HBO’s 'Harry Potter' Reveals Who Will Be Playing Ginny, Tom Riddle, and Dobby

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Fans of Harry Potter can rest easy—the HBO television series, which is set to premiere later this year on Christmas Day, is headed back to Hogwarts for a second school year and will follow Harry, Ron, and Hermione as they embark on a brand-new adventure. Here's everything we know about the second season so far.

Has Harry Potter been renewed for season 2?

Yes! HBO announced that season 2 received a green light on May 7, The Wrap confirmed. The series's co-showrunner, Francesca Gardiner, issued a statement with the news of the show's renewal.

"As we have laid out our plans for the overlapping production schedules to finish season one by Christmas and to return to production for season 2 this Autumn, it has become clear that bringing on a co-showrunner is the key to maintaining our momentum," she said. "I've loved working with Jon [Brown] from the very first day we met on Succession through to these recent times together on Harry Potter . Not only do I have huge admiration for his writing, but he's also a brilliant collaborator and a lovely person. We are lucky to have him."

Writer Jon Brown—who was promoted to co-showrunner alongside Gardiner—added, "I'm incredibly excited to be collaborating with Francesca as co-showrunner. It has been a joy to write on Philosopher's Stone and I'd like to thank Francesca and HBO for putting their faith in me to continue this remarkable journey. Seems you're never too old to get your invitation to Hogwarts."

Has Harry Potter season 2 started filming yet?

Not yet, but soon. The Wrap confirmed that production will begin this fall, months before the arrival of season 1.

HBO's CEO Casey Bloys also revealed in a March 2026 interview with The Times that the second season is currently being written. "Our goal is to not have a huge gap, you know, especially because the kids are growing," he explained. "It's not going to be an annual; the show is too big and too massive. But…they're writing the season 2 now."

What will Harry Potter season 2 be about?

Season 2 will likely adapt Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets , the second book in J.K. Rowling's book series.

The official summary for the book reads, "The Dursleys were so mean and hideous that summer that all Harry Potter wanted was to get back to the Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry. But just as he's packing his bags, Harry receives a warning from a strange, impish creature named Dobby who says that if Harry Potter returns to Hogwarts, disaster will strike. And strike it does. For in Harry's second year at Hogwarts, fresh torments and horrors arise, including an outrageously stuck-up new professor, Gilderoy Lockhart, a spirit named Moaning Myrtle who haunts the girls' bathroom, and the unwanted attentions of Ron Weasley's younger sister, Ginny. But each of these seem minor annoyances when the real trouble begins, and someone—or something—starts turning Hogwarts students to stone. Could it be Draco Malfoy, a more poisonous rival than ever? Could it possibly be Hagrid, whose mysterious past is finally told? Or could it be the one everyone at Hogwarts most suspects... Harry Potter himself!"

Fans wanting a taste of season 2, of course, can rewatch the second film in the movie franchise.

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Who will be in the cast?

Main cast members Dominic McLaughlin (Harry Potter), Arabella Stanton (Hermione Granger), and Alastair Stout (Ron Weasley) are set to return for the show's second season. John Lithgow (Professor Albus Dumbledore), Janet McTeer (Professor Minerva McGonagall), Paapa Essiedu (Professor Severus Snape), and Nick Frost (Rubeus Hagrid) will also return.

Deadline reported on August 24 that Kit Harington ( Game of Thrones , Industry ) will star as Gilderoy Lockhart, after Nicholas Hoult had to exit the role due to scheduling issues. The outlet describes the character as "a notoriously vain, boastful, and fame-obsessed wizard well-versed in Memory Charms who is recruited by Dumbledore as Professor of Defence Against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts." Harington previously voiced the role for a Harry Potter audiobook on Audible.

Gracie Cochrane previously portrayed Ginny Weasley in season 1, but she will not return for season 2. On May 18, Deadline reported that the role will be recast following Cochrane's departure from the series due to what her family described as "unforeseen circumstances." On September 4, TheWrap reported that Bonnie Hill will be taking over the role.

That same day, the outlet also revealed that Lenny Rush ( Am I Being Unreasonable? ) will play Dobby and Billy Barratt ( Invasion ) will play Tom Riddle, who uses Ginny to unlock Hogwarts's Chamber of Secrets.

HBO has yet to confirm the official season 2 ensemble, but other recurring cast members could include:

• Nick Frost ( Shaun of the Dead ) as Rubeus Hagrid

• Paul Whitehouse ( The Change ) as Argus Filch

• Katherine Parkinson ( The IT Crowd ) as Molly Weasley

• Tristan Harland as Fred Weasley

• Gabriel Harland as George Weasley

• Ruari Spooner as Percy Weasley

• Lox Pratt ( Lord of the Flies ) as Draco Malfoy

• Johnny Flynn ( EMMA. ) as Lucius Malfoy

• Bel Powley ( The King of Staten Island ) as Petunia Dursley

• Daniel Rigby ( Eric & Ernie ) as Vernon Dursley

• Bertie Carvel ( The Tragedy of Macbeth ) as Cornelius Fudge

• Leo Earley as Seamus Finnigan

• Alessia Leoni as Parvati Patil

• Sienna Moosah as Lavender Brown

• Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom

• Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley

• Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch

Another season 2 role appears to be in the casting process. According to a June 2026 report from Deadline , HBO is searching for an actor to play Colin Creevey, the Hogwarts student who is introduced in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and quickly becomes one of Harry's biggest admirers. The outlet reported that auditions are underway for the part.

When will Harry Potter season 2 premiere?

Season 2 of the show has no premiere date yet, so fans will have to stay tuned for updates following the December 25 premiere of season 1.

This story will be updated.

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