This Harry Potter Character Had a Much Larger Role in the Books

People who have only watched the Harry Potter movies might not entirely know the crucial role centaurs have in the Harry Potter series, especially Professor Firenze. While Firenze only appears in the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone movie to save Harry from Lord Voldemort in the Forbidden Forest, he has a much larger role in the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix book. He not only becomes a Hogwarts professor against the wishes of the rest of the centaurs, but he’s almost killed for associating himself with humans. However, this didn’t stop Firenze from teaching human children and fighting alongside Harry in the Battle of Hogwarts.

What’s more, the books depict, at large, the community of centaurs, their culture, and their hatred of everything that has to do with witches and wizards. Centaurs aren’t the only one of the many magical communities in Harry Potter, but their presence and important characters add to the theme of racism in the series. Wizards are known for oppressing and enslaving other magical beings, such as goblins, house elves, and gnomes. Not only that, wizards and witches constantly exploit magical creatures. Since centaurs have a deep connection with nature, they oppose humans’ tendency toward violence, greed, and anthropocentrism. However, they fail to recognize that not all humans are destructive. Firenze represents a middle ground between wizards and centaurs, helping bridge the differences between these two communities to create a better wizarding world.

Firenze Saves Harry’s Life in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

• In Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Firenze is portrayed by actor Raymond Fearon. Fearon doesn’t appear again in the series as Firenze, but he’s responsible for Fawkes’s vocal effects in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets,Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald and Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.

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Fans of the Harry Potter movies might remember Firenze from the first film. He appears briefly when Harry gets lost in the Forbidden Forest. After seeing Lord Voldemort feeding himself from a dead unicorn, Firenze saves Harry, jumping over the hooded figure. Firenze then explains to Harry the danger he’s facing at the moment and leaves when Hagrid comes back. This scene, however, is way more complicated in the books. The movie deliberately leaves aside the tension between humans and centaurs.

In the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone book, readers get to know a few more centaurs, Bane and Ronan. These two characters are cryptic and mysterious, especially with humans. In the book, when Firenze saves Harry, he takes him out of the forest riding on his back, which angers Bane. The latter believes that centaurs shouldn’t concern themselves with human business and criticizes Firenze for acting like a “common mule.” Still, Firenze defends Harry and comments that he will be on the right side of history, even if that means siding with humans.

The Harry Potter movie leaves aside another crucial aspect about centaurs: this community reads the stars and predicts what will happen based on the movement of the planets. However, they don’t take any actions to either warn, prevent, or push the events they see in the cosmos. They believe in acting impartially even though they know the future. Firenze, on the other hand, is a more active agent. He believes in creating a better world, even if it goes against what’s written in the stars.

Firenze Teaches Divination in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

• Firenze’s Divination consists of observing the moon, the planets, and the stars. He believes Sybill Trelawney’s methods to be foolish but respects her classes. On the other hand, Trelawney was offended to share her subject with a “horse,” which reflects the wizarding world’s usual racism.

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Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is a turning point in the series. After Lord Voldemort’s return in the Goblet of Fire, the wizarding world lives in denial. No one believes Harry or Dumbledore. The Ministry of Magic tries to invalidate and discredit Hogwarts Headmaster and his protégé. Dolores Umbridge, the Senior Secretary to the Minister for Magic, becomes the new D.A.D.A. professor and eventually Hogwarts High Inquisitor.

As seen in the movie, Umbridge takes control of the school as she rules with a stern hand. She doesn’t allow any talk about Lord Voldemort’s return and refuses to teach Defense Against the Dark Arts. However, the books are more detailed about Umbridge’s cruelty. She is a bigot who thinks poorly of wizards with one non-human parent or other magical beings. She’s particularly evil towards Hagrid for his giant lineage, and she thinks poorly of werewolves and centaurs as well. What’s more, Umbridge particularly distrusts any teachers loyal to Dumbledore, such as Sybill Trelawney.

When Umbridge is given the power to fire any professor she deems inadequate, she fires Professor Trelawney. Dumbledore, however, quickly finds a replacement, Professor Firenze. The latter uses his magical knowledge to teach Divination at Hogwarts. This, of course, angers Umbridge, who is afraid and disgusted of centaurs. However, it comes with a price: Firenze is exiled from the Forbidden Forest by the other centaurs, who almost killed him.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is the longest book in the Harry Potter series, so it’s not a surprise that the movie had to cut several characters, scenes, and themes. However, not including Firenze in the film was a huge mistake for several reasons. First, Firenze is an important character in the series that appears from the beginning. Much like Hagrid, Remus Lupin, and even Harry, Firenze is an outcast in his own community, but this doesn’t stop him from making a better world. Firenze’s heroics saved Harry from Voldemort and Hogwarts from another terrible Ministry figure. What’s more, the centaur fought in the Battle of Hogwarts, choosing to potentially sacrifice his life to make a better world.

Additionally, Firenze decides to impart the ancestral knowledge of the centaurs to Hogwarts students, which is not a small feat. By sharing his divination skills, he demonstrates that fortune-telling is not pure nonsense. It’s a complex yet ever-changing science with its pros and cons. Unlike Trelawney, Firenze teaches its students to be critical when reading the cosmos. However, the two teachers continue imparting their class at Hogwarts after Dolores Umbridge leaves, a concrete representation of a healthier and more unified wizarding world.

The Darker Side of Centaurs

• In the wizarding world, centaurs are considered to be magical beasts. Centaurs, however, possess consciousness and self-awareness, but they didn’t want to be categorized as magical “beings” who had to adhere to wizards’ laws. Additionally, they didn’t want to be in the same category as hags and vampires.

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While Firenze is a kind, generous, and heroic centaur, a lot of centaurs act aloof when it comes to human business. They’re very protective of their space and community and sometimes act in violent and irrational ways. When Hagrid saves Firenze from being killed by the rest of his community, the centaurs threaten to attack Hagrid. They were also okay with the idea of Harry dying in the Forbidden Forest.

In the Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix movie, Hermione guides Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest when she threatens Harry. Umbridge insults the centaurs, who immediately attack her. However, unlike in the movies, in the books, the centaurs also attack Harry and Hermione, thinking them arrogant wizards for leading Umbridge into the forest.

While the centaurs are an intelligent and advanced community, they resort to violence with too much ease. It makes sense, however, that they have become defensive towards wizardkind. This is why Firenze’s role in Harry Potter is so important. His courage, wisdom, and kindness repaired the bridge between centaurs and wizards. In the end, the centaurs accepted Firenze teaching Divination to Hogwarts students and welcomed him back into the community. Since one of the main themes in Harry Potter is racism (against muggle-borns and other magical people), Firenze is a key character that expands the vision of the political and social division of the wizarding world.

Harry Potter

The Harry Potter franchise follows the adventure of a young boy introduced a whole new world of magic, mayhem and darkness. Traversing the obstacles in his path, young Harry’s rise to heroics pits him against Lord Voldemort, one of the most dangerous wizards in the world and all his minions.

Created by

J.K. Rowling

First Film

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone

Latest Film

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2

Upcoming TV Shows

Harry Potter

Where to watch

HBO Max

Character(s)

Harry Potter , Voldemort

Video Game(s)

Hogwarts Legacy , LEGO Harry Potter Collection , Harry Potter: Wizards Unite , Harry Potter: Puzzles and Spells , Harry Potter: Magic Awakened , Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets , Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1 , Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2