Harry Potter: Every Hogwarts Teacher, Ranked By Power

Published Nov 12, 2026, 9:12 AM EST Once head of Screen Rant's Star Wars coverage, Tom's career began as a fan of the fantasy and sci-fi genres, and his love of major franchises has ultimately led to a decade-long career. He'd had the privilege of interviewing writers, authors, directors, actors, stunt coordinators, and VFX artists on a staggering number of his favorite franchises, including Star Wars, the MCU, Stranger Things, Halo, Foundation, and more. He's conducted set visits in the UK, attending major comic cons in New York and London, and reported at Star Wars Celebration 2023 as press. You can find him on Twitter @TomABacon, on LinkedIn @tabacon, or on Muckrack under tombacon. Tom has a wide range of interests, and he continues to serve his university as a volunteer chaplain. He's heavily involved with his local church, and anyone who checks him out on Twitter will swiftly learn he's into British politics too. Harry Potter was undeniably taught by some of the powerful witches and wizards at Hogwarts, but they were far from equal. The Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers were particularly potent, simply because they had learned how to defeat some of the most dangerous magic in the world; even Professor Lockhart was skilled in his own way. Meanwhile, wizards like Professor Flitwick were known as skilled duelists. But, of course, there's naturally a ranking of power—even among some of the greatest witches and wizards of the age. It's quite hard to judge some of Harry's teachers in terms of power level, because not all of them have demonstrated spectacular feats. The upcoming Harry Potter TV show will include scenes that aren't from the books, so may well give us more information; for now, though, the absence of those feats is in itself a useful indicator. Here are all Harry's Hogwarts teachers, ranked by power. Note: I'm choosing to ignore the Carrows, who were never really accepted by the Hogwarts staff (or, I suspect, by Hogwarts itself). I'm also omitting a couple of teachers who we know next to nothing about, specifically Professors Kettleburn and Silvanus. I'm also choosing to ignore Hogwarts' support staff, such as Madam Pomfrey, Argus Filch, and Madam Hooch. 18 Cuthbert Binns Let's start with the wizard who is surely the least powerful, because he never demonstrated any magic at all; Professor Binns, Hogwarts' only ghost teacher. The man is so boring, he gives you the impression he simply carried on teaching and never noticed he'd died. We don't actually know whether ghosts retain their past magical abilities, but it seems unlikely, and Professor Binns showed no power at all (or any interest in practical magic, for that matter). Little wonder students tended to fall asleep in History of Magic. 17 Sybil Trelawney Most Hogwarts students believe Professor Sybil Trelawney to be a fraud, and Umbridge banished her as one. But Professor Trelawney does hail from the bloodline of powerful seers, and she's produced at least two disturbingly accurate prophesies—including the one that kicked off the entire Harry Potter saga. Dumbledore largely kept Professor Trelawney at Hogwarts for her own protection, because he knew how dangerous that prophecy really is. 16 Bathsheba Babbling We don't really know how skilled or powerful Bathsheba Babbling really is, because her topic wasn't really one that interested Harry; she was professor of Ancient Runes, which perhaps suggests a deep specialism. The Harry Potter stories largely ignore runes, so we get no sense of what she's capable of. That said, I'm choosing to single her out on this list because other specialists seem to be quite powerful. It may be this is one area of the Wizarding World that has been neglected. 15 Charity Burbage The ill-fated Professor Burbage was Professor of Muggle Studies, until she was eventually targeted and killed by the Death Eaters. There's nothing to indicate her power levels, because it's certainly not a mark of weakness that she was captured and executed by Voldemort and his assembled Death Eaters. Still, the absence of feats is notable, and means she appears low on this list. Her last act was to appeal to Severus Snape for mercy. 14 Quirinius Quirrell Harry's first Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor Quirrell was considered impressive by Hagrid—but never really demonstrated why. Vain and ambitious, he traveled the world in search of Voldemort, and it's unknown whether he wanted the glory of capturing him or whether he wanted to learn from him. In either case, even a diminished and broken Voldemort was able to possess him, proving how weak Quirrell really is. 13 Gilderoy Lockhart It's easy to underestimate Gilderoy Lockhart; Harry's Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher in his second year, he had traveled the world wiping memories and claiming the feats of other witches and wizards as his own. But this Memory Charm alone is a complex piece of magic, and he may well have been a magical powerhouse if he hadn't been so lazy. In the end, Lockhart was hoist by his own petard, his own memories erased by a backfiring broken wand. 12 Firenze The centaur Firenze taught Divination at Hogwarts after he was expelled from his people due to helping humans. He's perhaps the most intriguing character to place on this ranking, because wizards tended to think of centaurs as beneath them, and he certainly didn't possess the kind of magic we see with other professors. Still, centaurs are remarkable in their own right, not least due to their (disturbingly accurate) ability to read the stars. He's a skilled archer, and possesses remarkable physical strength. He may well also have a degree of resistance to magic, like other magical beings. 11 Wilhelmina Grubbly-Plank Professor Grubbly-Plank took over Care of Magical Creatures during Order of the Phoenix, and had the misfortune of being a competent teacher who was resented by Harry and his friends. Unlike Hagrid, she doesn't just have experience of magical creatures; she's also a witch in her own right, likely with a strong specialism. Given the field she operates in, it seems right to place her at this point in the rankings. 10 Dolores Umbridge The Ministry of Magic appointed Dolores Umbridge as Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher during Harry's fifth year, and she's a difficult one to evaluate. Although she had a fearsome reputation, she excels at manipulation, so that's probably less reliable than it was with even Gilderoy Lockhart. She was competent at Transfiguration and Charms, but was unable to remove Fred and George Weasley's magic from Hogwarts, something other professors accomplished with ease. 9 Pomona Sprout Few Hogwarts teachers are quite so underestimated as Professor Sprout, the Herbology teacher. A competent witch, she's a specialist in a field that can be very dangerous indeed, and has vast experience of magical plants. Sprout proved her skill during the Battle of Hogwarts, when she turned her knowledge into offensive strategies. Herbology may not sound like a combat arena, but the Death Eaters learned not to count her out.