Ernest Macmillan

Warning! At least some content in this article is derived from information featured inHarry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery. Spoilers will be present within the article.

Signature

Ernest "Ernie" Macmillan (b.1980) was apure-blood^[2]wizard who attendedHogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry from1991 to1998. He was in the same year as the famousHarry Potter and wasSorted intoHufflepuffHouse. He was also born into theMacmillan family, one of theSacred Twenty-Eight.^[2]

Ernie was an academically strong student and good friends withHannah Abbott andJustin Finch-Fletchley. In1992, Ernie initially suspected that Harry Potter was theHeir of Slytherin during the opening of theChamber of Secrets in his second year.^[2] However afterHermione Granger waspetrified, he told Harry that he knew Harry would never do that to her. After he apologised to Harry for his suspicions and accusations, the two became good friends.^[8]

In Ernie's fourth year, their friendship temporarily wavered after Harry's name came out of theGoblet of Fire after Hufflepuff'sCedric Diggory. He thought Harry cheated and proceeded to wearPotter Stinks badges, courtesy ofDraco Malfoy. When Harry proclaimed thatVoldemort hadreturned at the end of the year, Ernie was one of the few who believed him.^[4]

In his fifth year, Ernie became a member ofDumbledore's Army, an organisation taught and led by Harry for the purposes of learning practical defensive magic.^[4] He joined the D.A. again when it was reinstated during his seventh year, opposingDeath Eater control of Hogwarts and fighting in theBattle of Hogwarts on2 May1998.^[9]

It remains unknown what happened to Ernie after theSecond Wizarding War, but he likely survived as his name wasn't listed among thecasualties. What Ernie did after the war, if he survived, is unknown.

Biography[]

Early life(1980–1991)[]

Ernie was born into apure-bloodfamily that could trace its lineage back nine generations; he may have been related toMelania Black(néeMacmillan),Sirius Black's paternal grandmother, a pure-blood family, which references to both his surname and blood heritage. Although he was proud of his blood status, Ernie was not prejudiced against those of otherblood statuses, befriending and looking out forJustin Finch-Fletchley, aMuggle-born.^[2]

Hogwarts years(1991–1998)[]

First year[]

Ernie began attendingHogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on1 September1991. He was in the same year as the famous Harry Potter. He was alsoSorted intoHufflepuff House, which valued characteristics such as loyalty, friendship, and hard work.

During theStart-of-Term Feast, he soon became friends with fellow Hufflepuff studentsHannah Abbott,Susan Bones, andJustin Finch-Fletchley and stayed friends with them through out the entire school year.^[10][2]

At some point during or after his first-year, he once borrowedQuidditch Through the Ages from theHogwarts Library, and was due to return the book on12 August.^[11]

Second year[]

During hissecond year, Ernie came to believe thatHarry Potter was theHeir of Slytherin, after he spokeParseltongue in front of the entireDuelling Club. In actuality Harry was trying to stop thesnakeconjured byDraco Malfoy from attackingJustin Finch-Fletchley. However, Ernie perceived it differently. He believed that Harry was in fact urging the snake to attack instead. He showed bravery when he stepped in to protect his friend, suggesting that he should hide in their common room and stay there until the coast was clear.^[2]

Ernie went into discussion with the other Hufflepuffs regarding if Harry was the heir ofSlytherin, considering the coincidences with the victims. He voiced that being a Parselmouth was the very symbol of a Dark wizard and was probably the reason whyVoldemort wanted to kill Harry, Voldemort did not want another Dark Lord competing against him. Harry, who was attempting to explain to Justin what really happened, was eavesdropping on their conversation and attempted to convince Ernie that the altercation at theDuelling Club was not what it seemed. Ernie stated that Harry should not try anything, as he himself waspure-blood and also brought up the fact that Harry hated hisMuggle relatives. When it seemed that their argument was going nowhere, Harry eventually gave up.^[2]

Soon enough, Ernie's fears worsened when Justin waspetrified. He discussed the matter with their mutual friend Hannah, who was initially sceptical because she thought Harry was nice, but was eventually persuaded to Ernie's point of view.^[2]

However,Hermione Granger, one of Harry's best friends, was later petrified as well. This made Ernie realise that Harry could not be the Heir of Slytherin, as he knew Harry would never harm Hermione, and he gave Harry a public apology. He believed that Malfoy could be the culprit, but Harry gave an emotionless no, making Ernie and Hannah stare.^[8]

Third year[]

In histhird year, Ernie took many subjects similar to Hermione. He once toldRon Weasley that she had never missed aMuggle Studies lesson, despite having another class at exactly the same time that she also attended. This was due to Hermione's use of aTime-Turner to attend all her lessons.^[12]

Fourth year[]

In the summer of1994, Ernie and his family attended theQuidditch World Cup final betweenIreland andBulgaria.^[13] Whilst there aDeath Eaterraid ensued, resulting in chaos amongst those attending.

Ernie's fourth year held place to theTriwizard Tournament, which was hosted at Hogwarts that year. He supported fellow HufflepuffCedric Diggory when he qualified and again stopped speaking to Harry Potter, who also qualified, but underage, as he was one of many students who initially believed that Harry had entered himself into the tournament in a bid for further glory. He tried to convince his friends in Hufflepuff to agree with him, but they needed not much convincing.^[14]

He also wore a Potter Stinks badge. Ernie and other Hufflepuffs frequently harassed Harry with their badges, even though Cedric asked them not to. However, he likely wore off wearing this badge after Cedric requested his housemates to stop wearing them after the first task.

After the tournament came to a close, Cedric wasmurdered byLord Voldemort, coming as a shock to all students and staff members. Ernie attended Diggory's memorial feast, as did his friends. Cedric was a member ofHufflepuff and since Harry was with him when he died, Ernie appeared to have forgotten any ill wishes he thought of Harry and believed his claims to Voldemort returning whilst the Ministry did not. Ernie was among the very few students that did believe Harry's account of Voldemort'sreturn.^[14]

Fifth year[]

In1995, Ernie became a Hufflepuffprefect, alongsideHannah Abbott. Unlike previous years, during which he had thought ill of Harry for certain acts he believed him to have committed, Ernie was one of the few Hogwarts students who believed Harry's story thatLord Voldemort had returned. He even went as far as to make an openly public declaration of support on Harry's behalf.^[4]

Shortly after the beginning of term, Ernie joinedDumbledore's Army because of his belief in Harry and because of his dismay withDolores Umbridge, aMinistry of Magic employee who becameDefence Against the Dark Arts professor but refused to teach students any practical defence. Ernie believed Dumbledore's Army to be one of the most important things they would be doing that year — apart fromO.W.L.s.

In the run-up to his examinations, he would study between eight and ten hours a day. He developed the irritating habit of boasting about this fact, then inquiring about other students' study habits.^[4]

WhenHeadmasterAlbus Dumbledore was forced to flee the school after the D.A. was discovered, Umbridge took his place as Head of the school. However,Hogwarts itself refused to recognise her authority and sealed theHeadmaster's Tower against her, prompting her to throw what was referred to as a "right little tantrum". This act was witnessed by theFat Friar, Hufflepuff's house ghost, who told Ernie about it and who in turn relayed it to Harry, Ron and Hermione. Unfortunately, this happened to be overheard byDraco Malfoy and several otherSlytherins who had joined Umbridge's newly-formed Inquisitorial Squad.^[4]

When Malfoy stated that he would have to dock points fromHufflepuff and Gryffindor, Ernie immediately contradicted him by stating that fellow Prefects had no authority to do so. However he was overridden by the Squad's new powers and his contradiction was used as an excuse to dock five points from Hufflepuff, much to Ernie's mingled shock and fury. WhenFred andGeorge Weasley implied that they were going to cause some trouble in the school, Ernie looked uncomfortable and made an excuse about some unfinishedTransfiguration homework so he wouldn't be associated.^[4] In June, Ernie and the other fifth years took their Ordinary Wizarding Levels. Ernie was most likely present when Harry had a vision during their History of Magic O.W.L.

After term had ended, Ernie was one of the members of the D.A. who helped foil an ambush on Harry by Malfoy,Vincent Crabbe, andGregory Goyle on theHogwarts Express, cursing them so vociferously that they were reduced to three giganticslugs in Hogwarts robes. Ernie and Justin then helped hoist them into the luggage rack to ooze out the journey, taking particular pleasure in doing so as revenge for the points Malfoy had unfairly docked from Hufflepuff.^[4]

Sixth year[]

Ernie's hard work and determination from the previous year paid off. He was the only Hufflepuff student in his year who reached the required level to advance toN.E.W.T Potions. Ernie earned at least an 'Exceeds Expectations' on his O.W.L. exam, somethingSeverus Snape claimed was very hard to achieve. Ernie had also qualified for N.E.W.T-levelDefence Against the Dark Arts, most likely because of Harry Potter's teaching the previous year.

Ernie also attended Apparition lessons with his fellow students and during the first lesson he did a leap into his hoop. An action that had bothDean Thomas andSeamus Finnigan roaring with laughter at his expense.^[5]

Later in the year, Death Eaters invaded Hogwarts, Dumbledore's Army was called to battle and theBattle of the Astronomy Tower broke out. It was likely Ernie never received his D.A. signal, as he had left theHufflepuff Common Room to investigate a disturbance he had heard when he sawDraco Malfoy,Severus Snape, andHarry Potter running down a corridor. He asked Harry what was going on, but got no response save for two of his housemates getting knocked aside.

He would later discover thatAlbus Dumbledore had been killed that night by Snape, and then presumably attended his funeral several days later to pay his respects.^[5]

Seventh year[]

As apure-blood, Ernie was able to return to Hogwarts for the1997–1998 school year after theMinistry of Magic fell under Lord Voldemort's control; indeed, Hogwarts attendance became mandatory. Presumably, Ernie'sMuggle-born friendJustin Finch-Fletchley was not able to come back to school, thoughHannah Abbott returned.

Ernie and Hannah joined the revivedDumbledore's Army, which was led byNeville Longbottom,Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood in the absence ofHarry Potter,Hermione Granger, andRon Weasley, who were off hunting down Voldemort'sHorcruxes.

The D.A. members opposed the anti-Muggle propaganda andDark Arts taught by Death Eater professorsAlecto andAmycus Carrow. They painted rebellious phrases on the walls and freed students from detention, where they faced beatings and even theCruciatus Curse.

Battle of Hogwarts[]

On2 May1998, Harry, Ron and Hermione returned to Hogwarts as Voldemort approached with his army. A meeting was held in theGreat Hall, and whenProfessor McGonagall laid out the plans to evacuate the younger students from the school, Ernie indicated his willingness to fight against theDeath Eaters. He did this by directly asking McGonagall about those who wished to remain behind. His question was applauded by a number of students who held similar feelings.

During the subsequent battle, Ernie, along withLuna Lovegood andSeamus Finnigan, came to the aid of Harry, Hermione, and Ron by using theirPatronuses to drive off a group ofDementors. Ernie's took the form of aboar.^[7]

Later life(1998–?)[]

Ernie's later life is unknown. It can be assumed that he survived the final battle of theSecond Wizarding War as his name wasn't mentioned amongst the casualties.

Physical description[]

Ernie Macmillan was described to be a stout-looking boy with blondish hair.^[2] When concentrating, such as duringApparition lessons, his face would go a deep shade of pink.^[5] Being stout implied that he was on the chubbier side, or was, at least, heavier than the average student.

Personality and traits[]

Despite being somewhat pompous, Ernie was loyal to his friends and always honest, traits of a trueHufflepuff. He would usually shakeHarry Potter's hand portentously and often spoke in a somewhat ostentatious and presumptuous manner. He was never afraid to speak his mind, and could readily admit when he was wrong.^[15] As a student, he was hard-working and strived to get good marks, which was particularly evident in his fifth year, when he claimed to be revising for hisO.W.Ls around nine hours a day.^[4] He also displayed great bravery and loyalty in his participation in theBattle of Hogwarts.^[9]

Ernie did however seem to have a habit of jumping to conclusions regarding Harry Potter; in his second year, he believed and ultimately spread a rumour that Harry was theHeir of Slytherin. During his fourth year, Ernie made his disapproval of Harry's participation in theTriwizard Tournament as an illegal fourth champion clear, claiming Harry had done it to steal the spotlight from Hufflepuff.^[14]

Despite being apure-blood and proud of it, Ernie never displayed any prejudice towards those of differentblood status, as many other pure-bloods did. In fact, his two closest friends at Hogwarts were aMuggle-born,Justin Finch-Fletchley, and ahalf-blood,Hannah Abbott, and he looked out for both of them throughout his studies.^[2] His friendship with both of them technically made him a blood traitor by association, which may contradict on how proud he was of his wizarding lineage, or he simply did not care who he associated with. Ernie was also one of the first to openly express his support of Harry andAlbus Dumbledore during the Ministry'ssmear campaign against them.^[4]

Magical abilities and skills[]

• Potions: Ernie was proficient in themagical art of potion-making. He achieved either an 'Outstanding' or an 'Exceeds Expectations' on his O.W.L. exam. In1996, he was only one of twelve students who were able to advance to N.E.W.T.-level. He was also the onlyHufflepuff who advanced.^[16]
• Charms: Ernie was shown to be proficient with charms. He was experienced with the casting of theShield Charm.^[16] During theBattle of Hogwarts he was able to conjure a corporealPatronus (in the form of aboar),^[7] which is a very advanced piece ofmagic. This was proof that he possessed superior magical ability, given the immense difficulty of the powerful protective charm.^[17]
• Defence Against the Dark Arts: Ernie earned an O.W.L. in this subject, because of his association withDumbledore's Army. He advanced toN.E.W.T.-level in this subject. He was able to cast theShield Charm during the DADA during his sixth year. This proficiently was due to his experience in the D.A.^[16]
• Duelling: Ernie demonstrated himself to have been a highly capable duellist. He was educated inMartial magic while in Dumbledore's Army. He and several others were able tohexDraco Malfoy,Gregory Goyle, andVincent Crabbe intoslugs at the end of their fifth year.^[4] In his seventh year, he bravely fought in theBattle of Hogwarts against theDeath Eaters.^[9] Ernie most likely survived the battle, as he was not mentioned as a casualty.

Possessions[]

• Wand: Ernie owned a wand, which was of an unknown length,wood andcore material. Being a British wizard, he likely purchased it fromOllivanders inDiagon Alley,London, prior to starting hisfirst year at Hogwarts in1991. Ernie wielded his wand throughout his school life, and was able to perform powerfulmagic with it, and used to fight in theBattle of Hogwarts in1998.^[7]
• Prefect badge: Becoming a HufflepuffPrefect at the start of the1995–1996 school year, Ernie would have owned and wore a Hufflepuff Prefect badge.^[4]
• Potter Stinks badge: Ernie owned and wore one of these derogatory enchanted Badges in1994, to show his disdain towards Harry Potter for supposedly stealingCedric Diggory's limelight during theTriwizard Tournament that year. He stopped wearing his badge once he became a strong supporter of Harry during the Tournament.^[14]

Relationships[]

Hannah Abbott[]

Ernie and Hannah Abbott were close friends during their time at Hogwarts, having both been Sorted into the house of Hufflepuff. They discussed the possibility of Harry being theHeir of Slytherin together during their second year, and Hannah appeared easily influenced by Ernie's opinion.^[15]

Both Hannah and Ernie shared the hobby of collectingChocolate Frog Cards, like most of the students at Hogwarts. They both also strongly supportedCedric Diggory as the School Champion during theTriwizard Tournament,^[14] and in 1995 they both became the Hufflepuffprefects in their fifth year.^[4]

Later, in the 1995-1996 year, both Ernest and Hannah Abbott joinedDumbledore's Army and were active members of the organisation.^[4] They also fought together in theBattle of Hogwarts,^[9] it can be assumed that they remained friends after theSecond Wizarding War. Ernie might have even attended Hannah's and Neville Longbottom's wedding.

Justin Finch-Fletchley[]

Ernie's other closest friend was Justin Finch-Fletchley. During the Duelling Club in1992, he moved to protect his friend when it seemed thatHarry Potter was encouraging a snake to attack him. Believing Harry to be the Heir of Slytherin, and that Justin was his next target, he told Justin to hide in the dormitories. When Justin later turned uppetrified, Ernie was very upset and angry with Harry until convinced that he was not the culprit behind the attack on his friend.^[15]

Later, in the 1995-1996 year, both Ernest and Justin Finch-Fletchley joinedDumbledore's Army and were active members of the organisation.^[4]

Harry Potter[]

During theChamber of Secrets affair, Ernie held the suspicion that Harry Potter was the Heir of Slytherin when he saw him speakParseltongue to a snake during the Duelling Club, and believed he was encouraging it to attackJustin Finch-Fletchley. His suspicions were raised when Justin became the next victim of "Slytherin's Monster". However, whenHermione Granger suffered the same fate, Ernie realised that it could not be Harry since he would never harm one of his best friends. To make amends, Ernie gave Harry a public apology.^[15]

Despite generally getting along well, Ernie did follow the lead of his fellowHufflepuff housemates and give Harry the cold shoulder when he was selected as the fourthTriwizard Champion in 1994. SinceCedric Diggory had been the chosenHogwarts Champion, he felt, like many others in the school, that Harry was taking away Hufflepuff's chance for honour and glory.^[14]

However, with the tragic events surrounding the Third Task, Ernie believed Harry's story thatLord Voldemort had returned and publicly proclaimed his support despite theMinistry of Magic and theDaily Prophet calling him a liar.^[4] Ernie's support of Harry was so strong that he was a staunch supporter ofDumbledore's Army,^[4] and led the call to arms during the meeting of students in the Great Hall prior to theBattle of Hogwarts.^[9]

Behind the scenes[]

• Ernie was born between April 21st and September 1st, as likeHarry Potter andDraco Malfoy, he was unable to take theApparition test with the rest of hissixth year class due to not yet being of-age.
• Ernie was played byLouis Doyle in the 2002's film adaption ofHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and returned three years later for 2005'sHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Louis Doyle also provided the voice for the character in thevideo game adaptation ofHarry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. InHarry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2, he is portrayed byJamie Marks.
• Ernie's last name was misspelt in the closing credits forHarry Potter and Chamber of Secrets as "MacMillan", but was corrected forHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
• InHarry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Ernie's last name is misspelt as "McMillan".
• InHarry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Ernie's role is diminished to a non-speaking part. The part where he and Hannah Abbott talk in the library about their theory of Harry wanting to attack Justin Finch-Fletchley was cut, but appears on the deleted scenes.
• In thefilm adaptation ofHarry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Ernie is omitted. However, one of his lines is spoken instead byKatie Bell.
• Ernie is likely full or part Scottish, as his surname of Macmillan is a fairly common Scottish surname.

Appearances[]

The Harry Potter Wiki has 0 images related toErnest Macmillan.

• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets(First appearance)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (video game)(Appears on the collectable card)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (film)(Name appears onparchment)
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2
• Quidditch Through the Ages(Mentioned only)
• LEGO Harry Potter
• LEGO Harry Potter: Years 1-4
• Pottermore
• HarryPotter.com(Mentioned only)
• Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery(Mentioned only)(Hufflepuff House only)

Notes and references[]

Dumbledore's Army
Founders
Harry Potter ·Hermione Granger ·Ronald Weasley
Leaders
Harry Potter ·Neville Longbottom ·Luna Lovegood ·Ginny Weasley
Members
Gryffindor	Katie Bell ·Lavender Brown ·Colin Creevey ·Dennis Creevey ·Seamus Finnigan ·Angelina Johnson ·Lee Jordan ·Cormac McLaggen ·Parvati Patil ·Alicia Spinnet ·Dean Thomas ·Romilda Vane ·Fred Weasley ·George Weasley ·Nigel Wolpert ·Unidentified female ·Unidentified female (II)
Ravenclaw	Terry Boot ·Cho Chang ·Michael Corner ·Marietta Edgecombe ·Anthony Goldstein ·Padma Patil ·Maisy Reynolds ·Unidentified male ·Unidentified male (II) ·Unidentified female
Hufflepuff	Hannah Abbott ·Susan Bones ·Justin Finch-Fletchley ·Ernie Macmillan ·Zacharias Smith ·Leanne ·Unidentified female
Unknown House	Luca Caruso ·Alice Tolipan
Allies and other affiliations
Order of the Phoenix ·Hogwarts staff ·Augusta Longbottom ·Andromeda Tonks ·Ted Tonks ·Percy Weasley ·Oliver Wood ·Grawp ·Dobby ·Winky ·Hogwarts house-elves ·Forbidden Forest Centaur colony ·Hogwarts Hippogriff herd ·Hogwarts Ghosts ·Hogwarts students ·Hogwarts Thestral herd

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry
Head Boys and Girls
Dinah Hecat ·Albus Dumbledore ·Minerva McGonagall ·Tom Riddle ·Peregrine ·James Potter ·Lily Evans ·Unidentified Head Boy ·Unidentified Head Girl ·William Weasley ·Jacob's sibling ·Corey Hayden ·Percy Weasley ·Edward Lupin
Prefects
Albus Dumbledore ·Minerva McGonagall ·Tom Riddle ·Lucius Malfoy ·Remus Lupin ·Annalena Murk ·Angelica Cole ·Chester Davies ·Felix Rosier ·Jane Court ·William Weasley ·Charles Weasley ·Percy Weasley ·Penelope Clearwater ·Robert Hilliard ·Gabriel Truman ·Marcus Turner ·Gemma Farley ·Jake Flinton ·Nicolas Grimmett ·Robert Hawking ·Cyril Meakin ·Eric Murley ·Damian Perriss ·Edmund Spiers ·Jonathan Spratt ·Kevin Sterndale ·Terry Strickland ·Ryan Westrup ·Mervyn Wynch ·Unidentified Gryffindor Prefect (I) ·Unidentified Gryffindor Prefect (II) ·Unidentified Ravenclaw Prefect (I) ·Unidentified Ravenclaw Prefect (II) ·Unidentified Slytherin Prefect (I) ·Unidentified Slytherin Prefect (II) ·Unidentified Slytherin Prefect (III) ·Cedric Diggory ·Anthony Goldstein ·Padma Patil ·Hermione Granger ·Ronald Weasley ·Ernie Macmillan ·Hannah Abbott ·Draco Malfoy ·Pansy Parkinson ·Dani Carroll ·Freddie Clemmons ·Natalie Kathryn Moore ·Rodrick Lyme ·Unidentified Gryffindor Prefect (2010s) ·Craig Bowker Junior