One of the things that makes the Harry Potter series so successful is the variety of interesting characters. Some of these characters are overall good and some are overall bad, but they are all rather complex. Even the good characters have their moments where they make mistakes and do some unethical things. Many of the characters in the series are good at twisting the truth to fit their needs or just prone to outright lie to get what they want.
It seems like Hogwarts itself is a hotbed for lies. Don’t believe us? Keep scrolling to check out the ten biggest liars at Hogwarts.
HERMIONE GRANGER
Hermione Granger is the character from the trio that has the most strict moral code when it comes to things like lying and cheating. While she can take these things more seriously, she actually lies quite a bit.
One of her first lies is when she tells Professor McGonagall that she went looking for the troll by herself. She also tells many lies when it comes to trying to stop Voldemort, such as when she keeps the Polyjuice Potion hidden in the second book.
RON WEASLEY
Ron Weasley is another character who lies quote often. While many of his lies are smaller ones, he clearly isn’t that worried about always being truthful.
He is someone who doesn’t mind cheating at all, and he often is fine with Hermione finishing his homework. He can also be rather evasive about things, and just like Harry he often lies to get out of trouble. He will sometimes lie to professors, and even his friends. But admittedly, many of his lies are smaller in the grand scheme of things.
HAGRID
Hagrid might be a character who is overall a good person, but he has a side of him that can be rather sneaky. When it comes to his love of dangerous magical creatures, Hagrid tends to tell a lot of lies and keep things hidden. He does things like keep a baby dragon hidden in his hut and keep a spider locked in a crate at Hogwarts.
He is willing to lie and hide the fact that he illegally bred the blast-ended skrewts, too. So, while he might have a good heart, his love of magical creatures can sometimes cloud his judgment.
GILDEROY LOCKHART
While the characters on this list so far mostly lie in situations where they are trying to help someone, or with good intentions, Gilderoy Lockhart is someone who lies for completely selfish reasons. He is a master of lies and manipulation.
He devotes his life to stealing stories from other people and stealing credit for their heroic deeds. He writes books about things that he never actually achieves and puts on a whole persona that is completely made up. These are all the things he does to try and achieve fame and fortune, and he hurts other people in the process.
PROFESSOR QUIRRELL
When it comes to Defense Against the Dark Arts professors, many of them are among the worst liars in the series. Professor Quirrell is one of the first teachers in that position who turns out to be something completely different than what he claims.
While he seems to be a cowardly person who is scared of the dark arts, he’s actually supporting Voldemort, and Voldemort living on the back of his head, the entire time. Clearly, he’s extremely good at hiding and lying about who he is.
HARRY POTTER
Harry Potter might be the protagonist of the story and an overall good person, but he’s not really that good at telling the truth. Harry lies all the time.
Many of these lies are smaller like when he lies about breaking rules when he sneaks into Hogsmeade. He lies to his professors often, especially Professor Snape. While he does have a tendency to lie to stay out of trouble, he also sometimes has to tell fibs to try and protect other people or break rules to fight against Voldemort.
DRACO MALFOY
Draco Malfoy lies about as much as Harry does. While they might have very different personalities and Draco might not be a very morally good character, they are both similar in that they tend to bend the truth.
Draco tends to lie about things to professors to make himself look good and often pins things on the Gryffindors instead. He also tells some huge lies when it comes to his involvement with Voldemort and his assignment of killing Dumbledore.
SEVERUS SNAPE
Severus Snape might be one of the best liars in Harry Potter. He’s someone who is always hiding the truth about things and who keeps information very close.
He’s an expert in Occlumency which means he has learned how to keep his secrets safe. But, what really makes Snape one of the biggest liars at Hogwarts is how he goes undercover on Dumbledore’s orders to make Voldemort think Snape still supports him. Being able to lie so effectively and efficiently to Voldemort takes a master of shadows and lies. But, luckily, he’s doing this for good reasons.
BARTY CROUCH JR.
Barty Crouch Jr. is another person on this list who was a Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Many of these professors turn out to be different people than who they say they are, but Barty Crouch Jr.’s lies about who he is are the most extreme.
He uses polyjuice potion the entire year to make everyone believe that he’s Alastor Moody. And, he’s so good at doing so that he’s able to trick people who knew Moody really well.
DUMBLEDORE
Dumbledore might at first seem like an overall good and honest person. He’s really one of the biggest liars in the entire series. He is always obfuscating things and information. He is good at lying to people for a variety of reasons. Dumbledore keeps information about his past secret and only tells people what he thinks they need to know.
His lies are the most egregious when it comes to Harry. He keeps things hidden and lies to him often about Voldemort and Harry’s role in defeating him.
