Harry Potter is, without a doubt, one of the most successful franchises of recent years. Spawning seven books, numerous films, and characters it’s impossible not to love, it’s a touchstone for those who grew up in the 1990s and early 2000s. Though each of the houses at Hogwarts has its own particular charms and characters, there’s no question that Gryffindor is the one that the viewer is intended to cheer for (after all, the three main heroes are all sorted into Gryffindor at the very beginning).
Looking at these characters from the viewpoint of the Chinese zodiac allows for new depths to be discovered.
Rat - Ginny Weasley
Ginny Weasley is, next to her brothers George and Fred, the most compelling members of the Weasley family. Unlike Ron, for example, she exudes self-confidence and energy.
As she proves time and again, she’s also very resourceful. After all, it’s not every young woman who could survive an effort to inhabit her body by none other than Tom Riddle himself. She’s also incredibly kind, and thus she makes a good match for Harry Potter himself.
Ox - Ron Weasley
From the first moment that he appears in the series, Ron Weasley shows himself one of Harry’s most dependable friends. In that sense, he is the epitome of the ox.
While he does have his moments where he indulges in self-pity, time and again he shows himself determined to be the kind of hero that every Gryffindor aspires to be. In the end, he plays a significant role in the eventual defeat of Voldemort and his vicious Death Eater cronies.
Tiger - Harry Potter
Harry Potter is, of course, the center around which the entire series revolves. From the beginning, he exhibits the traits that one often sees in those who are tigers. He’s of course incredibly brave (sometimes to a very foolish degree), and his confidence is both his greatest strength and his greatest weakness as an individual.
He’s also more than a little competitive, which makes him a very good quidditch player (and a very bad enemy should someone be foolish enough to cross him).
Rabbit - Molly Weasley
Mrs. Weasley is, as a rabbit, the sort of mother that everyone wants to have. From the very moment that she meets Harry, she takes him under her wing, in a fashion sharply different from that of his actual family.
She’s often the voice of reason in various discussions, though at times this means that she’s a little too cautious when it comes to the safety of both Harry and her own children.
Dragon - George Weasley
George, along with his brother Fred, exhibits all of the signs that one typically associated with the dragon. He’s confident and intelligent, though of course he rarely applies this to his schoolwork (preferring instead to engage in all sorts of pranks).
With Fred, he’s never so enthusiastic as when he’s causing some sort of mischief, and this certainly comes in handy when the two of them set their sights on the malicious and dictatorial Umbridge.
Snake - Albus Dumbledore
In all of Harry Potter lore, there’s no character quite like Dumbledore. From the moment that he appears, he’s something of an enigma. However, he’s also a font of truly great wisdom, and it is this deep well of sagacity that allows him to guide Harry through so many of the treacherous situations that he faces in the first few books.
However, like any snake, he has a few secrets that he doesn’t really want to reveal, even to his favorite protege.
Horse - Fred Weasley
Fred, like his brother George, has long been one of the fan favorites of the series, and it’s not hard to see why. After all, he’s one of those characters that seems to relish the opportunity to get into as much trouble as possible (much to the exasperation of his mother).
However, no matter how much trouble he manages to get into with his brother George, he seems to exude exactly the sort of charm that makes him impossible to dislike.
Goat - Remus Lupin
Of all of the characters that appear in either the books or the films, there’s possibly no character quite as tragic as Remus Lupin. It’s impossible not to feel sorry for him since he’s been cursed to live out his life as a werewolf.
However, while others might turn bitter as a result, he is instead one of the gentlest and most compassionate of all of the characters, and he becomes another surrogate parental figure for Harry himself.
Monkey - Minerva McGonagall
It’s impossible not to love Professor McGonagall. After all, she has a fierce intelligence that she uses to devastating effect, both in terms of how she encourages her students to learn and, later, as she undertakes a leadership role in the defense of Hogwarts against both Voldemort and his Death Eaters.
There’s more than a few times, however, where her sharp tongue makes her less than popular with the students (though she also has a deep well of compassion).
Rooster - Hermione Granger
Hermione is one of the smartest characters in the entire series and, as she is told, again and again, she is almost certainly fated to be the finest witch of her generation.
She certainly has a great deal of native intelligence, but her success in school is also due to the fact that she is willing to put in a great deal of hard work to meet her goals and to help her friends as they begin to fight back against Voldemort.
Dog - Neville Longbottom
When he first appears, it seems as if no one is ever going to take Neville Longbottom seriously. It’s not hard to see why, since he is a bit of a doofus for most of the early entries in the series.
However, he ultimately proves that there is a deep core of integrity and bravery inside of him, one that is only brought out when he, and his friends, are faced with a dire threat.
Pig - Rubeus Hagrid
Though he never became a fully-fledged wizard-due to the machinations of none other than the malevolent Tom Riddle-there’s no doubt that Hagrid is one of the noblest and compassionate of all of the Gryffindors that the reader meets.
He’s also one of the most generous, as can be seen by the many times that he is willing to offer his help to Harry and his friends (no matter how much trouble might result).