Harry Potter: The 5 Best Fathers In The Series (& The 5 Worst)
Harry Potter is, first and foremost, a series about a magical world. But there are plenty of other themes that are woven in throughout the story. Themes about good vs. evil, sacrifice, and one of the most common ones, fatherhood. It may seem odd to think about at first glance but fathers play a major role in every book.
Fathers who died before the story began. Ones who abandoned their children, ones who spoil their kids, ones who would do anything for their offspring, and everything in between. Basically, there are great dads in Harry Potter and terrible ones. This is a ranking of the 5 best and the 5 worst.
10 Worst: Remus Lupin
As a father figure for Harry, Remus Lupin was great. He took Harry under his wing, always had his back, and cared about him the way that he cared for Harry's parents. By all accounts, readers fully expected him to be a tremendous dad if he one day had his own children.
Lupin and his wife Tonks eventually got pregnant. Lupin gave the news to Harry but immediately offered to find the Horcruxes with him. Harry saw right through him as it was a case of Lupin trying to abandon his child out of fear. While we understand worrying about his child being a werewolf, this was a bad look.
9 Best: Harry Potter
If your reading of this franchise didn't continue into the Harry Potter and the Cursed Child play, then you might be surprised to see Harry on this list. We saw him as a good dad at the end of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows when gave his son Albus Severus Potter a rousing speech to console him before school.
Once you read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, you see that he is indeed a good dad. There were struggles with Albus and even some harsh things said. Despite that, Harry loves his son and he connects admirably with his other two children. Harry also acts as a father figure for Teddy Lupin.
8 Worst: Barty Crouch
This was a tough one to include because we don't know a ton about his time as a father. We do know that Barty Crouch was a decorated official, spoke hundreds of languages, and was an important member of the magical society. His son, Barty Crouch Jr., was a different story.
His being a Death Eater might not be his dad's fault but it could have had an effect. We read about his poor treatment of his house elf and he might have been similar to his son. When Barty Crouch Jr. got in trouble, his dad didn't even try to hear him out. His reputation came before his child.
7 Best: Amos Diggory
We first met Amos Diggory in the early stages of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. He greeted the Weasleys, Harry, and Hermione on the way to the Quidditch World Cup. There, he bragged and boasted about his son Cedric. It was kind-hearted and just a case of being a proud papa.
From everything that we see, Amos Diggory is a great dad. He has a close relationship with Cedric and he raised a tremendous kid. Cedric was smart, respectful, and humble. When Cedric was murdered by Lord Voldemort, Amos' reaction is one of the saddest moments in the entire series. He was devastated by the loss of the son he loved more than anything else.
6 Worst: Vernon Dursley
Here's a case of a dad being on the "worst" list and still being a loving father. From everything we see, Vernon Dursley adores his son Dudley. He is especially nasty to Harry and it is made clearer by how much he dotes on his son. But therein lies the problem.
Vernon gives Dudley way too much leeway. He and his wife Petunia spoiled Dudley rotten. The kid becomes too overweight for his own health, demands gifts from his parents, and shows nobody respect. That's because Vernon never did anything to stop it. He just believed his son was a "little tyke" and played off every issue Dudley had like it wasn't serious.
5 Best: James Potter
It can be difficult to place James Potter here because he's not someone we ever get to see as a parent. He died before the series began and Harry was raised by his aunt and uncle. But from what we learn about James, he was a fantastic father to his infant son. Especially when you consider how he handled Harry being in danger.
James chose to stay back and fight against Lord Voldemort to protect his son. That's a fight he knew he would lose, yet he took it on anyway for his child. Even after death, James appeared to Harry in various forms and was always there to help him in times of need.
4 Worst: Lucius Malfoy
In a lot of ways, Lucius Malfoy is very similar to Vernon Dursley. Both men believe their kind is better than everyone else, both show disdain for Harry Potter, and both love their sons. Lucius didn't spoil Draco to the level that Vernon did Dudley but he didn't always have his son's best interest at heart.
In the films, Lucius was seen being quite rude and aggressive towards Draco. That isn't quite enough to put him on the list though. It was how he allowed Lord Voldemort to bring Draco into the Death Eaters. While we know he couldn't defeat Voldemort, his wife went out of her way to try and figure something out. Lucius stood pat.
3 Best: Draco Malfoy
Draco Malfoy gets one of the stronger character arcs of the entire series. He started as Harry's mean-spirited rival before progressing into something of an anti-hero. His time as a Death Eater changed him for the better, which is rare. In Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, we see how fatherhood has also improved him.
Despite the hit it must have been to his pride, Draco went to Harry for help when his son was getting teased about possibly being Voldemort's child. He also is willing to do and risk whatever it takes because of how much he loves Scorpius. Following the death of his wife, all Draco has left is Scorpius and it is clear how much he means to him.
2 Worst: Marvolo Gaunt
People who only watched the movies probably have no idea who Marvolo Gaunt is. He gets skipped over there but is prominent in flashbacks we get in the books. For those unaware, he was Voldemort's grandfather. Marvolo had two children of his own, Morfin and Merope.
Marvolo believed pure-blood wizards were better than everyone else. He was cruel, vile, and evil. That was especially true to his daughter Merope. He abused her to the point where she couldn't even use her magic anymore. Marvolo was one of the few characters in the series with zero redeeming qualities.
1 Best: Arthur Weasley
Considering how many children Arthur Weasley has, it's a good thing he's such a great father. Arthur is pure in more than just his magical blood. He's a genuinely nice guy with a lovable affinity for all things muggle related. But his most endearing quality is how good of a dad he is.
Arthur is always there for all seven of his kids and he takes Harry in like a member of the family. You can count on Arthur to give a pep talk, stand up and fight Lucius Malfoy, or crack a dad joke. He is the ideal father figure of the entire story and showed it to many of the characters.