Ernest Macmillan

"Personally I think this is really important, possibly more important than anything else we’ll do this year, even with our O.W.L.s coming up. I, personally, am at a loss to see why the Ministry has foisted such a useless teacher on us at this critical period. Obviously, they are in denial about the return of You-Know-Who..."

- Ernie Macmillan on Dumbledore's Army

Ernie Macmillan (born 1980) is a pure-blood wizard who was in the same year as Harry Potter at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Ernie attended Hogwarts from 1991 to 1998 and was sorted into Hufflepuff house. He was an academically strong student and good friends with Hannah Abbott and Justin Finch-Fletchley. Ernie initially suspected that Harry was the Heir of Slytherin during the opening of the Chamber of Secrets in his second year, and was upset when Justin was petrified. He had another falling-out with Harry in their fourth year over Harry being selected as a fourth Triwizard Champion, as he felt that Harry was trying to steal glory from Hogwarts' other champion, Hufflepuff Cedric Diggory. In his fifth year, however, Ernie believed Harry's claim that Lord Voldemort had returned and joined Dumbledore's Army; he also became a Prefect. Ernie was again a member of the D.A. during his seventh year, opposing Death Eater control of Hogwarts and fighting in the Battle of Hogwarts in 1998.

Early Years
"...in case you’re getting ideas, I might tell you that you can trace my family back through nine generations of witches and warlocks and my blood’s as pure as anyone’s..."

- Ernie yelling at Harry Potter during the Chamber of Secrets incident

Ernie was born into a pure-blood family that can trace its lineage back nine generations; he may be related to Melania Black née Macmillan, Sirius Black's paternal grandmother. Although he was proud of this, Ernie was not prejudiced against those of other blood statuses. He began attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry on September 1st, 1991. He was Sorted into Hufflepuff during the Welcoming Feast, and soon became friends with fellow Hufflepuffs Hannah Abbott and Justin Finch-Fletchley.

Second and Third Years
"Hannah, he’s a Parselmouth. Everyone knows that’s the mark of a Dark wizard. Have you ever heard of a decent one who could talk to snakes? They called Slytherin himself Serpent-tongue."

- Ernie discussing Harry with Hannah Abbott

During his second year, Ernie came to believe that Harry Potter was the Heir of Slytherin after he spoke Parseltongue in front of the Dueling Club. Harry was trying to stop the snake from attacking Justin Finch-Fletchley, but Ernie perceived it differently, believing that Harry was in fact urging the snake to attack. He stepped in to protect his friend, and his fears were worsened when Justin Finch-Fletchley was Petrified shortly after. He discussed the matter with their mutual friend Hannah Abbott, who was initially skeptical because she thought Harry was nice, but was eventually persuaded to Ernie's point of view.

However, the attack on Hermione Granger, Harry's close friend, made Ernie realise that Harry couldn't be the Heir of Slytherin, and he gave Harry a public apology.

In his third year, Ernie took many subjects similar to Hermione Granger. He once told Ron Weasley that she had never missed a Muggle Studies lesson, despite having another class at exactly the same time that she also attended. This was due to Hermione's use of a Time Turner to attend all her lessons.

Supporting Cedric
In 1994, Ernie attended the Quidditch World Cup final between Ireland and Bulgaria.

During the Triwizard Tournament, he supported Cedric Diggory like most of the Hufflepuff's and again stopped speaking to Harry, 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 also wore a Support Cedric Diggory badge.

Dumbledore's Army
"I’m doing eight. Eight or nine. I’m getting an hour in before breakfast everyday. Eight’s my average. I can do ten on a good weekend day. I did nine and a half on Monday. No so good on Tuesday -- only seven and a quarter. Then on Wednesday-"

- Ernie talking about studying for his O.W.L.s

In 1995, Ernie became a Hufflepuff Prefect alongside Hannah Abbott. Unlike previous years, where 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 that Lord Voldemort had returned. He even went as far as to make an openly public declaration of support on Harry's behalf.

Shortly after the beginning of term, Ernie joined Dumbledore's Army because of his belief in Harry and because of his dismay with Dolores Umbridge, a Ministry of Magic employee who became Defence Against the Dark Arts professor but refused to teach students any practical defence. Ernie believed the D.A. to be one of the most important things they would be doing that year - apart from O.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.

After term had ended, Ernie was one of the members of Dumbledore's Army who helped foil an ambush on Harry by Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe, and Gregory Goyle on the Hogwarts Express.

Sixth Year
Ernie's hard work and determination from the previous year paid off, as he was the only Hufflepuff student in his year who returned for N.E.W.T-level Potions, earning at least an "Exceeds Expectations" in his O.W.L. He also qualified for N.E.W.T-level for Defence Against the Dark Arts.

On the night of the Battle of the Astronomy Tower, Ernie was exiting the Hufflepuff Common Room to investigate a disturbance and saw Draco Malfoy, Severus Snape, and Harry Potter running down a corridor. He asked Harry what was going on, but got no response. He would later discover that Albus Dumbledore had been killed that night, and he presumably attended his funeral several days later.

Final Year
As a pure-blood, Ernie was able to return to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for the 1997-1998 school year after the Ministry of Magic fell under Lord Voldemort's control; indeed, Hogwarts attendance became mandatory. Presumably, Ernie's Muggle-born friend Justin Finch-Fletchley was not able to come back to school, though Hannah Abbott returned. The two joined the revived Dumbledore's Army, which was led by Neville Longbottom, Ginny Weasley, and Luna Lovegood in the absence of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley, who were off hunting down Voldemort's Horcruxes. The D.A. members opposed the anti-Muggle propaganda and Dark Arts taught by Death Eater professors Alecto and Amycus Carrow. They painted rebellious phrases on the walls and freed students from detention, where they faced beatings and even the Cruciatus Curse.

On May 2, 1998, Harry and his friends returned to Hogwarts as Lord Voldemort approached with his army. A meeting was held in the Great Hall, and when Professor McGonagall laid out the plans to evacuate the younger students from the school, Ernie indicated his willingness to fight against the Death Eaters by directly asking Professor 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 with Luna Lovegood and Seamus Finnigan, came to the aid of Harry, Hermione, and Ron by using their Patronuses to drive off a group of Dementors. Ernie's took the form of a boar.

As he was not mentioned among the casualties, Ernie likely survived the Second Wizarding War.

Physical description
Ernie was a stout boy, with blond hair. When concentrating, such as during Apparation lessons, his face would go pink.

Personality and traits
"I must say, I'm looking forward to seeing Malfoy's mother's face when he gets off the train."

- Ernie shortly after helping Harry Potter curse Draco Malfoy, Vincent Crabbe and Gregory Goyle on the Hogwarts Express in 1996

Although others percieved Ernie as pompous, he was loyal to his friends and always honest. He was never afraid to speak his mind, and could readily admit when he was wrong. As a student, he was hard-working and strived to get good marks. He also displayed great bravery and loyalty in his participation in the Battle of Hogwarts.

Despite being a pure-blood, he never displayed any prejudice towards those of different blood status. Indeed, his two closest friends at Hogwarts were a Muggle-born, Justin Finch-Fletchley, and a half-Blood, Hannah Abbott.

Hannah Abbott
Ernie and Hannah Abbott were close friends during their time at Hogwarts. They discussed the possibility of Harry being the Heir of Slytherin together during their second year, and shared the hobby of collecting Chocolate Frog cards. They supported Cedric Diggory as the School Champion during the Triwizard Tournament together, and, in 1995, they both became the Hufflepuff Prefects.

Justin Finch-Fletchley
Ernie was friends with Justin Finch-Fletchley, and, during the Dueling Club in 1992, moved to protect his friend when it seemed that Harry 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 up petrified, Ernie was very upset and angry with Harry until convinced that he was not the culprit behind the attack on his friend.

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

Despite generally getting along well, Ernie did follow the lead of his fellow Hufflepuff housemates and give Harry the cold shoulder when he was selected as the fourth Triwizard Champion in 1994. Since Cedric Diggory had been the chosen Hogwarts Champion, he felt, like many others in the school, that Harry was taking away Hufflepuff's chance for honour and glory. However, with the tragic events surrounding the Third Task, Ernie believed Harry's story that Lord Voldemort had returned and publically proclaimed his support despite the Ministry of Magic and the Daily Prophet calling him a liar. Ernie's support of Harry was so strong that he was a staunch supporter of Dumbledore's Army, and led the call to arms during the meeting of students in the Great Hall prior to the Battle of Hogwarts,

Etymology
Ernie is a short form of the name Ernest, which is derived from the German word ernst, meaning "honest" or "trustworthy", or eornost, meaning "serious". It is the name of the main character in Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. Ernie could also be named after J.K. Rowling's paternal grandfather, Ernie Rowling.

Behind the scenes

 * Ernie was played by Louis Doyle in the film versions of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. Louis Doyle also provided the voice for the character in the video game adaption of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.
 * Ernie's last name was misspelled in the closing credits for Chamber of Secrets as "MacMillan", but was corrected for Goblet of Fire.

Appearances

 * Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
 * Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
 * Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (film)
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
 * Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (video game)
 * Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
 * Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Notes and references
Ernie Macmillan Эрни Макмилан