Cuthbert Binns

Cuthbert Binns is professor of History of Magic at Hogwarts. He is, in actuality, the ghost of an elderly Hogwarts teacher who died in his chair one day, but apparently did not notice that he had shuffled off this mortal coil, and carried on with his duties. The students find his droning lectures dreadfully dull; in fact, only Hermione Granger seems able to remain sufficiently alert in his classes to take reasonable notes.

Binns is a wellsource of historical knowledge and facts, and as those facts are his primary conern, he does not bother to remember any of his students names. Ironically, he does not even recognize Harry Potter, and calls him "Perkins."

The one time a student ever asked a question in Binns' class, in known history, was when Hermione Granger asked him for any information about the Chamber of Secrets.

Behind the scenes

 * Binns hasn't appeared in either the films or the PC games. His explanation in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets of the legend of the Chamber of Secrets is instead given by Professor McGonagall in the film, in the PC game it is Professor Flitwick who tells the legend.