Harry Potter Season 2 Casts Dobby, Tom Riddle and a New Ginny Weasley

HBO is already looking ahead to Harry Potter’s second year at Hogwarts, and three characters who will play major roles in the Chamber of Secrets story have officially been cast.

Lenny Rush will play Dobby, Billy Barratt has been cast as Tom Riddle, and Bonnie Hill will take over the role of Ginny Weasley beginning with Season 2. The casting news arrives months before HBO’s Harry Potter series even premieres, but with production on the second season expected to begin this fall, Hogwarts apparently does not have time to waste.

And honestly, these aren't exactly background students sitting somewhere in the Great Hall.

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Dobby becomes one of the most recognizable characters in the franchise after making his debut in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The house-elf was voiced by Toby Jones in the original films, while Rush will now get the task of introducing a new version of the character to television audiences. Rush is a BAFTA winner whose credits include Am I Being Unreasonable?, Dodger and Enola Holmes 2.

Barratt, meanwhile, will step into considerably darker territory as Tom Riddle, the former Hogwarts student who, unless you've somehow avoided Harry Potter spoilers for nearly three decades, eventually becomes Lord Voldemort. Barratt's previous credits include Invasion, Bring Her Back and Kraven the Hunter, and he became the youngest-ever winner of an International Emmy.

Then there's Ginny. Hill will replace Gracie Cochrane, who plays Ginny Weasley during the upcoming first season. Cochrane's family previously announced that she would leave the series following Season 1 because of “unforeseen circumstances,” with HBO publicly supporting her decision.

The timing makes Hill's casting particularly important because Chamber of Secrets is where Ginny goes from Ron's little sister to a crucial part of the story. Without wandering too far into spoiler territory for anyone somehow entering Hogwarts completely fresh, let's just say Season 2 needs a Ginny who can handle some serious material.

The trio joins another major Season 2 addition: Game of Thrones star Kit Harington, who is set to play the fabulously self-important Gilderoy Lockhart after Nicholas Hoult exited the role due to scheduling issues.

Season 1, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, premieres Christmas Day on HBO and HBO Max, with Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley. HBO has already renewed the adaptation for Season 2, which is expected to begin production this fall.

Basically, we haven't even boarded the Hogwarts Express for Year One and HBO is already opening the Chamber of Secrets.