Harry Potter HBO Season 2 Casts Dobby, Ginny and Tom Riddle

HBO has found the actors who will bring three major characters from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets to life, including fan-favorite house-elf Dobby and the young Tom Riddle.

September 4, 2026: The magical world of HBO’s Harry Potter series is getting even bigger. HBO has announced three major additions to the cast for Season 2, which will adapt Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

Lenny Rush has been cast as Dobby, Bonnie Hill will take over the role of Ginny Weasley, and Billy Barratt will portray the young Tom Riddle, the character who eventually becomes Lord Voldemort.

The announcement comes before Season 1 has even premiered, giving fans an early look at some of the characters who will become important as Harry Potter’s story progresses at Hogwarts.

Lenny Rush Is the New Dobby

One of the most exciting announcements is the casting of Lenny Rush as Dobby.

Rush, known for Am I Being Unreasonable?, Enola Holmes 2 and Doctor Who, will play the beloved house-elf who first becomes involved in Harry’s story in The Chamber of Secrets.

Dobby is a house-elf connected to the Malfoy family who attempts to stop Harry from returning to Hogwarts because he knows that dangerous events are about to unfold at the school.

The character became particularly popular with fans following the original Harry Potter movies. In the film franchise, Dobby was created digitally and voiced by Toby Jones.

For the HBO adaptation, it has not yet been revealed exactly how Rush will appear as Dobby. Deadline reports that HBO has not confirmed whether the character will be entirely CGI, use motion capture or involve prosthetics.

That leaves plenty of room for curiosity about how the new series will translate one of the Wizarding World’s most recognizable house-elves to television.

Bonnie Hill Takes Over as Ginny Weasley

Bonnie Hill is also joining Season 2 as Ginny Weasley, Ron’s younger sister and a character who becomes increasingly important throughout the story.

Hill will replace Gracie Cochrane, who was previously cast as Ginny for Season 1. Cochrane will still appear in the first season, but she announced earlier this year that she would leave the series after Season 1 because of “unforeseen circumstances.”

Hill’s casting means audiences will see a new Ginny when the story moves into The Chamber of Secrets.

The timing is significant because Ginny becomes much more central to the second story. She begins her first year at Hogwarts while Harry, Ron and Hermione enter their second year.

Without giving away too much for viewers who are unfamiliar with the story, Ginny becomes connected to the mystery surrounding the Chamber of Secrets and Tom Riddle’s enchanted diary.

Billy Barratt Is Young Tom Riddle

The third major casting announcement is Billy Barratt as Tom Riddle.

Riddle is the younger version of the character who eventually becomes Lord Voldemort, making Barratt the first actor officially cast as Voldemort in HBO’s new adaptation.

Barratt is known for Invasion and Bring Her Back. He also made history at just 13 when he became the youngest winner of the International Emmy Award for Best Actor for his performance in Responsible Child.

The casting is particularly interesting because the HBO series appears to be choosing a much younger actor for Riddle than the original movie franchise did.

Christian Coulson played the teenage Tom Riddle in the 2002 film Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Coulson was 23 when he was cast, while Barratt is much closer in age to the 16-year-old version of Riddle described in the book.

Season 2 Will Explore the Chamber of Secrets

The second season will be based on J.K. Rowling’s second Harry Potter novel, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets.

The story sees Harry returning to Hogwarts for his second year, where mysterious attacks begin targeting students. The discovery of the Chamber of Secrets eventually connects to Hogwarts’ history and the dark legacy of Tom Riddle.

That makes all three new castings particularly important.

Dobby attempts to warn Harry about the dangers ahead, Ginny becomes directly connected to the mystery, and Tom Riddle’s presence provides a crucial link to the events unfolding at Hogwarts.

The New Harry Potter Cast Is Coming Together

The new additions join an already impressive cast led by Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.

The adult cast includes John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Professor McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape and Nick Frost as Hagrid.

Rory Wilmot is playing Neville Longbottom, while Lox Pratt has been cast as Draco Malfoy.

The series has also recently added Kit Harington as Gilderoy Lockhart, the charismatic Defense Against the Dark Arts professor who becomes an important character in The Chamber of Secrets. Harington replaced Nicholas Hoult, who departed the role because of scheduling conflicts.

When Will the HBO ‘Harry Potter’ Series Premiere?

Fans still have to wait a little longer before entering this new version of Hogwarts.

Season 1, titled Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, is scheduled to premiere on HBO on December 25, 2026.

The first season has already wrapped filming, while Season 2 is currently in pre-production and is expected to begin filming this fall at Leavesden Studios in the U.K.

HBO has not yet announced a premiere date for Season 2.

A New Generation Steps Into the Wizarding World

The casting of Dobby, Ginny and Tom Riddle gives fans a clearer idea of where HBO’s adaptation is headed.

Unlike the original films, which condensed seven books into eight movies, the HBO series is being developed as a television adaptation designed to spend more time with Rowling’s source material.

That could give characters such as Ginny and Dobby more room to develop and allow the story surrounding Tom Riddle to unfold at a slower pace.

For longtime fans, however, the biggest question may simply be whether the new versions can capture the same magic as the original movies.

With Season 1 still months away, HBO is already laying the groundwork for what comes next.

HOLR has the latest news on HBO’s Harry Potter series, its new cast members and everything happening in the Wizarding World.

FAQs

Who is playing Dobby in HBO’s Harry Potter series?
Lenny Rush will play Dobby, the house-elf who becomes an important ally to Harry Potter.

Who is playing Ginny Weasley in Season 2?
Bonnie Hill will play Ginny Weasley beginning in Season 2. She replaces Gracie Cochrane, who will portray Ginny in Season 1.

Who is playing Tom Riddle in HBO’s Harry Potter series?
Billy Barratt will portray young Tom Riddle in Season 2.

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