At Hogwarts, the students are sorted quickly, but, as the Sorting Hat himself notes, there is a lot of variation in the houses, and not everyone can be grouped together. the Harry Potter follows the fates of several characters, and like all good tales, the characters’ personalities grow in complexity and depth as the films progress.
In this magical world, common types of divination like tarot cards are used to understand life and motivation. Generally, tarot card meanings are read as either upright or reversed, but each card contains the potential for good and evil. A look at the major arcana of the tarot deck provides insight into the core personalities of the main characters.
13 Albus Dumbledore – The Hermit
Dumbledore, on the surface, is outgoing, but as the series progresses, fans realize that Dumbledore hides almost everything. He is withdrawn from student life at school and rarely shares his plans with anyone. The hermit gathers insight by separating from others and signifies detachment and self-enlightenment. It’s fitting that Dumbledore is the inventor of the Deluminator, as he carefully chooses who knows what and when, even after he dies. He has great wisdom, but like the inverted aspect of this card, he can be too secretive and lack empathy for the daily suffering of others.
12 Minerva McGonagall – Justice
Like the Justice card, Professor McGonagall is wise and balanced. Justice is tied to rewards and punishments, and McGonagall was often able to discipline students. She was generally fair, another link to justice, and did her best to follow all school rules and apply them equally to students, and she was less likely to play favorites than Dumbledore or Snape. McGonagall’s Minor Foul (an enthusiasm for Quidditch wins and the House Cup) lines up with Reverse Justice, which denotes a personal bias.
11 Neville Longbottom – Wheel of Fortune
As the series progresses, Neville’s importance in the story grows and it becomes clear that Neville could have been in Harry’s place had Voldemort made a different choice. The wheel of fortune is strongly linked to the concept of fate and destiny as well as change.
Neville’s life was tied to prophecy, and his sad beginnings (growing up without parents, feeling lonely), like Harry’s, slowly change over the books until the Neville who braved the Carrows and killed Nagini replaces the boy who couldn’t remember what his memory reminded him of, a real journey through the wheel of fortune.
ten Fred & George Weasley – The Magician
Almost everyone in the series is a magician, but in the tarot sense, this card best applies to the Weasley twins. Fred and George Weasley are inventors, using their wits and creativity to avoid tasks (and teachers). The magician deals with having a vision and putting plans into action, which the twins do by leaving school early and starting their own business. Not just a fluke, this card is about using skills to make your dreams come true – creating your own opportunities instead of waiting. However, the reverse is a lack of patience, a headlong rush, and potential losses, as happens with Fred.
9 Luna Lovegood – The High Priestess
Luna is oblivious at times, but she is also clearly connected to some type of clairvoyance, seeming to know the results before others. All of these traits align with the High Priestess, who symbolizes intuitive awareness, dreams, and general mystery. She is often difficult to understand, and Luna’s reasons or intentions are not often stated in the story. Despite this, even when others don’t understand her behavior, she usually makes the right choices – a sign of the High Priestess’s good judgment. Reversed, it can be linked to a lack of common sense or understanding of those around you.
8 Ginny Weasley – The Empress
As the only girl in a large family, Ginny has adopted many maternal traits from Molly, and despite being a fierce Quidditch player and gifted with a Bat-Boogey spell, she ends up playing the role of mother. carrier and protector of the youngest and weakest students of Hogwarts in the sixth year. The space she creates in the Room of Requirement with Neville and Luna represents safety for the students, and safety is a key concept of the Empress, who watches over those who need help. It also symbolizes safety and family, especially for Harry, providing him with a safe haven when he returns from Horcrux hunting.
7 Bellatrix Lestrange – The Devil
Most cards have a balance of positive and negative meanings, but like Bellatrix, the Devil lacks the most redeeming values. The Devil is usually depicted in chains, a prisoner of ambitions and desires, just as Bellatrix is imprisoned in Azkaban. This bondage can also be about thoughts, and Bellatrix becomes completely absorbed in Voldemort’s power and beliefs, losing herself in her unconditional devotion to him. Since she accepts whatever he says is the truth, Bellatrix joins Voldemort in all of his beliefs, his own deal with the devil.
6 Draco Malfoy – Hangman
At the start of the series, Draco is firmly aligned with the inverted aspects of this card. He is selfish, stubborn and clings to harmful beliefs. Hangman means sacrifice, especially self-sacrifice, and Draco seems the least likely to try to save others.
However, during Voldemort’s return and the occupation of Malfoy Manor, Draco’s personality changes. Given an impossible, yet desperate task to save his mother and father, he risks everything to get Death Eaters into Hogwarts. Yet even with so much at stake, Draco cannot bring himself to kill Dumbledore. Like Hangman, Draco’s troubles and loss are what led him to huge changes and eventually on the right path.
5 Severus Snape – The Chariot
The Chariot’s subtle nature matches the complexities of Snape’s personality. Snape works silently as a double agent, and the card represents the struggle between will and action. The chariot should balance the opposing sides and appease them both. His delicate position over the decades has shown that Snape has the ability to compartmentalize conflicting emotions. In the reverse position, the card illustrates Snape’s short temper (often targeted at Harry) and the loss of his hopes and dreams (although he still tries to do penance to Lily by risking his life for her son).
4 Ron Weasley – The Fool
The Fool card has become the Joker in the modern card game (the only major arcana left) and the meaning is clear – a buffoon tinged with poor judgment. Ron’s lines, mannerisms, and misadventures (such as spitting slugs) are often used as comic relief in films, and Ron is sold short by being portrayed as less intelligent and talented. However, a more positive reading of the card is someone who, though lacking in restraint, is willing to take a leap of faith. Ron very rarely understands the full consequences of Harry and Hermione’s various plans, but he trusts them and generally follows through, offering his support.
3 Hermione Granger – Strength
This card has enormous potential, conveying power, courage and conviction. Hermione stands up against bullies and unfair practices like Umbridge’s politics and the enslavement of house-elves. She is a powerful witch, labeled as “the brightest of her age”. When Harry needs her, she’s ready with her sack extended, Emma Watson doing a great job of being both fierce and prepared. Strength is also a card that means having the ability to help others solve their problems. When reserved, the Force can become a devious ruse and surrender to its dark side, such as when Hermione deliberately tricks Umbridge in the Forbidden Forest.
2 Voldemort/Tom Riddle – The Tower
When the Tower appears, it is a warning that pride precedes the fall. The Tower represents delusions of grandeur, just as Tom begins his journey as a wizard convinced that he is superior to everyone. He accumulates power, just as the Tower represents him, and seeks to rule the world from the top of his tower. The reverse side of this card is also related to Voldemort, as it warns that such plans will lead to tyranny and ultimately fail. The Tower is a cyclic card; dangers that rise and fall with generations, just as Voldemort does.
1 Harry Potter – Death
In tarot, the death card does not necessarily mean physical death. Usually the card is interpreted as a sign of intense change, the end of a life chapter and the beginning of a new one. Harry goes through many changes over the course of the series – leaving the Muggle world behind, becoming a wizard, and learning and accepting his destiny to fight Voldemort. Harry must change his ideas and approaches time and time again, abandoning his assumptions to find the truth. Whenever Harry resists change or sinks into depression (for example during much of The order of the Phoenix and The Half-Blood Prince), he connects with the inverted meaning of death – stagnation – from which he must free himself before adopting the necessary change.
