People Who Don’t Matter: My Weird Love for Minor Characters

One of my favorite all time characters, the one and only Terrified Red-Haired Goblin at Gringotts

As a word nerd, writer, and obsessive reader, I have long since discovered something about myself: I have a slightly odd tendency to obsess over minor characters in stories—both mine and other people’s.

Here’s a great example: the Terrified Red-Haired Goblin who is shown for exactly two seconds in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 during the protagonists’ escape from Gringotts.  (I just realized that I’ve gone over a year on this blog without more than the merest mention of HP.  This is…unacceptable.)  He is unnamed, probably unlisted in the credits, and has no bearing on anything.  But he stands out in the scene because he looks convincingly terrified.  I’ve always loved him, I thought he was one of the coolest characters in the whole story (or, at least, he makes Top 50).  I never knew why, just sort of laughed at it and listed it under “Cara’s Quirks” (a rather extensive list, actually).