Harry Potter Series' Dobby and Young Voldemort Casting Revealed

HBO has revealed a trio of key roles for the second season of its lavish Harry Potter series: Dobby, Ginny Weasley and Tom Riddle, better known as a young Lord Voldemort.

17-year-old British actor, presenter and comedian Lenny Rush will star as Dobby the House-elf, who is introduced in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and goes on to play a memorable role later in the series. Rush previously starred in British children's TV series The Dumping Ground, though has also starred in episodes of Doctor Who, as well as Taskmaster.

Tom Riddle, meanwhile, will be played by 18-year-old Billy Barratt. While not yet a household name, Barratt is currently filming the Amazon Prime adaptation of hit narrative video game Life is Strange, and also playing an antagonist (Nathan Prescott) in that. If you watched Kraven the Hunter, you'll also have seen him pop up as a young Dmitri Smerdyakov.

Lastly, HBO has now confirmed that newcomer Bonnie Hill will portray Ginny Weasley from the series' second season onwards. The character's previous actress dropped out of appearing in future episodes following the show's first season.

Production on the series' second run is now underway, as HBO attempts to leave as small a gap between seasons as possible. Still, bosses have admitted that the show will not air annually, meaning that episodes shot this year will likely not arrive until 2028.

Actors returning for the series' second season, which adapts Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, include Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley, John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.

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Last month, it was revealed that Game of Thrones star Kit Harington will portray Gilderoy Lockhart — a role previously given to Superman star Nicholas Hoult, who later dropped out due to scheduling issues.

HBO will air the series' first season beginning this Christmas, with episodes then continuing into early 2027.

Image credit: HBO.

Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social