally, both have a gift for Black Magic, which they revile.
* Black Magic: He had to learn how to use it to fight Grindelwald, who’d mastered the Dark Arts, and to his horror, found that he had a great aptitude for it. He also notes that it had an undisclosed price.
* Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Like his canon counterpart, though somewhat toned down by the seriousness of the situation(s) he’s in.
* Cool Old Guy: Whether you like him or not, you can’t deny, he’s got style.
* Create Your Own Villain: Strange apparently told him that he’d only ensured that Grindelwald was Brought Down to Badass because Grindelwald was a problem that Dumbledore had helped create, so he must solve it.
* Curb-Stomp Battle: Hands one out almost absent-mindedly in chapter 70 to four HYDRA wizards who had specifically targeted him.
* Dark and Troubled Past: Discusses some of the darker parts of his past with Harry Dresden in chapter 14 of Ghosts, including the fact that he had to learn how to use dark magic in earnest to beat Grindelwald.
* Declaration of Protection: He gives one to Fudge early in Book 1, warning him not to mess with Harry. * He gives another to Strange regarding his students and the other Champions in the sequel, saying that if he uses any of them to make a point, he will regret it – and later, that they will be having a little chat about not informing him of Hermione’s potential mutation. Unusually, Strange actually respects this, both times – a far cry from his usual response to any and all threats.

* Did We Just Have Tea with Cthulhu?: His chat with the Phoenix is actually fairly pleasant, despite the stressful situation and the fact that she could atomise him with a thought. Earlier, he had a short but pleasant conversation with the above’s older sister. Yeah, that one.
* Evil Is Not a Toy: Quotes the trope in respect to Grindelwald’s dark compacts, which led to him Jumping Off the Slippery Slope, and remarking that even learning such dark arts comes at a price.
* Fatal Flaw: Pride, which is part of the reason that he keeps himself far away from political power.
* The Fettered: Has made himself this because he’s perfectly aware of what he could become.
* The Gadfly: As noted under Passive-Aggressive Kombat, he particularly enjoys screwing with Fudge, even considering hiring Harry Dresden simply to see Fudge’s reaction. He’s also happy to mess with Thor. * In Ghosts, he takes advantage of a ”spectacular’ food fight at Hogwarts to sneakily animate what is described as ‘a tidal wave of jam’ and target a visiting Fudge.

* Good Is Not Soft: He’s friendly, grandfatherly, and benevolently eccentric… but he’s also got a core of solid steel. It’s not always obvious, but it’s there – not many people will outright threaten Doctor Strange and get away with it.
* The Leader: When he speaks, people listen. When he commands, people obey. He has all the qualities that mark a great leader, which is noted approvingly by Sean Cassidy, and everyone from Thor to Nick Fury to Queen Mab shows him respect. He can make even a seething, semi-sane at best, and thoroughly recalcitrant Harry behave (mostly) after the latter’s name pops out of the Goblet of Fire.
* Intergenerational Friendship: With Sean Cassidy.
* Let’s Get Dangerous!: He can transition from ‘kindly, slightly barmy old headmaster’ to ‘The Spymaster who led and worked with commando forces against Grindelwald and Voldemort, and took the former in single combat’ in the blink of an eye. Chapter 65 of Ghosts demonstrates what happens when he’s pushed into whipping out his full range of magical skill – even opponents millennia old with a full suite of Reality Warper level powers should beware.
* Long-Lived: Well over a century old.
* Manipulative Bastard: Not one of the more notable ones, but only because he’s Overshadowed by Awesome.
* Mentor Archetype: Just like in canon, Dumbledore is very much this to Harry. Apparently, he also served as something of a mentor to Charles Xavier, himself an example of this trope, giving him advice on how to raise and train superhumans. It’s also heavily implied that Fury picked up at least some of his skills as The Spymaster from Dumbledore, given that they worked together against Voldemort back in the day.
* Motive Rant: Gives a bitter one in chapter 46 of the first book which he illustrates to Thor exactly why he is very careful to confine himself to the position of Headmaster and his frustrations with the Medieval Stasis of the Wizarding World which is discreetly enforced by the Ministry.
* Mr. Exposition: As per canon, he shares with others whatever knowledge is pertinent to the situation.
* Nerves of Steel: Is completely unfazed by Loki’s not so veiled threat that if his schemes lead to Thor or Harry being hurt, there will be a reckoning. * During his encounters with the Phoenix, on the second occasion he demands (quite politely, but still demanding) that she cut the bullshit, despite knowing that she could atomise him with an idle thought.
* He also threatens Doctor Strange after the First Task, warning him that if he uses any of his students or staff for another ‘demonstration’, he’ll make him pay for it. Unlike most who offer such threats to him, Strange doesn’t respond with a Cool and Unusual Punishment.

* Noodle Incident: He occasionally slips up and refers to Natasha as ‘Natalia,’ and when Harry asks, states that he knew her, and probably very well indeed, during her pre-SHIELD days. The narration also indicates that this ‘slip’ was on purpose. Given what she was up to in those days, this may double as an Offscreen Moment of Awesome.
* No-Sell: As the Spirit of the Fortress finds to its immense frustration, Dumbledore’s experience with strange dimensions, Tesseract energy/experiments, and chaos magic mean that none of its attacks while possessing Hermione even touch him. Indeed, he often just redirects them to his own ends.
* Offhand Back Hand: When faced with HYDRA’s assassins during the assault on Hogwarts, he’s not even really paying attention to his four assailants (specifically trained to fight him), casually analyses their backgrounds from their styles, and beats them with about two absent-minded spells.
* Old Master: The years have far from diminished him, to the point where in chapter 65 of Ghosts, he delivers a display of magic that leaves both Harry and Sirius in awe at the sheer mastery, his spellwork being compared to the conductor of a symphony. Sirius is gifted, and Harry’s intuitively talented (and vastly powerful), but Dumbledore is on whole other level of skill – and in the process of utterly curbstomping an Eldritch Abomination that ate gods before it possessed a Reality Warper.
* Passive-Aggressive Kombat: Quite enjoys employing this against Cornelius Fudge.
* Power at a Price: The Black Magic he learned to defeat Grindelwald exacted a price, because as he states, Evil Is Not a Toy. The nature of the price is unclear.
* Protectorate: Dumbledore’s students and his school are very precious to him, and should anybody attempt to hurt his students, they will regret it.
* Psychic Powers: He is a powerful Legilimens, and presumably has a superb Psychic Block Defense as well.
* Reasonable Authority Figure: As per canon, he is willing to listen to other’s opinions and understands the strengths and weaknesses of his students, not expecting more than they are capable of giving. For instance, he modulates his treatment of a traumatised Harry to account for his trauma in assigning punishment, while actually helping him come to terms with it.
* Respected by the Respected: Everyone from Mab to Gorakhnath to Ebenezar McCoy knows of and respects Dumbledore’s skills and experience. Even Peter Wisdom reserves a certain amount of deference for Dumbledore, which he gives to exactly no one else, save Fury. There is good reason for this.
* Self-Deprecation: Despite near-universal admiration from the good guys, and grudging respect from the villains, he freely admits his limitations, as a wizard, a leader, and a man.
* Stealth Hi/Bye: Capable of seemingly appearing out of thin air, in a manner reminiscent of Doctor Strange.
* Staring Down Cthulhu: Seems to make a habit of this. * As a young man, despite knowing that the Phoenix could atomize him with an idle thought, he asked Her to spare the life of the young woman she’d been possessing. When she brings Harry back from the dead, he tells Her flat-out that he’s in no mood for word games, given that She is possessing one of his students.
* In chapter 45 of Ghosts, he tells Doctor Strange that, even though he appreciates that the man’s manipulative skills meant that nobody was badly harmed during the most recent incident, if he ever uses one of the Tasks or any of his students, or even the other Champions, to make a point, Strange “will very soon wish that [he] hadn’t.” Considering how Strange usually responds to such threats, it’s no small thing.
* In chapter 65 of Ghosts, he faces down the Spirit of the Fallen Fortress – an entity that was devouring gods long before it hopped into the body of a young Reality Warper ( Hermione) – and delivers a chilling Don’t Make Me Destroy You speech. When it refuses to take the offer, he makes it regret that decision.
* Two chapters later, he informs Strange in pointed terms that they will be having a discussion regarding Strange’s failure to alert himself and Wanda to the emergence of Hermione’s X-Gene. Strange takes this onboard with a grimace and a nod, even though both of them are perfectly well aware that there’s nothing Dumbledore could do to force Strange to stay if he didn’t want to.

* The Spymaster: It’s hinted that he has sources in the non-magical intelligence agencies, judging by how well he knows their inner workings. He also played this role while leading the Order of the Phoenix against Voldemort.
* Super Intelligence: Perhaps not quite superhuman, but he is genuinely brilliant, being a leading scholar in a number of magical fields, with a working knowledge of cutting edge muggle science – as he wryly informs Wisdom in chapter 75 of CoS, he doesn’t spend all his time in his office waiting for unruly students. He’s also the only person without some degree of foreknowledge who figures out exactly what’s happened with Harry – namely, that the Red Son is an Empty Shell and Harry’s mind has been hidden, by Maddie, with his cooperation, simply from the observed evidence.
* Tell Me How You Fight: Notes the nationalities and capabilities of four HYDRA-trained wizards just from their initial casting styles.

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Minerva McGonagall

Professor Minerva McGonagall
Hogwarts’ Transfiguration Professor, Head of Gryffindor House, and Deputy Headmistress of Hogwarts, McGonagall is a formidable woman and powerful witch. During WWII, she worked with Dumbledore and Steve Rogers to take on Grindelwald’s forces where they allied with HYDRA, and in the process, struck up a romance with a certain Bucky Barnes. This romance had an inevitable result, after Barnes was presumed dead, a daughter who later became the mother of Clint Barton – a tangling up that Doctor Strange is indicated to have had some part in. While technically retired from heavy combat, as more than one villain has found out, it is not wise to threaten her students. All canon tropes up through Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire apply.

* Amicable Exes: With Bucky in Ghosts. There’s still some affection between them, but they’ve both pretty much moved on.
* Bond One-Liner: Gets one in chapter 70 of CoS, after using an animated statue to (literally) crush HYDRA’s assault force:”Welcome to Scotland.”

* Brave Scot: Very badass, and very Scottish.
* Cool Old Lady: Fits this trope to a T.
* Deadpan Snarker: Occasionally deploys a very dry wit.
* Do Wrong, Right: Takes Harry to task for his Bully Hunter antics, then tells him, “Good job.”
* Female Gaze: Casts an academically appreciative eye at Warren at one point, wryly remarking to a surprised Cassidy that she’s “old, not dead”. She also mentions that she finds Xavier to be “distinguished.”
* Hidden Heart of Gold: She won’t give her students any slack, but she does care for them deeply.
* Iron Lady: Very tough and stern with her students – though also very protective of them.
* I Was Quite a Looker: As a young woman she was attractive enough that Bucky literally walked into a wall when he first saw her.
* Lost Lenore: Bucky was this to her. As of Ghosts, following his deprogramming, they’re Amicable Exes.
* Luke, I Am Your Father: She’s Clint’s maternal grandmother by blood.
* Mama Bear: Where her students are concerned, as more than one HYDRA goon found out. * Chapter 72 of Ghosts has her get into an argument with none other than Magneto when she thinks that he’s bothering her students, particularly Hermione.

* Never Mess with Granny: She’s in her 80s (though magical people age more slowly), and a literal granny (to Hawkeye, no less), and she’s also a very powerful witch.
* No-Sell: As she points out when he tries it, Strange’s favourite Stealth Hi/Bye trick does not, has not, and will never work on her.
* Offscreen Moment of Awesome: As a teenager, she fought alongside Dumbledore, Steve, and the Howling Commandos against Grindelwald.
* Only Sane Woman: Sometimes feels like this at Hogwarts, and considering that her boss is a Cloud Cuckoo Lander whose Obfuscating Insanity is only partly put on, Harry Potter/Thorson is one of her students, and as of Ghosts, Doctor Strange is one of her colleagues, you can see why she would.
* Parental Abandonment: She gave up her daughter to be adopted and seldom checked in on her. While, as Natasha explains this is justified given that Minerva was about eighteen when she gave birth, and a single, unwed teenage mother would have been subject to immense prejudice and ostracization, it still hits Clint hard when he finds out.
* Reality Warper: A fairly low-scale one, but as Betsy warns Harry, a Transfiguration expert is definitely not someone to be crossed.
* Reasonable Authority Figure: Like her mentor Dumbledore, she expects no more, and no less, than her students’ best.
* Staring Down Cthulhu: Stares down and argues with Erik Lensherr (a man who makes Anastasia Luccio go white with fear at the mention of his name) in order to protect Hermione.
* Straight Man and Wise Guy: The Straight Woman to Dumbledore’s (and to a lesser extent, ‘Professor Bach’) Wise Guy.
* Teen Pregnancy: On the higher end of the spectrum, she was in her seventh year at Hogwarts (seventeen or eighteen) when she met and fell in love with Bucky. It was a factor in her decision to gave her daughter for adoption, as unwed teenage mothers have just as bad a rap in the magical community – especially back then.
* Undying Loyalty: As per canon, she has this towards Dumbledore.
* Voluntary Shapeshifting: Turning into a cat and back is one of her party tricks.

Draco Malfoy

Draco Malfoy
I am not like my father. And I sincerely hope that I never will be.

After undergoing an apparent Heel Realization in the second chapter of the first book, he backs off from his canonical rivalry with Harry and settles back into a more enigmatic role of his own, advised by a voice in his head that only calls itself ‘Ariel’. Exactly what his agenda is remains unknown. For the time being, the only side that he can be said for sure to be on is his own. Moreover, it remains unclear exactly who’s in control…

* Affably Evil: If he is, in fact, evil. At the very least, he’s friendly with Harry, and civil with his friends.
* Ambiguously Evil: He hasn’t done anything explicitly evil, but after Harry and company twig to his psychic passenger (and think, possibly correctly or possibly incorrectly, that he’s being possessed), they wonder what he’s really up to.
* Berserk Button: The one time we see him lose his cool is when he’s compared to Lucius.
* The Charmer: To an extent, post Heel–Face Turn. Even Carol kind of likes him. However, this does not mean that people necessarily trust him – as he notes, while he and Harry get on after Forever Red, Harry doesn’t really trust him.
* Deadpan Snarker: Becomes even more deadpan as the story goes on. His dismissive comment about Seamus Finnegan’s “ability to stick his foot so far down his throat that it could do adequate service as a tail” is of particular note.
* Enigmatic Minion: He doesn’t seem to be working for anyone, and while he seems to be more helpful to the good guys than anything else, what he’s actually up to is up for debate.
* Exact Words: His conversation with Jean-Paul is full of things that are, technically, true, but aren’t the true answers.
* Foil: To Jean-Paul. Both are handsome, privileged and deeply secretive young men with powers who rely on being underestimated and whose most dangerous asset is their mind. Both stand apart, with ambiguous ultimate aims. Given their lean build and sharp good looks, there’s even a certain physical resemblance. Unsurprisingly, Jean-Paul is first to consider the possibility of him being possessed, and when they have a one-on-one chat, it is suitably cagey and cautious.
* Heel–Face Turn: Abruptly pulls this after an apparent Heel Realization early in the story.
* Heel Realization: Seems to have decided early on that crossing Harry, now that he’s a demigod Prince of Asgard, is just plain stupid. How much of this is due to his ‘passenger’ is unknown.
* Hidden Depths: Reveals a more mature, thoughtful side to him under the influence of ‘Ariel’. Of course, how much of this is influence and how much is influence is up for debate, though Jean-Paul seems to be right when he suggests that it’s a partnership.
* I Am Not My Father: He does not like being compared to Lucius.
* Like Father, Like Son: Played With. After the Oh, Crap! moment below, the only time he loses his calm is when he makes clear that he is not his father, who he despises… though he does act a lot like a good (or at least a neutral) version of him.
* Meaningful Name: His passenger, rather than him, which calls itself ‘Ariel’, after the spirit in The Tempest. Said passenger’s real name is Prospero, the same name as the magician in the same play.
* Neutral No Longer: Stayed out of proceedings, until he found out what the veidrdraugar were capable of, and anonymously tipped off the Avengers. * He’s also got involved after he picked up on Harry’s inner Phoenix, which he is extremely and justifiably worried about. This might be because his passenger is Prospero Slytherin, former wielder of Laevateinn.

* Out-of-Character Alert: In chapter 7 of Ghosts, Harry, Carol and Jean-Paul realise there’s much more to him when Harry mentions the fact that Draco interrogated him about the Phoenix and warned him in no uncertain terms not to use it unless he absolutely had to, when by all logic he shouldn’t know about the Phoenix at all, much less that Harry has a fragment.
* Psychic Block Defense: Harry notes that his shields are really, really good, good enough that he can barely pick up emotions leaking through, let alone thoughts. This is considered suspicious.
* Shout-Out to Shakespeare: The spirit in his head calls itself Ariel, after the spirit in The Tempest. As it turns out, it’s actually the Not Quite Dead Prospero Slytherin.
* The Smart Guy: He knows a lot about the Magical world, even more so than before thanks to his co-pilot.
* Symbiotic Possession: While the initial suspicion – once it’s deduced that he’s not alone in his head – is that it’s an outright possession, Jean-Paul suspects that it’s a partnership. Going by all the evidence, he’s correct – Prospero Slytherin takes up room in Draco’s head, giving him advice and (it’s implied) teaching him how to create a Psychic Block Defense.
* Spanner in the Works: For HYDRA, when he tips off the Avengers about the veidrdraugar.
* Stealth Hi/Bye: Can pull these off occasionally, presumably thanks to tutelage from his passenger.
* Took a Level in Kindness: Presumably thanks to Prospero’s influence. After his Jerkass Realization, he makes an earnest apology first to Harry, then later to Hermione, for his previous behaviour. He even speaks fairly cordially with Hermione, Carol, and Jean-Paul in Ghosts, and shows civility to Ginny.
* Vitriolic Best Buds: Has a bit of this with Harry following his becoming kinder.
* Wild Card: What he actually wants, what he’s really up to, just how much influence Prospero has on his decision-making process, and the latter’s aims and goals, remain a mystery.
* You’re Not My Father: Draco has come to dislike Lucius, with him stating that his father is dead to him.

Severus Snape

Professor Severus Snape
Hogwarts’ Potions teacher and Head of Slytherin House, he also serves Double Reverse Quadruple Agent in the war between the Order of the Phoenix and the Death Eaters. As a student he was bulied by James/Thor and the Mauraders, which resulted in him becoming interested in Black Magic and eventually joining the Death Eaters. He also harbors a deep love for Lily Evans, which was what motivated him to become Dumbledore’s spy. All canon tropes apply here.

* Adaptational Job Change: Because this world’s version of Voldemort doesn’t use his Death Eaters, Snape does not serve as Dumbledore’s spy after Voldemort’s resurrection as he did in canon.
* The Chew Toy: When he appears, it’s almost guaranteed that he’s going to be humiliated in some way.
* Demoted to Extra: Due to his Adaptational Job Change and how less of the story is structured around Harry’s classes. In Ghosts, he gets downgraded still further after he and Harry choose to avoid/ignore each other wherever possible.
* Enemy Mine: Joined the Marauders in helping cure Lily of the Suggestibility Potion she was slipped at Hogwarts.
* Jerkass: Snape keeps his original personality, avoiding the Flanderization common amongst fanfics. This causes significant friction between him and Harry, who’s less inclined to sit back and take it, until Dumbledore forces a detente in chapter 28 of Ghosts, whereupon both largely pretend that the other doesn’t exist.
* The Resenter: To James Potter, especially after he comes back as Thor Odinson. Being an immortal Physical God, surrounded by friends, only makes it worse.

Zatanna Zatara

Professor Zatanna Zatara
Hogwarts’ new Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher, for Harry’s fourth year – and only for that year, apparently. A former student at Beauxbatons, she’s Italian rather than being Italian-American. The daughter of Giovanni and Sindella Zatara, despite being orphaned at a young age by Voldemort (though, known only to a few, John Constantine also played a part) she learned their merging of Wanded and Wandless magic from their notes on the subject, a merging which makes her a very powerful and magically flexible practitioner, and the basics of which she teaches additional classes in at Hogwarts.

* Adaptational Nationality: Here, she’s Italian as opposed to Italian-American. Unusually, however, she’s not a Spicy Latina or particularly hammy in any respect.
* Ambiguously Brown: Has a darker complexion than most of the other Caucasian cast members, though it’s not stated exactly how dark she is.
* Brainy Brunette: She’s got dark hair and she’s very intelligent.
* By the Power of Grayskull!: As per canon, favours speaking her spells backwards.
* Dark and Troubled Past: She couldn’t have been more than eight when both her parents, members of the Order of the Phoenix, were killed by Voldemort, having been turned into living bombs by John Constantine in case of their capture.
* Hero-Worshipper: For Wanda.
* Hot Teacher: Pretty much the entire female-attracted population of Hogwarts falls in love with her at first sight.
* Hot Witch: Though she dresses more as a stage magician, in a variation of her canon clothing (minus the fishnets).
* Magicians Are Wizards: Or Witches, in this case.
* My Greatest Failure: Wanda feels quite awful for unwittingly helping to orphan Zatanna — had she not assured Giovanni Zatara that Constantine was trustworthy, maybe he wouldn’t have been killed in a Senseless Sacrifice while attempting to avenge his wife.
* Noodle Incident: Had an encounter with the White Council’s Wardens when she was fifteen, when they came to assess her. Apparently they were annoying and intrusive, but thanks to Madame Maxime, nothing more than that – though the Council as a rule doesn’t like her very much as she doesn’t fit in either traditional magical category.
* Parental Abandonment: Sindella and Giovanni Zatara were both killed in the first war against Voldemort, partially because of John Constantine’s manigances. Zatanna herself has no idea about it.
* Red Mage: An expert in both the wanded and wandless styles, having learned her parents’ hybridization of the Art.
* Small Role, Big Impact: While she hasn’t done too much so far onscreen, she’s been instrumental in teaching Harry how to blend wandless and wanded magic, something that proves very useful on a number of occasions, and it’s because of her being hired by Dumbledore that Dresden and the audience learn about why Wanda hates Constantine so much.
* Squee: Has a subdued variant on this when she meets Wanda.

Cedric Diggory

Cedric Diggory
Hufflepuff Prefect, Hufflepuff Seeker, and Captain of their Quidditch team, Cedric’s an all-round golden boy. Though he appears only in the background a couple of times in Child of the Storm, he earns a recurring role in Ghosts of the Past, even before the Triwizard Tournament begins. A brave, kind, smart and friendly young man, Harry takes a liking to him – and since he and Harry aren’t rivals over Cho, and Harry loudly and irritably explains his complete disinterest in taking part in the Tournament (which, with all the things Harry goes through otherwise, makes Cedric disposed to believe that he didn’t want to get involved), they get on rather better than in canon.

* The Ace: Talented Quidditch player, smart, brave, magically talented, and very good-looking, he’s more or less got it all and is a shoe-in for Hogwarts Champion. He’s also fundamentally decent to near Steve levels.
* Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Because Harry and Cho aren’t interested in each other in this universe, and COS Harry is quite a bit more mature than his canon counterpart, his and Cedric’s relationship is much less tense. Indeed, Cedric develops some Big Brother Instinct towards Harry, who is shown to have definite respect for Cedric in turn.
* All-Loving Hero: He is, as Strange quietly observes, a very decent young man – when he confronts Harry after the Forever Red arc about his attitude and Hair-Trigger Temper and how it was scaring the other students, Harry nearly goes nuclear on him, before having a Jerkass Realization and backing off/freaking out immediately. Despite everything, Cedric’s first concern is for Harry, which Harry lampshades in disbelief.
* Badass Pacifist: His most badass moment doesn’t involve fighting, but instead standing up to, talking to, and facing down the justly feared Harry, who’s got a Hair-Trigger Temper (thanks to Forever Red). He he just talks to him and shows him compassion, even when Harry very nearly snaps and smears Cedric across the Hogwarts grounds. This calms Harry down, gets Cedric’s point across, and earns his respect.
* Big Brother Instinct: Has a certain amount of this towards Harry, gently teasing and supporting the younger boy (who ends up being protective of him in turn, thanks to greater experience in life-threatening situations), and is indicated to be very willing to protect Ginny from anyone who criticizes her relationship with Diana.
* Friendly Rivalry: Sees competing with Harry as this in the Tournament. The rest of his house, by contrast, are kind of worried that Harry might kill him.
* Hidden Depths: He has a pretty good layman’s understanding of PTSD from encounters with Mad-Eye Moody. He also knows enough about magical Mind Rape and its side-effects to, when Krum suggests that Harry was mind-raped into being the Red Son, deduce that that was why he blew up at Seamus Finnegan’s light-hearted mind-reading related joke. He’s also much smarter than he looks, often able to observe more about various characters than is obvious.
* Honour Before Reason: He’s a very big believer in fair-play, to a near ludicrous extent. His first reaction after realising Dementors had taken Harry out of the game while he caught the Snitch was to demand a rematch. After ‘The Match of the Raining Ravenclaws’, in which Harry used a technically legal but justly frowned upon technique to take out the entire Ravenclaw Quidditch team – including Cho Chang, Cedric’s girlfriend – he argued in Harry’s favour, because it was legal. When he discussed it with Harry, he also remarked that while he disapproved of the actions, he did approve of the motives (Harry sticking up for Luna Lovegood), remarking that the attitude would fit right in with Hufflepuff.
* Humble Hero: At a contrast to his father, he’s humble and modest and polite. Harry suggests that he might even be Worthy, no small compliment.
* I Owe You My Life: He, Fleur, and Krum all stood up for Harry after the latter saved them from the Elder Wyrm, and were pretty clearly grateful for it.
* Lovable Jock: Seriously, he’s ridiculously nice.
* Nice Guy: He is a genuinely very nice and very decent bloke. Seriously, the only characters consistently depicted as being as nice as he is are Diana, Clark Kent, and freaking Jesus. And even then, he arguably edges all but the latter.
* Only Sane Man: He often serves this role, in contrast to Harry’s bizarre life. When the latter glibly mentions fighting a basilisk and Lord Voldemort under the Hogwarts lake and the other Champions look at him in disbelief, Cedric can only nod and sigh in affirmation.
* Overshadowed by Awesome: Like the other champions, he’s rather overshadowed by Harry being a) a demigod, b) incredibly powerful. Harry, for his part, would much prefer it be the other way around. Cedric, for his part, doesn’t seem to mind.
* Pretty Boy: He’s described as such, and is fairly Tall, Dark, and Handsome.
* Smarter Than You Look: A lot of people think he’s a male bimbo, but when Krum brings up Russia after asking about Harry, Cedric very quickly deduces that was Harry involved in what happened in Russia from his behaviour afterwards and the nature and precision of the counter-attack on Russia. * When Harry asks Cedric for what he knows about Peter Wisdom, Cedric proves himself capable of a very basic Sherlock Scan on a man he’s barely met. While it’s not incredibly in-depth, it is enough to definitely prove that he’s got brains.

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Fleur Delacour

Fleur Delacour
The champion of Beaubaxtons for the Triwizard Tournament.

* The Ace: The Goblet of Fire did not choose her as Champion for her looks.
* Defrosting Ice Queen: Noted to have become nicer to Harry after he saved her during the First Task.
* Dude Magnet: Thanks to being part Veela.
* I Owe You My Life: She, Cedric, and Krum all stood up for Harry after the latter saved them from the Elder Wyrm, and were pretty clearly grateful for it.
* Overshadowed by Awesome: Being a Champion in proximity to Harry will do that.
* Uneven Hybrid: She’s a quarter Veela.

Viktor Krum

Viktor Krum
One of the youngest and best Quidditch players in the world and the champion of Durmstrang.

* The Ace: Expert flyer, and the most capable student in Durmstrang.
* Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: He and Hermione (the latter being a bit more mature than in canon) are said to be dating.
* Awesomeness by Analysis: How he twigged on Hermione being the Scarlet Witch’s daughter. The chaos magic and Strong Family Resemblance were pretty good indicators, but if Hermione merely is another scion of the Maximoff clan (known for producing powerful mages), why hide it?
* I Owe You My Life: He, Fleur, and Cedric all stood up for Harry after the latter saved them from the Elder Wyrm, and were pretty clearly grateful for it.
* Nice Guy: While not to, say, Cedric or Diana’s level, he’s very grateful to Harry for saving him from the Elder Wyrm, and is understanding of Ron’s Hero Worship.
* Overshadowed by Awesome: Again, he’s a Champion in the vicinity of Harry. He doesn’t particularly mind it, as he prefers to be given space.
* The Quiet One: He doesn’t speak much, but it’s generally worth listening to when he does.
* Smarter Than You Look: No one mistakes him for stupid, but he’s much smarter than he gives people to believe, very quickly figuring out (because of a few Pensieve memories) that Harry was the Red Son. He also deduces that Hermione is a Maximoff by birth – and not just that, but the daughter of Wanda Maximoff.

The Twins

Fred and George Weasley
Older, identical twin brothers of Ron and Ginny Weasley, they are the current generation of Hogwarts pranksters. Along with Harry and Hermione, they become Loki’s apprentices, and continue to have fairly small but significant appearances throughout the story.

* Adaptation Relationship Overhaul: Here, Fred and George are closer to Hermione than they were in canon, given that they’re all Loki’s apprentices.
* Always Identical Twins: Played With. They’re said to be identical, but how much other characters have trouble telling them apart varies.
* Big Brother Bully: Downplayed, but Ron is often the target of their jokes.
* Big Brother Instinct: Despite their pranks and how much they love to annoy Ron, the Twins do seem to care for both him and Ginny, and are protective of Ginny in particular. They also show a certain amount of this towards Harry, threatening fellow students who annoy him with “being experimented upon.” Additionally, when other students show fear of Harry, they deflate it by bowing and scraping to a ridiculous degree.
* Boxing Lessons for Superman: They receive lessons in advanced magical theory (and pranking) from Loki.
* Brilliant, but Lazy: Don’t seem to worry too much about schoolwork, but their ingenuity in terms of pranks catches the eyes of Sirius Black, Tony Stark, and Loki, none of whom are easily impressed.
* Cool Big Bro: Played straight when it comes to Harry, and zig-zagged for Ron and Ginny.
* Deadpan Snarker: Enjoy teasing and making fun of Harry, Ron, and Hermione, like canon.
* The Dividual: There’s a reason the folder is for both of them. Rarely is one seen without the other, and they’re even usually referred to as “the Twins” by their friends.
* Hidden Depths: A lot more thoughtful and intelligent than one might imagine on first glance, especially after Arthur is killed. In the sequel, Hermione notes that beneath their joking attitudes, there are two potentially very dangerous young men. Clint later reveals that they’ve figured out Bucky used to be the Winter Soldier.
* Lovable Rogue: They enjoy pranking others and breaking the rules, but are generally popular and don’t actually hurt people – even though, as Hermione suspects, they could be two very dangerous young men if they put their minds to it.
* Pop-Cultured Badass: Possibly. It depends on whether or not their quotation of Return of the Jedi in Book 1 was deliberate or not. Certainly, Harry implies in Ghosts that he’s gotten them stuck on Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
* The Prankster: According to Hagrid in canon, they could have given the Marauders a run for their money. Now that they’re learning from the Trickster God himself…
* Those Two Guys: Almost always seen together.
* Twin Banter: Even more so than in canon, they usually either finish each other’s sentences, or follow on directly with another appropriate comment.
* You Killed My Father: It triggers quite a bit of Character Development for them. In the end, after figuring it out and confronting Loki – correctly realising that he knew – they work out a detente with Bucky, which essentially involves him becoming a test subject for some of their more dubious creations, but no more.

Constantine

John Constantine
Casualties of war, love. Casualties of war.

An Occult Detective, a world class demonologist and a member of the Trenchcoat Brigade who mostly resembles a highly knowledgeable collection of bad habits marinated in a metric ton of low-down cunning and cynicism. He’s one of the good guys… but he’s also a complete bastard, and you’d be wise to think twice before trusting him.

* Action Dad: Unknowingly to Hermione, by Wanda Maximoff.
* The Alcoholic: According to friends and enemies alike, drinks like a fish.
* Badass Longcoat: His is a battered brown coat.
* Birds of a Feather: He is a lot like Harry Dresden, albeit older, a fair bit less powerful, and much less moral. Dresden finds this gravely worrying.
* Blue-Collar Warlock: As per his canon counterpart.
* Bruiser With A Soft Centre: He used to be, anyway – according to Thor, he cooed over baby Harry when he thought no one else was looking.
* Catchphrase: “Pet.”
* Combat Pragmatist: He’s not much more than average, power wise, so he has to fight dirty.
* Con Man: His primary method of operations. He is frighteningly good at it.
* The Corrupter: A minor variant – he tends to have a corrosive effect on the morals of those around him. Peter Wisdom also mentions that he picked up smoking from Constantine, while Dresden notes that against all reason being in Constantine’s presence makes him crave nicotine.
* Cunning Like a Fox: One of the things that makes him so very dangerous.
* Deadpan Snarker: From time to time. Thor mentions that he was ‘sarcastic enough for the entire Order’.
* Did You Just Scam Cthulhu?: His modus operandi in a nutshell, as Wisdom remarks when he hears that Constantine’s operating independently. He can’t overpower the big demons, so he has to con them. Wanda dubs him ‘the World’s Greatest Con Man.’ * Thor mentions the incident involving his tricking three Archdemons into curing his lung cancer free of charge.

* Foil: to Peter Wisdom a.k.a. Regulus Black. In many ways, they’re the same person approached from different directions – they’re both moderately, but not especially, powerful superhumans who live in a world of grey and will stop at nothing to protect people. Wisdom started out as a privileged young man who fell into bad company, went into dark places, made a Heel–Face Turn, going it alone as he did so, before working together with others again. Constantine started out as a Loveable Rogue and Token Heroic Orc who fell into good company, before drifting into darker and darker territory, making a Hazy-Feel Turn and going it alone more and more as he did so, before doing something that made Wanda hate him. They even come from the same Hogwarts House, and may have overlapped.
* The Dreaded: Despite not being the most powerful opponent (though he is a capable fighter when it comes to it), he’s very, very clever and ruthlessly manipulative, meaning that he casts a very long shadow indeed. It’s sufficient to make Dresden worried about attracting comparisons to him, or that he might turn out like him.
* Fallen Hero: He’s not a villain, but it’s made clear that once upon a time, he was a genuinely good and decent man, a Lovable Rogue at worst. As Wanda observes, the war against Voldemort changed him for the worse. In chapter 20 of Ghosts of the Past, we find out just how much.
* The Friend Nobody Likes: Aside from Thor, who likes him (probably thanks to rose-tinted memories as James Potter, back when Constantine was a nicer person), reactions to him vary between mistrust and outright hatred. In Wanda’s case at least, there are excellent reasons for this.
* Friend to All Children: He used to coo over baby Harry, apparently, when he thought that no one else was looking.
* Glorified Sperm Donor: In Wanda’s eyes.
* Good Is Not Nice: Makes up for his lack of power via his cunning and sheer ruthlessness. * During chapter 45, he’s seen protecting a fallen Volstagg from undead demons. As soon as Thor steps in (and on the demon in question), Constantine feels perfectly happy insulting Volstagg and snarking at Thor.

* Good Smoking, Evil Smoking: Smokes like a chimney and gets grumpy if he’s denied his cigs for any length of time.
* Half-Human Hybrid: Possibly. He’s suspected to be part-demon by Lucius, who notes that Constantine has a certain predatory grace (albeit usually alcohol impaired) that is comparable to that of the Winter Soldier.
* Hazy-Feel Turn: Made one during his time with the Order of the Phoenix, culminating in the incident that made Wanda hate him. He tricked her into betraying a mutual friend of theirs to his death as part of one of his schemes. It’s worse than that – first, he turned the Zataras into living bombs without their knowing, set to detonate if Voldemort ever broke them, on the grounds that their knowledge was too dangerous in Voldemort’s hands, making it look like a Death Curse. After Sindella died that way, he talked Giovanni into going after the wounded Voldemort. Giovanni asked Wanda if he could trust Constantine. She said yes, Giovanni fought Voldemort and was killed, his body intact enough that Wanda picked up on the enchantments. And Constantine just shrugged it off as “casualties of war, luv. Casualties of war.”
* Heroic Lineage: For a given value of heroic, he’s part of a line of ‘Laughing Magicians’.
* He Who Fights Monsters: Wanda suggests that this is what happened to him during the war with Voldemort, with the lengths he had to go to and the fact that they were fighting from a position of weakness most of the time meaning that he often had to dip into the darker side of things. While he’s still a good guy, that status is largely nominal.
* Hidden Depths: He used to coo over baby Harry when he thought no one else was looking.
* Hustler: According to Wanda, ‘the world’s greatest conman’.
* I Have Many Names: The Laughing Magician, the Hellblazer, the Demonsbane and the World’s Greatest Conman, among others.
* Iron Woobie: It’s implied that he stopped caring because it hurt too much – and considering all that he’s canonically lost, all that he would have lost with the disintegration of the Order, his friend group (primarily Fury, Sirius and James) respectively abandoning Britain, being sent to Azkaban as an apparent traitor, and being murdered, while his girlfriend made it very clear that she hated him (though after finding out what he did, you really can’t blame her) and a lot of the Death Eaters getting off scot-free… you can see what that might have done to him.
* Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He used to be this trope in earnest, and is still ultimately trying to do the right thing. His methods, however, leave a lot to be desired. * Thor teases him by reminding him that he used to coo over Harry when he thought no one was looking. Constantine promptly threatens to do dire things to his underwear, but doesn’t deny it.

* Kavorka Man: He’s not noted as being bad-looking, precisely, but his success with women, particularly the astoundingly beautiful Wanda Maximoff, is more down to his rough charm and wit than his looks.
* Knowledge Broker: Most of his power comes from knowing things and applying that knowledge effectively.
* Loveable Rogue: He was this, once upon a time.
* Magnificent Bastard: With the emphasis on the bastard part. See what he pulled with the Zataras – it was a Xanatos Gambit aimed at either killing Voldemort, or at least severely injuring him and keeping incalculably dangerous knowledge out of his hands.
* Manipulative Bastard: Something he’s very good at and something that turned Wanda off him, what with the incident behind what happened to the Zataras. She notes to Dresden that only Strange is better at it than Constantine, though Wisdom is apparently in the running.
* Memetic Badass: Not as much as some, but the man’s got a reputation – according to Wanda, even the Fae think twice before making a deal with him.
* Moral Event Horizon: Wanda considers his enchanting the Zataras and turning them into living bombs without their knowing, to kill Voldemort if he ever captured and managed to get at their secrets, making it look like a Death Curse (which happened when Sindella was captured), then tricking a grieving Giovanni Zatara into a duel to the death against a wounded (but not as badly as expected) Voldemort as this. And making it worse, Giovanni asked Wanda if he could trust Constantine. She checked with Constantine, asking if he was sure his plan was sound. He said yes, so she, turning to Giovanni, also said yes. At first, when it went pear-shaped, she was willing to forgive John – anyone can make a mistake, after all. Then she found out that John had enchanted the Zataras. To add insult to injury, it didn’t even manage to kill Voldemort (but did keep valuable information out of his hands) and he brushed it off as “casualties of war”. No wonder she hates him.
* Noodle Incident: The thing with the three Arch-Devils and the Lung Cancer. * Wisdom notes that he only got Constantine to join MI13’s Excalibur squad because the other man owed him a very big favour.
* He also mentions having had a few dealings with Margaret Dresden, back in the day.

* Nominal Hero: While he has a heart of gold deep down (deep, deep down), he is not a nice man.
* Occult Detective: What he does, most of the time.
* Out of Focus: Mentioned often, but rarely appears.
* Pop-Cultured Badass: Cracks jokes about The Princess Bride.
* Red Baron: Also known as the Laughing Magician, Hellblazer, and the Demonsbane.
* Secret-Keeper: One of the few people to know from the start who Peter Wisdom really is (or used to be, at any rate).
* Sir Swears-a-Lot: Usually at least every other sentence.
* Small Role, Big Impact: Though he is mostly alluded to rather than appearing onscreen, being the Hero of Another Story (for a very loose definition of ‘hero’, anyway), he is the father of a major character, and his actions in enchanting the Zataras and causing their deaths led to Zatanna becoming orphaned and Hermione being adopted by the Grangers, and have a long term psychological impact on Wanda (the former having happened through his abuse of her trust, and the latter being the result of that abuse of trust).
* The Smart Guy: Used to handle the demonology side of the Order’s business and Wisdom remarks that he’s probably forgotten more on the subject than most people have ever known.
* Summon Bigger Fish: Willing to do this if required to, mentioning in chapter 76 that he’s going to put a call in ‘to Lower Tadfield’.
* Telepathy: He’s said to have a gift for Legilimency.
* Those Two Guys: With Sirius Black, the two being drinking buddies and partners in crime.
* Token Heroic Orc: Thor refers to him as ‘the best thing to come out of Slytherin in years.’
* Token Evil Team Mate: He started out as a Loveable Rogue, but he became this for the Order of the Phoenix, drifting into darker and darker magic, being warned by the Wardens – according to Wanda, all this did was make him refine his approach so he stayed within the letter of the Laws. And then there’s what he did to the Zataras.
* The Un Fettered: ‘Amoral’ would probably be the best way to describe him. It’s heavily implied that there is nothing he won’t do to get the job done, which is why Wanda trusting him as far as she could throw him would be a significant step up. * Dresden notes that while he skirts the line from time to time, Constantine plays hopscotch with it.

* Weak, but Skilled: He’s far less powerful than the likes of Strange, Wanda, Dumbledore, Voldemort, even than the likes of Dresden, Lucius, Sirius, Bellatrix, Lily and James (prior to the latter coming back as Thor). However, he’s got a talent for wandless magic (very rare for a wanded wizard) and, apparently, a gift for enchantment. Even on people, as it turns out. With the latter, he nearly succeeds in killing Voldemort. He uses his talents effectively.
* Working with the Ex: He’s perfectly fine working with Wanda. She is less than happy about it.

The British Ministry of Magic

The governing body of Magical Britain (the wanded part, at any rate), it comes under significant strain from the latter half of Child of the Storm onwards: HYDRA seek to eliminate it as a factor, and the newly reconstructed MI13 under Peter Wisdom is intent on steadily supplanting it.

Minister Cornelius Fudge
The British Minister of Magic, an inveterate political wind-vane, opportunist, and generalised Butt-Monkey.

* Action Survivor: He’s not much of a fighter, but if he has a knack for anything, it’s surviving, politically and physically.
* Butt-Monkey: Seriously, he gets it in the neck from everyone: the Avengers casually steam-roller him in his own office; Dumbledore regards him with barely concealed condescension and considers hiring Harry Dresden just to see the look on his face, later drowning him in a tidal wave of jam during a food fight for the hell of it; and Lucius Malfoy treats him like an easily manipulated idiot (which he sort of is). Oh, and Peter Wisdom a) is set on straight-up supplanting him, and b) regards tormenting Fudge as one of his few pleasures in life.
* Establishing Character Moment: During his first appearance in this fic, he is seen meeting with Dumbledore in the latter’s office, and Dumbledore gives him a subtle but no less firm Declaration of Protection regarding Harry. It’s made clear that unlike in canon, Dumbledore is able to dictate to Fudge when necessary.
* Fantastic Racism: Shades of his canonical favouring of purebloods are visible.
* The Friend Nobody Likes: The other heroes mostly just put up with him, outright ignore him, or help make his life a misery. Considering that his incompetence makes him largely responsible for the devastation of the Ministry by HYDRA and the death of Arthur Weasley, no one’s particularly sympathetic.
* Head-in-the-Sand Management: Epitomises this as he did in canon, persuading himself that Lucius’ involvement with HYDRA was just a passing fad and he can be brought back into the fold. This just leads to the devastation of the Ministry.
* I Reject Your Reality: Regarding Lucius in the first book – he more or less has a mental breakdown when Lucius reveals his true allegiance and position as Supreme Leader of HYDRA.
* Small Name, Big Ego: He tends to underestimate muggles/muggle agencies and correspondingly over-estimate himself. This repeatedly comes around to bite him and lead to him getting shown up, sometimes thoroughly spectacularly.
* Took a Level in Badass: Inverted in regards to his political position and that of the Ministry in general. Prior to and during most of Book I, the Ministry was in a strong leadership position over the British (wanded) magical world. However, the advent of Peter Wisdom’s MI13, especially his recruiting many young and talented wizards, and the loss of many of the Ministry’s best people during the HYDRA assault, greatly crippled them. The Avengers note that while this in itself is not necessarily fatal, Fudge’s inept leadership compared to Wisdom’s dynamic style, and the inability of many purebloods to realize just how far Muggles have come, meant that it was much harder to regain that authority as Wisdom usurps it.

Arthur Weasley
Go fuck yourself, Lucius.

Father of the Weasley clan and husband of Molly, he was also a bit of a Parental Substitute to Harry before Thor returns. A genuinely kind and decent man, he was (in)famous in the British Wizarding community for his love of Muggles and their technology. His Mercy Kill by the Winter Soldier fuels a significant amount of Character Development for his children.

* All of the Other Reindeer: Most of his Ministry coworkers treat him with mild condescension, at best, for his love of Muggles.
* Bunny-Ears Lawyer: Loved Muggle machines and technology, and according to canon, his deepest desire was to find out how airplanes stay up. Yet despite his eccentricities, he is a clever, insightful man and he impresses Tony Stark with his mechanical ingenuity, which says all that needs to be said.
* Cowardly Lion: Definitely not a fighter by choice, but provides an epic Precision F-Strike when fed up by Lucius Malfoy, and holds the line for others to escape when the Ministry is attacked.
* Forgotten Fallen Friend: Averted. His death is brought up from time to time, and a lot of the Weasley family’s Character Development (especially Ron’s), is fuelled by his death.
* Gadgeteer Genius: He built a semi-sentient flying car, in a shed, with a box of scraps. This is something that Howard Stark couldn’t accomplish.
* Get A Hold Of Yourself Man: Gives a speech along these lines to Bucky when he comes back as a spirit during the Final Battle.
* Good Parents: Loves his children deeply, and was never anything but kind to Harry as well.
* Face Death with Dignity: Gives the Winter Soldier a quiet “thank you” just before he dies, understanding that this is the best option available.
* Hold the Line: It’s mentioned that he took down at least ten HYDRA agents, and injured as many again, in order to protect others.
* Mercy Kill: On the receiving end of a Neck Snap by the Winter Soldier, who was forced to do it to maintain his cover.
* Minored In Ass Kicking: Not a trained fighter by any means, but he made enough trouble for HYDRA that they sent the Winter Soldier in to get rid of him.
* Motor Mouth: Goes off at a hundred miles an hour when helping some of Tony’s employees with a flying car.
* Nice Guy: A genuinely kind and decent man throughout all of his appearances. He’s even kind to Bucky, the man who snapped his neck, when he returns for a brief post-mortem cameo – granted, the fact that it was a Mercy Kill probably helps.
* Respected by the Respected: Earning serious respect from Tony Stark for your Gadgeteer Genius skills is no small feat. * On a smaller scale, he earns plaudits from Amelia Bones and Rufus Scrimgeour for recognizing the threat of Lucius Malfoy and calling out Fudge for his Head-in-the-Sand Management, as well as from Peter Wisdom for his heroic last stand.

* Villain Respect: Earns this from Lucius Malfoy, of all people, for his appreciation of Muggle technology.

Ludo Bagman
A former Quidditch player and Head of the Department of Magical Games and Sports, as well as a judge for the Triwizard Tournament. Renowned for his sporting abilities, they and a certain degree of easy-going personal charm are more or less all he has going for him – he’s not overly bright and he’s got a gambling problem.

* Big Fun: Comes off as this, at first, at least.
* Bit Character: Only had a few scenes so far.
* Crushing Handshake: He condescends to Carol, who then challenges him with one of these. At first, he chuckles and goes along with it… then, being a Super Soldier, Carol dials it up a notch.
* Dumb Muscle: Still fairly well-built despite having gone somewhat to seed, and not overly bright.
* Formerly Fit: Thanks to his years of retirement from Quidditch.
* The Gambling Addict: As per canon.
* Pointy-Haired Boss: He’s not malicious, but he’s not a particularly good boss, either – as per canon, the problem of Bertha Jorkins demonstrates this.
* The Watson: He often asks questions about events and characters outside of the wanded magical world, allowing more knowledgeable characters to explain to the audience.

Professor Karkaroff

Professor Igor Karkaroff
A former Death Eater and current Headmaster of the Durmstrang Institute. He owes his freedom to the fact that he offered a number of useful and important names to the Ministry when they were hunting down Death Eaters after the end of Voldemort’s first reign of terror. An unpleasant man, he retains at least aspects of his old beliefs, and is speculated to recognise Peter Wisdom for who he really is/used to be.

* 0% Approval Rating: Even his own students don’t like him very much, and with good reason.
* Defector from Decadence: Claimed to be this, and gave up names, to ensure his freedom.
* Dirty Coward: Speculated to be this, though as the narration notes, most people would be jumpy if they had Peter Wisdom looking at them like a shark at a wounded seal.
* Evil Teacher: A self-serving coward and ex-Death Eater at best.
* Fantastic Racism: He’s got his canonical blood prejudice, and refers to Hermione as ‘chaos-spawn’ in front of Dumbledore. Bad idea.
* Hidden Depths: He’s many things, but not stupid, being able to spot and recognise Peter Wisdom as Regulus Black, a former fellow Death Eater, when a number of people who would have known Wisdom/Regulus at school did not.
* The Informant: How he stayed out of Azkaban, albeit barely.
* Jerkass Has a Point: The man’s just plain unpleasant. However, he is grudgingly acknowledged to make a couple of decent points regarding security in chapter 61 of Ghosts. * He’s also completely infuriated to learn an Eldritch Abomination was hiding in the Forbidden Forest and almost ate his prized pupil, even if he goes too far. Dumbledore agrees that he has reason to be upset and that he deserves a full explanation, but points out that Krum – who was of age – chose to come and defied attempts to send him away, before calling him out on misdirecting his anger.

* Oh, Crap!: When he recognises Wisdom, who’s looking at him like a hungry shark at a wounded seal.
* Stepford Smiler: Smiles in a way he doesn’t really mean – though that smile vanishes when he spots Peter Wisdom.

Madame Maxime

Professor Olympe Maxime
Current Headmistress of Beauxbatons, and half-giant – which she goes to some trouble to hide. A Reasonable Authority Figure, she’s largely Out of Focus.

* Funetik Aksent: As in the books.
* Mama Bear: She’s protective of her students, and children in general, going by Zatanna’s account of how she prevented the White Council’s Wardens from being too intrusive when they tested Zatanna as a teenager.
* Out of Focus: If only because she causes much less of a fuss than Karkaroff.
* Reasonable Authority Figure: Unlike Karkaroff, she doesn’t make a fuss for the sake of it, and consistently acts sensibly. She’s also protective of her students, going by Zatanna’s account.
* Statuesque Stunner: As in the books, leaving Hagrid starstruck.

The White Council

The Big Good for the Wandless magical community as a whole, and a major force in supernatural politics. Currently engaged in a long war with rival supernatural superpower, the Red Court of Vampires (and, nominally, the other vampire courts, but the White Court doesn’t do physical or really want to get involved, the Black Court is mostly diminished past the point of being useful, the Jade Court doesn’t get involved, and the Grey Court hates the Reds). While they may seem like a bunch of heartless dicks, they are the good guys and have good reasons for what they do.

In General

* Age Without Youth: They live for centuries, but they still age, albeit at a somewhat slowed rate. This is actually justified by their Healing Factor.
* Asskicking Equals Authority: To be a member of the White Council, you need to be in the top tier of magical power, and the Senior Council is composed of the seven most powerful wizards of the group. In Ghosts, Dresden, who’s seen Harry (by this time a Person of Mass Destruction in his own right) in action, remarks that the Senior Council, or even just the Merlin, could bring him down.
* Badass Army: Have a pocket-sized one in the form of the Wardens, the elite combat Wizards of the Council, led by Captain Anastasia Luccio, and each member is a Person of Mass Destruction in their own right. However, the events of Bloody Hell cripple them – a hospital they were recovering in being carpet-bombed with nerve gas will do that.
* Cool Old Guy/Cool Old Lady: Not as a collective, but they have a few among their number.
* Difficult, but Awesome: Wandless magic is apparently this compared to Wanded magic. Harry Dresden compares it to a set of lock picks (Wandless) and a keychain (Wanded). Wandless magic has the side effects of an even greater lifespan than Wanded wizards (the oldest member of the White Council is over 400 years old in canon), can be adapted more easily than Wanded magic, and gives a boosted connection to the natural world, allowing for strengthened magical senses (like True Sight).
* The Dreaded: They are not a bunch that anyone really wants to cross, with the Wardens, the Council’s hardcore Badass Army, being a particular example of this to most ordinary practitioners, wandless or wanded. Strange is the exception and does so gleefully, thanks to having certain issues with their behaviour and connection to Merlin. * They’re somewhat afraid of Doctor Strange, who once challenged them (all of them, at once) to a duel over a young Wanda Maximoff. Considering what Strange has proved to be capable of, this is an entirely rational attitude.

* The Fettered: As Ebenezar McCoy explains, this is the main point of the Council and its Laws of Magic – there’s only so much harm a rogue practitioner can do without breaking one of the Laws. Further intervention risks a) the Council being forced to seek political power in the mundane world and becoming similar, b) civil war – the Council is multinational, after all, and people don’t like it when their home is attacked, even for good reason. * It’s also why there’s so much bad blood between them and Strange, who is by definition The Unfettered, taking on, in Ebenezar’s eyes, more power than one man was ever meant to have. With this trope in mind, you can kind of see their point.

* Good Is Not Nice: They protect humanity from the supernatural as best they can. And this sometimes involves killing children.
* Healing Factor: A slow one, which mostly repairs long term injuries.
* Hunter of His Own Kind: The Wardens, who primarily hunt Warlocks, wandless practitioners gone bad, and other dangers to the world. If they’ve broken one of the Seven Laws of Magic, and the Warlock isn’t deemed salvageable and put under probation as an Apprentice (a rare circumstance indeed), then they’re executed outright.
* Hypocrite: The Laws of Magic are inviolable, with only a very strict probation being occasionally levied if a Council member deems a lawbreaker salvageable and the Senior Council agrees, and a self-defence clause on the First Law, Thou Shalt Not Kill. The Blackstaff is a Wizard given the authority to break the Laws of Magic at will to get at those who would use them against the Council.
* Inspector Javert: They’re not renowned for their kind and merciful natures. Warlock trials generally take about fifteen minutes, at most, and almost invariably end with a beheading.
* Jerkass Has a Point: In respect to both their habit of beheading Warlocks (who’re generally too far gone to be saved by the time they’re caught) and their dislike of Strange – while he is one of the good guys, he is also incredibly dangerous, having claimed power that was never meant for one man to wield.
* Not-So-Omniscient Council of Bickering: There’s a lot of internal politicking, though they’re still considerably more dangerous and on the ball than they appear (or most examples of this trope).
* Old Master: All of the Senior Council and many other members are this.
* Person of Mass Destruction: The associated power levels are required to be even considered for Council Membership, though not all Wizards specialise in stand-up fighting. Most of those who do are part of the Council’s Badass Army, the Wardens.
* Physical God: The Senior Council verge on this, with their youngest member (and assassin), Ebenezar McCoy, being capable of pulling a Colony Drop with deadly precision. He also blew up Krakatoa, set off the New Madrid Earthquake, and was responsible for the Tunguska Incident, all in his office as the Blackstaff.
* Purple Is Powerful: The Senior Council wear purple stoles, and are both politically and magically the most powerful members of the Council.
* “The Reason You Suck” Speech: Strange gives a savage one to the Senior Council, calling them out on their arrogance and how they have not changed with the times.
* Stronger with Age: Council Wizards hit their prime at about a century old, and they only get stronger as they get older. As a result, their gerontocratic election system for Senior Council members (though political manoeuvring can and does go on) actually makes a certain amount of sense – the Senior Council is both the leading body of the Council at large and its most potent weapon in war time.
* Would Hurt a Child: They may not like it, but they will execute a young Warlock, rogue psychic, or even someone whose Power Incontinence made them sufficiently dangerous, as in the case of a thirteen year old Wanda Maximoff.

Merlin

Merlin Emrys a.k.a. Ambrose Penn
Actually, I was just picking my moment.

The Merlin. Founder of the White Council in its modern form, Court Mage of Camelot, friend of King Arthur, fellow student and teacher of Gwion Bach/Taliesin/Doctor Strange, Last of the Dragon Lords, and probably the greatest mage to ever live. A figure known across the magical world, who few have seen, but who remains respected by all. For the most part, he is widely believed to be dead – or, at least, gone. This is very much not the case. All tropes from Merlin (2008) apply.

* All-Loving Hero: He’s kind, wise, and is this, despite a not-insignificant capacity for ruthlessness – per Nimue, he killed a lot of people to put Arthur on the throne and keep him there, and while the source is biased, it’s not exactly denied. However, he really prefers not to resort to violence, and spends much of his clash with Nimue in Unfinished Business trying to talk her down and help her, despite having every reason to hate her. It causes a brief Hope Spot when she actually considers it, noting in her astonishment that he really does care.
* All-Powerful Bystander: While he’s certainly not all-powerful, he stays out of view and acts from the shadows where and when he can in order not to cause more problems than he solves.
* The Archmage: While Strange is more skilled, and it’s implied that he was always the defter of the two, Merlin’s raw power is explicitly stated to far outweigh pretty much anyone short of a Skyfather. As he demonstrates in Unfinished Business, after 1500 years of practice, he’s certainly no slouch in the skill department either.
* Badass Bookworm: He’s the single most powerful human practitioner of magic, stronger than anyone below Skyfather status, capable of standing up to someone with the power of multiple pantheons, and is supposedly able to not just wield magic but control it. Oh, and he’s the only one who can make Strange shut up. He also created Demonreach with Strange, which is so ridiculously advanced that Bob, a living magical supercomputer can barely comprehend part of it, and enjoys rereading A Brief History of Time every year.
* Barrier Warrior: His primary role, in a subtle fashion. According to Wanda, he usually keeps himself busy “monitoring ley lines, smoothing disruptions, strengthening the walls between worlds, that sort of thing.”
* Big Brother Mentor: Implied to have been this to Taliesin, and is still the only living person that Doctor Strange actually looks up to and – sulkily – listens to.
* Big Good: For the magical side of things in general, even though he rarely moves in the open – he’s busy fixing things behind the scenes. Even Strange looks up to him, and with good reason.
* Born of Magic: Chapter 10 of Ghosts implies that he was this.
* Court Mage: The original, or at least, the most famous.
* Early-Bird Cameo: He’s confirmed by Word of God to have been ‘Ambrose Penn’, the wizard who Hermione chatted to early in Ghosts, and also the wizard who appeared in Prisoner of Azkaban stirring tea with a twiddle of a finger and reading A Brief History Of Time (a personal favourite, apparently, read annually). According to Hermione, he said he was a Welsh half-blood who had a history with the White Council and a mentor who drilled him in magic and science. All of which was technically true.
* Establishing Character Moment: Pulling a Stealth Hi/Bye on the assembled group of heroes (who are in the midst of a time-stop, when he himself wasn’t invited in), and then successfully rebuking Strange when the latter gets a little too creepy and eldritch for his own good.
* Famed In-Story: Since, well, he’s Merlin.
* The Gadfly: Doctor Strange is all but stated to have gotten it from him.
* God’s Hands Are Tied: When it’s asked why he doesn’t solve more problems, the answer is along these lines—his power and skill are at such levels that the collateral damage of him throwing his full weight around would be massive.
* Good Is Not Soft: He’s an All-Loving Hero who would really prefer not to fight, but Nimue is implied to be telling the complete truth when she says that he killed a lot of people to ensure Arthur took the throne – and kept it. Wanda also observes that Strange learned how to operate from the shadows from an absolute master.
* Guile Hero: He acts from the shadows, and is very, very good at it – as Wanda explains, he’s where Strange gets it from.
* Hero of Another Story: It’s implied that he does this a fair bit offscreen.
* Living Legend: Though most people aren’t aware he’s living, until he pops up in Unfinished Business.
* Man Behind the Man: As in the show, while Arthur was a charismatic and wise ruler, and a great warrior, Merlin was the power behind Camelot’s throne, advising Arthur and systematically eliminating every threat that he could from the shadows.
* Physical God: He’s explicitly even stronger than Loki, and he’s the only person other than a Lantern wielding Carol who can match the Arc Villain in a direct contest of power in Unfinished Business – and he holds up under pressure that the former admits would have turned her to dust. And all the while, he manages to keep up a dialogue with her, in hopes of Talking the Monster to Death. He almost succeeds. Almost.
* Really 700 Years Old: Merlin was born in the 6th century CE, but usually appears to be fairly youthful.
* “Reason You Suck” Speech: Delivers a stinging one to the Arc Villain in Unfinished Business, which actually penetrates. Briefly.
* Respected by the Respected: The White Council reveres him, considering he was their founder (or, as Strange likes to remind them, restored them from nothing more than a cringing shell in the ruins of the Western Roman Empire), and Wanda says he’s likely the only person Doctor Strange his peer and former student Taliesin might actually be willing to listen to – something confirmed in Unfinished Business, No Selling a Death Glare and delivering a mild but definite rebuke that Strange listens to (if somewhat sulkily).
* Skilled And Strong: He’s got more raw power than Loki, with Strange stating that him having a rematch with a Green Lantern armed Nimue would split the United States from the Great Lakes to New Orleans (and when they do fight, he’s very careful to never get in a direct contest of power), and he was one of the creators of Demonreach, alongside Doctor Strange (a magical superprison capable of holding numerous Physical God level entities). For reference, Demonreach’s defenses consist of magical matrices which stumped Bob, a living magical supercomputer, who explicitly said it was so far ahead of magic in the Dresden Files that comparing Harry Dresden’s magical skill to the skill it took to build Demonreach would be like comparing stone wheels to combustion engines.
* Small Role, Big Impact: While so far he’s only had a minor role in Unfinished Business and (according to Word of God) once briefly in the main story, in disguise, he was the one who founded the White Council, and it’s implied he’s been the Hero of Another Story quite a lot offscreen.
* Talking the Monster to Death: In Unfinished Business he tries very hard to talk down Nimue, and there’s a brief Hope Spot when he gets through to her and she notes in dazed astonishment that he really does care.

The Merlin

Arthur Langtry a.k.a. the Merlin
Not the original Merlin, as might be gathered (though he is British). An exceptionally powerful and old wandless Wizard, he leads the Senior Council, the executive body of the White Council. Conservative minded, ruthless, and cold-blooded in the extreme, he is not a nice person. However, he is one of the good guys. All canon tropes apply here.

* The Arch Mage: Leader of the world’s wandless Wizards (more or less – there are powerful wandless practitioners who choose not to be members of the Council. Wanda and Strange, to take two examples), and has the power to match – in Ghosts, Dresden notes that it’s entirely possible that he could bring down Harry solo.
* Big Good: He is ultimately out to protect the mortal world from the dangers of black magic and creatures like vampires and demons who would prey on humanity. This does not mean that he is by any measure nice.
* Dumbass Has a Point: His attitude to Dresden’s accurate observation about the the Dark Phoenix.
* Famed In-Story: Everyone in the magical community knows of him, and very few would even consider crossing him.
* Good Is Not Nice: He’s a good guy, even if, in Dresden’s view, his heart dried up and withered centuries ago from lack of use.
* Mirror Character: He’s explicitly described as being what would happen if Dumbledore took political power.
* No Sense of Humour: In Dresden’s opinion. In the finest traditions of this trope, it makes Dumbledore’s letter and its intentionally absurd post-script even better.
* Occult Blue Eyes: Piercing and not particularly nice ones at that.
* Old Master: Centuries old, leader and most powerful member of an organisation that only even admits people in the top percentile of all wandless practitioners. Dumbledore states that Langtry is at least as powerful as him, and in Ghosts, Dresden considers him capable of dropping Harry singlehandedly, and he’s a brilliant politician. He’s also an unrepentant bag of dicks, but that’s another matter.
* Person of Mass Destruction: Enough that he could squash Dresden, another example of this trope, like an insect.
* Reasonable Authority Figure: To a very limited extent. He hates Dresden, and once tried to have him killed (albeit to protect the Council), but he is (grudgingly) willing to listen to what he has to say; not just his report, but his recommendation and the reasoning behind it.
* Trademark Favourite Food: Eel pie, according to Dumbledore. Of course, since Dumbledore was screwing with Langtry, there’s no way of knowing if this is true or not.
* Wizard Classic: He has the look down pat (which Dresden mockingly lampshades in his internal monologue), though he’s more Saruman than Gandalf.

The Gatekeeper

Rashid the Gatekeeper
The most mysterious member of the Senior Council and maybe the whole White Council, Rashid is the White Council’s version of the Sorcerer/Sorceress Supreme, acting alongside Wanda Maximoff and Doctor Strange as a border guard fighting the Outsiders (such as Chthon). All canon tropes apply here.

* All Muslims Are Arab: He seems to be an Arab, and judging from his “Blood of the Prophet” moment in the original series, is likely a Muslim.
* Barrier Warrior: His job is to help protect the world from Outsiders.
* Mr. Exposition: While he rarely, if ever, speaks, the one scene he appears in tells us that the rituals used to imprison Dream and to call Destruction (during the incident which left Dracula with a crippling fear of Her and almost wiped out the Grey Court) were both derived from the Darkhold.
* The Quiet One: He really doesn’t waste words.
* Reasonable Authority Figure: While Wanda dislikes the Council in general, she seems to get along well with Rashid, probably because they have overlapping fields of responsibility and a shared professional attitude. He’s also the member of the Senior Council that Strange is least likely to mock.
* Seers: He has a limited ability to see into the future, and uses this to bring the Senior Council’s debriefing of Harry Dresden (which had started to devolve into an argument between him and LaFortier) back on topic to Harry Thorson briefly manifesting as the Dark Phoenix.
* Small Role, Big Impact: He appears in exactly one scene and gets mentioned in a few more, but he’s a major reason the Earth hasn’t been destroyed by Outsiders.

Ebenezar McCoy

Ebenezar McCoy a.k.a. the Blackstaff
The youngest member of the Senior Council, but probably the best at brute force magic. Dresden’s mentor and teacher after Justin DuMorne’s death — and also his maternal grandfather, though Dresden isn’t as yet aware of this. Also the Council’s Blackstaff — the one White Council Wizard in the world authorized to use Black Magic without consequence. At this point, this is still the cause of frostiness between him and Dresden. Unless otherwise noted, all canon tropes up to Proven Guilty apply here.

* Affectionate Nickname: Calls Dresden ‘hoss.’
* Black Magic: As the Blackstaff, he’s allowed to use this. This is a sore point between him and Dresden.
* Brave Scot: He’s a grumpy old Scottish farmer, and a very dangerous wizard.
* Cool Old Guy: Most definitely – this is the guy who taught Dresden. He also thinks that Dumbledore’s letter trick was hilarious, and Wanda states that it’s an honour to be compared to him. Oh, and according to Dresden, he was drinking buddies with Rabbie Burns himself. If more proof is needed, this is one of the very few people on the planet Dresden willingly calls “Sir.”
* Dishing Out Dirt: Described as being a master of Earth Magic, which he uses in concert with Dumbledore to stabilize the damage done by the Elder Wyrm.
* Evil Weapon: In addition to his usual staff, he also wields the Blackstaff, which takes the mental corruption of dark magic and turns it into physical but manageable corruption of the flesh.
* Good Is Not Soft: He believes very strongly in using magic for good, but mess with him, and you will regret it. Mess with his grandson, and you probably won’t be alive long enough to regret it.
* Hypocrite: A large part of why Dresden’s so angry with him – this is the guy who taught him not to use Black Magic, taught him lessons about how magic was the force of life itself, how you can only do stuff you believe in with it, and how it shouldn’t be perverted… and all the while he was using Black Magic as the Council’s hitman. Although it may be that he was chosen to be the Blackstaff because he’s very well aware that With Great Power Comes Great Responsibility. * When he remarks that he, unlike Wanda, is not a “damn near a walking, talking violation of the 7th Law” due to her connection to Chthon, Dresden calls him on it. McCoy admits that Dresden has a point, and that he doesn’t have anything against Wanda, or blame her for the unwilling connection to Chthon – though he doesn’t discount it as a potential threat.

* The Mentor: Played this role to Dresden. While DuMorne taught him the hows of magic, Ebenezar taught him the whys.
* Noodle Incident: Wanda Maximoff mentions having worked with him once. Given their jobs, it’s quite likely that this doubles as an Offscreen Moment of Awesome. * After his book on the figurative nuts and bolts of magic was published, he and Dumbledore had what the latter remembered as a “rather pleasant correspondence on it.”

* Old Master: He’s three hundred years old, and a member of the Senior Council. Dresden also estimates his magical power as being roughly equivalent to that of Wanda or Albus Dumbledore. The former is an overestimate, but the latter’s pretty close to the mark, based on the evidence.
* Old Soldier: Both literally and figuratively – he’s the White Council’s hitman, specialising in grand scale (un)natural disasters to deal with (presumably) similar scale effects. And by ‘grand scale’, we mean ‘Krakatoa’.
* Person of Mass Destruction: Even compared to everyone else, he’s apparently the only member of the Senior Council to specialize in combat magic. His skill and understanding of magic are enough to win him respect from Dumbledore and even Strange. * When he’s first seen using the Blackstaff in the Dresden Files, he uses it to perform what is effectively two Mass Avada Kedavra spells in the space of about ten seconds.

* Reasonable Authority Figure: Willing to listen to and respect differing viewpoints, at least to a certain extent. Wanda also namechecks him as one of the few members of the White Council that she gets on well with.
* What the Hell, Hero?: Dresden delivers a sharp one to him when they meet up after Forever Red.

Anastasia Luccio

Captain Anastasia Luccio
The Captain of the Wardens, the White Council’s Badass Army, previously the mentor of Donald Morgan (Harry Dresden’s former parole officer), and one of the best combat mages in the White Council. One of the few people on the Council who doesn’t dislike Dresden, Wanda, or Strange out of hand or treat them poorly. Unless otherwise noted, all canon tropes up to Proven Guilty apply here.

* Badass in Charge: The leader of the Wardens, and most definitely a serious badass.
* Benevolent Boss: Cares for her Wardens, willing to listen to reason or personal opinion, and doesn’t let rumors affect her judgement.
* The Blacksmith: She’s the one responsible for forging all of the Warden’s Anti-Magic swords.
* Gondor Calls for Aid: When Voldemort and Selene show up on Halloween night, adding in two additional Senior Council level mages to the necromancer’s side, she, Harry, and Wanda decide to call in Magneto for backup.
* Grand Theft Me: Subverted, unlike in canon. While she is forcibly body-swapped with the Corpsetaker, Wanda manages to put her soul back in her own body.
* Iron Lady: Tough, no-nonsense, but does care about the Wardens under her command, and expresses genuine relief that Wanda was not murdered by the White Council.
* Magic Knight: Like the other Wardens, she wields an Anti-Magic sword in addition to her other gear.
* Never Mess with Granny: She’s roughly 200 years old, and has racked up a lot of combat experience during that time.
* Noodle Incident: Luccio tells Wanda and Dresden that she’s seen Magneto fight before.
* Pet the Dog: As noted above, she states that she counselled strongly against executing Wanda as a child, and was glad to see her rescued.
* Pragmatic Hero: Dresden describes her as being more modern and up-to-date than many other older wizards, and she is willing to execute young people, if necessary, if they are too Drunk on the Dark Side to be redeemed.
* Reasonable Authority Figure: Offered Dresden a position in the Wardens after the Forever Red arc was over, and was willing to accept him turning down the position due to his previous experiences with the Wardens (mostly Morgan). * When she has him drafted during the Bloody Hell arc, it’s due to multiple reasons – the Council has lost most of the Wardens after the Red Court used nerve gas on a hospital they were recovering in, and they need all the help they can get. Also, due to Dresden’s infamy among the rest of the Council, (already there before he became Wanda’s apprentice), it was to protect him from the rumors that he was trying to destroy the Council. She also notes that she will reassign Morgan so as to avoid potential hostilities.

Donald Morgan

Donald Morgan
The archetypical Inspector Javert Warden, and Harry’s former parole officer. While he rarely appears due to The Dresden Files not being a major part of the story, he makes an appearance in Bloody Hell with some of the other Wardens to help Harry, Wanda, and Magneto stop the Darkhallow. Unless otherwise noted, all canon tropes apply here.

* A Rare Sentence: Lampshades it. Harry Dresden: Yeah. That’s Selene. She kind of ate my dinosaur. Morgan: ‘Ate my dinosaur’. Christ, what a world.

* Didn’t See That Coming: Like the other Wardens (save Luccio, who knew beforehand), he was not remotely anticipating that Wanda had taken Harry Dresden as a student.
* The Dreaded: Due to his power, skill, and sheer Undying Loyalty to the Council and the Laws of Magic, he is known and feared as the Council’s meanest, scariest attack dog.
* Good Is Not Nice: Like the Merlin, he is both unambiguously on the side of good and a total jerk.
* Magic Knight: Wields an Anti-Magic sword in addition to his other gear.
* Offscreen Moment of Awesome: It’s implied that he’s thrown down with Voldemort at least once before. Certainly, he’s familiar enough with Wanded killing curses to be able to know when one’s been cast just by the side effects.
* One-Man Army: One of the most powerful and dangerous Wardens.
* The Stoic: Usually grim and harsh, rarely showing any happiness or concern for others.
* Undying Loyalty: While her injuries were worse than his, he was more concerned about his former mentor Luccio than himself.
* The Worf Effect: He was jumped by the Corpsetaker after the latter performed a Grand Theft Me on Luccio and caught him off guard. He survived, however.