Summary

The Potter family had a rich history before Harry, but they only gained fame through him. The Potters were originally a pureblood family until Harry’s birth, but not part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight. Harry found family outside of blood ties, with the Weasleys and his best friends.

Despite how famous the Potter name is now (both in the franchise and in real life), that wasn’t always the case. The Potter family is an old one for sure, about as old as the Weasley bloodline. But the Potter bloodline lived comfortably solid in the background of the Wizarding World. Still, the Potters have a rich history of morality and bravery, with significant contributions spread throughout the decades. Other than that, they lived casually normal wizard lives.

It wasn’t until Harry Potter himself that the Potter name became famous, and it’s likely to continue to be famous for generations to come. The Potter family (and their ancestors) were a pureblood line until Harry’s birth, although the bloodline was never part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight pureblood families. So, where exactly did the bloodline begin? How big did the Potter family end up becoming? We’re going to look at each branch of this family tree and examine each little twig. And let’s not forget: family doesn’t always mean blood. Harry found a family of his own with the Weasleys and his two best friends.

Harry Potter’s Family Tree

Linfred of Stinchcombe
The Founding Patriarch of the Potter Family
JK Rowling

The Potter name started with a wizard named Linfred who resided in the Muggle village of Stinchcombe in Gloucestershire. He was very well known in the village for the healing properties that came from his garden and potions, even though the Muggles had no idea about his magical abilities. His neighbors did find him a bit quirky, but other than that, Linfred was quite popular. He would get the nickname “Linfred Potterer”, for he was always pottering about in his garden. The name would then become “Potter” for years to come.

The Peverells
Ignotus Is a Distant But Significant Relative of Harry’s
Warner Bros.

This name should be familiar to the majority of Harry Potter fans. It’s not until The Deathly Hallows that we truly learn who the Peverells are. They were a medieval family that consisted of three brothers: Antioch, Cadmus, and Ignotus. They are the owners of three of the most powerful magical items that were created by Death. Antioch was given the Elder Wand, Cadmus the Resurrection Stone, and Ignotus the Cloak of Invisibility.

It was said that the person who possessed all three of these items would be the Master of Death. Antioch and Cadmus’s lives ended poorly because of their misuse of their respective items, but Ignotus was smart enough to avoid Death using the Cloak. Since then, the Cloak has been passed down from son to son. Eventually, James Potter would gift the Cloak to his son Harry.

Hardwin and Iolanthe Potter
Hardwin and Iolanthe Merged the Potter and Peverell Families

Hardwin Potter was the eldest son of Linfred. He has six other siblings, and sometime after his father’s death, he would meet Iolanthe Peverell in Godric’s Hollow and the two would marry. Iolanthe is the granddaughter of Ignotus Peverell and inherited the Cloak of Invisibility. She told Hardwin about the Cloak and how it gets passed down to the eldest child of each generation and expressed her wishes to keep the tradition going. Adding that the Cloak must be kept a secret. Hardwin agreed to his wife’s wishes and the tradition continued for many generations.

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Henry Potter
Harry’s Great Grandfather

A descendant of Hardwin and Iolanthe, Henry “Harry” Potter was a wizard in the Potter bloodline who served in the Wizengamont from 1913-1921. For those who may not know, the Wizengamont predated the British Ministry of Magic and dated all the way back to the medieval Wizard’s Council. Henry was at the center of a mild controversy over a council member’s decision not to aid the Muggles during World War I. As a result of his pro-Muggle views, he was the main reason why the Potter bloodline was never part of the Sacred Twenty-Eight, despite being a pureblood line. He would eventually have a son and name him Fleamont after his mother’s maiden name, which was her dying wish.

Fleamont and Euphemia Potter
Harry’s Paternal Grandparents

Despite getting made fun of for his name, Fleamont would make a huge profit for the Potter family. He went to school at Hogwarts and was sorted into Gryffindor, like the majority of the Potter family line. After he graduated, Fleamont developed the Sleekeazy’s Hair Potion and Scalp Treatment, a hair care potion that was suitable for almost all hair types (sorry, redheads, probably best to avoid this potion). Hermione Granger even used it on her hair for the Yule Ball in The Goblet of Fire.

This invention quadrupled the Potter family’s wealth. He married a witch named Euphemia and, after years of being unable to conceive children, finally had their son, James. The couple also took in Sirius Black when he ran away at sixteen.

James and Lily Potter
Harry’s Parents
Warner Bros.

James and Lily met at Hogwarts, but their relationship didn’t start out so well. Although they were both in the Gryffindor house, they did not see eye to eye. James quickly became popular for his good looks, his pranks, and his Quidditch skills. While he was brave like most Gryffindors, he also portrayed the flaws that the house shares: arrogance, conceitedness, and the tendency to strut about the school halls. He always had a specific target: Severus Snape, who was close friends with Lily Evans.

As a result of this, Lily wanted nothing to do with James throughout their years at Hogwarts, even though James was deeply in love with her throughout. She eventually fell for him, and they started dating in their seventh year. The two would then marry, have their son Harry come into the world, and get killed by Lord Voldemort trying to protect their child.

Sirius Black
Harry’s Godfather
Warner Bros.

While he is not related to Harry by blood, Sirius Black is still an extremely important member of Harry’s family. Not only were Sirius and James best friends since Hogwarts (and were part of the Marauders), but James and Lily gave Sirius the role of Harry’s godfather. He was wrongfully arrested without trial and sent to Azkaban for killing Peter Pettigrew (who was Voldemort’s spy in the Order of the Phoenix), a group of muggles, and for serving Voldemort. He would eventually break out and reunite with Harry, reinstate the Order of the Phoenix, and tragically die at the wand of Bellatrix Lestrange.

Harry Potter
Warner Bros.

The Boy Who Lived himself. Harry Potter is the reason that the Potter name has gained its fame. After his parents sacrificed themselves to protect their son, their love produced a strong form of magic that counteracted Voldemort’s Killing Curse and temporarily vanquished him. It left all but a lightning bolt-shaped scar on Harry’s forehead. From there, he was taken to his Muggle family, the Dursleys, for protection until he was old enough to attend Hogwarts. We all know the rest of his story: his friendship with Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger, and the journey he will take to become strong enough to finally defeat the Dark Lord. He would eventually marry Ginny Weasley and start a family with her.

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Ginny Weasley
Harry’s Wife
Warner Bros. Pictures

Where do we begin with this feisty woman? Ginerva “Ginny” Weasley is the youngest of the Weasley siblings and the only daughter of the family. She was rather shy as a child, especially around Harry, whom she always had feelings for. Her confidence in herself would grow as she got older. She used to steal her brothers’ brooms and practice her broom skills in private, which would lead her to becoming an incredibly skilled Quidditch player.

She is an energetic, strong, beautiful, and bold young woman. Harry would eventually see all of these traits in her and fall in love with her. After the Battle of Hogwarts, they become an official couple, get married, and have children in the future. Ginny became a professional Quidditch player for the Holyhead Harpies before retiring to write for the sports section of the Daily Prophet.

James, Albus, and Lily Potter
Harry’s Children
Sonia Friedman Productions

Don’t let the names fool you. These three young wizards are the children of Harry and Ginny Potter. James Sirius Potter is the eldest, Albus Severus Potter is the middle child, and Lily Luna Potter is the youngest. The three would go to Hogwarts and, while James and Lily get assigned to Gryffindor, Albus would get sorted into Slytherin. Albus would befriend Scorpius Malfoy, the son of Draco Malfoy, and the two of them would have their own adventure in the stage play Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

Other Kinds of Family

Harry’s Found Family at Hogwarts
Ron Weasley: Harry’s best friend since the first year of Hogwarts; known for his humor and his undying loyalty to those he cares for. Hermione Granger: Harry’s best friend since the first year of Hogwarts; known as the brightest witch of her age for her intelligence and cleverness. Hugo and Rose Weasley: Ron and Hermione’s children; Harry is an uncle figure to them.
The Weasleys — Harry’s In-Laws
Arthur Weasley: Harry’s father-in-law; head of the Weasley family and works for the Ministry of Magic; has a strong belief in equality for all wizards and muggles. Molly Weasley: Harry’s mother-in-law; matriarch of the Weasley household; acted as a mother figure to Harry since the start of the franchise. Bill Weasley: Harry’s brother-in-law; eldest of the Weasley children who works as a curse-breaker in the Gringotts bank in Egypt. Charlie Weasley: Harry’s brother-in-law; second-eldest Weasley sibling who went to Romania to study dragons Percy Weasley: Harry’s brother-in-law; third-eldest Weasley sibling and currently the Head of the Department of Magical Transportation at the Ministry of Magic. Fred and George Weasley: Harry’s twin brothers-in-law; while George is still alive with his own family, Fred tragically passed away during the Battle of Hogwarts; the twins ran a joke shop that now belongs to Ron. The Dursley’s — Harry’s Adoptive Muggle Family
Petunia Dursley: Lily’s older sister, Harry’s aunt and adoptive mother Vernon Dursley: Harry’s uncle and adoptive father Vernon Dursley: Harry’s cousin and adoptive brother
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