Artificial Intelligence Shows Realistic Depictions Of Favorite Harry Potter Characters

By: Ene Ayegba | Published: Aug 08, 2023

Die-hard fans of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter often confess they read each in the series. Some of the novels were commonly read twice, while readers anticipated the release of the next one.

Since Warner Bros. Pictures began the screen adaptation of the series in 2001, there has been a  raging debate among Harry Potter fans—was each character from the book well-portrayed in the film version? Using descriptions from the books, we shall look at some AI-generated images of characters from the Harry Potter series.

Pansy Parkinson

Parkinson was a witch and prefect from Hogwarts’ Slytherin House. Like many of her compatriots, she is as wicked as they come. Towards the end of the series, she almost succeeded in a plan to help Voldermort capture Harry Potter.

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In the few instances where the book mentioned Parkinson’s physical attributes, she was described as not overly good-looking. In fact, the description “pug-faced” was used, and we think AI got her quite right.

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Professor Minerva McGonagall

She was the head of the Gryffindor House and also a half-blood like Harry, which probably explains her soft spot for him throughout his time at Hogwarts. She taught transfiguration, a class that always left many of Hogwarts’ first-year students in awe.

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Source: Imgur

This picture has done McGonagall’s description from the books fair justice. Although, it looks way more serious than Maggie White did in the screen adaptation.

Petunia Dursley

Petunia was Harry’s maternal aunt, who, along with her husband, took Harry in after his parents’ demise. Harry was finally glad when he learned he would be leaving their house for Hogwarts.

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The books described Petunia as blonde, thin, and with a neck twice the length of an average person’s. She was also described as horse-faced in multiple instances. So, it is no surprise that AI portrayed her this way.

Dolores Umbridge

Umbridge was a half-blood witch and a representative of the British Ministry of Magic. The books identified her as a prime antagonist of the Order of the Pheonix, a caste to which Harry belonged.

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Source: Imgur

Umbridge looks way uglier and scrawny in the AI-generated picture than in the movie, which we totally agree with. Call it being biased, but the book did describe her appearance as a “large, pale toad.” AI seems to have given her wicked demeanor an outward portrayal.

Vernon Dursley

Vernon is the muggle husband of Petunia, making him Harry’s uncle by marriage. He tried playing the role of a father figure after Harry lost his parents but wound up very terrible at the craft.

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Thanks to Vernon, Harry spent many days of his stay with the Dursleys in a closet. Vernon was also described by the books as a burly, angry man. However, AI has captured him here in his somber mode. As we can see from the image, Dudley Dursley inherited most of his physical features from his daddy.

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Cedric Diggory

Diggory is a great Quidditch player who served as Seeker for the Hufflepuff House and eventually as captain of the team. He is quite popular at Hogwarts, as a good high school quarterback would be, so much so that he was involved with the beautiful Cho Chang.

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The books described him as well-built and charming, and AI has done justice to that description. If nothing else, it got his dark hair and grey eyes right.

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James Potter

If Harry Potter had been asked to create an image of his father, he would have done a terrible job. The couple were murdered long before Harry reached the age of being able to recall their appearance.

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This AI-generated image of James Potter reminds us a little of Harry, as they have a fairly similar facial structure. AI did a great job with this one.

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Lord Voldemort

The near-human version of Lord Voldemort—Tom Riddle—also had a stern aura to him. However, Voldemort struck way more terror in people’s hearts after his rebirth. Even his pet snake, Nagini, squirmed in his presence.

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The book gave a detailed description of Voldemort during his rebirth. He was said to be “thin, whiter than a skull, with wide livid scarlet eyes and nostrils that look like snake slits.”

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The Weasley Twins (Fred and George)

Fred and George are a mischievous duo of the Weasley family. AI-generated the image of the identical twins in one plate. In this picture, they are freckled like every other Weasley child.

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In the Harry Potter movie, the Phelps twins, who played the Weasley twins, had blonde hair. So, AI got this image right, as the book described the Weasley twins as having flaming red hair.

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Peter Pettigrew

For most of the Harry Potter series, Peter Pettigrew was a rat. It wasn’t until the period of Voldemort’s resurrection that he enjoyed a transformation into a human. However, the book described his human form in unattractive terms.

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Pettigrew was described as unkempt, thin, and bald, with grubby skin and watery eyes. AI captured those characteristics fairly well in this picture. True to the description, this is no picture to place by a child’s nightstand.

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Merope Riddle (Voldemort’s Mom)

There are very few records of what he-who-must-not-be-named’s mother looks like in the book series beyond what Harry saw of her in the magical memory. The story has it that Merope grew up in an abusive home and passed on shortly after birthing Voldemort.

Source: Imgur

The books describe Merope as having strange eyes that look in opposite directions. Albeit, they are not as terrible as Alastor Moody’s. This image rightly portrays the dull, plain, and heavy face described by Harry.

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Draco Malfoy

This boy has been a detractor of Harry from the get-go. The Slytherin chap got into Hogwarts the same year as Harry, but unlike Harry, he was pure blood. In fact, both of his parents were death eaters and affiliated with the Voldemort insurrection.

Source: Imgur

While this AI-generated image looks a little like the boy in the movie, we think it does more justice to Rowling’s description of Draco. He was described as blonde and slender with cold grey eyes. Now you be the judge.

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Neville Longbottom

Neville is a sort of sidekick for the Hermione, Ron, and Harry clique. He became friends with them largely because he could not get along with the cool kids at Hogwarts. Neville is described as fat, short, and having buck teeth. 

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The movie portrays Neville as getting better-looking with age. However, AI has provided us with a picture of the chap in his heyday. This picture looks more amenable than the young actor in the movie.

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Viktor Krum

The story introduced Krum to us as captain of the Bulgarian National Quidditch team. In the movie, he looks like a heavily-built Russian with a terrific fitness regimen. His stature dwarfs that of his opponents on the other Quidditch teams.

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However, AI has generated a more realistic look for the Krum character. Unlike what we saw in the movies, the books describe Krum as thin, dark, and sallow-skinned, with a large nose and thick brows. It did say, too, that he looked way older than his age.

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Dudley Dursley

The early books of the series identified how Dudley enjoyed the goodies of childhood, unlike Harry, who was raised in the same household. As a kid, Dudley was described as chubby, from indulging in all the cravings he desired.

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However, the story records that this insolent cousin of Harry’s lost some weight as he grew older. Mrs. Dursley probably didn’t like the fact that her son was a muggle while Harry was a half-blood.

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Lucius Malfoy

Lucius is the father of Draco, and like his son, was schooled at Hogwarts School of Wizardry. In fact, Lucius was a prefect of Slytherin House – the same house as his son – during his school days.

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Lucius’ long-term loyalty to Voldemort earned him some prison time. While there, his encounters with the dementors must have had an effect on his looks. The actor who played the Lucius role looks way better than the books described. So, we think AI did a better job in this picture.

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Luna Lovegood

Luna is a very perceptive girl and often sees things in different ways than most people did. She has a mannerism that makes her easily noticeable among her peers.

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In addition to her waist-length dirty blonde hair, Rowling describes Luna as having slightly bulging eyes that made her look like someone who was consistently surprised. It was also recorded in the books that Luna has a habit of keeping her magic wand behind her ear.

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Ronald Weasley

Ronald, Hermione, and Harry are thick as thieves throughout the series. Ron, as he was often called, is the last son and sixth child of the Weasley family. He is a pure-blood wizard like his brothers but didn’t drink from the same chalice of good looks.

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The movie actor who portrayed Ron looks better than what the book describes. He is said to be tall, lanky, and has big hands and feet. So, we give it to AI.

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Harry Potter, With the Verified Mark

Harry James Potter is the lead character of the J.K. Rowling book series. The story introduced him as an orphan who took on many features of his mother. Unlike what is portrayed in the movies, this AI-generated picture clearly depicts the lightning bolt scar on Harry’s head.

Source: Imgur

Also, his prominently green eyes and thin face are adequately illustrated, giving a more realistic image of Harry as the book describes him.

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Gilderoy Lockhart

The books introduces Lockhart as a celebrity wizard. Besides his stunning looks that paved the way for him, he is also an author who is very skilled at selling himself. Lockhart was a Professor of Defense Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, serving as a substitute teacher.

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At one point, he fraternized with Harry and made his acquaintance. However, he is eventually revealed as a mole and coward who stole people’s heroic memories and boastfully made them his own.

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Ginny Weasley

Ginny is the only daughter and last child of the Weasley family. At Hogwarts, she had to cope with her older brothers dotting on her. However, having six brothers became more of a strength to her than a drawback. The toughness of her character and personality was responsible for Harry eventually marrying her instead of Hermione.

Source: Imgur

The Ginny portrayed in the movies looks way better than the books described. This AI version presents us with a freckled-but-still-beautiful Ginny.

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Remus Lupin

Lupin has a peculiar malady that told on his looks—he was bitten by a werewolf at the tender age of four and transformed into a werewolf during every full moon. His transformations are probably responsible for his lanky and tired demeanor.

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Lupin’s transformations were initially kept secret, but he resigned from Hogwarts after it became public knowledge. Despite his tired looks, Lupin is a powerful wizard who can cast spells without a wand.

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Charlie Weasley

Charlie is the second son of the Weasleys. Like the other kids, he attended Hogwarts and was sorted into the Gryffindor House. Charlie was a seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch team before he graduated.

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The first prominent detail of Charlie mentioned in the books is that he works in Romania with dragons. We can imagine his hands and arms scarred from dealing with dragons and his face showing prominent signs of exposure to the environment. So, AI did a great job with this one.

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Bellatrix Lestrange

Lestrange is one of the few female death eaters in the Harry Potter series. She is without scruples and is as ruthless as the all-feared Voldemort. She was recorded as having killed some of her relatives but idolizes Voldemort.

Source: Imgur

The books describe Lestrange as a woman with long lashes, heavily hooded eyes, and thick, shining dark hair. Interestingly, AI knows just what a wicked character looks like.

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Argus Filch

Every high school has a janitor who’s always on the prowl and looks out for students who make it a habit to mess up the facilities. Argus Filch serves this role at Hogwarts, though he’s more of a caretaker than a janitor.

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Though unable to perform magic, he has the help of Mrs. Morris, a prowling cat, in maintaining decorum within the school grounds.

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Hermione Granger

Hermione, one of Harry’s triad, is definitely a charmer in the movies, and many fans of the series are surprised the duo didn’t get romantically involved in adulthood. However, despite what the movies portrayed, the books do not infer Miss Granger to be a dashing beauty.

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As a young lady, the books describe Hermione as having bushy and rough brunette hair, thick brows, and oversized teeth.

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Narcissa Malfoy

Narcissa is Bellatrix Lestrange’s younger sister and is married to Lucius Malfoy. Many say Draco got most of his physical and personality traits from Narcissa. 

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The books describe Narcissa as blond and fairly attractive, but cold, nasty, and wicked. AI used this seed description to generate a picture worthy of a woman who nurtured a clan of death eaters.

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Lily Potter

Lily was a witch of muggle origins who fell in love with James Potter. She was 20 years old when she gave birth to Harry and was murdered alongside her husband one year later.

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It’s unfortunate that Harry could not have a personal relationship with the lovely woman that birthed him. Taking a thorough look at this AI-generated picture, it is easy to see some of Harry’s striking features were inherited from Lily.

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Tom Riddle

Tom Malvoro Riddle is the real name of the character popularly addressed as Voldemort, you-know-who, or he-who-must-not-be-named. He was a half-blood wizard in his youth who was responsible for the murder of James and Lily Potter.

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Like many other death eaters, Riddle attended Hogwarts and was in the Slytherin House. This AI-generated picture gives us a peek into the looks of the wicked Riddle in his teenage years.

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Severus Snape

Severus Snape is an alumnus of the Hogwarts School of Wizardry who goes on to teach there. He was schooled alongside the likes of Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and James Potter. Unfortunately, being a Slytherin seems to have gotten to him.

Source: Imgur

This picture does considerable justice to the Snape described in the books—always stern and seldom smiling. However, when he does, a set of heavily yellow teeth are often revealed. His dark hair and pointy nose would have Snape standing out in any crowd.

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Cho Chang

Cho Chang is a pretty young witch who attends Hogwarts at the same time as Harry. She was sorted into the Ravenclaw House and is the seeker of its Quidditch team. Chang is a good friend of Harry’s for most of the series, though they fall out on a couple of occasions.

Source: Imgur

This picture provides a better portrayal of Chang’s beauty, helping us understand why she is popular with some attractive boys at Hogwarts—the likes of Cedric Diggory and others were entrapped by her spell.

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Nymphadora Tonks

Nymphadora Tonks is a half-blood witch who attended Hogwarts during the same period as Charlie Weasley. She later joins the Ministry of Magic in what looks like an internship under Alastor Moody.

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Tonks goes on to fall in love with Remus Lupin, whom she later marries. She joins forces with Dumbledore’s army to fight death eaters on multiple occasions. AI did well to include the detail of her hair color as described in the books.

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Fleur Delacour

Fleur Delacour is a pretty, blonde, and blue-eyed lady that comes to Hogwarts during the Triwizard Tournament. She is a French student of the Beauxbatons Academy of Magic.

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Delacour left many of the boys at Hogwarts stunned by her beauty, so much so that the room was always asteer whenever she walked in. It is obvious that this picture does justice to the book’s effulgent description of her.

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Bill Weasley

Bill is the eldest son and child of the Weasley family. The book describes him as tall with long red hair always bound into a ponytail. Bill was notorious, at least from his mother’s perspective, as she disapproves of his looks.

Source: Imgur

Bill is scarred at one point in the series due to a scuffle with a werewolf. He’s described as being skilled in dark magic, making it possible for him to fight death eaters.

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